Page 40 of Dragon Sword

The reply was a derisive scoff. “He? He abandoned us to play the scholar and I hear his swordsmanship has not improved. Whatever use he was before he left, he has gained nothing from leaving. Now return to your posts and we will have no more of this talk of phantoms and foolish elves.”

Silent mouths and footsteps followed, and then I dared to breathe out, albeit quietly. Will drew one clawed hand from the stone wall and stretched up his arm where he dug his nails into a point higher up. Through this way, we slowly climbed up the wall coming ever closer to the door and the bridge.

We were only ten feet away when Will dug his claws in again but this time the stones gave way. Rocks fell out of the wall and clamored down upon our heads. I ducked down and shut my eyes as I was pelted with the tiny pebbles. The rocks made a horrible crashing noise down the canyon before they splashed into the water far below us.

“Hold on,” I heard Will whisper.

I heard shouts above us just as he pushed off the wall and flapped hard. We flew up and passed the glowing door where we reached the bridge. Will used both clawed hands and grabbed one of the metal girders which spanned the distance. He drew his wings back into his body while I dangled on his back. The hurried footsteps stopped above us.

“What was that?” one of the elves wondered.

“I told you I heard something earlier!” the dismissed elf scolded them.

“Quiet!” the leader snapped at him. “Stop bragging and look for the source!”

Feet scurried to and fro as they searched both sides of the bridge. After a few minutes of suspended suspense, the elves reconnoitered in the center just above us.

“We can find nothing, sir,” one of them announced.

A growl came from their commander. “There must be an explanation. You there, report to the king about these strange occurrences.”

“Yes, sir!” Hurried footsteps soon followed.

“The rest of you keep your eyes and ears open!”

“Yes, sir!” the elves replied and they moved back to their position at the gate.

Will took a deep, quiet breath and swung forward to the far end of the bridge. We reached the wall beneath the gate and he looked uncertainly at the rocks. I craned my neck and glimpsed the glowing door not more than twenty feet below us. The light had been too faint for our curious elves to see, especially as I had the key tucked in my pocket. I drew out the latchkey and the door shone brighter.

Will wormed his claws into the wall and eased us down. Every little crumble of the stones made him freeze and made me hold my breath. The short distance felt like a thousand miles over an eternity but we finally reached our destination. Will scooted us atop one of the glowing doors and turned his head to catch my eye. He flickered his eyes between the keyhole and my hand.

That was the signal for my turn. I grasped the key tightly in my hand and scooted up his back. The keyhole shone more brightly than any other spot and I gently inserted the key into the mouth. The key slid smoothly into its position and I turned it. A soft clicking noise came from the other side and the doors shuddered after their long slumber.

The doors swung inward, taking us with them. I let out a tiny squeak as we flew into a darkened tunnel.

CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR

“What was that?”one of the elves shouted above us.

Will dropped off the door and shrugged me off his shoulders before he closed the portals behind us, shutting out all light. I quickly held out my hand and my sword extended from my palm, illuminating the stone tunnel in which we found ourselves. The doors had not only effectively shut out the light but all sound, as well. If our entrance had been noticed we heard nothing from the guards.

I turned away from the entrance and held up my weapon. My light illuminated the dark tunnel and revealed a long tunnel that stretched beyond the glow of the sword. The walls, floor, and ceiling were made of smoothed cobblestones and, as far as I could see, were without doors.

Will came up beside me and studied the dark interior with his red eyes. “Stay close.”

I didn’t need him to remind me as we walked down the stone passage. Our shoes clacked loudly along the rocks and the air grew cooler. The spartan surroundings slowly changed as plant roots crept out of the walls and grass peeked out from the stones beneath our feet. A strange heavy air wrapped around us, binding me in a cold blanket that made me shiver.

“Why is it so cold?” I asked my companion. He didn’t reply so I looked up at Will. “Will?”

Will stopped and turned his head to stare down at me. His red eyes were now lifeless and the black sores covered his face.

I screamed and stumbled backward until my back hit the wall. He stumbled toward me as pus boiled from his sores and his lips curled into a snarl. I ducked out of reach of his grasping hands and tripped over my own feet. My side hit the stone floor hard but crawled backward on my arms as he lunged at me. I flung up my arms and shut my eyes. A bright light burst out of my palms, blinding me even through my eyelids.

“Rose!”

A pair of strong arms shook me. My eyes flew open and I found myself staring into Will’s frightened face. His wide eyes flickered over my face as his hands grasped my upper arms.

I blinked and looked around us. We stood in the tunnel amidst the roots and the grass. “W-what happened?”

---