Kaina's Dawn (Kaina Saga Book 1)

by Brittany Comeaux

  “Underneath?” Kaina asked.

  Tristan gestured for Kaina to follow once he didn't see any guards. He darted to the edge of the moat behind a stack of crates and looked over the edge. There was a steep embankment that dropped a good twenty feet. His eyes scanned across the water, which was nearly fifteen feet wide, and then his eyes went up to a sewer canal that opened into the moat from underneath the castle.

  “Looks like that is going to be our way in,” Tristan said. “That should bring us to the basement, possibly even the dungeon.”

  “How are we going to get across the water?” Kaina asked. “I can't swim.”

  Tristan looked around, then made his way down the embankment while the coast was clear. Kaina soon followed until they made it to the edge of the water. From there, Tristan inched his way under the drawbridge so they would be cast in shadow, and as a result, they were directly across from the tunnel.

  Tristan didn't dare enter the water without knowing what was lurking under the surface, so he drew his sword and swished it around in the water. Nothing happened. He then reached out as far as he could without stumbling forward and lowered the tip of his sword until he felt the floor beneath the water. It went up to half of his blade, but he knew that this wasn't going to be the same depth without.

  “I'm going to have to just go for it,” Tristan said.

  “What about me?” Kaina said. “Like I said, I can't swim.”

  Tristan looked around, then said, “Hop on my back.”

  “What?”

  “Shh! I said hop on my back. I'll swim to the other side and pull you with me. Hurry.”

  Tristan turned around so that his back was facing Kaina and then he stooped lower so that Kaina could reach his shoulders. She then climbed on his back as he said and once her arms were securely locked around his neck, he stepped into the water one step at a time until he was able to swim forward.

  The second the cold water bit into Kaina's skin, she had to hold her breath to avoid crying out from the cold. Tristan effortlessly moved stroke after stroke through the freezing depths as though his skin had no sense of cold whatsoever. Each second seemed to pass by at an agonizingly slow rate and Kaina found herself holding her breath even when she managed to keep her heard above the surface. When Tristan finally made it to the other side, he pulled himself out of the water with Kaina still on his back and said, “All right, you can let go now.”

  Kaina cautiously lowered herself from Tristan's back and she wrapped her arms around herself to get warm, but failed. Her lips quivered and her teeth chattered at the cold, but Tristan still pulled on her and said, “It should be much warmer inside. Come on.”

  Kaina followed as Tristan made it into the tunnel and the two had to crouch down to find their way further in, but ultimately it opened into a larger sewer chamber. The smell was the first thing to hit Kaina, but the second was how muggy and warm it felt in there, which didn't seem possible since the cold air from outside was only a short walk away.

  Kaina looked to her left and tried to forget the amount of cockroaches she saw crawling along the sewer wall, and upon hearing the scurrying and squeaking of rats near her feet, she didn't dare look at the ground.

  “Let's make our way to the dungeon,” Tristan said.

  Tristan walked ahead and Kaina willingly followed to get away from the creatures of the sewer. They made their way through the sewer tunnel in ankle deep water until they made it to a new passage way, and judging by the echoes they heard coming from within, it was a safe bet that the passage led further into the castle. They crept towards the source of the sound and began to hear a man speaking.

  “...feed the prisoner and keep a close eye on him,” they heard someone say, “...Prince Casimir has a special interest in that one.”

  “Aye, captain,” said another man.

  A light came through a grate a few yards ahead, and judging by the flicker it was likely torchlight. Though the grate was at the top corner of the tunnel, they could see the feet of someone standing next to it, so it was likely that the other side of the grate opened on the ground level of somewhere in the castle.

  Tristan pressed his back against the stone just off to the side of the grate so that he was out of eyesight of anyone who just so happened to glance into the grate. Kaina did the same on the other side and they both listened in on the conversation.

  “And remember,” the captain's voice said, “he's dangerous, so make sure that he's watched closely and be sure to report any suspicious activity to your superior.”

