intentions. As is sometimes the way, this catalyst's presence has given me a new and unexpected path to use, a path that your friends must take rather than aid you.' When Kaz still hesitated, the gray man added, 'Trust me. This will not work if they are with you, Kaz. You know that.'
He did, but it was difficult to admit it, even to himself. Alone, Kaz could slip through the halls to where Ty was being kept. With the others, he ran the greater risk of discovery.
Thinking of Ty, he started, 'The female. Where-?'
'Look in the lair of the dragon,' the mage returned. For the first time, a hint of impatience appeared on the gray human's face. 'The guards have been delayed, Kaz, but not for long.'
The minotaur started for the door, pausing just before stepping through. He turned one last time to the gray figure. 'I don't suppose you have a weapon?'
In response, the mage suddenly tossed his staff toward Kaz. The warrior reached out and caught it in midair. Despite its thinness, it felt like a strong, sturdy piece of wood. It would have to do. 'My thanks… Hecar and the others… you'll…'
'It is the least I can do for you, Kaz.'
'Thank you.'
As he hurried out the door, he thought he heard the gray man add, 'Huma would have been proud of you, minotaur.'
As the minotaur disappeared down the hall, the gray man walked calmly over to the empty chains and stood in front of them, his back to the wall. The manacles materialized about his wrists and ankles, securing him. The mage nodded, then smiled. In his place there suddenly stood a minotaur, a minotaur who looked exactly like Kaz.
He waited for the guards to come.
With the events of the arena captivating nearly all of Nethosak, even the temple was nearly bare of occupants. Kaz did not encounter a sentry until almost the ground level. The sentry, not expecting an assault from below, had grown lax. When Kaz discovered him, he was leaning against the wall, staring up at the ceiling.
A blow with the staff to the stomach, followed by a solid punch in the jaw, was enough to deal quickly with the guard. Kaz dragged him into an empty cell and laid him to the side so he would not be visible. As he finished, however, the minotaur heard the sounds of an armed escort.
Keeping clear of the open door, Kaz waited until the sounds continued past him. It was the escort for him and his comrades. He prayed to Paladine that the gray man would indeed watch over his friends. He also hoped the mage had done something to prevent them from noticing his disappearance. Kaz needed some time to reach his goal.
In the lair of the dragon. That could be only the high priest's personal chambers. Ty must still be there. It made sense, since, if the female had been escorted back to her own cell, she would have had to pass Kaz's. That had not happened.
There were no apparent guards when he entered the ground level. That was not too surprising. The vast majority would be attending the circus, the better to emphasize the glory of the sons of Sargas. Kaz had some inkling of how Infernus's mind worked. The dragon was one for showmanship and flash. He reveled in power and wanted others to recognize the supremacy of that power. Now (hat tendency was working for Kaz.
He had made it halfway from the stairs to the high priest's chambers when he nearly ran headlong into Infernus's chief acolyte. The other minotaur was so stunned, he did not react until Kaz was already upon him. The staff caught the acolyte under the chin. Kaz dodged a reckless swing, then lowered the staff on his adversary's head.
The blow should have only stunned the robed figure, but to Kaz's surprise, his opponent slumped to the floor. Kaz glanced at the staff, recalling that it belonged to a mage, then shrugged. A meditation chamber provided him with an adequate place to hide the body. Kaz hesitated once he had the cleric in there, pondering the voluminous robes and the high hood.
A few moments later, clad in the same robe and with the hood pulled up over his head, he continued on his way. There was no method by which he could hide the staff, so he kept it out and used it as a walking stick, pretending some leg injury.
Two clerics, obviously on their way to the circus, gave him perfunctory acknowledgments, then hurried on. A temple guard straightened as he walked past.
His good fortune faded as he reached the doors to the audience chamber. Two guards stood on duty, guards who stared intensely at him as he walked up to the doors.
'I'm on official business for the high priest. Let me pass.'
They did not move. The one on the right announced, 'We've orders not to admit anyone. That comes from His Holiness himself.'
'My orders are new. His Holiness left important papers behind that I'm to retrieve. Do you want to face his displeasure after I tell him you wouldn't let me pass?'
The words were enough to cause the two sentries discomfort, but still they stood their ground. The same guard spoke again. 'The orders were very clear. No one is to enter, save the high priest himself.'
'Commendable,' replied Kaz with a nod. He stepped closer to the two. Both sentries shifted stance ever so slightly, showing their weapons, in this case a pair of sturdy battle-axes. 'But I think I have a way of resolving this problem.'
He brought the staff up sideways and charged both guards. One raised his axe and managed to deflect his end of the staff, but the other was slower. The staff caught him in the throat, and he went down, coughing and struggling to breathe.
The other sentry fought back, pushing against Kaz's staff. Kaz slipped to the side and used his momentum to strike the gasping minotaur with the hard end of his weapon. Again, the blow, which should have only stunned the guard, sent him slumping to the floor.
The remaining guard was still off.balance. He stumbled forward, and Kaz caught him on the back of the neck, just below the head. The second guard joined the first on the floor.
The battle had not gone unnoticed, however. From across the temple, several guards and clerics came running. Kaz cursed, pulling a door open. He slipped through even as the first of the guards threw a lance at him. The weapon bounced harmlessly off the door.
The doors were designed to be barred from the inside, something Kaz found very useful. Kaz had the entrance barred in seconds. That would certainly hold off the guards for a time. Now he had to find Ty.
The audience chamber was dark, but it was not difficult to locate the rooms in back. Kaz found the doors, but could not open them. They were either locked or possibly ensorcelled. He glanced at the doors, then at the staff the mage had given him. It was not Honor's Face, but he was certain it was imbued with magic.
Raising the staff, he aimed for the center of the door. Behind him he could hear the barred doors to the audience chamber rattle as the guards threw their weight against them, so he rammed the staff against the door. It shattered, sending splinters flying everywhere. Kaz had to fall back immediately lest he be injured by the debris.
No magic had kept the door sealed, only a simple lock.
Clearing the remnants with the aid of the staff, Kaz entered.
Tiberia sat in the midst of a chamber that seemed almost as huge as the one from which he had just departed. A pulsating shell of crimson light covered the small figure. Prior to the minotaur's appearance, Ty had evidently been staring at a greenish globe that floated at the young prisoner's eye level. Even from where he stood, Kaz could see faint images skimming along the globe's surface. It was just like the red dragon to make his captive watch the deaths of Kaz and the others.
Ty rose to her feet at the sight of the minotaur. Her eyes were tired. A smile broke across her features. 'Kaz!'
'I've come to free you, Ty.'
'I know. The gray man said to wait for you.'
'Nice of him to do that.' He wondered if the mage had, said anything else, such as how to break the spell that surrounded Ty.
The staff had worked before. Perhaps it would work again.
'Ty, curl yourself up into as small a ball as you can.'
