Page 11 of Dragon Sword

He led us down the hallway and we passed many doors on our left, though none in the direction of the palace. They were plain wood doors with heavy locks. A small covered peephole hid the contents. I strained my neck to catch a glimpse of whatever lay beyond the doors.

My curiosity was rewarded when a low, dangerous growl came from one of the seven rooms as we passed. The sound made chills run down my spine.

Will tightened his grip around my waist. “Courage.”

I looked up at him. “What’s behind these doors?”

“Monsters,” Terve answered me without looking back. “Creatures we have captured that were marred by the shadows.”

Will furrowed his brow at our ‘host.’ “Then they are not those that are naturally disposed to the darkness?”

“No. They are part of our troubles,” came the enigmatic reply.

There wasn’t time for more questioning as we passed a three-way crossroads and arrived at the cell block. The doors gave way to open-fronted cells with thick bars and a pair of beds, each placed in opposite corners at the rear of the room. A small stove burned brightly in the middle of the cell and a small table with two chairs stood against the wall on the left. I glimpsed more cells further down, at least two dozen, by my rough count.

The cell master stood from his seat opposite the rooms and drew out a large set of keys. He opened the first cell door and bowed his head to his commander. Terve turned to us and used an arm to gesture to the room. “If you would.”

I hesitated but Will guided me inside. The cell keeper slammed the door shut behind us, making me jump. Will guided me over to one of the beds and set me down before he half-turned toward the cell doors.

“How long do you intend to keep us here?” he questioned our captor.

Terve shook his head. “That is not for me to decide, Lord Thorn. His Highness will make a decision in due time.”

“The king must have a great deal on his mind with so many creatures locked in his dungeons,” Will mused as he nodded in the direction of the locked rooms. “He may forget we’re down here.”

“I will be sure to remind him when I see him again,” Terve promised before he turned to the key master. “You need not watch these prisoners. Go to the barracks and get some rest.”

The elf stood and frowned as he nodded to something further down the hall. “But sir, the-”

“If anything should happen, I will take full responsibility,” Terve swore. The guard nodded and slouched off. The general returned his attention to us. “Now you will have some privacy. I hope to see you again soon without the bars between us.” He bowed his head and strode down the hall, taking his two guards with him.

I waited until their footsteps had ceased to be heard before I took a heavy breath. “So what’s the plan?” I asked him as I leaned my back against the wall. Big mistake. The stones were as cold as ice. I jerked away and glared at the rocks.

“Plan?” he asked as he turned to face me.

I shrugged. “Well, when we get out of here.” I paused and studied him. “Wearegetting out of here, aren’t we?”

“Not likely!” a feminine voice spoke up from further down the cell block.

Will grasped one of the bars as I hopped onto my feet and joined him at the front of our cell. I tried to peek around the corner but couldn’t manage to see more than half a foot into the next cell.

A slender arm stretched out of the cell next to ours and waved at us. “Over here,” the female voice called to us. She drew her hand back in to grasp the bars. “There’s no way to get out of here unless those pointy-eared devils let us out.”

“How long have you been in here?” I asked her.

“How long, Steve?” she asked someone we couldn’t see.

“Don’t know,” came the nonchalant reply from a man. “Maybe two weeks. Maybe longer.”

The woman scoffed. “And you were saying you could keep track of time down here.”

I heard the groan of the bed as Steve moved. “How was I supposed to know they were gonna stick us down here this long? Don’t they have some sort of judge we can make our case to?”

“The king’s edict is the final judge,” Will told our new acquaintances.

“Typical,” the woman grumbled as her hand slipped back into the cell. I heard her drop onto the bed beside her companion. “Just our luck to run into that group of soldiers, too.”

“You were outside the city when they found you?” Will questioned her.

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