She was just about to signal Sura to try the rock trick again, when the sentry drew his sword and took a few hesitant steps away from the tunnel entrance, sniffing constantly at the air. He took another two steps toward Naruk and the concealed body. Another sniff, another step. He looked like he might be getting ready to retreat to the tunnel, so Lenai signaled Vashni. The soft thrum of the string, and the hiss of the arrow splitting the air was the only sound, but it was enough. With surprising quickness and accuracy, the sentry blocked the arrow with his blade, and then turned and ran for the entrance. Vashni had another arrow ready, however, and he fell to the ground just outside the opening.
Moving as quietly as possible, they carried the bodies away from the entrance and laid them against the side of the pit, concealing them with the color-shifting material. Once the bodies were out of sight, Lenai drew her dagger and, after becoming invisible, glanced in the tunnel. There were no other Grithor to be seen as far as the light penetrated. She pulled back, changing her coloring back to the sandy shades, and turned to the others.
Without making a sound, she mouthed the words, “Remember the plan.”
The others nodded, and together they entered the tunnel.
*****
Seryn raised weary eyes from the scroll she was studying to see a dark-robed figure enter the healing area. Her fingers tightened on the sides of the parchment, but that was the only outward sign she gave of her feelings about her visitor. Her face remained impassive. She gave no greeting and she did not rise from her seat. Such as these deserved no honor from her or anyone else in Lore’s Haven.
“Your presence is required,” the man said.
“Is someone injured?”
“No, you are summoned to a meeting.”
She turned back to her scroll. “I have no time for pointless meetings. Tell your chancellor I am unable to attend.”
“It is not the chancellor, but Lord Regor who summons you.”
“He is no lord of mine.”
“Nevertheless, you will come.” When she showed no sign of moving, the man shook his head. “Your resistance is pointless. You can walk on your own two feet and retain a semblance of dignity, or I am authorized to bring you by force, dragging you if necessary.”
Her eyes narrowed. Under ordinary circumstances, she would dare him to try, but his power was almost certainly augmented by the Altered. Their resistance had to be measured, not cowering before Regor and his minions, but also not so defiant as to invite reprisal. She slowly laid the scroll aside and rose from her chair, following the man as he led the way into the corridor.
She pondered what the meeting might be about as she walked, only half paying attention to where he led. The results of the last meeting were still vivid in her mind. The High One almost certainly had a concussion, and a serious one if it had quelled his ability to use dimsai. None of them knew where Jason Bennett had gone, so if Regor insisted on answers again, more of them might be injured, or worse. From what the High One had told them about the Altered, Regor had not been known for his tolerance.
So immersed was she in her thoughts that she almost turned left when the man turned to the right.
“The Circle chambers are this way,” she said.
“We are not going to the chambers,” he said. “Your presence is required in the training yard.”
“The training yard? Why?”
“Lord Regor will explain everything,” he answered.
She tried to think of anything other than an injury that would necessitate a meeting in the training area. Nothing she could think of seemed a plausible reason. She would have to wait until they arrived to find out.
As they entered the yard, she saw the other Loremasters already standing in the center. Around the edges, shadows hung like drapes, hiding the walls and the seating area. All that was visible was the dirt under their feet and the gray pall of the sky overhead. There was no sign of Regor.
“We are here now,” Brin said to the empty yard. His annoyance was plain to see. “What is this all about?”
Blazing eyes the size of dinner platters sprang into existence near the top of the shadows at the far end of the yard. They grew smaller as they sank toward the ground, drawing closer together. She finally realized that Regor was walking toward them. His outline was almost indistinguishable from the darkness behind him.
“I find life here at the keep to be rather boring. I thought to enliven things a bit.”
He turned to the side and a portion of the murky curtains parted, revealing an elaborate throne, seemingly composed of flame and shadow, sitting in front of the wall.
“Perhaps if you spent less time here you would not find yourself so bored,” Brin said. “I merely offer it as a suggestion, of course.”
“That is one possibility. One that I am certain you, my dear stone master, find most appealing. However, I have another idea that I believe will be quite entertaining.”
“And what would that be?” Seryn asked. Nothing that entertained this twisted creature could bode well for them or the other inhabitants of Lore’s Haven.
“Ah, your interest pleases me,” the dark form said. “In fact, my idea involves the Circle itself.” He paused as the Loremasters looked at one another. “Why, I thought you would be pleased that I have included you in my plans. Are you not?”
Reyga stepped forward. “That is difficult to say, Lord Regor, until we know what your plans are and how we fit into them.”
“But you and your fellow Loremasters are integral to my plans,” Regor said. To Seryn’s ears, he sounded quite pleased with himself. No, this did not bode well at all.
“In what way?” she asked.
“In every way, healer. You see, I propose a series of duels, Loremaster against Loremaster, and you, dear lady, will fight the stone master in the first battle.” Then he added, almost as an afterthought, “Oh yes, I almost forgot the best part: In order to make the duels more interesting, they will be to the death.”
Stunned silence filled the yard as the Loremasters absorbed Regor’s words. Then the silence was shattered as exclamations of protest filled the air.
