Henry emerged from his thoughts just in time. The top end of the ladder leaned against the battlement with a light tap. The two men who were lifting it with great effort wiped their sweaty foreheads and gripped it tightly again. The other pair of men began to climb up, after checking the position of the guards above to make sure they wouldn't see them. Henry and Sir Capon watched them grimly. Earlier that day, when they had been making plans with Sir Robard, there had been an argument (one of many) about who would go up the walls first. Henry and Hans Capon both had insisted that it would be them, although each had had a different reason. Henry had been driven by the desire to free his father - he would have liked to be everywhere to make sure that nothing would go wrong. Capon had longed for his uncle's approval and believed that the easiest way to obtain it was through heroic deeds, like storming the enemy walls. However, Sir Robard had been worried about the hot-head edness of them both and had resolutely put his foot down. So now they were crouched near the ladder a wait ing a signal. It seemed like an eternity but then: "Finally," s aid Sir Capon, showing his elbow into Henry and pointing to a hand with a torch waving from a gap in the battlement. T he nobleman then waited for nothing and rushed toward the ladder so that Henry would not overtake him. Henry made sure his dagger was secure in its scabbard and then followed Hans Capon. One other man climbed the ladder behind him. The last one was supposed to stay behind on guard.
Up on the walls, they parted. The first pair of men headed for the southern wall that led around the residential palace. Henry, Sir Capon and the last member of their group, named Peter, headed north toward the gate. When they passed two limp bodies, Henry barely looked at them. He knew they would not rise up again. During their meeting, everyone had agreed almost immediately that they would not take prisoners. They had to be fast and they had to be quiet. And the surest way to silence a man was stabbing a dagger in his throat.
Henry went first. He stopped at a corner and stuck his head out carefully to look ahead. Then he jumped and quickly jerked his head back. "There are two of them, just as Zdenek said," he whispered. "But one of them is going towards us!" The three of them hesitated for a few seconds, looking at each other. Henry recovered first. "If he comes this far, I'll catch him and pull him over here. Sir Capon will make sure that he doesn't struggle too much. You, Peter, will watch the other one and if he hears us, you'll take care of him immediately," he said in a rush. There was only enough time for a quick nod; the man had just come out from behind the wall.
But luck was on their side. The guard did not turn immediately. He continued straight on, apparently wanting to look over the battlements. But he didn't make it that far. Two quick steps and Henry was upon him. He covered the man's mouth with one hand, wrapped the other one around his neck and squeezed hard. Then he dragged the guard back so that they were covered by a wall. The man was so surprised by the sudden attack that, at first, he had frozen completely and that cost him his life. Before he could defend himself properly, Sir Capon was standing next to him and grabbed his hands. Henry then squeezed the man's neck harder and jerked his head sharply to the side and back. The man wheezed and after a while the crack of a broken neck could be heard. Unfortunately, this movement loosened the iron hat that, up to this moment, had miraculously held on his head. Only Capon's swift reaction prevented the metallic ringing that a falling hat would have made upon a collision with the ground. Frightened looks met over the man's bare head.
While the two of them had been struggling with the first man, Peter decided not to wait. He confidently made his way toward the other guard. He counted on the man to consider the sound of his feet as belonging to his returning comrade. When he heard a clink behind him, he sped up. In the light of the man's torch, Peter noticed the absence of a ring hood or a helmet, so he drew his dagger. When he was within reach, the guard suddenly turned. The man's eyes bulged out and his mouth opened to scream. Peter quickly thrust his weapon and stabbed the man under his chin and than pulled it to the side, cutting his artery. The man staggered back and crashed into the battlements. Then Peter caught him and laid him on the ground.
When the three of them met again, none of them spoke. Their eyes were wide, they were breathing fast, and their hearts were pounding. They just stood there for a moment, listening for the sound of alarm. They had made some noise, but it seemed to went unnoticed. When the adrenaline rush subsided, Sir Capon patted Henry on the back.
"I must say, Henry, I've heard a lot about you, I've seen you beat men in tournaments, but breaking men's neck with bare hands? That's not something you see every day!" The nobleman praised Henry in an excited whisper.
"Well… ehm, thank you, sir," stammered Henry still a bit in daze. He couldn't quite believe what he had just done. He had killed many men before, but never without a weapon. Being older and more experienced, Peter let the two young men to calm down a bit and then suggested they move the body lying on the ground nearby. They dragged him to the guardhouse above the gate. They successfully overcame the first obstacle, but the harder part was yet to come.
Sir Robard was not especially pious man. Of course, he was a proper Christian and attended Mass as often as his duties allowed, but in everyday life he liked to rely on his own abilities rather than invoking God and passively waiting for what would happen. But that night, he prayed. He didn't kneel, he was too nervous for that. He was pacing and every now and then he sent glances toward Talmberg and prayers to heavens. Sir Hanush and Sir Divish also did not sleep. They sat in Divish's tent, drank wine and their thoughts were turned to God. Well, Hanush was also thinking about what would he write to Capon's mother should the young nobleman die tonight.
According to the captured messenger, two men were to guard the inner courtyard. So far, everything had been as described by the prisoner, which had Henry somewhat reassured, but it did not mean that he would lose all caution. He waited on the steps at the gate for a guard to return, the one walking the courtyard on the ground. Capon and Peter were supposed to sneak around him and get rid of the man on the gallery. Henry had his dagger ready in hand. This man also had no neck protection, as he had noticed when the guard had walked to the gate for the first time.
Finally a light appeared. The flame illuminated the stones in the arch of the gate. Henry watched intently as the man walked by. He was ready to jump after him if he looked in his direction. But the guard looked straight ahead. When he reached the gate, Henry expected him to turn around and go back again. Instead, the man set down his torch, then untied the front of his trousers and began to urinate, eyes fixed on the wall in front of him. Henry did not hesitate, he could not miss such an opportunity. Conveniently, the guard stood with his back to him. A few inaudible steps, a hand pressed to a mouth and a sharp blade ran across the man's neck. The body immediately dropped, like a puppet with its strings cut. Henry caught him at the last moment and laid him on the ground. Then he quickly blocked the poor devil's mouth again, as the man began to make wheezing, bubbling noises and his whole body shook. Henry knelt there with his hands on the man's face, staring straight ahead so he wouldn't have to look at the man's bare body, or perhaps accidentally look into the dying man's eyes. He didn't care much for either. After a moment that seemed more like an eternity to him, the movement stopped. Henry got up quickly and walked away.
As soon as he calmed down again, he walked slowly to the courtyard. He clung to the wall of the house he had slept in when he had visited Talmberg for the first time. He stopped at the corner and listened. The guard's rattling steps were still audible but then, suddenly, they fell silent. Instead, there was a clang and a muffled moan, ending after a while with a wet gurgling sound. And then there was silence again. Henry was convinced that someone must have heard them this time. That the door would open soon and a gang of armed men would break into the courtyard and their plans would come to an end. But nothing happened. Sir Capon and Peter soon joined him. The young nobleman had dark blotches on his pale cheeks and a slightly wide-eyed look. Henry dared to hug him briefly, awkwardly. He felt the young man needed it. And he wasn't wrong.
"This one was hopefully the last," Hans Capon whispered after he broke free of Henry's grasp. "It will be easy from now on."
AN:This one wasn't so bad... I think. More action, less thoughts - less opportunities for mistaken tenses and other stuff. Still, I suppose there are some problems. Would anyone care to point them out to me?