Chapter 11

Whilst Loria remained with the wagon, Darras and the thieves approached the manor. Once there, Darras remained under cover, ready to assist if necessary. The thieves moved up to the outer wall and rapidly scaled it, cautiously glancing over it before going over the parapet and out of Darras’s sight.

‘So far, so good, ’ Erren confirmed. ‘The guards really do believe that Jonvel and his family are secured inside and cannot get out.’

“Let’s just hope Jonvel and his family can move quietly enough to scale the wall and get out,” Darras replied.

‘Me too.’

“I have a rope here if necessary.”

‘Good, but I don’t think you’ll need it; Amina’s found a ladder.’

“Best make an obvious trail to the tracks she made heading south.”

‘Yes. Ah, Nemmos has picked the lock.’

“Damn, they’re good,” Darras replied with a smile as he made an obvious trail to the south.

‘Yes, Crannok is here watching and keeping me informed.’

“Loria is looking forward to visiting.”

‘It will be good to see her again; she’s done very well for me.’

“Good, she appears to enjoy the jobs you send her way.”

‘She’s dealt with a few nuisances who were assisting my brother’s cause, either knowingly or unknowingly, ’ Erren replied. ‘They have found Jonvel; he didn’t need much if any, persuasion, though his wife is very fearful.’

“Best get to the wall to assist then.”

‘Yes, my Darras.’

Five minutes later, the head of Tarmeet looked over the parapet and signalled to Darras, who approached and waited. Nemmos and Chillik then lowered a young woman to Darras’s waiting arms. Two teens followed this, and then finally, an adult male. The thieves then scrambled down, looking very pleased with themselves.

“Follow me,” Darras indicated.

“My thanks,” the man replied.

“We aren’t safe yet, but I believe we can get you there,” Darras acknowledged as the group moved over some stoney ground, leaving no trail behind them.

Loria moved the wagon swiftly away as soon as Darras, the family and the thieves were on board. She swiftly joined the northern trail and, with the aid of two lit lamps, could easily pick up the pace as the wagon transported the group to safety.

“Our thanks,” the man stated.

“You’re welcome, Lord Jonvel,” Darras replied. “Hopefully, we’ll soon have you back to Torgel.”

“And you are?”

“Darras Blain, agent of the goddess Erren.”

“Ah, the man Baron Mirrs detests,” Jonvel chuckled.

“He’s in a long queue,” Darras nodded.

“Yes, though he doesn’t understand the undercurrent of resentment he and the King’s Council have stirred up in Rachtelin,” Jonvel replied.

“Yes, Erren knows this, though much of what they are currently doing has been forced upon them by her influence over Prince Rigilo,” Darras explained.

“She is why he survived the Council mobilising and moving against his support base?”

“Yes, you and your family are also part of this,” Darras nodded. “Nor does Erren expect you to do anything different than what you were doing, keeping Torgel neutral.”

“I see, for all Torgel has a gateway, Baron Mirrs or his family before him have refused to invest anything in the town, simply taking the profits and lining their pockets with them.”

“Foolish, the town is considered a prime target for Treen, Ralketh and Orcatia.”

“Yes, my captors were firm on that, though with your aid ... assuming we get away, the town will remain Rachtelinian and not a distraction for Miront to deal with.”

“Fairly sure Baron Mirrs would not have objected to that ... initially.”

“He would look to reclaim it, eventually,” Jonvel nodded. “However, at the moment, his forces, including levies from Torgel, are with the forces of the capital trying to invest Alvastros.”

“Count Alros set up Alvastros as a trap for the King’s Council,” Darras replied with some information Erren had recently gleaned from her priests.

“A trap?”

“Alros has enough food for years, an independent water supply and most of his key people safe elsewhere with only a picked body of troops to defend the castle walls.”

“Oh my,” Jonvel chuckled. “It’s rumoured that the King’s Council has the forces of the royal army, Mirrs, Tremina, and Tolner encamped around it, whilst Cranagh and Trasgel attempt to keep Coolos isolated. The forces of Domfrey and dal Verris are keeping Miront and Sinoris in check and unable to assist.”

“It’s why Baron Mirr’s encouraged Treen to seize control of Torgel and handed your location over to Treen to make it a bloodless conquest,” Darras explained. “He didn’t want his money maker destroyed and felt he could bribe Treen to return it later.”

“Damn the man!”

“Relax, Lord Jonvel, he’s thwarted for now, and hopefully, you and your family will be safe with the forces of Prince Rigilo.”

“Yet we head northeast?”

“Trust me, we have a plan,” Darras chuckled, refusing to be drawn further.

Dawn was breaking when Darras took over the reins of the wagon. They’d made reasonable progress despite avoiding passing through villages wherever possible. Now, though, with the daylight, Darras drove directly into a town to pick up supplies and get some grain to supplement the horses’ diet as recommended by Erren.

