by Raven Storm
I found it interesting they would rather be released closer to the demons and vampyres but didn’t say anything more. Benedict jammed a rock into the lever to the door, creating a makeshift lock He jumped up to the driver’s seat, Kieran joining him. With a clicking sound, he urged the horses forward, and the wagon lurched to life.
“What are you doing?”
A woman grabbed my arm in a bone-crushing grip.
“We need a way into the city without attracting attention.”
My answer caught the attention of many more faces. The woman leaned in close, her lips right next to my air.
“You are rebels then?”
Every eye in the cage was on me, and I knew they’d all heard her. I wasn’t sure what to say, so I just nodded my head.
Jaws dropped.
“We have heard...we heard rumors of an underground rebel base in the city. That is where we would like to go, instead of the woods. The woods are full of lykos.”
I put my hand on top of hers.
“I understand.”
More hands reached out to me, until every slave was reaching forward, their faces full of hope and conviction. My throat tightened, my eyes brimming with unshed tears.
The road lengthened on, and several lesser manors appeared. A familiar stone mansion came into view, and it was a full minute before I realized why such terror had seized me. I had sworn I’d never look at those four walls again, but here I was. In a cage, within reach. It would be easy to be afraid now—so, so easy—but I fought it. I fought it hard.
“What is it?” The woman asked. I saw no reason to lie. If anything, my story would lend us credibility with the other slaves.
“That manor...it’s a breeding manor. I lived there.”
Her hand found mine and squeezed, a knowing look in her eyes. I looked away and caught most of the others staring.
“I was born on a farm.” The other woman offered. “They needed many hands to raise the animals. Is it wrong that I miss it?” A wistful looked bloomed on her features, and I squeezed her hand back.
“It’s never wrong to miss home, however miserable it may have been.”
She smiled, but only for a moment.
“The vampyre who owned our farm was killed, and our new owner doesn’t want the responsibility. He’s sold all of us and killed the animals.”
The sorrow in her voice was marked on the faces of everyone around her.
“You are all from the same farm?”
They looked away, silent. I swallowed heavily as we passed the manor, which was quiet in the darkness. I wondered how the horses were doing, or if Clarice still lived to terrorize the younger girls. Those times seemed like a lifetime ago but was only a matter of months. Was it possible to change so quickly?
“Your face shines like the moon.”
I jerked, but there was no fear or suspicion in her voice; just wonder.
“I admit to not feeling well. I’m flushed.”
The woman unwrapped her own headscarf, exposing ash-brown hair lined with grey. Her eyes were the same brown as Georg’s, but with a touch of gold. She offered her scarf to me, and I took it without hesitation, covering my own hair and face. The shadow of the scarf would hopefully keep my skin from shining whether under the moon or the sun.
“What’s your name?”
“Becca,” she said, offering me a tentative smile.
“I’m Wren.” We clasped hands, giving each other shallow bows. When was the last time I had met another human properly?
“Thank you for the headscarf. I hope I don’t fall ill.”
Becca smiled vaguely at me, as if she didn’t truly believe my excuse of sickness.
“There are rumors that a draken has escaped the mountains and returned to the island.”
I tried to act surprised and confused. The latter wasn’t hard.
“W-what is a draken?”
The few of the others scoffed at me, and Becca swatted at them. I noticed the calluses and cracks in her hands and wished I could heal her.
“I feel lucky to have lived on the farm. There was time to talk to the others. Imagine not knowing what a draken is!”
The others smiled indulgently as I gave a weak grin. I heard a huff from the front of the cart, and knew Benedict and Kieran were listening. We hit a rut in the road and jolted to the side.
“Drakens were the only magickal creatures to stand with us during the Demon Wars, and they all died, the entire species wiped out! Except this last one, I suppose. I didn’t think they lived that long.”
I blinked, not expecting that. Becca mistook my shock for interest.
“Drakens were our only allies. They represent friendship, and alliance. A draken means that there is yet still hope!”
The others in the cage mumbled, murmuring heartfelt agreements. I couldn’t believe it; there were humans who had hope, who wanted to fight! There were two quick thumps from the front of the wagon, and I grinned.
“I have to admit I know more than I’ve let on.” They turned and waited with bated breaths. It’s true: the draken escaped. I saw him.”
Gasps met my grand revelation, even as Becca frowned in confusion.
“You said that—”
“I was afraid of revealing my knowledge, but I think the time is coming we might rise up and take back our city.”
Becca’s eyes went wide, and the crowd pushed in around me.
“What does he look like?”
“Where did you see him?”
“Is he in touch with the rebels?”
I could have laughed in joy; but kept my answers as basic as possible.
“I saw him as he fled the mountain, the hordes on his tail. He made it to Lyoness, which is green now.”
Their jaws dropped.
“He is… his scales are a deep purple coloring, along with the wings, that faded down to the darkest obsidian. Power radiated from him, and strength. He was—he is—one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.”
