***
Rufus waited quietly that night next to a narrow door at the base of one of the wall towers, right where he told me he would be. Surprisingly, he didn’t seem skittish for a man about to plan treason against his lord. Of course, neither was I, so I couldn’t very well hold that against him.
“I see you made it,” he said as I approached.
“I did.” I leaned against the wall next to him and looked around at the empty courtyard that surrounded us. “So are we doing this here?”
“No. Follow me.” Rufus opened the door and stepped inside the tower. Once inside he motioned for me to follow him down a stone stairway built into the wall. Until that moment I had no idea the castle had underground passageways, but I suppose I should have known. All castles have secrets, why wouldn’t this one? It made me wonder, though, whether there might also be secret, unguarded entrances into the castle, and whether Rufus had already let his real master in on that secret.
“Where will this take us?”
“The Library.”
“The Library is underground?”
“It’s the room Hafnard uses to keep all of the court records and documents. He has several rooms set aside for various things. They’ll be empty right now, though.”
“Several rooms? Just how big is this castle?”
“It’s two castles. This castle above was built on top of an old Touran castle. There are a number of corridors and rooms down here that are still usable. In fact, the Dralasians have five rooms under the main hall that they use as living quarters and for their ceremonies.”
“Dralasian ceremonies… I bet it gets messy down there.”
Rufus glanced back at me, the hint of a smile on his face. “I see you know the Dralasians well.”
The bottom of the stairs opened into a dark tunnel, with only a single lit torch about halfway down. Rufus led the way without hesitation, then stopped at a side door I hadn’t even seen until he opened it. I was eager to get inside, so I could see my surroundings better, but Rufus held his hand up first.
“Not yet. Before we discuss things any further, I need to know if you’re serious about this. I want your word that you intend to switch your allegiance to Lord Kurich, and that you will say nothing to anyone else here about my role in all of this.”
“Of course,” I said, fully aware that I was giving him an oath to break my first oath. “You have my word.”
Rufus regarded me carefully, then nodded. He walked into the room and waved me in after him.
And that’s when everything went south in a hurry.
As soon as the bag went over my head I knew I’d been deceived. I struggled, of course. I flailed, and twisted, and even managed to kick someone in the face, but that was answered by a flurry of fists to my head, followed by what had to be the pommel of a sword. That sent me sprawling to the floor in a daze, and my attackers tied me up easily after that.
My hands and feet were bound, then I was hauled up and hung by my wrists on a hook hanging from the ceiling. I recognized the voice ordering the bag taken off my head, and as I looked around in a daze I saw several guards surrounding me, Rufus standing by the door, and Hafnard waiting by a long wooden counter at the back of the room, grinning like a hungry wolf.
“You set me up,” I said, trying to blink away the blurriness. “This whole time?”
“No,” he replied casually, enjoying the moment. “I actually gave you the benefit of the doubt for the first few days. But I never trusted you, and as protector of the court of Aberweyn I must vet each and every man my Lord's life depends on. You just happened to be the first of these mules to chase the carrot.”
“Chase what carrot? I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Treason against your sworn lord?”
“What treason?”
Hafnard sighed. “You fight until the bitter end, I see. You do realize why Rufus opened the door when he asked you to swear against your oath? Everyone in here heard you.”
“I took no money. And I’ve committed no crime.”
“Swearing an oath against your lord is a crime," Hafnard said, tired of the banter. "One for which you will pay dearly.” He motioned to the guards. “Search him. Make sure he’s not lying about the money.”
The guards stripped me down to my undergarments, and they searched every pocket in my clothes. One of them found a small pouch of coins, and he gave it to Hafnard who opened it then tossed it on the counter dismissively. He looked at me curiously for a moment, then walked over and pulled up my undershirt. And that’s when he saw the gem, hanging from a leather strap around my neck. His eyes widened when he saw it, and he stared for some time before grabbing a knife from one of the guards so he could cut the strap.
Hafnard took the gem in his hand and studied it like it was the most magnificent thing he'd ever seen. And it was then that I realized that I'd been dealing with an entirely more dangerous man than I'd initially realized. And why he'd come after me of all people.
“You're a mage.”
Hafnard glanced at me, cocking his head like a confused dog, then turned away and walked back to the counter at the far side of the room. He set the gem down and admired it.
“You surprise me at every turn, you know,” he said, not taking his eyes off the gem. “You show up in my city without any warning. You're the talk of the court with your antics. And you jump at my bait with only the slightest nudge. And now you bring me what is certainly a very exquisite gift.”
“Keep it,” I said, and at that moment I meant it. That Stupid Rock had cost me a lot, and right then I was more than happy to let Hafnard suffer the fate of protecting it. I was sure he would use it, and as soon as he did, he'd be killed by someone better than him looking to claim it. If I were to die tonight by his hand, then at least that would be some small measure of revenge. “If you have it, then I don't have to worry about ugly little wizards posing as court clerks hounding me because they can sense that thing.”
He smiled at that, although it was anything but jovial. “Very true. I knew when I found you in that tavern that there was something about you. And the more time you spent around here, the more I could feel the power of this gem nearby. It took me a few days to realize that it was actually on you, but once I did, I made plans to get it into the hands of someone who can properly use it.”
“Like I said, keep it.”
“You don’t seem scared. I can’t help but wonder if that’s because you don’t fully understand what happens next.”
“You let me go?”
“No." Hafnard turned back to me and motioned to the guards, who moved to surround me. "You will be staying with us for a while. A long while.”