"Rohan, handsome one.."
The three knights were hiding in the woods, with Temra castle in plain sight. They lay belly down on the grass, obscuring themselves from the view of the guards. Aideen had accomponied them and cirkled the setting to help her friends enter unnoticed.
"This way," she beckoned. Deirde, Rohan and Ivar followed suite, continuesly looking over their shoulders. They were moving around in clear daylight and the grounds were swarming with towns people trying to sell their goods. There were a large number of soldiers scurrying about, which indicated that Maeve was expecting a counter attack from the remaining Mystic knights. They were taking a large risk, but it was the only risk they could take. They had dressed themselves down in dark simple fabrics. The mystic weapons were hid from vision under their thick cloaks, ready to be pulled out later that day.
"Aideen, you're taking us to the main gate," Ivar suddenly whispered. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
The fairy stopped to hover in one place. "Well, not completely sure..". Ivar and Rohan simultaneously raised their eyebrows. Deirdre sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. "Explain yourself, Aideen, are we walking into a death trap?"
Aideen narrowed her eyes and tapped her lowerlip with her indexfinger. "I do think it's your best option, of that I'm sure. The main gate is not heavier guarded than usual, opposed to all the other entrances. Now look.." She flew slightly forward and pointed toward the draw bridge. "Because of the drought the water has almost dampened completely. If you lower yourself into the canal right there," Aideen now pointed to the right side of the castle: "you can climb up on the bridge, right behind the backs of the guards."
Rohan bit his lip, quickly thinking the whole plan over, before saying: "Right. Great plan Aideen. If we ever need a sixth knight, eh?" Aideen's wings seemed to glow at Draganta's comment. Newly re-ensured, she led the way to the castle closely followed by Rohan, Deirdre and Ivar.
o0o
A pain he never knew excisted had seared through his body. Angus had screamed at first, loud, long cries, but the showing of his agony was now reduced to silent tears continuesly streaming over his face.
Maeve looked down at the Mystic knight of Earth. A worthy opponent he once was, but there didn't seem to be much of his fighting spirit left now. The former thief lay in a fetal position in the middle of the throne room floor: his arms clutched to his chest, his knees drawn up. She had single handedly turned a warrior into a whimpering child, who would beg for his life if he had the chance. However she would not allow it, sending him one poisonous spell after another, making his body squirm and jerk.
She had never used her powers for something as simple as physical torture, and she was amazed how satisfactory it was. Maeve was sure Mider would disapprove if he would see, so she had moved the chalice to a near room.
The queen raised her staff once again and Angus's eyes widened in horror. Before she could start her next enchantment, she was interrupted by her captain.
"My queen..", Torc bowed, and when he raised his head he was pleasantly surprised at what he saw. He would not say this out loud, but torture was a method he would've used on the knights long ago if he had had the chance. He was glad to see his queen resolve to a more traditional method.. in a less conventional way.
"What is it Torc!", she asked sharply, not leaving her eyes from her victim's body.
"The three other knights have been spotted not far from here. They are probably very near the castle right now."
Maeve smiled to herself: this was exactly what she expected the knights to do. "Tell your guards not to act when they stand face to face with the knights. Let them enter all the way to here. However, they won't find what they came for..". Evil shone through her eyes, an all too familiair look Torc had learned to know and appreciate. Whatever it was his queen was plotting, he would admire her for it.
"I want a carriage to be prepared and Garrett and Angus brought to the stables. I will be down there in a few moments to give further instructions."
While a few soldiers dragged the barely conscious Knight of Earth away, Maeve turned to Torc for one more request. "After I leave here, I want no one else but the knights to enter the throne room. You have to make sure of that!"
"Of course, your majesty," Torc said submissively.
"Now leave!"
The captain turned to follow his orders. He had no idea at what his queen was planning next, but he smiled wickedly at the thought of the remaining knights walking right into a trap. Divided they now were, and vulnerable. The Temra's had been fighting for a decade to claim Maeve's birthright. Was it really that simple to end it once and for all?
o0o
He had never left consciousness. The moment the spell had reached Garrett he felt his body paralyse. The air was momentarilly forced out of his longues and he heard himself scream in a reflex. His legs collapsed from under him, and he heard his body hit the ground with a loud thud. His head hit the ground hard and he heard a small crack. The searing shots of pain Garrett expected to feel in his head didn't come. He immediately tried to get up to discover the source of his sudden attack. Nothing happened. Garrett couldn't sit up, move his arms, not even lift a finger. He did still seem to have the control over his sight and hearing. For a moment he thought it wasn't him, but the world that was frozen, but than he heard Torc mumble: "My queen, I deeply apologise for the incompotence of.."
Garrett whitnessed queen Maeve shouting at her captain, while her staff continued to spread a poisonous green light. Angus had looked down to give Garrett a look that made him quiver. It was a look of dispair and fear, but most of all grief. Was he dead? Was his friend mourning him? His concern for his own mortallity quickly wavered as he heard Maeve threatening Angus. ".. wish you had never been born," she hissed.
Two new guards were send in to take Angus away. Garrett was left alone on the dungeonfloor, lying between the unfortunate soldiers they had battled earlier. For several excruciating minutes nothing happened. Then a tingling sensation entered the area around his eyes. With a lot of effort Garrett was now able to turn his eyes and blink. Just as Garrett was rejoicing that soon he would be able to move his body again, he was alarmed to hear the faint voice of his friend. He had heard Angus scream before, while attacking one of Kells's enemies on the battle field, or when faking injurie during a friendly fight between the knights. The bloodcurling cries that were now echoing through the Temra halls, were something Garrett had never heard. Angus's voice was filled with dispair and suffering, and an impossible pain to cause such heartwrenching screams.
