“I won’t.” I didn’t want to face Premier by myself. He did have the Book of Shazul. I walked over to Krystal. “Ready, Your Highness?”
She nodded.
I created a condensed and focused fireball, making it provide more light than heat.
“May the gods walk with you,” Sharald said.
“Fight well and die harder,” Lenora said.
Krystal and I led the group, the rest falling in behind. My heart pounded, ready to explode. I exhaled and said quietly, “This is it.”
Krystal’s hand brushed my arm. Her purple eyes stared into mine, calming me.
While we walked, I parted the fog around us just slightly so the princess could see better, though I was careful to keep it thick enough that we were invisible from a distance. She navigated the level terrain easily, only pausing now and then to correct our direction.
To my ears, the light clattering of weapons and armor sounded far too loud. I kept glancing at those rattling chainmail or clattering quivers of arrows. The soldiers fingering their weapon hilts or scratching their beards added to the noise. Even the sound of their soft footsteps in the patches of grass on the flat ground rang in my ears. I tried not to think about such things and focused on the task at hand.
When we arrived at the city's walls, I let out a breath, thankful that we hadn’t been spotted so far. I craned my neck at the towering walls, hearing the constant movement from the heavy creatures patrolling. Worried that they might see us, I drew the fog around us.
“Please put out the flame,” the princess said. She walked along the wall. Her eyes scanned for something while her fingers danced on the stones. She slowed down to a crawl, then stopped. “Here it is.”
Krystal pressed one of the stone blocks. A small opening appeared in the wall. She stepped in, and I followed her. The others poured in past us, into the dark hallway. After we were all inside, Krystal pushed another stone on the inside of the entrance. The doorway closed, sealing us in the small, cramped, pitch-black hallway. It smelt stale and stuffy.
Even though the city walls were deep, it was too small inside the passage, especially with so many people. I hadn’t thought it would be like this. The space was only two people wide, and all the warm bodies made me feel trapped. I leaned on one of the walls, my hand tracing the lines in the stone. My chest heaved, and I closed my eyes and clenched my teeth. My heart vibrated through my ears. My breathing seemed louder than the entire force.
“Hellsfire,” Krystal said, keeping her voice low. “Hellsfire, are you all right?” She reached out from the darkness and grasped my shoulder.
I took a deep breath, trying to breathe normally. I remembered all the people outside who had far harder things to do than I did. “Forgive me. I'm…fine, Your Highness.”
I squashed my emotions and focused on my magic. It was hard to use only a small portion of it. The need to use more almost overwhelmed me, but my fear of hurting the others controlled it.
I created a fireball in my hand, illuminating the hallway. Monstrous shadows danced on the walls. Their pupil-less eyes forever watched us. That’s one of the main reasons I hate small spaces—your mind plays tricks on you.
The princess led me past the others to the head of the line, and we moved out. Although we were inside the wall, there were a lot of twists as well as branching passageways. They must have been put there to confuse people, or perhaps they led to other places in Alexandria.
A long time passed, and no one said a word. Only the scurrying of rats, the dripping of water, and the sound of the fire in my hand accompanied the tread of our feet.
My thoughts kept straying to those outside these walls. As much as I worried for them, I was thankful for something to occupy my mind. Thoughts of their well-being kept me distracted from the cramped corridor.
The corridor slanted steeply down and opened up, big enough for a cart and horses to travel through. The ceiling was much higher; I couldn’t even see it in the darkness above. The princess stopped. We all huddled around her. The stone had disappeared. We now seemed to be underground, and the tunnels were dirt shored up by timbers. Unlike the section we had just walked through, unlit torches hung on the sides of the walls.
“We’re underneath Alexandria and close to the castle,” the princess said. “Watch your step from here on out, and don’t touch anything. You may trigger a trap.”
Everyone moved uneasily. “Traps?” I asked. I didn’t like the sound of that. “Can you disarm them?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
I raised my hand. The flame left it, bouncing along the torches, reigniting them. That small bit of mana wouldn’t be enough for Premier to detect.