The Wood Cutter's Son by Thomas Wright

Author:Thomas Wright [Wright, Thomas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-11-05T22:00:00+00:00

Twenty-Three

Two figures in black crept in the shadows beyond the torchlight toward the guard at the lower entrance to the guest quarters. Neither made a sound as they moved to within a few paces of him. The shorter of the two tossed a small stone, hitting the guard in the shoulder. The guard flinched, but not enough to draw attention to himself. He backed up to the door and took his keys from his belt, but didn’t turn toward the door.

“Do you know if the princess is in her room?” the short one asked in a hushed, masculine tone. A black scarf wrapped around his face muffled his voice and the black woolen hood of his coat covered all but his eyes.

“That was not the deal,” the guard said. “You pay me and I open the door, then lock it again behind you.”

“It was just a question.”

“Give me the gold or go away. This isn’t the Black Mountains, assassin. You have to the count of three before I start yelling.”

“Calm down,” the assassin hissed. “Here, take it.”

The assassin took a leather drawstring bag from inside his coat and held it out to the guard. Putting it in his coat, the guard reached back with the key, inserted and turned it, then pulled the door open a quarter of the way. The shorter stepped past but the other was too large. The tall assassin grunted, then pushed the door and the guard just enough to gain entrance.

The guard was right. This wasn’t the Black Mountains. This job was costing their client a fortune. Something had happened within the last day. All of their local contacts were scared and wanted little or no contact with them, therefore they could expect no help if things turned sour. He didn’t know anyone from the local guild, but knew they wouldn’t touch the job when it had been offered. Their decision didn’t stop them from demanding a percentage just so a message didn’t find its way into Queen Verlainia’s hand.

Word around the inn was that the queen herself had killed two men and sent another riding for his life just that morning. And the elf lord challenged the new general and was killed. It would not pay to be anything less than polite with their contacts. They had no desire of being double-crossed and having their heads on a pole on the wall outside the gate. The hallway was quiet. The lower-level guards were making their rounds and should be on the other side of the fortress, if their information was correct.

Lockpicks in hand, the assassin first tried to open the door without them. Finding it locked as expected, he went to work while the other kept watch. The lock was like many others. Once he had three picks in place, he pulled the handle down without a sound. Easing the door open, he pocketed his tools and he and his accomplice stepped quietly inside, eyes and ears alert. So far everything was proceeding as planned.

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