opening and found a good handhold. Trusting that it would hold, he quickly transferred his other hand to the handhold the first one held.
The transfer of weight caused his feet to lose their grip with the wall, and just as his second hand grasped the opening, his feet fell away from the wall and swung freely below him. Supported only by his arms, he held there for a moment before reaching for another handhold. While he held on with his right hand, he let go with his left and quickly hunted the sides of the cavity for another.
Finally finding one a foot higher than the other, he grasped it and made sure it would hold before reaching for a third. Down below, the water flowed along uncaring about his plight, and the light from the approaching guards was growing brighter by the second. He still couldn’t actually see the boat as it was still hidden by a curve in the waterway. But by the brightness being reflected off the walls, it couldn’t be too far away.
Once he had a secure hold with his left hand, he pulled himself up half a foot then held there as his right hand reached up to find another handhold. When he had one, he started pulling himself up farther and…
Crack!
…the rock beneath his right hand suddenly gave out with a crack as a chunk fell away. As the weight of his body was suddenly and unexpectedly placed on his left hand, he almost lost his grip. By a narrow margin he was able to retain his grip long enough for his right hand to again find a purchase. A second later, a loud splash echoed in the waterway as the chunk of rock hit the water below.
“Damn!” Bart cursed. A quick glance back down the waterway couldn’t reveal if the guards had heard or not. Once his shaking nerves quieted, he resumed pulling himself up into the crevice.
The air blowing past him produced shivers as it cooled his wet clothes. Handhold by handhold, he crept his way further into the recess until his feet passed through the opening and were able to take some of the pressure off his aching arms. Once his feet were securely in place, he relaxed his arms as much as he dared to give them a break.
Below, the waterway was growing brighter as the guards came ever closer. Bart held still as the voices of the guards began to be heard. Looking through the opening below, he saw the prow of the boat appear. His heart began to race as he realized that one look up by any of them and it was over. But fortune was with him. So engrossed were they in their conversation about the virtue of a certain chambermaid, that none bothered looking up.
He watched the boat pass as two of the guards rowed against the current. Before the boat had completely passed by, he took advantage of the guard’s light to inspect the upper recesses of the crevice. It looked as if it continued upward for some distance. Then the light was gone when the boat moved beyond the mouth of the opening.
Bart waited for a minute or two to give his arms a break. Then when he was ready, he reached up for another handhold and continued his climb.
Chapter Fifteen
“We don’t even know where he is!” insisted Chyfe, and not for the first time. He stood with his back to the door, blocking Riyan from running headlong to the castle in search of Bart.
Riyan had his hand on the hilt of his sword. For a brief moment he thought to pull it, but quickly came to his senses. He pointed to Kevik and said, “We know from what Kevik said that he’s underneath the castle in some sort of sewer.”
“Yes!” exclaimed Chyfe. “And with one end barred, the other end who knows where, how are we going to get to him?” He stood his ground and refused to budge.
Soth came up behind Riyan and laid his hand on his shoulder. “I know how you feel,” he said. “But they know he’s there and will be on the lookout for others. If we show up, they’ll likely as not have us arrested and locked up for general measures.”
“But…” argued Riyan. He knew they were right, but Bart was his friend and in danger. How could he cool his heels in this room while Bart faced such danger alone?
“Soth and I could go down and see what we can do,” offered Seth. When Riyan turned toward him he added, “Alone, we can blend in with the locals.”
Riyan shook his head. “No. If Bart should communicate with Kevik again, we may need to move and move fast. It would be best if you were with us.”
Chad glanced to his friend. “I say we go down together to see what’s going on,” he stated. When the others turned toward him, he added, “That way should he communicate again, we would be in a better position to respond quickly.”
“I agree,” Riyan said.
Chyfe looked at the two friends and could see reason beginning to return. “Alright,” he agreed. “But first we need to make a stop.”
Ten minutes later, they were moving along the street at a brisk pace, but not so fast as to generate attention. Chyfe and Chad carried bolts of cheap, inexpensive cloth they just purchased a few minutes ago from a chandler’s shop near the inn.
“Carrying these,” Chyfe had explained, “who would think we were up to no good?”
“You have a point,” agreed Riyan. The delay acquiring the purchases had grated on him, but he understood the wisdom of Chyfe’s plan. Now to any who saw them, they were simply out for a shopping spree.
Glancing to Kevik he asked, “Anything?”
Kevik shook his head. “Not yet,” he replied.
The street along which they moved led toward the gates of the castle area. Their first intention was to see if they could discover what was going on beyond the gates. But when they arrived, they found them closed with a large crowd milling before them.
“Heard it was an assassin come to kill Lord Kueryn,” one woman was saying to another.
“That’s not what I heard,” the second woman replied. “I heard they had uncovered a northern spy.”
“Whatever the reason,” the first lady said, “I wish they’d open the gates so I could…”
As they worked their way closer to the gates, other snippets of conversation came their way. Most were in agreement about an assassin, though a few held to the belief it was a spy.
“At least we know he hasn’t been captured yet,” commented Chyfe.
“What makes you say that?” asked Chad.
Chyfe gestured to the gates. “If he had been captured, the gates would be open,” he explained.
“That’s good to know,” said Riyan. Pulling Seth closer, he nodded to a squad of guards standing before the gates. “Go over and see what they know.”
“Alright,” he replied before heading over.
Riyan and the others came to a stop some distance away while waiting for Seth’s return. Conversations around them begun to die out as the locals took notice of their pale skin.
“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” mumbled Chyfe. Still holding the package of cloth, he glanced around at the stares being directed their way. “So,” he asked a nearby couple, “what’s going on?”
The man’s eyes narrowed as he turned his attention toward Chyfe. For a brief moment Chyfe wasn’t sure if he planned to respond or not. Then the man said, “Trouble in the castle.”
“Oh?” asked Chad. Coming to stand beside Chyfe, he asked, “Nothing serious I hope?” He made sure that the bolt of cloth he held was in clear view of the couple.
The lady holding the man’s arm shook her head. “It doesn’t look like it,” she replied. “Seems they caught an assassin before he had a chance to strike.”
“Well that is good news,” Chyfe said, feigning relief.
“I heard someone say the assassin was going after Lord Kueryn,” Soth stated.
“That’s what they say,” the man affirmed. He visibly relaxed once Soth joined the conversation.
“We’re from up north,” he told the man. “My brother and I are here to inquire about trade contracts for the coming spring.” The explanation relaxed the man even further. “Who is Lord Kueryn? This is the first we’ve been to your fair city and I don’t recall ever hearing the name before.”
“That’s his real name,” the lady explained. “Mostly he’s known as the River Man.”
