by Joe Jackson
“Just quietly guide us to where the seal pulls,” Galadon whispered.
“Karinda said that Karian Vanador is coming,” Delkantar said, turning to Starlenia. “Trust me, she’ll get to the bottom of all this.”
Starlenia smirked at him. “You’re quite enamored with her, aren’t you?”
The ranger snorted, flipping his dreadlocks back over his shoulder. “Maybe you never heard the legends about her; I’m sure Leighandra could tell you a bunch. And I heard enough about her work with the Red Mask that I know she’s not just a paper champion. We’re talking about someone who’s killed a demon king, Starlenia. If she can do that, then whoever the true problem is – whether it’s the usurper in Aurun Ch’Gurra or this supposed buried demon god – they’re going to find themselves hunted soon enough.”
“Good, then the rest of us can go home.”
Max shook his head. “Oh, no. Far from it. Even Karinda said that Lady Vanador will depend on us to help with her efforts. Our part in all this is far from done.”
“Stop,” Yiilu said.
Starlenia shrugged. “What? I’m just saying….”
“No, stop,” the druidess said, and the group all returned to stand before her. She was looking side to side, confused. “The seal pulls to this spot. It makes little sense, though. There is nothing here in the center of the street. Could it be a nearby person? But no, it still pulls only to this spot, no farther.”
Delkantar looked down. “Sewers?” he suggested.
The companions looked around. While there were gutters and narrow irrigation canals that helped feed the city’s many trees and gardens, there were no obvious drains that would lead to sewers below. Still, it was the only explanation other than a secreted chamber or such below the city’s surface.
Max turned to a nearby citizen. “Excuse me,” he prompted. “Does this city have a sewer system below it, by chance?”
The rir man seemed a bit surprised by Max’s appearance and sudden address, but he hardly shied away before answering, “None that I know of, sir. Sorry.”
“We can try this one of two ways,” Starlenia said. “There’s two types of underground: the literal, and the figurative. And quite often, the figurative is still literal in its own way. Some of us can go check with the city officials, and whether or not they tell us anything useful, I can see about finding out what I may from the seedier elements. But that’ll be something I have to do apart from the rest of you. Nothing like a stuck-up elf and a couple of stiff paladins to drive away rogues.”
“Stuck-up elf?” Yiilu huffed.
The rogue shrugged. “Their perceptions, not mine.”
“Hmph.”
“I will ask around as well, but in the more upscale areas,” Leighandra offered. “I am a little curious that the seal would be held underground if it is supposed to be in the hands of some powerful entity. There are a fair number of burrowing creatures among local lore and stories, but that would live under a city? That’s a tad strange.”
“Let Galadon and I handle speaking with the city officials,” Max said. “Del, you and Yiilu can make a circuit of the city and simply look for any sort of entryways. Starlenia can go alone as she suggested. Audrei and Leighandra can investigate some of the nicer taverns and see what they can find. Lion, see to accommodations at a pleasant inn, since we have no idea how long this search may take. We can meet… over there, at that little eatery, when the sun reaches the tops of the trees.”
“And no one go near the cemetery,” Galadon ordered. “If we go there, it will be together, and only after we’ve seen to our primary task.”
“Come with me, Audrei, and I’ll show you how to make some coin with that voice of yours,” Leighandra said, and the luranar woman fell into step beside her with a smile.
The chronicler led her luranar companion along the outer edge of the city, picking out inns, taverns, and boarding houses wherever she could. Many had miniature harps on their signs, signaling that they had entertainment at peak hours. Leighandra thought these might be a great source of information, as she could trade copies of music, poetry, or stories to other performers in exchange for tips and rumors. It also meant those places would likely see heavy traffic during the dinner and early evening hours, which meant more opportunities to learn.
That would be all well and good once the sun was close to setting, but Max expected her to find answers now and report by dinnertime. She led Audrei along, seeking out some of the finer-looking establishments lacking the markings on their signs. These places might be more inclined to tell Leighandra what she wanted to know if she promised them her bardic services at some point. Worse came to worst, she and her companions could simply take up residence at any such inn until she had satisfied her debt and their work was complete.
A small gang of children ran along the side of the road watching Leighandra and Audrei. It didn’t take long for the luranar woman to realize her appearance had gotten their attention. She waved politely, smiling, and some of the children waved back. They looked to range in age from perhaps seven or eight to almost the early teens, and if Leighandra wasn’t mistaken, they were either homeless or from a fairly destitute part of the city.
“Why don’t you go say hello, and take the opportunity to ask them about sewers?” she whispered. “They look like they might know the darker side of this city. We can give them some money for food or clothes in exchange.”
“We can do that anyway,” Audrei returned.
Leighandra laughed. “Of course we can.”
“Good day,” the luranar woman said, stepping over to them.
The children nearly scattered, keeping their distance. “Are you a werewolf?” one of them asked. The others all gasped and then hushed the speaker, for what good that did.
“A werewolf? No, I am a luranar, from the south. Do you children know the city well?”
“Like the back of me hand,” another of them said, receiving the same hushing from his companions.
