Part 21 (1/2)
”It won't open,” said Jae of the door, then up and down the wall on the right side
”Why won't it open?” asked William
”If I knew that, I could open it,” snapped Jaar said, ”If it slipped your notice, squire, we are at the end of a very long hall with no place to hide If you can't open that door in the next minute, ill have to return to one of the corridors we passed and seek another way out of here”
Jaency in his movement ”I don't know”
He quickly moved to the left side of the door and continued his inspection After a o”
He headed back down the hall and turned left at the first corridor ”Where are we going?” asked William
Ja there are almost certainly some empty places where we can lie low”
”Why this way?” asked Treggar
”Because it's in the opposite direction fro, content with the answer
They left the sparsely-lit corridor and turned into one that was pitch dark, and again James lit his taper
”How do you do that?” asked William
James said, ”If we find a place to hole up, I'll show you”
Theya couple of tiht to move as far as he possibly could from the temple Suddenly he stopped He held the taper down close to the floor and said, ”Dust Not a lot of traffic through here in a few years” He straightened up and theythey cae The door fraes had fallen off Whatever had become of the door would remain a mystery
Ja light illuain as deep, the actual dimensions hidden by a fall of rock
James said, ”Come over here,” and motioned for them to sit in a corner, as far from the door as possible ”No one may have come this way in a while, but Ruthia-” the Goddess of Luck ”-is a fickle woht in an unused rooar looked at the fall of rocks and said, ”It's unused because it's unsafe Look at those tiht a little closer to a fallen lintel and said, ”Dry as paper” He pushed aside a few pieces that had fallen so he could sit on a large rock
”I thought old wood got harder,” said Willias where the timbers are as hard as steel” He picked up a sers ”Soe the clock to be?” asked Jaer our friends over there are likely to sleep during the day Their trade is usually conducted at night I' to slip out and look around If I can't find another way out, I'll look at that door again We can't stay here long”
”See if you can find some water,” said William ”I'm parched”
James nodded It had been hours since they had left their equipment and found the newly-carved entrance to this ancient place ”I'll see what I can do”
”Before you leave: what is that trick with the light?” asked William
James handed over the lit taper and said, ”Watch” He reached into his belt-pouch and pulled out another long taper, it looked like a thick punk of slow-burning wood, the kind used to light fires and torches ”These have a substance rubbed into them” He then produced a small vial of liquid and poured a drop onto the punk For a brief instant nothing happened, then a flaician in Krondor a while back Very handy and you don't have to strike sparks with flint and steel-even works in high winds”
Williaer-fire trick of his”
”Hardly,” said Jaht h the doorway and was gone
Willia taper Jaar said, ”Better put that out, lieutenant”
Williaed the roo flint, steel and tinder out, just in case”
”I don'tin the dark, then Treggar said, ”Here's some of that wood If you need to make a torch in a hurry, it should catch quickly”
'Thank you, captain”
A long silence followed
Treggar spoke ”That squire is an unusual fellow, ain't he?”
Willia I've ever heard I've only spent tiht me to Krondor on visits You've been in Krondor for years I would have thought you knew hiar Another long silence followed, then he said, ”He's the Prince's squire 'Pet Squire,' a few call hies”
”From what I know, he's earned them”
”Seems that way, don't it?”
William said, ”Captain?”
”What?”
”Just want to say I plan on pullingaround the first weekwell, it wasn't ain silence
William said, ”Well, I really didn't want duty in Krondor, actually”
”Really? Why not?”
”I'm not really related to the Prince My father was adopted into his house by Lord Boric, years ago”
”Makes you a member of the royal house, boy”