Free 05 Dragon Blood: The Blade's Memory by Lindsay Buroker

people.” Kaika headed down the passage, with Cas walking behind her.
    Sardelle followed several steps behind, glad that sword would not be at her back.
    After about a hundred and fifty meters of scrambling over boulders and ducking broken supports, they reached the brick wall Sardelle had sensed. Judging by the tightness of the mortar and the brightness of the brick, the construction had occurred within the last couple of decades, unlike the tunnel behind them, which seemed as ancient as the harbor itself. Maybe it truly had been the invention of the dragon fliers that had convinced those dwelling in the castle that an underground escape route was no longer necessary.
    “We’ll be at the basement level, if not lower, right?” Kaika rested her ear against the bricks for a moment, then dropped her pack and dug into it.
    “There’s a wine cellar on the other side,” Sardelle said, “then a food storage area above it and the kitchen above that.”
    “Good to know. That shouldn’t be busy at this time of night.”
    “The cellars are empty. There are two women in the kitchen washing dishes and mopping.”
    Kaika looked at her.
    “Too much information?” Sardelle had assumed Kaika would appreciate any intelligence she could get before they barged in.
    “No. I was thinking Nowon and I should have taken you when we infiltrated the Cofah volcano lab. You’re like a really fancy spyglass that can see through walls.”
    “Thank you,” Sardelle said, not quite able to keep the dryness out of her voice. What would her childhood instructors think to have her two decades of training summed up in a comparison to a spyglass?
    Kaika donned gloves, pulled out what appeared to be a ceramic pot with a spout, and stuck a metallic ribbon through a hole. Next, she tugged thick goggles over her head. Sardelle had assumed her concoction would work similarly to Tolemek’s goos, but perhaps it did not.
    “You two might want to stand back again,” Kaika said. “There will be some sparks and heat, and a stench that will fry your nose hairs.”
    “That was going to happen tonight one way or another,” Cas said.
    Sardelle and Kaika looked at her.
    “Either here or via the sewer route.” Cas wrinkled her nose.
    “Ah.”
    Kaika lit the ribbon, and Sardelle backed away.
    “Lieutenant, if you want to put out your pig sticker, that might be good. Just in case Freckles here isn’t as omniscient as she thinks and there’s a wine steward selecting a vintage a few feet away.”
    “It’s a dragon sticker,” Cas said.
    “Yes, whatever. It’s glowing like my cheeks after a twenty-mile run. Or an exhilarating night in someone’s bunk.”
    “That turns you a sickly green?” Sardelle asked.
    Kaika grinned back at her. “Depends how much exertion was involved.”
    Cas sheathed the sword, dropping darkness onto the tunnel. Soon, the promised sparks came from the brick wall. Kaika turned her back to them, so Sardelle could not see exactly what she was doing.
    Something smellier and less efficient than what I could do , Jaxi said.
    I thought you wanted to rest your powers in case we need them later.
    That was before Kasandral there started showing off his light-making ability.
    Sorry, did you want me to rush to pull you out first in the next room? So you can show off your glow?
    It would certainly be more attractive than the vomit green light he shines, but I wanted to deliver a warning, not brag about my abilities.
    Sardelle shifted her weight, uneasiness creeping into her gut . A warning about the sword?
    No, about that guard you sensed. He told his buddies that he saw someone moving around out on the rocks, and now security is sending a couple of people out to look.
    Any chance you can keep them from seeing that hole? Sardelle doubted she could create an illusion to fool someone from that far away, but Jaxi was more powerful than she.
    Probably, but if someone falls through it, he’ll probably notice it’s there.
    Do your best.