The Sword of Light: Book One of the Veredor Chronicles (9 page)

The common
room was crowded and very warm with large open fire burning at the
far end. Groups of men filled most of the tables and many others
stood at the bar. A long bar stretched along the wall on the right
side of the room.

Cassiel
stopped and scanned the room. He then leaned toward Eben. ‘Some of
these people could be dangerous, so be careful and discreet. I’m
going to see if we can reserve some rooms for tonight.’ He then
turned and walked toward the bar. No one in the room seemed to
notice the small group of newcomers.

‘
Let’s take that table in the corner,’ said Red. They walked
over and sat down. ‘At least this place is warm. I remember staying
here once a few years ago when I was a sailor.’ He looked toward
the big open fire across the room; the flames were burning
brightly. ‘I’m going to get us some drinks.’ Red jumped up out of
his seat and approached the bar.

Cassiel
returned at the same time as Red. ‘We have rooms on the upper
floor,’ he said as he took the spare seat at the table. A barmaid
walked over and placed the three ales down on the table in front of
the three of them.

Cassiel’s eyes
narrowed at the sight of the three ales. He looked up at Red and
raised an eyebrow. ‘You don’t like me much do you, Red?’

‘
Sorry Cassiel, you were talking with the innkeeper. I didn’t
know how long you would be gone,’ replied Red defensively. Cassiel
stared at Red for a few silent seconds. He then stood up and walked
over to the bar to buy himself a drink.

‘
Zyranians,’ muttered Red when Cassiel was out of
earshot.

Stella looked
at Red with a harsh frown. ‘Cassiel is our friend, Red. At least
try to get along with him.’

Red looked
down at the table and nervously scratched his forehead. ‘I’ll
respect him when he shows me a little respect,’ he muttered.

Eben was aware
that tension had been growing between Cassiel and Red ever since
the two of them met back in Ancora. Red was rarely serious and
always tried to turn everything into a joke. Cassiel was almost
always serious and stern in demeanour and rarely had time for
joking around. Eben decided it was best not to intervene and to
focus on the mission at hand.

Cassiel
returned to the table with a mug of ale. He sat down and took a
sip. ‘I once visited this inn regularly when I was studying at the
academy,’ said Cassiel, glancing around the room nostalgically.

‘
How far did you get into your training?’ asked
Eben.

‘
Seven years,’ replied Cassiel. He then took another sip of
his ale. ‘After seven years I was cast out of the
academy.’

‘
Why were you cast out?’ asked Stella.

‘
That’s something I don’t like to talk about; it was a rather
unpleasant experience. I will say that I was glad to see the end of
my time there. When an apprentice is cast out they can never return
to the Citadel and they are forbidden to practice magic,’ he said
soberly.

Before long a
barmaid appeared with steaming plates of mutton and vegetables.
They hungrily devoured their meals before retiring to their
beds.

**

The next day
was less gloomy. Eben looked out of his window and could see the
dark clouds had reduced above the Citadel. Sunlight was pushing its
way down through small gaps in the sky. The Citadel of Zyran was a
daunting sight; it dominated the skyline above the small village.
Eben could see a large group of guards marching across the top of
the wall in the distance.

There was a
knock at his door. Cassiel stepped into Eben’s room.

‘
Good morning, Eben. I think we should go down to the docks
and buy a small boat. We’re going to need one to leave after we
finish our mission here.’

‘
How do you feel about the plan now that we are here?’ asked
Eben nervously as he stood at the window and continued surveying
the immense dark walls of the Citadel.

‘
I hope we can succeed,’ replied Cassiel. ‘Falsig has made our
task more challenging; hopefully he won’t be a problem until after
King Ignis is safely away from here. Stella’s task is very
dangerous. I think it is doubtful that Trebax will leave the
dungeon key out of sight.
If he sees her he will not hesitate to kill
her.
’

‘
Maybe we should find another way,’ suggested Eben, feeling
concerned for Stella.

‘
There is no other way into the dungeon. Only the key will
open the prison door and the doors to the cells within. We are the
only people who know King Ignis is imprisoned in the Dungeons of
Zyran. If we fail then we fail.’

