The Black Saint, page 4
Theo grinned to himself, feeling like he had as a child when he’d found the cook’s hidden stash of sweets. The disguised door felt solid to his touch but as he pressed hard there was a click and it swung inward on silent, oiled hinges. Perfect craftsmanship indeed. Theo stepped slowly through the doorway into the pitch black, feeling with his feet for the steps of a descending staircase. He closed the door behind him and slowly began feeling his way down the stairs. After a series of fumbled movements and one terrifying instant where he missed a step, he reached flat ground.
He could sense the body, ahead and to his left, now on the same level. Placing a hand against the cold stone wall to guide him, Theo moved forward, seeing a faint light. As he got closer, he saw that it was the flickering yellow-green of a brightburn candle, coming from around a sharp turn in the tunnel. He rounded the corner, squinting at the direct light, brilliantly bright after his time in the complete darkness. He squinted, waiting for his eyes to adjust. As his vision returned, Theo found himself looking at the iron bars of a small cell, set into the back of a square stone chamber. He could see the body that he’d been feeling. It appeared to be the assassin from the party, though he now wore nothing but a pair of old trousers. His body was curled up on the hard stone of the cell floor, completely motionless.
Dead? No, Theo could still sense him. He had to be alive, for the time being at least. Theo moved to the door of the cell, studying its dirty bronze padlock. That might be a problem. He had no idea how to pick a lock, other than that you stuck small bits of metal into the keyhole. He doubted his hunting knife would fit, and it definitely would not be able to force the lock open. The man in the cell stirred, letting out a groan. He spotted Theo standing at the cell door and gave a weak gasp, half crawling, half dragging himself further away.
“It’s alright. I’m friendly. I’m here to get you out,” Theo said.
The man looked up at him with wide, terror-filled eyes. Theo suddenly remembered the disguise he was wearing. He wondered exactly how he appeared, standing there in his dark clothing and pale, faceless mask.
“Sorry,” Theo lifted the mask up, revealing his face. The man’s look of terror faded but didn't completely disappear.
“Who are ya?” The man’s voice was barely more than a raspy breath.
“I’m…” Theo suddenly remembered Jayson’s warning about his identity. He regretted removing his mask. Too late now. “…Theo. I’m here to get you out,” he finished.
The man glanced around the outside of the cell. “Are ya mad? They’ll catch ya fer sure.”
“I got in without being caught, didn’t I?” Theo said.
The man eyed him with suspicion, his eyes flicking up and down, sizing Theo up. He was probably right to be suspicious of a man who was claiming he’d snuck into a heavily guarded estate.
“I understand that you might not trust me, but right now I’m your only chance at getting out of here. You can stay here or you can come with me. Your choice,” Theo paused and looked at the locked door, “as soon as I get this open.”
The man’s brow furrowed and he watched Theo for several moments, then with a sigh he stood, using the cell wall to haul himself to his feet. Theo sucked in a sharp breath as the man stepped out of the shadows. Cuts, covered with crusted blood and dirt covered his face and torso—shallow wounds like someone had used his body for carving practice. They were the kind of cuts that would inflict serious pain without killing. Torture. Theo felt sick, but it quickly changed to anger. Mustane. His hand curled into a fist, the fingers of his glove digging into his palm.
“Hinge pins are loose. Rusted from so long in the damp air,” the man said.
“Loose?” Theo moved to the upper hinge, testing the pin with the tip of his knife. Sure enough, with a little effort it began to slide out. He pressed further until there was enough space for him to grab the top of the pin and tug, pulling it out and separating the two sides of the hinge. He did the same with the lower hinge, then with some effort, moved the dismantled cell door aside.
“How did you know?” he asked as the captive man stepped out.
“Work the forge. Make hinges like that, among other bits,” he said with a shrug.
Thank the saints for that bit of luck. “Ya have some water?” the man asked hopefully. His dry lips cracked as he formed the words.
