The Unsuspecting Mage - Brian S. Pratt [64]
“Maybe. But we need to get out of here before they discover us,” he insists.
Nodding understandingly, but not too happy about it, Miko goes up the rungs. He returns shortly and says, “There’s a trapdoor but I can’t get it to open. It must be barred or locked from the other side.”
”Alright, let’s go down a little further and see if there’s another way out,” James says as he turns and continues making his way down the main sewer passage. They pass several lesser passages, but after giving each a cursory glance, continues following the main one.
Further down they come to where the water flowing through the sewer begins growing progressively deeper and soon has risen to their calves. They slosh their way through the water and other floating debris until they come to the blockage that’s obstructing the sewer and causing it to back up. As they draw near to the obstruction, James begins to realize just what it is that’s blocking the water’s flow.
It’s a body and by the looks of it, has been here for a while. The flesh is in an advanced state of decay with maggots crawling all over it. A couple of rats are having a meal on the corpse’s exposed thigh. They squeal and scamper away at their approach. Other debris has wedged itself around the dead body which has only added to the blockage.
Feeling like he’s about ready to throw up, James steps over the corpse and hurries down the tunnel. Once they’ve put some distance between them and the corpse, he begins to recover some of his composure, but still feels a little green.
“I hear you see a lot of that down here,” Miko tells him. “People come up missing and their bodies come out through the sewer’s outflow into the river.”
“Let’s hope the next ones won’t be ours,” states James.
Continuing down the passage, they pass two more offshoots, the smallest ones thus far. The second one is barely wide enough to squeeze through. Not much more than a wide crack in the wall. Looks like it may have been created during an earthquake or something similar.
They travel a short distance further past the small passages before discerning a light coming toward them from up ahead. James quickly cancels his light spell, plunging them into complete darkness. They start backing up the way they had come.
As they back up, James runs his hand along the wall until he encounters the smallest passage, the one that’s not more than a crack in the wall. He stops Miko and says, “I think we can squeeze through here and hide until they pass.”
Miko goes in first and then he follows, squeezing in until he’s a few feet from the tunnel. The approaching light steadily grows brighter as it draws nearer. It’s not long before they hear the approaching footsteps of several men.
As the men pass by the crack they’re hiding in, James discovers that the light is coming from a torch one of them is carrying.
“…saw something down here,” James hears one of them say.
“You’re seeing things, Dink,” another adds.
“Keep quiet and look sharp,” still another commands.
As the group passes by, James counts five men, the one in the lead carrying the torch. The men continue further down the sewer and soon the light fades until only darkness remains.
After it has been dark a minute or two, James cautiously makes his way back out of the crack to the sewer tunnel. He looks down the way the men had gone and discovers the light is no longer visible. Taking the chance that no one will be able to see, his orb springs to life on his palm. It’s then that he realizes Miko has not followed him back out into the sewer. Holding his light close to the opening, he whispers, “Miko, come on. They’re gone.”
From the opening he hears Miko’s voice, “James, there’s a room in here and another passage leading from it.” Pausing momentarily, he continues, “It may lead to another way out, away from trouble.”
“All right, I’m coming in,” he says and begins to squeeze back through. At one point he starts panicking when the crack narrows