Redemption (30 page)

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"King Zinan is in residency at the Castle of Capri," Winona reported to her friends. "He is expected to be leaving in a day or two, but the soldier did not know exactly when or where the king was going to go."

"I can't believe that a soldier would divulge such information," frowned Prince Umal. "Are you sure that you can believe him?"

"I believe him," grinned Babul. "I think he would have told Winona where his secret stash of gold was if she had asked him."

Winona shot the bandit leader a cold glare and then answered the Odessian prince. "I believe he spoke the truth. He did not suspect any ulterior motive from me other than idle curiosity."

"So we need to strike soon," nodded Prince Antion. "What else did you learn?"

"There are five hundred Caprian defenders in the Castle of Capri," answered Winona. "There are also twenty Borundan soldiers assigned to protect King Zinan. The two groups do not particularly care for each other, and they do not mix at all. The king and his entourage remain on the top floor of the castle mostly. There is a steady stream of messengers that arrive daily for King Zinan, but I could not determine the nature of the messages. The Caprians have no idea what King Zinan has planned."

"How do they know that he is planning to leave then?" asked Prince Derri.

"He has ordered the castle staff to prepare traveling rations," answered Winona.

"I wonder where he is going?" pondered Prince Derri. "Maybe we can get him along the road?"

"According to one of Babul's bandits," offered Sandar, "the Borundan army is surging towards the Arin border. He said that the people of the towns along the Koar-Anatar Road are fleeing eastward. Perhaps he has visions of leading the charge himself?"

"Then we cannot chance catching him on the road," frowned Prince Antion. "With the citizens of Capri fleeing, King Zinan will surround himself with an army. The sands in the hourglass have run out. We have to attack the Castle of Capri tonight."

"Attack the castle?" balked Babul. "Did you not hear Winona? There are five hundred men inside the castle. We are less than fifty."

"I can get us inside the castle," offered Winona.

"Are you sure?" asked Prince Antion.

"Fairly sure," shrugged Winona. "It might be helpful if Babul could corral the fleeing Caprians. If we opened the gates to the castle from the inside, his people could draw attention away from King Zinan."

"That is expecting too much from the Caprians," Prince Derri shook his head. "The bandits are probably no match for the defenders of the Castle of Capri."

"Now," nodded the bandit leader, "the Salacian prince has the right of it. This attack on the Castle of Capri is mere suicide."

The group fell silent but the only smile was on Babul's face. He was relieved that he talked Prince Antion out of the foolish attack.

"Very well," Prince Antion sighed, "we will proceed without them."

"What?" gasped Babul. "You can't be serious? I thought you finally realized the foolishness of such an attack? The eight of you will die before you ever get to the king."

"Perhaps," shrugged Prince Antion, "but we are the only people who can end this reign of terror. I will not walk away and see the people of the Land of the Nine Kingdoms reduced to slavery."

"I will ready the horses," volunteered Prince Umal as he turned to get the Odessian beauties ready for the ride.

"Monte and I will pick up the camp," offered Talot.

The warriors started to drift off leaving Prince Antion, Winona, Jared and Babul alone by the fire.

"You are all crazy!" shouted Babul. "Can you not see the futility in your actions?"

"There are things in this world more important than life," Winona said softly. "You wouldn't understand."

Winona turned and left, and Prince Antion also started to leave, but Babul grabbed him by the arm.

"I was hoping that you would come to your senses," Babul said, "but I can see that you are determined. Explain to me how you have the slightest bit of a chance to succeed."

"We know King Zinan's weakness," answered Prince Antion.

"His weakness?" echoed the bandit leader. "What is his weakness?"

"I am his weakness," volunteered Jared. "King Zinan is my twin brother. I have the power to end his reign of madness. It is necessary for me to meet him face to face. That is what Prince Antion and the others have sworn to make happen. I am the only chance the Land of the Nine Kingdoms has to stop this worldwide slaughter."

Babul's eyes clouded in confusion, but he soon understood that Jared was not joking.

"And the eight of you are prepared to give up your lives for this one chance at victory?" he asked.

"We are sworn to see it through to the end," nodded Prince Antion. "Is dying in a fight today any worse than living a life of impending death every day for the rest of your life?"

"Actually," Babul smiled thinly, "it sounds far better to me. I promised to aid you in your quest, but I had to be sure that you were serious about this plan. If you can get the gates open, my people will storm the Castle of Capri."

