“Yes,” said the guard.
“Go, then.”
The guard turned on her heel and marched away, back down the way Ebon and the others had come. Ebon shivered, and Kalem did the same.
“We have taken longer than we should have,” said Mako. “Onwards.”
IT WAS NOT LONG AFTER that that the tunnel widened at last, and they came into a vast, open space. Here the walls and floor were hewn from the earth’s bones, rather than built by masons, and there were many stone outcroppings all about. Mako ducked behind one of these, and the children hastened to follow.
They had reached some sort of grotto, Ebon saw. He could smell saltwater over the bitter stench of the sewer waste and surmised that this cavern must run out to the Great Bay. They had to be somewhere near the western end of the Seat, he guessed, if not at its very edge.
Where the tunnels emerged into the cavern was a narrow platform, and this joined a raised stone path that ran around the cave’s right edge, with many guards posted along it. A fair distance away, the path ended at a wooden dock lined with torches that illuminated a ship.
It was no great vessel, smaller than a schooner but wider, built for capacity more than speed. Two masts it had, though Ebon saw a sail upon only one of them. He guessed it had room for no more than five crew. Two of these walked about the deck, checking lines and stowing cargo, while three managed workers on the dock. There were many crates, barrels and sacks to load, it seemed, and where they were open, Ebon could see that most of them were filled with small packets of brown cloth.
“There,” said Mako, pointing at the packets. “Those are magestones, or I am a fool.”
“Can it not be both?” said Theren.
Mako snorted—whether in dismissal or in a quickly stifled laugh, Ebon could not tell. “What we see here is worth more than a king’s ransom. What do you say? Shall we rob them of it?”
“I do not want to steal magestones,” said Kalem quickly.
Mako rolled his eyes. “Loosen your death grip upon your honor, goldshitter. I mean to destroy their cargo, not to take it for ourselves. Magestones are a toxic good to trade, as the family Yerrin is soon to discover.”
“We did not come for their magestones,” said Theren. “We came for Isra. Where is she?”
“I do not see her or Gregor,” said Mako. “Either they have come and gone, or they are still on their way and will arrive soon. If it is the latter, we would be wise to create as much chaos as we can before they come, so that they cannot muster these guards against us. If it is the former, then we have already lost their trail tonight and should do what good we can—by which I mean, chiefly, destroying the cargo Yerrin hopes to escape with.”
“Very well,” said Ebon. “What shall we do?”
“I tell you again that we shall do nothing, and this time I mean it,” said Mako. “I have taken you farther already than I should have, and it ends here. You will keep watch. If anyone else should emerge from the tunnel whence we came, you must warn Theren and me so that we are not taken unawares.”
Ebon glared, and Kalem did not look entirely pleased either. But they could feel the sand passing through the hourglass—they had little time, for the Mystics would soon be on their way. “Very well. How should I signal you?”
“Squeal like a rabbit, for all I care,” said Mako. “Only do not let them see you, and make sure you are not within reach. There is a little rocky shelf up there on the wall—that is where you should wait.”
“What will the two of you do?” said Kalem.
“We will make this a night Yerrin remembers and regrets,” said Mako. “Come, Theren.”
Together he and Theren stole forwards, bent almost double in the shadows, while Ebon and Kalem scrambled onto the shelf. It was just above head-height, with the ceiling pressing down low enough above them that they had to lie down to keep from bumping their skulls.
Ebon thought that Mako and Theren would take the stone path, but Mako turned from it at once. Then Ebon saw that there were other stone shelves like the one he rested on, though not so smooth, so that the Yerrin guards avoided them. But the stone came in levels, and all of them were lower than the stone path, so that Mako and Theren could creep along unseen.
He saw them approach the first guard who stood on the path. They edged forwards until they were as close to the guard as possible, but below him and out of sight. Theren popped her head up and into the torchlight. Ebon froze and almost called out—but then Theren said something he could not hear, and the guard froze.
A few more hasty words she muttered, and then she ducked out of sight again. The guard set off down the path. He approached the next guard, who leaned unaware against the wall. The unwitting target looked only at the last moment—but too late, for the first guard smashed the pommel of his sword into the side of her helmet. She fell to the floor, senseless.