“I can get you water and food just as soon as we are out of this place,” Theo held out a hand to the man who seemed weak and unstable. “What’s your name?”
“Berik,” The man said, gripping Theo’s arm to steady himself. The torture he’d endured had clearly taken a lot out of him. Theo replaced his mask, then moved, letting the man use him for balance as they navigated the dark passage to the stairs. The stairs were even slower going, but with an effort, he helped Berik to the top.
Theo stopped, tensing as he was about to open the hidden door. He could feel a body moving; it was coming down the hallway just feet away. He held his breath reflexively and Berik—seeming to sense the tension in him—did the same. The body stopped in the hallway right outside the door. Theo gritted his teeth. Don't open it, don’t open it.
The body moved on, continuing until it was past the range of his sense. Theo let out his breath in a slow stream, opening the door, helping Berik out into the hallway. They moved down the winding corridors and Theo was grateful for the accuracy of his mental map, retracing his steps back the way he had come. He finally started to relax when they reached the small storeroom. They stepped inside and Theo made sure the door was shut behind them.
“What did I tell you. We’re almost…” Theo trailed off. Berik wasn't looking at him, wasn't listening. Theo followed his gaze.
A very startled-looking servant woman—barely more than a girl—was staring at them from the other side of the room, frozen in the middle of scooping out rice from a barrel.
Theo’s heart shot into his throat, his entire body tightening, preparing for flight or maybe for fighting. He forced himself to keep breathing evenly, then very slowly, he lifted a finger to his lips, willing the girl to stay silent. For a moment the three of them stared at each other, the girl looking like a mouse that had been cornered by a hungry cyvoth. Once again Theo remembered how he must look in his clothes and mask.
“Don’t scr—”
The girl screamed. “INTRUDERS! INTRUDERS!” It was surprisingly loud and shrill for such a small body. Theo cursed and dragged Berik forward, knocking the girl aside, causing her to shriek even louder. He burst through the servant’s entrance, running as fast as he could through the courtyard while dragging Berik behind him. He could feel them, now, dozens of bodies closing in on them from every direction.
There was a shout. “The courtyard! Stop them!”
Theo didn’t look to see where it had come from, instead keeping his head down and running for the stairs that led to the top of the wall. No way Berik can jump that high. Theo wasn’t going to risk the front gate. If it was locked, then they would have just cornered themselves. The two reached the stairs and Theo pushed Berik up in front of him, risking a quick glance back. Several guards burst from the large double doors of the manor, sprinting through the courtyard towards him, straightswords drawn. Theo felt a sudden whoosh of air by his ear and looked up to see a guard on the wall, running, dropping his crossbow and unsheathing a sword. Theo realized he was heading for Berik, who was now almost at the top of the stairs.
Theo sprinted up the steps, fear and determination giving him extra speed. He pulled out his hunting knife, reaching the top at the same time as the guard, who swung his sword. Theo ducked, coming up and stabbing his knife at the man’s gut. The guard grunted but Theo felt hard armor absorb the stab. The guard punched with his free hand, hitting Theo in the jaw, causing him to stumble back. The guard slashed again and Theo felt the sharp blade cut through his clothing and bite into the flesh of his arm. He flinched back and the guard went for a thrust.
Berik threw himself into the guard, slowing the man’s strike and knocking him off balance. Theo felt the tip of the sword slide under his ribs, into his side. What would have been a lethal thrust became a stab, several inches deep into skin and muscle. Theo had been cut a few times before, but never seriously injured by a weapon. The pain was far worse than he had imagined. It felt like someone had pressed a white-hot poker against his stomach and held it there. Berik lashed out again, hitting the man in the jaw. The blow had little power behind it and the guard only stumbled a step back, slightly dazed.