"The lives of your forty men will not create much of a distraction," Prince Antion shook his head. "I am pleased that you finally understand the right thing to do, but we will go alone."

"I am not talking about my forty men," retorted Babul. "Winona's idea has great merit. Let me gather my fleeing countrymen. My men will bring everyone who is willing to risk their lives. I only hope that it will be enough to make a difference."

"Are you sure about this?" asked Prince Antion. "Your first reaction was fairly accurate. Most of us will die in the attempt to end this war."

"I am sure," Babul nodded. "The people of Capri are tired of living under the rule of King Zinan, and it has not even been a long time yet. I cannot imagine years of such rule. If we must die to rid our country of the Borundans, let it be tonight that we die."

Prince Antion smiled broadly and clasped the bandit leader's shoulders. "We shall strike a blow where King Zinan least expects it," he declared. "Go and gather your people, Babul. Have them assemble across the road from the Castle of Capri. Keep them out of sight until you see a swinging light from the top of the castle. That will signal the opening of the gates."

Prince Derri halted the group and dismounted, signaling the others to do likewise. The warriors abandoned their Odessian beauties and gathered around Prince Derri in the forest just off the Koar-Anatar Road. The moon was full and shone brightly on the road, but storm clouds blocked the stars in the western half of the sky. Across the road towards the coast, a large black castle sat on a hill overlooking the beach. The moonlight illuminated the dark behemoth, and Talot frowned heavily.

"How are we to make it across the road and to the castle without being seen?" the giant asked. "This moonlight will betray our approach for sure."

"Babul will provide a distraction," answered Prince Antion. "We have a few moments to wait yet. Be patient."

"Do we have the rope?" Winona asked.

"Just as you requested," answered Prince Umal. "Are you strong enough to carry it?"

"I think so," nodded Winona. "I will do my best not to let you down."

Prince Antion's eyebrows rose at Winona's answer. He had expected her to project extreme confidence even if she didn't feel it, but her answer was honestly blunt. He stared at her and realized how much she had changed over the past few weeks. She no longer sought examples of the evils of the ruling class of the Land of the Nine Kingdoms, nor did she constantly try to imply that things were done better in Harangar as she had in the past. Winona turned and caught Prince Antion staring at her. She immediately turned away as she always did whenever their eyes happened to meet.

"Here they come," Prince Derri announced softly. "Get ready to move."

A dozen riders came from the west along the Koar-Anatar Road and turned down the wide trail that led to the Castle of Capri. The riders did not approach the ramp leading up to the castle's gates, but instead rode towards the beach. Once they reached the surf, the riders rode along the beach to one of the thatched-roofed pavilions and dismounted. They were a noisy lot, and their shouting voices carried well in the night air. The boisterous men were obviously drinking and their aberrant behavior caught the attention of the wall guards in the castle, but no move was made to eject them from the castle's beach.

The men carried on for over half an hour with no visible response from the defenders of the Castle of Capri, and then unexpectedly the thatched roof of the pavilion burst into flames. Shouts rang out from the castle wall, but the gates did not open. Within the span of a few minutes, several more buildings had their roofs erupt in flames. Suddenly the gates of the castle opened and a column of riders charged out.

"Now," Prince Derri said.

The group rose and dashed across the road and into a thin forest of palm trees. They angled away from the path leading to the castle ramp and headed towards the rear of the huge structure. Shouts continued to ring out from the front of the castle as the group reached the base of the hill and scrambled up the side. At the top of the hill, they came to a halt at the piles of giant rocks that surrounded the base of the castle. Prince Derri leaped onto one of the rocks and began to plot a course across the uneven terrain. The Salacian prince knew that the rocks surrounding the castle were more than just obstacles to scaling ladders. Several of the rocks on each side of the castle were purposely undermined and unstable. King Quanto had boasted that the traps were designed to catch anyone trying to rush the wall. When one of the trick rocks was released by stepping on it, it would fall into a hole creating a large void and alerting the castle guards. Prince Derri carefully examined each boulder before stepping onto it. The group followed the Salacian prince in single file as the shouting from the front of the castle diminished to nothing.

