...

"What is happening?" His voice sounded shrill in his ears.

"I don't know," Karigan replied over her shoulder. "I wish I could tell you, but I don't know."

They skidded around a turn in the passage. "How did you know they were going to – come –" He fell into silent dismay. His Weapons, his devoted Shields. That many, traitors? "Impossible," he whispered. "Impossible." Had Fastion been among them?

"I will tell you everything I know as soon as we can stop. But now I need to get you out of here."

He focused on her braid, bouncing up and down on her back as she ran. This must be a dream. A nightmare, brought on by stress. The stress about the contract, the wall, Mornhavon, Blackveil, Estora's kidnapping. Stress brought on by...by the emotions raging in his heart. Or perhaps maybe a bad dinner? A rotten fruit wreaking havoc with his digestion?

Maybe he was dead. Oh gods. Maybe he was dead and this was some sort of punishment.

Karigan slowed and placed a hand on his chest to stop him. Her eyes squinted in the darkness. "I heard something," she told him, her voice barely making any sound. They waited.

"Who's there?"

The voice echoed and faded, unrecognizable. Karigan pushed Zachary back as warm lamplight bobbed into existence somewhere ahead of them. She gripped his arm and closed a hand over her brooch. "Keep still," she whispered as the lamplight faded into gray.

"I know someone is there. Identify yourself."

"Fastion," Zachary hissed toward where he remember her head being. In a moment, she released him and moved toward the light. He reached out to – what? Stop her? Keep her in the shadows as well? His hand dropped and he leaned against the stone wall, concentrating on quieting his ragged breathing.

"G'ladheon," Karigan called. Zachary thought he heard her voice crack. "Rider G'ladheon."

A pause, then the light bobbed nearer, faster. "Karigan! A pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?"

Zachary sighed, relieved, but a jerk of Karigan's hand and head kept him in the shadows. His heart stopped. She was wary of even this good friend. Please no, he thought, please not him.

The Weapon held his lantern up to peer at the Rider's face. "Why are you here, Karigan? Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"The king, Fastion. Your Weapons just tried to kill him."

Something like surprise flashed across Fastion's features. "Tried? So he is alive?"

"Yes."

"Where is he?" Fastion looked past Karigan's head. "Is he here with you?"

Zachary pushed himself off the wall, stiffening, and felt his toe nudge something on the ground. "The king is safe," Karigan responded coldly.

Fastion dropped the lantern and took her by the shoulders. "Tell me where he is, Karigan."

She squirmed under his grip. "Let me go."

"You must tell me. If the others have betrayed him, then he needs protection. I can protect him."

Zachary moved his foot and heard the clacketing of a loose stone. He bent down.

"I said, let me – " Karigan broke off with a gasp as Fastion shook her violently.

"Damn it, Karigan, where is he?" he growled, his face twisted and ugly in the lamplight. "Tell me where he is!"

The stone was heavier than Zachary thought and he dropped it once. Fastion's head jerked up at the sound. "Is that him? Back there, behind you?"

Karigan forced away his arms and drew her saber. "Back away," she commanded, sinking into a fighting stance. "You are not yourself."

Fastion regarded her curiously. "Are you challenging me?"

"Traitor," she hissed.

Fastion's lip curled. "Fool." In an instant, his sword was in his hand and he lunged forward.

Zachary hurled the rock. It connected with Fastion's skull, sending a resounding crack down the hallway. The Weapon's head wrenched backwards and he toppled to the ground. Silent moments crept past, but he did not move. Karigan stared down at him, at the blood seeping beneath his hair, then raised bewildered, pained eyes to Zachary's equally bewildered, pained face.

"Down here! They won't be far!" Voices from behind.

Wordlessly, Zachary bolted past Karigan. He knew these passages better than she. Right, left, left again, right, down the stairs. He stopped and pulled a lever in the wall. Moonlight pooled into the hall and the pair burst into one of the many sitting rooms on the ground floor of the castle.

"Fastion," Zachary whispered, jerking a hand through his sleep-mussed hair. "Fastion, Fastion."

