Kate stormed out of Tyreth's bedroom with the veil twisted halfway across her face. She was too angry with Corvan to wait around in the chamber for Jorad to show up. What was the point? All guys were the same. She was done with this place and just wanted to go home.

Mara was hanging about on the landing but as Kate marched angrily toward her the woman turned about and disappeared through a doorway. Grabbing the handrail, Kate stomped down the stairs, her untied shoelaces slapping against the marble floor.

She had gone out of her way to help Corvan, even when the others told her not to, but it was obvious he didn't want her help. He was not only interested in Tyreth, but he was also chasing after Atiya and that was just fine with her. She didn't need to get his attention, or any other guy for that matter. Morgan was nice enough but lately it felt like he was mostly using her to get together with Tyreth. Jorad was trouble and besides, he was after Tyreth too. She threw the front door open with a bang, shook her head furiously, then adjusted the veil. Oddly enough, the only person she believed she could trust was Tyreth herself.

The same guard at the small gate saw her coming down the stairs and leapt to open the door into the plaza. Kate stalked out on the cobblestones and turned up toward the statue. Since the Captain of the Palace guard was so sure that Tyreth's father would know what to do, she had decided she would give the High Priest the glowing medallion in return for helping her find the way back home.

The plaza was deserted, and Kate slowed down as she made her way up the successive flights of short stairways that led to the curved wall beneath the great stone figure. Now that it was being dismantled and the head was removed, it wasn't frightening or impressive anymore, just another ridiculous part of this ludicrous underground world.

Approaching the gate set into the center of the curved wall, she climbed the wide stair and stepped inside.

The view at her feet took her back to a time she had gone to a baseball game with her father. The fond memory brought a lump into her throat, but she shrugged it off and focused on looking around the amphitheater. Seats curved around to both sides but instead of an infield, a mirror-like pool of water lay between the large boots of the statue. A narrow pier stuck out over the surface of the water from the audience side, and broken slabs of stone hung from metal rods on the statue's side.

Kate stepped down the steps to the water level walkway, then followed the curve of the pool toward the statue's right foot and the broken door below the toe. It was dark inside and Kate had to carefully feel her way along the inside of the curving passage. Finally, a pale slit of light appeared to her right but when she picked up her pace she stepped on her shoelace and stumbled against the wall. In her mind, she could hear her mother's shrill voice telling her to do up her laces or she would trip and fall flat on her face. Right now, she could care less.

The captain had said the crack in the wall would lead down to an underground pool but when she peered through the narrow slit, the vertical line turned out to be a gap between a set of thick black curtains that faced out over the amphitheater and the broken slabs. One more step and she would have fallen into the water below.

A white shape undulated through the pool trailing a mass of long tentacles, then disappeared into the shadows beneath her feet. Since captain had warned her to stay away from the water's edge and the creature's long arms, the crack he spoke of had to be on the other side of the tunnel and leading further downward.

"The High Priest will be happy to hear your report." Mara's voice seemed to come from everywhere at once as a potbellied man in a dirty tunic stepped up into the amphitheater entry. He paused at the top of the stairs and slicked back his thin greasy hair.

Mara's diminutive form stepped around him. "Down there," she said, "the door under the statue's boot."

"I won't believe it until I see the High Priest with my own eyes".

Mara walked down the stairs ahead of him. "He will be most grateful to hear your news. You were wise to come and find me."

The man puffed out his round cheeks and nodded importantly. "I told myself that you needed to know since you are so close to her. And of all people, you must realize just how valuable this information is." When he stressed the word, Mara's face clouded over.

"I am certain he will make sure you are rewarded well," she said, fixing her face into a pleasant smile and glancing back at the man.

Once the pair had entered the door in the boot down below, Kate could hear the man grunting up the flight of steps. "Don't you have a light?" His voice echoed in the passage.

"We are almost there, my friend," Mara's voice floated up the passage. "You just need to squeeze yourself through this crack. Once we get to the water, you will wait at the bottom of the stairs until I call you."

There were more grunts, then the muffled sound of footsteps and wheezing fading away.

