Page 196 of Blood of the Stars

Felk whined, and they turned back to follow him along the outer wall, nearer to the sea and farther from the melee.

Even though the ocean’s waves grew louder, the forest grew denser, this portion of the wall not maintained as well as the entrance. When Felk finally stopped, Gaeren had to squint to see how the cracks in the stone made up a door. Felk pulled on a few divots in its surface, sliding it open with a grinding motion that made most everyone wince.

Sunlight poured into the hall, revealing an intricate smooth stone floor that would have fit in Gaeren’s palace if it had been given a festive rug. The walls were dark and rough, and the blackness beyond the Sun’s light was a gaping maw. Gaeren tuned in to his surroundings, hesitant to use up magic he could no longer replenish once he entered Mayvus’ dungeons but not willing to step into the unknown.

Faint impressions remained—the squeals of winex being dragged forward, the grunts of soldiers as they fought the wild beasts. Nothing pleasant, but nothing unexpected or alarming. Felk lifted his nose to sniff the air, and a tremor ran through his body as if he sensed or smelled the same things as Gaeren. He whined and stepped forward, but Sylmar placed a hand on his arm.

“Felk alone frees the winex so he can explain the purple bands,” Sylmar reminded them, his gaze taking in each of their group. This had been one of his stipulations when they’d agreed to both accept help from Felk and offer help in return. “Kill any soldiers you need to, but if you can save one to question, that would be better. The more information we can gather, the sooner we can find what we came for.”

Gaeren smiled as Daisy exchanged her bow for the dagger, its daisy flashing in the Sun’s light. Kendalyhn, Marnok, and Orra made similar swaps, but Kendalyhn inched her way to the center of the line with Gaeren. The two of them were Sylmar’s weapons to gain information by sifting souls and tuning in to memories.

Felk led the way. His bare feet and hands were silent on the stone, but he let out an occasional whine that echoed off the walls, like he couldn’t contain the shared sorrow of whatever they were about to encounter. The farther they went in, the more the blackness engulfed them, forcing them to rely on Felk’s eyes and nose to guide them. Water dripped from somewhere deeper in, and sweat beaded on Gaeren’s brow, more from the dank air than any exertion. They passed a dozen halls and doors, making turns according to Felk’s intuition. The passageway banked left, and soon an echo of whimpers greeted them. Felk’s whining intensified, and his pace increased.

A pinprick of light grew larger until they reached an oak door. Its small window revealed torchlight, and silver blood glinted in patches on the floor. Velden picked the lock on the door, and Gaeren tensed as several of the others stepped into the chamber. No one cried out for battle, but Felk let out a small howl, and fists banged on iron from within the room.

“Hush,” Daisy whispered, and Gaeren craned his neck to see beyond Holm’s hulking form. A narrow hallway stretched before them, ending at the base of a staircase that rose into more blackness. A single cell door revealed several pairs of silvery hands gripping the bars. He couldn’t make out more than a handful of emaciated bodies, but before he could stop himself, he tuned in to the presence of at least a dozen more behind them, most too injured to be a threat, but a few shackled and still brimming with hatred.

“We’ve come to rescue you,” Felk whispered, and the banging grew louder, punctuated by more howls and whines.

“Make them stop,” Sylmar said with a growl. “Unless you want them slaughtered by the guards.”

“We want at least one guard to come, right?” Gaeren asked, glancing toward the stairs.

“Six will come,” Orra murmured from his left.

He turned to squint at the strange expression on her face. “Do you know exactly what’s going to happen?”

She shook her head. “My power has become as unpredictable as Enla’s. I could search the future for hundreds of ways to find Mayvus, but I can’t guarantee which ways will hold success. But every path holds six guards.”

“That’s convenient for no one,” he muttered. Still, six guards was helpful information.

Velden bent down to pick the lock but cried out and stepped back as several winex hands scratched at his.

“He won’t hurt you,” Felk said. “We’re taking you home.”

“Felk?” The hesitant voice came from deeper in the chamber, and Felk’s eyes slid shut.

“Lilik? Yes, it’s me.”

A new set of hands came through the bars, and Felk gripped them in his own. A strange purring sound came from within the cell, and the rest of the hands pulled away, allowing Velden to work at the lock once more.

“They’ve taken our eggs.” Lilik’s voice came from inside, her words rushed with panic. “If they’ve buried them, I don’t know where.”

The other winex picked up their howls again. A click sounded from the top of the stairs, nearly drowned out by their cries.

“I told you I’d snuff your light if you kept up that racket,” a man called.

Footsteps thudded on the stone, but Gaeren couldn’t make out if it was a single soldier or the six Orra had predicted. Jasperus beckoned Gaeren and Holm forward just as the man’s boots came into view.

His threats turned to mumbles as his knees and torso hit the light, but his eyes barely had time to widen before Jasperus’ sword sliced through his gut. The man fell to his knees with a groan and reached for his wound as Jasperus pulled his sword back.

When the soldier reached for the dagger at his side, Jasperus sliced the blade across the man’s throat, finishing the job. But the man’s cry had sent up the alarm, and more boots and shouts could be heard from above. Since the soldiers were forced to come down single file, the next one walked into the same trap as the soldier before him, but the others caught on and were quicker to fight back. Gaeren and Jasperus were each left to parry with a soldier while Holm and Lukai dispatched the final two guards.

The soldier before Gaeren was older but still quick on his feet, matching every thrust with his own blocks and advances. The scuff of their boots echoed on the walls, joined by their grunts and the howls of the winex. More than once, Gaeren could have sent the soldier to his death, but he did the math, watching as Jasperus finished off the seventh soldier.

They needed this one for information.

The soldier feinted left, leaving his weapon exposed. When he did it a second time, Gaeren was ready to disarm him, but Sylmar’s molten staff slammed between them, knocking both of their swords from their hands. Gaeren recovered faster, only falling to one knee, while the soldier fell to his backside, scrambling back on his hands and feet.

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