Severed Empire: Wizard's War (25 page)

Galatia looked around. She recalled this place. It should have been pitch black without lit torches. For some reason the area glowed. There was a coppery yellow tint to everything. The walls, the floor, the ceiling were all made of rock, and dirt, and wood for support beams. They were in the catacombs, under Castle Deed.

“It’s not safe. We should go,” Galatia said.

“There’s no way out of here.” The little girl’s mouth didn’t move when she spoke, or if it had, Galatia missed it.

“There must be. We came down here, didn’t we?”

“Did we?” The girl swayed, left and right. It was slow, rhythmic swaying.

Galatia almost laughed, but stopped herself. She leaned forward. “What is your name?”

“I can’t remember.”

“You can’t remember your name?” Galatia said.

The little girl shook her head.

Galatia forgot to watch for moving lips. She still didn’t know if the child was talking, or if the voice was just inside her head.

“Do you remember your name?” the girl said.

“Why, of course I do.”

“What is it?” the girl said.

Galatia opened her mouth, and then closed it again.

“You don’t know your name, do you?” the girl said.

She had missed watching her lips again. “I do.”

“Then why won’t you tell me?” the girl said.

“I will tell you. It’s… it’s…”

“That’s what I thought.”

“I know my name,” Galatia said.

Something growled.

The girl dropped her basket. All of the carnations fell out. That shouldn’t have happened. The flowers littered the floor. “He’s coming. He doesn’t sound happy. I don’t think you should be here!”

“Who’s coming?” Galatia said.

“He’s going to want to know your name,” the girl said.

“But I know my name,” Galatia said.

“What is it, then? What is your name?”

The growl came again. It was louder this time, closer.

“If you don’t know your name, you can’t help us.”

“I will protect you,” Galatia said.

“You can’t. It’s coming for us. We have to run, hide!”

Galatia looked around; she felt her heart beating hard and fast. Her hearing became muffled. The only clear sound was the huffing of her quick and shallow breaths—that and the beating of her heart. Those sounds filled her ears. “Where can we hide? I don’t see a way out of here?”

“This way,” the girl said.

Galatia saw the child’s mouth that time. Her lips definitely hadn’t moved.

The odd lighting lit a path. There was a passage Galatia hadn’t seen before. “Come on, follow me!”

Galatia avoided stepping on the carnations. They were now black and gold. “Slow down, please. I can’t run as fast as you.”

“We have to hurry. He’ll be here soon,” she said. She wore black shoes, with white stockings. Galatia hadn’t noticed them before.

“Who will?”

“He will want to know your name. And he’s going to want that chalice. He won’t let you keep it, you know,” the girl said.

The voice was inside Galatia’s head. It had to be. The child was too far ahead and still running. “I know my name!”

“Then you are lucky! He will want it, and the chalice!”

“But I haven’t got a chalice,” Galatia said.

“It’s in your hands,” the girl said.

Galatia stopped running and looked down. She was holding a gold chalice. Had she been holding it the entire time?

The growl came again.

It was behind her. The light only lit the path ahead. Behind was nothing but darkness.

She had to keep running.

The girl was gone. “Little girl?”

She hated calling out loud. She didn’t want to give away her location. It was difficult running. The light ahead dimmed. The darkness was swelling around her. “Little girl!”

Another growl was the only reply.

“I know my name,” Galatia said. It was a lie. She couldn’t remember her name.

She hugged the chalice to her chest. She wasn’t sure why, but she knew she had to keep the gold cup safe. She couldn’t let the thing behind her get it. It was closing the gap between them. It was getting closer, and closer. She sensed it, the way you knew someone was staring at you when you were asleep.

“We need to hurry.” The girl tugged on her arm.

Galatia looked down. Surprised, she said, “Where did you come from?”

“I’ve always been here. There isn’t really any place for me to go.” The girl took Galatia’s hand. “Stay close. You seem nice. I don’t want him to get you.”

“Get me?”

The girl dragged her through passages. She made lefts and rights as the mouths of other tunnels opened. “He always gets the people who don’t belong here.”

Galatia found it difficult to breathe. She gasped, reached toward a wall.

“We can’t stop,” the girl said.

