Chapter 129

"You see how she went to the carriage with her dress loose," Thorburn said. "I told you she was a whore."

"She did not look well to me, Thorburn. She was almost limping. Her maid had to help her into the carriage."

"So she was limping," Thorburn said. "What's it to do with her breasts, unless she was walking on them?"

"Before I called her a whore, I'd ask her why, brother."

"We can't ask anything about this. She can't know we were spying. If she's still false, knowing we've been here will reveal to Blackthorne we're considering an attack through his tunnel system. If we ignore it, hopefully he leaves it defenseless."

They watched another shift change at mid-afternoon in which everyone was replaced and another at dusk where most of the guards left, leaving only the watch in the house with a view of the tunnel house. Thorburn had read and re-read the map, familiarizing himself with every word, particularly how to move the cabinet and the latch at Blackthorne's end of the tunnel.

"We should be able to get in the tunnel after dark," Thorburn said. "We have a way to approach which is out of sight of the guards station, along the Southern side of the town and then straight in. It will be black tonight, new moon and some clouds besides. The candles Teárlag mentions can't be lit until we're under ground."

"The watch does have full view of the only door to the house, Thorburn. Even on the darkest night, how do you expect to get in without them noticing?"

"It appears I still have things to teach you, Stuart. I'll show you something new tonight. We cannot carry any metal. We'll have to leave our swords and knives here. Any sounds they make could give us away. Carry your bow and arrows only. Start preparing. It should be fully dark in an hour."

Stuart set aside his metal weapons, wrapping them against the night air. Thorburn did the same. Stuart shouldered his sheath and carried his bow. Thorburn carried only a wooden staff he'd fashioned during the day as they watched. Stuart knew the damage he could do with a quarterstaff only too well. His brother was none too gentle using the weapon, even when practicing with family. When Thorburn felt it was dark enough, he set off down the hill towards where he planned to enter the town, not far from the copse where guards watched during the day, but was abandoned now. Thorburn moved silently for one so large, but he'd been fighting for close to seventeen years and bound to learn martial skills useful to his profession as mercenary. The closer they got to town, the slower he moved, going from shadow to shadow, crawling where necessary.

"Take a look around, Stuart. This is where we must come to find our way back to our nest. I warn you, your night sight is better out of the corners of your eyes," he whispered, "not the front. If you hear a sound, don't look at the sound, look to the right or left of it. Your chance of seeing something is enhanced."

"Aye."

They made their way to the back of the tunnel house, on the opposite side of the guards. Thorburn motioned for Stuart to boost him to the roof. After Thorburn made his way to the top, he turned and lowered his hand for Stuart to catch, and lifting him up in a feat of strength which awed Stuart. When they were both on the roof, Thorburn began removing the straw, opening a hole in the roof. He carefully laid it aside to be replaced later. He lowered himself between the rafters and waited to lower Stuart when he started to drop through. He found candles where Teárlag said he would, pulled the cabinet aside slowly to assure there was no noise as it moved, then made his way down the stair, waiting for Stuart at the bottom.

"Did you pull the cabinet back?" Thorburn whispered.

"Done."

"Good."

Thorburn put a few stalks of the straw from the roof on the floor of the tunnel and used a bit of flint and steel to spark it to life, lighting the candle from the brief flame. He looked around. The candle didn't provide a huge amount of light, not seeming to reach from one side to the other, but he could see the tunnel leading in the direction of Blackthorne Manor and started in that direction with Stuart close behind. It lead almost straight, with very few bends at all. They reached the end of the tunnel and it almost looked like the tunnel just ended in a rock wall, but Teárlag said that's what it looked like.

Thorburn put his mouth close to Stuart's ear and breathed, "Listen at the wall for fifteen minutes for any sound from the other side. If you hear anything, we'll not go through. We'll have to blow out the candle before we open the door. Okay?"

Stuart nodded and put his head against the rock, listening. Thorburn searched for the latch on this side of the door. Once the light was extinguished, he thought it might be impossible to find the latch. Even with the candle, the task was daunting. He finally found it. He put his ear to the wall and listened as Stuart was. Five minutes, ten, fifteen. Not a sound from inside. Given the time of night, he'd hoped to find it quiet, but who knew.

He patted Stuart's shoulder. "Arm yourself," Thorburn whispered. Stuart stood and put arrow to bow. He held a second and third arrow in his hand, ready. He could draw and shoot in an instant. Thorburn gripped his quarterstaff in his left hand tightly and raised the candle to spot the latch once more before blowing out the flame and dropping the candle in the dirt. He reached for the latch, finding it with his finger and slowly released it.

There was a barely audible 'snick' and Thorburn felt the wall release. He pushed and the wall pivoted, silent on it's invisible hinges. There was a dim, flickering light on the other side, so Thorburn slowly eased the door open, Stuart with bow extended, crouched below. As soon as it was wide enough, both stuck their heads through the opening, peering intently into the gloom, looking for any sign of habitation or danger. It was still quiet and seeing nothing if immediate peril, stealthily slipped through the opening.

Thorburn sniffed the air. It contained the unmistakable stench of adrenaline based fear and the coppery scent of blood. This was not a happy place. Thorburn put a hand on Stuart to get his attention, pointed to his eyes, and then the door and stairway faintly visible across the room. Stuart nodded and found a spot from which he could easily watch both, while Thorburn carefully searched to room.

It was all here, everything used to torture Màiri. Racks, pillories, wheels, knives, whips, chains, and other devices Thorburn could not recognize, though if he studied it long enough, could realize its intent. Horrible things. Some still had blood on them, never having been cleaned from their last use and he wondered if it was Màiri's blood, or if others had spent time here since then. A cold shiver went down his spine. There was a cage, barely large enough to get in, let alone stand or sleep in which he recalled from Teárlag's description was where Màiri was kept.

He looked at the main door, steel, and saw it was locked. It would take a long time to break down the door and make a lot of noise in doing so. Enough time and noise for one to put an army on the other side waiting for any who attempted to go that way. He looked at the stairs. Teárlag said it was another way into the Manor, leading to Blackthorne's bedroom and study. He wondered if he should explore up them, but Thorburn didn't trust them. Why make an almost impenetrable door one way and nothing to protect you the other way, one leading directly to your personal rooms? One bypassing all the men you had to protect you? Other than locks upon the doors above, which might take some time to overcome, it made no sense to Thorburn and so he suspected traps for the unwary. Teárlag hadn't mentioned any issues with the steps, but the traps could be set at night while Blackthorne was sleeping and the steps were no longer in use. Plus, he still wasn't sure if Teárlag wasn't playing him for a fool. Pretending to switch sides so the Camerons could be led into a trap. He got another candle and lit it for more light and inspected what he could of the stairs without stepping on them.

They looked like regular stairs, wooden, so he assumed they'd squeak or otherwise make noise if he attempted to use them, but it wasn't solely noise he was looking for. Ah, about five steps up, the joint didn't seem as tight as all the others did. Probably a false step, one which would give way if you stepped on it or release something unholy. Maybe the seventh step as well didn't look right. There might be others past the reach of the light. No, the steps were not going to be as easy as they looked. He trusted the steel door more. It might take time to break down, but he doubted it would be booby trapped the way the stairway was. Blackthorne could easily depend on the stoutness of the door and his men to protect him there. Satisfied with his scouting trip, Thorburn signaled Stuart they should leave. If they wanted the darkness to hide them, they couldn't stay much longer.