The jailer turned to a rack of keys and grabbed one.
"That better be the right key," Rik said.
"Don't worry. It is. I am no fool." The Imperial Guard stepped toward the stairs, and Rik followed, pointing his staff at the man's back. As they descended, the golden walls gave way to dark stone covered in thick vines. A strong, moldy smell hung in the air. This place felt so bleak and cold and terrible.
They followed dark, twisting passages so confusing they might as well have formed a maze. Rik lost track of the path, but he couldn't worry about that right now. He still had no plan for freeing anyone.
At last, they reached the cell. To Rik's relief, Markus and Nadia stood close to the bars, looking at him with wide eyes.
He nudged the Imperial Guard in the back. "Open the door."
The man inserted the large key into the lock and opened the door. Nadia and Markus raced out of the cell.
Markus hugged Rik. "I can't believe it! You came back for us."
Quick footsteps sounded, accompanied by the jingling of chainmail, and Rik turned to see the Imperial Guard had taken off in the other direction. Rik fired a burst of lightning at him, but it missed. The man had rounded a corner, disappearing into the distance.
"Damn," Rik muttered. "Guess we'll have to escape more quickly than I wanted. Did you have to ruin everything, Markus?"
"Sorry, Rik, I was so excited to get outta there. You don't know what it's been like."
"It doesn't matter," Rik said. "We'll find a way."
Nadia smiled weakly. "That sounds more like the Rik I first met."
"You two up to running around like crazy?" Rik said.
"We'll have to be," Nadia said.
They started back through the dungeon's mazelike passages. Rik wished he'd spent more time memorizing the route on the way in. Now they had to rely on luck and instinct.
Just like so many of Rik's insane plans.
Passage after passage. Corner after corner. The dungeon seemed deserted at first, but then a quartet of Imperial Guards appeared in the passage ahead of them.
Markus trembled as he clung to Rik. "What now?"
"We'll have to backtrack," Rik said. "Find another way." He was amazed at the steadiness in his voice.
With the Imperial Guards perhaps thirty feet distant, Rik pulled Markus and Nadia into an adjoining passage. They raced around more and more corners as the dim glow of magical torches grew darker.
The Imperial Guards were gaining, their steps louder, their voices rougher. There would be no mercy for anyone this time.
The trio took a left, into an even darker passage.
"I don't like this," Markus said.
Rik looked back, spotting their pursuers. "Well, we can't change our minds now. They're already into this passage. We'll just have to pray we've made the right choice."
"You haven't," said a voice from behind. "You'll see."
Rik led Marks and Nadia forward, hoping that the Imperial Guards were merely trying to deter them. Unlikely, but Rik had to cling to every shred of hope he had left.
The passage came to a dead end.
"There's some kind of trapdoor here." Nadia touched the floor. "It's really hot, though."
An Imperial Guard stepped toward them. "That leads to the palace's furnace. You're welcome to go down there, but you won't be coming up."
Rik kept his voice low. "I might be able to shield us with my staff."
Nadia opened the trapdoor, and orange light flooded into the passage. Rik dropped through the trapdoor, casting a shield. The air felt brutally hot, but not so hot it burned. Markus and Nadia dropped in behind him and hung close, clinging to the protection of Rik's shield.
Markus coughed. "Is there anywhere to go in here?"
Rik's eyes hadn't adjusted to the brightness. Fire didn't burn everywhere, but it was so widespread he couldn't see anything else. They made their way blindly around the chamber. Even with the shield, the heat made Rik dizzy. He had to stay conscious or the shield would die.
Rik crawled along the ground, keeping below the worst of the heat. There had to be another door. Something. Anything. With every passing second, he felt dizzier. The heat closed in around them. Rik's energy was draining, his vision blurring. He coughed again and again, the scorching heat stabbing into his lungs.
Then, at last, he felt a strange patch on the hot stone floor. A slight lip, something he could grab and pull. A door perhaps?
