Orc and Bunny

Chapter 8 - Escape from Hilcrest

“Philip Hil, you and your daughter, Anne Hil, have officially been convicted of treason against the crown, crimes against abertkind, and dereliction of duty. Belmoral you have been convicted of espionage, and aiding and abetting the crimes of Philip and Anne Hil. You will all be hanged by the neck until dead for your crimes in the morning. May you receive mercy after your death for you shall find none in this life.”

Commander Gareth never thought in his life that he would utter words like these about his own lord. Naturally, he knew the letter was fake. It was far too convenient for Hermcrest to be anything else. Especially with no way to authenticate the orders in this new world.

It was widely known that the marriage between Anne and George was simply a plot to reacquire the land that was given to the Hilcrest Family after Henry Hil saved the king during the Holy Xisades. Unfortunately, none save the crown really had any power to stop this plot. This was the reason Anne had no other suitors, none dared to interfere and make themselves an enemy of Hermcrest.

Alarm bells began ringing across the city, warning about some danger. The two guards behind him were startled by the sudden loud clanging. He turned to them.

“You two go find out what this is about, I’ll finish up here and join you on the wall.”

“Is that wise, sir?” One of them, Sergeant Nigel, that was his name, asked.

“What can they do? They’re locked up. Now, go.”

They straightened, saluted, and turned and ran for the stairs that led out of the prison. When they were out of sight, and hearing, he sighed.

“I’m sorry, my lord, I had to make it look good.”

“I understand, Commander. Is there any hope of…?” Philip Hil, formerly Lord Hilcrest made a gesture to indicate regaining control of the city.

“I’m afraid not, my lord, everyone else believes Lord Hermcrest’s story…,” Commander Gareth paused, “or they’re too afraid to contradict him.”

“I see, and is it your opinion that he will be bad for the city?”

“No, my lord, though I think you might do just as well. We know so little about this new world, so who’s to say?”

“As long as the people are safe and happy, I am content to disappear.”

“My lord, what about your name? Your honor?”

“Ha! I’ve never been one for all that nonsense. I know my honor is intact even if no one else does.”

“I believe it, my lord.”

“I know, Commander,”

“What now, my lord?”

Lord Hilcrest, no, Philip Hil, stood and slowly limped to the bars, holding them.

“To be honest, I’m hoping you’ll let Anne and Belmoral go. They aren’t necessary for Hermcrest’s ruse.”

“Father!” Anne jumped to her feet, and pulled him around to look at her.

“No, Anne. It would be far safer for everyone if Hermcrest gets the execution he wants.”

“To hell with that!”

“Anne, Language.”

Commander Gareth cleared his throat.

“Forgive my interruption, my lord…”

“It’s Philip now, Commander, or mr. Hil. I apologize, I should have corrected you earlier.”

“I…” Commander Gareth’s throat stung, as he fought to keep his composure. He had served Lord Hilcrest since he was a boy. “I understand. Mr. Hill, it is my opinion that you should escape. I will advise that he publicize your execution, and that you will not return. I will feel much better about my actions if I do not have your death on my conscience.”

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“If you believe that is best, I will follow your will, Commander.”

Commander Gareth opened the cell doors when there was the sound of running coming down the stairs.

“Commander Gareth, several fires have broken out at the edges of the city…,” Nigel, the guard he’d sent to investigate the alarm, stopped short. Gareth knew that he’d been spotted.

“Oh, Nigel, I wish you’d simply waited like I asked.”

“Commander,” Nigel looked wide eyed between the open cell door, and the commander, “what are you…,”

“I really am sorry about this,” Gareth pulled his sword from its sheath, and dispatched Nigel with a perfect polished swing of his blade, but not before he had shouted in alarm.

Three guards armed with pikes ran down the stairs at the end of the hall. The one in front, looked at the dead Nigel, and Commander Gareth with blood on his sword. x

“Stand down, commander!” He shouted as he lowered his pike at Gareth.

