The Axe of Sundering

  The only problem was that the opening was covered with bars. As a small bird, Alex could dart between the bars easily, but no one else could. He thought about it, and then he flew between the bars and into the tunnel, transforming back to his human form. As soon as he changed he noticed the terrible smell. The tunnel wasn’t so much a simple drain—it was the outlet for the castle’s sewer system.

  Alex tried not to breathe too deeply as he looked around. There was plenty of room, and Alex moved forward a short way, hoping that this tunnel would lead him to the dungeons and the hostages.

  Alex didn’t have to go far before he found what he was looking for. He had summoned a dim weir light to guide him, and sixty feet or so into the tunnel he found an ancient stone door. The door was cut a few inches above the floor so water and other debris could pass under it. Pushing against the door, Alex found that it was locked from the other side. He reached out with his magic, and finding nothing and no one on the other side of the door, he let that same magic unlock the door. The ancient hinges creaked loudly as he pushed the door open. Alex waited for several minutes to make sure that the noise had not been heard. When he was satisfied, he stepped through the door and closed it behind him.

  It was almost too quiet, and the sudden lack of noise made Alex nervous. His ears strained to hear any sound, but the only noise was the dripping of water. Slowly he moved forward, and soon the tunnel walls ended and he found himself in a large, mostly open space.

  He had been right: the tunnel did lead to the dungeons. Ten cells that he could see in the dim light lined each side of the room. Looking closer, he found that one hostage was sleeping inside each cell. In the cell closest to him on the left he saw his friend Joshua. He took a step toward the cell door, intending to open it and save Joshua while he had the chance, but the sudden sound of approaching footsteps stopped him.

  The guards were coming back. Alex wanted to stay and rescue the hostages, but this wasn’t the time. He knew that if he saved Joshua and the others now, Jabez would know about it. He wouldn’t have time to find the Axe of Sundering, and his real quest at Conmar Castle would fail. He needed his men to take care of the hostages while he dealt with Jabez.

  Alex didn’t like it, but he knew he had to wait. He gave Joshua a last look, and then hurried back through the stone door and magically locked it from the outside.

  Alex returned to the bars, and without thinking he reached for Moon Slayer. Not finding the sword at his side, he remembered he had given it to the shadows in the black lands. Instead, he pulled out his dagger. Mr. Blackburn had said the steel was some of the strongest he’d ever made. It was time to see if that was true.

  Alex had put his own magic into this blade, and it wasn’t long before the blade found a groove and began to cut. He cut through the bars, creating an opening large enough for a person to crawl through. He left the last two bars, one on either side, standing. Reaching into his magic bag, he pulled out several lengths of rope. Tying one end to one of the remaining bars, he tossed the other end of the first rope out and down the cliff face. It was long enough to reach the ground. He did the same with a second rope, attaching it to the opposite bar.

  After double-checking his work, Alex looked out of the cave’s opening. The storm was growing stronger by the minute; he could see lightning not too far away. Climbing the cliff at night and in a storm would be dangerous, but it was the best plan he had. He took a moment to look around, and from this high vantage point, he could see a handful of boats on the beach to the north. It gave him an idea.

  He transformed into a bird again and flew most of the way back to camp before returning to his own form.

  “What did you find, Alex?” Dogmar asked as soon as he saw Alex.

  “A way in,” Alex answered.

  He called the company together, and magically ignited a small and oddly dim fire. The magical fire was very warm, but Alex knew that it could not be seen by anyone that was more than twenty feet away.

  “There is an opening in the cliff face. It will be hard and dangerous to climb to, but it will lead us directly to the hostages,” Alex said, when the others had settled around him.

  “Did you see the hostages? Are they alive?” Aliia asked.

  “Yes, I saw some of them, and yes, they are alive,” Alex answered. “But if we are going to rescue them, it has to be tonight, while the storm lasts.”

  “At night?” one of the men said. “In this storm?”

