The Dragon Nimbus Novels: Volume III: Volume III
under the chin. The big man staggered back, flailing his arms.
Rollett’s men didn’t fare so well. He counted two down, bleeding heavily. The others were sorely pressed and outnumbered two to one.
“Retreat!” he called even as he swung his staff into the belly of a palace guard. “Retreat!”
Rollett followed his own order, backing out of the storeroom. Two guards pursued him closely.
Rollett spun and ran back down the curving corridor. He hated to leave his men. They’d have to fend for themselves. Those were the rules in Hanassa.
Loose sand on the floor turned slippery beneath his hurried footsteps. Rollett skidded into the junction. A wall of new guards blocked the main corridor back to the Justice Hall. He’d never break through them. Even with magic he’d be hard-pressed to battle them all.
And he had no more magic. His limited reserves had gone into shadows and concealment getting into the palace.
He increased his speed and his skid, turning the sharp corner into the unexplored downward slope.
Stargods! I hope this isn’t another dead end.
Sweat rolled down Rollett’s back. His limbs grew heavy. His lungs labored to draw in the hot air and his heart pounded loudly in his ears. Almost as loud as the heavy footsteps pounding the dirt floor behind him.
The slope increased. The walls became rougher, more like a natural cave, without evidence of being smoothed or enlarged by man-made tools.
His footing grew precarious on the light covering of fine sand. But so did the guards’ behind him. A sharp turn appeared before him. He tried to slow his steps and slammed into the wall. The loose sand upset his balance and kept him stumbling forward. He lunged in the new direction, trying to control his momentum. His feet flew out in different directions. He landed heavily on his side.
As he measured his length along the corridor, he rammed his head against the crossed iron bars of a locked gate.
Chapter 15
The pit beneath the city of Hanassa, time unknown
“A ll the caverns lead back to Old Bertha,” Powwell said as he kicked one of the rusted pipes strewn about the huge cave. They’d been wandering for hours. Days? He didn’t know anymore. Their trips through the dragongate had disrupted his time perception. He needed to eat and sleep before he could restore all of his senses.
“The caverns have always led back here,” Yaala replied. Her eyes took on a glazed look of enthrallment. She grabbed the broken pipe and lovingly began to scrape rust off of it with her belt knife. The blade quickly dulled, but she ignored it, completely absorbed in her task and the plight of her machines.
“No, Yaala. The tunnels and caverns all led to the rim of the pit. This cavern only has one or two accesses overlooking the lava core. There are dozens of others. How do we get to them?” Powwell checked the exit tunnel that also gave access to the dragongate. So far, it hadn’t opened again while he watched. Something was terribly wrong. The opening and closing had always been random, but rarely more than one hundred to one thousand heartbeats apart.
“Well, we found the living cavern. It’s empty of people, but full of food. We’ll be all right for now.” Yaala continued to clean the broken pipe, frequently comparing the open end with the other pieces.
“Wake up, Yaala. Think. We have to get out of here.” He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. She dropped the sections of pipe. Hot water splashed them both.
“We can’t do anything without the machines. Old Bertha needs me,” she protested when he stopped shaking her.
“Hanassa needs you, Yaala. The city needs a strong leader. The machines are nothing. They aren’t power, they are tools.”
She stared at him as if he were the most stupid being on Kardia Hodos.
“I need you, Yaala. I need you to help me find my little sister. I need your strength to keep me from lashing out and murdering everyone in your city until I find Kalen. We need to find Rollett and send him home to help Nimbulan. Now stop fussing with Old Bertha and help me find a way out of here.”
She turned her head away not answering.
Powwell watched the access tunnel again for signs of the dragongate opening. But he maintained his grasp on her shoulders, needing the physical affirmation that they both still lived, still had quests to keep them going.
“There. That’s two pieces together. I bet I can reconstruct the entire pipe. Then I’ll clear the tube tunnels of
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