Lily saw the signal from the tied rope and waded into the brisk water that chilled her to the core within moments. She took a breath and hand over hand she pulled herself into the cold, dark water. She brushed the wall, but before her lungs began to burn she surfaced in total darkness.
The lieutenant went next.
When he disappeared Clift cantered to Alex’s side. “I’m going to take back the other two mares. Good luck.”
“You aren’t coming?”
Clift neighed a short laugh. “I cannot. I’m not designed to swim like Shade and Crest. They can hold their breath much more effectively than I. Also you know I loathe confined spaces.”
As the three steeds began trotting back to camp Marlin asked and Alex told of Clift’s decision. He understood.
Marlin then wrapped his line securely around Crest’s neck before swimming under. When it was her turn he withdrew the line with enough force to drag her under, but also safely guide her. She coughed and sneezed water from her airways and paddled blindly to a small ledge to catch her breath after surfacing on the other side.
While she went under Alex tied the rope around Shade’s thick neck. But before they waded into the water Ava reluctantly entered a waterproof bag for she could not hold her breath for long either. Once secure Alex held the drawstring in his teeth while Shade kept tension on the rope until they made it to fresh air.
Alex then unbound Ava, who was the only one to remain dry.
Seeing as how Shade is the largest in the group Alex had to tug hard three time and felt the line slack. Using an incredible amount of strength Alex quickly drew Shade under until they met up again.
Still dark, Alex asked what the problem was and someone couldn’t get the flint to strike because everyone other than Alex shook violently from the cold that sapped them of all heat. A Furion rarely felt cold and didn’t if they chose when they mastered their skills. Alex already gave off heat like a blazing hearth and his clothes were nearly dry by the time he climbed the rungs. He asked for the torch and wrapped a hand around the oil soaked rag and focused an incredible amount of heat to his palm. A few seconds later he smelled smoke and then the heat ignited the rag, giving off much needed light.
Shade and Crest could now see the top of the passage and had to dive halfway in their shadows to reach the ground, after shaking the water that soaked into their fur.
That was fun. Alex chuckled inwardly.
“Alright everyone, sit as close to me as you can till you are warm, but to not touch me else you’ll burn yourself.” Alex said as he took off his tunic to expose his flesh and suffuse the area in his heightened body heat.
All but Shade and Crest crowded together around him to warm their freezing bodies while Marlin easily took the torch in his own hands.
“H…h…how i…is it you can be so hot and not have your own blood boil and your flesh doesn’t burn when you can create enough heat to make fire?” The lieutenant spoke for the first time.
“There are many secrets I cannot reveal, but it has to do with my ability to control heat. Heat gives me speed and strength, but it doesn’t harm me like others. I can focus it to my palm for example and make fire after a time, but my heritage prevents me from being effected in the same way. I cannot say more so relax and warm yourself.”
Nearly twenty minutes passed before everyone felt warm. Then Alex realized he found himself in a bit of pain. He had been crouched forward because the ceiling had been excavated up to six feet in height and his and Lily’s six foot three tall frame forced them to hunch forward. The walls stretched out from fingertip to fingertip. Dark gray walls lined the musty pass, but remained perpetually damp and cool.
A half hour later Hanna took the torch and led the way. Although he and Lily had to hunch over both Shade and Crest were forced to walk half in and out of their shadows to fit properly. Ava latched her talons securely on Alex’s left armored forearm.
They were all on the move now to end the stalemate by secretly entering the unknown pass.
Time seemed to pass oddly, like it had when Gerieg led Alex and Shade through a secret pass within the Shura Mountains. The eight trudged through the miles long passage. At the least it remained fairly straight and level. Small gutters and holes kept the route from flooding, but the damp and moldy air became dulled to their sense of smell after being immersed after so long. Every sound amplified and sometimes they made Goosebumps from mingling sounds. The only two in pain after being forced to hunch over to continue were Lily and Alex. Height such as theirs had many advantages, except in narrow corridors or confined spaces.
Then Alex’s bare feet picked up on a slight vibration and Shade’s ears perked. Shade broke the silent streak of following the blue-dressed-female by rumbling “What is that I’m feeling?”
“I believe that Allahandra has started another siege.” Alex commented. “The sun must be up by now.” Then a thought pricked in his mind and he altered his vocal cords. “Lady Hanna, the battle is joined.” She and the others stopped to look at him. “I can feel the ground tremble.” He answered their unsaid question on how did he know this by flexing his toes on the rough stone ground. “My fear is, what if the passage is blocked by a cave-in?”
This real worry gave pause to who didn’t think about the possibility.
Lady Hanna cleared her throat and moved the torch in her hand aside. “When I spoke with Queen Allahandra she had someone named Angie look into her item and saw me taking this route, even before she said to even consider your involvement. The way was clear then, you have no cause for worry…”
“Still, please press on with more haste. The future is not set in stone and I’d not like a stray boulder launched from a catapult to collapse upon us.” Alex informed.
