A Stolen Crown, page 18
From this vantage point, he could see that the waterfall poured into a small river that wound its way through the trees, but it was dwarfed by the other river that ran past the city gate and made its way down a much less steep incline to a much larger river that ran to the southeast. He was amazed that he could see such a great distance from this lookout and how clearly defined the land was from where he stood. On the east side of the great river the land was flat and grassy, while on the west side, the land was dark green with a thick canopy of dense forest. As awestruck as he was, Aaron knew he had little time to enjoy the view.
He quickly chopped at several of the wooden joints on the railing, his sharp blade cutting through the leather ties that reinforced the two pieces. He kicked at the weakened part of the rail, cracking the strong wood and splinters were whisked over the edge by a gust of wind from below. He hoped he had damaged it enough so it would break the rest of the way if it were hit again. Aaron turned as he heard the booted feet of Nathas and the other soldiers arrive the place where he stood.
“You’ve got nowhere to go!” Nathas yelled as he slowed from his run and calmly walked toward where Aaron stood. The soldiers with him began to advance as well but Nathas motioned them back.
“I will settle this,” he told them and slowly stepped closer, his sword raised, ready to attack.
Steel clashed in the night air and a small crowd began to gather in the square. Nathas’ blade became a blur and it was all Aaron could do to counter it. He blocked and parried, throwing a few attacks but he allowed himself pushed back toward the rail. To make the fight seem more real, Aaron stepped up the pace, pushing Nathas back, but neither of them put much force behind their strikes. Aaron's left shoulder felt like it was in an awkward position after he had jarred it when he crashed out of the inn and Aaron knew that if they were fighting for real, he would be at a real disadvantage.
Nathas came at him with a fast and powerful attack and pain shot through Aaron's shoulder, making it harder for him to defend. Even Nathas' mock attacks were dangerous and Aaron feinted to the side and ducked around the Senior Captain, putting the man's back to the railing, which was exactly the opposite of what they had planned. Aaron gritted his teeth and went on the attack, pushing Nathas toward the edge, but leaving openings for the man to use so he could get out of the way and trade places with him but Aaron was frustrated that Nathas was not taking advantage of the obvious feints Aaron was making. A flurry of steel flashed in the night and Aaron was about to step into a further assault when he felt another sharp pain in his left shoulder. He fell to one knee, barely able to keep his sword up to deflect an overhand swing by Nathas. Aaron looked at his left shoulder and could see a crossbow bolt sticking from it. He saw one of the soldiers begin to reload his crossbow and knew they were going to have to end this fight quickly. At least the man had shot him in the shoulder that was already mostly useless.
Nathas glared at the soldier for having intervened a fight he had commanded his men to stay out of, but he also realized that some of the soldiers, who had only recently gathered, might not have heard his order not to intervene and, from their perspective, it might look like Aaron was gaining the upper hand. He saw several of the other soldiers begin to move in and knew if Aaron was going to have any chance to escape, it was now or never.
“You’ll meet the end you deserve,” Nathas yelled over the loud hiss of the river behind him. Aaron looked up and met his gaze. Nathas raised his sword high for a heavy blow and Aaron knew that Nathas was giving him a clear opening. It was not what they had planned but it would have to do. He gritted his teeth and launched himself at his former instructor and they both hit the wooden rail in a tangle. A loud crack could be heard over the rushing sound of the water and the two men tumbled over the edge as the rail let go. The soldiers rushed to the edge, but by the time they got there, both Aaron and Nathas had been swallowed up by the mist and the rushing water down below.
*****
Ariana followed Carly down through the network of tunnels, marveling at how perfectly they were cut straight through the solid rock. She thought there must have been some magic used in the construction. Either that, or whoever had built them must have had tremendous skill at stone working.
“I would imagine having a way in and out of Rivergate would be very useful for a lot of people who don't want to attract the attention of the city guard,” Ariana commented. “I take it you've come this way before.”
Carly looked at her suspiciously for a moment, then she sighed.
“I guess there is no harm in telling you, since you know about the tunnels now,” she said. “Ever since Cerric took over the mines in these mountains and refused to pay the workers fairly, we have been sneaking gold out of the city. The miners hide pieces of it in their mouths, then they bring it to Milli’s. We take it down to the river where a man takes the gold and makes trips down to the coast where he trades it. They say he used to be a pirate, and the prices we get from him are fair close to piracy, but considering the nature of the business, it isn't bad, and it's a far cry better than what the king pays.”
“Is that where we're going, to meet this pirate?”
“Yes. Milli and I both agreed it was the best plan, that he might be able to take you far away from Rivergate and get you somewhere safer.” Ariana had noticed that Carly’s voice had taken on a new quality, more refined but with a bit of an accent. She certainly no longer sounded like a village wench.
“You’re not from Rivergate, are you?” Ariana asked. Carly chuckled.
