Temple of the Dragonslayer (22 page)

“We’ve been following the goblins’ trail for nearly two days, and this is where it ends?” Elidor said. “A small hillock surrounded by a growth of thorns?”

“You should have spent more time among the Kagonesti,” Davyn said. “Maybe then you’d notice that, unlike the others, the ones in front of us aren’t alive. They’re brown and dry.”

Elidor stepped forward to examine the thorn bushes, then turned to Davyn. “So they’re dead thorns. What’s your point?”

Though the sun was still up, dusk wasn’t far off. Davyn had never been to this part of Solamnia, but from what he’d heard about the creatures that lived here, he knew they didn’t want to be out in the open when the sun set.

Jax took a turn examining the thorns. “They are camouflage.”

Davyn nodded. “That would be my guess. Unless the goblins have somehow learned to disappear into thin air.”

Sindri’s eyes widened in wonder. “Do you think they have? I wonder if I can get one of them to teach me how. I’ve already mastered conjuring and levitating. I’d so love to add disappearing to my magical repertoire.”

Elidor looked at Sindri for a moment before finally shaking his head. “I won’t say it—it’s too easy.”

Davyn choked back a laugh as Sindri shot Elidor a dirty look. But the ranger’s amusement soon died away. They were here for one reason: to rescue Nearra. It had been two days since Oddvar, Ugo, and the goblins had taken her. Who knew what they might have done to her in that time? Or whether she was even still—

No, Davyn told himself. Don’t even think that.

Catriona drew her sword. “Let’s get to work. Once we cut away the thorns, we’ll be able to see what they’re hiding.”

But before the warrior could take a swing at the thorns,
Davyn said, “Wait a moment.” He stepped forward, unslung his bow, and used it to prod the thorns. His suspicions confirmed, he hooked the bow around a branch of thorns and began tugging backward. The bush moved easily; in fact, it wasn’t a bush at all, but rather a collection of branches woven together to resemble one.

Catriona used her sword to help Davyn drag the camouflage. When they’d pulled it far enough away, Elidor walked up and peered closely at the section of hillock the thorns had been concealing. He cautiously touched his fingers to the surface of the mound—mostly bare earth covered with patches of scrub grass. The elf moved his hands so lightly over the mound that it seemed he didn’t so much as disturb a single blade of grass.

He turned to the others and grinned. “There’s a door here.”

Davyn let out a sigh of relief.

“It’s locked, I suppose,” Sindri said.

“Of course,” Elidor replied.

“And trapped as well,” Catriona added.

Elidor grinned even wider. “I certainly hope so. Otherwise, breaking in won’t be nearly as much fun.”

“Can you open it?” Davyn asked.

Elidor gave the ranger a look as if the question was the gravest of insults. “Of course. But that’s not our major concern. If the goblins have guards posted on the other side of the door, no matter how quietly I open it, they’ll be alerted to our presence.”

“You worry about the door,” Catriona said, flourishing her sword. “We’ll take care of any goblins.”

Elidor nodded and eagerly returned his attention to the hidden door. The elf’s fingers danced over the surface, touching here, poking there, pushing, prodding, and tapping in what appeared to be a random pattern. Davyn was beginning to wonder if Elidor had lied to them about being able to open the door—after all, weren’t thieves supposed to use lock picks and similar tools?

Finally there was a soft
snik!
and a round section of the hillock swung inward.

They waited several moments, weapons drawn and ready, but no guards came running out of the open doorway.

“I guess the goblins didn’t post any guards.” Sindri sounded almost disappointed.

“With this kind of locking mechanism on the entrance, they probably don’t see any need for guards,” Elidor said. “It’s a pressure lock. Different switches on the door must be pressed in a specific order. Quite sophisticated, really. I’m surprised to find such a complex device being used for a goblin lair.”

Catriona peered at the open doorway. “It doesn’t seem large enough for Ugo to go through.”

“The ogre could pass through if he crawled,” Jax said. “Though even then it would be a tight fit.”

