Chapter Twenty-Nine

‘From the time of written record twenty-seven men led the Wardens below. Each man aptly called the Head Warden guided the assassins along their path. Traditions, secrets, and values were passed to them to do with as they saw fit.’ 

Creft could have all the powers in the world and it would do him no good trapped in a room with nothing but his own thoughts for company.  

Even the mice had forsaken him after he started eating all the crumbs. While his body had never felt better, his mind was falling apart.  

Every sound, every creak, every draft made him hope for a visitor¾even Pryce or an executioner. Had it been less than a day since Pryce had told him he would die? Creft had no way to tell. Down here, in the cellar of Pryce Manor, time ceased to be a priority; time was all he had.  

Creft thought about just ending it himself. Maybe he could tie his shirt into a knot and hang himself but there was nothing strong enough to use as a counterweight. Not that he was sure he could have done it anyhow. The power in his veins made it hard to seriously think of death; he felt more spry, agile, and younger now than he ever felt before.  

He had acquired a keener vision and better hearing. He heard voices but doubted the things he heard were anywhere near him and wondered if he was hearing those in the actual manor, but he couldn’t actually make out the words. He considered whether it was possible that, having spent so much time in this prison, he could just hear those voices inside his own mind. Nothing would surprise him anymore.  

Creft scratched his whiskered face; it recalled his father, who also had a beard and who had left his family when Creft was young. Being nobility, he couldn’t leave them openly as it was frowned upon, but he bought another manor home, leaving Creft and his mother in the first. Creft’s father had never been happy in the marriage, so he kept his family secret and lived his life far away from them.  

It was no matter now. It made Creft the man he was. It made him more determined to persevere in science and drove him harder to create the things he was mostly known for. The steel buildings, the beautiful transformation of Parian from old wooden buildings into the modern metal district were among his many achievements. Creft was also famous for his handcrafted steel swords that could cut through armor, which were desired by men and women from all over the world.  

Creft felt another episode of numbness coming on. He was learning how to block out those thoughts of a past that would never again be his. He learned to forget about Creaton and being the best sword maker in the known world. All he needed to think about now was that he was a prisoner in Pryce Manor, and he would die at the hands of Seer Pryce at some unknown time.  

Creft used the side of his hand to swipe the picture of a sword from the dirt that he had absentmindedly drawn while he thought about his former life. If he drew anything, it should be chains and shackles to represent where he would always be now. Creft sighed, leaning back against the wall; even the sweet escape of sleep evaded him. He never grew tired anymore; in fact, he had a hard time remembering the last time he had fallen asleep. It was before the ritual; he knew that much. Sleep had been a solace and a way to clear his mind down in this hell, but now he had no release.  

Creft heard the flap of the door open, turning his head toward it. His first thought was that it was strange, since he had already been fed his meal for the day. His second thought, upon looking at the flap again, was that he was imagining things. Then he heard it again, but the flap was still, and no tray of food came through, and the sound came from a spot farther to his left. Were there men outside his door? Was this the time for his death that Pryce had promised him? If so, he felt no fear; if anything, he was relieved. He was tired of being here and of the stress his mind was under. He had no mental fight left in him; his thoughts of rebellion had faded. He just wanted to go with them and escape this place.  

Creft heard the noise again, and this time, it seemed closer and came several more times in quick succession, each time sounding louder and closer. The wall to his left shook as the noise grew louder yet. Suddenly the dirt broke loose, falling in tiny little piles across the floor.  

Creft watched with fascination, rather than fear. A silver metal object broke through the wall a second later. The object opened, then closed, and the dirt disappeared behind it. Creft waited, frozen in place.  

*** 

“You know what, I now know why even the bums in Anella don’t eat dirt to satisfy their cramping stomachs.” Creaton spit the loose grains of soft earth from his mouth as dirt splattered back from Alis’s shoveling tool.  

“I told you both that we should have gone back for masks,” Alis spat back, clearly tired of hearing Creaton complain about the taste in his mouth.  

“I am just fine,” Caid laughed. He had opted out of the mask and when Creaton denied it too, trying to match him, Caid just snickered under his breath. Caid had no need of a mask to block things from hitting his face it was a skill he learned as a young man during the first months of his warden training.  

“Shut up.” Creaton was clearly trying to talk with his mouth closed as the words came out as more of a mumble than a clear sentence.  

“I see the humor, even if you cannot.” Caid enjoyed the opportunity to get a laugh in. It had been too long since he had felt anything at all, and now that he forgot about the upper world, he let Geth’s memory take a back seat.  

