Chapter Seven

‘What had been a part of the religion held true, was now a group of assassins that held the peace by killing those with the lower coin.’ 

As odd as he had felt wearing his leather in this walled slave quarters, he felt even more awkward in the same garb as the slaves. Caid had never stopped to think much about the class systems, not that he was unaware of them.  

He knew his long hair was enough to place him in a different breed than the slaves. The green ribbon, signifying a commoner Alis had given him put him even more out of their reach. Still, the slaves said nothing to him or Alis. They probably worried over a man of such power entering their enclosure and were likely confused why he wore the same shabby attire as them.  

“Where are we going?”  

Alis continued without stopping to answer but pointed in front of them to a set of low-hanging rooftops some distance away.  

“I want you to see something,” she said, “then you can do as you please with it.”  

Caid decided against arguing. He would see what she wanted to show him and then get on with what he needed to do, though he hadn’t quiet formulated his plan.  

When they reached the buildings, Alis stopped, waving Caid in closer to her. He stood over her by a foot, yet he felt an odd sense of dependence. Alis’s eyes were fixed and determined. Caid looked around, trying to understand what it was she wanted him to see.  

“What am I supposed to be looking at?”  

The buildings looked like old, dilapidated wooden structures. They had no outstanding characteristics. If they had been in any of the outside districts, aside from Anella, these buildings would have already come down.   

“It is what you don’t see that matters here,” she said.  

Alis walked to one building, touching the wood with the palm of her hand.  

“Do you understand what is going on in the city? Why the districts are at odds with one another?”  

Caid, like all wardens, strayed away from most politics; they meant nothing to them. Their job was to be unknown; the fashion, ideas, or laws of the normal citizens meant little. As a warden they lived by a different set of rules.  

“I know Parian fights Cros for oil and coal.” 

Alis shook her head as if Caid was utterly clueless.  

“You see the speeches and the papers yet know nothing about actually living in the city. You are worse than a child.” She held up a hand before Caid could reply. “I mean that without malice.” 

“I do not expect a child would understand the complexity of a warden’s life. No malice taken.”  

Caid looked harder at the building. The significance lost on him.  

“It’s not the structure, it is what it represents. Even a year ago, this portion of the city was so packed that everyone crammed shoulder to shoulder. Today, this building, like many others, stands empty. Why do you think that is?”  

Caid shrugged his shoulders. “Lack of food?”  

“People aren’t being sent back, Caid. People aren’t getting to return home. Those are the rules, slaves work and then go home, but now they go into the mines and fewer and fewer return. Those who mine deeper into the tunnels are kept and bought with unimaginable sums. What are they being bought for?”  

Caid shook his head. He had no answers. The number of slaves in the city never seemed to dwindle, probably because¾as Alis had said,¾there were so many of them to spare.  

Alis continued, “Whatever it is, they don’t want the people who live here to tell anyone about it. The districts of Parian and others are fighting a surface battle for power and energy, but they fight a deeper war of secrets and scandals.”  

Caid raised up his hand for a pause. There was a lot of information being thrown at him by this small girl. She may have been young in years, but life had forced her into maturity. Alis waited for him to say something, but when he didn’t, she finished.  

“Wars that we don’t understand and maybe never will, but we will be the ones who suffer for them.”  

Caid turned, looking out over the slave quarters. It was not pretty, and he had never expected it to be, but it had a sense of companionship and love. The groups walked together, but no one walked by another without at least a wave of the hand. Caid saw families and children who thought of themselves more than objects to be used. He’d never thought about slaves being so lively without the slave herders lumbering over their backs.  

“What do you want me to do with this information?”  

 “I do not want you to do anything. You are your own man and you do as you please. However, you have the power to help if you choose to do so. I think you realize that your wardens have entered the game. Now, you must decide what their purpose is in doing so. Or you can drink in the taverns and pay it all no mind.”  

Alis started walking down the street, not waiting for a reply. He let the words settle inside his head and sighed, running his hand down his face. Time allowed no man rest. While trying to digest the rest of his thoughts; this young girl spoke as if he had an obligation to save the city.  

He would worry about it all after he saw what he needed to see.  

Alis made no more stops, leading him back through the crowd and into her secret tunnels. Caid had questions but refrained from asking them; he was already trying to deal with enough from the past couple of days.  

All Caid wanted right now was make his way to the taverns in Helios, and from there to the compound of the Wardens. He may not be welcomed with open arms, but he could at least see what went on.  

