Apple still in hand, she crossed her arms. “And how do you intend to help us?”
He crossed his arms, mirroring her. “I know another way into the city.”
“And what will it take for you to show us?”
He grinned. “Just a bit of kindness, and a bit of food. I didn’t have time for a morning meal, and it’s a long walk to the Capital.”
She chucked her partially eaten apple at him, hoping it would smack him in the face, but his hand darted out and caught it.
He took a bite, then gestured roughly northward. “Shall we?”
She turned and continued walking. If this elf knew a secret way into the Capital, perhaps he knew other things about the less legal goings on. Perhaps he even knew Rissine. She wanted to find her older sister sooner rather than later so she could return to her swamp in peace. The elves could accompany her as long as they proved useful, and no longer.
Saida
Saida walked along beside Elmerah, her back stiff with nerves that had only grown as the sky grew dark. Her parents had told her of the Woodfolk. They were sly tricksters, and could not be trusted. In fact, they were almost as bad as the Akkeri, except they didn’t worship the dark goddess Ilthune. Alluin was probably planning on robbing them, or selling them out to the militia.
Of course, he had gone back into the inn to aid Elmerah, while she’d fled into the woods, so maybe not.
“We should veer east here,” Alluin instructed.
They’d been traveling along the edge of the deeper woods for some time now, and she could hear distant workers and animals on the farms leading up to the gates. The Capital had to be near, though she could not see the walls through the dense trees.
“Why?” Elmerah questioned.
“If you go anywhere near the gates, you’ll be detained. When the militia learns you have no papers, you will be turned away. I’d rather not waste any time with that. I can show you another way into the city, then we can all be on our way.”
Saida watched as Elmerah turned toward him, more cranky than she’d been at any point on their journey thus far, including their time on the pirates’ ship. “I wasn’t asking why we should avoid the gates. I’m not daft. I was asking why we should veer here.” She gestured to the shadowy woods. “Are you sure you’re not taking us off to rob us? I cannot fathom why you’d go so far out of your way for a mealy apply and bread hard enough to crack teeth.”
Alluin looked them both up and down, his green eyes glinting with mischief as they lingered on Elmerah’s coin purses partially visible beneath her cloak. “While that is a thought, I don’t quite like my odds. I saw what you did to those men at the inn, and knowing your race, I imagine you have more tricks up your sleeve than flinging chairs.” He gestured eastward. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to be out of these woods before nightfall. The things out here won’t care a lick about your coin.”
With a heavy sigh, Elmerah turned in the direction he’d gestured, and Saida followed, noting the sound of running water nearby.
“Is there a river?” she asked after a time, her throat parched. Elmerah had only procured a single water skin, and it hadn’t lasted long.
“It’s a manmade waterway,” Elmerah explained. “It spans the perimeter of the Capital. Surely you saw it on your previous visit?”
Saida was glad the growing darkness hid her blush. She’d been in a covered carriage when they’d entered the city, and had spent most of her stay within the central castle.
“Speaking of the waterway,” Elmerah began before Saida could think of a reply, “how do you propose we get past it and into the city if we’re not using the gates?” She stopped and turned toward Alluin.
“You’ll see,” he said simply.
“I don’t like this,” Saida muttered, closing in against Elmerah’s side as Alluin ventured ahead.
Elmerah side-stepped away. “Do you want to enter the city or not?”
She widened her eyes at Elmerah’s tone. “You really wouldn’t know camaraderie if it bit you on the bottom, would you?”
“Not all of us were raised within the shelter of an elven temple.”
“Speak for yourself!” Alluin called back. “I for one have spent a great deal of time in temples.”
“Why do I sincerely doubt that?” Elmerah growled.
Saida rubbed her tired eyes. This journey couldn’t end soon enough.
Her dragging feet kicked into something hard, yet brittle feeling. She moved to kick it completely out of her way, then yipped in surprise. The bone could have belonged to an animal, but there was something distinctly . . . human about it.
