Chapter Eight

‘The City of Patar was made on the principals of the Nine Wardens. However, it was maintained by the blades of the Wardens below.’ 

Caid had told Alis he would think on her request over the night. He had expected to get no sleep and groaned when Alis woke him with the tip of her boot. His entire body felt stiff, but at least he had caught a few hours of sweet bliss. As he sat up, Alis thrust a cup into his hands. The liquid¾whatever it was¾was warm, heating his fingers. Caid gave it a sniff.  

“I usually just have coffee,” he said, still staring at the liquid as if it were some poisonous concoction.  

Alis motioned for him to drink, taking a sip from her own cup. She licked her lips to show the taste was pleasant.  

“What is it?” he asked, swirling it around the cup. He knew too much about poison to take random drinks from people who were practical strangers. Even though he had slept in the same room and doubted she would kill him, he still thought of her as a stranger.  

“I don’t have a name for it. It will help you wake up. It will also make your muscles feel better. I know you slept poorly last night. You made funny noises.”  

Caid saw Geth in his mind for most of the night. He forgot the rest of his dreams, which he was thankful for, as he doubted, they had been jolly.  

Caid brought the cup back up to his nose for a second sniff.  

“Drink.”  

Caid tilted the cup, letting a small amount touch his lips. She had at least been right about the taste¾it was pleasing. He parted his lips, allowing more to pass through. Instantly, Caid felt the warmth fill his throat and stomach. His body relaxed a bit, and he let out a sigh of relief. Somewhere in his mind, he felt a lot of tension release.  

“I am ready to start my training today,” Alis said, breaking the moment of peace.  

Caid took another drink, and even though the initial feeling faded, he did feel much better. His mind felt rested and his body more limber. He put the cup on the ground next to his bare feet. Alis put her cup down too, leaping up with the vigor only youth can provide.  

“Where do we start?”  

Alis was practically jumping through the ceiling of the low-hanging room. Caid held up his hand to calm her.  

“You don’t just jump into something like this.” He wanted to explain the finer points, but Alis’s face fell slack.  

“You said you would train me,” she pouted.  

“I said I would think about it,” Caid said, trying to cut her off before she started whining. “There are just steps that have to happen before we could start anything is all.”  

Alis let the frown fall from her face. Caid reminded himself that she was young and excitable.  

“What do I have to do?” she asked, pulling him away from his thoughts again.  

Caid stretched his muscles, standing and walking to the side of the room to grab his boots.  

“Do you have any food to go with that drink?”  

Alis nodded, grabbing a small bag from under a stack of papers.  

“It’s just some bread and maybe a bit of chocolate or two,” she said, throwing him the bag.  

Caid reached in, finding only the crumbs of what used to be bread. He turned the bag over, emptying it out onto his outstretched palm.  

“Well, it used to be there, I must have eaten it,” she said apologetically.  

Caid let the bag fall onto the ground with disappointment. He tried to remember his last full meal, but that was before Geth’s death days ago.  

Alis watched him fret over the bag. Caid saw sympathy on her face, but he also saw something else¾determination. 

“What do I have to do?”  

Caid sat back down, starting to lace the boot on his left foot.  

“The first thing you would need is a daliwin.” Caid reached into his pocket and pulled out what Alis had called a medallion. “Every warden has one, and you have to make it on your own. It forms a bond with the Nine Wardens above, and during your training, you will need the bond to work some skills the Wardens below have learned over the years.”  

Caid wrapped the chain around his hand, looking at the glowing vial. It was everything he had ever been.  

“How do I make one?”  

Caid sighed, shoving the necklace back into his pocket.  

“You realize this will not make you invincible. It gives you power, yes. It does not give you the power to change the world. You still have to work for everything you get.”  

 “I didn’t ask to change the world. I just want to do what is right,” she said.  

Caid shook his head. Who even knew what was right? His own sense of right and wrong was in shambles, and he had seen many more days than this little girl.  

“I need something from your tunnels, and you want to be a warden. We will make it work.”  

