A Forest of Wolves (20 page)

The guards' reaction time was slow; before they could pull out their swords to defend themselves, Marc and the others were on them. They disposed of the guards and slipped inside the fence.

“Should we go?” I whispered.

“Not yet. There may be more guards inside. We have to wait for the signal. Be patient.”

That was easier said than done. My eyes roamed over the camp, willing myself to see something in the patches of darkness. What was going on in there? Had more guards ambushed them when they went inside? Maybe Stephan had incorrectly reported the number of guards? Maybe it was a trap?

Ivan appeared in the entrance and waved his hand in the air.

That was our signal.

We sprinted to the camp. The towering fence was surrounded by rows of cages crudely constructed of wood and wire. The prisoners were packed inside the enclosures like animals. We spread out among the rows of cages.

“Do we have keys?” I asked. My shoes sank into the muddy ground.

“Only one set,” Henrik said. “Use your knife blade to pick the lock.”

I trudged through the thick mud to the far row of cages. I glanced up, welcoming the cool rain on my face; a steady drizzle fell from the sky. The moon, hidden behind a cluster of dark clouds, provided no light.

The fishy smell of the Vltava River was everywhere. The rancid, salty smell mixed with the stink of unwashed bodies and urine.

I went to the nearest cage. At least a dozen people were crammed shoulder to shoulder inside the small space.

“Help! Please help me!”

“Over here!”

Arms shoved through the bars.

“I'm getting you out of here!” I said. “Don't worry.”

Zora expertly picked the lock to the cage beside me. Hands and arms reached out to her, too. How many people had they crammed into these cells?

“Hurry!” Marc's voice cut through the flowing river and the cries of the prisoners. “Move quickly!”

I had my mother's dragon dagger. I couldn't see the garnets, but I ran my thumb over the dragon's eyes. It had become my lucky charm, which was strange and slightly morbid if I thought about it. Who would've guessed that the weapon that killed my mother would mean so much to me?

My blade slammed into the lock. I stabbed at it multiple times, but nothing happened. I wiggled the tip around and prayed for the edge of the blade to unlock the mechanism. I wiggled it.
Come on.
I twisted the blade again until something clicked and the lock snapped open.

I threw down the lock and opened the door. Peasants poured out of the cage like water breaking through a dam. They rushed past me. “Go outside; we have people waiting for you. Be quiet!”

I moved to the next cage and unlocked it with more ease. When I opened the third cage and the flood of prisoners raced past, one of them stopped in front of me.

“Ludmila?”

I didn't recognize the voice and it was too dark to see any features of the woman's face. I leaned forward until our noses were practically touching. “Do I know you?”

“It's Leticia. From the castle.”

Leticia!
I reached for her. I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed her tight. I barely knew the woman, but the sight of her brought tears to my eyes. “I'm so sorry you were in there.”

“Thank you,” Leticia sobbed. “Thank you for saving us. I thought we were all going to die in here.”

“Where's Branka? Have you seen her?”

Leticia sighed. “She's on the bridge.”

“What?”

“She's—”

“Everyone out of here!” Marc grabbed my arm as he ran by. I found Leticia's hand in the darkness and we followed him and the mass of people fleeing from the camp.

Everyone was having trouble sludging through the deep, viscous mud. The light drizzle had turned into a steady rainfall. Once we were on the other side of the fence, I tried to scrape the mud from my shoes. My dress was soaked through and felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. Cold rain mixed with the cool air sent chills over my skin. We needed to get out of there.

“Is that everyone?” Stephan said.

“All clear,” Henrik said. “I did a final check. Everyone is out.”

The hundred prisoners gathered around us. They kept stealing nervous glances at the castle.

I found Marc in the mass of people. “Branka's at the bridge.”

“What?”

“I found someone from the castle. She told me that Branka's alive, but she's at the bridge. They're holding more prisoners at the base of the parapet. Do you know the spot?”

Marc turned to Stephan. “We have one more place to free before we can leave Prague.”

“What? Where?”

“The parapet. They're holding people at the bridge, too.”

“On the castle side?”

“No, on the city side,” Marc said. “It doesn't matter; we can't leave without them. We have to free them. Grab a few men and we'll go.”

“I'm coming with you,” I said.

“Mila...” Marc started.

“Branka is there,” I said. “I have to be there when you release her.”

Marc turned to Zora. “Lead these people to our camp in the forest. We will follow right behind.”