Soundlessly the group crept up the rocks to the base of the castle wall underneath the tower sitting at the right rear corner of the castle. They hugged the wall and stopped to catch their breath. Prince Umal took two large coils of rope off his shoulders and dropped them on the ground. The two coils were tied together to form an extremely long rope, and Winona tied a free end over one shoulder and under the other so that it is hung from her like a back sheath. Prince Antion took the woman's sword and slung it onto his back to ride beside his own sword. He knew that the weight of the rope was burden enough for anyone to carry. With a quick tug on the rope to make sure it was secure, Winona placed her hands against the black wall of the castle and began climbing up the wall.

"How does she do that?" asked Monte.

"It is the Talent," Prince Antion answered as he craned his head to watch Winona's progress. "Somehow she can scale a sheer cliff. I do not know how she does it, but the Talent makes it possible."

"She used it in the mountains several times to avoid us," nodded Prince Derri. "I thought there was something magical about how she always disappeared."

Most of the group stopped watching as it was a strain on the neck to look straight up, but the Arin prince never took his eyes off the woman.

"You are worried that she might fall?" asked Sandar.

"Not at all," answered Prince Antion. "Winona will make it to the top just fine. The Talent will not fail her."

"Then why do you continue to watch?" asked the Arin soldier.

Prince Antion blinked and lowered his head to look at Sandar. "I don't know," he admitted. "I guess I am worried about her."

"But you just said that you were not worried," frowned the soldier. "I am confused."

Prince Antion frowned at his fellow countryman. "Perhaps I am, too. Why do you ask such questions?"

The soldier looked away, unwilling to mention the woman's confession to him. He had been sure that Prince Antion had no feelings for the woman the night he spoke to her, but he was no longer certain. Several times during the past few nights, Sandar had heard the prince mumbling her name in his sleep. Those nighttime murmurings had caused him to observe the prince carefully, and what he had seen had bothered him. The prince always seemed to have Winona in his field of vision, no matter what was happening.

"What are you talking about, Sandar?" asked the prince. "I know you well enough to suspect that you are trying to make a point. What is it?"

Sandar turned back and stared into the prince's eyes. "Do you love her?" he asked.

The prince's face turned red, and his eyes shifted about to see who was listening, but everyone else was far enough away not to hear the whisperings.

"That is hardly any of your affair," frowned Prince Antion. "I would be forbidden to marry her in any event, so the answer is of no consequence. Besides, Winona would never fall in love with a prince."

"I did not ask if you intended to marry her," Sandar probed, "but whether you loved her or not. And yes, I know it is not any of my business, but we are likely to die this night. I thought it might ease the pain if you admitted it to someone. I am sorry for bringing it up."

"Love hardly matters tonight," berated the prince. "You are right to question whether we will survive until morning or not, but we will have less of a chance at survival if we don't keep our minds on the task before us."

"She's in the tower," Prince Umal called softly. "I am going up."

The two Arinites turned to see the Odessian prince climbing the rope that Winona had carried to the top of the tower. Prince Derri followed close behind and then Monte, Sandar, Prince Antion, Jared and Talot. When Prince Antion stepped into the tower, he saw the body of a castle defender on the floor. His eyes immediately rose to land on Winona, and the woman quickly looked away.

"Derri," the Arin prince ordered, " you lead the way down the stairs. Umal, stay right behind him. We want to get to the top level of the castle proper by the easiest route. Try to avoid everyone if you can."

The group filed down the spiral stone steps until they came to a landing with a door leading into the castle. Prince Derri eased the door open and stuck his head through. Seeing no one in the corridor beyond, he stepped through the doorway and started searching for a stairway leading up. The corridors at the rear of the castle were empty, which was precisely why Prince Antion had chosen that particular tower to attack. The Castle of Capri only had entrances in the front of the building, and that is where the bulk of the defenders would be gathered, at least those who were not already asleep.

Prince Derri had never been in the rear of the castle before, but it was not far different from other castles. He quickly found a narrow stairway that was probably used only by the servants. Within minutes he was peeking out at the corridor on the top floor. The torches were still lit, which indicated that not everyone had turned in for the night, but the corridor was empty. The Salacian prince crept out of the stairwell and approached the closest door. He dropped to the floor and shielded his eyes from the light while looking through the gap at the bottom of the door. The room was dark.

He rose and slowly opened the door before slipping through it. A few seconds later, he stuck his head out and waved the rest of the group into the room. When everyone was safely out of the corridor, he shut the door and moved away from it.

"What now?" he asked quietly.

"There will be at least twenty guards on this floor," explained Prince Antion. "We will have to kill them all or Jared will never get the chance to deal with King Zinan."

