Before long, however, everyone would know… and by then it would be too late.

Night crept forth, but in the cells below the circus it was hard to tell the difference between darkness and light. Only the change in guards and the fact that they had been fed at least an hour before gave Kaz and his companions any notion of the late hour.

"I feel as if I've been rotting down here forever," Hecar grumbled. "If you'd not come when you did, it's very likely I'd have lost my next challenge simply to put an end to this infernal monotony."

"That's no way to talk. A warrior must always look to victory."

"This place has a way of 'sapping any such enthusiasm, Master Ganth. Trust me."

"We still have to wait a few hours more. They'll relax their guard by then. No one has ever escaped from these cells." Kaz tried to make his voice encouraging. "We will be the first."

Ganth grunted. "Maybe you'll tell me how we'll escape even if you get your wonder weapon, Lad. You won't be able to swing it too well from inside here."

"You don't know the power of Honor's Face, Father. Trust me."

"I promise not to leave your side just so you can prove me wrong." The older minotaur chuckled for a moment, then grew silent.

More time passed. Kaz spent the time twisting his wrists this way and that, trying to find the best angles for what he planned. He could succeed with such a mad plan only because of the magical axe. Any other weapon would be either too dull and blunt or too unmanageable. Only his magical battle-axe had the ability to cut through almost anything as if it were water.

He had a suspicion that Polik would be in the audience in the arena tomorrow. He knew the Polik of old well enough to know that the emperor would want to watch the death of his onetime rival personally. That suited Kaz just fine. He had learned to throw his axe great distances with surprising accuracy. After that, the minotaurs would need a new emperor… something that, in his opinion, was long overdue.

Of course, if the high priest was also present, Polik might survive after all. Kaz had a fair notion of who was the true power, and if he had only one chance to throw his axe, Jopfer would be the one.

The hallway outside suddenly resounded with the clatter of arms and the marching of feet. Beside him, Ganth stirred and Hecar, who had been slumbering, woke. They listened in consternation as guards continued through the hall.

"All corridors must be checked! All cells lit! Let no space large enough to hide a rat be left unsearched!"

"What in the name of Kiri-Jolith is going on out there?" Hecar whispered. "Why are they suddenly so active?"

"I don't know," Kaz replied, "but it's some kind of search. Maybe a prisoner has escaped." He snorted. "Couldn't have happened at a worse time."

"Maybe they'll go away soon and things'll calm down, Lad."

"Maybe." This was no ordinary search, however. It sounded as if they were stationing men as well as searching the cells.

Sure enough, the door to their cell flew open and a pair of the State Guard's men marched inside, swords ready. Each also bore a torch.

"You should've warned us you were coming, lads," called Ganth. "We would've been better prepared. Sorry there's nothing to eat or drink."

"Quiet, you!" snarled one of the newcomers. Two of them prodded at dark corners with their swords, then double-checked with their torches.

"I'd be more careful," Kaz added. "The rats don't take kindly to being disturbed."

One of the guards gave him a dark look. "The only rat we're looking for has got two legs, and we'll find him yet."

The guards retreated from the cell. The door was once more bolted shut. However, activity still continued outside.

"What in the name of infernal Sargas is going on out there, Kaz?" Hecar strained to see. The occasional head or axe went by in a blur.

"I don't know, but pray they quiet down and go away soon or we may not be able to try to escape. Even Honor's Face won't be enough to deal with all those soldiers."

An hour later, however, it was clear that the searchers were not going to leave for quite some time. Kaz fidgeted. He knew how much more difficult it would be to try to enable any of them to escape if they had to do so from the arena itself. But there seemed no choice.

So be it, then. I'll do what I can for them and die myself if need be. Kaz grimaced. And to think I swore I'd never let myself die in the circus, not for the pleasure of the emperor!

Kaz swore a new oath then, one in which he vowed to make certain that neither Polik nor Jopfer would find pleasure in his death.

The night continued to dwindle. Dawn had to be only two or three hours away. Kaz and the others had just about given up hope that the search would end when the halls suddenly grew quiet and the torchlight dimmed. Hecar nudged Ganth, who had dozed off. Kaz twisted in an attempt to see a little more of the hallway, but the bit of blank wall he could make out told him nothing. There might be a legion of sentries out there, and then again there might not be.

"Are you going to try it, Lad?" whispered his father. "Time is getting short."

"Maybe in just a minute-" He cut himself off as a clicking noise warned all three that the door to the cell was being opened. Kaz stared, wondering who or why…

The door moved slowly, then stopped before there was barely enough room for a jackrabbit to slither through. A wary breath later, a small figure peered through the crack and smiled at the trio.

"Delbin!" Kaz barely managed to keep it a whisper.

"Hi, Kaz!" Of course, to Delbin the entire situation was probably like a bizarre game of hide-and-seek. "I found you! I knew it must be you in here when people said they brought in some warrior who didn't have the sense to surrender against a full squad of the guard-"

"Delbin, what are-?"

The wiry figure put a finger to his lips. "Shh! I can't save you now, Kaz, because the guards are coming right back and you can't sneak into the places I can, which they did check, but they don't look very hard or very well, and you wouldn't want to hide in some of those places anyway…" He clamped his mouth shut, then, much more slowly, added, "I just wanted to tell you I think I found a good way to rescue you-"

"Delbin! Get out of here. I want you to get out of Nethosak as I told you to do the first time!" Only Paladine knew how the kender had been able to get in here, but Delbin was only endangering himself. He could not possibly help Kaz. "Go now!"

"But I wanted to tell you how I'll rescue you from-"

"Get going," added Ganth, ears straight as he listened for the return of the State Guard. "Or come morning you might end up helping us entertain the crowds in the arena!"

"You're going to be in the arena?" The kender's tone was so cheerful it grated on the minotaurs. "That'll make it so much easier for me! Just wait!"

To their surprise, the kender stepped back and began closing the door.

"Delbin!" called Kaz as loud as he dared. "Leave the city!"

The door closed, but a moment later, the minotaur's tiny friend pulled himself up so he could see through the bars. Still smiling, Delbin replied, "Oh, don't worry, Kaz! I'm not going to leave without all of you! I'll rescue you tomorrow, real dramatically, when you're in the arena!"

Before Kaz could say anything else, Delbin abruptly dropped out of sight. Several moments later, a sentry thrust his ugly muzzle against the bars.

"No more noise! Sargas take you, you fools! You should get some rest so you can at least put on a half-decent showing before you're all killed." He snorted. "Now quiet down. Soon it'll be first light."

He stepped away from the bars as one of his comrades joined him. The second guard was more agitated.

"A representative of the high priest is here! He's got men of his own, and they're coming down here to search the area and check on the prisoners!"