Darkness and Hellfire

Chapter 41 Deep Breaths.

Isaac and Lenna followed the guard through the gate. Something about the gray stone walls caught Isaac’s eye. The stone bricks, each a foot tall, a foot deep, and two feet wide, were all perfectly identical. They all fit together perfectly as well. “Were these made by magic?” Isaac asked while staring at them.

“Yes.” Lenna and the guard said simultaneously. The guard glanced at her then continued: “Safeharbor was built by the first expeditionary force two hundred and seventy seven years ago. They brought with them a contingent of mages and construction crews for the sole purpose of creating a safety net for future expeditions.” The guard explained.

By the time the guard had finished his explanation the three of them were on the other side of the gate. “So the gray stone is conjured and the red was mined?” Isaac asked. The streets were cobbled gray stone but the sidewalks and first ten feet of each house were red stone bricks sealed with conventional mortar.

Three more guards soon aided the first in boxing them in as they walked. “Yep.” The guard replied casually.

“Four is both too much and not enough.” Isaac muttered.

Lenna replied before the guard could get too antsy. “They think we are a flight risk.”

“Ah. That makes sense.” Isaac agreed. “However, what if we are way stronger than them? It wouldn’t matter. I hope someone at least let their boss know they took two strange outsiders on a stroll through town.”

Isaac’s mouth may have been running but his eyes were wandering. The buildings on either side of the street were mostly communal housing one or two stories tall. The streets were lit the same way they were everywhere else Isaac had gone, glowing stones on ledges. The guards didn’t appreciate Isaac’s chatter but remained silent even if their anxiety grew.

“How many people live here?” Isaac asked innocently.

“A lot.” One of the new guards answered. Irritation was buried in his voice but not well enough for Isaac to not catch it.

“My Lord.” Lenna said. “You are doing it again.”

“Sorry. It’s just my first time seeing a town down here that wasn’t carved into the stone but built on top of it.” Isaac apologized. He actually wasn’t trying to antagonize the guards but was actually rather excited.

The rest of their walk was done in silence until they came across a large building two stories tall and fifty feet wide. There was only one door and it was made of solid wood with iron fittings. Upon seeing the door Isaac realized something. The wood-like material in Ben’s End and Charles III was giant mushroom fibers. He could have facepalmed but didn’t because he didn’t want the guards to get any more anxious.

The lead guard opened the door and the other three waited for Lenna and Isaac to enter before following. They closed the door behind them. Inside was a small room with a table and four guards playing a card game around it. There was another door and the duo’s lead guard opened that one and walked in as well.

Once the whole group of six entered and the door was closed behind them again the tension in the air spiked. Inside this room was a long table and a door made of iron bars. “Cozy.” Isaac said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

The lead guard turned around and faced the pair after placing his torch in a sconce. “Alright, this can go one of two ways.” He lifted a finger. “My favorite way is you place your gear on the bench, I put you two in a cell and I let the magistrate know what’s going on.” He lifted another finger. “The second is we disarm you and toss you in a cell face first and I let the magistrate know where to find you at his last convenience.”

Isaac looked at Lenna. “Well, if they don’t freak out let’s go with option one.” He didn’t have to say that there was an option three. Option three was a bloodbath in the jail’s armory.

“Understood.” Lenna replied and started taking off her helmet.

“Now I would just like to remind everyone present that we came here peacefully and I would like it to stay that way if at all possible.” Isaac told the guards.

As Lenna removed her helmet all of the guards lowered their spears. “They’re drow spies!” One of the guards yelled.

“Now, now, everybody calm down.” Isaac told them with his arms hanging lazily at his sides. His swords were still only inches away from his hands if he needed them but he hoped he wouldn’t.

“Lower your weapons. They turned themselves in. Let’s stick with the first option alright.” The guard that had led them there said and set the butt of his spear in the ground. The other three reluctantly followed suit a moment later.

“Now you see why a conversation with your magistrate is needed so I can explain why we are not drow spies and my bodyguard here is exactly that. A bodyguard.” Isaac tried to explain the situation even though he had little hope of the guards believing him with how zealous their hatred of drow likely was.

