29

Tillit led us through the winding, night-shrouded back streets of Hadia to the very southwest point of the city. Xander walked behind him while Spiros brought up the rear. Darda was in front of him and behind me.

I looked at our motley crew of rumpled robes and pursed my lips. "Nothing suspicious about us. Just a sus, a couple of dragons and a human fae slipping through the streets in stolen priest robes. . ."

"They're not stolen," Tillit defended himself.

"Then how did you get them?"

"I bought them off the thief."

Darda glared at him. "That makes you an abettor of thieves."

"And a very good haggler," Tillit added. "He wanted a good fifty drachma for the robes, but I got him down to thirty-five."

"How much farther?" Xander asked him.

"Nearly there," Tillit promised as we slipped up to the wall that surrounded the city.

We crept in a northwest direction with our backs against the wall. Half a city block down we came upon a strange outline in the defensive structure. Tillit pressed his shoulder against the outline and pushed inward. The stone sank into the wall, revealing a hole. Our group slipped through the crack in the wall, and we found ourselves in an empty void. The boulders and bricks had long been hollowed out and replaced by a domed room. No natural light save from the entrance penetrated the depths, but torches attached to the walls illuminated the area. They provided the only light after Tillit pushed the entrance shut behind us.

At the far end opposite the entrance stood Sinbad with his horn blower, Wahid. The miraj driver sported a curved sword at his hip and a smirk on his lips. He made a sweeping bow to us as we approached. "Good evening, Lord Xander."

Xander stepped to the front of our group and pursed his lips. "Good evening. Do you know why I asked to meet you?"

Sinbad raised his head and nodded. "I do."

Xander's eyes wandered down to the sword at Sinbad's hip. "What have you to say of it?"

The young dragon chuckled. "Only that I wish it had been done sooner."

Spiros stiffened and grabbed the hilt of his sword. I balled my hands into fists and wished the room wasn't so dry so I could wipe that smirk off his face.

Darda glared at Sinbad. "How could you say such a thing? And we as guests to your uncle!"

Sinbad arched an eyebrow. "My uncle has nothing to do with this. It is a personal matter between the lord and myself."

Darda took a step forward, but Spiros grasped her arm. She still shook a fist at Sinbad. "Monster! Murderer!"

Sinbad frowned. "Murderer? Of what do you speak?"

"The thieves who attacked us in the desert inferred you were privy to their plans," Xander explained.

"And this is why you brought me here? To speak of lies and slander?" Sinbad wondered. Xander nodded. The young dragon whipped his head to Tillit and narrowed his eyes. "You swore to me he intended to honor me as the greatest of the Alfurasan Alriyah."

Tillit sheepishly smiled as he took a step backward. "Perhaps I misspoke just a little."

"Whatever Tillit told you to convince you to come here, his intentions were honorable," Xander spoke up.

Sinbad crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. "Did you lead me here to insult my name by attaching thieves to it, or was there more to this meeting?"

"The brothers and guards of the temple have betrayed their oaths of fealty and aligned themselves to the name of the Red Dragon," Xander explained.

Sinbad shrugged. "What is that to me and my men? The war against the Red Dragon effected only the cities of dragons lords and their servants, not the far reaches of the desert."

"It effects you now, and everyone in this world. They are experimenting with portals, and it is only a matter of time before they tear our world apart," Xander warned him. He took a step toward Sinbad. "My companions and I are outnumbered, and I am weakened by their Dragon's Bane. That is why we need the help of your men. Otherwise-" Sinbad held up his hand.

"Enough. You do not need to convince me with a plea. Anyone who interferes with a fellow Alfurasan Alriyah and intrudes on the sanctum is my enemy. They only made it worse for themselves by smearing my name." Darda and I grinned at each other. Spiros relaxed and Tillit leaned against the wall with a triumph smile on his face. Sinbad looked over our group. "Now what plan have you to find these defilers?"

"My Maiden and I were captured by them, but escaped. They held us in secret tunnels somewhere within the city. We must infiltrate them and capture their leaders," Xander told him.

Sinbad arched an eyebrow. "That is rather a vague plan. Do you even know how to access these tunnels?"

Xander turned to me. "Did you see the how we entered them?"

I shook my head. "No. I saw we were headed around the gate to the northeast, but then I got knocked out." My hand pressed against the round object in my pocket. I bit my lip. "What about going to there a different way?"

Xander pursed his lips. "I would rather we foresee where we would enter so we may escape the same way should something happen to you."

Sinbad frowned. "The whole of the northeast? That is a lot of ground to cover."

Tillit snorted and pushed off the wall. "Is that all? I can lead you to it no problem."

We turned to him. Darda glared at the sus. "How do you know the location of the entrance?"

He tapped the side of his nose and grinned. "This snout isn't just for looks. If a cart pulled by that many hadabs passed me I could follow that scent for a week."

"Do you intend for my men to fight their way to the leaders?" Sinbad asked him.

Xander shook his head. "No. We may need your assistance to enter the tunnels, and then you and your men would only be a diversion for any of the magic users who block our path. Otherwise it will be my companions and I who will face what danger awaits us."

"That's a lot of guesswork in your plan," Sinbad pointed out.

Xander grinned. "There is no glory without danger."

Sinbad grinned. "Well-spoken, Xander. After we have defeated these enemies and you have regained your strength we shall race again, and this time I will defeat-" A loud bang behind us made my group spin around.

