Nicholas Raven and the Wizards' Web - Volume 1 (67 page)

“What about the other one?” Gelt asked. “He’s not royalty.”

“But the boy’s safety is of great concern to the prince, so that allows us control over him,” Bosh explained. “We’ll get rid of them only when we’re absolutely sure we don’t need them. Until then, they’ll remain here under your supervision. Now let’s have breakfast before Gelt and I take to the road. We have important news to spread to our contacts, compliments of the prince of Montavia.”

“Well, we’re not dead yet, so I guess that’s a good thing,” William softly said, his words swallowed up in the suffocating gloom. The first hint of daylight was visible through cracks in the barn walls. A pair of small windows located high up near opposite ends of the roof revealed the drab gray morning.

“Seems the only way out is the way we came in,” Aaron said as he pushed against the pair of double doors. They held fast against his weight.

“When it gets lighter, we’ll see where we stand. Maybe there’s another way out,” William said, plopping down on the ground. He sniffed the air a few times, grimacing. “Don’t know if I have an appetite for breakfast anymore. All I smell is rotten straw and,” he sniffed the air once more, “the delightful lingering aroma of cow. I suppose we could have had worse accommodations.”

He sighed and leaned back against a wooden post, recalling the talk he had had with Bosh a few hours ago that saved Aaron’s life. He felt cold, wondering if he made the correct decision, assessing the consequences that might befall this kingdom because of his words. Should he have sacrificed both their lives for the sake of Rhiál? He thought he could have resisted Bosh to the very end if it had been only his life at stake, or so he imagined, gladly willing to die so that King Basil could achieve victory. But William realized he hadn’t the heart to sacrifice an innocent boy for the cause and wondered if he could ever lead a nation if such were the choices he’d be forced to make from time to time. He sadly shook his head, not fully convinced that a right choice even existed.

Aaron sat across from William in the gloom, barely able to discern his outline. He rested his arms on bent knees, avoiding looking at the prince even through a veil of darkness. He realized the conflicted feelings William was probably battling right now and felt guilty that he was the cause of it.

“I want to thank you for…” He sighed, looking at his friend. “Will, you shouldn’t have had to choose between my life and…”

“You don’t have to say anything, Aaron. I did what I did and now it’s over. Maybe I should have let them kill us both.”

“Maybe, but that’s easier said now than when you had no time to think about it.”

“I suppose,” he replied. “But I feel rotten. I feel like I betrayed everybody. How do I live with that on my conscience?”

“You can fret later. First we have to find a way out of here and warn everybody about what the enemy knows,” Aaron replied. “By the way, what
do
they know?”

“I told Bosh everything, so I don’t see why you shouldn’t know either. King Basil is going to move his armies the day after tomorrow to counter an attack by Drogin’s troops planned several days from now.” William quickly explained the particulars to Aaron. “But if Drogin finds out, Eucádus and the others will be marching into a trap–and it’s all my fault.”

“I’ll share the blame,” Aaron said. “If I hadn’t taken you into town, none of this would be happening.”

“But it was my idea to accompany you there, and all because I was bored.” William was disappointed with himself all over again. “If I had stayed in Montavia we wouldn’t be in this mess.” He thought hard for a moment, considering exactly how they had landed in their curious predicament. “I was wondering earlier about who identified me to Bosh and the others. Someone at the estate or among the armies must have let them know that I was a prince and what I looked like. How would Meklas have spotted us along the main road otherwise?”

“I was thinking about that before I fell asleep,” Aaron said. “But I’m sure a lot of people both inside and outside the estate are aware that you’re a prince.”

“True, but Bosh also knew that you worked in the kitchens. He called you a kettle scrubber, didn’t he?”

Aaron grunted. “Yeah, just before he put a knife to my throat. But many people know you’re a prince and that I work in the kitchens. It doesn’t narrow down the list much.”

“Not really. I think that–”

Suddenly William heard voices outside and jumped up. He ran to the doors, and though they were securely barred from the outside, he could still push them open just a crack to allow him to peer outdoors into the unfolding morning. Aaron stood beside him, anxiously awaiting a report.

“What do you see, Will?”

“Looks like Bosh and Gelt are unhitching the horses from the wagon,” he said, one eye pressed to the narrow slit between the doors. “Meklas and two other men are talking to them. That other pair must have been living at the farmhouse already.” He glanced at Aaron. “It seems that Drogin planted his spies all over Rhiál before he started this war. How are we supposed to know who to trust?”

“Let me take a look,” Aaron said as William stepped aside. A moment later the boy watched as Bosh and Gelt snapped the reins of their horses and galloped down the dirt road, disappearing beyond a thicket of trees in the gloomy morning. “There they go, ready to send word about King Basil’s plan.” He turned his head, glancing anxiously at William. “What do we do now?”

William shrugged, searching for an answer.

Aaron heard the shuffle of footsteps about an hour later and raced to the doors, staring through the space between them. “Meklas is coming with one of the other men.” He glanced at William who was now visible in the morning light seeping through the upper windows. “I think it’s breakfast time.”

Moments later, the wooden bar was removed and the barn doors were opened. Meklas stood with a small cloth sack and a bucket of water. The other man, armed with a knife, stood silently in the background. Meklas tossed the sack to William.

“Bosh said I had to feed you, so eat up,” he snickered. He set the bucket of water inside the doorway. “Enjoy your beverage, too.”

As he turned to leave, William called out. “Where did Bosh and Gelt ride off to? They seemed in a hurry,” he said with a peculiar grin that caught Meklas’ attention.

“Were you spying on us? You might be a prince, but that doesn’t count for much here.”

“I was just wondering where they went. I assume to pass along that
valuable
information I provided,” he said with apparent delight, glancing at Aaron with a grin. Aaron, who appeared baffled by William’s relaxed demeanor, nodded as if in the know.

