My view through the thick glass was obscured by dust and dirt. I wiped my palm across the smooth surface, but the grime was on the inside. I stepped back to look for a way into the structure. I felt disappointed that I had decided not to risk grabbing my sword. I could have smashed through the glass easily with my hand or foot, but I didn't want the scent of my blood on the air for the creatures to track.
Above the platform were five pairs of windows, twenty feet between each set. I leaned back over the side of the railing and glanced down to see a dozen more sets of lit glass. Directly underneath me was a balcony with a metal ladder. I grabbed onto the ledge of the bridge and flipped myself over so I hung from my hands. Then I swung my legs a few times to gain momentum and made the jump to the smaller platform. A thick dark metal slab served as the door. Instead of a handle it had an indentation shaped like a left hand. I placed my palm against it firmly and wondered what to do next.
"Open," my voice said in the language of my memories. Gears snapped and whirred on the other side and the door became slack. I pushed it inward and cringed when the creaky hinges screamed, the sound almost as loud as one of the toxic serpent beasts.
The inside of the structure was perfectly circular in shape, with a stairwell in the center carved of smooth white stone. There was no light in the room save the blue and purple glow that drizzled from the stairwell above and below me. Other than the stairs, the room was empty. I closed the door behind me and heard the hinges fasten again. Then I walked to the steps and moved up toward the glow.
I broke into a chilled sweat once I reached the next level. Twenty stone platforms circled the room in neat rows.
They were identical to the bed I lay on when Paug woke me. I touched the one closest to the door. It was cold and still, but no dust covered its surface. Light emanated from small holes where the walls met the ceiling. I took a deep breath and moved up the stairs again. I was starting to remember voices. My mind struggled to fight the emotions they brought with them, like when I was a child and tried to keep myself from vomiting.
The next four levels were all the same: empty, dust-free platforms arranged in neat rows. My lungs agonized over their duty and my skin was covered in a thin layer of nervous perspiration. I finally sat down on the step and almost sobbed. I didn't want to go any farther.
It can be the two of us together forever. I heard Iolarathe's voice in my head that day I met her on the battlefield.
What did you do Kaiyer? You betrayed us all! Malek's voice screamed in my mind. It bounced around in my brain and became Gorbanni's voice, then Thayer's.
"I don't remember!" I yelled out loud as tears came to my face. The voices grew more urgent and my limbs weighed thousands of pounds.
You won't feel anything again Kaiyer.
He's too fucking tough to die.
I'm so sorry my friend. Why did it have to be this way?
It is a prison. He shouldn't be able to escape.
Now we try to live with what he has done. With what we have all done.
He loved Shlara, didn't he?
She loved him.
My head cleared after what felt like a few minutes and I took the kind of breath I would if I was preparing to go underwater. Tears streaked my face and I wiped them away as I struggled to my feet, fighting dizziness and nausea. I continued up the stairwell past ten more rooms all lined with the stone platforms. Finally, I reached my destination.
It was a room with a high ceiling that extended to what I assumed formed the base of the castle’s foundation. A fine network of etching covered the ceiling, walls, and floors. The detailed art formed a picture of a single tree with thousands of branches and roots. In the center of the room stood a smaller stone platform with a metal globe on a raised, circular dais. The sphere was a little larger than a skull. Etching that resembled the walls decorated its smooth surface. I walked to the middle of room and carefully stepped around the stone dais. Then I sat down on it as I regarded the orb.
"What do you think it is?" Thayer's voice asked after he opened the chest to show Shlara and me.
"Entas would know, but I don't." I frowned when I thought of my dead friend. I often missed him, but the pain was worse during moments like these, where I had only questions and no answers.
"Why does it glow?" Shlara asked.
"Maybe it likes you!" Thayer laughed.
Thayer found one of these devices in the Elven camp. They were old, so old that the Elvens had not even created them.
I reached out a trembling hand and laid it across the metal of the cold globe. The surface warmed quickly and I smiled.
It was still working.