The other guards saw it, and they called out in alarm as they came running to help. There were at least a half dozen of them, and Ebon knew that Theren’s mindwyrded guard stood no chance. But just as they approached, Mako and Theren struck.
Mako leaped up on the path, seizing one of the guards and planting a dagger in his throat. He fell from the path and slid down the shelf into the water. Ebon winced. Theren struck with her magic, seizing two of the guards and flinging them from the path. They fell screaming into the water and fought to keep hold of the rock wall as they tugged off their chain mail. Mako nearly killed another, but Theren struck again just in time. Her magic picked up all three guards who still stood and slammed them into the stone wall with the strength of dragon’s breath. They fell unconscious to the floor.
“Come!” said Ebon, sliding down off their shelf. He helped Kalem down after him, and they ran forwards to where Mako and Theren stood. Together they ran down the path as quick as they could, for the sense of passing time hung heavy in the air. The ship’s crew had abandoned their vessel, fleeing for their lives down a side passage that led in another direction.
“What of the ones who escaped?” said Ebon.
“They could not see our faces in the dim,” said Mako. “The ship is all that matters now.”
He leaped aboard first, and the children followed more slowly, holding tight to the rope railing of the gangplank. By the time they made the deck, Mako had already gone down a hatch and returned. “The bulk of the stones are down there,” he said. “But there are plenty more on the dock. It would be best to destroy them all, but that may take too long.”
“I can cast the crates on the dock into the water,” said Theren.
“No good. The crates will keep them safe, and those lying in the open will simply float. Yerrin may not be able to recover all of them, but they will recover enough.”
“Put them aboard, then,” said Ebon. “And we can burn the ship.”
Mako scowled. “Idiot. It will take longer to bring the crates aboard than it would to set them ablaze.”
Ebon took quite some pleasure in rolling his eyes and gesturing dramatically at Theren. “We have a mindmage, Mako.”
The bodyguard’s eyes widened, and though it looked as though he tried to hide it, a little smirk crept into his lips.
Off to the side, Kalem muttered, “He means mentalist.”
It took but a moment. Theren’s eyes blazed as she lifted the crates, for she did not need the amulet’s power for so simple a task. But the last few still hung in the air when Ebon heard a sharp cry and turned.
There, at the other end of the cavern, two figures stood in the entryway, silhouetted by the torchlight beyond. Gregor—and beside him, Isra.
EVEN FROM ACROSS THE CAVERN, Ebon shook at the sight of Gregor. Images flashed into his mind of the Drayden assassin Gregor had killed. Next to Isra, his size seemed inhuman. The man was at least a head and a half taller than Mako, and it seemed his shoulders were twice as broad. His legs were like ship masts, and his arms as thick as Ebon’s torso.
“Drop that crate,” Mako told Theren. “I would g
ive both my daggers for a firemage. Boys, find torches and set blazes on the ship. Can you stop her, Theren?”
“I have before,” said Theren, her voice filled with steely resolve. “I will do so now, and gladly.”
“I hope you are not only boasting.”
Mako pounded down the dock towards the path of stone. But Theren did not bother with the dock; she ran to the ship’s stern and leaped from it. Ebon’s stomach lurched—but then her magic picked her up, and she used it to carry herself to the stone path, reaching it even before Mako did.
Isra gave a scream of rage, and a black glow sprang into her eyes. “Kill the girl!” she cried. Gregor drew his steel and advanced down the stone path. But Mako stepped forth, and the men faced each other across the cave.
“You owe me more than one life,” said Mako. “Now I will carve them from you like a boar.”
“Try it,” said Gregor.
Ebon realized he had been standing and staring too long. He turned to seize Kalem’s shoulder. “Enough gawking,” he said. “We have our own work to do.”
Kalem nodded. “I will fetch one of the torches.”
“No, I will see to that. Use your magic upon the ship—break parts of it up into kindling that will catch easier than boards.”
