The Seeress

Chapter Twenty-Four

Harold could hear both conversations at once. From the conversation, the Nordic sailors have upstairs, and the one Agnetha have with herself. Harold didn't know whether she was just whispering, as even with the loud voices upstairs, he could still hear her. It was almost pitch dark, with five people sharing a basement for four.

Harold could not bring himself to make her quiet, which was all the more infuriating for him. Leaning upwards of the basement, Harold could barely make up their words. It did not help that the basement also carried dead fish and dry, sharp hooks. Harold took a mental note not to be near them.

"There's no one... just fish only,"

"I will be the judge of that," a more hoarse voice said, as Harold could hear him fumble around the chairs and utensils. He remembered that he brought his longsword with him. A good decision in hindsight, as it would mean there was no evidence of him there.

"What is this shield doing here?"

Harold turned his eyes towards Edwin, who was terribly mortified. Edwin turned for his shield, only for it to truly not be there. "Do you realise that this is against the law?" the guard continued. "No weaponry shall be kept by ordinary citizens. So explain what is this doing here."

"You are mistaken, good sir," the old man said in a tone that was not his. "That is... a Western shield, as you can see. I do not own this, one of our clients asked us to keep this for him."

Harold could hear his cousin give a sigh of relief. Until the guard spoke again.

"He gave you his shield?" the guard continued. 

Edwin gasped as he covered his mouth. He then reached for his back, only to merely pat himself on the back. It was clear that his blunder was on full display.

"Of course not.. he let me keep it," the old man pleaded. "As I have said, it was merely for safekeeping. There are no intentions against Westhaven kept here..."

Agnetha's voice became louder. A slight tad as Harold felt the itch in his ears. It did not help that the basement was terribly short. The constant fumbling of items became louder as all they heard were instructions from their superiors. Harold tsked. The urge to tell her to be silent was never more so demanding. 

"There's nothing here sire; it's just..."

Suddenly, there were a few taps on the ground. First, it was a knock, and then cloth could be heard thrown away. Followed by louder murmurs and questions. Harold could hear the sounds tapping into the floor above them. Followed by scrapings and cloth being unfolded. 

"Sire, there seems to be a hatch here..."

Harold's heart skipped a beat. His instincts, or rather his experience, told him to unsheath his sword immediately. He did exactly that, except his uncle gripped his hand hard. "Not yet," John angrily whispered to him. The knocking still persisted, and it bothered Harold heavily.

"You never said there was a hatch!"

Agnetha gasped, loudly this time. A small screech could be heard outside, as Erik embraced Agnetha. "My lady, be still!" Erik whispered to her, but to no avail. The knocking stopped, as the order was sent. Harold's heart skipped a beat, as he knew it was a matter of time. 

"Look here, bastard!"

As it was uttered, the guard could be heard screaming, as he fell to the ground hard. Harold could hear what seemed to be the barrage of yelling coupled with swords intercepting each other. Harold knew that his spirit was brewing. He knew that he could not bring himself to wait while they kill each other. 

He burst open the hatch, only to see several bodies already laying on the ground. Bjorn had a sword dangling in front of his face, as Harold took the longsword and pushed it to the guard's chest. John wasted no time pulling an arrow and landing it quickly onto another guard's eye before he could land a blow at Harold.