“We’re looking for a way into the city’s sewer system, or other underground complexes,” Leighandra said. “If you can but point us in the right direction, we could–”
“You don’t want to go down there. That’s where the demon lives.” Both women went silent, turning to the young boy who’d spoken. He added, “Nobody who goes into the demon’s lair comes back.”
“How do you know there’s a demon?” Audrei asked.
“Its lair is hot, and full of fire. My cousin went down there and never came back.”
“Ye ain’t got a cousin, Drew. Ye’re lucky ye know who yer mother is!”
“Shut up, scrobbe!”
“Children, children,” Audrei hushed, but was ignored.
“I’ll bloody yer nose, ye little bastard.”
“CHILDREN!” the luranar woman bellowed, surprising even Leighandra, and they all shrunk back and went quiet. “This behavior is unacceptable! You, apologize to him. Now!”
“Sorry, mate.”
“S’okay.”
Leighandra had to make an effort not to laugh, and Audrei continued, “Very good. Now, what do the rest of you know about this demon?”
“Not much, ma’am, just that it’s best to stay out of the eastern part of the sewers. We can usually go exploring in the west. There ain’t much down there but bones and the occasional wino, but it’s fun to explore the dark tunnels every now and then. But you don’t never go down to the east side, or the demon’ll eat you.”
“And where is the entrance?” the chronicler asked.
“There’s one near each of the major gates except for the east. Gotta be quick to get in before the guards try to stop you, though. They don’t usually bother with us, but they might care enough to try to stop you.”
Audrei turned and looked at Leighandra. “How could there be a demon under a city and no one has done anything about it?”
Leighandra sighed. “Chances are it preys upon those like them,” she said, indicating the children. “The poor, homeless�
�� people no one pays much attention to, and who aren’t missed when they disappear. And when they try to tell the authorities, they’re probably shoved aside as lunatics or simply not worth the trouble. When cities get to be this size, unfortunately, the least among us are often trampled underfoot.”
“It happens among my people, too,” Audrei said. “Less obviously, but it does. Do you suppose it could truly be a demon, though? Even of the… what do we call them, serilian type?”
“It would seem weird that a demon would be entrusted with… what we’re looking for, but not impossible. They are powerful. Why don’t we take these youngsters to get something to eat, and then we can check their stories with some of the local watch? At the least, the guards may have heard these rumors before.”
Audrei nodded. “And we will buy them cloaks and boots as well if we can. Winter is nearly upon us, and it must be merciless this far north.”
“It certainly can be.”
“Would you children like something to eat, and some gifts to wear?”
“Are ye bloody kidding?” the oldest-looking laughed. “We’d be happy if’n ye gave us a single coin, wolf-lady.”
Audrei didn’t react to the name, but gestured for the children to follow her along. “Just don’t steal my purse or I won’t be able to buy you anything,” she said with a mischievous grin.
“Ye don’t pickpocket in this city, lady. They string ye up for that, no matter how young ye are.”
Audrei balked, but after glancing at Leighandra, she kept walking. They stopped to buy the children some fruit and meat pies from street vendors. With the light waning already, they didn’t have time to take the children to a clothing shop, but Audrei trusted them to do as they were asked, and gave them each some coin. The children said hasty thank yous and dashed off in half a dozen different directions. The luranar woman bit down a sob and touched her hand to the end of her snout before she continued along.
“Are you all right?” Leighandra asked.
She nodded, blinking rapidly to dispel tears. “I just… I thought this is what my children might be reduced to should we fail.”
Leighandra sucked in her lower lip and touched her friend’s shoulder. “We’re not going to fail, Audrei. Your husband… is going to put his father’s work to shame.”
The luranar glanced at her again. “A demon, though? Truly?”
“The first of many, I’m sure.”
~ * ~ * ~
“There’s definitely something amiss,” Delkantar said. “When everyone at the top denies it and everyone at the bottom swears by it, you can bet it’s the poor that are telling the truth.”
Max nodded but said nothing, and continued to lead them south. The clerks at the city council’s meeting hall had been rather useless, assuring the paladins that the sewers were only dangerous because of the people in them. Leighandra could almost smell Max’s anger as he strode along, the citizens stepping aside politely for him. Galadon was perturbed as well, but didn’t seem quite as furious; Leighandra guessed Audrei had told her husband of the plight of the children.
Not sure I’d want to be someone that mistreats children in any way when Max is coming to town, she thought.
They reached the south gate after a good deal of walking. The moons were high and the city was well-lit even in the early hours of evening. There were prayers of thanksgiving to be given that the weather remained mild for the time being, though the night was cooling off. The companions had taken only enough time to have a light meal and prepare themselves for trouble. Now, they approached the mouth of a demon’s lair, eight men and women with one wolf. Vo’rii paced around Yiilu in nervous circles, and when they reached the gate, the druidess dismissed her friend into the woods to hunt.
“Please do not harm my companion,” Yiilu beseeched the guards, who watched the wolf bound off into the darkness before they met the elf’s imperious stare. “She will likely not return until I call for her, but if she does, please allow her to stay with you. She is faithful and protective, and will aid you if need be.”