Here, in this tunnel that was no bigger than a crawl space, he was forgetting most of the world. It was hard to think down here. The earth surrounded him like a blanket, and if he’d had a fear of small spaces, he would never make it through here.  

Alis had told them they could wait for her to finish shoveling, but Caid had been worried about what she would meet in the cellars. He doubted Creft was just sat in a room alone and unguarded. Pryce was too smart to leave him on his own.  

“I think we are getting closer,” Alis yelled back, straining to be heard over the noise of the metal shovel.  

 “How do you know?” Creaton called forward.  

Alis stopped digging for a moment, moving her mask to the side. Without the loud shovel, it was dead quiet in the crawl space.  

“I have been doing this a long time. The earth here isn’t the same, I can just tell. Be ready.” Alis pulled her mask back over her mouth, starting the shovel again.  

Caid reached back making sure his sword was still secured to his back.  

Creaton fished around in his belt loop and Caid saw the handle of a one-shot dangling.  

“Where did you get that?”  

Creaton looked down at the gun. “Took one from those unconscious ladies, didn’t figure they would need it much due to them converting to a new lifestyle and all.” Creaton then lifted his shirt on the other side. “The other was nicely left in my office.”  

Caid chuckled again¾this was becoming too much of a habit.  

Creaton pulled his shirt back over the one-shot just as Alis stopped moving again.  

“One more scoop and I think we are through.” She turned back, not waiting for a reply.  

With one more scoop, Caid’s band of light from the lamp he had been carrying showed the shocked face of a man he didn’t recognize, but Creaton certainly did.  

“Creft,” he whispered.  

*** 

“Who are you?” Creft asked the girl, whose head popped out of the freshly made hole in his wall. There was a light behind her, and he was sure there were two other bodies back there, but he was having a hard time making out their faces with the sudden influx of light.  

“There is no time for introductions,” Alis said. She held out the bottle of water she had brought with her. There was no telling how long ago it had been since Creft had eaten or drank.  

He was more reluctant to accept her gift than she assumed. He cocked his head as if he were confused by her presence, which made perfect sense.  

“Listen, we need to go. Where are your guards?” Alis asked.  

Creft shrugged. “I don’t have any guards.”  

Creaton pushed passed Alis, jumping down from the hole and into the cell.  

“We have to go,” Alis called again, pleading with both.  

Creft’s face grew softer as he saw Creaton come out of the opening.  

“You came for me,” he was barely audible to Alis, even just a few feet above him.  

Creaton laughed, wrapping him in a hug. “Of course.”  

Caid pushed passed Alis and stuck his head into the cell.  

“This is all very touching and I am sure you are both very happy. However, if you don’t want to be very dead, then now is a good time to escape.”  

Creaton let go of Creft. “He is probably right.”  

“Where are we going?”  

“Just shut up and follow,” Caid replied before Creaton had the chance to answer. Caid turned around and Alis followed behind him. She heard Creft being hoisted into the tunnel and then Creaton followed in the rear. None of them talked while they struggled back through the tunnel. They had gotten what they came for, but now what? 

*** 

“So, this is all under the city?” Creft looked with awe and admiration at Alis as he studied the underground world she and her parents had created.  

Alis knew about Creft’s abilities as a builder and sword maker, as well as his role in creating the one-shot.  

 “Yes, and most districts have their own tunnels,” Alis replied. She was happy to have someone to talk to who appreciated the architecture.  

“Just with this shovel?” Creft asked, fingering the edge of the blade.  

“Mostly, there were other tools that helped, but the original digging was done with that shovel, or one like it. This is actually the fifth version of it.” Alis placed the stack of papers she held on the table before them. “These show you progression from a normal shovel to what you are seeing before you now.”  

Creft picked up the papers, leafing through them slowly. His eyes darkened for a moment before a smile crossed his face.  

“You have a wonderful mind, Alis,” he said. Alis could feel the heat in her cheeks. She turned from his eyes back to the paper. “Your attention to detail is marvelous. Sometime, after all this chaos is over, we will have to come together to create something beautiful in this world.” He then lightly tossed the papers back onto the table.  

Alis would have loved to continue talking about the subject but she knew that there were much more important matters to take care of.  

A civil war brewed just above them in the city. Even down here in the tunnels, Alis could feel the tension of it. The walls protected them against the brunt of the atrocities, but emotions and fears seeped through the rock and soil.  

Alis turned from the papers as both Creaton and Caid walked through the door. Creaton had immediately taken a bath upon their return to, as he put it, cleanse the mud from his mouth and pores. Caid found himself in need of a walk but promised to limit his walk to the tunnel paths. Now, both seemed ready to get on with the tasks at hand.  

