Swift screamed a warning as Dallas rushed forward.
He stopped when he noticed Sweetie. The mare stopped half way through taking a step forward, one front and back hoof two inches off the tiles, her tail frozen half way through swinging to the left.
Dallas wondered how she got caught in the spell. Why she did not send the ichur down through the floor to join the underground flows. He tried to locate telltale signs of a silvery outline around the spelled section of corridor. He could not find any silver glow at all.
Finally he knew the mage who cast the spell was better than him at setting spells, or at least as good at removing any residue once the spell was set.
“Swift!” Dallas called his mare forward, then realised the men blocked the corridor. He pushed against Nebar to get his attention. “Move back!” He had no idea if the spell had set off other spells or not, but he firmly believed he should release Misty and Sweetie as quick as he could because Misty did not look like she was breathing.
He looked at the rest of Nebar’s men. They all stared at Sweetie and Misty, stunned that they had not moved. “Move back! Make room for Swift!”
Three of the men at the back stepped back.
Dallas shouted over the top of the rest of the men. “Watch the corridor for attacks!”
Two turned and waited for attacks from behind. The rest remained where they were, fascinated that Misty and Sweetie had not moved, except for one who had the initiative to try and find more spells. Dallas doubted the guard would locate any more spells, not when they were even invisible to him.
Swift head butted the first male. He stumbled into the next two. That got their attention and they moved back.
She was not gentle when she pushed the next male that blocked her path to Dallas.
The male shuffled to the side of the corridor, leaving enough room for Swift to move forward. When she reached Dallas, she raised her head to smell the spell, before she breathed out and lowered her head.
“Swift, can you remove it?”
He received an image of Sweetie trying to free herself and shaking her head and mane.
The men bunched up behind Swift, all trying to get a glimpse of Misty and Sweetie around the barrel chested body of Nebar.
“I think you need to remove the spell. Now! Before anyone else arrives and we are caught between this spell and the attackers.” Dallas patted Swift’s neck as she stretched her head close to Sweetie’s rump.
“… not far now.” Misty smiled at Dallas the moment Swift removed the spell.
“How are you feeling?”
She frowned at Dallas. “What?” She noticed the rest of the men staring at her. “I am fine. What happened?”
“You got caught in a spell.” Dallas smiled back and shrugged. If she said she was fine, he had to believe her. But later he would ask for details of what she sensed while captured in the spell. “Keep level with Sweetie, or behind her, so you don’t get caught again.”
The female slave squeezed around the men and tapped Dallas’ arm to get his attention. “This way.”
Misty frowned again at the naked slave. “Why have you not found clothes? Go. Leave us to locate the mages.”
“No time.” The female eased around Misty and jogged down the corridor. “This way.”
Misty and Sweetie jogged after her.
Nebar’s men kept their eyes on the naked slave.
“I suggest you watch for attackers, not her body.” Dallas hung onto Swift’s halter and followed Misty.
Swift’s hoofs clicking on the tiles almost drowned out the sound of boots jogging behind him. Nebar and the men did not want to be left behind.
The corridor ended in a large room.
Misty and Sweetie stopped next to the naked slave at the edge of the room.
Dallas wished he knew her name, then decided it did not matter.
He took another step forward. But something was wrong. Everything fastened up in front of him.
Misty and Sweetie rushed into the middle of the room.
Every little movement that Misty or Sweetie made looked rushed to him.
Misty’s hand hung loose, then next second it was on her belt. Not that he could see, because she had her back to him. But he knew how she stood, one hand hanging loose, the other resting on her belt, directly in front of her waiting throwing stars, and from the bend in her elbow, she was resting her right hand on her belt.
Sweetie’s tail blurred as it flicked towards Misty’s back. Next moment it was hanging normally.
The slave did not move at all. She waited at the end of the corridor.
Dallas tried to move forward. Nothing happened.
He heard a low hum, but felt no different than any other moment of his life. The hum changed pitch, paused, lowered the pitch, paused.
He knew. He could hear talking, but it was different than normal. The sounds were too fast for him to make out the words.
If he could move, he would have shaken his head. The sound of people talking, was distorted when he heard it. Or, he was slow to understand.
Slow!
He had walked into a second spell trap!
After telling Misty to be careful and stay next to Sweetie, he walked into a spell. Why it caught him and not Misty and Sweetie, he did not know. All he knew was he triggered the second spell and he was paralysed. Like Misty and Sweetie had been.
He did not need to ask Misty how she felt inside the trap, because he was feeling it first hand.
He felt fine. He felt like he breathed normally. And felt like he was moving normally.
But Misty rushed every movement, whether swinging her arms or walking. Even Sweetie’s tail flicked from side to side much faster than if a strong breeze was swaying her tail.
He needed to warn Swift. “Swift, beware the spell.”
Even though he could not see Swift, he knew she was behind him, and hopefully not caught in the spell. He relaxed because when Swift realised what happened to Dallas, she would remove the spell.
At least, Nebar should be able to see he was not moving and understand. But would Nebar think to warn Swift or not?
While he watched Misty talk to someone out of sight around the corner he tried to think of a spell to disperse the current spell that did not glow silver. Then he thought about just using ichur stored in his staff to force the brownish coloured spell away, so he lowered the bottom of the staff until it rested on the floor.