Chapter Thirty

‘Over time, the group moved away from their image of connection with the Nine Wardens above. The group known as the Wardens became infamous with killing. Inside the group was a different story. Each killing was seen as a mercy and to help the city. Each warden below still believed that the Nine Wardens favored their cause.’ 

Creft half expected that Ruvian, a center of learning, would have been untouched by the evils of a thoughtless war, but he was wrong.  

Alis had guided Creft, without incident, to the district center. Creft found that even in the home of the city’s two major universities, the fighting was just as prevalent even if it had not yet turned violent.  

It turned out the two universities had gone to logical war with one another, protestors and rights activists were in pockets all along the main streets. The head of Ruvian University, Scholar Taluva, had openly expressed his distrust of Seer Alyn and head of Maralay University and some backed him. Others were in full force for Seer Alyn and her position. 

Taluva had claimed prior to becoming seer, Alyn had tricked the population by parading as a man to gain votes. Now that she was seer, there was nothing stopping her from lying to each one of them for her benefit and gain.  

Alyn stated she had only done what was necessary to help the city see women could be equal to men. She said she held her title in the utmost importance and she would not lead them astray into an unnecessary war of egos.  

Creft felt a little jaded being called an egomaniac, since he only tried to help the city, but he understood where Alyn came from. Taluva, on the other hand, was just masquerading as a concerned citizen, while he backed Pryce and all his efforts to control the city.  

“Everything is so old here,” Alis said, admiring the buildings that had a lean about them.  

Ruvian was one of the oldest districts and the last untouched district of the city. Maralay University had been around far longer than most people could remember, and even texts disagreed on the year of its inception. Creft had visited the university as a youth, studying for ten years there before Alyn had assumed control.  

Creft had talked with Alyn a handful of times over their years together as seers, though he was fully aware she didn’t completely back him or Pryce in their battle for clean air. Alyn always said she would study the facts and draw a conclusion based on those facts. Publicly, she never stated an opinion, but Creft never felt open hostility from her either, so it was at least not a complete loss. 

“This is the oldest district, some would say,” Creft replied to Alis.  

“I have never actually been to the surface here. A girl my age wandering the streets of Ruvian alone draws too much attention. Here, the envoys may not be as fierce, but they are just as quick to throw a slave back into her rightful place,” Alis said.  

Her face instantly grew red.  

“I think I have said too much.” She looked up at Creft, awaiting the worst.  

“Creaton already told me as much, Alis. I am fully aware you are a former slave. I am also fully aware of the failed slave revolt. I do not blame your people for wanting to get out of the grip they have been forced into. Once this is all over, you have a friend in me.”  

Alis grew visibly more comfortable and even let a smile creep across her young, innocent face.  

“The university is this way,” Creft said.  

Any conversation between Creft and Alis would unfortunately have to wait until later. Ruvian wasn’t in flames like Parian, nor was it in chaos like Helios and Cros, but it was still not a safe place to stand openly, especially for a supposedly dead seer.  

Creft set the pace at a brisk walk. He told himself not to run, although his body wanted to. He had to remind himself that it would draw too much attention, but the people out on the streets may have not even noticed, being too busy behind their yells and signs.  

“We could have probably gotten closer to the university before coming up,” Alis said.  

Creft had wanted to come up to the surface, something about being underground was starting to get to him. He had been underground for too long.  

“It’s okay, we are almost there now. Just a few more blocks and we will be at the gates.” Creft knew as soon as he saw the city streets that staying underground would have been a better idea. He even promised Creaton to not take any unnecessary risks but breathing the fresh air again without being on the run from Pryce was too much to pass up.  

“There is an old scholar man.” Alis pointed about a half block west. Where there was nothing but archways and fountains. It was where Creft had spent most of his study time as a youth. He was surprised that any scholar would be out in times such as this. “He can probably tell us where to find Alyn, right?” She asked.  

Creft looked up, doubting this man would know Alyn, but thinking it could do no harm to ask. However, as Creft got closer, he saw the scholar was about twice his age and that he was the headmaster of Ruvian University, Scholar Taluva.  

*** 

On the other side of the city, Caid and Creaton were experiencing a different effect from the oncoming civil war.  

“Duck again,” Caid called back to Creaton.  

A third bottle sailed over their heads, crashing into the harbor behind them. Caid had brought Creaton to the Harbor Inn, expecting the normal rowdy crowd. What he had not expected were two murders, a dry tap house, and a sunken ship off the coast.  

