The guard nodded.

"Good. Now where's the kender?"

The guard answered, "Third corridor, second cell, but you'll regret-"

Replacing the cloth over the prisoner's protests, Kaz joined the others. "Let's go."

With Fliara keeping an eye on a suspiciously docile Scurn, the group hurried in that direction. The halls were darker here, only an occasional torch illuminating the area. As they passed each cell, Kaz peered inside. He had had a notion to free the other prisoners, but not one cell was occupied.

"Jopfer must want a lot of privacy for the kender," Ganth remarked. "There should be at least a few poor heretics being retrained down here."

Kaz was the first to reach the third corridor. He peered inside, seeing little more than darkness. These cells were far larger. The torchlight barely illuminated part of a chair and possibly a small table.

He tugged on the door. It opened.

Delbin had escaped… but where was he now?

"Kaz! Look what I just found!" Hecar came toward him with a squirming bundle. It was a gully dwarf. "This is the same one I think helped capture me. He did something to my harness!" The minotaur raised the sorry figure up so he could look it in the face. The legs of the gully dwarf… a male, Kaz thought… kept spinning, though his feet were high off the floor. "Well, now we can talk about the lesson I'm going to teach you-"

"Hecar-"

"No hurt Galump!" the gully dwarf pleaded. "Galump is Delbin's friend! Good friend!"

"What's that?" Kaz moved forward, seizing Hecar's arm. He had his companion lower the creature called Galump to the ground. The creature tried to dash away, but Hecar maintained his grip. "Stop that!" Kaz commanded. In a softer tone, he asked, "You're a friend of Delbin's?"

"Yes! Galump is Delbin's friend! Yes!"

"Do you know where he is? It's important."

The gully dwarf hesitated, then murmured, "High one will eat us if I say… He shouldn't have gone after her." The gully dwarf leaned forward and hesitantly asked, "You Kaz?"

The minotaur blinked. "I am. How did-"

"Delbin's friend." Galump attempted to think. It was manifestly a strain. "Delbin's friend. Delbin wanted to help Galump. Galump help Delbin." He broke into a childlike smile. "I show you."

The gully dwarf twisted out of Hecar's grip and started down the hallway. After a moment's hesitation, the minotaurs followed.

Galump hurried deeper into the temple. Kaz was amazed and horrified at how many cells there actually were beneath the temple. Finally, Galump pointed at a cell door midway down a corridor. Kaz hurried past him and peered through the grill into the darkened cell. He could neither see nor hear anything within.

Then a chain rattled slightly. Kaz heard a short gasp that did not sound like the kender. In fact, it sounded like a female, but not really like a minotaur.

"Delbin!" He called, trying to keep his voice quiet enough so that it would not echo. "Delbin! It's Kaz!"

The chain rattled more. He heard someone rise.

"Delbin!"

"Kaz?" came the kender's hopeful voice. "Kaz!"

The chain dropped to the floor with a loud clash. Delbin burst out of the darkness from one side of the cell… followed, to Kaz's astonishment, by a human female in her early or mid-teens. The girl paused only when the chains she wore yanked her back.

Kaz snarled, studying the length of chain. More and more, he desired the high priest's neck between his hands. What right did Jopfer think he had to do this to a harmless, innocent child? She could not be any real threat to a minotaur. There was no honor in the cleric's actions, only evil.

He turned away from the door. "Where are those keys?"

Hecar raised the ring of keys, but Delbin was already at the door. Before any of the minotaurs could say anything, there was a click. A moment later, the kender pushed the door open. "The manacles are really hard, Kaz, but the doors are simple. I locked it when I heard someone coming, just in case."

"Amazing," grumbled Ganth. "Minotaur locks are some of the best in the world, and this little one flicks them open without a care."

They followed Delbin inside. The kender took the girl by the hand. She was staring at the minotaurs in open fear. "Don't worry. We're all going to rescue you."

"Who is she, Delbin?" Kaz studied the girl. She looked as if she had some elven blood, but was otherwise unassuming.

"She's-" The kender frowned. "She says she doesn't have a name, Kaz."

"Is that true, girl?"

"I don't think I've ever had a name."

"Why didn't your parents give you one?"

She looked down. "I don't remember them."

"She said she's been on her own as long as she can remember, but she doesn't seem to remember very far back, maybe a couple of years, I think-"

"Shouldn't we be leaving soon, Lad?" interrupted Ganth.

"We have to take her with us, Kaz!"

"A human girl?" Hecar shook his head. "She'll stick out worse than a kender!"

"Nevertheless, we will take her." He looked at the girl. For some reason, she reminded him of someone. "Don't worry-girl-you'll go with us. I wouldn't leave anyone here to wait for the high priest."

"I don't like him. He kept saying I'd be here for centuries."

"Jopfer's truly mad," Hecar retorted. "Becoming high priest has made him crazy."

"Can you get the manacles open, Delbin?" Kaz did not want to have to use the axe. Striking the chains would make more noise than they could afford. It was a wonder no one had heard them so far.

"I think so." The kender was already at work. "I think I almost have this one figured out." To the human he said, "Don't you worry! We'll get you out, and then you can come with us back to Kaz's homeland then we can come up with a name for you-"

"I think I've decided on one," she abruptly announced with much seriousness. "I think I found one I like."

"That's all very nice-" but Kaz got no farther.

"I want to be called Tiberia, or even just Ty." The girl smiled prettily at Kaz. "Delbin mentioned a dragon in a story he told me while he was trying to free me. About a dragon called Tiberion. I like that name."

"Tiberia it is then," snorted Ganth. "We can admire the choice later. If you can't get those manacles open in the next few seconds, Delbin, then we'd better-"

Scurn swung his elbow back, catching a momentarily distracted Fliara in the stomach. She bent over, the air pushed out of her, allowing the scarred minotaur to seize her by the arm and shove her. Fliara collided with Hecar.

The action caught the others off guard. Scurn turned and raced through the open doorway.

"Somebody stop him!" Ganth called, already chasing the scarred minotaur.

"Delbin!" Kaz called over his shoulder as he started after them. "Get that bracelet open and get her out of here without us if you have to! We'll meet where we stayed before this whole mess began, but don't wait long! Get her out of Nethosak!"

"But, Kaz! I haven't told you the biggest thing! You should hear what she's able to do!"

"Later, Delbin! Free her!"

The kender was already back at work on the chain as Kaz and the others rushed out after Scurn. Kaz trusted the kender's skills, at least where sneaking around was concerned. If anyone could get Tiberia out unnoticed, Delbin could.

Scurn and Ganth were out of sight as he turned the corridor, not a good sign. If Scurn made it up to the next level, he would be able to warn some of the temple guards.

Then he heard the sounds of a struggle. Kaz twisted around the corner and discovered Scurn and Ganth fighting hand-to-hand, the older minotaur's sword on the floor between them. It was a credit to the undiminished skills of Kaz's father that he had caught the escaping captain before Scurn could climb the steps.

Scurn saw Kaz coining. A dark glint appeared in the disfigured warrior's eyes. Scurn opened his mouth and shouted loudly, making as much noise as he could. The cry echoed throughout the hall and, no doubt, the floor above.