Page 70 of Dancing On Air

Chapter16

“Let me in. I’m here to get the prisoner,” said Connor, wearing his executioner’s attire, standing at the door leading to the dungeon.

“You’re here already?” asked the guard. “The execution isn’t scheduled until later today. Lord Sampson wants to make sure the crowds are excited and drinking plenty before it happens.”

“Well, he changed his mind,” lied Connor. “Lord Sampson wants it done earlier. Let me in, I say.”

“All right, all right,” grumbled the guard, stepping aside and opening the door that led down to the dungeon. Connor had left his brother and Rook outside the castle walls at the prisoners’ graveyard to dig up the cup. Rose and Raven were waiting at the far side of the gallows with the wagon from the abbey. The plan was that Connor would lead the boy to them, and then he’d disappear into the crowd. Finnian would hide in the back of the wagon and ride right out the gates without anyone knowing it. Connor would wait long enough before he made the announcement that Finnian had escaped.

Connor wasn’t sure what Eleanor was planning on doing, but she’d told him right before they left that she’d keep an eye on Lord Sampson.

He felt extremely nervous about this plan. He was worried, not for himself, but for the others. If even one little thing went wrong, the whole plan could fall apart. Connor might end up having to kill Finnian after all, and he really hoped he wouldn’t have to do that.

Anger grew within him with every step he took. He kept thinking how his poor father was poisoned by Lord Sampson. He figured it was because his father took too many swings of the sword to do his last beheading. Executions that went awry and got too messy always angered the nobles because they wanted clean, fast kills. Sampson most likely wanted to punish his father for that. But what kind of man reverts to using poison and actually killing the hangman? He could have just refused to pay him and that would have hurt enough. Connor had the feeling what Sampson did was with a personal vendetta. He was still angry that Connor’s father had killed his brother and wanted revenge.

“I’m here for the prisoner. The one called Finnian,” Connor told the guard outside the cells.

“Already?” asked the man, taking a swig of wine from a bottle.

“Yes. I was told to come get him and bring him to the gallows.”

“I don’t believe you, hangman,” said the guard. “And I don’t let no one in unless I hear the order from Lord Sampson’s mouth personally. Go away and come back later.” He raised the bottle and took another swig.

Connor looked back over his shoulder, making sure he wasn’t being followed. “I don’t have time for this,” he mumbled, grabbing the bottle from the guard and hitting him hard over the head. The bottle shattered, the guard’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed at Connor’s feet.

“Now, that’s better,” said Connor, reaching down and unclasping the ring of keys from the man’s belt. He hurriedly let himself into the dungeon, finding Finnian and unlocking his cell door. “Let’s go. And keep quiet about it, we don’t want to alert the guards,” said Connor with a shake of his head.

Finnian was sitting on the floor with his head down. When he saw Connor, he jumped up, backing away, holding out his hands.

“Nay! Don’t take me to the gallows, hangman. I don’t want to die.”

“Quiet down,” grunted Connor. “I’m here to rescue you, not execute you. However, if you don’t work with me, you might just end up on the gallows after all.”

“Do you mean that? You’re not going to kill me?” he asked, still not believing Connor. “You’re helping me to escape?”

Connor lowered his hood and showed the boy his face. “I’m doing this for Lady Eleanor, Finnian. She is very fond of you for some reason, although I can’t really see why. Now don’t make this harder than it has to be. I’m putting my neck on the line for you, even though, unless you’ve forgotten, you stole from me as well.”

“Oh, so you are Lady Eleanor’s friend? Or are you her lover?”

That comment made Connor want to wring the boy’s neck.

“Keep up with questions like that and I might just leave you here after all. Now shut up and do as I say. We have one chance at this, and if you mess up, we both might be killed because of it.”

“I’ll listen. I promise I will,” said the boy, running to the open cell door. “Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”

“Well, for starters, you’d better say a silent prayer.”

“Pray? What for?”

“Because I have a bad feeling about this and I think we’re going to need all the prayers we can get.”

* * *

The crowds were gatheringfor the festival at the castle, and Eleanor wished Connor would hurry and free Finnian because it was getting riskier each moment they waited. The more people that arrived meant more of them that they would have to avoid to try to sneak Finnian out of here. Afterwards, Connor was going to have to make himself scarce until after Rook and Leoric dug up the goblet. She prayed they could prove that Lord Sampson murdered Connor’s father since she was sure now that it was true. It was their only hope of ever getting Connor out of the position of being the hangman. She wasn’t sure yet just exactly how they’d do that, but she hoped she’d think of something before the time came.

She looked over and motioned to Raven and Rose who were sitting in the wagon they had brought from the abbey. They were both dressed like nuns and were waiting for Finnian. After all, no one would stop a nun or suspect they would do anything deceptive at all.

“Lady Eleanor, so nice to see you here at my festival.”