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

Chapter 25

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

“How do we reach the upper dungeons?” Will questioned him.

Terve used a finger to point up at the ceiling. “Their dampness comes down these same walls. There is a set of stairs down the corridor and to the right. They will lead you up past the second floor and up to the lower levels of the city. Stay on the stairs or you will be sure to lose your way.”

My eyes widened. “Are we that low?”

Terve leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “The manilla is a maze of illusion. The only solid knowledge is that you will not become lost if you are able to retrace your steps.”

“Then we’ll be sure to follow your directions explicitly,” Will promised before he turned to leave.

I tugged on Will’s hand and nodded at Terve. “But what about him?”

Terve chuckled. “His Highness will not allow me to rot down here. This is merely a temporary punishment to warn the others, and I will be taken to the upper floors within a week. I will be fine but you have your promise to keep.”

Will met my gaze. “The sooner we discover the truth the sooner he will be freed.”

I pursed my lips before I tugged my hand out of his. I held out one palm and my sword lit up the area. Its flame was warm and bright as I reached down and ripped off the lower part of my shirt. I held the cloth to the sword and the shirt caught fire. Its warmth soothed my tense nerves as I knelt and set the fire inside the cell. The soft glow illuminated Terve’s surprised face.

“You can put it out whenever you want but I promise you it will relight if you want it to,” I told him.

A faint smile came upon his lips and he nodded. “Thank you.”

Only then did I allow Will to lead me away. My heart was heavy as we plodded down the dark corridor, leaving the ruined general in his self-imposed cell. We reached the stairs as he told us but I paused on the first step and looked back. A faint glimmer of light could be seen in the cell and a hand stuck out between the bars and shooed us toward the stairs.

I smiled and we tiptoed up the steps. All was quiet and calm and that gave me ample time to ponder our conversation.

“Six months ago. . .” I mused as we trudged down the tunnel. “And that’s when Luja decides he wants to go out and see the world, or so he told us.”

Will cast a curious look at me. “You don’t believe in the coincidence, either, correct?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know what to believe but I hope Sylvia and Steve are willing to speak with us about why they’re here.”

A mischievous smile slipped onto his lips. “We can persuade them.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “How?”

“By offering their freedom for their information. Whatever they have to hide cannot be more important than that.”

We passed the upper floor and stopped at the next landing. The stifling air was less oppressive and the faint sounds of movement reached our ears. That made me pinch my lips shut and Will slowed our pace to a soft tread. The area became familiar and for once I was glad when we finally reached the dungeons. Our cell and the doors had been repaired and movement came from inside the neighboring cage as it had before. The seat the jailer had occupied was suspiciously empty and I couldn’t help but feel a little alarmed at his absence.

We arrived at the cell bars and found our two old acquaintances seated on a dingy bed. Steve’s head lay in Sylvia’s lap and he appeared to be sleeping. She lifted her tired and angry eyes at us, but her sharp expression transformed into shock.

“You two!” she shouted as she shot up, dumping Steve onto the floor.

The hard ground was a rude awakening and he glared up at her. “What’s the deal?”

She frowned back at him and nudged him with her foot. “Those two are back! The ones that were beside us!”

Steve twisted his head around and his eyes widened. “And they don’t have any elves with them!”

Will smiled at the stunned pair. “We are without escort this time.”

He scrambled to his feet and the two hurried over to us. Sylvia grasped the bars and looked us over. “Well? What’s the deal? You come to brag about that or come to get us out?”

“Get you out, if you’ll cooperate,” Will told her.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “What does that mean?”

“You came here only two weeks ago, correct?” Will questioned our acquaintance.

She scoffed. “What’s that to you?”

“It may be everything to both of us,” Will countered as he nodded at the bars. “If you tell us what you know then we’ll get you out of here.”

Sylvia crossed her arms over her chest and partially turned away from us. “You sound like those elves now. Do your worst and get it over with, you won’t get anything out of us.”

Steve clapped a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to find his face a picture of seriousness. “Don’t you think we’ve been playing this game of secret long enough? Look where it’s gotten us. Two weeks rotting in here.”

She frowned at him. “And what’s the point of telling them if we don’t get the bounty?”

“You can’t get the bounty if you’re stuck in here forever,” I pointed out.

Steve shook his compatriot’s arm. “Come on, Sylvia. What have we got to lose?”

She sneered back at the man. “Only a bounty big enough to retire on and we’re the only people who know where that old hag is.”

Will lifted an eyebrow. “An old woman? Is she a witch?”

“See?” Steve persisted as he nodded at Will. “They’ll have the truth out of us or worse, we’ll get attacked by one of those things if they bring them back.”

Sylvia sighed and her shoulders slumped. She turned to face us and lifted her nose slightly. “What do you want to know?”

“We want to know about this woman you were following and why,” Will told her.

She shrugged. “It’s just the usual thing. We’re bounty hunters, you see. Some of the best, too.”

I studied their surroundings. “Are you sure about that?”

She glared at me. “Watch your tongue, girl. If we had our weapons-”

“You have nothing but the opportunity to escape by telling us what we would like to know,” Will interrupted her and I couldn’t help but notice a distinct coldness in his voice. “There is only a matter of time before the guards come to check on you. Will you answer us quickly and truthfully?”

Sylvia tapped her fingers against her arm. “Alright. We’re looking for Mother Dunn.”

The name didn’t mean a thing to me but I noticed Will stiffen. He nodded at the pair. “Continue.”

Sylvia shrugged. “That’s all there is to it. We tracked her here a few weeks ago and were looking for her when we got caught.”

“That’s the whole truth, sir,” Steve chimed in as he bobbed his head. “We’re just bounty hunters looking to get the prize on her head. She doesn’t even have to be alive to make us rich.”

Will’s eyes flickered between the pair. “Capturing her would be a difficult task, even for the most proficient of hunters.”

Sylvia smirked at him. “You’re looking at them. Just get us out of here and give us our weapons and we’ll show you what we can do.”

“Where did you last see Mother Dunn?” Will questioned them.

The pair glanced at each other and Steve shrugged. “We were headed southwest of the capital when the elves caught us.”

Sylvia grasped the bars and glared at Will. “Are you going to let us out now or not?”

“Stand back,” Will commanded them as he grabbed the iron rods.

The pair scurried back and even I took a step backward. Will clenched his teeth and flames flowed out of his hands. The bars turned red above and below his grip and soon the metal dripped down like candle wax. He stepped back and allowed the melted bars to drop to the floor in clumps, creating a gap.

The pair waited for the metal to cool before Steve directed Sylvia through and followed. They had hardly stepped out into the corridor when a voice spoke up from down the hall.

“It appears we have more visitors.”