Nightfall: Book Two of the Chronicles of Arden (41 page)

“Oh, I’m not playing, Father. I’m very,
very
serious.”

Kirk winced as the seneschal threw his hands into the air and barked a string of ill-mannered profanities. The boy leaned a little closer to Joel and spoke tentatively, “Joel, it’s—it’s okay. Keni and I will figure something out. You can’t stay behind. You have to go home—”

“No, it’s not fair.” Joel shook his head sharply. “I won’t be a bystander to such injustice. You’re my friend. I’m going to stand by my convictions and by you.”

Cenric cleared his throat. The sound echoed down the narrow passageway. “Koal, we can’t stand here and argue. And we can’t allow Joel to stay behind.” His hazel eyes were compassionate when he turned to look at the Imperial siblings. “Allow them to accompany us to Arden. There’s no harm in it.”

“My father will understand,” Hasain added. Joel would have hugged his cousin if they were under different circumstances. “They’ve helped us. It’s only fair that we return the favor.”

Koal let out a groan. “Fine.” He fixed Joel with a withering glare. “Upon our arrival,
you
can be the one to explain this to King Rishi.”

Joel opened his mouth to utter a word of gratitude, but Koal had already swung around and disappeared into the shadows of the corridor.
 

“Down there,” Kenisha said. “That’s the way out.”

Joel crouched in the narrow tunnel with the rest of the party. Water had long since saturated his mage robe; the pristine white fabric was soiled grey with dirt and grime from the trek through the catacombs. Every muscle in his body ached and both knees felt as though they were on fire. During their escape from the Imperial soldiers, he’d taken a brutal fall. Pain continued to shoot through his legs, but for the time being, there was nothing to be done except grimace and bear it.

Koal leaned down and poked his head beneath the increasingly low ceiling. “I can see a drainage opening up ahead.”

“It comes out on the far side of the palace wall,” Kenisha explained. “From there, it’ll be a quick dash into the city.”

Koal looked over his shoulder at the rest of the party. “We’re going to have to crawl the rest of the way. The tunnel gets even more narrow up ahead. It looks like a tight squeeze.”

Joel’s skin began to crawl even as Hasain asked the question everyone had to be thinking. “We’ll fit through, won’t we?”

Cenric’s eyes danced as he turned to flash the Radek lord a sly smile. “Guess we’ll find out. Would you like to go first?”

Hasain huffed under his breath. “I’ll pass.”

Koal was already moving forward. “Everyone be quiet and follow me. Stay close.”

Seriously? Stay close?
Joel mused.
As tight as these quarters are, it would take an act of The Two to become separated!

Koal led the way. Joel found himself directly behind Kirk and didn’t have to glance back to know Hasain trailed behind. Joel could hear Hasain’s disgusted grunts as they were all forced to crawl through the murky, stagnant water. Joel could feel slimy vegetation between his fingers, and the rancid smell was nearly unbearable.

The party inched forward. The only sound to be heard was the dirty water sloshing around their extremities and the occasional retch of revulsion. Joel gritted his chattering teeth, feeling cold and fatigued. His knees ached almost to the point of tears, but he knew he couldn’t stop.
Just keep moving forward. Almost there. Don’t stop
.

Faint light reflected off the water ahead, and he belatedly realized NezReth had dismissed the mage orb. This light source was from something else. Joel’s heart quickened as he leaned around Kirk’s body and saw a trace of nighttime sky ahead.

He had to stop long enough for Kirk to make his exit. The trainee scrambled through the opening, leaving Joel with a clear view of the outside world. The silhouettes of marble houses and perfectly sculpted hedges collided with the horizon before him. His lungs took in a greedy breath of fresh air, the first in a long time. A tapestry of stars twinkled in the navy sky above, enticing him to make the final push to freedom. Kirk offered a hand, and with his help, Joel squirmed the rest of the way out of the tunnel.

The great wall of the palace loomed behind them, casting a black shadow across the cobblestone streets. Joel leaned against it as he waited for Hasain and Cenric to climb out of the drainage tunnel. The initial relief he’d felt after escaping the catacombs was already begining to flitter away. They were above ground again, but traversing the city was going to be twice as difficult.
We’re still so far from safety
.

Koal’s eyes scanned the wall. His wary stance and grim face sent chills down Joel’s spine. Were sentries up there? Surely there had to be. He titled his head back and peered into the darkness but could see nothing. That didn’t stop the panic from rising up to close a firm grip around Joel’s neck.
We have to go. We can’t stand out in the open like this
.

Almost as though Koal could hear Joel’s inner monologue, the seneschal stepped away from the partition and motioned for them to follow. Moving as an efficient unit, they darted across the empty space separating the palace from the rest of the city. Joel’s chest was heaving by the time they reached the first row of stone houses.

Safely within the shadows again, Koal stopped. He leaned in close so he could whisper. Kirk and Kenisha fidgeted nervously when he pointed at them. “We’re counting on you two to guide us the hell out of here. You’ll walk with NezReth and me at the front of the line. Joel, Hasain, you flank Cenric and stay close behind me. Liro—” The elder Adelwijn son ticked an eyebrow as he fell beneath Koal’s frigid scrutiny. “You protect us from the rear.”

“Of course, Father,” came Liro’s airy response. He clutched a hand around the focus stone gifted to him by Archmage Titus.

Kirk scraped a sandal across the ground. “We have to avoid using magic at all costs. At least until we’re beyond the dome. The Imperial mages have linked part of their consciousness to the dome. Any trace of magic used while we remain inside will be detected.”

