At the sound of the horn, Silver's heart leapt in his chest. 'Haven did it!'
It was time to get to work. The Guardian used the confusion on the floor to jump through the rafters to just above the throne. It was not the first time the man had behaved like a squirrel, but he had never done it in so grand of a room.
Silver was unconcerned with Kaarel's order to remove the king. He knew something the General didn't.
Everything was in place, but a little more time would allow the soldiers at the fort to rally and make it to the palace.
A little theatrics were in order. Silver stood above the throne, his shadow cutting an eerie figure against the ceiling. The people on the floor looked up in awe, some whispering, others stunned into silence.
'Come on, notice me...' Silver rolled his eyes at Kaarel's slowness.
At last, the man looked up to view him. He smiled dangerously. "I suppose you are the source of the claims against me."
'And I thought this man was supposed to be the most brilliant of Lakyle. I am going to have to spell this out for him slowly.'
Silver spread out his arms, making himself look like a bat. "Surrender now, and none of your men will be hurt," the shadow responded.
"You are delusional." Kaarel locked eyes with one of his men in the back of the throne room.
'An archer?' Silver clicked his tongue. 'Use some imagination, will you?'
Trusting that the assassin would do the job to end Silver, Karrel had turned back to yell at the ceremonial guards. "I told you to get the king out of here!"
'Come on...you are making this too easy.' Silver could no longer suppress his taunting. "You expect His Majesty's men to obey you? How curious! Unless of course, they aren't King Rhodri's men at all. It does seem like all of the soldiers in the room are quite attentive to your whims. Forget Willric of Lakyle, King Kaarel seems far more likely…"
'Oh, that last part was good!' The Guardian patted himself on the back mentally. His verbal volley did the trick as Kaarel's face turned red.
"You go too far!'
'Oops, I made him mad!' The corners of Silver's mouth turned upward.
"Only a coward speaks nonsense from the safety of the rafters!" Kaarel threw the only taunt he could up to the heavens.
'He's not wrong, but little does he know...' "I've always said I am a coward. I have found it takes one coward to properly recognize another." Silver wished he had his bow or any of his weapons. But they had all been stripped of him. All he had was the rope which he had taken from the store room.
'Better than nothing.'
Below, the archer was aiming his shot, but Silver could see that with the billowed cloak obscuring his form, the man was having exceptional trouble aiming his shot. But not for long.
The General lost his patience at Silver's final words. "I am no coward!" Kaarel drew his sword and aimed it at the beams above. "Come down, and I will prove it!"
Silver's eyes flashed.
'Since you asked so nicely...' "Gladly."
All at once an arrow whizzed through the air, cutting through the empty space where Silver had just been, before lodging in the ceiling.
For his part, Silver was already plummeting toward the ground, much to Kaarel's shock. Of course he assumed that the Guardian would not take him up on his challenge.
Only a fool would leap blindly from such a height towards a sword.
'Guess I have to stop saying I'm a coward...'
The people in the room barely had time to react before the rope which Silver was holding became taut. The Guardian easily avoided Kaarel's blade and lifted the General with him into the air. They soared along pendulum swing of the cord which knitted securely to the rafters.
The two men went flying above the nobility's head. "For Birle!" a rallying cry came from the ground.
Incensed, Kaarel tried to swipe at his captor with his blade. When he could not, he hit the cloaked figure with the butt of his sword. "Unhand me!"
"As you wish!" Silver's eyes flashed a second time.
Reaching the end of their swing, the Guardian released Kareel into the void between the nobility and castle staff.
He did not wait to see the results of his actions.
Silver's goal--to get the general away from the king--was now complete.
Turning back, Silver aimed for the throne. Beside the king, the ceremonial guards were leading the chant of "For Birle."
At the perfect moment, Silver arched his back, released the rope and landed agilely on the high back of the chair. There should have been no way for the Guardian to perch there, but he crouched like a cat just the same.
"Tell them the truth, Your Majesty." Silver whispered, "It is our only chance!"
"But my daughter!" the king was pulled from his shock as he searched the back of the hall.
"That was not the princess, and even if it were, the servants have acted on your behalf." Silver pointed.
A woman in a maid's uniform led a group to rush the soldier who was wielding the knife against the princess's stand-in. Although the Lakilian man fought back, he was quickly overwhelmed.
"We are under attack!" Rhodri yelled. "The soldiers here are imposters!"
His call rallied the nobility and the invaders into action. As quickly as they could, the noblemen pushed the women to the center of the hall--along with anyone less willing to fight--and stood ready to die for king and country. In the midst of their organization, the soldiers on the wall attacked viciously.
Rhodri moved to strike out at the ceremonial guard to his left, but Silver stayed his hand. "These two are with me, Your Majesty. They will protect you."
On cue, both helmeted men began to attack the other soldiers on the dais, striking a few of them down before they could even register what was happening.
Silver leapt from the throne, scooped up two of their discarded weapons, and handed one to the king.
Rhodri gripped the sword. "I am sorry for doubting you."
"There will be plenty of time for that later. If you'll excuse me!" Silver blocked an overhanded strike which threatened to take down Rhodri.
Dispatching the intruder, Silver looked toward his next target. Borit.
Somehow the Commander had remained calm through the entire ordeal. His hands now free, he had stepped back and was watching the mayhem unfold with indifference. Silver raised his sword.
"Are we to fight now?" Borit asked the Guardian. "It seems like you have bigger problems than little old me."
Silver did not like the idea of striking down an unarmed man. "Stay away from the king!"
"I am not the one who will kill him." Borit smiled cruelly.
Silver felt a chill run down his spine.
Tracking Borit's gaze, he turned around and spotted the archer who had nearly skewered him to the ceiling.
The man had reloaded his crossbow. Beside him, a bleeding Kaarel was screaming orders as he held his broken arm.
Kaarel pointed at the king. The crossbow fell into position.
And shot.