Chapter VI: Cloaks and Daggers [2]

Traversing the vibrant streets squeezed between the Autumn District dedicated for the yeomanry and the poorer Summer District for the peasantry, paving the way towards the robust citadel in the form of the Duke's castle– situated as the nexus of all four districts– Night Owl and Kursoe managed to finally pass through the portcullis heavily guarded by sentries from the City Watch in place of the Duke's elite retinue who had gone to war with him. Devoid of any form of verbal attempts from the commander, Night Owl marveled through the courtyard littered with an ornament of structures: stable, smithy, barracks, servant quarters and other service buildings inside the bailey. Once they marched through the training grounds filled with practice dummies made of straw and cloth, Night Owl finally snapped and insisted to ask, "What does Lord Varus wanted to do with me?"

"Patience, young man," Kursoe retorted, not even bothered to turn around. "You shall find soon enough."

Entering the inner courtyard, they were greeted by the spectacle offered by the intricate garden encompassing a large fountain depicting a statue of a multi-layered raven's nest spouting a seemingly endless stream of water, the garden being filled with flowers for aesthetics common enough for higher nobility, as well as vegetation as food sources for castle dwellers and rare herbs for practical applications in potion brewing and alchemy located at the more secluded parts of the area. The mere sight of the garden was a testament of the massive wealth, influence, and stature of the castle's master, being bested only by the Royal monarch. Although being one of his liege's closest retainers and a member of his personal entourage before when actual field work had still not taken a liking to him, Night Owl had only strolled for the first time in the Duke's castle, having his residence at the quarters of his lord's castle located outside the city itself, known also to be the headquarters of the Order of the Raven Knights.

The pair of guardians with gambeson and mail beneath the tabard emblazoned with the crest of House Walruse who safeguarded the large wooden door that served as the entryway towards the impressive and massive interior of Walruse Castle exchanged a few words with the commander before letting them in, whilst Night Owl remained three steps behind from them, seemingly enraptured by the garden illuminated through the light of the full moon. The groaning of the old yet sturdy door made Night Owl finally redirect his attention, stepping inside the corridor adorned with tapestries of great battles, portraits of previous household heads, carpets and curtains of vivid hue, sets of well-crafted blades and armor, and other luxurious items, Night Owl cannot help but compare his master's castle with his father's, only for the former's holdings to pale in comparison. After several twists and turns upon the intertwining passages from the entrance up to the great hall for a few minutes, the two men finally reached another door resembling the entrance, leading the way to the castle's audience hall.

"We are here, Renkou," Kursoe announced. "But it is quite odd, I do remember seeing two guards stationed here a while ago."

Renkou felt a sudden chill run down his spine, taking note of the place's bizarre tranquility, adding the commander's remark to his initial trance changing to a near skeptical attitude towards the castle. "Old man, how many guards does Lord Varus have?" Night Owl asked with a grim face, suspiciously, slowly resting his palm on the scabbard behind his back accommodating his shortsword, as if preparing for combat.

"At least two knights at any given moment. But we should not be jumping conclusions. Drawing your weapon in the audience hall is a grave offense even by accident."

"Do we just knock, then, or?"

"The Lord Chamberlain should have been here to guide us and announce our presence, and yet he is nowhere to be found. Nor have I seen any servants while making our way here–" Night Owl rested an ear upon the thick door in front of them, earning a quizzical look from Kursoe, halting his sentence at the same instant. "And what might you be doing, Renkou?"

Night Owl shushed him whilst he remained quiet himself, ignoring the prying look on Kursoe's face. Night Owl wrapped his senses to penetrate the thick surface of the door, focusing in the slightest hint of noises. No more than a few seconds, he tensed, picking up on something demanding of caution. "On your feet, old man!" Night Owl exclaimed, a phrase usually uttered by the person he was addressing. "It might be a faint sound, but I hear blades being drawn."

