Dralin

by Carroll, John H.

  “Private Bobbell,” the man behind the desk began in oily tones. He had slick blonde hair and cruel green eyes. “Did you honestly think you could betray us and live, even if you are a member of the vaunted City Guard?”

  Bobbell looked down at Pelya who was holding his hand in a death grip. “You were right, my little viper. Always trust your instincts.” He jerked forward with a grunt as a sword was run into his back and out through his chest by a man who had moved behind him.

  Blood flowed from his mouth. “One member must always report.” Then he fell to the ground while Pelya screamed in horror as she lost the grip on his hand.

  Chapter 17

  “What a pretty little present Private Bobbell brought us.” The man behind the desk stood.

  Something pushed Pelya to the side just as another man reached to grab her. The motion was enough for her to run to the door. Right before she got there, it flung open on its own knocking the two men in front of it to the ground.

  Pelya ran her fastest down the hallway and out through the door to the alley, which was also pulled open inexplicably. She was going so fast that she ran into the wall on the other side of the alley, causing her to stumble. For the first time, she turned and looked back only to see a glowing green web coming straight at her. Pelya ducked and rolled to the left, but it stuck all over an arm and leg. Some of it tore when she yanked, but it was strongly tethered to the wall and ground.

  Then the shadows around it darkened and ripped the strands from her, scaring her even more. Above her, a crow cawed. She was sure it was the same one when she looked up to see it resting on a brick jutting from one of the buildings.

  A man ran out of the door and into the wall, just as she had done, falling on his behind in the sticky substance. Pelya barely evaded his outstretched hand as she dashed away, her heart racing in fear. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the crow claw the man’s head, drawing blood and screams of pain.

  Convinced that the crow was an ally, she ran as fast as she could. Pelya was strong for her age and had done obstacle drills with the Guard. The alleyway she ran down was a gritty version of those and she was truly running for her life this time.

  Voices called out behind her while footsteps began pounding the cobblestones and echoing off the wall. The alley split into two. The crow flew over into the left one and cawed to her. Pelya took that one, briefly noticing that the bird’s eyes were most definitely purple.

  The alley took a sharp turn and she pushed against a wall to keep her balance. When she saw green pollution in a puddle on the ground, she leapt over it, flying through the air and landing with a thud that knocked the air out of her. Pelya got to her feet and kept running, but her chest began to hurt from exertion and fear.

  A dark corner ahead suddenly became inviting, so she rushed to it. One of the buildings in the alley was set deeper than those around it, creating a small space. There were garbage and debris along the edge, but she was able to back into the corner.

  Pelya heard the men coming down the alley and realized they would see her. Alarm gripped her muscles, but just as she was about to bolt, she heard a whispering “shh” in her ear. Shadows slowly caressed her arms and legs, causing her to relax involuntarily.

  Three men came running at full bore. They had a perfect line of vision to see her, but the shadows continued stroking her skin and Pelya could feel their cool touch even through her clothes. She breathed calmly, letting her chest relax as the men ran past. They didn’t notice her at all.

  A moment later, the shadows stopped caressing and pushed her back into the alley. The crow cawed from the left, so she immediately ran in that direction. Pelya didn’t know what to think about shadows and a crow guiding her, but it was much better than what would happen if the thugs who killed Bobbell found her. The thought sapped the strength from her bones and she stumbled to a halt.

  The image of the sword piercing her uncle flashed in her mind, as did the sight of blood flowing from his lips while he mouthed words she could no longer hear. Pelya burst into tears and fell to her knees. Panic and fear ganged up to squeeze her heart tightly and prevent her from doing anything. Her throat constricted, making her wheeze as she tried to breathe.

  Pain shot through her scalp as her hair was pulled, causing Pelya to cry out. The alley came into focus again and flapping wings beat about her head. The crow yanked her hair again to get her to come fully back to reality.