Alis nodded, the determined look returning to her face.  

“First, you need to get a vial,” Caid said, but before he could finish, Alis started rummaging through her bag of belongings. She held up a small vial about the same size as the one Caid had on his own necklace. “That should do it,” he said. “Next, you will need to fill that vial by completing three missions. For the first, you will need to put in sweat from your brow, dedicated to a cause.”  

Alis pushed the vial into her pocket. “Come with me.”  

Turning, she opened the door, barely giving Caid enough time to finish tying his right boot.  

They found their way up into the city the same way they had the evening before. Caid was almost getting the hang of the different colored bricks.  

Alis brought them up in Oranaos for the second time. Caid was happier that, at least this time, it was away from the slave portion of the district. Outside the slave walls, the district of Oranaos was prim and proper. There were no flamboyant colors like in Eridian. There were no bars or taverns like Helios. There were no hecklers, merchants, or even homeless. The Seer of Oranaos, Seer Maddoc, was a no-nonsense type, keeping the district quiet and safe.  

Alis jumped into the moving line of slaves, following them closely.  

“This is the morning line,” she yelled back. She fell into practiced stride. None of the slaves faltered or said a word. “They are sent to the mines in Cros, and as I told you, not all of them get to come back.”  

Caid walked at Alis’s tempo, trying not to seem suspicious. Even though if anyone looked, they would stick out like a sore thumb. 

“What are we following them for exactly?” Caid had let Alis lead him the last few days now, and he wondered whether that had been a good idea.  

“You said I had to sweat for a cause. Well, this is the cause I want to sweat for. This is what I want your help with, Caid.”  

Caid knew slavery was less than ideal. It wasn’t something he wanted to die for though. He thought about trying to persuade Alis to choose a different cause. That too eluded him, as the slaves kept moving in from the smaller alleyways, separating him slightly from Alis. She never moved out of sight, but he couldn’t get her attention over the hustle of the crowd.  

Caid observed his surroundings without the prospect of conversation. The slaves had their own network of movement in the city. How many things had Caid missed being a warden? Little girls in tunnels under the city and slaves in plain view moving through streets; he never thought to look for either, so it wasn’t a big surprise that he had missed them both.  

As the slaves turned the final corner, Caid nearly ran face first into Alis, who had stopped moving with the crowd.  

“We have to figure out a different way to follow them in. They are checked by guards every morning.”  

Alis watched intently as the slaves made their way into the district of Cros. There, they would walk around the main district and into the mines.  

Caid could think of easier causes to start with. He had little desire to enter the mines. There was nothing there that interested him, and this idea of finding missing slaves seemed like the worst business to meddle in if one wanted to stay alive and out of the limelight.  

“We can find something else,” Caid said.  

He was ready to turn back to the safety of the tunnels again, but something caught his eye before he fully turned away.  

“Maddog,” he said aloud to help him believe what he saw.  

Caid’s heart raced. He felt hot, his hands reached for the sword no longer on his back.  

“What is it?” Alis asked, a tinge of worry coating her voice.  

Alis was too short to see Maddog and she wouldn’t know him anyhow. Caid had to get to him. The idea of tunnels no longer seemed alluring. He now needed to get into Cros.  

“Change of plans.” Caid started to move toward the district line.  

He could hear Alis’s footsteps behind him, but whether she stayed or followed was of no concern. Caid’s increasing anger at the image of Geth falling to his knees forced him to follow Maddog. The traitor had to pay. And since Maddog was alone, that meant the fight would be an equal one.  

Caid slid around a corner, hopping up on a fence near a small outlying building that had once been home to a cigar club for the slavers; now it was just an underground gambling hole. Caid and the other wardens used the roof for access into Cros without detection.  

Caid moved swiftly across the rooftop and over the small barrier into the back alley of a coal storage unit. Alis landed softly beside him, her eyes darting around the small alleyway.  

“What changed your mind?”  

