Chapter Eighteen

‘Paradise, extravagance, the final striving of all men and women; that is the fate that awaits those guarded by Athena the Warden of Ecstasy.’ 

The throbbing in the side of her eye reminded Alis she had been hit the day before. She assumed she would sport a nice bruise alongside her temple. Her hand went up reflexively, touching the tender skin; she winced.  

The crowd the day before had been more violent than she had ever seen. Would that be what it was like to start a revolution? Was that what she was asking the others to do? They would fare much the same as she had. Not a single slave would know how to fight; none had ever even thought to fight before. 

Alis yearned for her parents as the throbbing continued like a heartbeat in the side of her face. She missed her mother and father, mostly because they were her support and her comfort, but also because they were better suited to lead. They had come up with the plans for the tunnels, she had only helped. They had gathered everyone together, even if it was just a small crowd. What had she done?  

Alis swung her feet around and out of the covers. She could not spare the time to feel sorry for herself. She was sure her parents were still alive; they were just trapped inside the tunnels of the mines.  

She had continued her part. She continued building the tunnels, continuing the construction throughout the entire city. She fed those slaves who would have died without her. She kept the dream alive, and when she found her parents, they would help her finish it.  

The first thing she needed to do was find Caid and remind him of his promise to teach her to fight like a warden. Then she would teach the others. 

She would work as long as it took, she would get everyone out of the slave quarters. She would see the marks of slavery banished from the city.  

Alis pushed herself up but instantly felt dizzy. The throbbing grew worse, but she stood, holding onto the wall to balance herself. Alis squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the pull where the strike had landed.  

It took her a few moments to gather her wits and her bearings. When she opened her eyes again, she found she was at least able to stand without the support of the wall. Letting go, she took a few tentative steps toward her workbench. The first few steps sent shocks through her body, the vibrations rattling her bruised face, but after a few more steps, the pain dulled to a constant throb.  

Alis would get some pain salve from her storage, later. Right now, she had to find Caid and get him to fulfill his promise. Alis made her way to the bench, pushing the papers around until she found a small box that had a screen set into the center. She fiddled with the buttons until a small buzz emitted from the box. A few seconds later, a grainy picture followed the noise, showing Alis one of the many rooms in the underground tunnels.  

Caid was absent from the first few rooms, but she supposed he would be in one of the others she had shown him. She flicked the button several more times without success. She was about to give up, assuming he had left the safety of the tunnels to venture into the chaos outside, but then she saw him.  

He sat next to Creaton¾who Alis had decided she liked¾and he appeared to be staring at a small device on one of her tables. She instantly recognized it as the other end to the microphone she had placed in Rawn’s rooms when they had visited the Wardens’ headquarters.  

She wondered if he had heard anything else important. Alis turned off the small box; the buzzing noise ceased. She grabbed her shoes, slipping them over her bare feet. The throbbing in her face was becoming unbearable. She stumbled to the back of the room, rummaging through the contents of a small chest. She picked up a jar, giving it a sniff; it curled her lip. She reached in with the tips of her fingers, digging a little of the thick liquid out of the jar and rubbing it gently on the side of her face where the throbbing hurt the worst.  

After a few moments, the pain subsided to something much more manageable and her skin tingled where she had applied the liquid. Alis put the lid back on the jar, finding she could walk faster now without the pain in the side of her head.  

As Alis traversed the tunnel pathways, memories of her life after her parents’ disappearance began haunting her; she shook them from her head. The unpleasant thoughts hurt her more than the bruise on her face. They were emotional bruises that would never go away and could never be dulled by the simple application of a salve.  

Alis pressed the button on the wall and the door slid open in the track she had made for it. Caid and Creaton both looked up as she entered. Caid hopped to his feet, offering Alis the stool he had been seated on.  

“How you feeling?”  

 “I am doing fine,” she said, taking the seat offered to her.  

She was doing better, but she still took the seat with pleasure, not wanting to chance the throbbing to return.  

“Have you heard anything?” She pointed at the speaker that was now quiet.  

Caid shook his head. “Nothing worth reporting about. Rawn was in his rooms about an hour ago, talking of going to see the overseer, but he didn’t say where they were keeping him prisoner.”  

Caid looked dejected, but then again, who would find any solace at a time like this? 

“Is it getting worse out there?” Alis asked, pointing up at the ceiling. 

Creaton replied, “I just came back down about an hour ago, and I will tell you t the city is a brisk breeze away from tearing itself apart. Seer Pryce’s speech set a fire, but it hasn’t burned through everyone in the city yet. However, I think it is just a matter of time until it does.” Creaton, too, looked dejected.  

Alis sat in silence, thinking about everything going on in the city. She had wanted to start a revolution for the slaves, but it looked like Seer Pryce was starting his own revolution first. The question was, why? What reason did he have for the citizens of the city to fight amongst themselves? 

