Chapter Thirty-Five

‘The Wardens were not torn apart from the outside. Policy and politics could have never touched them.’ 

“Wow,” was all Caid could muster as he looked out over the chaos consuming the men below. Alis had been right in saying the light would illuminate everything down in the lower level, but Caid wished it was still dark.  

The sounds of death permeated the air and the smell of blood already overpowered the earthy smell of the mines. Soon there would be nothing left but death and corpses.  

“We have to go down there and get past this,” Alis said.  

Caid marveled at her composure and bravery. 

“That would be why we are here, but I am not in such a hurry as to just jump into the fray,” Caid replied to her. 

A full-scale battle went on below them. He would do it, but it made his heart skip a beat thinking on it.   

Without waiting for a plan, Alis slid over the edge, finding hand and footholds leading down the side of the wall. She was already halfway down before Caid knew what was happening, a few moments later she looked back at them from the ground.  

Caid sighed, pulled out his sword and took a leap of faith. He pulled a little energy from his daliwin before hitting the ground, sending up a small plume of dirt from the mine floor. The other wardens joined him and those who had no daliwin, or knowledge to use it, climbed down the wall.  

Creft was the last to touch ground, and Caid wondered if the man had ever even sparred. He could make a sword but swinging a sword and melding one were two extremely different things. Caid would not be able to save everyone. He had Alis, and Creft would live or die on his own; he was Creaton’s problem.  

Caid concentrated on the battle before him. There would be very little room for error if they planned to survive.  

“Slowly,” Caid said, directing his comment mostly at Alis who showed no shame for her impetuous stunt. “We will move around the fighting and hope they are too distracted to notice us. If we can get past this, then we can assess what to do next from there. If we can’t, then swing those swords as hard as you can.” Caid stared right at Alis the entire speech and she nodded.  

“Let us get started, then,” Pog instructed his men.  

Caid took the lead again. He lost count of the bodies he stepped over. He had been an assassin for most of his life, but he had never seen this much death in one place. 

No one seemed to notice the group skirting the back wall, and the circle of the drop level gave way to a straight tunnel that led farther back toward the stone pews Alis had mentioned. Caid immediately noticed they were carved with miniature figurines of the Wardens guarding their positions in the afterlife. He had no time to inspect them closely, but he thought it was unlikely that the missing slaves had carved them. He found it more likely this section of the cave had been a recent discovery.  

“Those are interesting,” Creft seemed to be drawn to the figurines, stopping to get a better look.  

“Not interesting enough to get your head loped off,” Caid said, waving him forward. Maybe he should have left him there. Caid swallowed down his contempt. Creft was part of this and he tried his best to help. Caid had to remember that their goal was more important than what he wanted.  

“They look so old.” Creft seemed mesmerized as he continued inspecting the carvings¾even after Caid ushered the rest of the group a good five feet forward.  

Creaton stopped and jogged back to him. “We have to keep moving forward,” he urged, panic creeping into his voice.  

The fighting spread, as did the death toll. There soon would be nothing separating them from the whirlwind of swords storming toward them. Caid wanted to avoid that if he could, hoping they could make it to Pryce and the scholar without fighting the others. There, he suspected he would find Maddog and Rawn as well. 

“Let’s keep moving,” Caid said again.  

Creft ignored him. He ran his fingers along the smooth stone, his eyes filled with wonder like a child. Caid felt himself getting anxious. Was Creft trying to get everyone killed? Was he purposely stalling them now?  

Creaton seemed worried as well and placed a hand on Creft’s shoulder.  

“This is something more than a mining shaft or a coal tunnel,” Creft said, barely audible over the increasingly loud sound of swords clashing. “This has some kind of pull.”  

Caid stepped forward to drag Creft away from the figurines and pews, but he stopped suddenly. Creft was glowing with a faint purple color. 

“Creft!” Creaton took his hand from Creft’s shoulder and stepped back. 

 Creft moved his fingers along the stone and everywhere he did purple traces stayed behind for a fleeting moment. Caid froze, watching as Creft traced the lips of one of the Nine Wardens.  

“What is going on?” Boog said from behind Caid. He stared at the faint purple light; everyone remained silent. 

Finally, Creft seemed to notice the look of panic on everyone’s faces. “What?” he said as if he was oblivious to the purple fog surrounding him. 

No one answered for several tense moments. Creft stepped away from the pew, leaving a purple trace of his outline where he had been standing. It was then that he noticed it. He pulled up his left arm and stared at it, transfixed by the color and glow. He was silent, but no words were needed; his face showed enough shock to answer the questions.  

