“Aye,” the barbarian said with a sudden grin. “And y’vetested ’im in yer own way, ’aven’t ye?”
“Pay no heed at yon Fist,” the dwarf said and held out bothhands to grasp Vlandar’s. “He told a little of what y’ plan to do here. Maybe Ican help some. Said y’ need a way from ’ere, and somethin’ ’bout treasure. Was achamber I could show you, if I can trace back th’ way from here. Small place,wit’ ten giants guardin’ me and a pair of orcs. We was stuck buildin’ a pit thatguards the way between a door and a small room wit’ but an odd chest or so init. Odd, they’d guard us so well if there was nothing of value in there.”
“Odd,” Khlened replied, grinning fiercely.
“It’s a plan,” Vlandar said. “Let’s get going on it and getout of here.” He eyed the still-chained dwarves. They looked back at him, mostlyexpressionless. “Let us free these fellows and then be gone. We have business tofinish here.”
14
Vlandar led the way back toward the main east-west passage,but as they neared it, Malowan drew him back.
“You were wounded back there.”
“And you healed that,” the warrior replied.
The paladin shook his head. “You and I both know you don’tget over the shock of such a blow right away, even healed. Be a sensible leader and delegate.”
Vlandar sighed faintly but nodded agreement.
“Nemis,” the paladin added, “if you have a spell of heavysleep that you can use from here, put it on those two.” He indicated the torturechamber with a nod of his head.
“Get me to the end of this passage, and I can,” the magereplied softly.
“Maera and I will look first,” Rowan said, “to be certainnothing is waiting for us.”
Malowan laid a hand on her shoulder before she could leave.
“Nothing is,” he said. “I searched.”
Agya came up to join him, but he sent her back with Lhors and Maera. When she was about to argue, a finger against his lips and a stern look silenced her.
“You are not here as a fighter,” Malowan said, the wordsbarely reaching Lhors.
“And a good ward don’t argue with ’er protector,” Agya mumbled under herbreath. “Yessir.”
The girl turned away, her lips twisted in frustration.
Malowan gestured for Bleryn to join him-probably learningwhere things were, Lhors thought. He couldn’t hear any of that, but the dwarfseemed to be glancing at him-or maybe Agya or Rowan who were also close by-as hetalked. The youth leaned against the rough stone wall, then settled on his heels to wait.
Vlandar came over to crouch next to Lhors. His hand was dark with dried blood, but as he caught the younger man’s troubled look, he pulled acloth and his water bottle out and scrubbed the mess away.
“It wasn’t half as bad as it looked,” the warrior assuredhim, “and it’s completely healed now. I’m fine.”
Yes, Lhors thought, this time. He had precious few people left in the world whom he could call friends, and he didn’t want to lose any ofthem.
“We’re just waiting for Nemis to deal with those giants yousaw sleeping earlier,” said Vlandar.
“But aren’t they already asleep?” Lhors asked.
“A sleep spell will keep them asleep until someone comes towaken them. With no doors on that chamber they may not wake for hours. With a little luck, we will be able to get to where Khlened’s friend the dwarf knowsthe way into another passage.”
“You think we’ll find a way out from there?” Lhors asked. Tohimself he said, maybe we will never find a way out. Maybe there is no way out except back up through a hoard of giants and others who are waiting to kill us all. Not a good thought, especially in this gloomy passage.
Vlandar shrugged and smiled. “Their chief must come down heresometimes. He wouldn’t do that if he couldn’t get out, would he? Even hillgiants aren’t stupid enough to build only one way out of a place.”
Lhors looked up as Nemis came back to join them. The mage closed his eyes briefly and made a pillow of his hands, his mouth sagging open, pantomiming sleep. Vlandar got to his feet and held out a hand to help the youth to his feet. Lhors felt a little less worried. They might not be strong as giants or as big, but they had a company with experience and skills.
Malowan beckoned everyone close. “The two giants in thatchamber won’t waken now unless someone shakes or kicks them. But remember thereare other guards about. We must go quickly and quietly, but Bleryn has just told me something.” He eyed the rangers.
“It’s the ears,” the dwarf rumbled. “When giants first tookme, they brung me down some stairs and into th’ cells ’cross the main roomyonder. They kept us separate, but I could see others when they was took out. Your ears reminded me there’s an elf down here.”
Maera shook her head. “An elf? Malowan, we can’t-”
“I know we cannot ignore such a prisoner,” the paladin brokein, “but there are barracks near the cells. We must be quick and quiet.”
“Fine,” Maera said evenly. “Get us there, and we will.”
Malowan merely nodded, gestured for Khlened to bring up the rear, and took the dwarf with him as he led the way into the east-west hall.
They eased into the long passage and waited against the south wall while Agya flitted across to listen at the end of the north passage. Vlandar and Lhors watched that way. Malowan and the others kept a close eye on the east passage. The girl shook her head and gestured, None close, then glanced into the torture chamber and quickly away. But as she looked down the hall the way they were about to go, she clapped both hands over her mouth and froze. Lhors heard Rowan draw a startled breath. The hair on his neck stood up, and it was an effort to turn and see what frightened them so.
A hideous hill giant and a long-armed hairy brute shambling on all fours came out of the north passage to the main chamber. The keeper and his ape.
The keeper was a crook-backed creature. When he turned to glare through the open barracks door, Lhors could see that one of the giant’seye sockets was empty and a portion of his nose was missing. A thinning shock of filthy hair stuck straight up from his head like rotting corn stalks in a winter field. The one ear Lhors could see was torn and bleeding. Light glinted on a grubby rag of a jerkin that exposed more than it hid of a chain-mail shirt. He snarled something, baring a few misshapen teeth, perhaps calling for the guards who should be in that chamber.
Lhors glanced back. Agya hadn’t moved. The giant seemedpreoccupied with the missing bugbear guard, but the ape rose to its hind feet, head moving as if testing the air. Maybe it smelled fresh blood, Lhors thought.
The party hadn’t been seen yet, but they soon would be, Lhorsknew. If they moved, that ape would be aware of them. Possibly it could smell them from where it was; the distance wasn’t that great, but enough light pouredinto the passage from the torture chamber that the guard and his ape would see them as soon as they turned this way.
The ape tugged at its chain. It knew where those guards were. Lhors was certain of it. The guard snarled what might have been a name or a curse, then dragged the ape back and cuffed it. The creature fell back, but still sniffed the air suspiciously.
The giant turned to look down the long end of the passage. At first, he stared at them blankly. When his one eye took in what it saw, he hauled a two-edged battle-axe from his belt and yanked hard on the ape’s chain,dragging the creature off its feet and sending it sprawling. The beast opened its mouth to scream, but he yanked on the chain again.
Agya shrieked-a faint little cry that Lhors barely heard-butthe ape was suddenly aware of them as well. It rolled onto all fours and bared its teeth, snarling.
“That’s done it,” Rowan muttered. She ran across the hall tograb the girl and haul her back to the relative safety of the company. Nemis began mumbling under his breath as Rowan drew the girl close and began talking to her in a low voice. “It won’t get you, child. We will keep it away from you.”Agya nodded and drew a steadying breath as Malowan, Khlened, and the dwarf pelted down the hall straight at the two monsters. The keeper stared at them, then smiled unpleasantly and freed the ape.