Soon Loren was as lost in the sewers as she had been on their way in. Every tunnel and intersection looked the same. Occasionally there was a short slope taking them up or down, but that was the only difference in the midst of their long, trudging walk. But Wyle clearly knew where he was going. The smuggler never paused, turning at once every time they came to a branching in the tunnels.
Kerri dropped back to walk beside Loren. “How can he know where we are?” she whispered. “Everything looks the same to me.”
Loren shrugged. “He knows the place well, the same way you know the streets of the city.”
“Yet the city is made up of buildings. They look different. Down here, it is just the same dreary stone walls over and over again.”
“You may see it that way,” said Loren. “But Wyle sees it differently. I come from a forest. If you were to visit it, you would likely think that every tree looks the same. But I knew every tree in the woods surrounding my home. And even when I passed beyond the places I knew by heart, I knew the signs to look for. Where moss grew on trees, and the way certain plants leaned to catch the light. But when I came to a city for the first time, I was hopelessly lost, because every building looked like every other.”
Kerri nodded slowly. “I suppose I can see the truth of that.”
Wyle spoke suddenly from ahead of them. “We are almost at the end. And forgive me for saying so, Your Grace, but not a moment too soon. I should like a very long rest after this is all over.”
Jun did not deign to answer, but Loren smiled to herself. She could faintly hear a sound ahead of them. A murmuring, lapping noise. Running water. They were near the river.
Her dreamsight struck her, and her steps stumbled.
She had been near the river in her dream. When she had seen Damaris and Gregor, and Duris tied to the chair, dying. When she had heard Duris whisper the words: Never again will Jun sit the Dorsean throne.
Loren reached out, grasping, though she did not know what she was looking for. Her hand came down on Annis’ arm, and she gripped it tight. The girl stopped and looked up at her in concern.
“What is it, Loren?”
“We are in danger,” whispered Loren. “I … I think it is a trap.”
Annis froze, looking down the tunnel. The others were a few paces ahead, and the gap was widening. Only Uzo was behind them, serving as a rearguard. He stopped short just behind Loren, brow furrowing.
“Nightblade?” he murmured. “Is everything all right?”
Loren looked back down the way they had come. “Have you … have you seen anything?”
Uzo’s frown deepened. “Of course not. No one is behind us.”
“I …”
Loren broke into a run, heading for the front of the group. Wyle was in the lead, with Jo beside him. The king and prince were just behind. They all stopped at the sound of her footsteps, turning in alarm.
“Nightblade?” said King Jun. “What is it?”
Before she could answer, Wojin’s soldiers attacked.
Warriors in palace uniforms came charging from a side tunnel up ahead. They screamed a battle cry, and the sound echoed from the walls until it was deafening. It struck all the party into inaction, and they stood for a moment, dumbfounded as their foes approached.
All but Jo and Shiun. They leaped to the fore, weapons ready. Shiun caught Wyle by the collar and threw him backwards towards the others before she drew an arrow and fired. The shaft sped true, plunging into the chest of one of the soldiers. It pierced the chain, and the woman went down with a scream. Jo lifted his sword and met their enemies with a roar.
That broke the spell. Jun’s other bodyguards mustered themselves and joined their commander with a shout. Thankfully the tunnel was narrow enough that the three of them could hold off the enemy fairly well, and even better once Uzo came forwards to aid them. The Mystic’s spear was shorter than most, but it was longer than the swords of their enemies, and he used it to deadly effect, thrusting and withdrawing over and over again as his foes struggled to reach him.
But past the fighting, Loren could see a figure that towered over the palace guards. There was a light farther down the tunnel, and it put him in silhouette. There was no mistaking the breadth of his shoulders, the power in his arms.
The way he always loomed over me from the doorway in his chambers, thought Loren.
And even shrouded in darkness, she could see the hateful glint in his eyes.
Gregor was here.
Loren’s limbs shook. The dreamsight left her nearly unable to move. But somehow she stumbled forwards, seizing King Jun’s arm. He jumped at her touch.