Alis led him, and as they plodded through the underground tunnels, he wondered at the marvels. This young girl had made an entire network under the city. Even if she had not made them, she was at home in this world. She turned without noticeable markers, expecting Caid would follow. But something had changed since leaving the slave quarters, and she had become oddly quiet now.  

Caid wondered how this girl had survived so long all alone. How she had come across these tunnels was another mystery he grappled with. After what seemed like forever, Alis stopped walking and began climbing, repeating the same process as she had when they had climbed into the slave city. Caid¾better understanding the technique¾followed her up, pushing in on the darker bricks with the tips of his boots¾the only piece of his wardrobe he had kept.  

Poking his head through the opening, Caid looked around, immediately recognizing the dark harbor of Helios. He could smell the salt and fresh fish, blowing in from the docks. He could hear the hustle of the fishermen as they docked their ships and readied for the morning rush. Caid had no more need of Alis’s tunnels, but she still followed him as he joined the drunks heading toward the taverns.  

Helios differed a lot from the slave quarters. Here¾even in the dark¾the district was alive. The men and women alike visited the taverns and popular brothels. Seer Wylo ran Helios by supplying anything and everything the residents could dream of. Wylo retired from being a pirate over a decade ago, but his ships still ran to and from Maralay year-round, policing the sea to keep other pirates from their waters. Never would an invading army threaten Wylo’s armada.  

Caid turned up the beaten path, slipping down into a deserted alleyway. Alis followed without a word. Caid climbed on overturned trashcans, pushing himself up onto the rooftops, and then he wound back around and between the taverns.  

Men and women from all over the city came to Helios to drink away their sorrows and pains. Most nights, there were a few bar fights, and some bruised egos. If it got to be too rowdy, it wasn’t uncommon to find a dead body in the morning in an alleyway. Helios just brushed them off the docks and into the water while citizens went about their day. That is what Caid had wanted to avoid by taking the rooftops.  

Once he stopped, he could see The Wayward Inn. The sign creaked, swinging in the night wind, but other than the creaking, everything was silent.  

There was no uproar. No one stormed out in a fit of anger. What story had Maddog fed to them? Did Rawn know? If Caid had to guess, his answer would be an emphatic yes, but he had no way of knowing for sure.  

There was very little he could be sure of anymore. Was Maddog still a warden? Maybe he had defected to side with Creaton and the Parian district. The overseer never had love for the Wardens, claiming their use had given them fame.  

Caid could imagine Maddog taking a large payoff to destroy the Wardens. Maybe even now, he strung together a series of lies. The Wardens would… should see right through them. Maybe Caid hid for nothing and he could waltz back into his home without a problem.  

He’d almost convinced himself when Alis put a hand on his shoulder.  

“What are you looking at?”  

Before Caid could reply, he heard the first note of strife. He turned, seeing three wardens stumbling from the inn, holding their hands out above their shoulders.  

Instantly Caid recognized Ryan and two others.  

Ryan held his hands out before him, holding off a laughing Maddog.  

“You know Caid will find you!”  

Caid knew Ryan had always looked up to him. He may have been Geth’s lackey, but he did so hoping Caid would notice.  

Caid’s hands shook. What did he wait for? 

“Caid is dead,” Maddog lied. 

Caid’s eyes flickered to Rawn who had exited the building pushing two more wardens out with him. These wardens held their swords and walked backward.  

“You can’t kill us all, you assholes,” said a warden Caid knew as Benton.  

Rawn had his own sword out, but he did not take care of the deed. Maddog showed his complete lack of worry for Ryan and the other, and he reached back slicing Benton’s throat. The blood flowed like a spilled glass of wine. Caid felt himself get sick, but he held back from vomiting.  

Caid’s entire body shook now.  

Several followers came out behind Rawn. They laughed and gestured toward Benton’s dead body. Rawn looked pleased but did not express it.  

“You all are not wardens you are dead men,” Ryan screamed, reminding Maddog he was still behind him.  

Ryan lunged forward, without a sword, and Maddog caught him by the throat. Caid was proud of Ryan’s bravery and ashamed he still had not moved to help him. What was Caid waiting for?  

“You tell Geth I said hello.” Maddog squeezed his fingers tightly against Ryan’s smaller neck. Ryan’s face went from white to red and then his body went slack. Maddog dropped him like he was a bag of grain.  

“Kill the others,” Rawn said, turning toward his merry band of followers.  

Rawn took one more look at the death surrounding him. If Caid had paused at his intentions before, there was no second-guessing them now.  