Chapter 9-Nadea
"What the fuck was that?" one of Runir's men squeaked. Our ragtag group of escapees slid to a surprised halt when the sounds of screams echoed through the flooring of the labyrinthine sewer.
"Whatever it was, it sounds far below us," Runir said with a tinge of concern to his voice.
"How deep do these sewers go?" Gerald asked as he pulled his daughter close to him.
"No one knows for sure. The hills that the capital is built upon have many hollow caverns that extend down almost a full mile." I smiled at the small man. "Don't worry though. We'll be out of here in less than an hour. Isn’t that what you said, Runir?" My blonde friend nodded and then pointed in the direction we had been moving. One of his soldiers took the lead. He carried a hooded oil lantern which made a thin stream of light in front of us. Another of Runir's men bore a softer lamp and brought up the rear.
"I feel like we have already walked forever," Inada said in a soft whine. Her father hushed her, but I sympathized with the girl. The king was a benevolent ruler and had not used the dungeons for their intended purpose. But dungeons were built as vehicles for torture and death. It seemed that the souls that suffered here were barely kept at bay by the light of our lanterns. The darkness of the tunnels had been oppressive and we all breathed a sigh of relief when we left them for the stink of the sewer.
The trip also felt like it took forever because I had to swing my lower body forward with each step while my arms draped across Runir and another of his warrior's shoulders. I hated not being able to walk with my own strength, but this alternative was better than waiting for the empress to interrogate me.
"It will be all right, Nadea. We'll get there soon and have more medics examine your thigh," Runir leaned in a whispered in my ear. I gritted my teeth and nodded. He was just trying to help, and I felt thankful that the blonde man was rescuing us, but I didn't want to be reminded about my leg anymore. At first I worried I would lose the limb, and now I wondered if I might never walk on it.
I sighed and shook my head sadly. I really should worry about more important problems. Nia had fallen, the king was dead, killed by his own deceitful son, who also murdered one of my closest friends. The princess had been kidnapped and the Ancients would soon enslave the world. Oh, and the only man who could help had been incinerated and was lost to us forever.
Another scream echoed through the sewer and the group halted in surprise.
"That sounds closer," the warrior in the front whispered. Fear coated his voice like sticky sap.
"Keep walking," Runir said calmly.
The shadows of our bodies seemed to twist and bend around the curves and pipes of the sewer. The dark, ghastly forms made it seem as if we fled from ourselves instead of the sounds of the screams and the Ancients in the castle. I wondered what would happen after we escaped and reunited with the small army that was still loyal. Where would we go? We might garner support from Brilla, but if Nia fell to Losher and a few of the empress's mages, then our southern neighbors would be just as easy to tear apart. I didn't know how far we could run to escape her influence. If Kaiyer's fears were right, then she wouldn't stop until her whole race enslaved us again. Maerc and Runir probably had a plan.
"Did something move behind us?" Gerald's voice was a soft shriek.
"I saw nothing,” the warrior at the end with
the lantern said.
"You weren't looking!"
"Neither were you. Keep your eyes front and let me do my job!" the soldier barked. The smell and darkness was starting to grate on everyone's nerves. We probably walked another fifteen minutes, but it seemed as if a day passed. Then the soldier leading turned an abrupt corner and led us down a narrow stone hallway. Half a foot above our heads rusty pipes dripped with what smelled like water, but I didn't want to risk tasting the liquid to find out.
"Up," Runir commanded the group as we approached a stout looking metal ladder. The man in the lead removed the hood from his lantern, exposing us to a warm globe of light. Then he carefully climbed up the ladder. Once he reached the top he made a clicking sound with his mouth and my friend let go of me so the next person could climb. "Nadea," he whispered and I grabbed on to the handrails and pulled myself up the rungs.
"Keep your leg straight, Duchess!" Gerald seethed. I sighed in annoyance and struggled to straighten my knee. The position made it awkward to ascend, but I slowly climbed my way to the top of the ladder. I could smell a light breeze from the direction I guessed was the exit.
