Cloak & Dagger: Book II of The Dragon Mage Trilogy Read Online Free PDF

cells? I’ll do the odd ones. As you can see, there’s nothing to fear.”
    “Y-Yes Sir,” said the short mage.
    As the short mage hurried off, Arch Mage Dalman thought he felt a slight gust of wind pass by him. Curious, he did a magical spell check in the cell but there was no magical signature. Apparently satisfied, he locked up the cell and replaced the spell to block the door. Then he hurried down the corridor to the next odd numbered cell.
    Alric looked back over his shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief. He had just had enough room to squeeze by the arch mage and enter the corridor. Had he not moved when he did, he would have been discovered by the arch mage’s spell. Worse still, he could have been resealed in the cell and left to die, with no one the wiser - except maybe the mysterious mage who was expecting him to do a job for him. Alric shuddered at the thought.
    The thief didn’t have time to dwell on this as he caught up with the short mage, who was just entering another cell. Alric waited until the mage was inside before hurrying past the room and down the corridor. He walked until he came to a set of doors barring his way. The doors were unlocked, so he opened them very slowly to see what was beyond. A corridor led up a series of stairs into the blackness. The elf nimbly ran up the stairs and arrived at another door. Beyond lay another corridor, this one considerably wider. Torches lined the walls, lighting the way for anyone who happened along.
    No one was around, so Alric entered the corridor confidently. He only went a short distance before reaching an open area which bisected several other corridors almost identical to his own. He approached one corridor entrance and listened. Nothing. Another corridor had faint sounds and, judging by the occasional word he could make out, it was a magic class of some sort. A third corridor had the sound of chairs scraping amidst a murmur of voices. The next corridor was silent, and Alric chose this one to explore. He passed many rooms on both sides. Some doors were open, revealing simply furnished rooms with tables and chairs. Some rooms had their doors closed and the sounds of voices echoed from within.
    Alric quickly reached the end of the corridor and was presented with another open area, identical to the one he had just left behind. The thief was beginning to despair of finding his destination when two mages exited one of the tunnels bisecting his own. Holding still, Alric waited as they passed him unknowingly. The mages were joking about the food in the tower’s cafeteria. Apparently they were going to get something to eat. A grin spread across the thief’s face as he followed the two mages. Perhaps this wouldn’t take so long after all.
    The trek through the tower had its tense moments as Alric followed his two guides. They passed numerous other mages and Alric had to press against the wall to avoid being walked into on more than one occasion. There was even one time when he thought he had been discovered. An old arch mage paused and turned around when the thief walked past. He looked straight at Alric as though he could see him. The thief held perfectly still, and patience won out as the old mage finally resumed his original course. Alric made a mental note to avoid arch mages if possible.
    Finally the thief followed the two mages into the cafeteria. There were quite a few mages seated at the tables eating, studying books, or chatting quietly. Alric paid no attention to them. He looked around for the kitchen and found it across from the entrance he had come in by. Skirting the tables in the cafeteria, he headed for the kitchen.
    Several cooks were at work here, and Alric had little room to maneuver to get past them. Finally he succeeded. He headed for the pantry in the back and, as luck would have it, the pantry doors were open. He examined the contents until he found the shelf devoted to the ingredients he was looking for. This was it. Alric reached into