Balestone (11 page)

Chapter 13

“You’re an emperor?” Ti asked, trying to sound respectful.

Gunderlyn looked at Tiberius as if he didn’t understand.

“You said you rule all of Valana,” Tiberius explained. “How did that happen?”

“You ask the strangest questions,” Gunderlyn said seriously, then broke into hysterical laughter.

Tiberius looked at Lexi, who seemed worried about their host. Tiberius badly wanted a chance to explore the man’s library of books. He could see the titles of many of the large volumes, but the entire room was lined with shelves, and each shelf was packed with books. He could spend hours just exploring the titles in Gunderlyn’s library.

“Which of the cities do you hail from?” Gunderlyn asked once he regained what little self-composure he possessed.

“Avondale,” Tiberius said.

“Ah, Avondale, the most beautiful of the nine cities.”

“You’ve been to Avondale?” Tiberius asked.

“I’ve seen all the cities,” Gunderlyn said, his voice grim. “But I don’t go up, no, never up. Above the mists the world is cold and full of hate. I prefer things here.”

“Don’t you miss being around other people?” Lexi asked.

“People are so full of themselves,” Gunderlyn said. “Is not your little pet more true? The wind glider, or
helter smy
, as they were once known. In days gone by, they were called King’s Eyes. They’re exceedingly rare. I’ve only read about them in my books.”

“You mean Dancer?” Lexi asked.

“Ah, an apt name. They do seem to dance on the wind, don’t they?” Gunderlyn said. “Does he speak to you?”

“She,” Lexi said, “shows me things sometimes.”

“They eventually learn to communicate with their companions,” Gunderlyn said, as if the whole conversation was dull. “You’ll find your furry little pet more loyal than any person.”

“How long have you lived here?” Tiberius asked.

“So many questions. There will be time for answers later,” Gunderlyn said, suddenly jumping to his feet. “But first we must eat. Stay here — I will prepare our supper. Then all your questions will be answered.”

He swept out of the room, his filthy robe brushing Tiberius as he hurried past. Tiberius thought he was growing used to the smell, but Gunderlyn’s unwashed body made Tiberius’ eyes water.

As soon as Gunderlyn was out of the room, Tiberius began looking at the books. Lexi moved up behind Tiberius. She was as silent as a shadow for a few moments.

“We need to get out of here,” she said.

“I know, but we can’t leave yet,” Tiberius said.

“We’re better off taking out chances on the prairie,” Lexi argued.

“I agree. Gunderlyn is out of his mind. But look at these books, Lexi. There could be books on magic here. There was no purge in the blighted lands.”

“No,” Lexi said. “Just a cataclysm that drove everyone into the highlands. Tiberius, it isn’t safe here. There’s no telling what this mad man is planning to do.”

“I doubt he’s strong enough to subdue all four of us.”

“I hope you’re right,” Lexi said.

Tiberius knew that Lexi was scared, but he couldn’t force himself to leave. In his own mind, a warning was trying to get his attention, but Tiberius seriously doubted that Gunderlyn could pose much of a threat, and the possibility of finding another book on magic — perhaps even several books — was simply too enticing to pass up. Had he paid more attention to his instincts, he might have noticed that his fatigue wasn’t natural.

Lexi yawned.

“You see, you’re too tired to do anything more tonight,” Tiberius said.

“What is your fascination with these books?” she asked.

“Don’t you realize what these are?” Tiberius explained. “Every one of these books is from before the purge. The amount of magical knowledge in these books is priceless.”

“They’re all about magic?”

“No, at least I haven’t found books that are solely about magic,” he said, stifling his own yawn. “But even if they just describe what is possible to do with magic, they would be well worth reading.”

“Books make me sleepy,” Lexi said.

“We’ve been through a lot today,” Tiberius said.

He picked one of the books up and began turning the ancient pages. The books had been written on thick paper, the words copied in a flowing script that was elegant but precise. There were illustrations, as well. It was a book of ceremony, perhaps outlining the rites of some forgotten religion.

Lexi sat down on the stone tiled floor of the library. There were no rushes, only more dirt that Gunderlyn had tracked in. Tiberius yawned again, his eyelids heavy, and he felt a warmth, almost like a thick blanket being wrapped around his body. He looked down at Lexi, who was asleep, and finally he realized what was happening. He had cast the sleep spell often enough, but he’d never been the recipient of that particular charm. He looked for Gunderlyn, but the rank old man was not in the library. Tiberius stumbled toward the door that led to the kitchen, but his legs refused to hold him up, and he collapsed onto the floor.

