The Paladin Prophecy (30 page)

Another smashing blow to the door, then three in succession with increasing speed and power. The inside of the plate around the knob started to warp.

“He’s chopping down the freaking door,” said Nick.

Ajay climbed completely into the locker, grabbed hold of the metal hooks in its ceiling, and twisted them. “Okay, I think I’ve got it,” said Ajay.

“Any time,” said Will as another blow landed, pushing the knob inward.

Ajay jammed one foot against a bulge in the metal on the left side, lifted his right foot, and pressed it against a similar bulge on the right. Then he grabbed and turned the hooks as hard as he could. They heard a snick as a catch gave way.

“Now pull!” shouted Ajay.

Will and Nick grabbed the lockers and yanked. This time they gave and the section fell toward them, with Ajay still inside. Will and Nick jumped out of the way as it crashed to the floor. Directly behind where the lockers had stood, a rough hole in the cinder-block wall led to a dark narrow passage.

“Little help here,” said Ajay, muffled, from inside the locker.

Another furious blow landed on the door; Will glanced back and saw the hatchet punch through next to the knob. A second blow doubled the size of the gash.

“This dude’s serious,” said Nick.

“Nick!” said Will. He grabbed the bottom of the lockers, and Nick took the other side. Lifting with all their strength, they leveraged the lockers to a standing position. Ajay came into view, upside down in the middle one, squashed in a pile.

“That was most unpleasant,” Ajay croaked.

As Ajay tumbled out, Will and Nick shoved the section of lockers toward the door. A hand in a black metallic glove ripped through the hole by the lock plate and felt around for the lock. Ajay jumped in to add his weight as they slammed the lockers against the door. They heard a snarl of pain from outside.

“You like that?” shouted Nick, eyes lit up, hopping back and forth. “Come get some, fool, bring it!”

“Nick, are you insane?” asked Will. “Don’t yell at the guy with the hatchet.”

“Look on the bright side,” said Nick. “At least it’s not a lamia.”

Will wedged a bench between the barricading lockers and the nearest wall, anchoring it in place. The roommates glanced at each other, breathless, then turned to the narrow opening in the wall.

“Who wants to go first?” asked Will, and switched on his flashlight.

DÉJÀ VU

Ajay darted through the hole in the wall, with Nick and Will close behind. Through the first few turns, the walls of the passage were reinforced by concrete, which gave way to a structure of broad timbers. Fifty feet later, they were in a tunnel of solid rock that looked as if it had been dug with chisels.

“Did he get through? Is he coming after us?” asked Nick.

“Not yet,” said Will, glancing back. “Don’t hear anything.”

“Are either of you claustrophobic?” asked Ajay, shining his light ahead.

“I’m not,” said Nick.

“Never have been.”

“Let’s hope you’re right,” said Ajay. “This would be a bad place to find out otherwise.”

The tunnel closed in quickly around them from that point forward, until it was wide enough for one person and only Ajay could move freely without crouching down.

“Who was he? Did you get a good look at him?” asked Will.

“He’s wearing a big helmet,” said Nick. “And a black cape and a belt with an iron buckle and awesome chain mail armor and an iron mask.”

“He’s got to be one of the Peers,” said Will. “But how did he know we were down here?”

“I can feel air moving around us,” said Ajay. “I think that’s good.”

“Where the deuce are we?” asked Nick.

“I’ll be able to tell you when we get back to the pod,” said Ajay, pressing the GPS button on his pager again.

“What good will it do us then?” asked Nick.

“We’re in a secret passage,” said Will. “Emphasis on
secret
. Keep going.”

“It seems surprisingly clean,” said Ajay, feeling the walls. “Without the overwhelming number of insects and vermin you might expect.”

“That may mean it’s used frequently,” said Will. “By whoever the Peers are.”

“Agreed,” said Ajay.

“I don’t think so,” said Nick.

“Oh? Why’s that?” asked Ajay.

“Dude, it’s not wide enough for them to get through here with those hats on.”

“I’m sorry, my bad,” said Ajay. “I forgot you were an idiot.”

“Whoa, I just had a mind-blowing flash,” said Nick. “You know the statue of the Paladin in front of the field house?
That’s
who Ax Dude looked like.”

“Honestly, Nick? I don’t find that at all helpful,” said Ajay, creeping ahead.

