Deck of Cards (7 page)

Then, there was the fact that only one stairwell lead out of this tower. Matthew would have to follow his captures down the stair, through the secret passage, make his way out of the castle, past the army and home.  How would any of this be possible? No, it really seemed completely impossible. The only way it could
conceivably be successful would entail a comedy of errors on the side of Philip and his men.  And though they were not exactly savants, surely they could keep a man in a prison with one gate and one exit.

The expression in Matthew’s eyes was enough to convey to Katey, however, that he needed to believe in this plan.  He needed one of the few things she could give him—hope.  There was no reason to let him know she found his chances of success nil to none.  She nodded her head in agreement.  Yes, yes, she thought his plan was a good one—infallible.  What could possibly go wrong?

“Wonderful!” Matthew exclaimed. “I’ve been in here so long, sometimes I wonder if I’m even thinking rationally anymore, you know?” He finished with the last scraps of wood, which Katey placed in her pocket because the basket was full, and dusted his hands off on his filthy breeches and settled back against the door. He could vaguely see her blue eyes and their beauty made him desire to see the rest of her face.  He wondered if she was really as beautiful as he thought she must be. “Now, once I get out of here, where do I go? Do you know?”

Of course, she had some ideas.  She raised her finger to her lips, tapping lightly as she gave it some thought.  She knew of several tunnels that ran underneath the castle, but she wasn’t exactly sure where they led. She would need to investigate this some more before she could let him know for sure.  She also needed to let him know about the terrain beyond Castle Blackthorn.  She knew there was some hill country that led down into the Lowetian Forest, an extremely swampy area, full of muck and dangerous creatures.  T
hen there was the area around Glendor, rocky and full of treacherous creeping juniper and purple
berberis
.  Considering he had no shoes, his clothes were tattered and would be of no protection, she did not think he would make it too far. Of course, if he ran into the Arterian Army, there was a great possibility that he could be rescued. Or, if they didn’t recognize him, he might be killed by allied forces.  There was certainly no easy way to escape this place and she feared for his safety, should he be bold enough to try. 

She shrugged her shoulders, indicating she wasn’t
certain, but he could tell by her face that she was thinking so he was not exactly sure what to make of that reply.  “Will you do some investigating?” he asked, rapidly raising and lowering his eyebrows several times.  She stifled a giggle and nodded her head. She was so impressed with is ability to stay in a pleasant mood despite his situation.

“Alright then! I shall await your council! Perhaps you could sketch me a picture?”

Again, she nodded.

“Very good.  Now, I want to pry a bit so please forgive me. I mean no disrespect, I’m simply curious.  Do you ever speak?”

Katey wasn’t offended but the question was a haunting one.  Of course, she had been asked the same question thousands of times in the last fifteen years.  Usually the tone of the person inquiring was much more vicious and impatient than the one that Matthew used.  She absently rubbed the lace at the hem of her dress between her thumb and first finger before finally shaking her head. No, no she never spoke.  Never.

It was his turn to signal in silence this time. He nodded his head in understanding.  “I see,” he finally said.  “Well, you do an excellent job of getting by without it,” he said reassuringly.  He could tell that she was smiling. “I went a while without talking once,” he continued. Katey peered at him curiously, not sure how that was possible.  “It’s true. First year of my life, not a word.  Haven’t stopped talking since, but I knew absolutely no words for almost twelve months.”

Once again she was laughing.  She couldn’t imagine Matthew not talking.  He was one of the chattiest people she had ever met.  But he also always seemed to know exactly the right thing to say. 

“Now, my brother, he is more the strong, silent type.  If the two of you were in a room together, well, there would not be a lot of conversation, I’m afraid.”  Katey listened intently, wanting to know more about his life. “I sure do miss him, my brother, Caleb.  We used to do everything together, go everywhe
re, get into all kinds of trouble.  He was the best older brother a kid could ever want. Of course, he’s only a year-and-a-half older than me but I looked up to him like he was . . .” he paused for a moment, “well, kind of like he was my dad, or my uncle I guess.”  Thinking about his dad brought up unpleasant memories so he suppressed them and moved on. “Yes, Caleb is amazing.  I hope you get the chance to meet him.  I’m sure you’ll really like him.  And once he finds out how much you’ve helped me, well, he’ll make sure you are greatly rewarded.”  He glanced into skeptical blue eyes.  He hadn’t really thought about what might happen to Angel and the other citizens of Castle Blackthorn when Caleb and his army arrived.  Caleb never waged war against civilians; he found it extremely unethical, though there was always a possibility of unintended casualties with any battle.  He hoped that Angel would be safe and that she would find a way to let Caleb know she had helped him. Otherwise, he would have to make sure she was taken care of just as soon as he found his way back to Castle Caine or the Arterian Army.

