Free The Dragon Hunter and the Mage by V. R. Cardoso Page B

about to pop. The closet moved across the floor but squeaked so loud that everyone in the inn had surely heard. He looked at the room’s door again and saw the door knob spin.
    Crap!
    Like lightening, he grabbed the closet’s door and spun it wide open, hoping it was large enough to cover the secret passage that was now visible. The Legionnaire entered the room with a confused look on his face.
    “Damn old furniture…” Doric said, still holding the closet door. “Squeals like an Akhami pig.” He bent into the closet and inhaled. “Smells like one, too.”
    The Legionary laughed, then wished him good night and left. Doric sighed with relief, before returning to inspecting the secret door. He peeked through the lock and saw an empty room on the other side. Cautiously, he opened the door and crossed to the other room. It was just like his, except for the entrance door which was placed perpendicularly to his own, meaning it led out to a different corridor.
    Once again, very carefully, he opened it and peeked outside, trying to be as quiet as possible. It was indeed a different corridor, and it was unguarded, but the secret note did not have any further instructions. What was he supposed to do now? He figured it shouldn’t be too hard to get out of the inn from there.
    Tip toeing, he walked to the end of the corridor and down a flight of stairs where he found a dark pantry with bags full of potatoes, beans, and onions. There were muffled voices coming from nearby, which probably belonged to the Legionaries who had brought him there.
    He took a look around, searching for a way out. It was clearly the back of the inn, so there should be some kind of service door around, and he soon discovered that he was right. He found it right after a row of wine barrels, and almost stopped for a cup. If he was really going to see Cassia after all these years, he sure could use one. But he was more afraid to get caught than he was thirsty, so he decided to leave the barrels alone and get the hell out of there.
    Once outside, he started running like a mad man, his heart jumping, and did not slow down until he turned three corners. He stopped to catch his breath. All he had to do now was get to the old part of town. He remembered the Old Temple, but could not understand why Cassia had chosen it. There were so many places in the capital that had a special meaning for them. The Moon Garden, where they had kissed for the first time, The Lost Tunnels, which they always visited on their trips to Augusta… Why the Old Temple?
    Because after fifteen years she obviously doesn’t feel the same away about you, he thought. She probably just wanted to know if he was alright.
    Doric disappeared into the crowd. In Augusta, the streets were never empty.
    The Old Temple was stuck between a series of abandoned houses. Once upon a time it had been the center of the city, now it was home to rats and homeless people. The streets had never been cobbled so Doric hopped between dry portions of road, trying to avoid the mud and the puddles of water and urine.
    The Temple building, the oldest in Augusta, had its walls covered in moss. The entrance was a stairway into the underground, where the Temple nave was located. In fact, the visible part of the building was merely decorative, as it had been built centuries ago during the Great Dragon Scourge, when cities were still built underground. In those days, the size of the Temple would have been mind blowing. Now, though, it looked like a smelly basement. Everyone knew that every Priest or Priestess not aligned with the Supreme Sister could end up presiding over the celebrations in there.   
    Doric walked down the stairs. The steps had been polished by time and were damp from Ava knew what. Wrinkling his face in disgust, he placed a hand on the wall, afraid of losing his step. A calico cat jumped away when he stepped near him.
    What a dreadful place….
    The nave had a reddish color thanks to the candles that had