Chapter Twenty-One
It only took them a few minutes to find the concealed tunnel entrance - a covered hole in the ground, cunningly hidden near some bushes close to the wall. Their departing enemies had left deep boot prints in the thick mud, and even the small light provided by Nellise's prayer was sufficient to allow the ranger to follow them.
“They must have been in a hurry,” Colt muttered, “That, or they're just stupid. Either way works for me.”
“Fine, just don't go down there until I take a look,” Pacian advised, waiting for Nellise to finish healing a cut to his arm, before cautiously approaching the hole. “No sign of any triplines. If they've lain in some traps, I can't see them.”
“I do not find that reassuring,” Sayana said, watching the proceedings with impatience before making a small noise of frustration and promptly climbing into the hole. Nearly a minute passed in tense silence before she signalled that it was clear below.
“They've left a ladder down here. Just give me a moment to prop it up.”
“I'll go first,” Colt grunted. “If they've got people watching this end of the tunnel, she isn't going to give them much of a fight. Nel, you and Pacian get the horses from the stables and meet us on the north side of the river. I’m willing to bet this tunnel doesn’t go much further than that.”
“Are you okay with this?” Aiden asked Nellise, who stood next to him wrapped in the thick winter cloak that was her only real protection against the cold.
“I'm doing my best,” she replied in a quiet voice. “I really didn't need this just now. However,” she added, pre-empting Aiden's next comment, “the thought of Princess Criosa in the hands of the men who attacked the town fills me with anger such as I have never known. I will not rest until she is freed, though I fear for her safety in the interim.”
“Okay, hang in there,” Aiden consoled her, wishing he could take away her pain.
“You too,” she replied as she and Pacian hurried off to the stables. Colt carefully stepped onto the proffered ladder and slowly made his way down, with Aiden following him moments later.
The digging of this tunnel was quite an impressive feat, given it was done without anyone in town ever noticing. It was easily fifteen feet deep, and wide enough for two armoured men to stand shoulder to shoulder. Wooden buttresses were set up at regular intervals to provide additional support and the smell of damp earth was strong while the sounds of dripping water in the distance gave the tunnel an eerie atmosphere. A small flame danced in Sayana’s palm, providing them with light.
“They're not that far ahead of us,” Colt grunted, crouched near the ground to read the footprints in the sodden earth. “It appears as though half a dozen of 'em escaped from the town. The princess is being dragged, from the looks of these heavy indentations. She's not giving up without a fight.”
“I don't know much about construction,” Aiden muttered, “but something tells me this tunnel wasn't built to last.” He was referring to the torrent of water streaming in from overhead, about twenty yards further down the tunnel. “It looks like this section goes right underneath the Stormflow river - it's just above our heads.” Nobody could avoid looking up at the ceiling, its porous dirt and sparsely placed wooden beams failing to instil them with confidence.
Aiden tried not to think about the countless tons of water just above their heads, as he jumped through a small waterfall cascading from the ceiling into the middle of the passageway.
The tunnel continued on for nearly a hundred yards, which was simply astonishing, in terms of both the trouble the mercenaries had gone to, and the fact that it hadn't yet collapsed. Colt wasn't bothering to look for tracks anymore, for the passage was basically straight.
Aiden was starting to get very anxious, wondering just how long they were going to be underground when they abruptly came to the end of the passageway. Sayana was crouched just beneath another hole, much like the entry back in town.
“No ladder,” she whispered. “They may have left a few men behind to ambush anyone coming through.”
“Kill the light,” Aiden whispered. She nodded and the light vanished, leaving them shrouded in darkness aside from the thin sliver of moonlight coming down from above. “Sy, could you fly up there and check it out?”
“Good idea,” Colt added. “Here, take this rope and tie it to something big.” She silently took the rope and quietly spoke an invocation. Aiden knew a little about magic, and what she did was so far outside anything he knew about the art, he wasn't even sure it was the same thing. But then, his magic shield and the little trick she had taught him with his vision weren't exactly by the book either.
Her glowing tattoos momentarily lit up the immediate area of the tunnel, though the writhing light faded after a few seconds returning them to darkness. Her shadow passing across the moonlight was the only indication of her upwards movement through the shaft.