The guards gaped at her for the better part of a minute before one said, “Yes, ma’am.”
“We will be heading into the sewer system to see to a problem,” Max informed them. “I trust you do not have an issue with this?”
“No problems down there but the thieves and dealers,” the other guard said. “But if you go down there to take care of them, so much the better.”
The entrance wasn’t what Leighandra had expected at all. It was not a sluice for water and waste, but a gated staircase leading down into the bowels of an undercity. She began to suspect that sewer wasn’t the right word, and instead became concerned that they might end up in some dark labyrinth. How inglorious it would be to end up knifed by a footpad or other low-life in the underside of a city over a few coins, when so much was at stake in the world.
“I will light the way once we’re inside,” she offered.
The stairs circled back and under themselves, and opened up into a chamber full of old crumbled stones, bones, rotted cloth, and droppings. There was a human lying on the ground at the far side when Leighandra lit the room with her arcane song, but without even getting near, the smell said clearly that they were dead and rotting. There was little mistaking the sickened reactions of the two sharp-nosed luranar.
“Enchanting city,” Yiilu muttered, shaking her head at her earlier words. “Have men lost all respect for life when they allow their fellows to die alone, uncared for in the blackened depths of a sewer?”
Max sighed but gestured for everyone to follow. Easing Leighandra’s fears, there was only one corridor out of the first chamber, and it led north. The chronicler concentrated on her summoned lights and had them hover along with the group, lighting their way as much as was possible. The luranars’ ears swiveled, but Leighandra detected no voices or other sounds that she found alarming. There was the muffled shuffling of little feet suggesting vermin or even stray animals, but nothing concerning.
Max turned east the first time he was able. Now the sounds of dripping water and a hum that suggested a possible underground river of some kind began to echo through the walls and down the corridors. It seemed too heavy to be wastewater in the sewers themselves, and an underground river might explain the abundant water for the city’s trees and gardens. Leighandra noted that bones littered the floor here and there, mostly from animals, though there was the occasional one that suggested possible humanoid. And then the way opened up into another chamber, and Leighandra put her hand over her mouth.
The bodies had long since been stripped of any flesh, no doubt by the rats. But there was no fewer than a dozen skeletons, victims of various deaths and causes thereof, splayed about the area. The occasional weapon was still on the floor near an outstretched bony hand, and it was clear this was some kind of meeting that had gone awry in a hurry. To Leighandra, it didn’t look like anyone had survived, but there was nothing of value left, which suggested otherwise.
Max and Galadon had their hands to the hilts of their weapons, ready for the skeletons to rise and attack, but they remained, appropriately, deathly still.
“Those children weren’t entirely honest,” Audrei muttered. “Unless they never come this way, either. These tunnels must serve as common meeting grounds for thieves and robbers.”
“And dealers,” Galadon added. He explained to the confused luranar, “People selling illicit substances, things to cloud the mind like alcohol, but worse. I wish I could say such was not an issue home in Dira Ch’Tori, but people have their vices, and legislating morality can only solve so many problems.”
Max grunted. “Sadly, that is the truth.”
“Anything getting your attention, Del?”
The ranger shook his head. “This isn’t my area of expertise. There are tracks, but far too many to make sense of, and the smells of rot and dust and dung are making it impossible to even know where to go. Going to have to rely on Max’s nose.”
“It is getting w
armer,” Yiilu said. “I have noticed the change for a short distance, now.”
“Want me to scout ahead?” Starlenia offered.
Max shook his head. “No need. If it is a demon we face, we will face it together. And it will not likely hide itself from our presence. Galadon and I simply approaching its lair should act as enough of a challenge.”
Onward they continued, and soon Leighandra could sense the change in temperature as well. It was as though they were headed to the furnace room of a keep or other large building. There was no light to suggest a fire, but the stench of sulfur or brimstone began to seep into the air, and Leighandra wasn’t the only one to caress the handle of her weapon. Wherever the demon was, it wasn’t far, and when prompted, the druidess nodded that the seal was pulling in the direction they were headed.
The heat became uncomfortable the farther they pressed. Leighandra’s summoned lights passed through a doorway into a black chamber before being snuffed out. “Something dispelled my lights!” she hissed.
“Do you sense anything?” Max asked Galadon.
Leighandra’s half-elven eyes began to make sense of the darkness, enough to see the human paladin shake his head. “And I can’t see a damned thing,” he muttered.
“Stand ready, everyone. Audrei, if the demon comes to us, you should–”
Max went silent as there was a sudden rush of wind from behind them. Leighandra called upon her arcane song to string up lights in the corridor, but there was nothing there that they could see. Max ushered everyone into the room, watching behind them for any sign of what had caused the disturbance in the air.
Audrei straightened up. “Wait, that smell…”
Max whirled around suddenly. “Dragon!”
There was a deep intake of breath in the darkness, and the friends scattered every which way they could as a blast of fire came from what proved to be the center of the chamber. A gate fell shut behind them, sealing off the way they had come. Though the dragon’s breath didn’t hit any of the companions, it set the door aglow with the intensity of its heat. Then the creature, still barely visible in that dim light, reared up and let forth a roaring laugh.
