Adventurers Wanted, Book 4: Sands of Nezza by M. L. Forman

be the perfect time to enter Magnus’s rooms and find the missing magic bags,” Alex said.
    Then you need to find a way out of the dungeon, his O’Gash answered.
    The soldier in the tavern had mentioned the pipes under the dungeon, but Alex didn’t think there was much hope there. He was so far underground that any pipes leading to the river would be flooding the dungeon with water. Still, if he could find the pipes, he might be able to use them to move into one of the higher levels of the dungeon.
    Alex continued to walk, keeping his eyes open for any sign of pipes along the walls or drains in the floor. He shivered in the cold, damp air, and he pushed his right hand into his pocket to get it warm. If he’d known he’d be trapped in the dungeon, he would have worn warmer clothes.
    After what felt like a long time, Alex was forced to stop at the edge of a large open pit. The floor appeared again about twenty feet beyond the pit, but everything ahead of him was in darkness. He sent his weir light down into the pit but soon called it back. The pit was deep, and he didn’t want to think about what might be at the bottom of it.
    Wake up! Alex’s O’Gash screamed inside his head. Magnus’s magic is dulling your wits already.
    Alex hadn’t felt any magic, but he knew it was there just the same. Magnus had done something to put him into a trancelike state. If he didn’t shake himself out of it now, it might be too late.
    “What options do I have?” said Alex.
    Go back the way he had come? No good—too many soldiers. Staying where he was only meant that the soldiers would eventually find him. He could move forward, but to where? The passageway might continue on the far side of this pit, but there was no way for him to know where it would lead. He could wonder aimlessly for days and still be stuck in this dungeon.
    Someone built the passageway, so it must go somewhere, said his O’Gash.
    Forward was his only real choice, but he didn’t like it. He sent his weir light across the empty space, changing into a swallow to follow it. Alex instantly returned to his own form on the far side of the pit and increased the brightness of his weir light. There was little chance of anyone seeing the light, and the glow made him feel more awake.
    Worried that Magnus’s magic would dull his mind if he didn’t stay focused, Alex started off at a quick pace. He felt more awake and was even curious about why this passageway had been made so far under the city. He continued to watch for pipes or anything else that might help him, but he saw nothing.
    The tunnel started to bend and twist as he followed it, and in places it seemed to be moving in an upward direction. The possibility that the tunnel might lead to the surface encouraged Alex, and he hurried forward. The bends became regular corners, turning sharply every hundred feet or so. When the floor became steeper, he knew that the passage was leading toward the surface and he had to slow his pace.
    A short set of stairs appeared out of the darkness. The stairs went down into what looked like a massive room. Alex took the first two steps down and then froze in his tracks. His eyes went wide as he looked into the room, and his whole body felt cold. There was a huge pile in the middle of the room and crawling over and around that pile were thousands and thousands of rats.
    Go back, go back, go back, a weak-sounding voice at the bottom of Alex’s brain squealed.
    Why? They’re only rats, said a stronger voice at the top of his brain.
    Evil, disgusting, nasty rats, the weak voice answered. They are watching every move I make. They are watching for their chance to attack.
    Alex looked around the room, and thousands of little eyes reflected his weir light, shining back at him. The rats were watching, but that was all they were doing.
    They see the light and are afraid of it, the stronger voice in his head said. If I enter the room, they will run away from the light.
    They will attack and