Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 183

Chapter 183: Delay tactics
Anaisa looked up at Barnabas with vitriol in her eyes.

“Your orders, I assume? I doubt His Majesty would give the order to kill me.” She spat at him.

The guards around the king exchanged glances, as if wondering where she got her information.

“Ah, you see, I have been given charge over this mission to root out insurgents like yourself,” Barnabas explained briefly, before turning back to the commander. “And will ask, why would you directly disobey orders?”

“Why should you give orders when His Majesty stands right there?” Anaisa interrupted. If she could draw Barnabas into an argument, he would lose his temper. It was a family trait.

He would need to yell and beat her a while instead of just ordering her to be beheaded, surely. He would not be satisfied with half measures when his ire was raised.

“And why have you tied her up but not gagged the wench?” Barnabas elected to ignore his cousin’s daughter and speak directly to the commander.

“Oh, did you want me to, Sir?” The commander looked down at his hands and then around at the soldiers accompanying him. All shrugged as if they had nothing suitable for a gag.

Anaisa suppressed a smile by concentrating on her anger at the man in front of her.

“You’ll gag anyone who tells the truth!” She declared. He would expect her to try this, to try and convert everyone to her side. If she didn’t, he would get suspicious that there was more of a plan afoot.

“The truth is what the king declares it to be,” Barnabas snapped, and her eyes flashed at him.

“The truth is that you have used magic to bring the king under your control!” Anaisa cried as loudly as she could.

Barnabas took a step forward and slapped her across the face, nearly knocking her to the ground as he had once before. The memory burned bright as she glared at him.

“How dare you disrespect His Majesty!” He shook his finger in her face. “He is far too strong and amazing a leader to be under anyone’s control!”

He paused a moment and narrowed his eyes at her before withdrawing a couple of steps and taking on a more respectful demeanor.

“Apologies, Your Majesty, for this one’s unjust words and for my reaction. I simply could not abide such slander about you!” He bowed deeply, and Anaisa wanted to spit at him.

A consummate actor from beginning to end. He must have always been like that, showing at least some of his true face to his cousin in their plotting, and then going out and playing a carefully cultivated role. It would have been impressive except that is was utterly disgusting.

“She is a relative of yours, is she not?” King Harold glanced between Anaisa and Barnabas. “Yet you did not seem surprised to see her here.”

“She is no relation of mine, but the offspring of that traitorous fake cousin who confessed to his crimes and was justly executed by your order, Sire.” Barnabas bowed deeply, and Anaisa strained against the ropes that held her.

“You  ordered him to confess!” She cried. “All of this is under your commands and by your design! And you want what’s down in the cave for yourself: the magical tree that grants powers!”

Barnabas let out a boisterous laugh as many of the soldiers near him looked at her as if she were crazy.

Good. This would certainly delay things as they became curious about the bizarre rantings of a madwoman.

“It’s true!” She screamed, letting her face become red as she channeled her real anger at Barnabas into her words. “There’s a tree—a real tree! It gives magic powers to anyone who touches it!”

“This child has been touched by the elements,” Barnabas shook his head, “pray tell us what powers you received from the tree?”

A safe question that he clearly knew the answer to. He must have asked Sanders to tell him directly who else had gotten powers from the tree.

“Well, I didn’t want powers,” she said truthfully, but Barnabas smirked as the soldiers behind him glanced at each other. One rolled his eyes, as if it were impossible for anyone to not want magical powers.

“Stop wasting time,” he shook his head and turned to the commander. “Where are the others?”

[Trace and the soldiers have returned from the cavern, we are proceeding with the next step of the plan.]

Anaisa heard Emily’s whisper in her head, but kept from outwardly reacting to the news. Trace must have led them at a full sprint through the cavern to get there and back so quickly, but then again, she and the commander did delay their return as much as they could, having sent word ahead that they were coming out to stall Barnabas’s actions.

She turned her head towards the commander and tilted her chin down the barest amount in the slightest of nods.

He didn’t acknowledge her, but looked at Barnabas and straightened his posture as he reported.

“A small group was barricaded in a side room,” the commander answered. “We managed to deploy a smoke bomb into the chamber, but had to retreat somewhat to keep from choking on it, ourselves. We thought it would knock them out, but they escaped that branch and ran deeper into the cavern beyond the point where you told us it became noxious. We caught this one when she tripped before reaching that point, but the rest must be dead by now.” He pulled on Anaisa’s arm, and she winced for effect.

Barnabas’s face darkened. “How many in the group?”

“No more than half a dozen, but it was hard to see through the smoke. The cave makes it quite dense and hard to see through.”

“You didn’t just kill them??” The count raged.

“They must be dead by now, in the noxious area,” The commander asserted.

“Unless they found some magic user to help them breathe!” Barnabas retorted. Anaisa had to admit the man could think quickly.

“Sir! Sir!” A man came running from the cave entrance, panting. “We finished searching the room they were barricaded in. It has a large stash of glowing jewels!”