The Adventures of Tanis Thalin: To Rule a World
Chapter Six

Tanis allowed himself to be led through the winding streets of the town of McCryden. Perrick proved to be a good guide and knew places in the city where they could stay until they could complete the reason for their trip. Getting to the manor house of Lord McCryden would be a simple matter of just walking to it. It was the largest building in the town and visible even over the top of the gigantic wall surrounding the town. It was surrounded by guards that would make it difficult for even a small army to take the building. Every two paces stood another guard so no matter where you looked there was a guard. Now knowing what he faced he turned to Perrick. “Good Perrick, since you are the thief, just tell me how we are to get into this great stronghold?”

Perrick stood there for a moment then the twinkle once more shone in his eyes. “How good at climbing are you two?” was all that Perrick said.

As they walked several guards spotted the three traveling the streets. “Hey there!“, cried the guards, “Show us your papers from the gate and do it now or it will be your bloody heads I will be presenting to our lord, Lord McCryden.”

“Papers? Good sirs, what are these papers you speak of, we are new come to the town and are taking in the sites.” Said Perrick. “We were never given papers back at the gate. The guards there must have forgotten to issue them to us. We will return now and get them and come right back here to you esteemed gentlemen. Well it may take a moment so just relax and we will be back before you know it.”

“Wait a moment now. What did these guards at the gate look like that forgot to give you your papers? They should be put on report and I would like to know who made such a mistake. Be careful how you speak for we would not want the wrong people blamed.” Said the guard.

“Good Captain! I would never dream of getting one of your esteemed men into trouble over such a small matter, so please allow me to return to the gate and I will . . . ,” said Perrick noticing for the first time the papers in the guard’s belt. He also saw the sword in the man’s hand. “Do nothing is what I will do, cannot speak for anyone else but I will do nothing. That’s what I say. No trouble here. No sir. None here.”

Perrick looked at Tanis and Charina standing and staring, “For the love of the Light! You two know those weapons on your hips and all that magic stuff, make with it already! Gee, do I have to spell it out for you?” At that Tanis and Charina attacked and knocked out the two guardsmen. Doing so only brought more guardsmen on the way and soon they were following Perrick throughout the town until he came to a house in the red light district.

“Trust me my lord, I am well known here and they will help us. I swear it. They will hide us out until the guards have given up the hunt. They will sooner or late given what happened about thirteen or fourteen years ago, killing all those men who did as he asked the way he did. Shameful!” Commented Perrick.

“These people know you? I think we will be safer in the street with the guardsmen.” Laughed Tanis.

“It is to laugh isn’t it? A man puts his neck on the line for you and I do not even have the courtesy of a name and now all of a sudden you attack my skills with people? You really can be a headache you know that?” said Perrick.

“Tanis and Charina Thalin” was all Charina said to Perrick. Perrick looked at Tanis and said, “So you’re the bastard son are you. You have caused many a good person’s death in these parts at the hands of daddy dearest up in the big house. Now I suppose it will be me now that faces the gallows or the headsman for being a fool, huh?”

Leading them to a home that Perrick rented while he was in the city, he laid out his plan. They would enter the town’s sewer system and follow it to the manor house. Though not as elaborate as the roman system, it was sufficient for the task of entering the manor house. Trying to sound convincing his new found friends looked askance at Perrick. Perrick once more reviewed his plan as they walked once more around the great manor house in the middle of the town.

The plan was a simple one. Perrick would create a distraction to draw off the guards while Tanis and Charina entered the sewers of the town. They would sit in wait until Perrick arrived then they would move to the manor house where secret passages long forgotten led from the sewers into the manor house. Once inside Tanis would lead them to the Lord of the Manor, Lord McCryden himself, and then the two would fight till one no longer lived. The other would then claim the town and her soldiers for his own. The plan was as simple as could be. Only problem was that Tanis was suddenly getting a sinking feeling that for some reason this was not going to be as simple as Perrick let on.

The time came and the three gathered near the entrance of the sewers. Perrick ran up and started speaking with the guards near the sewer grate. “Good sirs! You must help me! I am being stalked and set upon at every turn. Bandits are ramped in this town and are setting upon me for my gold and my weapons. See this dagger here. It is older than my great-grandfather and it is worth more than you or I make in a year. I would hate to lose it to these thieves. Help me please!” said Perrick.

“Sir, show us this dagger. And then show us these thieves and we will set upon them. What is your business here in any event? We will need to know that if we are to file the report. So what is your business and turn over that dagger for safe keeping.” Said the guard.

Perrick saw that his friends were on the move and looked at the guards. “Sirs, you wish to know my business, well it is an old profession. Maybe one that you are familiar with? It is called thievery and I am the best of them. And as for the dagger here you go.” And with that, Perrick stabbed the two guards.

Slowly Perrick led them from their posts and Tanis and Charina entered the sewer. They waited deep inside the entrance waiting for the familiar shape of Perrick to fill the entrance. Moments seemed hours before Perrick finally entered the sewers; he was wiping his heavy bladed knife off as he walked in. The rag in his hand held the signal of the house McCryden. “Was it wise to kill the guards?” asked Tanis. “They will be found missing. Then they will know something is askew and beef up the security around and inside the manor house.”

Perrick listened with only half an ear. He turned to his companions and told them in a flat voice, “And how were we to hide the cut grating? How were we to hide when they inspect every ten minutes? If you want to avoid discovery, you must do what you must do. In this case it was kill the guards then hide the bodies where they will not be found for hours. That is what I have done.” Tanis looked taken aback, but Charina just looked thoughtful. Maybe the violence was necessary but he did not have to like it.

Slowly he headed down into the catacombs that housed the sewer system. All around wreaked the smells of sewage and death. Everywhere they looked rats gouged themselves on things the three young travelers would rather not know what it had once been. They moved quickly so as to make it to the manor house before the missing guards were discovered. Slowly through the dank dampness they proceeded until they approached a steel ladder built into one wall. Above was a rusted hinged door, the wood worm eaten and nearly falling in from disrepair. It was a matter of a few moments for Tanis and Perrick to remove enough of the boards for the three of them to enter the passage above. The great fence of iron around the ladder falling apart in their hands. The protection to the passages above long since rusted into history.

Moving into the passage first, Tanis drew the Holy Avenger, the serpentine blade glistening in the half light provided by light coming through chinks in the walls and around hidden doors. After he started moving up into the manor house, Charina quickly followed him. Perrick came last after replacing the boards in the trapdoor so that careful inspection would not reveal them to have been removed. Slowly up into the manor they climbed until Tanis stood before a hidden door and listened to roaring laughter on the other side. “It would appear we have found our quarry,” said Tanis.

“Watch where you are swinging that lizard sticker my lord, you have nearly severed me from my head. I am your humble servant and would like to remain so. I would rather not be among the deceased that litter these tunnels and sewers, that is if my lord does not mind,” whispered Perrick. Tanis quickly whispered his apologies and turned back to the secret door. Looking through one of the chinks in the wall he saw a man sitting in a throne like chair laughing at a little man who was about half the size of the man in the chair. The little man held a leather script of papers close to his breast and was giving the latest tax collections and the hunger and poverty seen in his village and estates.

Seeing his quarry, Tanis bent to the handle of the door and turned it with all his might and slowly grudgingly the handle gave way and the door unlocked. Tanis put his weight behind the heavy stone door and the door refused to move. Perrick seeing Tanis struggling bent himself to push the door as well. Slowly the door opened and the three stepped into the throne room of Lord McCryden.

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