  “Dangerous?” the other man scoffed. “He's just an old scholar, how could he possibly be dangerous?”

  “Looks can be deceiving, soldier,” the captain said. “I don't know what he's capable of, but I know not to ask questions.”

  Kaina pressed herself closer to the wall, but her attention was soon caught by something, namely the giant cockroach, crawling on her shoulder. With an involuntary yelp, Kaina smacked the little beast off and retreated from the wall trying to scrape all traces of it off of her. Tristan's color drained and he lunged at her to keep her still and cover her mouth.

  “What was that?” the captain asked.

  As they looked around, Tristan dragged Kaina out of sight from the grate just as something solid blocked the light coming from it, which Kaina assumed was someone looking into the sewer. Tristan's hand still covered her mouth, but she didn't dare make a sound regardless. She held her breath until she heard one of the men say, “Must have been a rat...”

  They both relaxed, but didn't dare move closer to the grate out of fear that they were watching it now.

  “All right, I'll keep a close watch on him,” the guard said.

  “Good,” the captain replied. “Remember, you must not underestimate him.”

  They heard retreating footsteps, and that was when Tristan removed his hand from Kaina's mouth and once again put a finger to his lips to remind her to keep quiet. She nodded and turned back towards the other end of the tunnel, and she and Tristan crept past the grate, where thankfully they saw the guard facing the other way.

  Further down in the tunnel, there was another grate that led into a dark room lit only by a small torch. Kaina put one foot into Tristan's folded hands and once he hoisted her up, she confirmed that it was simply a storage room.

  “I think this is going to be our way in,” Kaina whispered.

  “Can you move the grate?” he asked. After a second thought, he then added, “Quietly?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” Kaina remarked. She put both hands on the grate, and made sure to look for anymore surprises before she did so, and she pulled. She quickly realized that the grate wouldn't come out towards her, and tried pushing instead. Though the metal budged slightly, it was proving to be much more difficult that she anticipated. She kept a firm grip on the metal bars and pushed in short bursts so that it wouldn't make as much noise, and little by little the grate gave way until it was free from the stone frame.

  “Got it,” Kaina said as she slowly set the grate down on the stone ground above her. “Lift me higher.”

  Tristan lifted Kaina up all the way through the open grate, and then she pulled herself to her feet.

  “What about me?” Tristan whispered.

  Kaina looked around and spotted some rope in the corner of the room, so she grabbed it, tied one end of it to a stone pillar nearby, and then gave Tristan the other end. The rope tightened as Tristan made his way up into the room, barely fitting through the open grate. He made it, however, and Kaina quickly replaced the rope where she found it while Tristan put the grate back in its place, but kept it loose so that they could have a relatively quick getaway.

  Tristan studied the tunnel and said, “judging by the distance between those two grates, the guard on duty should be in the next room.”

  “How do we get to him without raising the alarm?” Kaina asked.

  Tristan looked around for a moment and then reached into a nearby crate and said, “Ever wondered
how you would look in an apron?”

  Tristan held up a dress and an apron that had clearly been fashioned for a scullery maid, and then he held it out to her and said, “I'm certain that the guard wouldn't think twice if you were to walk in there with a pint for him.”

  “I'm certain that it would give him at least some cause for concern,” Kaina remarked, “but I'll take what I can get.”

  Kaina took the dress, the apron, and also a maid's hat, and then she went to the corner and said, “Turn around.”

  Tristan complied, but she kept her eyes trained on him the entire time regardless. She undressed, but kept her trousers and boots on as she slipped the dress over her head. She straightened out the fabric, then she put the apron on, and then after twisting her hair into a bun at the base of her skull, she put the hat on.

  “Ready,” Kaina said.

  Tristan turned around. “Just distract the guard and I'll go in and find Aldis.”

  “Fine,” Kaina said, “but don't expect this to be a regular thing. Next time, you will be the distraction.”

