Chapter Thirteen

‘Warden Helio was tasked with the trading hall. Those who had paid for their sins or made a better life were allowed to move halls. Helio guided those who were worthy to new homes. Even the worst man or woman in the world could strive to escape the suffering.’ 

Caid ran straight for the flames without hesitation, as they spread quickly across the lavishly decorated manor. He could feel the heat of the fire halfway across the grounds. Guards continued running everywhere, unsure of what they should be doing. Caid highly doubted any of them trained for such a hazard, making it unlikely they would save anyone. The best they could hope for was Parian’s Fire Envoy to make it to the manor before everyone and everything burned to a crisp.  

Caid decided he couldn’t let Creaton burn. He was being selfish. He had let screams go unnoticed and officials be robbed, but he couldn’t know he was the reason Creaton didn’t survive. He knew he was putting in far more effort than Creaton would for him, but his choice was made. Creaton may have let him burn, but Caid was different from Creaton, or at least he wanted to believe that. Maybe Creaton wasn’t the same person Caid had known all those years ago, but Caid hoped beyond hope that he wasn’t so far gone as to do a thing like this.  

For all Caid knew, it was Creaton who had set fire to the seer’s manor after luring the seer into his rooms so he could burn him alive. In that case, maybe Caid would save the Seer of Parian.  

A disturbing thought crossed his mind¾what made the seer any better than the scream in the alley or the old man on the streets? As Caid reached the house, the intense heat of the flames made him break out into a sweat. He blocked his eyes with his arm as he ran through a burning doorway.  

Inside, the heat and smoke were almost unbearable. Everything was burning, and soon there would be nothing left to save. Caid had seen many fires in his life, but none had spread this quickly.  

Caid raced up the stairs; at the top, he passed two dead bodies with gaping holes in their midsections, clearly produced by sharp blades. These men had been killed by something more sinister than fire. 

A little farther down, a third man lay mangled on the floor. Caid rounded the corner toward Creaton’s wing of the home. There, in the distance, he made out two fast-moving shapes. Even through the flames and smoke, Caid saw that they were wearing warden attire.  

The two men continued running, disappearing around a far corner. Caid was certain beyond a doubt they not only killed the three men Caid found, but they had also set the house on fire.  

Caid stopped as he came to a sudden realization¾he was racing toward a situation he knew nothing about to save a man who wouldn’t have thought twice before killing him. Was that really something he should do? He looked toward the growing flames and came to a complete standstill.  

Standing about one hundred feet from Creaton’s doorway, Caid knew that just beyond that door, he’d find either a dying Creaton or a vast emptiness that would prove to him the world didn’t care about him at all.  

He could make that leap over the flames break down the door, or he could do the more sensible thing and follow the Wardens. If he caught them, maybe he could get some answers. Maybe they were still loyal to the true ways of the Wardens and not followers of Rawn and Maddog.  

Caid heard the crack of wood behind him. Whatever he did, he had to do it quickly, or he would become just another burned corpse. Coughing from the smoke, he leaped over the flames and kicked in the door. There, on the bed before him lay Creaton, naked and unconscious.  

Caid jumped over more flames, landing near the bed. The sudden inrush of oxygen sent the flames near the door roaring higher and hotter. Caid would have to find a different way out of the room.  

Caid looked to the window for his escape; it was still open from earlier. He had already made his way out of it once, why not do it again? He turned back to the bed, scooping Creaton’s naked, limp body into his arms.  

Creaton was not a small man, and as Caid maneuvered his way out onto the ledge, he realized climbing down with Creaton in his arms would be extremely difficult. Jumping down twenty feet bearing Creaton’s weight would be nearly impossible. 

The heat of the fire scorched the back of Caid’s neck; he had very little time left to decide. Looking straight down, Caid spotted bushes lining the edge of the manor. Either way, this would be painful for one of them or both, but chancing a fall was better than burning alive.  

Bending down and holding Creaton in his arms, Caid lowered the head envoy over the edge as far as he could. His fall would be a good fourteen feet from the tips of his dangling toes, but Caid hoped the bushes would act as a softer landing pad. Letting go of Creaton’s arms, he watched the limp body plummet down. As he hit the bushes, Caid heard a small gasp then nothing else.  

