Read Online Prince of Magic by Linda Winstead Jones - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Linda Winstead Jones
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his hand and pointed at the cowardly guard. He used no magic, but still the man halted, as if frozen. "Stay."
"Yes, my lord," the young man responded.
"We're going down. I expect you two to stand guard. If we don't return in a reasonable amount of time…" He glanced at Ariana and lifted his eyebrows in silent question.
"One hour," she said.
He doubted Ariana would last a quarter of an hour in that pit. Still, this was her call. She was the chosen one, and he was here just to assist her in charging toward her destiny. "If we don't return in one hour, go to Emperor Arik and request that he send sentinels in to assist us."
"Yes, my lord," the two guards answered simultaneously.
They were soldiers, and yet they were cowed by his display of magic and the revelation of the pit. Ariana would be at least as good a warrior as either of these two. Perhaps the fact that she was a woman was not the worst of circumstances. She did have a strength about her that he could not deny.
It seemed the unseen prisoners that surrounded them were disturbed by the revelation of the pit. The prison noise increased, and one man screamed. Did they realize that Level Thirteen had been uncovered? Did they feel it?
One soldier collected a length of rope and, when instructed to do so, tied it to a hook on the backside of the trap door. A hook which might have been installed for that very purpose. Sian tested the knot, not entirely trusting the guards, and then he began his descent.
"Don't you want a torch, or a candle?" one of the guards asked.
"That won't be necessary," Sian responded.
He made his way quickly down, using his feet and his hands to give himself a sturdy command of the rope. A fall from this distance would not kill him, but neither would it be pleasant. When he was close to the ground, he released the rope and dropped onto the packed dirt floor.
As Ariana began her trip down the rope, Sian placed himself directly beneath her. If she lost her grip, he'd be able to break her fall. He wouldn't always be around to catch her, but for today she was his responsibility. For today, he could catch her if need be.
The view from this angle was quite interesting, especially as he cast a spell and the wizard's light, purple and illuminating, was born and grew. Her descent was slow and deliberate, but not without the display of some small strength. The trousers seemed to tighten considerably as she worked her way down and toward him.
"What do you see?" she asked when she was perhaps halfway down the rope.
He could not very well tell her where his eyes were drawn. "Nothing," he answered. "Nothing at all. We'll explore the area when you complete your dreadfully leisurely descent."
Ariana glanced around and down, just so she could glare at him. She did glare for a moment, and then she began to laugh. "You are not half so fearsome as you pretend to be, I believe."
Heaven above, he did not want her to laugh. He did not want her to look fetching in her inappropriate clothing. He did not want to care about her.
Ariana was not his to care about, after all. She was a doomed witch, an ill-fated warrior. If all went well, one day there would be heroic tales written about her. She would be the subject of songs and poems of goodness and bravery. It was his calling to prepare her for what was to come. He could not allow even the vaguest of emotions to cloud his intent.
Ariana was grateful for the wizards light as she examined the pit that had been—that
was
—Level Thirteen. The ground was littered here and there with what appeared to be bones. Some were obviously from rodents. Others were larger, and very likely human. The walls were natural stone, as if they had descended into an irregularly shaped cavern. That stone was much colder than was natural; it was rough and stained with what might be… no, what
was
… blood. She shuddered as she looked into the dark corners beyond the purplish light that reminded her, so very much, of Sian's
"Yes, my lord," the young man responded.
"We're going down. I expect you two to stand guard. If we don't return in a reasonable amount of time…" He glanced at Ariana and lifted his eyebrows in silent question.
"One hour," she said.
He doubted Ariana would last a quarter of an hour in that pit. Still, this was her call. She was the chosen one, and he was here just to assist her in charging toward her destiny. "If we don't return in one hour, go to Emperor Arik and request that he send sentinels in to assist us."
"Yes, my lord," the two guards answered simultaneously.
They were soldiers, and yet they were cowed by his display of magic and the revelation of the pit. Ariana would be at least as good a warrior as either of these two. Perhaps the fact that she was a woman was not the worst of circumstances. She did have a strength about her that he could not deny.
It seemed the unseen prisoners that surrounded them were disturbed by the revelation of the pit. The prison noise increased, and one man screamed. Did they realize that Level Thirteen had been uncovered? Did they feel it?
One soldier collected a length of rope and, when instructed to do so, tied it to a hook on the backside of the trap door. A hook which might have been installed for that very purpose. Sian tested the knot, not entirely trusting the guards, and then he began his descent.
"Don't you want a torch, or a candle?" one of the guards asked.
"That won't be necessary," Sian responded.
He made his way quickly down, using his feet and his hands to give himself a sturdy command of the rope. A fall from this distance would not kill him, but neither would it be pleasant. When he was close to the ground, he released the rope and dropped onto the packed dirt floor.
As Ariana began her trip down the rope, Sian placed himself directly beneath her. If she lost her grip, he'd be able to break her fall. He wouldn't always be around to catch her, but for today she was his responsibility. For today, he could catch her if need be.
The view from this angle was quite interesting, especially as he cast a spell and the wizard's light, purple and illuminating, was born and grew. Her descent was slow and deliberate, but not without the display of some small strength. The trousers seemed to tighten considerably as she worked her way down and toward him.
"What do you see?" she asked when she was perhaps halfway down the rope.
He could not very well tell her where his eyes were drawn. "Nothing," he answered. "Nothing at all. We'll explore the area when you complete your dreadfully leisurely descent."
Ariana glanced around and down, just so she could glare at him. She did glare for a moment, and then she began to laugh. "You are not half so fearsome as you pretend to be, I believe."
Heaven above, he did not want her to laugh. He did not want her to look fetching in her inappropriate clothing. He did not want to care about her.
Ariana was not his to care about, after all. She was a doomed witch, an ill-fated warrior. If all went well, one day there would be heroic tales written about her. She would be the subject of songs and poems of goodness and bravery. It was his calling to prepare her for what was to come. He could not allow even the vaguest of emotions to cloud his intent.
Ariana was grateful for the wizards light as she examined the pit that had been—that
was
—Level Thirteen. The ground was littered here and there with what appeared to be bones. Some were obviously from rodents. Others were larger, and very likely human. The walls were natural stone, as if they had descended into an irregularly shaped cavern. That stone was much colder than was natural; it was rough and stained with what might be… no, what
was
… blood. She shuddered as she looked into the dark corners beyond the purplish light that reminded her, so very much, of Sian's
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