the rope once more and shimmied up the flagpole. Swiftly, he tied the rope to the metal ring at the top of the flagpole and slid down to the ground. He quickly ran from cell to cell looking for Niki. It was hard to see in the dark and then he remembered that Fredrik had said that she was in one of the corners. He ran to the closest corner cell and peered in. There was definitely something in there and Tedi bent to pick the lock.
The lock was not particularly hard and Tedi soon had the cell opened and the rope ladder fastened to the top. He let the ladder drop and scrambled down as he heard the patrol’s boots scraping along the ground. The bottom of the cell was black and, hoping Niki would forgive him, he began feeling around. At least he was sure that the woman in the cell had curly hair. He lay on his stomach and pushed her on top of himself. Shifting her body around on his back to allow the straps of the harness to secure her, he kept listening for the sounds of the patrol.
Once she was secure, he started up the rope ladder. When he reached the top he stuck his head out to look for the patrol and saw no one. A moment of dread ran through him when he thought he might have been abandoned by his friends in the Royal Prison. A feeling of shame quickly followed as Arik and Tanya ran forward from the wall where they had hidden while the guards were in sight. The guards did not make a complete circuit, but came down the path towards the cells and then turned around. Thankfully, they did not see the rope.
Tedi almost lost his balance as he stooped to retrieve the rope ladder and lock the cell. He rose and threw the ladder across the moat. Adjusting Niki’s weight, Tedi stepped to the edge of the moat and jumped up to grab the rope, which was tied to the flagpole. He decided if the rope was going to fail, he wasn’t going to spend time dreading it. Straining against the weight of Niki and himself, Tedi began swinging to get his feet up on the rope. By the time he got his feet wrapped around the rope, Tedi’s arms were aching. As quickly as he dared, Tedi started moving his hands along the rope towards the other side of the moat. Each hand movement was a strain and his arms felt like they would be ripped out of their sockets. Slowly and agonizingly, Tedi put one hand in front of the other until finally he and Niki were safe on the other side.
Tanya ran up to the edge of the moat and cut the rope to leave it dangling in the water. Arik pried the climbing claw out of the ground and coiled the remaining rope. The three Rangers met at the wall and Arik caught the top of the wall with the hook. Tanya climbed the rope first and stayed on top of the wall. Tedi and Niki went next and Arik had to help by pushing. When Tedi reached the top, he managed to straddle the wall without falling. Arik was close behind and pulled the rope up and switched the hook to let the rope dangle on the outside of the wall. Arik descended first and allowed Tedi to place his feet on his shoulders to ease the way down. When they were safely down, Tanya tossed the hook down and then dropped herself to the ground.
Fredrik was downstairs waiting when they entered the house. They changed Niki into her blacksuit and Tanya pushed her leather hat over Niki’s red hair. The three of them mounted their horses and Fredrik hefted Niki up to Arik, who held her in front of him. Tanya took the reins to Niki’s horse and they set out for the North Gate.
Fredrik made it back to his room at the Fluttering Jib on foot and tossed himself on the bed to get a few hours sleep before the guards arrived.
Chapter 18 Mutiny
It was barely past first light when the pounding on the door woke Fredrik. He struggled to sit and the pounding continued. Sleepily shuffling over to the door, Fredrik threw the bolt back and two Melbin Guards rushed in, their heads swiveling to search the room. Fredrik could see two more guards waiting in the hallway beyond the door. “Lord Wason,” one of the guards declared, “you have been summoned to the Royal Palace. It is well that you are dressed, King Alfred appears impatient this morning.”
As fearful as he was, Fredrik walked over to the basin and wet his face. “I shall just be a moment,” he said through the towel wiping the sleep from his face. The guard tapped his foot impatiently while Fredrik tried to smooth his red velvet suit. At least, Fredrik realized, he was not under arrest. The guards would not wait for him if they had orders for his arrest.