"Just another fifteen minutes," Runir said with a smile after everyone reached the top. Inada's cute face lit up and I smiled along with her. We were almost there.
"Whatever screamed down there won't be following us past this iron." The final soldier up the ladder swung a hefty grate over the hole on the ground. Gerald breathed a huge sigh of relief and then smiled. Runir motioned with his head and we set off on the last part of our escape.
The air smelled cleaner and soon I saw light reflect off of the stone walls in the distance. I could hear birds chirping and feel a cool breeze waft into the sewer. Our pace picked up as the tunnel formed an opening that I almost mistook for the sun because of the beautiful sight of freedom.
Then we were out.
The sun struck painfully bright on my sensitive eyes. How long had it been since I saw daylight? A month? Both of my arms draped around my escorts so I couldn't free my hand to cover my face. Instead I bowed my head and shut my eyes. Inada giggled and skipped away while Gerald chased after her.
"We made it." Runir's shoulders heaved and I felt tension drain from his body.
"I need to tell you something." I cracked my eyelids open to make sure that the medic and his daughter were far enough from us.
"What is it?" He looked at me nervously.
"Alone?" He glanced at the other man who helped holster me up and I was let loose. I leaned on Runir and then staggered over to a boulder near the entrance to the sewer so we might speak in private. I sat down and the sun-warmed rock spread its heat through my body as soon as I touched it. The sensation forced me to recall the bath I shared with Kaiyer. I caught my breath and a lump formed in my throat.
"Nadea?" Runir prodded as he sat next to me. I looked over at him in time to notice him glancing at my breasts, then his eyes turned up to my face and he blushed. I knew my friend had feelings for me and he probably imagined I would thank him for saving me.
"Nanos killed the king. He betrayed Nia and somehow got Losher soldiers inside of the castle. He was working with the empress and also murdered Paug, who was trying to defend me." The words flowed out of my mouth so quickly that I hadn't figured out the right order for them. It was like a torrent of ill rain sweeping over a city and creating a flash flood.
"Wait. Huh?" Runir looked as if I just told him I was a man.
"Nanos, Greykin, the king, Paug, and I were in the main Planning Room after the king received the treaty document from the Ancient." I spoke softly so that no one else could hear and carefully so I wouldn't need to repeat the words. "The king dismissed everyone for a short recess before he spoke to the Council about the terms of the document. Then the alarm sounded. Somehow the Losher army had gotten into the castle proper. Greykin was leading us to the Safe Room, where the queen waited, but on the journey there Paug fell. Greykin held off six Losher soldiers while we fled. We got separated from the king and Nanos. When Paug and I caught up to them, the king was dead and Nanos stood over him with a bloody sword. The asshole gave me some sob story about never getting his way and how he had accepted the empress's treaty on behalf of the kingdom." I paused to gauge my friend's reaction. His eyes opened wide and his jaw hardened in anger. "I fought with him, but I couldn't kill him before more Losher soldiers showed up and sacked me. During the battle Paug picked up the king's sword. He hit Nanos with it but I doubted he did much damage. Then Nanos stabbed Paug through the stomach and the boy died on the ground next to the king."
Tears stung the corners of my eyes. Paug had looked almost as surprised as Nanos when the blade connected. He had hardly even begun to live his life, and now it was over, violently. Images of his dying face flashed in my memory. His eyes had gone cloudy and distant before his body fell to the ground. I wondered what he thought about in those last seconds. I hoped the distant look in his eyes meant he was not aware enough to feel the pain of death. I wished I could have told him what a great friend he had been, how much I enjoyed his company, how much I appreciated the countless ways he had helped me during the mission to find Kaiyer. How brave he was for trying to save me.
"I need to think." Runir put his head in his hands and covered his face.