A strict nod was all he received from the lady, but their pace quickened.
The noise from above soon could be felt and heard by them all and before long it became deafening. All too clearly they knew their friends and companions were just above them, fighting to end the fighting. Still they pushed on, nearly running at times when the ground shook violently and chips from the ceiling rained down upon them.
Then came a lull for a hundred feet followed by a change in the walls. Water dripped steadily, proving they were under the moat. They passed it without problem, but Shade and Crest half crawled since several inches of water coated the ground and they couldn’t risk losing a limb. It wasn’t till the passage began a subtle incline did they merge their legs back into their shadow.
It felt as if another hour passed in their near run that the lady exclaimed “Finally!” She and everyone came to a stop where a stone stairwell made a dark incline. She turned and beamed a smile at them all. “We have made it. Come, but I must ask that we all be quiet until we leave the tunnel and finish what we must.”
She made a not to subtle point so Alex gestured with a finger across his lips and large heads dipped in understanding.
The stair ceiling grew blissfully taller, allowing those of greater stature the ability to stretch and stand properly. They climbed in silence with the lady in front and Alex right behind, should there be problems.
Suddenly they came to a stop when a solid stone wall stood before them. Lady Hanna reached in a small crack and a subtle click resonated nearby. Then, on hidden and silent hinges the wall swung in their direction to reveal a room filled with chests and dusty bottles of wine, but none spoke and entered.
A subtle noise brought attention to the wall that allowed them entrance. The wall slid back into place to reveal it being as seamless as the hidden door’s edge looked like nothing more than a slight stress fracture coursing through the stone. Similar cracks met on each of the four walls.
The small room seemed odd till Alex realized there wasn’t a door to leave. Before his anger got the better of him he followed their guide to a large treasure chest. In barely a whisper she explained “This room as you can see is secret. Only my family, and you, know of its existence now. Behind this chest is anoth
er secret room that will adjoin to the cellar.”
In a similar tone Lily asked “Why have you set up the rooms like this?”
Hanna smiled as she dragged the chest aside. “Why indeed… My family made the rooms to persuade unwanted eyes from finding all our secrets and treasure. By having a secret room, passed a secret room, leading to a passage that ends underwater has enabled you, through me, to infiltrate my home. When, or to my hopes if, someone found the room beyond this one, they would look no further because there is similar fortune set inside to keep robbers content and not look further where they aught not.”
She then slid a finger precisely in another crack, but this time gently pulled and a four foot wide by six and a half feet tall way opened. She only made it open a crack to make sure no one resided inside. The next room remained void of life, but as she predicted it had been violated. Only broken chests and glass littered the dusty ground. It had been several years since the room had had another visitor.
Everyone slid through silently, but Shade had to almost squeeze.
“Get ready, here is where we must be careful.” The guide said and withdrew her wand. Alex and Lily did the same with their swords, Marlin kept his russet cane compact, but in hand while the lieutenant drew a long dagger from his boot. Their host pressed an ear to the stone wall opposite their entrance and a moment passed before she felt certain no one currently moved around.
She went for the crack, but a warm hand grabbed her. She hesitated and met Alex’s intense grey stare. “Allow me to take the lead from here.” And as she nodded he released her and went for the crack. It easily and silently pulled back, revealing a dark wine and ale cellar that remained empty of people. Good so far. Barrels of ale lined one wall and were stacked upon one another while shelves held many wine bottles. He led the way to a wooden stairwell, but had to warn both Shade and Crest that they had to envelop themselves in shadow to fit through the narrow corridor. Ava remained a silent sentinel on his left shoulder, alert for any movement. Several mice scurried and made her hungry, but her main priority was to keep watch at all times and keep her beak closed unless there wasn’t an alternative.
Everyone silently rose up the stairs until a gentle hiss signaled that Lady Hanna snuffed out the torch, plunging them in darkness. A moment later a dim light filtered through the cellar door.
At the wooden door Alex heard voices in the distance, completely unconcerned and oblivious. Gently, he opened it a crack to spot three men sitting around a table playing dice, their weapons laid at their feet. About twenty feet away. He judged the distance and knew what it would take to be efficient. Polished gray stone lined the floor with carpet laid out under the chairs and table. Light entered the room freely through two large open windows, revealing a large double door several feet from the men at the table.
For a normal person Alex knew it would be pure luck during the night to sneak up on the three men and knock them out before they could raise an alarm, alerting a breach to the mansion they found themselves in. In daylight it would be suicide and sunshine found them at this time. This was Hanna’s home after all. He closed the door and whispered “There are three men beyond. Wait five heartbeats before coming out. Marlin, Lily, I need you two to go to the window and tell me what you see. Lieutenant, watch over the lady till the area is safe.”
“By your will.” He nodded and everyone repositioned themselves with the lady and explosive technician at the rear. The fiends were to stay behind and wait and Ava had to land on Lily’s helmet for she couldn’t hold on tight enough for what was about to take place.
