The Fifth Magic (Book 1) by Brian Rathbone

cylindrical holes within Dragonhold? he asked himself. It didn't take long to think of the water channels. Nowhere else, though, did they find these stone plugs. He wondered if perhaps these were the by-product of cutting the holes, but that still didn't explain why they were found only there. Near the bottom, one rung looked out of place. It was too low to be useful as a step, which made Martik further question its purpose. The stone cylinder wiggled free without much effort. The first thing Martik realized was the cylinder was made of a darker stone than the stone in which the shafts had been bored. These stone plugs had been made for a purpose, and Martik was feeling more and more confident that purpose was not to act as a ladder or platform.
    Using his knife, he checked inside the circular depression and found it quite thoroughly clogged. After working at it for a while, he managed to clear the channel, and as he lay there breathing, a breeze cooled his skin. It wasn't emanating from the channel but rushing into it. It had to be!
    Grabbing the stone cylinder, he wiped it as clean as he could and slid it into the channel. It was a nearly perfect fit; there was just enough play to allow the cylinder to slide in. When only a couple hand widths protruded from the hole, the shaft moved on its own. There was a sucking sound followed by a thud. Just enough shaft remained exposed to allow Martik to pull it back out. It resisted at first, but then came free with a sucking whoosh. Nothing else happened. He inserted it once again, and the suction pulled the shaft back, firmly locking it into place. This was it.
    One of Trinda's guards was watching him a little too closely, and Martik realized his thoughts must have been written on his face. He had to make the decision in that moment whether or not to reveal what he'd found. Though part of him worried over the consequences, Martik could not resist.
    "You men come down from there! And bring the planks!" he shouted to the crew, and the guard gave him a look that said he knew Martik was a traitor. It took much of the fun from what Martik was about to do. "You might want to get Trinda," he said to the guard.
    " Queen Trinda," the man said. "And you don't want to test it first? You want me to drag the lady down here on your hunch?"
    "Are you saying I should start the wheel turning without her here?"
    The man glared at him for some time. Martik's crew was reaching the bottom of the stair. Finally he sent another guard with word for Trinda. He specifically did not look at Martik after that, which was not such a terrible result. It would take some time for Trinda to get there, but there was still work to be done.
    "Remove the ladder stones, starting at the top. Hand the stones down and carefully stack them with the others," he said. "Do you understand?"
    "Yes," Bradley said.
    He was a good man whom Martik and Chase trusted. Though he normally served as a part of Trinda's guard, he'd been assigned to assist Martik in his efforts. Their friendship was no secret.
    Martik stepped away from what he no longer considered a ladder; it was a lever, a gate, or maybe switch was the better word. The work proceeded more slowly than Martik would have liked, and he wondered why he had even opened his mouth. Sometimes his temper and ego got the better of him, and he reminded himself to keep his emotions under control. "Emotion destroys what logic builds," his father had always said. "Martik knew there was a place for emotion in his life, but he took his father's point: it could rule or ruin your life if not kept in check.
    When Trinda arrived, she was carried by a well-muscled guard. She sat in his arms as if he were a throne, and the man did his best to descend loose stone slope with grace. There was a dangerous look on her face, and Martik hoped he was right. If not, his ego could have gotten him into serious trouble.
    "I am not to be summoned," Trinda said before the man carrying her came to a stop before