Chapter 6

The arrows were a signal for him. He put down his cup of wine and watched as the arrows peaked then fell back to the ground, their flames dying quickly.

No shout went up from anywhere. None was intended to. Quickly he returned inside and placed his wine cup on the table. He ran into Hester’s room and crossed to her side of the bed. She breathed deeply, her eyes closed. Asleep. He considered waking her but then decided against it. She was upset with him and waking her would probably upset her more. Besides, whatever emergency was signaled by the arrows meant that he had very little time. If he woke Hester and tried to get her to leave with him, he would probably be too late.

Best he left and returned another time when he could be sure that the emergency had passed and all was safe again.

He quickly donned his jacket and boots and strapped on his belt with his sword. Then he kissed Hester goodbye and let himself out of her chambers. He progressed slowly, for while he knew the arrows had meant danger was coming, he had no way of knowing what the danger was or where it was.

Dargo kept to the shadows and dark corners until he reached the secret entrance he always used to enter the palace. He waited. If he was patient he might be able to learn more.

And then he saw them. Men dressed in black. They moved swiftly but silently. Unhindered by guards, they made quick progress towards the royal chambers. He soon lost count of how many passed. There was no possibility of taking on this many well-trained men and winning. He doubted too that if he raised the alarm he would be able to count on any support arriving from the palace guard despite the fact that he was not supposed to be in the palace anyway.

After the last man had passed he moved to the secret entrance and pulled the lever which unlocked the door he used to gain access to the palace and entered a secret passage. The passage would lead him to a point beyond the palace walls where he would exit.

As he hurried he wondered who these people were. How did he and his people not know about them? There was nothing they did not know about. Unless the Black Cloaks had been compromised…

Was it possible? He did not want to believe it but could not rule out the possibility.

The festivities ended quickly for those who were still in the palace courtyard when the bells began to toll at midnight. The last stragglers left quickly and headed for their homes. In the dark a few screams were heard as some people had the misfortune of running into criminals who lay in wait after the bells tolled for the last time.

The festival was over and a new day had arrived.

An hour later all was as silent as could be. Most people had made it home and retired quickly to an inebriated slumber. Here and there some groups of people loitered in bars and brothels but for the most part, the city was asleep.

In the areas near the East and West gates, figures clad in dark clothes exited the buildings they had waited in all night. The Order of Keln. They clung to the shadows and moved carefully yet swiftly despite not expecting to encounter resistance. The men were well trained and any observer would never believe they were monks of the Order of Keln.

The deceit was almost complete.

The Order of Keln had risen ten circles before as an Order, worshipping the God of Earth. It claimed to be the provider for all mankind encouraging kindness to plants and sharing knowledge with farmers on how to improve their crops and ensure successful harvests year after year.

Belief in the Order had taken time to take hold but, as crops improved year after year, support for the Order had spread throughout the kingdom until it became one of the Orders closely associated with the Festival of Kelaspin.

Yet, despite the growth and support for the Order of Keln, the monks of the order were introverted and mixed very little with the public other than to share their agricultural knowledge. They had eventually become accepted in society as quiet but helpful and integral for any farmer’s success.

The truth was that the monks were all trained assassins using the Order of Keln as a cover and infiltrating society as monks.

The teams made their way to the gates of the city. As expected the guards were asleep except for one at each gate who had been posted to wake the others in time for the guards who would relieve them the next morning.

A knife thrown by the assassins disposed of the sober guard at each gate quickly. The others died in their sleep as their throats were cut and the bodies piled in the guardhouses by the gates. A team of assassins climbed the stairs to the top of the East and West walls. Neither party was met with resistance other than a single sober sentry on each lookout location. The sentries on top of the walls were disposed of as easily as the ones at the gates.

One assassin returned from the top of each wall and confirmed they controlled the posts on top of the walls. The word was passed that it was safe to open the gates. A pair of assassins moved to the gates in the East wall and opened them, using the keys they had taken from the murdered sentries.

A whistle went up and thousands of soldiers outside the walls moved into action. Advance teams of soldiers trained in stealth were first. A thousand men entered through the gate at the East wall. They passed through the entrance to the city and quickly turned towards the palace. Small teams climbed the walls to the lookout posts taking over control of the catapults on the walls in the East and West. The catapults were turned and aimed towards the palace to fight any resistance which might occur.

Another thousand men entered the city and split up. They approached the palace using different roads, making sure there was no significant force that could provide resistance from behind.

As they moved, they quickly disposed of anyone who might raise the alarm. Finally, they arrived at the city gates. The two sentries were no match for the sober, well-organized teams and were quickly dealt with. An assassin lifted the key from one of the dead sentries and unlocked the gates. Then the teams were through the gates and headed for the palace.

As they crossed the palace courtyard littered with the remnants of the night's festivities, three flaming arrows went up casting a glow in the night sky above them before falling to the ground.

The teams paused and weighed their options. They expected cries to go up warning of danger but no sound followed. Was it an ambush?

Nothing and no-one moved. Thirty seconds. One minute. Then the leader signaled them to continue as normal and dispatched a small team to the location where the arrows had been fired into the night sky.

The attackers had been well briefed and had been taught where the barracks were. One thousand men made their way to the barracks to secure the palace guard and prevent them from leaving their quarters in an attempt to resist the takeover of Kyrshom in their inebriated state.

The second team moved through the palace, from room to room until they had secured all but the royal chambers.