Read Online Adventurers Wanted, Book 4: Sands of Nezza by M. L. Forman - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: M. L. Forman
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even two or three guards together, he could get the information he needed from them.
He started down the hallway, his ears straining to hear any sound. The dungeon seemed to be deserted, which didn’t make any sense. Why have so much light if there was no one to see it?
The sound of doors banging open echoed down the hallway, forcing Alex to freeze in his tracks. The sound was followed by the more dangerous sound of marching feet.
Alex’s heart sped up. The hallway turned left about fifty yards in front of him, and that was the direction where all the noise was coming from. For a moment he thought about going back the way he had come—maybe even hiding in the room he had first entered—but his curiosity got the better of him. He ran toward the turn, stopped short, and looked around the bend.
The hallway was longer than the one he’d just come down, and at the far end of it were dozens of soldiers. As Alex watched, groups of soldiers broke away, turning down other hallways. As the soldiers moved forward, Alex saw that six men would turn into each new hallway they came to. He also saw that some of the men were replacing the torches along the walls.
Alex did a quick count and he knew that there would be six soldiers turning into the hallway where he stood. He moved back the way he had come, thinking as hard as he could. He could magically put six men to sleep at one time, but how long would he have to talk with them? Would they be expected to meet up with the other soldiers once they’d replaced the torches? If he used magic on these men, he would have to do it fast and hope they could answer his questions quickly.
Moving to the fourth torch from the bend in the hallway, Alex magically put it out. Looking behind him, he put out the next torch as well. Even though he was invisible, the darkness made him feel safer and less exposed.
The marching feet came around the corner and started toward him, not slowing despite the shadowy space in front of them.
As one of the men reached out to take the dead torch from the wall, Alex used his magic. The soldiers all froze in place, their eyes open but unseeing. Alex hesitated a second, watching to make sure his magic had worked as he’d planned. Satisfied, he moved a few steps closer to the men.
“The adventurers that are held here, where are they?”
“Fifth level, in the pit,” came the mumbled reply of six voices.
“How do I get there from here?”
“Center stairs to the second level, east stairs to the third, south stairs to the fourth, and west stairs to the fifth,” the men all answered. “From the bottom of the stairs, go north until you come to the stairs that lead to the pit.”
The directions were clear enough, but Alex wondered how these men knew what direction they were going underground. Not wanting to slow this group down, he didn’t ask. He moved around the company and then broke his spell with a whisper.
“Forget, and carry on with your task.”
The soldiers moved as a unit, marching along the hallway. Alex watched them for a few minutes, but they didn’t look back or slow their pace. Turning, he hurried down the empty hallway, looking for the center stairs.
The center stairway was easy enough to find. His biggest problem was dodging the groups of soldiers who were either replacing torches or marching back to the guardrooms. Alex might be invisible, but he was still solid, and to avoid bumping into the soldiers, he had to press himself flat against several walls before he reached the stairs. Moving to the second level of the dungeon, Alex found that it was as well lit as the first. Fortunately there were no guards changing torches on this level, and he was able to find the east stairs without any trouble.
After the second level, Alex found himself in darkness. The only lights he saw came from the guardrooms located at the top and bottom of the stairway. He quietly slipped passed the rooms and moved to the next set of stairs.
He made it to
He started down the hallway, his ears straining to hear any sound. The dungeon seemed to be deserted, which didn’t make any sense. Why have so much light if there was no one to see it?
The sound of doors banging open echoed down the hallway, forcing Alex to freeze in his tracks. The sound was followed by the more dangerous sound of marching feet.
Alex’s heart sped up. The hallway turned left about fifty yards in front of him, and that was the direction where all the noise was coming from. For a moment he thought about going back the way he had come—maybe even hiding in the room he had first entered—but his curiosity got the better of him. He ran toward the turn, stopped short, and looked around the bend.
The hallway was longer than the one he’d just come down, and at the far end of it were dozens of soldiers. As Alex watched, groups of soldiers broke away, turning down other hallways. As the soldiers moved forward, Alex saw that six men would turn into each new hallway they came to. He also saw that some of the men were replacing the torches along the walls.
Alex did a quick count and he knew that there would be six soldiers turning into the hallway where he stood. He moved back the way he had come, thinking as hard as he could. He could magically put six men to sleep at one time, but how long would he have to talk with them? Would they be expected to meet up with the other soldiers once they’d replaced the torches? If he used magic on these men, he would have to do it fast and hope they could answer his questions quickly.
Moving to the fourth torch from the bend in the hallway, Alex magically put it out. Looking behind him, he put out the next torch as well. Even though he was invisible, the darkness made him feel safer and less exposed.
The marching feet came around the corner and started toward him, not slowing despite the shadowy space in front of them.
As one of the men reached out to take the dead torch from the wall, Alex used his magic. The soldiers all froze in place, their eyes open but unseeing. Alex hesitated a second, watching to make sure his magic had worked as he’d planned. Satisfied, he moved a few steps closer to the men.
“The adventurers that are held here, where are they?”
“Fifth level, in the pit,” came the mumbled reply of six voices.
“How do I get there from here?”
“Center stairs to the second level, east stairs to the third, south stairs to the fourth, and west stairs to the fifth,” the men all answered. “From the bottom of the stairs, go north until you come to the stairs that lead to the pit.”
The directions were clear enough, but Alex wondered how these men knew what direction they were going underground. Not wanting to slow this group down, he didn’t ask. He moved around the company and then broke his spell with a whisper.
“Forget, and carry on with your task.”
The soldiers moved as a unit, marching along the hallway. Alex watched them for a few minutes, but they didn’t look back or slow their pace. Turning, he hurried down the empty hallway, looking for the center stairs.
The center stairway was easy enough to find. His biggest problem was dodging the groups of soldiers who were either replacing torches or marching back to the guardrooms. Alex might be invisible, but he was still solid, and to avoid bumping into the soldiers, he had to press himself flat against several walls before he reached the stairs. Moving to the second level of the dungeon, Alex found that it was as well lit as the first. Fortunately there were no guards changing torches on this level, and he was able to find the east stairs without any trouble.
After the second level, Alex found himself in darkness. The only lights he saw came from the guardrooms located at the top and bottom of the stairway. He quietly slipped passed the rooms and moved to the next set of stairs.
He made it to
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