Sands of Nezza Page 6

  Alex wasn’t sure how he would get into the dungeon, but then he saw a way. Around the outside of the building were several oddly shaped pits, and when Alex flew closer, he saw that they were windows. The windows were half underground and had heavy iron bars over them, but no glass. Alex guessed they were designed to let sunlight and fresh air into the first level of the dungeon.

  Having found a way to get into the dungeon without being seen, Alex returned to his hidden place in the alley and took his human form again. As the sun began to set, Alex made his way to one of the many taverns that lined the main road leading to the island fortress. Getting into the dungeon wouldn’t do him any good if he couldn’t find Skeld and the other adventurers. He hoped he could learn something more about the dungeon from the locals.

  Alex entered a tavern and his heart sank. The main room was filled with soldiers, and there were only a few people who were not wearing uniforms of some kind. Skirting around the crowds, he made his way to a shadowed table at the back of the room. For several minutes no one paid any attention to him, but eventually one of the servers made his way to the table and asked what Alex would like.

  Alex ordered a drink and waited, listening to the men around him talk. He soon learned that all of these men, and many more as well, were guards for the island fortress. The information surprised him, because he knew that the inner kingdoms of Nezza had been at war for years. It seemed odd that so many men would be called away from war to protect a fortress that was already surrounded by a river and a wall.

  After listening for some time, Alex knew he would need to talk to one of the soldiers if he wanted to learn anything useful. The problem was that the soldiers were drinking in groups, and to get anyone alone seemed almost impossible. Just then, Alex saw a soldier enter the tavern. The man looked like an officer, and the other soldiers didn’t seem to be too friendly toward him.

  Focusing his attention on the officer, Alex moved his hand slightly under the table. Instantly, the man turned and looked directly at Alex. Without speaking, and seeming not to notice anything else in the room, the man walked over and took a seat at Alex’s table.

  “You are young to be in a place like this alone,” the man said.

  “Not too young,” said Alex in a casual tone.

  “You are new here. I have not seen you in the city before.”

  “I am,” was Alex’s only answer as he moved his hand slightly again.

  “Strangers seldom come to Karmus. It was once a happy city, and people came from all over Nezza to visit and conduct their business, but times are not what they were.”

  “Have there been other strangers here recently?” Alex questioned.

  “Not in the tavern,” the man answered, laughing grimly.

  “No, not in the tavern—in Karmus.”

  “They are in the fortress,” the man said. “In the dungeons under the fortress to be exact.”

  “Are they well?” Alex asked in concern.

  “They’re alive, or at least they were a week ago when they went into that hole.”

  “Can I see them?”

  “Not unless you’re in the dungeon with them. Trust me, you don’t want to be there.”

  “I must find a way to see them,” said Alex in a matter-of-fact tone.

  “No one enters the dungeons except the black guard and the prisoners.”

  “There must be a way.”

  “Only for the black guard, and perhaps mice,” came the reply. “Though I doubt even mice would go down there. It is an evil place.”

  “And how would a mouse get to that place?” Alex asked thoughtfully.

  “The pipes under the fortress, I suppose. There are all kinds of pipes under there.”

  “What part of the dungeon are the strangers in?” Alex persisted.

  “I’ve no idea,” the officer said. “But if I know Magnus, he’s put them in the darkest hole the place has.”

  Alex noticed that a few of the other soldiers were looking in his direction. He needed to end his talk soon or risk drawing unwanted attention to himself.

  “What of Rallian?” Alex asked. “Does he live? Is he in the dungeons as well?”

  “Rallian?” said the man, a look of sorrow on his face. “Rallian is lost to us, and Lazar has forbidden any talk of the prince.”

  Alex thought about everything he had learned for a moment, and then he waved his hand again. “Forget,” he said softly.

  The officer blinked several times, then rose and bowed slightly to Alex before heading toward the main bar.

  Alex sat for a few minutes longer, and then he made his way to the door. Skeld and his companions had only been in the dungeon for a week, but that was already too long. He had to get into the dungeon and find them—and fast. There was also the small piece of information about Rallian. Alex wasn’t sure why he had asked about the prince, but the soldier’s answer was interesting. If Rallian had really died, as the rumor said, why would Lazar forbid all talk about him? Alex shook his head. He was here to help Skeld and his company of adventurers, not to change the way things were in Nezza.

  As the tavern door closed behind him, Alex moved down the street and into the shadows. He didn’t want any of the soldiers in the tavern to follow him, and a few of them looked like they might. After walking for several minutes and making several turns, he slowed his pace. Finding Skeld and the others was the first problem he had to solve, and he didn’t want to spend all night solving it.

  As he returned to his hidden spot in the alley, Alex decided that he would have to put Skeld and his company inside his magic bag. If they were all in his bag, he would only have himself to worry about. He would need to make some changes inside his bag before attempting the rescue, however, as he had some dangerous things in his bag.

