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Chapter 24

The spider and the fly: Part I

Elene hopped backwards, parrying a blow aimed for her middle. Throwing a quick glance behind her, she re-positioned herself even as the burning barracks lit up the night sky not far away. Her opponent, a grizzled man in chainmail, smiled as he closed in. He could be considered dashing with his smooth, angular features and bright red hair, but the murderous gleam in his eyes ruined any charming effect his looks could have had.

"You're a lot shorter than what I'd been expecting," he drawled.

She stared at him. "You were expecting me?"

"I was told to," he shrugged. "Now I'm going to kill you and get paid a large sum of gold."

The logical part of her brain pointed out that he was a fair distance from her and that the reach of his morning star was limited. Such a large, broad man shouldn't be able to cut that distance quickly enough to threaten her. However, raw instinct made her dodge to the side as he suddenly lunged forward with inhuman speed, narrowly missing her head. Again, she danced out of the way to safety, giving the man a quick once-over as she did.

There must be some kind of magic at play. It looks like it's coming from his boots.

When they initiated the attack, they had been so sure that the main danger would come from the barracks. The druids and Coran would focus on keeping that portion of the installation busy while Elene would use magic to materialise herself within the compound close to the secondary gate, dispatch the guard on watch and let her group in. From there, they would launch their assault on the mines in stealth.

The first part of the plan went off without a hitch. A Misty Step spell and a swift stab from her dagger, and the others were in the compound without triggering any alarms. Then the fireworks started near the barracks. Before they could slip into the mines, a group of men emerged from a makeshift guardhouse adjoining the cranks and cogs that operated the mine's lift system.

For some reason, this chap, the de facto leader, zeroed in on her immediately. Khalid tried to block his path, but he zipped right past the half-elf, startling everyone with his speed. Elene herself only just managed to get off a spell on the other fighter in the Group, one that caused him to whirl around and plant his axe into his companion's arm. She barely had a moment to be thrilled that she managed to pull off the spell Xan taught, when another in the other group, a robed man, raised his hand and with a bark of incantation. Then all hell broke loose.

So, there she was, getting cornered by a strong warrior while the rest of her party either grappled with the other three men or wandered around in confusion from the spell.

What did Karan use to say? Ah yes. No plan survives first contact with the enemy.

At this rate, I'm not sure if I'm going to survive first contact with this enemy.

There was no way she could beat this man in a straight fight, that much she was sure of. Running was definitely out of the question. There was nothing for it, she would have to improvise. As the man angled himself for another attack, he passed under a torch sconce. She curled her fingers in a gesture and commanded the fire from the torch to cascade down on top of his head, just as how Xan had done to Mulahey not so long ago.

To her surprise, it worked. The man yelped in pain as the tips of his hair caught fire. She capitalised on the opportunity, thrusting her sword out and upward, aiming for his throat. But this man was cannier than Mulahey. Despite being caught by surprise, he kept his wits, parrying her strike with his shield with an annoyed grunt.

She was prepared for that, though. Instead of being put off balance by his parry, she used the momentum to spin her blade completely around for another slash. Although she wanted to aim for his neck, she ended up cutting into his upper arm instead. His weapon arm, to be exact. She swiftly dislodged her blade from his flesh, drawing a yowl from the man as he stooped in pain, his arm a bloody mess.

For all his bravado, he didn't last long in the fight with her after that, especially when an arrow flew in from the dark to end him. She wasn't sure if it had come from Imoen or Kivan, but she was grateful for it. Even wounded as he was, she would have needed some time to wear him down.

By the time she joined the battle with the others, there was only the warrior left standing, and that was remedied soon by Khalid's blade. She took stock of those closest to her, Khalid and Jaheira already wounded, but still fit to continue.

"They were expecting us," Elene told Jaheira. "The man I fought said as much."

"A good thing the Iron Throne are too tight-fisted to hire proper help, then," the druid replied.

Chuckling at Jaheira's remark, Elene backtracked to relieve her dead opponent of his belongings, especially his boots. They were clearly magical, but she put it away for proper examination later. It could drive its wearer barking mad as a side effect, for all she knew.

The ominous creak of an old lift system grated on her ears. Her eyes snapped up from her task, zeroing in on the mine entrance.

"Where's Kivan?" Xan asked, an edge in his voice.

