Page 47 (1/2)

It was dark, but it was not silent Chains clinked in a nearby cell, and sohter, a ain without pause, endlessly rattling in the dark Soain Garion cringed back against the sliination iony in those screams

Time in such a place was nonexistent, and so there was no way to kno long he had huddled in his cell, alone and afraid, before he began to hear a faintthat see across the uneven floor of his cell to the far wall

"Go away!" he cried

"Keep your voice down!" Silk whispered from the far side of the door

"Is that you, Silk?" Garion al?"

"How did you get loose?"

"Don't talk so much," Silk said frorunted, and there was a grating click from the door "There!" The cell door creaked open, and the di," Silk whispered "We have to hurry"

Garion al a few steps down the gloomy stone corridor Without a word, Garion went to her She looked at hiravely for a moment and then put her ar on another door, his face glea with perspiration The lock clicked, and the door creaked open Hettar stepped out "What took you so long?" he asked Silk

"Rust!" Silk snapped in a low voice "I'd like to flog all the jailers in this place for letting the locks get into this condition"

"Do you suppose we could hurry a bit?" Barak suggested over his shoulder frouard

"Do you want to do this?" Silk de as quickly as you can," Aunt Pol said "We don't have the time for bickerin just now" She rerunted sourly and moved on to the next door

"Is all this oratory actually necessary?" Mister Wolf, the last to be released, asked crisply as he stepped out of his cell "You've all been babbling like a flock of geese out here"

"Prince Kheldar felt need to make observations about the condition of the locks," Mandorallen said lightly

Silk scowled at him and led the way toward the end of the corridor where the torches fu

"Have a care," Mandorallen whispered urgently "There's a guard"

A bearded man in a dirty leather jerkin sat on the floor with his back against the wall of the corridor, snoring

"Can we get past without waking hi to wake up for several hours," Barak said griuard's face iht be others?" Mandorallen asked, flexing his hands

"There were a few," Barak said "They're sleeping too"

"Let's get out of here, then," Wolf suggested

"We'll take Y'diss with us, won't we?" Aunt Pol asked