“The catacombs,” remarked a guard.
“Yes,” said Dravo. “The king may want to secure it more now that he knows it leads to a magic portal. This way.”
They followed him through various branching corridors, through small empty rooms, and down flights of stairs, the air growing musty and colder than outside. Sometimes they passed a discarded item like broken pottery, an empty scabbard, and part of a skeleton, usually an animal but once a human. Matt suspected they were hundreds of feet below the surface and felt uncomfortable about finding his way back. Had the guards brought enough torches to light the way? Was someone marking the trail? They passed a sinkhole that had collapsed a wide area of earth to create a cavern, and here they had to climb over the fallen stones to reach a partially blocked stairway, which led to the buried dark elf city below it.
“No wonder no one knows it is here,” remarked Ryan.
“There is little to see,” observed the prince.
They followed him another ten minutes as they moved through crumbling rooms of what was obviously a long buried and abandoned settlement, the elegant designs apparent despite the age. Faded paint remained on walls and floors, carvings revealing they were in the elven city, whatever it had been called. They finally came to a wider room, the ceiling partially caved in to one side. The far wall had a carving of a doorway on it, with various symbols around it like a wide frame or border. Matt saw trees, stars, moons, castles, and a few animals he didn’t recognize, but two silhouettes of elves stood out. He read the words carved around the door silently.
Here to the Land of Kiar this pathway leads
For elven kind or those in need.
Prince Dravo moved to stand before it as others kept their distance, but Matt joined him and spent a few moments learning the spell. It wasn’t complicated, which was why a dark elf with limited magic talent like Dravo could perform it. The magic worked the same from this side or the other, and to ensure they could return even if something happened to the prince, Matt made sure the other two wizards also knew it before he cast the spell. The letters glowed green as the stone door faded and disappeared. Through it they saw bare earth with tufts of grass, a cascade of vines, and darkness that their torches pierced.
“We should go without light,” said Dravo, Matt turned off his staff, others leaving torches behind.
The prince and wizard went first, Ryan, Eriana, and Eric following. A half dozen guards dressed for stealth came with them to assist the freed prisoners so that the Ellorians could fight if necessary and not have to worry about the hostages being led away while they did so.
The night air felt as warm as before when Matt stepped onto the earth. He moved to the thick, leafy vines obscuring anything beyond. He looked back at the portal as Prince Dravo spoke a few words and it closed, the soft green glow fading. They listened in silence but heard nothing, which didn’t surprise Matt. The dark elf had explained their location in the cliff-side city of Avaran.
Only the royalty and those who served them likely knew of the ancient portal because it stood near an area reserved for them, which meant few others went there. But even the elves, who lived for hundreds of years on this world, didn’t have memories that lasted forever. Overgrown and forgotten near a part of the royal enclave that had suffered a rockfall long ago, the portal hadn’t been used in a thousand years. As he had told the champions, Prince Dravo only knew of it because he had long made a point of studying the defenses as one of the most strategic thinking generals of Kiarven. He had stumbled upon it. He had told no one what he’d found or of his explorations of the underground world on the other side under Thiat.
“Which way?” the wizard asked.
“Across the bridge, then left where the trail splits,” answered the dark elf. “The prison is inside the mountain and reached via the town. With stealth, you, Andier, and I must lead, then the other wizards. Have your spells and wits about you.”
“Yes.” Matt had spent the last few hours memorizing them and raiding the local shops that catered to wizards. The two with them were among the more seasoned ones available, neither having any idea that they had far more experience in wizardry than Matt.
With the prince and rogue in the lead, Matt followed them out from behind the vines. The mountain’s white stone loomed all around them in the moonless night. A mass of shattered rocks lay strewn to one side where they had fallen, some covered in vegetation, which grew untamed before them in what looked like an abandoned welcome area. An empty, cracked dais stood there, and beyond it, a curving stone bridge with small obelisks jutting from its railings. The earth fell away on either side.
Over the bridge, beyond the tall pines, rose one rear corner of the white-walled castle of Avaran, where King Erods likely slept right now. The castle was mostly below their position so that only the tallest towers were at eye level, but no lights twinkled in them. The odds of being seen were low, which was good, because the bridge was exposed. Beyond the castle, they saw some of the city, but very little. Pointed dark roofs topped white stone buildings, but they could see little else. They built Avaran along terraced cliffs so that it overlooked the forest valley below. Most of the mountain it lay on rose above their position.
As they crossed the bridge, Matt looked down into a rushing river far below. He wondered why they built the portal here where the destruction of the bridge would render reaching it difficult, but then maybe that answered his question. Anyone trying to invade from the portal’s location could be more easily stopped. Stepping off the span found them on a stone path with grass overtaking it, trees all around and providing cover as the path quickly descended stone steps so that they were now level with the castle wall visible through the trees ahead. The path split, one heading right toward the royal grounds and another leading left and to the city. They headed that way, the castle on their right.
