“Grethak denu keltis taret,” I said quickly. It was a variation of the spell Devon Tremont had once used on me. Unlike his spell I had included an exclusion to let the target breathe. The man went rigid while Penny held him to the floor.
She looked back at me, “You’re really taking all the fun out of this,” she said, and then her eyes went wide. “Look out!”
I felt something moving toward my head but it was far too fast for me to do anything about it. A guardsman who had been standing just inside the doorway hit me with a heavy mace before I could react. My shield saved me from serious injury but I was sent flying sideways across the room. I struck a heavy chair and fell over, stunned.
From my position on the floor I saw her move, though that word hardly does her credit. She fairly flew across the room, the man who had struck me barely moved before she was on him. He managed one swipe at her with his mace and because of her charge she wasn’t able to dodge it. Instead she caught it with her left hand, much as you or I might catch a stick swung by a small boy. Her right hand came up and she slammed the hilt of her sword into his jaw. I thought I saw a look of surprise on his face before he fell back to land heavily on the floor.
I struggled upright and made my way over to her. “Goddammit!” she cursed, nursing her hand. “I think it’s broken.”
“Let me see,” I suggested.
“You’re both going to wind up in the king’s dungeons for this!” said the nearly forgotten nobleman on the floor. Another drawback of my version of the paralysis spell is that it also allows the victim to speak. I ignored him and reached for Penny’s hand.
“Wait,” she said. She shut the door and leaned back against it. “There’s more coming, I can hear them on the stairs. Whatever you do had best be quick.”
I held her hand and closed my eyes, focusing. Two of the bones in her palm had snapped, but fortunately they were clean breaks. Working rapidly I fused the ends back together and as a finishing touch I blocked the sensory nerves at the wrist. Even with what I had done it was badly bruised and would begin swelling rapidly. Hopefully now she wouldn’t have to feel the pain, at least not until later. “How does it feel? Can you move it?” I asked.
She flexed it carefully. “It hurts a bit still, but I can move it.” The door behind her moved slightly as someone tried to open it.
“Lord Hightower! Are you in there?” a man’s voice shouted from the hallway.
Before Hightower could respond Penny answered, “One moment, let me get my clothes back on!” She turned around and put her left hand on the handle.
Beyond the door I could hear them talking, “Was that a woman’s voice?”
Penny opened the door calmly, “Do come in, we were finished anyway.”
Two men stood there, seeming confused for a moment at the sight of a beautiful woman. One seemed downright embarrassed, till he noticed the sword in her hand. Lord Hightower yelled at them from the floor, “You fools! Seize her!”
“Shibal,” I said, and they both slumped to the floor.
“Hey!” Penny snapped at me, “I had that under control!”
“I don’t want to have to fix anymore broken bones. Not to mention it was much kinder, that other fellow probably has a broken jaw,” I replied.
“In case you’ve forgotten, he tried to put your brains on the floor, not to mention what happened to my hand,” she said sarcastically.
“You’ll have worse than broken bones once I’m done with you,” said Lord Hightower from his exalted position… lying on the floor.
I helped Penny drag the two guardsmen fully into the room before shutting the door. Then I addressed our prisoner, “Lord Hightower, I am extremely sorry for this. I hope you understand that in better times I would never have dreamed of insulting you like this.”
“Are you about to surrender? Otherwise you should save your breath,” he answered me. I had to admire his nerve; most men in his position would have been ready to bargain. Being paralyzed was a terrifying sensation, I knew firsthand.
“Quite the contrary, I’m here to release your daughter.”
He snorted, “I thought you looked familiar, you must be Mordecai. I saw you at the hearing a few months back.” He was probably referring to the case put before the Lord High-Justicer.
“I am. Where is your daughter held at?” I didn’t see much reason to waste time chatting.
“Two doors down, the key is in that jewelry case over there… by the desk,” he couldn’t move but he rolled his eyes in the direction he was referring to.
Penny walked over to find the key, “I didn’t figure you for a man who would give up so easily,” she remarked.
“Well, we’re not exactly enemies. I locked her up before the king decided to. Besides, would my men be able to stop you?”
“No,” I replied honestly. “Did you really need to lock her up? She’s your own daughter.”
He laughed ruefully, “You must not know her very well. How do you think I got this?” He winked at me with his black eye. I decided he was right. I couldn’t imagine Rose punching her father in the eye.
“How do you suggest we proceed from here?” I asked him. He had become so reasonable I felt it couldn’t hurt to get his opinion.
“Lock me in her room and walk out with her. I doubt the guards would try to stop you with her ordering them otherwise.” He began scrunching up his face suddenly. “Would you mind scratching my nose… it’s got a terrible itch.”
I laughed and spoke a word, “Keltis.” His body relaxed as soon as the paralysis vanished. Lord Hightower sat up and began scratching. “Are you sure we need to lock you up?” I asked him.
“If you don’t I’ll be accused of helping you. I’m still mad at you for giving me this…,” he pointed at his injured eye. I was confused for a moment till I understood he was referring to his planned cover story. I was beginning to understand where Rose got her keen wits.
A few minutes later we were marching him down the corridor, at sword point. He had insisted on the sword, claiming it would be easier to explain later if one of his men happened to see us. Soon enough we had the door to Rose’s room open. Penny marched Lord Hightower in ahead of us.
As he stepped in a heavy wooden club swept out, catching him in the stomach. He folded over at the waist and sagged to his knees. “Oh Daddy! Oh gods! I’m so sorry!” said Rose, dropping the makeshift weapon.
Penny and I looked on, aghast at the scene. I quietly applauded Penny’s decision to lead with the prisoner. I was still slightly shaken from the mace that had struck me earlier. I looked around the room as Rose fussed over her wounded father. On one side was a large four post bed. It looked to be a beautiful piece of furniture but it was now listing oddly to one side. Glancing down I realized Rose’s weapon had been the fourth post. I was beginning to wonder how Hightower had survived her childhood.
Rose finally took notice of us, “Penny! What are you doing here?”
“I heard you needed a rescue, but it looks like your captor might have the worst end of this arrangement,” Penny said, giving Lord Hightower a sympathetic look.
“I thought it was one of the guards,” Rose said sheepishly. “Even so I aimed for the mid-section so I wouldn’t hurt them too badly.” Hightower groaned where he lay on the floor but he still hadn’t gotten enough wind back to talk.
“Where would you hit them if you did want to hurt someone?” I asked aloud.
“Pray you never find out Mordecai,” said Rose as she helped her father stand up. “Oh! Look at that eye! Did I do that?” I was gaining endless amusement at Rose’s startled exclamations. What did she expect to happen when she hit him there? It was a good thing she hadn’t become my Anath’Meridum, there would have been a string of bodies between here and the outer door by now.
Several more men came pounding up the stairs. Given the length of time since Hightower’s last yell I had to assume these had found the men we had left sleeping below. I stood in plain sight and waited until they had cleared the stairs fully before I put them to sleep. It pays to be careful. A friendly rescue might turn ugly if we ‘accidentally’ murdered someone in the course of it.