Elene squeezed her eyes shut as a horrible sensation began pooling in her stomach.

"The fool!" Jaheira hissed, already striding forward. "We must catch up."

The group clambered up the steps to the lift, concealed within a wooden structure meant to protect it from the elements. Elene ran a curious hand along the metal structure within, sturdy despite its evident age, the cogs and cranks holding up well even after nearly a century of disuse. Despite her fascination, she fidgeted uncomfortably the whole minute the platform took to come back up. The five of them piled into the lift as one, the wooden platform creaking in a most worrying fashion as they did. Xan flicked a disapproving glance at Khalid and Jaheira's heavy armours, but the contraption took them below without incident.

Once everyone had climbed off the lift platform, Elene wedged a few daggers into the exposed cogs to jam the lift mechanism, if only temporarily. Xan gave her a questioning look, but she just shrugged. Not a fool proof solution by any means, yet she hoped it would be enough to delay any reinforcements coming from above.

They found Kivan's trail within a few paces from the entrance. A guard lay on the ground, an arrow through his eye, dead before he even hit the ground. The path into the tunnels ahead branched off into two directions, with no indicator of which way Kivan went.

"Move quickly. He will stir the whole hornet's nest in his rampage," Jaheira hurried them along.

"Do we just…follow the trail of bodies?" asked Imoen, glancing at the dead guard.

"Maybe I should scout ahead," Elene offered.

"Nuh uh. Ya did that in Nashkel, it's my turn," Imoen wiggled her finger, adorned by red-hued ring of Darkvision. "I can see in the dark now, remember."

Elene hesitated, peering at the poorly lit tunnels. "I don't know, Im…"

"We don't have time for this," Xan sighed. "Why don't you both go? One left and one right, then come back here as quickly as you can."

Imoen exchanged a quick glance with Elene, then shrugged. "That would work."

"Come back here if you find something worth pursuing. Do not engage if there are too many enemies," Jaheira told them.

Jaheira, Khalid and Xan sequestered themselves in a protected corner near the lift while the two girls set out on their way in stealth, Imoen going right and Elene moving to the left.

As she made her way forward, Elene quickly noticed the difference between the Cloakwood Mines and those of Nashkel. The Cloakwood complex was low-ceilinged, built by dwarves for dwarves. The tunnels felt far more claustrophobic as a result, a feeling worsened by the damp, musty atmosphere. They didn't bother with frills, just focusing on support structures at key junctures and ensuring the iron ore can be transported across the mines with ease through systematic tracks for ore carriages. Torches lined the walls at intervals, but those looked like recent additions from the mostly human crew of the current operation.

There were no miners about. Perhaps they were only put to work during daylight hours, even if they can't even discern daylight this far underground. She shuddered at the thought of being kept underground for weeks and months on end. Truly, the miners here could only be slaves. Even the ones in Nashkel lived above ground after their work shifts.

After long minutes of exploring the barren tunnels, she found the next trace of Kivan. Another dead guard, this one shot through the back of the neck. From the corpse, the tunnel then branched off into two veins. Her eyes scanned the ground for tracks, but she knew it to be futile. He'd taught her everything she knew about moving undetected. If he didn't want her to follow, there wasn't much she could do about it.

As her thoughts returned to Kivan, she wondered again at his words after they slew the wyverns. He'd said that she didn't know what she was playing with, and he'd uttered it with such vehemence. Did he know something about her abilities? Is that why he wanted nothing to do with her anymore?

What are you thinking, Kivan?

She sighed, studying the branching paths before her. In the absence of any sign, she did anyone would do in that situation. She guessed and went left.

To her relief, she felt a slight dip in elevation as she traversed her chosen path. This must be the route going to the second sub-level. Sure enough, the path curved sharply to the left and downward, the tunnels beyond appearing dark and dangerous from where she stood. She cautiously peered into the gloom and noticed another body prone on the ground deeper down the path. Another corpse crumb unwittingly left behind by their ranger.

Swiftly, she backtracked to the lift to share her findings. Imoen had already returned, her solemn face at odds with her usually cheerful demeanour.

