Dralin (35 page)

The girls gasped as their stomachs dropped
to their toes. The leap was incredibly graceful and the landing on
top was smooth. She set them down and headed to a nearby circular
access door. Pelya looked at the iron plate set six feet from the
left side of the tunnel. It had to be eight feet in diameter. The
exterior of the tunnel was thirty feet wide and stretched as far as
the eye could see.

“Why are the doors round instead of square?”
Pelya asked. The few trapdoors she had seen were square and made of
wood.

“Because circles hold magic better than
squares,” Ebudae answered first. “The round unbroken line is always
more powerful than four lines with corners. These doors have wards
on them, so it makes sense for them to be circular.”

“Both of you shush,” Hezzena told them. She
gestured with her arms, moving them like snakes while making
hissing sounds. The wards Pelya hadn’t seen before lit up and began
moving. An instant later, the door opened upward. “Wait here.”
Hezzena jumped into the hole, taking half the orange orbs with her
while leaving the rest for them to see by.

It became very quiet without the dragon
there. Ebudae wrapped her arms around Pelya who did the same. They
stood there for a few minutes, terrified that something would come
along while they waited. They let out little screams when Hezzena
popped straight out of the hole and landed next to them.

“I don’t like the smell down there, but
there’s a walkway and no obvious dangers. The water level isn’t too
high either.” Hezzena wrapped her arms around their waists. They
held on to her when she jumped back into the sewer. Pelya was proud
of herself for not making a noise while Ebudae squeaked at the
sensation of dropping. Once again, the landing was soft.

All of the orbs came with them that time and
spread out in both directions. Pelya pointed to their left. “The
Noble District should be in that direction. I’ll know for certain
when I see the markings that should be on the walls.

Hezzena nodded and took their hands. They
followed the wide walkway that was fifteen feet below the ceiling
on the left side and did their best to ignore the stink that
permeated the air. It was bad enough to make the girls’ eyes water.
Their dragon friend didn’t seem affected in the least. To the right
of them, sewer water flowed steadily on its way down to the
southern plains. Dripping water that condensed on walls and
ceilings combined with murky water trickling by.

The water level was just a few feet below
the walkway. “When it rains a lot, the water level will be above
our heads. If it’s not raining much, the level goes down and
becomes extra stinky sludge along the bottom,” Pelya explained.
“That’s the marking,” she said, pointing at a metal engraving set
into the wall where the shaft came from above. It was a series of
numbers and letters that specified where they were. “It says we’re
in the Market District on the eighth level of sewers, which is the
bottom level.”

“Is this the way to leave the city?” Hezzena
asked.

“No. There’ll be side tunnels that lead
south. Right now, we’re going east, which is the way we want,”
Pelya told her. They walked for quite a way, passing numerous
shafts and side passages. There were walkways over side tunnels
that intersected, but a couple were broken. Hezzena jumped them
over those. It took them half an hour to reach the area where Lord
Uylvich’s manor would be. “The openings to the street will be on
upper levels, but this is as close as this one will get, I think,”
Pelya informed them.

Hezzena motioned to another of the circular
access doors in the top of the tunnel nearby. The wards on it
glowed and it opened. She picked the girls up and leapt through the
opening. Pelya was beginning to enjoy the sensation and wished she
could jump like that.

The orange orbs followed through to
illuminate the immediate area. They were in another section of the
ruined city that looked different from the one they had come from.
The ceiling was slightly lower and there were more of the glowing
plants. Dripping sounds filled the air and the smell of mold
irritated their nostrils.

“What are those plants?” Ebudae asked
Hezzena, pointing at the glowing leaves of one growing on top of
the tunnel.

“They grow in the dark places of the world,”
she explained absentmindedly while going to the right side to scan
the area after having scanned the left. “If you go lower into the
world, they grow everywhere and there are glowing animals and
insects as well. There are also creatures as dangerous as anything
above ground . . . except dragons of course.” Hezzena turned to
Pelya. “Where do you think we might find the secret passage?”