Caid turned back. The flames were not even five feet from the window and growing closer every second. Holding his breath, he jumped. Before hitting the ground, Caid tucked his body in, rolling with the impact of the fall. He jumped back to his feet and ran to the bushes, grabbing Creaton by the arms and pulling him free from the bramble. With some difficulty, Caid dragged Creaton out into the middle of the lawn and then fell back on the grass.  

*** 

Time was hard to grasp during times of conflict and struggle. Caid felt like he had been working at an escape for hours, but reality told him it was less than fifteen minutes since he started his run up the path.  

After pulling Creaton from the bushes, everything became a blur of chaos. Two guards approached Caid as if he had set the fire.  

“Stop where you are,” one of them screamed. 

Caid turned toward them.  

“What is going on?”  

Caid realized how strange it must seem. He was walking away from a fire with a naked man on his shoulders. He did not have any words to defend himself.  

They drew their swords Caid sighed, putting Creaton down onto the ground.  

“Can’t you just pretend you didn’t see me?”  

The first man lunged forward, trying to put his blade through Caid’s chest, but Caid moved. He grabbed the hilt of the sword and used the side of his hand to chop the man’s throat. Caid pulled the blade free from the weakened grip. He drove the sword into the man’s chest. It wasn’t his fault, but Caid didn’t have time to explain everything to him. The second guard was more cautious in his approach. He tried swinging straight on toward Caid’s left shoulder. Caid pulled energy from the daliwin, this was not a fair fight. The wall of energy from the daliwin stopped the blade in its tracks. Caid stepped forward and tried to end the man’s life as quickly as he could.  

With the guards out of the way, Caid pulled Creaton off the ground, slinging his naked body back across his shoulders. Creaton was much heavier than he’d been during his days with the Wardens. Envoys ate much richer foods, and Caid assumed those who were favorites of the seer led much easier lives.  

Caid considered taking Creaton down the warden paths toward the tunnels but thought better of it. He knew two wardens had been in the home. He would be a fool to think they took another path, and he wasn’t ready to run into them while carrying Creaton. Instead of the paths, Caid took to the short wall that enclosed the manor gardens, heaving Creaton’s limp body over to the other side. He followed over.  

Just a few seconds later, the fire envoy showed up with their water system in hand. The house was too far gone to save, and anyone still inside would be completely burned by now.  

In the streets, hundreds of people gathered, but not all of them were there to watch the flames. Some took advantage of the chaos to create more havoc. The sounds of shattered glass told Caid the looting had moved into the seer’s own front yard. Smaller dumpster fires were sprouting up all over.  

Caid had always thought Parian was a mellow district. If this was happening here, then he dared not think of what was happening in places like Helios. He wondered how long it would take the news to spread. Had the seer died in the fire? Was there something else going on behind the scenes? 

Just a few hours ago, Parian’s Seer was cozying up to Creaton in his bed. But upon Caid’s return, the only man in Creaton’s bed had been Creaton.  

Getting back to the tunnels was much easier than Caid expected. He moved as fast as he could through the growing crowds, and no one bothered him even though he had a naked, unconscious man on his back. However, the envoys focused on more important things, like trying to stop Parian from becoming rubble. As a result, he moved freely through the streets, finding the entrance to the tunnels below the city.  

Caid glanced to Creaton’s hanging hand. He was in Caid’s new world now, and there was no turning back. If Creaton woke up still hating him, then things would get messy. Caid wondered what Alis would say¾would she hold it against him that brought a head envoy to her home? He had not even stopped to give it a moment’s thought. This place belonged to Alis, not him.  

He had been mad at Alis when she invited her slave friends in without his permission and this was not even his home. But it was too late to consider this¾he had already brought Creaton too far to turn back now.  

Caid pressed one of the darker bricks and entered the bedrooms. His legs were burning, his lungs hurt from smoke inhalation, and everything seemed to be spinning. Caid plopped Creaton down onto a bed, covering his body with a blanket. Then he fell back against the wall, slid down it, and before he knew it, he was out.   

