Chapter 2
Day turned to nightly quickly- a matter of minutes it seemed to Quinn but perhaps his anxiety was just making it seem so. Before he knew it, it was already time to set his plan into action. It was about 7 o'clock when all the lords from throughout the country began to flit into the palace, like a royal parade- though Quinn was sure most of the commoners had no idea who most of the people were and could only get a half decent glance of them at best. Now it was nearly 11 o'clock, and Quinn had stationed himself at a post at the gate after 'kindly' stealing a uniform from the unsuspecting guard who was now sleeping peacefully behind a bush. He had been startled at first to find that it was the same guard from the night before, but had to laugh after he had himself positioned.
It was minutes before his 'shift' would be over and he could then infiltrate the castle. He had to keep his legs from bouncing with anticipation and excitement, a sure fire way of blowing his cover. As he spotted another guard heading his way, he straightened his pose and tried to calm his breathing, his nervousness of being found out at any moment getting the better of him. He did notice, as the man got closer, that he was another of the soldiers from the night at the bar, and cursed himself inwardly, but at the same time praised the helmet that covered the better part of his face.
The man walked right up to Quinn, giving him the royal salute, something the guards did to acknowledge the other, and the two men switched spots without a word. After nearly a month of watching the guards, he was confident in the procedures and the timings- he was never sure when they would come in handy, but today it proved to be some useful observation. The guard never suspected a thing.
Just as Quinn turned to leave, the man began to spoke. “Hey, what happened to you last night?” He could see the man smiling from the bit if face showing not covered with a helmet. Quinn, a little surprised by the sudden question, quickly regained him composure.
“Ah, I met with someone last night,” he lied to him.
The Euthalian's smile grew bigger as he gave a nod of approval. “Way to go man, you dog!” His voice came out in a satisfied whisper.
Quinn gave him an awkward smile before disappearing from the man's sight and into the castle. Once inside, he headed off, trying to seem as normal as possible while neglecting his duty. It had been a few hours since the Lords had been ushered into the castle, and he hoped that they were all in the dining hall. Not that it really mattered, seeing as he didn't know where that was in the first place.
He wandered through the palace aimlessly trying to locate the room. He wasn't sure if he'd be in any lucky even if he did find the room before the party died. Surely their talks of business would have been done before the feast and drinks. Still, he hoped that he might be able to catch a bit of a conversation that allowed him to get hints on their plans.
When he reached a seemingly deserted hall, he decided to take off the helmet, feeling too warm and a bit defeated. Clearly he had wandered the wrong way. There were no guards anywhere, all probably condensed at the dining hall, where the majority of where the security was needed. He continued to walk through the halls for a few minutes, exposed, allowing himself to cool off a little before he put the helmet back on.
All too quickly, the sound of quick footsteps could be heard coming down a corridor somewhere behind him. He turned, the helmet still under his left arm, and his other hand securely on the hilt of his sword. Just as he did so, a woman, not much older than him, appeared before him after rushing out from a hallway intersecting his and come to a sudden halt.
Her eyes pierced his as she stood staring at him, a flicker of different emotions flashing in her eyes every second. Quinn could tell by her outfit consisting of short shorts, pirate boots, and a rather revealing shirt, that she was not part of the special guest the King had invited. He stood still, with the helmet still under her hands, watching her with caution as she did the same. In the blink of an eye, she was off again, her dark hair trailing behind her.
Quinn stood by himself for a few moments, still trying to comprehend what he just saw. He shook his head, deciding to push it to the back of his mind. She was no concern of his, expect for the fact that now the chances of him being caught grew immensely. If she was found, surely his capture would follow shortly.
He turned from where the woman had stood and started to continue on his way, not making it very far before the sound of running shoes could be heard behind him. He turned, already in the action of putting on the helmet, when another man appeared from the same hallway. His arms froze, and he stood holding the helmet in his hands, staring at the man. What was happening? This was supposed to be a covert operation. He was supposed to be the only outsider in the castle- clearly everyone else had the same idea as him.