Noticing her hesitation, Elmerah marched back toward her. She kicked the bone, peering down at it in thought, then scanned the surrounding ground.
“Is that a human bone?” Saida asked, her voice hitching in panic. The bone appeared aged, not from someone freshly killed, but still, if some murderer was hiding his victims out here . . .
“Look,” Elmerah pointed as Alluin joined them.
Saida followed her outstretched finger. Nearby was a patch of brambles, partially obscuring a circle made out of palm sized stones. Within the circle were more human bones. A shiver went up her spine.
Alluin took a step toward the circle. “The Akkeri, I’d imagine. We shouldn’t touch anything.”
Elmerah walked past him. Reaching the circle, she kicked one of the stones out of place. “You don’t know that this was the Akkeri.” She stepped into the circle, kicking aside a bundle of partially burnt, dried herbs that had been left beside a pile of glistening red . . . parts, now going gray from sitting in the open air.
“This is clearly death magic,” Alluin argued. “Perhaps necromancy.”
Elmerah snorted. “And the Akkeri are not the only race skilled in such arts. This close to the city, it could have been anyone.”
“There have been Akkeri attacks on some of the farms,” Alluin explained. “They even tried to get into the city. That’s why there are so many militia men on patrol.”
“Does it really matter who did this?” Saida asked, her voice strained. “Shouldn’t we make our way into the city? It will be full dark soon, and I don’t want to be here to meet any Akkeri or necromancers.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. No, she did not want to be anywhere near the site of a dark ritual in the pitch black night.
Elmerah perused the circle a moment longer, then nodded, turning her gaze to Alluin. “You better not have anything to do with this,” she gestured downward. “If you try to sacrifice us to some dark god, you’ll wish I’d killed you quickly.” She stomped out of the circle, paying no mind to what she trampled.
It was clear to Saida now that she had taken up with a madwoman.
“You’re the Arthali here,” Alluin quipped. “If anyone is in danger of being sacrificed, it’s me.”
He turned and continued walking in the direction they’d been headed, though Saida didn’t miss the new stiffness to his shoulders. The ritual site had made him nervous. It made her nervous too, but she wasn’t the one who’d led them right past it. Had he truly not noticed it, or had he simply been hoping they wouldn’t?
Elmerah
Full dark had fallen by the time Alluin stopped walking. Elmerah had kept an eye out for any more signs of necromancy, but had seen none. While she was suspicious of Alluin’s intentions, she was far more curious about the small cave he’d led them to.
“There’s no way I’m going in there,” Saida balked. “He’ll kill us as soon as we’re trapped.”
Elmerah snorted. The girl had some self-preservation instincts after all. “You go first. If you meet your end, I will avenge you.”
Saida glared at her. Maybe she wasn’t that naive either.
“If you’re worried,” Alluin interrupted, standing near the inky black cave entrance, “I’ll go first.”
“So you can spring the trap as soon as we enter?” Saida hissed.
He sighed. “Truly, what happened to you women to
make you so distrusting? In case you haven’t realized, I’m risking my neck even showing you this place. For all I know, you’ll run off and report its existence to the militia.”
Saida crossed her arms. “Not if we’re dead.”
Elmerah flinched at the sound of a branch breaking not far off. They really did need to get out of these blasted woods. It would soon be hunting hour for some of the larger creatures, and the three of them would be ideal prey.
She sighed. “I’ll go in.” She turned to Saida. “If he makes a move, shout.” She walked toward the cave, its top lip not much taller than her. Before she entered into the darkness, she aimed a steady glare at Alluin.
He lifted his hands in surrender. “I won’t move, I swear it. There are lanterns deeper inside. Be a sweet peach and fetch one.”
Her glare deepened, then she turned and stepped into the complete blackness of the cave. She felt at least a shred of magic returning to her, and she had her cutlass. If someone, or something, attacked, she’d at least take them down with her.