“Your Grace.” She could barely force the words out. “We must get you away.”
“The way out is through them,” he said. For the first time, she heard true fear in his voice. Now he was in the midst of a battle, not planning one from afar. But Loren could not take pleasure in his sudden terror, not now. Not while her friends’ lives were in danger.
“We cannot get out that way,” said Loren. “We must go back to the city.”
Without waiting for him to answer, she dragged him away from the fighting. Jo and the others were being forced back slowly. Loren had a feeling that would happen much more quickly once Gregor finally reached the fray. For now, the giant seemed content to press forwards at a measured pace, taking his time.
Why is he not attacking? thought Loren. He must see that I am escaping with the king.
More cries sounded out. Not towards the fighting, but from behind them. Loren froze. From the tunnels leading back towards the city, Loren saw more palace soldiers come charging at her.
No.
They were surrounded. There would be no escape. Her dreams had been wrong all along—or she had misunderstood them. She would not fight Gregor within the palace. He was here for her now. All her decisions had led to him in the end.
The soldiers were coming. They were only a few paces away. Shiun had fallen back, placing herself between Loren and the approaching Yerrins. Gem was by her side, his sword held forth, terror in his eyes. Annis clung to Loren’s arm.
And yet …
Her dreams had shown her more than just Gregor.
She looked around, seeking … something. Did she know this place? Had she seen it?
The man in black had taken her here. And once he had her here …
Yes. There was a small opening. It did not even look like another tunnel, just an alcove. But she had seen it before.
“To me!” she cried, putting every bit of her strength into ir. For a moment it seemed that the fighting paused, and her friends glanced back at her. “To me!” she cried again, and dived into the alcove.
It opened up into a small side tunnel, just as Loren had known it would. She followed it, dragging Jun behind her, and he pulling Senlin. Behind, the others followed one by one. Loren glanced back, squinting to see in the dim light. Jo and one guard were the last to enter the tunnel. The other guard shoved his commander on and turned, holding the alcove against pursuit.
Loren pressed on. Soon the side tunnel opened into a wider one. It was clear, but Loren could still hear soldiers shouting. They would wrap around soon and find Loren again.
“We have to keep moving,” she cried. Taking her own advice, she pulled Jun further down the tunnel. She thought she remembered it now … she only had to keep going this way until—
Bent grate. Left. She saw it, sticking out of the wall just as it had in her dream. She turned left and pressed down the tunnel.
“How do you know where we are?” said Jun.
“It is enough that I do,” said Loren. “Do not stop.”
Suddenly, footsteps. Too close. Loren turned—but not fast enough.
Gregor came charging from a side tunnel. Loren did not see any other Yerrin soldiers with him, but he did not need them.
One ham-sized fist crashed into Prince Senlin. The boy flew across the sewer, striking the wall opposite. He slumped to the ground.
; Most of them cried out, but King Jun was loudest. Before Loren could react, he ripped his arm from her grip and attacked. He had no weapon, but then, Gregor had not drawn his own yet. Mayhap Jun thought he did not need one.
Gregor seized the king by the throat. His fingers wrapped all the way around the back of Jun’s neck, and he squeezed.
Gem had fallen on his knees by Senlin’s side, weeping. He lifted the boy up into his arms, trying to pull him out of the muck. But then Senlin coughed. Loren stared in amazement. The boy lived.
Jo cried out and attacked Gregor, who still held the king. Jo’s sword came flashing down. But Gregor moved fast, faster than a blink, and drew his own weapon. It licked forth, parrying Jo’s strike, and then Gregor’s foot lashed out. It struck Jo in the chest, and Loren heard ribs crack. The bodyguard grunted as he fell on his back.
Shiun had moved to get a clear shot, and now she fired. The arrow pierced Gregor’s arm through, but the giant did not even react.
“Stop!” cried Annis. “Gregor, stop! I command you!”
It was a desperate ploy, and it did not work. And now Gregor’s sword was free.
He slammed Jun into the wall and plunged his blade into the king’s chest. Such was the force of the blow that the sword pierced the stone wall behind him.
