Westhaven by Rowan Erlking (best sci fi novels of all time TXT) 📕

of them, the men ducked to the ground. Key chuckled though he also wished she would stop. Lanona let the shaking subside as Tiler led her to him. As soon as she felt Key’s hand she sighed with relief.

“I know that hand,” she murmured, staring wide-eyed at the pitch black, still not seeing his face. “Hello, Key.”

He smiled knowing she couldn’t see it. She looked rather sweet with her wide eyes still searching the darkness as her pupils adjusted. It was strange to him, always expecting a wizard to be hard and cold like Sadena or solemn like Soin. However, she looked relaxed as if standing with him automatically made her feel safe. A shiver ran up his arm, though he didn’t know why. 

Tiler jabbed him in the ribs with a smirk. “When you’re done flirting—”

“I’m not flirting!” Key flustered, letting Lanona’s hand go.

“Whatever. Key, Lanona, we are here to do a job. Remember?” Tiler walked off to Loid who was also smothering a laugh. “Now can we start?”

“Stupid! Of course!” Lanona snapped. “But I can’t see!”

She grabbed Key’s hand again though she also gave him a shove to tell him to move on and lead her to where they would start. And though he stiffened up and led her over to Callen where he expected the warrior to urge Dannot to guide them, his heart started to beat faster for no apparent reason. And for that, his cheeks flushed. It was a good thing it was dark because the last thing he wanted to do was explain this unprecedented reaction to his teasing friends. In his gut he told himself it had to be her magic. A wizard was naturally manipulative. She was probably trying to get on his good side after their failure at Sundri.

Dannot and Callen did as he wanted, leading them into the shallow tunnels in the city. The tunnels didn’t go very far though, built in the hillside rather than magically made. Pointing to the narrow hall that opened into rooms, Dannot said, “This used to lead into Market Street, but it was closed off by a trap ages ago.”

“Can you make it open to Market Street now?” Key asked Lanona who was still clinging to his hand, staring at the darkness.

She blinked as she reached out, feeling for the wall. Sighing, Key led her through the men to the actual closed off opening, letting her hand go so she could put both palms on it. Lanona drew in a breath then closed her eyes.

He had seen wizards work before. There was an unusual balance to them in comparison to other humans. It was as if they were more than just human. Like Soin who practically danced with the water when they played in the lake when they were kids and like Lady Sadena who was as moody as the weather drawing it to her when she was upset, Lanona’s hands when touching solid things was more like a sculptor molding clay. Her work was that of a master. Even as the stone broke down and settled into particles of sand under her fingers, it shifted as if bowing to the master.

“Amazing,” Dannot murmured. His men shifted behind him uncomfortably, perhaps thinking she could do the same to their bodies.

The rock parted wide enough to walk through, creating a hole. Beyond it was an even darker tunnel that smelled wet, stale and moldy.

“Should we go in?” Dannot asked, glancing to Callen rather than Key.

Callen nodded as Key gently nudged Lanona aside, whispering that they ought get out of the way. She looked up at him and then nodded, sliding back with him to the wall.

The thugs of the Calcumum underground climbed into the dark passage first, trailing through it in pairs. It was wide enough for two to walk comfortably side by side, and there were steps going up in a gradual climb. They could feel several yards of rock were over their heads, no real air outlets to speak of though along the way they found closed vents they could open. One of the men made a spark and started to light a candle he had on hand. With that, he went to light some of the old lamps that hung on the walls. When everything was lit, the tunnels actually looked well made. A mosaic trim ran along the top above wrought iron brackets holding the lamps.

“So, this leads to Market Street?” Key asked, walking just behind the men. Lanona was on his heels. “Is that uptown?”

Dannot nodded before going on ahead. “But not close enough to your palace. You need another tunnel from uptown to reach that.”

“Are we going to the palace?” Lanona asked.

“You’re not,” Key said and climbed through the opening she had made.

“And why not?” Lanona walked after him.

Tiler and Loid followed with Callen taking up the rear.

“Because,” Key said, stepping past spider webs and other things that had grown in the time the passageway had been unoccupied. “We need you to make more tunnels in this city than just knocking down one door. If I can steal a city map, I want you to use it to pattern the tunnels to important areas.”

She hurried right next to him. “But that doesn’t explain why I can’t come to the palace with you in the beginning. I can help you out, you know.”

Key halted. “You can’t come because I don’t want you to get caught.”

“Oh?” Lanona kicked the back of his leg.

Key stumbled two paces then cast a glare back at her when he got his footing back. “Stop it. Are you trying to melt my kneecaps?”

“Don’t be stupid,” Lanona said, “Kneecaps don’t melt. Besides, no one wants you to take a risk either. The last thing we need to lose is our swordsmith.”

The men ahead of him chuckled, casting back looks at the pair of them.

Rolling his eyes, Key halted. The others nearly tripped over him, though Tiler squeezed past giving them both a look that said again for them to quit flirting. Loid followed him grinning at Key as Callen remained behind them, waiting for both Key and Lanona to go on.

