The Dragon Hammer (Wulf's Saga Book 1) (28 page)

Chapter Thirty-Four:
The Hostage

The town fell, but the castle held. Four days had passed. Some of the guard and militia managed to break through the soldiers who had been hidden within the town and attacked them from behind. Many of the town’s fighting men were caught between the Sandhaveners who had overrun the walls and the Nesties who had appeared inside the township. They were cut to pieces. Those who surrendered were herded into makeshift cells in the catacombs of Raukenrose University. Those badly wounded were killed. The rest were put to work. Prisoner details cleared the dead.

Duchess Malwin had kept the castle gates open as long as possible to allow people from the town to flee inside. Now there were nearly a thousand people crammed into the keep. Each ate away at the castle’s precious stored food. Duke Otto had prepared for a siege, but had never expected a refugee crisis like this one.

Some crumbled inside after just a few days. Giesela von Kleist, a castle girl who had always been lively and popular, if a bit vicious, wandered around like a ghost. She might appear anywhere in the castle looking frightened and bewildered. When people asked her what she was doing or where she was going, she tried to answer but usually burst into tears.

Saeunn weathered being shut in better than most. She had her star to remind her of the world outside. She also had something important to do. She had made it her job to take care of Anya von Dunstig. The little girl was doing well. She was even enjoying the big crowd of children who had suddenly appeared.

Anya knew all three of her brothers were missing, and that her father, Rainer, and Ravenelle were missing, too. Saeunn understood that deep down Anya was terrified that something very bad had happened to them. She did her best to keep Anya and her new friends distracted. She led games of tag and hoop toss, put on puppet shows for them, and even tried to teach them the elven rainwater dance.

After three days, the food was already running low. Everyone in the castle could hear the shouts of the guard as they patrolled the battlements and fired down on the forces outside. Then, on the fourth day, a messenger from the guard came running to find Duchess Malwin.

When the messenger arrived, the duchess was in the game room with Saeunn, Anya, and Ulla. The older girls were teaching her to play Hang the Fool.

“Your Excellency,” the messenger said to the duchess, “there is something outside that Captain Morast thinks you should see.”

The duchess looked up, irritated at being interrupted when she was concentrating so hard on playing her hand. “Why don’t you just tell me? What is it?” she said.

The messenger hesitated.

Saeunn knew Duchess Malwin had no patience for this kind of behavior. Rules and manners were supposed to make communication easier. But the man’s troubled look put Saeunn on alert. He had come with bad news.

“Tell me!” said the duchess.

The messenger bowed stiffly. “Your Excellency, there’s a truce delegation from the Sandhaveners at the front gate.”

“Another one? Just tell Morast to say no,” she replied with a shrug.

“Yes, Your Excellency,” said the messenger. “But it’s Prince Trigvi…and he’s got Lord Otto with them.”

The duchess gasped. Saeunn felt her own heartbeat pick up.

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing, Your Excellency, except that they are both there.”

“Is Morast sure it’s Otto?”

“He says to tell you he’d swear by it, Your Excellency.”

“All right, then.” Duchess Malwin rose. “Ulla, you come with me. Saeunn, please stay here with Anya.”

“No!” Anya cried. She tossed aside her cards. “I want to see Otto! I want to see Otto!” she said, tugging on one of Saeunn’s sleeves.

“Saeunn, keep her here,” the duchess said.

“I will, Lady Malwin,” Saeunn replied. She bent down and put an arm around Anya. “Come here, Evinthir, and we will go see that new set of puppies under the kitchen stairs.”

“Moli, yay!” said Anya. “Moli” was the name of the mother dog. She led the way. Duchess Malwin and Ulla followed the messenger to the barbican, a guard tower that projected out from the wall near the castle gate.

They had gotten halfway to the puppies when Anya suddenly pulled away from Saeunn and slipped into the empty butcher’s stall on the west side of the castle bailey. Saeunn followed her inside at a run, but then she discovered a hole in the back of the stall that was big enough for a child but too big for her. She could hear Anya making her way behind the bailey shops.

“Anya, come back here,” she called. “This isn’t funny.”

How had the little girl kept the discovery of this escape route from her? Anya usually told Saeunn all her secrets.

She obviously counted on my believing that, Saeunn thought. She had to recover the child.

Anya emerged near the gate on the northern wall.

“Anya, come here right now!” Saeunn shouted.

“I have to see Otto!”

Before Anya could get to the girl, she bounded up the spiral stairs that led to the barbican where her mother and Ulla had gone. Saeunn followed after. She caught up with Anya on the stairs, but Anya let out a wail when Saeunn picked her up and started back down. She struggled in Saeunn’s arms. From above, a guard’s voice called down.

“The duchess said to let her up.”

“Are you sure?”

“She said if the little one wants to that bad it must mean something, so to come on up with her.”

Saeunn shook her head. She did not like this at all. But she set Anya down and, holding tight to her wrist, guided her back up the stairs to the barbican balcony.

Before the balcony, there was an observation room with arrow slits. This room had a door that led to the balcony. The balcony had a small protective wall, a balustrade, around it. From the balcony you had a full view of the area in front of the gate. But the balustrade was the only protection from arrows shot from below.

Duchess Malwin and Ulla were standing in the protected observation room, gazing through an arrow slit at something below. Both of them were very quiet.

“Mother, Mother!” said Anya. But when the duchess turned to her daughter, tears were flowing and there was a disturbed look in her eyes. Anya stopped short. “What is it?”

Duchess Malwin didn’t answer, but turned back to what she had been viewing. Saeunn scooped Anya up again and, mostly to keep the girl from throwing another fit, she cautiously held her to an arrow slit.

