Page 51 of Staff of Nightfall

“There’s no point in agonizing over what’s done. We focus on the mission at hand. With Carrick gone and a way in, we can take back Belanger castle, not just get the Belangers out. So, let’s plan.”

Like it or not, Drez was right. He didn’t have the luxury of spending energy and time worrying about Adelaide. She would have to take care of herself. He just prayed he had been right in believing she could.

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DARKNESS FELL AND THEYcrept toward the side door of the castle. The same one he and Adelaide had escaped through just a few days prior. Based on the fresh wood, the same one that Carrick had broken down. The mercenaries wore dark cloaks over their armor and moved with speed and stealth across the hill leading up to the castle walls. A dim crescent moon made it easier to blend into the night.

Regulus pressed against the wall next to the door. The fresh wood was reinforced with iron that gleamed dully in the faint moonlight. Dresden moved behind him, and the knights lined up against the wall. A gentle bell somewhere in the castle pealed once, signaled half-past eight. Regulus took a deep breath and knocked. Three rapid taps. Pause. Two slow taps. Pause. Three rapid taps.

A key scraped in the lock. Regulus drew his sword, nerves taut and every muscle coursing with energy. The door opened without a sound—a blessing of new hinges. Regulus raised his sword. A small, pale hand held aloft a lantern. The flickering yellow light illuminated the wide-eyed face of a young woman with a gray shawl pulled over her head and shoulders. She stepped back and Regulus lowered his sword, scanning the darkness behind her. She beckoned them inside, and they followed.

Two guards sat slumped against either side of the door, sleeping. One snored and shifted position as they entered. Regulus grabbed the girl’s shoulder and leaned in close to her ear. “Did you drug them?”

She shook her head, fear etched on her face. “The cook did.”

“Carrick’s men or Lord Belanger’s?”

“Carrick’s.”

Regulus glanced down at the men. Still slumbering. But for how long? And they had aligned with Carrick. They chose violence the moment they entered this castle. He nodded at Estevan, then pointed to the men. Carrick had declared war by taking Belanger castle. He and his would reap what they sowed.

Silent as a shadow, Estevan slit both men’s throats. The milkmaid pressed a hand to her mouth and the lantern shook in her outstretched hand. Regulus took it, extinguished the flame, and set it down.

“Can you lead us to the dungeon?” Regulus murmured. She nodded, still staring at the corpses. Regulus turned her away with a flicker of shame. Adelaide deserved better than a killer. But taking a castle with only six men required the ruthless mercenary. The girl stood immobile in shock. “We need to move quickly...” He looked to Caleb questioningly.

“Susan,” Caleb whispered.

“The dungeons, Susan.”

Susan nodded again and drew a deep breath. She clutched her shawl against her chest and led them in the shadows along the base of the wall. Something moved ahead of them, and Regulus grabbed her arm to stop her. A guard carrying a torch approached. A soft whoosh passed Regulus’ head and moonlight glinted on the edge of a blade before Estevan’s throwing knife buried into the guard’s throat. Regulus sprinted forward, caught the body before the sound of its fall could draw any attention, and lowered it to the ground.

Susan stifled a gasp. Her knuckles whitened as she gripped her shawl tighter. “I knew him.”

“He’s not locked up; he’s a traitor,” Perceval muttered. “Good riddance.”

“It’s Lord Belanger’s choice what happens to the traitors,” Regulus hissed. He looked at Estevan. “Let’s try not to kill any of them again.” Estevan and the others murmured disgruntled agreement.

They continued, moving from shadow to shadow across the courtyard. At a corner, Susan held up her hand for them to stop. She peeked around.

“One of Carrick’s is guarding the door,” she whispered.

Regulus moved her back and glanced around the corner. A large man leaned on the side of his shoulder against a door some twenty paces away. Regulus waved Caleb forward.

Caleb pulled his bow off his shoulder and nocked an arrow as he knelt at the corner. A soft thwang of the bowstring, and a short grunt followed by a muffled thud. Caleb stood and gave a quick nod. Regulus scanned the surrounding area before they ran to the building. Jerrick found the dead guard’s keys and opened the door. Susan led them down a hall, then pointed to a descending spiral stone staircase.

“The dungeon is down there. From what I’ve heard, Carrick is only letting his own men be on guard in the dungeon.” She glanced around, her wide eyes searching the shadows. “But Lady Belanger and Lady Julia are locked in their rooms.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll get them next.” Regulus smiled, trying to reassure her. “You’ve been very helpful and very brave. We can take it from here.”

“Good luck.” Susan fled.

“Permission to kill anyone not in a cell, Captain?” Perceval asked dryly.

Regulus adjusted his grip on his sword. “Granted.”

They rolled their steps as they stole down the stone stairs. Quiet, indiscernible voices echoed up the stairwell. The stairs emptied into a guardroom. A few torches in iron ring sconces lit the room in orange light. Three men wearing chainmail and armed with swords sat playing a game with bone dice at a wooden table.

The guards jumped to their feet, but not fast enough. Estevan threw, and his knife buried into the throat of the guard on the right. His eyes widened and he fell backward. Caleb shot an arrow straight through the neck of the middle guard. The man fell onto the table. Jerrick ran forward, hefting his two-sided battle-axe. The last guard fumbled with his sword, his eyes darting to his deceased cohorts. Jerrick swung. The last guard’s head rolled across the dusty stone floor.

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