He already had all the money a man could wish for and he had no need of a war for reelection to his posting. No, he was up to something else here.   

“Seer Pryce is hiding something in those mines,” Alis said out loud.  

For a minute, no one answered her. She was ready to speak again when Caid said, “That may be where he is keeping the overseer, if he has anything to do with his disappearance.”  

Caid’s ideas seemed to be on a different track than Alis’s.  

“No, I mean he is hiding something bigger, something he has taken the slaves for, something he doesn’t want anyone else to know about.”  

Caid looked down at her. “Maybe.”  

He looked less than convinced the slaves were disappearing for any reason. Alis felt her frustration building. She swallowed down her anger.  

“I am ready to continue my training.”  

She no longer cared about her throbbing head. That would not stop her from doing what she felt she had to do. Her parents would never stop looking for her after a bump to the head, and she refused to stop looking for them.  

Caid looked at her sympathetically. “Your head needs some time to heal,” he began, but Alis threw her hand up into the air to stop him.  

“I am not a baby,” she said, jumping up and knocking the stool over. “I want to start now and finish what you promised me!”  

Caid looked at her, and for a moment, she wondered how he would react to her sudden outburst. Then a smile crept over his face.  

“I shouldn’t have expected any less of you,” he said with a laugh.  

*** 

Creaton was right when he said the city was only a stiff breeze from all-out wildfire. The tension was so heavy people weren’t even talking to one another. Everyone glanced sideways to make sure the other person was far enough away and could not steal from them, or worse. 

Alis noticed the Envoy’s presence had become very heavy in Purian. The once exuberant district was now quiet and melancholy; what was once so vibrant was now almost as dark in mood as Cros.   

Caid only walked her a short distance away from the entrance to the tunnels. No one paid any attention to the pair. Even the envoys seemed distracted by the bigger picture.  

“How long do you think it will be until it explodes?” Alis asked.  

As Caid looked around, she could see the weight of the situation on his shoulders. He had gone through a lot the last few weeks, yet he was still moving forward; neither he nor Alis was ready to just give in.   

“I have never been much into the political forefront of the city,” Caid said. “As a warden, it wasn’t important. We did bidding of those who could pay, and we did it quietly. Then we went home or to the tavern. But now, the world is changing fast and not just for me, but also for everyone else. Long answer short, I just don’t know what will happen, and that is always the scariest part. I don’t remember ever being worried on a mission for the Wardens. I don’t remember ever feeling scared or nervous. However, I have had a lump in my throat and a quiver in my belly ever since the night Geth died. It tells me nothing will ever be the same again, not for anyone.”  

Alis took a deep breath, letting it out through her nose. She, too, needed to steady her nerves. It had been a long year since she struck out on her own, so unlike Caid, she could remember fright and terror. Those first nights alone were like her own personal trip to the gates of Anell the worst of the Nine Wardens above. She could still remember trembling until she slept and the tears that came so often there were none left.  

Caid stopped, looking directly at Alis.  

“You have completed the first part of your daliwin,” he said. “You have it with you, yes?”  

Alis pulled open her shirt collar, reaching down inside, producing the small vial that contained only her sweat.  

Caid nodded in approval. “Good, then we can start your second lesson.”  

He stopped abruptly, as if he’d thought of something else. Alis waited without interrupting his thoughts, feeling her anxiety rising with every silent moment. What would he have her do? Was she ready for this?  

Caid drew out his sword, throwing it on the ground in front of Alis. She didn’t move to pick it up; instead, she just stared at it.  

“I don’t know how to use this.”  

Was he going to teach her to sword fight? That would be for the best, she assumed. No longer would men be able to hit her¾she could defend herself against them. Caid was already shaking his head.  

“That isn’t how being a warden works.”  

Alis looked down at the sword again. If he refused to teach her how to use it, then what was the point in throwing it at her? She silently looked at the hunk of metal. It was nothing special, just a silver-gray piece of iron; it was barely even sharp. This particular sword had at the bottom of a junk pile, probably having been thrown out by the envoys after they were issued new ones.  

“Pick it up.” Caid motioned at the sword.  

Alis hesitated, and Caid waved his hand impatiently at her. She stepped forward, bending to pick up the sword; it felt awkward and heavy. A smaller version of the sword would probably have suited her better, but Caid only offered this one. She rolled the hilt into her opposite hand, feeling the weight shift, but it felt much the same even in her stronger hand.  

“Tuck it into your belt,” Caid instructed her.  

Alis looked at it again and then turned it, slipping it into a belt loop near her hip careful not to cut it. The point stuck out behind her, and without a sheath, it was more apt to poke her than anyone else. Caid nodded in approval, but Alis doubted this was the right fit for her.  

