Rise of the Champion (The Sword of Kirakath Omnibus #1) (35 page)

“It’s not what you’re thinking,” Nicolas said immediately as he set the knife down on the ground. “My father sent me a letter, asking me to meet with him. I found him like this.”

“And we found you like this,” one of the guards said with a tone that told Nicolas he did not believe him.

“You’re taking me to the dungeons, aren’t you?” Nicolas asked with a sigh as he put his hands behind his back for them.

“Do you even have to ask?” the guard asked as he walked up to Nicolas and put a pair of iron cuffs on his wrists and locked them.

Nicolas closed his eyes as the guard helped him stand up. He knew exactly how bad his current situation was, and he was beginning to suspect that someone had set him up.

This puts me in a complicated position. If I can prove that I didn’t do it, then they’ll have to let it go. If I can’t prove my innocence, then the head of the guard will pass judgment on me. He’d have me executed without a second thought.

Though the magistrate would be involved in most situations like the current one, Jason could not do anything unless there was definite proof that Nicolas was innocent. Their blood relation would prevent Jason from ruling one way or the other if Nicolas could not prove his innocence.

So with that, Nicolas was led out of the manor and to Castle Caldreth.

* * * * *

The dungeons of Castle Caldreth were not quite like that of most castles. Instead of being accessible through the castle itself, the dungeons were accessible through a building to the southeast of the castle. While it was still on the castle grounds, it allowed an extra measure of safety if there was an escape attempt. The safety only extended to the count and countess of Caldreth, but they were the ones that mattered most in the opinions of the men that designed the castle long ago.

The building was square shaped with dimensions of about fifty feet.  Despite its size, the only things in the building were four stairwells that led to the dungeons and a large desk where the magistrate sat.

A frown formed on his face as soon as Nicolas was brought before him by the guards.

“What’s the problem?” Jason asked seriously.

“Nicolas Edge was found kneeling over the corpse of Zachary Edge a short while ago. We had half a dozen servants show up, stating that they saw him pull a knife on the patriarch of the Edge family not long before we made our way to the manor,” the lead guard said, making Nicolas and Jason widen their eyes.

The servants are claiming that they saw me pull a knife on Father? What’s going on? I went into the manor unarmed, and the servants weren’t there.

“There were no servants there when I showed up, and Father was already dead. They found me after I pulled the knife out of his back,” Nicolas said, ignoring the glare that one of the guards shot him.

“My brother is dead?” Jason asked as he slumped back in his chair. Clearing his throat, he shook his head. “These are grave charges. I have to ask a question though. Nicolas, why were you at the manor in the first place? Zach specifically said that you were not to come by.”

“Father sent a message about an hour ago to be through a courier. He said he wanted to have dinner and speak with me about something. I’d show you the letter right now, but I left it on one of the tables in the inn,” Nicolas answered.

Instantly, the door opened and shut, telling him that at least one of the guards had gone to look for it.

If they find the letter, it could prove my innocent… or at least make them suspect that I’m innocent.

“Tell me your side of the story, and then I want to hear the guards’ side of the story,” Jason said with a sigh. “Be warned that you must tell the truth no matter what, and you’ll have a hard time proving your innocence if half a dozen servants really did alert the guards about you drawing a knife on your father.”

“I understand,” Nicolas said with a nod. “Shortly after I ate lunch, a courier showed up with a letter….”

Nicolas and the leader of the guards that had found him in the manor told their stories with one major thing in common. They truly believed that they were right about their conclusions, and it bugged Nicolas to no end that the guard was so sure that he killed his father.

Shortly after they finished their tales, the guards returned and walked right up to Jason. They handed the letter to Jason without hesitation and went to stand behind the other guards.

Jason read it a few times with a frown, and then he set it down.

“The letter I just read is addressed to you,” he said, looking at Jason. “However, it is not signed by my brother. It is signed by a known member of the Thieves’ Guild, and it states that you have a narrow window of opportunity to confront your father when he is alone so you can kill him, at which point you’d inherit his fortune.”

“That’s not the letter I received,” Nicolas said with a serious look in his eyes. “I’m being set up. I’ve never seen the letter you hold in your hands and I didn’t kill him. You have to believe me.”

“I do,” Jason said with pain in his eyes. “But I cannot save you. The head of the guard will judge you when he has time. For now, you’ll stay in a cell in the dungeons.”

The knowledge that his uncle could not help him saddened Nicolas, but he simply nodded and walked down one of the staircases with the guards and was put in one of the first cells that they came across.

The cell was only four feet wide and eight foot long. The only piece of furniture was a bed that hung from the wall, but it had to be more comfortable to sleep on than the ground, so he could not complain.

“Johnny, guard the prisoner,” the leader of the guards said before he unlocked the cuffs and pushed Nicolas into the cell. He closed and locked the door before he left with the other guards.

The only guard that stayed, whose name was apparently Johnny, waited where he was until the others were out of sight. Then, he walked up to the cell door and smiled at Nicolas.

“I have a message for you, Nicolas Edge,” he said with a hint of malice in his voice. “Your former boss wanted me to tell you that you made a mistake by helping an enemy of an Abrams. By doing so, you put the entire guild in jeopardy, and that could not be allowed. Personally, I’m glad you did it though. I was paid well to arrange your imprisonment. That’s why I went to that inn of yours. I had to swap the real letter for one that would get you executed.”

Hearing that made Nicolas want to punch the guard through the bars, but he maintained his position. “Did my father even send the original letter?”

