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

Chapter 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

We all whipped our heads in that direction and watched as Knight Luja stepped out of one of the rooms formerly occupied by the transformed animals. He had discarded his travel attire and now wore raiments of fine silk over a silver breastplate. His hair was neatly combed and his new boots shone brightly in the flickering torchlight. A wicked smile lay on his lips as he rapped his fist against the outside of the door. The other portals swung open and elf soldiers hurried out. More appeared down the other end of the hall, blocking off all the exits.

Luja strolled over to us, his eyes shining as he looked Will and me over. “What a pleasant surprise. I thought we would never meet again within the city walls, much less in the dungeons.”

A smooth smile appeared on Will’s lips. “We had some questions for our friends here, and for you.”

Luja laughed. “For me? What would you ask of me?”

“We were curious to know if you had a connection to Mother Dunn.”

The corners of Luja’s lips twitched but he kept his composure. “Mother Dunn? Who would that be?”

“A mortal witch who has been sighted in the forest these last six months,” Will told him, and more than one soldier glanced at his companion with a questioning look.

Luja shrugged. “What would I know about that? I have only just returned after that long a sojourn in the mortal realm.” He straightened and puffed out his chest a little. “But you have yet to congratulate me on my new role. His Highness has appointed me as the leader of his personal guard and Steward of the Vahti.”

My eyebrows crashed down. “You stole Terve’s role?”

A dark cloud settled on his brow as he glared at me. “I earned this position. Unlike the previous general, I will not betray my king’s trust.”

“What do you say to that?” Will asked the other guards as he swept his gaze over them. “Do you believe General Terve betrayed the king’s trust on a whim? Or do you truly believe he had a more noble goal in mind?” A slight murmur of agreement arose from the soldiers.

Luja spun around and glared at the men behind him. “Quiet! You will not speak of that traitor in my presence again, is that understood?”

The men stood at attention and voiced their reply in unison. “Yes, sir!” More than one soldier, however, tightened their grip on their spears.

Luja narrowed his eyes at the soldiers. “Why are there only five of you? Where is the sixth soldier?” A deep groan emanated from one of the central rooms out of which they’d sprung. Luja glared at the doors and marched through the men. He went through the rooms one at a time before coming to a stop at the third one. “Come out, you worthless fool or you will be joining your former general in the deeper dungeons!”

The groan transformed into a growl and Luja’s eyes widened. He stumbled backward until his back hit the wall opposite the door. “H-how?!” he stuttered as he stared in horror at the sight before him. “How did this happen?”

The shambling figure of a black-sore-covered elf shuffled out of the room. The elf’s dead eyes glared at all of us but most especially Will and me. It opened its mouth and let out a terrible inhuman cry before it rushed us. The elf soldiers jumped into its path and held it at bay with their spears.

Will wrapped his arms around me and drew me away from the fighting. Luja recovered enough to sputter out a few high-pitched commands. “All of you! Destroy it! Kill it!”

Those soldiers who blocked the other exit hurried through us and surrounded their transformed brethren. The former elf snapped and clawed at them, eager to produce more of its kind.

Luja scurried backward deeper into the corridor before a shriek escaped him. He pointed a shaking finger at the bottom of the doorway. “The rats! Kill the rats!”

As if on cue, three rats scurried out of the room in which the transformed elf had lain in wait. They all had black dead eyes and were completely bald. Black sores covered their bodies and saliva dripped from their mouths as they scattered in the two directions with one lunging at Luja and two coming for us. The brave general screamed and disappeared down the hall with the rat on his heels.

The soldiers broke ranks to avoid the gnashing teeth of their new foes. The transformed elf broke through the line and lunged at Will. He ignited his hand and flung a fireball into the blackened face of the soldier, causing the pitiful creature to stumble back with scorched skin.

One of the rats dashed through the forest of soldier legs and flung itself at me with its teeth bared. “Look out!” Steve shouted as he shoved me out of the way. The rat clamped its teeth down on his arm.

“Steve!” Sylvia screamed as she grabbed his arms.

Will grabbed the rat around its body and squeezed hard. Flames erupted from his palm and the animal was burned to ashes. He opened his fingers and let the crumbs flutter to the ground.

Meanwhile, Steve stumbled and his shoulder hit the wall. He clutched the deep wound in his other hand but blood poured out between his fingers. His face turned pale and I recognized the symptoms of the change as I’d seen in the other man.

He winced and turned his head to Sylvia. “Get. . .get out of here.”

She shook her head. “I’m not going to leave you!”

He grabbed one of her arms and flung her down the hall behind us. “Get out of here! Now! Before-” A stifled gasp escaped him and he doubled over.

“Steve!” she shouted as she tried to rush to him. However, Will interceded by grabbing her arms and yanking her away. “Let go of me!” she demanded as she thrashed in his hold. “Let go! Steve! Steve!”

I lingered with the injured man and he gave me a weak smile. “Take care of her, alright? She always-” He winced again as I could see shadows stretch out from beneath his clutching hand. “She always finds trouble so she’ll need your help.”

I couldn’t manage anything more than a hoarse whisper. “We’ll find some way to fix you.”

He nodded. “Go on then. Get while you still-” A coughing fit interrupted him and his body swayed from side to side.

I grabbed his arms and Steve stiffened. He whipped his head up and my heart froze at the sight of those terrible black eyes. His lips curled back in a snarl and he lunged at me. I dodged his attack and two of the elf guards jumped in to block the attacking man. They also now stood between me and Will at the end of the hall.

One of them looked over his shoulder at me. “Leave now!”

I couldn’t quite understand what I was hearing. “What?”

“Find the source of our troubles! The general would want you to do that!” the elf explained as he nodded at my compatriots. “Now leave!”

I pursed my lips and my gaze fell on the fighting monster that was Steve. “Take care of him, alright?”

The soldier gave a nod. “We will do our best!”

With that promise under my belt, I scooted around them and down the hall. The transformed Steve snapped at me with his rotten teeth but one of the guards darted between us and fended off his chompers with the handle of his spear. I rejoined the others and Sylvia was a mess of tears and terror.

“Steve!” she wailed as she watched him be surrounded by the rest of the elves.

I grasped one of her hands in both of mine. “We’ll find a way to help him. I promise.”

Sylvia’s haunted eyes told me she wasn’t convinced but she let Will lead her away. We rushed down the familiar passages and soon reached the weapon room near the exit to the underground. Sylvia grabbed a rack of weapons and dug her heels into the stone floor.

“Wait!” she snapped as she glared at us with tear-stained cheeks. “I can help you better with my weapons.” Will released her and she quickly hurried around to a corner of the room where sat a discarded sack. Sylvia took a quick peek inside before she closed the mouth and flung it over her shoulder. She returned to us and nodded. “I’m ready. Now where do we go?”

“To the archives,” Will told her. “We may find some answers there.”

“Where are the archives?” I inquired.

“In the center of the city near the base of the Vahti,” he revealed.

Sylvia’s mouth dropped open. “How are we to get that far without being seen?”

Will’s gaze fell on a suit of armor and he smiled. “We will not go unseen.”