“No. We’re not leaving you.” Joel didn’t even recognize his own unwavering voice. The panic from a moment before was entirely forgotten as he flexed his mage energy. It surged to him like never before. He could do this. He hadn’t been sure earlier, but now he knew without any doubt. If those heathens tried to hurt his father, they would pay dearly.
Koal frowned back at them but had no time to argue. The soldiers were closing in. The one to the front of the group shouted above the rest. “Envoys of Arden, halt! By order of His Grace, Emperor Sarpedon, you are to drop your weapons and return with us to the palace!”
Squaring his shoulders, Koal didn’t budge from his spot. “Nay. Tell your emperor that our negotiations are over. We’re leaving. Now.”
“Stand down, Koal Adelwijn! You’ve lost!”
Koal gripped the base of his sword and held the weapon before him. “I’ll stand down when you cut the legs clear off my body—if you aren’t dead first.”
The soldier’s face twisted in animalistic rage as he launched forward, blade aimed at Koal’s throat. The seneschal readied himself, but he didn’t need to. Joel had already called a surge of power to himself and blasted it at the soldier. The blow hit true, searing into the man’s chest and knocking him off his feet. Joel didn’t have time to dwell on how much damage he’d done. The other soldiers were already diving forward to take their fallen comrade’s spot, and Joel was pooling his magic again.
Another burst of crackling blue fire shot forth, this bolt from Hasain. A second man collapsed to the ground with a splash. “There’s too many of them to take out like this!” Hasain gasped. “More are turning the corner even now.”
Despair pressed dangerously on Joel’s heart, but he refused to give in. He opened his mouth in the hope that brave words would come tumbling out, but NezReth beat him to it. “Fall back! All of you!” The Blessed Mage darted past them. Blue energy crackled and flowed down either arm as he raised them over his head.
They didn’t have enough space to properly do as they were told. Joel was tripping on Hasain, who was tripping on Cenric. They had only managed to back away a few precious paces when NezReth unleashed his wrath in a bolt of blinding sparks and fury. Joel slammed his eyes shut, expecting to hear men screaming in agony—yet all he could hear was the low rumble of cracking stone. He dared to open his eyes.
The Imperial soldiers stood frozen with wide, elevated eyes. NezReth’s bolt had seared a hole into the ceiling above their heads. Even now, as Joel watched, deep lines were forming at the site of impact and trickling away from the crater like water escaping a pond. Again came the rumble of crumbling rock, a low, devastating reverberation worse than any thunder Joel had ever heard. Fine, gritty sand rained down through the cracks, and then entire pieces of the ceiling began to drop.
The soldiers did shout then. Their voices were laced with terror as they clambered over each other in their attempts to fall back. Joel watched as chucks of mortar and stone plummeted from the ceiling. One. Two. Three. Joel lost count as the entire ceiling bowed under the pressure of the loose rock. A sickening feeling clenched his heart. Oh no—
“It’s going to go!” NezReth screamed above the torrent. “Get out of here!”
Joel took another step back. The entire corridor trembled—above him, around him, beneath his feet. He felt as though he was trapped inside a box, being violently shaken with no means of escape. All around him, rocks were careening to the floor, pelting his skin and face like massive hailstones. Oh gods, the entire ceiling is giving way! Letting out a terrified cry, Joel tucked his head and squeezed his eyes closed. If this was the end, he didn’t want to see it. Chhaya, please, be merciful. If we’re to die, let it be swift.
The sound of falling rock drowned out all other noise. Joel held his breath, waiting for the final blow, waiting to die—but Death never came for him. The tempest passed and the angry shards of rubble falling from above subsided. He opened one eye tentatively. Am I alive? His heart skipped a beat. Is anyone else alive?
He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard his father’s voice nearby. “Is everyone all right? Sound off!” Murmurs rose above the silence, music to Joel’s ears as each and every member of the group called their name. It seemed their party had made it through the rockfall relatively unscathed. He stood up, brushing dust from his soaked robe, and cast a wary glance in the direction the soldiers had been. A barricade of rubble blocked the way.