“All clear,” Sayana called as the welcome sight of a rope tumbled down to them. Colt was the first one up, disappearing over the lip of the tunnel in a matter of moments, while Aiden had a little more trouble negotiating his way out. The tunnel had been excavated with trees and scrub providing cover and the wall of Bracksford wasn't visible from this location.
“Can you see any tracks in this light?” Aiden whispered to his companions.
“Vaguely, though not with any great detail,” Sayana whispered back.
“Here, put these on,” Aiden said, taking the lenses from his head and offering them to her. “Oh wait, you can't use them,” he added, suddenly remembering the blinding effect she had experienced when last using them. “Colt, put these over your eyes and see what you can find.” The big man took the proffered device and strapped them on his head.
“These are bloody impressive,” he grunted with amazement. “It's almost as bright as an overcast day out here.” He spent a moment looking around at their surroundings, before focusing on the mess of tracks at their feet. “They're heading north-east, which I could have told you even without these things.”
“What lies in that direction?” Sayana wondered.
“The town of Lachburne,” Colt answered.
“Could they be using it as a base?” Aiden mused aloud.
“Only if the mercs took control of it,” Colt answered. “We'll just have to follow the tracks and see what we see. Sy, light up and go find Nellise. We need those horses.”
“No need,” Pacian said as he and Nellise emerged from the scrub a short distance away with five magnificent horses in tow. “We followed the sound of your voices. I take it we’re safe for the moment?”
“The remaining captors will be travelling fast and light,” Colt explained. “We have to keep going if we don’t want to lose them.”
“I don't know about you,” Pacian protested, “but I was really looking forward to a proper meal and a night's rest.”
“I couldn't agree more,” Nellise mumbled, “but I can't stop thinking about Criosa in the hands of those mercenaries.” She opened one of her pouches and produced her mortar and pestle.
“Oh no,” Pacian groaned, “Not that energy tonic again.”
“It's the only way we're going to keep on our feet,” Nellise advised, sounding less than thrilled by the prospect of using the bitter-tasting tonic once more. “When it runs out, we'll want to be somewhere we can rest.”
“Yes, I vividly recall what it felt like after it had run its course,” Aiden grumbled. Nellise ground the substance into a powder, then added some water and gave each of them a drink. Aiden couldn't help but shudder a little after swallowing the foul stuff.
“Guh,” Pacian exclaimed, walking around in circles a few times after drinking his share.
“Quit complaining and mount up,” Colt growled, giving Pacian a shove as he moved past.
Aiden caught Sayana’s attention while the others were taking a closer look at the horses. Looking at her long, curly red hair and large sad eyes, Aiden felt a longing to reach out and hold
her close.
“Are we okay?” Aiden asked her tentatively. She gave him a curious look, then her expression became harder as she realised what he was referring to.
“This is not the time or place to discuss it,” Sayana answered distantly.
“Just... give me something.”
“You died, Aiden,” she hissed under her breath. “No-one comes back from that without being changed. I feel like you never returned from akora. A dragon always takes its price. You will find out what it took from you someday, and only then will you understand.” Without waiting for an answer, she headed over to join the others.
Sayana left Aiden in a state of emotional limbo. He wasn't sure there was really anything else between them aside from physical attraction, but he would have liked to find out. Pushing these thoughts to the back of his tired mind, he climbed into the saddle.
Aiden was far from an expert on horses, but knew enough to realise these were quality mounts from the finest stables in Aielund.
“I don’t know how to ride,” Sayana pointed out to the others when confronted with the last remaining horse. Colt grabbed her hand and pulled her up onto the back of his saddle. They sat upon a roan charger, a trained warhorse probably belonging to Captain Marshald and the largest Aiden had ever seen.
They rode for the next hour or so, following a path set by Colt's silhouette against the clear moonlight. The trees of the forest passed by on their left, and by the time the tonic had run its course they had travelled far to the north of Bracksford with no sign of their prey.
Aiden's head felt like it was going to split open, and his muscles ached like he had rarely felt before so nobody objected to resting for a few hours. Although cold, they couldn’t dare lighting a fire in case it was spotted by prying eyes watching for signs of pursuit, so Aiden wrapped himself up in his winter blanket as best he could and promptly fell into a deep sleep.