"That's not the sky." He said aloud as if that made it official.
"No. It's not." Kalen turned to see Eldan crouched a few feet away. Seeing her clearly for the first time, he realized that she was about his own age. Also, she was chained hand and foot to the white stone wall behind her. He looked back up. It was glass--or crystal. What kind of prison has a crystal roof?
"Did the army catch us? Is this Fellyre?"
"No. This is Terraphel. And our captor isn't Fellyrian, whatever she may be."
"She? You mean that woman we met in the forest?"
"Yes. Right after you fainted, she set her men on us. They locked us in here. At least we've got company, though all he seems able to do is tell us how hopeless our situation is."
"It's just the truth." A voice came from behind Kalen and he turned to see a ragged, bearded man with a mane of shaggy rust-colored hair. "It's just the way things are. You are both going to die. I've seen sixty-four people through here and not one got out alive. There is no escape. I've been here for eight years."
"Eight people a year?" Kalen did the math quickly in his head. "So then we're here for something--not just prisoners, but two of this year's eight."
"You're smart. It's a shame you'll never be able to put that mind to any great cause. But yes--there are eight a year. Two each solstice, and one every third month. You're sacrifices. Your captor is Symorkhel, High Priestess of Zerak. And, before you ask, if there was any chance of escape, I would not be here any more."
"There is always a way out." Eldan said calmly. "Tell me which ways you have tried."
"I have tried every way. I've tried the guards--fighting, bribing, appealing to their humanity--I've tried the door from every angle. I've tried every stone in this room and none will come loose. I've tried to climb up to the glass roof a thousand times. The walls are sheer. You can't climb them."
"Have any of the girls who have been through here tried to get at the guards?" Eldan asked casually.
"If you try it, you'll be sorry. They have a way with women. Besides, you wouldn't be enough to tempt them. This castle is teaming with women."
"Tell me, do you do this to everyone who comes into here?" Eldan asked.
"Do what?"
"Give your little talk. Tell them how hopeless it is. Tell them not to try. If I didn't know better, I would think that you wanted us to give up--to simply resign ourselves to our fate."
"No--I merely want to discourage false hope." Kalen caught a slight betraying falter in his voice.
"Why have you been here eight years when everyone else is sacrificed? Are you here to prevent our escape?" Kalen demanded
"Do I look like a friend of the Priestess? Ive been rotting in here for a quarter of my life. Death would be welcome."
"They have someone, don't they?" Eldan asked. "Who?"
He turned pale. "They have my sister."
"And if any of us escapes, they kill her?"
He nodded miserably.
"What if we all escape? We could take her with us. Where are they holding her?"
"No--it would never work. She serves Symorkhel as a handmaid and sleeps in an adjoining chamber--we could only get to her if we got past Symorkhel."
"Then we just need to kill this Symorkhel," Kalen put in. "With her gone, we're all free and this hideous practice is put to an end."
"She is a priestess--trained in black arts by Zerak himself. I've seen her power. She can sense threats before they even get close. She sleeps with a Naresh on either side of her bed. She tamed dozens of the beasts. I would almost say she's fond of them, if a witch like her can be fond of anything."
"She is but human. No one is invincible. Besides, what power can Zerak's sorcery hold over us who follow Ithien? And Naresh are just beasts. I've killed Naresh before." Eldan stood. "Our first problem is how to get me out of these chains. When is the next sacrifice, Jaened?"
The bearded man--Jaened--sighed. "It's too late. You have only two days. We couldn't possibly get out in that time even if we had a plan."
"We do have a plan. And that plan is to get out of here. We also have a deadline: two days from now, because we are all getting out--your sister included." Kalen tried to sound encouraging. "Now, please, tell us honestly, what is our best chance to get out of here?"
"I really don't know. What I told you is true."
"If there's no chance of escape, then why would they need you to prevent people from escaping?" Eldan demanded.
"The guards are our best chance, but it's a slim chance."
"Better a slim chance than just sitting here and waiting to die."
"The guards only come into the cell if they're bringing a prisoner in or if it's time for a sacrifice."
"Two days then. We have two days to plan our attack, and then we cannot fail." Eldan sat down. "Now, I imagine you know almost everything there is to know about this place."
"My sister knows it better than me, and I won't help you unless you swear by Ithien that she will get out of here alive. Symorkhel has said that if any prisoners escape, she'll sacrifice my sister in their place."
"I don't dare to swear by Ithien, but I swear on my honor I will do all that is in my power to save her."
"Not good enough."
"I swear on the grave of my mother, Hallise" Kalen tried.