He resisted sleep for a brief moment, but his resistance was useless. The last thought to pass through his mind before he fell into the pit of unconsciousness was where the old man had learned the spell. Tiberius wanted to see that book.

When Tiberius woke up, he was alone. The room he was in was bare, just a small room with stone walls. His hands were chained to a metal ring that was bolted into the stone above his head.

“What’s going on?” he said, struggling to his feet.

He felt groggy, and his muscles seemed as if they had been drained of strength.

“Lexi!” he shouted. “Lexi!”

His voice echoed back at him from the confining stone walls. Fear gripped his heart so tightly that he could barely breathe. He pulled at the chains in a futile effort to break free. The chains were stout, and the ring they were attached to would not budge. He tried to pull his hands free of the shackles but only succeeded in chafing the skin on his wrists.

“Lexi!” Tiberius shouted again, but there was no answer.

He sank to his knees and let the tears fall from his eyes as he tried desperately to think of what he could do. He went over every spell he knew, but none seemed effective for freeing him or helping his friends.

Finally, the thick wooden door opened. Tiberius struggled to his feet. Light from around the door had allowed him to see in the small room, but now he covered his eyes and strained to see who was standing in the doorway. He recognized his jailer by smell before he could see.

“Gunderlyn,” he said bitterly.

“You fool,” the man said. “You were so trusting, so naive.”

“Let me go,” Tiberius said. “What have you done with Lexi?”

“She is fine … for now. I cannot promise that she will remain so. You travel in interesting company.”

“What are you doing this for?”

“Oh, there are many reasons.”

Tiberius was angry, but he forced himself to calm down and think. Gunderlyn’s voice was no longer the high-pitched, hysterical cackle of a madman. Instead, he sounded calm and in full control.

“The first of which,” he said, “is to find out why the princess sent you to kill me.”

“What?” Tiberius asked. “No one sent us to kill you.”

“Another wizard just happens to stumble into Devonyr — I don’t think so.”

“Please,” Tiberius begged. “No one sent us. We are exiled from Avondale and traveling to Hamill Keep.”

“I will not listen to lies,” the man hissed. “The princess is a fool. She does not know the dark powers she is dabbling with.”

“Princess Ariel?” Tiberius asked, desperately trying to find a way to connect with his captor and perhaps win his freedom.

“So you do know her?” Gunderlyn spat.

“Of course I do,” Tiberius said. “She is the Princess of Valana.”

“She is a foolish child. Tell me, how long were you her apprentice?”

“I … I wasn’t. I met her, though. I was struggling to learn magic, and she visited Avondale with her father.”

“And she taught you what?”

“She didn’t teach me anything,” Tiberius said. “She broke my leg and made me heal myself. She’s wickedly cruel.”

“And you learned magic all on your own?” Gunderlyn asked.

“No, I found a book.”

“There are no more magical books in the nine cities.”

“I found one,” Tiberius said. “It was just a fragment, really.
The Essence of Magic
.”

Gunderlyn laughed. Then he pointed at Tiberius with a bony finger.

“How many Orders of Magic have you mastered?” he said in a mocking voice.

“Just one,” Tiberius said. “Just Sana Magus.”

“Sana Magus indeed,” Gunderlyn sneered. “You are an assassin, although a poor one. The princess would do well to choose her minions with better care.”

“I’m not her minion, and I swear we did not come here looking for you. We’re just trying to get to Hamill Keep.”

“Nothing happens by chance, boy.”

Gunderlyn’s eyes closed, but his lips continued moving. Tiberius didn’t know what the old wizard was saying or what spell he was casting, but he recognized the look of concentration and the melodic chant of a spell.

“
Scuti Incantatio
,” Tiberius shouted.

He felt the magic springing up in front of him just as an invisible force slammed into his shielding spell. The force of the blow knocked Tiberius back against the wall, but he was unharmed.

Gunderlyn’s eyes opened wide, and even in the dim light of his prison cell, Tiberius could see the fear on the elder wizard’s face. He scrambled backward and slammed the thick wooden door with a resounding bang.

Chapter 14

Rafe and Olyva had spread a blanket on the stone floor of the tower. There was no light and no fire to keep them warm. Normally Olyva preferred sleeping on the ground, but she shivered against the stone, and Rafe wished they had brought more of their supplies from the building they had taken shelter in. Following the crazy man was not wise, but they had very little choice in the matter. If they had refused, the man might have sent his dogs back to attack them. Rafe wasn’t afraid of dogs, but he didn’t like the idea of being in the dark or trying to sleep and having dogs turned loose on him.