“Clean up this mess too.”  

Rawn motioned Maddog back into the inn. Caid thought he saw the innkeeper standing in the window looking distraught, but the curtains closed before he could get a good look.  

Caid held back a scream. He should have been amongst the dead.  

“You don’t even have your sword,” Alis said. She must have felt his body shaking. She must have thought him a coward.  

Caid looked down at his useless attire. Dressed like a clown and feeling even more like one.  

Caid turned away, feeling like a phony and a coward. He had trained to be something strong and brave, but here he was in the shadows, unable to protect his family and his home.  

Caid wondered if Maddog wore that sick smile on his face when he killed Geth. 

Caid suddenly no longer could stand being so close to the warden’s home. He turned, quickly making his way back over the rooftops and down into the vacant alley. He had not come here to drink his sorrows away, but maybe that was what he would do now. What else could he do?  

“The city is changing,” Alis said from behind him. The same focus and determination had returned to her. “You have been trained to help. You are a warden, and that means you are more than most of us.”  

Caid stopped, turning around to face the small girl.  

“I am nothing more than a coward who watched people die, a fool who took too long to realize his brethren were traitors, and no longer a warden, because there are no more wardens.”  

Caid’s body felt depleted, knowing everything he had ever known was dead.  

He bit his tongue for a moment, looking up to the stars. While everything changed around him, the stars stayed constant. The moon shone like every other night. The sun would rise in the morning like every other day. The stars had no use for the problems of Maralay.  

“I still have a room you can sleep in for the night if you want it,” Alis said, breaking Caid from his self-pity.  

“I will take it.”  

He would find no solace in drinking himself into a stupor. He felt bad enough without introducing a hangover into the mix.  

Alis started for the tunnels, but Caid heard something crash in front of them before they got there. 

“What was that?” he asked, defensively moving ahead.  

“We should find the tunnels,” she said, sounding worried for the first time.  

Caid was done running. He had run away from the Wardens; he had run from death. Something went on in front of them and he wanted to know what it was.  

“You go if you need to.”  

He jogged toward the noise. He could hear the huffing of Alis behind him. She was the curious type.  

Arriving at the taverns, Caid found the source of the noise. This was no barroom brawl. 

 It was more than a dispute over a spilled drink or a slight against an overly jealous husband. This was a full-blown riot.  

Men stared down one another from no more than five feet away. The sound of shots rang out as people randomly shot each other with one-shots. Others stood around their fellow citizens screaming, but there was no way to make out what they said over the chaos.  

Caid moved to the low-swinging sign of The Maid, pulling himself up onto the rooftop. He skittered across like a cat stalking a mouse; everyone was too distracted by the violence to notice him. When he slowed, he saw Alis had easily followed. She would have been a good trainee.  

“Keep your head down,” he whispered to her.  

They both peered over the edge of the tavern’s roof, looking down into the street filled with mayhem. The fighting had spread across the brick walkways of Helios. Men and women had turned to exchanging blows with their fists and feet rather than shooting guns.  

“Get your ideas of job thievery away from here,” a small but quite drunk man said while swinging at a petite woman.  

To Caid’s surprise, the woman took the punch, refusing to fall. She pulled the ribbon from her hair, lunging forward and wrapping it around the man’s neck. Both tripped over the body of a dead man.  

Caid noticed several bullet-filled corpses lining the streets. As he wondered where the envoys of Helios were, he looked up and saw them all coming down the pathways holding oil lamps above their heads. The bouncing light threw shadows over the fights.  

“All of this over coal and oil?”  

Alis answered and Caid almost jumped, forgetting she was still with him. “Not oil, but secrets.”  

Caid looked back into Alis’s face. “The districts are fighting over an illusion of oil and coal, but something bigger is going on.”  

The envoys mowed into the weaponless crowd. Those who didn’t surrender recieved no mercy as swords parted limbs from bodies without concern for name, gender, or side.  

Caid turned from the merciless killing.  

“Let’s just go find that room you offered.”  

He’d had enough killing for the day. An assassin from the greatest group of assassins in the entire world was tired of death.  

Alis hopped down gracefully from the rooftops and led Caid back down into the underground tunnels. Neither of them said much as they moved through the dark.  

Caid walked behind Alis without keeping track of time or direction. Finally, Alis pressed in on a brick in the wall. The wall swung forward, and inside was a small room just as Alis had promised.  

