A Ride of Peril(56)

That made me shiver.

"Do you think they'll retain their independence?" I asked.

"I doubt it. Most of their resources come from here, so once he cuts all trade ties they will have no other option," Draven said.

"Look over there. East side," Hansa whispered.

A small incubi garrison moved from the main road into the castle. A side path led up to secondary entrances through the eastern and western walls. The garrison headed toward the east passage.

"Now's our chance," Draven said and pulled me after him. 

We walked quietly toward the incubi, joining the back of their group as they entered the castle. Thousands of green fireflies flitted around us, but we could not be seen. The passageway was tall and wide, clad in black limestone with green-lit torches mounted on the walls. I had a feeling that all the green flames were part of Azazel's spy spell, his eyes seeing everywhere the emerald fire burned.

The incubi grumbled and cursed under their breaths. Their backs slumped beneath the military uniforms. Their eyes sank in their heads, and their skin looked paler than usual. They seemed exhausted, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for them. It hadn't really been their choice. One does what one can to survive, and they were no different.

I heard our signature triple hiss and noticed a corridor opening to my right. Draven and I followed Hansa through it, leading us into a large service kitchen with hundreds of pots and pans and massive oak tables.

Green fires burned on wall sconces. A few incubi were finishing up, wiping the tables and putting the dry meats away, their expressions as dim as their fellow soldiers' from the hallway. Nobody wanted to be there, and I could certainly sympathize.

We waited until the servant soldiers left for their quarters, cursing at Azazel and his Destroyers.

"I can't wait for the day when they're all lined up against a wall for us to drive our swords through them in return for everything they've done," one of them muttered.

"Yeah, repayment for their selfless service, right?" another said.

"Deck the halls with their blood, indeed," the third one murmured as they left the kitchen.

A moment passed before any of us spoke.

"Is it safe?" I asked.

He shushed me, and I felt him let go of my hand. One by one, the green fires were blown away, submerging the kitchen in absolute darkness.

"The green fire is Azazel's," I heard Draven say from the other side of the room.

A few seconds passed before I felt Draven standing next to me in the dark, his breath tickling the back of my neck.

"I'm guessing I'm not the only one with night vision in here, am I?" I said.

"I eat all my vegetables and don't read by candlelight," Draven quipped, making me fawn over him for a brief moment.

I pulled Aida's notes from my satchel and placed them on the table. I was surprised to see them visible as soon as I took my hand off them. I realized then how the spell worked. Everything I had on me was included in the spell until it left my body. Draven picked them up and looked through them, flipping the pages a couple of times to reveal the dungeon sketches Aida had scribbled. I used my True Sight to read them as he held them.

"If I'm reading this correctly, we need to go further below ground," he muttered.

I looked around and noticed a narrow black door at the far end of the kitchen, opposite from where we'd come in. I took the notes from Draven and stuffed them back in my satchel as I made my way toward the door. I reached it in a few rushed steps and turned the knob, opening it slowly. There was a set of stone steps descending underground.

"I think I found a way," I said.

Hansa and Draven joined me. We went down the stairs, heading for the dim light at the end. It opened onto a wider staircase that ended in what looked like a sprawling basement. We kept ourselves closer to the left wall, taking one step at a time.

Green torches led the way, so we moved quietly.

Sudden hissing and shuffling behind us froze me in place. Draven's hand clutched my wrist, and we stilled as four massive Destroyers rushed down the stairs. I felt him let go of me as one of the monsters bumped into him, knocking him off his feet.


      ///
       
         
       
        

I inadvertently gasped, then immediately covered my mouth, moving so my back was against the cold black wall. My heart thudded as the Destroyers stopped and looked around, sniffing the air with confused expressions on their once humanoid faces.

Their tails were long and thick with black scales, while their upper bodies were well built with bulky muscles beneath their leather tunics. They'd once been handsome young Druids with short black hair, but their yellow snake eyes and the scales on their temples and cheeks were a sign that those days were long gone.