Book 3 Chapter 34

Maria ignored the damp cave walls that pressed against her as she worked her way through the narrow passageway. She winced as her hand pressed against something moist in the dark, not wanting to think about what it was. Garm trotted some ways ahead, turning to wait for her impatiently as she struggled.

Maria braced herself against one side, contorting her body to squeeze through as the passageway narrowed to a slight crevice. She felt the walls scrape against her until she spilled through, landing on the hard ground. As she healed the scratches and bruises she stretched, having finally having gotten through to a more open area, just enough for her to fit with only a slight crouch.

She continued forward, following after Garm as she thought about the directions that the two mercenaries had given. They had parted about an hour ago, the mercenaries disappearing into the darkness as the unending tunnels welcomed them…

Before that they had spoken for some time, as Maria questioned them on every detail she could think of. From guard numbers and movements to geography and layout. She tried to remember everything that Tirr had mentioned about information during war, whether it was while they preparing for the siege at Road’s End or in the aftermath of the battle between Lutel and Rasor.

The young god had occasionally passed down a few bits of knowledge on the subject, though it wasn‘t the focus of his lessons. And Maria drew on everything she could remember, absorbing any details they could share until her brain spun.

The real prize though came when after going through all the questions she could think of, she asked the two if there was anything else they could think of. The Large Dun had quickly shaken his head, dismissing the question easily. But the lithe Aran stopped, his hand rising to his chin as he thought.

Both Maria and Dun noticed the change, looking at the archer expectantly. Aran frowned, seeming annoyed that he would have to speak up. “Well, there is something…”

Dun motioned for his colleague to go on, “Well Aran?”

The archer stood silently for a moment before muttering, “I can see the paths my winds take as they travel. In such a tight space it makes finding my way quite easy…”

Maria's eyes narrowed, “The winds you used to attack the manor?” She asked, her tone sharp.

Dun chuckled awkwardly, his large elbow almost knocking the smaller man over, “How about you get to the point Aran?”

The archer steadied himself, glaring at the bigger man before starting again. “When we were first brought to this place I sent my winds to explore, looking for ambushes or escape routes in case the Confederation decided to betray us.”

“Oh... “ Dun exclaimed, “Careful as always huh, I never even thought about that…”

“That’s cause you’re an idiot,” Aran answered him, “The confederation isn’t known for its trustworthiness or its honor. I wanted insurance...”

Maria nodded, “So you found something then?”

“I found lots of things… From secret doors to hidden spots... But the most interesting thing I found was a small passageway. The entrance of which was not too far from here, probably a mile or two down, and the entrance…”

He paused glancing over at the fortress ahead. “Was right in the middle of there…”

Dun gave him a confused look, “A good find, but wouldn't any such passageway be guarded?”

“Usually yes,” Aran countered, “But the exit was covered, some kind of grate. It seemed like nobody ever paid it any attention or even knew it was there.

“Oh, good one Aran!” Dun smiled looking over to Maria, “A secret way to sneak into the assassins' hideout, ain’t that something. Well girl, this out to be enough to let bygones be bygones right?”

Maria’s mind turned for a moment before looking towards the archer, “Tell me how to get there…”

Now here she was going through that same passage in an attempt to get to the children. The exit within the fortress came out not too far from the old rooms where the mercenaries thought the children would be kept.

Her plan was simple, She’d go in as silently as possible and move quickly to the children. Once she reached them, She’d do her best to guide them out through the same passage where Ian was waiting at the entrance.

It’d been hard convincing the young boy to stay behind… But after telling him she would be relying on him to help the other children escape, he had agreed. Knowing that if Maria got caught up in fighting any pursuers off, the others wouldn’t have anyone to guide them away once they got out of the passage.

Maria had been glad for his obedience, though she hoped it wouldn’t come to that. With Garm, she had enough strength to handle almost anything, but he wasn’t good at delicate matters. It’d be best if no one ever even noticed her… She thought as she reached the final bend.

She approached the thin grate that she knew would lead inside, covered so heavily in dirt and moss that even knowing it was there, it was hard to find. She took a deep breath nodding to Garm before pressing against the grate….