"Gavyn is alive?" Corvan grabbed Tsarek's paw, and the lizard sprawled across him.

  Tsarek pushed slowly back to his feet. Breathing hard, he wiped the back of his paw across his eyes. When he tried to speak, only a few clicks came out. He nodded and swallowed as he pointed overhead. "Up above . . . like you saw."

  Corvan scrambled to his knees on the sleeping mat. "Is he hurt?"

  "No, A prisoner," Tsarek said hoarsely.

  Corvan slammed his hand down on the mat and a puff of dust rose in the air. "Why did that woman lie to me? She said Gavyn was dead."

  "So . . . so you will hate the Rakash.” Tsarek breathed deeply. “And help kill them."

  "I won't do it. I won't help her poison all the Rakash. But how do we get past them to rescue my father?"

  Tsarek concentrated but could not seem to form the words.

  Corvan picked the jar of lumien juice from beside the bed and handed it to Tsarek. "This may help."

  Tsarek tasted it, then drained the jar. Juice dripped from the corners of his mouth and his eyes brightened. He pointed to the floor. "Just as in Kadir, the sewer tunnels run beneath Katay Alba. Many are now flooded but there is one that can take us through to the old library and your father."

  Corvan rose stiffly to his feet. "Then let's get Gavyn."

  "That is not a good idea."

  "But Gavyn knows the way. My father gave him a map or something to help us rescue him. I saw it when I held the mirror glass."

  "But if we get Gavyn, the people here will know for sure where we have gone. We must not leave any trace behind. My mentor has shown me where to go and what to do. We do not need to take Gavyn along. He is safe where he is."

  "What if they. . ."

  "My mentor promises he will assist the boy to escape once we are gone. They both speak Hoksa."

  Corvan pushed to his feet. "I don't like it, but if it's the only way to save my father. . ."

  "Soon the lights will grow brighter, and the people of the colony will come out." Tsarek trotted to the door, his claws clicking on the stone floor. “We must leave immediately.”

  Tsarek led Corvan out through darkened tunnels and twisting staircases. A few times he glanced back, paused, then finally stopped just past a junction. "Someone is following us." Tsarek crouched low and peered back around the corner. "It is the girl you rescued from the Rakash. We must hurry so we can lose her up ahead."

  He rushed on around more corners, then down a steep incline before stopping in front of an open rounded door, barely high enough to walk through. "Be very careful in there," Tsarek said. "This used to be the sewage holding tank for the city. It would fill with waste to settle out before they would let it drain away into the river. Many holes are now plugged and full of dirty water and the sides are smooth. If you fall in, you cannot get out."

  Tsarek motioned for Corvan to go in first. It was a rounded room, much like a one of the grain bins at home except for the circular indentations around the room and the fact that it smelled like a pig barn. Patches of glowing scum floated on some of the round ponds. Insects that looked a lot like the water boatman on the dugouts at home skittered across the open water, except these were pale and larger than his hands. They all stopped and stared with multiple eyes waving on the end of short stalks.

  Tsarek came up beside him. "It appears the girl has gone back to the colony.” He extended his claw. “You should give me the end of your krypin so I can guide you through."

  Corvan unraveled his rope and Tsarek laboriously fastened one end around his own waist before giving the control end to Corvan. "Tie it to yourself. If you fall into one of the deep holes, I will pull you back up."

  Tsarek was breathing hard as Corvan looped the rope around his own waist. The problem with his friend’s plan was that Corvan’s eyesight was good enough to pick up the ledges between the ponds and the slipper shoes gripped firmly, letting him feel the thin ridges through the soles. Tsarek, on the other hand, was already wavering on the lip of one of the dry pits, looking like he might fall off any minute.

  They were only halfway across the tank when Tsarek tumbled off the edge, his claws scrabbling against the smooth side. Corvan leaned back, the krypin went taut, then Corvan manipulated the controls to pull Tsarek back to the rim.