As Kalem scuttled to obey, Ebon ran down the gangplank, making for the torches. But a blow struck him just as he neared the first one, a force without sound or sight. It knocked him back, nearly pitching him off the other side of the dock. The torch he had reached for was flung from its mount, falling into the water below with a sharp hiss.
“Ebon!” Kalem came running. Across the cave, Ebon saw Isra staring at him with her black-glowing eyes, and he knew it was her magic that had nearly thrown him into the water. But though her hand was outstretched still, he felt nothing more pulling at him. Theren must have countered the spell.
Kalem reached him and seized his arm, hauling him back up onto the dock. Ebon gave him a grateful smile before they stood together.
“Get another,” he said, pointing to the torches.
But Isra gave another great cry. Ebon braced himself for a blow, but none came—except to the torches, which were cast down and into the water of the grotto. Now the dock was nearly pitch-black, and the cavern was only lit by the torches on the stone path. Ebon could try to take one, but it would bring him nearly within arm’s reach of Gregor. Isra bared her teeth in triumph. But then Theren redoubled her assault, drawing Isra’s focus.
“Darkness take her,” said Ebon. “What can we do now?”
“Mayhap the ship has lanterns,” said Kalem. “And you have your firestriker. Come! I will search belowdecks.”
They ran up the gangplank again, and Kalem vanished down a hatch. But Ebon paused, for he had caught sight of Mako. Gregor had pushed the bodyguard well down the path now so that they were less than ten paces from the ship, and Mako was hard-pressed. A new bruise swelled on his face, and he favored his right arm, which was missing its dagger. The other seemed a poor weapon against Gregor’s massive sword, and it seemed clear that Mako was no longer attacking—only trying to stay alive.
Ebon looked over the deck around him. There was an open barrel at hand, and within it he saw oranges and apples packed in straw. He seized one of the oranges, gripping it tight in his hands. Light flashed in his eyes as he felt the substance of the fruit, and then he changed it to stone. But then it was almost too heavy to hold, so he shifted some of it away to go dribbling down upon the deck. Now he took the fist-sized ball and, waiting for the right moment, he threw it.
Mako had taken a quick step back, desperate for space, and so the stone came sailing at Gregor at the perfect time. It struck metal, for he wore a helmet, but still it sent his head rocking to the side, and he stumbled. Mako lunged forwards with his dagger.
But Gregor recovered too quickly, and his plated fist smashed Mako in the gut. The bodyguard fell back, landing hard on the stone path. Ebon shouted, turned another orange to stone, and threw it. But Gregor casually batted it away, and took a step towards Mako, who struggled to stand.
Theren grit her teeth and stepped forwards. Isra stumbled against the attack, and the darklight in her eyes flamed up. But Theren broke through, knocking Gregor a pace back from Mako. With a cry she pressed still further, and Ebon saw a rippling in the air. It wrapped itself around Isra in an instant, and the girl screamed as it flung her far out into the cavern, out of the torchlight and into the water with a splash.
With her opponent gone at last, Theren sagged and fell to one knee. But she rose almost immediately, pushing Gregor another pace back from Mako. Ebon thought she would fling him into the water as well, but she seemed winded, and fought just to keep her feet.
There came a commotion at the other end of the cave. With shouts and tramping feet, a party of soldiers burst into the cavern, holding torches aloft. They wore mail and carried blades along with the torches, and upon their shoulders were cloaks of red.
“Mystics!” whispered Ebon. But just then Kalem emerged from belowdecks, and in his hand was a lantern. He opened one side of it even as Ebon frantically worked his firestriker, and soon the lantern was ablaze. Close at hand lay a little pile of kindling that Kalem had built. Ebon smashed the lantern down upon it, and its oil spread along the deck.
“It is time to go.” Ebon turned to find Mako standing at the gangplank. The bodyguard’s face was entirely covered in bruises now, and blood from his split lip dribbled down his chin.
They ran to him, and at the bottom of the gangplank joined Theren. A glance told Ebon that the Mystics were engaged with Gregor, who fended them off with huge, sweeping swings of his broadsword. They should have overwhelmed him already, but the narrow stone path kept them from engaging him more than two at a time.