Jun jerked, and then his whole body went limp at once. Kerri screamed, the piercing echo of it rebounding from the stone walls in a chorus.
Loren found herself by Gem’s side, though she had not remembered moving there. She was helping him up, helping Prince Senlin as well. She was pulling them back, away from the giant.
“Come, come, we must flee,” she said. “We must flee.”
Where was Chet? She saw him now—standing in support of Uzo, but a step back, his limbs shaking. It seemed he might drop his staff at any moment. Uzo’s spear was steady, however, as he advanced on Gregor. Shiun was behind him, nocking another arrow. She loosed it, but this time Gregor saw it coming. He dodged, and the shot went wide.
Gregor attacked again. Uzo expected him to use his sword to deflect the spear. Gregor caught the spear in one fist instead. His sword came from the other side, and it almost caught Uzo in the neck. But the spearman released his weapon and tumbled backwards. Shiun loosed another arrow. It hit Gregor’s chest, but his armor repelled it.
Gregor flipped the spear around and threw it at her. Shiun dodged, but too slow. The spear struck her in the side. It did not run her through, but the sudden weight of it made her pitch forwards to the ground.
Sky above, no, thought Loren.
Her hand tightened on the handle of her dagger. Something coursed through her—not courage, not fear. Fury. She readied herself. Gregor was still distracted by Uzo and Chet. She could—
More battle cries sounded. The fury guttered in Loren’s heart as she turned. More guards? Loren’s could not even defeat Gregor on his own. If his soldiers had arrived to help him …
Dreamsight froze her in place as red cloaks flooded down the tunnel towards them.
Mystics.
Loren could hardly move. Her anger was gone, replaced by the terror of dreamsight. There was Kal, just as she had seen him, charging at the head of his soldiers. A rage was in their voices as well as their eyes, and they had drawn their swords.
But they were not charging at Loren, as they had in her dream. They scarcely seemed to notice her. They ran straight past her and attacked Gregor.
The giant was forced back step by step. In moments he had retreated down the same side tunnel from which he had appeared. Senlin was on his feet now, and Loren looked at him. She tried to ignore her own shaking hand.
“Your Excellency,” she said. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” he said, shaking his head. “I was only stunned for a moment. I—”
His words choked off as he stared. Loren followed his gaze. There was his father, still slumped against the other side of the tunnel.
Loren stepped in front of him. “Your Excellency …”
“No,” he whispered. “No. Father.”
Loren tried to think what she could say, what words would convince him to move. But before she could, a rough hand seized her shoulder and hauled her around. She found herself face to face with Kal.
The grand chancellor’s expression was a mask of carefully contained rage. Loren could sense it in the way his eyes flashed, the way his fingers squeezed down on her shoulder. His red cloak was wet in places, and Loren realized his fight had begun long before he found her little party here in the sewers.
“Girl,” growled Kal. “Get your misfits out of here. Follow Jormund.”
Jormund? thought Loren. And then the big man was there—tall and wide, though nowhere near so large as Gregor, the Mystic appeared from behind Kal as if by a spell. He gave her a brief smile, though there was a grimness to it that looked strange on his jovial face.
“Out of the sewers,” said Kal. “Now.” Then he turned and joined his Mystics in the fight. More screams told Loren that the rest of the palace guards had found them, and the sewers were now home to a pitched battle.
Senlin pressed forwards, trying to reach his father. But Loren and Gem held his arms, drawing him away. He fought them, but then Kerri swept in, and she took Senlin into her arms.
“Your Excellency,” murmured Kerri. “He is dead. I am sorry, but you must go on. We must get you out of here.”
Uzo and Chet joined them—and they had Shiun slung over their shoulders. At first Loren thought someone had pulled Uzo’s spear from her, but then she saw wood protruding from the wound. It must have broken when she fell. Chet’s face was Elf-white, and his eyes were skittish.
“Jo?” said Loren.
Uzo glanced back. “I did not see him.”