“Over the wall! Jump!” Theo shouted, feeling several more guards on the staircase below. Berik turned, giving Theo a quick look before throwing himself over the battlement. The guard recovered and charged. There was no time to be careful. Theo flung himself to the side, rolling off the battlement. He managed to twist in the air, getting his feet under him just as he hit the ground. Pain shot through his ankle, causing him to stumble forward, stopping himself with his hands. Ignoring the pain, he pushed himself up, searching for Berik. The man was a few paces away, struggling to haul himself to his feet. Theo moved forward, hissing as he put weight on his ankle.
“Can you walk?” Theo asked, coming up beside the man.
“Think so. Just…very weak.”
Theo grabbed Berik’s arm and threw it over his shoulder, pulling him upright. Come on, leg, just a little further. The two men began hobbling towards the trees of Royal Park. Theo did his best to keep them moving, ignoring the lancing pain of each step. They were almost to the trees of the park when Theo shot a glance back at the wall. There was the snap of several crossbows firing. Something impacted hard on his skull, snapping his neck to the side. He blinked, dazed, reaching a hand up, expecting to find a bolt sticking out of his head. Instead, he felt a crack in the mask where a bolt had collided with it. It stopped a crossbow bolt? Theo felt both relief and amazement at the sturdiness of the mask.
“Come on,” he said, feeling a fresh but quickly fading rush of energy from his brush with death. Berik said nothing and Theo could hear his heavy ragged breathing. They reached the trees before the guards could fire a second volley, but Theo kept them moving into the safety of the park.
“Don’t think…can go any further…” Berik said between heaving gasps. Theo felt the man’s body growing heavier on his shoulder.
“We’re close now. Just give me a bit more, then, you can rest as long as you need,” Theo said, struggling to hold Berik up. The extra weight was causing flashes of agony to shoot up from his ankle. He bit into his tongue and kept going. He could feel them. Bodies closing in. The guards had followed them into the park. If they didn't get out now, they would soon be surrounded.
“Go,” Berik’s voice was barely above a whisper. “I can’t make it, but you can.”
He tried to protest, but the man’s legs suddenly folded and Theo lost his grip, almost collapsing as well from the pain in his leg. The man landed on his side exposing the crossbow bolt that was sticking out of his back.
Oh… Theo knew without checking that Berik was dying. His sense of the man’s body was beginning to fade as though he was getting further away, despite being motionless right next to him. Theo knelt and gripped the man’s hand in his, intending to haul him back to his feet.
Berik resisted his attempt. “Promise…me…somethin,” the man barely had the breath left to speak.
Theo squeezed the his hand gently, realizing that there was nothing he could do, “Whatever it is, I will do my best.” Theo felt his heart tighten. For the first time in his life, he was going to watch a man die. He felt the heavy weight of failure and sadness come pressing down on his shoulders and forced himself to look into Berik’s eyes.
“Promise me…promise me that ya will…that ya will find my wife n daughter,” Berik’s gaze took on an urgency and he squeezed Theo’s hand in a death grip. “Promise,” Berik hissed.
“I promise,” Theo said, squeezing Berik’s hand in return.
Berik sighed deeply and seemed to relax, “Go…can’t keep yer promise…if they catch ya.” The man’s hand relaxed, going limp, sliding from Theo’s grip.
Jayson burst from his apartment door and threw his arms around Theo. “You were really starting to worry me,” he leaned back, holding Theo at arm’s length and grinning.
“He’s dead…”
“What? Who?” Jayson’s grin turned into a worried frown as he spotted the darker stains of dried blood on Theo’s disguise. “Saints, Theo, you’re bleeding.”
“I failed, Jayson. I found him, but I couldn’t save him…I, I couldn’t…” The world was starting to spin, and Theo was having trouble focusing on his words. Jayson glanced down the street in both directions, then guided Theo inside the apartment.
“Let’s get you out of those clothes and see how bad it is.”
Theo complied, his eyes fluttering closed and open again as Jayson sat him in a chair. Every movement felt sluggish, like he was swimming in endless black soup. Jayson pulled the shirt off over Theo’s head. He grabbed a wet cloth and began wiping around the wound on Theo’s side. It hurt, but the pain seemed distant, muted.