The wagon jerked to a halt as the heavy gates of Cantrada surrounded us. The men and women withdrew into themselves, and we fell into a stony silence. The city itself was massive compared to the small manors that lay outside its walls. I knew from Clarice and Crullfed that the city was originally built around the bay, once a place of great commerce and trading. Since the hordes took over, trade with the other human kingdoms stopped, leaving to a shortage of goods and supplies. The city was surrounded by a large stone wall, with the river flowing through it to empty into the bay.
“State your business.”
I held my breath as the slippery voice of a vampyre sentinel slithered over my ears
“Transport to the Lord,” Kieran grunted, barely distinguishable with the amount of rasp he put in his voice. The three vampyres eyed us with grins, their keen noses wrinkling in disgust when they smelled us. I hoped they didn’t sniff the drivers.
“Get on then, we don’t have all day.”
Benedict snapped the reins down, and we were moving again. I couldn’t help the dread that filled my chest as we entered the city, surrounded by the enemy. Lykos and vampyres roved the city square in packs, fighting each other and partying in the streets. I had no idea what Cantrada looked like before the fall of humanity, but now it was a dirty, filthy hovel. Trash lined the alleys, and bodies were as common as the refuse
“Sad, ain’t it?” Becca whispered, his hand finding mine again. A woman screamed, and we were powerless to do anything as she burst from a house, her fingers scraping into the dirt. There was a chorus of laughs from inside the house and a hairy arm appeared, snatching her around the ankle and dragging her back inside. The screams got louder.
“We had it good on the farm, didn’t we?”
There was no point in answering.
Hovels lined the broken stone road, the windows black with soot and filth. There were no vendors, no gatherings of folk on their way to market or elsewhere. Only roving demons and their allies, drunk and terrorizing whatever humans had the misfo
rtune to cross their paths.
“There are so few. Surely a city this size needs more humans to run it?” I dared to ask. Becca snorted.
“Run what? Look at the state of it! The Lords keep their slaves penned up. A dead slave is no good to anyone. The ones that are out…well, they must be searching for something.”
“What?”
She only waggled her eyebrows at me. The wagon stopped a moment, and I heard Benedict curse. He dropped to the ground and bent down towards the back wheel, as if inspecting it for damage.
“Where should we drop you off?” He asked us quietly. A man with short, blonde hair pushed his way towards the edge of the cage.
“I know where.”
Benedict looked around, seeing no one around us. He opened the cage quickly.
“Get up front with us.”
The blonde man scrambled out, and Benedict re-sealed the cage. The wagon lurched forward again, the tension increasing. We traveled along a large bend in the road, stopping at a blind spot in the curve. Benedict skillfully backed the horse up to the adjacent alley, which was dark and reeked of sewage. Moments later Kieran was breaking the lock.
“Follow me.”
The humans jumped out one by one, Kieran’s hand lingering on mine as he helped me step down. The blonde led us through the alley and to a large iron grate in the ground. Benedict rolled his eyes, pushing the man out of the way as he and Kieran easily lifted it open. The blonde jumped fearlessly into the hole, disappearing.
“Go on; Kieran and I will dispose of the cart, and then join you.”
I didn’t want to be separated from them and surprised he was allowing it.
“You are safer hiding amongst them.”
He leaned down and seized me in a scorching kiss, his hand on my waist making it clear to everyone else who I belonged to.
“I think they get the idea.”
Kieran snorted.
“Nothing for me?” I pouted. Kieran leaned in. “Not in front of the humans. They don’t mate with multiple partners. No need to make them suspicious.”
My mates hopped back onto the wagon as the last of the humans disappeared into the grate.
“Come on,” Becca whispered, gesturing to me frantically.
I jumped down, into the darkness.
Fifteen
I’d never been in a sewer before, but it was everything I could possibly imagine it to be. Dark. Slimy. Disgusting.
I landed on something soft, but I didn’t bother identifying it. I grabbed Becca’s extended hand and she pulled me up. I could see easily enough with my draken eyes, but it was apparent the others couldn’t. Even the blonde man was fumbling around.
“I have pretty good night vision. What are we looking for?”
The man’s gaze shot to mine.
“A marking...an etching on the side of the wall that marks the way. Though how anyone can see down here is beyond me…”
I let him mumble to himself, inwardly reeling. Was it coincidence the human rebels were using a draken system of navigation? I scanned the walls of the sewer, quickly spotting five horizontal slashes on the wall to the right. The wall on the left held four.
“This way.”
The way with less lines will always lead back to the beginning.
I pushed down my rising emotions, refusing to think about Gelf or the other Elders. They were gone, and I was here. I was alive, so there was hope.
Drakens are hope.
I didn’t want to guess what was in the water we sloshed through, and I was thankful for my leather boots. It was doubtful the others had anything as fine. My ears pricked as I heard two large figures drop behind the group. Benedict and Kieran quickly caught up, holding a lit torch. He handed it wordlessly to the blonde man, who nearly stumbled over himself in gratitude.
“Let’s go.”
We walked for ages—so much so that I wished to fly just to get off my feet. Every time we met a crossroads, I chose the path with fewer slashes. Benedict and Kieran shot me a questioning glance clearly recognizing the system, but I shook my head. We couldn’t talk about it here.