"Can we get outside from here?" she whispered, looking uneasily around the room.

Zachary shut the secret door behind them. "Yes, more or less. This is one of the few rooms with real windows. We can climb through." She moved toward a window, but he caught her shoulder. "Karigan, what is happening?"

She avoided his gaze. "Something's wrong."

"Clearly."

"No. Well, yes. I spoke to Fastion just a few hours ago. He had suspicions, worries. Some of the Weapons had been acting strangely, he said. He led me to that passage and told me where it led to. He was afraid, Your Majesty. He said I was the only one he could trust." She shuddered. "And then just now he didn't remember why I was there. He didn't remember anything. And his face – and his voice –" She looked up at him. "Something is very, very wrong."

Zachary considered her. "Where are you planning on taking me?"

She dropped her eyes. "I didn't really actually plan that far ahead."

Shouts reached their ears, coming from outside the door. Karigan grabbed her king's arm and applied her special ability. The door burst open and two black and silver clad soldiers trundled in, dragging something behind them. They heaved it into a chair and raised a torch.

Connly! Karigan thought, her fingers digging into Zachary's flesh. She heard a quiet protest, but her focus remained on the Rider. Blood smeared his features and stained his clothes and he twitched weakly, his eyes mere glimmers in his swollen face.

"Let's try this again, Greenie," a soldier snarled. He raised the lieutenant by his lapels. "Where's the king?"

Connly mumbled incoherently and tossed his head in agitation. The soldier raised his fist and pummeled the Rider's already broken head.

"I said, where is he!" Another punch thrown. Connly's body jerked, then hung lifelessly.

"Brilliant work, gov. You killed him," the other soldier sneered. "Looks like we ain't gonna get any more out of him. Come on. They're trying to find the captain. If anyone knows where the king would hide, it's her."

"Right." The soldier opened his hands and Connly dropped with a thump onto the ground. He landed a parting kick in the Rider's stomach before following his fellow back into the hallway.

Zachary hurried and shut the door while Karigan scrambled to Connly's side. She found a pulse – weak, but there, and chafed his hand. "Come on, Connly," she whispered, "Wake up. Please wake up."

One eye was swollen shut, but the other peered at her. "Karigan?" he croaked.

"Yes, yes! Thank the gods. Connly, why did they do this to you? What is happening?"

A shudder rushed through his body. "The…king. They're trying to – to find him. I don't…" Another shudder.

Zachary, who had been contemplating the extent of the traitors in his military, turned and knelt beside him.

"Rider – "

At the sound of his voice, Connly jerked and struggled to rise. Karigan and Zachary held him down. "Stop that," Karigan ordered. "You're too hurt to move."

"Y-your Majes-Majesty." One bloodied hand reached out feebly. Zachary took it.

"Yes, I'm here."

"K-Karigan. Ty and…err…Ty and…. They're outside, with horses. Trying to get a m-message out. You must escape."

Karigan and Zachary exchanged a glance. "Escape the castle?"

"All of them, they're all – gone mad. T-talking nonsense. Heresy. Rebellion." He groaned and seemed to sink into himself.

"Connly? Connly!"

His eye cracked open once again. "Fergal…he can…can see them…." He fell still. Zachary felt his neck.

"He's still alive."

Karigan's eyes welled up. Tears? No tears a time like this. She dashed them away impatiently and stood, faintly aware of Zachary's helping hands. "We must go. I thought we could get to one of the unused sections to hide, but I doubt we'll ever be able to make it that far, even with my ability."

"Are you all right?"

She stared at him. Was she all right? The Weapons were crazy, the soldiers were rebelling, her lieutenant and Aeryc knew how many other Riders were dying. He had just been almost murdered by his most faithful guards and he was asking if she was all right?

He cupped her face, entrapping her eyes with his. "Karigan –"

Here was danger. She pulled his hands away. "Let's go." She moved past him to one of the windows and pried it open. She could hear voices, but none from nearby. With a last glance at Connly, she hoisted herself through the window and dropped into the spiny bushes below.