“Where are you going?” Zora's eyes darted to me. “We've done what we set out to do.”

“We have one more task.” Marc nodded at her. “I'll see you in an hour in the forest. If we haven't returned by then, send help. Understood?”

“Understood.” She addressed the prisoners with a flurry of hand movements and hushed orders. They huddled around her as she directed them into the forest.

“Let's go,” Marc said.

Marc, Henrik, Stephan, Ivan, and I ran along the banks of the Vltava River. My heartbeat bumped against my chest.

I was about to see her face. Poor, poor Branka. With her missing hand. I pushed the thought out of my mind. We'd rescue her soon enough and then she would be safe with us in Kladno.

The grass rose in an incline next to the city. We climbed the rocky edge until we reached the road that connected the city to the bridge. Peasants walked to and fro; a few of them stopped in their tracks when we climbed onto the road. Some of them darted away, but others nodded at us in encouragement. Many of them recognized Henrik and Marc.

The rain fell as we marched up the stone road that curved around to the bridge's first parapet. Two guards were stationed on each side of the arch.

The guards swiftly moved into action when we approached, but Henrik and Stephan struck first and killed them before they could alarm the others. A few peasants had stopped to watch, but as soon as the guards were killed, they retreated to their houses.

The giant parapet loomed high over our heads. It resembled a castle in its own way, with deep, dark stone standing over four stories tall and gothic arches spiraling high into the starry night.

Sitting beyond the bridge, like a fortress high upon Hrad
any Hill, was Prague Castle. The seat of the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Bohemia. Towering spires erupted from behind the tall inaccessible stone walls, and a deep moat around the castle provided ample security from outside threats. If we went to war, how would we ever be able to penetrate those barriers? It seemed impossible.

“I don't see anyone.” Marc rotated in a full circle. “I don't see any holding cells at all, do you?”

The river rushed below us. Rain had extinguished the twin torches on the parapet. Where was the holding cell? Leticia had told me that Branka was at the bridge. Where was she? Maybe the prisoners were being held at the other parapet, across the bridge? On the castle side?

I walked over the slick cobblestones and under the parapet's arch. My nightmare; flashed before my eyes—this was the exact spot where I'd found Henrik hanging from a noose. Panic knotted deep in my belly.

I glanced over my shoulder at Henrik.

He was alive and well. He gave me an encouraging nod.

It had been only a nightmare. No bodies hung from the parapet. My mind was playing tricks on me, feeding into my worst fears. Henrik and Marc were standing behind me, alive and well.

I walked under the arch. My heart hammered against my chest as I entered the darkness under the thick stone. The river echoed under the structure. It took twenty-five steps before I came out from under the arch and onto the bridge.

I sank to my knees.

The boys' footsteps reverberated off the stone behind me. Within seconds, they were with me. Gathering around me, hovering over me.

“Mila? What's wrong?” Marc kneeled to the ground. “Shh. What's the matter?”

I had no words. I could only point ahead.

“Shit.” Henrik dropped his sword. The iron clanged against the cobblestone. Both of his hands shot to his head.

Marc rose to his feet and twirled around.

I hadn't understood Leticia. I hadn't grasped what she meant. How could I have been so wrong? So stupid?

I wrapped my arms around my stomach. My insides threatened to pour out of me. I was falling apart, piece by piece.

Branka was indeed on the bridge.

Spikes lined both sides of the railing about a yard or so in from the edge of the bridge. The metal rods stood taller than a person and were neatly placed along the entire expanse. There were possibly forty or more spikes.

Every single spike contained a head.

Grotesque openmouthed heads were lined all the way across the Vltava River.

Mouths were opened in silent screams and birds had picked out some of the eyeballs. Depending on the head, the skin was in various stages of decomposition. Some appeared freshly murdered. Others had been on the spike for quite some time.

The first spike, so all who crossed over the bridge to Prague Castle would see, was the head of my dear, dear Branka.

Lifeless eyes stared back at me. The flesh on her face had rotted and her mouth was open in a gruesome, final, terrifying scream.

V
áclav had done this. Václav had captured Branka, tortured and dismembered her. He'd sent her hand to me with a personal threat. He'd beheaded my maid and stuck her head on a spike for all of Prague to see.

He had to die.

And I had to be the one to kill him.

I rose to my feet. No tears had fallen. I didn't have any left. I pushed my hair from my face and walked toward Branka's spike.

“Mila?” Marc appeared beside me. “What are you doing?”

