covered by a mound of moldering debris. Mika, seeing no way for them to continue, wondered suddenly if the boy was a purse thief who thought to rob them! Well, if that was his intent, he had a surprise in store! Mika's hand crept toward his knife.
But the boy did not even look at the nomad. Bending down, he reached into the pile of garbage and fiddled with something. There was a nearly silent exhalation of air as the brick wall swung aside, revealing only darkness beyond.
The boy looked up at the rooftops nervously and scanned the passage behind them as though expecting to see some sign of pursuit. Then he quickly gestured them forward, urging them to enter. Hornsbuck readily passed the boy and entered the darkened doorway, followed quickly by Lotus Blossom and the wolves. Mika, though, hesitated. He glanced back and saw a contemptuous grin on the boy's face. Swallowing his fear, he glared down at the urchin, gripped his knife more tighdy, and entered the chasm, leaving the horses behind.
CHAPTER 23
Mika hoped that the blackness would not really be as dark as it seemed. But it was. It was Stygian, without even a hint of light. His heart began to thump against his ribs and his throat closed tight as the door closed behind them.
There was a scratching sound, and then another. Mika's eager senses caught the scent of smoke, then a tiny pinpoint of light. Mika focused on the small flame and sighed deeply, relief flooding his mind like rain on a parched land.
'Where are we?' asked Hornsbuck, his deep voice echoing emptily.
'Shh,' whispered the boy. 'We're not safe yet. A litde while longer.'
The diminutive flame showed them brick walls on three sides and a lowering clay roof above them. The boy moved forward, and Mika saw the tiny candle dip. With a sinking heart, he realized that the path they must take lay underground.
Mika was not fond of underground passages. He had traveled them before when necessary, but nothing good had ever come of them. Monsters and ghosts and other horrible things lurked in such places. He silently loosened his sword, promising himself that he would not be taken unaware.
As though sharing his feelings, Tam and the princess pressed close against his legs, evidently no more enamored with the dark passage than he was.
But Hornsbuck and Lotus Blossom, untroubled by the darkness and what it might conceal, followed the boy closely. Mika grasped his sword more firmly and ventured forward, fearful of a trap, but even more afraid of being left behind.
The path underfoot was clay, hard-packed as though trampled by many feet. It led down a gentle angle and then leveled off after only a short descent.
Mika sensed that the walls had drawn back and that they were now passing through a large open space. The boy carried the only light, and it illuminated only a small area directly around him. Mika guessed that even that meager beacon was more for their benefit than the boy's, because the urchin seemed quite certain where he was going.
Another wall appeared, this one consisting of rotting bales of hay, no longer of any use as feed. The boy moved a bale to one side and manipulated something concealed behind. Once again the wall swung aside, carrying the bales of hay with it and revealing a large, low-roofed room. Astonished, Mika realized that it contained a large number of people in various attitudes of repose.
A sharp cry rang out and the peaceful scene erupted into violent action. Men raced for their weapons, women and children rushed out of sight, mothers dragging tiny gaping children away by force and scooping babes off their blankets.
Mika, Lotus, and Hornsbuck stood in the doorway, the boy before them, holding up his hand and shouting words that no one stopped to hear. Their wolf companions bristled in readiness, for friend or foe.
Women and children tucked out of sight, the men turned to face them, shifting nervously and waving an odd assortment of weapons, wooden broadswords whose edges were nicked and chipped, spears with stone points, and a variety of staffs and heavy cudgels.
Mika stared at the men, then relaxed his grip on his sword as he noted that few of them appeared to be in their prime. Most were very old or very young and seemed far more afraid of the three of them, even though they numbered several score.
'Father, they were about to be taken by the priests,' cried the boy, interrupting the tense standoff. I brought them here, for surely they need our help.'
Slowly, the men lowered their weapons and glanced at each other, still very anxious and uncertain over the presence of armed strangers in their midst.
'It's true, what he says,' boomed Lotus Blossom, as she unstrung her bow and placed the arrow back into its quiver. 'We arrived in Exag but a short time ago and almost immediately found ourselves surrounded by old men in white robes and guards who meant us harm, although we did nothing to offend them. This boy appeared out of nowhere and showed us a path of escape, bringing us to this place. You have no cause to fear us, but if our presence offends, my friends and I will leave.'
The men seemed to waver. One by one, their weapons were lowered, and then one who seemed in charge drew near, studying them carefully all the while.
'You have arrived only this day?' he queried sharply.
'Aye,' said Hornsbuck, 'but a short time ago. We entered the gates and had no more than turned to watch the procession when all the trouble began.'
Low murmurs broke out among the men as they spoke among themselves.
'Why did you come to Exag?' asked the apparent leader as the boy moved to his side.
'It's a personal matter,' said Mika, unwilling to discuss the demon and the king with strangers, despite their timely assistance.
The man, whom Mika took to be the boy's father, stared into Mika's eyes, judging his words. He was small, rising no higher than Mika's shoulder, and was dressed, as were they all, in a ragbag of nondescript clothing obviously culled from the cast-offs of others or the garbage heaps.
He appeared none too healthy, his hair lank and dull and hanging about his shoulders in ragged clumps. His ribs were clearly visible as were the knobs of his shoulders and elbows.
His dark eyes had the hot, burning intensity of a zealot or a man who had not eaten adequately for a long time. His skin was pale and unhealthy looking with a single bright red spot in the center of each cheek. It was obvious to Mika that the man was in very poor health and he thought it unlikely that the fellow would make old bones.
The man looked at them with a puzzled expression. 'Only fools and those wishing to die come to Exag,' he said slowly, shaking his head and staring at them as though trying to decide which category they fit into.
'Why?' asked Hornsbuck. 'Is it not a city like any other?'
The man laughed, a brief choking sound that contained no humor. 'Exag is like no other city that I know of, excepting perhaps in Hades. Come, my poor unfortunates. Come sit by the fire and I will tell you what you have gotten yourself into.'
'I knew I was right,' muttered Mika, more to himself than to anyone else. 'I knew I didn't want to come here.'
The man led them to the center of the room, where a large fire burned in a wide fire pit. Here was the heart of the place. A number of cooking containers, mostly broken or dented in some manner, sat atop flat rocks at the edge of the fire, their contents simmering and bubbling quietly.
Tattered rugs and forlorn little toys lay scattered around the edges of the pit. As the women and children crept back to claim them, Mika could see that none of them, not even the babes in arms, appeared in much better condition than their poor possessions.
'What is this place, and who are you people?' asked Hornsbuck. 'Why do you live underground like starved rats rather than bask in the sun above?'
