Chapter 22
Will cried out in frustration when the sense of Kell once again was lost to him. He looked around, breath coming short and fast, eyes wide with anxiety that he didn't seem able to contain or control.
The sweet, gentle fluttering in his chest had been the only guidance he'd had in this mad-dash search for the prince, the only hope Will had of finding him alive. A few times he'd sensed Kell awake and had corrected his course by it, in-between frantic, frustratingly empty hours when he'd sensed nothing and could only hope he was going in the right direction.
So close, he just knew he'd been close this time. Kell's presence had been prolonged, jumbled with emotion, like he'd been awake and aware, maybe even moving of his own accord.
The horse stumbled under him and Will frowned with concern. He patted the sweaty neck absently, and let healing magic laced with spiritkin enter the large body. He couldn't afford the animal going down under him. The ears pricked forward again, and the head came up a bit higher.
And now Kell was missing again. He clenched a hand, hardly noticing the fizz of airkin that seeped between his fingers.
~Will. You need to calm down,~ Ashiná murmured within him.
"I can't," he ground out. He steered the horse down a trail hardly visible in the dark even to his sorcerer's sight, and it threw with its head in displeasure.
~You should at least let the animal rest. You can't continue to heal it like this, or soon you will have no strength left. Nor will the horse.~
Will sighed and frowned. She was right of course. Even if he could heal the horse indefinitely, its body would soon collapse anyway, for it needed to rest from the healing as well. And they needed water, the horse most of all. It had stopped sweating some hour ago.
Will pulled to a halt by a large leafy tree, the thick branches stretching wide overhead. He knew from experience that its roots would find easy water and that he could follow them to it. He dismounted, making sure the horse was tethered, before he set about to pull water from the earth. It wasn't easy, he was too distressed, his focus too scattered, and waterkin spells had never been one of his stronger ones.
Eventually, after much restless shifting and strained deep breathing, he managed it. The horse snorted in alarm at the large drops of clear water that seeped up between roots and grass to gather in a large, wobbly sphere before Will's hands. But even this strange occurrence couldn't keep the horse from taking a few steps forward and drinking its fill once it had scented the water.
Will felt bad for it, ashamed at the way he had treated it, gently scratching the long neck in apology as it drank. The horse sighed with satisfaction once it was done, and Will took care to collect the rest of the water in the flasks from the saddle.
He stood motionless then, lost and empty, bereft of purpose. It was an uncomfortable feeling, not knowing what to do or how.
~Maybe you should meditate.~
~How can I? I can hardly concentrate enough to pull water.~
~If you're this scattered when you come upon them, they will defeat you with no effort. Will, you must calm yourself.~
Gods, he realized that. Knew in his bones just what an easy target he made right now. But even if Kell had been right before him, he'd not been able to meditate.
~What is it I'm feeling? I can't even… Ashiná?~
~I think it's the unfinished bond between you. Without a clear path you can't control what to receive from him and what to block. Nor can he prevent his feelings from reaching you.~
~Gods, he doesn't even know I've bonded with him!~ More frustration, more anxiousness to make him even more agitated.
~It doesn't matter now, Will.~ She touched him, like a warm hand on his cheek, and for an instant he almost wanted to shake it off. Dismayed at his own behavior he took a deep breath, tried to settle under her gentle care.
After a few minutes his breathing calmed, his eyelids began to droop, and even the shifting of the horse's large body couldn't make him look up.
Something tickled him, like the tip of a stalk of grass in the back of his neck. So gently he almost dismissed it for something Ashiná was doing. But it wouldn't go away.
~I feel it too,~ Ashiná murmured.
Will turned slowly, trying to discern what it was and where it came from. East of where he stood, no, more to the north. Like a moth's wing on his forehead now. He hesitated, if this wasn't the right way he'd lose valuable time. Ashiná murmured encouragingly at him. Pulling the horse with him, he slowly started walking that way, letting his sorcerer's sight guide him.
* * * * * * * *
It smelled of damp air and mould where he lay. Even before opening his eyes he could tell he was alone. Kell moved his head with a groan, muscles protesting. In the faint, indirect light finding its way down from above he saw a rough stone floor and equally unfriendly walls. There was a clinking sound when he moved his hands and he looked down in bewilderment. Iron manacles sat securely around his wrists, barely inches of chain between them, and he followed the rest of its trailing length to a hole several feet away where it disappeared beneath the floor. He was likewise secured around his ankles, though they were only attached to each other with a foot of chain.