Hasain gripped the wall as he climbed to his feet. “We better hope this passage leads somewhere, seeing as there’s no way back now.”
NezReth stepped closer to the mountain of stone, titling his head to the side. Joel paused too, listening for any sign of life on the far side. Nothing. He couldn’t hear a damned thing.
“I do not hear them,” the Blessed Mage confirmed a moment later. “But it is safe to assume that at least a handful escaped.”
Koal sheathed his sword as he returned to the head of the party. “Then we need to keep going. If they don’t already know about this supposed drainage opening, it won’t take them long to figure it out.”
Up ahead, Kirk leaned shakily against his sister, eyes wide as he stared at the fallen rubble. He whispered something into Kenisha’s ear and her face pinched. Placing an arm around his shoulder, she murmured soft words back to him.
Joel made his way over to them. “Are you all right?” he asked, placing a hand on Kirk’s trembling shoulder. He hadn’t been injured, had he? “Are you hurt?”
“N–no,” the trainee replied, shaking his head. “It’s just—they saw me. And Keni. They saw us both. They have to know we’re helping you escape.”
Joel flinched as he realized the implication of Kirk’s words. Daya. They can never safely return to Teivel now.
“There’s no going back,” Kenisha said, her voice a whisper in the shadows.
A strangled whimper pushed its way from Kirk’s chest all the way to his lips. “I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
Joel narrowed his eyes. “I do.” He swung around, scanning the dark tunnel until his eyes landed on Koal. “Father, we have to bring them with us.”
Liro snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. Our ‘noble’ king would rather feed newborn babes to hungry wolves than allow two Imperials into the realm.”
“Liro!” Joel gasped.
His elder brother shrugged and turned to smirk at Koal. “Am I not mistaken, Father? Am I wrong in my assumption?”
Koal let out a defeated sigh. He could barely meet Joel’s pleading eyes. “Joel, Arden is no place for Imperial-born, no matter how sincere they appear to be.”
“How can you say that?” Joel demanded. He pointed sharply at Kirk and Kenisha. “They’ve risked everything to help us escape! Everything! We can’t just turn a blind eye now! What would it say about us if we abandon them in their time of need?”
Koal rubbed the back of his neck. “King Rishi won’t approve it. You know that.”
“Then you can return to Arden without me!” Joel replied, blood rushing to his face, turning his cheeks an angry scarlet. He crossed his arms over his chest and set his jaw defiantly. “Either we all go, or I’m staying. You can tell King Rishi why I didn’t make it when he asks.”
Koal’s face was nearly as red as Joel’s. “This isn’t a time for games, Joel—”
“Oh, I’m not playing, Father. I’m very, very serious.”
Kirk winced as the seneschal threw his hands into the air and barked a string of ill-mannered profanities. The boy leaned a little closer to Joel and spoke tentatively, “Joel, it’s—it’s okay. Keni and I will figure something out. You can’t stay behind. You have to go home—”
“No, it’s not fair.” Joel shook his head sharply. “I won’t be a bystander to such injustice. You’re my friend. I’m going to stand by my convictions and by you.”
Cenric cleared his throat. The sound echoed down the narrow passageway. “Koal, we can’t stand here and argue. And we can’t allow Joel to stay behind.�
�� His hazel eyes were compassionate when he turned to look at the Imperial siblings. “Allow them to accompany us to Arden. There’s no harm in it.”
“My father will understand,” Hasain added. Joel would have hugged his cousin if they were under different circumstances. “They’ve helped us. It’s only fair that we return the favor.”
Koal let out a groan. “Fine.” He fixed Joel with a withering glare. “Upon our arrival, you can be the one to explain this to King Rishi.”
Joel opened his mouth to utter a word of gratitude, but Koal had already swung around and disappeared into the shadows of the corridor.
“Down there,” Kenisha said. “That’s the way out.”
Joel crouched in the narrow tunnel with the rest of the party. Water had long since saturated his mage robe; the pristine white fabric was soiled grey with dirt and grime from the trek through the catacombs. Every muscle in his body ached and both knees felt as though they were on fire. During their escape from the Imperial soldiers, he’d taken a brutal fall. Pain continued to shoot through his legs, but for the time being, there was nothing to be done except grimace and bear it.