The stone beneath her boots was slick with moisture. The same moisture made the air dense and uncomfortable to breathe. Her stomach clenched. She hated caves and underground passages at the best of times.
This was not the best of times.
Sensing no imminent attack, she ventured further into the cave, groping along in the darkness until her hands hit solid stone. She continued feeling her way along the wall until her fingertips grazed a wooden shelf mounted straight into the stone, then across cool metal and glass. A lantern. Now to figure out how to light it.
She felt her way down the lantern to the small shelf it sat upon, then smoothed her fingers across until she found a fire-striker. A loud groan of metal made her jump, dropping the fire-striker. It clattered across the cave floor, bouncing several times before landing somewhere far off. Wonderful.
Not liking how suddenly the groaning metal sound had come and gone, she focused what little magic energy she had gathered onto the lantern, willing a small flame to life.
Smoke hit her nostrils, then the tiniest hint of flame illuminated the lantern’s wick. With a final push that left her sweating, she forced the flame to life.
Once she had light, her shoulders relaxed. She lifted the lantern and peered around the cave. It was mostly just a long, empty space. Another lantern rested upon a lower shelf . . . with three more fire-strikers.
Sucking her teeth in irritation, she crept further into the cave until she reached the end where a grated metal gate was mounted into the wall. Past it was empty darkness, but she had a feeling these tunnels went on for a while. The metal groaning she’d heard before must have been a gate further in, which meant someone might soon be headed her way.
Having seen enough, she turned and left the cave.
She reached the entrance to find Saida and Alluin huddled shoulder to shoulder just outside.
She smirked. “Afraid of the dark?”
“Yes,” Alluin replied, “and I’d be a fool not to be. Can we go inside now?”
She nodded. “I imagine you have a key to that gate?”
“You imagine right.”
Elmerah turned and led the way back through the cave until they reached the gate. “I heard another gate opening deeper in. Someone might be headed this way.”
Alluin nodded as he searched his breeches pockets, presumably for the key. “This path is often used to get people in and out of the city . . . for a price.”
“Are you taking us through a smuggler’s path?” Saida hissed.
Alluin, knelt to put the key in the lock. “Would it matter?”
She snorted. “At this point, I suppose not.”
The lock turned over, and Alluin pulled the gate outward, gesturing for Elmerah to walk through.
“I think not.”
He sighed. “Can I at least have the lantern?”
She shook her head. She wasn’t about to get locked in a dreary, moist cave, nor was she about to have him run off with their only source of light.
“So untrusting,” he tsked, then walked through ahead of them.
Elmerah gestured for Saida to go next, then finally walked through herself. She waited while Alluin shut the gate and locked it once more, fighting the feeling of panic in her chest. The only thing worse than underground caverns were underground caverns with gates that locked you inside.
With the gate locked, Alluin began to lead the way deeper in, but soon stopped to look back at her. “If you refuse to relinquish the lantern, might you at least walk by my side?” His gaze flicked to Saida and her oddly reflective eyes, then back to her. “Some of us can’t see in the dark.”
“Fine,” she huffed, stepping forward. Though the ground was still slick with moisture this far in, it was smooth and easy to traverse. She could hear a steady stream of water somewhere within the cave, and sincerely hoped there would be no swimming in her near future.
Eventually they reached another gate, though there’d been no sign of other people. Perhaps what she’d heard had been someone going in ahead of them, not coming out. “Where exactly does this lead?” she asked as Alluin knelt to unlock the second gate.
“There’s a small area where goods, and sometimes people are stored,” he explained, opening the gate. “We’ll pass a guard before we reach that place, and there will be guards on the other end too, where it lets out into a house.”
“So you are a smuggler then,” she stated blandly, following him through the gate.
“In a way,” he replied vaguely.
Elmerah caught Saida’s eye as she walked through the gate.
Saida shrugged, apparently just as perplexed as she.
Alluin locked the second gate, then they continued onward.