Then, finally, the cries had stopped and the castle was immediately sucombed by an unnatural silence.
Not long after a few of Maeve's men came to collect Garrett. He felt how four pairs of hands carried him up the steps and into the court yard. He had to squint his eyes against the sunlight, and was glad to feel the warmth of the summer heat. He was very much alive, he now knew for sure.
The soldiers had carried Garrett to the stables and placed him in a carriage that wore Temra's royal emblem. The inside of the carriage was dark, and before his eyes had re-adjusted to the light he heard the voice of the evil queen addressing him. He looked in the direction where her voice came from, and he could make out her sillhoutte against the back of the wagon in front of him. "Welcome, prince Garrett. You and Angus are going on a little trip with me..", she leaned in and continued whispering conspiringly: "but I'm not telling you where.."
She sneered and turned her head to the left corner from where Garrett was sitting. "I do hope you're not going to die before we get there. That would just ruin our entire outing!" Garrett used all of his strengt to turn his gaze toward his side. He was relieved to see Angus sitting next to him. His feeling of relieve turned quickly into worry when he took a closer look at the Knight of Earth. Angus sat slumped forward, his hands in his lap. His brow was sweaty and his half open eyes looked weary and tired. Allthough it had only been a few hours since they last saw each other, Angus looked completely worn out and dark cirkles had appeared around his eyes. He was inhaling in short, clearly audible breathes.
"What on earth has that witch done to him?" Garrett thought as the carriage started to move.
As they crossed the draw bridge Garrett could have sworn that he saw a familiair flash of blue fabric in the canal. Were his eyes playing tricks on him? Were the other knights here? If only he could have shouted, or waved, but he could do none of that. He could only hope that his friends had seen him and Angus riding by.
o0o
A carriage pulled by four horses came thundering over the bridge. The three knights instinctively ducked and waited for the carriage and several soldiers on horseback to move over the bridge across their heads. It looked like the queen had left her castle, or maybe it was just a diversion. Either way it didn't matter, because they would have to enter the castle. They ceased their oppurtunity when the guards at the gate still eyed the leaving party. Ivar moved first, pulling himself up from the canal and assisting his friends in their small climb.
Th foreign prince quickly surveyed the situation behind the castle gates. The soldiers nor the towns people seemed to have noticed the three companions appearing behind the guards, and they quickly mingled with the people in the courtyard.
The knights had covered most of their faces wearing their large hoods. They moved from stand to stand, seemingly showing interest in the merchandise. At the back of the courtyard they entered a tall dark portal, strangely unguarded, that would lead them straight down to the dungeons, or up to the throne room. Aideen still hovered over the knight's heads. All four of them were now thinking the same thing: this was too easy. They continued, continuesly aware that they might just be pawns in Maeve's elaborate game.
"Rohan, where should we go first," Deirdre whispered loudly.
When he didn't answer straight away, she called out his name again. Draganta looked down to meet Deirdre's dark blue eyes. The princess had known Rohan for over a decade now, and she could read him like a book. She saw in his face exactly what she was experiencing at that moment: a growing feeling of anxiousness and maybe a little fear.
Rohan finally said: "I think we should check the dungeons first. It seems unlikely Maeve has left Angus and Garrett standing in her throne room for over a day."
"Especially now that she seems to have left the castle," Ivar added.
"She probably has," Rohan nodded: "Let's go this way." The prince and princess both turned right after Draganta, to walk in file down the dark steps.
The Temra dungeons were a large maze of identical prisoncells. Rows and rows of iron gates hid behind every new corner they turned. Most cells were unoccupied, as Maeve liked to keep her dungeons empty in case a war should break out and she should need the space. Needless to say that Temra was a much favourited place for petty thiefs and criminals to seek refuge.
The companions glanced in every one of the cells, but never did they look into the familiair faces of Angus and Garrett. They did find rats, large, filfthy ones, and prisoners that much resembled the varmint they had come across. A few times they had stared into the dark empty sockets of a skeletton, chained to a wall and long since forgotten.
When after a long search they were sure that Garrett and Angus were not among the prisoners, they decided to head toward the throne room. Because they still hadn't run into any of Maeve's soldiers, Aideen had volunteerd to fly ahead.
While waiting for the return of the small pixie, they decided to leave their damp surroundings and climb the steps to reach the ground level. They were glad to greet the bright sunlight, but they were also shocked to see how late the hour had turned. The sun was slowly setting and the sky had turned a blend of orange and pink, spotted with a few grey clouds.
"Looks like rain." Ivar said, more out of habit than that it actually mattered.
TBC naturally
Author's note: thank you for your kind reviews! Discofreak: please do continue your story, I love it!
Mondhase, same goes to you! I adore the current story you're working on! You both have some writing to do!
About my other story: I have thought about finishing it, but I seem to be a little stuck. Plus, it's been seven or eight years, so I've kinda lost my train of thought.. I'll try, but this story will be finished first.
Also, I know that in the series it doesn't show like Temra castle has a drawbridge. In my story it conveniantly does . Naughty!