Page 6 of Sword of Rage
“You heard him say this?” Kerdan demanded, his eyes blazing with fury.
“I did.” Everyone in the kitchen remained so still she wondered if the soldiers were even breathing. At least she had their undivided attention, and Kerdan appeared to believe her.
“When?”
“Just before I lit the warning signal.” No one here seemed particularly concerned that she’d lit the signal and neighboring towns would be sending their soldiers.
Kerdan spun toward the table. “Everyone back.”
They all did as he instructed.
“Soma loves his poisons,” one of the soldiers mumbled.
Kerdan went over to his plate, sniffing the food. If Soma had managed to poison Kerdan already, Harley would need to either find a way to save him or come up with another plan. Neither seemed doable at the moment.
“I don’t smell anything,” Kerdan said. “But Soma is sly and talented.” When he stood upright, his face appeared whiter than before. “I need to get to my bags. The necessary provisions are in there.”
The men started barking orders to one another.
Kerdan approached her again.
She assumed the provisions he mentioned were to counter the poison. “Are you going to be all right?” Once he took what was necessary, he could go after Soma, ensuring her family remained alive.
“Thank you for this information. If what you said is true, I can’t guarantee the safety of the royal family.”
“Why not?” she demanded. It was the only reason she’d told him about the assassination.
He reached under his fur wrap and withdrew a key. “This is for the dungeon. I suggest you free them immediately. We’re leaving.”
Her fingers curled around the key. “You can’t leave.” He was the only thing standing between her family and their deaths.
“My provisions aren’t here with me. I stashed them a mile away.” He grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look into his eyes. “That is the only key. Use the secret passageways to get to the royal family. Then sneak them out of the castle under the cover of night. Get as far away from here as you can. Understand?”
She nodded, wondering why he couldn’t get his provisions and then return here. “You’re not coming back?”
The pupils of his eyes seemed as if they were getting wider. “I doubt I’ll be able to do anything for days. By then, it’ll probably be too late.” He released her and exited the kitchen with his men.
Standing all alone, Harley clutched the key to the dungeon. She would have to come up with another plan—something to stall until help arrived. Since she’d lit the signal, it would only be a matter of time. She hurried from the kitchen, rushing back to the entrance of the secret passageways. When she reached for the hidden clasp, something smacked the back of her head, knocking her to the floor.
Cold hands pried her fingers open, plucking the key from her. “You almost ruined everything.”
With her vision blurry, she couldn’t make out the man who rolled her over and slid a piece of cloth over her mouth. When Harley breathed in, the cloth smelled funny. Complete blackness engulfed her.
* * *
Harley peeled her eyelids open, blinking against the bright light. She found herself lying on a bed in one of the guest suites in the royal castle. When she sat up, her vision blurred and her mouth felt sticky and dry. The back of her head throbbed, so she gently touched it, finding a lump. She remembered someone placing a cloth over her mouth and nose, drugging her. Before she’d passed out, the person took the key to the dungeon from her.
She shoved the covers off her body and slid out of bed. Rushing over to the window, she saw the sun already cresting the nearby hills. A sense of dread filled her as she imagined all that could have happened while she’d been passed out in bed. She ran to the door and grabbed the handle, trying to yank it open, but it wouldn’t budge. Out in the hallway, she heard people running by. She pounded on the door, but no one stopped to help her. A few screams resounded from somewhere inside the castle. She needed to find her brother.
Something wet soaked through her shoes. Peering down, she saw blood flowing into the room from under the door, pooling around her feet. Horrified, she took a step back, vomit rising in the back of her throat. Last night, she’d lit the signal fire. Had no one come to help them? More screams echoed through the castle. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She needed to get out of there before someone crashed through the door and butchered her.
Running over to the window, she threw it open and climbed out, hanging by her hands. Since she was on the second floor, she didn’t have far to fall. A bloodcurdling scream came from inside the castle. That was all the encouragement she needed to let go. Her stomach felt like it had worms crawling inside as she dropped to the ground, bending her legs to soften the landing.
Chaos ensued all around her. She sprinted as fast as she could away from the castle. Servants ran from Russek soldiers who wielded swords dripping with blood, boasting of the kills they’d already made. At the front of the castle, hundreds of Melenia soldiers stood in orderly lines, weapons at the ready. Relief filled Harley. These had to be men from the neighboring towns who’d seen the signal fire and came to help. She headed toward them, her eyes filling with tears. The person in charge needed to know that the royal family remained locked in the dungeon.
“Put down your weapons!” a loud voice boomed from the open gorge tower on the side of the castle facing the Melenia soldiers. That was where the royal family usually addressed their subjects.
Harley screeched to a halt, as did most of the people around her. Dozens of archers stood on top of the castle, all with armed bows pointed at the people below. She glanced at the Melenia soldiers, trying to decide if she could make it to them before someone struck her down with an arrow.
