James chuckled. “Almost certainly, but no one said a fear has to be based in reality.”
Jazhara glanced at James. “Squire, I know you by reputation to be a man of some accomplishments for one so young, but to find you to be a deep thinker is impressive.”
Now it was William’s turn to chuckle, leaving James to wonder if the remark was a compliment or a barb.
>Twice they halted to hide as bands of armed men came by. After the second group had safely passed, James said, “That lot had been in a tussle.”
William nodded as he relit the lantern. “Two of them aren’t going to make it if their companions don’t carry them.”
“Which way do we go now?” asked Jazhara.
“Where they came from,” said James.
They continued on, deeper into the sewers.
The sound of lapping water heralded the existence of another large waterway.
“This is the original river sluice,” said James. “One of the early princes built it. I’ve been told that this was originally above ground . . . maybe designed as a small canal for barges from the river.”
William knelt and inspected the stonework. “Looks ancient.” He stood and glanced around. “Look there,” he said, moving over to examine something on the nearby wall. “This doesn’t look like the usual tunnel wall. It’s more like a fortification wall.” He indicated the size of the stones and the almost seamless way in which they were set.
“No foot-or handholds,” James agreed.
“How did it come to be so far below the ground?” asked Jazhara.
James shrugged. “People build things. They fill in the spaces between them to make roads. At least a dozen of the sewer tunnels look like old roads that have been covered over, and that central spillway we passed earlier was almost certainly a cistern ages ago.”
“Fascinating,” she said. “How old do you estimate?”
“Krondor’s four hundred years old,” said James. “Give or take a week.”
Jazhara laughed. “By Keshian standards, a young city.” James shrugged and began walking. “This way.” As they turned a corner into another passage that ran parallel to the main watercourse, something darted across their field of vision halfway down the tunnel, at the edge of the lantern light.
“What was that?” asked William, bringing his sword to the ready.
“It was big,” said Jazhara. “Larger than a man by half.”
James had also drawn his sword. “Cautiously, my friends.” They moved carefully down the passage until .they came to the intersection where the figure had vanished. Ahead lay a long corridor leading to the right, while to the left a short passage led back to the edge of the canal.
“If the thing moves through the water,” said William, “that would explain why it is hard to find.”
“And why it could move about from place to place quickly,” observed James. “That way,” he said pointing to the left. They walked slowly, and after a dozen steps spied a faint green light wavering in the distance.
Jazhara whispered, “My hair stands on end. There is magic nearby.”
James said, “Thanks for the warning.”
Jazhara removed something from her belt pouch. “If I give the word, fall to the ground and cover your eyes.”
William said, “Understood.”
James nodded.
They inched toward the light, and saw a door set in the stone wall. It was open. When they reached the portal, they halted.
James attempted to make sense of what he saw. Human bones lay strewn about, along with the bones of rats and other small animals. Rags and straw had been fashioned into a large circular pallet, in which rested several large leathery objects, each as long as a man’s arm. They pulsed with a sick, green inner light.
Jazhara gasped. “By the gods!” Suddenly James made sense of what they beheld. Within the leather sacks, as he thought of them, figures were visible.
“They’re babies!” the magician cried, horrified. She closed her eyes and began a low incantation. At last, her eyes snapped open and she said, “This is the darkest magic. This place must be destroyed. Shield your eyes!”
Both men turned their backs to the door as Jazhara hurled the object she’d taken from her pouch. A flash of white light illuminated the area as heat washed over them.
In the sudden brilliance the far end of the corridor was revealed. There stood a misshapen, hunchbacked figure, a creature seven or more feet tall. Atop its frame sat a massive head, its visage a caricature of a human face with a protruding jaw exposing teeth the size of a man’s thumb. Beady black eyes widened in shock at the burst of light. Its arms hung to the floor, and instead of hands, large callused flippers bore the creature’s weight.
After a second, the monster roared and charged.
James and William stood ready as Jazhara turned.