No sooner than he said that, Kursoe unsheathed his longsword, bursting the door open with ardent haste, as if waking the slumbering warrior inside of him. Night Owl drawn his weapon, too, assuming an offensive stance. Blood boiling and poised for battle, the two of them searched the chamber for signs of hostility, and found it unmistakably.

Standing beside the throne was a man in regal clothing, sword drawn and wore an indignant demeanor towards his situation. At his flanks were a pair of knights in plate armor, one of them badly injured already, while the other one was panting hard in search of breath. Encompassing the three men were over a dozen hooded figures with daggers and crossbows, their bloodlust evident as they engaged with the knights protecting the noble. The moment the door flung open to reveal Night Owl and Kursoe, half of the assailants turned.

"Assassins," Kursoe muttered under his breath.

"The four of you, go welcome the visitors!" one of the assassins bellowed, presumably the leader, gesturing for his comrades to take care of the nuisance Night Owl and Kursoe presented.

"My lord, are you hurt?!" Kursoe shouted, disregarding the threat from the assassin leader while posing a defensive stance against the charging opponents. The possibility of him not being heard by the other side was not slim, hence the lack of response, but that only made their situation more precarious and critical.

Night Owl was the first one to clash blades with the forthcoming assassins, wasting no time for the others to reach him. Lunging forward with his shortsword gripped at the his left arm, he parried the oncoming strike of the first attacker, then made a counter as he pulled a dagger from a hidden strap beneath his tunic, finding its mark towards the throat of the assassin without difficulty. Despite not wearing any sort of armor for protection like his ally, the lack of weight on his body allowed Night Owl for fluidity and precise movements, making his moves to resemble that of a trained assassin's, much like his aggressors. Proceeding to his next opponents, he fought two of the assassins at a time aggressively with quick jabs from his dagger, followed by swift maneuvers that took his adversaries off guard. While battling his opponents, Night Owl shifted his gaze from the old knight to the noble and his guards.

Although not as zealous as Night Owl, Kursoe was faring good against his lone assailant quite fairly, trading blows with the assassin while sustaining no damage as the brunt of the attack was well received by his plate armor, yet still careful for his opponent to not find any weak spot to exploit. It did not take too long for him to defeat the man he was faced off, beheading him with a carefully placed lethal strike.

Meanwhile, after killing all the three hindrances he took upon to handle, Night Owl saw that the two knights guarding the nobleman were already incapacitated, yet he was not certain whether they were killed or simply laying unconscious from their sustained injuries, though the latter was less likely for an assassin's job was usually not one to spare. As the leader turned to see his subordinates' failure, he cursed and ordered his men to make a retreat, yet not without claiming their prize.

"Let's make a run for it, men. Take the hostage!" the assassin leader yelled.

"No you won't, scoundrels!" retorted the commander, sprinting all his might amidst the toll on his age and the weight of his armor. "Renkou, hurry up and protect Lord Varus."

Night Owl paced as well, more swiftly than the aging knight. As he closed the distance between him and the assassins, half of them blocked his way, while the other half knocked the lord unconscious and dragged him away from the throne without as much as a struggle. Night Owl dodged many strikes while countering with his own blows, and a few seconds passed, Kursoe had also joined him, retaliating with the leader's henchmen. Although the assassins were not exactly formidable by his own standards, Night Owl still took more than a whole minute even with the help of the City Watch commander, failing to notice that the remaining enemies had approached the window, with Lord Varus in tow.

Much to their dismay, they both heard the tinkling noise as one of the assassins smashed the pane of glass violently to make their route of escape, the assassins taking turns to cross the window one at the time. As a protest, the two knights quickened into a dash upon the prospect of losing Lord Varus. Upon seeing their advances, however, one of the assassins aimed his crossbow towards the less armored Night Owl to deny his attempts, but unfortunately for the attacker, he was able deflect the bolt without even so much as a stop. However, even their quick, decisive response were not enough to pave way for a successful charge, as the four mysterious figures vanished after reaching the outside sans even a silhouette to follow, much to their disappointment.