“What happened?” Jayson said as he examined the wound. Theo did his best to explain the events, but everything was coming out as a jumble. He wasn't sure if he was making any sense.
He finished and Jayson looked at him for a moment, then said, “At least you are alive.”
It was the last thing Theo remembered.
Chapter 2
A nibbling on his nose woke Theo from the dark pit of dreamless sleep. His hand reflexively snapped up, slapping away whatever was tickling his face. There was a tiny growl and then the sound of claws scratching on wood.
Theo blinked several times, trying to clear the fog of sleep from his vision and mind. Sunlight came through the window in a wide square beam, highlighting a section of the floor.
He pushed himself up to sitting, feeling a throbbing in his side, and looked down to see a thick bandage wrapped around his shirtless body. He lifted away some of the bandage, revealing a healing wound that had been sewn together with fine thread.
What...Theo squeezed his eyes shut and tried to remember. It was like navigating mist-filled woods at midnight, but slowly, details began to appear: Arriving at Alanthos; the party; Mustane and his attacker; Theo’s attempt at rescue; and finally stumbling back to the apartment, slowly bleeding out.
The man, Berik. I failed. He remembered evading the guards as he moved through the manor hallways, how he had felt so capable, how he thought he had the skill to save the man. That illusion had shattered like a rock through a window. Idiot. Theo shared the name Anamanth with the legendary hero Soel Anamanth, but that was where the similarities ended. He wasn’t even a trained solider or watchman. He was the son of a disgraced nobleman, barely out of his teens. Should be happy I’m still breathing at all.
Theo groaned as he hauled himself out of bed. His body felt like a hornjaw had delivered a solid kick and then pulled a fully-loaded cart over him. His legs shook as they took his full weight and he had to brace a hand on the wall for support as he rubbed sleep from his eyes with the other. He felt the cyvoth cub brush against him and looked down.
The animal’s body was tense as it sniffed him but didn’t run when Theo moved his legs.
Theo bent down, wincing as he reached for the cub’s head. It shrank back a step, but accepted his scratches, relaxing into a rumbling purr as he rubbed it behind the ears. What was it Jayson called you? “Ribbon. Right, because of the bedding,” Theo glanced back at his bed. The bedding was all fresh, with no sign of scratches. His eyes narrowed. When had that been replaced? The rest of the room was clean as well. There was no sign of broken pottery and the bookshelf was neatly filled. His eyes moved to the standing mirror next to the shelf. He frowned and looked away, not liking the thin, pale, red-haired man that looked back.
“Ow! Hey!”
The cyvoth had taken an exploratory bite of his big toe. Theo yanked his foot away, lost his balance and fell back onto the bed, startling Ribbon who darted underneath.
“Theo?” It was Jayson’s voice, coming from somewhere in his apartment. A moment later his friend appeared, looking a bit more disheveled than the last time Theo had seen him. “Theo, I heard you shouting. You alright?”
“Was I out all night?” Theo looked at the angle of the sunlight coming through the window. Late morning at least.
“Not all night.”
Theo rubbed his forehead, “Having trouble remembering much.”
“Theo, you’ve been unconscious for almost two days.”
“What?” Theo looked at Jayson. He could see his friend was serious. “That bad?”
“You lost a good amount of blood. I was starting to worry a bit. Maybe now that you’ve done things your way, you’ll actually listen to my advice.”
“I’ll think about it,” Theo grunted, giving his friend a weak grin.
Jayson gave him a sour look that slowly became a smile. “Well, no point in dwelling on our failures. You’re alive and healthy—well, getting there anyway. And you’re awake, just in time to help me with some errands.”
“Errands. Exciting,” Theo said dryly.pans
“Come on. You’ve been sleeping more than Ribbon. And trust me, he really can sleep. If only he would do it during the night like the rest of us.”
“Been nibbling on you too?”
