The Prince (Heirs of Legacy Book 1) by Paul Lauritsen

Author:Paul Lauritsen [Lauritsen, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-07-12T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24

As soon as the door closed, Relam turned to the palace guards and gathered them around him.

“You’re not dying today,” he told Narin. “I need you to find the murderers and bring them to justice.”

“I will do my best,” Narin promised with a thin smile. “It will be very easy to move around the city if people think that I am dead.”

“Do you have a place to stay? Money? Maybe a disguise to help conceal our treachery?”

“I have friends in the city,” Narin replied. “Friends I can trust. They will help.”

“Good,” Relam muttered. He turned his attention to the guards next. “Listen to me. If anyone asks what happened, you accompanied me to the Citadel and watched me execute former commander Narin. He was buried like a common criminal, outside the city in an unmarked grave.”

“That won’t be enough,” Narin warned. “Your father will likely check to be sure that you actually killed me.”

“And how would he do that?”

“He would check with the Citadel, see if you arrived with a prisoner and left with a body in a bag.”

“Then that’s exactly what we’ll do,” Relam decided. “These guards will be the witnesses. Then, we’ll carry you outside the city, dig a grave, put the bag and a log in it or something. You hide out for a day or two, then sneak back in. Maybe on market day, two days from now, when there’s more traffic than usual.”

“That is a truly devious plan,” Narin allowed. He glanced at the four guards clustered around them. “I trust that the four of you will keep our little secret?”

“Always, commander,” one promised. The others nodded agreement.

Relam nodded. “Good, then let’s get going. We have a traitor to execute.”

The guards grinned mirthlessly, and even Narin gave a small smile. Then Relam frowned at them severely and they all assumed grave expressions. Narin bowed his head tamely and slumped his shoulders, looking for all the world like a defeated man on his way to his death.

“Much better,” Relam muttered. “Follow me.”

They marched straight through the main halls of the palace. Relam wanted the marching off of the former guard commander to have as many witnesses as possible so that his father would be more likely to believe it had actually happened. A few officials gave them curious glances, which Relam ignored, sweeping on with the guards in tow.

The small band emerged onto the front steps of the palace, into a light rain. Relam stoically led the way out into the weather, the guards following behind. The palace guards on duty at the front door were more occupied with staying dry than policing who was coming and going and gave them little notice as they passed. Soon, Relam’s band was milling among the other foot traffic in the plaza below, all but invisible among the masses.

“So far so good,” he muttered to Narin out of the corner of his mouth. “What happens when we reach the Citadel?”

“Ask the guard at the gate for an escort to the dungeons,” Narin replied, scarcely moving his lips as he spoke.

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