Chapter 27
Erich couldn’t think of a worse place to be than trapped under a pile of rotting corpses.
Thick black blood dripped down onto his face, and the dead weight evoked the sensation of being buried alive in a mass grave.
A fear he hadn’t realized he had. If it wasn’t for Liane’s sake, he wouldn’t have gone to such extremes.
But this was his only way into the temple dungeon with minimal bloodshed.
“Do we really need to ride the carts all the way from the butcher?” Erich asked, not really expecting an answer, but talking helped distract him from the clawed hand that was cupping his calf and the horn poking into his kidney and the black ichor soaking into his hair.
The smell was enough to make him retch, and he feared it would take a thorough scrubbing to wash out the stench.
“It could be worse. You could be dead,” was Fritz’s muffled reply, as he too was buried beneath rotting corpses.
“Thanks,” Erich replied sardonically, but wasn’t sure if sarcasm translated from beneath dead chimera bodies.
“No more chatter, you two,” the butcher chastised. “Unless you do want to end up dead. We’re nearly there now.”
Silence descended, and Erich heard nothing but the rattle of wheels on the track echoing on the stone walls and the butcher’s heavy footsteps.
Erich disappeared deep within his own subconscious, a place that he’d often gone when his father would beat him or while Erich had used his powers to torture his father’s political enemies.
It was the same place the dragon resided, chained and silent for now.
But Erich suspected it was just biding its time, waiting for a chance to break free.
It helped a little until the cart shook and a deer or bear carcass would push into his ribs and he’d be brought unpleasantly back to the present, holding in his vomit.
Being covered in his own sick would make this infinitely worse.
He had to focus on their plan. Keep a cool head until it was time to move.
Fritz would find the oracle while Erich rendezvoused with Ludwig to help free Liane.
Then they’d all meet Luzie in the escape carriage they’d hired and travel through countryside villages to their next destination.
Ludwig knew of a vein the Midnight Guard was protecting.
They’d take her there and help Liane draw the sword from her back by entering the pool.
It was a straightforward plan ripe with the opportunity for everything to go horribly wrong.
A prickle of warning raced up his body, and he felt the approach of some magic.
The feeling of it grew stronger the further down the hallway they went.
Erich counted each breath as they got closer to their destination, his body tensed in preparation for their inevitable encounter.
But as much as he wanted to spring into action, he had to be patient.
They had a meticulous plan, one that required perfect execution to pull off.
The tower had an alarm system that, once triggered, would alert the entire temple, and if they didn’t disable the guards at the tunnel entrance quickly, it would bring the guards’ collected force down upon them.
They couldn’t fight their way free, not even if Erich transformed.
They came to the end of a long hallway, and Erich felt the cold breeze of their new surroundings and waited.
They weren’t supposed to pop out of their hiding spots until the butcher started unloading the carts.
But minutes passed, and nothing happened.
Erich felt a crick in his neck and a spasm in his back.
If they didn’t move soon, then he might pull a muscle trying to escape.
After what felt like an eternity, yellow torchlight filtered in between the gaps in the bodies.
This first phase of their plan was crucial.
Erich held his breath and did his best to appear corpse-like.
“Who’s there?” a Midnight Guard said with disinterest.
“I’ve got a double shipment,” the butcher said.
A pause followed, and then the guard said, “Bring it through.”
Erich clenched his borrowed dagger tightly.
It felt wrong in his hands, but it was better than nothing.
Large metal doors creaked open, and they were rolled into the Midnight Guard’s dungeons.
As they passed beneath the archway, a pulse of magic rippled over him, and Erich glimpsed the runes racing along the arch of the doors a second before the wards were tripped and something made a high-pitched screech.
“What was that?” the Midnight Guard asked.
They hadn’t been counting on the runes. The dragon rushed to the surface of his consciousness, as if summoned by the scent of magic in the air. This wasn’t the plan; they were going to wait in the carts until the guards were gone and then crawl out.
“I’m not sure. It is the usual delivery,” the butcher stammered.
