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Doci lifted his head off the wall and opened his eyes.  He’d heard noises.  Before him he saw two Ewlaps, both standing no higher than three feet.  They had snuck into the room, quietly closing the door behind them, and he’d heard the tapping of their feet as they entered the room.  They looked at him, saw that they’d been spotted, and walked closer until they were a few feet away.

Doci felt Kyra stir and she lifted herself up, feeling bruised and tired.  She saw the Ewlaps in front of her and reached for her sword which was on the other side of the room.  Doci stopped her hand.

“It’s okay,” he said.  “I think they’ve come to help.”

The two little Ewlaps smiled at this.

“Yes,” one squeaked, “we have.”  He then cringed, realizing how noisy he was being, and looked behind at the door, listening for anything.  The other Ewlap was looking at him in disgust.

“Yes,” he said in a whisper.  “We’ve come to help you get to Jolus” – he spat his name, not liking its sound inside his mouth – “he’s set a whole line of guards and traps for you.  You just met one of the worst, but they’re plenty more.  Now come.  They heard you kill this giant, and now they’re closing in, hoping to surround you.”

Kyra was sitting up, listening to the Ewlap with interest.

“Why doesn’t Jolus just face us, if he’s as evil and ruthless as he’s supposed to be?” she asked.

“Oh he is, be sure, he is.  But he’s also afraid.  Afraid of you Kyra, because you’re the Chosen One, and he hasn’t fought anyone like you before.  He thinks you’re a helpless girl and he’ll easily defeat you, but because you’re prophesied to fight against him, he’s still afraid.”

Kyra looked at the Ewlap with surprise.

“Now we must leave,” the Ewlap said urgently.  “We have little time.

The Ewlaps headed for the door through which they’d entered, with Doci and Kyra quickly getting their swords and following them.  They crept into the hallway, closing the door behind them without a sound.  It was like the others: darkness with a high ceiling.  As Kyra and Doci followed the Ewlaps, the slaves stopped halfway along the corridor, lifted a tapestry hanging on the wall and disappeared.

Kyra reached the tapestry, lifted it aside and saw a secret tunnel there.  It was small, almost too small for them, but they would manage.

She got on her hands and knees and followed the disappearing little feet of the Ewlap ahead.  Doci followed, not happy with the confined space, but he had no choice.

Along the tunnel they crawled and Kyra could feel the dust and dirt on the floor, along with little things that crunched under her hands and knees.  They sounded like little bones being crushed, but she was happy for the darkness and not being able to see what they were.

They reached an opening and crawled out into another hallway.  This one was different, with a lower ceiling and torches hanging from the walls.

“Who made that tunnel?” she whispered to one of the Ewlaps, as she stood, waiting for Doci to exit the tunnel.

“Why, we did, of course,” he said, smiling.

“You?”

“Well, not us personally, but us Ewlaps I mean.”

“Really?” she replied.

“We have been an enslaved race for many thousands of years and in that time we've never left Jolus the Malignant’s watchful eye.  This Castle of Pain has become our home, sadly, and we’ve had to make it as such, creating our own secret passages and tunnels that will take us anywhere in the castle, without Jolus knowing.  He still doesn’t know they exist.  He’s not as clever as he thinks he is.”

“Shhhhh,” the other Ewlap said, covering the other’s mouth. 

But it was too late.  They all heard the sound of something, actually somethings, entering through the end of the hallway and heading this way.

The Ewlap looked at the opposite wall and then ran to specific little rock amongst many other little rocks in the wall.  He pushed it and before their eyes a straight crack developed in the wall.  He pushed on the small section of wall, and it swung inside like a door, revealing another tunnel.  He waved his arm and the other Ewlap led the way, with Kyra and Doci soon following.  Once they were inside, the Ewlap snuck into the tunnel and closed the secret door softly behind him.

The voices were much closer now and stopped directly in front of the secret passage.

“I heard something,” some creature growled.

“Well what is it then?  Is it them?” said another.

“I don’t know.  I know I heard something, coming from this hallway.  It sounded like a Ewlap.”

“Yes,” said the other sarcastically, “there are many Ewlaps in the castle.  They’ve been living here longer than we have.”

“No.  I also heard another voice.  A girl’s voice.”

