The Hibernian Runaway

Chapter 28

Will, Lilly, and Nial slowly and soundlessly made their way through the corridor. Lilly lead the way, knowing the corridors, hallways, and rooms like the back of her hand. The journey was quiet, too quiet. They didn't come across a single guard, asleep or awake, which was alarming more than it was comforting.

"There should be guards all over the castle, especially at night, when they're most vulnerable," Will whispered. "This isn't right, something is wrong."

Lilly silently drew the short saber from her scabbard and Nial drew the long knife from his waist band, heeding Will's warning. They kept moving, Lilly leading the way to the keep doors. She ran her hand over the smooth stone wall, making sure she wouldn't trip over anything in the dark.

They slowly got to the keep doors and found them as deserted as the rest of the castle. "They're all castle guards," Lilly said, baffled. "They should know to post guards on the doors, regardless of who is ruling."

"There has to be a reason," Nial said, "right?"

"Yeah," Lilly trailed off. "We should check the rest of the castle before letting everyone in." She turned to Will in the darkness, "in case there's a trap."

Will nodded to himself in the dark, "yes, we should. Lead the way, Lilly."

Lilly stepped over a spear gingerly, over exaggerating her caution. They had found most of the garrison passed out in the dining hall, which was ablaze with torches and damp with ale. The Queen and her lover were nowhere to be found among the snoring and reeking bodies sprawled about the benches.

Though they were all drunk, they couldn't afford to wake any of them. Lilly knew that the two deposers would probably be in the royal chambers. The quickest way to the royal rooms were through the servant's passages, the closest one being in the kitchen on the other side of the tangled mess of guards.

"Will," she whispered, "we know that there isn't a trap, we should go open the doors."

Will opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off with a loud snore from one of the guards. He shifted in his drunken stupor and rolled onto his side. His booted foot moved, knocking into the spear balanced on the edge of the table. It slid, the handle scraping against the rough wood of the table loudly in the quiet. All three of them stared as the spear smacked against the ground, the tip ringing in the hall.

Thankfully not a single guard woke up, and they all let out a breath they didn't know they were holding.

"Nial, you remember how to get back to the keep doors? Go and open them, will you please?" Will said.

The blonde boy nodded and delicately stepped his way out of the throng of bodies to empty floor, then disappeared into the black corridor.

Lilly took another step and gathered herself under her feet. She finally made it clear of the mob of random arms and legs and waited for Will to make his way to her. Two minutes later they were in the dark kitchen, breathing easier.

"Where are the servant's passages?" Will asked, "we need to hurry and find them."

"They're right here," Lilly said, walking to a darker recess in the wall. "They go everywhere, but I know the way to the royal chambers." She disappeared into the darkness in the recess, "come on, follow me."

Halt watched the keep doors, an unsettling feeling deep in his stomach. The party of three that climbed into the keep were supposed to immediately open the doors for the rest of them to storm in, but that was all too long ago. The horizon in the distance was a rosy peach color, indicating the start of another day. Long shadows ran from the tall walls and trees. Halt shivered, an eerie feeling raising goose bumps on his skin.

Suddenly the keep doors shuddered and creaked open. Halt heard the men start around him, tensing up and gripping the handles of their weapons tighter. A familiar blonde head pushed open the doors, and Halt breathed a sigh of relief. He felt the men relax too, and he started forward, leading the men into the keep.

He stepped forward, Kind Sean, Crowley, Horace, and Nial circling behind him. He heard the men's clothes rustle silently as they filed in behind them. He listened for a moment, expecting a rush of weapons pointed in their direction, but no ambush came their way.

"All the men are passed out in the dining hall," Nial offered in a hushed voice. "They drank themselves to sleep."

Halt nodded, understanding how simple their task had just become. He turned to their ranks, "Spread out and work your way through the keep. Deal with whoever you find silently and carefully. We do not want any more casualties than there already are. Meet up at the dining hall quickly and we'll go from there."

The men nodded, random heads bobbing up and down in the gloom. They split up and left their band of five people to follow their orders.

"Will and Lilly are headed up to the royal chambers through the servant's quarters," Nial said. "We should probably go up and offer reinforcements. I think Josephine and her husband are up there."

King Sean stepped forward, a hand on the pommel of the sword at his waist. "They'll beat us up there, but we won't be too far behind. Come on, it's this way." He stepped forward and started climbing the stone stairs.

"Now, why don't we all wait a second here, and discuss what we're going to right now?" a voice echoed in the empty room. Everyone in the room paused, knowing that a third party had just entered the fight for Clonmel. And they had gotten in behind them.

Horace had his sword out, the screech of metalsliding on metal following the echo of a voice Halt knew was familiar. Inanother clang, Horace's sword was pinned to the ground under a gleaming battle ax.