Birthright

by L. Fergus

  Kita hugged her mother. She whispered her goodbyes and leaned in to whisper her goodbye to her father. “I’m no monster, but a fallen angel. I didn’t steal your honor. You stole it from yourself, bit by bit, and you’ve run out of time to get it back. I’m here to tell you, you only have yourself to blame. Goodbye, Father.” The duke coughed and sputtered in response.

  Kita led Zidin, Angus, and Sarge to a corner of the courtyard where a large sewer grate sat among overgrown weeds. Zidin removed it with ease. Kita dropped down first, nimbly landing on the path. Zidin handed her Sarge, and Angus followed. Zidin squeezed through and hanging by one hand, replaced the grate. Trying to imitate the others, he swung to land on the path, missed, hit the wall, and fell into the foul water.

  Kita helped him out, laughing. From his belt, Angus pulled a tube with a light coming out the end. He handed it to Kita. “Take this flashlight. We must hurry.”

  What a wonderful toy.

  Kita navigated the sewers using the flashlight, but she couldn’t stop dwelling on her parents. They can’t be dead. They’ll survive somehow. I can come back with the Legion and rescue them. The logical part of her mind shattered the lies she told herself. Her father and mother would most certainly be dead before she exited the sewers. Unable to keep the tears from her eyes, she stopped.

  “Kita, we need to go,” Zidin urged in a neutral tone.

  “You need to collect yourself,” ordered Angus. “We’ll have time to mourn the dead later. Right now, we must put our emotions aside if we’re going to get out of here alive.”

  “Just give me a minute,” Kita pleaded.

  “We don’t have a minute,” said Angus assertively. “Cunningham’s men could come through that grate at any time.”

  “I can’t.”

  “You must,” Zidin said, sounding annoyed. “You’re the only one who can get us out of here.”

  Kita’s eyes flashed with rage. “Give me a minute,” she demanded, “or there will be one less of us getting out of this hole.”

  Zidin raised his hands and backed off mumbling something about hurrying up.

  Kita’s flash of rage displaced her fear and sorrow. Like a window frosting over, her mind crystallized and put her emotions into place. She didn’t feel grief, she never had. It was uncertainty behind her tears. Everything she’d told herself to this point was a lie. She would never come back, even if her family did survive. Her only way forward was with the Legion. It would be a new family for her. She had Angus, and he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. I hope.

  She wiped the tears from her face and took a deep breath. She’d quashed the uncertainty, but not the rage. “Alright. I’m ready.”

  Kita led them through the sewers. A soft luminescent glow came from the lichen growing on the brick. After several turns, she came to a dead end. The ditch sloped up to meet the paths and form a landing. Kita went to the unfinished brick wall at the far end of the tunnel.

  “Kita, are you sure this is the right place?” said Zidin.

  Kita walked onto the ramp leading to the ditch. She knelt and pressed several bricks with no effect. She pressed another. There was a loud bang, and Kita and Sarge fell into the darkness.

  Only a gaping hole remained where Kita and Sarge once stood. Zidin looked in, but the light was too faint to see the bottom and he detected no sound or movement. He looked at Angus.

  “This must be the way.”

  Zidin dropped into a wet moss-covered clay pipe set at a steep slope. With a wet smack, he landed on his back and slid. Scrambling for a handhold, he flipped and twisted, trying to arrest his descent.

  He tumbled out of the pipe and landed in a shallow pool of water. He stood and squinted in the dim light. The glow wasn’t as bright here, but enough to illuminate a large circular room with a center column. Debris blocked the exit, and the faint sound of falling water coming from the wall. He found no signs of Kita.

  A metal bang caused him to jump. With nothing to do but wait for Angus Zidin paced, worry gnawing at him. Is she in more trouble than she can handle? Giving up on waiting, he tried to climb the pipe. In the darkness, he banged his head on Angus’s boots, causing them both to slide and land in the pool.

  “I was trying to avoid that,” Angus growled.

  “Fine, next time you go first.”

  “Where’s Kita?”

  “I don’t know, Commander. She wasn’t here when I splashed down.”