"I think I found something," he said. "Let's see if we can pull this open."
Rik pried at the lip, feeling like he'd pass out any second. The stone didn't budge. Dread twisted his stomach, but then the door moved. Together, they pried it open, then dropped through the opening.
Rik's stomach lurched as he fell. Too far, he realized, but then he landed in water so mercifully cool he wanted to stay there forever. With a few quick arm strokes, he reached the surface. Markus and Nadia joined him there a few moments later.
"Thank God we're out of that place!" Markus said.
Nadia glanced around. "But where are we now?"
"Looks like the palace's water supply," Rik said. They floated in a narrow canal between two walls of light stone in a chamber lit by magical torchlight. Rik pointed at a ladder on one side of the canal.
They made the short swim to the ladder, exhausted and coughing. Rik struggled to climb, his wet shoes slipping. Behind him, Markus and Nadia fared even worse.
But they did reach the top.
"Where now?" Nadia said breathlessly.
The chamber they'd entered wasn't particularly long, with heavy grates blocking both ends. Rik doubted they could get past those grates.
On the wall, a massive pipe led directly upward. It looked impossible to climb, especially considering how weak Markus and Nadia must be. Also along the wall was a large wheel that looked like they could turn it.
Rik pointed to the wheel. "What do you think that does?"
"I don't think we should turn it," Nadia said. "It will probably release water, and then it might flood the chamber, trapping us."
"Not necessarily," Rik said, smiling like he had in the days before this adventure. "Look at that pipe. It's so large we could all fit through it side by side. If we get the water to fill up this chamber, it could carry us through that pipe and hopefully out into the palace."
Markus shook his head slowly. "Rik, you've come up with a lot of crazy ideas in the past, but this might be the craziest yet. Unfortunately, it's all we have."
"We should at least check those grates first," Nadia said.
"There's no point," Rik said. "Look how small they are. You might fit, but Markus and I won't. Trust me. My plan will work."
"Let's pray you're right," Nadia said.
Rik turned the wheel to the left, and the sound of rushing water came from all around. He couldn't see the source, but the water was beginning to rise. Slowly, so slowly.
Once it reached their position, they swam to a spot beneath the giant pipe and waited until the water forced them into the opening. Rik felt suddenly sick. What if there was another grate at the top of the pipe?
After rounding a couple of bends in the pipe, Rik looked up to see just what he'd feared.
"Damn," he muttered. "What're we gonna do now?"
"Maybe you can melt it with your staff," Nadia said.
"Of course."
Rik lifted his staff up and sent a jet of fire at the grate. He couldn't tell if he was making progress. The grate was still at least ten feet away. He kept the spell going, ignoring his magical fatigue. The grate still hadn't melted enough, but maybe Rik had weakened it. Praying silently, he launched a jet of pressurized water at the grate, and it split open.
"Good work, Rik," Markus said.
About a minute later, they reached the grate. Rik pushed aside what remained of it, then waited as the water forced them out of the pipe and flooded the palace. They stood in a golden room that contained many pipes and other machinery Rik didn't recognize. Off t
o their right was a large wooden door.
Rik took a deep breath, then opened the door. Outside it was one of the many corridors that all looked the same. Distant voices sounded.
"No one's in the hallway right now," Rik said.
They stepped out into the corridor as the water flooded in around their feet. Rik had no idea where they were going, but he led the party. Soon they rounded a corner and reached a place where other people were milling around, looking at the walls in confusion as the rushing sound continued.
No one paid the party any attention. The Imperial Guards surely thought they'd died in that furnace.
Rik found a map on the wall and memorized the way to the front gate. His stomach churned. "Let's get outta here before something goes wrong."
They made the short journey to the open gate. Rik held his staff ready, but he saw no danger. When they stepped out the gate, the summit seemed deserted, but only at first.
"There you are," said someone off to their right. The jailer.