“There is no way we are getting any intelligence down here,” Creaton called, wiping beer splatters from his three-day beard growth.  

The four-sided box of a tavern made Caid feel much more claustrophobic than he ever had before.  

“Duck again,” Caid yelled, unable to answer Creaton.  

“This is out of hand.” Creaton was next to Caid’s ear, but he still had to shout to be heard.  

“Let’s try the Harbor Walk,” Caid replied.  

Caid and Creaton kept their heads down and their eyes peeled as they moved toward the exit of the Harbor Inn. Before they could reach the exit Caid felt a tap on the back of his shoulder. He was ready for a fight he even expected one in the overly crowded bar¾but as he turned defensively, no fists appeared.  

Instead, standing before him, was a man he had known for quite some time¾a man he thought was dead. Caid took a step back. “B-But…” he stammered. He was staring at the face of a ghost, a man who he had let die by his horrible decisions. At least, a man who he had thought he let die.  

Creaton had stopped at the door as Caid turned around.  

“What is going on, Caid? Do you know this man?”  

Caid turned back. “This is Pog, an old member of the Wardens, and a man I thought was dead.”  

*** 

He could take him right here on the street called Barkdale. There would be no one there to stop him. No one was sitting under the study bushes, and no one was playing in the flowing fountains; no one was in sight at all. Creft could walk up to Taluva and take him for his own personal gain.  

It is what he had come to Ruvian for anyhow. Well, not exactly to snatch Taluva, but to find out what Taluva had been doing that night. Now he could skip pandering to Alyn and just get the information right from the source.  

Was he up for torturing someone? Taluva was willing to torture and kill him. He could have alerted the envoys as to Creft’s whereabouts; instead he left Creft in that cell under the manor to rot. He cared nothing for Creft, and yet Creft still hesitated. He wasn’t like Taluva or Pryce. He had no stomach for harming another man for his gain, and there was no guarantee he would get any good information.  

“Are you okay?” Alis tugged on Creft’s loose sleeve. Alis had given him a pair of garments she had found, which he had taken without complaint, as they were much better than the white rags he had been wearing.  

Creft watched Taluva turn the corner, and his muscles loosened a bit. Something had changed in him that night with Taluva and Pryce, but not enough to chase Taluva.  

“I am alright, let’s just keep moving, we are almost there now,” he replied. 

The bells rang to announce the switching of classes, but the quad lacked the young students or older men and women whose passion was learning. The only things around were lush green grass, blowing leaves, and flowers.  

“It is so odd to see it so empty here,” Creft observed.  

“It is quiet, not what I expected,” Alis said. 

Creft wasn’t surprised she didn’t seem awed by the university like he had been as a youth. She was self-taught, growing up with an education from her surroundings. He had been thrust into the school system as a boy and then advanced into university. This place had thrilled him when he was fresh out of his parents’ home, experiencing freedoms he had never known before¾freedoms Alis probably wished she hadn’t yet known.  

Beyond those freedoms, beyond the chances to learn, he had also been amazed at the quality of people he had met here. People who helped shape him into a seer. People who, without this very quad, he would have never guessed existed. Living in Maralay among the daily hustle and bustle, it was easy to forget that, beyond the walls and gates, there was an entire world. It was easy to forget the ships of Helios protected them from an outer world that had the same ambitions as those found in Maralay.  

Creft had the opportunity to meet many of those men here in this place. He had shaken their hands, listened to their words, read their works. He was a better and more learned man for it, but none of that would help him if the city turned against itself.  

*** 

Caid leaned forward and, amid the chaos of the city, embraced a man he thought had been dead. He was glad to see Pog, but even more than the man himself, it was the mere fact that one less death sat on his shoulders. Quickly that faded, however, as Geth’s stone cold, for sure dead, eyes popped back into his mind. He let go of Pog, backing away, and assessing him.  

Pog’s beard had grown and gray flecked his coarse black whiskers. Caid had not known Pog very well and had no idea of his age, but from the gray and his sunken eyes, he would guess the man was well over fifty.  

“You smell like a dumpster,” Pog said.  

Caid laughed, grabbing the front of his shirt. In all the turmoil and worries, Caid had skipped bathing for several days.  

“You look like you got old on us, Pog,” Caid replied, a smile lining his lips.  