To say that Commander Gareth was outmatched was an understatement. He knew that, as a rule, the reach of the pikes meant he would lose. He also knew that he couldn’t afford to lose. He deftly dodged the thrusts from the guards, each pike he grabbed behind the head with his armpit, and with an expert turn he wrenched them from the guards, and threw them behind him.

The guard at the front, acted fastest and drew a dagger from his belt. Gareth blocked his dagger, spun around the man, and stabbed and slashed the two men in the rear before they could grab theirs. No sooner had he dispatched them, then he felt an arm reach around his neck.

The sharp dagger in his back made him inhale sharply. He knew that he would soon lose control of his hands and there was only one way to defend his lord. He closed his eyes, and turned his sword so the point faced him. With both hands, he thrust the sword through his own abdomen, and into the shorter man’s heart.

They both fell, the guard dead, and Gareth wishing he’d found a better way to win.

Gareth lay bleeding in the arms of his lord. He knew that his time was short, and he had to do everything in his power to allow Lord Hilcrest to escape.

“I don’t have much time, my lord,” he gasped, the pain from the wound was incredible.

“Philip, please.”

“Allow me to properly address you in my final moments, please, my lord.”

Lord Hilcrest only sniffled and nodded.

“In my office, there are supplies and all the gear that was confiscated from you. I had planned to hide you in a wagon and leave a gate open, but I don’t know how you’ll escape now.”

“Don’t worry about that, Commander. I know of a secret tunnel from near your office that will suffice for that. Please, is there anything I can do for you?”

“Just, escape. Please,” he groaned at the pain it caused when he spoke, “Please, my lord, you must escape.”

“What about your family?”

“I don’t have family, my lord,” Commander Gareth hacked, and red dripped from his mouth, “they were all killed in the attempted rebellion.”

“I’m so sorry, Commander, I didn’t know.”

Commander Gareth only shuddered, and went limp in Lord Hilcrest’s arms.

Philip closed his eyes and sat in silent prayer for a moment. Tears streamed down his face as he gently closed the eyes of Commander Gareth. He sniffed, wiped his eyes, and turned to the others with what he hoped was a determined look.

“Let’s go. We can properly mourn the Commander’s loss when we are safe.”

“Father, I…”

“It’s alright, Anne.”

“Who was that?” Ansemoni whispered.

“Commander Gareth. He’s the one who freed us from the cells,” Belmoral answered, paused, and started in shock, “Ansemoni? How did you get here?”

“Who do you think started the fires, dummy?”

The four of them ran up the stairs, managing to avoid a hurried group of guards by ducking down a narrow hallway. True to his word, when they arrived at the former Commander’s office, there were all of their weapons and gear. There were also several large sacks of food, bedrolls, tents, and anything else they might need.

The four of them silently grabbed what they could, and Philip led them to the seeming dead end hallway, where there was a portrait of his great-grandfather in a regal pose beside a table of lilies and holding a brass censer with smoke lazily wafting from it.

“You are about to learn an old family secret,” he told the others, before unceremoniously poking his ancestor in the eyes with two fingers.

They barely heard a click over the clamor of the alarm bells, and the portrait shifted back slightly.

“Belmoral, me dear, if you wouldn’t mind pushing this portrait to the side, I’m afraid it’s a tad heavy for me,” Philip said to the young woman behind him.

Belmoral looked at Anne confused. Anne shrugged, so she obliged him and pushed the heavy portrait to the side, and a large portion of the stone wall shifted with it, exposing a dark tunnel, and a pair of lanterns. They entered, and Belmoral shifted the wall back behind them, as he struck a match to light the lanterns.

“We can only use these in the tunnels, but it would be quite terrifying to traverse them blind,” he explained to them, not to mention it would be far too easy to get lost.

They made their way through a veritable maze of tunnels, before he indicated they should turn the lanterns off at the base of a ladder. They followed him up the ladder and through a trapdoor that led to the edge of an empty field. If someone had been looking, they would have seemed to come up out of an empty well. He chuckled at the thought despite himself.

The four of them slipped through the fields and into the night.