  Alex stepped behind the old boards and stopped to listen. Everything was quiet, but he still waited a few minutes to make sure he was alone. Taking his magic bag in hand, he spoke softly into the top of it. The strange but familiar falling sensation swept over him, and soon Alex was moving around the main room of his bag.

  Working his way through the different rooms inside his bag, Alex gathered up the books and letters he’d left lying about. He also moved his magical items into either his treasure room or his library. After one more quick check of the other rooms, he magically sealed his treasure room and library so no one but himself could enter them. Then he set out some food and water so Skeld and his friends would have something to eat once he had found them. With a simple command, he was back in the dark alley, his bag still slung around his neck. It was nearly midnight, and time for action. If all went well, Skeld’s band of adventurers would be free by morning.

  Flying back to the island fortress and finding one of the half-buried windows was harder than Alex thought. The eyes of a swallow were not made to see in the dark of night, but Alex managed to fly through one of the windows and flutter down to the floor. A pale, flickering glow came from under the door, giving him enough light to see that the room was empty and he was alone. Returning to his own form, he moved to the door. There was no way to know what was waiting outside this room, so, working a little more magic, Alex became invisible.

  The heavy wooden door wasn’t locked, and Alex pulled it open just enough to look into the hallway. Torches hung on the stone wall opposite the door, one about every twenty feet. There was no sign of guards. As fast as he could, Alex opened the door, stepped into the hallway, and closed the door once more.

  I’m in. Now what? Alex thought.

  Alex had no idea how large the dungeon was or where in the dungeon the adventurers might be. He didn’t want to wander aimlessly, but it seemed unlikely that there would be a map with the cells the adventurers were in marked on it. The well-lit hallway gave him an idea. If the hallways had light, then there must be guards who needed that light. If he could find a guard, or even two or three guards together, he could get the information he needed from them.

  He started down the hallway, his ear
s straining to hear any sound. The dungeon seemed to be deserted, which didn’t make any sense. Why have so much light if there was no one to see it?

  The sound of doors banging open echoed down the hallway, forcing Alex to freeze in his tracks. The sound was followed by the more dangerous sound of marching feet.

  Alex’s heart sped up. The hallway turned left about fifty yards in front of him, and that was the direction where all the noise was coming from. For a moment he thought about going back the way he had come—maybe even hiding in the room he had first entered—but his curiosity got the better of him. He ran toward the turn, stopped short, and looked around the bend.

  The hallway was longer than the one he’d just come down, and at the far end of it were dozens of soldiers. As Alex watched, groups of soldiers broke away, turning down other hallways. As the soldiers moved forward, Alex saw that six men would turn into each new hallway they came to. He also saw that some of the men were replacing the torches along the walls.

  Alex did a quick count and he knew that there would be six soldiers turning into the hallway where he stood. He moved back the way he had come, thinking as hard as he could. He could magically put six men to sleep at one time, but how long would he have to talk with them? Would they be expected to meet up with the other soldiers once they’d replaced the torches? If he used magic on these men, he would have to do it fast and hope they could answer his questions quickly.

  Moving to the fourth torch from the bend in the hallway, Alex magically put it out. Looking behind him, he put out the next torch as well. Even though he was invisible, the darkness made him feel safer and less exposed.

  The marching feet came around the corner and started toward him, not slowing despite the shadowy space in front of them.

  As one of the men reached out to take the dead torch from the wall, Alex used his magic. The soldiers all froze in place, their eyes open but unseeing. Alex hesitated a second, watching to make sure his magic had worked as he’d planned. Satisfied, he moved a few steps closer to the men.

  “The adventurers that are held here, where are they?”

  “Fifth level, in the pit,” came the mumbled reply of six voices.

  “How do I get there from here?”

  “Center stairs to the second level, east stairs to the third, south stairs to the fourth, and west stairs to the fifth,” the men all answered. “From the bottom of the stairs, go north until you come to the stairs that lead to the pit.”

  The directions were clear enough, but Alex wondered how these men knew what direction they were going underground. Not wanting to slow this group down, he didn’t ask. He moved around the company and then broke his spell with a whisper.

  “Forget, and carry on with your task.”

  The soldiers moved as a unit, marching along the hallway. Alex watched them for a few minutes, but they didn’t look back or slow their pace. Turning, he hurried down the empty hallway, looking for the center stairs.

  The center stairway was easy enough to find. His biggest problem was dodging the groups of soldiers who were either replacing torches or marching back to the guardrooms. Alex might be invisible, but he was still solid, and to avoid bumping into the soldiers, he had to press himself flat against several walls before he reached the stairs. Moving to the second level of the dungeon, Alex found that it was as well lit as the first. Fortunately there were no guards changing torches on this level, and he was able to find the east stairs without any trouble.

  After the second level, Alex found himself in darkness. The only lights he saw came from the guardrooms located at the top and bottom of the stairway. He quietly slipped passed the rooms and moved to the next set of stairs.

  He made it to the fifth level with ease, but once there he found that, unlike the other levels where the hallways were all straight and level, the floor here was not so even, and the walls seemed to curve slightly as he moved along them in the darkness.