“I can’t keep running like this. How far is it to a way out?”

“Way out?” The girl had stopped running, but continued pulling on Galatia’s arm. “There is no way out.”

“There must be a way out. These tunnels must lead somewhere.” Looking around, Galatia saw dim rays of dark yellow light. It only extended a few yards in front of her in any given direction. She couldn’t help but wonder if she was losing her eyesight; going blind. “We’ve got to find the way out.”

This time when the unknown assailant growled, the sound came from all around them. It was as if there was more than one monster, and they were now surrounded.

“That’s not good,” the little girl said, confirming Galatia’s fears.

“Why does he want the chalice?” Galatia said.

“Because you have it.” The girl’s eyebrows arched, but her mouth remained still. “There is just one thing to remember.”

“What? What’s that?”

“When the darkness comes, don’t scream.”

The darkness came then.

The little girl let go of Galatia’s hand. Blindly, Galatia reached around for the child. Her legs seemed frozen in place. She couldn’t move; wouldn’t move.

And then despite the warning, she couldn’t handle the anticipation. Whatever it was stalking them must be getting closer. So, she screamed.

She yelled, “Osuald!”

Chapter 22

They stopped at the edge of an underground river.

“This wasn’t here before,” Basin said. He set hands on his hips. He studied the fast flowing water.

“What wasn’t?” Quill asked.

“The river. It wasn’t here,” Basin said.

“How do we cross it?” Coil asked.

Basin stared at Coil. “Did you hear me just say, twice, that this river wasn’t here the last time I came through? So why are you asking me how to cross it? I don’t know how to get across.”

“You don’t know how to get across?” Coil said. He turned around, and clapped his hands at his sides. “He doesn’t know how to get across.”

Mykal squatted by the bank, and looked at the other side. “It’s too far to jump.”

“You could do that thing, like you did with the moat. Freeze a path for us to cross,” Eadric said.

“He can’t,” Anna said. “We’re too close. They’ll pick up on his use of magic.”

Blodwyn tapped his staff on the rock. “She’s right. We seem to have come this far undetected. If we tip our hat now, the element of surprise is gone. I don’t think that’s something we should risk.”

“Well,” Basin said, as if ready to give up, turn around, and head back the way they’d come.

“There must be a place where we can cross,” Blodwyn said.

Mykal looked along the river in either direction. “Footing is going to be a challenge. There’s not much of a path, and the ceiling is very low.”

“Do we know how deep this is?” Coil removed items off his body, and stuck a booted foot into the water. “Current’s fast.”

That had been obvious. Mykal refrained from calling him on it. “I don’t think you should try it.”

“Hold the rope,” Coil said.

“Hey, Coil, don’t do this,” Quill said. “Let’s see if we can find a better place for crossing.”

“It’s cold,” Coil said, not listening at all. He stood with his back to the river. Both of his hands gripped the bank as best they could. The others pulled the rope taut. Coil was a large, large man. Pulling him from the river would be difficult if they had to rescue him. His legs were in the water. “It’s not that deep.”

The water was up past his knees. With how swift it moved, it was deep enough. Underfoot, the rocks would be slippery. If he fell, he’d be swept away.

Except for the rope, if it held.

Coil lifted one hand off the bank. He raised it in the air. His face reddened. He looked strained maintaining solid footing. The river roared; the sound of it coursing through the caves with crashing speed reverberated off of everything.

“The current is too strong, get out of there,” Blodwyn said. “We don’t want to have to fish for you later. I’ve gone fishing with Mykal many times. He’s not that good.”

Coil laughed. “You might be right. Not about Mykal fishing, I’m sure the lad can cast and reel just fine. But the water, it’s too strong. It is pulling hard at my legs.”

Mykal saw Eadric wince at Blodwyn’s comment. He wondered if his father felt regret at never having taken his son fishing.

“Let’s get him out,” Eadric said, leaned forward, and stretched out his hand.

Coil extended his arm, and their fingers touched, but that was it.

Coil made an odd sound. It sounded like a surprised grunt. He threw himself backward. He fell into the water. His head went under, and his legs shot up and out. No one was ready. His impressive weight yanked on the rope.

