When Lannon revealed his decision, Vorden was overcome with excitement, and seemed quite forgiving. He apologized several times for his attitude of the night before, swearing that Lannon would be his friend forever. The ease with which Vorden forgave him startled Lannon, yet he couldn't deny that a great burden had been lifted off his shoulders, leaving him feeling relieved but uncertain.
The day drifted by slowly. He could not seem to focus on his training and did poorly. All he wanted was for the day to end so they could get their plan moving before the anxiety wore his nerves down. Vorden, however, seemed to train with extra vigor and couldn't hide the delight he felt over something that terrified Lannon.
When at last all their training was done, the Blue Squires sat in their quarters talking it over. Vorden laid out a specific plan he had thought up during the day, and then Lannon knew beyond a doubt they were actually going to go through with this--something he hadn't quite believed until now.
"The plan is simple," said Vorden. "We'll all go down to the first floor together. While one of us picks the lock of the door to Old Keep, the other two will watch the stairs and listen at the front door for anyone approaching. Once it's unlocked, I'll swipe one of those Birlote torches off the wall and we'll head on in, closing the door behind us. No one will even know we went that way."
"What if someone notices the torch is missing?" said Lannon.
"Not likely," said Vorden. "And even if they do, how can they prove we took it? The fact is--they can't. Anyone could have stolen it for any reason."
"But what if someone sees us when we go down to the first floor?" said Lannon. "What should we tell them?"
"We say we heard a noise and came down to investigate," said Vorden. "And then we stick with that story no matter what. Look, don't worry about it. Most everyone's in bed by now, anyway."
"But what if someone checks on us?" said Lannon.
"We won't be gone that long," said Vorden. "But if someone checks on us and finds we're missing, we'll just tell them the noise story."
"It's not a strong plan," said Lannon. "There are a lot of holes in it, Vorden."
Vorden shrugged. "Well, then make up your mind. Do we go or not?"
Lannon nodded, remembering his dream. "I have to go."
"I think it's worth it," said Timlin. "To see the Divine Essence would be better than anything! Can I pick the lock? I'm good at that."
Vorden grinned, nodding. "You're the best at it, Timlin. Once we're past that door, you can also check the walls and floor for traps, while Lannon and me keep alert for danger. You'll act as Passage Man. I'll be Arms Man, and Lannon will be Scout Man. We go together as Blue Squires!"
"I wish I had more training," said Lannon. "But let's get on with it."
Suddenly there was a startled gasp. Shadows by the window took shape and a girl seemed to appear out of nowhere. It was Aldreya Silverhawk.
Her green eyes were wide. She wore a hooded grey cloak, and the hood had slid back to reveal her curly silver hair, pointed ears, and bronze-colored skin. In one hand she held a stone dagger, pulled tight against her chest.
"I can't believe what I've just heard," she whispered.
The boys jumped up, their hearts racing.
"What are you doing here?" Vorden said. "Were you spying on us?"
"No!" Aldreya insisted. "I wasn't spying. I was...just doing some of my training. I was hiding myself, blending in with the shadows."
"You were spying," Vorden said coldly.
"I heard everything," she said. "I know what you're planning, and you're not going to get away with it. I'm going to see Taris at once. I'll tell him what you're up to."
Lannon and Timlin glanced at each other, and then back at Vorden, waiting for him to find a way out of this situation. They had no clue what to do and were on the verge of panic, their faces pale.
But Vorden remained calm. "Go ahead," he said. "Tell on us--and then I'll tell on you. You're not supposed to be in our room. It's forbidden for boys and girls to be in the same quarters together."
She hesitated for a moment, and then spoke. "Okay, if that's the way it must be. I'll just forget what I heard, and you forget I was ever here."
Lannon and Timlin breathed sighs of relief.
But Vorden wasn't finished. "It's not that easy," he said. "All we did was talk about breaking the rules. You actually broke them. I think I should give a little yell and alert someone right now."
Aldreya glanced towards the door. "Wait--don't do that! I could be thrown out of Dremlock. I'm sorry I was spy...uh...training in here."
"Why don't you come with us?" said Vorden. "You're a good sorceress, from what I hear. We could use your help."
"Break the Sacred Laws?" the Birlote girl said. "Go beneath Old Keep?" She frowned. "Cordus said that monsters lurk down there."
Patiently, Vorden explained his theory about how the Knights were just trying to scare people away from the Divine Essence.
"At the first sign of trouble, we'll turn back," he said.
Lannon didn't believe even the slightest chance existed that Aldreya Silverhawk would agree to such a mad scheme. He was wrong.
"When should we go," she said, stepping forward eagerly. "I can't deny that I would love to see the Divine Essence. Who wouldn't? But when the task is done, no one must tell Taris anything. Understood?"
"Understood," said Vorden. "And now is the perfect time. We're all here, and we have tomorrow off from training."
"I don't have tomorrow off," she said. "I have to be... Actually, I'm not supposed to tell you that. Let's just say I need to be up fairly early. But I can handle it. I'm used to staying up late."