“There are three parts of the daliwin. The first part you already have completed. The sweat has dried into the walls of your daliwin. Now you are ready for part two of three. Part two is blood.” Caid looked Alis up and down and then turned without saying another word.  

 “What am I supposed to do?”  

Caid stopped but didn’t turn around.  

“Bleed for the cause, little one,” he yelled back, then continued walking, disappearing back toward the tunnels. Alis stood alone in the middle of Purian with a newly awarded piece of iron on her hip and no idea how to use it.  

Alis wanted this, she told herself; she had pushed Caid for this training. She wanted to be able to protect herself and the others who would never protect themselves. At least she always thought she did. Now that the sword hung on her, she was more afraid than she had ever been. It seemed much more difficult now that it was right in front of her and not just a dream.  

Alis started walking, weaving in and out of the crowd. She didn’t know what Caid wanted her to do. Bleed for the cause, he had said, but what cause?  

She didn’t know what cause he had meant, could it be anything or did it have to be something specific? She felt more confused than empowered. 

The longer she stayed out in the open, the more she longed for the tunnels. The streets had a different feel since Seer Pryce’s speech¾everyone stared as if something would go wrong any minute. Everyone clutched their items a little tighter, children stayed a little closer to their mothers, and even the homeless men and women refused to share their fires with one another.  

Alis tried not to make eye contact with anyone. She wanted to limit provocation, to keep from inviting anyone to harm her.  

She walked with her head down without a clue what she should be doing. She was just about to give up and go back to the tunnels when someone yelled at her.  

“Where’s your ribbon?”  

Alis stopped, turning. There, behind her, were four middle-aged men. None of them seemed to carry any weapons, but four grown men wouldn’t need weapons in a fight against a small young girl.  

She heard the words but couldn’t process them as fear rode up her spine.  

The men closed in on her, then fanned out in a circle around her.   

“I asked you a question,” said the ringleader of the group.  

The man was tall but not overly muscular, even quite skinny for his height.  

“Where is your ribbon, girl?” the man asked again, this time more demanding. 

Alis reached up to her hair. It was hanging freely, not tied in a knot as it should have been. She felt panic rise like bile in her throat. She had forgotten to replace her ribbon with her head hurting so badly. She felt sweat form on her brow, her face growing red hot.  

“I-it must have f-fallen out,” she stammered.  

Why did Caid let her leave the tunnels with her hair down? All he had done was give her this pointless sword. A weapon she couldn’t use.  

“Well, that is unfortunate for you,” the man said, closing in on her. “Real unfortunate, huh, boys?”  

The men chuckled. Luckily for Alis, none of the others moved forward. Alis’s heart hammered against her ribs.  

The man stepped another few feet forward. Alis’s legs began to weaken, and as tears pooled in her eyes, she closed them tight to keep them at bay. She saw her father staring back at her in her mind. He mouthed he just wanted her to be brave and strong. He had told her this the day she got her tattoo, and it meant just as much now.  

Alis opened her eyes with new life as the man stepped closer. She pulled the blade from her belt loop, cutting it in half in the process. She lunged forward and, drove the sword through the man’s stomach. He made a feeble grunting noise, falling to his knees. The other men stood frozen and slack-jawed, staring at the small girl who had just killed their ringleader. Alis watched the man die, her blade still buried deep in his intestines.  

Suddenly the other men screamed angrily charging at her brandishing weapons she hadn’t seen.  

Alis couldn’t make out what it was they were yelling. She looked down, her sword still buried in a dead man, she had nothing to protect herself with, not that it would matter against such odds.  

For some strange reason, she felt nothing¾her fear had vanished, replaced with the satisfaction she had at least rid the city of one evil man.  

Alis tensed as she thought of how she would make a run for it. The angry screams that filled her ears changed into grunts, followed by loud clangs of weapons bouncing off one another. 

Alis’s turned in curiosity. There, in front of her, was a blur fighting the remaining men. A litter of them had fallen at her feet already. She had thought there was only a handful surrounding her, but more must have been hiding in the shadows of the buildings and carts. Her protector moved in and out with a flashing white sword, cutting into the men, leaving them as nothing but crow food.  

Alis watched the men try to fight back, but it was no use, the other man was just too fast, too precise. The last attacker standing stopped screaming. He had dropped the tip of his short sword, waving it in short, crazed circles. The man fell with a final grunt, and Caid slowed to a normal speed.   

She wasn’t surprised to see Caid standing before her. He bent down, wiping the blood off his hands with the shirt of the last fallen man.  

Alis turned to look at her blade, which was still buried in the first attacker. Alis didn’t even think to ask Caid where his sword had gone. 

Caid finished wiping his hands, and as he stood, he looked at her. “Capture the blood. You did exactly as you said you would. You defended yourself and are now a step closer to defending others.”