Mako hurried them towards the other passage, the one the boat crew had used to escape when they first arrived. Just before they ducked within, Ebon glanced back at the ship. It was burning now, burning with a sickly black flame that rose to lick the cavern’s roof. The smell of it was foul, a putrid corruption like rotting flesh or a noxious corpse. He nearly retched. Then they had gone around the corner, and the flames were lost from sight.
THE TUNNEL STRETCHED ON LONG and dark ahead of them, and they had to slow their pace at first. But then Theren took the lead and, eschewing Kekhit’s amulet, she reached for her power. Magelight sprang into her eyes to illuminate the way. It was a poor glow, but better than nothing, and they moved as quickly as they could. Ebon heard no sounds of pursuit, but that could not last forever; eventually the Mystics must overwhelm Gregor, and then they would find this passage.
“How do we know this is not a dead end?” said Kalem.
“Because the Yerrins fled this way,” said Mako. “They were afraid for their lives—they would not have trapped themselves here if there was no hope.”
Indeed he proved right, for soon they emerged into another cavern. This one was much smaller and opened to the Great Bay almost immediately, letting them see by moonslight. They had come out into a small rocky shore that sloped steeply into the water.
“What now?” said Kalem, looking behind them.
“There were likely boats here,” said Theren, pointing. Ebon saw that there was a spike in the rock wall and several lines trailing from it, but nothing was attached to the other end of the lines. “The crew must have taken them all when they fled.”
“That means we must swim,” said Mako. “Shed anything that will slow you in the water and get in.”
“It is the dead of winter!” said Ebon. “We will freeze to death.”
Mako scowled at him. “We can reach the shore. Unless I miss my guess, it is just around the mouth of the cave. And if you or I stay here, we will land in a Mystic prison, and the family Drayden may fall.”
Ebon looked fearfully at the water. “I am not a very good swimmer.”
“Come off it, Ebon,” said Theren. She was already shucking off her Academy robes. Soon she stood in her underclo
thes, but even though she must have been freezing, she did not shiver.
Kalem and Ebon looked at each other for a moment, but Ebon knew they had little choice. They removed their robes, throwing them into the water at Mako’s command so that hopefully the Mystics would not find them and learn that Academy students had been present. Their boots they kept, for those would not be a great impediment to swimming, and they would need them to run once they reached land again. Once they had disrobed, both boys hesitated at the edge of the Great Bay’s water, which it looked even more frigid now.
“Oh, darkness save us,” said Mako. He seized Ebon’s shoulders and flung him in.
Ebon sank into the water with a yelp and nearly gasped in lungs of seawater. It was colder than he could believe. A moment later he felt the splashing of another body beside him—Kalem, too, had been thrown in. Together they fought for the surface and hung there paddling, sucking in deep breaths of air that now seemed positively warm.
Theren waded in beside them and struck out for the cave mouth. Mako was just behind her. Ebon and Kalem paddled after them but were soon outpaced.
“Wait!” cried Ebon. Then he took in a mouthful of seawater and lost his words to sputtering. But Mako and Theren glanced back from where they had almost reached the open water.
“Sky above,” said Theren, swimming back. She passed Ebon and went to Kalem, who had fallen even farther behind. “Come on, then.”
He clung to her back, holding on to her shoulders with a death grip. She struck out again, and though Kalem slowed her down a bit, she still passed Ebon easily. They reached Mako at the cave mouth, and he glared at Ebon as they approached.
“I am not carrying you like a suckling newborn, boy.”
“I did not ask you to,” said Ebon, though he had meant to, and was now secretly glad he had not.
They broke out into the open water, and Mako’s earlier guess proved right. A sandy shore sank into the water a scant thirty paces away. Before they swam for it, though, Mako guided them farther out into open water, for the waves lapped against the stone cliffs of the Seat, and though the sea was somewhat calm, still it could knock them senseless against the rocks. Ebon soon fell behind again. Mako did not carry him the way Theren had Kalem, but he did reach back and seize Ebon’s collar, flinging him a little bit farther along every other stroke, so that he was just able to keep up with the rest.
The Academy Journals Volume One: A Book of Underrealm (The Underrealm Volumes 3) Page 68