Page 81 of Midnight Shadow

She took another step away from the portcullis, finally having to turn her back on the road to freedom. Fear knotted her stomach. What if she was caught?

She took a breath to calm herself. Don’t lose your wits, she told herself firmly. You’ll think of some way out of this. She moved back to the inner ward. If I can get out of these Midnight Shadow clothes, I might have a chance to wait until they open the gates again.

She continued to move along the wall of the castle in the shadows. She had to get her costume off. But where? She moved forward toward the keep. She was crossing the moonlit courtyard when the sound of running feet exploded from behind her.

“There he is!” someone cried. She froze in her tracks. Her hand dropped to the hilt of the sword concealed in the long folds of her cloak. Dread pierced her heart as footsteps closed in around her. She slowly turned and chanced a glance up to see a group of soldiers rushing toward her...

... and then past her. She almost collapsed in relief as they hauled a man from behind a stack of large crates positioned near the front gate. He was skinny and dirty, his clothing in tatters. He screamed and struggled to be free. “No!” he hollered. “I won’t go back to the dungeon!”

The dungeon. He was one of the freed prisoners.

A guard backhanded the man, silencing him. Bria winced, clenching her teeth. She wanted to help the poor man. He was vastly overpowered and outnumbered. After all, that was what the Midnight Shadow did, protected the weak. But to do so now would be her undoing. She took a few steps back from the group of distracted soldiers.

She turned and entered the keep unnoticed. Bria moved down a long corridor, sticking to the walls and the shadows thrown by the torches. She walked slowly and cautiously to the Great Hall, pausing in the doorway. The room was strangely quiet except for the snapping flames in the hearth. She entered the room softly, trying to move as silently as possible. But the rushes snapped beneath her booted feet and a pair of dogs that had been napping amongst the peasants lifted their heads. One dog stood up, a peasant’s arm rolling off the animal’s back. The other stayed motionless, its eyes pinning her.

For a long moment, Bria couldn’t move. She didn’t know whether to go back through the large doors or continue on. She decided to head on. She moved through the Great Hall. With each footstep, she felt the dogs’ watchful eyes on her back. She prayed they would go back to sleep, that they wouldn’t start barking and wake the entire Great Hall.

They remained mercifully quiet. In the doorway to the kitchen, she paused and looked back. The dog that had been lying down had shifted its position, moving closer to one of the peasants. The other dog was sniffing around the rushes for some forgotten food.

Bria sighed to herself and moved into the kitchen. The room was empty and cold, the fire for the large ovens unlit. She scanned the kitchen and saw another doorway. She crossed the room and quickly stepped through the opening. More stairs. Blackness surrounded her as she descended.

At the bottom of the stairs, a flickering torch on the wall dropped pieces of charred wood onto the floor. It illuminated the entrance into another dark room, where she found mountains of barrels and boxes. The moment she stepped into the room, the sweet smell of cinnamon surrounded her and her nose itched from the scent of pepper. The spice vaults. A perfect place to change out of her Midnight Shadow clothes. They wouldn’t be looking for a woman dressed in a brown robe. She grinned. They wouldn’t be looking for a woman at all.

She ducked behind three stacks of barrels and removed the cloak, then the hooded cape and mask. She shook her head, running her hands through her hair as the wild strands, free from their confines, cascaded down her back. She unbuckled her sheath and carefully, quietly, set it down so it leaned against one of the barrels. Then she eased her black tunic over her head, folded it, and laid it on a barrel beside her sword. She removed the tightly wrapped cloth binding her breasts and rubbed the circulation back into them, then pulled off her boots and leggings. She folded the leggings, placing them on top of the tunic.

Suddenly, she heard soft footsteps and turned, peeking out from between two barrels, her nakedness momentarily forgotten. She couldn’t see anyone in the darkness, but she heard the rustle of clothing.

“What is it, Captain? You said it was urgent.” Bria knew the voice instantly. There was only one voice that could be that cold, only one man who could speak plain words with such evil. Kenric.

“The men are getting restless. If they aren’t paid soon, they might go to Knowles with your plan.”

“Make sure they don’t! They’ll be paid tomorrow.”

“How long before we act?”

“Soon. But make sure the men say nothing, do you hear? I’ve worked long and hard for this. Some overeager mercenary isn’t going to destroy my plan.”

Fear shot through Bria at his words. What was Kenric paying the mercenaries to do?

“How many men do we have?” Kenric asked.

“Enough to take the castle.”

Horror flooded through Bria. Terran! her mind cried. She had to tell Terran!

“Some are still loyal to Knowles. I had to be very careful recruiting.”

“Well done, Captain,” Kenric said. “You’ll be well rewarded.”

Bria remained absolutely still. She didn’t dare move for fear of discovery, but she had to find out as much as she could.

“And what of this Midnight Shadow?”

Kenric chuckled. “That useless Knowles has come up with a rather ingenious plan to capture him. When that happens, I’ll give the signal to take the castle.” Their footsteps faded as they moved out of the room.

Bria couldn’t move. Kenric was planning to take Castle Knowles for himself! She had to warn Terran.

Despair seized hold of her. How could she think Terran would believe her? He hadn’t believed her about Kenric poisoning her. Why would he believe her about something this important? Kenric was his cousin. She was nothing to him. Nothing. He had another woman warming his bed.