Caid grunted. “We need to change clothes. I thought you should start smaller for your first mission, but I’ve decided this could be a great starting point after all.”  

He fished in his pocket, feeling the few small coins he had left in his possession. In a district like Cros, he wouldn’t need to be fancy.  

“We need to get a change of clothes,” Caid said again.  

Alis looked down at her attire and an incredulous expression overtook her face.  

“Especially you,” Caid said before she could complain.  

 Caid led them out from behind the storage units and into a small crevice between two oil pumps.  

“Make sure not to get close to the drums, the oil is hard to get off,” Caid warned.  

Leaving the oil storage, they moved west into the main tier of the city. Caid wished he could have raced across Cros and followed Maddog. That would only draw attention. He would have to resort to where he thought Maddog would be heading. Caid wove his way around a small bunch of slavers who paused, looking over his odd clothing choices. Only his hair saved him from being restrained by the guards, who probably thought he was some eccentric nobleman.  

The shops in Cros were ten times better than the clothing room in the slave quarters, though they were still nothing compared to those in Purian.  

Caid and Alis slipped in through a shop door, and he pressed it shut behind them. The shop had a very limited array of clothing, mostly black denim pants and black cotton tops. It was pointless to wear colorful clothing in Cros, since ash rained down from the mines almost twenty-four hours a day.  

The old man behind the counter stumbled off his stool, coming forward to greet his customers. His demeanor changed as he looked them over head to toe.  

“Do you have coin?” he asked politely, but hesitantly.  

Caid made a show of flipping his hair with his fingers.  

“Of course, you have money, I am sorry to assume.”  

Caid stepped into a small section of black attire, pointing at a cheap shirt and an even cheaper pair of pants. He was glad he had decided to keep his boots.  

The old man took the clothes from the hangers, ringing them up. “Anything for the lady?” the man asked, obviously hoping for a second sale.  

“Get her the same. We are going into the mines, so we have no need to buy anything expensive.” Caid tried to put on an air of confidence, but it came off more like a man pretending to be noble.  

The old man kept any comment on Caid’s lackluster performance to himself. He moved back over to the clothing rack, pulling off sizes that would fit Alis’s smaller frame.  

“Will this be all for you, then?”  

Caid nodded, moving up to the counter, watching the man’s pencil scratch along his notepad.  

“That will be two judges even,” he said, not bothering to look up before packing the clothes into a small burlap sack.  

Caid put his hand into his pocket, rolling the coins. Two judges would leave him with barely a plain piece in his possession, but he had no other choice. He put the two judges on the table, and the man scooped them up, throwing them in the register.  

“Take care,” the man said without geniality.  

Caid hefted the bag off the counter, pushing Alis to exit through the back.  

Caid guided Alis to another side alley often used by the Wardens, slipping into a small scaffolding tunnel that had been left up after construction. There, he passed her the outfit he had bought, pulling out his own as well.  

“Put that on so you don’t stand out,” he said. He could see in Alis’s eyes that she still loathed changing her clothing. “Do it if you want to get into those mines.”  

Alis may have not wanted to wear the clothing, but she wanted to go into the mines.  

“Why do you care so much about these slaves?” Caid asked, starting to move along the metal framing.  

Alis didn’t answer; keeping her problems to herself was a trait she had in common with Caid. Last night she had avoided the question about her parents and today, about the slaves. Caid decided it was better not to pressure her. He had things he wanted to keep to himself as well.  

An image of Geth’s dead body flashed before his mind yet again, and he doubled his speed. He had to get to Maddog.  

Cros was a huge district in comparison with most of the city. It encompassed the mountains on the far side of the city, running all along the far banks of Lake Tuskan. Caid accessed pathways used by the Wardens to move more quickly and avoid the more populated areas of Cros. He followed the factories that would turn the coal into light and heat for the winter months. He moved around planks set high above the ground that would allow engineers to maneuver easily around the electric lines running all throughout Cros and many districts in the city.  