Eben stood up
and put on his leather cloak. Cassiel led the way down the stairs
and out of the inn. They walked across to the bustling area of the
docks. Sailors were offloading crates and barrels from a large ship
that had only just come into port. Across the docks, on the
southern side, was a smaller pier set apart from the main docks. A
few smaller fishing boats were moored to the pier. Eben and Cassiel
approached the smaller pier.

An old man was
fixing a net at the edge of the dock. He was a bearded short man
with a very big nose, weathered skin, and a dirty old sailor’s hat
with a big eagle’s feather attached.

‘
Hello there,’ said Cassiel as they approached.

The man
glanced up at Cassiel as he continued to fix his net. ‘Hello to you
too.’

‘
Can you tell me where I could buy a boat?’

The old man
stopped fixing his net and looked up. ‘A boat? You don’t look like
a sailor or a fisherman.’

‘
I’m neither,’ said Cassiel coolly.

‘
Perhaps you’re wishing to sail the wild seas and see some far
off lands. I’ve been around sea folk for a few years now, and I
know a sailor when I see one. Let me give you some free advice: if
you sail out to sea without experience you’ll be sailing to your
grave,’ said the old man with a slight chuckle.

‘
I appreciate your interest, but if you can’t help me I will
ask someone else,’ said Cassiel impatiently. The old man laughed.
‘What’s so funny?’ asked Cassiel.

‘
You don’t remember me do you, Cassiel?’

Cassiel’s eyes
widened as he suddenly recognised the old man. ‘Baftel!’ he cried,
stunned by the sudden revelation. Eben looked from Cassiel to the
old fisherman. Baftel threw his net aside and stood up. ‘What
brings you to Zyran?’

‘
I was going to ask the same question of you,’ said
Baftel.

‘
What are you doing here? I heard you were banished from the
Zyranian Order,’ stammered Cassiel.

Baftel sighed
and looked around nervously. ‘Yes, I was banished from the Citadel
and cast out of the Zyranian Order. The Zyranian High Council voted
seven for my death and eight for my banishment.’ He sadly looked
back across the docks to the walls of the Citadel of Zyran. ‘I have
watched as the shadows have grown in Zyran. The dark cloud
constantly hovers over the island, but this morning, for the first
time in years, the sun seemed to find a way through.’ The old man
looked to Eben for a moment. ‘I believe there may be reason to hope
again.’

Cassiel, still
pale with shock, slowly regained his regular composure.

‘
I heard that you betrayed the Zyranian Order and were
forbidden to practice magic,’ said Cassiel.

Baftel
flinched at hearing Cassiel’s words and then nodded his head sadly.
‘Yes, I heard that was their story. The real truth was hidden
beneath a shroud of lies. Now I don’t suppose it matters. I can
never again enter the Citadel of Zyran. I have enjoyed fixing nets
and fishing for the last five years. The life of a wizard was
always full of adventure, but fishing is much more fun.’

‘
Can you help us find a boat to sail to Ortaria?’ asked
Cassiel.

‘
As I said, sailing these seas would be dangerous for someone
without any experience,’ replied Baftel, shaking his
head.

Cassiel looked
out to sea and then back to Baftel. ‘Can you take us back to
Ortaria, Baftel?’

‘
I only have a twenty foot fishing boat. You would be better
off going on one of the larger trading ships.’

‘
I can’t wait for one of those ships. When I have to leave
Zyran I will need to leave at once. I can pay you, Baftel,’ said
Cassiel.

Baftel’s eyes
narrowed. He glanced away, and a deep frown crossed his face. He
picked up his net and walked down the pier a little before he
answered.

‘
Cassiel, I know you’re an outcast like me. I wonder why you
would want to come back to Zyran in these dark times. There’s only
a coastal village here, and we both know you can’t go into the
Citadel. Am I correct in supposing that you are involved in
something untoward?’ Cassiel ignored the suggestion as Baftel threw
his net into an open deck sailboat and then walked back to the two
of them. ‘I remember when you were at the academy. You never did
like taking direction, and you always had a very strong will. I
only hope whatever you have planned doesn’t kill you and your
friend. Your enemies may know more than you realise.’

