The Knight's Deception

Chapter 23

In the darkening twilight, Liam could just make out a shadowed figure walking through the dark army. Distance blurred the figure’s features, but the fading sun caught a piece of chainmail, and Liam instinctively knew who it was. Only one of his knights was foolish enough to walk through an army of sorcerers alone, and it just so happened to be the one knight he wanted to keep safe at all costs.

He swore under his breath. “What does she think she’s doing?”

He stormed down the corridors, pushing past servants and knights alike, fully intending on going out there and dragging his wayward knight back to the safety of the castle. He didn’t care how many of those sorcerers he would have to fight in order to do so.

"Whoa, there.” Owen jolted Liam out of his thoughts as the prince nearly crashed into the knight. “Where’s the rush?”

"I have to go retrieve something of mine.”

"It’s Lily, isn’t it?” Owen asked in a hushed voice and must have seen Liam’s startled look for he shrugged. “She told me.”

"Of course she did.” He shook his head. “She’s out there in the center of the enemy’s army. She’ll be killed.”

"She knows what she’s doing.”

"If she knew that, she wouldn’t be doing something foolish.” Liam growled as he brushed past the knight to continue on his way. He hesitated, looking back at Owen. “You’re not coming along?”

"Need the help, do you?”

"I wouldn’t be opposed to it.” Liam admitted. “Although, if you’re afraid...”

Owen glanced over his shoulder before nodding slowly. “Sounds like fun. Sure beats sitting around here.”

Knowing the guards would not allow Liam to leave the castle with only a single knight to protect him, he led the way down into the dungeons, remembering a secret exit he had discovered as a child. Moss grew along the walls of the winding corridors, and the scurrying of mice echoed over broken stone.

"I don’t think this is the way out.” Owen pointed out after a moment of obedient following.

"There’s a hidden tunnel down here that bypasses the guards. I found it when I was younger."

Each corridor looked the same, but memory had Liam following the correct one each time. It almost felt like he was a child again, exploring the huge castle and hiding from either his nurse or various instructors. Finally, Liam found the corridor his younger self had marked with an X and followed it to the end where a broken set of bars blocked the small opening.

"So this is your secret exit? Must have been bigger when you were a kid, huh?” Owen commented, pulling the bars away.

Liam glared at the knight before looking out the opening. It led out on the east side of the castle wall, hidden by a fallen log, and giving a full view of the forest and the black cloaks of the sorcerers. “Come on, then.” He said as he hefted himself up and pulled himself through the opening. The stone scrapped against him, but he made it out and stood to dust himself off.

Owen followed his lead, barely able to squeeze through. “Good thing we’re not wearing anything more than our chainmail. Doubt we’d have been able to fit otherwise.”

Liam noticed something peculiar as they faced the forest. None of the sorcerers faced the castle anymore. Instead, they looked inside their ranks, turned towards the forest. He would have charged right towards them had it not been for Owen grabbing his arm and gesturing that they should try to slip around without being seen. With the sorcerers clearly distracted and darkness fast approaching, Liam had no doubts they’d be able to sneak past. They made a wide circle away from the army and reached the closest trees of the forest, their footsteps silent over the frozen ground.