Temple Hill - Drew Karpyshyn [90]
"Sorry," Fendel apologized as he reduced the light source to a faint sliver by turning the heavy metal shield that covered the lamp.
"I used to traverse this section of the smugglers' tunnels quite frequently in my working days," the gnome said as he handed one of the lamps to Corin. He adjusted the second one before lighting it.
"We have a ways to go to reach the entrance to the sub-tunnel system, but this passage is empty. Or, at least, it was the last time I was down here."
A nod from Corin showed he understood, and Fendel set off. The warrior followed close behind, his left hand holding up the lamp so that its beam lit the way ahead. He couldn't feel Fendel's sword in the grasp of his metallic right hand, but he knew it was there, drawn and ready.
The air inside the tunnel was stale and frigid, only a few degrees above freezing-noticeably cooler than the mild Elversult nights in the first tenday of the Sunsets. Guided only by Fendel's sense of direction and his memory of his old haunts, the pair wound their way through the twisting tunnels. Fendel's map was stashed safely in his magical pack, but the absence of any kind of landmark or reference points in the tunnels would have made it all but useless, Corin realized.
They passed by countless archways and branching passages, but Fendel never hesitated. Sometimes he veered left, sometimes right. For the most part, he continued on straight ahead. It didn't take long before Corin was completely lost. If the gnome was off course, they might never find their way back.
After nearly twenty minutes, the gnome pulled up short. Corin, who had been trailing a few steps behind, tensed himself and began to scan the gloom beyond the range of his lantern's glow for signs of trouble. He saw nothing but half-imagined specters conjured by the play of light and shadow over the rough-hewn surface of the tunnel walls.
This is it," Fendel announced, setting his lantern on the damp floor. He began to run his fingers lightly over the irregular rock face of the right wall.
Corin's eyes scanned the stone facade, but he couldn't make out any visible signs of a door. He briefly wondered not only how Fendel had been able to find the door tonight, but how he had ever located it in the first place.
"I don't see any traps," Fendel said after several long moments of careful inspection. "Let's see if I can find the trigger."
Corin set down his lantern and drew his second sword. Until this point they had been in an unclaimed, unused section of the Elversult tunnels. Beyond the secret door was a route leading to the heart of Xiliath's lair. If Lha-sha's mysterious captor knew about the sub-tunnel leading to his treasure cavern, the least they could expect would be a few guards along the way.
The gnome's hand came to rest on a small, unremarkable outcropping of rock.
"Ready?" he whispered. Corin nodded, and Fendel pulled down on the trigger.
Soundlessly, the door swung in toward them. A dark, open mouth loomed before the two. Even the light from their torches couldn't pierce the wall of blackness that blocked the tunnel's entrance.
"Someone cast a spell here. This darkness wasn't here last time I used this tunnel. Of course, that was a long, long time ago. I think I can counteract the spell, at least temporarily." He didn't need to say what they were both thinking. Someone had cast a darkness spell, that meant someone knew about the tunnel.
Taking a step forward to shield Fendel while he prepared his incantation, Corin braced himself for an attack. By itself, the murkiness-magical though it was-wasn't an effective deterrent to thieves or invaders. It was a mere diversion, masking a more sinister threat. Corin was ready for whatever would confront them when the gnome dispelled the shadows.
He could hear the mumbled words of Fendel's incantation and the rustle of his clothing as the gnome performed the complicated gestures and intricate actions required to weave his magic. Suddenly, the darkness was gone. The entrance to the secret passage was bathed in light. Not the feeble light from their