Page 33 of The King of Koraha
“Advisor Najib said that Advisor Yiesha is available to talk to you at angle sixty,” Hakana said as soon as she entered.
“The old king’s advisor?” she asked. “You know where she lives?”
“Yes to both.” She glanced between them. Her tight shoulder-length curls swung with the motion. “What do you want to do before then?”
“Do you know where the King’s elite squads were housed?” Rendor asked.
“Yes.”
“Let’s go take a look.”
“Which one?”
“There’s more than one?”
“Yes, there’s lots. Doesn’t make sense for them all to stay together.” She held her right hand out with her palm up. “One cave-in and they’re goners.” She slapped her other hand on top, demonstrating being crushed flat.
A shudder raced over Shyla’s skin as the memory of waking up buried in rubble threatened to unfold in her mind. She pushed the image aside.
“Or one ambush,” Rendor said.
“There’s that. Can’t have all your velbloud eggs on the same table.”
“Table?” She couldn’t resist asking.
“Yeah. They’re slippery little devils. They’ll roll off and…splat.”
Sounded like she was speaking from experience.
“Take us to one of the main barracks,” Rendor said.
“All right, I know just the one!” Hakana led them through a variety of tunnels and caverns and up a number of levels. Some of the passages were well used and crowded with people while others were empty with druk lanterns few and far between. While crossing through one of the deserted tunnels, Shyla sensed a few bumps behind them. When they entered another little-used passage, the bumps remained. Shyla exchanged a glance with Rendor. He nodded at her unspoken question. They were being followed.
Hakana seemed oblivious to the tail, which could be problematic in the future. However, the girl never hesitated as she guided them. Nor did she study the markings on the walls near the intersections.
After a couple angles, Hakana slowed down. “We’re being followed.”
Impressed, Shyla asked, “How many?”
“Three, maybe four. They’re not wearing uniforms, but they move like guards. Do you want me to ditch them?” Hakana asked.
“Yes,” Rendor said.
“All right. Keep with me no matter what we encounter.”
Curious, she followed close behind Hakana. Rendor appeared more amused, almost as if he didn’t think Hakana could lose their followers.
Their guide executed a series of sharp turns through a maze of short tunnels. Then she darted to a wide ramp with a metal railing. No one was in sight. Instead of going down, she hopped onto the railing and teetered on the thin metal rail.
Shyla reached out, trying to grab her arm and keep her from falling over and crashing to the bottom. Except Hakana shot her a grin before jumping into the blackness. With a cry, Shyla leaned over and connected to Hakana’s thoughts with her magic. Amusement and not fear or pain dominated. Relieved, Shyla waited for her eyes to adjust to the semi-darkness below.
Hakana gestured for them to join her. She stood in an alcove that was all but invisible from the ramp. “Come on, they’ll be here soon.”
They didn’t need any more encouragement. Both jumped over the railing, landing about a meter lower than the ramp.
“Watch your heads, it’s going to get narrow,” Hakana warned.
She wasn’t kidding. With her in the lead and Shyla right behind, they started down a tunnel that shrank as they traveled further into its depths. Eventually they were forced to crawl as all light disappeared. The sound of fabric rubbing on the stone walls alarmed her. Shyla worried Rendor’s wide shoulders would get wedged. But then the ground dropped away underneath her and she tumbled out of the tunnel. Behind her, Rendor cursed before landing next to her.