Matt and the other wizards cast a simple cantrip to mask any sounds they made, and the group crept along the underbrush off the path to keep any guards from looking down and seeing them. It didn’t take long to reach the castle’s front corner. The castle stood to the right, with more mountain and the river gorge to the left, for they built the structure in one corner of the available space. The settlement itself was ahead and to the right. They heard a waterfall tumbling down out of sight.
The path they weren’t using was partially blocked by a crumbling wall, giving the impression that the way to where they stood had been walled off at some point and not maintained. The path curved around toward the front gates, where several buildings flanked a courtyard. Instead of heading there, they climbed over the debris and passed over the road. Then they hugged the rear wall of one such structure, edging their way down the steep rocks along the edge of the settlement. The hostages would never make it up this way, but they had a plan to use the streets by then.
They maneuvered past several buildings to reach the edge of a cliff. Matt gazed down and wished he could see better. Multiple terraces of buildings lay below toward the valley, none uniform in length, width, or vegetation, but even in the dark, a kind of loveliness was apparent.
“It is time,” whispered Prince Dravo.
Matt knew what he meant and gestured for the other wizards to join him. He pulled a vial of cold liquid from a pocket in his robe, opened it, and whispered a spell. “Obscure all sound and light, a haze that blinds like night.”
Then he began blowing across the bottle top. A mist formed in the air, slowly turning into fog. He made a fanning gesture with one arm and the fog drifted over and down the cliff face to seep into the city streets. He handed the bottle to the guard who would remain behind at this position, instructing him to continue blowing across the opening. The fog would spread on its own, rising and falling up and down the mountainside, growing thicker by the minute and appearing to come from the river gorge they had crossed. By the time the prisoners were in the open, seeing them would be far harder. The other wizards cast the same spell.
“Where exactly i
s the prison entrance?” Eric whispered.
Prince Dravo pointed to a location down one level from their position and a street over. “The one with the bell tower. The fog should reach it soon. We must be patient. Only the Ellorians and one wizard should come, so the other wizard can remain outside to assist. Once the fog has spread, the guardsmen we have brought should take positions where they can lead the hostages back up this way.”
They waited in silence, hearing only the sounds of an alien world at night. Once, they heard footsteps and low voices as two dark elves passed the prison on the other side, heading from the castle to lower in town. The only other sign anyone was awake was the random golden glow from windows, but none were near them. Sounds became more hushed as the fog rose, covering the buildings near them so that couldn’t tell what was happening anywhere else, including how far the fog had spread. They had to hope it wasn’t localized, or anyone walking by might realize it wasn’t natural because it only covered a small area.
Some of the group moved down to wait behind another building on the same level as the prison. Standing beside Ryan, Anna, and the other wizard, Matt watched Eric and Dravo disappear into the fog. He couldn’t help looking around repeatedly, as if he would see something, and tried to focus on sound, hearing nothing, which was good. Several tense minutes passed before a short, dark figure began returning. It was Eric, who gestured for them to follow. As they reached the entrance to the prison, Matt stepped inside curiously, finding a small room with no one inside it, a lone hallway extending back into the mountain. To his raised eyebrow, Eric gestured at a closed door to one side and held up two fingers. Apparently, there were two unconscious dark elves over there out of sight.
“Ryan,” began Eric, “I’d feel comfortable if you stayed here and guarded the entrance.”
“Sure,” replied the big man. Matt thought he didn’t look comfortable being left behind. Who could blame him?
Dravo motioned Matt over and whispered, “At the end of this hall is a room with as many as ten people. Can you subdue them?”
Matt thought about what spells he had ready for that and made a quick decision, pulling out a pouch and fishing inside for a small marble he finally retrieved. He stepped up to the hallway and put the marble in his palm.
“How far?” he asked. The corridor wasn’t lit. Only light from this end and the other filled it, but the flickering glow was faint at the other end and he wasn’t sure what he was seeing.
Dravo answered, “Fifty feet.”
“Straight?”
“Yes, but the room opens to the left for ten paces. There are several ways to leave that room, and if anyone does, it will be to alert others inside. We control the entrance, but they could reach the hostages before we stop them. They can also ring the bell, and then…”
Feeling like he understood the significance, Matt tried to ignore the pressure. It seemed like a long time ago when doing this or anything in front of others made him nervous. Now he only felt that way because failure meant people getting hurt, a different kind of pressure that made his old fears seem trivial. He shrugged it off, focused his will on the marble, and said the words of magic.
Safely fly through wind and air, burst with force, and strike what’s there.
The marble rose above his palm and floated down the hall into growing darkness as he focused on its movement. He only had a general sense of how far it had gone and stared hard for some sign it had emerged into the torchlight at the end. It was too far, and too dark, but he thought it had reached the end. Hoping for the best, he made a hand motion as if to swat something to his left. Someone shouted in elven just as Matt said another word and a percussive blast of air walloped everyone in that room, sending bodies into walls and whatever else was there. While he couldn’t see it, he heard the commotion of wooden furniture being overturned and metal falling to the floor. Maybe the noise made that an unwise spell. He nodded at Eric, who sprinted that way with Prince Dravo right behind and Matt following with everyone else.