  “We need to find her. Help me search the place. She may be unconscious or otherwise incapacitated.”

  “By the Crushing Depths,” muttered Zidin.

  They searched the water. The pool would have gone around the center column if not for the dam of debris. They found the flashlight, but no trace of Kita. The water drained through a tiny opening between the bricks. Angus inspected the debris dam and found a hatch. Angus tried it, but it only turned a fraction.

  “Help me,” he said to Zidin.

  Together they both pulled on the wheel. It held fast, until a wooden snap and then it turned easily.

  “Kita wouldn’t have jammed the wheel if she’d gone this way,” said Angus.

  “Unless someone has her and doesn’t want us following.”

  “It is the only way out.”

  They drew their weapons and climbed down the rusty ladder into a cramped circular tunnel, lined with handmade bricks.

  “No water has flowed through here in a long time,” said Zidin.

  “No one has made bricks by hand in over five hundred years. This must be one of the older generations of sewer Kita spoke of, but she said they were sealed.” Angus frowned. “I have a feeling that debris pile was the way she intended to go. Whatever has her now must have come from here.”

  The first direction was blocked by a cave-in. They backtracked and followed the tunnel a short distance around a corner where light from the side of the tunnel lit the darkness. A demented voice came from the light. “My beautiful wife…So beautiful…”

  They readied their swords and crept to a cloth-covered opening.

  “I’ve waited so long for your return, my beautiful wife. You’ve gotten so big, much bigger than last time. Your face has changed. You’ve brought me flowers. It’s been a long time since I saw flowers. So beautiful, so very beautiful. Your beauty has grown…so beautiful.”

  Zidin flinched at the licking sound.

  “Hmmm, yes. You taste better than before. You’ve added spice to your life. Hate, rejection, pain, sorrow, and a dash of despair. That is good. A well-seasoned meal makes for a delicious feast. I can’t wait for you and I to share a meal of each other. I may be stringier and gamier than last time, but you enjoyed it then, so you will enjoy it now. Your scent is so wonderful. I don’t know if I can wait. I may have to start without you. But you can always catch up. Here let me set the table, we can’t eat like animals, now can we?” A disturbed laugh echoed through the tunnel.

  Zidin and Angus looked at each other with alarm. Zidin made a motion toward the cloth. Angus nodded. Zidin charged through the curtain. Kita was tied to a chair, her head lolling. Sarge lay at her feet looking bored. Knocking the table aside, Zidin stood between Kita and her tormentor. The withered man was skin and bone with long, patchy hair and wearing rat skins. He had a table knife in his hand.

  Angus charged the hermit. He slammed the madman with his shield. The hermit flew backward into the dirt wall and made no attempt to get up. Zidin untied Kita and laid her on the floor. Finding her unharmed, he sighed in relief. He grabbed a bowl of foul water from a rickety shelf and sprinkled a little on Kita’s face.

  After rubbing her eyes, Kita smiled at Zidin. “Was that a cool ride or what?”

  “Or what,” said Zidin, motioning to the room around them.

  Kita sat up. “What happened?”

  “At some point during your cool ride, you were knocked unconscious. The madman in the corner brought you back to his playhouse. We just arrived.”

  Kita stood. She’d never been here befor
e. The hermit’s hovel didn’t contain much—a makeshift table with a pair of chairs, an un-level shelf, some ratty old blankets in a corner, and a tiny fire pit.

  The tiny hermit laid still, his narrow chest slowly rising and falling, Angus stood over him. How the hermit came to be down here must be an interesting tale. Even more interesting would be the story of how he’d dragged her here.

  Angus nudged the little man awake. The hermit jumped to his feet, and in the same deranged voice picked up where he’d left off.

  “—My wife, my wife, is cheating on me. Betrayed me you have. After all this time! How could you? How could you! I’m the only one for you, not them. We were to dine together. Have a feast of feasts of each other. Instead, you choose them over me.”

  Kita waved off her companions, then knelt before the little man. “Please, husband, forgive me. It’s not what you think. They are my protectors from enemies who are chasing me. Dear husband, we need your help to escape. How did you get here?”

