Catalyst (Book 1) (19 page)

“I must get back to my room before I’m discovered,” Krystal said. “The elves are in the southeast dungeons. Prastian should know the way. Please convince King Sharald to help me.” She turned to go, and then came back and leaned in close, kissing me on my cheek. “Thank you again, hero. Please be careful.” Krystal moved noiselessly to the door and opened it a crack. It seemed that the hallway was clear, because she vanished through the door, not looking back.

I watched her shadow disappear, and put my hand to my cheek, letting it linger. “You too.”

I closed the door. There was no turning back now. Whatever she asked of me, I would do it. Whatever help she needed, I would give it.

We had found the information we needed about the elves. There was one last question, and it was about Premier. I would get my answer, but I was pretty sure I wouldn’t like it.

CHAPTER 14

I dressed, grabbed my belongings, and left the room. The guards outside our doors still slept, slouched against the walls. One of them stirred as I passed. We didn’t have much time. Behast and Prastian were wide awake and holding their daggers the moment I entered. I waited until we had collected Demay and were far away from our corridor before pulling into an empty reception room and explaining what the princess had told me.

“They’re as good as dead if we don’t free them!” Prastian could barely contain his anger.

“At least they're alive right now,” Demay said. “Let's go rescue them and leave this place.”

“I do not like the idea of a rescue attempt without our main weapons,” Behast said. “If we should encounter resistance, I’m not sure how much of a fight I can put up with this little thing.” Behast held his dagger in the air with his fingertips.

“I’d like my bow and arrows at my side,” Demay said.

I turned to Prastian. “What do you think we should do?”

“Our weapons will still be stored in the guardroom at the entrance to the keep. The dungeons are located on the east side, near where we are now. We should rescue our follow elves, get our weapons, then leave. Don’t worry, Behast. We have a mighty and powerful wizard with us.”

I forced a smile. “Thanks.”

“I’m going to take the lead, using my ears to guide us. There won’t be many guards around at this hour; however, servants may be about. Keep your ears ready, but don’t harm anyone who’s not armed.”

We left the room and disappeared into the darkness of the castle, moving as fast as we could without making noise. The elves took the lead. I tried to keep up with them and move as silently as they did. It was hard. The only places where there were lights also had guards or servants.

The elves had no problem moving around in the dark. Prastian knew the area well, and they let their ears be their guides. I couldn't use any magic to help me. A weak spell would do no good, and anything stronger might be detected by Premier. I had to pray my black robes concealed me in the shadows.

After many turns, stairs, and long corridors, we reached our destination. Prastian put his hand up to tell us to stop. We huddled against a wall, near a statue. Prastian peeked around the corner, his long ears quivering. Finally, he waved us forward.

Prastian whispered, “There are two guards in front of the entrance to the dungeons. From the sound of it, they seem bored. They’re obviously not expecting any trouble.”

“Good,” Behast said. A gleam shone in his eyes. “I will deal with them.”

“No, we must not kill any of them,” Prastian said.

“No? What do you mean no?”

“Shhh! I mean no. These are good people, following orders they believe come from their king. What's happening is Premier's fault. We will only kill people in self-defense. No more, no less. They're our allies, Behast.”

Behast bowed his head in agreement. He looked disappointed. “As you wish.”

“As I was about to say,” Prastian said, “we need some kind of distraction so they don’t have time to alert anyone else. Hellsfire, I don’t suppose you could extinguish those candles over there?”

I peeked around the corner, then slid back to where the others were. “No problem.”

“Good. The moment you do that, we go and knock the guards unconscious.” Prastian looked back towards Demay and Behast. “Are you both ready?”

They nodded in unison.

“And remember, no killing.”

I poked my head around the corner and drew the element of wind around me. In Caleea I said,
“May the God of Wind carry my breath and extinguish those candles.”
I opened my mouth and blew. My breath divided, streaming towards each of the candles. The strands of air brushed against the guards. They looked around in confusion before the wind crushed the light.

As soon as the light was gone, the elves became a blur. The three elves, though smaller than the guards, were able to surprise and take down the first one easily. Prastian used the hilt of his dagger to hit him in the temple, knocking him unconscious before he could respond. The second guard reacted fast enough to almost draw his weapon. Behast was on top of him before he could. Demay helped Behast contain the guard while Prastian hit the man in the neck, then in the head. The guard grunted before falling to the ground.

 
“Let’s go and get your friends,” I said, walking towards them.

“Hellsfire,” Prastian said and gestured to the candles.

I waved my arm and the flames re-lit.

“Wow,” Demay said. “How’d you do that?”

“Come on, we haven’t much time.” Prastian took the keys from the guards. One by one, we went down into the dungeons.

The dungeon’s mouth seemed to open wide and swallow us. The stairs were cramped, enclosed by the damp, mildew-covered walls. I shuddered. Even after spending almost three years in the caves on the White Mountain, I still hated enclosed spaces. As we descended into the blackness, the stench that crept into my nose was unbearable. It smelled as if a carcass had been left to rot in the baking sun. When we reached the almost pitch-black dungeons, we were in a hallway lined with cages. There were no windows. Luckily, there were also no other prisoners to deal with, although the dungeons were big enough to hold a hundred people. There were only the elves.