"Do so on the way to the camp. We need to inform Maerc and then figure out what to do with what is left of the army." The blonde man looked up at me and nodded. His eyes were watery but I doubted he would cry. I knew this story was hard for my friend to digest. Nanos, Runir, Jessmei, and I practically grew up together. My father would take me to visit the capital at least four times a year for many weeks at a time. Nanos had always been a little spoiled and petulant, the kind of child who stormed off in anger if he lost a game, who pouted and gave up if he was not easily the best at something. Still, it was shocking to think of what he had done. It was a grave betrayal, and as much as the prince and I had clashed and argued, I never would have expected such treason and cowardice from him, nor the callousness and cruelty he showed toward me as I hung wretched and dying in his dungeon.
I stood with his help and we called out to the rest of our group. We were in the clearing of a sprawling oak forest. The tunnel emerged from the side of the hill next to a creek that took the runoff from the sewer toward the ocean. My eyes finally adjusted to the sun and I smiled for a split second as a family of squirrels ran across the network of tree branches above our heads.
"My warriors will meet us about three hundred yards into the trees. They will escort us to the camp," Runir said. His eyes looked lost as he tried to piece through my recount of Nanos's betrayal.
The forest was surprisingly thick for oaks and we took about thirty minutes to make it to the meeting location. I was sweaty and exhausted by the time we arrived at the rendezvous. My muscles felt out of shape from hanging so long in the dungeon, and every step sent tremors of shock through my joints. I was thankful that it was winter in Nia and the air was chilled.
"How are you feeling?" Runir asked when I stepped wrong and gasped in pain. There were half a dozen armed warriors waiting for us, and they saluted Runir and me when we approached. We saluted them in return and they formed a circle around the group.
"Fine." I didn't want to tell him how I actually felt. He nodded and turned back to his task as my beast of burden.
After what seemed like a four-hour hike, the forest gave way to a cliff that showcased a beautiful waterfall and a small river that led into a refreshing pool of moving glass. The pool drained into a smaller river and danced through a gully toward the ocean. A narrow trail clung to the side of the steep slope, and I gritted my teeth when I thought about how difficult it would be for me to traverse the path on my injured leg.
"I'll carry you down," Runir said. The other soldier wiggled out of my grasp and he took the lead down the slope.
"No. I'll walk down it myself." I didn't want someone to haul me down like a sack of vegetables. It was bad enough that I had to lean o
n them for support.
"Please let him bear you, Duchess. Your stitching will be damaged and the wound will become re-infected," Gerald pleaded. I glanced over to the mousey man and his daughter. They both looked as exhausted as I felt. I realized he was right and nodded to Runir. Before I could situate myself my friend lifted me up as easily as I picked up my sword. I wrapped my arms around his neck and gritted my teeth as he picked his way down the rocky trail to the shore of the river.
"You are strong," I said after the ten-minute hike placed us at our destination. I was surprised that he had been able to carry me the entire descent, so I felt I owed him a compliment, but I hoped he wouldn’t read too much into it.
"You don't weigh a lot, Nadea. You lost some weight in the dungeon. Did they feed you?" He set me down on the sandy beach carefully.
"No. Not until Gerald began taking care of me." I wondered what Kaiyer would have looked like back when he was a general in the O'Baarni's army. I imagined the sun reflecting off of polished plate armor, his shoulders and arms thick and broad with muscle. He had been strikingly handsome even when he appeared at famine's door. I wished that I could have seen him after a few months of good food and exercise.
No. It was probably better that I would never see Kaiyer in his full athleticism. I had already begun to fall for him. I still felt soreness spread through my chest whenever I recalled his green eyes and easy smile. His face seemed free of all possible stress and I would never have believed that he was a mighty warrior if I had not witnessed it myself.
"You okay?" Runir asked, pulling me from of the memory of Kaiyer dismantling the Vanlourn soldiers who had tried to capture us shortly after we woke him.
"Yeah. Sorry. I was planning our next steps."
"Nadea . . ." He licked his lips nervously and stared into my eyes. "Did they," he looked back to the other soldiers before whispering, "do anything to you, in the dungeon?"
The Destroyer Book 2 Page 12