Kate felt her way along the outer wall until a barely discernible yellow glow appeared. She crossed over and peered through a crack in the wall. A narrow stairway led down to a landing illuminated from below. Squeezing through, Kate crept to where the landing turned, and the stairs descended to the right. Checking around the corner she discovered the man sitting at the bottom of the staircase, facing a pool covered with patches of glowing yellow slime. Hopefully he knew not to go any closer to where the water monster was hiding.

A light fell across the side of his face and Mara called to him from off to the left. The man heaved himself to his feet and ambled out of sight, smoothing his tunic over his belly.

Kate stooped low on the landing to watch him disappear between two tall pillars of rock. Mara spoke again and the light narrowed to a round beam, like a flashlight in the fog. Tiptoeing down the stairs, Kate pressed in tight behind one of the tall pillars and peeked around it. Something under her tunic jabbed her ribs and she reached inside and pulled out Corvan's slingshot. Turning it around, with the handle sticking out, she tucked it lightly back inside, in case she might need it.

A shaft of light bobbled inside a passage cut into the cavern wall and fell on the large man sitting on a rock in front of the entrance. The light blossomed to fill the main cavern as Mara emerged. Behind her walked a bearded man in a robe.

Mara stepped to one side and the bearded man moved past her. The heavyset man pushed himself to his feet and bowed as low as his belly would allow.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

"High Priest, I am honored to be here. I am so glad you survived the water. May the gods be praised."

The High Priest nodded and motioned for the man to sit back down. "Mara tells me you have news of my daughter."

"Yes, Sir." The man straightened up. "I am the head of the crypt keepers and I spend all my time in the City of the Dead, looking after the tombs. I supervise the builders to make sure things are done right and I have been working there now for . . ."

The bearded man held up his hand and the crypt keeper settled back on the rock. "And that is where you saw Tyreth?"

"Yes, just last night in the clearing where the Rozan rebels sometimes meet in the old tombs."

"Do you know how they get inside the city walls?"

"I'm not certain. They always come at night when I am asleep in my workshop. I usually sleep soundly after working so hard, except that one time a while ago when I woke up to loud explosions and lights and rebels running everywhere. That was just before the Chief Watcher died and . . ."

"Yes, I remember," the High Priest said, cutting him off. "Tell me about last night."

"Another very odd night," the large man said. "Another explosion but this time in the crags and then a huge cloud of dust rolled in. I was concerned about the royal tombs, so I went to check things out and that's when I saw them."

"The rebels?" the priest asked.

The pudgy hands gestured grandly. "They were moving through the plaza by the Royal tombs all quiet-like in single file. I followed along and sure enough, they went into the open space I told you about. Some of those older crypts are pretty busted up so I used my key to go inside one where I could spy on their meeting place and that's when Tyreth arrived." He paused. "I couldn't do anything to help her, but I stayed there, even though I was in great danger. I had to know what they would do to her so I could report to the palace."

"Go on."

" I saw him come in with her . . ."

"Who?"

"The leader of the Rozan soldiers, and it was true what they say, he actually had a rantel perched up on his head! Haven't seen one of those since I was young, you know they also say that in Rozan . . . "

"You said he came in with 'her". Are you referring to my daughter?"

"Yes. It was Tyreth but then she started acting funny, like she was drugged. Then the leader left with a few of his soldiers and as soon as he was gone, Tyreth began putting up grand fuss, ordering the soldiers to put up a tent up for her on the far side of the open space in the tombs. She went inside that tent and after a short bit, things got very strange."

The crypt keeper paused to wipe a sleeve over his brow, then looked at the High Priest.

"Go on," the high priest said.

"I was scared but I knew I needed to keep a close eye on her so that I could report things to the palace. It was my duty, you know, so I kept watching the tent and not one person goes inside but somehow a person dressed as a rebel soldier comes out and walks right past me, so close I could have reached and touched her if the wall wasn't so thick."

"Her?"

"Yes, sir. It was a girl, not a rebel soldier at all! At first, I thought it was Tyreth dressed up in soldier's clothes because she had the same scar on her cheek, so when she passed by, I said to myself, 'I've got to help her escape', but then the real Tyreth came out of the tent and shouted an order to one of the guards. Then I knew the other girl was someone else pretending to be Tyreth, so I decided to stay put to see what would happen to the real Tyreth, to do my duty by her, if you know what I mean."