“They’ll be alerted to our exact position,” NezReth stated in a flat voice.

Kirk nodded. “Yes. The magic defense system will also trigger once we cross the barrier, but it will be more difficult for them to track us out there beyond the inner city.”

“We’ll have to move fast once we cross then.” Koal’s hard gaze shifted back and forth among the members of the group. “All right, you heard the lad. Absolutely no magic.” He drew his blade in one graceful motion and turned on his heel. “Let’s go. Stay in formation, all of you.”

Joel winced as he took his place in line behind his father. If they faced another Imperial patrol tonight, would luck still be on their side? Surely their good fortune was due to run out. Joel shuddered. He could feel the fear pressing on his heart, smothering any courage he might still be grasping onto. Cenric patted Joel’s arm and offered a strained smile. The kind gesture helped, if only a little.

Koal led the way through twisting streets and shadowed alleys. Under different circumstances, Joel would have stopped to admire the beautiful marble columns, luscious gardens, and ivy-covered buildings, but not tonight. He could find no enjoyment in this nightmare they’d found themselves trapped within.

The sky above was a veil of stars. A full moon hung from the navy canvas like a beacon from the Gods, illuminating the land below with eerie, pale light. The city itself remained dark. No mage orbs or lanterns lined the streets and no light could be seen through any of the shuttered windows. A shiver ran up Joel’s spine. It almost felt like they were the only living souls left in the world.

They’d been creeping along for several minutes with no incident when a gut-wrenching sense of dread began to form in the pit of his stomach. This all seemed too easy. Where were all the guards? The city should have been swarming with them.
They know we’re trying to escape. Why aren’t they here looking for us?
Joel frowned.
Unless they think we perished underground in the rockslide
.
It’s doubtful they would just assume we’re dead though. They’d need proof. So where are they?
His intuition kept screaming that something was amiss. He couldn’t continue to remain silent.

The mage reached forward to tap Koal’s shoulder. “Father, wait a moment!”

Koal hushed his son with a single, furious glare. “
Quiet
.”

Joel planted his feet, refusing to go on. Everyone else exchanged confused glances before they, too, drew to a halt. He lowered his voice to a feverish whisper. “Something is wrong. I can feel it—”

Koal whirled around to face him. “I know something isn’t right! Are you trying to wake up the entire city?”

Joel opened his mouth to retort, but any words he might have uttered were dampened by the attack.

Like a lethal bolt of lightning, energy surged through the air, building to a horrible crescendo. Joel reacted without thinking, throwing up a magic shield around the party. A second later, red shards of magic came hurtling at them from all directions.
An ambush!

Hasain’s energy shot out to reinforce the shield, and Kirk joined them an instant later. His raw, potent magic glossed over the barrier, sewing up any weak spots within the defensive nexus like a threaded needle. The three mages braced themselves against the onslaught from the Imperial mages.

NezReth and Liro stepped forward as one, both pooling their energies and taking aim before Joel could even register what was happening. Liro’s power was impressive. The Blessed Mage’s was nothing short of terrifying. Together, their movements were fluid and well trained. They allotted themselves no second guesses or mistakes. As the enemies hurled smoldering red splinters toward them, Liro and NezReth countered, releasing crackling bolts of their own. Though Joel couldn’t see the Imperial mages through the sizzling air, he could hear their cries of pain followed by the thud of bodies crashing to the pavement as they went down.

Koal’s voice fought for dominance over the turmoil. “We can’t just stand here! We have to move!” He had his sword held high and pointed at Kenisha. “Lead us.” Her pale face trembled as she shook her head and launched forward.

Joel refused to give up, but it was difficult to move and keep the defensive shield from unraveling. More than once, he sensed tears in the magic where the Imperial mages were mercilessly striking it. Without ever exchanging a word, Hasain and Kirk worked with him to keep the barrier intact.

“Keep moving. They’re losing ground!”

His father’s voice should have been a beacon of hope, but there was nothing left in Joel to celebrate. Sore to the bones and exhausted beyond repair, he could barely keep his feet moving and mind focused.

“There’re more of them coming from the east!” Liro screamed in warning from the rear of the group.

“
Get down!
” NezReth’s voice rose shrill against the night, cutting through the sounds of their pounding feet. Joel didn’t want to look back but couldn’t help himself. He turned just in time to watch a crimson bolt swipe the side of Liro’s face. His brother dropped motionless to the ground.

“Liro!”

Their procession came to an abrupt halt as Koal shoved his way through the others. Joel started to follow, but a grunt from Hasain reminded the mage to stay focused. They needed to keep the shield intact.

He watched as Koal took to one knee and examined Liro’s prone form. NezReth continued his counter attack, he alone standing between the seneschal and certain doom. Joel’s heart pounded. He’d never seen his brother so defenseless.
Get up. Move. Please wake up.

The red bolts finally ceased, and the Blessed Mage turned back to the party, a fierce scowl on his face. “That’s all of them for now. Reserve your energy.” He knelt next to Koal and put a hand to Liro’s forehead. “We have to move on.”

Joel scurried over to them, bile rising up his throat. The worry lines on his father’s face were almost enough to undo him. “Da?”

“He’s alive.” Koal’s voice was hollow, on the brink of defeat. He swooped down low to take one of Liro’s arms. “Hasain, help me. Get his other arm.”

Hasain hesitated only a split second before he did as told, and together they hoisted Liro’s limp body from the ground and held him between the two of them. A trickle of blood ran from one temple down the side of Liro’s blanched face, but he was still breathing.