“Whatever happened to you down in those cellars was more than getting the power to see in the dark, but we don’t have time to figure it out right now,” Caid said, coming back to his senses. They were blocked from view by the curves of the wall now, but the fighting drew closer to them.  

Creft continued ignoring Caid, moving his hands in front of his face.  

Creft had seen these same effects before. When Galmont had brought Caid into his quarters and told Caid he wanted him to lead the Wardens.  

Creft moved closer to the group, still glowing. Caid didn’t know what would happen if Creft touched one of them.  

“Stay back from him,” Creft said, holding his arm out to brace Alis.  

Galmont had never explained what had happened when the purple came. He had started glowing one day and sent Caid away. 

Caid never told anyone about that story; he tucked it away in the back of his mind. Now, years down the road, he remembered it as Creft stared them all down.  

Creft was about to speak, but he was cut off before he got the chance. From behind them and farther up the path, a loud growl emitted from a human throat.  

“Kill them,” it said.  

Caid knew exactly who the voice belonged to. He may not have to wait to get his revenge on the Wardens after all, because directly behind him, leading a small band of wardens, was Maddog.  

The Wardens gripped their swords tightly, starting off at a sprint. The faces they knew so well, their own family didn’t impact them. If these men cared at all to see Caid and Pog alive, they showed nothing. Maddog let the rest of his wardens continue without him, staying behind and watching instead.  

Caid held his blade out before him and charged in, yelling back, “Defend yourselves and kill these bastards for everything you have ever loved!”  

“Let’s get them!” Boog yelled, charging in front of Caid.  

He hefted a large double-edged axe into the air and gave a passionate cry. Caid echoed his scream and his ferocity. He jumped into the first warden he saw with a pent-up vengeance. This was the moment he had waited for. The fear, the worry, and everything else melted away.  

Caid’s sword clashed against the resisting blade of another warden. All thoughts of the bond the Wardens once had faded as Caid pulled his sword back for another strike. This strike rang true and parted his foe’s ribs. Caid felt the rip of the flesh and the crack of the bone. The warden fell, and before he could use his daliwin to soothe the pain, Caid jammed a sword through his throat.  

Anger loomed off Caid like a radiant heat. He looked up over the others and saw Maddog.  

Caid saw a sword from his peripheral vision and threw himself back, bumping into a second warden. Both drew their attention to Caid. Caid welcomed them both. He lunged forward; tip of the sword steady at the first warden. The first warden knocked his attack away but gave Caid the opportunity to put both of his enemies in front of him.  

The second warden moved in and struck with two consecutive blows. Caid blocked them both and ducked a third from the first warden. Caid did a half turn to keep both men in front of him. The first warden attacked along with the second. Caid had no choice but to pull from his daliwin to block the first warden’s blow. The second warden’s attack came through but Caid blocked it, letting the strike glance off his sword. Caid reached over with his free hand and let the daliwin do its work. The second warden’s throat was slit with the sword that protruded from Caid’s hand.  

The first warden showed no fear. He continued coming at Caid with the same vigor as before. Caid didn’t pull on the daliwin again it was too dangerous to lose all his energy.   

The first warden charged Caid again. Caid vaguely recognized his opponent’s face. Caid had played card games with him before. It just made the moment even sweeter as Caid dropped to the ground in a split. He angled his sword like a lancer on a horse and watched it impale the man’s lower abdomen.  

Blood sprayed Caid in the face and his sword jerked out of his hand from the momentum, but the first warden was dead.  

Caid jumped back to his feet. He was weaponless only for a moment as he reached down picking up another discarded sword. He had one target that mattered to him now.  

He scanned the fighting that pressed all around him. Others had joined from the Cros Envoy and guards. He didn’t see any of his companions, but he saw Maddog still standing back from the fight.  

Caid lowered his sword and charged. He slashed his way through an envoy who tried to impede his path. Another warden tried to engage but the swirling bodies were becoming a mess. There was no room for one-on-one combat in the thrall.  

Caid tapped into more of his daliwin and moved faster than the other men surrounding him. He didn’t look back to see the carnage behind him.  

He ran up the small path and stopped only before he reached Maddog.  

Maddog pulled himself from the pew he had been leaning against. Maddog wore a smug grin and had his sword braced on his shoulder. Caid didn’t plan. He just pointed his sword and charged.