“You’ve developed gifting with animals, too?” Haegen’s hopeful brows arched high.
“No. But he seems polite enough. I assumed he’d mind his manners.”
“The guards are still in the doorway. The bald one with the bushy beard has drawn his sword.”
“Best of luck, Whiskers.” Markaeus wondered if he was allowed to pray for a rat. He could be risking his life for them.
Whiskers scurried along the circular wall, his mottled fur blending with the stones in the flickering lamplight. As the rat slipped around the guards inside the corridor, Markaeus briefly thought Whiskers had simply scampered off. Until the skinny guard in the back screamed, hopping on one foot and shaking his leg.
“A rat! It’s a rat! He took a chunk out of me.” He bounded across the spoke room like his pants were on fire, the other three guards following on his heels.
“Now,” Markaeus hissed, and they took off at a dead run for the corridor, no longer bothering with stealth.
“Hey!”
One of the guards shouted, but Markaeus didn’t slow to look behind him. Twisting and turning down the passageway, he heard pounding steps following. They had to reach the portal and get inside before he caught them.
“Stop, you mongrels! You’ll meet my blade before I let you escape!”
Markaeus stumbled, almost falling to the ground.
“Hurry!” called Haegen over his shoulder.
Markaeus pushed hard, ignoring his burning lungs. Rounding the last corner, they burst into the dimly lit bathing room. Markaeus lunged into the water, splashing to the back of the pool until the water grew too deep, forcing him to swim. Haegen, only slightly taller, swam beside him.
“Where are we going?” gasped Haegen.
“Right here.” Markaeus reached for the portal door.
It was gone.
~ 17 ~
“As I feared, our archers have no clear shot at the guard station from behind cover,” Graely whispered to Morvaen. “The four of us will creep close when the moon goes behind the clouds.”
“Ochraen has set the smudge pot at the air shaft intake. He and Flaeren will stand guard to ensure it’s not discovered and then head for the meeting place.” Morvaen held up his hand, his eyes on the sky. “On my signal…”
Morvaen’s hand dropped. Naegle and Worster took the lead, moving with stealthy steps along the steep rocky slope beside the cavern entrance. Gifted in agility and weapons, the wiry young men were some of the most talented warriors Graely had ever known. That they volunteered for the dangerous mission demonstrated both their loyalty and their bravery. Graely and Morvaen followed close behind the younger warriors.
The cave opening was narrow and tall, wide enough for only three or four men to stand abreast, but four men high. Outside the cave, the ledge was scarcely two paces wide, with a sheer hundred-cubit drop into the ocean. At the mouth of the cave, a sentry stood facing inward, conversing with his cohorts, the shoulders of his coat adorned with braided rope. Perhaps a head guard?
Approaching the cave along the narrow cliff, Graely heard the excited voices of the sentries… something about children escaping. His heart leapt within his chest. Perhaps Kaevin, Alora, and Arista were on the loose. Any moment they could come bursting from the caverns. He turned to catch Morvaen’s eye. Had he heard the guard’s conversation?
Graely’s foot landed on a loose stone. He froze. Too late. The stone clattered, bumped, and rolled down the cliff, loosening others to join it on its way.
“What was that?” The head guard craned his head around the edge of the opening. Graely held his breath, praying their mottled clothing and painted skin would camouflage them against the dark cliff wall.
A bell tolled, echoing from the belly of the caverns, and the guard looked over his shoulder.
“Fire!” A voice called out. “There’s a fire!”
“Where is it?”
“Should we be helping to douse it?”
“I’m staying right here in the fresh air unless my bloodbond compels me otherwise. If you wish to carry buckets of water into the corridors of a smoke-filled cavern, you may do so without me.”
“I’m content to guard the entrance. It’s not as if the cavern will burn to the ground around us. Let someone else quench the fire.”