Two were slumped against the wall. One of them had open wounds on his arms. Flies hovered around the blood-encrusted cuts. The other’s face looked like it had been slashed with a knife. A third elf lay on a thin layer of hay. His breathing was erratic, and his green skin was covered with welts where it showed through the rents in his ragged clothes.

But things were far worse than their physical wounds.

When I extended my magical senses, I felt that their green mana was fading. I barely sensed anything in them. They were dying inside, piece by piece, withering until they were nothing. Even their ears pointed down.

I grasped the steel bars in anger, letting their rough surface scrape my palms. Premier was responsible for this. How many other people had Premier destroyed? I concentrated, trying not to lose control of my powers.

“Prastian, hurry up and open the gate,” Behast said, the anger in his voice rising. “I can’t stand to look at this. This is no way to treat an ally.”

Prastian unlocked the gates, and the three elves rushed to their fallen comrades. “My friends, we’ve come for you,” Prastian said. “Get up. We must get you out of here and back into the forest so it can heal you.”

“What’s going on here?” The oldest elf slowly opened his eyes. “Am I dreaming again, or is Premier tormenting us once more?”

“You old fool. It is I, Prastian. I’ve come to rescue you.”

The elf’s eyes widened in surprise. He blinked several times and stared at Prastian. “Prastian? Is that really you?”

“Yes, Marlese. But if you really like it here, I can leave you.”

“I’m sorry. My eyes are sore, but it must be you. Only you would have such terrible wit.” Marlese struggled to rise, and Prastian helped him up.

 
“Dashion, Wintrop, we must get a move on. They’ve finally come for us. I knew Sharald wouldn’t let us down.”

Behast and Demay helped Dashion and Wintrop, while Prastian explained the situation to Marlese. Marlese and Prastian walked over to me after their conversation was done.

“So you are the one to thank,” Marlese said, smiling at me. “I have a feeling my people are going to have a hard time repaying you for all the good you’ve done.”

I shrugged. “I haven't done anything yet.” I glanced up at the stone ceiling, imagining Premier out there. He had to be stopped.

Marlese grasped my arm. “I thank you nevertheless.”

I nodded. “Why were you thrown into the dungeons, anyway?”

“It was probably something Wintrop said. I think he angered Premier and was insubordinate.”

“Me?” Wintrop said. “I believe it was
you
who accused Premier of being a simple-minded fool.”

Marlese coughed. “As I was saying, things got out of hand, and a slight misunderstanding arose. I don’t think it mattered. Premier seemed eager to throw us in here before we could talk with King Furlong and, more importantly, before we could return to our king to tell him what we saw.”

“Marlese, we don’t have time for this,” Prastian said. His ears twitched.

Marlese's ears rose. “You’re right.”

“Wait,” I said. “Before we go, did Premier do anything when he visited you?”

“Aside from having the guards beat us, no. He took a perverse pleasure in watching and studying us like we were an experiment. From his interest, I don’t think he’s ever seen elves die in captivity before.”

“What's wrong, Hellsfire?” Prastian asked.

“I don't know. It's just something about Premier.” I exhaled. “I wish we knew more about him, but not even the princess knows all that much. He's dangerous. I know that.”

All the elves nodded.

Prastian's ears perked up. “We have to go. Now. Someone's going to find the guards and we have to be past the city walls before sunup. Is everyone ready to go home?”

The elves' faces lit up with joy and relief.

“Good. Everyone follow me and stay close behind. Trust me, we’re going to get you home.”

The rescued elves had to lean on the others as we climbed the stairs. “Are you going to be able to make it, Marlese?” Prastian asked, supporting him.

“I'm fine, Prastian. We'll make it. Just get us out of here and into the forest.”

As we made our way up the flight of stairs, I couldn't help but think about Premier. What would happen after we made it back to Sharald? Even if I convinced King Sharald to send his army up here and help, he could run into some serious resistance if Premier was a wizard. It was bad enough that Premier had weakened Alexandria, but if he was a wizard, he could destroy Sharald’s army as well.

There were entirely too many variables, and they all hinged on Premier. I had to find out more about him so we could plan our next move. There was no one else who could handle it. I couldn't put any of them in danger. I was the only one with magic. It fell on me.

Marlese was winded and breathing heavily when we reached the top. Prastian gave him a questioning look. “Oh, don't look at me like that. As long as there's no more stairs, we'll be fine.”

“Is everyone ready?” Prastian asked. “As the story goes, fast and quiet wins the race.”

“No,” I said. “I can't go on.”

“Why not?” Prastian asked.

“I've got to know more about Premier. He's the key to all this.”

“You could always come back.”

“It might be too late then.”

“But—”

“Let him go,” Marlese said. “He's right about his instincts.” Marlese's green eyes burned with hate. “Premier's our true enemy.” Dashion and Wintrop nodded.

“I understand,” Prastian said.

“I'll try to catch up with you if I can,” I said. “One last thing.” I took a deep breath. The problem with staying behind was that I was the best one to convince King Sharald. “I need you to talk to King Sharald. He has to send his army here. Krystal—I mean, Alexandria needs his help.”

“We shouldn't involve ourselves in their politics,” Dashion said, grimacing. “Let the humans die to the Wasteland creatures.”