With a frown, Duncan herded the light sphere closer and peered into the pool. Finally, they saw bubbles breaking the surface a few yards out from where Morgan had disappeared, and then a sleek golden head broke the surface. Morgan grinned as he shook the hair from his eyes and swam toward them.

“I found a way through,” he said, shaking his head again to clear the water from his ears. “It’s only a few feet long, but it’s at least my height down. Bishop Cardiel, can you swim?”

“Well, I—yes, a little. But I never…”

“That’s all right, you’ll do fine. I’ll help you.” Morgan grinned and reached up to slap the bishop’s ankle reassuringly. “Kelson, I’ll let you go first. It’s dark on the other side, of course, but the edge of the pool is only a few yards away. As soon as you make shore, conjure up a light and then get back in the water to help the bishop. I’ll wait with him until you’ve had a chance to finish.”

Kelson nodded, shrugging out of the last of his outer garments as Morgan finished.

“What about our weapons? We can’t take them with us, and we may need them on the other side.”

“We can get more in my tower chamber. We’ll go there first,” Morgan replied, reaching out a hand to assist Kelson into the water.

“All right, show me this underwater passage of yours.”

With a nod, Morgan took a deep breath and dived, Kelson following right beside and slightly behind him. Both disappeared from sight almost immediately, and after several seconds Morgan alone surfaced. Duncan was ready by then, so Morgan motioned him into the water and repeated the process.

When he surfaced, a white-faced Cardiel was standing on the edge of the pool, clad only in a long white singlet. He carried no weapon, but he had tucked the long tail of the singlet up between his legs and secured it under a cord belt around his waist. Stripping down had revealed a very plain wooden crucifix hanging on a cord around his neck, which he fingered anxiously as Morgan swam to the edge of the pool and grinned up at him.

“Now?” Cardiel murmured sheepishly.

Morgan nodded and held out a wet hand, still smiling, and Cardiel, with a sigh, lowered himself to sit on the edge of the pool. He shivered as his legs entered the cold water, his eyes wide and faintly luminous in the greenish light shed by Morgan’s glow sphere.

Patiently, Morgan held out his hand, nodding encouragement as Cardiel grasped his wrist and slid into the water with a sharp gasp. Then they were treading water above the place where Duncan and Kelson had disappeared. Cardiel swallowed nervously and craned his neck out of the water in an effort to peer downward as Morgan beckoned the light closer.

“Do you think you can make it?” Morgan asked in a low voice.

“Have I any choice?” the bishop retorted. He was pale with fright, but he appeared resigned to his fate. “Just show me what I’m to do.”