I have chosen a temporary title for my story, since it was hard referring to a nameless story. If you have missed the Prologue here is the link. I have divided this chapter into two sections, so that it doesn't appear to be too long to read.
Feel free to point out any mistake and make suggestions. Please comment. Even if you have read it but have nothing to comment, at least post "I've read it".
CHAPTER 1
10 years ago
The boy was lying flat on his abdomen. He was in an old air shaft under a tower. All around him the walls were crumbling and cobwebs lined the corners, a testimony to the ages that have passed since the shafts were built or even used. It had been long since anyone even remembered it.
The tower known as Ina Rotra or the Prison Tower in the tongue of the old, was built nine hundred years ago, to imprison the greatest dark mage of all times. The tower was completely sealed with no doors or windows in order to prevent anyone from freeing him. However unknown to most, secret air shafts were built under the tower to provide air supply.
The wizard could not be killed right away because his death would have caused the sudden release of massive amounts of dark that he had gathered within him that could very well flatten large cities. So he was put in a state of eternal sleep and sealed off in the tower, so that he might die of old age. That would give enough time for most of that dark power to be drained. The inner walls of the tower were lined with Gaiud stones which prevented the wizard, or anyone as a matter of fact, from using their magical energy, just in case the he wakes up from his 'sleep' too early.
Roughly two hundred and fifty years ago, King Atorn, who ruled the kingdom of Uceri, ordered the tower to be rebuilt in order to house the royal jewels, when he shifted his capital to the city of Attla and built his palace close to the tower. Since only the top part of the tower was rebuilt, the shafts went unnoticed. By then, almost no one knew of the existence of these shafts.
Even if anyone had found the shafts, the confusing labyrinth of passages that more often than not lead to a dead end and the innumerous traps set in those shafts prevented anyone from getting into the prison room. Gaiud stones were embedded in the walls of the shafts also to prevent anyone from using magic to detect or disable the traps.
However, the Gaiud stones had lost their potency and most of them had turned to dust now. Most of the traps had also become defunct and those in the working condition could be easily detected and disabled using magic.
The party that was crawling through the deteriorating tunnels consisted of four – three men and the boy, all in a single file. The first in line wore a silken tunic and chainmail trousers – a wacky combination. The other three were dressed in light, tough garments, more suited for this kind of work.
The first one was a wizard and his main job there was to take care of the traps and light the path ahead. The other three were from the infamous Thieves Guild of Taslon. The first two thieves in the line were of a heavy build. Last in line was the boy. Lithe and quick-footed, he looked more a thief than his other two counterparts.
"How much further?" enquired the first thief.
"Just a little more." answered the wizard, "Be patient Grawm. If we can pull this off, you're in for a big reward. So just stay quiet and follow my lead."
Grawm was one of the more experienced and higher ranked members of the guild. In fact he was in the High council of the Thieves Guild, which offered its services including high level thievery, espionage and on special occasions even assassinations. This High Council worked directly under the Guild master, the highest post in the management of the Guild.
Gone were the days when Grawm was in his prime as a thief. Under any other circumstances he would have flatly refused to get his hands dirty again, but the situation that presented itself to him were so enticing. An old man had approached him and promised a large sum to the guild and an even larger sum to him, if he manages to retrieve a certain blue crystal. Two men, handpicked by the old man himself, one a wizard and other a member of the Guild were to accompany Grawm.
The old man had told him there were no guards in the Crystal chamber and that the wizard knew a secret path that would lead them right into the chamber. There were a few magically activated traps and alarms inside the chamber. The reason why the wizard couldn't do the task all by himself was because the glass case that held the crystal was enchanted to prevent anyone with even the slightest hint of magic in their blood from even touching the case. And that was why a non-magical person was needed. The reason why Grawm had been chosen, the old man had said, was because he had heard about Grawm's reputation as being capable of detecting almost any trap.
Grawm still knew he was too old and clumsy for the job. He needed someone young and agile. After going through a long list of prospective thieves who would accompany him on his mission, he zeroed in on Wisp. Wisp, who was just fifteen years old had already earned the distinction as one of the best young bloods of the Guild. He could sneak past almost any trap or guard and get out of the tightest spots without raising the alarm. With Grawm's ability to detect traps and the boy's ability to evade, Grawm knew that they would make an excellent team. What he didn't know was the impact the inclusion of the boy in the mission was going to have in the events of the future.
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