It was dark in the passage. The walls were lined with wooden shelves stacked high with mold-covered cheese and big slabs of salted beef.
Stepping behind the confused servant, Ryder flipped his wrist, flinging the end of his chain. The links of the enchanted weapon wrapped around the man's legs, and Ryder yanked it back just as he turned visible again.
The apron-wearing man yowled in surprise and tumbled flat onto his chest, the wheel of cheese breaking his fall.
Ryder took a step forward, and with the slack in the chain he hurled the handle of the weapon at the man's head. The enchanted links slammed into the downed servant's skull, knocking him out cold.
'Sorry about that,' said Ryder, frowning. He looked down at the growing red lump on the man's head. 'Nothing a little rest won't fix.'
Unhitching his chain from the man's leg, Ryder scanned the hallway. Lit by two small torches, the stone passage led off in both directions. This was likely a service corridor, used by servants to travel across the Hold without getting in the way of the guards.
Ryder listened down both ways, hoping that no one heard the yelp the man had let out. Then, convinced as he could be that he hadn't abandoned his stealth, he turned to his left, grabbed a torch from a sconce in the wall, and set off down the hall.
The passage led down and around the corner. There were no windows or doors, only long, narrow brick walls lined with foodstuffs and old pots. Ryder traveled on for some time, encountering no one on his way.
Eventually he came to a set of wooden stairs, leading down into a wider, well-lit hallway. From up above, it looked like the floor was covered in a fancy, woven rug.
He'd found his way in.
Extinguishing the torch, Ryder quietly made his way down the stairs. This hallway was much larger than the one he'd just come from. The walls were covered with oil-painting portraits of preposterously dressed men and women. Each one was illuminated by a softly glowing mage-lit stone that cast a warm glow over the rather stark, uninterested faces of those in the pictures.
On his left, a wooden rail guarded the edge of the floor that dropped off into darkness below. Ryder moved over to look three flights down into what appeared to be an entry hall. There were empty suits of armor, artwork, and statues all over the place. Above him there were two more floors.
Turning away from the edge, Ryder quietly made his way down the deserted hall and around the corner to a set of stairs leading up to the next level.
'If I were a baron, I'd live on the top floor,' he said, and he headed up.
Chapter 24
At the top of the final flight of stairs, Ryder encountered a set of double doors. The dark wood was polished to a high shine, and the ornate brass doorknobs sparkled dimly in the low magelight. A pair of halberd-toting guards stood at attention beside them, one on each side.
It had taken him the better part of the night to sneak through Zerith Hold to this point. Other than one oblivious random patrol, there had been no sign of guards on any of the doors. Whatever was behind that door was more important than anything in the other rooms. Ryder was betting it was the baron.
Gripping the end of his chain, Ryder readied himself, then charged out of the shadows. The spikes of his chain lit up as he brought it down around one of the surprised guards' hands.
Pulling the chain tight, Ryder ripped the halberd from the soldier's grip and sent it clattering down the stairs.
The guard's eyes went wide, and he started fishing around on his belt for his sword. The other guard managed to get his halberd pointed at Ryder, but that was all. The spiked chain slammed into the soldier's face, discharging its electrical fire and sending a tremendous jolt through the man's body. Before the man could recover, Ryder was on him again. He pulled the guard's legs out from under him and smashed the other end of the chain into his chest. The soldier's body jumped from the impact. He let out a muffled cry and slumped back.
Ryder turned his attention back to the disarmed guard. He was visibly frightened, trying to get his blade out of its sheath but having a hard time because his hands were shaking.
'Intruder!' shouted the man, his voice wobbling.
The end of Ryder's spiked chain clocked the man in the head and wrapped itself around his neck. With a quick flick of Ryder's wrist, the guard was pulled from his feet and sent tumbling down the stairs.
With stealth no longer an option, Ryder grabbed hold of the knob and shoved his shoulder against the door. It opened, and the master of chains stepped though to the other side.
Even lit as dimly as it was, Ryder could tell right away that he'd come to the right place. The room was opulently decorated. Bookshelves lined the walls, and the center of the room was dominated by little clusters of chairs, couches, and tables. It looked like the kind of place a baron would count his money and plot how he was going to get more.
On the far side were a series of medium windows that looked out on the harbor and the Deepwash. In the low light, Ryder could just make out two figures standing beside a closed door on the other side of the room-more guards. They already had their swords drawn, no doubt alerted by the shouting outside.
Ryder swung his chain at his side. It glowed purple and blue, painting everything in the room the color of bruised flesh.
The guards split up, swinging around to try to flank Ryder.
'Drop your weapon and stay still, or we will use deadly force,' said one of the men.
'I wish I could give you the same option,' said Ryder, 'but in the name of the Crimson Awl, your lives are forfeit.' Taking two steps, he lunged at the guard closest to him, extending his crackling chain to its full length and reaching over a couch to strike at the man's helmet.
The guard's blade intercepted the chain, batting it harmlessly to one side. 'Dear Ilmater,' said the man. 'Ryder. Is that you?'
The low mage stones in the room flared, banishing the shadows and bringing the guards into stark view.
Ryder felt the pit of his stomach drop to the floor. 'Liam.'
Liam stared across the room at his dead brother. 'I watched you die,' he said, not lowering his sword. 'You're dead. I saw it with my own eyes.'
'Liam, what are you doing here? Are you lying in wait for Purdun?' He pointed at Knoblauch. 'Is this man also with the Awl?'
Liam took a deep breath. 'Not exactly.' Behind Ryder he could see Knoblauch still creeping around to flank his brother. 'What…? How
…?' He didn't even know what questions to ask.
Images flashed through his head. The day of the ambush. His meetings with Purdun. The events that had lead him to the moment where he stood on guard against his own brother.
'Liam,' said Ryder, keeping one eye on Knoblauch, 'I'm here to assassinate Purdun. Help me get in, and let's get out of here.'
Knoblauch launched himself over a chair at Ryder's back. But the master of chains was fast. Dodging the oncoming blade, Ryder brought his chain up in time to catch the guardsman on the back of his leg, tearing several of the metal plates out of his splint mail and sending the veteran sprawling against the couch.
'Stop!' shouted Liam. 'Just stop, everyone.' He needed a moment to get everything clear in his head.
Ryder took a step back, his eyes darting back and forth between Knoblauch and Liam. 'What's going on here?' he glared at his brother. 'Liam! It's me, Ryder. Your brother.'
'This is your brother?' said Knoblauch as he got to his feet.
Liam nodded, holding his hand up to stay Knoblauch while he got everything straight in his head. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. 'Yes.'
