Jeremy roamed through the castle. In the past few days, he had begun to realize how quiet it had become. Even with all the women, elderly and children now living within the castle walls, it was still strangely quiet. Robyn’s death still hung heavy over the entire town. Although he had betrayed them to Malena, he had still been a part of the castle. Jeremy sighed and quietly muttered. “My dear Robyn. Would you have helped her if you had known what kind of evil being she really was? And the goddess help me, for when she is released, many terrible things may happen.”
He paused outside of the door to the throne room. He knew inside Olrond and Korben were waiting. It was time to discuss his strategy. The only problem was he had not come up with one. With so many things occurring recently, he had not been able to keep his mind on the upcoming war. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and moved towards the waiting men.
“We have news, your highness,” said Korben, and his voice had an almost cheery note to it. “Baron Lychen has pulled all but a handful of his men out of this area. They have all been called to Keenley.”
“Keenley? The only reason for making this move is if he is not so confident with an attack. He wants reinforcements.”
“That’s the conclusion we came to as well,” stated General Traug. “But the soldiers in Keenley are not very well trained. It will take them months to get themselves organized enough to attack.”
“This is indeed good news. We will have more than enough time to get things prepared. When they do attack, we shall be more than ready.”
“Although I am optimistic about this recent development, we cannot forget Lakin is up to something.”
Jeremy nodded to Olrond. “Yes, we must not take our eyes off of him.”
“I do not think he will be a problem. Not yet anyway,” said Korben. “He needs us to be distracted and with Lychen moving his men away, he is not going to be too happy.”
Olrond smiled. “Yes, he was expecting a war to begin. Now, he must wait and if the children succeed before the war starts, he may have trouble attacking us.”
Jeremy’s smile faded. “That is if we are organized enough. When the children succeed, a new threat may arise. We cannot forget about Malena.”
“It is a threat to worry about another time,” said Korben, his voice quiet. “She may not have the strength to fight us right away.”
Olrond nodded his agreement. “Let's just set about fortifying the town. We have more than enough time to build a decent wall around the town now. I feel it should be our main focus.”
“I agree,” remarked Korben. “The men are already prepared; they just need time each day to keep up with their training. Building a wall would keep them occupied.”
“Do you have scouts following Lychen’s men?” asked Jeremy.
“Yes,” responded Korben. “I ordered them to follow as far as the river, then I will have scouts posted along the river to make sure they do not return. Early reports have a good chunk of the town of Sprague moving off to Keenley.”
“Well, at least the baron is taking responsibility for his town. For once,” remarked Jeremy.
Korben smiled. “Yes, quite out of character for the baron.”
Jeremy could not help but smile. Times may be bleak, but he was the king, and he was expected to be light-hearted. If the townsfolk saw he was worried, it would cause alarm.
“So what will be our next move?” asked Olrond. Jeremy sighed and sat down. “I am not sure. It is good news that the baron’s men are moving out, but with Lakin so close by, we still need to be prepared.”
Olrond nodded. “I agree, but this does give us some more time. We should continue preparing the men. I know we both have trained groups, but they are trained quite differently. It’s time we combined our knowledge and teach them a new way.”
“My lord, an entire patrol has gone missing,” stated Captain Moore. “We must assume the twins are in the city, or very close by. The patrol was scouting just outside the walls. No more than a day’s ride. An all-out alert must be issued.”
Dubar was tired. First, the problems with the easterners, who, although stated they would not be helping them earlier that day, were still in the city and causing many problems. Fortunately, they had picked up supplies and appear to be planning to stay aboard their ships. Now a patrol has gone missing and the twins may be in his city. Slowly he raised his eyes to meet the captain’s. “Fine, fine. Do what you must,” responded Dubar, waving his hand towards the door. Captain Moore quickly left to organize his troops. The entire town would need to be searched, and it was going to be a daunting task.
Within the hour, Captain Moore’s patrols were searching the city. Across town, a small group of travellers were entering the city gates. Moments after their crossing the alert came through. None of the guards thought it was worth hunting down all the small parties that had crossed throughout the day. A fortunate move for the twins and their companions. Only the goblins had remained outside the walls. The edge of the forest was an hour away, and perfect place for them to hide. Everyone felt they would be easily spotted and draw unwanted attention. Coming in throughout the day in small groups had been Maeve’s plan. She knew the city was going to be on alert as soon as the patrol did not return. Small groups coming and going were a common sight, and would most likely be overlooked when the searching began.
The twins were in awe of the city. On approach, they were stunned to see the fortified wall surrounding it. The sheer size of it made them realize just how much danger they were putting themselves in by entering the city. Gillock had thought it would be wise to move past the city and come back for the dwarves, but the ships in the harbour had changed his mind.
They looked as if they were preparing to leave, and with it not known where the kidnapped dwarves were, they could not take the chance.