Swallowing in growing apprehension he felt the hard edges of a ring around his neck, the cold iron chafing against his skin as he flinched with growing panic. Trapped. Gods! Yanking his hands up to tear at the collar he almost choked himself when the chain attached to it pulled taut. He gasped, beginning to tremble, and forced himself to lower his hands. The pressure on his throat eased.
Looking around at the walls circling him, like the very old dungeons back in the capital, smelling of rot and earth, he couldn't help but envision all kinds of horrible things. He struggled to sit, rolling to his side to be able to use his hands without cutting off precious air. There was a wooden door to his left, but he didn't think he could reach it with the collar and the chain. And scaling the tall walls was unthinkable if they were as slippery as they seemed.
What was the purpose of this? Why chain him in such a fashion if he had no means of escape? Cruel, clever contraption. He would be unable to fighting back when they came for him, as they surely would. He couldn't even reach his own face with his hands without choking himself.
Kell took stock of his body, the numerous small hurts and the dried blood on his chin that he couldn't wipe off. Noting the lack of clothing; they had left him with only his breeches and shirt, even his boots were gone and the stones were cold under his naked feet. He contemplated standing but felt too unsteady, must be the blow to the head still affecting him. He contemplating screaming to see what attention he'd get, but that was unacceptable, he'd not give them the satisfaction of showing his fear that way. And he dreaded to see who'd come through the door.
His men were surely out there looking for him at this very moment, surely Will was. He'd be free of this underground prison in short order and would deal with his captors in no merciful fashion. Abducting a prince, holding him against his will, and bodily hurt him were no small crimes; the King would give them the death sentence, if the bastards were let to live that long past their capture. Will would heal him of his hurts, hold and caress him until all this were just a fading memory.
Thinking of Will eased the knot in Kell's gut somewhat, made the walls look less threatening. He took a breath, deciding to be calm and strong, not letting them see his fear, not willing to let them know how easily they could defeat him. It was a simple thing to convince himself to be strong in his solitude, however bleak it seemed, but when there was the muffled sound of boots and the clank of a lock and a bolt being opened from the outside, he could no longer pretend.
He scrambled to his feet, nearly yanking himself off balance when the chain proved shorter than he'd thought. Standing there, trembling with the sudden rush of adrenaline and tightly coiled fear, his hands outstretched by necessity and not even reaching chest high, he keenly felt the helplessness return. Clenching his fists he hoped the fear didn't show on his face.
But of course it did. The first man through was the same one who'd grinned and taunted him and held him captive. He grinned widely now when he looked at Kell, and stepped aside to let his bearded companion in. The man was scowling but there was a glint of something not quite sane in his eyes. Kell was instantly wary.
"Where am I?" he asked, and heard the tremble in his voice.
"Somewhere safe," the leader said, smug and confident.
"Safe?" Kell said, incredulous. "You've taken me from my men –"
"Who said it was safe for you?" The man laughed at the look on Kell's face. "You won't be hurt, your highness," he murmured, his voice low and disturbingly soothing. "But you need to cooperate with us."
Kell frowned, keeping a careful eye on the bearded one who had slowly begun circling him. "Cooperate. Why? My father will not be merciful when he captures you; he'll send the entire army down upon you."
"Yes, if they can find us," came the amused answer. "We're not concerned about your King father. If we decide to leave you down here they'll never find you, not even have a corpse to bury."
Dread began to knot in his gut again. Then hands were on his shoulders, pulling him back against a wide chest, and he cried out in alarm. Twisting to get free he only succeeded in bruising his wrists and throat, and coughed as air was again taken from him.
"Calm now, your highness." The man walked closer, lazily pulling a piece of cloth from his belt. "We've got to put this on you. Cannot have you recognizing any faces." His grin now was disconcerting and Kell held still as he neared, trembling and at a disadvantage in the other man's firm grip.
It was a blindfold and Kell jerked back as the man reached up to put it on him. He gasped as the surroundings vanished under the dark cloth, nearly whimpering as they tied it behind his head. Then they both stepped back and fell eerily silent. For a long, drawn-out moment there was nothing but his own labored breaths filling the room. Then the sound of boots as they left.
He was locked in again with a last, gleeful, "Good luck, your highness."
"No," he whimpered. "No!" It came out a scream that echoed off the walls around him.
