“Across the bridge, then left where the trail splits,” answered the dark elf. “The prison is inside the mountain and reached via the town. With stealth, you, Andier, and I must lead, then the other wizards. Have your spells and wits about you.”
“Yes.” Matt had spent the last few hours memorizing them and raiding the local shops that catered to wizards. The two with them were among the more seasoned ones available, neither having any idea that they had far more experience in wizardry than Matt.
With the prince and rogue in the lead, Matt followed them out from behind the vines. The mountain’s white stone loomed all around them in the moonless night. A mass of shattered rocks lay strewn to one side where they had fallen, some covered in vegetation, which grew untamed before them in what looked like an abandoned welcome area. An empty, cracked dais stood there, and beyond it, a curving stone bridge with small obelisks jutting from its railings. The earth fell away on either side.
Over the bridge, beyond the tall pines, rose one rear corner of the white-walled castle of Avaran, where King Erods likely slept right now. The castle was mostly below their position so that only the tallest towers were at eye level, but no lights twinkled in them. The odds of being seen were low, which was good, because the bridge was exposed. Beyond the castle, they saw some of the city, but very little. Pointed dark roofs topped white stone buildings, but they could see little else. They built Avaran along terraced cliffs so that it overlooked the forest valley below. Most of the mountain it lay on rose above their position.
As they crossed the bridge, Matt looked down into a rushing river far below. He wondered why they built the portal here where the destruction of the bridge would render reaching it difficult, but then maybe that answered his question. Anyone trying to invade from the portal’s location could be more easily stopped. Stepping off the span found them on a stone path with grass overtaking it, trees all around and providing cover as the path quickly descended stone steps so that they were now level with the castle wall visible through the trees ahead. The path split, one heading right toward the royal grounds and another leading left and to the city. They headed that way, the castle on their right.
Matt and the other wizards cast a simple cantrip to mask any sounds they made, and the group crept along the underbrush off the path to keep any guards from looking down and seeing them. It didn’t take long to reach the castle’s front corner. The castle stood to the right, with more mountain and the river gorge to the left, for they built the structure in one corner of the available space. The settlement itself was ahead and to the right. They heard a waterfall tumbling down out of sight.
The path they weren’t using was partially blocked by a crumbling wall, giving the impression that the way to where they stood had been walled off at some point and not maintained. The path curved around toward the front gates, where several buildings flanked a courtyard. Instead of heading there, they climbed over the debris and passed over the road. Then they hugged the rear wall of one such structure, edging their way down the steep rocks along the edge of the settlement. The hostages would never make it up this way, but they had a plan to use the streets by then.
They maneuvered past several buildings to reach the edge of a cliff. Matt gazed down and wished he could see better. Multiple terraces of buildings lay below toward the valley, none uniform in length, width, or vegetation, but even in the dark, a kind of loveliness was apparent.
“It is time,” whispered Prince Dravo.
Matt knew what he meant and gestured for the other wizards to join him. He pulled a vial of cold liquid from a pocket in his robe, opened it, and whispered a spell. “Obscure all sound and light, a haze that blinds like night.”
Then he began blowing across the bottle top. A mist formed in the air, slowly turning into fog. He made a fanning gesture with one arm and the fog drifted over and down the cliff face to seep into the city streets. He handed the bottle to the guard who would remain behind at this position, instructing him to continue blowing across the opening. The fog would spread on its own, rising and falling up and down the mountainside, growing thicker by the minute and appearing to come from the river gorge they had crossed. By the time the prisoners were in the open, seeing them would be far harder. The other wizards cast the same spell.
“Where exactly is the prison entrance?” Eric whispered.
Prince Dravo pointed to a location down one level from their position and a street over. “The one with the bell tower. The fog should reach it soon. We must be patient. Only the Ellorians and one wizard should come, so the other wizard can remain outside to assist. Once the fog has spread, the guardsmen we have brought should take positions where they can lead the hostages back up this way.”
They waited in silence, hearing only the sounds of an alien world at night. Once, they heard footsteps and low voices as two dark elves passed the prison on the other side, heading from the castle to lower in town. The only other sign anyone was awake was the random golden glow from windows, but none were near them. Sounds became more hushed as the fog rose, covering the buildings near them so that couldn’t tell what was happening anywhere else, including how far the fog had spread. They had to hope it wasn’t localized, or anyone walking by might realize it wasn’t natural because it only covered a small area.
Some of the group moved down to
