Page 12 of Dragon Sword

“Outside and deep in the woods,” she replied with a huff. “We couldn’t have found our way here very tothiscity without them dragging us here.”

“What business brought you there?” Will wondered.

“Our business,” the woman elusively answered as I heard her scuff her feet against the stone floor. “What about you? The way that one elf talked to you, I take it you’re no pushover, even for them.”

“My name is Lord Thorn and this is my wife, Lady Rose,” Will introduced us.

The woman laughed. “Thorn and Rose. A pretty nifty combination. The name’s Sylvia and the pleasant guy beside me is Steve.”

“Don’t I know that name from somewhere?” Steve spoke up as I heard him mutter to himself. “Seems I recall a Lord Thorn being good at magic or whatnot.”

Their bed creaked and Sylvia spoke in an excited whisper. “Do you really know magic? Enough to get us out of here?”

“I do but it wouldn’t be wise to break apart the foundation of the elf king’s home,” Will pointed out.

“Screw his home!” Sylvia snapped as she slapped her hand against the bed. “We’ve been rotting here for weeks and still no closer to getting out of here!”

“And we won’t get the reward, either,” Steve added.

“Shut up!” Sylvia hissed.

Will lifted an eyebrow. “Reward? For what?”

“Nothing,” Sylvia replied through gritted teeth. “Just this idiot talking about our business.”

Will strolled over to the wall between our cells and leaned his arm against the stone. “And that would be?”

“Trade,” Sylvia answered. “Just some simple trade. We were trying to take a shortcut when we ran into the elves. Seems like they were out searching for something, too. One of them was all bloodied up like they’d gotten into a fight.”

I looked up at Will who faced me. His expression revealed his concern. “Do you know where in the forest they discovered you?”

“Somewhere northwest of their city, I think,” she told us. “Why, does that matter?”

A dark cloud settled on his brow. “I’m not sure. I’ll know more after we’re out of here.”

CHAPTEREIGHT

“Just you or all of us?”Sylvia wondered.

Will swept his eyes over our cell. “I will request clemency for you from the king, but I can’t guarantee a favorable reply.”

“You think we’ll get to see him soon?” I asked him.

He smiled down at me. “You forget that we have a very vocal supporter outside these walls. Alisa has never shied away from making her opinion known, even to the king.”

I snorted. “You raised her to be something else, didn’t you?”

He chuckled. “I tried.” A pensive expression slipped onto his face. He lifted his eyes to the ceiling and studied the structure. “However, should she prove no match for the king’s stubbornness then there we may have to handle the escape ourselves.”

“I thought you said you weren’t going to get out of here with magic?” Sylvia reminded him.

“I would rather not,” he mused as he pressed a palm against the stone wall. “These foundations are some of the oldest in the city. There’s no telling how solid they are without breaking through them. Even ripping the bars from their placement may cause the roof to collapse.”

My face drooped. “That doesn’t sound like a good plan.”

He dropped his hand to his side and sauntered over to the bed where he plopped himself down beside me. “Which is exactly why I would rather avoid escaping in that manner. We’ll wait for a day and see if something comes up.”

I sighed and curled up on the bed. The pillows were at best satisfactory and the sheets were thinner than a spider’s web. A chill hung in the subterranean air that made me shiver. I wrapped my arms around myself and tucked my knees against my chest.

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