Chapter 61: Flight from Danger
Nadia froze in place, her heart pounding a fierce rhythm.
"Get out of the way," Rik said, eyeing the man coldly. "I will kill you."
Nadia had never heard such menace in Rik's voice.
The jailer smiled. "Did you think I'd be alone?"
Five other Imperial Guards stepped into view, carrying swords, but no bows. Some of the men had been hiding around a corner of the palace's golden exterior. Others had concealed themselves behind bushes and evergreen trees.
Nadia froze, but Rik blasted the jailer with a burst of lightning, then did the same to the next closest Imperial Guard. Both men fell, dropping their swords. Markus scooped up one sword, Nadia collected the other, and they took off across the bridge, just ahead of the Imperial Guards. Rik sent blasts of lightning over his shoulder, slowing their pursuers down.
Nadia thought her legs might collapse. Groans sounded behind them.
Soon they ducked through the entrance to the caves. Rik got in the rear of the group as they raced down the narrow incline, inches from the precipitous drop.
At first, their path was clear, but as they descended, cave entrances appeared on their left. Nadia couldn't remember which passage they'd come through on the way up. She'd been so certain of her death.
"Do either of you remember which passage to enter?" she asked.
"Dammit," Rik said. "Didn't think of that."
"Neither did I," Markus said.
They continued down the spiraling path. Nadia glanced at each passage, but her intuition told her nothing. She could barely even think.
The Imperial Guards' boots clunked behind them, growing closer.
"Let's take the next passage," Nadia said.
"You sure?" Markus asked.
"No, but I don't think it matters."
They darted into the passage, making their way by magical torchlight. The Imperial Guards followed, their chainmail rattling.
"My arm's burning again," Markus said. "Why would it do that?"
Nadia had no answer. Ahead, the passage opened into a large chamber, but it didn't feel right. Nothing about this passage did. They stepped into the chamber, where a few dozen life-size statues blocked their way. The statues held swords and spears and wore the armor of soldiers.
And Nadia had the feeling they weren't statues.
The statues came to life, charging toward the party. Nadia grabbed Markus's arm. "See if you can speak to them."
"Of course!" Markus turned to the approaching soldiers.
The soldiers came to a stop a few feet away, then split to both sides, bypassing the party and heading toward the Imperial Guards.
"What did you tell them to do?" Nadia asked.
"I told them to attack the Imperial Guards. Should give us some time."
Rik grinned. "Good thinking."
Nadia peered into the darkness ahead. "I suppose we should see where this passage leads. I still don't like it, but we've made it past one obstacle. Perhaps that's all there is."
"Yeah, maybe," Markus said, "but I doubt it."
They raced into a narrow passage that led gradually downward, and soon they reached a place where the cavern branched to their left and right. Nadia peered to her left, saw a brief orange glow, then directed the others over to the right. From behind, the cave rumbled faintly.
"I think I know what that is," Markus said.
"What?" Rik asked breathlessly
Nadia didn't turn. "A giant, fire-breathing snake."
"Oh, that sounds wonderful," Rik said, hastening his pace. The passage was just wide enough for them to run side-by-side as the rumbling intensified.
Up ahead was the end of the passage, the beginning of the slope they'd climbed a few days earlier. If Nadia could just will her body to move a little faster.
She and Rik reached the top of the slope, but Markus went sprawling to Nadia's right. He must have caught his foot on a rock. She turned to help him, but her foot slipped and she slid down the steep slope, dislodging rocks. Beside her, Rik struggled to keep his footing. When he finally got his balance, he pointed his staff at Markus.
Fire erupted from the snake's mouth, enveloping Markus. Nadia cried out. She couldn't lose Markus when she was this close to escaping.
Then the fire died down. Markus got slowly to his feet. He looked unburned, thanks to Rik's last-second shield, but he couldn't get away from the snake. It opened its enormous mouth, launched its head toward Markus, and closed its jaws around him.
