In a few heartbeats, the party was moving again. Fires still burned high in the torture chamber. Lhors thought he could hear snoring but nothing else. He wondered if the dwarves had made it beyond the rock wall.
No one emerged from the prison hallway. If there were prisoners and guards that way, they wouldn’t come out unless it was time for achange of guard or if a prisoner was being moved.
“No one outside this corridor can hear anything,” Nemis said.
“But someone might come out and see us,” said Vlandar. “Weneed to go. The giants were digging down through that stairwell when we left, and that was some time ago.”
He sent Agya ahead to join Malowan and Bleryn, put Khlened and Nemis at the rear, and stayed in the middle between the rangers and Lhors.
“Sir,” Lhors asked as they skirted the dead giant and hisfallen ape, “are we just leaving them? Is that wise?”
“Rowan took her arrows, and Khlened has that oversizedmorning star back. We shouldn’t waste the time moving them, even though thisseems to be an hour when not much moves around down here. We don’t need anotherfight just now. But look at them, lad. Wouldn’t it seem to you that the twofought, the ape killed his master, then died of his own wounds? Keep things simple, when you can.”
They made it up the broad passage and into the open roomwithout seeing or hearing anything. Once up against the south wall of the chamber, Lhors could hear someone quarreling on the other side-but at adistance, as if another closed door or another wall was between him and the fighters.
Malowan laid his hands lightly on the wall, then whispered, “Bugbears. None near. Many asleep.”
The door to the cells was slightly ajar. Light leaked around it and through a narrow peephole. None of the party were tall enough to see anything but the ceiling through it. Maera whispered something to Khlened, who knelt and made a cup of his hands for her foot then hoisted her up. She gazed through the slit for some moments, then leaped lightly down.
Lhors suddenly heard the bugbear stomping toward the outer door, muttering under his breath. Malowan signed for the rangers to move to the hinge-side of the door and for Khlened and Bleryn to take up position on the other side. He braced himself directly in front of it, sword in one hand and a long poniard in the other.
Silence again, broken this time by someone inside giggling in a pain-thinned voice. The guard had begun to draw the door open, and Lhors could make out a bugbear’s shadow on the wall. The creature turned away to snarlsomething. Malowan nodded once sharply, then ran forward, half-turned, and slammed his foot into the heavy door. The splintered wood swung into the bugbear, sending him flailing for balance down a short passage. He caught himself on the thick bars of a cell, swung back and felt for his morning star. Too late. Malowan was on him, sword point under his hairy chin. The rangers stood between the guard and his weapon, and Khlened and Bleryn now held the north wall. The dwarf snapped something that sounded like an order, but Lhors couldn’t understand a word of it. It sounded more like the bugbear’s language,all spitting and snarling. Whatever he said, it took the fight out of the guard.
“What’d you say?” Agya demanded.
The dwarf shrugged and grinned broadly.
“Told him that ol’ One Eye’s gone and ’is ape’s dead. Toldhim the wizard there”-he pointed at Nemis-“controls th’ other ape and
The bugbear was sliding slowly down the bars, huddling in on himself.
Malowan sighed. “I cannot kill the brute like this!”
“I can,” Bleryn said, all trace of humor gone. His eyesglinted, and he said something else in the other language.
The bugbear whimpered and curled up like a bug.
“No,” the paladin said firmly. “You and Khlened guard it. Dootherwise and you’ll answer to me.”
“Lhors, Agya,” Vlandar added, “find fetters for him.”
“Unnecessary,” Nemis said and spoke under his breath.
The bugbear went limp.
“He’s asleep, paladin,” said the mage. “Find your prisoners.I will keep watch to make sure we are not surprised.”
Malowan found a bunch of keys hanging from the wall and opened the first cell. The mad giggle began again, weaker this time, though the door was now open.
“Get me a light,” the paladin said. “I can see nothing.”
Agya clambered onto the guard’s bench to pull a torch fromits niche and held it up for him. Her eyes fixed on something inside and she gasped.
Malowan took the torch from her and gave her a little shove. “Don’t look. Just go.”
Lhors froze where he stood. He could clearly make out a wraith of a man who rocked back and forth on a filthy bench. Black, gaping holes gazed where his eyes had once been. One arm ended in a bloody stump, and both his feet were missing.
Gods, how could anyone do that? Lhors thought. How can he still be alive? Lhors suddenly couldn’t remember how to breathe, and he scarcelyfelt Vlandar’s hands on his shoulders, turning him away from the opening.
Behind him, the laughter faded. He could hear pained, harsh breathing, then Malowan’s voice. The paladin sounded as if he were weeping. “Icannot heal you. If I could, I could not restore your wit or cleanse the horrors from your mind. I can only release you and let Holy Rao restore your spirit to grace and peace.”
There was the faint sound of metal against metal. Malowan had drawn a blade.
“You will feel no pain,” the paladin rasped. “I swear it.”
The paladin drew a shuddering breath, and Lhors turned back just as Malowan plunged his dagger into one of the wretch’s empty eye sockets.
Lhors swallowed past a tight throat.
Malowan turned away, knife hanging loose, tears spilling over his eyes. The paladin fought for control, then drew a deep breath and turned back, blotting his eyes. “Dread Heironeous,” he said huskily, “see into my heartand show me the way to cleanse this blood from my hands, for you know me, and you know that I acted out of pity and gave him what mercy I could.” He turnedthen and left the cell, gently closing the door behind him.
Agya was very pale. She took the dagger from his fingers and shoved it back into its sheath. Malowan gave her a watery smile.
The rangers were already at the next cell and had it open. A tall man emerged, and Lhors blinked. He had very dark, bronzed skin, and hair as black as coal. He smiled, revealing very white teeth. “Dare a man hope this is arescue? Not much I wouldn’t do for that.” He looked around at the company. “Mustbe a tale here, so many warriors in old Nosnra’s cellars.”
“There is,” Vlandar said, “and if we get back out of Nosnra’scellars, you’ll hear it. I’m Vlandar out of western Keoland.”
“I am Gerikh,” the man said with a slight bow, “from Istivinon the Davish River, and unfortunately, no swordsman.”
“We won’t leave you here,” Vlandar assured him.
“Good. I’ve been here with two others since maybe amoon-phase ago. We were working on a bridge near Flen. I’m an engineer. Giantsset upon our party. By the time we got here, I was the only one alive.”
Malowan was already at the next cell, hands resting on the lock. “I’ve found your elf,” he announced.
Rowan bounded over, peeked in the cell, and immediately set to work on the lock with her dagger. After several moments of mumbled cursing, she drew back in frustration. “Damn all dwarven steel! Bleryn, can you get thislock open?”
Taking Khlened’s thick sword, the dwarf walked over to thecell, and with one sharp
“Trouble’s with yer method,” the dwarf said with a crookedsmile, “not our ‘damned dwarven steel’.”