*** 

Caid’s chest hurt as if it had been hit with a large brick. His breathing was shallow, and he struggled to get a good breath of air. Before opening his eyes, he took several shallow breaths.  

“I think he is finally waking up,” said a man’s voice Caid instantly recognized as Creaton’s.  

Caid opened his eyes to look at the man sitting across the room from him. He was no longer naked. Somehow, he had procured a new shirt and pants.  

“How do you feel?” Caid asked, coughing a bit at the exertion of his lungs.  

Creaton gave a chuckle but winced with pain. “Better than you, it would seem.”  

Caid closed his eyes, taking another painful breath.  

“Here, take some of this,” said Alis.  

Caid opened his eyes again; Alis hovered over him with a bowl of water.  

“Sip, not chug,” she said, handing him the bowl.  

Caid took the bowl, drinking with small sips. It tasted like smoke as it rushed over his dry tongue. Aside from the taste, it was the single greatest pleasure Caid could have thought of. The cool water washed over his parched throat and even made his chest feel a little less heavy.  

After a few sips, Caid took a full drink, finishing the bowl.  

“That was pleasant.”  

“Would you like some fruit?”  

Caid looked over to the small bowl on the corner table and shook his head. His chest felt better, but it was still too much effort to move.  

“Creaton and I have already eaten, you should eat too,” Alis urged. She pulled a small yellow fruit from the bowl, handing it to Caid, who just put it in his lap.  

 “You and Creaton have met, then?”  

“The girl is a wonder,” Creaton answered. “She has clothed me, fed me, and kept me company while we waited for you to wake up.”  

Caid looked at Alis to see if he sensed any hostility at his bringing Creaton here.  

“Creaton has been nothing less than charming,” she said, alleviating his fears.  

Caid turned back to Creaton, who seemed sore but no worse for wear. 

“What happened at the manor?” Caid asked.  

“You saved my life,” Creaton replied.  

Another coughing fit overtook Caid before he said, “I know I saved your life. What happened before that?”  

Creaton bit his lip, his eyes wide in thought.  

“I am honestly not totally sure. I remember bits and pieces, but it is hazy.”  

“Well, what are the things you remember?” asked Alis before Caid could get out the words.  

Creaton looked down at the floor, avoiding eye contact. “The seer was in my rooms¾he had been there most of the night. I remember rolling over and he was asleep beside me. That’s when I heard the crash outside the door.” Creaton stopped a moment, continuing to think.  

Caid wondered how much Creaton would leave out of what he knew. Would he hide things? Caid had no way of being certain, so he just listened.  

“At first, I just thought the crash had been a clumsy guard. However, I never really kept too many guards in my quarters during the night, and the seer never brought guards with him to my chambers. I waited to see if someone would knock or if another sound would come, but for several minutes, there was nothing but the quiet hum of the night. I was just settling back down into the pillow when my door opened without a knock.”  

Creaton stopped again, running his hand through his hair. Then he shook his head as if he had failed at some major task.  

“I don’t know why I didn’t have my sword nearby. I mean, already once that night, someone had broken into my bedroom.” Creaton looked up at Caid. “I almost thought it was you again when the door shut just as softly as it had opened. There was a good chance without the crash, I would have never known someone entered. In the end, it mattered little anyhow. As I watched the door close and a dark-clad figure enter the room, I was hit in the shoulder with a small barb. The window was still open, and I hadn’t been alert enough to watch both entrances. I don’t remember much after that.”  

Creaton let out a sigh with his last words. Caid gathered his thoughts. Two men, darkly clad, who had to have been wardens. The small barb was probably a sedative the Wardens made from the sleepy willows.  

“Do you know what happened to the seer?” Caid asked.  

Creaton shook his head. “He was there when I was hit and then when I woke, I was here.” 

“He wasn’t in your rooms; there was no one else there once I arrived.”  

“What were you doing there anyhow?”  