  Finally, afraid that he might miss the final stairway, or worse, fall down in the darkness, Alex conjured up a small weir light. Sickly gray-green slime covered the walls and floor, and the sound of dripping water echoed in the darkness. He continued forward, ready to put out his magical light if he saw or heard anything that might be trouble.

  “How much longer are we posted down here?” a muffled voice questioned.

  Alex instantly put out his weir light. A slight glimmer came from a door to his left; that was where the muffled voice had come from as well.

  “Same as always—ten days on the bottom,” a second voice answered.

  “How long have we been down here now?” the first voice asked. “Hard to keep track of days when there’s no sign of sun or moon.”

  “It’s only been five days and you know it,” said the second voice. “Now come on, it’s time to relieve the others.”

  Two men stepped into the hallway, each of them carrying a lamp. Alex carefully watched every move they made.

  “Seems foolish to me,” said the first man. “Nobody gets out of the pit, you know that.”

  “Maybe not, but orders are orders. If we don’t follow them, we’ll find ourselves in the pit,” said the second man.

  “Maybe something worse than that, what with the mood Magnus has been in,” said the first man, pulling the door shut.

  The two guards moved off in the direction Alex had been going without saying anything more. Alex waited for a moment and then followed them.

  After walking for a few minutes, the two guards started down a worn stairway. Alex glided along in the darkness behind them, unseen and silent. The stairway went down and down, with an occasional hallway leading away from it.

  Finally, they reached the bottom of the stairs, and there was only one way for the men to go. It was cold down here, and Alex could hear a small, steady stream of water running near his feet. There was a nasty smell in the air, and sounds echoed strangely in the darkness. The passageway sloped downward, and here and there Alex could see small metal grates that allowed some of the water to drain away.

  After what felt like a very long time, a light came into view ahead of them. Two more guards were standing in front of an iron door, each of them holding a lamp.

  “Are the prisoners quiet tonight?” asked one of the men Alex had been following.

  “A few whimpers,” one of the men guarding the door answered. “They can’t last much longer.”

  “Very well,” said the first man. “In the name of Lazar, we relieve you.”

  “In the name of Lazar,” said the second man.

  The men who had been guarding the iron door stepped aside to allow the new guards to take their places. Alex held his breath and tried to push himself into the wall as the guards walked past him and vanished into the darkness of the passageway. After waiting a few minutes to make sure the other guards were gone, Alex focused his thoughts on the two men in front of him.

  “Sleep,” Alex whispered with a wave of his hand.

  As soon as he had spoken, the two men at the door slumped to the floor. Alex smiled and moved forward. The iron door was locked with two heavy bolts, but there was no keyhole at all. Alex extinguished the lamps the guards had been holding before trying to open the bolts, just in case there were more guards behind the door. The bolts moved with only a slight scraping of metal on metal, and, with a small push, the iron door swung open.

  Alex felt a spark of magic as the door opened. He instantly brought up his staff, ready to defend himself, but nothing happened. He waited for a second, listening. No alarms echoed through the passageways; no sound of running feet filled the air. Alex suspected that Magnus knew that this door had been opened, but how fast could he do anything about it?

  Everything in front of Alex was dark, but the smell was almost unbearable. Alex listened for a moment. He could hear people moving around, but he couldn’t see anything. He took a step forward, holding out his hand in front of him so he wouldn’t run into anything. He stopped when he heard some faint whispers to his left.


  “My friend will come,” said a dry voice. “I know he will.”

  “He may come, but will it be in time?” questioned a second voice.

  “He will come as soon as he can,” said the first voice. “If not in time to save us, at least in time to avenge our deaths.”

  “Little comfort in that,” said a third voice.

  “Take comfort where you can,” said the first voice.

  “Skeld?” Alex whispered.

  “Alex?”

  Alex broke his spell of invisibility and turned toward the voices. It sounded like he had found Skeld and his companions only just in time. Conjuring a weir light that seemed incredibly bright after the total darkness, he had to blink several times before he could really see anything.

  “Thank goodness I’ve found you,” said Alex, shocked by how thin and pale Skeld looked.

  “I knew you’d come,” said Skeld happily, struggling to get to his feet. “I knew you would find us.”

  “How long have you been in this hole?” asked Alex, moving to the door of the cell that held Skeld and his companions.

  “Longer than I care to remember,” answered Skeld, coughing as he met Alex at the cell door.

  Taking a moment to examine the lock, Alex whispered a few magic words, then hit the door with his staff. With a loud crack, the lock broke away, and the cell door swung open. Alex caught Skeld as he fell forward with the door.

  “I should introduce you to my companions,” said Skeld, pulling away from Alex and turning back to his fellow prisoners.

  “There will be time for introductions later,” said Alex. “I’ve got to get you all out of here.”

  “How did you get in?” Skeld asked.

  “Magic, of course,” answered Alex. “And that’s how we’re getting out as well.”

  “But—” Skeld began.

  “No time,” said Alex, cutting him off. “Where are your bags and weapons?”