Kings Game

Chapter 53 - The Fel Miner

(1)

"Roran, can you hear me?"

Roran startled awake. He was still in the storage closet with Sarah huddled up against him.

"Roran?" came the voice again. It was Nul's.

Roran activated his communication marking. "Yeah, I can hear you."

"We just got to the Upper Rim. Have you found Kell yet?"

"No, Sarah and I are still climbing up to the castle."

"It's a fortress, not a castle. It was meant to be accessible by air as a hub for messenger birds."

"...Okay? We're climbing up one of the maintenance stairwells. I'll let you know when I find Kell."

"We're on our way. It's going to be difficult moving around during the day with all of the soldiers about, but we'll manage."

'We.'

Roran softly cursed. Karyn was with him. He wasn't surprised but he was concerned for her safety.

"Okay, be careful. Once we get Kell we can turn tail and run."

"The Uhlarans don't know how to access the old tunnels. We can head back to the library once we find Kell."

"Good, we'll need time to rest and recover." And to assess whatever damage had been done to Kell, but Roran left that part unsaid.

Climbing to his feet, Roran yawned and stretched. His body ached from sleeping on the stone floor. Slowly waking up, Roran frowned.

"How did Nul speak to me?"

"What do you mean?" asked Sarah.

"They activated my communication etching for me...I didn't do anything on my side."

Sarah nodded. "Nul's new etchings must be working then. I wonder what else they're capable of now."

"I'm sure we'll find out, let's go."

Once Sarah told him it was clear, Roran left the storage room and continued his ascent up the mountain. Soon he would have climbed all the way from the lowest crags to the highest peak. Roran decided that if he never had to climb another mountain he would be perfectly happy.

They climbed higher and higher until the stairwell became cleaner and the stones less grimy. The scent of a busy castle drifted down the stairs, alerting Roran that he was reaching the populated sections.

"Be careful," said Sarah. "It's late morning and people are moving about. I'll guide you as best I can but it will be up to you to hide."

"I'll do my best."

The first obstacle they encountered was when a servant came bustling down the stairs. Sarah opened a nearby door and Roran jumped through it before the servant came around the corner. Roran stopped and waited, hoping that whatever the servant needed wasn't in the same room Roran was hiding in. He kept a hand on his sword just in case.

A few minutes later, Sarah gave him the all-clear and Roran was back on his way up the stairs.

Roran played this game of cat and mouse for several more stories, each time getting a little closer to being caught. As he reached the kitchen areas, Roran's luck ran out.

Sarah guided him to a closet full of vegetables and spices. Roran had settled into place, waiting for the latest person to wander by, when Sarah swore. The handle to the door jiggled and the door swung open. A cook opened the door and almost walked into Roran without paying attention. When they were within an arm's reach, the cook finally looked up and saw Roran staring back at them.