Katey certainly wasn’t helping Matthew because she wanted to be
compensated but she also knew that there wasn’t going to be much help for her once Caleb arrived. At the best, she hoped he would simply return her back to Placidia. That would be the kindest alternative she could think of.  However, if she was already wed to King Philip upon the arrival of the Arterians, she would be viewed as an enemy and she would probably end up imprisoned in Castle Caine. Perhaps Matthew would be able to help her return to her family, if he realized who she was, but it was not something she was planning on. 

There was also the possibility that she and Philip would escape North to Gradenia.  She knew he was looking for assistance from King Leopold. Hopefully, he would give them refuge until Philip could make amends with Caleb and possibly reclaim at least part of his kingdom.

But Katey was fairly certain that Caleb would grant Philip no leniency and that this would only end when Philip was either deep in the ground below Castle Caine or in a tomb.

She just hoped her fate would not be the same.

Katey stayed for quite a bit longer, listening to Matthew tell a few stories about growing up in Castle Caine.  She loved listening to the melody of his voice, especially when he talked about his adventures as a small boy.  It was easy to tell that he had always been carefree and young at heart, while his brother was, apparently, more serious and felt more responsibility, particularly when it came to watching out for his little brother.  No wonder Caleb was fighting so hard to get here to safe Matthew. He had always taken care of his brother and now he was here, locked in a filthy hovel with no food or water, no chance of escape (despite his fanciful plan) and no hope for release. She wondered how it was that Caleb had not prevented Matthew’s capture in the first place.

             
As if reading her mind, he shifted his light-hearted reminiscing to more current events.  “You know, I’m sure he blames himself for my capture, but it truly wasn’t his fault.”  He was leaning back against the door now and Katey nestled up against it, wishing she could reach through the oak and provide him the comfort of human touch. “The Zurconians had been at war against Clovington off and on for a few years. I knew when I agreed to marry Maggie that there was a possibility of a flare up in the feud at anytime, but I was very hopeful that Philip would so greatly fear bringing Arteria into the war that he would suppress his need for vengeance, a need I’ve never understood, given the circumstances, and be content with the gains he had made. He had acquired large tracts of land from Zurconia. We were content to let him have it, too, if he would just back down.  When he retreated from the western border, we thought he was done, that he realized he may be able to take Zurconia but not without suffering the consequences of dragging Arteria into battle.  Caleb drew up his forces along the western border of Arteria so that Clovington could not invade. Queen Beatrice hesitated to give permission for him to move into Zurconia, afraid Philip would see it as a move of aggression and attack again.  We knew the quickest route from Arteria to Castle Ringley was threw the passage at Jessella and the Zurconian army held that. That is, until our commanding general defected, taking the vast majority of his men with him. Philip must have emptied his coffers to fund that.  Then, word came that Leopold was allowing Philip’s army to launch from his southern region. We never expected that.  Zurconian and Gradenia have had a peace agreement for centuries.  In fact, it was Leopold’s father who helped secure the marriage of Queen Beatrice and King Stephen.  Leopold hates my brother, there’s no secret about that. “ He glanced up to see if Katey was still listening and she was hanging on every word so he continued.  “When Caleb was nine years old, my father entered into an agreement with King George of Gradenia that, when he came of age, he would wed George’s oldest daughter, Charlotte, who, at the time was twenty-eight and suffered from St. Anthony’s fire.  Our father died when Caleb was 15.  By then, Leopold had assumed the throne.  He insisted that Caleb hold up his end of the bargain and marry Charlotte at once.  Caleb, however, felt that 15 was too young to wed and he refused.  I think Caleb intended to carry through with Father’s promise but Charlotte died a short time after.  Leopold has never forgiven my brother and I’m very surprised that he has not yet involved his own army of rogues in this war. Perhaps he is just waiting for the right time.”