“Maybe the ogre left after he delivered Nearra,” Sindri said.

“Let’s hope,” Catriona said. “It’ll be difficult enough fighting an army of goblins within their own stronghold without having to face Ugo again.”

“I hope it won’t come to that,” Davyn said. “Not if we’re quiet and careful.”

Jax snorted. “It is not the way of my people to slink around in the dark like vermin.”

“What do you suggest?” Elidor asked. “That we shout for the goblins to emerge and return Nearra to us?”

“Yes.” The minotaur sounded as if this were the only logical course of action.

“Our goal is to rescue Nearra,” Davyn said. “Not slay goblins. If we can find where they’re holding her and escape without attracting the goblins’ attention, so much the better.”

Jax scowled, but he said nothing more.

Davyn turned to Elidor. “Any traps to worry about?”

In response, Elidor turned to Sindri. “Have you happened to conjure anything small lately, such as a stone or perhaps a piece of fruit?”

Sindri rummaged through his cape pockets for several moments before finally bringing forth a handful of walnuts. “Will these do?”

“Perfectly.” Elidor took three and Sindri put the rest back. The elf thief then walked back to the entrance of the goblin stronghold and tossed the walnuts onto the ground. Sharp wooden stakes shot forth from the floor, walls, and ceiling of the entrance. The tips of the stakes were coated with a greasy, foul-smelling substance. Undoubtedly, it was poison.

Elidor turned and grinned at Davyn. “To answer your question: not anymore.”

“How are we supposed to get through now?” Catriona asked. The stakes filled the entranceway, save for a small round space barely large enough for a kender to fit through.

“Very carefully,” Elidor said. He then backed up and ran toward the ring of poisoned stakes. Before anyone could stop him, he dove through the space in the middle, hit the ground, and rolled gracefully into a standing position. He turned around to face his companions and executed a graceful bow.

“Ta-dah!” he said.

Sindri clapped. “That was great! Now it’s my turn!”

But before the kender could take a step, Catriona moved in front of him and blocked the way.

“Oh no you don’t! I haven’t kept you alive as long as I have just to watch you die from attempting a somersault.”

“I don’t think somersault is the right word,” Sindri said. “I mean, you have to dive through the ring before—”

“There’s no need for the rest of you to resort to acrobatics.” Elidor walked farther into the tunnel, his hands moving as quickly as spiders over the walls. “Ah! Here it is.” He pressed his palm against a certain section of the wall, and the ring of stakes began to slowly retract. A moment later, they disappeared into the earth.

“The trap’s been reset,” Elidor said. “It’s safe to enter—provided you don’t step where the stakes emerged.”

The remaining companions entered the tunnel. Jax went last, turning behind him to carefully drag the thorn camouflage back into place, using only his bare hands. His hide was so tough that not a single thorn pierced his skin.

“What about the door?” Davyn asked as they joined Elidor.

“It’s simple to open and close from this side. All you have to do is push.”

Jax started to push the door closed, but Davyn said, “Hold a moment.” He removed a lantern from his pack, then used his flint and striker to light the wick. “Should I unhood the lantern?”

“No,” Elidor said. “I should have no trouble leading you all in the dark. A light would simply announce our presence to our enemies.”

Davyn nodded and pulled shut the thin metal door that cut off the lantern’s light, leaving it lit, just in case.

Jax then pushed the door shut easily, sealing it tight and plunging them into total darkness.

“I suggest we keep our weapons drawn and ready,” Catriona said, her voice sounding both louder and muffled at the same time. “We are in an enemy stronghold, after all.”

It was a sensible precaution, but Davyn thought he detected a slight quaver in Catriona’s voice. Was the warrior afraid of the dark?

“Let me carry the lantern,” Sindri said. “That way, you can keep your bow strung with an arrow ready to fire.”

Another sensible suggestion, but Davyn wasn’t sure whether he could trust Sindri with the lantern. He imagined the kender opening the hood out of curiosity and releasing a beam of light just as a squadron of goblins came tromping around a corner.