  Pelya got to her feet and half-heartedly ran some more. A minute later, she saw another dark corner that looked inviting, so she rushed toward it. Once she got there, her eyes were drawn to a wide ledge above that also looked inviting. She put up a foot to use the wall for leverage, but as she did so, it was grabbed and supported. Shadows heaved her up and she quickly caught the ledge while more pulled her arms.

  From the alley, she heard voices coming back the way the men had run. Pelya’s back was pushed so she lay down on the ledge It was slightly damp from the previous night’s rain and more than a little dirty, but she stayed still. Footsteps pounded back down the alley and faded into the distance.

  As she stood up on the ledge, Pelya felt something running down her scalp, over her left temple and cheek. Wiping it off, she saw it was blood from a scratch where one of the crow’s talons had accidentally cut her. She looked up to the edge of the roof directly above and saw the crow. It cawed apologetically.

  “It’s alright,” Pelya assured it. “Thank you for saving my life.”

  It cawed again before hopping higher on the roof. Pelya got the distinct impression it wanted her to follow. She stood beneath the ledge, which was just a little out of her reach. On a gut instinct, she lifted her left foot and was thrilled to feel it grabbed and pushed up. With a leap, she caught the edge and scrambled up.

  Wooden shingles were at a steep angle, making her gulp at the thought of climbing over them. Gathering what courage she had left, Pelya followed the crow up to the peak of the building they were on. It was one of the shorter buildings around and she could see other rooftops surrounding it. The crow flew to another that was a little higher. The other side of the roof was at a much more gradual angle, so she quickly made her way along it.

  The next edge was chest-high and she pulled herself up without assistance. Pelya paused to consider how odd it was that shadows were helping her and realized that they weren’t even supposed to have substance. The crow cawed again as if warning her not to think about it too hard. Pelya traveled across that rooftop to another and another, each one a little higher.

  Other crows began to show up as she traveled over the wooden, slate, and metal roofs. They acted as a winged escort. Pelya’s arms and legs grew rubbery from the physical and mental exertion. The horror of what had happened lurked in the back of her mind, threatening to burst through again. Then all the crows but the original flew away. Pelya stopped and held onto the weathervane on the middle of the roof she was on.

  It was then that she realized she had reached the highest point in the area. The roofs of Wizard’s Mall were around her, looking like hills under the warm sun. Birds flew about in the distance and the murmur of voices from the streets below filled the air with a humming sound. Various aromas of incense and perfumes from the shops below mixed with garbage in the alleys to create a nauseating effect.

  But the most extraordinary sight was the rise of the Tower District in the distance. She couldn’t make out individual towers. Instead, they shimmered and moved slowly back and forth, weaving through each other in circular motion. Rainbow colors of green, blue, purple and red eddied around all of it, creating a foggy illusion that went high into the sky.

  The crow cawed from the next roof. Pelya rubbed her eyes to clear them of the colors that hurt her head and then followed. Coming around to the other side of the next rooftop, she saw a window that would give the occupant a perfect view of the hypnotic sight. The crow was sitting on the top of the frame above it.

  The window creaked open slowly, startling her. She stared at
the crow. “I really hope you’re my friend.” It gave a short nod and cawed at her again. Pelya shrugged and carefully entered the opening. The crow stayed outside and flew away.

  There was absolutely no light inside and it took a minute for her eyes to adjust after being in the bright daylight. Pelya reached in her tunic for another pouch. It still had the three rune balls Ebudae had given her. She pulled out the one that created light and said the activation word. A soft blue glow mixed with the sunlight coming from the window. The room was empty except for some old furniture and the webs of spiders that had decided to fill the vacancy.

  Pelya walked to stairs going down on the opposite side of the small room, jumping when the window creaked closed and latched itself. Shadows were thick in that area and she figured they had taken care of it. “Thank you,” she told them, wanting to be polite.

