A Flight of Ravens by John Conroe (thriller books to read TXT) 📗

under the grate before the oak door was half open, standing up almost in Brent’s face.

“Let’s go,” I said, not willing to wait for Brona’s mysterious signal.

Suddenly a muted roar shook the entire dungeon, bits of dust falling from the ceiling.  Okay, maybe not so mysterious at all, just standard Cort-type stuff.

Chapter 35

His few days of care at the hands of Egg and his assistants didn’t seem to have harmed Brent. In fact, I would say it may have added a bit of fire to his spirit.

At the end of our row of cells, which were all empty, the gate was shut and locked.  I had taken just enough time to remove Brona’s key from my cell door and when I tried it on the old lock, it turned it over easily. We relocked it behind us, then paused to take our bearings.  The row of high security cells was at the very end of a long corridor with rows of cells running off it.  I knew that most of the other cells were of the group sort, holding anywhere from three to ten inmates at a time.  Another blast above us rocked the corridor and the prisoners cried out as we hustled to the next gateway.  I was worried about this one because it was always manned with royal guards—except now, it wasn’t.  There wasn’t a single soldier in sight, and it looked like the men on duty had left in a hurry, a chair had been knocked over and the visitor logbook (a new one) had fallen to the stone floor.

Once again, the master key unlocked the barrier in front of us and the stairwell ahead looked clear.  We started up, and I found my legs were still stiff and uncoordinated from the knockout dart venom.  Brent started to pull ahead of me, but that wasn’t going to happen.  I bore down and forced my reluctant limbs to move faster, working on sheer willpower at first.  Then my gait smoothed out and I took the steps two and three at a time, catching up to my young Shadow-in-training.

We started to hear yelling from above as we climbed higher, then the sounds of steel on steel.  The main door to the ground floor was open and we burst out into a scene of mayhem.  A body lay on the floor just outside the stairwell, a guardsman, and I stopped to grab his sword, tossing my knife to Brent.  People were rushing about by the administrative offices; secretaries, couriers, petitioners all in a panic.

I headed to Brona’s office first but found just Marda, who was locking doors and cabinets.

“Where is she?  What’s happened?” I demanded.

“She’s okay.  Out in the castle, directing the action. She took some… steps, and it forced Slinch into hasty action,” she said.  “He sent a pair of Ravens.  Salis killed one and your little Rose took the second from behind, fast and slick as anything.”  She shook her head.  “Looked terrified and timid one second, then furious the next.  Fooled even me; she was just suddenly all over him like a damned fisher.”

“That’s what the lads and I call her.  Fisher. Rose is too sweet a name for that hellcat,” Brent said.

I turned to leave but Marda called out some final words.  “The king was attacked too.  He’s been sorely wounded.”

I turned and met her eyes for a second before heading out the door.  When we reached the castle’s main entryway, I found a mix of royal guardsmen and Shadows manning the doorways.

“Kisen, report,” I ordered the first Shadow I came across.

“Her Highness sent a messenger to Hemppe and he activated all of our people, Captain. Happened about when you was arrested by the king.  We got into the castle, but the birds had already struck.  Little Rosie and the princess’s bodyguard did for a couple of black birds.  We secured the office wing and, on her orders, took after the other Ravens.  Slinch was with the king and I think it was him that stuck His Majesty a good one before taking off.  We’re searching the castle, and Herself has taken command.  She’s in the king’s quarters with Doc.”

“We heard Cort at work. What was that about?”

“Some Ravens barricaded themselves in the throne room.  Herself ordered the doors breached,” the old Shadow said with a grin.  “He’s always wanted to blow up something in the castle.”

That was true.  Cort had a thing about heavy doors, like they were all direct challenges to his skills.

“The guards?” I asked.  The one with Kisen frowned but my Shadow paid him no attention.

“She’s cleared all of these.  Seems to know damned well which ones went bad.”

“Carry on. Brent, you’re still with me,” I said, heading up the main staircase to the second floor.  There were signs of fighting but not a lot, just some blood spatters and a few dropped weapons as we approached the king’s quarters.  A brace of royal guards shifted nervously as we approached but Urso was standing with them, his heavy axe resting casually on one big shoulder.  “Ease up, lads. That’s the captain,” he rumbled, patting a guard sergeant on the back and almost knocking him down.

I moved past them with a nod to Urso and headed straight into King Helat’s bedchamber.

Dr. Eltienne and several of his people were working on His Majesty, while my princess stood back watching their actions closely.  Salis, her left arm bandaged and her Wenkroy sword in her right, moved our way as we entered, but the sword tip dropped toward the ground as her eyes met mine.  Rose stood on Brona’s other side, her pretty yellow dress stained scarlet in so many places that I at first thought some of it might be hers. Seneschal Torqness stood nearby, as did Colonel Erser.

Brona turned immediately my way.  “Slinch himself did this,” she said.  She was clenching her jaw and her blue eyes had gone icy.  “He and that woman observer of his, Fontina, are still on the