The Mercenary Knight by Elyzabeth M. VaLey Page B

knowing if the kidnapper had taken Tanya through the closed door. Had he been outside he would have searched for tracks, but in a stone building, dimly lit but for the burning inferno outside, he didn’t stand a chance to find proof. If his men had been with him he could have divided the group, but he was on his own.
    As he did in the direst situations, Conrad followed his gut. Turning right, he entered a dark stone tunnel, lit by scone torches hanging from the walls. Initially narrow, the tunnel expanded until he could open his arms wide and not reach the walls. He assumed that the innkeeper was building this as an escape route in case of a fire or if the city fell under siege. Conrad treaded carefully through the dirt ground. The channel was becoming darker, the spaces between each hanging torch wider. As he turned a corner, all light vanished. He stopped and waited, straining his ear for any noise. He did not have to wait long. He heard a pair of feet running away and then the unmistakable noise of a heavy sword being lifted. Only his fast reflexes saved him as he crouched and parried the weapon meant for his neck. Taking a step back, he tried to bring his enemy into the light. His eyes widened in surprise.
    “Johann?”
    “Captain,” he said with a slight nod.
    “What are you doing here?”
    “I’m earning enough gold to retire for life.” Johann indicated with his head and Conrad watched in terror as the retreating form of the hooded man, with Tanya in his arms, fled back the way he had come.
    “Who is he?”
    Johann laughed. “Who do you think he is?”
    Conrad’s eyes narrowed as he recalled the inn in Wilton. He should have realized it before, when he had encountered the man with the moustache on the stairs. They were no strangers, these were the men Tanya had fled from and he would bet his fighting arm that the hooded man was Reynard himself.
 
    “You sold her to Reynard?”
    “Not exactly, sell. It was more of an agreement. He wanted the girl. I gave her to him. I earn extra for killing you.”
    Without another word, Johann swung a vicious blow at Conrad. As he stepped back, he noticed that his usual sword was gone. In its stead, he held a greatsword with a jeweled hilt, clearly a Knight’s weapon.
    Conrad ducked and lashed out at Johann. Steel rang against steel as they clashed. Conrad cut and Johann parried. Due to his build, Johann was faster, but he was not used to the weapon he held. Conrad took advantage of this and slashed at his ribs. Quickly, Johann dodged and lunged. Conrad stepped aside just in time before Johann’s sword pierced through his stomach. Johann riposted and Conrad parried once more. Sweat trickled off his brow as they fell into a pattern. Up and down the sword went, to the side, parry, lunge and repeat.
    Conrad was patient. He knew that Johann was not used to the heavy sword and he would tire before Conrad would. Suddenly, he saw an opening. Quickly he performed a series of blows that made Johann stagger and step back. Using the advantage of his bulk, he threw his weight forward and lifted his sword in a sweeping arc severing Johann’s head from his body.
    “You were always a sad fool,” Conrad said as Johann’s body folded over and his head rolled away.
    Conrad cleaned his broadsword on Johann’s tunic. He stared down at the head of the man who had been his comrade for the past five years. He couldn’t believe he had trusted the man. With a shake of his head, he turned his mind to more immediate problems. He had to find Tanya.
    Grabbing a torch, he tried returning the way he had come, but upon reaching the tunnel’s entrance a wave of burning heat and the acrid smell of burning wood reached his nostrils. He swore loudly. The bastard had likely set the storage material on fire.
    Conrad swiveled and plunged back through the tunnel hoping that it would lead him to a fire-free exit.
    He didn’t know how long he had been running through the darkness. It felt like an