Caid had no good answer why he had chosen to walk through the streets of Parian. He also had no reason to give him why he had run toward the fire without restraint. Something inside him had pulled him there, and he followed without question.  

“Right place, right time, I suppose.”  

All three of them sat in silence for a few minutes trying to gather their thoughts. Caid ran his hand over his chest, pressing gently. Everything around his chest and ribs felt tender.  

A few more moments passed before Caid broke the silence. “It was the Wardens.”  

Creaton looked up from inspecting his hands. Alis looked over at him from one of her trinkets.  

“The Wardens had no reason to do this,” Creaton replied.  

Caid shrugged. “With or without reason, it was the Wardens. They have been doing a lot of things without reason here lately.”  

Creaton’s eyes darted around the room as if the small area had a better answer than Caid.  

“I don’t understand why they would break the pact.” Creaton shook his head slowly. “No, that just doesn’t make any sense,” he said quietly to himself.  

Caid could see the inner struggle behind Creaton’s eyes. Caid was dealing with that same struggle.   

“Creaton, I was with the Wardens since my first memory, but they are not the same wardens anymore, you know that. Why were they trying to kill me?”  

Creaton looked up at him. “The pact was a benefit to them. They needed you out of the way. You said they kidnapped the overseer?” Caid nodded. “But, why? They stood to benefit greatly from him.”  

 “I don’t know the Wardens’ motivations anymore. They have taken high profile missions, killed their own, and broken loyalties. It seems they are working for their own motives, which is scary because the Wardens have never had their own motives before. We were contracted by those who had motives, and whoever paid the most won. That is how it has always been. We worked behind the scenes, and others benefitted in their own way and the Wardens got paid.” Caid gave a sigh as the confusing thoughts of the past week flooded his mind. “Now it just seems nothing is following the same pattern.”  

“Everything is changing,” Alis spoke. Both men looked over at her. Alis took a breath, drawing in some courage. “It is happening because of the mines.”  

Caid could have guessed she would mention the mines. She was convinced something major was going on there. Caid had no way of knowing what went on in the mines, but he had his doubts this was the cause. Slaves disappearing would not be farfetched. They were probably overworked before dropping dead in the middle of the rock floors. He doubted the slave drivers would be too worried about returning the dead slaves.  

“Maddog mentioned the mines,” Creaton said.  

“Huh?” was the only reply Caid could muster.  

“It was nothing crazy, but he had to cut one of our meetings short because they were expecting him at the mines. The Wardens at the mines seemed odd because of our pact, but he promised it would all come together in the end. I guess it is really coming together loud and clear now,” Creaton sighed.  

“See, Caid, there is something there.” 

Caid held up his hand. “What is this pact?”  

Creaton looked away. Caid knew that Creaton didn’t fully trust him. “The seer and overseer contracted the Wardens.” 

Caid was caught off guard. “You mean the overseer, the man who hates the Wardens, bought them?” 

Creaton shrugged. “Times are changing, Caid. Creft needed help, and the Wardens offered to help. It was just supposed to be a botched kidnapping. A few wardens would be found guilty for the first time in history. The overseer would see them put into prison. Then the tides would turn to our side. It all went to shit before it even started.”  

“Caid, there is something there in those mines. That is why the Wardens turned on the overseer,” Alis said, trying to turn the subject back.   

“I don’t know if it was the mines, but what I know is Creft is gone and I must find him. If the Wardens even think of displacing a hair on his head, I will kill them all.” Creaton stood and looked directly at Caid. “Will you help me?”  

Alis chuckled. “Don’t count on his help.”  

Caid looked down at the ground. He had been sitting back in the shadows, allowing his friends to perish, allowing the Wardens to banish him, and now he was allowing a civil war to erupt. Maybe it was time to do something about it all. After all, Caid was a warden¾the way wardens used to be¾and his training could be useful. Saving Creaton had felt good, it had felt right, and now was the time to save more people. His friends needed him to be a leader and he would do just that.  

“I’ll do what I can, but I need answers from you, Creaton.” Caid looked up at Alis and then, at Creaton. “For whatever it’s worth, I will help you both after that.”