21 The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Alistar lead them threw a series of tunnels that wound themselves through underneath the city. To the untrained eye, the tunnels would look like an endless maze that would be easy to get one lost in.

They walked for about an hour and a half before they arrived to their desired destination.

When they surfaced from the tunnels they found themselves inside what looked like the inside of a water well. It was wide enough to fit only a few people at a time comfortably. There was no water at the bottom like one would think. Only a ladder leading up to the surface and the hidden path that leads back into the tunnels.

Amira couldn't help but feel like such a hidden escape route would come in handy if she ever had the need for it in the future.

Her delicate hand gingerly touched the cold metal from the ladder. It felt old, but reliable. After a sudden harsh tug on it, she decided it was strong enough to hold her weight and began her climb up.

After such a long walk in the dimly lit tunnels, her eyes weren't prepared to be invaded but the bright light from the sun. It was almost blinding, and took her a moment to adjust.

The well was placed in the middle of a very spacious and green courtyard. Flowers and a few small herb gardens were planted generously throughout the courtyard making the air smell pleasant and the sight very colorful. It was much nicer than what she had originally planned out.

She had a suspicion that Alistar was responsible for such an upgrade. She couldn't help but picture the big and strong knight Alistar dresses with an apron on, planting flowers for his master. The thought almost made her laugh out loud.

Not too far behind her was Mikel, who jumped out of the well excitingly. He couldn't contain all the excitement and happiness in his small body. He bounced around the courtyard like a mad bunny, squealing with pleasure from what he saw.

The courtyard was so big! The whole house was gigantic! His master and himself finally had a place to plant their roots down, and real place to call home!

One by one each member of the party crawled their way up the ladder and poured into the courtyard.

Zevran was the last to find his way up, but was instantly enchanted by what he saw. He didn't care much for the view of the gardens or the flowers, but instead his eyes were drawn to his beautiful woman standing just ahead of him. Seeing her face glowing with such a loving and happy smile made his heart turn to mush. For once in his thousands of years of life he felt peace, and all it took was one look at a girl he had just met. Half of him felt like he had lost his mind, but the other half felt as if it was fate that led her to him.

Alistar hurriedly went to Amira's side, ready to continue playing host for her.

"The tunnels can stretch under the whole city, but our current location is about four miles from the Guild. It's close enough to keep an eye on things from here, but also far enough so that no one could link you back to it."

Amira nodded her head in approval, she actually liked the lay out of her new home quite a lot.

Alistar took her silence as acceptance, and continued explaining the layout of the property.

" There are a total of three courtyards, this one being the main yard intended for the mistress to use. The master suit is right across from us, and there are four additional rooms for trusted servants to stay. The other two yards are for lesser servants, and one for soldiers. The soldiers yard also doubles as a training grounds."

It wasn't anything as magnificent as the palace, but this is the way she preferred it. Simple but homey. The perfect place to raise Mikel and to build her own strength for her revenge.