  “I hope the storm and the darkness will work in our favor.” Alex picked up a stick and drew an outline of the castle in the dirt. “We must make our climb at night so the guards won’t see us. While Jabez may not be worried about an attack from the sea, his guard still patrols the walls on that side of the castle. We will be harder to see at night and under the cover of a storm.”

  “And how are we supposed to climb the cliffs?” Dogmar asked.

  “I left climbing ropes for us to use. That should help.”

  Dogmar looked relieved and nodded his head.

  Alex looked around the circle at his men. “Not everyone is coming into the castle.”

  “Why not?” asked Aliia.

  He smiled at her. “Because some of them will be helping you.”

  “Me? What do you need me to do?”

  “We need to get the hostages to safety as soon as possible. They have been held prisoner for some time, and they look weak. They won’t make it far without our help. I saw some boats on the beach north of where we’ll climb. Aliia, I need you and most of the men to take those boats. The rest of us will get the hostages out of the dungeon and into the boats, then you can all sail swiftly to the south.”

  “And you?” she asked.

  Alex shook his head. “You know that I must confront Jabez—and I must do it alone.”

  “A wizards’ battle is no place for dwarf or man,” Dogmar said grumpily. “Still, if a few of us went with you, it might help the odds.”

  “Thank you, my friend, but the odds are what they are,” Alex replied. “Besides, I need you all to rescue the hostages. They need your help more than I will.”

  Dogmar ran his hand down his beard, an unhappy look on his face. After a minute he reluctantly nodded his agreement.

  Alex looked up at the sky. “We have a few hours before we need to go. I suggest everyone try to rest. We have much to do before the night is over.”

  Alex didn’t sleep, but he let his body rest while his mind continued to work. The wind had picked up, and the trees around them creaked and groaned. He was trying to picture what the inside of the castle would look like. Where would Jabez be? Where was the golden dragon he’d promised to save? Where was the Axe of Sundering hidden?

  When it was time, Alex woke the others. They made their way down to the beach following the path Alex had taken earlier. Alex chose six men along with Dogmar to help him rescue the hostages. The rest went with Aliia to help her take the boats.

  “We won’t have much time,” he warned everyone. “Once the hostages make it to the beach, they’ll need to get into the boats as fast as they can. Can you help them, Aliia?”

  Aliia nodded. “On the water my magic is stronger than on land. The boats will be ready, and I will care for the hostages. I promise.”

  Alex gave her a nod of understanding and a quick smile.

  The ropes Alex had left earlier were still in place, and he pulled on the end of one of them, testing it. The rope held firm, and he noted that the rope, now wet, was easier to grip than when it had been dry. He started climbing, one of his men holding the end of the rope to keep it tight. Dogmar pushed his way forward and started up the second rope.

  It was hard to see in the darkness, and the rain lashed at the cliff, making the rocks slippery. Alex kept climbing, pausing now and then to wipe the rain out of his eyes. Thunder rumbled behind him, and lightning flashed, throwing light onto the cliffs.

  Alex was about halfway to the stone tunnel when he heard a different kind of rumbling. It was lower
than the thunder, and more rhythmic. The wind against his back felt closer and more directed than the gusts he’d been fighting. He wondered what was happening and turned to look over his shoulder when a giant stone claw punched into the cliff wall right next to him.

  The gargoyle screeched and pulled its claw back, taking a chunk of rock from the wall with it. The man climbing the rope below Alex shouted in fear. The gargoyle swooped close once more, and Alex felt the rope slide in his hands. Alex tightened his grip, and watched every move the gargoyle made.

  Another gargoyle appeared out of the darkness, and then a third. Their shrieks sounded like rocks being split apart, and the beat of their wings was deafening. The gargoyles flew closer and closer to Alex and the men on the ropes. They repeatedly hit the cliff with their claws, knocking stones down onto Alex and the others. It was only a matter of time before a gargoyle would try to pluck one of them off the rope.

