Free The Fifth Vertex (The Sigilord Chronicles) by Kevin Hoffman Page A

squinted his eyes like Remig.
    The guards started as the two stepped out of the darkness.
    "What's all the commotion? You boys know what's going on topside?" asked the first.
    They must be wondering about the armies , Urus thought.  
    "You come to relieve us so we can get topside and do some fighting?" asked the other.
    Urus and Goodwyn exchanged looks.
    "Yes, we have," Goodwyn said. "You guys get to have all the fun while we acolytes get stuck on guard duty during all the real fighting."
    "It's okay, boy," said the first guard, clapping Goodwyn on the shoulder, already on his way into the hallway. "You'll get your chance at real action someday. You'll be safer down here anyway."
    The guards ducked into the hallway and left the boys alone in an empty cell block, staring across a cook fire through iron cell bars at the prisoner.
    The tall man raised a white eyebrow but said nothing.
    Urus spun Goodwyn around, unable to contain himself any longer. He had to know. "How did you do that?"
    "What?" Goodwyn said.
    "How did you get us through the tunnels?" Urus demanded.
    "I don't know, really," he replied, looking a little uncomfortable. Goodwyn appearing uncomfortable was a rare experience. "It's like how I know where people are going to attack when I'm fighting. I just knew where the right hallways were."
    "You just knew? That's your explanation?"
    Goodwyn nodded.
    "One of you open this door; we do not have much time," Murin said in such fluent Kestian that even in the light from the fire Urus could read his lips.
    "If you speak Kestian so well, why did you make me translate an old tradesign dialect?" Urus asked.
    "I only know Kestian because you do, and now the shaman drug is wearing off," Murin said, as if that should make total sense.  
    "We didn't come down here to free you, we came to ask you questions," Goodwyn said, standing tall, hands on his hips. He looked every bit the warrior of the First Fist Urus had always wanted to be.
    "There is no time for that. The Order has four armies under their boot heels at your doorstep. To control four armies there must be at least a dozen Ibumai here, and they all want the same thing."
    "The door?" Urus asked.
    "It is so much more than that. We do not have time for this. You have to let me out so we can get to the vertex and move it, or at least protect it."
    Urus approached the cell door, gazing into the tall man's dark, blank eyes, wondering just what his game was. Urus trusted very few people, always expecting they would turn on him, make fun of him, or exclude him from something. But despite every instinct and ounce of common sense he possessed yelling at him otherwise, Urus believed Murin was telling the truth. There was a sadness, a deep sorrow behind those strange eyes that just couldn't be faked.
    Murin was holding something back. Urus saw something so terrible that the stranger couldn't bear to deal with it. It tore at him constantly, like a million poisonous bugs stinging his very soul, so excruciating it made Urus's own inner turmoil seem petty in comparison.  
    "Stop that," Murin said.
    "Stop what?" Urus asked, still mesmerized by the images floating through his mind, as though they were inspired by the emotions Murin held in check so deep within. In his mind, he stood on a cold shoreline, buffeted constantly by giant waves of sadness, torment, and guilt. In this vision, wailing spirits surged up from the waters and attacked Murin, screaming.
    "Stop!" Murin snarled, gripping the cell bars, sweat beading from his forehead.
    Urus took a step back. "I'm sorry, I-I didn't know I was doing anything."
    "You were within my mind," Murin said. "That should not be possible."
    "I wasn't trying to do anything," Urus said aloud, suddenly self-conscious. He switched to signing and glanced at Goodwyn. "My uncle said we need to find the door and protect it."
    "He did?" Goodwyn said, shocked.
    Urus slipped the key into the door and unlocked it with a firm twist. As the giant man stepped out