“Could it be her?”  He paused.  “The Chosen One?”

“I don’t know, but it’s not here now.  Let’s check the room at the end of the hallway.  Maybe they ran out there.”

There were the sounds of footsteps heading away.

Then an icy voice whispered through the very walls of the castle and stole into each living being’s soul:

Find them.  Find them now!  They have killed one of my creations.  They will kill more.  You must find them and bring them to me.  Immediately!

The footsteps quickened; one of the creatures whimpered.

Kyra shivered at the sound of that voice.  She knew it only too well now.

Once they heard the door close at the end of the hallway, the Ewlap pressed a specific spot on the inside of the wall and the secret doorway opened again.  Soon all four of them were outside, and this time none of them made a sound.

The Ewlaps led the way to the end of the hall and crept through into a room, closing the door in silence behind them. It was empty.  Kyra had lost all sense of direction, and from the puzzled look on Doci’s face, she guessed he had too.  But the Ewlaps were right at home.

The lead Ewlap stopped them all in the center of the room.

“Okay, we now need to get up into the castle, if we’re ever to get to Jolus before any of his creations finds us.”

The Ewlap searched the floor and found a stone that looked just like all the others.  He pressed on it lightly, stepped off, and then stepped on it again with more force.  A panel slid back in the ceiling, revealing an opening.  A long rope fell from this space and landed on the floor, one end secured somewhere in the hole in the ceiling.  There were knots at one-foot intervals along the rope.

Kyra quickly got the picture, took hold of the rope and began climbing.  Soon she passed into the opening and found another dark tunnel.

Doci followed, then the two Ewlaps.  The last one pulled up the rope and then slid the panel back into place, piling the rope on top of it, for whoever next would need access to the secret tunnel.  He led the way in a specific direction, with the other three following.  After some distance he stopped and looked up.  Above him was another tunnel, this one going straight up.  He pointed at something on the wall and Kyra could see the ladder that was secured there.  He began climbing the rungs, with Kyra and Doci following, and the other Ewlap climbing up last.

This conduit was a lot longer than anything they’d yet traveled through, but it was necessary for them to get higher within the castle.  Kyra felt herself getting tired and imagined how the Ewlaps must be feeling, but they were probably used to this clandestine roaming throughout the castle; they probably did it everyday.  They were used to this strenuous travel.  Kyra could hear Doci’s heavy breathing below her and sympathized with him.

The Ewlap finally reached the end of the conduit and unlocked the trapdoor above him, which he opened slightly.  The opening was in the floor of the hallway above.  He looked around, trying to see if there was anyone around.

The door was yanked open, out of his hands, and then a paw of claws came down, grasped him by the scruff of the neck, and pulled him out of the tunnel with a squeal.

“Quick, Doci!” Kyra cried, drawing her sword with one hand, as she climbed with the other.  Adrenaline coursed through her veins and she felt her body surge with energy.  She reached the top and saw a creature there looking at her.  This one had three eyes in its forehead, but its hideous face consisted of its enormous alligator jaw with many, many teeth.  Nevertheless the creature had a humanoid body, Kyra discovered as she stepped out of the hole.  Her sword came round in a fast swoop and sliced across the creature’s midsection, inflicting a mortal wound.

The creature’s look of viciousness changed to one of shock, as it gripped the tear in its stomach, attempting to hold the ends together and keep everything inside from falling out. 

Kyra’s foot came out and kicked the thing aside.  She looked around and saw another creature that looked the same.  He held the Ewlap by the throat and was proceeding to strangle him.  As Kyra watched, it opened its jaws and tried the poor Ewlap’s head in its mouth.  Kyra, without thinking, threw her sword.  It spun end over end and buried its blade deep in the chest of the creature, which dropped the Ewlap and gripped the sword in surprise.

Kyra charged toward it.  It looked up at her and saw its attacker coming to finish the job.  It began backpedaling, trying to get away from her.  She reached it and seized the hilt of her sword, applying pressure and pushing it in deeper.  The creature fell to the ground, on its back.  Kyra pushed on the hilt until she felt the tip of the blade hit stone, then she wrenched once and pulled out her sword.

She turned to see Doci out of the hole, standing before four other creatures, with the little Ewlap cowering behind him.  Kyra ran to help.