  By the time Tsarek managed to haul himself back onto the ridge, the blue patches on his throat were flushed with exertion, or maybe embarrassment. Turning his back to Corvan, he moved on, slowly picking his way around the pits. Corvan followed with one eye on his feet and the other on Tsarek. His friend was looking more unsteady all the time.

  He was about to suggest that he take the lead when Tsarek stopped, untied the rope from his waist and handed the krypin back to Corvan. "This is the right one." He pointed down to where the smooth sided of the round pit tapered away to end in a dark hole. "My mentor says there is no water below this one. It will take us to your father."

  Corvan looked to where the steep sided funnel disappeared into darkness. "Are you sure? If there is water down there could drown or get stuck and . . ."

  "I trust my mentor," Tsarek said, then stepped off the ledge. Throwing his short arms out to either side, he steered himself in a wide curve around the sides of the funnel, spinning in faster circles towards the bottom until he and vanished into the hole.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Corvan waited in the silence. From up here the hole appeared to be far too small for a human. Locking the twin ends of the krypin onto the lip of the pit, he eased himself over the edge. His eyes were level with the floor when movement at the entry into the fissure room caught his eye. They hadn't lost the girl. If she tried to follow them, she might drown in one of the pits full of water.

  Letting go of the lip he lowered himself quietly to the bottom. The opening was larger than it appeared from up top but he could not see past the first tight corner. Straddling the hole, he coiled up the krypin and clipped it away.

  At the sound of rapid footsteps up top, he dropped feetfirst into the tube. The walls were incredibly smooth and he quicky picked up speed, twisting and rolling as the tube threw him through curves and valleys. A tight corkscrew slowed him down, then spun him out in a dizzy tangle.

  His head was spinning but the passage was too low to stand up. He crawled forward, avoiding glowing patches of the thick slime. Turning a corner, he found Tsarek leaning against the wall, his eyes closed and chest heaving. Corvan dropped beside him, then pulled Tsarek close to rest his head rest in his lap. The lizard's dark eyes gazed up at him, reminding Corvan of the way his border collie had looked to him for help just before it died. The familiar feeling of dread and hopelessness washed over Corvan.

  "Is it because you need more of the elixir that you can't speak to me?" Corvan said.

  Tsarek nodded and his eyes sagged shut.

  "The leader of the colony said the liquid for the Rakash is in a pool in the libary. Will that help you?"

  Tsarek's head rolled slightly as he looked down the tunnel, then back at Corvan.

  "That's the way to my father?"

  A small nod.

  "I won't leave you here, Tsarek. I'll carry you."

  Tsarek tried to shake his head, but Corvan picked him up anyway. The ceiling of the tunnel was higher here and Tsarek wasn't as heavy as he had expected - either that or the lumien medication from the gatehouse had made him even stronger.

  Short strands of green mold hung in thin ribbons from the ceiling, lighting their way. They didn’t look like the poison vines but Corvan made sure not to brush up against them. A short distance ahead they came to a grid of iron bars that blocked their path. Beyond the bars, a set of stairs led up into darkness. Corvan carried Tsarek over to the bars and set him gently down on the floor. "Is this the way we need to go?"

  Tsarek's hazy eyes welled up with tears and he gave a slow nod.

  Corvan examined the gate. The hinges were rusty, as was the bolt that anchored the gate to the side of the wall. Corvan tugged on the bolt but it was stuck fast. Widening his stance, he put his shoulder against it and tried again. He could definitely feel the increased strength in his body from taking the gatehouse fluid. Bracing his back against the wall he pushed harder. With a grinding screech the metal retreated from its niche in the rock.

  Corvan pulled on the gate and it groaned open. Turning around, he found Tsarek standing on shaky legs. "Are you okay? Should I carry you?"

