Page 31 of Sword of Desire
“A little to the right,” Brodek murmured.
Audek nodded and adjusted their course, lining the boat up with the iron gate that extended from the bottom portion of the castle into the water.
When they were twenty feet away, the gate shook and then groaned as it opened upward. Nearing it, Audek and Brodek pulled their oars into the boat, letting the boat drift beneath the gate, water dripping down the iron spikes above them.
After floating fifteen feet, the gate closed behind them. Up ahead, torches lit the way, the only evidence of life in the castle.
The walls widened as they entered a thirty-foot-by-thirty-foot squared room. At the south end, a wooden dock extended into the water. Audek used his oar to steer the boat over to it. Brodek grabbed a rope hanging from the dock and tied it to the boat.
Ackley climbed onto the five-foot long dock that led to an iron door. “Should I knock?” he whispered, his voice loud in the enclosed space.
“No need,” Brodek answered.
The four of them stood on the dock, waiting. The water gently lapped against the stone walls providing the only sound. A minute later, the iron door screeched open.
Ackley stepped into a narrow hallway, the ceiling only inches above his head. A man stood at the other end, a torch in hand, waving him forward. As he moved toward him, he glanced over his shoulder to ensure his three companions followed.
“Prince Ackley of Marsden?” the man asked when Ackley reached him.
“Yes.”
“Empress Rema is expecting you. This way.” He led them up a stairwell and onto the first level of the castle.
They walked through an empty great hall to a staircase at the back of the room, then up to the second level and down a long corridor. No paintings or tapestries adorned the walls. Ackley didn’t spot furniture in any of the rooms they passed. However, torches lined the walls providing light.
Dripping water echoed from somewhere inside the castle. A damp, moldy smell permeated the air as Ackley traversed through the place. He got the feeling that the castle had been there for hundreds of years, but it hadn’t been used for quite some time. No one spoke as they moved deeper into the interior of the place.
Behind him, he heard Gytha’s breathing speed up. Ackley knew she still had nightmares from when she’d been trapped beneath the castle in Axion. It had taken her a couple of days to escape from the underground labyrinth. Her heroic act had saved Ackley and his cousins from certain death. He wanted to reach back and squeeze her hand, reassuring her that she wasn’t going to be trapped like that again. However, one thing he knew for certain, he couldn’t make such assurances.
The man escorting them paused before an open doorway on the left, mumbling to someone inside. He nodded, then gestured for Ackley and his companions to enter.
Ackley stepped into a room, thirty feet wide, lit only by two torches. A dozen men stood around the perimeter in the shadows, watching. Gytha entered behind him.
A young man stepped forward, toward the center of the room. He appeared to be only seventeen with shaggy light-brown hair and a muscular build. “You didn’t bother taking their weapons?” he asked, addressing Audek.
“They’re not prisoners,” Audek said. “Blasted, I can’t get over how much you look like your mother.”
“And you are?” the young man asked.
“This is my dear friend, Audek,” a woman said, emerging from the shadows and into the dim light. This had to be Rema—the empress of Emperion. Simply put, she was stunning, leaving Ackley momentarily speechless. Rema’s clear blue eyes glistened under the low light, her long, wavy blonde hair rested against her back, and her refined posture gave her a regal appearance.
Audek rushed forward, hugging her. When he released her, he remained at her side. “This is Prince Ackley and Captain Gytha,” he said, gesturing toward each of them.
Ackley didn’t recall telling him Gytha’s title.
Rema’s attention went to Gytha. “You’re a soldier?”
“I am,” Gytha said, speaking slowly so Rema could understand her.
“That is something I’m interested in,” Rema replied, “but a conversation for another day since we are short on time.”
The young man who hadn’t yet introduced himself took a step back, closer to the empress. They both had the same cheekbones and skin tone. Ackley figured the young man had to be her son.
Rema’s attention shifted to Ackley. “Why are you here?”
He appreciated her bluntness and getting right to the point. “I’m here on behalf of my soldiers.” Ackley quickly explained how Owen had come to Marsden and the events that transpired there. Then he told her that he’d traveled to Melenia with his soldiers to aid Owen in his quest to reclaim the throne. He ended with his abrupt retreat to Landania to keep his men safe while Owen regrouped.
When he finished, the empress nodded, as if thinking through all he’d said. “What are King Owen’s intentions toward Russek? Does he plan to seek retribution once his throne is secure?”