Below, a group of stern-looking soldiers had formed a line on the far side of the dry ditch that the castle drawbridge would cover when lowered. In front of them were two men. Saeunn didn’t recognize one of them, but the other was—

“Otto!” Anya said.

“Hush,” said Saeunn. “That man is speaking.”

The man identified himself as Prince Trigvi von Krehennest of Sandhaven, in command of the forces that had taken Raukenrose township.

“Duchess, we truly wish to have an audience with Duke Otto to discuss the situation. Would you go and get him? Or is he on his death bed, as we’ve heard?”

So they don’t know he’s missing, Saeunn thought.

“I am the duke’s ears and his voice. Say what you want to me.”

“Otto looks really tired,” Anya whispered. “He’s just staring at the gate.”

Saeunn looked down at Otto. It was true. He was not responding to the sound of his mother’s voice. Then suddenly he jerked his head upward and stared with wide eyes at the barbican. Anya gasped. Otto’s face appeared expressionless.

“Duchess, I would like to see you. Your son would like to see you. I give you my word that you will not be harmed if you step out on the balcony.”

“Pardon us if we don’t trust your word, Prince Trigvi.”

There was silence for a moment. Then Otto cried out in a shrill voice, “Mother, please! Go out on the balcony.”

This was too much for Duchess Malwin. She did as she was told. The guards stepped aside, and she walked through the door that led to the balcony. With a whimper of worry, Ulla followed after her mother.

Then Anya did it again. She twisted out of Saeunn’s arms and ran after her mother, with Saeunn close behind. On the balcony, she clung to her mother’s dress.

“I’m so sorry, Duchess Malwin,” said Saeunn. “She’s being difficult. I’ll take her back inside.” Malwin put an arm down and drew Anya close. “Let her stay,” she said in a voice close to tears. “You stay, too. I think we are safe.”

Saeunn wasn’t so sure, but she went to stand beside the duchess. Anya slipped her hand into Saeunn’s. “I can’t see over the balustrade,” she whispered. “Pick me up, Saeunn.”

“They might shoot you with an arrow, Evinthir,” Saeunn told her.

“I want to see my brother.”

Saeunn lifted Anya up and held her on her hip.

“Thank you, Duchess,” Trigvi shouted up. “Now I can hear you better. You were muffled before.”

Duchess Malwin moved to the edge of the balcony and gazed down at Otto.

“What have you done to him?” she called out.

“He’s been well treated,” replied Trigvi. “But we’ve had to confine him for his own good. He was trying to harm himself, you see. We can’t have that.”

Otto nodded, as if in agreement. “Yes,” he cried out. “I’m feeling better now, Mother.”

“Duchess, we know your people are starving,” said Trigvi. “You have to let us in so we can feed them. It’s the merciful thing to do.”

“No,” said Malwin. “We will hold the castle.”

“You have to realize that’s not possible.”

Anya was tugging on the top of Saeunn’s sleeve, and when that didn’t work she tugged on Saeunn’s hair. “What is it, Evinthir?”

“I see Rainer,” Anya whispered in her ear.

“You…what? Where?”

“Look over there on the top of the wainwright’s house. The one with the red roof.” Anya raised her hand and tentatively pointed. Saeunn looked in that direction, found the one building in sight with a red roof…Anya was right. There was Rainer. He was waving his arms frantically.

She reached up and cradled Anya’s pointing finger. She gently pulled down Anya’s hand.

“Yes, Evinthir,” she whispered back. “I see him, too.”

Was there any way to let Rainer know he had gotten her attention?

In the end, she just waved back with the arm that wasn’t holding Anya. There was no way anyone on the ground could tell what she was waving at. At least she hoped not.

Rainer had seen her, because he began making another signal. He crossed his arms over his head again and again.

Trigvi was finishing up a reply to the duchess. “The main reason you must open the gate, Duchess, is because if you don’t, I will kill your son right here, before your eyes.”

Trigvi stepped back from Otto. His bowmen sighted in on their real target.

Otto called out once again. “Open the gate, Mother. Let me in. They’re going to kill me. Please, let me in.”

Anya gasped. She squeezed Saeunn’s neck tightly.

On the red-roofed building, Rainer was signaling wildly, crossing his arms. Even at this distance Saeunn could see he was shaking his head vigorously.

“He doesn’t want us to open the gate,” Anya whispered.

“Duchess,” she said, tugging on Lady Malwin’s dress sleeve. “I am being signaled that we must not open the gate.”

“Signaled?”

“A man on the roof yonder.” Saeunn nodded in Rainer’s direction, but did not point. “I think it is Rainer Stope.”

The bowmen held their stances. Trigvi looked up at Duchess Malwin. “Truly, I plead with you, Duchess. Don’t let Lord Otto be slaughtered here like an animal.”

“I believe Rainer knows something we don’t,” Saeunn continued.

“Rainer?” She gazed frantically around, but was too agitated to spot Rainer. “I don’t see him.”

“But I do, Duchess.”

“I don’t know, Saeunn. I don’t know. Maybe we should—”

As if in anticipation of Duchess Malwin’s wavering, Otto shouted again. “Please, Mother! Open the gate! I am your son. Please save me. I’m begging you!”

Duchess Malwin stumbled backward. She was shaking, and Saeunn could see her foster mother was undone. But she caught herself and hurried back to the balustrade.

“All right!” she called out. “We’ll open it. We’ll open the gate, just don’t kill my boy!”

Prince Trigvi’s expression softened. “Of course not, my lady.” He motioned for the bowmen to lower their bows. He bowed deeply to the duchess.

Rainer was still frantically signaling for them not to do it.

Duchess Malwin called into the observation room. “Open the gates, Captain Morast,” she said. “That’s an order. Open the gates and let them through.”

“But Your Excellency . . .”

“Do it now.”