The Hammer - Cor Series Book I

Corvan could only stare at Tyreth, frozen in place, as if in a trance.

She did not want him to save her, but how could he let her drown? His hand moved slowly to his side. If only he had the hammer to help him to know what to do. No! He pulled his hand away. He didn’t need to hold the hammer to know that he had promised to do whatever he could to save her. There was no way he would let her die just to save himself. Tyreth was the future of the Cor, not him. He had to do something, and now.

The lizard spoke from the stone platform overlooking the karst amphitheater and Corvan raised his eyes to the scaley creature.

“The gods found the father guilty!” The Chief Watcher cried out as the lizard stepped back between the two pillars and pointed down at Tyreth. “Now we shall see if his daughter shared in his treason.”

All eyes focused on Tyreth and to Corvan’s horror, she was slowly edging her feet back to the end of the pier.

“No!” Corvan shouted, as he tore of the enclosed space and past the shocked priests. “You don’t have to die to save me! I’m not the Cor-Van!”

He raced toward the pier. Instantly two palace guards ran in from the door at the statues boot to cut him off.

“It’s a trap,” Tyreth shouted, jumping toward him. “Run away!”

Corvan did not slacken his pace. He easily beat guards to the pier and out to Tyreth. “Don’t jump,” he gasped, “we can escape together through the water.” He whipped around to face the two red cloaked guards that had arrived at the far end of the pier and were looking up at the Chief Watcher for further instructions.

There was no need for any directions to be given for neither of the two hooded men had any warning as slender tentacles snaked out of the water, wrapped around their ankles and then, in the blink of an eye, both of them disappeared below the surface with barely a ripple.

The audience did not move or breathe. The amphitheater was silent a long moment before the Chief Watcher spoke into the electric air and pointed directly at Corvan. “Tarran, you cannot save your sister so now the two of you shall be judged together.” The lizard lifted both arms over his head. “I call upon the gods of the water to show us if these two are the source of the lies that have torn Kadir apart.” His claws dropped on the two posts, and he leaned forward.

Corvan put his hands on Tyreth’s shoulders. “We’re going to fall together into the water, but you must not panic. Keep your mouth closed and don’t let the air go out of your body. I won’t let you drown; I promise.”

Tyreth nodded, fear rising in her eyes. Reaching into his robe, Pulling out the stub of a fire stick, Corvan stuck it in his mouth just as a wall of spray exploded around them, obscuring everything and everyone in the amphitheater.

Wrapping Tyreth tightly in his arms, he toppled them from the pier.

Clouds of bubbles rose around them as they plunged into the pool. Corvan flicked the cap from the fire stick and filled his lungs with air. Pulling Tyreth closer he tried to move the bubbling stick into her mouth, but her lips were clamped shut.

They were descending rapidly. He tried desperately to show her what to do, pushing the stick to her lips, but her mouth and eyes were squeezed tight. A stream of bubbles was flowing steadily from her nose. She needed fresh air right away.

Pulling in another deep breath from the fire stick, Corvan placed his mouth firmly over hers, and pushed his air past her lips and into her lungs. Tyreth’s eyes opened wide, as a burst of fresh bubbles shot out of her nostrils. This time she watched him Corvan take more air into his lungs through the firestick. He put his mouth to hers and Tyreth’s mouth relaxed, as she allowed the air to flow freely into her body. As he took another breath through the stick, Tyreth’s blue eyes locked on his, her lips lifted in slight smile as she pulled him close, and put her mouth over his.

Their intertwined bodies didn’t have any chance to fight off tentacles that wrapped tightly around them. Corvan strained against the bands, but the tentacles squeezed tighter then swept them rapidly down and into a dark opening in the wall of the karst. His lungs cried out for more air, but the stub of the fire stick was lashed firmly to his side.