“Look,” Key said to her with a glare. “Our priority is for you to hollow out the tunnels. What I am doing in Calcumum is completely unrelated. We can’t risk you getting caught even if you are a great wizard that can decimate whatever you touch. Do you understand? I’m not saying this because I don’t think you would be of help with what I have to do. I’m saying this because we need you down here.”

Lanona froze. Then she nodded, lowering her head. “But why are you taking the risk? You are one of the heads of our army. If you get caught—”

“I won’t,” Key said and started to walk again.

“But what happens if you do? What then?” She followed after him. “You can’t just take poison. We still need you.”

“I’ve made plenty of swords,” Key said as he continued on, “and I’ve already taught a few others how to improve their sword making. If I die, it won’t be that big a deal.”

“Are you crazy?” Lanona grabbed his arm.

Tiler and Loid also paused, staring back at him. Callen halted when they did. Standing around him, Key realized that he had said the wrong thing.

“What?” Key looked up at the ceiling, starting to make a face.

“You are not going,” Tiler said at last with a glance to Loid to support him. “We’ll go steal the slave for you.”

“You weren’t asked,” Key said then tried to shove through.

Loid would not let him go beyond him. “We don’t care.”

Callen heaved a sigh.

“Kemdin,” Loid took hold of Key’s arm also, replacing Lanona who sighed with relief as he took over. “If we had known you were thinking like this, we wouldn’t have let you come. This whole rescue plan is insane anyway.”

Key clenched his teeth, looking from one friend to the other. “I am going to save him, with or without you.”

“No,” Loid snapped, grabbing both of his arms now, almost shaking him. “We can’t afford to lose you.”

Staring at his friend’s face, Key blinked, reading Loid’s personal angst over the issue. His friend wasn’t just protesting because he had proved useful to their cause. Losing him once more would be hard on his Bekir friend.

“This is so stupid.” Key muttered. He then pulled from Loid’s grip, stepping back. “I’m not going there recklessly. Edman will be here to help.”

“That’s not good enough,” Loid replied.

But Tiler stepped back. “You really think that witch will be enough to get us in and out?”

Key winced. “No, but—”

“Then I am coming to help you,” Lanona said with a nod, lifting her chin with determination.

Callen shook his head, stepping through them. “No. We stick to the plan. Besides, I have a better idea.”

The two young men and one young woman were about to protest, watching him go, but the old bearded warrior already pushed through the thugs ahead of them to where Dannot had gone. Tiler and Loid cast Key a hard look that said for him to remain at the back of the group, and they hurried right behind Callen. With Lanona still peering at Key as if she thought he was acting rashly, he huffed and followed also.

Lanona grabbed his hand again, whispering as they walked. “Key, please don’t go out there. Let your friends go instead.”

He cast her a terse look out of the corner of his eye then jerked from her grasp. “Don’t you try that! I don’t know what kind of magic you do, but I won’t be manipulated. I am going to save that boy no matter what.”

“But why?” She hissed looking hurt as she followed after him. “Who is he to you?”

Key halted, closing his eyes. “He’s just like me. And I don’t want anyone to live the life that I had.”

He then continued on.

The thugs were all bunched together at the end of the long corridor, hissing and whispering as Key and Lanona arrived. Tiler and Loid had shoved through, so Key did the same with Lanona walking in his wake. The men parted for Key, though their looks on Lanona were still to the degree of leers.

 “Shh!” One of the thugs hissed. “We’re near the end! It leads to a house cellar.”

Key reached the front where Loid, Tiler and Callen were standing behind Dannot. He pushed through the remaining men. “What’s wrong?”

Dannot whispered back. “The door hatch is locked. Your wizard can probably open it, but we don’t know how many people are inside the building.”

Pushing past the thugs, Lanona also shoved Key aside though when he looked at her she almost appeared like she had been crying. Her face was bunched up when she said, “I can count the people in the building if their feet are touching the floor.”

They backed off, though when Key made room for her, Lanona avoided looking at him. It was strange.

She put her hand to the wood. Then she closed her eyes.

“Hmm. One, two…three four. And two more up higher.” She opened her eyes, talking to Dannot. “The four are on the main floor. Three of them are wearing women’s heels. One has large feet. One of the two up top is a child. The other seems to be either the nanny or the mother. Her skirts are touching the floor.”

“Four women and one man,” Dannot murmured, grinning. “I like those odds. Should we take them hostage now or later?”

“Neither,” Key said, putting himself in front of the hatch. He said to the wizard, “Lanona, is there a way to extend this tunnel to the street and make a door?”

She shrugged listlessly. “Sure.”

Immediately she pressed her hand against the stone ahead of them. It seemed to move back as if she were pushing it entirely out of existence. The excess was probably just falling into the bay like pebbles.

They walked about ten yards to where she stopped then looked up. Here she made a shaft angling upwards about