"No!" Nadia cried, slipping again, watching in horror as the snake swallowed Markus. She tried to reach the snake, but Rik grabbed her arm and held strong.
"You can't do anything for him now," Rik said.
"Maybe if we killed the snake. You could use your magic."
"I'm sorry, but that last shield took everything I had."
Tears sprung to her eyes. "No! We have to do something."
She was so lost in her grief that she barely noticed when the snake made a horrible shrieking sound. The tip of a sword poked out from the snake's body, slowly carving a hole. The snake writhed in pain, but it couldn't do anything to stop Markus.
"Thank God!" Nadia said.
The hole became larger, and Markus poked his head through. He shoved the snake's skin out of the way and crawled out. The snake writhed again. Markus got back to his feet and stumbled down the slope toward Nadia and Rik, favoring his left arm.
"Let's get out of here before it gets any ideas," he said. Nadia and Rik took off after him. Soon they reached the bottom of the slope and stood beyond the invisible barrier. Markus's arm was bleeding.
"You're hurt!" Nadia said.
"One of its fangs got me. It isn't too deep, though. I'll be fine."
"What about the poison?" she asked.
"I don't feel poisoned. I think I'll be fine. As I said, it wasn't too deep." He shook his left arm, grimacing. "Let's get going."
They made the short journey to the cave's entrance. By now, evening had arrived. In her current condition, Nadia didn't care for the thought of returning to Bradenton on foot.
"I wonder if they still have our horses at the stables," she said.
To her pleasant surprise, they did. Nadia paid the stable boy, and they began their hurried ride northward, ignoring their hunger and fatigue. They needed to stay ahead of their pursuers.
That night, though, they had to stop at a village inn and eat something. Nadia remained alert for Imperial Guards, but those that did enter the inn paid them no attention. Perhaps their pursuers thought they'd died in the caves. Or perhaps word hadn't reached here yet.
In their room that night, they discussed their plans.
"We'll have to escape the Empire," Markus said.
"And leave the people to suffer?" Nadia said. "I don't like that."
"I know it sounds terrible," Markus said, "but we failed. No one can fault us for running. Imperial Guards will look for us wherever we go."
She leaned
forward on her bed, massaging her temples. "I'm sorry. You're right. We'll have to go to the Fire Mountains and hope we can find that path Cyrus mentioned."
"But how will we find it?" Rik asked.
Markus looked down at his knees. "I have no idea."
Chapter 62: The Way Things Should Have Been
By the time they arrived in Bradenton two nights later, Markus thought his legs would fall off. They stabled their horses, then sneaked through the dark city, watching for Imperial Guards. Even at this hour, many people wandered the streets, carrying on loud conversations, glancing around as though they still feared the monster.
Markus wiped sweat from his forehead. "It's nice to see what we did for them."
"I just wish we could have done the same for everyone," Nadia said. She'd been quiet most of the return journey. Markus couldn't blame her. She'd failed in her life's ambition/
Markus felt that failure himself, but it wasn't the same. "We're still heroes, just not the heroes we wanted to be."
Nadia looked away, and Markus turned his attention to the darkened streets. Any one of these shadowy figures could be one of their pursuers. An Imperial Guard rounded a nearby building, and they ducked into an alley. No point taking unnecessary risks.
Markus held his breath until the Imperial Guard passed. Only once the man stepped out of view did they emerge from the alley. The business district was still a few minutes away.
But it might as well have been an eternity.
Toward the center of town, the streets became more crowded, and they tried to blend into the crowd. Each step was an effort. Each glance from an Imperial Guard twisted Markus's insides.
They pretended to be nighttime revelers like everyone else, then entered Liam's dark inn shortly before midnight.
Liam was awake, wiping down the counter. "You're alive!"
"By all rights, we shouldn't be," Rik said, sagging against the wall and mopping sweat from his red hair. The common room was packed with people carrying on loud conversations.
World in Chains- The Complete Series Page 52
