72. Aedon
72
AEDON
A edon limped into the depths of Afnirheim to where they had been imprisoned, where he hoped Brand and Erika still were. He was emotionally numb after the whirlwind of events—his torture at Harper’s hands, her position in Saradon’s captivity, the spymaster. He grimaced. A part of him relished the numbness, because he knew he would be overcome when it hit him, and he had to escape first.
Not for the first time, Aedon did not understand Dimitrius’s motivations, or machinations, but Dimitrius had promised to keep Harper safe. The sincerity in Dimitrius’s voice had given Aedon pause for thought—that there was more to this than the spymaster’s plotting. It was Dimitrius he would hold accountable if any harm befell Harper. But there was no time to think on it. Aedon pushed the thoughts from his mind, focusing on not getting lost in the maze of tunnels down into the depths of the fallen dwarven city.
Aedon pleaded with the silent heavens for the dwarven reinforcements to buy them enough time. He was certain this would be their only chance. It was that or death. He had so much to live for and did not want to meet his end in dark caverns devoid of hope and life, far from the green woods and the open sky. It gave him renewed vigour and strength to run, despite his limp, for remaining would only bring doom on them all. He only hoped Harper would remain safe until they could manage her rescue, too.
Nothing could stand before Aedon’s burning drive to leave. He blasted goblins, sending them crashing into the walls to fall upon the floor, still and prone. If nothing else, with the remnant of her fire, he could pretend Valyrea fought beside him once more. The thought of her gave him courage to defy the ordinary and manage the impossible. You are the Thief of Pelenor , Aedon reminded himself. He could escape from anywhere.
When he broke through the stone doors and into the lightless, airless prison, Brand and Erika greeted him with moans of relief. They emerged into the dim light on shaking limbs, as battered and bruised as he. Aedon grimaced when he saw them, a mixture of pity and anger consuming him at their state, but he did not have time to be righteous about it. “Come. There’s a window of opportunity. We must go!”
“What of Harper?” Brand asked as he loped through the corridors beside Aedon, his face set in a permanent grimace of pain.
“There’s no time. I’ll explain when we get out. We’ll come back for her. Trust me,” Aedon implored. Brand nodded, his calculating gaze evaluating Aedon’s unusual seriousness. Erika was in a better state than Brand, but Aedon sent what energy he thought he could spare to them both. It would not do for any of them to falter. They took any weapons they could from the corpses of goblins they passed. Brand lamented the loss of his giant blade, and Erika her two swords, but their loss would be a small price to pay for escape.
The three cut down any before them, lifted by their success, until they turned a corner and ran straight into a huge band of goblins. They scrambled backwards, bunching together as the horde turned upon them. Brand swore. There were far too many. This is it , Aedon realised with a sinking feeling that he pushed away. They stood no chance of survival or escape.