Nearing the corner, Matt heard struggling and soon saw Eric deliver a kick to a guard’s head as Dravo held another dark elf in a headlock that was making the victim lose consciousness. Both scuffles were soon over. Eight bodies lay on the floor, along with two tables and several benches. Anna pushed past him and checked several.
“They’re still alive.”
“They should be out for a while,” Matt remarked, his voice still low. Suddenly he saw movement from a hall to one side. Eric saw his alarm and chased after a dark elf with one of their human guards following. A shout in elven rang out from there, and Dravo grabbed his arm.
“With me.” The prince turned toward a stairway leading down and descended with Matt coming as fast as he could, lifting his robe with the hand that didn’t hold Soliander’s staff. A glance showed Anna coming, too. When they reached the bottom, they saw a dark elf trying to close a metal gate ahead until Dravo threw a knife that struck the bars and bounced off.
“Down!” Matt shouted. He didn’t wait for Dravo to dive to the floor as he summoned a torrent of fire that hurtled down the hall from his staff and caused a shriek of pain. He stopped the flames to see two men on fire, the gate still swinging open. Dravo rose as they rushed forward and kicked his way in, their own guards moving to the left and right where other doors led elsewhere. A glance at once showed a water well inside, but then Matt was through the gate ahead, gagging at the burning smell of the two fallen elves. Behind him, Anna stopped to help them. He wondered if that was a good idea, but he also felt bad about what he’d done. The sight of white light surrounding and healing both men made him sigh in relief. As long as they didn’t get up again soon and become a problem…
They heard a commotion ahead as the short hall opened into a wide room with several jail cells full of humans, many of whom were rising, sleepy eyed and fearful. The smell told him of their poor condition, the sight of torn clothing, dirty hair, and smudged skin confirming it. No jailers were here, and he counted twenty-two, one short of what they had heard. He wished Ryan was here to do the nice sort of speeches he gave, or even Eric. Fortunately, Anna saved him from having to do it.
“Hello everyone,” she said, stepping toward the cells. “We are here to rescue you, but we need you to keep quiet and move quickly but cautiously with us. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” said one middle-aged man. “But who are you? Why is a dark elf with you? They cannot be trusted.”
“We are the Ellorian Champions, and this is Prince Dravo of Kiarven. He is helping us. We don’t really have time to explain more. I need you to trust us.”
The man pursed his lips. “You I can trust. Him I cannot.”
“Fair enough. You speak for all?”
After a moment, he nodded. “I do.”
Steady footsteps behind him made Matt turn to see Eric arriving.
“What’s that?” Matt asked.
Eric tossed a thick rope in his hand to the floor. “The rope to the bell. He was about to ring it. I cut off enough to keep anyone from reaching it soon. I checked the other rooms on the way here. We’re clear.”
“There are more rooms back here,” advised Dravo, moving toward them, Eric following. They came back a minute later, indicating that the only dark elf left was the prince. By then, the keys had been found, and the jails opened, the hostages all awakened. Some were just children, but none so small they would have to be carried. Anna crouched down to talk to them as Eric addressed the adults, telling them the basic plan. Anna did a cursory examination of anyone, healing a few of minor issues like dehydration, sores on their feet, and anything else that might inhibit the escape. It seemed they were ready to go.
Matt turned to the rogue. “Eri, um, Andier, why don’t you tie up the two I burned?”
“Right.”
“Catch up. We’ll wait at the exit to the prison.”
Within minutes, the group had gathered by Ryan, who looked relieved. He said that no one had come by. Matt and the other wiza
rd, the one from Aker, cast another spell to muffle sounds, and the group left the prison with Eric in the lead. The fog had grown thicker, but the rogue led them right to the awaiting guard, who reported that two more dark elves had walked by minutes ago. Dravo took the lead, because this time they were staying on the streets and not walking behind buildings. They moved with good efficiency and stealth and reached the castle’s corner sooner than Matt expected. They went over the crumbling wall back to the path, the wizard belatedly realizing they should have spread the fog here, too. So far, this was going fairly well. But no sooner had he thought it than the prison bell began tolling.
Prince Dravo turned to them and whispered, “Run! Quietly, but run!”
They did as he told them, moving to the path, Eric in the lead, his head turned toward the castle walls. Even if someone saw them there, they likely couldn’t be stopped from reaching the portal now. Matt had seen no doors from the castle over here. He stayed at the rear with Ryan, gesturing for others to hurry. They heard shouts inside the castle now, feet charging on the other side of the wall, the bell still ringing. But the group reached the fork back over the gorge and went up the stairs, the healthy helping the women and children. Matt had the impression this was the most exercise they’d had in a long time. Their eyes shone with fear and desperation, but he felt calm as he crossed the bridge with the knight and looked back, everyone else continuing without them.
“I think we made it,” he said, feeling excited by the adventure.
“Yeah, but now getting to the king is going to be a bitch.”
“Can’t argue with that. Go on without me. I need to do something.”
The Light Bringer: An Epic Fantasy Adventure Novel (The Dragon Gate Series Book 2) Page 29