Page 46 of Over the Emerald Valley
They’d discussed what to do in case of guards. Temaj would prattle off excuses, hoping to be shrugged off as naughty but unimportant, and if that didn’t work, Solon would take care of it.
Temaj’s stomach turned at the thought of violence, but he hadn’t said no. Though now, as he tiptoed through a musty corridor in search of the second passage, he wished he had. Abasi had done nothing to him to cause this betrayal. The guards, though irritating, hadn’t either. But if all were complicit in theft? Perhaps that should come to light.
Beyond that, Temaj didn’t want to think of the consequences. What would happen to him if his master were jailed or executed? Would Solon keep his word? The general seemed duty-bound to a fault, so Temaj expected he would.
None of that mattered at that moment.
The narrow hall they traversed led to a set of double doors Temaj knew to be a decoy. Demons with rows of frightening fanged teeth were carved into the wood and painted in reds and browns. Silks hung from the wall, and the actual entrance would be hidden behind one of them.
After a glance over his shoulder to make sure they were still alone, Temaj felt behind each fabric for a slot in the wall big enough for a man to pass through. Solon followed closely behind. For a big man, he was silent on his feet, thank Osiris.
The stones were cool beneath his questing fingers, solid rock after solid rock. They neared the ominous doors and still no luck.
Fingers dusty, Temaj kept searching. Part of him would be relieved if they found no entrance and the search was called off. The other desperately wanted to please Solon. Torn, he forced himself to keep going, though his throat was tight and his nerves were on edge.
“Anything?” whispered Solon, his voice so low it was barely audible.
Temaj shook his head. “Not yet. Maybe Seli was wrong?” He bit his tongue. He hadn’t meant to say her name aloud and implicate her in their sneaking.
“Keep searching. I’ll keep an eye out for trouble.”
An unsteady breath heaved from Temaj’s lungs as he touched the rough stone behind the last of the silk curtains. His fingers hit a divot, then a tight opening. He yanked back the fabric, and though the light was dim, a dark passage no wider than a man’s shoulders was faintly visible, cut at an angle and smelling of earth.
“It’s here.” Cool air chilled Temaj’s cheeks, raising gooseflesh across his bare arms and bristling the hairs on his nape. With all his being, he didn’t want to press onward. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“It’s my responsibility. Why don’t you go back? I’ll take it from here.” Solon gently scooted past him, and Temaj moved to allow it. Maybe it would be easier to continue if he wasn’t going first.
“No, no. I said I’d help, and I will. There should be a staircase and another false entry before we find the real one.”
“Thank you. That’s enough for me to go on alone. Turn back. Wait for me in my rooms. And don’t worry overmuch. I’ll confirm your information, then return with Neku tonight when the viceroy is otherwise occupied.”
Temaj balled his hands into fists. The offer tempted him more than he wanted to admit, but he shook his head. “I won’t leave you alone here. It feels dangerous. Let’s hurry.”
“If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
Solon pressed forward and stumbled a step. “Found the stairs. Watch your feet.”
Temaj stayed right on his heels, one hand on Solon’s waist, the other against the rock wall as they descended step after step into the black. A bolt of fear turned his stomach and made his spine rigid.
“It’s too dark,” he whispered.
“We can slow down to let our eyes adjust,” Solon answered, his hand a comforting presence over Temaj’s.
They stopped, huddled close in the underground tunnel with a ceiling so low they had to stoop, especially Solon, who must be even more uncomfortable than Temaj.
“I didn’t know it would be so far. My friend said these passages were built in a hurry. I assumed they would be shorter.”
“The miners say the underground palace is as big as the palace above ground.”
That was a terrifying thought. “Impossible.”
“One would think.”
Dank-smelling damp leeched through Temaj’s sandals, chilling his feet. How could anyone sleep down here, and why would Abasi go to such lengths for privacy? It made no sense.
Little light trickled in from behind them, not enough to illuminate the passage, but enough that the black ahead wasn’t completely engulfing.
