And what about all those dreary meetings? How will you put up with all that?’
‘Things may be turning out for the best, but someone still needs to keep an eye on the Council. Also, my poor old body cannot be on the road forever. I have to admit I’m not as young as I used to be. My hair is giving me the hint.’ He pointed to the flecks of grey just starting to make themselves known at the edges of his thick, black hair.
‘Mount up!’ came a distant call from one of Orrell’s men, interrupting them.
Samuel groaned and rubbed his sore behind. ‘I hope I get used to all this riding again.’
They had been camping outside of Hammenton for a whole day and still there was no sign of the other company or the second group of magicians. The townsfolk knew nothing of them and the scouts returned with the same news. Captain Orrell gathered the magicians around him as his men settled in for the night.
‘I don’t know where Garret’s company is,’ he said, ‘but they’re not here and they haven’t been here any time recently.’ Lomar and Master Glim nodded. ‘If I didn’t know better, I’d say that they’ve become lost. They should have come through the woods to the north, but there’s no sign of them. We can either wait longer and hope they arrive soon, or go on alone.’
‘What of the keep?’ Master Glim asked.
‘It’s only a short distance from here, built atop one of the stony hills. It could provide the occupants with some protection, but my men are experts at overcoming such fortifications. My men are few, but they are well- trained. Even without Garret’s company, we should be able to overcome any reasonable amount of resistance. However, my scouts say that they could be expecting us. The gates are already drawn firmly closed, which strikes me as unusual. You usually only shut the gates in times of disorder-to keep people out.’
Master Glim nodded. ‘Do you know how many are inside?’
‘High Lord Rimus said to expect only a handful of magicians and perhaps a dozen or so mercenaries. Nothing leads me to believe any different-yet.’
‘What if there are more?’ Lomar asked.
‘We can handle them,’ Orrell stated factually. ‘My squad are better trained than any mercenaries and are experts at dealing with magicians-distract them, or come at them from two sides, then cut their throats or fill them with arrows. Most mages can only deal with one thing at a time and are easily bewildered in battle-no offence to you good lords, of course.’
Master Glim nodded, somewhat unhappily, but he gave the captain a steadfast reply. ‘None taken.’
‘I’m not really one for battles,’ Goodfellow said nervously. ‘I didn’t think this would be so troublesome. I even thought it could be fun, but nothing really seems to be going to plan.’
‘Killing is never fun, Magician,’ Orrell said sternly in reply. ‘Thinking like that will get you killed.’ And Goodfellow looked embarrassed with himself. ‘Anyway,’ Orrell continued, ‘if it does turn out that the place is brimming with men, we simply won’t proceed. I’m not going to get us into anything over our heads. My scouts will let us know as soon as they find anything.’
‘This is all turning into a mess!’ Master Glim exclaimed unhappily, but Captain Orrell was unfazed.
‘Events in the field rarely choose to follow our plans,’ he explained. ‘What matters is that we are in control of the situation, so there is no need to get agitated just yet. We will only continue on when we so choose.’
Master Glim nodded, taking the advice under his belt.
‘Sir!’ a man said, pushing his way out of the dark shrubs to Orrell’s side.
‘What is it, Valiant?’ Orrell asked.
‘There’s something going on.’
‘What is it?’
‘Fighting within the keep, Captain.’
‘Oh?’ Orrell said with interest. ‘Garret’s men?’
‘We cannot tell, Captain. There’s obviously a commotion going on inside. We cannot see what’s happening, but it seems to be a bloodbath, Sir.’
‘How can you tell?’ Master Glim asked the man.
‘There’s a lot of screaming,’ Valiant replied. ‘More than I’d expect from a straightforward melee. Sent a chill down my spine. Sounds like they are tearing each other to pieces.’
Orrell pondered the report. ‘Let’s take a closer look.’
It was only a short way through the dark woods. They crossed a gully and a small rise before the keep became visible on the next hill, shaded grey in the moonlight. Four sheer walls surrounded what could only be called a tiny town. Two scouts were waiting at the edge of the trees as they approached. Captain Orrell’s Royal Guards sat silently behind.
‘Report,’ Orrell told his scouts.
‘Nothing for a time, Captain,’ one began. ‘Then the same as before-more screams and shouts. Someone even butchered the horses by the sound of it. The main gate opened a while ago, but no one came out. It’s been silent since then. We haven’t moved any closer to take a look. To be honest, Captain, none of us wanted to get any closer until the magicians came to take a look.’
‘I feel magic,’ Master Glim stated and Samuel could see that he was right. Many spells had been cast recently, of almost every nature. The lingering glow of magic was still glimmering just above the walls.
‘I think we should wait until daylight,’ Orrell reflected. ‘Whatever just happened here seems to be over. Our mission may have been done for us by the sound of things. Just in case, I’d rather not walk into a trap. We’ll take a look after sunup.’
They all agreed and made their way back to the camp. Scouts remained at the site to relay any news, but Samuel slept soundly until he was roused by the sun in his eyes and the smells of cooking.
‘Get up, sleepy head,’ Eric called, poking his head into Samuel’s tent. ‘Breakfast is ready.’
Samuel yawned. ‘Any news? Are we going to the keep?’
Eric bobbed his shoulders. ‘Someone went in at first light and said the place is empty.’
‘They went without us?’
‘It was one of Orrell’s scouts. I think that after a few hours of waiting, they forgot their fears and boredom got the better of them. At least now we know it’s not a trap.’
Samuel struggled out of the tent and stood beside Eric. His back had lumps in it from sleeping on the hard ground. ‘Nothing there? Where did they all go?’
‘No one knows,’ Eric said. ‘They didn’t leave, but they’re not there. Captain Orrell wants us to take a look after breakfast.’
Samuel’s stomach grumbled and he strode over to one of the campfires. The other magicians were already eating their fill of stewed rabbit, which the soldiers had caught and prepared for them. They also had grilled some sort of pheasant and were picking at the bones when Captain Orrell came striding back into camp.
‘Are you ready?’ he asked of the group and they nodded and stood, quickly wiping their chins. ‘Good, let’s go.’
The keep stood quietly on the hill. A few ribbons of smoke rose slowly from within its depths, but otherwise it was deathly still.
‘Any movement?’ Orrell asked of his scouts.
‘No, Captain. No one has left, no one has approached. No signs of anything at all.’
Orrell nodded and then stepped boldly from the cover of the woods and started up the rise. Samuel looked to Master Glim and they both started after the man. Orrell’s men then filed out from the trees and followed them, hands readied on their weapons. When they had climbed the barren slope around the keep and faced its yawning gates, Orrell signalled to his men.
‘Stay here,’ he told the magicians while the soldiers hurried past them through the solid entry way.
The mages, Keller and Tailor came up beside them, looking nervous. Samuel felt a shiver himself. The whole situation was eerie.
A handful of Orrell’s men lingered a short distance away, surveying the empty hillsides with uneasy eyes.
‘What do you feel?’ Lomar asked of the group.
‘Nothing,’ Master Glim replied and the others shook their heads in agreement.
Samuel could still see a slight trace of the spells from the previous night, but there was no new magic in the