Aldreya smiled excitedly. "This is a good opportunity to test my skills. Truthfully, I've been doing a lot of sneaking around ever since I learned to blend with the shadows. I just haven't tried anything this daring yet. Besides, even if we get caught, I don't think Taris would let me be punished. I just can't imagine it!"
"Of course," Vorden agreed, with an amused, sideways glance at Lannon. "If anyone would be spared punishment, it would be you."
"Then I have your word on it?" Vorden said, stepping close to her. He extended his hand. "You'll go with us, and not tell anyone about this?"
"Yes, you have my word," she said. She glanced at his hand, and then gave it a quick shake. "I'll keep it secret, Vorden Flameblade."
"I hope your word is good, Aldreya Snoot..." Vorden cleared his throat, his face reddening. "Aldreya Silverhawk."
She smiled again, and for the first time, the Blue Squires realized how truly beautiful she was. But it was a cold and dangerous sort of beauty--one that could not be trusted. Lannon pondered how quickly and easily she had agreed to this, and a warning flashed through his mind. Surely she was planning to betray them. Or maybe she was spying for Taris. Was Vorden blind to this? It seemed unlikely someone as intelligent as Vorden would fail to realize Aldreya cared little or nothing about them. She was a Birlote, and the Tree Dwellers were not known for their rule breaking. From what Lannon had seen, they obeyed even the smallest laws. She probably realized she lacked enough evidence to get them in trouble at this point, and was playing along with their plan in order gather a stronger case against them.
"I don't know about this," Lannon said. "Maybe we should talk things over first, Vorden, just between us three boys."
"Don't worry about it," said Vorden. "Aldreya's word is good."
"My word is very good!" said Aldreya, glaring at Lannon. "Why would you think otherwise? Birlotes do not lie."
Lannon stared back, unfazed. "I guess I don't trust you."
"I don't trust her at all!" said Timlin.
A hurt look appeared on Aldreya's face and she turned away for a moment. When she turned back, her face was impassive. "Think whatever you want, Lannon. If you don't want me to go with you, I'll leave."
"We want you to go," said Vorden. "Don't we, Lannon?"
Lannon shrugged. "I guess so."
"Then let's get
going!" Aldreya snapped. "We don't have all night."
The boys grabbed their weapons and donned light armor (which had been specially crafted for stealth and ease of movement), blue cloaks (of the thick winter variety), and soft leather boots. Vorden peered out into the hall, and then motioned to the others to follow. As they made their way down from floor to floor, they stayed in the shadows as much as possible. The Blue Squires knew how to move stealthily through the dimly lit areas, but they could not hide themselves nearly as well as Aldreya, who seemed to all but vanish completely at times.
Chills crept along Lannon's flesh. This was Taris Warhawk's tower, and he was a great sorcerer. Would he somehow know what they were up to? Lannon felt like he was betraying Taris, and for a moment he hesitated, until Vorden turned and gave him a hard, questioning stare that got him moving again.
They met no one, and at last they reached the tower's first floor. Timlin moved towards the door marked Old Keep, and then turned back to Vorden with a puzzled look on his face. "What do I use to pick the lock?" he whispered. "Master Garrin keeps all our tools and stuff."
Vorden smiled and removed a set of lock picks from his cloak. He tossed them to Timlin. "Don't ask where I got them," he said.
Aldreya gave Vorden a cold stare.
Timlin grinned, gazing triumphantly at Aldreya--daring her to speak in protest of Vorden's thievery. Then he hurried over to work on the door.
Vorden listened at the front entrance, while Lannon--his body trembling and his heart pounding--kept watch at the stairs.
Several moments passed by in silence. "Hurry up, Timlin!" Vorden whispered. "You're taking way too long."
Finally Timlin turned and nodded. Vorden grabbed a Birlote torch from the wall, and they gathered before the door. Without hesitation, Vorden yanked it open and stepped inside. The others quickly followed, pulling the door shut behind them.
Before the Squires, a stone stairway descended into the darkness. A musty smell arose from below, and even here at the very gateway to Old Keep the gloom had a sinister feel to it. The dark was deep and heavy over the cold stone that had lain undisturbed for centuries. The Birlote torch could not shine far enough down the steps to penetrate the blackness below.
"Let's not do this!" Timlin whispered shakily. The boy was trembling from head to foot. "I don't want to go down there, Vorden."
Vorden turned and glared at him. "We're still in Taris' keep, Timlin. We haven't even entered Old Keep yet, let alone the mines! What's left of the Old Keep is pretty much underground, from what I've heard, and so we have to go down a ways. Do you really think something lurks right down there? If so, it must be pretty weak, or a simple wooden door wouldn't stop it. Now quit being a coward. We've come this far, and we have to finish this!"
Vorden seized Timlin's cloak. "Dremlock Kingdom is in trouble. We all know it. It might even fall to the Goblins, or worse--the Deep Shadow. I dreamt of the Divine Essence, and it has all the answers. This quest could be incredibly important. I may discover something to help save the kingdom."
