She swung the blackjack hard across the back of Kargle's head. The knot on the top of the weapon struck the man's skull with a thud, and his body crumpled to the floor. She looked at him for a few moments, then back at the startled Malthooz.
"So much for the help," she quipped. "Let's go get our friends."
Krusk was bored. He'd paced the cell all afternoon, stopping occasionally only to shake the bars and curse at the guards upstairs. The women took the barbarian's impatience in stride. They'd long since realized the futility of trying to calm him down and figured that he'd tire sooner or later.
They just didn't know how much later.
"That damned rogue better do something soon," he fumed. "If she leaves town, I'll-"
"Whoa, Krusk," Vadania said, jumping up and moving to the barbarian's side. "You know she'd never even think of leaving us here."
She steered him over to Mialee and forced him to sit down.
The wizard patted his shoulder and said, "Easy, boy."
Krusk was ablaze with anger. Most of the day had been spent composing a mental list of all the people he intended to throttle when he got out of the dungeon. Eva Flint was at the top, but Lidda was right behind in second place.
Krusk knew what friendship was. He certainly knew what loyalty was. What he didn't appreciate was patience.
"I don't care if Flint had nothing to do with any of it," he growled. "I want to kick her head into a basket."
The spot of light that shone through the cell's shaft to the outside world crawled across the floor and halfway up the opposite wall as the day wore on. As evening fell, the frustration of imprisonment was wearing at them all.
It was a welcome respite from boredom when a guard made his way to their cell with the evening meal. Tin platters clattered across stones as the man set them on the ground and slid them through a gap in the bars.
"It's not much," he said, "but probably more than you deserve."
Krusk no longer had the energy to curse the man. His anger was focused elsewhere.
Vadania collected the plates and gave one to each of her companions before grabbing her own and taking a seat on the straw next to Mialee. A thin stew sloshed across the bottom of the plates. Krusk pushed the liquid around with a hard chunk of stale bread before managing a bite. It was awful. He'd have thrown it back at the guard if not for his gnawing hunger.
The jailer returned a while later with two guards in tow. They moved slowly down the row of cells, collecting plates and replacing chamber pots. The guards stood outside the cells with crossbows drawn as the jailer went in after the used urns.
"Don't try it," Vadania said, squeezing Krusk's arm as the jailer opened the door to their cell.
The guard kept a wary eye and a crossbow pointed at the barbarian as the jailer dropped an urn in the rear of their cell and grabbed the old one. Krusk growled as the man passed him by and exited the cell. The jailer shut the door and turned the key with an odd grin before moving on to the next cell.
Krusk saw Mialee's ears perk and watched her and Vadania exchange looks. The druid held her hand up to her mouth. A few minutes later, they heard the heavy door at the top of the staircase slam shut.
Mialee jumped up and moved to the door of the cell. She looked up and down the hallway, then gave the door a kick. It swung open. The barbarian was on his feet at once.
"It's our chance," he said through clenched teeth, "and we'll take it now."
"Is it broken?" Vadania asked. "Did he use the wrong key?"
"I don't know, and I don't care," Mialee said. "Maybe it's pure luck. I'm not asking questions or waiting for answers."
"Nor I," said Krusk. "I can handle those guards if I have a little room to maneuver."
"What if there are others?" the druid asked.
"So much the worse for them," Krusk replied. "You can stay and worry about their welfare if you want to, but I'm getting out of here.
"Coming?" he asked.
Krusk glared menacingly at the other prisoners as he passed down the row of cells.
"Make so much as a peep and I'll snap all of your necks," he growled.
18
Lidda hugged the wall as she moved around the door frame. She crouched low to the ground, circling the table to get herself directly behind the closest of the men seated at the large, round table that filled the room. A rack of weapons hung from the wall opposite the rogue. She found herself wishing that she'd taken more time to study the place before going in. Moving silently and unobserved, she crept along the shadows. "I'm just glad he's down there and we're up-" The maris words dropped away when Lidda struck the base of his skull with her blackjack. His face landed in stacks of silver and copper pieces, scattering them. The other two men jumped back as the nimble halfling sprang from behind the fallen maris chair and launched herself directly across the table. She grabbed the nearest guard by the collar of his leather armor and smashed the blackjack across his face. His head snapped to the side with the impact of the blow, spittle and pieces of his teeth flying from his bloody mouth.
The last one lunged for a short sword that hung on the wall just beyond his reach. His hand closed short of the hilt of the weapon as Lidda's arms closed around his neck. The man spun around to place the rogue between himself and the wall and threw his body backward, crushing the rogue with his weight. The blow pushed the wind from Lidda's lungs. Her arms loosened slightly as she struggled to get a breath. Black spots danced in her vision. She groped for the maris eyes as she felt her ribcage being crushed.
"Malthooz, you fool," she managed to gasp as the guard reached around and grabbed a handful of her hair.
Where is that idiot?
Malthooz ran through the door. He came around the table with his blackjack raised. Desperately, the guard slammed Lidda against the wall again, and she fell to the floor gasping for breath. The man grabbed a weapon from the rack and moved to intercept Malthooz.
"I won't hold it against you if you give up now," the guard said, laughing. "I'm sure we have room for you and your friend downstairs."
He swung the sword. Malthooz leaped back, narrowly avoiding the blade.
"Then again," the guard said, "I could just kill you now and keep the paperwork to a minimum."
Lidda rolled herself over, the handle of the blackjack in her hand. The guard caught her movement in the corner of his eye and spun around. His boot shot out, catching the rogue in the side, but his foot was too slow. The leather weapon flew from Lidda's outstretched arm. It sailed at the maris face, end over end, to strike him in the forehead.
Malthooz jumped forward as the man reacted to the clout. The half-orc grabbed the guard's neck, intending to steady him for a knockout blow. A jolt of energy flowed from his hand and traveled into the maris body. Malthooz yanked his hand away. The man convulsed once and went down.
Lidda got up slowly from the floor, clutching her side, and said, "I may have broken a rib or two."
"Let me," Malthooz said moving to her side.
"Save it. I'm not sure your newfound powers would be enough to deal with this anyway."
They heard the clatter of footsteps coming up the stairs. Lidda grabbed two swords from the rack on the wall and tossed one of the unfamiliar weapons to the half-orc.
"Just swing it like a club," she advised. "We can't be choosy right now. Sounds like a crowd coming up the steps. How much more of that magic do you have in you?"
Malthooz shrugged.
"It just seems to happen," he whispered. "I can't really control it."
"Well, keep it happening," Lidda said.
Malthooz smiled. It was good to have his companion back and to shelve his doubts about her loyalty. Even if they didn't make it out of this place alive, at least he wouldn't die alone. Lidda raised her sword and moved behind the table as the footsteps sounded just outside the door.