The Kings Personal Joker (boyxboy)

Chapter One Hundred and Seven

[Erastos's POV]

The path we took was a muddy one, filled with damp grass that failed to steady our feat and at times we were forced to walk on all fours to make it down the hill, and as we caught ourselves from falling our gloves met the wet mud and saw them damp and heavy as we moved on down.

There were but eight of us but it seemed about six too many for me. Marsus and I could easily have completed this task on our own. The plans of the dungeons were fortunately the only map we had now that Belem had failed to send back the one he had been crafting before he had been discovered.

"Two and three," I gestured to them, speaking in a low voice and signalling in case they could not hear me as quiet as I was. "Extend side ways from the entrance and give fair warning if anyone arrives."

They nodded and moved to do this.

While we waited in hiding Marsus caught up and walked up beside me, crouching as I was in the shadow of the building. "What if he's in good condition, do we still kill him?"

I scoffed darkly. "He won't be, and why should he be? He oiled his way into this place and finally slid into the torchlight, ease comes with it's inequities."

Another frowned. "And if he survives? Ought we not rescue him?"

"Nonsense!" I pushed him back behind me. "We are not sent to rescue him. We have no more use for Belem."

"But master was oddly possessed by him, wasn't he?"

I rolled my eyes. So many misunderstood our masters interest in the boy, not all realised quite how useful he proved himself to be, the slick layer that hid behind that smarmy submissiveness. He was disgusting but he did what he was told. That was his only real use.

"He liked to punish him. He never liked him. If he lives yet then we ask for information sweetly, and then we kill him swiftly. If he is in good condition we should lure him outside with the promise of return, then slit his throat and bury him. It will be better for them to search for him and waste their time on that."

"And what if we are caught?" Gregarius asked, peaking from around my side. "If he wants us to save those outsiders then we will hardly be able to return. Even our spies on the bridal way will be bound into inactivity."

"What of the outsiders?" I huffed. "Let them burn too. There are more along the border that we may use."

There was a murmur of agreement.

"Besides, surely when word of their execution spreads it will extend their dislike for the King, so far only a handful have been useful to us. It will not be long yet before we are able to take them all."

"The final word will be His Majesty's. But when has he ever favoured men who are discovered?" Marsus agreed.

We peaked around and saw two and three returning, a hand signal and we were given the mark to move forward.

One crept close as we made for the window to the punishment chambers, an extension of a prison, two floors below which the dungeon rooms should be buried.

"There were two, we strangled them and hid their bodies but they will be found yet, we must move fast."

I nodded. "Return and keep vigil. Mark of the bird if they are near."

He nodded and once again they left us to patrol, at distance, the walls outside.

The place was heavily guarded, far more so than we anticipated when we were informed of the enemy King's trip. It only made sense for it to be well protected in his absence but by the sound of their numbers we were lead to believe that they would be travelling with a portion of their army, instead we found the place unpleasantly well protected, only through safe passage of the bridal spies were we able to find our way inside.