  “Swim. Swim like a fish. Not far. Only way in or out, or was until I greased the hatch. I—” The hermit saw Angus for the first time and yelped.

  “You, you, youyouyouyouyouyouyou. I know you! But you don’t look like you. You were someone else, but I know you! Your smell doesn’t change—metal, electricity, flesh, death—It’s you, ancient A.N.G.U.S. Run, run, run, everyone run! He’ll devour us, just like the others! Escape! Must escape the man-machine, the star-machine.”

  The hermit attempted to sprint toward the door, but Angus slammed him with his shield.

  Kita bent down to check on the hermit and shook her head—this time, the little man wouldn’t be getting up. She sighed. “He was harmless.” What did the little man mean by machine? Should I ask Angus? Now isn’t a good time. We’re not safe yet. Later.

  The group filed out of the small room and followed the tunnel. It angled down sharply to a pool of water. Kita poked at the still water with her toe. It was dark and foreboding. “This must be the place he spoke of. How long a swim do you think it is?”

  “It can’t be too long. Our mad friend made it,” said Angus.

  “I don’t think he was wearing weapons and kits, that’ll make a difference,” said Zidin.

  “So, what do we do? Try it and see if we drown?” said Kita.

  Zidin shook his head. “I’ll swim ahead and see how long the tunnel goes, and then I’ll come back for you.”

  “Are you any better a swimmer than the rest of us?”

  “I’m of guild Shark. Long swims and amphibious assaults are my specialties.”

  “That sounds good,” said Angus. “We all have our specialties. One person can’t do it alone, Kita. You must learn to work as a team. Together we are stronger.”

  Zidin stripped down but kept a combat knife. “More as a tool than a weapon,” he said, grinning when Kita gave him a curious look. “Cold,” he said with a groan as he stepped into the water. Zidin slid in with barely a ripple and disappeared without looking back.

  Kita turned to Angus. “How long do you think it’ll take?”

  “I’d venture we’ll know if something is wrong shortly. At best, a man can hold his breath for less than a three hundred count.”

  Kita wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be comforting and started counting to herself.

  “Did you know our friend back there? Or was he lost in his own madness?”

  Kita nodded. “Counting…” Forty-five…

  “You must have faith in others’ abilities. Good leaders do not micromanage. They find good people and put them in the right position, then let them do what needs to be done. Relying on yourself to do it all is an excellent way to fail.”

  “Uh-huh…” Sixty-five…She scratched Sarge’s ears.

  Angus frowned but remained silent as he pulled a device from his belt and held it level in his hand. An arrow spun around and pointed the way they came.

  It piqued Kita’s interest. “What is it?”

  “It’s a compass. It has a magnet inside that aligns with the magnetic field of the planet to tell us which way is north.”

  “That’s three hundred,” Kita announced.

  “He has to go and come back. We don’t need to worry yet.” Angus pulled up his sleeve, revealing a device strapped to his wrist. He tapped on it, and a panel lit up. “There, my Arcom will beep in five minutes. Then we can worry.”

  Kita gave him a dubious look. “So, where are we going?” Thirty-four…

  “Of immediate concern is getting into the network of old lava tubes, or the tubes, that run under The Mass. The Legion calls them home. Our outposts are built in them. Once in the tubes, our first destination is a Legion Administrative Center to get you into the Legion systems. This will allow you to use the Legion infrastructure. From there we go to Outpost Twenty-four to get supplies. Then we’ll exit the tubes and climb Razor’s Pass.”

  “And which way do we go?”

  “South. There’s no easy way to find direction in the tubes, that’s why we have the compass. Most of the main and secondary tube systems have been mapped, but there are hundreds of tertiary networks to get lost in.”

  “You have a map?” One hundred and three…

  “In my head. The Legion leave signage as well. So, if we get separated, find a sign and follow them to an outpost. They’ll contact me.”

