Page 101 of The Barbarian King's Assassin (Magic and Kings 1)

“How many guards on duty?” I asked, pulling out a set of picks. At least I’d not lost them in the plunge. For once, I’d managed to keep my boots.

“Four at either end, none in the hall itself. They’ve got the Weztrogians each in their own cell.”

“Wait, how many did they arrest?” I asked.

“All of them. It was a glorious fight. You should have seen it. They would have won if the Barbarian hadn’t told them to stop.”

“And they listened? Of course they did,” I muttered. They loved the stupid, honorable idiot. “But why would he ask them to do that if they were winning?”

“I don’t think he wanted his people killing temple soldiers. They’re supposed to be allies.”

“Not great allies given they arrested him,” I remarked as the old lock popped and I heaved the door open.

“They didn’t have much choice given the initial evidence.”

“Bogus evidence.”

“Agreed. He would have been released if he’d been given a chance to speak and argue his defense. However, the grand vizier is demanding he be handed over to the Empire for trial.”

I snorted. “You mean execution.”

“Most likely.”

“Good thing he’s in temple custody then.”

“Not for long. The high priest has agreed to hand him over. The king is being moved in the morning.”

“So we have to get him out tonight.” My lips pressed tight.

“Without killing any of the temple soldiers.”

I grumbled, “Well, there goes plan A.” Take out everyone who got in my way.

“Which is why we’re using my plan instead. By now the guards will have eaten and drunk what was sent down.”

“You drugged their food.” Jrijori had apparently been busy while I sought a way to sneak back in. Which reminded me. “How come you didn’t come with him to find me when you heard I’d fallen into the falls?”

“I knew you weren’t dead.”

“How?”

“A father knows, and the sword confirmed it,” he muttered. “Now are you done? We should get up to the dungeon level and start working on those cells before the drug wears off.”

The top of the crumbling stairs used to have a lock, but it went away probably around the time someone started storing jugs of alcohol.

An ear to the door and I heard nothing. It took a firmer shove than I liked to open it. The hinges protested loudly. No one reacted to me jumping out with my sword extended. The three guards around the table slumped, drooling and asleep.

Three, not four. I glanced around. “There’s one missing.”

“Or never showed. Grab the keys and let’s go.”

I saw only the door going up into the keep. Nowhere for anyone to hide. A search of the limp bodies netted an iron ring with keys that clanked.

We unlocked the first portal leading to the hall with the cells. A dark place. We grabbed the torches from the other room and lit the sconce within. It barely penetrated the darkness. I pressed against the first door and slid open the flap. “Who’s in there?”

No reply.

I moved to the next, calling out, listening for any sign of which cells were occupied. I finally halted mid tunnel. “No one is here.”