This man looked quite a few years older than Quinn, though he had a young look about him. Perhaps it was the was his medium length, deep auburn hair was styled back as though he constantly ran a hand through it and it just decided to stay that way. Or perhaps it was the way his shirt was unbuttoned just enough to reveal a sneak peek view of his well built-body- the kind o tactic a teenage boy would do to get all the girls. Or maybe it was just the overall pirate-y look that he gave off- the scarf around his waist, his almost too tight pants, high boots, and dual belts that criss-crossed at his waist.
The red head instantly began to look around, seeming like he was trying to find something, or someone. Quinn noted to himself that possibly the man and woman, judging by the similar wardrobe choices, might be accomplices. When the man's eyes found Quinn, he could see him studying the younger man briefly before speaking.
“Did you see a woman?” His voice was different than his own, there was a distinctness about it, an accent that belonged only to those who were born in the capital of Vyra. It sounded, proper, elegant and defined.
“A woman?” Quinn asked stupidly, still trying to register the sudden question.
“Yeah, you know, small chest, long legs, dark hair, skimpy outfit?” Clearly they weren't accomplices. Not friendly ones anyways.
“Yeah... What about her?”
“You saw her?” There was an urgency in the man's voice, like he absolutely needed to find her. It made Quinn uncomfortable. Was he all of a sudden in the middle of something infinitely worse than what he originally came here for? “Which way di-” The stranger's voice was drowned out by a loud obnoxious ringing.
“Damn! They figured it out already, huh?” Quinn could hear him say under the ringing. He looked at Quinn, who was still standing awkwardly in the middle of the hall, holding the dumb helmet.
“Well, come on mate! The gig is up, if you get caught now, you can bet you won't be alive for much longer,” the man waved his hand towards him, beckoning him to follow.
Quinn frowned, not happy that the man was so easily able to see passed his disguise- he thought it was pretty good. “How-”
“No time, save the questions for later. Come on.”
Quinn followed, seeing no other option than to do so. And he was glad he did. New new found ally seemed to know his way around the halls much better than Quinn had. He himself probably would have gotten himself more lost in the panic to escape. The two of them cautiously made their way through the halls, careful to avoid the guards that were now trying to find the intruders.
They eventually had made their way to a T in the corridors, probably on the lower level of the castle, or so Quinn figured. They had run down a decent amount of steps. The man pushed Quinn up against the wall with his arm as he himself hugged up against the wall to peer around the corner. When he turned back to Quinn he had a rebellious expression on his face, along with a smug smile.
“These guys are idiots. Heavily guarding a single place practically screams 'exit', or valuables. I just so happen to know that it's an exit,” his lips curled up higher as he whispered to Quinn, who merely stood with an eyebrow cocked.
“There's a secret passage to the dungeons just on the other side of that crate down the hall.” He pointed with his thumb down the hallway to the right. “That's our way out.” Quinn nodded in acknowledgement. “Of course,” the man continued, “it won't be easy with those guards in the way.” He began feeling around in the pouch secured behind his back. “When I give the signal, we are going to make a run for it.”
Quinn nodded again, watching as the older man pulled out two small black balls from the pouch and grinned mischievously. “Get ready,” he mouthed as he took a step from the wall, pulled his arm back and launched the balls down the hall opposite the soldiers.
A large explosion sounded and alarmed the soldiers immediately, however still taking them by surprise. As the group of men ran passed, the two unwelcomed guests pressed hard against the wall as they did so.
“Now!”
Quinn followed the older man in a quick pace, not chancing a look back till they were safely hiding behind the crate. While the stranger opened the passage, Quinn peeked over the wooden box at the soldiers, the group of them coughing and doubling over as an ominous black cloud engulfed them. The red head nudged Quinn, pointing at the long, dark hallway that lay ahead of them, and the two of them entered quickly but quietly.