“I’m serious. He’s wearing armor and a helmet like the statue, and he had the cape thingy and he’s carrying a sword and hatchet like the statue, too—”

“You’re alleging that a
statue
made of metal came to life and chased us like a homicidal maniac,” said Ajay, coming to a stop.

“I didn’t say the dude was
made
of metal—”

“He’s saying,” said Will, “it was somebody dressed up to
look
like the statue.”

“
Thank
you,” said Nick.

“At least now you’ve moved from the ridiculous to the merely implausible,” said Ajay, going forward again. “Why would any person do such a thing?”

“Maybe the Peers are pissed off we found their playhouse,” said Nick. “And the treasure chest with their Happy Meals hat collection.”

“They wanted to scare the living hell out of us,” said Will.

“Because …?”
asked Ajay.

“Because,” said Will, annoyed at his tone, “I saw them earlier today with the Weasel Hole and now we know what they call themselves.
Okay?
”

“Forgive me,” said Ajay, glancing back at him. “I get grumpy when being chased by an ax murderer.”

“It was a hatchet,” said Nick.

“Otherwise known as a
hand ax
,” said Ajay.

“But, dude, I gotta give you props,” said Nick. “You’re amazingly chill about it.”

“I
seem
calm from years of meditation,” said Ajay. “But I assure you it’s taking all my self-control to restrain an irresistible impulse to shout for my mommy.”

Will pointed his flashlight into the darkness behind them, light glinting off the rocks. “Can you see anything up ahead?” he asked.

“The walls are getting wider,” said Ajay. “And we’re moving slightly downward. Can you feel the change in the grade?”

“Yes,” said Will. “Keep going.”

The tunnel gradually widened as they trudged on, until the walls fell out of sight. They stopped and shined their lights into the heavy gloom. The ceiling lofted high above them and the walls were shored up by rows of ancient timbers.

“Damn, who built all this?” asked Nick, looking around in wonder.

“I don’t know,” said Will. “But it’s been here a long time.”

“This would have taken years, if not decades,” said Ajay, examining the timbers. “Controlled blasting, all this shoring up, it’s a massive operation.”

The air felt humid, fresh, and much warmer than expected. Somewhere they heard water trickling. A surprising heat enveloped them, emanating from the walls. About an inch of water splashed underfoot as they moved along.

“We must be getting close to the lake,” said Ajay.

They passed a few dark openings, leading off in either direction. As they neared the far end of the big chamber, the walls narrowed down again, until finally they reached a finished wooden door frame leading to another tight, carved tunnel. They followed the twisting tunnel and fifty feet farther on, the corridor dead-ended in a T-intersection, with two tunnels heading off at ninety degrees.

“Which way do we go?” asked Nick.

At that exact moment, they heard voices and footsteps echoing from far back behind them and erratic beams of light glanced off the rocks in the tunnel.

“Let’s try this way,” said Will, pointing to the right.
“Run.”

They sprinted, single file, but the passage soon widened enough to move side by side. The tunnel dipped down even deeper, leveled off for a long stretch, then rose sharply again. Fifty yards farther on, it ended abruptly in a small rock chamber.

These walls had been shored up with timbers that looked newer than any they’d seen so far. A sturdy steel ladder climbed straight up the far wall, into a narrow round chute. Without a word, they pocketed their flashlights, jumped onto the rungs, and climbed with desperate speed into darkness. Fifty feet, then a hundred, losing track of where they were, impossible to see how far they had to go.

“There’s no end to the damn thing—Ow!” said Ajay, in the lead, just as his head bonked into something hard. He stopped and the others piled into him. “Check that—I’ve found the end. Nick, please be kind enough to withdraw your head to a reasonable distance from my hindquarters.”

“Sorry,” said Nick, then turned to Will. “Back up, dude.”

Will dropped down a rung, hooked an arm around the ladder, brought out his flashlight, flicked it on, and pointed up. A wooden hatch, just above Ajay, covered the tunnel where the ladder stopped.

“Open it,” said Nick.

“Many thanks for your helpful suggestion,” said Ajay. Far below, at the other end of the ladder, they heard shouts. Moments later, someone pointed a flashlight up the chimney. The beam didn’t reach them but if their pursuers began to climb, it wouldn’t be long before they were spotted, and trapped.

