Page 34 of The King of Koraha
Hakana opened a druk lantern. “Sorry, forgot to tell you about the drop.” They were in a small cavern. “The good news is we’ve lost the guards.”
Rendor stood and pulled Shyla to her feet. He glared at Hakana. “Any more surprises?”
“No. It’s a straight shot from here.”
“Make sure you warn us next time.”
“Yes, sir.”
Shyla brushed the dirt off her tunic and fixed her wrap. It didn’t take long to arrive at one of the elite squad’s barracks.
“They’re all located on level seven,” Hakana explained when they reached the entrance. “So they’re close to the surface but deep enough to be safe.”
Hakana opened the door using what she called her special tools. The squad’s quarters were plain with rows of sleeping cushions and trunks for personal possessions lined up in large rooms. The common areas had tables, cushions, and desks. The place was obviously abandoned.
Rendor found the secret entrance that gave the soldiers access to one of the city’s escape tunnels. “They needed a way to come and go on missions without alerting anyone,” Rendor said.
“Then how did the Water Princess know they’d left?” she asked.
“Probably when her spies stopped reporting in. I’d guess she sent Kilab to investigate.”
“Why did you want to see this? How does it help us?” she asked, thinking they’d just wasted time.
“To determine how they’d left. For example, were they in a rush?” Rendor opened a number of the trunks and peered inside. “Nothing left behind. So no, they had time to pack.” Then he scanned the area. “No signs of a fight, so everyone was probably in agreement.” He walked around. “No destruction means they probably weren’t angry at the King.”
Shyla gazed at the barracks with new insight. “Do we need to visit all of them?”
“Not all, but I’d like to see a few more.”
“Then let’s get movin’. I don’t want to be late for the meetin’ with Advisor Yiesha,” Hakana said.
The other barracks resembled the first one—neat and cleaned out. They also had another exit that led to an escape tunnel. Shyla and Rendor agreed that the soldiers probably left due to lack of pay.
Hakana hustled them out of the last barracks. She almost jogged through the city in order to arrive at Yiesha’s apartment on time. Shyla wondered what the relationship was between the two. Hakana would have also been the old King’s page and would have worked closely with Yiesha.
They eventually arrived at a strange tiered area. There were five or six levels of apartments that climbed one wall of a huge cavern. Each of the living quarters had a low-walled area that jutted out, hanging over the open space. Below was a busy market. Not as big as the main one Lota worked in, but bigger than any of the markets in Zirdai.
Hakana led them around to the back side of those apartments…or was it the front? She knocked on one of the doors. They were on level twenty-three—not deep-level wealthy, but Yiesha probably had enough coins to be more than comfortable.
A stained-glass panel slid aside, revealing two stone-gray eyes. The upper eyelids drooped and wrinkles underlined the eyelashes. “Hakana, is that you?” The woman donned a pair of eyeglasses and her gaze focused on them with a shrewd sharpness.
“Yes, Advisor Yiesha. I brought the consultants from the King.”
“Don’t keep them waiting, girl. Let them in.”
“Uh, you need to open the door, Advisor.”
“Never stopped you before.” The panel slammed shut.
Hakana turned to Shyla and Rendor. “This might take me an angle or two. She delights in installing complex locks just to test me.”
“Why does she do that?” Shyla asked.
“She trained me. Claimed that the King’s page should not be stopped by a locked door.” Hakana pulled out her slender metal tools and set to work.
Rendor watched. “How hard is it to learn?”
“Once you get the right…feel, it’s easier. Takes lots of practice, though.”