“Let’s lock you up and I’ll let the magistrate know to come see you.” The guard assured them. He then followed up with a warning. “It might be a while.” He gestured towards the table.

Isaac walked over and started unstrapping his weapons and putting them on the table. ‘I hope this is the right decision.’ He thought. ‘I just want to get all this cleared up so we can restock without me having to leave her outside each time.’

After Isaac left all of his weapons and armor on the table he stepped to the side and Lenna did the same. It only took her a minute longer than him because she actually knew what she was doing. Isaac had only fully taken off his armor twice in the past so he was still more fumbling through it than anything.

Isaac watched her doff her armor. Each movement was smooth and practiced. This was the first time Isaac had seen her without her armor and his eyes lingered on her curves. Her armor had built in padding so her under armor was only a long sleeve shirt and pants, both form fitting. Her hair was a bit of a mess and half of it was out of her braid but that did little to detract from her beauty.

She caught him staring and raised an eyebrow. He coughed and turned away staring at the ceiling and then the floor to avoid staring at her. He couldn’t see but she rolled her eyes and cracked a smirk at his childishness. When she was done the lead guard opened the iron gate and ushered the pair inside.

He led Isaac into one cell and stopped. “I’m going to have to cuff you to the wall.” He said and gestured towards a pair of chains hanging from the wall each with a singular cuff at the end. “We can’t risk you breaking out.”

Isaac was no longer starting to doubt if he had made the right decision and now was almost completely certain he had. He nodded with a hard expression on his face. ‘Worse comes to worse Lenna can probably melt her way out and get me. Who knows maybe we can still meet the magistrate and salvage this.’ Isaac thought to himself.

He walked forward and the guard cuffed him. Once the cuffs were around his wrists Isaac’s heart beat spiked. This was no longer a bad idea. This was the worst idea he had ever had. He turned to look at the guard. “Actually, can you just take us to him now maybe?” He said almost pleading.

The guard ignored him and walked out. He closed the cell door behind him and locked it. “I’ll let the magistrate know you are here. I promise.” The guard assured him. As he walked out Isaac got a clear view of Lenna.

Lenna was led into the cell opposite Isaac. ‘At least we are still close to each other.’ She thought. ‘I hope he knows what he is doing.’ She walked up to the wall and one of the two guards that had entered the cell with her cuffed her wrist. The cuff started to glow and runes lit up across its surface. She was stunned for a half a second at the antimagic cuff before she heard Isaac’s semi panicked voice across the hall.

She turned to look at Isaac but the guard was in the way and soon the other cuff was on her. “I’ll let the magistrate know you are here. I promise.” The guard that had locked up Isaac told him. Lenna was starting to question how Isaac knew he could trust this guard in the first place when she got a clear view of Isaac’s face.

Isaac was worried and being cuffed made him feel like a cornered animal. When his and Lenna’s eyes met they both swallowed hard. Lenna realized that Isaac no longer had any faith in his own plan and with the antimagic cuffs she couldn’t do anything to get them out of their current situation.

‘Why doesn’t Isaac have antimagic cuffs?’ Lenna thought to herself. ‘He doesn’t look like a mage with all those weapons. Maybe there’s a chance after all. He’s a good actor. Maybe this is all part of the plan.’ Lenna tried to reason with herself. One look at Isaac after guards left crushed that thought.

Once all the guards were out and far enough away for the two of them to talk quietly without anyone hearing Isaac broke the silence. “I think I messed up.” He confessed. “I hope I didn’t but if I did, I’m sorry.” He told her. “I really don’t like cuffs. Death magic doesn’t work on things that aren’t alive and being stuck to a wall is very unpleasant.”

Lenna cut off his rambling. “Isaac.” He didn’t respond. “Isaac!” His eyes snapped to hers. “Deep breaths. Slow, deep breaths. You need to get your breathing under control before you pass out.” She ordered him calmly and steadily to ground him. ‘Noted. Isaac doesn’t like cuffs.’ She thought to herself.

Isaac did as he was told and slowly got himself settled down. “Thank you.” He told her and then took another deep breath. “Now, how do we get out of here if this goes as wrong as I’m thinking it will?”