“So, up or down?” Thord said. “The dungeons, or the royal halls?”

Tiriel thought for a moment. “Both,” she said. “If we go to the dungeons we can almost certainly free Caveria, but then we will have to fight the Duke and his forces. If we go for the sword, they may well threaten Caveria. If we do both, we may catch them by surprise. If we are quick.”

Arndrir looked less than thrilled. “I do not see much chance of success assaulting the dungeons in a small party without a battle mage.”

The old dwarf stepped in. “If I may. We have discussed among us and we believe we are on the same side in this. We are willing to arrange a diversion and also to send one of our own battle mages.”

“I’ve never met a dwarven battle mage,” Arndrir said curiously.

“We do not usually advertise ourselves or go around looking for fights. But we have strong magic underground.”

“Earth magic,” Serah said, nodding.

“We must decide,” Tiriel said impatiently. “I go for the sword.”

“I go to the dungeons,” Arndrir said, echoed by Thord.

“I will go for the sword as well. A healer isn’t very useful in the dungeons, but may be able to move less conspicuously in the palace.”

“Peter?” Tiriel looked at me. “Where do you go?”

I froze, being forced to choose. I had just gone along with the others so far... Both things sounded extremely dangerous.

“Well?” Tiriel looked exasperated.

“Uh,” I said. “I’ll go with Arndrir.” He was at least more predictable.

Tiriel looked as if she was about to say something to me, but didn’t.

“Right,” she said instead and turned to the dwarven Cave Master. “We are ready.”

He nodded. “We are almost ready. We will lead you into one of the secret supply tunnels under the square. There we will create diversions in three different places, while you emerge into corridors in the castle. Glaur will go with you to the dungeons.”

“Serah,” Tiriel said. “A word with you.” They stepped aside for a brief, vigorous discussion.

Another dwarf trotted up to us and bowed. “Be hailed, searcher party of the Elven King. I am Glaur, battle mage of the Kaabaz mines. I am honored to meet you.”

Tiriel and Serah came back and Tiriel bowed in return.

“Be hailed, honored battle mage. I am honored to meet you and welcome you into our party.”

“Are we ready to proceed?” he asked. Tiriel gave us all a quick look. Everyone nodded, including me, even though I was getting very nervous.

“Let’s go.”

Glaur led us back through the dining hall and down several corridors and two flights of stairs into a larger room with several doors. Three groups of dwarves waited beside one of the doors, armed with the battle axes and wearing harnesses full of thin, long items that looked a bit like TNT charges. I wanted to ask what they were, but when we entered they all set off through the middle door and we hurried after them.

We ran through a dark tunnel, dimly lit by glowing strips in the ceiling. It was dank and wet and more than once, my boots splashed through water. The tunnel twisted and turned, but was almost completely level.

I was at the rear, and when we stopped, I could just make out Glaur’s whisper.

“We will now leave our tunnel and pass into a supply cache. From there, into a tunnel that leads to the palace. We will then ascend into a hidden corridor in the palace. Then, the fun starts.”

At the end of the tunnel was a narrow, low passage - so low we had to remove our weapons and pass them on separately. It wasn’t very long and led to a small room filled with crates and boxes. When everyone had emerged, a dwarf put his hands flat on the door, and then pulled it open, noiselessly.

Outside was another tunnel, narrower than the dwarves’ but higher. We hurried along it in single file, until Glaur stopped us. He pointed at a ladder attached to the wall, and climbed up it, disappearing into a pitch black, circular opening.

I followed, still last, and finally climbed out on a stone floor in yet another narrow tunnel, or perhaps corridor. The walls were wooden, and it looked like we were behind, or inside, the walls. I could hear voices from the other side.

We moved carefully now, taking care to not accidentally bang our weapons against anything, and stopped by a wall. Glaur held up a hand to signal, wait.

We waited. And we waited, for what felt like an eternity. I was sure we’d be discovered any moment - I could hear people behind the wall - but the others stood motionless and silent. Suddenly muffled booms echoed from outside. Glaur raised his hands and the wall exploded outwards. I scrambled to catch up as the others ran out through the opening, weapons at the ready.

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Arndrir, Thord and Glaur turned right and I hurried after them. I glanced behind and saw Serah crouching against the wall, as if ducking the blast, while Tiriel took a few steps - and disappeared. She just faded out. I was so shocked I stopped, but Arndrir called my name ahead, and I started running again. Damn, this was chaotic.

We had emerged into a corridor running along a large open hall with tall pillars. The corridor was empty, at least where we’d come out, but the large hall wasn’t. I glanced through a doorway as I ran past, and saw soldiers with different uniforms and crests, and what looked like civilians. Some of the soldiers wore a blue uniform I didn’t recognize, while others wore the Dimran crest. As I watched, fighting broke out, and some of the blue-uniformed soldiers ran towards the gates.

In the corridor ahead, Arndrir and Thord were now fighting blue guards. Glaur moved close to the wall, raised his hands again, and the floor rippled, sending the guards tumbling. Arndrir and Thord leapt over them and continued, with Glaur close behind. I cursed as the guards got back on their feet. A few followed, but two of them glanced behind and saw me.

