Page 68 of Of Kings and Thieves

They continued to argue, but I shut out their voices to study the tiles, trying to discern a pattern. The tiles were dusty and in some places completely crumbled, but a few had faint scratches along the edges.

“What do you make of that, Kolvar?” I pointed to them.

“Could be nothing,” he said, studying them closely.

On a whim, I tossed my torch far out onto the tiles. It landed with a dull thud. “Seems okay.”

But none of us moved.

The torch guttered in the dust, but then it blazed with a sudden fury, whipping around in a wind I couldn’t feel.

Kolvar backed away, pulling me with him. The fire burned hot and bright, and disappeared altogether. The floor had given way beneath it, swallowing the torch.

“Those tiles had scratches on them,” Kolvar said, moving closer again. As a test, he banged the end of his torch on a tile without scratches, putting force behind it and making a lot of noise. The floor held firm. When he stood, he shrugged and muttered, “The theory is as good as any.”

To my surprise, the elf stepped out onto the tiles, keeping his feet on the ones without scratches. In a few swift movements, he was beyond the tiled section and standing on firm ground again.

We moved one at a time, each step careful and deliberate. I held my breath as I placed each foot down carefully, following the same path Kolvar did. When I was across, I turned to see Scarlet and Silvius crossing.

When it was Melion’s turn, he changed into wolf form. The wolf easily traversed the tiles. As he took the final step, the tile beneath his back paw gave way, triggering a barrage of hidden spikes that shot out from the walls. He yelped, and out of instinct, I grabbed a handful of his fur and yanked him forward. A spike narrowly avoided his hind end, and as soon as Melion scrambled away, he changed into human form.

“Shit!” he cursed, his face pale.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

“Fine,” he grunted, clearly shaken.

Silvius grinned. “What do you have to say about Samara now, Melion? She just saved your ass.”

Scarlet, pale and dirty, laughed. Melion scowled but nodded in thanks, and we moved on once again. This time, we encountered a new intersection almost immediately.

“Which way?” Melion asked.

“Right,” Scarlet muttered, her eyes scanning the runes etched into the walls.

“Left,” Kolvar countered, studying the same symbols.

Silvius glared at them. “Are you both just guessing?”

“Look at these markings,” Scarlet said, pointing to the elaborate patterns on the right corridor’s entrance. “They’re similar to those we saw before, remember?”

“True,” Kolvar said, “but these other markings are also familiar.”

“Damn it, we don’t have time for this.” Melion sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose. “There’s a heavy stench of decay coming from the right passage.” He held his torch low, revealing a strange dark residue coating the right tunnel’s entrance. His torchlight glinted off something metallic hidden in the foul muck near the right entrance.

We all agreed the left passage smelled fresher, its floor clear. Melion met Kolvar’s gaze and nodded toward the left.

“The clear path seems wise,” Kolvar agreed.

“Left it is,” Melion said, his tone decisive, and we followed him onto the chosen path.

The air grew colder, the atmosphere heavier. Something about this path felt wrong, but turning back wasn’t an option. Every nerve in my body screamed at me to run.

Scarlet walked beside me, and she leaned in to speak, her voice cracking. “Is it just me, or do you hear those damn whispers again?”

I nodded, hoping I didn’t look as afraid as I felt. We continued until the tunnel ended abruptly in a dead-end.

“Damn it,” Melion growled. He turned to head back but pulled up short, inhaling sharply. “What the...”

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