Prince of Dragons

Chapter 26 - Liberation

A/N: After being uncompleted for about three weeks, mostly due to my holidays, this chapter is now finished! I especially want to thank all the people who were kind enough to read this chapter and vote for it when it wasn't even done yet; my readers are awesome.

Now, without further ado, enjoy the chapter!

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As quietly as he could, Maréin got up from his bed and walked to the door. He put his ear against it, listening intently. Nothing.

He walked back to the bed, where Vaciana was still lying. "Vaciana?" he said softly.

She didn't answer.

Maréin raised his eyebrows in surprise. Her eyes were open, so she had to be awake... right?

Gently, he grabbed her shoulders, shaking her body lightly. "Vaciana?"

"What?" the young woman answered groggily.

"It's time," Maréin said. "Were you sleeping with your eyes open?"

"Of course," Vaciana said. "Why would I close my eyes? I don't really see anything with my eyes open. Closing them doesn't make a difference."

The knight had to admit that made sense.

Vaciana sat up on the bedside. She grabbed her boots and put them on. "So this Hageriech guy will be waiting in the courtyard."

"Yes," Maréin said, as Vaciana stood up. They left the room, and Maréin locked the door behind them. They walked through the corridor, their leather boots fortunately not causing a lot of sound on the cold stone floor. The castle was dark; all torches had been extinguished by now. Almost everyone was probably asleep by now.

Almost everyone.

"This is Arwund's room, right?" Maréin asked quietly.

"I can smell a breather in there," Vaciana said. "It has to be."

As lightly as he could, Maréin rapped his knuckles on the wooden door. He immediately heard a rustling inside, and then footsteps on the floor. "Who's there?" Arwund's voice asked in Northern.

"It's Vaciana and I," Maréin whispered in the language of the Middle Lands.

Arwund opened the door. "It's time?" he asked in the same language.

"It is," Maréin confirmed.

Arwund nodded. He left his room, locking the door, and followed the others. They went through the long corridor, walked down a spiral staircase, and then came through a small room of indeterminate purpose before finally reaching the courtyard. Maréin scanned it, but he saw no-one.

Vaciana sniffed. "There's someone here," she whispered.

Maréin looked around him. "Where?" he asked.

"Yeah, there is someone," Arwund said. "Even I can smell him. He's moving towards us..."

"... from behind," Vaciana added, and quick as lightening, they turned around.

A black-clad, shadowy figure stood before them, his face hidden in the shadow cast by his hood . "You're not being very inconspicuous," he said softly, speaking Northern. "I'd be careful if I were you."

Maréin nodded. "How did you get into the castle?" he asked in the same language.

"A bit more subtle than last time, actually," Hageriech said. "I'd rather not tell you how precisely, because you might inadvertently betray my secret to someone."