Page 79 of A Tale of Ice and Ash
The guards paused, peering into the dark. Wistal abandoned the fight, hauling Cole to his feet and grappling him into a hold, a dagger to his back.
“Lower your weapons!” hissed Cole. “Now!”
The guards dropped their swords and spears. Within seconds, Oakley had wrenched them out of reach, and the remaining rebels bound and gagged them, stuffing them out of sight. It was unlikely the scuffle went unheard. They needed to move.
Onyx tossed the keys to Eirwen. “We’ll keep watch, go!”
She descended into the dungeon, dragging Cole and Wistal behind her, Wren by her side with her crossbow ready.
Two guards met them at the bottom of the steps.
“At ease, gentleman,” said Cole, “unless you want to see me splattered over the stones.”
The guards stilled, glancing at each other.
“A poor choice of words,” Cole said. “I’m sure I’ve done something to warrant peoplewantingme splattered over the stones, but if you could lay down your weapons and not let me be splattered anyway, I’d really appreciate it. As would my mother.”
The guards obliged. Eirwen leapt forward, unbuckling the keys from the belt of one of them. She pointed to an empty cell. “Get in.”
They followed her instructions, and she locked the door behind them.
“Lord Hammersmith?” she called out. “Huntsman?”
“Princess?”
A haggard face rose from between the bars of a cell at the end of the room. His face was drained, pale as milk and thin as frost. His beard looked too big for him.
Eirwen swallowed.
“You could do with an ale,” Wren said, filling the silence.
He smiled at her faintly. “You shouldn’t have come.”
“Maybe we came for the other guy.”
A low moan sounded from another cell. “Is that you, Princess?”
“Lord Hammersmith? Are you unhurt?”
“I… have seen better days. But I can walk.” He smiled at her gratefully. “Thank you, for coming for us.”
“Don’t thank us just yet,” she said, working her way through the keys. “We need to get you out first.”
The door clicked open, and she unlocked the Huntsman too. He picked up one of the guards' spears.
A few other prisoners stirred, alerted by the noise. Eirwen stopped.
Wren grabbed her elbow. “We can’t waste any more time. And you don’t know their crimes.”
This was true. She could be freeing anyone. But given the Queen’s penchant for imprisoning people for the smallest of crimes…
Why did two people deserve to walk free, and they didn’t?
She called to one already awake, and handed her the keys. “We can’t take you with us, but if you can get out on your own, then luck be with you.”
Before she could reply, a cacophony pierced the silence outside. Half howl, half snarl. A chittering, guttural sound.
Wren stared at her, her face drained of colour. “It can’t be…”