Olyva didn’t speak, and as they lay together in the darkness, both struggling to find some comfort on the stone floor that made the soft turf of the prairie seem like a feather mattress, Rafe slowly grew sleepy. He had expected Tiberius to return with food of some sort, but his friend didn’t reappear. Rafe was anxious for the light of day, so he didn’t fight the urge to sleep.

When he woke up, he was in chains. A quick glance showed that Olyva and Lexi were with him, but not Tiberius. He pulled on the chains, but they held fast.

“Olyva,” Rafe whispered. “Olyva, are you okay?”

Lexi stirred, but Olyva didn’t move.

“Olyva,” Rafe said as he nudged her with his foot.

She was too far away for him to reach her with his hands, but if he stretched he could reach her bare foot with his own. He felt panic when she didn’t wake up. Lexi slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes. There was very little light in the room they were being held captive in. There were no windows, and Rafe guessed they were now down below ground. The only light came in around the wooden door to the chamber where they were being held.

“What’s happening?” Lexi asked.

“You tell me,” Rafe hissed. “What happened to you and Tiberius?”

“I don’t know,” Lexi said. “We went down the stairs. There was treasure everywhere and books. The old man went to get us food, then I woke up here.”

“Nothing else?” Rafe asked.

“No,” Lexi said. “Tiberius was looking at books.”

“Books?”

“And then I sat down,” she said. “I was so sleepy.”

“It wasn’t natural,” Rafe said. “There’s no way that old man could carry me anywhere without me waking up. Much less lock me in irons.”

“What are you saying?”

“We were bewitched,” Rafe said. “I’ve seen Ti do it.”

“But why?” Lexi asked. “And what has happened to Tiberius?”

“Both good questions, and I have no answers. Looks like we trusted the wrong people. See if you can help me wake up Olyva.”

They called her name, and Rafe continued nudging her, but Olyva never moved or made a sound. Rafe could see that she was breathing, but she wouldn’t wake up. After a while they gave up and sat slumped again the stone wall. Rafe’s body ached. He felt as though he’d been in a fistfight and lost. His head was pounding, and his mouth was as dry as the dust on the floor of their prison.

Finally, the door opened, and their captor came in. He set a lamp on a small table on the far side of the room. Rafe wanted to find out where Tiberius was, but he knew better than to question his captor.

“Where’s Tiberius?” Lexi asked.

“He has special accommodations,” the smelly wizard said. “I’m glad you’re awake. Tell me about your friend.”

He was standing over Olyva, looking down at her.

“Don’t tell him anything,” Rafe said through clenched teeth.

“Tsk tsk, my good man. I can make life comfortable for you or very, very uncomfortable. I hold no grudges. Just answer my questions and I’ll have food and water brought in.”

Rafe’s stomach growled, but he didn’t say a word.

“She is very unique,” the wizard said, squatting down and lifting one of Olyva’s feet. “These toes would never do in court, would they?”

“Don’t touch her,” Lexi hissed.

“I’ll do more than touch her,” the wizard said. “I’ve been researching all day but haven’t found anything about tree people. I’m tempted to dissect her and really have a good look around.”

“Over my dead body,” Rafe growled.

“Oh yes, I’m sure that would be necessary, but not difficult. I’m afraid my dogs would make a quick meal out of you.”

“What do you want from us?”

“From the three of you, very little,” the wizard said. “Your wizard friend is a different story. Tell me why you came here.”

Lexi looked at Rafe, but the young warrior gave a little shake of his head to warn her not to speak. The wizard looked from Lexi to Rafe and then back again.

“Fine,” he said, pulling a key from his filthy robes. “You come with me.”

He stepped toward Lexi, who slid backward, trying to escape. He grabbed her arm with surprising speed, but Lexi didn’t pull away. Instead, she launched herself at the man. She threw her knee toward his groin but missed, so she tried to rake her fingernails down his face instead.

“
Docilis Commodum,
” he roared, and Lexi’s body went still.

“Don’t you touch her,” Rafe shouted.

He pulled on his chains, shouting and kicking, but the wizard was too far away. He unlocked Lexi’s shackles and led her out of the room. Nothing Rafe could do or say stopped him. And as the door closed, so did Rafe’s hopes.

He knew only two things: first, that if they didn’t escape, they would die. The wizard had plans for them, no matter what he said. The old man wouldn’t let them live very long, not if they posed a threat to him. And secondly, Olyva was Rafe’s first priority. He had to get her to safety.