"There was a group of miners working down in a pocket of tunnels over there," Imoen explained, gesturing vaguely along the path she explored. "After I got rid of the guard on duty, the miners said they were being punished for a failed slave revolt a few days ago. Their leader, a fellow named Rill, is being kept in the dungeons in the second level. If we free him, he could rally the rest of the miners and get them out. I told the miners to sit tight and wait for the right time to get outta here." Her expression turned sympathetic. "Reckon it's too dangerous for them to try to get out on their own, looking at the shape they were in."

"This is good information. Did you manage to find the breach?" Jaheira wanted to know.

Imoen nodded. "Yeah, it was right there at the end of the tunnels they were working on. They were told to reinforce it because water was starting to seep through lately. The mine boss sealed the breach with a metal door, a big old thing. There was some kinda rune keeping things in place. Felt like strong magic to me."

Jaheira flicked a gaze at Xan, who frowned. "We have to be prepared for the eventuality of facing a powerful mage then."

There was a moment's pause as they absorbed that. None of them relished the thought of facing a powerful mage in his own lair. Unbidden thoughts of traps, frightening summons and abominations from the stories she'd once read surfaced in Elene's mind, but she pushed her morbid imagination aside to focus on more urgent matters.

"On a more cheerful, I think I've found the way to the second level. Looks like Kivan has already made his way down there," she said.

"Good work, both of you," Khalid nodded to the girls. "We need to find this Rill and see if we can get the rest of the miners out. Hopefully, we can catch up to Kivan."

From there, the group abandoned stealth and made a rapid beeline for the second sub-level. In their descent, they noticed the torches were placed further apart as though less lighting was needed for this layer. Even so, the surroundings changed once they passed through a broad archway, where the rocks and soil were replaced by smooth stone walls and floors, as solid as any building. A disconcerting mix of smell, food and unwashed bodies, began to waft towards them, causing Elene to wrinkle her nose. The second level must be where the miners live, she realised, herded close to the ores where they can be sent up to work quickly.

They didn't make it far past the archway when Xan went stock still without warning, grabbing Khalid's shoulder. "They're coming."

In the distance, Elene began to hear it too. Heavy boots like those of the dead guards they'd seen in the level above, hurrying towards them. A patrol was approaching, and fast. She took a deep breath, realising that they must have discovered Kivan's handiwork. Likely the whole level was now on high alert.

She hoped that it was a sign they haven't actually discovered him yet.

Khalid drew his weapon, glancing at his wife. "There's nowhere to hide."

"Then we fight," was Jaheira's calm reply.

Jaheira signalled for Elene to take position in the front. Swallowing, Elene obliged, taking one knee and readying her throwing knives. Behind her, she heard Khalid and Imoen nock their arrows. The seconds ticked by in agonising slowness as she listened to approaching footsteps, her heart in her throat. When the guards rounded the corner, they were harried and distracted, as if roused for patrol on very short notice. It took them a few seconds to even register that the enemy is already upon them.

The party didn't give the guards a chance to recover their wits. Elene took out the foremost guard with a flick of her wrist while arrows flew above her head to take out two more.

The three remaining guards within the patrol tried to turn tail and run but they were too slow. She started moving the moment the throwing knives left her hands and she caught up to them, her long knives searing across the throat of one and stabbing at another in quick succession. Another arrow put paid to the last straggler of the bunch. The skirmish was over in seconds.

Then, the recognisable tingling from her magic boots warned her of danger. Her head snapped up as she sidestepped an arrow from the other end of the hall, when more guards began pouring into the room, disorganised and shouting, their weapons flashing in the gloom.

The situation rapidly degenerated into chaos after that.

She lost track of the others in the ensuing melee. Her blood hummed as she cut a bloody swath through her enemies in the cramped space. The guards relied on large weapons which did them little good in there, her knives better suited at nipping in close and getting into gaps in armour, through underarms, throats or the side, close to where she knew a man's kidney would be. Most were too surprised to put up much challenge to her. As she wiped at her blood-covered face with the back of her hand, she realised she was being overcome by the same intoxication she'd felt that night at the bandit camp.

Her hands shook, but she forced herself to take a deep breath. She reminded herself of the fear in Kivan's eyes after she'd healed him, the disappointment in Jaheira's voice during her upbraiding after she'd executed a key player in the camp in bloodlust. Thoughts of her companions grounded her, a counterbalance to her razor-sharp killing instinct. The last time she allowed the instinct to run unchecked, she'd lost control of it. She refused to let that happen again.

