From Darkness Won - Jill Williamson [19]
Three bodies lay on the inner bailey ground below. Two cloaked in black, one in red. Red-caped men crouched in clusters on the sentry walk behind each battlement. A good sign. Captain Loam’s men must have stopped the infiltration and pushed the battle out to the vineyards.
“Little Cham.”
Achan stepped back to see Shung waiting at the top of the next flight of steps that passed under another privy. If Achan’s memory was correct, there were two such detours along this wall, then a long stretch leading to the secret rooms near Duchess Amal’s study.
Achan moved on. “Captain Loam has taken the battle outside the fortress.”
“Good. It will end soon.” Shung took the steps slowly. Matthias followed, then Achan. When they reached the bottom, sure enough, Shung looked back to meet Achan’s gaze before starting up the next flight.
Achan turned and practically crawled away up the steps. At the top, the light from the arrow loop lit enough of his surroundings that he was able to skip sideways along the corridor until he reached the tower. He took the stairs down too fast, stumbled, and slid down six or seven steps on his knees. He grasped at the wall and managed to catch his footing. He froze a moment, heart dancing, listening for Shung’s voice.
Nothing.
He checked to make sure Ôwr was still at his side, then, with one hand on the wall, he took the steps one at a time, thankful for arrow loops and the pale light that seeped through them. Blessed sun. ’Twas dawn, and none could refute it. The curse of Darkness had not reached this place. Not yet, anyway.
Achan’s temples twinged. Shung Noatak.
And there it came. Achan ignored Shung’s knock and continued on until the light from the last arrow loop faded. He hesitated, weighing his options, unwilling to admit he should have stayed with Shung. He wanted the first floor. If there were no more arrow loops, did that mean he was underground? Or did the first floor not have arrow loops? He wished he’d been more observant when he’d last walked outside Granton Castle.
He pictured the layout of the castle in his mind. As long as he chose the right level to exit onto, he would need to turn south, or right, which should lead him to the great hall.
Unless the stairwell let him out in a different direction.
He inched down the stairs in the darkness, keeping a hand on the outer wall to be sure not to miss the opening. His leather glove scraped over the rough stone like a serrated knife cutting a loaf of bread. The wall fell away. Achan gripped the corner with his fingers and walked them around the edge to lead the rest of his body down the next corridor.
A soft beam of light shot out from the left a few paces ahead. Achan moved toward the light and found an indentation in the stone wall like an arrow loop, only this one looked in on a room. He hunched down and peered through the slot into an empty solar. Peek holes. A clever way to learn more about guests, though Achan’s stomach clenched at the thought of anyone looking into his chambers. Perhaps later he and Shung could find any viewing places that looked in on his chambers and block them.
He stepped back, annoyed that neither Anillo nor the duchess had mentioned the peek holes. Surely they hadn’t been spying on him.
Achan followed the dark passageway, keeping his right hand on the wall. Anillo had said a passage led into the great hall. Achan would likely have to turn right at some point to walk down the dais wall. Maybe the passage let out under the dais as it had in Tsaftown.
The wall under his right fingers vanished. He stopped and felt for walls around him. Yes. A corridor spilt off to the right here. Achan turned, walking slowly, scouring his surroundings for any sliver of light. Logic should put a door somewhere along the left wall, but he did not find one.
The wall disappeared again, as did the floor. His knees buckled and his right hand waved for purchase. His left hand and knees broke his fall, thudding against dirt. The musty smell had changed to the bitter scent of soil. He groped for the wall,