Over the frantic sounds of boots on marble and weapons being drawn the guard replied, ‘We’re not sure yet, sir – we think there’s been some kind of attack inside the keep.’
As the others joined me, I drew my rapier. ‘Gentlemen, time we all stopped playing “Who’s King of the Castle?”.’
The two Aramor guards looked ready to give way, but the soldiers from Luth raised their crossbows.
‘Look, friends,’ Brasti said amiably, ‘here’s what’s going to happen. Falcio’s going to talk a lot of nonsense about having to save every endangered soul in the world, then one of you is going to say the wrong thing, and then the four of us are going to knock the lot of you on your arses. Since none of you look like you’ve limbered up, you might as well just let us pass and save yourselves a lot of pain and trouble.’
‘Let them pass,’ the Aramor Sargent said.
‘We don’t know who these people are,’ the older of the Luthian soldiers declared, adding smugly, ‘They don’t get in until their credentials have been established to our Captain’s satisfaction.’
‘We’re four of the most dangerous people you’ve ever met,’ I told him, ‘so get the hells out of my way or we’ll establish our credentials to your eternal dissatisfaction.’
‘See?’ Brasti said, elbowing Chalmers. ‘That’s the kind of threat you need to have at the ready if you want to be a proper Greatcoat.’
The Sargent, clearly as keen as we were to get on and deal with whatever was going on inside, shouted at the men in yellow, ‘I’m the senior officer here and I’m ordering the two of you to step aside. Now.’
The younger guard turned his crossbow towards the Sargent. ‘You don’t command us—’
An instant later he was stumbling backwards. His weapon dropped to the ground as he slumped down against the stone wall, blood spurting from his nose. ‘Been waiting to do that for weeks now,’ the Sargent said, rubbing the knuckles of his right hand and looking deeply satisfied. He turned to the second soldier from Luth. ‘Care to register a complaint?’
The guard set down his crossbow and the Sargent motioned for us to enter.
‘Thanks,’ I said as I passed him.
‘Just protect the heir – and try not to steal anything, Trattari.’
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Assignation
We ran through a maze of dark halls hazy with dust, past ungainly supports propping up the damaged walls and roof.
‘Saint Laina’s cold dead tits!’ Brasti swore, coughing as the dust got up his nose. ‘Did something explode in here?’
‘No, it’s all the people,’ Kest said, gesturing to the motley collection of nobles, retainers and guards clogging the halls, trying to find out what was happening. ‘They’re stirring up the debris from the repair work.’
I ignored everyone; I’d trained myself months ago to navigate the path to Aline’s rooms blindfolded, in case of yet another assassination attempt.
Why must they always come after you, sweetheart?
‘First Cantor!’ a young voice shouted, and a boy wearing a page’s uniform started waving furiously at me.
‘Bendain, isn’t it?’ I asked.
The boy nodded. ‘Thank the Saints you’re here, sir – but you’re going the wrong way!’
I glanced at the intersection of hallways, momentarily confused by the chaos around me. ‘What do you mean? Aline’s rooms are—’
‘The attack isn’t on Aline, sir.’
‘Then who—?’
‘I’m not sure.’ The page pulled at my coat, leading me down a side passage. ‘I think something’s happened to the Realm’s Protector.’
I suddenly recognised where I was, and grabbing Bendain by the shoulders, said, ‘You’ve brought us to the diplomatic wing – why would Valiana be here in the middle of the night?’
‘Weren’t these rooms set aside for Pastien and his entourage?’ Kest asked, noting the soldiers’ yellow livery.
I was starting to really hate that colour.
The boy didn’t meet my eyes. ‘I don’t want to be indiscreet, sir, but—’
‘You think I give a damn about discretion right now? The whole damned castle’s awake. Where’s Valiana?’
‘She’s . . .’ Bendain hesitated, then muttered, ‘She was . . . er . . . visiting the Ducal Protector, sir.’
Saints, but I’m thick sometimes.
One of Pastien’s personal guard caught sight of Bendain and grabbed him by the collar. ‘I told you before, runt, keep clear of this area. No one gets in or out until we—’
‘Remove your hand from that boy,’ Chalmers said, coming up beside me, her hand on her cutlass, ‘or I can cut it off for you. Your choice.’
Her threat drew a half dozen other soldiers to us, all with weapons at the ready. The man holding onto Bendain tightened his grip.
Saint Eloria-who-is-clearly-going-to-be-my-patron-saint, I really don’t need this now.
If Chalmers drew her blade, not only would we stumble headlong into a pointless fight, but the boy would likely be the first one killed. With my free hand I grabbed Chalmers by the shoulder and hauled her back, then dropped her and slapped the guard across the face, hard enough to make him let go of the page.
The boy had the good sense to immediately get out of the way.
‘Trattari bastard,’ he growled, raising his weapon high. ‘Just wait—’
‘Look down,’ I said, and when he did, the first thing he saw was the point of my rapier at his crotch. ‘Laying hands on a royal page inside Castle Aramor is considered an attack on the Crown, you know.’
Bendain was dusting himself off. ‘Sir, that’s not technically—’
‘Shut up.’
‘Men of Luth, stand down now!’ commanded a deep, rumbling voice, and the soldiers immediately made way for a man bearing a Captain’s insignia on the collar of his yellow livery. ‘You’re Falcio val Mond, right?’
‘I am.’
‘Good. Figured I’d save you the time of one of your legendary introductions. I’m Gueran Lendale, Captain of the Ducal Protector’s Guard.’ He gestured at Pastien himself, looking rather pale and ungainly in his nightshirt, standing ringed by an assortment of servants and soldiers. ‘There’s been some sort of incident. No one’s dead, but I need to secure the area so that I can determine what is to be done.’
‘Who attacked him?’ I asked. ‘And more importantly, where is Valiana?’
‘That will be determined once I’ve—’
Bendain spoke up. ‘He’s lying, sir. I heard his soldiers saying that Valiana tried to kill the Ducal Protector. They’ve got her locked in a room. They said they’re going to—’
‘Be quiet, boy,’ Captain Lendale said. ‘No one’s going to do anything until I’ve properly secured the prisoner and investigated the assault.’
‘Actually,’ Kest said, ‘if the alleged assault has taken place within the castle, jurisdiction would fall under the purview of the highest magisterial authority in Aramor.’
‘That’s us, by the way,’ Brasti said, no doubt pleased with himself for knowing that much about the law.