“Far from it. I'm from the south, but I moved here with my husband two years ago. He worked the mines up in Kandara and spent some time in the southlands trying to become a smith, but it didn't work out so well. Times being tight, he heard there was good work the mines above Rivergate, so we came here. We came here hoping to make a better life and things were starting to turn around for us, but when the winter came, a force of soldiers arrived from the southern road and put Rivergate under martial law. They also said that everyone working in the mines was now in the employ of the king and that leaving their job was the same as being a deserter from the army. King Cerric also made a new law for foreigners, arresting anyone without the proper papers, which we did not know about. No one was told about the law until it was too late and one night, after working all day at the mines, my just husband didn't come home.”
“Just like that?” Ariana asked.
“It was the same day that a magistrate and a group of soldiers came through Rivergate looking for anyone who might be from Kandara and they started arresting people.”
“When was this?” Ariana asked her.
“Before mid-winter,” Carly told her. “I was lucky Milli was willing to take me in.”
Ariana shook her head, frowning at what Carly had told her. Her uncle had certainly wasted no time putting his plans into action as soon as she had been moved out of his way. She was also angry that soldiers of Maramyr would behave in such a way toward the people. And she was furious that Cerric would force them to work in such a way, treating them as little more than slaves.
“Does anyone know what happened to your husband? What about the other miners? Maybe one of them might have seen him.” Ariana saw a somber look cross Carly's face.
“It was hard to find out anything because they keep the prisoners and the regular miners separate down in the mines, but I recently learned that my husband had tried to organize a protest among the prisoners and, though I'm proud of what he did, they killed him for it.”
“They killed him?” Ariana was shocked.
“Yes, and they would probably kill me too, or at the very least put me to work in the mines, as a slave, just because I was married to a Kandaran,” Carly said. “Ever since I learned of my husband's death, I have been thinking about leaving Rivergate, maybe heading back south to the sea. I've had enough of land living, but I needed to save up enough money to take care of some problems before I could go back.”
“So, now you work for Milli.”
“It isn't so bad, I suppose,” Carly said with a bit of a frown. “It's one of the things I did before I met my husband. That's one of the reasons we came here, to start over. If Milli hadn't taken me in, things would have been worse for me. Besides, I don't really deal with the customers all that often. Most of the time I help Milli with running the inn and running the gold down to the river. Milli knew I was a married woman and didn't want me to do that kind of work. She's an honorable sort, in her way and it looks like she took a big risk helping you. I told her if anything comes of it, she should put the blame on me since I'm already mixed up in this. It's time I went back to the sea where I belong, and I suppose it's time for me to start a new life, or maybe get back to my old one.”
Carly forced a melancholy smile in the darkness and continued down the tunnel and Ariana shook her head at the things the girl had told her. She imagined the many roads that Carly had traveled and the hardships she had faced in her life and felt as though the challenges that lay before her were not so difficult. Whatever came to pass, she was determined to take crown back from her uncle Cerric and make things right for people like Carly, who were just trying to live their lives and maybe improve their lot.
She hoped she would be able to help all of the people of her kingdom in such a way, but for the time being, she was grateful that Milli and Carly had been willing to help her, and she realized how lucky she was that she and Aaron had ended up at the inn and that Milli had recognized her. As her thoughts moved to Aaron and she worried that he had made it safely away from the soldiers. She knew she could not use her power to find him because they were too far away from each other now and the ward spell made him difficult to find. All she could do was hope that he was okay as she followed the girl through the darkness.
After a short distance, they reached the end of a passageway and the flames of the torch began to flicker more strongly as a breeze came from somewhere ahead. Carly dowsed the torch in some water that had pooled near the edge of the tunnel, leaving her and Ariana in darkness but, as her eyes adjusted, Ariana noticed a faint bit of light coming from up ahead. She followed as Carly led her toward what appeared to be a solid wall of rock, and once they had reached it, Ariana could see that a side passage had been cut into it and within a few steps and another side passage, they emerged into the cool night air near the bottom of the falls.
“Wait here. I have to collect a few things,” Carly said and picked her way across the massive rocks that lined the bottom of the cliff beneath Rivergate and disappeared into the darkness.
The place where they had exited the tunnels directly overlooked the river that had formed at the bottom of the falls. From this vantage point, Ariana could see that the river, the lesser of the two that ran through Rivergate, was still quite substantial. She left the bundle of hers and Aaron's things and walked the short distance over to the water's edge and saw that it was deep and moved quickly with a strong current that pushed its way deep into the dark, green forests that marked the edge of the Elven lands. Over the sound of the rushing water, Ariana did not hear the quiet footsteps approach from behind her.
A short distance away, Carly pushed the stone back into place over the hole in the side of the cliff where she had hidden a pack that held a number of her belongings. She was glad that no one had found the cache of items, many of them valuable and some of which could come in very useful on what she imagined would be a long and possibly interesting journey. From the pack she pulled two daggers and sheathes with leather straps and tied them to her upper thighs, under her dress. She would have to change into more suitable travelling clothes later, but for now Carly figured she had best get back to the princess.