  The stairs were steep and rickety, groaning with each step she took. The next level was also empty except for furniture. A few rats and cockroaches joined the spiders. Pelya stepped quickly to the next level of stairs underneath the one she had just come down. They were rickety as well, but not quite so bad. When it took five more flights to reach the bottom, she realized how high up she had traveled on the rooftops. It wasn’t surprising that she was so exhausted and shaky.

  Shadows cast by the blue light in her hand moved around a doorway to her left. She went through it into another room and across that to a door beyond. When she reached for the knob, the shadows pushed her hand aside.

  Pelya pulled back and waited for a minute. She looked around the room at the one couch mostly eaten away by rats. Moths had nearly finished off a tapestry that once hung from the far wall, and the fireplace lay dormant. It reminded her of the ancient buildings underground.

  The knob clicked and turned slowly. When the door opened a crack, Pelya pulled it enough to see out. She was on a street with a mixture of shops and houses. It was bright and people were walking back and forth about their business.

  Then she saw a guard unit coming up the street, searching for something or someone. Pelya crushed the rune ball as Ebudae had shown her and threw the ashes on the ground while running toward the unit. Rune balls could become unstable if not made for multiple uses.

  “Pelya!” one of the guards exclaimed, pointing at her. She knew the woman, who was always nice. Her name was Minda and she had black hair and blue eyes much like Pelya’s. The unit ran to Pelya and surrounded her as she rushed into Minda’s arms and began bawling.

  “Pelya,” the unit leader said, trying to get her attention. He was an average man with brown hair and a shaggy goatee. “Pelya . . . Pelya!” he yelled, finally getting the girl to turn. “Who were you supposed to be with today? Why are you alone?”

  “And why in the world are you in Wizard’s Mall?” another asked disapprovingly.

  “Unc . . . Uncle Bobbell . . . is dead,” Pelya stuttered, snot running down her nose. She couldn’t seem to keep from losing control now that she was safe among family.

  “Where? Tell me quickly,” the unit leader commanded while Minda wiped Pelya’s nose with a handkerchief she pulled from inside her tunic.

  Pelya turned her head back and forth, looking for anything familiar much to Minda’s exasperation because she was still trying to wipe the girl’s face. Finally, Pelya looked at the unit leader. “I don’t know,” she wailed despairingly.

  The man folded his arms and looked around. Then he blew a piercing whistle that hung on a chain around his neck. It would call any other units to his location. Most times, the squad sergeant and corporal would each be with units nearby.

  He looked at Pelya, who was still sniffling and wiping at her red eyes. “I can see you’ve just been through a terrible ordeal, but we need to know about Private Bobbell and what happened to him, so I suggest you figure out how to keep it together long enough to explain everything you can remember.”

  “Y . . . yes, Sir,” Pelya said. She gulped deep breaths of air and let Minda clean up her face. A moment later, three sharp tweets came from behind them. The unit leader responded with two tweets. It was a way of locating each other. Two more units came from that direction, making up all but one unit of the squad.

  “What is it?” the squad sergeant asked while running up. Pelya recognized her as Sergeant Rashel. There was a wizard with her too. The wizard’s brown robes were slit up the sides of the legs to enable him to run easily. He wore black leggings underneath

  “Pelya Jornin rushed up to us alone,” the unit leader said, pointing at the girl. “She was with Private Bobbell, but said he died. I told her to get control of her emotions so she could report.”

  The sergeant looked surprised to see Pelya there. “So that’s who the death was. What in the world was he doing in the Mall with Pelya?!”

  “I don’t know. Perhaps you should ask the girl,” the unit leader said in irritation. Minda, the sergeant and most of the other guards there glared at him. Pelya realized he was one of the people who didn’t like her.

  Sergeant Rashel squatted down in front of Pelya. “Can you lead us to Bobbell, Pelya?” When the girl shook her head, Rashel’s eyes widened. She reached a hand to Pelya’s right temple and wiped the blood that was still slowly trickling down.

  “It looks like just a scalp cut, Sergeant,” Minda told her quickly. “I think she’ll be alright, but she’s shaking like a leaf.

