Depths of Madness - Erik Scott De Bie [30]
Twilight froze. They were in a section of the tunnels she had searched, and she had no memory of this corridor. It wasn't hidden-how had she overlooked it?
The others seemed oblivious to her pause.
"My reasoning," Davoren said, "says that the one who built this passage wouldn't have wanted to wander through these wretched sewers, so there must be a way out nearby." He sniffed. "And we've found nothing on this side, so we should search the other end. Besides"-he plucked the edge of his cloak from the ground-"I cannot abide another moment in this filth."
Twilight shrugged. "Sounds reasonable," she said. "Why the argument?"
"More traps than I could disarm at my best," said Slip. Her fingers shook. "And even more I couldn't find without my magic. Mostly pressure plates and trip wires, but wards, too. Traps within traps, meant to spring when you try to disarm one or the other. Resetting traps, as well-spring them once and they aren't done."
"So try harder," Davoren said, his voice dripping.
Slip shivered and hid behind Gargan, who looked from her to Davoren. The warlock fell silent. "Besides," Slip continued. "I… I don't think we're supposed to go that way. Maybe someone or other's meant to be kept in. On the other side, aye?"
"Whoever built that tunnel really, really didn't want us going down it," said Liet.
"All the more reason to go," Twilight said. When the others balked, she flashed a sly smile. "I've never been fond of doing another's will."
The irony in her voice caused more than one of the others to eye her suspiciously, Taslin in particular. "Your decision then," the priestess said. "Slip's skills are insufficient. I hope you know a few things about traps yourself."
Twilight's lips twitched up at the left side and she drew her blade. She knelt and studied the darkness for a hundred heartbeats.
"Come now," growled the warlock. "Are we going to wait in this stinking sewer all the day while you think about it? Just disarm them like a good sneakthief."
" 'Twould take two candles," said Twilight. "To be safe."
Davoren threw his hands in the air. "Wonderful," he said. "Waiting for two candles to burn down. We'd be a meal sitting here for some beast that comes along-like that troll-while our fearless leader takes her time for the sake of safety."
"What have I told you about insults?" Twilight said.
"It's an insult to call you 'fearless?' " Davoren feigned shock.
Twilight shook her head. "Very well," she said. "Follow and move as I do. But wait. A four-count should be right." Brows furrowed. "Four?" Slip asked. "Why not five?" "Why not six?" snapped Davoren.
Twilight shrugged. "Chameleon, I hope you're enjoying this," she murmured. No response, as always.
The shadows coalesced around her. Then she ran.
A veritable firestorm of metal shards, swinging blades, and crossbow bolts filled the tunnel. Twilight lunged, danced, and dodged. She rolled under a blade that would have taken her head from her shoulders, sprang to the side between two chopping axes, and stopped short just in time to avoid a pair of darts shooting from either side.
Slip and Liet looked at one another, then charged after her. It took the others another breathless moment before they, too, followed the elf. They ran past as each trap reset itself.
Twilight ran, snaked, and dipped. Here she went low under darts, there she snapped a trip wire with Betrayal. Where she pulled up short, the others froze, and where she ran, the others dashed. More bolts fired out, and she twisted around them. Writing flared along the wall, and a fringe of flames shot out. She dived under the flames and rolled, scant feet from the end of the passage.
A sword swung down from the ceiling. Twilight dodged and hopped, but she sensed an attack from behind. Like a perfect pendulum, the blade scythed for her back.
Unlike a perfect pendulum, however, it wove from side to side. Then it veered to the right-directly at Twilight.
She managed to leap to the left, but not before the trap tore a gouge across her shoulder. She went down hard on her backside,