Page 33 of Revenge of the Elf Lord

“More like the royal mage with little healing involved. If anyone healed someone, it was my mother. She was very gifted in the healing arts. Most of what I know was gleaned from her, not Haman. His taste in spells ran to the morbid and always involved pain or death. He was not a nice man.”

“Hmm. No, from the sound of it, I agree. Tell me, what makes you so hesitant now? Do you believe he’s here?”

His smile widened. “You are warmheartedandintelligent. Yes, I do. I sense his essence, if you will—his energy. Whether he is still here at this time, I do not know, but there’s evil saturating this place.”

He pointed to the castle. His gaze narrowed on one specific spot where the side turret's base disappeared under the ground. “He was here, though. Do you see the shadowing along the base of the turret? As if something is there, keeping the sun from touching it?”

“I do. That’s where we need to go? Under there?”

“Yes.”

She stepped toward the imposing building, her fingers wrapping around his wrist as she passed, tugging at him to follow. The closer they got to the castle, the colder the air grew until each breath became clouds of frozen crystals in front of them.

“When my father and I visited here, I remember passing a cordoned-off hall. When I asked about it, the guide said it was only used for storage and had no historical significance. There was something about that hallway, though. Both of us experienced sharp pains as if our chests were burning from the inside out, and we didn’t stay long. I figured it was just residue lingering from the war or the overwhelming massacre of disabled patients. Neither of us thought about it after that. Now, I wish I had asked more questions.”

“There was no way you could know, nín gilgalad. Let’s get this over and see what we can discover down below.” Opening the side door, she glanced inside. It's empty. We'll have to squeeze through dozens of stacked chairs along the far wall; otherwise, the hall will be empty.

They crept down the passageway until they came to an opening. He glanced toward the courtyard and stopped, his gaze following the never-ending line of people as they made their way through the open yard through the castle's center. No one made a sound.

“This will be the last time they walk outside,” Shalendra whispered. “It was heartbreaking to listen to the guide talk about this part. The prisoners would exit the bus and make their way through the courtyard, the guards always prodding until they built the barriers on either side to keep them moving forward—toward the gas chamber. This must be before the barriers were built.”

Feeling nauseous, he forced himself to turn away and continue their search for a way to the tunnels beneath the castle. He made another turn and found a new passage filled with more furniture, parts of metal beds, a few desks, and even a large armoire that blocked all but a narrow space.

Squeezing his much larger frame around the wooden closet, he pulled his body out of the tight space to find the rest of the hallway open, leading to a single door. In two steps, he was at the door but stopped.

“This was too easy,” he muttered. “Never has Haman or any other villain I have apprehended led me to them.” He studied the door but stepped back, pushing against Shalendra to move with him.

The dim light seemed to shimmer to his left, drawing his attention. Staring at the corner wall perpendicular to the door, his gaze narrowed as he waited. Another shimmer appeared like a fragile veil had passed over the source. Without touching the walls, he raised his hand above his head and drew it downward, letting himself feel whatever was there rather than trusting his vision.

“What's there?” Shalendra whispered against his shoulder, pulling his attention away from his task as he focused more on the heat from her body soaking into his. The sensation of her skin brushing over his almost elicited a groan, which he managed to stop before making a fool of himself.

The feeling of rightness filled him—of her belonging there— and the moment discomfited him. He shrugged it off and returned to the task at hand. It was too important to be distracted now.

Forcing his attention back to the barrier, he closed his eyes.

“That which is invisible, let me see.

Undo the spell and show the key.

Guard us well. Keep us safe.”

Like a blanket being pulled away, a second hall shimmered into view. The feeling of doom increased, beating at them as if directing them to leave.

Shalendra’s grip around his arm tightened. “That was amazing, but I can honestly say I am a little terrified. Is it another spell?”

He shook his head. “No. This is something worse. What you feel is not an incantation, but the castle itself warning us of something horrible should we continue down this path.”

“Oh, well, that’s not good. Do buildings normally have a warning system?”

“Not normally.” He glanced down at her as she inhaled, her breath shaky. The white knuckles on her clasped hands showed her fear. Resisting the urge to touch her and ease her growing fear, he tilted his head and caught her gaze. “Are you ready to move forward?”

“No, but I know I must. Onward, my fearless leader. His lips twitched, yet somehow, he kept a straight face. While he enjoyed her quips of humor, the last thing she needed was encouragement.

Stepping through the invisible barrier, the iridescent light shimmered as he broke its plane. Reaching behind him, Shalendra’s small, icy hand slipped into his, her fingers linking them together. The hint of a smile raised the corners of his mouth as he led her down the low-lit hall.

Several closed doorways staggered away from them along the passage. Without hesitation, he stopped at the first door and tried the knob, but it was locked.

“Fainu,” he whispered, hoping the Elven word for release worked. The loudsnickof the locking lever inside the black, wrought-iron mechanism unlatched. Turning the knob again, the door opened to reveal a wooden stairway leading down.

---