pure and perfect.
'In there?' Tyveris asked, uncomfortably eyeing the narrow opening.
Kyana nodded. 'You're not afraid of the dark, are you, my overfed monk?'
Tyveris glared at her. Then he gathered his robes about his knees and stepped into the wardrobe. Kyana gestured for the others to follow.
Caledan had taken this way before, when Ferret had helped him escape from the dungeons, so he knew what lay ahead of them. Still, it did not make the utter darkness of the narrow, confining tunnel any more pleasant. He breathed a sigh of relief when they finally stepped out of the passage into an abandoned part of the dungeon beneath the tower.
Kyana shut the entrance behind them. It blended seamlessly with the rough stone wall. The portal would be absolutely impossible to detect if one didn't know beforehand where it was.
Kyana led the way down the debris-littered passageway. Cells lined the corridor, but their iron bars were rusted, their doors hanging on their hinges at extreme angles. No one had used this part of the dungeon in centuries. They would encounter no guards down here.
Soon they reached an intersection. Caledan could see golden light glowing down each of the passageways to their right and left. Moans of pain and the dull clanging of iron drifted faintly on the dark, fetid air.
Here was to be a parting of ways.
'There are prisoners down each of these corridors,' Ferret whispered. 'Both eventually lead to the tower. The tunnel leading to the excavations is a short distance down the left-hand passage.'
'Tyveris, you head down the corridor to the right,' Mart said gravely. 'Free as many prisoners as you can. Kyana, go with him. Talim and I will take the left-hand passage and do the same. We'll catch up to you by the stairs leading up to the tower-if at all possible.'
Tyveris nodded solemnly. 'May the gods be with you this night,' the big loremaster said in his rumbling voice.
'Don't worry, Harper, I'll take good care of him,' Kyana said as she and the loremaster started off down the right-hand corridor. Ferret didn't hesitate, quickly leading the others down the other passageway.
They were nearly to the tunnel that led to the excavations when Ferret called the others to a halt. He cocked his head. Caledan could see his ears twitching. 'There are guards coming,' he whispered. 'Seven or eight at least. I can hear the clanking of their armor.'
Caledan listened. At first he could hear nothing, then the faint sound of booted feet against cold stone drifted down the passageway. They couldn't risk a fight. At best, it would delay them, and at worst…
'This way,' Morhion said, gesturing to the shadowed mouth of a side passage. 'It may be our only chance.'
Caledan hesitated, but there was no time to think. 'Come on,' Morhion hissed, starting down the side corridor. The others followed. There was a foul, vaguely sweet odor in the air. The passageway gave Caledan a bad feeling.
Without warning the passage opened up into a small, darkened chamber. It was a dead end, Caledan realized. He swore, sensing something was very wrong, and gripped the hilt of his sword. Too late.
Torches burst into life all around the companions. Caledan stumbled backward involuntarily, blinded by the glare. When his vision cleared, he realized they were surrounded by Zhentarim.
There were at least a dozen warriors, each holding a crossbow trained on one of the companions-all except for Morhion. The mage stepped forward, joining two dark-robed figures who stood alongside the Zhentarim.
Morhion had betrayed them.
'You'll pay for this, mage,' Caledan spat. He lunged forward, only to be brought up short as several Zhentarim leveled their swordpoints at his chest.
'I wouldn't do that if I were you, Caledan,' a clear voice said as one of the black-robed figures pushed back its cowl. Ravendas. 'Yes, Caledan, it is I. You did not think you would escape me so easily, did you?' She turned to address the other black-robed figure. 'Your traitor has done exceedingly well.'
Ravendas's companion also pushed back his heavy cowl. It was Lord Steward Snake, his dark eyes glittering in the torchlight. 'As I promised, my lord.'
'Twice now you have done me a great favor, Morhion Gen'dahar,' Ravendas crooned. The mage did not meet her gaze. He stared blankly forward, his attitude unfathomable. 'This time you have outdone yourself. I had not expected you to bring me the troublesome Harper as well.'
Ravendas approached Mari. 'Who will lead your little rebellion now, Harper?' Mari stiffened, yet remained silent So Morhion had betrayed them, informing Ravendas of the plan to free the prisoners.
'What are you going to do with us?' Caledan demanded hotly.
'Kill you, of course,' Ravendas said flatly. 'But I wish you to live long enough to see me wield the power of the Night-stone. It will make your failure all the more bitter.' She turned to one of the Zhentarim warriors. 'Bind them.'
Caledan, Mari, Estah, and Ferret were each bound tightly. Suddenly Caledan noticed that the young thief, Talim, was not among them. He must have slipped away in the darkness. The four were dragged out of the passageway, and for a brief moment Caledan found himself next to Morhion.
'If ever it is in my power,' he whispered harshly, 'I will kill you for this treachery, mage.'
'I know,' was all Morhion said.
Twenty
'Where are they?' Tyveris muttered repeatedly. He paced the small stone antechamber. Kyana watched him, her arms folded across her doeskin jerkin. A score of prisoners huddled in the cold, dank chamber behind her. Their clothes were in rags, their faces dirty and haggard, many of them gaunt with hunger. However, they clutched makeshift weapons in their hands, along with several short swords and crossbows Tyveris and Kyana had brought with them.
'I know the Harper is your friend, monk,' Kyana said, 'but we can't afford to wait much longer. We've been lucky so far that we haven't run into any guards. But eventually our luck is going to run out. I'm afraid we have to assume that something has happened to the Harper and the others.' 'You can assume what you like,' Tyveris growled. The prisoners watched him with worried eyes. 'Where
Much as he hated to admit it, he knew Kyana was right.
It had been nearly an hour since he and the thief had freed a score of men and women in one of the dungeon blocks. It was only a matter of time until the escape was discovered, and then they would lose their only advantage-surprise. Cormik's agents were poised outside the tower, ready to send the signal to the bands of cityfolk waiting throughout the city that the prisoners had been safely freed. Then the rebellion would begin in earnest.
Tyveris could feel Kyana's eyes on him. She was pressing him to make a decision. Tyveris had hoped Mari and the others would catch up with him before it was necessary to make the final assault on the tower. I'm a priest now, not a warrior, Tyveris swore inwardly.
Suddenly Kyana stiffened. She lifted a hand to her lips for silence. Tyveris caught the faint sound of footpads echoing off cold stone. Someone was hurrying toward the antechamber. Kyana loosened her saber and moved to the door. Tyveris prepared himself to spring. A shadow moved outside the doorway.
'Wait, it's me-Talim!' a voice gasped just as Kyana raised her saber. Tyveris sighed in relief as the young, red-haired thief rushed into the room. His freckled face was pale, his gray eyes wide.
'What is it?' Kyana asked him, concerned.
'I have bad news,' the young thief said, swallowing hard. He told his story: Mari, Caledan, and the others had been captured by Ravendas and taken to the crypt of the Shadow-king. 'It was the mage who betrayed them,' Talim said sadly. 'But I was at the rear of the party, and I managed to melt into the shadows. They didn't notice me.'
“You did well,' Tyveris said somberly. His heart felt as cold as the surrounding walls. Almost instinctively he