Basin was dragged into the river. His arms flailed over his head. He let out a shout as his body hit the water. It was cut short as his head plunged below the surface. The others sprang into action, grabbing on to the rope, and searching the ground for footing, trying to dig their boots into damp rock. It didn’t work.

Just down a ways, Coil was battling the current, reaching for Basin.

Their combined weight dragged the others toward the bank.

Mykal made eye contact with his mother.

Her eyes pleaded with him for help.

He was torn. Magic was the only thing that could save them. He wasn’t going to let Coil die. The man had given up his home to follow them. He’d proven himself loyal to the cause, and a friend.

Blodwyn unfastened the rope from around his waist and rushed down the bank. He dropped onto his stomach and offered the end of his staff as a lifeline.

Eadric remained secured to the rope, but sat on the back of Blodwyn’s legs.

Coil, with one arm around Basin’s neck, reached for the staff, but missed. The swipe of his arm must have made him lose his balance. He and Basin went under water, but came back up immediately. Gasping, he stretched his arm as far as he could toward the lifeline. His fingers touched the end of the staff, and almost walked across the wood until he could close a fist on the head.

Blodwyn strained, and grunted as he attempted hauling them closer to the bank. He held onto the staff with both hands.

“Stay where you are,” Eadric said. “Hold that rope tight!”

Quill, Mykal, and Anna obeyed, pulling on the rope, and doing their best to walk backwards.

Anna slipped. Her foot went out in front of her. She fell back, onto her rump. She never let go of the rope.

Mykal almost released his grip on the rope, but she said, “I’m okay!”

She stood up, and got a better grip on the rope with both hands, as if determined not to fall again. They heaved.

Coil held one end of the staff, and said to Basin, “Work your way across.”

Basin looked hesitant about letting go of Coil, keeping an arm tight around the man’s neck.

“Go!” Coil said.

Basin reached up and grabbed onto the staff.

“Your other arm,” Coil said.

Basin let go of Coil and held fast to the staff.

“Work your way to the bank,” Eadric said, holding an arm out.

Walking with hand over hand, Basin made it closer to the bank. Eadric snatched a hold of Basin’s arm. “I’ve got ya!”

“Don’t let go,” Basin said.

“I’m not. I won’t.” Eadric groaned as he hauled Basin in closer.

Coil looked fatigued.

Eadric let go of Basin’s arm, and quickly grabbed him by the back of the pants. Basin scrambled for a way out of the water, but it appeared like he was fighting Eadric’s help. The struggle continued far too long. Eadric let go of Basin, leaned back, and then punched him in the jaw.

Before Basin could topple backward into the river, Eadric grabbed the man’s arm. He dug in the heels of his feet, and pulled Basin out of the water.

Coil was working his way across the staff. His arms were fully extended. His head was in the water. It kept rushing over his face. He kept his head tilted back, in an almost futile attempt at keeping water out of his nose and mouth.

Blodwyn tried pulling him closer.

“He’s getting tired,” Quill said. “Eadric, get him!”

Setting Basin aside, Eadric lunged forward. His arms missed as Coil lost his grip and sank into the river.

The rope went tight again.

“Hold it!” Quill said.

Mykal looked around. They needed something stronger to tether, than the three of them.

“He’s been under too long,” Anna said.

Blodwyn poked at the water with his staff. “We’ve got to get him out of there!”

“I’m going in,” Eadric said.

“You can’t,” Anna said.

Mykal let go of the rope with one hand and aimed his arm at the water.

“Mykal,” Anna said.

He ignored the plea, and concentrated. His eyes followed the length of rope into the river. It was being sawed by sharp rocks. In a moment, they wouldn’t be able to rescue him.

Coil came up and out of the water. The water streamed off of his body and wet clothing as he soared over the river, and to safety on the bank. Mykal lowered him carefully, and then severed his magic.

It had been done in a fast burst of energy. Hopefully the Mountain King’s witch didn’t detect a thing. If he was lucky, Galatia would have, and she might rest a little easier knowing they were close to saving her.

“He’s not breathing,” Eadric said.

“Get out of the way.” Blodwyn dropped his staff beside Coil, and knelt near the man’s chest. “Stretch him out flat on his back.”