Carack

Carack Ch4 p5

The corridors of the castle were empty and the entrance was unguarded, Gerent checked with care to see if the guard was about, but there was no sign. Wondering about this, but grateful Gerent slipped unseen out of the castle and as quiet as he could he ran, keeping to the shadows, around the castle to the guard’s lodge. He knew that N’zar as captain had a small barrack room to himself and Gerent pushed opened the door and slid inside. It was pitch black inside and Gerent hissed softly:

‘N’zar!’ Instantly he was thrown to the ground and pinned there by some one sitting on him.

‘Gerroff! Get off!’ Gerent said through gritted teeth, trying to be as quiet as he could but flailing about, kicking as he did so to try and get rid of his captor.

‘No, no m’lord, not so. And what did you want with the captain at this time of night?’

‘Cam please get off,’ Gerent hissed as he recognised the voice, ‘this is urgent. Where’s N’zar?’

‘Why?’

‘Cam, you have got to believe me, Madron is going to – well kill him I suppose, tonight, he said something about N’zar having the same branch as his brother.’

‘Already you have sent him on a fool’s errand to reach Wampa, now you wish him to get caught deserting, N’zar was right you are certainly trying to give Madron plenty of reasons to get rid of him.’

‘No, oh Cam, get off, please, this hurts.’

‘I shall not release you until ‘Zar returns from the mission you have made him to risk his life to go on.’

‘I haven’t made him do anything, oh Cam, you are crushing me!’

‘Release him Cam. Allow the lad up. If it be that there is such a plot, the scheme is well afoot by now.’ N’zar’s voice came from the doorway, ‘Besides I have here that which will make me the most hunted of men.’

‘What’s that?’ asked Cam.

‘Wampa’ replied N’zar sounding weary, ‘I couldst not leave him there, ‘tis an inhuman place. Let me lay him down, he is no light burden.’ Gerent felt Cam’s weight lift off him and he stood, gradually his eyes were adjusting to the darkness of the room and he could make out a figure on a bed with someone sat beside it.

‘You rescued Wampa!’ he said in amazement, ‘that’s why there wasn’t a guard on the castle entrance!’

‘Indeed, that is so and now Lord Hugh why comest thou here?’

‘Madron, he’s going to get rid of you, tomorrow, I overheard him and Morvah. You’ve got to get away.’

‘Well I must whether or no what thou sayest be true. Cam, go and seek Agatha, she is cognisant of my plans and knows what to do, then get thee back here at all speed. We must leave Netherzoyland at once.’ Cam rushed out and N’zar continued, ‘I hast spoken with him and he knows not of meeting N’zim, thee wilt have to do more explaining on this. But for now Lord Hugh we must all be gone, thou with us whether thou wilt or no. Thou must help me put my guards cloak on Wampa, he is unable to move unaided as he feels the effects of his long imprisonment, thou wilt find a cloak on the back of the door.’ Hugh felt his way to the cloak and back to N’zar.

‘I will come with you, willingly, I need to get out of here as well as you,’ he said helping place the cloak round Wampa’s shoulders.

‘Master Hugh,’ quavered a weak voice Gerent recognised, ‘be you alright? I be right sorry I be.’

‘Sorry for what?’ asked Gerent.

‘For letting you down like that. I was not up to it and that’s a fact.’ replied Wampa pitifully; ‘should have sent someone else, he should of.’

‘You have no need to be sorry Wampa, if it weren’t for you I’d be dead now. You weren’t meant to get me back to the castle at all.’

‘What?’ said N’zar.

‘I overheard that too, somebody was meant to kill me on our way here, but because of the flood and everything they didn’t.’

‘I see,’ said N’zar, ‘Let us get this cloak on, up thee come Wampa.’ The three of them sat in the dark awaiting Cam’s return, it seemed like hours but soon Cam raced back in breathing heavily from the exertion.

‘We will depart by the main gate, no alarm hast been raised as yet, nor should be ‘till morning if no one is aware of Lord Hugh leaving the castle, dost any know of thy flight hither my Lord?’ said N’zar.

‘No, they don’t.’ said Gerent in a firm voice.

‘Then the guard at the gates will obey me as is their custom and will unquestioning allow me to lead a detachment of guards through the gates at this time of night. Twill be morning before any find out what hast occurred.’ continued N’zar, ‘Cam, do you give Hugh your cloak that he may be disguised and let us depart.’ He lifted Wampa from the bed and with Cam’s help put him over his shoulder, Cam opened the door and with as little noise as possible they left the barrack and crossed the road to the steps down to the castle gate