Page 10 of Dragon Sword

We tucked our clothes into a blanket and rejoined the others in the front room. Alisa was staring daggers at the open front door beyond which stood the two guards and the general. She turned to us and her expression softened. We strolled up to her and she quickly jumped in front of Will, grasping one of his hands in both of hers.

She looked pleadingly into his face and spoke in a hushed whisper. “Escape! Escape while you can!”

He smiled and set his other hand atop hers. “I would never leave you to suffer the consequences alone.”

She shook her head as her eyes brimmed with tears. “But you do not deserve this treatment!”

“Then I’ll find out why they believe I do and remedy the situation,” he assured her as he gently drew his hand out of her grasp.

He grasped my hand and guided us past the distraught elf. She followed us out into the front garden where the guards lined up behind us, blocking her from joining our little party. The general took the lead and faced us where he studied Will’s face. “My apologies. Truly.”

Will cocked his head to one side and examined our captor. “I would trade your apology for an explanation.”

The general shook his head. “That I cannot do. Follow me.”

He turned and marched us out of the garden and onto the street. I couldn’t help but look back. Alisa had stopped at the gate to her abode and grasped the low stone wall that surrounded her property. Her eyes were filled with fear and her hands shook as they clutched the rocks. She looked like she was about to bolt toward us.

Will walked tall and didn’t look at her, but he almost imperceptibly shook his head. Alisa’s face fell and her shoulders went limp. She turned and slouched back to the house, a picture of dejection.

I looked up at Will. His stony face couldn’t hide the lines of worry at the corners of his mouth. I leaned close to Will and lowered my voice to a whisper. “Will she be okay?”

He stared straight ahead as he nodded. “She will.”

I cast my curious gaze at our captors, particularly the tall leader. “So who is this general guy, anyway?”

“General Raimo Terve,” Will whispered to me. “Captain of the King’s Guard, Protector of the Walls, and Steward of the Vahti.”

“What? Only three titles?” I quipped.

“Silence!” one of the guards at the rear barked. “You are not permitted to speak!”

Will jerked to a stop so fast that our joined hands almost gave me whiplash. He turned his head far enough that one sharp eye could glare at the offending guard. The elf retreated a step and tightened his grip on his spear.

General Terve also stopped and half-turned to us. “What is the matter?”

“Your guard needs a lesson in holding his tongue,” Will told him.

Terve frowned at his man. “Though we are taking these two as prisoners, they are to be treated with the courtesy of guests.” The guard’s face fell and he bowed his head. The general returned his attention to us. “Let us continue.”

Will nodded and we continued our unhappy jaunt through the dark and quiet streets of the capital. The birds had lain themselves to rest and even the flowers had closed their petals. The oppressive silence made me walk close to Will and he looped an arm around my waist to keep me close.

CHAPTERSEVEN

Our captors ledus down the tiers and past the base of the Vahti. I couldn’t help but admire the tall shadow as we passed. A strange coldness seemed to flow off the stones, the kind that raised the hairs on the back of my neck. A single wooden door led inside and was covered in carvings, some ancient and others more recent. A circle in the center and high up the door showed a pair of bells pointed in opposite directions. For some reason, I was glad to see it was securely locked.

The Vahti wasn’t the only admirable sight in the vicinity. Many of the buildings were grand in their design, with most being two floors and covering large plots. Several of the structures had elegant porticoes that covered the double-door entrances while others featured small gardens out front with twisting vines that covered everything they could grab, creating a roof of greenery over paths big and small. One of the buildings especially caught my attention, one that showed off a high white dome perched atop its sloped roof and its white walls covered in the entangling vines. It resembled a white flower over a bed of grass.

However, the tower hid the gem of the city, a spacious palace of marble and plants that stood against the cliff at the center rear of the capital. A high wall hid much of the edifice, but one could see the second and third-floor balconies with their plethora of flower pots and state French doors. Large trees grew in the garden and stretched taller than the building, shading much of the home with their thick silver branches and bright green leaves. An impressive gate of wrought iron guarded the entrance where the road wound its way into a circular courtyard where the largest specimen of tree grew. Flowers bloomed everywhere and green grass bordered the gravel courtyard.

The single marring feature of the structure was the foundation. The palace had been built atop the dark rock of the cliffs and though the rocks had been smoothed, they still showed their primitive colors and formations. Terve led us to the western half of the palace where the roof of a building of thick wood stuck out of the ground some three feet. The building stood adjacent to the home and just outside the high walls, though the foundation was so vast that the small structure occupied a part of it. A set of wide stairs carved into the rock led down to a thick metal door. The stench of stale air hit me before we were even halfway down the steps.

Terve stopped us at the door and rapped three times, though I also detected a hint of green magic in his fisted hand which he used to knock. A bolt was unlocked and the door swung open on creaking hinges to reveal a long, dark corridor. Carved from solid stone. The path was illuminated by flickering torches that hung on the walls. Another elf guard stood on the other side holding the portal and he bowed his head to his leader.

“Has the preparations been made?” Terve questioned him.

The elf nodded. “Yes, sir. The first cell is to be theirs.”

Terve looked over his shoulder at us. “We have tried to make your stay here comfortable. This way.”

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