The tentacles jerked, squeezed tighter and then they were gone. Corvan released a burst of stale air, then held up the fire stick and filled his lungs. Tyreth watched, took it from his hand and followed his example. Corvan glanced overhead to watched the bubbles soaring away from them towards a huge silvery moon. There was fresh air overhead. Pulling on Tyreth’s hand, he kicked furiously, towing her upward.

They broke the surface in a cavern lit by patches of phosphorus yellow slime floating on the surface of the water. Up ahead a shaft of light shone down a crumbling stone stair to a landing, then the stairs turned towards the water. Corvan towed Tyreth toward it and they crawled out of the water across a beach of small pebbles and collapsed on the steps.

As his breathing returned to normal, Corvan turned his head to find Tyreth sitting on the step above him and looking out over the water in amazement.

“My father told me once that it was possible to survive the water, but I didn’t believe him.” She looked down at him. “I didn’t believe him about you either.”

As she studied his face, Corvan found himself wondering how someone so strong could also be so beautiful. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “So, what happened to the frightened boy I met in the prison?”

Corvan moved up onto the step beside her. “He found someone worth fighting for.”

Tyreth’s smile spread to her eyes, and Corvan’s cheeks grew warm. In his mind he was referring to Kate, but was glad that Tyreth not only took it to mean herself, but that she also seemed to be pleased by it.

She touched his shoulder. “I am glad you came back for me and did not let me drown.” A mischievous sparkle shone in her eyes from the overhead light. “Of course, do doubt you will have to go back to prison for kissing the High Priest’s daughter without his permission.”

The warm flush spread right up to Corvan’s ears.

Tyreth laughed and checked her shoulder into his. “I’m just teasing you. My father wouldn’t . . .” Her voice trailed off and she turned away to look over the water.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save him,” Corvan said. “I didn’t think he would jump in like that.”

She nodded. “He warned me about what he was going to do. He said it was just a matter of time before the poison killed him anyway and he would not let that evil creature win. I admire him for exposing the Chief Watcher’s lies, even with his death.”

The surface of the water exploded as huge bubbles of air hit the surface, sending them both scrambling up the steps to escape the rising water.

“The water creature is back,” Tyreth shouted, climbing higher and pulling on his hand.

“No. It’s the Chief Watcher. He intends to drown all the priests.”

“How can he—”

The water churned and belched another explosion of air.

Corvan hollered over the rising noise. “He controls the level of the water from the pillars where he stands. The low place where all the priests are sitting has been sealed off by a stone door and once the water rises into the priest’s area, none of them will escape the water, or the creature below.”

Tyreth tore up the stairs, with Corvan right behind her. Muted echoes of the Chief Watcher’s voice reached them as they squeezed through a crack into a lighted corridor. The Chief Watcher’s voice came from both directions.

Tyreth grabbed his shoulder, “I’m going left toward the light. You go right. If you find the Chief Watcher, come back and find me.” She pushed him to go but then pulled him back. “Don’t do anything without me. I need you to stay alive.”

Corvan nodded and turned away, but Tyreth pulled him back again. “Do you have the hammer with you?”

His heart sank and he shook his head.

Her face dropped “But I thought . . . Do you have a sword?”

He shook his head again.

Tyreth’s voice rose in desperation. “Anything at all?”

Reaching under his cloak, Corvan unclipped the krypin rope and held it out to her. She hesitated, then took it and tore up the tunnel. Corvan watched her disappear around the corner, then sprinted in the other direction. What good would a rope be against the black lizard?

The tunnel grew darker and jogged to the left, bumping Corvan off the wall and into something soft.

“Clumsy oaf,” a voice hissed in his ear. “We aren’t moving yet. Stay in your position.”

A burst of light shot into the tunnel as someone opened a small window at the end. Squinting, Corvan found himself at the end of a row of red cloaked palace guards crammed into a short, wide passage.

“Where’s your pike?” the man in front of him asked before reaching into the shadows. “Take this. You’ll need something to keep the priests from climbing over the wall. The idiots made it too short just so the spectators above them could see better.”

“Blue flag,” the man at the front of the line whispered. “Let’s move out.”