“Get back into the tunnel, go down and don’t come back.  You can’t help us anymore.  Save yourself!” she cried to the Ewlap.

He didn’t need to be told twice, disappearing down the hole into the conduit, as she slammed the door closed and stood over it. 

There they were, Kyra and Doci, side-by-side, swords poised and ready for attack.  There was a moment of silence and stillness, as the four creatures just stared at the two humans, looks of hate and menace passing between each group.

Kyra took a breath and then ran at them, yelling at the top of her lungs.  The creatures were taken aback by this, and in the moment of surprise, Kyra stabbed one in the chest, aiming for the heart.  It was soon dead, and fell at her feet.  Then the other three reacted and Kyra didn’t have time to pull her sword from the creature’s chest cavity, but Doci was there to parry a blow from the claws of one; a ching sound echoed throughout the corridor.  Doci kicked at one of the creatures, aiming for the groin, and making contact.  The creature doubled up, then fell to the floor, rolling around in agony.  Doci quickly brought the sword round again and sliced at the first creature’s shoulder, dealing a savage wound.

Kyra had by this time freed her sword and was fighting with the third creature, protecting Doci from its attack.  Now there were many ching sounds, as she parried and sliced, swished and stabbed, clashing against claws each time.  One paw came close and sliced her sleeve to ribbons, but didn’t reach skin.  She stepped back, making space and taking pause to assess this adversary, then she saw an advantage, came at the creature aiming for its chest; the claws came together, crossing over each other, blocking the stabbing, but the sword had already changed direction and came around with a slice at the thigh.  It cut deep and blood began pouring onto the floor.  The creature bent down in pain and the sword swung in a curve and made contact with the creature’s neck.  The dead creature fell to the floor.  Kyra lifted her sword and faced the creature who had been rolling on the floor just seconds before.  It now stood and looked at her.  It didn’t know whether to attack or flee, and in the time it thought, Kyra came at it.

Doci was having trouble with his creature.  It was proving to be a formidable adversary, not simply blocking his attacks with the sword, but making its own swings and slashes at Doci’s face and chest with its claws.  The last swipe had caught his side, one claw cutting through clothing and sinking into flesh.  He felt the pain now and didn’t need to look down to know there was blood flowing.  He could see the look of satisfaction on the creature’s face.

He was worried, not sure if he could defeat this creature.  That was when he had a quick idea.  He maneuvered the creature towards him, so that its back was to Kyra, who had just decapitated one of the creatures, Doci could see, and was now charging the other.

Kyra, he screamed in his mind, distract him!

“Jolus!” Kyra roared at the creature she was charging.

It was out of the blue, but made the creature in front of Doci stop and look around in fear.  Doci’s sword was in quick, slashing and slicing at the chest and stomach.  By the time the creature looked back at him, it was bleeding from multiple wounds.  It roared and made one last lunge at him.  Doci dropped to his knees and held the blade outward from him.  The creature ran onto the blade, impaling itself fully.  It died, and with a twitch Doci was able to throw the creature aside, pulling his sword from its stomach as it fell. 

Kyra felt Jolus’s name she’d just cried reverberate in her mind.  It had also shocked the creature in front of her, which then cowered down on its knees thinking its master had come for it.  Kyra closed her eyes and slid the blade through, killing it quickly and with mercy. 

She withdrew the blade and looked around to see Doci walking toward her.  He was hurt, bleeding from his side, but it was not major, not at the moment anyway; he showed little sign of pain.

“Let’s finish this,” he growled at her, leading the way toward the door that led to Jolus the Malignant’s throne room; he knew this for a fact.

Kyra followed and stopped in front the door, next to him.  She cleaned her blade and sheathed it, then she lifted her hands above her head, drawing energy from the air, brought her hands down together, focused, closing her eyes tight, then threw out her hands, with her palms aimed at the door.  Two bright balls of emerald green light shot out and slammed into the wooden door.  It was strong and thick, but only a weak defense against this much power.  The door literally exploded into the room, disintegrating into a million splinters and small chunks, some black and burned, some on fire. 

The smoke slowly cleared and they saw into the room,  saw Jolus the Malignant sitting on his throne, looking right at them.  He didn’t look happy.