  Rashel nodded. “Pelya, I need you to tell me as much as possible so we can find his body. Make it as quick and concise as you can.”

  Pelya nodded and collected her thoughts. It was difficult, but she was determined to do everything she could. “I asked him to bring me here thinking he’d say no, but he said yes instead.” She wanted to cry from guilt at the admission. It was all her fault.

  “He shouldn’t have done that,” Rashel stated. “But no matter, continue.”

  “We came from the Tower District into a plaza with a statue of a wizard surrounded by flowers. There were a lot of really nice, expensive shops there.”

  “I know the place,” Rashel said. Everyone else nodded as well. “Go on.”

  “We walked to a darker place and he took me into a shop. There was a hand on the placard with green flames coming from it. The paint was peeling.” Pelya saw that they were all thoughtful. Apparently there was more than one shop like that. “The shopkeeper was a short woman named Tibella.”

  That did it. “Willam!” Rashel barked. “Carry Pelya. We move now!” A big, red-haired man with thick muscles picked up Pelya and settled her on his hip. Her weight didn’t slow him down at all as they charged through the streets. The squad’s fourth unit had shown up with the corporal who was running ahead, tweeting his whistle to clear a path. There was another wizard with him. All squads had two competent wizards who specialized in battle magic.

  People parted to let them through. It was the law to get out of the way of a Guard unit rushing through the streets. People made extra effort at the sight of an entire squad. Within a few minutes, they reached the shop.

  Sergeant Rashel came to a skidding halt, as did the rest of the squad, a few huffing and puffing. “This is the place?” she asked.

  Pelya nodded as Willam set her down. “Tibella let us through the back door to the alley. We turned right. I can trace our steps, but there are bad people . . .” It took all her willpower not to start crying again.

  “It’s our job to deal with bad people, Pelya” Rashel said with a malevolent grin that was mirrored by the rest of the squad. Pelya was suddenly glad they were on her side. One of the wizards cast a spell. Suddenly Pelya felt a burst of strength that also appeared to affect everyone in the squad. “Let’s go,” the sergeant said, opening the door and leading the way in.

  Tibella stood behind the counter with eyes wide. When the sergeant demanded to be let out the alleyway door, she unlocked it immediately. Rashel led the way to the right and traveled far enough for the squad to join in the alley. It was too narrow for them to do much more than single file,
a severe disadvantage for any fighting group. However, the Guard trained specifically for such situations. The boost of strength the wizard had cast would help them with that. Pelya felt her skin tingle and gasped. Minda, who was directly in front of her while Willam was directly behind, reassured her. “A spell to protect all of us against certain forms of magic was just cast. You felt a tingling, right?” Pelya nodded.

  They came to an intersection and word came back asking which way. Pelya closed her eyes and remembered the steps they had taken. “Left, right, right, go a couple hundred feet and there’s a black iron-bound door with a plate to look out of,” she said. There were other twists and turns, but those were the intersections they had to take.

  Word was relayed up the line and everyone moved again, following the directions Pelya had given. A minute later, she heard shouts. Rashel’s voice rang above the rest. “Halt! Lay down your weapons in the name of the Dralin City Guard!”

  Willam drew his sword and then put Pelya on his left hip. She held on tightly while her protector stepped aside to let others through. Minda stood next to them with her sword drawn so Pelya was in between the two of them. It would be difficult for anyone to harm her.

  The sounds of clashing swords along with shouts of anger and pain echoed up the alley, but they didn’t last long. After a moment, the train of Guard members passing by stopped. The last unit had gone in a different direction in the hopes of cutting off escape. Guard members were required to memorize every street and alley in the city. In training, they would start with the easy districts, but as they learned more, they would be sent to more difficult ones. The Tower District was by far the hardest to learn. Wizard’s Mall was one of the worst after that. Even with that knowledge, there were secret ways to get away underneath the city in the sewers and above the city on the rooftops.