Matthew glanced up at the window then.  “Oh, shoot! It’s getting dark!”

Katey, startled and suddenly worried that Philip had returned and he would be waiting for her at the foot of the stairs, quickly gathered up her belongings. 

“I’m so sorry that I kept you so long,” Matthew said, pressing his face against the slot as tightly as he could.  He could see her shrugging, waving his comment off, but he felt responsible for anything that happened to her.  “Please, please come back tomorrow, if you safely can,” he added.

She paused for a second, the heavy basket of wood slivers and dust a reminder of his treacherous plan and the work she needed to do before she came back.  But she would certainly do her best to return the next day.  As reassurance, she slid her fingers through the door, all four of them clearing the edge of the metal covering.  She expected him to clasp her fingers in his or squeeze them perhaps.  Instead, she was startled to feel his soft, warm lips grazing over her knuckles.  Her first instinct was to jump back and pull her fingers out of his grasp.  But she didn’t.  She let him kiss her hand, feeling the scarlet rise up her neck, flushing her cheeks.  After a moment, he released her hand and she retreated, still feeling the warmth in her face as she snuck back down the hallway to her room.

Chapter 4

The Arterian army was literally bogged down, at least to some degree, inside of the Lowetian forest.  Though he had gotten an ear-full from Cook when he attempted to explain to her why he needed to go view the fortifications being built by the Clovington forces across the way, she was more understanding than he had initially expected and he didn’t feel quite as guilty for leaving as he had originally anticipated.

Noel was correct in his assessment of the
circumstances and, honestly, Caleb thought he probably could have handled the situation himself. However, Noel knew how important it was to Caleb to have control over every aspect of the army so he hesitated to make decisions without Caleb’s approval.  They both agreed that they could build a corduroy road through the driest passages of swampland.  They initially thought they might need to burn there way through because of the thick thorns and other snarly plants but the further into the forest they advanced, the less obstructed the path became and they determined they could chop their way through as long as they were careful with the horses. The terrain was certainly going to slow them down a bit, but it was not impenetrable and they would break through in a matter of days.

As for the ridiculous fortifications his scouts reported on the other side of the forest, well, he was not too concerned about that either.  Reports came back that they certainly wouldn’t hold against any amount of force and that Philip hadn’t even been smart enough to place them on the ridge beyond the clearing.  It was just a matter of days now before he broke through these meager defenses and penetrated Castle Blackthorn.  He was certainly more concerned about what he would find there than he was about calculating his arrival.

Caleb knew he could take Blackthorn but he wasn’t certain just how long he could hold it.  His supply line was long and it would be difficult to maintain if he couldn’t find a way to shift it to another location outside of the forest.  He wasn’t concerned about the Clovington forces, he was sure they would be practically annihilated after this.  He was more concerned that Leopold would send down reinforcements from Gradenia and the first thing those bastards would do is cut his supply line and attempt to cut him off from retreating.  He was honestly surprised that Leo hadn’t reared his ugly head yet. He wasn’t quite sure what he was waiting for. But he expected him; therefore, he had to consider just how he planned to hold Blackthorn. Either that or he had to consider just how to destroy it.  One thing was indisputable, he had to make sure that neither Philip or Leopold had control of that castle at the end of this. When this was over, there could be no more threat from Clovington.

It had taken him most of the day to ride to the front and so he decided to spend the night out in the trenches with his men. He actually enjoyed the army life, however. It gave him the opportunity to relax for a bit, to be a little less royal and a little more common. His only regret was that he would not be able to receive any updates from the castle.  He was hopeful that word would be sent to him sometime tomorrow letting him know how their patient was advancing.  At this point, he intended to stay with the army until they reached Castle Blackthorn and reclaimed his brother.  Seeing the progress his men were making on constructing a path through the Lowetian Forest left him confident that he would reach his destination in a matter of days.