The entrance shuddered under another blow, and the smell of smoke wafted through the cracks. Dust rained down from the ceiling as the room began to grow hotter. Some of the dirt hit the torches, casting part of the room into darkness.

"We have company!" Tillit yelled.

"Is there any other way out of here?" Xander asked him.

Tillit moved backwards away from the entrance and shook his head. "Never needed one."

Sinbad unsheathed his sword, as did Wahid. "This will be as good a spot as any to make a stand."

I drew out the Soul Stone and looked to Xander. "You're not going to argue now, are you?" Another blast of heat hit the other side of the door and shook the room.

Xander shook his head. "No, but where will you take us?"

I glanced over my shoulder at Sinbad. "Are your guys somewhere around?"

He nodded. "In the city, yes, but in the center of the pub district."

I snorted as I clasped my hands together and closed my eyes. "Of course they are. Come on, portal, do your stuff." The familiar green glow illuminated the dark room and everyone's face as they turned toward the light. The green glow burst from the stone and created my unique portal in the center of the room.

Sinbad's wide eyes stared unblinkingly at the portal. "By Alihat Dhahabia. . ."

I opened my eyes and grinned. "No, by-" A sudden wave of exhaustion swept over me. I clutched my forehead and swayed back and forth.

Xander wrapped his arms around me and looked down at me with pursed lips. "Are you well?"

I dropped my hand and smiled up at him. "I'm fine. Just a little dizzy, that's-" Another blast rocked the room. A quarter of the door exploded inward and peppered us with rocks.

Xander lifted his head and swept his eyes over our group. "Through the portal!"

They didn't need to be told twice as another blast flew off another quarter of the door. My companions rushed into the portal, but Sinbad and his man hesitated.

"What awaits us through this portal?" Sinbad questioned Xander and me.

Xander helped me over to the portal and looked over our shoulder where the remains of the door stood. I saw hints of gray cloaks and burning flames. "A better choice than what awaits us through there."

Sinbad pursed his lips, but rushed forward into the portal. Wahid was on his heels, and they disappeared together into the vortex. That left only Xander and me. One of the gray-lad men reached their hand through the hole in the entrance and raised his palm toward us. Fire burst from his hand and flew at us.

Xander grabbed my hand and pulled me into the portal. We slipped through the warm glow that resided inside my portal and flew out the other end atop a pile of broken furniture. I landed atop Xander who hit his back on the remains of a broken round table.

Darda stepped up beside me and helped me to my feet. I looked around and saw we were in something similar to Tillit's 'office,' a tavern with few windows and a lot of terrible smells. Most of those smells came from the group of men gathered around us. They were Sinbad's gang, the slippery snakes of the sand. Sinbad himself stood in the middle with his arms crossed over his chest.

Spiros helped Xander to his feet, and my dragon lord turned to face the glowering gang. Sinbad stepped forward and dropped his arms to his side as he met Xander's gaze. "Those were the enemies you spoke about?"

Xander nodded. "They are some of them, but there are many more."

Sinbad gestured to the men on either side of him. "My men are prepared to follow my lead, and I will follow yours. How can we rid our city and the deserts of these fiends?"

"We must rely on many of the traitorous brothers being out in the city searching for us. Your men will be a distraction for those who remain in the tunnels while we search for the leaders and capture them. Without their guidance I am sure the conspiracy will crumble," Xander explained.

"But how do you intend to reach these tunnels with the brothers about the streets?" Sinbad pointed out. His eyes fell on me and he nodded in my direction. "Can she create a portal to get us there?"

I shrugged as I pulled out the Soul Stone. "I guess I could try. It's worked so far." I clasped it between my hands and closed my eyes. There came the familiar soft heat from the stone, but this time I felt a tug in my chest. It felt like heartburn, but deeper. I winced and ground my teeth together. The glow from the stone penetrated my eyelids as it shot out and created the portal. The gasps around me made me forget the pain, but I couldn't keep back the fatigue that washed over me.

I swayed from side-to-side until Xander caught me. "Are you well?"

I smiled up at him. "I'm fine. This portal opening stuff takes a lot out of a girl."

"Perhaps you should remain here," he suggested.

I pushed his hands away and stood on my own two shaky feet. "And keep the home fires going? Hell no." I looked at Sinbad and his men, and jerked my thumb at the portal. "What are you waiting for, an invitation? Go kick some brother butt." A grin slipped onto my lips. "Just think of it as a reenactment of that battle a long time ago, but this time the brothers won't win."

Sinbad returned the grin with a sly smile of his own. "No, they will not." He glanced over his shoulder at his men and unsheathed his sword. "To battle and glory!" The desert men rushed headlong into the portal like a stampede of hadabs.

Spiros looked to Xander and smiled. "Shall we follow their lead?"

"Though perhaps not their enthusiasm," Xander replied.

Tillit hitched up his pants and grinned. "Then what are we waiting for?"

Darda glared at him. "You would be more useful in this bar."

He gave her a wink. "Now's my chance to prove you wrong, my dear Dard, so I'll see you on the other side." He strode into the portal.

Darda rolled her eyes. "He is impossible."

Xander grabbed my hand and smiled. "But he has the correct idea. Let us go."

The rest of us hurried through the portal and into the pit of danger.