The room was dark, and it took a while for Rafe’s night vision to return. He cast around for anything in the room that might help him escape his shackles. The floor was covered with dirt, the same dry, powdery dirt that covered the entire town. Rafe had to use his hands to brush the dirt aside, and at first there was nothing to find. The room he was in was made of smooth stone blocks. The floor, under its layer of dirt, was simply more stone. At first Rafe wanted to give up, but then Olyva stirred. She groaned as if she were in pain.

“Olyva,” he said, turning toward her. “Olyva, are you all right?”

She groaned again but didn’t wake up. Rafe could see her trembling. He didn’t know if she was hurt or if the sleeping spell had affected her differently than it had him. Maybe, since she was changing already from their encounter with the killer trees, the spell had made her sick or hurt her somehow. Her obvious discomfort only made Rafe realize he had to get her out of the underground prison as soon as possible.

He turned his attention back to the dirt. He scraped and brushed, looking for something that might help him in his quest for freedom. He had scoured nearly the entire area that was within his reach when he finally found a piece of bone. It was as long as his finger and almost as wide. He snatched it up and tried not think about what a bone was doing in a room that was obviously made to hold prisoners. Still, he had an idea.

The shackles around his wrists had a narrow edge. Rafe placed the bone onto the shackle and then hit it with his hand. The bone was hard but brittle and it broke into two long pieces. One was still fat, the other narrow. Rafe rubbed the bone against the edge of the shackle until it had a thick groove near one end. Then he inserted the bone into the shackle. It took nearly half an hour of concentrated work, but eventually Rafe got the shackle unlocked.

“Yes,” he said excitedly.

The second shackle didn’t take nearly as long. Then he set to work on Olyva’s chains. Once he got her unlocked, he lifted her up. She was light in his arms, lighter than he thought she should have been, which only made him worry about her more. He went to the door and pulled it open just a little. There was light in the next room, but it wasn’t bright, and Rafe didn’t see the old man or anyone else. He opened the door and carried Olyva through it. In the outer room, there was a table with ancient-looking leather straps. Blood stains covered the wooden table, and on a far wall was a large brass shield that was reflecting light from another room. There were two doors; one was open, letting in light, and the other closed.

Rafe looked out the first door, but there was nothing to see except more rooms. He could see a sleeping chamber with a disheveled bed and a room that was filled with junk. Rafe could see old pieces of furniture, rusty weapons, thick carpets rolled up and leaning against cobweb-covered paintings.

Rafe desperately wanted his sword back, but he couldn’t risk going to search for it. His first priority had to be getting Olyva to safety. He opened the second door and peered through. The rooms beyond were dark, but Rafe thought he could could see a bit of sunlight. He decided the second doorway was more promising than the first.

He hurried through, closing the door quietly behind him and waiting to let his eyes adjust to the gloom. He was in a large room, and there was a throne beside where he stood. Under his boots he could feel a thick carpet. The walls of the room were lined with books, and Rafe guessed this was the library that had occupied Tiberius’ mind when the old wizard cast his spell. Rafe hurried through the room and into another room.

He could hear the flies buzzing and smell the rotten meat. It was a horrible stench that made Rafe want to gag, but instead he hurried through into yet another room. The third room was filled with light from a small beam of sunlight that was reflecting off piles of golden coins. The treasure didn’t interest Rafe nearly as much as the sunlight.

Just beyond the treasure room was a spiral staircase, and there were traces of sunlight filtering through the swirls of dust from above. Rafe was just hurrying up the stairs when he heard a scream. It was high-pitched and agonizing, sending chills up Rafe’s back. He knew without a doubt that it was Lexi who was screaming. The wretched old wizard was hurting her, probably in front of Tiberius. Rafe wanted nothing more than to find the wizard and cut him to pieces, but he had to get Olyva to safety first.

It took every bit of strength Rafe had to turn his back on his friend, but he charged up the stairs and threw open the trap door. The horses were still in the tower, and gray sunlight illuminated the scene. Rafe had guessed that he had slept through the night, and he was glad to be right. If anything could make Olyva feel better, it was sunlight.

He took Olyva to one of the horses and draped her across the animal’s back. Then he threw off the heavy beam that locked the large door to the tower. When he went back to the horses, he heard another scream echo up from below. Tears filled his eyes, but he couldn’t go back yet. He had to get Olyva out of the city. He pulled himself up onto the back of his horse and took hold of Olyva’s reins. He hated leaving her draped across the horse like a slain enemy, but there was nothing more he could do for her. He turned his horse and led them both out of the tower, pretending he didn’t hear more screams from the dungeons below the tower.