“Empty it. We might have a live one,” the guard said. “Be ready to sound the secondary alarm, just in case.”
They started unloading the carts. Erich heard the carcasses thump on the ground, then the wet sound of flesh hitting flesh.
The weight on his shoulders was becoming less and less.
He clenched his hands and grasped the hilt of his dagger.
The light came through, and he made eye contact with the guard unloading the bodies.
And for a moment, the guard didn’t seem to notice, then he recoiled.
As he was about to shout a warning, Erich shot up, flinging gore and blood around the room.
As he rolled out, he sprang up and slashed at the nearest guard, opening up his throat.
The second guard was reaching for the second alarm—runic markings carved into the wall, as Erich flung his dagger to knock his hand away.
The guard rushed toward Erich and drew his blade, which was etched with binding runes.
Dagger gone, Erich was defenseless, and if that blade cut him, he knew his wounds wouldn’t heal.
Erich felt the dragon’s wings beating against his insides, begging to be unleashed.
But before Erich could let go, a black sword thrust its way through the guard’s gut from behind, and he slumped over onto the ground.
His sword lay in the rot and blood on the ground.
Fritz stood there, hands shaking and face pale.
“First time killing a man?” Erich asked him.
Fritz looked up at him, eyes wide and pupils blown. “It shouldn’t be that easy.” He looked at his spotless, shaking hands.
Erich sympathized with him; the first time you took a life was the hardest. But they didn’t have time for Fritz to tremble and second-guess his actions.
Erich clapped him on the shoulder. “You saved us both. If you hadn’t intervened, he would have sounded the alarm, and we’d both be dead.”
The screech that had first alerted them of their presence had died down.
And they had a moment’s reprieve to collect their weapons and head out.
Fritz couldn’t tear his eyes away from the corpse that was slowly bleeding out on the ground.
While he did that, Erich went and retrieved his dagger.
It wasn’t weighted as well as his. And he mourned its loss.
But it was better that he let the old one go.
Just like his uncle should give up on bringing him back to Sundland.
Fritz seemed to have collected himself enough to move on, and they exited the room.
It opened onto a long hallway. On the outside of the door, there was no one around.
But by the lack of windows, Erich surmised they were deep underground.
With his weapon drawn, he motioned for Fritz to follow, and they took the labyrinth of halls through the temple.
The tunnel had an uncanny resemblance to the collapsed underground tunnels he’d encountered in Artria, and he was certain that if he asked Fritz about it, he’d learn of their rich and storied history.
In fact, if Fritz wasn’t rattled, he’d probably be telling Erich right now.
But Fritz was walking like a ghost behind him, and Erich feared he wasn’t going to be able to complete their mission.
They needed to find the oracle, and more importantly, Ludwig, and a way into the temple proper.
He had a general idea of the interior of the tower, thanks to Ludwig’s map.
But even Ludwig’s intel had gaps in it. He’d barely joined the Midnight Guard’s ranks, and they’d yet to show him all the inner workings of the dungeon.
Erich had stopped beneath a torch to consult his map when he heard voices approaching him.
He silently signaled to Fritz to stand down and then pressed his back against the wall, waiting as the footsteps drew closer.
As soon as guards turned the corner, he sprang and stabbed one guard in the ribs between a gap in his armor and angled up to hit his heart for a swift, clean death.
Then Erich caught the second as he turned to run and sound a runic alarm carved into the wall by cutting his throat from behind.
“Help me hide them,” he said to Fritz, who was looking a bit green.
They dragged the bodies into an alcove, and Erich hoped that no one else would come down this way for a while. From what he’d gathered, these alarm runes were all over the tunnels. At any time, they might startle a guard and alert the entire dungeon.
Erich grasped hold of Fritz’s shoulders and turned him to look at him as he shoved the map into Fritz’s hands. “Go find the oracle, and we’ll meet back in the tunnel once I have Liane.”
Fritz still looked as if he were in a daze, and Erich shook him lightly.
“Tell me you can do this.”
Fritz glanced up at him, his vision clearing. “I can do it.”
Erich nodded. “Good.”