“That’s exactly where they went,” Meklas said, annoyed at William’s show of bravado and slightly unnerved that the prince seemed less than concerned that King Basil’s war plans were being revealed to the enemy.

“Glad to hear it,” William said with a pleasant smile. “Now leave us so Aaron and I can enjoy our meal, sparse though it is.”

“You do that, prince
,
” Meklas muttered as he began to close the doors.

William laughed. “Not
quite
a prince, but I suppose it doesn’t matter now that Bosh has left.”

Meklas exhaled through clenched teeth as he slammed the doors shut, aggravated that he had to watch these two. Yet something about William’s sudden change in attitude bothered him. He glanced at the man with the knife standing behind him, silently seeking his opinion before he yanked open the doors once again. He glared at William.

“What do you mean
not quite a prince
?” Meklas asked. “Are you taunting me? Bosh said I wasn’t to kill you, but he said nothing about teaching either of you a lesson.”

William raised a hand to calm Meklas. “All I’m saying is that I’m not who you think I am. I’m neither a prince of Montavia nor a prince from anywhere, for that matter.”

“Oh? And why should I believe that?”

William fished out a piece of bread from the sack and tossed it to Aaron while helping himself to some as well. “I don’t really care if you believe it,” he said while eating. “All I needed was for Bosh to believe it so he’d deliver the false information I gave him. Worked like a charm!”

“You were a good actor,” Aaron said, playing along with William’s ruse though not quite sure where his friend was going with the act.

Meklas swallowed hard, unable to determine if William was lying or not. “What do you think?” he said, referring to the man behind him. “This one here wants us to believe he’s not a prince.” He glared at William. “You think I’m falling for some scam that you tricked us into delivering bad information? Do I look that stupid?”

“No comment,” he muttered.

“Well I’m
not
falling for it! You’re stuck here,” Meklas replied, “at least until Bosh returns.”

“
If
he returns. He’s doing exactly what he was set up to do,” William said. “Aaron and I are here because our contact wanted you to find us along the docks. This was all a scheme to infiltrate your group.”

Meklas breathed heavily as William’s words raced through his mind. The man behind him appeared uncomfortable, wondering what to believe.

“You think he could be telling the truth?” he whispered.

“Of course not!” Meklas sputtered. “It’s a ploy to escape.”

“It’s no ploy,” William assured them. “I’m guessing that Aaron and I are dead regardless of what happens, so I just wanted the pleasure of knowing that
you
know you’ve been duped by our contact. Your befuddled expression makes it all worth while. And when King Basil’s men either arrest you or slay you, why, that will be sweeter still.”

Meklas was about to slam the doors shut, knowing William was purposely provoking him, when the tightness in his facial muscles suddenly softened as he figured out the prince’s subtle line of attack. “Ha! Your contact, as you say, couldn’t possibly be your contact, and therefore I now know your story is false. Nice try, prince.”

The armed man started to laugh. “Yeah, Nyla is one of us, so how could she be a spy for you?”

“Quiet!” Meklas snapped.

“Maybe we turned her allegiance to us,” Aaron responded matter-of-factly. “Everybody has a price.” The expression upon his face didn’t reveal a flicker of surprise at the mention of Nyla’s name. Inside, however, he felt cold and angry, learning that the woman he had worked next to for several months in the King’s kitchen was a conspirator.

“Like that would ever happen,” the man continued. “Bosh’s wife would never–”

“Would you please shut up?” Meklas said, spinning around and locking gazes with him. “They already got the information they wanted as soon as you opened your big mouth the first time! Why give them any more?”

“
What
?”

Meklas shook his head and sighed. “I’ll explain it later.” He looked up at William and Aaron, surprisingly calm. “Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter that you know about Nyla’s identity, because as you said, the both of you will probably end up dead. So enjoy that bit of knowledge in the time you have left, for all the good it’ll do you.” He offered a cold smile before slamming the doors and barring them shut. He walked back to the farmhouse with the other man.

Inside the barn, William noted a look of shock and disgust upon Aaron’s face, sensing the betrayal the boy was feeling. “At least we now know who arranged our abduction, though it doesn’t bring us any closer to getting out of here.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Aaron replied, his mind elsewhere. He wandered over to one corner of the barn and dropped down on a pile of hay, tossing his piece of bread aside. “I can’t believe Nyla is a spy.” He glanced at William. “That was a fine bit of deception against Meklas, though I must confess that I’m disappointed with the results. To think I was rather fond of that woman despite her stern manner.”

“Nyla apparently fooled a lot of people, including King Basil,” William said as he looked about the barn in the growing light and sighed. Aside from several piles of hay, there were three empty horse stalls and little else inside. And even if one of them could somehow scale the walls to reach one of the windows, both openings were too small for either one to fit through.

“We have to get back to the estate and warn the King.”

“Warn him about Nyla and his compromised plans,” William replied, taking a seat next to Aaron. “Bosh won’t keep us around the moment he realizes we’re no longer of any use, so we’ll have to make a run for it the first chance we get. I’d rather die escaping than just sit here waiting for them to finish us off at their leisure.”

“Agreed,” he said with a determined nod, hoping that William didn’t detect a wave of fear and dread washing over him.

William hoped that Aaron couldn’t sense similar feelings tormenting him as well as they faced the slow march of hours ahead.

The shadows had deepened when William and Aaron woke from a deep sleep sometime before sunset. They noticed that another sack of food and more water had been placed on the ground inside the doors. William smirked.

“I guess we were both so tired that we didn’t hear Meklas,” he said, wandering over to see what provisions their captors had provided. “More bread, some apples and something that looks like a piece of dried meat. I suppose it could be worse.”