She silently made her way across the rocks toward the river and then froze when she saw the black-robed mage. In the dim light from the starry sky above she could see the cruel-looking dagger he held in his hand and she saw him plunge it into Ariana's back. Carly wanted to cry out to warn her, but it was too late. She was too far away and there was nothing she could do to save the princess. The man in the dark robes pushed his victim into the rushing water and Carly watched as Ariana's body disappeared beneath the surface, dragged away by the strong current. The mage stooped to the water and rinsed the blood from his dagger then replaced it underneath his robes then he turned. Carly ducked behind the rocks and cleared her mind. She knew that mages had the power to sense things other people could not and that they could read a person's thoughts.
A lesson she had learned long ago returned to her and she thought about fish and the idea of scooping them from the river like a bear. She thought about fish then she thought about bugs in a log and how good they would taste to eat. Carly imagined smashing rotting wood open with a large, fur-covered paw, then she thought about a sleeping bear in a cave.
At the edge of the river, Dakar let go of his power. From what he could tell, there were only a few deer, some rodents scurrying around in the undergrowth and a bear that appeared to be sleeping nearby and dreaming about its next meal. Satisfied that no one had seen him kill the princess, Dakar made his way up over the rocks that led back to the other side of the falls and the path that would take him back up to Rivergate Keep. He had walked only a short way when he encountered several guards with torches making their way down to the river.
“Sir mage, did you find the commander?" one of them asked.
“No,” Dakar said. “Has something happened?”
“He fought the fugitive, the one who killed the princess, and they fell from up there.” The man pointed to the top of the cliff.
“That is a long way to fall,” Dakar commented. “I doubt anyone could survive it.”
“The Captain-General is one of the toughest men in the army and if anyone could make it, it would be him. We're going to search the river, just the same.”
“So be it,” Dakar said. “I did not see anyone down here, but I wish you luck.”
Dakar cursed himself for not disposing of the princess' body more thoroughly. He should have used his mage-fire to completely burn her corpse until there was nothing but ashes. Still, the wound he had given her was deep and the strong current of the river should carry away anything or anyone that would have fallen into it. If the princess' companion had met his fate in those same waters, then so much the better, and if Nathas was gone as well, then that was something of an additional gift. Dakar had found the Captain General to be far less obedient than most of the other commanders in the Cerric's army and would certainly not miss him much.
The mage continued on up the trail passing several other soldiers on their way down to search for their leader. Hopefully, they would find nothing. In the meantime, he thought he might return to the inn and enjoy more of that liquor the woman had served him earlier. He also had a few questions for her about the tunnels that led under the city.
*****
Aaron felt a sharp pain in his shoulder as strong hands pulled him from the river. He choked and coughed as the water rose from his lungs. It was dark and it took a moment for his eyes to focus. He looked up and saw Nathas dragging him up from the water. Aaron’s sword was still gripped tightly in his hands and they scraped across the rocks and stones that lined the river's edge. Nathas collapsed on the rocks next to him, breathing heavily.
“Are you going to be all right, Aaron?” he asked through his own spluttering coughs. Aaron winced when he moved his shoulder.
“I'll live, but my shoulder might not,” Aaron told him as he released the grip he hand on his sword, letting it fall to the ground. Nathas rose to his knees and Aaron felt hands on him. He winced when Nathas grabbed his injured shoulder.
“No wonder. It looks like your shoulder is out of joint and there happens to be an arrow sticking out of it as well. That's going to have to come out first.”
Nathas grabbed the bolt that had lodged itself in the muscle of his upper arm and yanked straight out, pulling it free. Aaron's vision blurred as the pain shot through his arm and he felt the hot flow of blood running from his arm. He winced when Nathas pressed his hand on the same spot, slowing the bleeding.
“Good thing it was a round tip on that bolt or your arm would be a real mess,” Nathas commented. “Do you need a moment, or would you like me to fix your shoulder now?”
“Go ahead,” Aaron told him. “I don't think it could hurt any more than it already does.
Without warning, Nathas gripped his shoulder and slammed it back into place. There was a pop and Aaron felt a sharp pain, almost worse than when the arrow had come out. Aaron gritted his teeth but he could already feel the pain begin to subside. Nathas helped him to his feet then picked up his sword and cut two pieces of cloth from Aaron's shirt. He folded one of the pieces and placed it over the wound from the arrow and then tied the other strip of cloth snugly around Aaron's arm, holding it in place.
"That should stop the bleeding," Nathas said then handed Aaron his sword.
“Thanks,” Aaron said, sliding the blade back into its scabbard on his belt, feeling the pain in his shoulder with every movement.
“You must’ve hit the bottom of the river,” Nathas commented. “I'm surprised we both survived the drop, but I'm amazed you didn't lose your sword."
“At the Academy, you taught us never to lose our swords. It would be embarrassing had I done that, especially in front of one of my former instructors,” Aaron said, trying to smile through the pain.
"I think falling from a high cliff into a river might have been a reasonable excuse," Nathas told him, for it was how he had lost his own blade. "You must have hit the bottom to knock your shoulder out like that."
“No, I did that when I hit the door to the Inn,” Aaron told him.
“What? You fought me with your shoulder out of joint?” Nathas was astounded.
