Page 38 of The Mage's Rake
Rogues.That was just… fantastic to hear.
“You overhead something?”
“A whisper, like, and I asked another mollie, that’d be Redheaded Jen. And she tol’ me that her, er, well, ye ken, Redheaded Jen is, well…” Ian winked. “One of her lads who was, ah, visitin’ her a couple nights past mentioned that word had spread of the King’s generous proposal to the landed folk. The Lower Rime was all in a fuss, I can tell you. Quite a few happy, hopeful faces, but also some sour ones, I reckon. It’s rough, you understand, and, well, one thing led to another, and Jennie told me that some coin was circulating for capable individuals what might have an eye for an easy kill.”
A kill.
“You believe someone may attempt to attack the king?” I asked.
Spoken so bluntly, the words fell heavily. The room silenced. Ian’s face paled, but he nodded slowly.
“I figured Lord Corrin and the others will be on guard, but a warning might help,” he added.
“We thank you for the warning, Ian. Best go stay with the kits and the mollies,” I suggested calmly. “They’ll need help—particularly someone who understands the situation—should anything go awry. Corrin—“
“I’ll go stand by Landis,” Corrin said instantly, knowing what I was about to say. “And I’ll take Alf and Rolf with me.”
“Good.”
“Ser Bertram. Ser Anderson. Bad news.”
I turned to the two captains who entered the room, panting and out of breath. Within minutes, Ser Bertram was posted to secure the north side of the castle and Ser Anderson to the south. With my guards now placed as best as I could, I strode down thehallways on my self-appointed circle around the inner corridors that ringed around the great hall. It took everything within me not to rush into the hall and join Corrin… and Alan.
Gods. Alan.The realization hit me. Alan would be in the thick of whatever happened if whatever happened, well, happened. The Alan I had thought I knew would have a remarkable sense of self-preservation and remove himself from any unpleasantness instantly. The Alan I now knew was less predictable. He was just as likely to throw himself into the fray as he was to retire.
It wasn’t easy to keep calm, but I managed it somehow, and before I knew it, my patrol was complete. No sign of any rogues, thieves, or meandering folk. No sign of shadowy catkin or ne’er-do-wells. In some senses, that was great news. On the other hand, anyone might have already infiltrated the hall with the servants, the additional hired staff, and the visiting mollies with the children. Even now, I could hear a tell-tale sound of high chanting voices. After double-checking that all of my guards were where they ought to be, I dove into the shadowy side of the hall and watched entranced as a pack of kits began singing a Wintermas carol.
Kits never figured large in my life, but for the first time in my life, I felt a pang in my chest. I had no kits, and none of my siblings or cousins had been lucky enough to leave any kits behind. I was the last Starr. Seeing their short stubby tails and ears, wayward curls, and round, fairy-like faces reminded me of a past life I had long forgotten when I too had been a young kit. Judging by the soft sighs and enthralled faces as the children stood and sang while holding candles, many others in the court agreed with me. My gaze drifted from face to face until I recognized little Tommie. He was slighter and smaller than the others, and as Ian had noted, he couldn’t sing much beyond croaking the occasional note, but he held onto his candle and kept a smile pasted on his face.
A smile that fell away as his dark blue eyes widened and a look of shock crossed his face. Without compunction, Tommie let loose a bloodcurdling yell that sent him into a fit of body-wracking coughs. Tommie had seen something—just as I had—a shadow slipping from one of the pillars and dashing toward Landis. A move that was certainly odd, given the crowded venue and how Corrin had placed Landis among a pack of nobles. Landis and Alan.
At the sight of the approaching attacker, Alan began to weave some white spellcraft. Corrin shouted, unsheathed his sword, stepped in front of Landis, and raised his blade, pointing toward the ceiling.Or rather, I realized,to the second floor’s stone balustrade.
“Hugh!” Alan’s voice rang out clearly even as the rest of the room immediately collapsed into a poorly contained uproar.
Landis was forced down onto his knees by Rolf and Alf and two other guards who posted themselves about the king protectively. Lord Morne, Lord Mayberry, and others also cowered while peering upwards. As Corrin clashed with the oncoming attacker, Alan lashed upwards with tendrils of his white magic, sending one of the shadows into a jerking type of paralysis. This attack gave me the opportunity to instantly lunge upwards, grabbing onto the sculptured pillar that supported the second-floor gallery.
Thanks to Alan, I was able to swarm up easily just in time to chase down the third catkin rogue. At the last minute, he turned and drew two wicked-looking blades. I had no desire to fell the would-be assassin. I would rather save a life and question the catkin later, but the wildcat wasn’t about to go quietly. Drawing my short blade, I rushed forward, shifting to the left to avoid his first left-handed strike and then using the metal of my gauntlets to batter past his follow-up swing. My own sword, swinging upwards, met resistance from one of his blades.
“Look out!”
Alan again. This time behind the rogue, having clearly mounted the nearby winding staircase to the second galley. Light leaped from his fingers, once again sending shocks through the second catkin that had been creeping up behind me. The third rogue cursed, raced to the window, and attempted to break his way through, but my blade caught him in the shoulder, slowing him down. I pinned him, thrashing, to the ground. Alan raced passed me and kicked away the bow and arrow the second attacker had dropped.
“Rope,” I said.
“I’ve got one better.” Alan grinned as he raised a hand and shocked the catkin senseless with another brush of his white aura. He straightened, violet eyes sparkling behind slightly steamed glasses. “Well, that was… exciting.”
Chapter 16
Alan
“There you are!”
Hugh’s voice broke into my thoughts as I moodily stared out at the snow-covered garden a few hours later. At long last, the castle had fallen relatively quiet. The kits had been safely returned to their homes, escorted by a strong guard, Ian, and a bunch of motherly mollies. Among them was young Tomlyn, the young hero of the hour. All is well that ends well. That is what the sages back at the White Tower would say.
Yet, as far as I was concerned, all very nearly did not end well. Without Ian’s warning, Hugh’s quick thinking, and the teamwork of Landis’s protectors, the assassination attempt might have been successful. And what had I done? I had played my part. Yet, I couldn’t help but wonder what else I could have done. The more I thought on it, the more clarity I gained.
Clarity that crystallized into one thought as a familiar voice broke into my thoughts.
