The Lady Knight

Chapter V: Follies and Faults

The Lady Knight

Nay, nay, nay. It could not be.

With my heart pounding in my mouth, I pushed violently through the crowd of army officers - from Cadets to Captains, who had all gathered within the Western Dungeons - heedless to whom I was brushing past, until I was inside Lord Lucien's dungeon.

My blood ran cold at the sight.

The usually pitch-dark chamber was currently lit by a single candle, with a barely flickering flame. The meagre amount of light from the flame, however, was enough to see the bloodied, mangled mess on the cold stone floor that had once been Lord Lucien.

I felt my face drain of all colour.

He was so brutally hacked at that one could not even tell it was him, if not for the wedding ring on his finger that bore the Derelia crest. He almost resembled butchered meat at that moment. Several bruises, old and new, stood out against his pale skin in ugly, diffuse splotches. His face was marred beyond recognition by the slashes of blades, the blood dripping from them still fresh.

I closed my eyes in dread. How cruelly had he been tortured before he had been murdered? He might have been a murderer waiting to be tried, but no one, not even the worst of criminals, deserved such a brutal death.

My eyes roamed to the walls, where a message was painted in red - clearly in Lord Lucien's blood.

Cease meddling. 

Cease meddling in what? Did they mean the investigations of the recent string of murders? Or something else?

I needed to be alone. Now.

"Everyone, leave this instant," I commanded quietly.

No one seemed to have heard, as they were too absorbed within their own discussions and speculations.

"I said, leave!" I burst out forcefully, my voice bouncing off the walls that surrounded me, "Lieutenant Raleigh, you are to make sure no one enters the dungeons until I give them leave to. Am I understood?"

Lieutenant Raleigh nodded, as he began to shepherd the men out of the dungeons.

Silence reigned for a long while, as they all shuffled off, still muttering among themselves. Soon enough, I was alone as I had desired.

Grabbing a few more candles from the hallway, I stepped inside the cell and shut the door behind me. I stood still, surveying my surroundings with better ease now that it was brighter.

How in the world had the murderer entered this dungeon?

There were no windows, no openings for him to slip through. The dungeon was built in such a way that its prisoner would not be able to break out by any means. The only way the murderer could have entered was through the front door - which was guarded by two, well-trained guards.

How had he managed this?

The Captains and I had painstakingly designed the security of the Dungeons over the course of many months. It had been critiqued and perfected by royal experts sworn to secrecy. Indeed, the King had declared that it was an impregnable fortress.

How?

Whoever the murderer was, he had been well prepared. He had been too skilled, and his timing had been too perfect. Truth be told, it seemed almost as if he was well versed in the security outline of the Bordeux Dungeons.

Impossible.

However, no other solution within my sight seemed to be within reason. No one, with the exception of myself, the Captains, royal experts and the King knew of the security plans.