Free The Ways of Mages: Two Worlds by Catherine Beery, Andrew Beery

but to a Grimedian knight trained in the use of magic it was child's play. Grim quickly summoned his potential and applied the same type of aging spell to the iron that a soldier might use in the field to age wood for a campfire. The rusting metal soon degraded to the point that the big man was able to bend and break the bars with his hands.
    Unfortunately the route through the window would lead into the kee p’ s courtyard and would not provide a clean escape route. Hopefully though, Grim could use the window as a means of delaying the discovery of his true means of escape.
    He stripped the pants off of both men. The larger of the two he put on himself. The second he tied to the stub of an iron bar in the window and draped it outside the window.
    Next, turning towards the bath chamber he noted the heavy wood and metal grate on the floor used for water drainage was attached to a pulley system so as to be pulled out of its fixture. The pulley required more strength than one man could muster... even a man GrimHolden's size.  Fortunately the knight had unwitting help. He quickly lifted and hooked each of the guards off the ground and onto the chain. Thus suspended in the air they and gravity provided Grim with the strength he needed to easily pull up the grate. He slipped into the sewer system. When he released the grate it fell softly back into place thus hiding his escape.
    Hopefully the two unconscious guards hanging on the chain would simply be seen as a means of rendering them incapacitated. Grim had no illusion concerning their fate once his escape was discovered but such was the fortune they visited upon themselves when they chose the dark road with the likes of Altana and her dark lord.
     
    ***
     
    Hours lost in a smelly sewer system had done nothing to improve Grim's mood. Twice he had lifted a grate to exit the tunnels only to find he was still within the castle proper. If he couldn't find an exit outside of the walls his grand escape would be short lived.
    One thing was certain... He did not want to be down in the tunnels after dark and the light - such as it was - from the sparsely spaced grates was fading fast. Finally his ears detected the sound of rushing water and he knew he must be approaching an entrance to the underground stream that kept these tunnels clear. This caused him some concern. He could enter the stream and know definitively that it would lead eventually outside the Keeps walls. What he didn't know was whether or not the stream would maintain an air gap that would allow him to breathe. He was debating the wisdom of his next move when the decision was made for him.
    Behind him, in the distance he could hear the splashing of many feet and see the slight flickering of torchlight. He had thought to get a torch for himself but in the end had decided against it because it would ruin his night vision and in all likelihood give away is position.
    With no real option, he entered the quickly running stream. The water was warmer than he expected. He hoped this meant it had already run under the keep and thus would soon carry him to safety.
    With little warning his feet were swept out from under him and he found himself being carried along by the current. He did his best to keep his head above water and his month closed. One thing was sure... He would want a clean bath when this ordeal was over.
    The stream continued to pick up speed and despite his efforts to float on his back and reduce his profile in the water... His head started to hit the bumpy but water-smoothed ceiling. Soon there were frightening periods where the tunnel forced his head underwater. When he finally got another breath he exhaled completely and filled his lungs with as much fresh air as he could. When his head went under he deliberately entered the same meditative state he used to cast wards. If he could avoid panic and keep his oxygen needs low he should be able to increase the interval under the water he could tolerate.
    After several