“
Can
you open it?” asked Will, whispering.

Ajay pressed his shoulder against the wood and pushed as hard as he could. It rose slightly but he couldn’t lift it. “I need help.”

Ajay slid over to make room as Nick climbed up beside him, and they applied all their weight; this time it lifted a foot, hinging on one side.

“Put your back into it,” whispered Nick. “Come on, bro, we’ve got this.”

“On three,” whispered Will, shoving his shoulders into their rear ends.

At the count of three, they pushed together. The door swung up to the hinges’ balance point, hung there precariously, then fell backward with a muffled thud. They scrambled out onto long, wet grass.

“Close it fast,” said Will.

They scuttled over, lifted the hatch, and dropped it over the opening.

“Is there a lock on it?” asked Will.

“I don’t see one,” said Ajay.

“If we stand on it, they can’t follow us,” asked Nick.

“Yes, you two wait here,” said Ajay dryly. “I’ll go buy a hammer and nails.”

“Where are we?” asked Nick.

“I have no idea,” said Will, looking around.

They were in a small clearing in the middle of some woods. Ajay turned and looked up; his eyes went wide.

“Uh, guys,” said Ajay. He pointed. “It appears we’re on the island.”

Nick and Will turned. The Gothic-style Crag loomed above them, less than a hundred yards away. They were practically in its backyard. The forbidding castle looked enormous from this distance, stone ramparts arching high above them. Dogs were barking, and lights came into view, bobbing toward them from a nearby gate.

“They know we’re here,” said Will.

“How could they possibly know that?” asked Nick.

“Someone must have told them we were in the tunnels.”

“Probably that Paladin fellow,” Ajay said. “He must have alerted the rest of the Peers—”

“Dudes, discuss later?” Nick said. “Those guards are nobody we want to mess with.”

They ran away from the lights, the hatch, and the Crag. A waning moon had risen in the east, offering enough light to dimly show the way. Within minutes, they had passed through the woods and reached the water’s edge. The closest shore stood a quarter of a mile away across the lake. Will put a hand in the water.

“This is the western shore,” said Nick, pointing across the water. “School’s that way.”

“Should we swim for it?” asked Ajay.

“Water’s too cold,” said Nick. “And the guards have powerboats.”

“Let’s grab one ourselves,” said Will.

“There’s a dock on this side of the island,” said Ajay, pointing to their right. “Over this way.”

Behind them they heard shouts and saw lights twisting in the dark as the Peers exiting the tunnel hooked up with the guards from the Crag.

“Hurry,” said Will. “That’s where they’ll look first.”

They ran along the shoreline to their right. A small dock came into view, with a rowboat and motorized tender tied at the end. Two guards stood near shore, under a light on a pole. Will bent down and retied his shoes.

“Wait for me here,” he whispered. “Don’t make a sound. Be ready when I come for you.”

“Where are you going?” asked Ajay.

“To get a boat.”

Will pumped in a few deep breaths and launched toward the dock. The rocky beach provided poor footing but he reached cruising speed quickly. As he neared the dock, Will slowed and waved at the sentries: grown men wearing dark uniforms.

“Hey, how ya doing?” asked Will.

Will sped by the dock. The sentries ran after him, shouting warnings to stop. Will stepped on the gas and turned right, heading inland, narrowly avoiding collisions with the densely packed trees. The sentries gave chase, crashing clumsily through the brush, calling out to the others.

The lights of the group to Will’s right, who had nearly reached the dock, turned and backtracked toward them. Will zigzagged through the woods, dodging and jumping obstacles, making a lot of noise to let the group join up behind him and find his trail.

Will broke into an opening near the castle. He dropped into a crouch when he saw a single silhouette with a flashlight thirty feet to his left. Will recognized the figure’s shape and its awkward, lurching gait:

Lyle Ogilvy
.

Can’t say I’m surprised to see him
, thought Will. Lyle moved with purpose instead of thrashing around in the dark. He came to a stop and raised his head like a dog catching a scent. Will sensed Lyle was about to turn. He did, but by then Will had ducked behind a tree.

He knows I’m here. He can feel my presence
.

Will felt around for a fallen branch and hurled it deep into the woods. Lyle whipped his flashlight in that direction. Will’s other pursuers turned toward where it landed. Will pivoted 180 degrees and sprinted back the way he’d come.