“Had to assume that I was a wanted man, and that meant a change of face, but clearly it wasn’t enough.” Pog ran his hand through his thick beard.  

“No, it is different for sure, but it’s your posture and the outline of your daliwin,” Caid pointed toward the man’s chest, “only visible if someone knows to look for it.”  

Pog’s hand dropped from his beard to his chest, covering the vial with his fingers. “It is a habit hard to break, wearing this thing.” Pog pulled the vial from the middle of his chest, tucking it up under the shoulder, out of sight.  

“Let me show you something, Caid.” Pog walked through the door and stopped. “I am guessing you have some stuff to tell me as well,” he said pointing at Creaton, who had been silent.  

“I guess there are a few things that have happened since I last saw you,” Caid laughed, with nervous excitement. 

*** 

Creft was surprised to see Berd, the groundskeeper, at the front of the administration building, toying with his hedge clippers. He was even more surprised when Alis, who had said she’d never visited Ruvian before, spoke to the man.  

“Hello, Berd,” she said as they climbed the stone stairs toward the wooden double doors.  

Berd, who was older than anyone Creft knew, glanced up, a warm smile spreading across his face.  

“Oh, what a joy, in times like this, you are a wondrous surprise for an old mind,” he said, walking across the top step to greet them.  

Berd embraced Alis joyfully. After they separated, Berd shook Creft’s hand, whom he seemed not to remember.  

“I thought you said you never visited Ruvian?”  

“This little tinker right here is worth the trip into the merchant square, my dear boy,” Berd answered. “Almost any equipment worth having comes from the magical fingers of this little wonder.” He ruffled Alis’s hair, and she beamed like the brightest lighthouse on a cold and stormy night.  

The girl was full of surprises, it seemed. Creft stayed focused on finding Alyn and figuring out what Taluva and Pryce were trying to accomplish during that odd ritual. He also wanted to find out the identity of that third man in the room, who had remained silent.  

“I am delighted that you two could reunite, but Berd, do you happen to know where I can find Alyn?”  

The old man’s smile drifted away. “Seems to me that now wouldn’t be the best time to go looking for the seer,” Berd answered.  

“Why is that?” Alis asked.  

Berd seemed to lighten up, since the question came from a friend. “She has just had the worst conversation with the other university man, Taluva.” Berd shook his head as if even saying Taluva’s name disgusted him.  

“I’m afraid this is important,” Creft said.  

The old man lifted his eyes and said. “She is in her office quarters, but I don’t think she will want to see you.”  

Creft nodded, wishing Berd was more forthcoming, but he had no time to worry about that, and he already knew where the seer’s quarters were located. Alyn would see him no matter what. Nothing would keep him from saying his piece about all of this, and if Alyn was half as knowledgeable as she claimed to be, then she would be willing to act.  

*** 

Pog pushed through the rowdy crowd of men and women lining the docks of Helios, leading Caid and Creaton toward the port harbor. Without a word, he suddenly jumped from the pier and out onto the lip of a small sailing ship. Creft and Creaton watched as his body disappeared over the railing.  

“Is he bringing us on a mission of thievery?” Creaton asked.  

Caid shrugged, unsure how to answer, but Pog’s head popped back over the railing before Caid had a chance to express his opinion.  

“Jump on over, we have a sort of hideout, I suppose you could call it,” he said.  

Caid wondered who ‘we’ referred to, but he jumped off the wooden pier anyhow, grabbing for the railing of the boat. Pog pulled him over and they both waved at Creaton to take the leap. Creaton looked down to the water and Caid saw his hesitation. He doubted the envoys had given Creaton any training missions that included jumps and climbing, especially since he was the cushioned head of the team.  

“Just jump, you will either make it or take a swim,” Pog laughed.  

Caid joined in with the laughter. “You can swim, right?”  

Creaton wasn’t sharing in their humor and with one more look down, he took the jump, completely missing the edge, but Pog and Caid caught his outstretched arms.  

“You are going to have to work on your springs,” Pog said, his face turning bright red from the strain.  

“Possibly work on getting up out of the chair of power once in a while too,” Caid added, straining as well.  

“Shut up and pull me up,” Creaton yelled, driving his legs into the side of the boat.  

Once Creaton was in, Pog and Caid looked out over the crowded pier, but no one seemed to give a damn about the spectacle. Many of them were too drunk to notice, while others were too busy thieving.  

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Pog said, referring to the criminal behavior on shore and slapping Caid on the back.  