Brin stepped toward Regor. “We will not do this! No Loremaster is going to fight another for your entertainment, especially not to the death, not even were our own lives forfeit.”
“My defiant little stone master,” Regor said, “it will not be your lives that are forfeit.” The darkness to either side of him pulled back, and Seryn felt like she had been punched in the chest. Her mother and sister sat unmoving and unblinking on one side of the Shadow Lord. Brin’s two sons sat on the other, equally motionless. She barely heard Regor’s words through the pounding of her heart. “It will be theirs. I warned you, stone master, that they were not beyond my reach.”
She turned to look at Brin. He was staring at his sons, his expression equal parts grief, rage, and helplessness. Then he turned to her. As their eyes met, she saw the same desolate knowledge in his that she knew was reflected in hers.
Regor would have his duel.
*****
With Naruk leading the way, the small group moved deeper into the Grithor tunnels. At first, they had to duck to keep from hitting their heads. The Grithor were generally shorter than the Shanthi, and tended to hunch over when they walked, making them appear shorter still. Keeping the entrances to their tunnels smaller was an additional means of defense for them.
The muffled sound of chanting filled the caverns, just as Dokru had described. With any other race, the murmur echoing throughout the warren would have been enough to mask their footsteps, but with the Grithor, they knew they still had to take extra care not to make a sound. As they made their way deeper into the tunnels, the passages finally opened up and the ceilings rose, allowing the group to walk normally. Dim, pulsing light came from dusky crystals set into the walls. The constantly changing light made Lenai feel like they had entered a creature of rock that breathed light and shadow. Inhale, and the light increased. Exhale, and it waned. T
he distant chanting sounded more and more like a heartbeat as she watched the light grow and dim.
Whenever they came to a corner or curve, Naruk would become invisible and check to see if the way was clear. Twice already, they had been forced to climb up the sides of the passage and cling to the wall and ceiling, remaining silent and invisible, while Grithor walked by. Lenai would have preferred to eliminate a few of them as repayment for their abduction of Kelsu, but what the Grithor lacked in size, they made up for in sheer numbers. They also had saiken of their own, so attacking them inside their stronghold would not be wise. Still, she kept count of the opportunities she passed up, imagining how she would dispatch each one. If nothing else, it served to keep her mind occupied.
Naruk reappeared, having just checked around the next bend in the tunnel. He silently pointed at the ceiling. Another Grithor was coming. They spread out and became invisible. Lenai crept up the wall as quietly and quickly as she could. The others would be doing the same thing.
She had just gotten into position, when a small group of Grithor came around the corner. She tried to breathe as slowly as possible. It was said that some of the most sensitive Grithor could even hear a heartbeat. She waited until the group had shuffled past. When the last one had vanished around the next bend, she began carefully descending to the floor.
Just as her foot touched the ground, another Grithor appeared, coming from the direction the group had gone. Lenai froze in place, one foot on the floor and the other still clinging to the rock. With one of them this close, there was no way she could retreat back up the wall without being heard. She watched, motionless, as the creature approached. As it drew even with her, it hesitated, sniffing at the air. Its clawed hand moved to rest on the pommel of a shortsword at its hip as it turned slowly, sniffing from side to side. She held her breath, mentally calculating the most efficient way to kill it as quickly and silently as possible.
She was preparing to draw her dagger when the Grithor resumed his slow trudge down the tunnel. She relaxed as he reached the turn in the passage, but the tiny easing of tension in her grip released a tiny piece of the rock wall that had broken off under the pressure of her hand. It dropped to the floor of the passage with a barely audible tick. It was enough. The Grithor spun around, drawing its sword faster than she would have thought possible for such a creature. It crept back toward where she was concealed, sniffing and sweeping its blade in a wide arc that, if it reached her, she would not be able to avoid.
Step by cautious step it closed the gap between them. What little light there was in the passage seemed to gather on the blade, leaving a gleaming arc hanging in the air for an instant with each deadly pass. Her shallow breaths sounded like rushing wind and her pulse pounded in her ears like a herd of stampeding charnoths. How could the creature miss it? But as loud as it was to her, it was still quiet enough to let her hear the deadly whisper of the Grithor's sword as it sliced through the air. She carefully moved her hand toward her dagger. A handful of steps and she would have no choice.
The blade swept by an arm's length away when a faint rattle sounded down the passage. The creature spun around again, cocking its head and standing completely still as it listened. A moment later, another rock fell in the passage. The Grithor moved away at a shuffling run, swinging its sword from one side of the passage to the other. Then it disappeared around the bend in the tunnel.
She did not move until Naruk appeared. He signaled that they were alone for the moment, and the others became visible. Sura gave her a wink and pantomimed tossing a rock. He had distracted the Grithor, and possibly saved the mission. She bowed her head to him in thanks. She would not forget his quick thinking if they succeeded in finding and freeing Kelsu.
When they had gathered together, Naruk spread one hand out flat, palm up, and pointed down the tunnel with the other. There was a large chamber just ahead. He walked his fingers along his wrist to his hand, and then ran a finger along each of his outspread fingers. After they entered the chamber from this passage, there were five other exits. She questioned him with her eyes, but he shrugged and shook his head. He did not know what was down each passage. Through signs, he added that the roof of the chamber was considerably higher than that of the tunnels.