"We also need the gate opened and a signal sent to Babul," reminded Winona.

"Why do we even need the diversion?" asked Monte. "We are already here. The king will not escape."

"The defenders of the castle are sure to hear the battle up here," answered Prince Antion. "Killing twenty soldiers will be enough of a challenge. If there is no distraction below, we will end up with five hundred men rushing at us. They must have something else to keep them occupied."

"I saw a balcony in the front of the building," mentioned Winona. "If I can get there, I can remove the bar from the gate using the Talent. There will be no way for the Caprians to lock it."

"I had planned to send men down to destroy the bar," mused Prince Antion. "Can you spare the Talent to accomplish that?"

"It will not take much," shrugged Winona. "It is a simple levitation task, although the distance might be a problem."

"She can handle it," Jared stated, "but we should not delay finding my brother. I do not know how long the battle between him and me will take."

"All right," nodded Prince Antion. "First we have to find the suite that King Zinan is using. That will involve a great deal of trial and error. I assume that we will find ourselves in a battle before we find King Zinan."

"Not necessarily," interjected Winona. "I would expect to find Zinan in the king's suite. He does not consider himself a visitor here. He is the ruler."

"That will make it easier," smiled Prince Derri. "King Quanto's sleeping chamber is in the center of the building. The suite stretches all the way to a private balcony in the front. Perhaps Winona could use that balcony for the door bar as well? That way we do not have to separate."

"I like it," nodded the Arin prince. "Lead the way."

The Salacian prince opened the door and checked the corridor before stepping out. He led the group along the corridor to the first intersection and stuck his head around the corner. He quickly pulled his head back and held a single finger in the air. Monte nocked an arrow and stepped around the corner. The Borundan soldier never had a chance to shout before the arrow buried itself in his chest. The soldier collapsed to the floor, and Monte led the group at a fast pace to where the soldier had fallen. Talot picked up the body as Prince Derri assumed the lead.

The Salacian prince halted outside a set of ornate double doors. He waited until the others had gathered around before quickly opening the doors and charging into the room. The other warriors followed swiftly, but the room was empty, although the torches were still burning. As Prince Derri stood gazing about the large entry foyer, Monte closed the double doors.

There were three other doors leading off the entry foyer, and Prince Derri headed towards the one on his left. Talot dumped the body of the soldier on the floor and joined the others as they crowded around the Salacian prince. Once again they burst quickly through the door, but the sleeping chamber was also empty and also illuminated by torches.

"Where is everyone?" Prince Derri asked softly. "It is late enough that everyone should be sleeping. Do you think King Zinan has already left the castle?"

"Can't you feel him, Jared?" asked Sandar. "You have guided us here all the way from Hyrem."

"We are too close," Jared shook his head. "The sense of Zinan is all around me, and it is so strong that I cannot even point in a single direction."

Prince Antion walked over to the large bed, which had a gilded, hooded robe lying on it. "I don't think he's left yet," he replied in almost a whisper. "His bed is made up, and his robe set out for tomorrow, but he has not been to bed yet. Jared, put this on. If we do stumble across anyone, your likeness to your brother may give them pause. It might be the edge we need."

Jared silently stripped off his tattered traveling robe and donned the king's fine one. He neatly placed his old robe on the bed, much to the amusement of Talot, who found it strange behavior for a man about to begin the greatest battle of mankind.

Prince Derri led the group back into the foyer and waited by the door on his left. Again the group surged into the room ready to battle with the inhabitants, but no one was there. The room was a small library, and candles still burned next to a reading chair. The candles were fairly new and had probably been lit within the last hour.

"The king is definitely still in the castle," remarked Prince Umal. "Do you think he was drawn out to the balcony by the disturbance on the beach?"

"There is only one way to find out," Prince Derri sighed heavily to relieve the tension. "That must be where the last door leads."

The Salacian prince led the group back to the entry foyer and stood near the last door. He opened it quickly and the group swept through the doorway ready for a fight, but there was no one to battle. A long personal dining room stretched out before the warriors with the only other door to it at the far end. The group moved cautiously past the long table and gathered by the next door. Prince Derri opened the door, and a cool wind swept into the room, making the flames of the torches dance in the breeze. The group exited the dining room and found themselves on a broad balcony that overlooked the courtyard at the front of the castle. The balcony was empty.