The closer he got to the mines, the more Caid wished he had purchased a vented mask which most citizens of Cros wore daily to keep the polluted air from their lungs. Caid lacked the coin to spare on the luxury, so he and Alis would just have to cough and suffer until they could get out.  

Caid lifted his arm to make sure Alis didn’t lose her balance and fall thirty feet into the gathering crowd of slaves below. It would do little for their incognito entrance to have her sprawled out and broken.  

Caid scanned the crowd for anyone with hair, skipping over several who were slavers, as evidenced by their attire. It took him so long to find Maddog in the hustle of the crowd, he almost thought he had guessed his location wrong, but then he saw someone wearing the clothing of the Wardens. The vent-mask covered Maddog’s face, but he knew that wide shouldered posture anywhere.  

“Okay, we will wait until the slaves enter and then we will climb down and follow them in,” Caid said, never taking his eyes off Maddog.  

Caid waited until the last slave disappeared into the dark mining tunnels. Then he waited for another thirty breaths to make sure there were no stragglers left behind. Once he was confident they would run into no one between their current location and the mines, he shimmied down the scaffolding pole. Alis followed with a grace as if she had been traveling this way for years.  

Entering the mines was like entering an underground city. Caid was unaware of how long the slaves had been digging, but he knew they had started long before he was born. The tunnels went in every direction, and many ran hundreds of feet down into the core of the mountain. Caid could see hundreds of slaves moving in well-orchestrated patterns and lines. Each slave had their purpose and not one of them looked in any direction outside their orders.  

Caid didn’t know how he would find Maddog in this mess. As he hesitated, Alis started off quickly down a tunnel. Caid instinctively followed, although once he regained his composure, he wished he hadn’t.  

The only difference between this tunnel and any of the others was that this one had lanterns lining the wall. There were no fire torches or oil lamps; these mines were brought to life by powder from Purian. Something in the powder, when mixed with water, made light.  

Alis came to a fork in the tunnel and turned left without hesitation. Caid followed though he didn’t know where else he would have chosen. There seemed to be no rhyme to the direction of the tunnels. They had been dug wherever they could find the most coal.  

Caid loathed the stale air, and he lost track of how many turns they had made. If left to his own devices, he would have to guess the path back to the surface. Yet somehow, Alis seemed to be certain of her choices, never pausing for a second thought to the direction she took.  

Caid thought she was either mad or knew exactly where she was heading.  

When Alis suddenly stopped, Caid barely avoided plowing into her small frame and driving her into the tunnel wall. Alis seemed unperturbed by the near collision and said nothing. Her attention was on a small ladder leading down into a dimly lit pit. Caid stepped forward to look it over, pushing his sweat drenched hair from his eyes.  

He envied no one who had to work in this pit daily. He could almost feel sympathy even for the slavers.  

“What is this?” Caid asked before being cut off by a familiar voice.  

“Nice of you to find me, saves me time.”  

Caid turned, automatically reaching for his sword before realizing once again that it wasn’t there.  

Maddog stood before him, a smug grin spread across his face.  

“You should have run while you had the chance. Now you will end up just like your friend¾dead at the end of my blade.”  

His sword was already drawn as he walked toward Caid and Alis.  

“Rawn wasn’t too happy at all that you had gotten away. He will be elated to hear you came back to die. You even brought a new slave for the mines. You have outdone yourself, Caid. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to my day.”  

Caid felt for the power of the daliwin. His fierce hatred had driven him into the tunnel, without giving consideration of a plan.  

He would have never made this mistake before. Not before he had carried Geth in his arms. Not before Rawn’s corruption had endangered his life. His carefulness had made him such a good warden. Now he ran into mines without a thought.  

To top it all off, he’d put Alis in the line of danger. 

Maddog moved forward, lazily slashing his sword through the air¾like a cat pawing at its prey.  

Mistakes or no mistakes Caid was still a warden¾he couldn’t allow any amount of loss, hurt, or anger to make him forget that. So, while a sword would have been ideal, he was still formidable.  