Alex grabbed the door, stoking his heat to life. His heart beat with a rhythm that would kill anyone else as strength surged through his limbs. One of the men in the room scooped up the dice and tossed it, but to Alex it seemed to take five times longer for the tumbling dice to come to an end. While the three had their full attention on who would win the wager Alex opened the door and took only three powerful steps to reach the first man. Bare feet were ideal when it came to rushing into a fight of secrecy.
With the perfectly, eyeball size, amethyst stone set as the pommel Alex used it to gently tap the man on the back of his skull, otherwise any more effort would kill. If Furion’s strength could easily shape granite barehanded it could effortlessly crush a person’s skull with little more than a flick of a finger.
The first man hadn’t even begun to fall head first on the table before he took a step to the right and used the heel of his left hand to strike the side of the next man’s head. Even before the third man could blink or realize someone else had blown into the room Alex tapped him with the pommel on the back of his skull as well.
Just as the three men went completely limp and collapsed on the table Alex went to the doors and pressed an ear to it while also adding heat to his hearing to heighten the sense. Beyond the door were measured steps of boots on stone floor about thirty feet away. Above, on another floor were two more sets of footsteps and three voices speaking further away.
Louder and more serious steps came from Marlin and Lily as they rushed as quietly and swiftly as possible to the windows. A flapping of wings landed on the table that held up the three insensible men. He looked down to either side to witness two large shadows. Knowing Shade’s preference to naturally take the right side Alex grumbled to the darkness “Go and find everyone in the building, separate if you must, but do not be seen or act without a serious alternative.” The two shadows slipped beneath a crack in the door and scouted the house.
Cooling his fiery flesh when no threat of alarm arose, Alex turned around. And as the lady came above Marlin waited by one window to keep an eye out while Lily hurried to report “We are on the ground level. A large wooden gate about ten feet in height surrounds this place. Marlin and I have seen only two guards patrolling the grounds. The sun is just beginning to descend and my guess is we are about a mile and a half from the wall, but more to the east than I wished for. What do you want to do?”
“Bind and gag these three, just incase they awaken before all is done. My lady, please watch the door while we hurry with this task.” And as Hanna took her place by the double doors and Marlin kept an eye outside Alex and the other two tied the three men up and dragged them down into the cellar.
Upon their return Crest’s head currently remained materialized as she said softly “Shade is guarding just beyond the door to this den’s room. Only one level stands above us, but the length and width of this place is large. We have located eleven humans in total within this large den. Two are in a room cooking food, three are walking around, guarding. The remainder are locked in a room. I didn’t know what they were looking at, but Shade believes they are looking at a map and the men seemed very important.”
He had to ask “Were you seen?”
She shook her head, scraping the tips of her sabers along the carpet. “There are many deep shadows in this place.”
To Marlin he asked “Any change?”
“The two patrol are fairly lax and their routine is easy to exploit. You guys go ahead, I have a clear view of the gate and will alert you if there are any changes.” And Marlin turned back to keep watch.
“Just beyond this room” Lady Hanna explained. “is the welcoming area. The front door is to our right. Across from us is the door leading to the kitchen and servants quarters. To the left of the room is a stairwell that will take us to a walkway. There are few places to hide so we will need to be quick. Ask her which way the men stood in council.” And he asked Crest.
“She says to the right.”
“Then they are in Father’s study. The door, if it is still the same, will be thick to prevent prying ears from listening. I believe we have fallen on a bit of luck.”
“How so?”
“It would be best to act and see if I’m right first.”
He nodded, knowing it is best to not push someone hard for information in a tense situation. Ava flitted to her perch again and everyone, besides Marlin, met by the doors.
When the guard turned his back Alex darted silently across the room and quietly dropped the man, but before he hit the ground he was dragged to a dark corner, behind a large violet sofa. The others silently slid out from behind the door and Lily crossed the room in a sleek and sensual flash and bound the door to the kitchen area. To their immediate relief, none came running to see what had happened. Ava took herself to stand upon the mantle above a fireplace, guarding the front door should someone enter.
Shade and Crest’s shadow scaled the walls and stuck mainly to the roof to remain out of sight. In two silent bounds Alex took the stairs and remained low till spotting the two warriors walking in his direction. Shade’s tail materialized and gently tapped the ground behind the men, causing them to pause and see what made the noise. That little distraction was all that he needed and Alex quickly, and most importantly quietly, took the men out. A door stood near and Crest made sure it remained vacant before they were stowed in.
Turning around after shutting the door, Alex met the others and together they traveled in the opposite direction. Six rooms they passed but came to a stop at the end of a hall where a large and thickly wooded door stood shut. Voices could barely be heard, but the sound had been severely distorted.
“This is it.” Hanna said with an evil gleam in her eye and went for the door.
Ra' van (Book Three of the Items Trilogy) Page 20