  “Noted,” Tristan said, “let's go.”

  Kaina peered into a little barred window on the prison door and saw the guard sitting behind a desk with his legs propped on top. She held a broom in her hand and took a deep breath, and then she opened the door and stepped inside.

  The guard's eyes shot to Kaina and he lowered his feet from the desk, as though he were ready to fend off an attacker. Before he could ask what she was doing in there, Kaina quickly said, “Oh, forgive me, Sir. I was only coming in to clean.”

  The guard eyed her curiously and said, “The maids don't clean in here 'til morning.”

  Kaina thought quickly and answered, “Oh dear, I thought I was supposed to clean in here. My apologies.”

  The guard studied her carefully, then said, “You talk awfully good for a scullery maid...”

  Kaina bit her lip. “Oh well...I'm new here, and...I used to work for...the Haventhorns.”

  “Ah, that sounds about right,” the guard said with a smile. “I once knew a fella who worked for them and he talked all nice like that too. So you're new here, that right?”

  Kaina relaxed. “Oh yes, I just arrived this morning for work. It seems that the Haventhorns didn't have any more use for me.”

  “No surprise there,” the guard said. “Word is that old Elias is going broke, so he's marrying his granddaughter off to the prince.”

  Kaina stared incredulously. She obviously knew about the betrothal, but she never had imagined that her family was losing money. She imagined that Matilde and Isa didn't know about this, as they would never have remained in the household if they discovered the wealth they married for was declining.

  Just as Kaina tried to think of an excuse to stay, the guard stood up and said, “Well, I can tell you're new, because I ain't seen you around before. Pity the Haventhorns let you go, they don't know what they lost. Bet them sons of theirs would have liked a wife like you.”

  Kaina gagged at the notion of marrying one of her brothers and prayed the guard didn't hear Tristan snickering on the other side of the door.

  “Ah, they ain't your type, I take it,” the guard said with a laugh as he noticed her reaction.

  “Hardly,” Kaina remarked.

  “Perhaps you'd prefer a more...simple man,” the guard said as he edged towards her.

  It didn't take Kaina long to realize what he was talking about. She backed away from him and was about to go on a long rant about how he was a pig-headed oaf for assuming such things, but an idea struck her. She backed away from the door further into the room, on the other side of which was a shelf case with supplies and other things, and as she predicted, the guard edged closer still.

  “That's...quite flattering,” Kaina said, “but I don't know if that's a great idea.”

  “Why not?” the guard asked. “You're certainly old enough to be married, aren't you?”

  Kaina blinked. “Married? Who said anything about getting married?”

  Kaina soon pressed her back against the wall near the fire pit, nearly knocking into a stand that held iron tools for handling the logs put into the pit. The guard smiled and drew closer.

  “I don't mean it that way,” the guard said. “I just mean you're a woman, and women have needs...”

  Kaina saw the door open out of the corner of her eye, and she saw Tristan creep out into the room. Rather than rush to her, he crept across to the other door where the dungeon was, and he slowly opened the door to get inside.

  Once he was out of sight, the guard must have noticed Kaina looking in that direction, for he turned around but thankfully didn't see anything. However, he didn't take this gesture the way she expected. The guard turned back to Kaina, smiled, and said, “Don't worry, the other guard won't be coming in for several hours. We'll have all the privacy we need...”

  Kaina pressed her body against the wall and felt around for something, and it didn't take her long to find it.

  Once Tristan reached the bottom step, he could see a large chamber with several doors on either side. He checked inside each one until he found someone sitting inside, and he didn't have to study this individual long to realize he was just the man he was looking for.

  Tristan placed his hands on the rusted boys, leaned in, and said, “Aldis?”

  The old man looked up and Tristan instantly recognized him as the man he saw with Azemar the day before. He was dirty, beaten, and his spectacles were smudged with grime and the glass cracked.

  “I've seen you before,” Aldis asked in a hoarse voice. “You were with Kaina last night.”