Darras also checked the horses over, ensuring they weren’t being driven too hard, even as Jonvel and his family remained in the wagon and out of sight of the few passersby out and about in the village. Loria and Amina had headed into the small market to grab some supplies, with the male thieves simply keeping a watch out for trouble.

‘They are now aware Jonvel is missing, ’ Erren informed Darras.

“Do they know a direction?” Darras asked.

‘No, they are searching the grounds, not outside.’

“Good, we should reach the woods by dusk if we press on,” Darras nodded.

‘Yes, the horses should be able to manage that.’

“Hope so; I don’t like driving them so hard.”

‘My blessing is upon them, don’t worry, ’ Erren replied, her compassion showing in her voice.

“Yes, my love.”

Once everyone was back, Darras drove a short distance from the village to a secluded spot, allowing the family to get out of the wagon and stretch their legs. Food was also provided, and the horses were fed and watered.

“You are the agent of Erren, Darras?” the wife of Jonvel queried Darras as she approached.

“I am indeed,” Darras replied.

“Thank you for your aid; we were not in a good, if somewhat comfortable, place there.”

“You were kidnapped and incarcerated,” Darras nodded understandingly. “A gilded cage is still a cage.”

“It is indeed,” she agreed. “I am Lady Salah cor Torgel; I forgot to introduce myself.”

“A pleasure to meet ... and rescue you, Lady Salah.”

“Can you get us to safety?” Salah asked pointedly.

“I believe so,” Darras replied. “Erren informs me they’ve just noticed your absence.”

“Our safety is in your hands then, sir Darras.”

Once back on the road, the wagon made good progress. There were few other travellers on the road, and from what Darras could tell, the wagon was ignored by village folk. Hence, the sun had just started to dip below the horizon when Darras reached the woods where the gateway was concealed. The party descended, and Loria guided them into the woods as Darras released the horses and allowed them to roam free.

“I am confused,” Jonvel finally stated. “Why are we here? This is not the way to Torgel ... or anywhere for that matter.”

“I’m sure your foes think the same,” Darras chuckled. “However, not all is as it seems.”

‘They found the false trail but now have realised it was false, ’ Erren informed Darras. ‘They are bringing in a magic user to track Jonvel, though Doriel’s people will protect you here, nor could Jonvel’s people get here in time.’

Darras informed the group of the information, making the thieves and Loria look satisfied and Jonvel look confused.

“The goddess of the woods protects us?” Jonvel asked.

“She does,” Darras confirmed.

“Very slow off the mark getting a magic user involved,” Loria added.

“Thank Amina and her people for that,” Darras chuckled. “They made an obvious trail to follow, and we all know magic users are expensive.”

“True enough,” Nemmos nodded.

“So, what now?” Salah asked.

“We wait,” Darras replied. “We are safe here, and the forest folk will guide us to their hidden gateway in the morning.”

“Not one that can be reached normally, I’d guess?”

“Yes, Lady Salah, the gateways are controlled by Erren, and she will not permit access to the forest folk gateways to those whom the forest folk do not wish to use them.”

“There are many of these?”

“A good few, though I don’t know the exact number as the agent of Doriel and the Dryads of the forests set up new ones as and when needed.”

“I see,” Salah nodded. “Does this mean the forest folk are choosing sides?”

“In Rachtelin, no, they simply do this because Doriel asked them to aid me.”

“Different in Fordel, though,” Amina added.

“Yes, the Netas and the priests of Darmela, coupled with the greed of their merchant class, have aroused the wrath of Doriel and Erren,” Darras nodded.

“Netas?” Chillik asked.

“Their King,” Darras replied.

“Kind of the head merchant of a guild,” Jonvel expanded. “Not of the blood Royal, but all the secular power of a king.”

“But not nobility?”

“Not from the standpoint of other nobles, no.”

“Odd place.”

“It is, and a bane to the common folk of Rachtelin as they bribe the King’s Council to only buy from or through them,” Darras replied.

“Paying low and selling high,” Jonvel grated out. “It’s why, in part, this civil war started.”

“We saw some of that when we helped Darras bring down the Black Guild,” Amina added.

“Aye, we did,” Chillik nodded. “Still, I’m glad the temples of Erren remain honest.”

“You took on the Black Guild?” Jonvel asked Darras.

“They’d marked me for death,” Darras shrugged. “Big mistake on their part; I’m not easy to kill, and I have good friends,” Darras indicated the thieves.

“No wonder Baron Mirrs stopped being so overbearing,” Salah nodded.

“Probably why he allowed the kidnapping,” Darras replied. “A year ago, he’d have poisoned you and made your children his wards.”

“Yes, an all too believable scenario,” Salah replied with a shudder.

Anyway, rest now; you’re safe under Erren’s protection. Tomorrow, we’ll reach the gateway.”