He tried reaching the blindfold, the coarse cloth another link in the chains holding him here, a simple way to keep him helpless and vulnerable. He couldn't reach it, not even kneeling did the chain allow much range, and he cried out in frustration.
Gods of earth and air! Please help me!
* * * * * * * *
Will mounted up when he thought he had a fair sense of which direction he should go, winding his way through the trees and hoping the horse would find its own footing, trusting it could see well enough by the rising sun. The strange sensation was coming stronger now, like he was nearing its source. He felt it on the whole of his face, on his shoulders, more like ripples in the air, in the very fabric of it.
~What is it?~ he wondered absently. He'd never felt anything like it.
~I can't tell, it's almost like it's making me dizzy.~
Will frowned; Ashiná could get dizzy? He'd never heard of such a thing.
There came a breeze from among the thick trunks of the trees, making Will gasp with the sudden pressure it put on his chest. He yanked the horse to a stop, clinging to the saddle as it took a few agitated steps sideways. The animal had felt it too, which meant it was a physical manifestation of whatever power was hiding ahead.
After a moment he dared go forward again, having to kick the horse's flanks when it balked. The pressure grew slowly with each step, weighing him down into the saddle, making his head a heavy lump on his neck. It was a pulsing, of power and purpose, and Will shivered at the strength of it. The horse snorted and whinnied in distress, stumbling ahead with labored breaths.
A sudden screech in his ears made him grit his teeth and cry out, almost blinded by the pain it caused. He kicked the horse, making it leap forward when it would've rather turned and run. And in the next moment it was all gone.
Will jerked on the reins, sitting upright and staring confused around him. Even the horse seemed baffled, its breath coming in loud puffs, its ears flicking this way and that.
~Ashiná?~
~Yes.~
~Gods, what was that?~
~I don't know.~
Will frowned. He looked around, suspicious of the sudden lifting of it all. "Like we crossed a ward." He looked back the way they'd come but could see nothing out of the ordinary of an old forest, nothing to show him where the edge of the ward lay.
~I've never felt a ward like it, never so strongly.~
There was a clearing up ahead, the early morning sun finding its way through the foliage. He steered that way and the horse went eagerly all of a sudden. Its step grew lighter, its ears pricked forward and it stretched its neck in eagerness. Will almost stopped, concerned at this new behavior, when he realized he felt so much more clearheaded all of a sudden. Like he'd had a good night's sleep, or hours of mediation.
* * * * * * * *
Kell jerked upright at the sound of the lock being turned, almost oblivious of the pressure on his throat as he scrambled to his feet. He felt a gust of fresher air on his face as the door opened, and a shiver of apprehension passed down his spine. He stood there, waiting for someone to speak or move, but nothing more happened. Not a sound reached him, no words, no taunting. He turned and tilted his head to try and pick up any sound, but it was like they'd left again.
Then a sixth sense, like that of a cornered prey, told him he was not alone. He flinched, wanting to reach up and tear the cursed blindfold from his eyes to confront his jailor, to face them and accuse them, and demand they let him free.
He sensed them moving, the whisper of cloth – pants, tunic –the only sound to reveal their location. To his right, now behind him, slowing and stopping at his left. Like they were studying him, appraising, judging.
"Who are you?" He'd wanted it to sound imposing but it came out just as small and frightened as he felt.
No answer. Not even a taunting laugh. Who was he to impress them, now, here, like this?
"What do you want?" A bit more strength to his voice now. Ignore the tremble in it. "What is the meaning of this? I demand you let me go."
And still no answer.
A minute passed this way. Two, and Kell began to wonder if he'd been left alone again, only he'd not heard their footsteps or the door close. If they'd gone and left the door open..? Why? To taunt him with it when he couldn't see it?
"Hello?" he asked of the air, quiet and hesitant, and not sure whether he hoped for an answer or not.
Something touched his arm, soft through the sleeve of his shirt, and then it was gone. Kell flinched, wary of someone coming into his personal space. Then it was back and he could discern fingers trailing up his arm to his shoulder. He gasped and twisted, the chain rattling and stretching taut for a moment to remind him of his vulnerability. "Gods!" he cursed on a breath. "What is the meaning of this?"
Still no answer. Only the sound of a breath pulled too fast. The hand was back, touching the braid down his back and fingering the tie at the end.
"Don't!" He wanted so much to move away, escape, fight back. And all he could do was stand there, for pulling on the chains too hard would do him no good, only render him unconscious and completely at their mercy.