“It hasn’t changed much in Helios, there just seems to be more of it,” Caid replied.  

“A lot more of it, sadly,” Pog said, turning toward the center of the ship.  

Caid and Creaton followed, Creaton still massaging his red wrists.  

“Who is the ‘we’ you were speaking of?” Caid asked as Pog guided them.  

“It is just a small band,” Pog said, keeping his answer general.  

Caid had a lot of questions about the ship, how Pog survived, whose body it was that the Wardens had thought was Pog, and a whole plethora of others, but he gathered that Pog wasn’t answering anything until they got to wherever they were heading.  

*** 

The buildings on the campus of Maralay University were no doubt beautiful, even though they were some of the oldest buildings in Maralay. Creft had always been interested in updating everything, which was why Parian was so modern. But if there was one district he would never touch, it was Ruvian.  

The buildings leaned in a way that was sometimes alarming, but they had stood for hundreds of years, and left alone, they would probably stand for at least a hundred more. There were some updates done to the district, but Maralay University was the oldest building left in the district. After Ruvian University was built almost fifty years ago, everything seemed to be renovated for the betterment of the district, as the campaign had said. However, Maralay University stayed mostly the same. A few new lecture halls were added here and there as well as some new windows and doors, but for the most part, it kept the same basic structures.  

Creft stopped outside of Alyn’s office door. He had talked with her previously during seer meetings, but those conversations had never been very pleasant. She was a staunch supporter of peaceful resolutions and hated open forum fighting, wars, and confrontation. She preferred to fight about the topics she was passionate about, behind closed doors. She kept her opinions to herself, and many people were brought to the polls by mere hatred of Taluva alone. It had been a culture shock when Alyn pulled down her hood, showing that she not only was tight-lipped about her opinions, she was also tight-lipped about her gender. Voting in the first female seer hadn’t been the people’s conscious decision, it had been one they were tricked into. But crazily enough, there was less outrage than expected, and when she was elected to a second term, it just became accepted that Alyn ruled Ruvian.  

“Why aren’t we going in?” Alis asked.  

Creft realized then that he had been standing outside the door for several minutes without knocking. Was he afraid of what she might tell him or that he wouldn’t find a way to get any answers from her at all? He let out an audible sigh. 

“She can’t be all that bad,” Alis said knocking loudly on the wooden door before Creft could stop her.  

Creft held his breath, then heard rummaging inside the office and knew Alyn was getting up to answer the door.  

“Who is it?” She said from the other side.  

“It is Seer Creft and Alis,” Alis called back to her.  

For a moment all was quiet, and Creft could feel his muscles growing tense. If she refused to open the door and answer his questions, he’d be stuck for another way to get the information.  

“Creft is dead,” Alyn answered back.  

Creft was quiet, but Alis elbowed him in the ribs. 

“That seems to be the popular opinion,” he said, massaging his lower side.  

“It seems to be the only opinion,” Alyn said, still not opening the door.  

“Well, that can’t be the case, since I am standing here very alive, and claiming to have a different opinion,” Creft replied.  

Alyn was again quiet. Creft tried to think of a way to prove it was really him, but before he could, the door handle jiggled, and the door creaked open.  

“So, where did you go then, Creft?” She asked, fully opening the door.  

*** 

Caid was no sailor; he never liked ships at all, not even ones tied to the harbor post. Yet here he was, trying to convince himself that the rocking of the ship wasn’t as bad as he thought. How did anyone sail weeks, months, or sometimes even years on these things? Caid looked over at Creaton, who seemed to be just fine, and envied him for that.  

Pog pushed open the door that led down, into the ship. Caid took in a last breath of fresh sea air and started down the stairs after Pog, who also seemed not to be affected by the swaying.  

“I am not one for so much rocking,” Caid said when he reached the bottom of the stairs.  

“Wardens don’t do much ship training, they tend to stay in Maralay as opposed to traveling the seas, but over the last month I have become quite accustomed to the movement,” Pog said.  

He guided Caid and Creaton passed a tight sleeping quarters. The beds were bunkbeds pushing up against each other in a tight aisle. Anyone wanting to sleep would need to crawl over others to do so.  

“This is where you have been staying?”  

Pog nodded, walking through the tight aisle. “Not much to look at, but it keeps you warm and has kept me alive.  

