Riann refrained from rolling his eyes as the guards laughed. “Namacca was lamed, and I was forced to leave her behind,” he said without inflection. “I’ll have to go back and get her when she is wellagain.”
“Might as well buy another horse,” the guard said as he waved the farmer through. “Can’t have a great knight like you hobbling around on ahag!”
The farmer snapped the reins, and the cart lurched forward, saving Riann from a response. He got along well enough with most of the men around here, but there were a few jealous types who liked to needle him. Between them and Lord Tyrook’s stingy pay, he was glad to soon be rid of this place. As far as he was concerned, his sword skills were worth the same in any country—there was always someone hiring mercenaries to do their dirty work. Hopefully the bit of coin Riann had saved from the purse would last them until they got to the border, but he and Calrain would have to find work at some point, and perhaps even Tariel herself. He imagined witches hired out their services for coin, though he did not know if it would be safe to do that until they reached theEmpire.
As the evening approached, he went to the guardhouse to check in with the men. Most of them were there, splayed out in chairs or on the floor with mugs of brew in their hands, and their slurred words and flushed faces told Riann they were well into theircups.
“Come, lad, drink with us!” one of them roared, grabbing Riann by the elbow and pulling him farther into the room. A mug was shoved into his hand. “We are in mourningtogether.”
“Over what?” he asked, though he had a feeling that he wellknew.
“Over losing the prettiest girl in the castle to that fat sow, o’course!” another roared, and the others shouted their agreement. Riann hid a smile behind his mug as he drank—if only he could tell them that it washethat they were losing Tarielto.
“’Tis a shame that we work so hard, yet the spoils go to lazy sods like that,” another man said. “If I had a lass like that, I would damn well appreciateher.”
“As would I,” another one said, a lascivious grin on his face. “All. Night.Long.”
The other men laughed and toasted him, then drank again. Riann did his best to keep up the pretense that he was of the same mind, though he did not drink nearly so much. This was a blessing in disguise, as the guards would likely be too drunk to notice them sneaking awaytonight.
When everyone was too far gone to notice his departure, Riann stumbled out of the guardhouse, pretending to be dead drunk and in need of the privy. Quickly, he went to his room to grab the bag he’d packed the night before, then met Calrain and Tariel in the old gallery, as they’dagreed.
“There you are,” Tariel said, relieved to see him. She wore a dark cloak and dress that would help her blend into the night, as well as sturdy boots, and carried a simple pack over her shoulder that he assumed held the abacus and whatever belongings she’d decided to take. Calrain was also dressed for a journey, and Riann smiled when he saw the hilt of his dagger tucked into hisboot.
“Did anyone see you come down here?” Riann asked. He knew that Tariel’s watch had been increased—she’d told him this morning in the hall during the brief moment when they’d passed each other duringbreakfast.
Tariel shook her head. “I used my magic to make the maid fall asleep,” she explained. “I also snuck out and bespelled the horses so that they will be slow and tired for the next couple of hours. They will have a very hard time chasing afterus.”
“If they notice us at all,” Calrain pointed out. “I passed by the guardhouse earlier, and they were all roaring drunk.” He fixed Riann with his silver gaze. “I hope you did not imbibe toomuch.”
“Of course not,” he scoffed, turning back to Tariel. “Do you know how long your maid will remain asleep? I am surprised you have managed to do so much in such a shorttime.”
Tariel grinned. “My magic is much easier to manipulate now that it has been properly unleashed,” she said. “Admittedly, it took me quite a while to figure out how to spell the horses, but after the fourth one it became much easier. Practice is the key, Ithink.”
Calrain shook his head. “I am glad you are on our side,” he said, a hint of awe in his voice. Riann privately felt the same, though he would never admit it aloud. “I am both eager and frightened to see what else you can do with that power ofyours.”
Tariel smiled at Calrain. “You have nothing to fear from me,” she said, pressing her hand against his cheek. “Now let’s go, while we still have theadvantage.”
Tariel used her magic to disguise them as simple townsfolk, and they made their way to the west wall of the castle. Her powers muffled their footfalls, making it easy for them to sneak around in the shadows even though Calrain had a plank of wood strapped to his back. As Riann had anticipated, the guards they passed were blurry-eyed and stank of brew. He doubted they would have noticed if he danced naked past them. One of them was leaning against the wall, snoring, and he shook his head, feeling a twinge of pity for the man. He would be in for a world of hurt if the captain found him—he was off tonight, or he never would have let the men engage in such heavy drinking right before theirshift.
Unfortunately, not all the guards were as drunk as others. The one by the door leading outside was alert, and his eyesnarrowed.
“What are the three of you doing, skulking about at this hour?” he asked, his brow furrowing. “And what business do you have in thepalace?”
Riann put a hand on the hilt of his sword, prepared to incapacitate the guard, but Tariel moved swiftly. Before the guard could so much as blink, she had her hand on his arm, fingers glowing. The guard’s eyes rolled back into his head, and Calrain and Riann sprang into action, catching him before he could hit the ground and make aruckus.
“Amazing,” Riann breathed after they’d stashed the guard in an alcove nearby. No one would see him in the dark, not unless they were looking. “You make it look soeffortless.”
Tariel smiled. “He was already tired, so it didn’t take very much to convince his mind to go tosleep.”
They slipped out the door and made their way to the wall. Riann pulled a rope ladder from his pack that Tariel had asked him to grab earlier, and the three of them used it to scale the wall. Riann went first, dropping silently on top of the guard on the other side. The two went down in a heap, and Riann tightened his arm around the man’s windpipe until he wentslack.
“Come on,” Calrain whispered, waving Riann forward. He and Tariel had climbed over while Riann was preoccupied, and he’d untied the plank from his back and set it across the moat. Calrain hurried across, then helped Tariel over, with Riann bringing up the rear. They stashed the rope ladder in Riann’s pack for later, then hid the plank behind some bushes to cover theirtracks.
“And so it begins,” Tariel said softly, her eyes glowing in the dark despite the lack of moonlight. The three of them looked back one last time at the castle they’d called home since they were children. Riann’s heart pounded with fear and elation as they took off on the dirt road. They were far from out of danger, but he could already see the end insight.
Soon, they would befree.
15