The room had nothing more than two small beds made from piled blankets. There were no mattresses or pillows, but Caid was thankful for seclusion. Alis stepped in with him.  

“Is this your sleeping room too?”  

She nodded, and Caid let out an audible sigh.  

“Which one is mine?”  

Alis lit up.  

“You can have the one closest to the wall there,” she said, pointing to the back of the room.  

Caid decided not to argue or complain it mattered little which bed he stayed awake in. He moved to the back of the room, waiting for Alis to turn out the lights. 

When she did, the room was solid black. There was no noise, no streams of light filtering in from the bottom crack of the door, and there was little comfort under the thin covers.  

After struggling to find the solace and peace of sleep, Caid sat up, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dark. He could hear the regular breathing of Alis, but he doubted she slept.  

His mind replayed the images of the wardens slain in front of the compound. He thought of Ryan and his bravery. His mind’s eye threw up the images of Helios falling into meaningless riots, riots pitting people against each other who should stand together. It should be the seers fighting, not those they govern, but those without power always believed those with it.  

Caid reached up, pushing the loose hair from his face. He could feel the dampness of sweat, one thing was the same no matter where he slept. He found the summer nights unpleasant, and the winter nights not much better, but at least he could always pile blankets on in colder weather.  

No matter how long he waited, this pitch-black room would never seem normal. He fumbled around for the oil lamp to provide a small amount of light. If they were both going to be awake, there was no use sitting in the dark.  

Caid stumbled around the room searching for the lamp without luck before the light suddenly came to life without his assistance. He looked up, seeing the pale green eyes of Alis. Her expression somber while at the same time seeming like she was used to seeing the world for what it was.  

Caid looked away from her. He had enough to think about on his own without her ideas creeping into his mind.  

He let his eyes trail around the small room. Aside from the two beds, there was only a small stack of papers. Caid needed something to take his mind off his own thoughts, so he grabbed a handful without thinking to ask. He paused but Alis stayed silent, so he continued, bringing them in closer for inspection.  

The papers were drawings of gears and devices Caid knew nothing about.  

“What are these things?” Caid asked, trying to grasp their uses.  

Alis scooted in beside him, and Caid took a second to grasp just how young she was. She seemed far too young to fend for herself in a city and yet here she was.  

“It was supposed to be a metal human,” Alis said, pointing to the top page in Caid’s hand.  

He looked closely at the detailed drawings, and sure enough, he could make out the details of a human body.  

“What would you do with this?”  

Alis shrugged. “It can get lonely down here sometimes.”  

Caid looked down at the robot and then back to Alis. They shared sorrow, even if it was not the same. Problems existed everywhere in the world.  

“Why did you say, ‘supposed to be?’”  

“It can’t think. Just a hunk of metal that looks and moves like a human, but it can’t talk or think.”  

Caid flipped to the next page. It looked like a shirt made of metal.  

“This one?” he continued. His interest in the work was minimal, but it helped take his mind off everything a bit. Although he was impressed by the ideas and the artwork, he found it hard to invest his attention.  

“This one is to block the shots of the envoys,” she said, pulling the paper from him. She hid the paper behind her back as if it was something Caid should have never seen. He let questions about it fade.  

“What are you doing here?”  

Alis, who hadn’t been shy to talk before, suddenly clammed up as if she had been shot by one of the envoy’s balls, she was so keen on blocking. Caid noticed her hesitation.  

“I am a warden and you know my purpose.”  

Caid watched Alis swallow, her throat extending. She took a deep breath and finally, she answered, “I’m Alis and I am all alone.”  

“Where is your family?”  

Alis’s eyes darted around the room, reminding Caid of a trapped animal that would do anything to escape. Yet, she stayed put.  

“I want to learn to be a warden like you,” she blurted out instead of answering his question.  

Caid chuckled.  

“It isn’t funny,” she said, looking offended by his impulsive reaction.  

“I can’t train you to be a warden. Anyway, the Wardens are dead. Even if they weren’t, I am no longer one of them, clearly.”  

Alis stared at him intently. 

“Wardens don’t give up that easily. You are a warden. I want to learn to be like the Wardens. I don’t care what you call it.”  

Caid found that her determination empowering. He remembered being passionate about his own training when he was a youth. Caid had been one of the lucky children, wanting this life. There was no hint of where he came from, who his family was, or what he had done before becoming a warden. Forgetting was always a strong point for him, something that helped him dedicate his life to the cause.  

“Well then…” Caid started. Thinking of the many ways he could go about this situation.