Caid supposed that in the end, that was all that truly mattered. The beds faded into the background as Pog continued to walk farther into the bowels of the ship. They were replaced with small tables where the inhabitants ate their meals. Caid jumped back as a rat the size of his forearm scurried away from a bowl of dried oats.  

“They don’t tend to bother us much; they just eat the leftovers. Means we must scrub the bowls harder if we clean them. Most of the time, we opt to steal more bowls instead, not much room for cooking down here,” Pog said.  

Caid imagined it would be difficult to find a fit kitchen in these quarters, but then again, he was a layman about water vessels.  

“Here, behind this door.” Pog opened the short door, ducking as he went through.  

Caid and Creaton followed him in. Inside, the room was lit with light bulbs, which meant that somewhere on the boat, there was coal burning to produce energy. Creft would complain about this ship, Caid thought, and for some reason that made him like it more.  

“This is the band.” Pog pointed to a group of men sitting around the table.  

“First gentleman is Tyke.” Pog pointed to an older man with a gray beard. Caid immediately noticed the orange patch above his upper lip and under his bottom lip; indicating the man was a heavy pipe smoker. He looked more than capable of lasting through a fight. “Second fellow,” Pog pointed to a much skinnier man with a sleeveless vest and no muscle at all, “is Brains, although I am not sure how much brainpower he actually still possesses.” The man saluted and downed his tankard. “Bit of a drinking problem, supposedly he used to be a learner, but I think those days are well past. Now he mostly just nods and drinks.”  

Pog pointed to the next two men in turn. “Those two are brothers¾you may know of them, Creaton,” Pog laughed.  

Creaton nodded. “Boog and Mug,” Creaton said in a near whisper.  

“Best two brawlers in Parian, or so they claim,” Pog said, much louder.  

Creaton shook his head. “Troubling times when a man of my rank has to barter with men like them.”  

Boog and Mug both smiled, and Caid could see their oral hygiene had not been at the top of their priority list for quite some time; between them, they may have possessed four teeth.  

“Don’t think that way, pal,” Boog started, “we will be a charm, I am sure,” he laughed. Mug just nodded in agreement and laughed as well.  

The last few men were huddled in the far corner of the table. So far, they had been quiet, not even looking up at the new people in the room. Pog walked past the men he already introduced and waved at Caid and Creaton to follow him.  

“This is the more interesting side of the table,” he said.  

All the men looked up as Pog spoke. “Don’t be too ashamed, boys, you didn’t know what was to come.”  

Caid realized that each one of them were men he had known for years¾this was where those abandoned by the Wardens had come to live.  

*** 

Creft and Alis were invited into Alyn’s office; which turned out to be nothing more than stacks of books and a large oaken desk. Alyn guided them to a particularly high arrangement of books, offering them seats upon them. She then poured all three of them a glass of wine. “Don’t suppose this will be the worst thing you have ever had,” she said to Alis.  

Creft watched Alis take a sip; the sour reaction on her face was almost worth the trip alone.  

Alyn pushed Creft to tell her about how the Wardens had taken him to Pryce Manor and how he lived this past month in Seer Pryce’s cellar. He told her of his escape with the help of Alis and her magic shovel. He even told her that others were willing to stand up to the powers that were trying to destroy the city, but he left out the underground tunnels, the slaves, and any mention of the ritual.  

“So, this is another matter between you and Pryce? I would not call you a liar Creft, but the arguing never ceases” Alyn said, sipping from her own cup.  

“I don’t think that is the case, at least not fully anyhow,” Creft said, ignoring the obvious jibe to his own character.  

“You don’t think so? Why? Because you believe that your opinion is the only one that matters in the city? You believe yourself to be so right that a war to prove it is a necessary evil? There are histories scattered with necessary evils,” she said making a sweeping gesture indicating her books.  

“It is more than that. You can hate my ideas or the way I promote them, but today isn’t about that. This is about something that happened during my unplanned stay in Pryce Manor,” Creft retorted.  

“What could it be that you would need to come and talk with me?” Alyn asked, seemingly already annoyed with the conversation.  

Creft took a deep breath, not wanting to make any mistakes. He had rehearsed what he would say in his head many times, but the words always sounded strange and farfetched. How was he going to make an academic and a seer see the truth? 

“Well, if you came to tell a story, then tell the story.” Alyn sounded increasingly impatient.  

Creft took a deep breath. “Well, it starts with Taluva…” Instantly Alyn seemed much more interested in what Creft had to say.