Broken Mage by D.W. Jackson

was something to occupy his time while his meal
cooked.
    That night he checked the sending box
and was happy to find that it was empty. The fact that the princess
had finally checked the box put a smile on his face. It would still
be a few days before she could send a response but he could wait.
He hoped everything was going well with her. He knew that her life
could get busy at times but something inside him told him this
wasn’t one of those times.
    Setting aside his fears of things he
couldn’t do anything about Thad focused on what he could control.
At the moment that was finding the best direction to head. The
underground lake stretched far in every direction and seemed to
feed many different small rivers and streams. Many of them seemed
promising but Thad decided to follow the largest one hoping it
would have the biggest chance of leading him to the
surface.
    With his direction determined Thad cut
a rough arrow in the stone for future reference. With his belly
full and everything planned for the next leg of his journey Thad
settled back trying to find a comfortable place to sleep. He knew
that he was exposed but there was little he could do about it.
There wasn’t enough room to use his magical walls. He turned on one
of his shield rings but he knew it would expire long before he
woke. He hadn’t seen anything dangerous in the water, though that
meant very little, as the darkness was apt at hiding the creatures
that prowled within.
    When Thad woke he found that he had
remained safe despite being unprotected. His dreams had been filled
with countless monsters that his mind had created. Sleeping
unprotected wasn’t something he wanted to do again if he could help
it. Sooner or later he was sure his luck would run out.
    It only took about half a day of travel
to reach where the underground river broke away from the lake. The
walls were still narrow, forcing him to continue walking on the
water for quite a ways, but after what he believed was about two
miles the walls of the tunnel widened enough for him to once again
set his foot down on solid ground.
    He wasn’t sure how long the small ledge
would last so he used the chance to take a small break. With his
walls up it left him just enough room to lie down comfortably. He
wasn’t really tired but he had learned that he must take his rest
where it could be found in safety. Closing his eyes Thad daydreamed
until he drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

CHAPTER V
    Over the past few days the tunnel had
widened greatly giving Thad plenty of room. He still hadn’t been
able to locate an exit but he was still hopeful. If nothing else he
was making an effort. It wasn’t as if the tunnels could stretch on
forever without end. There had to be countless way back to the
surface and all he had to do was find one of them.
    The princess still hadn’t sent a
message to him and that worried him far more than his lack of
finding a way out. She had been one of his first real friends. If
anything had happened to her Thad wasn’t sure what he would do. He
still wasn’t sure if he had any romantic feelings toward Maria but
he did know that he considered her very important in his
life.
    He had tried to push his worries aside
but with only the darkness and the glowing fish to keep him company
it was hard to do. His mind constantly conjured up the worst
possible scenarios for both Eloen and Maria. He could usually put
aside his fears for the princess she was well protected but it
wouldn’t be impossible for her to be in danger. With Eloen it was a
much different story. She had rushed into enemy territory after
him. His only link to her was the princess and now with that cut
there is no telling what had happened to her. It was very possible
that she was in the very prison that once held him huddled in a
cold corner crying for someone to save her.
    Shaking the morose thoughts from his
mind Thad continued his way down the dark corridor. The thoughts
refused to be shaken from his mind easily