The Red Knight - Merlin BBC [2]

Chapter 6: The Hills Have Eyes

I stare down at the familiar wolf engraved coin—my heart races at the mere memory of it. I give the guard a weak false smile. "That wasn't hard, was it?"

He sneers as I brush past him with some confidence. He bites back his tongue as I shove him out the way. I smirk to myself. I know I was testing boundaries, but I forgot how fun it is to mess with people.

I enter the castle with my head held high and my senses on alert. I'm engulfed by its darkness, the light vanishing. It's like I've joined a swarm of bees, the inside of the castle abuzz with chatter and banter. I keep my nose to myself as I push through the bodies of men.

I don't care much for all the stares that come my way. I'm pretty calm. As strange as it seems, I'm as comfortable as I would have been years ago walking in here. It's scary how easily I find myself falling back into character.

As I descend further into the castle, I see the lit-up cage in the centre of the square. Two shirtless and unarmed men lock in hand to hand combat. The onlookers cheer for their chosen competitor. I stop for a moment on a ledge partly overlooking the square, eyes narrowing at the two brutes. I watch the fight for a moment, rolling my eyes at the supposed entertainment.

I look around the room. Some faces are familiar as they scream at the men, drinks in hand. After evaluating and onlooking, I finally remind myself what I'm here for. I pull myself from the crowd, travelling to the rear of the castle. That is where dealings occur, including the slave trade and territory exchange.

The crowd becomes distant behind me as I make down one of the dimly lit halls. My heels click against the stone floor, becoming the loudest source of the sound. I pass a couple, the man giving me a menacing glance as I pass, the woman with pleading eyes toward me. My gut twists in anger, but I force myself on, knowing I can't interfere with anything if I don't want trouble.

I continue down the hallway, reaching the end of the hall, where a man sits at a desk. He's guarded by two much taller, steadier men. The two guards watch me with fixed gazes as I reach the table. I stare down at the man seated. He doesn't look up once. He continues to do his work, scribbling away at his piece of parchment.

"Name please", he requests, his high-pitched voice gruff.

"Edythe", I reply, pulling out the coin and placing it on the table. I lean over the length of the table as I push it across the wood toward him. My actions interrupt his writing, getting in the man's personal space. "I'm looking for a man selling a special stone. He goes by the name of Tyrant."

"Very particular", the man acknowledges, picking up the coin and checking its authenticity. "Was a private dealing I'm presuming then?"

"Yes", I answer, unsure if this is true but having a strong feeling it is private if Ronon's involved.

The man nods. He finally puts down his quill, turning to another piece of paper. His finger scrolls down the page for the object I'm looking for. "You're lucky. He checked in this morning. You'll find him in the very last room on the left."

"Thank you very much", I smile, giving the man a wink. I slip past the guards and stride down the new hallway with a sway in my hips. They barely glance at me as they go back to doing whatever they do.

I follow his directions, remembering this castle well from many times I had visited. I never was for these kinds of gatherings, but sometimes I had no choice. And sometimes, I was in desperate need of some money.

I reach the small wooden doors at the end of the hallway. My gaze turns to the door on the right as a commotion bursts inside. Muffled shouts erupt and the sound of two swords meeting rings through the air. I watch the door cautiously, eyes wide as I turn to the left door. I chose to ignore what may be going on in the other room.