A voice at the back of his head asked if not oblivion was to prefer, at least then he'd not know what they did to him.
They paid no heed to his wishes, the hand lingering on his back, fingers pressing gently as if to test the muscles along his spine or count the dips and knobs of bone. Gods, if they were out to hurt him, cripple him, he'd have no way of stopping them.
Will! Please!
Then he heard their step, backing away to the door, and he heard hinges and the lock and bolt fall back into place.
He was alone. Alone and trembling violently now that he couldn't hold his reactions back. There was a lump in his throat that threatened to choke him as surely as the collar, and when he next pulled a breath it broke out in a sob. Tears were leaking from behind his lashes, wetting the cloth and tasting of salt as they ran across his lips.
* * * * * * * *
It was like nothing he'd ever seen, nothing he'd ever imagined to find out here. A tower stood in the middle of the clearing, wider around its base than at the top, and not a seam between the large, white stones were visible – as if it had been carved out of one single block. It was imposing in its inaccessibility, looming over him. Will pulled to a halt, staring up along the tower's side, momentarily mesmerized by this incongruity, wondering how such a thing could exist without anyone ever having spoken of it. It exuded the strangest sense of magic he had ever felt in any manmade object.
~This is what's centering the ward?~
~I don't know, Will. There's so much magic, I cannot tell for certain where it's all coming from.~
Will wondered at the uncertainty in his guardian's voice; she'd been confused a lot lately. ~What is this place?~
He steered the horse in a wide circle around the tower, looking for a sign that it was inhabited or recently used. For what purpose he couldn't fathom, why it stood here so far out in the forest, no roads or villages within reasonable distance. No sigh of human activity anywhere.
There is no door, he realized when his circuit around it was almost complete. Why build a tower you couldn't enter?
~Will! Over there!~
He swung around in the saddle, prepared to release a spell, but there was no one there, no threat. At first he couldn't understand why Ashiná had cried out like that, but then his eyes fell on the low stone circle of a well, its top nearly overgrown with moss and lichen.
It seemed an ordinary well, except for its unordinary location; old, dried up, and maybe that was why there were no people living here. But then Will felt something, the magic coming from it. Like a breeze of fresh spring air, apples, a drop of rain. He dropped down from the saddle, carefully gathering an Earthkin spell, and walked over.
~Something...~ Ashiná trailed off, puzzled.
Will stopped a few feet away, eyeing the top of the well, wary of what might come out of it at his uninvited investigation. Wary of what it might be to make it feel so different from the rest of the clearing, the tower rising behind him.
Spring and apples and rain, and it were pulling him closer. He leaned over the edge, not knowing what to expect. He couldn't really see that far down into the dusky interior, the moss had grown up from the depth of the well, mingling with the small plants that had found purchase between the old stones. He almost turned away, disappointed that it held nothing more, almost dismissed it for unimportant.
Something stirred within. Something different from the snails and bugs that usually inhabited such moist, dark places. A scent of spring, apples, a touch of a butterfly's wing. It called to him from the bottom, beckoned for his undivided attention.
~Oh, gods,~ Ashiná said breathlessly, an instant before Will truly understood what it was he was seeing.
"Oh, no. Gods of mercy! Kell!" He almost tumbled over the edge in alarm, in shocked recognition of the prince's motionless body at the bottom of the hole. "KELL!"
But the prince didn't move, made no sign of hearing his desperate cries.
Will looked around in desperation. "I have to get down there!" He started gathering airkin spells, preparing to levitate into the well.
~Will, no!~
~But he's down there!~ He grasped at the edge and got a foot on top of it.
~No! If you use airkin he will suffocate before you reach him!~
He cried out in frustration, it was true; a concentrated airkin spell in such a confined space would suck all the breathable air out of there. "Gods! What do I do?!" He felt his hands shaking on the stones and clenched them. Kell was so close!
~The tower.~
Will turned. "But there's no way in!"
~There must be. You have to find it.~
He stood indecisive for a moment longer, body trembling with the choice he had to make, then leaned back over the well. "Kell! I'm coming to you. Oh, gods. Hold on, my prince!"
It was the hardest moment of his life, turning and walking away.
* * * * * * * *
Kell woke some time later, hours, minutes, he couldn't tell, but his body knew it'd been longer than it cared for. His bladder ached, his stomach did, and he wondered if they'd see to his basic comforts. His throat was dry, not having had anything to drink since... gods, before they'd left camp? How long had it been? He could feel stubble itching on his chin.