Timlin nodded sheepishly.
Lannon said nothing about his dream, but secretly he wondered if Vorden was lying about his own.
With that, Vorden draped his battle axe over his shoulder and started down the stairs. Lannon held his sword ready, and Timlin unsheathed his preferred weapon--a long, curved dagger called a Flayer. Then they followed him below, struggling to keep pace so the shadows wouldn't engulf them.
The stairway led down to a circular chamber. The stone walls were made of uneven, crudely cut blocks that hadn't been fitted together well. Two iron doors stood here, and another stairway descended into darkness.
"Which way should we go?" said Lannon.
Vorden pointed to the stairs. "We need to keep going down. From what everyone seems to think, the Divine Essence dwells in the mines somewhere. This is just the keep the old Knights built above those mines, and hopefully the entrance leading down there isn't sealed off with bars of Glaetherin like Cordus Landsaver said. If it is, then I guess all this is going to be for nothing."
The stairs led them down to another round chamber--this one with four doors. Iron torch holders hung from the walls, and the broken remains of several tables and chairs lay scattered about the room, as well as chunks of pottery. The Squires checked behind all the doors, and found the remains of a kitchen, a forge with a blackened stone furnace, and a large room with wooden bunks lining the walls.
Behind the last door they checked, they found what they were looking for.
The square room behind this door was cut from the stone of the mountain. Steps led down from the doorway to the chamber floor. Directly opposite the stairs, on the other side of the room, was the dark mouth of a tunnel that was blocked by a gate of silver bars. A wheel lock stood at the center of the bars.
"No!" muttered Vorden, leaping down the steps. He lowered his axe in defeat. "Bars of Glaetherin, just like Cordus said. Indestructible." He turned back to the others, who were right behind him. "That's it. We can't go any farther."
Vorden gave the wheel a hard spin. It twirled for a couple moments and then slowly came to a stop. No click could be heard.
"Is there a way to pick it?" asked Timlin.
Vorden glared at him. "Are you stupid, Timlin? This is a wheel lock like those ones on the gates of Darkender Tunnel. Only a Wheel Master is able to open a lock like this--and only if he has been trained to open a specific one. And the pattern that opens this particular lock has probably been long forgotten. That means no one alive could open this, most likely. From what I've heard from Cartlan, wheel locks are so tough that you could spin one all day for the rest of your life and still never open it. It has to be spun at a certain speed, while an extremely precise amount of pressure is applied--and then the wheel must spin for a certain length of time. Trust me, it's practically impossible. It's an Olrog creation, and the Grey Dwarves are masters at making such devices."
"Then I guess we go back," said Lannon, feeling both tremendously relieved and somewhat disappointed. Maybe Lannon's dream had meant nothing after all. Now if only they could get back to their quarters without getting caught!
"Let's go," said Timlin. "I don't like it down here, anyway." The lad continued to shiver, his flesh covered in large goose bumps.
"Not even sorcerers can open a wheel lock," said Aldreya, "without knowing the process for a specific lock. It just cannot be done."
"But there has to be way!" said Vorden, turning back to the bars.
Lannon found Vorden's refusal to give up bizarre and a bit frightening. What was driving Vorden on like this? Clearly they weren't meant to go farther.
Suddenly Vorden turned back to them, his eyes blazing with excitement. "We can do this. We can use the Eye of Divinity to open the lock!"
"The Eye of what?" said Aldreya.
Lannon felt a surge of excitement at the prospect, but then it gave way to darker feelings. "Maybe we could, Vorden. But the bars were placed here for a reason--to keep something from coming through. And it must be something powerful, or they would have just used steel or iron. Glaetherin is probably pretty rare. "
"I don't believe those fairy tales," said Vorden. "They used Glaetherin because they wanted to keep people from seeing the Divine Essence. Look at it this way, Lannon. Something down here killed Kuran Darkender, right? Well, his armor was made of Glaetherin. So that metal couldn't stop the evil creatures, anyway. The Knights must have destroyed the beasts and put the bars here to keep people out!"
Lannon thought it over, and could not find fault with Vorden's logic. But at the moment his thinking wasn't perfectly clear, either. "Maybe you're right," he said. "I'll try the Eye. If it works, we'll keep going. But any sign of danger, Vorden--"
"And we turn back of course," Vorden finished. "I'm not a fool, Lannon. I don't want to die down here anymore than you do."
"Let's just leave," Timlin said again, peering into the stone cavern beyond the bars. "I don't like this at all."
<
br /> Vorden glowered at him. "At least help Lannon call out the Eye. Then, if you want to be a coward, you can go back. But don't you dare get us caught, Timlin! Just wait in the shadows somewhere by the door."
"I can't go back in the dark!" said Timlin, shivering.
Vorden shrugged. "Looks like we go on together, then."
"How can we go on?" said Aldreya. "I just told you--no one can open a wheel lock without knowing the combination. It is impossible."
Knights: Book 01 - The Eye of Divinity Page 15
