"I will share my secrets," it whispered to him.
***
Even before Lannon awoke the next morning, he knew he had his answer. Neither the risk of losing his Knighthood nor even the risk of losing his very life could keep him from going in the dark and forbidden mines below. The Divine Essence had apparently commanded it, and Lannon could not refuse. A dream of the Essence was no ordinary dream. One only had to read the first chapter of Tales of Kuran Darkender to learn that. It had promised to share its secrets with Lannon. How could he ignore that?
When Lannon revealed his decision, Vorden was overcome with excitement, and seemed quite forgiving. He apologized several times for his attitude of the night before, swearing that Lannon would be his friend forever. The ease with which Vorden forgave him startled Lannon, yet he couldn't deny that a great burden had been lifted off his shoulders, leaving him feeling relieved but uncertain.
The day drifted by slowly. He could not seem to focus on his training and did poorly. All he wanted was for the day to end so they could get their plan moving before the anxiety wore his nerves down. Vorden, however, seemed to train with extra vigor and couldn't hide the delight he felt over something that terrified Lannon.
When at last all their training was done, the Blue Squires sat in their quarters talking it over. Vorden laid out a specific plan he had thought up during the day, and then Lannon knew beyond a doubt they were actually going to go through with this-something he hadn't quite believed until now.
"The plan is simple," said Vorden. "We'll all go down to the first floor together. While one of us picks the lock of the door to Old Keep, the other two will watch the stairs and listen at the front door for anyone approaching. Once it's unlocked, I'll swipe one of those Birlote torches off the wall and we'll head on in, closing the door behind us. No one will even know we went that way."
"What if someone notices the torch is missing?" said Lannon.
"Not likely," said Vorden. "And even if they do, how can they prove we took it? The fact is-they can't. Anyone could have stolen it for any reason."
"But what if someone sees us when we go down to the first floor?" said Lannon. "What should we tell them?"
"We say we heard a noise and came down to investigate," said Vorden. "And then we stick with that story no matter what. Look, don't worry about it. Most everyone's in bed by now, anyway."
"But what if someone checks on us?" said Lannon.
"We won't be gone that long," said Vorden. "But if someone checks on us and finds we're missing, we'll just tell them the noise story."
"It's not a strong plan," said Lannon. "There are a lot of holes in it, Vorden."
Vorden shrugged. "Well, then make up your mind. Do we go or not?"
Lannon nodded, remembering his dream. "I have to go."
"I think it's worth it," said Timlin. "To see the Divine Essence would be better than anything! Can I pick the lock? I'm good at that."
Vorden grinned, nodding. "You're the best at it, Timlin. Once we're past that door, you can also check the walls and floor for traps, while Lannon and me keep alert for danger. You'll act as Passage Man. I'll be Arms Man, and Lannon will be Scout Man. We go together as Blue Squires!"
"I wish I had more training," said Lannon. "But let's get on with it."
Suddenly there was a startled gasp. Shadows by the window took shape and a girl seemed to appear out of nowhere. It was Aldreya Silverhawk.
Her green eyes were wide. She wore a hooded grey cloak, and the hood had slid back to reveal her curly silver hair, pointed ears, and bronze-colored skin. In one hand she held a stone dagger, pulled tight against her chest.
"I can't believe what I've just heard," she whispered.
The boys jumped up, their hearts racing.
"What are you doing here?" Vorden said. "Were you spying on us?"
"No!" Aldreya insisted. "I wasn't spying. I was…just doing some of my training. I was hiding myself, blending in with the shadows."
"You were spying," Vorden said coldly.
"I heard everything," she said. "I know what you're planning, and you're not going to get away with it. I'm going to see Taris at once. I'll tell him what you're up to."
Lannon and Timlin glanced at each other, and then back at Vorden, waiting for him to find a way out of this situation. They had no clue what to do and were on the verge of panic, their faces pale.
But Vorden remained calm. "Go ahead," he said. "Tell on us-and then I'll tell on you. You're not supposed to be in our room. It's forbidden for boys and girls to be in the same quarters together."
She hesitated for a moment, and then spoke. "Okay, if that's the way it must be. I'll just forget what I heard, and you forget I was ever here."
Lannon and Timlin breathed sighs of relief.
But Vorden wasn't finished. "It's not that easy," he said. "All we did was talk about breaking the rules. You actually broke them. I think I should give a little yell and alert someone right now."
Aldreya glanced towards the door. "Wait-don't do that! I could be thrown out of Dremlock. I'm sorry I was spy…uh…training in here."
"Why don't you come with us?" said Vorden. "You're a good sorceress, from what I hear. We could use your help."
"Break the Sacred Laws?" the Birlote girl said. "Go beneath Old Keep?" She frowned. "Cordus said that monsters lurk down there."
Patiently, Vorden explained his theory about how the Knights were just trying to scare people away from the Divine Essence.
"At the first sign of trouble, we'll turn back," he said.
Lannon didn't believe even the slightest chance existed that Aldreya Silverhawk would agree to such a mad scheme. He was wrong.
"When should we go," she said, stepping forward eagerly. "I can't deny that I would love to see the Divine Essence. Who wouldn't? But when the task is done, no one must tell Taris anything. Understood?"
"Understood," said Vorden. "And now is the perfect time. We're all here, and we have tomorrow off from training."
"I don't have tomorrow off," she said. "I have to be… Actually, I'm not supposed to tell you that. Let's just say I need to be up fairly early. But I can handle it. I'm used to staying up late."
Aldreya smiled excitedly. "This is a good opportunity to test my skills. Truthfully, I've been doing a lot of sneaking around ever since I learned to blend with the shadows. I just haven't tried anything this daring yet. Besides, even if we get caught, I don't think Taris would let me be punished. I just can't imagine it!"
"Of course," Vorden agreed, with an amused, sideways glance at Lannon. "If anyone would be spared punishment, it would be you."
"Then I have your word on it?" Vorden said, stepping close to her. He extended his hand. "You'll go with us, and not tell anyone about this?"
"Yes, you have my word," she said. She glanced at his hand, and then gave it a quick shake. "I'll keep it secret, Vorden Flameblade."
"I hope your word is good, Aldreya Snoot…" Vorden cleared his throat, his face reddening. "Aldreya Silverhawk."
She smiled again, and for the first time, the Blue Squires realized how truly beautiful she was. But it was a cold and dangerous sort of beauty-one that could not be trusted. Lannon pondered how quickly and easily she had agreed to this, and a warning flashed through his mind. Surely she was planning to betray them. Or maybe she was spying for Taris. Was Vorden blind to this? It seemed unlikely someone as intelligent as Vorden would fail to realize Aldreya cared little or nothing about them. She was a Birlote, and the Tree Dwellers were not known for their rule breaking. From what Lannon had seen, they obeyed even the smallest laws. She probably realized she lacked enough evidence to get them in trouble at this point, and was playing along with their plan in order gather a stronger case against them.