                                        ***

Philip was sorry he had asked.
Or perhaps he was sorry Joan had answered.  Either way, he was sorry he was listening to her drone on and on about the wedding preparations.  She went over the colors, the music, the food. They had wanted a certain flower but it wasn’t really in season and so there weren’t enough for all of the bouquets.  So they had chosen a different flower.  But that didn’t look right so they had to use both.  On and on and on!  And then there was the problem of the attendees.  Unfortunately, it seemed, none of the dignitaries were willing to come to the ceremony because of the threatening Arterians.  Even Katey’s family had yet to respond and Joan had sent word to them first thing yesterday morning.  Surely they would have received the dispatch by now!

The meat was dry and the wine was flowing. Philip tried not to drink too much, afraid of losing his tact again, yet it also occurred to him that a bit of inebriation might make this painful conversation a bit more bearable.  It was all he could do
not to scream at the chatty little blonde woman to stop talking! But, he was inclined to be patient and show some kindness so as to restore Katey’s sense of comfort with him.  He tried to focus on his bride-to-be instead of her spokeswoman.  She also looked as if she were having difficulty with Joan’s incessant chattering.  Occasionally, Katey threw her elbow in her lady’s direction, as if begging her to stop, but the message was lost and she continued, the rest of the table either feigning interest or engaging in side conversations, despite the rudeness of participating in such an activity.

Unlike the other evening when Philip had preferred a more intimate dinner party, he had invited all of his usual subjects to join them tonight. He wasn’t exactly sure how many more opportunities they may have to gather around this table and he wanted everyone present, not because
he cared about their welfare but because wanted as many chances as possible to assert his authority as king.  If he found himself a prisoner or a guest in neighboring Gradenia soon, he would no longer command his own table, no longer be the most important person in the room.  Therefore, it was essential to take advantage of these opportunities before they were gone.

Unfortunately,
the drabble spewing from the mouth of Lady Joan was just about enough to send him over the edge.  He finally found himself interrupting her, turning to Charles and beginning a completely separate conversations about something that interested him; himself.  “Charles, tell everyone about the archery contest we had this afternoon,” he commanded.

Charles looked a bit confused at first, not sure if he should, at the very least, let Joan finish the sentence she was uttering, or if he should do as he was told. It really wasn’t much of a contest, but Charles understood what His Majesty was doing, and so, looking forgivingly at Joan, he began to relay the story, embellishing all the parts where the king had been successful and leaving out all of the parts where he had not.  And of course he made light of the fact that the only reason they had been practicing archery was because they both believed that division of their army was incompetent and they needed some direction.  In fact, even Charles, a member of the
cavalry for many years before becoming the king’s advisor, was better at shooting than the so-called best archer.  In all, the story was a pathetic attempt to assure citizens of Castle Blackthorn that their king was capable of defending them and that, even in the midst of an inevitable attack, he was so assured of their ability to fend off any enemy that he was partaking in recreational activities.  And most of the ass-kissing members of the gentry present congratulated the king on his triumph, failing to realize the ridiculous nature of participating in such an event on the cusp of an invasion.

Katey, of course, saw right through the aggrandizement and snickered quietly to herself each time one of the other diners complimented King Philip on his accomplishments.  It was all a sham, a charade.  And soon they would be begging King Caleb for mercy while Philip either found the sharp end of a sword or ran with his tail between his legs to the protection of his cousin’s kingdom.

Her only hope was that she would be able to somehow convince Caleb that she swore no allegiance to Philip and that she would gladly and willingly return to Arteria with him, and God-willing, King Matthew. Otherwise, she prayed she would be returned safely to her family.

           
                          ***

The king’s bedchamber had a full window and, even through the thick burgundy drapes, the light illuminated Rose’s face, making it impossible to sleep. Philip was gone, had left before the sun came up.  She knew he would be.  The advancing army had them all greatly concerned. 
Last night, after he made violently love to her, he had wanted to talk about the war. Rose knew something was different because he never wanted to converse when they were done.  He usually fell asleep or told her to, “Get out! Now!”

But this time, he had confided in her.  He sounded a bit like a frightened child. He was afraid of losing his kingdom, his home.  He said he didn’t know what he would do if Leopold didn’t send help soon. 

