Dragon Sword (The Dragon Lord’s Bride #2)

Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Our captors led us down the tiers and past the base of the Vahti. I couldn’t help but admire the tall shadow as we passed. A strange coldness seemed to flow off the stones, the kind that raised the hairs on the back of my neck. A single wooden door led inside and was covered in carvings, some ancient and others more recent. A circle in the center and high up the door showed a pair of bells pointed in opposite directions. For some reason, I was glad to see it was securely locked.

The Vahti wasn’t the only admirable sight in the vicinity. Many of the buildings were grand in their design, with most being two floors and covering large plots. Several of the structures had elegant porticoes that covered the double-door entrances while others featured small gardens out front with twisting vines that covered everything they could grab, creating a roof of greenery over paths big and small. One of the buildings especially caught my attention, one that showed off a high white dome perched atop its sloped roof and its white walls covered in the entangling vines. It resembled a white flower over a bed of grass.

However, the tower hid the gem of the city, a spacious palace of marble and plants that stood against the cliff at the center rear of the capital. A high wall hid much of the edifice, but one could see the second and third-floor balconies with their plethora of flower pots and state French doors. Large trees grew in the garden and stretched taller than the building, shading much of the home with their thick silver branches and bright green leaves. An impressive gate of wrought iron guarded the entrance where the road wound its way into a circular courtyard where the largest specimen of tree grew. Flowers bloomed everywhere and green grass bordered the gravel courtyard.

The single marring feature of the structure was the foundation. The palace had been built atop the dark rock of the cliffs and though the rocks had been smoothed, they still showed their primitive colors and formations. Terve led us to the western half of the palace where the roof of a building of thick wood stuck out of the ground some three feet. The building stood adjacent to the home and just outside the high walls, though the foundation was so vast that the small structure occupied a part of it. A set of wide stairs carved into the rock led down to a thick metal door. The stench of stale air hit me before we were even halfway down the steps.

Terve stopped us at the door and rapped three times, though I also detected a hint of green magic in his fisted hand which he used to knock. A bolt was unlocked and the door swung open on creaking hinges to reveal a long, dark corridor. Carved from solid stone. The path was illuminated by flickering torches that hung on the walls. Another elf guard stood on the other side holding the portal and he bowed his head to his leader.

“Has the preparations been made?” Terve questioned him.

The elf nodded. “Yes, sir. The first cell is to be theirs.”

Terve looked over his shoulder at us. “We have tried to make your stay here comfortable. This way.”

He led us down the hallway and we passed many doors on our left, though none in the direction of the palace. They were plain wood doors with heavy locks. A small covered peephole hid the contents. I strained my neck to catch a glimpse of whatever lay beyond the doors.

My curiosity was rewarded when a low, dangerous growl came from one of the seven rooms as we passed. The sound made chills run down my spine.

Will tightened his grip around my waist. “Courage.”

I looked up at him. “What’s behind these doors?”

“Monsters,” Terve answered me without looking back. “Creatures we have captured that were marred by the shadows.”

Will furrowed his brow at our ‘host.’ “Then they are not those that are naturally disposed to the darkness?”

“No. They are part of our troubles,” came the enigmatic reply.

There wasn’t time for more questioning as we passed a three-way crossroads and arrived at the cell block. The doors gave way to open-fronted cells with thick bars and a pair of beds, each placed in opposite corners at the rear of the room. A small stove burned brightly in the middle of the cell and a small table with two chairs stood against the wall on the left. I glimpsed more cells further down, at least two dozen, by my rough count.

The cell master stood from his seat opposite the rooms and drew out a large set of keys. He opened the first cell door and bowed his head to his commander. Terve turned to us and used an arm to gesture to the room. “If you would.”

I hesitated but Will guided me inside. The cell keeper slammed the door shut behind us, making me jump. Will guided me over to one of the beds and set me down before he half-turned toward the cell doors.

“How long do you intend to keep us here?” he questioned our captor.

Terve shook his head. “That is not for me to decide, Lord Thorn. His Highness will make a decision in due time.”