Koal leaned down and poked his head beneath the increasingly low ceiling. “I can see a drainage opening up ahead.”
“It comes out on the far side of the palace wall,” Kenisha explained. “From there, it’ll be a quick dash into the city.”
Koal looked over his shoulder at the rest of the party. “We’re going to have to crawl the rest of the way. The tunnel gets even more narrow up ahead. It looks like a tight squeeze.”
Joel’s skin began to crawl even as Hasain asked the question everyone had to be thinking. “We’ll fit through, won’t we?”
Cenric’s eyes danced as he turned to flash the Radek lord a sly smile. “Guess we’ll find out. Would you like to go first?”
Hasain huffed under his breath. “I’ll pass.”
Koal was already moving forward. “Everyone be quiet and follow me. Stay close.”
Seriously? Stay close? Joel mused. As tight as these quarters are, it would take an act of The Two to become separated!
Koal led the way. Joel found himself directly behind Kirk and didn’t have to glance back to know Hasain trailed behind. Joel could hear Hasain’s disgusted grunts as they were all forced to crawl through the murky, stagnant water. Joel could feel slimy vegetation between his fingers, and the rancid smell was nearly unbearable.
The party inched forward. The only sound to be heard was the dirty water sloshing around their extremities and the occasional retch of revulsion. Joel gritted his chattering teeth, feeling cold and fatigued. His knees ached almost to the point of tears, but he knew he couldn’t stop. Just keep moving forward. Almost there. Don’t stop.
Faint light reflected off the water ahead, and he belatedly realized NezReth had dismissed the mage orb. This light source was from something else. Joel’s heart quickened as he leaned around Kirk’s body and saw a trace of nighttime sky ahead.
He had to stop long enough for Kirk to make his exit. The trainee scrambled through the opening, leaving Joel with a clear view of the outside world. The silhouettes of marble houses and perfectly sculpted hedges collided with the horizon before him. His lungs took in a greedy breath of fresh air, the first in a long time. A tapestry of stars twinkled in the navy sky above, enticing him to make the final push to freedom. Kirk offered a hand, and with his help, Joel squirmed the rest of the way out of the tunnel.
The great wall of the palace loomed behind them, casting a black shadow across the cobblestone streets. Joel leaned against it as he waited for Hasain and Cenric to climb out of the drainage tunnel. The initial relief he’d felt after escaping the catacombs was already begining to flitter away. They were above ground again, but traversing the city was going to be twice as difficult. We’re still so far from safety.
Koal’s eyes scanned the wall. His wary stance and grim face sent chills down Joel’s spine. Were sentries up there? Surely there had to be. He titled his head back and peered into the darkness but could see nothing. That didn’t stop the panic from rising up to close a firm grip around Joel’s neck. We have to go. We can’t stand out in the open like this.
Almost as though Koal could hear Joel’s inner monologue, the seneschal stepped away from the partition and motioned for them to follow. Moving as an efficient unit, they darted across the empty space separating the palace from the rest of the city. Joel’s chest was heaving by the time they reached the first row of stone houses.
Safely within the shadows again, Koal stopped. He leaned in close so he could whisper. Kirk and Kenisha fidgeted nervously when he pointed at them. “We’re counting on you two to guide us the hell out of here. You’ll walk with NezReth and me at the front of the line. Joel, Hasain, you flank Cenric and stay close behind me. Liro—” The elder Adelwijn son ticked an eyebrow as he fell beneath Koal’s frigid scrutiny. “You protect us from the rear.”
“Of course, Father,” came Liro’s airy response. He clutched a hand around the focus stone gifted to him by Archmage Titus.
Kirk scraped a sandal across the ground. “We have to avoid using magic at all costs. At least until we’re beyond the dome. The Imperial mages have linked part of their consciousness to the dome. Any trace of magic used while we remain inside will be detected.”
“They’ll be alerted to our exact position,” NezReth stated in a flat voice.
