“He is not a prisoner,” Arikstated. “He is just a troublesome servant that needs to be kept outof my hair for a while. You need not even trouble yourself withgetting up. I will shove him in a cell.”
“Nobody goes into the cellblock without one of us,” the guard stated as he rose. “Servant orprisoner, he gets the same from me either way.”
Arik began to fear that Tedi would besearched. Without his tools, this whole charade would be wasted andpossibly worse if they found the lock picks Tedi had on him. Theguard pointed the way and followed them into the cellblock. Arik’sheart dropped when he saw no other prisoners in thecells.
Arik stopped and turned to the guard.“Is there a cell with a neighbor?” Arik asked. “This lout’s snoringwill add some punishment to the culprit’s torment.”
The guard laughed heartily and pointedArik and Tedi towards another cellblock. “You have the makings of aRoyal Tormentor, lad. The way you think makes me warm allover.”
The guard let them walk down thecorridor until they came to a cell next to another prisoner andushered Tedi in and locked the door. The man in the cell next toTedi looked too young to be the General.
The guard turned to Arik. “Now that wehave your friend locked up,” the guard laughed, “you’ll come withme and answer some questions.”
Arik’s stomach turned as he looked atthe massive guard with the wicked grin.
Chapter 20
Lady Wason
Tedi craned his neck in an attempt tosee into the other cells in the block, but he was unable to seeanyone other than the man in the next cell. Quietly, for a while,he pondered his options. He was supposed to talk with the Generaland arrange his escape, but if the man in the next cell was notSergeant Trank, who was General Gregor’s aide, he would call thejailers called down on him in a moment.
“What is your name?” Tedihesitantly asked.
The man looked at him and pointedlyignored him. Tedi wasn’t sure what the dungeon guards had up theirsleeve with their last comment to Arik, but he didn’t have a lot oftime to deal with his neighbor’s reluctance to talk.
“I had a cousin who looked alot like you,” Tedi probed. “People often told him that he lookedlike General Gregor’s aide. Say, you wouldn’t happen to be SergeantTrank, would you?”
“You wouldn’t even know anyonewho had ever seen a General’s aide,” the neighbor sneered. “Whydon’t you do us both a favor and let me get some rest? Tell DukeEverich he will have to come up with a better scheme than sendingyou in here, so save your breath.”
Tedi was taken back at the man’shostile attitude, but clearly the Duke wanted something from thisman and, just as clearly, this man didn’t want to give it. Tedi wasgoing to get nowhere fast following his coy littleapproach.
“I don’t know if you areSergeant Trank or not,” Tedi gambled, “but my gut instinct tells methat you are. I do not work for the Duke, but I do need to talk tothe General. I was hoping that they would put me in the cell nextto him.”
The man’s hostility seemed abated andTedi bet his life on his next statement. “I was told to tell theGeneral that I was sent by Garth Shado to affect hisrelease.”
The man stared at Tedi for the longestmoment without speaking. After rolling something around in hismind, the man asked, “Who told you to say Garth Shado sentyou?”
“Garth himself,” Tedianswered. “He is a tall man, extremely well-built with long blackhair in a tail. He called General Gregor his cousin and travelswith a woman named Kalina. Does that satisfy you that I am tellingthe truth?”
“Not hardly,” the man laughed.“This friend of his, Kalina, she has a special trick she likes topull on new acquaintances. Surely, if you ever met her you wouldknow of it. What is the trick?
Tedi had no idea what the man wastalking about. Kalina had done nothing that stood out as awelcoming trick. How would he be able to convince the man withoutknowing her trick? In desperation, he threw up hishands.
“How am I supposed to knowanything about her tricks?” Tedi blurted out. “I don’t knowanything about magic and everything a witch does is a trick to me.What trick are you talking about?”
Oddly, the man smiled. “Witch is a veryderogatory term,” the man scolded. “I wouldn’t be surprised ifKalina filled your sleeping bag with worms for that statement. Howdo you plan to get the General out of the Royal Palace? Just waltzhim past the dungeon guards?”
“That is for me to discusswith the General,” stated Tedi. “You still haven’t told me who youare or where they are keeping the General.”
“You are a brave fool,”chuckled the man. “I see no harm in admitting that I am SergeantTrank and that the General is in the last cell down. The Dukedidn’t want me close enough to him to converse. You will have aspoor luck in trying to talk with him as you have of getting him outof here, now that you are stuck being my neighbor.”
“We shall see about that,”boasted Tedi. “We plan on getting you out, as well. Let me know bywhistling if you hear the guards coming.”
Tedi moved to the cell door and pulledhis picks out of a pouch. The cell doors were not very hard tounlock and he finished it quickly. The real protection of thedungeon lay in the three guards. One would have to get past themand they normally searched their prisoners. Tedi, of course, wasonly a guest. Quickly and silently, he made his way along thecorridor to the last cell. Looking into the cell he saw an old, butwell fit, man with gray hair that was sitting on his bunk staringat him.
“General Gregor,” Tedi saidquietly, Garth Shado sent me to get you out of here.” Even while hewas talking, he was working the lock on the General’sdoor.
“Save your breath, son,” theGeneral replied. “I have no doubt that you and Garth mean well, butI will not endanger Alcea soldiers to make my escape and that isthe only way that I can think of to get past theguards.”
Tedi withdrew a tin of dye and a ragand handed it to the General. “We will not harm anyone in gettingyou and the Sergeant out,” Tedi promised. “Use this dye on yourhair and don’t leave the cell. If the guards come to check on you,pretend you are sleeping and keep your head covered.”
Tedi moved quickly back to theSergeant’s cell and picked the door lock before retreating backinto his own cell. Tedi sat down on his bunk and tried to hide thefact that he was shaking with the fear of discovery.
* * * *
The massive guard ordered Arik to sitat the small table where he and the other guard had been when Arikand Tedi entered the dungeon.
“Now,” the guard growled, “theDuke may think you are a Cidal Mercenary, but I surely don’t. I’vedrank with the Captain’s men and their uniforms don’t look likeyours, especially that soft hat. Every mercenary who I know wears ahelmet same as we do. You probably don’t even know the Captain’sname. What game are you up to, lad, and who are we holding as aguest in our cells?”
“Game?” Arik got out in anoffended tone. “You think being a member of Lord’s Wason’s personalguard is a game? Don’t let my young looks fool you. Three othersand I were chosen from the ranks of Captain Grecho’s company forthe honor of serving Lord Wason. If I have to prove myself to aTargan dungeon guard, you can well believe that I amready.”
The last was said with Arik’s hand onhis sword hilt and the guard was taken aback. If Arik was who hesaid he was, the guard was not about to spill the blood of a Lord’spersonal guard and, on second look, he realized the lad was finelyfit to be wearing some uniform. He placed his firm hand on Arik’sshoulder. “Don’t get riled up, lad,” the guard said. “I’ve neverheard of Lord Wason, but it is obvious that you do know CaptainGrecho. You can’t blame me for being suspicious, that’s myjob.”
“I’m sorry,” Arik replied ashe felt the tension lessen. “I have had to train twice as hard asthe rest of the men to prove myself because of my youthfulappearance. I guess I am a little touchy about it. Lord Wason wasthe old sailor’s nephew. Lord Alrecht died recently and Lord Wasonhas a good rapport with Captain Grecho. When he asked for apersonal guard, the Captain not only readily agreed, he held acontest to see who would be chosen. I am very proud of the softhat, which I wear. It is a symbol of my expertise.”