He hesitated to call out since he didn't wish them to come back and be subjected to the unnerving touches and silences again.
His body demanded attention, that he'd see to its needs, and he wondered how. In this place, without the use of his hands, how could he take care of himself without soiling his clothes? He winced as his nether regions twinged in pain, full beyond capacity. Whimpering Kell climbed to his feet, shifting in discomfort and embarrassment.
"Hello?" he called. "Is anyone there?" He hesitated to tell them what was the matter, yelling it for all to hear, what people there were; he'd rather they come and ask in person.
He waited another minute, cramping, clenching his hands when he wanted to reach out and relieve himself. No one came, no boots outside to let him know they'd heard him. What if they'd gone? What if they'd left this place, left him to slowly die and rot in this underground prison.
Kell cried out incoherently, shaking his hands so the chain clinked and chimed in a mockery of music.
He felt the first drops of warmth wet his smallclothes, the stains spreading as he could no longer keep it back. It ran down the inside of his leg, gathering at his feet in the crevices between the stones of the floor, and he despaired that he'd have to lie in it.
He was crying, biting his lip not to let it sound too loudly in the room, but it was a losing battle.
Look at the proud prince heir now, a voice taunted him. He who can fight his own battles, he who is so strong and able.
Kell shook his head, trying to bring back that certainty, that belief in himself that he could endure this. He was stronger than this. He was sure of it. Will had told him so.
* * * * * * * *
The stones were as well joined together up-close as they had seemed from afar. He felt with his hands and fingers along every thin seam within reach for a lever or hinges or a lock. But there were none.
"Gods! How do I get in!" He was desperate, too upset to focus or think. The spells he held sizzled around his hands, sparks igniting and bouncing off the stones. Something passed along his skin, through his hands. His magic was responding to something on the other side. It was taunting him, pricking at him with defenses and spells gathered and held ready for him.
Will would not have it. He chose Earthkin and Firekin spells, weaving them together and holding them until they almost seared his hands.
~Be careful!~
~I am.~ He gritted his teeth, holding on. Just a moment longer and the spells would be strong enough to blast through.
~You don't know what could happen if you use too much force. The tower could come down around you.~
~I'll take that risk.~ Kell was down there, he'd do anything to get to him.
Stone groaned and ground and cracked. Air smelling of mould and dust and ages seeped out through the cracks. Will forced it, wrenching it open. More! Wider!
Open! he willed it, and the stones burst into pieces, pelting him with dust and shards.
* * * * * * * *
Twice more they came. Always only to watch and touch, and each time he pleaded to be freed. They didn't care that he'd soiled himself, probably just enjoyed this further bit of humiliation. Nor did they give him water or something to eat, even though he begged them to.
Their hands grew bolder, getting more intimate in their touches, and each time it left Kell trembling and crying when they left. To not know who they were, what they wanted with him, to not have his questions and pleads answered, it was unnerving and frustrating and terrifying, for it told Kell he mattered none to them.
He felt himself growing weaker, listless without food. Resigned to die here where no one would find and liberate his body.
* * * * * * * *
Will stepped carefully around the broken stones and debris that had fallen down the circling stairwell on the other side of the wall. He was wary of this place, more so when he'd realized there were no stairs leading up the tower, only down below it. Why build a tower you had no intention of climbing? The walls were rough and dry where he'd come in, but got more damp and almost smooth as he descended.
~Will, I can feel... –ing. Up – ...~
~What? Ashiná?~ Her voice sounded muffled, like she was speaking from behind a cloth, or from down a long tunnel, he could barely hear her. ~Ashiná?~
~Will! I have... - It's not sa- …~
~Ashiná!~
She was gone. He couldn't hear her, couldn't feel her presence within where she resided. He felt empty, hollow. Alone in a way he hardly remembered since before she'd come to him all those years ago. It was the most unnerving feeling and for a blinding moment he almost turned back to find her.
But Kell was down here, waiting, in need. Kell, the one he was to protect to the extent of his powers, to the end of his own life.
Kell. Gods! I'm coming! He clenched his hands and continued down, slow and careful of his footing.
The darkness was almost palpable at the bottom of the stairs and not even his sorcerer's sight could penetrate it. Lighting a Firekin spell he was surprised and dismayed to see a corridor leading off into the earth, not the doorway to where Kell lay.
