They were twenty one against thirty eight, but the odds didn't trouble Elena. Her people were highly skilled, and they would be attacking progressively, eliminating their opponents along the way. The Prince took ten guards to find more weapons, and Elena took the rest, nine in all, to free Joran.
She made for the door, nodding to Silan to lead. The others followed behind her. They advanced slowly, taking care to check corners before they rounded them. Only the odd torch illuminated long stretches of dark hallways.
Silan signalled Elena up to the corner of one hallway and silently pointed around the bend. She slipped in front of him and peered around for a second, catching sight of her target: a single door, half way to the end of the next passage. It was guarded by two men. She couldn't determine how many might be on the inside, or if there were any others nearby. Silan drew off a glove, wriggled his fingers, and placed his hand on the wall that connected with the door down the hall. For a brief moment, his expression became distant and unfocused.
Another magician, Elena thought, wondering what kind of intelligence this man would be able to get from bare fingers touching a wall.
"There are four others inside, as well as the Lady Rainna and Prince Joran," he whispered.
"Are you certain?" Elena asked.
The man nodded as he replaced his glove. Elena marvelled at this talent.
Silan determined that there was a way to backtrack and come around to the other end of the hall, so she sent him and three of her guards while she remained with the rest. She listened for their attack.
A sharp cry of surprise was her signal. Her guards leaped upon their targets and Elena slipped by into an antechamber where another two guards were rushing towards the door. She struck one down so fast he didn't even make a sound. The other was taken down by Silan, who flashed a happy grin.
Elena stepped past the body to enter the final vault room. Joran, the young prince, was there, bound and gagged, sitting cross-legged on a small square carpet in the middle of the room. Elena's companions fell on the other two guards in the room.
A woman near her drew her blade, tossing her long pale hair back with a flick of her head. Her features reminded Elena of Jaline, Joran's sister. This was surely Rainna.
Joran's eyes flashed in surprise as his eyes met Elena's. Quick-thinking, he rolled to the side and out of the way. Rainna stood between her and Joran as if guarding a prize. She rocked from side to side, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Elena knew not to give her one and struck first.
Rainna was deft with a blade, and met Elena's sword with her own.
"Are you my husband's new pet?" Lady Rainna sneered.
"I am Captain of the Queen's guard," Elena replied as she parried a thrust.
"I am the Queen of Castillon!" Rainna announced. "So, Liran's Mommy sent you, did she?" She began rocking again. Joran looked worried.
"Castillon has no King or Queen," said Elena, deciding this had gone on long enough. She struck Rainna with an odd, side-angled blow that slid up and caught Rainna's sword-guard, disarming her. It clanged on the stone floor. Elena kicked it aside, as the woman dove and rolled away toward the door and slipped out like a snake.
Shocked at her speed, Elena struggled with the desire to follow her. The others outside the vault might catch her. She had to look after the young prince. She cut his bonds. Once freed, he stood and looked at Elena.
"Thank you for releasing me," he said, examining her face. "I know you, I think. Are you not the daughter of the old—?"
Elena held up a hand. She needed to hear what was happening outside and she didn't want to talk about her father. The sounds had changed. Her companions should have dispatched their opponents by now, but the sound of fighting continued.
Minutes later, battle sounds quieted and Silan peered in around the corner. "A couple of guards showed up for a shift change, but we've taken care of them," he said as he entered the room. The Castillonian bowed to the young prince. "My Lord, I am glad you are safe," he said.
Elena thought Joran looked pale from his ordeal. "He isn't safe until we take back the fortress," she said. She turned to one of her guards. ""Take the prince back through the tunnel and out into the woods. Hide there until we come to get you. If you haven't seen anyone by daylight, head directly for Kalad. The Queen will look after her grandson and send reinforcements."
Elena felt relief as Joran left with her guard. She turned to Silan. "Have the others caught Lady Rainna? She slipped out before I could catch her."
Silan shook his head. Elena would likely have more trouble with that woman before the night was over. Hopefully, Prince Liran wasn't getting into any difficulties.
#
Elena followed as Silan guided their group to the weapons room on the lower level. They definitely needed a guide in the twisted hallways of the lower keep. Silan stopped suddenly in his tracks. Elena looked at the man, wondering.
"This is the place, but they're not here," he said.
Only discipline kept Elena from swearing out loud.
"Upstairs to the courtyard, then. Show us the way," she said, masking her frustration.
When they reached the top of the stairs which opened onto the wide stone yard, they found the Prince and his ten companions battling with many invaders. He stood out, more than a head taller than any of his companions, and was holding off five attackers with impressive skill and some effort. She commanded two of her guards to join her, and rushed over to help him. She took down two of his attackers before they even realized she was there. Her guards dealt with the rest.
"I didn't ask you to come rescue me, Captain," Liran said.
Elena held her tongue, as it was clear the battle wasn't over. She kept close to the Prince, taking down anyone who came within her reach.
"Where is my son?" Liran asked, when there was a pause in the battle.
"I've sent him away from danger until the fortress is secure," Elena replied.
More enemy guards arrived from the upper rooms of the keep, but they had already dispatched most of the first group. Within minutes, it was over.
Elena ordered groups of guards to scour the rooms of the fortress looking for stragglers while the others tied up the enemy and tended the wounded. After an hour, the rest of Rianna's group were flushed out. All but seven were found, and the Lady remained elusive.
"She slipped out of the vault and ran," Elena related to Liran. He looked troubled at the news. Elena didn't know the laws of Castillon, but in Estallium where she came from, treason was punishable by death.
"My Lord," Silan approached, looking troubled. "I had some bad news. We went back to the vault, after the fight, and the whole place has been cleared out.""
The Prince's shoulders sagged. Elena felt a little sorry for him. No doubt whatever fortunes and heirlooms he owned had been stored there, and were unlikely to be recovered.
"She must have gone back into the vault after we left," Silan added.
No one was certain how they had left, but Elena worried that they might have headed for the tunnel and met up with Joran and his guard at its end. She hurried to gather a group of guards and rode out to the cliffs along the beach to see if she could locate them.
They found Joran and the guard lodged up in a tree not far from the entrance to the cave. They scoured the area along the precipice, but they found no trace of Rainna and the remnants of her band.
Elena posted guards overlooking the area in case Rainna should decide to come back with reinforcements. She shook her head. It was clear that this fortress needed a complete review of its security plans. She would speak to the Prince as soon as possible.
When Elena rode up the main ramp to the courtyard with Joran riding behind her, Prince Liran rushed to his side, helping his son dismount. Joran, still somewhat shaken by events, gave his father a long embrace. Their eyes were closed and for a moment, the two hardly moved as they stood, the tall Prince with his long arms wrapped around his somewhat shorter son.
Elena noted how much they resembled one another, and was surprised how little Joran had changed since that day many years ago when he and his sister had attended the funeral of Elena's father and her wedding on the following day.
They disengaged and stood for yet a moment longer, staring into each other's eyes as if they could speak without words. It was Joran who finally broke the silence.
"Father, you worry too much. Did you think she would harm me?"
"She's not herself. I don't know anymore what she's capable of. I''m sorry son. She was so different when we first met. We used to talk and laugh so much." The Prince fell silent at the memory.
"It's good to know that she was once a kind and decent person. Maybe one day she can be healed," said Joran, though Prince Liran looked troubled and doubtful.
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I hope you enjoyed this instalment of Unsheathed. If you did, please consider voting so that it has a chance to receive some more attention by rising up the ranks in the Fantasy category. I also enjoy comments, so please feel free to let me know what you thought.
Cheers!
Rebecca