Though she was slightly concerned for the king and other castle-dwellers, Rose’s primary concern was for herself. If the Arterians were truly as close as it seemed, she would have to find a way to make sure she survived the attack and, if possible, improved her station. As she lay in the king’s bed, surrounded by all of his finery, she dreamt of becoming a queen.  Who the king was really didn’t matter. And if Philip was about to end up a pauper, well, perhaps she should consider all of her services rendered. Yet, part of her truly cared for him as well.  Perhaps, if he escaped to Gradenia, he would agree to take her with him.  Then, as a guest in Leopold’s land, perchance Philip would realize at last that she was his one true love and they could wed.  Even if her king no longer had a kingdom, she would still be a queen.  And that was all she had ever wanted.

          
                                ***

It had been a long time since Katey had written or drawn anything.  She knew how to write, as she knew how to read, and she would occasionally communicate with others via inscription.  However, she tried to avoid it whenever possible. Just as her mutism allowed her to
keep her thoughts private, so did her refusal to write.  But today, she needed to let Matthew know what she had discovered on her subterranean exploration of the castle. So, she decided, the best way to do that was by drawing a map.

She found him in good spirits as usual, eager to pass through his debris and wolf down her sustenance.  He called her Angel,
which made her blush, and she gave him time to eat and drink the water she had brought before she finally passed him the map.

“What’s this?” he asked, unfolding the thin parchment.  His eyes lit up when he realized what she had brought him.  “Is this, a map?” She acknowledged that it was and he poured over her recreation of the layers below the castle.  Like many older castles, there was no dungeon below Blackthorn.  There were, however, several tunnels and passageways.  Unfortunately for Matthew, all but one of them led either to the north or to the west, the two directions he would need to avoid.  The only tunnel that led to the southeast was also the sewer.  Katey had considered an attempt at prying off the metal grate that obstructed the opening of the narrow passage to see exactly how disgusting a journey through this viaduct might be, but she couldn’t get it lo
ose and if the smell was any indicator of what lay on the other side, there was no way that she was going in there. If Matthew chose that avenue, he would have to discover its culmination all by himself.

Matthew studied the rendering closely.  Katey couldn’t really see him but she could hear him occasionally making a quiet comment, “Oh, so this one leads here.  Okay, okay.  I could go that way
but, no.  Hmmm.”  Finally, he turned back to Katey and asked, “Alright, what do you recommend, Angel?”

Katey had thought long and hard about what she felt would be Matthew’s be
st prospect.  She hated to advise him because she didn’t want the responsibility of knowing she had chosen a path that may eventually lead him to recapture or, worse, termination. Nevertheless, he had asked her council and she absolved to answer him.  She gestured for him to give her back the paper, which he did, and she used a small piece of charcoal to trace a path on the parchment for him.  She handed it back to him and he studied it intently.  “What’s this?” he asked, indicating a doorway that Katey had drawn on the paper. She took it back and labeled it appropriately.  “War room” he read.  So, in order to use that route, he would have to walk right past the war room. Interesting, and yet, considering all of the other possibilities, it did make the most sense.  There was one other important inscription. In the tunnel she had indicated, Katey had written, “shoes and clothes.”  Matthew considered this before asking, “Will you leave these here for me?”  She nodded.  “Have you already?” Again, she nodded.  “Where did you get them?” She smiled broadly, wishing she could tell him.  He seemed to understand.  “Are they Philip’s?” he asked, reflecting her smile back at her and joining her in laughter when she confirmed his suspicion. 

“Well, Angel, it seems you’ve thought of everything. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all of your help.”

Her smile was enough to let him know she was happy to have had the opportunity to help.  Katey had one more thing to hand him but she wasn’t sure if it would fit through the narrow opening.  She was determined to try so she got it out of the satchel she was carrying and held it up for him to see.

“What’s this? “ he asked as she attempted to wedge it through the opening.  It was a thick black piece of cloth, the type one might find on the back of a piece of furniture. She also had a few finishing nails but there was no way a hammer would slide through the constricted opening. He would have to use the knife or something else to pound the nails in around him. It was not fool proof. Upon close inspection anyone would certainly be able to see that this piece was not attached securely, but she was praying that Philip and his men were just the sort of fools who might fall victim to this sort of trickery.