The straightness of the corridor began to frustrate him. Up above the well had only been a few yards away. It couldn't be this far between tower and well, and he wondered if this was even the way. Had he missed a door somewhere? Was there another corridor leading off from the stairs?
A howling like of a wind reaches his ears, and he stopped, startled at this strangeness. There should be no wind underground. No ordinary wind, and now it was coming at him from down the hall. Will staggered a few steps, drew breath at the green he could see with sorcerer's sight swirling towards him. It hit him with a sting to his exposed skin, smelling of dust and decay. Will shielded his nose and mouth with an arm, and gathered an airkin spell to strike back.
It worked, slowly the wind eased, the smell receded, and he straightened. Something glittered in the wall by his head, catching the light from his Firekin, and he looked at it. A stone, dark at first glance but with streaks of green in its depths. Will frowned but hadn't the time to study it closer.
The corridor continued ahead, straight and without the hint of a crossing or a door. Maybe the doors down here were hidden like in the tower, but how could he know? Where would he begin to look? He hurried on, hand held high to spread more light.
A rumble under his feet and Will came to a halt, staring ahead to discern this new threat. He could hear it growing, like the earth itself was awakening, moving. A crack like lightning in the wall next to him made him jump and turn, and in that split second he saw a large boulder come rolling down the corridor behind him.
"Oh gods!" he breathed and frantically threw an Earthkin spell at it.
It hardly slowed. Will gritted his teeth and raised both his hands, determined to stop it or it would crush him in another moment.
Earthkin and Airkin and Spiritkin spells, and Will wove them all together in a mesh as quickly and as tightly as he could make it. The boulder was upon him and he threw his spells over it, a cry slipping past his lips as he forced it all to a stop. It crashed against his spells, into the wall, and Will was thrown to the ground by the force of it. Dust and pebbles rained down over him, and he coughed.
A moment passed when he just lay there, slowing his breathing and taking stock of himself. Nothing broken or bleeding, just a bruise from where he had hit the wall with his shoulder. He looked up, surprised and not a little uneasy at the large piece of cracked rock leaning precariously against the wall next to him. He edged away along the floor, moving carefully as not to disturb it.
A new Firekin spell and he set off again, limping just a little and hardly caring. How much farther could it be? Gods, he must hurry.
Then suddenly the corridor turned and Will stopped abruptly, apprehensive and wary of what might be waiting around the corner. He slowly moved closer, holding his spells ready, the Firekin raised high to better see.
But there was nothing. Just another stretch of dark, empty corridor. A sound of frustration slipped past his lips. Had he gone in the wrong direction after all? The hallway was mocking him with its emptiness. Will slammed a fist against the wall, a curse on his lips, and the stone shifted at the impact.
Will stared at it. It had moved, he was sure of it. He hit it again, and again it shifted, old mortar falling to the floor. He took a step back and placed his hand flat against the wall. An Earthkin spell tickled at his palm and he let it seep into the stones, the mortar, and they started breaking. He wondered absently why it was easier to destroy them down here than it had been when getting into the tower, but the sudden crack and fall of several of them had him jumping back.
Will stood panting for a moment, waiting for his heart to stop pounding quite so hard. There was darkness on the other side of the wall. More darkness, and Will cursed again. But there was sound and he leaned towards the opening to look. It was a narrow passage, rough stone untouched by human hands, and twisting just beyond the reach of Will's Firekin spell. He squinted but there was nothing to see.
The sound grew louder, a murmur like of water, and he jerked back. Oh, no. Gods! If he'd let water lose...
It came slowly trickling down the passage floor, glinting in the light of his spell. It smelled fresh at first, but as it started seeping down the walls of the passage the smell of decay became stronger.
Will stepped back, his free hand held ready to pull earth and stone closed against the water. It grew slowly but steadily higher inside the passage before it spilled over the ragged edges of the opening. Will didn't waste another moment, pulling at the floor and the walls to close it in. It was suddenly hard to make the spells obey him, like they were slipping through his fingers, and he had to grit his teeth and grasp harder at them.
But the wall started to close and soon there was nothing but a small crack still leaking water in drops. Will stood panting, his boots in a puddle on the floor, leaning against the wall and wondering what was happening to him.
"Ashiná..." he whispered, asking for help, before he remembered she wasn't with him.
He pushed upright with a groan and looked down the corridor he'd come from. No use going back where he'd already been. Hesitantly he started the other way, hoping he was prepared for what lay ahead.
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