*** 

Creft thought his confusion would end if he got out of that cell, but he was wrong. He never expected to survive his imprisonment and see the city again, but now he was having trouble deciding if this was a blessing or a curse. When he had been taken from his home, the city had been moving in a great direction. He and the overseer had proclaimed an end to the days of dirty air and coal. The city was going to be a clean and healthy place for everyone to live. Then the overseer was taken and soon after, Creft was whisked away from his manor home.  

At the time he had been willing to fight, but his time in the cellar, in that dark hell, had taken the hope he once had. He had no fight left in him during his last days of imprisonment. He was stronger but more broken than ever before.  

When rescued, he planned to come back to the surface and rally the troops. At least, that is what he envisioned while crawling through those narrow tunnels back to the district of Cros. He’d spent less than five minutes under the light of the moon before they took him back underground, telling him the city was too dangerous for him to be out in the open. Even going back to Parian as a public figure would be certain death. He was, again, underground and unable to leave.  

Creaton went to Creft, embracing him again. Although Creaton was now absent the scent of wet soil, Creft figured he smelled of death. Creaton didn’t complain, and after all the self-loathing thoughts faded. Hesitantly, Creft reached up to hold Creaton, which made him feel like breaking down, but he had not grown to the position he was in by being weak. He held back his emotions until a more appropriate time, but not here and not now.  

Creft looked over Creaton’s left shoulder and into the eyes of Caid. He was having a hard time figuring out Caid, but he could tell Caid wasn’t very fond of him. He was distant and always quick to shoot down Creft’s ideas. Creft tried not to let it bother him¾he was sure Caid had his reasons. The man had gone through his own set of troubles in the past month.  

“Enough of the hugging,” Caid called to Creaton, “there will be plenty of time for that if we live through this ordeal.”  

Creft could feel Creaton’s reluctance to let him go, but Creft knew it was the right thing to do. There were people dying all over the city, and here they were, safe and secure.  

“What do we do now, Caid?” Creaton asked, giving Creft the impression Caid had made most of the decisions for the group.  

“Alis said that Rawn and Maddog were talking about an attack on Pryce Manor. They were supposed to have done it last night, but nothing came of it. So, I am assuming either something went wrong, or they found out something else we don’t yet know about.”  

Creft had been considering how to tell them all about the experiment he had watched in Pryce Manor. He thought of telling them how newfound power coursed through his veins, but every time he thought of saying it aloud, it sounded outlandish.  

“First thing we need to do is for Creft to give Creaton back his daliwin,” Caid said.  

Creft didn’t know what a daliwin was and looked to Creaton. Creaton looked flushed.  

“What does he mean?”  

Creaton took in a deep breath. “You remember the necklace I gave you on our second anniversary?”  

Creft shook his head, pulling out the necklace in question from his shirt.  

“Exactly, well I need it back.” 

Creft let the necklace hang in his fingers. “Why?”  

Creaton looked from Creft over to Caid.  

“He needs it because he wasn’t supposed to give it away.”  

Creaton shook his head. “He means to say it is important to the Wardens and maybe more important than I had initially known.”  

Creft pulled the necklace over his head. He wasn’t in the mood to fight about it. Something was going on with Creaton and Caid, but now wasn’t the time to pry into it.  

He handed the necklace to Creaton who looked embarrassed to take it.  

 “Now do we just continue to sit in front of that radio, or do we go down to Helios and sit in the bars? The ears there are the best ears you will find,” Caid said.  

Creft thought again how Scholar Taluva had read from a book during the experiment. Creft couldn’t replicate the experiment, but maybe he could find out more about the book.  

“I want to check on something,” Creft said. He was still not quite ready to say what he had seen, but maybe he could get some answers and then fill them in when it all sounded more believable. “I have to go to Ruvian to talk with Seer Alyn.”  

Creaton spun around. “You aren’t going out there alone again.”  

“You need to go with Caid. I can make it to the University, Creaton.” Creft was in no mood to take Creaton along with him and explain everything.  

Creaton shook his head and opened his mouth to reply when Alis chimed in from behind Creft. 

 “I will take him through the tunnels into the university or to Ruvian,” she said.  

Everyone was quiet, then Caid finished the conversation. “Well, that solves that. Creaton, lace your boots, we are going to talk with sailors.” He turned toward Creft with cold eyes, but when he looked at Alis, his expression softened. “You take care of yourself and come back in one piece. No silly business.”  

“Don’t worry, you still have to help me finish my daliwin before that,” she laughed.