I could have cried in relief when the last crossroad bore one horizontal line. Sound was heard up ahead, and Kieran and Benedict immediately went on alert. The tunnel opened into a vast underground cavern, filled with hundreds of people. The blonde man cried out and ran towards another blonde with much longer hair. I chased away thoughts of D’Arcy as they embraced, clapping each other on the back.
“Brother! You made it!”
The man from our wagon threw a glance towards us, leading his brother over.
“It is thanks to these men and this woman. They stole our transport wagon and released us. I’m sorry I didn’t catch your names, but this is Davos, head of rebel operations in Cantrada.”
The man held out his hand to Benedict, and I stopped paying attention to him. Instead, I was focused on the people, or rather, the children. Young infants just out of their mother’s wombs, children, even teenagers. Davos followed my gaze, puffing his chest out proudly.
“The first children not born to a breeding house in centuries.”
I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. I was speechless.
“The sewer network runs underneath the entire town and empties out at the bay. Escaping slaves come here, and then to the bay if they are able. Cargo ships in our employ smuggle out as many as they can, down south to Aldur.”
Benedict turned, respect in his eyes.
“You’ve quite an operation here. There is truly a large rebel presence, then?”
Davos rubbed the back of his neck.
“I wouldn’t call it a rebel presence; I would call them refugees. Many are willing to fight but have no training or experience.”
Benedict exhaled through his nose, taking in the bedraggled community around us.
“How many?”
Davos sighed.
“To fight? Maybe three hundred, at the most. If we put a call out, we may get twice that number, and better trained soldiers as well. Aldur trains all their people in warcraft. If we can get them to ally with us…”
“Who would they ally with?” Benedict questioned, derision dripping from his voice. Davos stopped short, confused. Benedict ploughed on.
“These people here have no government, no one really in charge except yourself. You cannot barter or make alliances because you don’t really have anything. There is no reason for Aldur to involve itself in your conflict as long as the hordes leave them alone.”
Davos drew back, his eyes cold.
“I see.”
I rolled my eyes.
“What he means, is that you need allies closer to home. Allies who have also suffered under the Overlord’s rule and might be willing to forgive some sins of the past. Do you have someone that the people can rally behind? A leader or king of some sort?”
Davos huffed at me, impatient. His eyes ran up and down my body, the corner of his lip curling in a sneer.
“And who are you?”
I pushed back the urge to show him the business end of my claws and threw out a hand to stop an already growling Benedict. I glanced around, noting that nearly everyone was watching our interaction. What happened next, what was said here, whatever it was would be important. Symbols had meaning. Drakens are hope.
“Who are we, I think you mean?” I shot a glance at Benedict, and he blinked twice, not wanting us to show our hand just yet.
“We are your best shot allies. I suggest you start telling us everything.”
Kieran and Benedict stood on either side of me, lending credence to my words. Davos paled, then his face went red.
“And why should we trust you? Twenty slaves are a low price to pay for access to the entire rebel underground! You could be working for Severn! He’s been trying to find our hiding spot for years! Unless you are Aldurian royalty then—"
Benedict took a step forward, and Davos automatically leaned back.
“I can assure you we have come strai
ght from Severn—he sent an entire pack of vampyres and lykos at us near the base of the mountain. We escaped into the river and made it here. If Severn is happy to see us again, it’s so he can separate our heads from our necks.”
I thought that would be enough for Davos, but to our confusion the humans around us cried out in terror, and Davos went white again.
“What? He’s likely followed you! You will lead him straight to us! We must evacuate immediately!”
People started running, gathering possessions and shouting. Children were crying, confused at the sudden tangible taste of terror on the air.
“NO! That’s not true, that can’t be right!”
“It sounds like you got in easily. Too easily!” Davos turned on his heel and left us, and I whipped around to Benedict.
“That’s not true, is it?”
Benedict and Kieran shared a look.
“It’s not impossible.”
I paced on the spot, running my hands through my hair. “Well...we can’t possibly take everyone to Lyoness, the wards—”
“Wren, we cannot simply hide everyone away on an island. That’s not a solution.”
Benedict’s voice was soft, and that’s what stopped me.
“Sometimes you can’t save everyone.”
I was reminded of Georg’s Supa, and the accusations he’d laid at Benedict’s feet. I jerked away from Benedict’s hand, my voice full of anger.
“You know a lot about abandoning people, wouldn’t you?”
He gaped after me, but I was done with him. The past was not a guarantee of the future. It wasn’t. It couldn’t be. I wouldn’t allow it to be.
“Everyone stop.”
I didn’t do it consciously, but my voice rang through the cavern, my voice magicks coating my words with authority and power. Men and women alike froze, dropping what they were doing to turn and stare. I didn’t care if Benedict said it wasn’t time, these people needed to understand. Before I could do it, Benedict stepped forward onto the stone’s edge, where everyone could see him. He shot me a haunted look, then shifted into his draken form.
For a moment, there was no sound—just shocked silence. Then Becca fell to her knees, her hands held up in a gesture of an answered prayer. Her happy sobs broke the tension, and soon everyone was rushing back, but in joy instead of fear. Their voices became a cacophony of sound, but the same words were repeated over and over.