She pressed her lips together in thought. There was not enough time for them to search each tunnel as a group. They would have to split up. She spread her own hand out and pointed from each of them to one of her fingers. Then she pointed to the heel of her hand and up. They would each explore one tunnel and meet back at the roof of the chamber above where they were about to enter. Once they nodded their understanding, she motioned down the tunnel.
Dokru held up his hand, stopping them. He looked around and then motioned to a small alcove. Quietly, they followed him into the room. When they were all inside, he leaned in, speaking in a barely audible whisper.
“Trying to search each of the tunnels will take too long. I have an idea. When we go into the chamber, you climb to the ceiling. I will allow myself to be captured.” He held up a hand as Lenai started to protest. “I appear to have overestimated my abilities. My injuries are beginning to hinder me, and may place the rest of you in danger. As the Grithor are not particularly imaginative, it is likely they will take me to the same place they are holding Kelsu. You can watch to see which tunnel they use. Then, once darkness falls and they thin out of the warren, you can come in and free both of us.”
Lenai wondered if the others could hear her teeth grinding. Dokru should have stayed behind; she had known that from the start. Now, her choice was either use his plan or risk all of them. They were waiting for her answer, but if she spoke, it would not be in the whisper that Dokru used. She gave a sharp nod of her head and turned back toward the passage without waiting for their reaction.
Making herself invisible, she made sure the passage was clear before moving toward the chamber. She reached the entrance without encountering any more Grithor and climbed up the rock wall. Once she was in the shadows near the ceiling, she changed her coloration to match the stone and waited for the others. Moments later, Sura, Vashni, and Naruk appeared. On the floor of the chamber, Grithor moved here and there, emerging from one tunnel and disappearing into another. The chanting echoed from the walls all around them, giving it a shifting, pulsing quality that matched the rising and falling light. The effect was almost mesmerizing. She had to force herself to pay attention to what was happening below.
They heard a commotion from the other side of the chamber. Dokru appeared on the floor, as if he had fallen from the wall. Grithor surrounded him immediately, and guttural yelping sounds filled the cavern as the creatures sounded the alarm. More Grithor poured in from the tunnels as the alarm spread. Saiken sent murky blasts of dimsai up the walls twenty paces to either side of where Dokru had appeared, moving closer to each other with each blast. Grithor armed with swords and spears waited for any other intruders that might be revealed as the saiken scoured the stone with their power.
She watched as the creatures bound Dokru’s hands and then yanked him up and pinned him against the hard rock wall. He winced as they pressed on his injured shoulder. Armed sentries took up positions to either side of each tunnel entrance, sniffing at the air in all directions, and Grithor saiken prowled in and out of the tunnels in a constant stream. The surprisingly quick response by the Grithor forced Lenai to rethink her irritation with Dokru’s plan. If even one of them had slipped during their explorations of the tunnels, it was likely that all of them would have been captured. She would be certain to commend him for his actions, assuming they were able to free him and Kelsu.
The commotion below was settling down, with only an occasional yelp or grunt rising above the chanting, which had not stopped during Dokru’s capture. Then a hooded Grithor entered the chamber, flanked by a pair of robed saiken and six armed guards. His robes were more elaborate than those of the others, and his authority was obvious. The Grithor holding Dokru stepped back as he approached. The creature squi
nted at Dokru and then grabbed the injured man’s chin in one clawed slab of a hand, forcing his head up. Lenai nodded in approval as Dokru met his gaze defiantly, showing not even a trace of fear. After a moment, the Grithor released him and grunted something at the others. They grabbed Dokru’s arms and forced him into one of the tunnels. She felt her pulse quicken. That was where they would find Kelsu.
*****
Jason raised his head as he heard someone approaching. He was sitting on the ground with his back leaning up against the pole they had tied him to. There was enough slack for him to be able to stand and sit, but little more. At least they're feeding me. Twice a day for the last two days someone would bring food and the guards would watch him closely as he ate. The worst part, though, was when he had to relieve himself. Having a heavy rope tied around his neck with someone watching him every second made it a little difficult to relax and take care of business. He stared out the door, partly to see who was coming, and partly hoping to spot Crin. Every so often, he’d caught a flash of yellow through the trees, but if it was Crin, he was staying silent. He hadn’t heard anything from his avian friend since being taken prisoner.
“Elam,” he heard one of the guards say, “you should not be out. You should be in the healing area.”
“I will see this Far-Planer saiken,” Elam said. “He has shamed me, and I will speak with him.”
Jason could hear the guards whispering to each other, and then the door opened and Elam appeared. He limped heavily, almost dragging one leg, and wrappings covered part of his face. Jason could see where traces of blood had soaked through. The man stopped just inside the door, studying him with an expression Jason couldn’t decipher. For several moments he simply stared, as if Jason was an unwanted puzzle to be solved. The silence was a little unnerving. Jason started to open his mouth when Elam spoke.
Altered Intentions Page 7