"We should alarm your men and organize a search party," Night Owl calmly suggested, sheathing his blades. "They should not be that far from here."

"Agreed," Kursoe replied, catching his breath. "I reckon the Duke would not be pleased once the news reach him, regardless if we were able to recover Lord Varus in time for his return."

"Believe me, that would be the last thing you would be worrying should his lordship's hunches were to happen," Night Owl said, almost a whisper to himself rather that an address to Kursoe.

"What is that?"

"No, nothing. I must have been thinking my thoughts out loud."

BAM… BAM… BAM…

The moment Night Owl uttered the words, a series of simultaneous tintinnabulation was heard, staggering them both from their feet. The clanging of the belfry indicated not of the hourly reminder, nor the evening prayer, but an alarm for an impending attack. As the commander of the city's garrison– more commonly referred to as the City Watch– Kursoe of all people should know what the rapid rhythm signified. Already preoccupied with the abduction of the Duke's heir, he was slowly becoming dismissive of the said incident at the likelihood of the city being threatened of a siege.

Dumbfounded, Kursoe heard a remark he least expected from Night Owl to make, "Speak of the devil. That damn cur really did come!"

"Renkou, what are you…?"

* * *

Dusk had came amidst the half-ruined town of Flendle, smoke filling the air as buckets of water were being drifted from one man to the next, upon the stream of the arms of grieving townsfolk dousing the remaining fiery tinge of the burnt down structures. Scorched carcasses had bestrewn the once animated town district that used to welcome merchants and travelers, a great toll upon the economic potential of the prominent trading hub. Walking passed the environs was a pair of lord and knight.

"The soldiers have started looting the bodies of the deceased enemies right after the news of the chief-thane's death reached the town, m'lord," Frenda said as she walked behind Velmund, who was immersed on gazing upon the devastation brought by the wake of battle, which was partly due to his own doing. "Just say the word and I would ask them to stop. The rest of the Raven Knights are also asking what to do with the possessions of the dead and captured tribesmen at their main camp."

"The townsmen are free to despoil the bodies of the dead, I would allow it," he answered almost dismissively, maintaining a neutral expression. "Order the Raven Knights to gather the other spoils and deliver it to the lord's manor, an initial reparation for the immediate repairment of the town. However, exclude the weapons and horses, I want the former be stored at the supply wagons, and the latter be distributed among the men-at-arms as a reward."

"Consider it done, m'lord. How about the army, should I disband the militia and send the other troops back to their lords' fiefs?"

"Not yet. We never know when we might need them. Roads during these times are dangerous, after all," Velmund smirked uncharacteristically of him, almost in a jest.

Frenda was unsure of whether to take his remark seriously. Bandits and Ill-spawns were certainly not uncommon for travelers on the road, but it did not take an army to fend off an attack of such petty scale. At the back of her mind, however, she knew not to question him as his actions were never without meaning when it comes to matters concerning his lordly duties.

"And the captives, m'lord?"

"Take them with us. Make sure that all of them are disarmed, yet instruct our men not to treat them poorly. War prisoners or no, foreign guests must be treated with respect. We depart on the morrow for the city. But before we leave, tell the mayor to prepare a pyre for the dead, even for the Norsmundi. Additionally, advise him to dismantle the stone bridge for a wooden drawbridge, preferably be made of Elven oak, to strengthen the town's defenses against future raids and sieges. With the construction of an iron portcullis to boot. Assure him as well that I shall confer with my father to negotiate for the repair funds for the town. It is my fault that half of the town had been reduced to ashes, after all."

"I shall carry out your orders," Frenda saluted.

"One more thing. The Raven Knights have left some enemies to report back to Norsmund, yes?"

"Indeed, Lord Jurelle has informed me that a few dozen men have escaped, bound to the river."

"I see. Well, then, tell the others to rest once they are done upon their duties. Be ready to move at dawn."