"The dead won't hold you to your oath."
"Look, Jaened, all we can give you is our word. If we fail in getting her out, you can kill me, okay?" Eldan half-shouted. "Is that good enough?"
"Don't be daft! I couldn't kill you."
"But you could keep us locked in here to ensure our deaths? Is that so very different?"
Jaened dragged his hands across his face. "It is different. But I will help you get out. Ask what you will." Eldan sat back thinking, so Kalen asked the first question on his mind.
"If Symorkhel is a priestess, why isn't she in Fellyre? What does she hope to accomplish by hiding out here and killing a handful of people a year? I doubt it would do much for their war effort."
"She seeks to be made High Priestess. Zerak has promised her that position when she has made two hundred sacrifices."
Eldan coughed. "And she hopes to get there at this rate? At eight a year, it would take over twenty years!"
"Twenty-five years. She has only two days left. You are the last."
"What? Did she start as an infant? That woman could not be a day past thirty."
"It's witchcraft. She doesn't age. I've been here eight years, and she hasn't aged an hour. Even her hair doesn't grow. It's like she's frozen in time. She has a daughter--I caught a glimpse of her once--who looks older than her."
"So what will Zerak do if she fails to give him these last two sacrifices?" Kalen asked.
"I couldn't say--maybe she'll just have to get some others. Or maybe Zerak will have her start over."
"Well, that's a lovely thought." Eldan gave a nervously sarcastic laugh. "So she needs us to become priestess--or, rather, needs to kill us--so she'd want to make doubly sure that we won't escape."
"Say, didn't you mention that she has you and your sister prisoner here?" Jaened nodded and Kalen went on, "So why didn't she just sacrifice you two? Why did she go to so much trouble to capture us?"
"Well, how am I supposed to know? I've told you all that I do know--and it's quite a bit, considering I haven't been outside these four walls in eight years. Just before they threw you in, Symorkhel came in and told me that you were the last two--exactly those words--the last two, for summer solstice."
"But there are still two months left in the year. I doubt you and your sister are safe from their temple."
That silenced Jaened for a while.
When the guards finally came for them, they were ready. Jaened stood by the door when the men opened it, but they paid him little enough attention. The head of the guard stood in the doorway as the other two fastened chains to Eldan and Kalen's wrists.
Eldan let out a short, sharp whistle through her teeth, and, before the captain had a chance to wonder what she was doing, the iron door slammed full force into his face. Kalen was on one guard's back, the chain between his hands around the man's neck, gritting his teeth against the throbbing of his shoulder. Eldan was wrestling with the third guard; he was at least twice her size, but she had speed and agility on her side. As Kalen's man finally sank to the ground, she sent her's reeling back with a swift kick to the face. Jaened was yelling for them to follow him. As soon as they were out of the cell, he locked the guards in with a key he had stolen from the man who was slumped dead at his feet.
"What's the quickest way out?" Eldan demanded.
"We're not taking the quickest way" Jaened shot back. "We're going nowhere without my sister." He started towards the stairs. "This way."
"Where is she?" Kalen asked
"Either the servant's quarters or Symorkhel's chambers. Hopefully not the latter. And even if she isn't there, we'll get servant's dress from their quarters which will make it easier to get around the great hall undetected."
Kalen barely dared to breathe as they ran on their toes down the hall. They were insane. They would never get out alive. Rounding a corner, they almost collided with a thin, grey haired serving woman. Before she could cry out, Eldan had her in a choke-hold against the wall.
"Do you want to live?" The woman nodded as best she could, eyes wide with terror. "Then come with us. Take us to the servants chamber and you'll be a free woman."
Within minutes, the maid had them in the servants chamber, rifling through piles of rags and old clothes. Eldan quickly donned an old grey dress with a white and tan head rag to hide her conspicuous black hair and Jaened found a simple white tunic and jacket. Kalen had to settle for a long vest that stank of many days hard work without wash.
Jaened turned to the serving woman. "Where is Lassina?" The woman stared back blankly. "Where is my sister? Where is she?" Her only response was to shrink against the wall, hands in loose fists, protecting her face. Jaened soften hs tone marginally. "Where is Symorkhel's peronal servant? Tall, brown hair?"
"The Sheela is in the temple." The woman said slowly, pausing as if to take a breath between each word. When Jaened demanded to know where that was, she pointed a pale, trembling hand down the hallway. "Across the courtyard. You will know it when you see it." She whispered, eyes on the floor.
Jaened was down the hallway before she finished speaking. When Kalen and Eldan moved to follow him, the woman saw her chance and disappeared.
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