Relam stood slowly and backed away. Narin knelt there a moment longer, then stood and ushered the prince to the door of the cell.
“Your highness, we need to leave,” he said gently. “I’m not sure how much of his ravings I believe, but it is clear that your family is still in great danger if the man who hired these three is as powerful and ruthless as they claim.”
“Do you have any ideas?” the prince murmured, glancing back at the third cell.
“No,” Narin admitted. “I’m a palace guard, and I know little about what goes on beyond those walls. I have friends who might know though.”
“Let’s keep this quiet until I can fill my father in on this,” Relam said quickly. “If word does get to the one who hired the assassins, and it is within his power to have them killed then that source of information will be gone. We need to keep those men safe until such time as they believe he is no longer coming after them and they trust us with more information.”
“But if we can stop an attack by knowing what’s coming or who is behind this-”
“Narin,” Relam said quietly. “If we learned anything here today, it is that our enemy is powerful, brilliant, and careful. The odds that he would make a mistake as simple as leaving witnesses or letting word leak out about his plans or identity are somewhere between small and nonexistent.”
“Random chance allowed the third man to know his identity,” the palace guard pointed out.
“And that was a tremendous help to us,” Relam countered, shaking his head in disgust.
“Will there be anything else, your highness?”
Relam spun around to see the two palace guards on duty hovering nearby.
“Not today,” the prince said finally. “Continue to keep guard over the remaining prisoners. See that the last one there starts eating and drinking again. We need him alive.”
“Yes, your highness. Did you learn anything from them?”
“No,” Narin grunted. “Like talking to a bunch of clams. Well, except the last one. He did a fair bit of blubbering and ranting. Has he been doing that the last several days?”
“Yes,” one of the guards replied ruefully. “This is our third shift and he’s always doing that.”
Narin snorted. “I’ll rotate the watch more frequently so you don’t have to deal with it for long periods of time and double the number of guards on this assignment. Will that help?”
“Yes, captain,” the guard said, springing to attention and saluting. “Thank you, sir.”
“Anytime,” Narin replied with a slight bow. “Now, I must get his highness back to the palace.”
Narin led the way to the stairwell, Relam just behind him. Aven raised an eyebrow in inquiry as he fell in beside Relam, but the prince shook his head perfunctorily. They walked in silence, following Narin down the stairs and into the Bastion. Then down more stairs, across the bridge to the Anchor and all the way back to ground level. When they finally emerged from the Citadel’s gates, the sun was setting in the west and the sky was rapidly darkening.
“We were in there a lot longer than I thought,” the guard captain observed. “Hopefully your parents aren’t worrying about you right now, your highness. I should have had you back before sunset.”
Normally, Relam would have brushed off such a restriction as being home before dark. But in light of what the prisoners had said - and perhaps more importantly, what they had not said - the prince was eager to be back within the walls of the palace.
The small band moved quickly through the city, practically running along main streets and jumping up the front steps of the palace. Only when they had arrived at the entrance hall did Relam relax.
“Thank you, Narin,” he said to the guard captain. “I appreciate your help.”
“Your highness, I think we had better see you all the way back to the royal suite,” Narin said, shifting uncomfortably. “Just in case.”
Relam sighed. “Fine. Let’s get a move on.”
They continued up the wide stairs of the entrance hall, down a wide public corridor, then ducked into a servants’ corridor as a shortcut, the same shortcut Relam often used on the way back from training with Tar Agath. When they emerged into the corridor that adjoined the royal suite, Narin leading the way with his sword drawn, they found the hall empty, save for the four guards at the door.
“Any trouble, captain?” one of them called.
Narin shook his head and sheathed his sword. “None. Just being cautious.”
“Don’t blame you,” another guard observed as the others followed Narin to the door. “Nothing’s safe these days. Three of our lads lost in the attack the other day and then the commander down on the stones this afternoon.”
“What?” Narin demanded incredulously.
“The commander?” Relam asked. “Do you mean-”
“The leader of the palace guard,” Narin confirmed. “How did he fall?”
“You really had no idea?” the door guard asked, surprised.
“We’ve been a little busy,” Relam replied evasively.
“Huh. Well, anyway, Bannen’s body turned up in an alley not far from the River Road. Not sure what he was doing in that district to begin with, seeing as he’s quartered here. Looked like a robbery, someone cut his throat and took his money, left everything else.”
“I’d like to think that any palace guard could take care of a sneaking little cutpurse,” Narin growled.
“Maybe he was taken by surprise,” Relam suggested, shrugging.
“Maybe,” Narin allowed.
“The guard is in need of a new commander then,” Relam observed.
“Yes. The king has already been informed.”
‘Do you mean to say the king is awake?” the prince demanded, thunderstruck.
“Yes, woke just after lunch,” the guard replied. But Relam, Narin, and Aven had already shoved through the door in their haste
