Beneath a Midnight Moon - By Amanda Ashley Page 0,84
in the guise of the Interrogator, went first, carrying the torch. Kylene followed her. Jared and Hardane came last.
“Where’s my father?” Hardane asked.
“Keeping guard at the entrance to the dungeon.”
“And the Interrogator?”
Jared shrugged. “Asleep in his chambers, I hope. We didn’t dare take the time to explore the sleeping quarters upstairs.”
Kylene glanced over her shoulder again and again as they made their way down the narrow corridor, assuring herself that Hardane was really there, repeatedly thanking the Father of All that he was still alive.
After what seemed like an eternity, they reached the stairway that led out of the dungeon.
For Hardane, each step sent fresh splinters of pain shooting through his thigh, but he managed to make it to the top.
Lord Kray sighed with relief when he saw the four of them emerge from the bowels of the Fortress.
Stepping forward, he gave his son a fierce hug. “Thank the Father,” he murmured.
Silent as wraiths, they made their way through the dark hallway that led to the entrance of the Fortress.
Kylene held her breath as Lord Kray approached the big double doors that led to freedom. They were going to make it.
Kray’s hand was on the latch when a dozen men materialized out of the shadows, their lances glinting in the light of the torch.
The captain of the guards surveyed the group assembled near the door, then addressed the Interrogator. “Is something amiss, milord?”
Sharilyn shook her head. “All is well. Return to your post.”
“Stand fast, Rynell. Brant, secure the door!”
Sharilyn and Kray exchanged uneasy glances as Renick entered the room.
“Take them, you fools!” Renick ordered brusquely.
Looking confused, the guards glanced uncertainly from one Interrogator to the other.
“He’s an impostor!” Renick said, pointing at Sharilyn.
“He’s the impostor!” Sharilyn countered imperiously.
Renick snorted derisively. “Take them, I say!”
Still, the guards didn’t move, their expressions mirroring their confusion as they stared at the two men, both of whom claimed to be the Lord High Interrogator of Mouldour.
“So,” Renick said, his gaze on Sharilyn’s face, “if you are the Interrogator, as you claim, then you can tell me the name of each man in this room.”
The guards looked at Sharilyn expectantly.
Kray smiled at her. “Looks like we’re well and truly caught, beloved,” he murmured.
Sharilyn smiled back. “May the Father of All grant that we may meet again in the clouds of Paradise,” she murmured, and then she shouted, “Jared, run!”
Pivoting on her heel, she threw the torch into Brant’s face, then drew her sword from its scabbard and whirled around to face the man who had come up behind her.
At the same time, Kray yanked the door open and pushed Jared and Hardane outside. Kylene followed hard on their heels.
“Make for the ship!” Kray shouted at Jared, and slamming the door, he drew his sword and took a place beside Sharilyn.
Rynell picked up the torch and placed it in a wall sconce while the other guards stared at Sharilyn. It was obvious the men were still perplexed by the presence of two men claiming to be the Interrogator.
“Take them!” Renick shouted, and the authority in his voice spurred his men into action.
Kray squeezed Sharilyn’s hand and then, with a cry, drove his sword into the heart of the nearest man.
Sharilyn’s cry echoed that of her husband as she lunged forward to parry a thrust in her direction.
Kray fought valiantly, his sword slicing through the air with great and deadly skill. For an instant, he admired his wife’s ability. She wielded her sword with the dexterity and proficiency of a seasoned warrior.
Between them, they dispatched four of the Interrogator’s men and disabled three others in a matter of minutes, and then one of the guards slipped past Kray’s defenses, his blade driving into Kray’s chest.
A cry of distress rose in Sharilyn’s throat as she saw her husband fall. Filled with rage, she whirled on the man who had wounded her husband, her sword slashing through the air like heat lightning until it found its mark.
“I want him alive!” The Interrogator’s voice rang out over the harsh sounds of battle, and the five remaining guards drew back to form a circle around Sharilyn, careful to stay out of reach of her blade.
For a long moment, Renick stared at the man standing beside the fallen Lord Kray. It was a bit unnerving, staring into one’s own face. Was it Hardane? Renick studied the impostor’s right leg. The man didn’t fight as if he’d been recently wounded.
Renick frowned, and then smiled. “Take him!” he ordered, and the five guards walked