  Alex didn’t have many options. He couldn’t draw a sword because he had to keep both hands on the rope, and what good would a sword do? His staff was safely stored in his magic bag, and there was no time to retrieve it, and hanging on the rope he couldn’t use it anyway.

  “What do we do?” the man below Alex shouted.

  “Hold on,” Alex shouted. “All of you, hold on.” He climbed up a few feet and found a place to brace himself against the cliff. He looked at the black storm clouds filled with lightning and rain. He had to use magic, but he had to be careful as well. He forced himself to think like a dragon, knowing it would shield his magic from Jabez. He reached out to the storm with his magic, summoning the power that was already there.

  “Close your eyes!” he shouted. “Look away!”

  He didn’t have time to see if the men obeyed him or not. A lightning bolt ripped through the darkness, slamming into the gargoyle closest to him. An explosion of stone hit the cliff where the monster had been, showering down on Alex and the others like broken glass.

  The two remaining gargoyles moved backwards, away from the cliff. They hovered in the air for a moment, unsure about what had just happened.

  A second bolt of lightning came racing out of the clouds, and again Alex used his magic to direct it. This time the flash of light was as bright as the sun and the explosion was deafening. A second gargoyle was gone, leaving nothing but falling stone where it had been. The third gargoyle now realized that it was in danger, that the storm might destroy it as it had its two companions.

  The last gargoyle moved away, flying higher against the wind, hoping to reach the safety of the castle. Alex couldn’t let the monster escape—his plans would be ruined if it reported what it had seen and what had happened to the others. As the gargoyle moved away it was harder for Alex to see, harder for him to hit with a lightning bolt, but he had to stop it.

  Focusing all his thought, Alex called down a third bolt of lightning, but this one was different. Half a dozen threads of lightning reached down from the clouds, like blue-white fingers searching for something. As the gargoyle raced to the castle wall the fingers found what they were searching for. The threads of light closed around the monster, the crackling of raw energy filled the air, and a sudden explosion shook the cliff where Alex was hanging.

  Alex looked down and counted his men. They were all there. No one had been taken by a gargoyle or lost to the storm. He let out a sigh of relief.

  The climb was a difficult one, but everyone made it. Once they were all inside the tunnel, Alex led the way to the stone door that would let them into the dungeons. Pushing the door open, Alex led the group quietly up the tunnel and to the dungeon. Alex peeked out of the tunnel to see if any guards were in the room. There were two guards, men, playing cards at a table by the far wall. Alex gathered a thread of his magic and quietly whispered “Sleep” in their direction.

  After a moment, the first guard yawned and laid down his cards. The second guard rubbed his eyes.

  Alex added a little more magic to his spell, and spoke again. “Sleep.”

  This time, both guards slumped in their chairs, their heads falling backward. One guard started to snore softly.

  Alex moved out of the tunnel and into the dungeon, his men close behind. He moved quietly to the sleeping guards and unhooked the key ring from the first guard’s belt.

  He didn’t need the keys to open the cells, but once he had them he went to Joshua’s cell and unlocked it first. The gate swung open with a loud squeak, but the sleeping guards didn’t move.

  Alex gave the keyring to Dogmar. “Unlock the others.”

  The dwarf did as he was told, and Alex entered Joshua’s cell.

  “Joshua,” he said softly.

  Joshua was asleep on a low dirty cot, his face turned to the wall. Alex touched his friend’s shoulder to wake him up. Joshua flinched at the contact, and rolled over to face Alex. His face was dirty and looked much thinner than it had before. His eyes were red and bloodshot, and he had grown a beard since the last time Alex had seen him.

  “Alex?” he whispered, his voice cracking from disuse. “How did you get here?”

  “It’s a long story,” Alex said. “And one best saved for another time. Hurry. My friends and I are here to rescue you.”

  Joshua tried to push himself up from the cot, but only made it partway. Alex had to catch him before he fell back on the bed. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” he said.

  “Don’t try to speak,” Alex said. “Save your strength. You’ll need it for the climb down to the beach.”