By this point, Elmerah had no idea what she was walking into, nor what she’d find in Galterra if she actually made it out the other side.
When she finally found Rissine, she had better have an excellent excuse for having her kidnapped . . . not that Elmerah would listen.
Alluin
Alluin knew he was taking a risk bringing the two women through the tunnels, but he was no fool. Judging by her garb, which was now wisely covered by a cloak, Saida was a Faerune priestess. The Faerune elves never traveled in these parts alone, unless they were exiles, which he doubted Saida was. Did her people know their trade treaties were about to be tossed to the wind?
Once again, he doubted it. She seemed to be lost, with no idea what she should do next. It would be difficult to see her returned to her people, but if he could convince her to trust him, he could send word to the Faerune elves . . . word they might actually believe if it wasn’t straight from Valeroot lips.
He flexed his fingers, belying his nerves as they approached the guard standing under a lone hanging lantern at the next gate. He hoped Elmerah would keep her big mouth shut. If he was unsure about Saida, he was utterly perplexed by the Arthali woman. While there were other Arthali within the city, they tended to keep to the slums. Elmerah did not seem the slum type.
The guard, a tall elf with thin gray hair named Merley, looked them up and down, his steel-gray eyes finally settling on Alluin. “I hope you have a worthwhile excuse for bringing strangers through these tunnels,” he grumbled.
He was glad the women both had their hoods tugged up. In the low light, they would be difficult to identify.
“Trust me, the boss will understand.”
Merley nodded, taking Alluin at his word, as expected. He unlocked the gate with a different key than the one Alluin possessed, opened it, then stepped aside.
Alluin had to crouch to make it through the narrow walkway, then straightened into a much more comfortable space. Beds lined one wall, still composed of solid stone though they were near the cavern’s end, and a small bar well-stocked with various drinks and other supplies took up the other. The room was currently void of inhabitants, though at times it would be packed. A few burning lanterns hinted someone had passed through recently.
> “What in Ilthune is this place?” Elmerah asked, reaching his side.
Saida stood nearby, silently observing their surroundings.
“It doesn’t matter,” he explained. “Through that door is the house I mentioned. We’ll pass two more guards, then you’ll be free to do as you please within the city.”
Her dark eyes narrowed in suspicion.
He supposed he couldn’t blame her. Arthali still alive after the exile were dealt a poor hand in life. She likely trusted no one, because no one had ever trusted her . . . except, apparently, Saida.
“So you’ll just let us leave? Just like that?” Elmerah asked, lifting her hand into the air. “You do not fear we’ll speak of this place?”
He smirked. “I find it highly unlikely you’ll be reporting to the emperor or his militia any time soon.” Though she could . . . but there were people in place ready to dissuade any who posed the threat of a search.
“Let’s get out of here,” Saida muttered. “I need to reach the castle.”
Alluin did his best not to balk. Perhaps she did know what she was doing, but then why would a lone Faerune elf want to reach the castle?
Elmerah glanced at Alluin, then back to Saida. “We can discuss that later, away from prying elven ears.”
Alluin sucked his teeth. Cursed Arthali.
“This way ladies,” he gestured to the wooden door at the other end of the room.
He followed Elmerah as she led the way, then held out his hand for her lantern. “You won’t need that the rest of the way.”
There was that suspicious glare again.
Finally, she handed him the lantern, which he extinguished and set aside, then knocked on the wooden door. A moment later, it opened outward, revealing an elf twice as muscled as Merley. Alluin couldn’t quite recall his name, though the elf clearly recognized him. He gave a nod and stepped aside.
Alluin lead the way up a narrow set of wooden stairs, barely lit by two sconces in the wall. He reached the top, then knocked on the trap door above him, which was opened by another nameless guard who looked each of them up and down as they ascended into the basement of a large house, lit by several more sconces.
The Witch of Shadowmarsh (The Moonstone Chronicles Book 1) Page 4