When Fredrik was as presentable as he could be after sleeping in his clothes, he turned and walked out the door. The guards had a carriage waiting for him and, once he was in, they rushed him to the Royal Palace. Fredrik was escorted directly to the Throne Room where King Alfred was waiting. The guard escorting him whispered something in the servant’s ear and the servant scurried up to the King and relayed the information.
“I see the lodging in our inns is not to your liking, Lord Wason,” the King stated. “Perhaps I should extend rooms in the Palace for your comfort.”
A shiver ran down Fredrik’s back as he thought the King must know about the house he had occupied last night. Slowly it dawned on him that the King probably was referring to the state of Fredrik’s clothes. Some travelers slept in their clothes and armed because they did not trust the innkeeper to keep them safe while they slept. “I am afraid it was a long day yesterday, Your Highness. I know that Melbin is a city where travelers are safe, but I was so tired I must have fallen asleep before I could undress.”
“Understandable,” the King laughed. “You probably indulged yourself in a bit of merriment last night to toast the conclusion of your hunt for the witch.”
Fredrik noticed that the King’s laugh had been forced and the body language of the servants and the guards, who had not been withdrawn, told him that he was a suspect in the escape. “Actually, it was simple fatigue,” Fredrik stated. “The witch has led me on a merry chase for some weeks and I must admit that many of those nights did not afford a bed as comfortable as the Fluttering Jib.”
Frowning, the King tried a different approach, “I am told that you had a party of four with you when you arrived and they left you late last night. Did they have some urgent task to fulfill for you?”
This part Fredrik had rehearsed in his mind last night. “They were not my servants,” Lord Wason declared. “They belong to Captain Grecho of the Cidal Mercenary Company. They are on their way north to negotiate a contract. They had agreed to be my escort while I was chasing the witch. When I informed them last night that my search had ended, they took their leave and continued on their mission.”
The King’s frown grew as his brow knitted and his eyebrows lowered, darkening the monarch’s eyes. “Then I am to believe that they did not effect the release of your witch last night?” King Alfred said with a rising voice. “The very professional escape, I might add.”
Fredrik knew it would come to this and realized the next few moments would decide his fate, whether it be death or freedom. “What do you mean escape?” he shouted. “You can’t have let her escape.”
The room grew very tense and the guards appeared to tighten their hands on their weapons. “I am sorry for my outburst,” Lord Wason said softly while consciously clenching his hands to appear furious with the King’s poorly guarded prison.
“I beg the King’s pardon for words spoken in haste, but the thought of her being free again boils my blood,” Fredrik humbled with the sound of forced softness. “The men of Captain Grecho obey my command and are loyal to the Lord of the Manor. They would not take it upon themselves to free a witch that I wished imprisoned.”
The comment about loyalty had been meant to impress King Alfred that if he detained Lord Wason, he would be striking out against the Cidal Mercenary Company, which, while not true, would cause the King to tread more lightly towards Fredrik. “May I ask if the woman could have possibly used magic to escape and if Your Highness has any indication of where she has gone?” Lord Wason queried.
The King, after a minute of studying Fredrik, motioned for the guards to leave. “This has never happened before,” conceded King Alfred. “The witch was drugged which should have made it impossible for her to use magic and there was a stub of rope found attached to the flagpole which would indicate a mundane rescue. Although, the cell was still locked and the purpose of the rope makes no sense. It was long enough to reach the bottom of the cell, but it was next to the wrong cell and the loose end was not in the cell. I am afraid that there is little information that I can supply to help you locate her. If I receive further news, I will send a messenger.”
Fredrik bowed and left the throne room. He spurned the carriage, which was waiting for him and walked backed to the Fluttering Jib lost in thought. As he entered the common room, he noticed Yolinda Obanik sitting by herself at one of the tables. He nonchalantly walked over and sat down. The crowd was sparse for the morning meal and the serving girl appeared promptly. He ordered a concoction of eggs and cheese and turned towards Yolinda.