Sindri sighed. “I promise not to play with it, all right?”

Davyn hesitated a moment more before finally holding out the lantern for Sindri to take. He couldn’t see the kender, nor could he hear his footfalls. But the lantern left his hand so gently that Davyn began to wonder if Sindri really did possess levitation magic.

Then the kender’s voice came from directly in front of him. “I have it, Davyn.”

“Good.” Davyn then strung his bow, removed an arrow from his quiver, and nocked it. He didn’t need light to perform this maneuver. The action was as natural to him as breathing.

“Stay close to each other,” Elidor advised. “And try to keep a free hand on the wall to guide you. If you need to stop for any reason, tell the rest of us. It’s too easy to get lost in the dark, and I’ll be too busy watching the way ahead of us to keep tabs on the rest of you. And from now on, don’t speak unless it’s absolutely necessary—”

“That means you, Sindri!” Catriona said.

“Even the smallest of sounds can travel far underground,” Elidor finished.

For a moment, Davyn reconsidered allowing the elf to lead. He’d lied to them about knowing the way to the temple, and he was a thief. How could they trust him?

But you’ve lied to them, too, Davyn thought. And far worse than Elidor ever did. If there’s anyone in this group who doesn’t deserve to be trusted, it’s you.

He was surprised at how painful this thought was to him.

“Everyone ready?” Elidor whispered.

There came a chorus of whispered agreement.

“Then let’s go.”

D
arkness surrounded them like a shadowy cocoon. Davyn felt as if he were lost, cut off from the real world and stranded in some strange dimension. He felt the uneven stone floor of the tunnel beneath his boots, and he breathed stale air that had been trapped too long underground.

The tunnel wound and curved as it continued to angle downward, deeper and deeper into the earth. After a time, it became wider, and from the feel of it, hard bare rock gave way to smooth carved stone.

We must be getting closer, Davyn thought. He then became aware of a rank odor, one that he’d smelled before, back in the forest. It was goblin-stink.

They continued downward for a bit longer, and then Davyn realized he could see again. He couldn’t make out much, just the shadowy outlines of the others, but it was enough to tell him that they were approaching a light source of some kind. And down here, where there was light, there would be goblins.

“This is a lucky break,” Elidor whispered. “You can extinguish the lantern now, Sindri. I don’t think we’re going to need it.”

“Why?” Davyn asked. But before Elidor could respond, Sindri closed the tiny shutter on top of the lantern to cut off its air
supply. The fire inside soon would die out.

“It appears the goblins have their own manner of light source,” Elidor said. “Let’s see if I can … got one!”

Elidor turned to the others and held out his hand. Caught between his thumb and forefinger was a small beetle. It looked ordinary enough, except that its shell emitted a faint glowing light.

“There are only a few of these insects in this portion of the tunnel,” Elidor said. “I imagine they will become more numerous as we continue.” He placed the beetle back on the wall and it scuttled off.

“How marvelous!” Sindri said. “I wonder if these glitter-beetles are natural or the result of some sort of spell?”

The latter, Davyn guessed. These insects looked like some magical combination of cave beetle and firefly.

“We shall need to be even more cautious now,” Jax said. “If we can see the goblins, then they in turn will be able to see us.”

They continued downward, more slowly than before, weapons held at the ready. The number of glitter-beetles increased, as did the light, until all the companions could see without any trouble, though the tunnel remained shadowy and the insects’ light painted everything in eerie hues of bluish-white. They could now see that the tunnel opened into a larger chamber. They crept quietly up to the edge of the doorway and peered in.

The chamber was in actuality a gigantic cavern, so high and wide that the ceiling and walls weren’t visible. On the cavern floor was a haphazard conglomeration of stone structures: towers tilting at all angles, if not broken off altogether; buildings that leaned on their sides, as if they’d been frozen in the process of sliding into the earth; fragmented arches; scattered blocks of stone. Swarming over it all were uncountable numbers of glitter-beetles.