  “No,” Joshua said, clutching at Alex’s arm. “No, this is important. Jabez—”

  “He doesn’t know we are here.” Alex helped Joshua stand up, but his friend swayed on his feet. His skin felt cold to the touch.

  “Jabez did something to me,” Joshua said as if Alex hadn’t spoken.

  Alex frowned. “What did he do?”

  “He kept asking me to tell him about someone named Whalen. I told him I didn’t know anyone of that name, but he wouldn’t believe me. He asked me again and again, he wanted to know what plans this Whalen person was making. He did things to me—he was inside my mind.”

  “It doesn’t matter now, that ordeal is over,” Alex said softly, using his magic to calm Joshua and to lend him some strength.

  Slowly he helped Joshua toward the stone door. Dogmar had finished opening all the other cells, and he and the men were helping the other hostages. Many of the hostages had beards like Joshua, and their clothes were in tatters. It was clear that they had been in the dungeon for a long time, but they all seemed stronger than Joshua.

  Once they had gotten everyone to the opening in the cliff, Dogmar pulled Alex slightly away from the group.

  “None of them are strong enough to climb down on their own,” Dogmar whispered. “They’ll fall off the ropes long before they reach the bottom.”

  “I have more rope; we’ll rig a sling and lower them,” said Alex.

  It only took a few minutes for Dogmar to work a rope into a sling, and while he did that two of the men climbed down the cliff to help the hostages once they were down. Alex, Dogmar, and the other rescuers lowered the hostages, sometimes two at a time, down to the beach. Joshua was the last one to be put in the sling, and before he was lowered Alex sent two more of his men down the ropes.

  “When you’re all in the boats, tell Aliia to use the mage wind to speed you south,” Alex said to Dogmar. “I’ll make sure that Jabez doesn’t notice.”

  “You . . . you’re not coming with us?” Joshua asked.

  Alex shook his head. “I can’t. I need to stop Jabez, and I must do it alone.”

  “But he’s a wizard,” Joshua said. “A powerful wizard.”

  Alex smiled. “So am I.”

  Alex helped Joshua into the sling, and then helped him climb out of the tunnel. As he and the others slowly lowered Joshua to the beach, Alex turned slightly to look at Dogmar.

  “Joshua may need more help than the others,” Alex said. “Warn Lady Aliia not to try and break
any spells she might see. They will break once I destroy Jabez.”

  “As you wish,” Dogmar answered. “Are you sure you don’t need my help?”

  “No, my friend—as I said, I must do this alone.”

  Dogmar nodded his understanding and then he and the remaining men started down the ropes. Alex turned and returned to the dungeons, closing and locking the stone door behind him. He was alone except for the two sleeping guards.

  He didn’t want to leave by the main door of the dungeon; it would be too risky. He thought there would be more guards there and he couldn’t keep putting guards to sleep. He looked around the room, remembering stories he’d read and other castles he’d been in. This was a solid dungeon, and the stones fit together without leaving any gaps. As he studied the dungeon, Alex saw one stone in the ceiling that seemed to be a different color than the rest. It was in the corner near to where the guards were sleeping.

  Alex walked over to the guards and climbed onto their table. Reaching up, he touched the stone. The stone moved as he applied pressure to it, and he was able to push it to one side. This was exactly what he’d been thinking of—a secret passage. He didn’t know where the secret passageway would lead him, but at least it would be away from the dungeon. If he was really lucky, it would take him somewhere useful.

  Alex gripped the edges of the open hole and pulled himself into the ceiling.

  The guards were still asleep as he replaced the stone and started off into the unknown.

  Alex soon found himself in a long hallway that was only broken by short sets of stairs that always went up. It was clear that this passage would lead him into the castle. At the top of a long spiral staircase, the passage suddenly split into several other passageways, and Alex was certain that each one led to a hidden door somewhere inside the castle. He quickly checked the first few passageways, but one led to the kitchen, and another led to a room where guards were sleeping. He went back to the main passageway, sure that if he followed it there would be other paths to follow.