Chapter Three

‘To be given such power the Wardens below had to give to the cause of keeping the world a safe place. Three items of their own bodies went into filling the daliwins. Only then were they given the power of the Nine Wardens.’ 

 

Sweat soaked his hair, sleep eluded him. Caid sat up on his cot. His ranking in the Wardens afforded him a luxurious room and bed, but Caid opted to stay in the common barracks. It helped remind him who he was. He pushed his shoulder length hair from his face, along with the sweat.  

The summers were never cool in Maralay, even in the catacombs. Caid took his shirt off before lying back down on his damp pillow.  

The patterns on the ceiling caught his attention for a moment. His entire night had consisted of counting the cracks, circles, and swirls. There were no windows to show if it was morning yet, not that it mattered.  

How long was the norm to mourn a fallen friend? He knew nothing of death. Surely, at least a long night?  

Geth’s eyes stared back at him every time he closed his own. Meaning the ceiling kept his attention. 

Geth had been a constant fixture throughout his life. Caid had been taken from the streets at age five, or so he had been told. For all he knew, his parents may still be alive and thriving. The Wardens kept the past secret. They kidnapped children, reshaping their lives to suit the Wardens needs.  

He could have been a seer’s son or a whore’s throw away; it would change nothing. Everyone got trained with the same rigorousness, and everyone eventually forgot their past.  

Geth came around the same time as Caid. He was close in age, though his exact age was unknown¾age was hard to keep track of down here.  

What mattered most were the missions, which was what made this mistake even harder to take. A handful of envoys ruined it all. Geth could have finished a handful and then some with his eyes closed, hands behind his back, and only his mouth as a weapon. Something else had gone wrong. Caid couldn’t prove that, but he felt it in his very being.  

Caid tried to place the events in order, but so much had happened. Geth died mysteriously. Pog and Maddog never headed off the envoys in the back carriage. Pog was missing. Maddog had strolled up without a care in the world and then he ran off to inform Rawn of the failures like a lapdog looking for a reward.  

Caid heard the murmur of voices outside his room. On a normal day, he loved being part of the Wardens. Today, he wished he wasn’t part of anything. The thought of whispering voices, exaggerated stories, and political games made his stomach roil. All Caid felt like doing right then was lying on his mattress until his corpse rotted into it.  

Could Caid really have been at fault for allowing Geth and Pog to die? What part had Maddog played in it? It ate at him like an open wound that continued getting poked.  

Caid closed his eyes hard, trying to will everything from his clouded mind. He knew it would be no use. No matter how hard he squeezed the lids. No matter if the purple dots danced around. Sleep eluded him; memories refused to fade.  

Usually, Geth would bang on his door as he did every morning. Like clockwork. Today, there would be no knock, nor would there be one tomorrow, or ever again. Caid sat up again, wiping more sweat from his brow.  

Not a single tear had escaped his eyes. He read somewhere people cried when loved ones died. Geth was a brother. He was at least the closest thing Caid had to a family member, even if he was annoying as shit sometimes. Yet, no tears streaked down his cheek. Was that normal?  

Caid put his hands to his head, running his fingers through his drenched hair. What was normal? Everything was going down the drain anyhow.  

Former Head Warden Galmont had to go and die, leaving a vacancy in the upper ranks. Caid had been too afraid to fill that spot; too worried about losing his freedom. He was the reason Rawn fell into the role. There was no one else to blame, just him, and there was no solid excuse for him to be sitting in bed feeling sorry for himself. He had done this all on his own, with no one else’s help.  

The thoughts still crowded his mind though. It was still damn hard. It felt like he was trying to swallow a pebble, but as it reached his throat it exploded to the size of a boulder, choking the life from him.  

Caid knew it was a fool’s hope to believe he could sit in bed for much longer. He would have to get up and face the day at some point. It was unlikely he would get any sleep anyhow. Every passing moment weighed him down, yet his body refused to rest. Maybe a drink or just some fresh air would help him.  

Pog’s body was still out there in the city. Maybe he hid; maybe death had not found him.  

Caid finally forced himself to get out of bed and get dressed, then patted down his sweaty hair and opened the door.  

Instantly, the chatter from the crowd filled his ears. It took him a few moments to understand the scope of the conversations. The Envoy of Parian had found Pog’s mutilated body; parts strewn about the cobblestones. Not a single envoy member took credit for the killing. They had yet to identify Pog as a member of the Wardens, but clothing and accessories left no question. Caid let out a sigh. The news was a lot to take in. Pog was a senior member of the Wardens. He had been with the group much longer than Caid. He was seasoned and knew his way around a mission. That had not helped him. Caid again wondered what Maddog had been doing while Pog fell. 

Caid moved past the first few groups. He heard distress in the tone of their voices. Pressing on, he learned Seer Creft had declared the coal districts responsible for this attack. He had given a small statement to the press, and the papers had run with it. 

“How are you holding up?” Ryan asked.  

Ryan was only a junior warden, but he had been like glue to Geth for many years.  

Caid realized he would not be the only one hurting.  

“It is a lot to take in, but we will find out why this happened, and we will take care of it,” Caid said.  

Those words felt hollow coming from his mouth, but it was what Ryan would need to hear.  

“You just worry about your training,” Caid added, dismissing himself from the conversation. 

 Caid stepped away, scanning the tables, finding a copy of the morning paper.  

There, on the front page, as expected, was the story of the evening attempt on Creft in Parian. Caid flipped open the paper, skimming the article.  