"And?" the priest said.

The crypt keeper cleared his throat. "Well, I waited a long time, but I must have dozed off. I've been working veryhard, and it was a very long night. . ."

Mara thrust her torch at the man. "Just tell him what you saw."

The High Priest touched the woman's hand and pushed her light to one side. "Give him time, Mara." He smiled at the man cowering on the stone, "If you have any more information, I will make sure you receive time off to enjoy your reward."

The crypt keeper licked his lips and stood to move further away from Mara and the light. "Thank you, sir. I knew you would be generous."

"What happened next?" the priest asked.

"A loud cheer woke me up 'cause the rebel leader was back and they were getting things set up for some sort of ceremony. Tyreth came out of her tent wearing a white dress, the men started singing, so she went back inside. Then, all of a sudden, the tent burst into flames and Tyreth was screaming from inside. Rebels were running around and the next thing I knew, palace guards were in the clearing and people were fighting everywhere. The Captain of the Guard ran over to the flaming tent to try to get inside but then the rebel leader went there too."

The stocky man's arms waved madly in the air. "The two of them had swords drawn and the captain was winning but then, well it was real, just as I said, yes sir, that rantel on the leader's head, it was real! It flew at the captain and stuck its poison barb in his shoulder. He drops his sword, and that rebel leader ran him through. Sadly, our brave Captain died on the spot but the leader of the rebels just steps over his body into fire and comes out carrying Tyreth over his shoulder."

"Alive?" the High Priest asked.

The crypt keeper nodded. "Very much so. She was struggling and shouting for help as he took her from the clearing, but no one could help her because the palace guards were already dead from trying to get over to save their Captain, brave lads. I don't think any escaped."

The High Priest turned to Mara. "We will need to find out if any of the guards returned and check their stories."

The man opened his hands. "But I'm telling the truth. I wouldn't lie to you. Not to a High Priest!"

The High Priest put his arm around the man's shoulder and turned him toward the pool and the staircase. "I believe you, but I must know if there are others who followed the leader to see where he took her."

The crypt keeper jabbed his thumb to his chest. "I can tell you where she is. Three older men from the rebels came close to the wall where I was hiding. One said they were pulling back to the crags to regroup and taking Tyreth with them. Another one said that if their leader was smart, he would ransom her for some food cause everyone is starving in Rozan and the third one scoffed saying that their leader was not that wise and he would just throw her in prison until he could find that ridiculous crown of his so he could still make her his counterpart and become the Cor-van. They all agreed that they would not be coming back to Kadir until he was good and ready." The stocky man stopped abruptly and gave a single nod to punctuate the validity of his story.

"This is important news," the High Priest said as he gave the man a nudge towards the staircase and fell in behind him. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

"That's all I know. I hid in that crypt until it was certain it was safe to come here and report this valuableinformation."

"And have you told anyone else your news?"

The man shook his head until his double chin waggled. "No sir. I came here directly to report to the palace."

They drew near Kate's hiding place behind the pillar of stone with Mara bringing up the rear. Kate had to hug the side of the large stone and circle away from them to hide in the shadow of the boulder. The pouch of Corvan's slingshot snagged on the rough rock pillar and Kate yanked it free, scraping her hands and barely managing to keep herself from falling out in plain view behind Mara. She tucked the slingshot back into place. It wouldn't be of any use in this situation.

"It's quite a climb back up to the palace," the High Priest said in a soothing tone. "Sit here a minute and rest yourself before Mara takes you to the palace where you can have your choice of food from the royal kitchen."

"Bless you, sir," the man wheezed as he sat down. "I've always known you were a fair man. I am so glad to see you are still alive."

The High Priest nodded. A deep silence settled into the cavern, broken only by the caretaker's raspy breaths. The High Priest stooped down, picked up three pebbles and tossed them in the water. Plop, plop, plop. He did it once more and Mara backed further away from the slimy surface, holding her torch higher.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.