“The king must have a great deal on his mind with so many creatures locked in his dungeons,” Will mused as he nodded in the direction of the locked rooms. “He may forget we’re down here.”

“I will be sure to remind him when I see him again,” Terve promised before he turned to the key master. “You need not watch these prisoners. Go to the barracks and get some rest.”

The elf stood and frowned as he nodded to something further down the hall. “But sir, the-”

“If anything should happen, I will take full responsibility,” Terve swore. The guard nodded and slouched off. The general returned his attention to us. “Now you will have some privacy. I hope to see you again soon without the bars between us.” He bowed his head and strode down the hall, taking his two guards with him.

I waited until their footsteps had ceased to be heard before I took a heavy breath. “So what’s the plan?” I asked him as I leaned my back against the wall. Big mistake. The stones were as cold as ice. I jerked away and glared at the rocks.

“Plan?” he asked as he turned to face me.

I shrugged. “Well, when we get out of here.” I paused and studied him. “We are getting out of here, aren’t we?”

“Not likely!” a feminine voice spoke up from further down the cell block.

Will grasped one of the bars as I hopped onto my feet and joined him at the front of our cell. I tried to peek around the corner but couldn’t manage to see more than half a foot into the next cell.

A slender arm stretched out of the cell next to ours and waved at us. “Over here,” the female voice called to us. She drew her hand back in to grasp the bars. “There’s no way to get out of here unless those pointy-eared devils let us out.”

“How long have you been in here?” I asked her.

“How long, Steve?” she asked someone we couldn’t see.

“Don’t know,” came the nonchalant reply from a man. “Maybe two weeks. Maybe longer.”

The woman scoffed. “And you were saying you could keep track of time down here.”

I heard the groan of the bed as Steve moved. “How was I supposed to know they were gonna stick us down here this long? Don’t they have some sort of judge we can make our case to?”

“The king’s edict is the final judge,” Will told our new acquaintances.

“Typical,” the woman grumbled as her hand slipped back into the cell. I heard her drop onto the bed beside her companion. “Just our luck to run into that group of soldiers, too.”

“You were outside the city when they found you?” Will questioned her.

“Outside and deep in the woods,” she replied with a huff. “We couldn’t have found our way here very to this city without them dragging us here.”

“What business brought you there?” Will wondered.

“Our business,” the woman elusively answered as I heard her scuff her feet against the stone floor. “What about you? The way that one elf talked to you, I take it you’re no pushover, even for them.”

“My name is Lord Thorn and this is my wife, Lady Rose,” Will introduced us.

The woman laughed. “Thorn and Rose. A pretty nifty combination. The name’s Sylvia and the pleasant guy beside me is Steve.”

“Don’t I know that name from somewhere?” Steve spoke up as I heard him mutter to himself. “Seems I recall a Lord Thorn being good at magic or whatnot.”

Their bed creaked and Sylvia spoke in an excited whisper. “Do you really know magic? Enough to get us out of here?”

“I do but it wouldn’t be wise to break apart the foundation of the elf king’s home,” Will pointed out.

“Screw his home!” Sylvia snapped as she slapped her hand against the bed. “We’ve been rotting here for weeks and still no closer to getting out of here!”

“And we won’t get the reward, either,” Steve added.

“Shut up!” Sylvia hissed.

Will lifted an eyebrow. “Reward? For what?”

“Nothing,” Sylvia replied through gritted teeth. “Just this idiot talking about our business.”

Will strolled over to the wall between our cells and leaned his arm against the stone. “And that would be?”

“Trade,” Sylvia answered. “Just some simple trade. We were trying to take a shortcut when we ran into the elves. Seems like they were out searching for something, too. One of them was all bloodied up like they’d gotten into a fight.”

I looked up at Will who faced me. His expression revealed his concern. “Do you know where in the forest they discovered you?”

“Somewhere northwest of their city, I think,” she told us. “Why, does that matter?”

A dark cloud settled on his brow. “I’m not sure. I’ll know more after we’re out of here.”