Khyber stopped in front of him. «Traunt Rowan sent for us.»
The Gnome hesitated. «I wasn’t told.»
« Is he up there?» she asked, gesturing toward the stairs.
« He has gone to bed. Do the same and come back again tomorrow when he is here.»
She shook her head. «I have to leave something for him.» She pointed at the stairs. «Up there.»
Another Gnome drifted over. The three of them were staring at her. The remaining Gnomes were clumped together on the far side of the hall, engaged in their own conversation and not paying much attention to the first group. It was time to act. They could break past these three, she thought. They could gain the stairs before the guards could stop them.
She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. That kind of thinking could get them killed.
She gestured at the Gnome. «You can come with me, if you need to make certain of what I will do. Surely you can allow me that?»
The Gnome had shifted his gaze to Pen and was studying him closely. «I don’t know you,” he said. «You’re just a boy, too young to be a Druid. Why do you wear a Druid robe?»
Pen straightened. «I am an apprentice in training. I am nephew to Traunt Rowan himself and not a boy.» He folded his arms across his chest. «I will tell him what you said.»
« Tell him what you like,” the Gnome grunted. He looked back at Khyber. «You can’t go up there. Not tonight. I have my orders.»
She stared at him with an intensity that would have melted iron, knowing she had pushed matters as far as she could, that her only options now were to turn around and go back or try to fight her way through. She glanced at Pen, saw that he was set to fight, put a hand on his shoulder to calm him, and said, «Let’s go.»
She walked him back down the corridor without looking at him, silencing his protests with a quick squeeze of his shoulder, her mind racing. She wasn’t about to give up, not with what was at stake. But she needed a better approach than a straightforward attack on six armed Gnome Hunters.
When she was around the corner and out of their sight, she wheeled on Pen. «Don’t worry, we’re going back. But we need a plan for this. It won’t help if we’re injured or killed—especially you. You’ll have all you can do just to stay alive on the other side.»
« I can manage,” he said.
She gave him a long, hard look. «I have to say this before the time to say anything has run out. What you encounter inside the Forbidding will be much worse than what you’ve encountered here. You will be all alone, and I haven’t any idea how you will protect yourself from the things imprisoned in there. I can help you. I’m not Ahren, but I do have training in the use of Druid magic, enough so that I can be of use. More important, I have the Elfstones. I think you should take me with you.»
He shook his head. «You know I can’t do that.»
« I know youthink you can’t. I know you were told you couldn’t. But maybe we need to test what you were told. The King of the Silver River has misled you more than once. You have already sacrificed yourself in ways that you weren’t expecting. What might you be expected to sacrifice this time? Maybe I can keep that from happening.»
« No, Khyber,” he said firmly. His mouth tightened into a thin line. «If you come with me—if you even can—no one will ever know what has happened to either one of us if I fail. But if you stay behind, you might be able to change things without me. You might find a different way to help, a better way.»
She snorted. «There is no other way. You know that.»
« No, I don’t. I don’t know anything. Neither do you. We’re still learning what’s possible.» He paused. «I do know this much. The staff and I are bonded in a way that makes it very clear to me that in this one instance, at least, the King of the Silver River was right. I have to go alone. No one else is going to be
allowed to go with me.»
She stared at him. «You are so stubborn, Penderrin.»
« You should know, Khyber. Who is more stubborn than you?»
« I wish you would change your mind.» She folded her arms and waited, then gave him a cryptic nod.
« Just remember not to put yourself in danger needlessly. Remember to be patient when you come up against things you can’t get past. Don’t be reckless, Pen. You are, sometimes. But you can’t be in there.»
She waited on his response. «I know,” he said.
« You say it, but I’m not sure you mean it.»
His lips tightened. «I mean it. I know what it will be like. I know it will be bad. But I have to think I have a chance or the King of the Silver River wouldn’t be sending me in the first place. Maybe the darkwand will help protect me. In any case, I promise to be careful, Khyber. You’d do better to worry about yourself. You won’t be much better off than me.»
He was right. She would be alone in the Druid’s Keep with no way out. She would be in as much danger as he was.
She put the matter aside. There was nothing either of them could do about what lay ahead. «Are you ready?»
« Are you?»
« I don’t know.»
« Do you have a plan, Khyber?»
« Just stick close.»
With Pen at her shoulder, she moved back to the bend in the corridor and stopped just out of sight of the Gnome Hunters. She glanced both ways to be certain they were alone, then summoned magic in the form of a spark of light no larger than a firefly. It flared to life then danced in the palm of her hand. She held it for a moment, looked at Pen to be certain he was ready, then stepped out into the hallway and threw the spark at the Gnomes.
The spark flew down the corridor so quickly that it was on them before they knew what it was. One or two had just enough time to glance up before the spark exploded in a ball of fiery light that consumed them. But nothing burned. Instead, weapons, armor, iron stays, and clasps were turned to magnets that locked together instantly, becoming a clutch of metal pieces, pulling all six guards into a struggling heap.
« Now,” Khyber hissed, yanking Pen out of the shadows.
They raced for the stairway, black robes flying out behind them, watching as the pile of hapless Gnome Hunters rolled and thrashed about the floor, trying to free themselves from one another. One or two saw the pair run by and yelled in warning, but could not do anything about it. Before even one of them had regained his feet, Khyber and Pen were past them and racing up the stairs.
By the time they reached the upper floor, Pen was leading the way, flying up the steps and across the floor as he turned down the hall. Rounding the corner of the stairwell, Khyber glanced back over her shoulder. No one was following, but the guards were cursing and screaming and the sporadic flash of her entangling magic revealed that it was still holding them fast. Help would arrive quickly, though. She ran after Pen, who was pulling futilely at the iron handles of a pair of wooden doors that were carved with intricate symbols.
« Locked!» he screamed in frustration.
Khyber pulled him aside, took a moment to study the locks, found the magic that bound them too much for her, and stepped back, motioning Pen behind her. Using a skill Ahren had taught her long ago, she attacked the fastenings on the hinges, where the securing magic was weakest, loosening the bolts that held them, ripping free the outer stays. In moments, the doors had collapsed in a thunderous crash, giving them access to the room beyond.
They rushed into the chamber, Pen wheeling left and right, desperately searching for the missing staff. «Khyber, I don’t see it!»
« There,” she said, pointing toward the ceiling.