Caid drew energy from the daliwin running directly at Maddog, who drew up his sword. Using the element of surprise as a weapon, Caid threw himself to the ground in a roll, coming up inside Maddog’s guard. Maddog stumbled back, but not before Caid drove his palm into the bridge of Maddog’s nose, causing a sickening snap.  

Instantly, blood poured from Maddog’s broken nose. Maddog shook it off using the daliwin, regaining his balance he came at Caid in a blind fury. Caid had no choice but to retreat, dodging the deadly blows of the sword. After four swipes at Caid, Maddog seemed to calm down.  

Maddog slowed his breathing, and the smile reappeared on his face. “This just makes it sweeter to watch you die, Caid,” he said, blood dripping down his chin.  

Caid circled Maddog, stopping only to guard Alis. However, when he looked around, Alis was no longer right behind him¾she disappeared. Maybe she remembered how to get out and she headed toward the surface to escape. Even if this mine became his grave, he would have at least given her time to escape with her life.  

Maddog suddenly lunged forward, his sword almost severing Caid’s fingers from his hand. Jumping back, Caid almost slipped over the edge of the lower room, having forgotten about the steep drop. Maddog rushed forward again, pushing Caid even closer to the precipice. Caid somehow dodged, rolling to his side.  

It had been the countless hours of warden drilling that saved him, Caid knew it. Caid took a deep breath. There was every chance he died in this mine, but he had every intention to take Maddog with him.  

Caid drew again on his daliwin filling himself with energy. Caid dodged another blow, but he would have to get some offense in to win this fight.  

Maddog also had a distinct advantage in his vent-mask, which seemed to make him labor less.  

Caid tried to surprise Maddog again with a close-up jab, but this time Maddog was ready. He grabbed Caid by the shoulder, tripping him with his leg. Caid fell to the ground hard, a cloud of dust flying up from beneath him into the already smog-filled air.  

Caid pushed himself back, scrambling to get out of the way of a killing blow. He would not go out like this. He pulled all the power from his daliwin at once and felt the energy overwhelm him. He was ready to fight the way of a warden now. 

Caid heard Maddog grunt and felt the weight of his body shake the ground.  

When Caid looked around, he saw Alis’s outstretched hand ready to help him back to his feet. In her other hand was a black-handled shovel.  

Caid turned his head, looking at the unconscious Maddog. He was alive and breathing, but he was hurt.  

“Where did you get that shovel?”  

Alis shook her head. “We have to get out of here. I think I was seen.” 

Caid grabbed her hand, although her small size did little to help him to his feet. Caid wanted to wait for Maddog to wake up and then end his life. Geth deserved that much. But Alis tugged his shirt hem, pulling him away. Caid heard others coming down one of the adjacent tunnels, so he quickly decided to follow Alis. Even if he felt like he could kill them all with the energy coursing through him. Maddog would have to wait.  

Caid was right in thinking he would never have been able to retrace their previous steps. He had not paid enough attention to the loops and turns with his mind so focused on Maddog and his revenge against the Wardens. How many times would he fail before he got his wits back? He tried to tell himself he would remember who he had always been, making sure not to sway from it again.  

Caid ran with the vigor of the daliwin. The daliwin would run out of power soon though and he would crash, but he had to make it out of here first.  

When he saw the sliver of light peering in through the mine’s entrance, he felt his heart skip with joy. When the first breeze hit his face, he almost fell to the ground with elation, but he continued following Alis. She hurried back toward the scaffolding that they originally used to enter the mines. 

Caid smiled with pride Alis had learned so quickly.  

His energy drained fast making an easy climb into a laborious one. Once atop the metal railing, Caid let himself fall to his back for a moment. Alis stopped her retreat, coming back to stand near him. She reached into the pocket of her pants, pulling out the vial she had grabbed for her daliwin. She wiped it across her head, letting the sweat drop in. Then, she looked down directly into Caid’s eyes.  

“What’s next?”  

Caid let his head drop back.