  “I'm a friend of hers,” Tristan replied, “and I'm here to rescue you.”

  Aldis gestured down to his arms and legs, which even in the dimly lit cell, Tristan could see were bound with chains.

  “Don't worry, I'll get you out of those,” Tristan said. “Let me find the keys.”

  “I overheard them saying that they were hanging on a nail by the stairs,” Aldis said.

  Tristan looked over to the entrance from the stairs and saw the key ring hanging from a nail just as Aldis had described, and as he went to fetch them, he said, “We need to get back upstairs just in case Kaina needs help with the guard.”

  “Kaina's all alone up there?” Aldis asked as Tristan unlocked the cell door.

  “I'm certain she can handle herself until we can get up there,” Tristan said as he opened the door and went over to the chains.

  Tristan grabbed the lit candle that stood in a recess in the stone wall just above and then he held it out to Aldis and said, “Hold this, please.”

  Aldis obeyed and with the candle light to guide him, Tristan tested each key until he found the one that unlocked the cuffs. Once freed, Aldis moved his wrists and ankles around to get the feeling back into them, then said, “Thank you. Now we should go and help--”

  “AAAGH!”

  Tristan and Aldis bolted out of the cell and ran to the guard room expecting the worst, but when they entered they found the guard lying face down on the ground with Kaina holding a fire poker out like a weapon. Once Tristan saw the lump forming on the guard's forehead, he realized what had happened.

  “Kaina,” Aldis gasped. “Are you all right?”

  “He tried to touch me,” Kaina gasped, “so I hit him!”

  Tristan nudged the guard's head with his boot and said, “That you did.”

  “Is he...dead?” Kaina uttered.

  Aldis leaned over him, placed a finger on his neck, and said, “No, he's just out cold.”

  Once Kaina calmed down after a moment, she saw Aldis and said, “Aldis! Thank goodness we found you.”

  She embraced the old man, who cringed and said, “Careful, dear. They weren't exactly gentle with me.”

  “I'm so sorry,” she whispered. “I should never have left you like that.”

  “Don't blame yourself,” Aldis assured. “If you had stayed behind, the book would have fallen into the wrong hands. But you sho
uld never have come for me. Did you bring the book to Melchior?”

  Kaina was about to speak again when Tristan interrupted with, “Excuse me, I hate to be rude but...in case you were wondering that guard's scream was awfully loud, and I'm certain someone is bound to come in here to check on him soon--”

  “You're right,” Aldis said. “We'd best get out of here. Where did you come in from?”

  “This way,” Kaina said, taking his hand and leading him to the door.

  Kaina, Tristan, and Aldis made it back into the store room before they could hear anyone coming, and Kaina managed to get back into her original clothes and return the ones she borrowed from the store room where Tristan had found them, all while she made Tristan and Aldis turn around once again. Tristan then popped the sewer grate off of the wall again and let Kaina drop down first, then he went inside, and then the two of them helped Aldis down, who held onto the grate and pulled it back into place as he was lowered down.

  “Now that all traces of our escape are covered,” Tristan said, “let's get out of here.”

  Chapter 25

  “Where is that damn entrance?” Tristan spat as he looked into another sewer grate. “We've searched almost each and every grate on this side of the city.”

  Kaina had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as they stood in the alley between two buildings, and even in the shadows Aldis noticed her dire expression.

  “Something troubling you, Kaina?” he asked.

  Kaina met the old man's gaze, and couldn't help but smile when she saw his comforting blue eyes. “It's just that...before we left, the elder wizards were so adamant about keeping an eye on us, and it seems odd that we have yet to find the entrance into Undercliff...”

  As she trailed off, Aldis caught on to what she was saying. “They have to be secretive, otherwise they run the risk of just anyone finding the city.”

  “That's precisely my point. What if they discovered we were missing and cut off the spell on the city exit in order to prevent us from returning?” Kaina pointed out.