Krill glanced at his hand. Damned boy! The child slipped his knife through my defense. The hand had taken a fair strike, but Krill was sure that it would heal fine with proper time and attention. Few had bested him in armed combat since he had taken the title Captain of the Guard, yet this boy had slipped in and struck him. Impressive fool!
Krill turned away from the window and approached the door. There is no need now for secrecy or deceit. He removed a ring of keys from his belt and selected the correct one. Reaching the door, Krill unlocked it and walked through. He proceeded to the courtyard, where most of his squad had already assembled. He took one look at them before speaking. “We are still missing several soldiers.”
One of the younger men gathered there spoke up, “Well, sir, we wanted to be certain that no one was left alive, as you ordered. A few of the men are still in the main building doing a final search of the fortress.”
“That accounts for two or three men, what about the other ones who are missing.” Krill reached in his saddlebags and pulled out his riding gloves. He did not want his men to see the wounded state of his hand.
“Well, sir, it seems that a few of our men met with difficulties in the building. We seem to have obtained some injuries.” Several men shifted their gaze away from Krill at the utterance of this news.
“Soldiers!”
The men stiffened. They knew when their captain wanted attention.
“Karp, why do you favor your right leg?”
Karp glanced at Krill, skittish. He tried to even out his weight, but his leg would not hold him. He caught his balance just before he should have fallen.
The young soldier spoke again, “Karp was one of those who were injured, Captain. His hamstring is torn.”
Krill fixed the young soldier with a firm stare. “I see. Am I to assume then, that the rest of those who are missing are also injured? I did not think it possible for a fortress of unarmed servants to injure even one of my men so grievously that he would be unable to present himself here.” He motioned to those assembled. “Yet we are missing five, or more?”
The soldier continued, apparently unaware of how far he was stepping out of line, “Well, sir, I am afraid that you are mistaken. There were only two injuries, but they were quite severe, and three men were required to bring the last one out. I would expect them to be here soon.”
Krill nodded slowly, “I see. Answer me one more question, soldier. Why are you the one telling me all of this, and not my lieutenant?”
“Well, sir…”
At that moment, the doors of the main building opened. Four men emerged. Three of the men carried the fourth, who clearly had limited movement, if any at all. They walked down the steps and set the man before Krill.
He recognized the wounded man immediately. It was his lieutenant.
“What happened to these two men?”
Even the young soldier who had supplied the captain with answers to his previous questions seemed timid at the sound of the captain’s voice. Eventually he spoke, “Well, sir, we are not entirely sure. Karp, as you know, had a hamstring cut. The lieutenant here, um, well, he took a slash across the back, and a deep one at that. It might have severed his backbone. As for who did this to them, well, we know it was not any of the servants.”
Krill nodded. As soon as the soldier had finished speaking the boy hurried back to the line and remained there, intimidated by the imposing aura the captain had donned. The lieutenant shook as he stared up at Krill, eyes wide with pain and pleading.
Krill turned. He drew his crescent-blade as the three soldiers who had carried the lieutenant returned to the line. “You should feel proud to have this fate, lieutenant. It is certainly a better one than what befalls most men in your position. Although, I cannot say that I have known many other men in your position.”
Krill stood over the lieutenant and looked down on the man, annoyed. Then he raised his weapon and struck down with absolute precision, piercing the lieutenant’s throat.
A few of the men flinched, including the young man who had been responsible, however indirectly or unknowingly, for the man’s execution. Those who had been with the elite squad for long did not react in the slightest. They were used to such occurrences.
Krill turned to the young soldier, who was struggling to keep his breathing under control, “Congratulations, soldier, you have proved to me your competence. The King will be receiving my personal recommendation for you to be promoted to the position of lieutenant.” Krill then raised his voice so all the soldiers could hear. “We are through here, the target has been eliminated. We are now leaving. Mount up!”
As the men began to prepare for the long journey ahead of them, Krill motioned for two of his most experienced soldiers to come over to him. “Karp failed. Ensure that he does not survive the journey.”
“Yes, sir.”
Krill mounted his horse and viewed the scene around him. His lieutenant, an excellent soldier and a man Krill had come to trust and confide in, was dead. His blood poured over the steps like a crimson waterfall. Another member of the elite squad that Krill commanded also needed to be executed for incompetence.
And this was all for what? It was all for the King, because he was paranoid about his son. Well, the King had gotten his wish. He had sent his elite guard to personally assassinate the prince. And Krill, his captain, had personally done the job.
The captain was furious. Damned boy! Krill glanced at his hand.
But that's not a criticism.
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