‘
What do you see?’ asked Cassiel nervously. He knew Baftel was
renowned for his ability to see what was hidden.

‘
A candle left out in the rain. Sharks circling a man stranded
at sea. You have brought hope into a place of shadows. You are like
a man wading in the rough waves with an oil lantern in his hand,’
said Baftel, seeming troubled by his own thoughts.

‘
Do you think my plan has been discovered?’ asked Cassiel.
Baftel looked to Eben for a moment and then back to Cassiel; the
strain was visible on his face.

‘
There’s a greater plan at work.’

‘
Can you help us? You say that I have brought hope to Zyran;
would you help that hope?’ Baftel drew a long breath and then
whispered something they could not hear. A long silence followed
before he answered.

‘
I will take you back to Ortaria if you succeed,’ replied
Baftel.

‘
Thank you,’ said Cassiel, bowing to the old man.

‘
You will have to come and tell me when I should be ready for
the journey.’

‘
I will,’ said Cassiel.

**

They walked
back toward the inn and Cassiel seemed troubled by some of the
things that Baftel had said.

‘
Who is he?’ asked Eben, curious to know more.

‘
Baftel was once the leader of the Seers of Zyran. They were a
minor fraternity within the Zyranian Order. They focused on
developing an ability to see the true nature of what lies beneath
the surface and what lies beyond normal perception. Five years ago
Baftel was accused of using his powers to plot against the Zyranian
Order. He was banished from the Citadel and cast out of the
Zyranian Order. I’m concerned that he has foreseen trouble ahead
for us.’

‘
Could we be walking into a trap?’ asked Eben.

‘
Perhaps,’ said Cassiel uneasily.

‘
Should we change our plan?’

‘
No, the longer we stay here the more at risk we are. This is
our one chance,’ he said as they reached the door of The Lost
Mermaid.

**

At noon the
four friends were all seated in a small private room that was set
off from the main common room. The table was large and hardly fit
into the confined space. Falsig was seated across from them and was
grinning slyly. They all felt uncomfortable in his presence. His
pungent body odour drifted across the table.

‘
I assume you are ready to start the undertaking at any
moment,’ said Falsig. He slurped on a large mug of ale.

‘
That’s correct,’ said Cassiel with a stony
expression.

‘
Good. Tonight there is a banquet in the hall of the Citadel
and nearly all the Zyranian Order will attend. I’ve brought a group
of servants up from the village to help with preparations and to
work in the kitchen. Tonight, shortly after nightfall, I will let
the servants out through the supply gate to return home to the
village. Wait by the gate; I’ll let you in after I let them
out.’

He took
another gulp of his ale and a moment later burped. Stella looked
away in disgust. Falsig saw her expression and smirked. ‘There are
a few conditions,’ he continued. ‘If you get caught you never knew
me, and be sure I will not let you out of the gate without getting
my share of the loot. If you try anything shifty I’ll have you
buried.’

‘
We will be waiting at the gate after dark,’ said
Cassiel.

‘
I’ll see the four of you tonight.’ Falsig skulled his
remaining ale. He then stood up and nodded with approval before
walking from the small room. A moment later he was gone.

‘
He is the foulest man I have ever met,’ said Stella,
grimacing at the thought of him.

‘
What do you think?’ asked Eben, looking across to
Cassiel.

‘
I don’t trust him,’ said Cassiel. ‘But this is our only
chance to free King Ignis. I will tell Baftel to be ready to leave
tonight.’

CHAPTER
SEVEN

They hid in
the shadows about fifty feet from the wall and were huddled behind
a group of shrubs. The supply gate was a rectangular wooden door
that stood about ten feet high at the base of the wall. The gate
was closed and the Citadel was completely silent. From their place
behind the shrubs they had a wide view of the area. They waited and
watched. Eben could sense the feeling of anticipation was growing
among the small company. He looked up to the top of the wall high
above and saw a brigade of guards passing by.