“Taking it down.”

He struggled to keep up with me.

I was running now. Straight for the spike. I clasped both hands around the metal and pulled. It was somehow anchored into the cobblestone. I heaved and tugged, but it wouldn't budge.

“Mila,” Henrik said. “Mila, let go.”

“I want it down.
Now
.” The damn thing wouldn't budge.

Branka's head wiggled on top of the spike. I swallowed down the bile rising in my throat. I had to get her down. She deserved that much.

“Step back,” Henrik said.

“No!”

“Mila,” Henrik and Marc said in unison.

I screamed and stumbled back. I struck my fist against the cobblestones. I kept my eyes on the metal spike. I couldn't look at Branka's head. I would never be able to forget what they had done to her. I would never be able to think about her without seeing that grotesque image.

“We have company,” Stephan said.

Across the bridge, on top of Hrad
any Hill, dozens of torches blazed as the castle's iron gates opened. Prague Castle, in all its glory, stood tall and strong. Soldiers lined in formation at the entrance.

The Royal Bohemian Army was coming for us.

Henrik kneeled and squeezed the base of the spike. His cheeks puffed as he heaved the metal. His face turned bright red, but the iron rod sluggishly edged out of the cobblestone. After a few more pulls and groans, the stone crumpled and the spike broke free.

“Oh, thank God,” I mumbled.

“Turn around,” Marc said. “Don't watch.”

I didn't argue. I turned my back to Marc and Henrik as they removed Branka's head from the spike.

“Ivan,” Stephan said. “Go get our reinforcements. Now.”

“We're making a stand?” I asked.

“We don't have a choice.” Marc's voice held no emotion. “They've seen us. The Crown knows we're here. If we run, they'll chase us into the forest.”

Ivan raced under the parapet and dissolved into the night.

How long would it take Ivan to get to the others in the forest? How much time did we have?

“In case we need them?” Henrik said. “The Royal Bohemian Army is marching down here as we speak. We need our men now. Or it's going to be three against three hundred.”

I finally turned back around. Henrik had wrapped Branka's head in an article of clothing and placed it in a satchel.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“You're welcome.” He adjusted the strap on his shoulder and unsheathed his sword. “So, Brother, I guess we're doing this.”

“Perhaps,” Marc said.

“Wait a minute... is that—?” Stephan stepped forward.

“It's Radek,” I answered.

Radek, on a spotted gray horse, trotted down the main road from Prague Castle. He was alone but wearing combat gear strangely mixed with Austrian fashion—he wore an embroidered ivory doublet with a high collar. An iron and leather breastplate displaying the black double-headed eagle coat of arms of the House of Habsburg covered his chest. Thin silver chainmail shielded his leather breeches and his three-inch heeled boots were polished to a glossy shine. Ivory elbow-length gloves gripped the horse's reins. What was he doing? The army had assembled behind him and was marching through the gates.

Lightning flashed. Rain fell from the sky, and I had the sense this was a dream. Or a nightmare.

“I wonder what he wants,” Henrik said. “Other than Mila of course.” He winked at me.

“Where's Václav?” I asked.

“I don't see him,” Marc said. “He doesn't take me for someone who would come out during a fight. Don't worry; you'll get your revenge. Let's focus on one snake at a time.”

“There are plenty of snakes,” Henrik said.

“I don't like this.” Marc glanced around. “Why is Radek coming by himself? He knows he's no match for the three of us.”

“He's up to something,” I said. Radek always schemed behind the scenes.

“Maybe he wants a duel,” Henrik suggested. “A last fight to the death for Mila's hand?”

“I could only wish that was what he wanted.” Marc squeezed his sword's handle. “Mila, if I asked you to leave right now—”

“No.”

Henrik grinned.

“Mila, back up behind us,” Marc said. “Stay under the parapet. You can stay to hear what Radek says, but once the army reaches the bridge, retreat into the forest. Go back to our camp and find Zora.”

We were so outnumbered it was almost comical. Marc, Henrik, Stephan, and I stood alone on the bridge. Ivan had left to get reinforcements, but that would take some time. The Royal Bohemian Army was marching toward us, led by no other than Radek, the Duke of Prucha.

Radek reached the parapet on the castle side. He reappeared under the arch and trotted down the bridge, casually gazing at the rows of spiked heads. His horse's hooves clopped on the stone, echoing despite the rainy night. The army marched outside the castle's gates.

