14Tanith
When I arrived at the doors, they were sealed shut, locking me within. I paced back and forth, trying to calm my racing heartbeat. Think. I had to think, not panic, although what I’d seen I could not be erased from my mind. Broken bones. Slashed skin. I was in a magical torture chamber, and if the sorcerers returned and caught me, what would they do?
The doors had no way of opening, and I did not understand the runes on them. I forced myself to take a deep breath and memorize the shapes to draw for Oren later. At the thought of him, a sob rose in my throat. I wasn’t sure how long I stood there, breathing shallowly, when the doors shuddered. A warning.
Wildly, I searched for a place to hide, but with the blinding light there was none. I dropped into a crouch beside the doors, listening to angry voices as they swung open. My uncle strode in, followed by sorcerers and a few priests.
“Do whatever it takes to stop him,” he snarled.
They marched toward the altar without bothering to look around. When the last of them entered, I waited a beat, then caught the door before it closed and dashed out. Sweat dripped down my neck as their argument continued, and I raced up the stairs, two at a time.
At the top, I doubled over in pain, pressing a hand to my chest as I gasped for air. Grateful no one was there to catch me, I crept back into the palace and into chaos. Shouts and cries met my ears. Something jumped on me, and with a squeak, I tossed it off. It was wet, slimy to the touch, and I gaped as I saw the carpeted floor crawling with frogs.
I tried not to step on them, but the creatures kept hopping over my feet, in my hair, on the walls. Each one I tossed off was replaced with more. The beginnings of a headache throbbed in my skull as I sought the exit, my presence ignored as the palace dealt with the crisis. I was almost to the front doors when the howl of a wolf cut through the noise. Oren was waiting for me.
Quickening my pace, I peeked into the wide hall and instantly pulled back. Guards stood in front of the double doors, blocking the exit. Even the frogs hopping around them weren’t enough to discourage them from their duty.
With a groan, I leaned against the wall. Trapped for the second time in one day. What to do? My thoughts reeled, landing on the one way I usually escaped. Retracing my steps, I cut back through the palace, following the winding halls to my old room.
Inside was dark and refreshingly free of frogs. Even the din from the palace was muted within these walls. I started toward the window when a voice made me halt. “Tanith. I hoped you’d return.”
Aunt Matzie sat on the bed, her youngest son stretched out beside her, sleeping. Questions tumbled in my head, but the howl from outside came again. I hesitated, torn between leaving or staying to speak with my aunt.
“What’s going on?” I asked, shaking a frog out of my hair. It hopped under the bed with an annoyed croak. “I got the book and your message.”
“You woke him up and broke the spell of peace. Unless you stop him, there will be war. Faren is stubborn, he will not relent, and neither will the Piper. They will tear this city apart.”
“Why?” I demanded, my voice rising to a higher pitch with each word. “Do you know where I’ve been? Down in the vault, those magical torture chambers, did you know about those?”
“It’s not what you think,” Aunt Matzie said evenly, almost coldly.
“What is it then?” I bristled. “If you won’t tell me, how do you expect me to help?”
She sighed, shoulders wilting as she glanced at her son. Keeping her voice low, she spoke quickly. “There isn’t time to explain. You’ll have to trust me. Those creatures in the vaults are animals. They aren’t human, not like you and I, and if they are released, they will use their magic to obliterate us. If the Piper frees them, they will follow him, look to him as their master, and he has no kindness in his heart, no remorse. Go back with him, find out his secrets and let me know what you discover. If we work together, we can stop him.”
“What about the vault? What I saw was inhumane. We don’t even treat our animals like that!”
Lifting her shoulders, she pressed her lips together. “Trust me, Tanith. Magic built everything here. It keeps the city alive. I gave you the book to help you understand because you are smarter than I am. If anyone can figure this out, it will be you.”
I didn’t like that kind of pressure, that belief in my abilities. Pinching the bridge of my nose with my fingers, I tried to calm down and think of a question that would prove useful to me. “When I was in the crypt, I saw a glowing, crystal pyramid. The book did not mention it. What does it mean?”
She sighed. “Tanith, what madness drove you to his tomb?”
Instead of responding, I glanced at the window, waiting for her to go on.
“In history, pyramids are a symbol of resurrection, the return to life after death. As long as he lay undisturbed, the crystal kept him asleep.”
Ah, I should have guessed as much. “Now that he’s awake, does it carry any power?”
She frowned. “I don’t know. If you find it and bring it here, perhaps the sorcerers can spell it again.”
I licked my lips, unsure of what to commit to, and moved to the window.
“Tanith, when you have more, find me here.”
I nodded, my thoughts a swirl of confusion as I climbed down. Beneath me, frogs wiggled and squirmed, a disturbing mass leaving a sticky residue everywhere they went. Grimacing, I jumped into their midst, squashing them underfoot.
The scream of the death horse made me tense, and I spun as it galloped toward me. It moved with such dizzying speed, I had no time to react as Oren’s hand came down and dragged me up in front of him. He bent low over the horse’s back as he sped away from the palace of hidden horrors.