Kirk nodded. “Yes. The magic defense system will also trigger once we cross the barrier, but it will be more difficult for them to track us out there beyond the inner city.”
“We’ll have to move fast once we cross then.” Koal’s hard gaze shifted back and forth among the members of the group. “All right, you heard the lad. Absolutely no magic.” He drew his blade in one graceful motion and turned on his heel. “Let’s go. Stay in formation, all of you.”
Joel winced as he took his place in line behind his father. If they faced another Imperial patrol tonight, would luck still be on their side? Surely their good fortune was due to run out. Joel shuddered. He could feel the fear pressing on his heart, smothering any courage he might still be grasping onto. Cenric patted Joel’s arm and offered a strained smile. The kind gesture helped, if only a little.
Koal led the way through twisting streets and shadowed alleys. Under different circumstances, Joel would have stopped to admire the beautiful marble columns, luscious gardens, and ivy-covered buildings, but not tonight. He could find no enjoyment in this nightmare they’d found themselves trapped within.
The sky above was a veil of stars. A full moon hung from the navy canvas like a beacon from the Gods, illuminating the land below with eerie, pale light. The city itself remained dark. No mage orbs or lanterns lined the streets and no light could be seen through any of the shuttered windows. A shiver ran up Joel’s spine. It almost felt like they were the only living souls left in the world.
They’d been creeping along for several minutes with no incident when a gut-wrenching sense of dread began to form in the pit of his stomach. This all seemed too easy. Where were all the guards? The city should have been swarming with them. They know we’re trying to escape. Why aren’t they here looking for us? Joel frowned. Unless they think we perished underground in the rockslide. It’s doubtful they would just assume we’re dead though. They’d need proof. So where are they? His intuition kept screaming that something was amiss. He couldn’t continue to remain silent.
The mage reached forward to tap Koal’s shoulder. “Father, wait a moment!”
Koal hushed his son with a single, furious glare. “Quiet.”
Joel planted his feet, refusing to go on. Everyone else exchanged confused glances before they, too, drew to a halt. He lowered his voice to a feverish whisper. “Something is wrong. I can feel it—”
Koal whirled around to face him. “I know something isn’t right! Are you trying to wake up the entire city?”
Joel opened his mouth to retort, but any words he might have uttered wer
e dampened by the attack.
Like a lethal bolt of lightning, energy surged through the air, building to a horrible crescendo. Joel reacted without thinking, throwing up a magic shield around the party. A second later, red shards of magic came hurtling at them from all directions. An ambush!
Hasain’s energy shot out to reinforce the shield, and Kirk joined them an instant later. His raw, potent magic glossed over the barrier, sewing up any weak spots within the defensive nexus like a threaded needle. The three mages braced themselves against the onslaught from the Imperial mages.
NezReth and Liro stepped forward as one, both pooling their energies and taking aim before Joel could even register what was happening. Liro’s power was impressive. The Blessed Mage’s was nothing short of terrifying. Together, their movements were fluid and well trained. They allotted themselves no second guesses or mistakes. As the enemies hurled smoldering red splinters toward them, Liro and NezReth countered, releasing crackling bolts of their own. Though Joel couldn’t see the Imperial mages through the sizzling air, he could hear their cries of pain followed by the thud of bodies crashing to the pavement as they went down.
Koal’s voice fought for dominance over the turmoil. “We can’t just stand here! We have to move!” He had his sword held high and pointed at Kenisha. “Lead us.” Her pale face trembled as she shook her head and launched forward.
Joel refused to give up, but it was difficult to move and keep the defensive shield from unraveling. More than once, he sensed tears in the magic where the Imperial mages were mercilessly striking it. Without ever exchanging a word, Hasain and Kirk worked with him to keep the barrier intact.
“Keep moving. They’re losing ground!”
His father’s voice should have been a beacon of hope, but there was nothing left in Joel to celebrate. Sore to the bones and exhausted beyond repair, he could barely keep his feet moving and mind focused.
“There’re more of them coming from the east!” Liro screamed in warning from the rear of the group.
Nightfall: Book Two of the Chronicles of Arden Page 33