Pelya had been thinking about that very
question. “I’m trying my best to remember. There were a lot of
turns, but I think it’ll be ahead another thousand feet or so and
then to the right.” Pelya looked at the dragon apologetically.
“It’s a lot different down here than it is up there, so I’m
guessing a lot, but I’m doing the best I can.”

Hezzena came over and patted Pelya’s head.
“I know, child. I’m very proud of you.” She crossed her arms. “I’ll
be more proud when we find the passage and you rescue my son.” Then
she turned and began walking the thousand feet along the top of the
tunnel. The girls quickly followed, not willing to be left behind
in the dark.

Suddenly the dragon stopped, holding up a
hand with its sharp tips. “Hold still,” she commanded quietly. The
girls did as she said. They didn’t make a sound while their new
friend searched the plant dotted darkness to the right. “There’s
something there,” she said in low tones.

The girls stared into the darkness, but
couldn’t see anything. Hezzena picked them up again and leapt to
the ground in that direction before setting them down gently.
“Follow me, but not too closely in case I have to fight.” Once
again, they did as she told them.

More crumbling buildings lined the
long-forgotten street. Pelya had a desire to explore them, but not
so much that she was willing to leave Hezzena’s protection.

Two magically lit blue lanterns hung from a
large set of double doors set into the side of a building on the
right. Hezzena stopped short and sniffed the air. What might have
looked perfectly normal in a dragon looked very odd with her being
in human form. She crouched low over the ground and let out another
of her rumbling growls. “I can’t smell him. He must have been
carried in something that hides his presence.” Hezzena distractedly
clawed the ground in front of her, digging furrows into the broken
cobbles. Her voice had become the hissing sound that echoed off the
walls. It caused Pelya and Ebudae to cling to each other again.

“Is this the exit?” she asked Pelya.

“I think so,” Pelya told her nervously.
“Everything about it seems right, the height of it, the location,
and the look of the runes.”

“Yes, I think so too.” Hezzena straightened
and turned to them. “We’ll go back to the library and finish the
details. Then I will come back here and wait for you to bypass the
runes to let me in so I may rescue my son.” Without waiting for a
response, she picked them up and carried them back to the
academy.

Chapter
22

“We need to get some rest before we try to
do this,” Ebudae protested. Hezzena had gone over every detail with
both girls for three hours in the library and was insisting they
leave immediately to begin the rescue.

“No!” Hezzena slammed her fist on the table,
cracking the stone that had survived a millennium of ruin. A chunk
of the corner fell off and the girls hugged each other desperately.
Hezzena ran fingers through wavy, metallic-orange hair to regain
her calm. “My son is dying. They will drain his life and use his
body for ingredients. Every moment counts.” She began pacing back
and forth. “You must save him
immediately
no matter how
tired you may be. You have the plan and you’ll succeed. The
necklaces I loaned you will help with stealth.”

Pelya touched the silver linked necklace
with a circular pendant that had three onyx stones set in it. The
girls could each use theirs to go invisible for a short while. They
were powerful enough to hide sound and smell too. Hezzena made it
clear that the necklaces were only on loan, being a very important
part of her treasure and she had already used the most valuable
piece she owned to save Pelya’s life.

“We know what to do,” Pelya said. She was a
little tired, but not bad since the healing tooth had fully
restored all of her energy along with health. “We’ll meet you at
the doorway as quickly as possible.” Ebudae sighed, but agreed
reluctantly.

“Go then!” Hezzena moved behind them in a
blur, put the lanterns in their hands and pushed them toward the
door. “Go on. Save my son. Don’t let him die!” The girls stumbled
out of the library. Not wanting to be pushed anymore, they ran up
the hallway.

Pelya looked back to see Hezzena in the glow
of the orbs, staring at them with her swirling eyes. They turned
the corner and headed back along the halls, through the theater and
up the stairs until they reached Ebudae’s secret room and flopped
to the ground in exhaustion.

Their breathing settled few minutes later.
Ebudae lay on her back and asked, “What do you want to do?”