“Go to him,” grunted Shiun. Her gaze drifted, going here and there. Loren thought she must be in shock. “I am useless anyway. Leave me here. One of the others can haul me out.”
“Stop talking,” said Loren, more sharply than she had intended. “We are not leaving you here. Jormund, go find the king’s bodyguard. If he is alive, we need to bring him.”
Jormund seemed a bit taken aback, but after a moment he went to do what she said. Shiun laughed, though her eyes still wandered. “Good. Good commander.”
“Save your breath,” said Loren.
Jormund soon reappeared. Jo was breathing, but unconscious, and Jormund had lifted the bodyguard over one shoulder. Now, he and a squadron of eight more Mystics escorted Loren and her friends through the sewers. They pressed on the way Loren had been leading them before the attack. Soon enough, she saw a bronze plate set in the ceiling.
Bronze plate. Right.
“Turn right,” she said.
Wyle frowned. “That way does not lead to—”
“I said right,” Loren said. She pressed on, ignoring the smuggler. The rest of them followed her after only a moment, with Gem and Annis giving her odd looks.
But Chet was not looking at anything at all. Loren was growing worried. He seemed on the verge of collapse.
“Let me take her,” she said. She lifted Shiun’s arm from Chet’s shoulders and draped it across her own. Chet did not even try to argue, but only followed along, mute.
Soon they reached the door that Loren knew she would find. Jormund set Jo down and rammed his powerful shoulder against the door, but it did not budge.
“You will need my help,” Loren said quietly. After all, the man in black had needed it, in her dream. “Gem.”
The boy had been walking with Prince Senlin, consoling him. But he came to take Shiun’s arm as Loren helped Jormund with the door. It opened, and Loren was struck by the smell of sweet, fresh air.
“It is a good thing you learned the sewers while you were here,” grunted Jormund. “We would have had another fight if we had gone the way I planned.”
“A good thing indeed,” said Loren. She did not meet his eyes as she led the party back into Danfon.
LOREN’S PARTY HURRIED THROUGH THE city
, following Jormund’s directions. Now that they were out of immediate danger, Loren found herself wondering at the man’s presence. She had no idea how Kal had found them there beneath the city, but she was even more confused that he would bring Jormund with him. The large Mystic had been in Loren’s party when she searched for Damaris in the kingdom of Feldemar, and she had sent him back to Kal with, in essence, a message that she was disobeying orders. She had half expected Kal to station Jormund in some remote outpost in an outland kingdom, certainly not to bring him along on a rescue mission.
But there was no time for a reunion now, and Loren doubted their meeting would have held much cheer in any case. King Jun was dead. They had managed to rescue Senlin, but this was still a disastrous blow. The renewed purpose she had found in Danfon seemed to have fled. What were they doing here? What could they do? The city seemed lost, and now they could not escape it. The terror of their situation wrapped around her like a shroud, threatening to choke her.
The others seemed to feel the same, but Chet was taking it harder than any of them. As they walked, he kept looking wildly in every direction. At any sudden sound, he jumped. The rest of them were trying to maintain at least some semblance of discretion—though that was hard with their wounds and the filth from the sewer that still covered them. But Chet was like a signal fire to any observer that something was wrong.
“Chet,” said Loren quietly. “You must calm yourself. You will draw too much attention.”
He did not answer. She was not certain he had heard her.
After what felt like an eternity, Jormund stopped outside a tavern. There was a door in the side, and he opened it to reveal a short staircase leading down to the cellar. Loren and Uzo hauled Shiun down the steps behind him. There were many more Mystics below, and several of them came forwards to help, pulling Shiun away from Loren and Uzo to help her.
“Chet!”
The panic in Annis’ voice made Loren’s heart skip, and she whirled as she heard a body hit the floorboards. Chet sat against the wall, hands balled to fists in front of his face. Loren fell to her knees beside him.
“Chet? What is it?” she said, her words fast with fear. “Were you wounded?”
Yerrin: A Book of Underrealm (The Nightblade Epic 6) Page 22