Delver Magic Book VII: Altered Messages (23 page)

"Let us work on that next. Please take us to the cell."

Therese escorted the group down into the lower levels of the castle.

While Ryson found the excursion somewhat interesting, he found the dark and dank conditions slightly unsettling. He had walked the path before, actually been held in a dwarf cell when the separatists had taken over Dunop and Yave ordered him imprisoned. He remembered the past experience vividly and had no desire to experience captivity at the hands of the dwarves ever again.

He found the conditions depressing and stifling. The caverns were filled with a musty, smoky odor that encouraged him to take most of his breaths through his mouth. While his delver curiosity urged him onward, he found no great desire to explore any of the dark tunnels that branched off in new directions. He was satisfied to follow Therese to their final destination.

Holli experienced even greater discomfort. While living in human cities, she had grown accustomed to enclosed spaces, but she was not only underground, she was passing through the very bowels of Dunop's fortress. The dim light provided by oil lamps served only to magnify the depth of their travels. She could not imagine a more dreary place in all of Uton.

Despite the surprising width of some of the passageways, she found the tunnels almost suffocating. For one moment, she thought of Petiole trapped under what amounted to a vast sea of rock, and she almost felt pity for the pathetic figure that once led her entire camp. The thought of prolonged captivity in such a place could bring panic to any elf, even an elf guard. In response, she suppressed even the slightest hint of alarm, reminded herself that her stay was only temporary, but just as Pru longed for undiluted light, she looked forward to walking through the lush green of Dark Spruce Forest.

Upon reaching a large chamber that contained several cells, including the one which held Petiole, the group found several dwarves sifting through dusty piles of rock and examining nearly every stone wall.

"I have ordered additional analysis of the area," Therese explained. "While we know Petiole escaped with teleportation stones, we remain uncertain how the stones reached his cell. When they exploded, they destroyed much of the surrounding area, but I'm hoping to find some trace that may offer a clue."

"They have found no unusual tracks?" Holli asked.

"Not as of yet."

Ryson looked into the cell that was nothing more than the hollowed out remains of a destructive explosion. He knew there was little within the cell that would help him. He would leave that to Enin. He decided it was best if he placed his attention on areas which were not affected by the blast.

"Do you mind if I study the grounds out here," Ryson asked of Therese. "Maybe I can sense something."

"Please do."

Enin and Holli entered the cell together, but it was the wizard who immediately sensed the strong echo of magic in the air.

"Definitely teleportation stones," Enin declared as he gazed about the scorched stone walls. "Very strong. It's almost impossible to miss the trail."

"They would have to be strong to allow for escape from this cell," Therese offered. "These cells were constructed to limit the power of almost any spell casting."

"I know. I can feel the dampening effect. There's basically no magical energy down here."

"It's safer that way."

"It also makes it easier for me to follow the remnants of the teleportation spell," Enin declared. "Petiole went to the coast...  to Portsans."

"You are sure?" Therese asked.

"Absolutely."

"Can you follow him?"

"I intend to, but first I would like to see the tunnel where Okyiq entered."

Therese was amazed by the response.

"Why waste time? Recapturing Petiole should be the top priority!"

"And it is, but I don't want to be teleporting back and forth unnecessarily. I might disturb a magical trail if I'm not careful. While I'm here, I'd like to get as much information as possible."

"What else is there to learn? Let us capture Petiole and then we can question him directly."

"I understand your position, but I don't know what will be waiting for us in Portsans. I don't want to head out there without understanding everything I need to know here. Okyiq's part in this may be significant. It will be a small investment in time, I promise, and I now know exactly where I have to go in Portsans. I can cast the spell from any point. I will not have to return to this cell to follow the trail."

"Very well," Therese replied,  but she clearly didn't like waiting. She believed Petiole should be followed and captured without delay. She cared little about the goblin, believed the monster only served as a possible distraction.

With that thought, she looked to Pru. She had several questions about the half-delver, questions about others as well. She realized it would not be enough to recapture Petiole. The dwarves of her city would demand to know how the elf escaped and who assisted him. The half-delver might not have been lying, but Therese believed Pru's appearance was not just coincidental.

Before Therese led the group out of the dungeon, she questioned Ryson on what he might have found.

"Have you discovered anything, Ryson Acumen?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. All the recent tracks outside the cell are dwarf, as are all the scents. Petiole never left his cell, and only dwarves were in this area."

Therese again thought of the half-delver.

"I am not so sure."

"You think I missed something?" Ryson asked.

"No, but consider the goblin trail the half-delver followed. He insisted it created a path into the entrance tunnel, but no dwarf could detect it. I believe..."

"It was there," Pru insisted, "but it was magically created!"

Therese scowled slightly at the half-delver.

"As I was about to say, I believe there is magic at work that is disguising trails. That much is clear from the evidence in Dark Spruce."

"Then let me have a look," Enin requested. "Even more reason for me to examine the area before we go after Petiole."

Therese led them to the tunnel entrance that connected Dunop with Dark Spruce Forest. She allowed Pru to point out everything he had seen and the tracks he followed.

"A water trail specifically reflecting light away from a dwarf's eyes," Enin noted as he examined the traces of the spell that created the false tracks within the tunnel. "Quite an ingenious spell. There was also another teleportation spell cast here."

"Does it also lead to Portsans?" Therese asked.

"No, it connects to a point in Dark Spruce, not far from here. Curious. It seems odd they would come into the tunnel just to teleport to another section of the forest. Let us follow this spell trail and see what we find."