Pelya turned to her side. “What do you
mean?”

“Are we really going to save the dragon?”
Ebudae also turned to her side. “If we’re caught, they’ll kill us
even if we are children.”

“That makes it that much more fun and
exciting,” Pelya answered with a grin. She quickly became somber.
“You don’t have to go.”

Ebudae jumped to her feet and pointed a
finger angrily at the young warrior who scrambled to her own feet.
“Don’t you ever say anything like that to me again. We do this and
every other adventure together even if we die!” She folded her arms
and lifted her chin. “Besides, you know you can’t do it without
me.”

She was right and Pelya knew it. The
wizardess was surprised when Pelya wrapped her in a fierce embrace.
They hugged for a few minutes before breaking. “Shall we go?” Pelya
asked.

“I really think we need sleep, but Rizzith
could die, so I say we go,” Ebudae answered. She began moving back
and forth between tables, shelves and drawers to gather magical
items. “Grab that pouch on the wall by my workbench,” she told
Pelya pointing at the bench where she did most of her experiments.
“It has rune balls that cancel out wards. There’s only four and I
don’t know if they’re strong enough, but they’ll make it easier if
they work.

Pelya grabbed it and a few other things
Ebudae directed her to. They gathered the items in two backpacks,
the heaviest of which Pelya took. Most of it had been planned in
the library, but the wizardess grabbed a few extra things she
thought would be useful. Pelya kept the magical sword at her waist
instead of leaving it. They both wore black cloaks that would help
disguise their age, though not their size.

Instead of leaving through the front door,
they went back into the secret passages with lanterns held in front
of them, turning the other direction toward the manor proper. Steps
down took them underneath the main hall. A hundred feet later, it
turned toward the backyard. “This goes to the rear wall. There’s a
secret door to the alley there.”

They exchanged worried glances. Alleys were
never good news for children even in a moderately safe
neighborhood. It didn’t slow them from continuing and they were
soon at steps that went up into the wall. There was a small chamber
where Ebudae pushed a button that opened a peephole. It was big
enough to see through, but not big enough to figure out if anyone
was in the alley. The girls stood quietly for a moment to listen.
When they didn’t hear anything, Ebudae pulled another trigger that
caused part of the wall to come into the chamber and slide to the
left. Thankfully, it did so quietly. Pelya went out first with
sword in hand, all the while desperately hoping she wouldn’t have
to use it.

There was no one around, much to their
relief. Ebudae quickly closed the secret entrance while Pelya put
away her sword. Then they turned and headed to the Noble District.
The sun was up and people were moving about by that time. The girls
held hands to keep from being separated. Neither had ever been in
the city without an adult before. It was both frightening and
exhilarating.

Crowded streets actually made it easier to
go unnoticed. Nobody tried to grab them, nobody asked what they
were doing and nobody noticed the two little girls going to rescue
a dragon. By the time they reached the estate of Lord Uylvich they
were smiling at their boldness.

They walked beside the high side wall around
to the back, but there were workers talking next to the rear
entrance. The girls went to the front and walked casually past the
front gate. The guard saw them and frowned so they continued
walking. Both side walls were tall with few footholds, too many
witnesses and spikes on top, so they wouldn’t be an option.

The girls nodded at each other and walked
back to the front corner. They paused for a moment, waiting until
they were certain nobody was looking at them. Then they activated
the invisibility pendants at the same time.

Finding each other’s hands, they went to the
low front wall and climbed over. The girls were able to sneak
through the grounds to the side kitchen entrance, moving carefully
even though their sounds were hidden as well. There was a guard
sitting next to the side gate, but he was sleepy and didn’t notice
the invisible girls even when the kitchen door opened and
closed.

Two younger men washed dishes and cleaned
silverware while a woman worked on pastries. The cook was calmly
doing prep work for lunch, a much different disposition than he had
on Pelya’s previous visit. The girls snuck quietly toward the door.
Pelya opened it and gave Ebudae a little shove to go through. “Why
is the basement door open?” one of the dishwashers asked.