Wulfram reached out to steady Dani, his forehead wrinkling as she swayed on her feet. Either her injuries were catching up with her, or the magic drained her far more than it should. Did she have so little magic in her that a simple light spell drained her? He froze as her eyes grew wide, and a shocked whisper escaped her lips. “Holy mother of the seas....”

He spun, hand immediately going to his sword, ready to fight whatever beast may be moving up on them.

But there was no beast.

The massive stone door and its guardian statues were no less stunning though. Light reflected off gold and gemstones, and cast deep shadows into the elaborate carvings of the doors. At their tallest, where the two doors met in a point, the doors were at least three times the height of a normal man. The carving was shockingly realistic, showing a blue dragon soaring over the sea.

Dani stepped past him, her eyes fixated on the carvings and the two statues flanking the door. “How the hell did this get in here? There’s enough gold here to feed all of Rats Nest for a year, at least!” She whispered, as if to speak too loud would awaken the doors guardians.

“They were likely carved in here.” Wulfram followed close behind her, craning his head back to stare at the calm faces of the statues. There were waterlines about halfway up the statues from where the tide had come in year after year, the stone slightly worn from the saltwater. He reached out to touch one of the statues reverently. “Even with magic, moving those doors through the sea would be difficult. The harbor can be very deep in areas. They look old, but they don’t look like they were disturbed by the earth tremors.”

“No, they’d be in pieces if they had been. None of the statues in the city survived that.” Dani picked at a piece of inlaid gold, pausing when Wulfram reached a hand out to stop her. “What?”

“Lets not have a repeat of the skeleton incident. This could be someones crypt, and there’s still magic down here. Can’t you feel it?” He could feel it like someone humming softly in the background. There, but not actively moving against them.

Dani frowned and her eyes lost focus for a moment as she stared in the direction of the door. Wulfram waited, staying near her in case she happened to fall. The silence stretched on for what felt like a long time, and Wulframs concern grew.

It shouldn’t take so long to sense the magic. It was obvious! But she hadn’t sensed the magic of the crown either. He reached out a hand to touch her shoulder. “Dani?”

The woman jumped, eyes open wide as she looked at him. “Don’t do that! Okay... I sense the magic. But you know there could be a way out through that door.”

“I find that doubtful. There are no handles, no place to insert a key or fingers.” Wulfram ran a hand along the door, eyes intent on the carvings. The detail was incredible, some of the mosaic pieces barely bigger than a sliver.

“There has to be a way through. I ain’t going to die down here next to more treasure than I’ve seen in my entire life.” She ran her own hand along the door, trailing her fingers along the barely visible crack between the doors. She even tried to wiggle her nails in, prying at the crack.

“You’re not going to die down here.” Wulfram sighed. The woman was so damn stubborn! He could see he was going to have to take things into his own hands or she’d insist on doing something foolish. “And I refuse to fight any more dead for you. Come on.”

“The only other way out is through the water, and I can’t swim!” Her voice was higher than usual, panic seeping into it.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Wulfram turned her to face him fully, putting his hands on her shoulders and giving her a light shake. “Dani, I won’t let you drown, won’t you let yourself trust me in this? You have my word I’ll keep you safe.”

That earned him a look of shocked disbelief from her. “You’re going to keep me safe? Really? I can find my own way out if I need to!”

“You are so damn stubborn woman!” He growled and picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder. “I refuse to die down here either, and I refuse to leave you to drown because you’re afraid of the damn water.”

Dani let out a yelp, hammering her fists on his back as he headed towards the water. “Put me down!”

“I will eventually.” He paused as a shadow passed across the shallow entrance to the cave. “Once you either come to your senses or we get out of here. Which will come first?”

“Come to my senses?! Do you know what’s in that water? Sharks! Sharks are in that water!”

Wulfram laughed, carrying her to the water without hesitation. He considered just tossing her in, but paused when the shadow passed across the shallow entrance again. Was it a shark? He had never heard of sharks in the harbor before.

“Prince Wulfram! Can you hear us? Are you in there?”

His face broke into a grin, and he set Dani on her feet. “Ben? Is that you?” He shouted across the water, his voice echoing in the cavern.

“Prince Wulfram! Thank the gods we found you! Can you make it to the boat?”

“I can make it, but I have a friend in here with me, we’re both going to need a healer.” Wulfram turned his grin to Dani, laughing at the shocked expression on her face. He lowered his voice, speaking only for her ears. “I told you I would keep you safe. Play along. I can swim us both to the boat you just have to trust me a little. So tell me, will you trust me?”

He held out his hand, grinning ear to ear.

Dani glanced down at his hand, clear reluctance on her face. She hesitated before reaching out to take his hand. He could feel her trembling. Even after what they had been through together she still didn’t trust him. Well, he supposed he couldn’t fully blame her. He pulled her into a hug. “There you go, now I’m going to carry you on my back, we’re almost free we just have to get through this one last thing.”

“Alright. Alright I- I can- let’s just get this over with.”

“Right. Arms around my neck now.” He knelt down a little to make it easier for her. She was so light as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He lifted her up and headed into the water. The salt water stung like angry bees at his wounds, , the adrenaline helping him push the pain aside again. He would deal with it when he had time to, when they were safe on the boat that even now floated just outside the entrance to the cave. It had gotten shallower, the light from outside growing fainter as the water rose.

The tide was starting to come in.

Dani’s arms tightened slightly as he began to swim, powerful arms propelling them towards that shrinking opening and the boat beyond. He was going to have to go underwater to get through it without banging Dani’s head on the rocky surface.

“Hold your breath, we’re going under.” He didn’t wait for Dani’s startled protest, diving beneath the water and pushing through as fast as he could. They didn’t have time for her to complain right now. He only hoped that she would listen for once.

He nearly choked as she squeezed his neck, holding on for dear life. Well, at least she listened.

They resurfaced just outside the entrance, nearly invisible under the rising waves. On his back, Dani coughed and gasped for breath. She didn’t even struggle as the guards hauled her up onto the boat. Wulfram pulled himself up, landing in a graceless heap next to her as he relished in the fading sunlight and fresh air.

“You look like a drowned rat, your highness.” Ben grinned down at him, relief flooding his face.

“I feel like one too.” Wulfram laughed, pushing himself into a sitting position gingerly. He looked to Dani, his grin faltering a moment when he saw her expression. Any trace of humor was gone, and there was a fear, a paleness to her that made her look sickly. If he looked like a drowned rat, she looked like one with a foot already in the grave.

“Is this the thief?” Ben asked, following Wulframs gaze to Dani, who only looked worse under the attention of the armed men that surrounded her. Dread entered her eyes, and she met his eyes defiantly. But she didn’t say a word, waiting for him to answer instead.

Wulfram was silent for a moment, his eyes meeting hers calmly. He could turn her in now, have her dragged to the dungeons, or locked in a room in the palace where she would be nearby. He could learn all he wanted from her about these tunnels beneath the city, about a life that had her sleeping in crypts and eating so little that her bones were obvious. He could keep her from that life, give her something different.

He just had to say the right words.