The strange buzzing energy within her began to subside. But it didn't go away entirely.

Finally, she raised her eyes. She caught sight of a guard running helter-skelter past the end of the hall, but she was too late to stop him. Sheathing her knives, she looked to Khalid and Jaheira nearby, who were likewise splashed in gore and panting in exertion.

"The main barracks is likely that way. We should take the other hallway," Xan pointed to a closed door dead ahead.

Elene nodded and moved toward the door in question. She pressed her ear against the wood, listening intently. It took her a few moments to notice that there was only shuffling and coughing on the other side, and the sound of something rattling listlessly against metal. Metal bars? Stepping back, she tried the door. It was locked.

"I think this is where they keep the miners," she told the others.

Imoen appeared at her shoulder. "Let me."

The rogue made quick work of the lock. The thick door swung inward, and Elene immediately brought her hand up to cover her nose and mouth as the stench hit her. Words died on her lips when she took in the wretched living conditions the miners were kept in.

It was a long room, lined with multiple cells sealed with metal bars. The cells were barely long enough for a person to lay straight in. And men were kept two to a cell, cramped together on threadbare blankets, with small bowls of water and overflowing buckets of waste left with them to meet their basic needs. The miners squinted up at the party in fear, some cowering into corners at the sight of their weapons.

Reeling, Elene took a wobbly step back, her eyes finding Xan's. If looks could kill, all the Iron Throne lackeys in the mines would be dead from the fury of his gaze. But he reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, steadying her.

She focused on his touch, drawing strength from his silent gesture. In the bleak madness of this place, it helped centre her.

"Hey, hey, don't be scared of us," Imoen told the miners softly as she stepped into the quarters. "We're gonna get you outta here. Which of you is Rill?"

Murmurs erupted among the miners, some coming up to their knees and grasping at the bars of their cells to take a closer look at their would-be saviour. One man closest to the Imoen reached for her through the bars, his hands shaking with excitement. Like the rest of them, he was grimy and covered in unkempt facial hair.

"Rill's in the dungeons, maam. They took 'em to make an example of 'em. Rill's revolt damn near got half of us killed tryna fight back." He swallowed, his eyes glittering in the dark. "But yer here! Yer gonna save us!"

"Yeah, we are. But where are the dungeons?" asked Imoen.

"This level, maam. Down after the mess hall, full er guards. But if yer clever, ye can find the tunnel the dwarves used." The man nodded fervently, almost giddy with hope. "By the stores, in the wall. If ye can find em. Rill said there's a tunnel. The dwarf told em so. He made me swear not to tell anyone. But I'll tell you coz yer gonna get us out!"

"Your cells, are they all locked?" Jaheira wanted to know.

"The mage has the key!" the man wailed. "She won't let us out!"

"Hey, it's okay. We're gonna get you out," Imoen tried to comfort the man.

Jaheira pulled Imoen back by the arm as the plaintive murmurs became clamouring in the miner's quarters. "We must find the key. It would take too much time to pick each lock while the guards regroup. We will find a better way."

"We find the tunnel," Xan nodded, already looking to Elene.

Sparing a last glance at the sad, desperate souls in the cells, Elene moved back to the hallway, her hands suddenly itching for her knives. This time, she allowed rage to fuel her steps as she used the full length of her strides to explore the level. Stepping over the dead guards littering the passage, she reached an anteroom with a small corridor to the right and a storeroom ahead. Pausing, she could hear voices coming from beyond the corridor. Likely the guards massing and preparing a counterattack. Going down that route now would be suicide, she knew.

Moving to the storeroom, she glanced at every alcove in the large chamber. The stores had everything from food to weapons to mining picks. She decided to try for the wall right at the end, one half-covered in crates of random supplies, mostly consisting of dry food. The rest of her group filed in, but she ignored them as she ran her hands at the edges of the wall, looking for a catch or button, anything that could lead to a secret door or entrance of some sort.

It took her several agonising minutes, going from one end of the room to the other, but eventually her fingers brushed an uneven patch on the wall. Curious, she pressed against it. It sunk into an indentation with a click.

A slight mechanical whine filled the room as the wall began to slowly slide, revealing the beginning of a darkened tunnel.