King of the Dead: Heroes, Swords, and Zombies by Kevin O. McLaughlin

Author:Kevin O. McLaughlin [McLaughlin, Kevin O.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Role of the Hero Publishing
Published: 2017-01-09T18:30:00+00:00

Seventeen

K

aelwyn was on his rest shift, snoozing lightly. The stone floor made for a rough bed, even with a blanket spread out underneath him. But it was dry, and there was some sense of security in the thick walls of the palace. He felt like he’d just begun to doze off when a hand gently touched his shoulder.

He woke instantly, hand sweeping down to touch the hilt of his sword on reflex. He’d taken to sleeping with the thing, of late. It seemed wise to be armed. Always.

Kaelwyn opened his eyes, trying to adjust to the dim light in the room. Other men were laid out across the floor in neat rows, packed in just a little more tightly than was comfortable. There were a lot of soldiers bedded down in the palace right now. His glance swept around to the hand on his shoulder, then up the arm to Caius’s face. His friend had his other hand up to his face, one finger across his lips in a signal for silence. Once he saw Kaelwyn understood, he released his grip and stood quietly, beckoning Kaelwyn to follow.

The two stepped silently from the room. Caius didn’t stop in the hall outside, but kept going down the hall, down one flight of stairs, and then another. They were in the basement of the palace now. The rooms here were piled high with things. Much of it was furniture cleared from the upper floors to make room for soldiers to sleep and live. The rest was items deemed critical – spare weapons, foodstuffs, and other crucial supplies.

“We can talk, here,” Caius said, sitting down on a large bag of grain.

“Where’s the guard?” Kaelwyn asked. There should have been one posted over the supplies.

“He’s using the latrine. I’ve spelled him for a short while so he could go. One of our men, from Glevum.”

Kaelwyn nodded, understanding. Caius had set this up so that they’d have complete privacy. That was a lot of effort. “What’s going on, Caius?”

“You saw what a disaster the clearing operation was, right?” Caius asked.

“I understand it went OK for the first shift,” Kaelwyn said.

“Because Arthur saved their asses.”

“Well, he wasn’t there for the second group. I was. It was a disaster. The men here have never fought these things before. We lost a lot of men. Too many,” Kaelwyn said.

“And the numbers of revenants swarming out there are growing. By tomorrow, when Flavius sends his men out, I have no idea what they’ll be facing.”

Kaelwyn paced a bit, kicking one of the sacks with his boot while he thought. “You didn’t drag me out of my bed to tell me we’re all going to die, Caius. What’s the plan?”

“We’re getting out of here, that’s what. Uther. Me. And he’s asked me to grab a few men loyal to him.”

Kaelwyn whistled. “This is without the emperor’s approval, I assume?”

Caius didn’t reply, he just glanced sideways at Kaelwyn.

“Right. Stupid question. So, when do we go? And how do we get past

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