  “Yes, Angus. To answer your earlier question: I played house with the hermit a few times when I was a child, but he lived in a different part of the sewers. This area is new to me. It must be the second generation of sewers. It’s not the first. Those were constructed of hollow logs. I found a small section when the rain eroded the hillside. What about you? He had some interesting things to say.” One hundred eighty-seven…

  Angus frowned. “Never had the pleasure of meeting someone who fits his description, mad or otherwise. He must have been lost in some mental construction. It would be fascinating to see what his everyday life was like. I’m glad he didn’t injure you.”

  “I remember coming out of the pipe and splashing down. He must have been hiding in there. If Sarge deemed him a threat, he would have done something.”

  Angus’ Arcom beeped. Kita looked at the water and knelt next to Sarge, petting him nervously. “He’s going to be alright, right?” Three hundred and thirteen…

  “I’m sure he took a break on the far side.”

  That doesn’t seem like Zidin. Kita stared at the water. Three hundred and sixty-six… “What if the swim is too long?”

  “Let’s worry about that when we get there.”

  Kita frowned, hoping the water would ripple. Three hundred and ninety-three…

  Sarge stood up and growled at the water’s edge.

  “Zidin?” said Kita.

  “Kita, get back. It might be a ravager,” said Angus, drawing his sword.

  Kita stumbled back while drawing her swords. She stood to the side of Sarge in a ready position. Sarge’s hackles rose as a series of ripples broke the water.

  Zidin silently broke the surface of the pool.

  Kita hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until she let it go. She and Angus lowered their swords. Sarge came and sat beside Kita. She scratched his ears as a reward.

  “It’s a long swim, but everyone should make it,” said Zidin. “It goes down then up. Kita, you’ll go first, follow the top and you’ll be fine. It’s clean water, and there’s nothing in there, including air for a fish. We’ll string the kits together, and you’ll take the end. Once you’re on the other side start pulling, after I see the cord move, I’ll toss the kits in and follow with Sarge. Angus will follow after that.”

  Everyone agreed and stripped off their kit and weapons.

  Kita wasn’t crazy about the swim. From the look on Sarge’s face, he wasn’t thrilled either. She made her kit into a nice bundle. Tying the cord around her wrist, she entered the frigid water. How come the water always has to be so cold? Taking a large breath, she slid under and swam.

  Swimming in
total darkness and absolute silence terrified her. The isolation closed in—there was no sound. The blackness of the water eclipsed any darkness she’d ever experienced. She ran her hand along the top of the tunnel, even her sense of touch was muffled by the sluggish water. Only her sense of taste came through clear, and one taste of the putrid water made her gag.

  The tunnel leveled out. She felt her way along the top, seeking a change in direction. The tunnel went straight for a few feet, but it felt like a mile. She pushed on determinedly as her lungs burned. High above, she saw a faint glow. Kicking and pulling, she ascended.

  Kita wanted nothing more than to break the surface of the water and breathe fresh air. The climb felt like an eternity. The change of pressure caused her ears to pop, and her lungs tightened as her oxygen supply diminished. The surface eluded her. The lights danced forever out of reach. I’m going to die in this watery hell. NO! I haven’t made it this far to drown here!

  Kita’s head crashed through the surface, the cool, moist air dousing the fire in her lungs. Gasping, she crawled out of the water and vomited. I wonder what Zidin considers a long swim? This is what I get for trusting a guy with gills. Knowing she couldn’t sit and sulk, she pulled on the cord attached to her wrist. The kits came slowly, inch by inch. For a time, she thought they were stuck on some unseen obstacle. With a hard yank, the line came free, and with every pull she brought in more line, the kits weighed nothing at all. I must have had to get it around the bend, ha!

  The surface crashed open and Zidin strode out with Sarge and the kits. “I pushed the kits ahead of me.” He smiled and put Sarge down.

  Kita mumbled a thank you and undid her kit. Humph. I know he was trying to help, but I could have done it.

  Sarge showed his contempt by shaking and spraying them both with water.

  Angus appeared as Kita finished dressing. He didn’t appear to have a problem with the swim, either. Maybe my lungs are tiny, or maybe they both breathe water.

  “Where are we?” Kita said once they finished dressing.

  “It looks like we are in a side passage,” said Angus. “This should connect us with one of the main tubes.”