A Soul For Trouble

Chapter 34

Kell crouched in the darkness. Bynn's heavy breaths throbbed in his ear. He jostled him.

"What?" Bynn whispered.

"I said I wanted silence, not the sound of an old man's dying wheezes."

"You know how much I hate the dark."

"Hate" would be an understatement. Kell could almost smell the ripe stench of his fear. "Pull yourself together."

"Do you have any idea what you've put me through today? First, you force me to be nice to Gandor and follow him around. Then, how long were we hanging on to that narrow ledge outside his window when he almost caught us going through his things?"

Kell rolled his eyes. "You whine more than a baby. Besides, we weren't hanging on to a ledge. We crept along it until we came to my window. And it gave us the perfect opportunity to overhear his plans."

A wave of nausea rolled through his stomach as he remembered the conversation between his brother and the captain of the guard. He wished he could blame it on his overconsumption of wine last night, but treason packed a stronger wallop than alcohol. At least they learned what they were planning on doing with Arden, even if they couldn't discover her location.

"Do you really think this is going to work? What if they have more men with them than expected?"

Annoyance prickled his skin. "Do you want to lose the element of surprise?"

Gandor had stressed the importance of secrecy. There would only be the two conspirators and their hostage in the tunnel tonight, and Kell had Ortono and Bynn with him.

He closed his eyes and mentally mapped out the cavernous room. Four tunnels all met here under the palace. One led to the dungeons and traditionally served as a way to dispose of the bodies of those who perished there. One led up to the west wing of the palace. The other two served as escape routes in a time of siege. He didn't know which one Gandor would be coming from, but he knew which tunnel he'd take—the one leading to the outermost wall of the city. From there, he'd hand over Arden.

He tightened his jaw until his teeth ached. Part of him wished he'd told his father of Gandor's plans, but the king would've sent a score of men down into the tunnels to intercept them. His brother would catch wind of the ambush and probably abort his plan. No, the smaller group that waited with him was much better. They all knew of Gandor's plot and agreed recovering Arden was their first priority.

Voices echoed from the tunnel leading from the dungeon. Kell coiled his muscles, ready to spring as soon as they came into view. Torchlight flickered off the walls. He turned to his left. Bynn seemed to be holding his breath. To his right, Ortono slid his hand over the hilt of his sword. He braced his feet against the stone, feeling for a dry spot so he wouldn't slip. They were more than ready.

As the other group neared them, sobs mingled with the angry male voices, and his heart wrenched.

"Larenis, shut her up. We're coming to the main cavern, and I don't want anyone to hear us."

Something muffled Arden's cries, and he moved forward to rescue her. A hand grabbed him, pulled his back. In the dim shadows, Bynn shook his head. Not yet. Damn it, his feelings for her almost made him run head first into battle without thinking. He turned to his friend and nodded in thanks.

Fire illuminated the group when they stopped at the entrance of the cavern. Gandor stood in front with a torch in his hand. Behind him, Larenis held Arden, his hand clamped tightly over her mouth. A set of dull grey manacles with a chain stretched between them bound her wrists. She writhed against her captor.