Vilos and Abin stood before the illusory wall in the alley where they’d first arrived in Haydrien. Yosef had sent word that he would arrive in the city in a few minutes. The prisoners had to be set free before the attack began.
“Ready, Majesty?” Abin asked.
Vilos adjusted his gold circlet and nodded. They passed through the wall and into the underground. At Vilos’s command the portal rippled into being. They shared a glance then stepped through. After a gut-wrenching moment they were through to the palace.
“Remember, your brother’s wizard will certainly have sensed our arrival. We must move fast.”
Vilos drew his scimitar. “Let’s go.”
They mounted the steps and ran to the top. The dungeon waited one floor up.
When they reached the hidden door at the top Abin held Vilos back.
“Your brother knew about the portal as well, there may be guards waiting.” The wizard closed his eyes and concentrated. “All clear.”
Vilos stepped through the opening, sword ready just in case. The hallway was clear. The dungeons were on the opposite side from the secret door. Vilos charged down the hall and turned right down a connecting passage, Abin following right behind him. They stopped about ten paces from the door to the dungeon.
Vilos drew a ragged breath. “I’m getting too old for this foolishness.”
“How do you think I feel?” Abin said between wheezes.
“What about guards?” Vilos asked.
Abin closed his eyes again. After a moment he said, “There are at least a hundred people in there. I can’t tell our men from the guards.”
“Guess we’ll have to find out the hard way. You blast the door down and I’ll go in first.”
Abin summoned a sphere of energy and hurled it at the door.
The spell detonated against the door and blew it off its hinges and ten feet into the room. Vilos followed right behind. One guard was groaning under the remains of the door. The second guard leveled his spear and charged from the other end of the room.
Vilos braced himself and took the blow full force in the chest.
The spear snapped in half when it hit the magic barrier that surrounded him.
A backhand slash left the guard dying in a pool of blood.
Vilos bent down and picked up a set of keys from the dead man’s belt.
It took only minutes to free the captured soldiers. Vilos noted with pleasure that they all seemed reasonably healthy if thinner. Along with his men was a strange couple that, according to his men, had been brought in that day.
“What brings you two to my troubled land?” Vilos asked the strangers.
“Well,” the man said. “We were hired to deliver a package to the palace. My name is Robert, by the way, and this is my companion, Blade.”
“What manner of package were you hired to deliver, and who hired you?”
“Well,” Robert said. “The person who hired us was your daughter and she was the package. She said if we brought her here you’d be generous.”
Vilos only vaguely heard what the stranger said after he mentioned Shara. She was here. Not in the dungeon so where?
Nord.
“She’s with my brother.”
Robert nodded. “That’s probably a safe bet.”
Vilos turned and ran out the door without a word.
If the others followed he didn’t care.
Shara was all that mattered.
With Nord in league with the sorcerer, he had little time.
Vilos charged up the steps that led to the throne room.
A sharp kick knocked the door open.
Inside, Vilos discovered his worst nightmare come true. The sorcerer stood facing away from him about ten paces into the room and Shara floated beside him, helpless.
“Shara!” Vilos roared, dragging his sword from its sheath.
“Daddy, no!” Shara yelled.
The sorcerer turned and smiled. “Vilos, I had feared I wouldn’t get to see you again.”
The sorcerer gestured and he slammed into an invisible wall. He pounded his fists against it to no avail. “Let her go, damn you.”
“I don’t think so. However, since I have what I’ve wanted from the start, I will allow you to live. Goodbye, Vilos.”
Vilos blinked and they were gone.