I didn’t have time to think, and wouldn’t have known what to think anyway. My body had to handle this on its own, and it did, thanks to Arndrir’s and Caveria’s lessons. I found myself running full tilt towards the guards in a centered forward-leaning running-stance, balanced and with my sword ready to strike. They hadn’t expected that, it seemed, so when I swept the sword in a wide arc just before I reached them one guard ducked and the other leapt back. I didn’t stop, but jumped and banged the sword-hilt into the ducking guard’s head, and continued running.

Woo-hoo, I thought, as I chased the others. That had been exhilarating! Not much of a fight, luckily, but I’d met armed opponents and - if not won, at least I hadn’t lost. I re-centered myself and tried to speed up. Arndrir and the others had just reached the end of the corridor. I had forty meters or so left.

There were still booms and sounds of explosions coming from outside, and maybe some from inside the palace as well. I hoped it was the dwarves - they’d said they’d make a diversion. The fighting in the hall to my left seemed to be getting fiercer. Hopefully they would ignore me. I didn’t want to lose the others - I had no idea how to find any dungeons.

Just as I realized the corridor ended in another corridor, two things happened. Just ahead and to my right, a door slammed open and a group of Dimran and blue soldiers spilled out, fighting. To the left, another group of Dimran soldiers rushed through the doorway and joined the battle.

There was no way I could run through them, and no way I could fight them all. And no time to think. On pure reflex, I veered right and ran through the door that had just opened.

I don’t know why I didn’t stumble and crash on my face on the stairs behind the door, but somehow, swinging the sword wildly for balance, I managed to stay on my feet as I ran up the first set of stairs. I almost stopped, but it seemed better to maintain momentum, so I continued up into a corridor on the second floor.

This was hardly the way to the dungeons though - I had to get back down. I turned right and ran along the corridor. My physical condition had improved a lot even in the short time since I got here, but I was getting winded now. Well, it should be easier going downstairs, at least if I didn’t have to fight.

Suddenly, the wall at the end of the corridor exploded in a fireball. I yelped, and again on pure reflex, dove through a doorway to the left. Into a room full of blue-clad soldiers.

They seemed to be some kind of reinforcement on the way to join the fight. They were putting on armor and seemed as surprised to see me as I was, and none of them were ready to engage me instantly. Which probably saved my life, since I wouldn’t have stood a chance against them.

I was still running as hard as I could, and for some reason, the idea that I could jump past them flashed into my mind. I leapt onto a table, pushed off, and sailed through the room. Good thing the ceiling was at least four meters high. There was a soldier who was just straightening up, and I managed to get my foot on his shoulder and push.

He went down, cursing, and I got a much-needed boost that took me to the other end of the room. On the way down, I flicked the sword out to the left, and managed to reach a chandelier with burning candles. It fell to the ground and set the carpet on fire.

I landed on the floor, very nearly fell flat but managed to stay on my feet by running flat out, and shot right across another corridor, into another stairwell. Momentum and sheer terror drove me all the way up to the next floor before I understood what had happened.

The third floor was - plush. Thick carpets, thick curtains, thick everything. I stared around wildly, sword at the ready and heart pounding. There had to be soldiers here too, ready to come pouring out into the... chamber? I tried to listen for sounds of pursuit while I tried to figure out where I was.

Not in the dungeons, that much was very clear. Unless the king had some kind of fluffy tickle-torture dungeon master. The chamber looked like a caricature of royal chambers, from an unusually decadent royal family. White chairs with golden inlays, red and purple drapes, curtains, pillows, carpets, and white wooden panels with mirrors barely visible behind all the fabric. And one entrance, and one exit.

I didn’t dare going back down, so I ran across the room to the white-and-gold wooden door. My heavy boots didn’t make any sound at all on the thick carpet. It was like running in sand.

I paused before the door and tried to calm my breathing. It had all happened so fast... It had thrown me hopelessly off course, too. I should have gone with Arndrir to the dungeons. I cursed my slowness. I should have understood they would explode into action like that. That had happened very fast too.

So, now I was here. On the third floor, far from the dungeons. With two floors of soldiers below. That meant, I supposed, the dungeons were out. I should be happy if I got out alive, and that was probably the best thing to try to do now. Get out, alive. If I could.

It sounded quite reasonable. I was no use to anyone if I was dead, right. Live to fight another day, and all that. At the same time... If the duke they were talking about really had the Dragonblade, that would mean war for the whole world. At any rate, for the whole continent with these kingdoms. That sounded like a very bad thing, that someone should put an end to. I glanced at my sword.

No no, I told myself. None of this! I’m no hero. I can’t stop a war. Oh yeah, how do you know, my mind argued back with itself. You haven’t even tried! You’re right here in the palace, with a sword and everything.

Stop it, I thought to myself, sharply. There’s nothing I can do!

Maybe you don’t need to do anything, the subversive little voice whispered. Maybe it’s enough to have a look, and see if they really have the sword.

I had almost convinced myself to continue, when I heard someone come running up the stairs. In desperation I jumped back and pressed myself into the heavy fabrics. I held my breath as a blue soldier stopped right in front of me, by the door. He took a moment to collect his breath and then opened the door.