  Tsarek shook his head, then stumbled past Corvan and through the gate. Corvan followed, then turned back to the gate. His father had always taught him on the farm that if you opened a gate, it was your responsibility to shut it again. Besides, if the girl somehow followed them, he didn’t want her joining them in the rescue attempt. Grabbing the lever he tugged the bolt back into position. As it found its mark, a light flickered on behind him. Whirling around he found Tsarek flanked by two tall armed men. One held a glowing globe and was pointing a sword at the lizard, the other had his crossbow trained on Corvan.

  All four of them stood motionless for a long moment before Tsarek slumped slowly to the ground. The soldier next to him sheathed his sword, handed his light to the man with the crossbow, tied Tsarek up with a thin rope, then slung Tsarek’s limp body over his shoulder.

  Nothing was said as the man with the bow gave the light back to his companion then pointed his weapon at Corvan. The man carrying Tsarek moved off up the passage and the one with the crossbow motioned for Corvan to followed They moved together in a line up a set of stairs to an intersection where a larger tunnel opened up.

  The man ahead of him carrying Tsarek was not a Rakash, yet he must live near them and inside the library. That could only mean these people were also working with the master of the gatehouse. He did not want to be taken back to that place but there was no escaping now.

  The men spread out to flank him, escorting him up a broader set of stairs and into an even wider hall. The man’s light reflected on the arched ceiling overhead and the polished marble tiles on the floor.

  They approached a set of double doors that appeared to open on their own accord. Corvan squinted against a powerful blue light as he stepped over the threshold and onto a landing. He was at the top of a staircase leading down into another library building with the now familiar balcony running around the room. The faces and pictures painted on the ceiling had suffered the same smoke-covered fate as Kadir but on the far side, a high scaffold supported two cleaners working to restore the artwork.

  Corvan caught glimpses of other people in rooms that had been created under the balcony with temporary fabric walls. A woman pushed through one of the curtains at the foot of the stairs. Glancing up, she caught Corvan's eye and gave him a warm smile before crossing to the center of the room where a pool of blue light sparkled inside a short, round wall. She adjusted a long vine that trailed into the pool and a lumien sprang to life in the room she had come from, as if she had just plugged in an extension cord. That had to be the pool of elixir for the Rakash, but these new people were also using it to power their library headquarters.

  The man carrying Tsarek moved down the stairs and Corvan followed. In front of the pool was a large round table flanked by four statues gazing up at the paintings on the ceiling above them. Corvan watched them carefully as he was led to the table but in this library the statues were made of actual stone. There would be no grey men to rescue him this time.

  The man with the bow pointed to a chair and when Corvan sat down, the man pulled out a thin rope and lashed Corvan's feet to the front chair legs.

  The other man laid Tsarek on the table. Only the sporadic rise and fall of the lizard’s rib cage showed that he was still alive.

  Beyond Tsarek the powerful blue light shot out of the pool like a spotlight onto the freshly cleaned faces painted above, making them look almost alive as they stared down at him. He needed to get some of that liquid to Tsarek so his friend could be saved before he faded away completely.

  Brisk footsteps approached from behind and Corvan sat back against the chair. A tall, muscular man circled the table. His pale skin and silver-blonde hair stood out in sharp contrast to his deep blue robe. His face was stern but the smile wrinkles around his eyes suggested he could also be kind. Pulling out a chair, the regal looking man sat across from him. In that moment, Corvan had the odd thought that he was about to play scrabble with his mother instead of being interrogated by someone working with the Rakash.

  "Release him," the man said. The soft command sent a wave of relief through Corvan. "He does not need to be bound."

  One of the guards stepped closer. Corvan waited, expecting the rope around his ankles to be untied but instead, the guard leaned over the table and removed the rope that bound Tsarek. The lizard stood shakily to his feet, then bowed to the pale man on the other side of the table.

  The man nodded in return. "Welcome back, Tsarek. I am grateful that you have honored our agreement and have brought Corvan to us as you promised."