Page 96 of Polestar
But no matter what he tried, despite knowing better, he could not slip out of the manacles, nor break them.All he’d earned for his trouble were very sore wrists and ankles and a chipped tooth, with barely a scuff on the meteor metal.
He’d cursed his ancestors repeatedly for their exquisite skill in metal craft and shackle design and quality.
These are probably the original damned shackles from when the cell was built.
When he wasn’t plotting his impossible escape, he calmed himself with fantasies of Ana and her sapphire blue panties, which turned out to be counter-productive and incited the urgency to escape all over again.
But then, there wasn’t anything else to do.The chains were almost too short for push-ups.
Suddenly, the lock tumbled with a snap, and the door banged back against the stone.
Magnus was on his feet, ready to detach heads.
Elias stood, wide-eyed and panting.To the lockmaster he said, “tell them I stole the keys and knocked you out or something.”
“But your highness—,” the lockmaster protested.
Magnus eased back on the readiness to do violence.“Or go into hiding until this all blows over.You know they’ll torture you for information if they catch you.”
“Shouldn’t I rally the guards to protect you?”
“They will follow their commander and they don’t understand that he is compromised,” Elias said, stepping into the cell.“I don’t want the stronghold in an uproar when I’m trying to help my father escape quietly.Which key is it?”
The lockmaster freed Magnus in seconds.
“He’s right.Hide yourself and your family.Once I get out, I will be back—and not alone.”
“Yes sir.But I still think we should rally support.Not all Barentians agreed with the banishment and certainly many are not pleased about the scheduled execution.”
“Nor am I, but please, take your family and go.”
The lockmaster dropped his precious keys into Magnus’ hand and disappeared.
His fist clenched around the ring of keys.Centuries old.He laughed.
Elias gave him a quizzical look from the door, his impatience to be away evident.
“Of all the plans I had to escape, not one of them included having the keys dropped in my hands and just being set free.”
“Grandfather told me to take you through the tunnels to escape.”
The tunnels!Dear Gods, I’ve forgotten about the damned tunnels!
“He did?”Magnus stood rooted in place.
Elias nodded, glancing up and down the corridor.“Yes, he ordered I set you free.So let’s go, Father.”
Magnus couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
A second later, Elias’ hand grabbed his wrist and yanked him toward the door.
Magnus had enough brain function to close and lock it before following his son down the stone corridor toward the hidden entrance of the tunnels.Neither spoke as they made their way, careful to avoid passing guards who were fulfilling their duties.
Only the royal Barentian family were aware of the secret tunnels beneath the stronghold that led through the mountain and out to a tiny inlet on the western side of the island.The path hadn’t been needed in centuries because it had been that long since the stronghold had failed to keep invaders out.
Down the next corridor, the scent of alcohol signaled they were close to the tunnel entrance.Stacks of barrels crowded the narrow space.With a quick glance up and down the hall, Magnus shifted his hands, extracting his bear claws and drove them into the backs of some barrels, causing them to leak so that the pungent aroma would mask their personal scents.
Magnus led the way into the very back of the barrel cellar, squeezing between the largest ones with the thickest layers of dust.“Dwarven Ale,” he murmured as he shimmied around behind it and along the wall to the dark corner.With no light source, he had to feel around for the correct stones.Magnus funneled his bear magic into his paw, extending the powerful claws in order to pry the stones loose, as he used to do in his youth.