Maeve had decided the groups would all rendezvous at an inn close to her home. It was easily found, and she had friends there who may help with their plan. Although most of the group were still on edge about the young woman, Gillock no longer suspected her of working for the enemy. In fact, he was quite happy when she agreed to travel with them beyond the city. Eric was concerned by Gillock's sudden change in opinion, but Dilmek spoke highly of the girl, so he pushed his thoughts aside. Glavlin had also become at ease with Maeve, but kept his distance from her. Maeve could feel his eyes on her, but understood his trepidation. Most people reacted poorly once they found out her gift. This group did not, so when Gillock asked her to continue with them, she felt compelled to do so. The only person still unsure of the young woman was Adora. Gillock tried to calm her worries, but knew it would not work. Keenley was going to put Adora on edge and she would most likely remain this way until the twins were safely away.
Quickly and carefully, they eased themselves through the streets. Maeve made sure to take them on well-travelled roads, as to blend in. Someone moving through the alleyways would be stopped by guards.
“Is that the castle?” asked Eric, pointing to an object off in the distance.
“Yes,” replied Maeve. “Our destination won’t take us anywhere near it, so don’t worry.”
Eric just nodded. He had not been worried about being caught; the sight of the castle had just stunned him. This is where his family should have lived, and although he had a strong connection to this place, it felt cold.
“Father was right in not staying here,” said Koral. “This does not feel like a happy place.”
Gillock smiled. He was glad the twins saw the truth of the city and not the illusions. So many people they passed appeared to have everything. On closer look, their clothes were faded and torn, their shoes on the brink of falling off their feet. An order came down stating that everyone was to look their best in the presence of the Easterners, or be thrown into the dungeon until they left. Maeve informed them all that new laws like this were a daily occurrence.
They arrived at the Star Dancer moments after a patrol had left. One of Maeve’s friends, a young man who looked like a
blind beggar, had informed the group as they approached a patrol was inside. They had slowed their pace, but not enough to look like they were avoiding anything, and made it inside without incident. The clientele of the Star Dancer were thieves and hired thugs, all of which were suspicious of the group when they came through the door. Maeve moved to the front of the group, announced they were all her friends, and that more were coming, and the mood changed. Maeve moved them over to a table near the hearth, and then went over to the barkeep.
“Yur hangin with odd folks these days,” stated Miles McLeowel, barkeep, and owner of the Star Dancer, as Maeve approached.
“These are odd times, Miles. Did anyone come in asking for me?”
“Aye, some dwarves. Told em that yur about and would make an appearance tonight more ‘n likely.”
Maeve smiled. Miles always knew when she was near, most likely a spell he had placed on her years ago when he had taken her in.
“Do you have rooms to spare for tonight?”
“Yup. Yur in luck, most of the rooms er empty tonight. Lotta folks in the dungeons fur not followin the law.”
The news saddened Maeve. Many of those folks were likely friends and fellow thieves. If they were discovered to be thieves, most wouldn’t be making it out of the dungeon. “Do you think a patrol will be back tonight?”
“Yur friends 'r who they’re lookin fur?” he stated more than asked.
“Yes, they are. They’ll only be staying tonight. We hope to be out of the city by nightfall tomorrow, if all goes according to plan.”
Miles put down the glass he was filling. “Then we best be makin sure yur plan goes right.” He finished his sentence with a wink, and Maeve moved off to her new friends.
“He will get us the help we need,” she told them, pulling up a chair.
“You told him our plan?” Eric remarked, anger in his voice.
“No, I didn’t. He doesn’t need to know the details to help. Now, did you all order yet. I’m famished.”
Glavlin laughed, a musical and unusual sound, and it made a few people stop and stare. Then the rest of them joined in. So much tension in their lives, they had all needed this break.
Maeve waved over the barmaid and ordered for everyone, including the dwarves who had just come in. Grund spotted them, and moved over to the group. Moments later, Darly, Adora and Mekken entered. The group, which had commanded so much attention upon entering, were ignored. The others in the inn just went on about their business. The mood in the inn grew loud and boisterous. Laughter was heard from all corners. The members of the little band joined in. Talking about their homes and lives and the good times they had. Everyone careful as to not let out who they were or where they were from, not that anyone in the place would have cared. Although they all knew the mood would not last, they couldn’t help but enjoy themselves.
A minstrel, who Maeve informed them was also a thief, moved into the centre of the room and began to play. All were stunned for as he played images appeared above the room. Magic was quite apparent in his playing.
“All the Maget have been recalled to the tower, not that it would’ve stopped Jervin. His magic for some reason isn’t easily detected,” stated Maeve quietly to the group. Everyone sat back and stared at the minstrel. He was most definitely not who he appeared to be. The merriment went on until late into the night, with Miles having to order some people to leave. The group was shown their rooms, and they split up and said goodnight. Maeve told them that just after dawn they would be meeting back in the inn’s common room with some friends. Everyone grunted their acknowledgement, and immediately fell asleep.