"No!" Therese exclaimed. "You were asked here to help us find Petiole, not go on a delver hunt!"

All were surprise at the dwarf queen's outburst, save Holli. The elf understood Therese's desire to corral Petiole without delay and remove the growing apprehension that the elf elder's escape ignited in Dunop. But while the elf might have even agreed with the queen's plea to find Petiole, she said nothing to support her. As Enin's guard, it remained her duty to be loyal to the decisions of the wizard.

Enin tried to reassure the dwarf leader that he had not lost sight of their ultimate purpose.

"Queen Therese, I assure you I have every intention of going to Portsans, but even you have to admit this incident requires further examination."

"Examine it after Petiole is back in a dwarf prison!" the queen demanded.

"And if the spell caster who allowed Okyiq to avoid detection is somehow connected to Petiole's escape, will you be as indifferent to the situation as you seem to be now?"

"It is not indifference. It is a matter of priorities!"

"I don't wish to disagree, but it's also a matter of effectiveness. I think it's safe to say you are not only concerned with capturing Petiole but also in understanding how he escaped and for what reason. Or have I made some miscalculation?"

"No, you have not," Therese fumed, "but what if this teleportation spell was meant to draw you away from Petiole? Have you considered that?"

"She has a very good point," Holli finally responded. She no longer felt she would be taking sides, but rather offering an important warning. "This might indeed be a distraction, but not the obvious kind. It may even be a trap."

"I am prepared to deal with any traps," Enin responded, "and we are wasting time." The wizard returned his attention to the dwarf queen. "I promise you, I have no intention of being misled down some fool's path. I will be teleporting to Portsans, to the very point where Petiole was sent, but I must know more of what happened here. It's much too odd of an occurrence to simply dismiss. I am willing to bring you with us. We can all depart right from here and you can see for yourself what we discover."

"No, I must stay here. To leave at this time would be beyond irresponsible."

"As you wish."

Therese, however, was not willing to give in completely.

"I must also insist that the half-delver remains here," she stated as more of a decree than a request.

Pru almost exploded.

"Me?! Why do I have to go back into that hole? I've done nothing wrong!"

"Perhaps not, but you are connected in some way, and there is too much going on to ignore what has happened; gremplings stealing gems in a coordinated strike, a magic caster helping a large goblin enter an access tunnel and then teleporting away, and you yourself are a spell caster."

"But I didn't have anything to do with any of this!"

"I know. You were chasing a goblin. But answer me this, why does a goblin travel with a magic caster and lead you to the entrance to my city? Was it simply a ploy to escape? I don't think so. There are too many inconsistencies. A goblin leaves a message for Burbon but then races through Dark Spruce with a magic caster to go directly to Dunop? Absurd. They could have teleported away from you at any time. Why do it here? They must have known you were following them the entire time, otherwise you would have caught up with them. Is that not true?"

"I guess, but..."

"So why does a mutated goblin and a clearly powerful spell caster lead a half-delver to Dunop? Was it simply an accident? Is this all some bizarre coincidence? I cannot accept that. You were brought here for a reason. What is that reason? If anyone can answer that, I'd be more than happy to let you go. If not, I believe you should remain in Dunop until we capture Petiole or we obtain more information regarding your involvement."

"I don't have any involvement!" Pru insisted. "I answered all your questions. I didn't lie!"

"It's true," Enin professed. "He was simply tracking the large goblin. Okyiq initiated everything with the message he left at Burbon."

Therese was not swayed.

"And that is exactly why this half-delver should stay. I am satisfied he is not knowingly involved, but his appearance at my city's entrance continues to concern me. It clearly concerns you as well. Isn't that why you're going to follow this teleportation trail? Something about this bothers you. You see a connection. I can tell."

Enin looked to Pru. He could not argue with the assertion.

"Perhaps it is better if he stays here," the wizard offered.

"No!" the half-delver shouted. "What do I care about some elf that wanted to destroy a bunch of dwarves? None of this has anything to do with me. I was hired to kill a goblin. That's it! I'm not going back down there."

"You do not have a choice," Therese noted. "The wizard, the elf guard, even the delver... I consider them allies of Dunop. If you try to escape, I will request their assistance in taking you back to Dunop." She then looked to the wizard. "If they refuse, I will have to reconsider my position on assisting humans in the future."

While Enin remained quiet, Ryson spoke up and offered a plea directly to the queen.

"I'm going to ask you to let him go with us," the delver respectfully requested.

"You?" Therese asked, surprised at the turn of events. "You would ask this of me? Why?"

"It could have been me... probably should have been me that your guards found out here when Petiole escaped."

"Explain yourself."

"In Burbon, the captain of the guard asked me to follow Okyiq's trail. I declined."

"And why would a delver decline such a task?"

"It's like Pru said. I was asked not just to track the goblin, but to hunt him down... kill him. I wouldn't do it."

"I see."

"I'm hoping you do, because the point is that it still could have been me that ended up outside Dunop right when Petiole escaped. Would you still be holding me? Would you keep me here?"

"No, but you have already proven yourself. All of Dunop trusts you."

"Then I'm asking you to trust me now. Pru doesn't have anything to do with this. It's just a set of very strange circumstances that brought him here. I'm not sure what the goblin has to do with this, or the spell caster that teleported him out of here, but I know Pru isn't guilty of anything. Let him go. Please."