“Yes,” the guard said with a frown. “We planned on faking one, but coincidence had him send one himself instead. I can’t imagine why he wanted to speak with you.”

“He probably realized that I’m a better man than most,” Nicolas said with a flurry of emotion in his eyes. “I’m definitely better than a crooked guard who would accept coin to frame an innocent man.”

Johnny glared at Nicolas. “You’re not guilty of this crime, but you’re not an innocent man. You’ve stolen, you’ve maimed, and you’ve killed. I’ll gladly get paid for bringing you down.”

Nicolas frowned, but he nodded his head once. “Tell the captain of the guard and my uncle the truth. If you do, then I’ll personally prevent Alexander from striking back at you.”

“And if I don’t?” the guard asked, almost laughing.

“Then you will learn that every action has consequences,” Nicolas said as he walked over to the bed and laid down on it. He knew he would need sleep for what he had planned.

Alexander, you will die for what you’ve done. That’s a promise.

Chapter 13

Nicolas sat up and looked through the door of his prison cell. The guard that was supposed to be watching him was sitting against the wall opposite of it. As expected, he had fallen asleep.

Guards are far too predictable… and foolish.

He turned in the bed and stood up as quietly as possible. For his plan to work right, he could not have the guard hearing him and waking up.

I can’t believe they didn’t search me.

He moved his right arm behind him and slipped it underneath his tunic. He could not get far due to the belt cinching his tunic down, but he did not need to. The belt actually kept what he sought in place.

Nicolas pulled loose a small object from beneath his tunic and held it out in front of him. It was only about two inches wide and relatively small around. The object was tightly wrapped in cloth, which caused him to have to work to get the cloth off. As he finished removing the cloth from the object, it was revealed to be a lock pick.

It was somewhat of an open secret that Nicolas was a fence, despite the fact that no one had enough evidence of his actions to have him thrown in the dungeons. However, there was something about him that only a handful of people knew. Before Nicolas became a fence, he had been a thief.

If they had known, they might have had a couple guards watch me. They had no way of knowing that I can do this though.

He walked right up to the door, stuck his hand through the bars of the door, and picked the lock on his cell door within a matter of moments. As if he had done it a thousand times before, he caught the lock and eased it open before he removed it from the door.

With the lock in his hand, he carefully set it on the ground next to him and pushed the door of the cell open.

Stepping through the door, he looked at the guard and frowned. It was tempting to take the guard’s life right then and there. He had set Nicolas up, after all. However, he was determined to prove his point. He was a better man than the guard.

Still, you’ll suffer far worse if I let you live, so I’ll let you see what it’s like to lose everything. They won’t just give you a slap on the wrist for failing to watch me, after all.

With that, he moved down the hall and to the stair case as quietly as he could.

When he reached the top of the stair case, he smiled. There was no one on the ground floor. As long as he was quiet, the guards in the other three underground tunnels would never realize that he had escaped. However, he knew that he needed to make it harder for anyone to recognize him, so he snuck over to his uncle’s desk and carefully pulled open one of the bottom drawers. As expected, there was a black hooded cloak in it.

Uncle is predictable.

Putting the cloak on, he sneaked to the door, pushed it open a little ways, and slipped outside.

Once outside, Nicolas frowned. Escaping was a little too easy, and he had a gut feeling that it was not some sort of trap. It seemed as though they genuinely thought that no one would try to break out of the dungeons.

The only guards on the castle grounds that he could see were the guards at the gates to the castle itself. From his spot, he could tell that the entrance to the castle grounds was not actually guarded at all.

So I just have to sneak out without the guards at the castle seeing me, and then I’m free to do as I wish. This will be easy.

As expected, it was easy to get out of the castle grounds. He just kept low, and his cloak allowed him to blend in with everything else. He had gone to sleep for the simple fact that it would cause him to wake up when it was too dark for anyone to see him. The fact that the guard had been asleep was just a bonus to him.

Once he was out of the castle grounds, he took a deep breath and prepared himself.

He just had to make one more stop before he could accomplish the single goal that drove him at that moment: to kill Alexander Abrams and destroy the Thieves’ Guild of Caldreth.

No one could stop him.

* * * * *

Nicolas stood in front of the unmarked door that led to the Thieves’ Guild’s base. He was wrapped in his cloak with the hood up so that no one would recognize him immediately. In addition to that, he kept the front of it closed. He had a surprise for his old comrades.

He closed his eyes momentarily and simply listened. Everything was quiet in the city, which meant that his escape had not yet been discovered. If everything went according to plan, he would not be discovered until he was no longer inside the city.

His hand reached for the door and pushed it open. As he stepped into the tavern, all eyes turned to him. They were all suspicious of him. It was without a doubt a consequence of entering with the hooded cloak that hid his appearance.

It looks like there are fifteen men here… outside of Alexander. Only five of them will be a challenge. The rest are simple thieves.
Looking at the man behind the bar, his thoughts changed slightly.
Actually, that’s four enforcers, ten thieves, and an out of practice enforcer.

Nicolas stayed quiet as the door shut behind him. As it finished shutting, he spoke in a clear, loud voice.

“I’m here to kill Alexander. Anyone who gets in my way will die, so I’d recommend that you remain where you sit.”

Immediately, everyone in the room recognized his voice, rose to their feet, and drew their swords. The only one who was not armed was the bartender, who had long since stopped carrying a weapon.

“I’m not going to give any of you a second chance,” Nicolas said as he threw his hooded cloak off to the side, revealing that he had a cutlass at his left hip. His right hand immediately slipped under the basket guard of the sword and grasped the hilt.