Marc moved in between Stephan and Henrik. The men talked quietly among themselves. Were they scared? Should we make a run for it? Was this a trap?

I stepped back until I was under the parapet's arch. I would go no farther. This was my fight, too.

“Good evening.” Radek's voice carried across the bridge. “I heard you visited Václav's holding cells down in the city. I swear, you all keep adding to your lists of offenses. The people you released from that camp were prisoners of the Crown. You were unauthorized to release them.”

Henrik turned his head to Stephan. “I guess we weren't so stealthy.”

“I guess not,” Stephan muttered.

“As long as the Crown illegally imprisons people, we will continue to release them,” Marc said.

“Illegally? We've done nothing illegal.” Radek stopped midway on the bridge, about twenty yards from Marc, Henrik, and Stephan. Frigid blue eyes landed on me. “Good evening, Ludmila.”

“Did you kill Branka?” I asked.

“No.” Radek shook his head. “Unfortunately, I did not. Václav had that pleasure.”

It felt like a blow to the stomach. I knew in my heart Václav had killed her, but hearing Radek's confirmation out loud hurt.

“I see you took her down from her spike,” Radek said. “Shame. I was becoming accustomed to seeing her face. Václav gave her the prime position on the bridge.”

“I'm going to kill Václav,” I said.

“You might want to hurry. He's dying. He's in bed as we speak.”

“What do you want, Radek?” Marc said.

“I want Ludmila. I want you dead. I want all the Protestants eradicated from Bohemia. That is all.”

“That's not much,” Henrik said.

“Ah, the oldest Sýkora.” Radek pushed his wet hair from his eyes. “I heard Urek had fun with you at my house. How are your fingers? Perhaps Urek can finish what he started. He will be here shortly.” He pointed to the army marching down the main road.

“Urek joined your army?” Stephan asked.

“He has... for personal reasons. He's paying off a debt. Stephan, you're looking well. How does it feel to be a traitor to your family, your religion, and the Crown?”

Stephan laughed without humor. “How does it feel to be an as—”

“Where's the king?” I stepped forward.

“In the castle.”

“What does he say about all this?”

Radek shrugged. “It doesn't matter. King Rudolf is and always was irrelevant. Archduke Matthias will arrive in Prague by the end of the week. He will deal with his lunatic brother.”

“Is Rudolf dead?” I asked.

Radek smiled. “Not yet.”

The army marched down the steep road that tapered down from Hrad
any Hill. Henrik's earlier estimate was a little high. There were more like two hundred men, instead of three hundred.

Regardless, we were outnumbered.

“How's your shoulder, Ludmila?” Radek asked. His hand covered his heart. “I apologize for the knife wound. I let my temper get the better of me. My deepest condolences. I'm glad to see you up and about.”

I'd wandered out from under the parapet and was now only a few feet behind Marc and the others. My anger at Radek had lured me out. I had the dragon dagger I'd used to pick the locks at the prison. It was my only weapon and I was dying to use it on Radek. I noted how far I'd come; six weeks before I couldn't touch a blade. Now I wanted to kill both Radek and Václav with it.

“Why are you here?” Marc asked. “You and I both know you're going to run away like the coward you are. What do you want?”

Radek smiled but didn't answer.

The wind mixed with the rain whipping off the Vltava River swept Radek's damp hair into the air. Messy blond strands stood up in all directions, making him look mad.

How had I missed the signs for so long?

I glanced over my shoulder. No sign of the rebels. Had Ivan made it to the camp yet? What if he ran into trouble and wasn't able to deliver his message to Zora and the others?

The people of Prague were no longer on the streets. They must've sensed the upcoming battle. All doors and windows were closed. The bustling city had become abandoned.

The army marched under the parapet. The men fanned out and stood shoulder to shoulder to cover the expanse of the bridge.

Marc, Henrik, and Stephan stood their ground.

Radek tugged the horse's reins and faced his army. He held up his hand. “Halt!”

The army collectively stopped halfway on the bridge.

“The individuals standing before us are traitors to the Crown!” Radek pointed at us. “They are Protestant rebels who facilitated a prison escape this evening during which all of the accused were released in one of our Inquisition camps.”

One? How many Inquisition camps did they have?

“They must be punished for their transgressions,” Radek said.

A war cry emanated from the forest.

I turned.

Zora and Ivan led the rebels through the last line of trees in K
i-voklát Forest. The Protestant rebels charged down the hill and into the streets on foot and horseback.