Sometime around eight yesterday evening, an attempt was made on Seer Creft’s life. As of now, it is unknown who hired the assassins, or, for what purpose. It is also unknown how Creft escaped.  

In a brief statement, Seer Creft said he believes the coal owners had a hand in the attempt. He has also informed the denizens of Parian and surrounding districts that a joint conference will be held this evening with Overseer Krossis. The public address will take place at dusk.  

Caid folded the paper, throwing it back onto the table. No one had traced the attempt back to the Wardens. He doubted anyone would believe the Wardens could be so careless as to allow two of their own to fall or to even attempt such a blatant act.  

Caid looked around the common room. Most days, the Wardens would sit down, having their breakfast. Today, it looked like every warden was part of separate groups talking in low whispers about the night before. Caid was about to join a small band of stragglers when he noticed everyone moved toward the center of the room. He stood on his tiptoes, just barely able to see Rawn and Maddog moving through the crowd. 

Rawn was much better dressed today, having had time to prepare. He wore an olive green robe over his black leathers and had fastened his sword to his hip. Maddog, beside him, looked like changing was far from his mind.  

Caid pushed his way to the middle of the crowd. If Rawn spoke, he wanted to hear what he had to say.  

After a few elbows and even more choice words, Caid made his way to the front of the gathering. Rawn made eye contact with him, then quickly looked away. Maddog, however, kept eye contact for a few moments, letting a genuine smile creep over his face.  

Caid shook his head. He didn’t know what Maddog was so happy about. 

The Wardens had fewer than a hundred members in all. There were no families, encouraged to have no formal attachments.  

Rawn flipped the small switch on a microphone, creating a buzz that rang out over the whispers.  

“Good morning.”  

Everyone took that as their cue to quiet down.  

“I am sure you are all well aware of the happenings of last night. For the first time in the history of the Wardens, a member has been killed. In fact, it was two members. Both were by negligence of the commanding warden in the field. Even after being given direct instructions, he followed his own command and put our own at risk.”  

Caid looked straight into Rawn’s eyes. The man had to be joking. He knew damn well nothing he had just spoken was true. If it had been Caid’s call, this never would have happened. They would have never partaken in this forsaken mission.  

“What’s done is done. There is no going back in time and changing these mistakes. So instead, we will look to the future.” 

Caid could see what Rawn planned to do, and he wouldn’t get away with it. Caid and Geth had spoken out against the mission.  

“That isn’t the way it occurred at all.”  

Rawn stopped speaking. Caid wasn’t talking to the crowd. 

“You have done enough damage, Caid,” Rawn started.  

Caid knew others in the group had been against the mission, and slowly their voices rose too.  

Rawn’s face scrunched in disgust, his cheeks coloring red. Caid had no intention of backing down. He lost a friend, a best friend¾maybe an only friend¾to this mission. He also lost another warden in Pog, even if they had never been close to one another.  

Rawn put his hand up in the air, attempting to put a stop to the discontent. Wardens could be a stubborn bunch, and the group wasn’t about complete and utter loyalty¾it was about getting done what needed to be done with the Wardens as a group first, not a single person.  

Caid raised his hand in the air. Friends of Geth including Ryan, the other trainees, his drinking buddies, and those who respected Caid joined in. Soon everyone had their hand in the air. The caverns fell quiet. 

Rawn took the moment to again spout his propaganda. “With the failure of our mission last night and losing two of our own, it is paramount that we rectify the situation. The only way to do so is to finish the job we have started!” 

Those who were in favor of continuing applauded. Caid left his hand above his head, as did several others who stood with him.  

“Do you propose sending out someone on another suicide mission?” Caid asked.  

Rawn’s eyes were nothing more than narrow slits when he looked down. Maddog¾behind Rawn¾looked like he waited on the word to pounce.  

Maddog was bigger than Caid by some measure, but fighting was about more than size. Caid doubted it would come to that.  

“I propose, Caid, that you finish the job you were sent to do. But don’t you worry, you won’t be going alone. Maddog will head out with you.”  

Caid was about to protest, but Maddog sounded off first.  

“What do you mean I will go with?” he protested, his face now a deep shade of red. His hands no longer balled into fists but hung limply at his side. He looked like a scalded animal.  

“You were part of the mission last night. That means you are part of the cleanup today. You will see me in my office. You can lead this time. Clearly, Caid isn’t fit for the job.”  

Rawn stepped down from the podium. He pushed through the crowd, not giving Caid time for rebuttal. The murmur was so loud Caid doubted anyone could have heard him, anyway. In less than a minute, the group split into two different factions: one supporting the mission and one that did not.  

Caid quickly realized sides mattered very little. He would have to complete the mission or risk a civil war. Beyond his own emotions, beyond his own ideas, training had shown him that the Wardens took precedence over the individual. 

He lowered his head, moving off to the side of the gathering. He had no choice but to do as Rawn instructed. Not doing so meant more pointless fights and possible deaths. He would ready himself and go. He would even let Maddog run the gambit.  

Afterward, though, he would find time to speak with Rawn about his concerns. He would do so in private so as not to cause a ruckus, but he would have his time to speak. Whatever came of that would come, but at least he would feel better about it all, having said his piece on the matter.  

Caid moved around the gathering, not letting himself get sucked back in. He made it back to his room, shutting the door on the common area and lying back down on his cot. There were still a few hours before the mission briefing. He would take that time to finish his wallowing. He would grieve over Geth and give his prayers to the Nine Wardens to take in Pog.  

Then he would prepare mentally and finish the job he had never wanted to start.