by Alan Mundle
CHAPTER 18
FOR THE CAUSE
News of what happened between the Commander and the Regent spread like wildfire. After their confrontation, Torbin retired to his cabin, declaring he would issue his orders from there to the rest of the facility until further notice. The prison Warriors and team members were as conflicted as their leader. The presence of a Regent in their midst stunned them with awe at first, but the shock of what she had done to their leader and the First Warriors pledged to him made her out to be nothing worse than a demon let loose from the Void. Still, they took great heart that Torbin had the strength not to submit to her, some were even in more awe of him then they were when he had first discovered the Griftin. Others called endlessly for him, seeking answers about what will happen to their families, their payment, their very lives. Tenabin did his best to assure them that they could continue to work as usual, but Borin could see his friend feeling the strain. Torbin worked either in the chamber with the Regent or in his cabin, Soraba at his side, dealing with the intricacies of building the prison. Soraba…
Borin knew that if ever there was a reason why he should seek 'forgiveness' from the Great Rock, it was over this. It never occurred to him to get close enough to Torbin to take him as a lover. Back home lived his wife in the seclusion and safety of the Separatists, but even their ways allowed for him to take another husband into their family. Days after Torbin's relationship to Soraba became public knowledge, Borin kept asking himself why he didn't pick up on his friend’s now obvious needs and put it down to the fact that he saw his leader as a friend, and more importantly, his assignment. In the end, he conceded that if he had attempted to court Torbin, his friend would have taken it badly when the time came to reveal his world and his potential part in it. But what was done was done.
When Torbin had to focus on prison matters, the Regent and Dalara continued to investigate the Griftin. No one could get anywhere near the chamber without encountering one of the First. Borin was satisfied only in the knowledge that Canara couldn't make any progress with the creature. There were stories of the Regent coming out of there every evening in a rage that gave Borin cause to hope. It didn't take Borin long to figure out that Torbin had out-played Canara. He had heard that only Torbin could communicate with the creature and he bet his last piece of gold that the Commander had made it promise not to move an inch without him there, knowing full well that Canara and Dalara would be forced to turn to him for help. He was sure the Regent had tried everything before banging on his cabin door. But it was not the Regent who had gone to him for help, of course not. She had sent for him by messenger, not allowing him to gain a total victory by having her being seen crawling to him. Borin decided it was best to let the two of them get on with it. He trusted his friend to make the right decisions, despite what had recently gone wrong between them.
The problems now facing him made Borin wish he could stay in his cabin all day too. When he returned from the day's work, he immediately sensed something was amiss. His ways demanded him to keep everything in his cabin in pristine condition to spot signs of anyone snooping around and his cover being blown. It was of course, very subtle, but Borin could see that one of the family paintings on his small desk was just slightly askew, certainly nothing that would cause anyone else to wonder about it. Such is our way. He walked over to the picture and lifted it. Taking off the support frame, he found a small piece of parchment behind the painting. He knew very well who put it there before even opening it. Though he had fully expected his superior to provide orders, he still walked over to his bed and sat down, preparing himself for what he was sure was going to be a bad night.
‘Meet me behind the third power generator. NOW.’
*****
It was tricky getting to the Power Cabin. Borin, trained to be unseen when needed, didn't like his chances of getting around the First crawling around every corridor in the prison. Whatever he was going to learn tonight, he knew it had to be quick. There was only one worker in the cabin. Borin didn't know her by name, but he knew most of her teammates. He had spent many nights trading with the other Smiths from the Power Cabin, supplying contraband for more Runes. He hated them with everything he was, but he was no fool. While they were available to everyone, he knew that in an emergency, the one who had the most Runes would command a degree of power. She saw him moving through the maze in the cabin's biggest section. He reached into the bag hanging over his shoulder-plate and removed a small box. From it, Borin produced a bottle of mead with gold and red ribbons. Once she was satisfied that he was not with any of the First, she went back to work monitoring the instruments before her.
Sure enough, he found his Instructor as directed. It was the perfect place. Even if guards passed them by, the power generator would drown out what Borin knew would be a rapid, very quiet conversation. His leader pulled him close. 'It's all a bloody mess now, isn't it?
'For you, perhaps, Sir. Until the others send word, my position is clear. I remain in Torbin's confidence and can use our friendship to gain information on what is happening in the prison until it is deemed necessary to bring the Commander into our circle to free Treygen. The presence of both the Griftin and the Regent does not change this.' Borin was surprised how confident he was in his statement, but he could see his instructor was less than sure.'
'It changes everything! Make no mistake in that. Do you really think that the Regent plans to keep this place and everyone in it around after what has happened?'
Borin quickly considered his words, but his stance remained unchanged. 'I can't see why not. Canara knew before she arrived that she has a place that can contain both the creature and those sent here. She controls all information coming to and from the mainland and Mordabinn. With her own Warriors and influence, she can only profit from whatever advantages the Empire gains from controlling the Griftin. She gains nothing by keeping the guards and workers from communicating with their families and would lose more if prison development becomes delayed. Those on the mainland would never let her hear the end of it if Treygen wasn't sent here.'
But Borin's associate was not convinced. 'I might agree if she actually was getting any information from the creature, but we both know she isn't, and that makes her even more dangerous. She will quickly want to 'contain' the situation than letting it continue much longer, which puts Treygen and us in the biggest trouble.'
Borin weighed his words and realised that they were true. The stupid heretics wouldn't even blink at taking harsh action if it kept their perfect world together. 'What are my orders?'
‘We are both compromised, but we can’t afford to abandon everything. I need to tell the others everything that has happened here, and they must decide what happens now. But, as you say, Torbin is still an asset, now more than ever. Keep close to him. If the Regent takes aggressive action, you stand a much better chance of getting through it if you are on his side. The information he has on the creature may be as important to us as it is to the rest of the world. We cannot afford to lose him.’
Borin debated these words in his head. It seemed to him that either Torbin or Canara could equally come out of all of this on top, but he knew his duty was with his assignment and friend. But the bigger question lay before them. ‘How do you plan to get information to the others when Canara has the place locked down?’
Borin’s Instructor had a quick look round to double check that they remained unseen. When he was satisfied, he looked back to Borin. ‘Our only option is the train. The Regent and the First still need supplies and Runes shipped from the mainland. You and I are going to stage a prison break. You need to get me outside, to the station and on a train without anyone finding us out.’
‘Oh, just that?’ Borin had done many things for his people, a lot of which included doing stupid and even hugely embarrassing things, but he thought this was nothing short of crazy. ‘We will need time to come up with a plan-’
‘It happens tonight.’ The Instructor stated. ‘If I don’t get word back
before long, it won’t matter.’
Borin thought that his knees were going to fail. It was madness, but he knew it was the truth. He just didn’t like where it was taking him.
*****
Everything was happening so fast that Borin was struggling to keep it all together in his head. At this time of night, both he and his Instructor would usually be undergoing their cleansing, but they couldn’t afford the time. He thought that, if he lived through this, the effort that would be demanded of him in his daily ritual might send him to the Healing Cabin. But he would endure.
Getting out of the prison was not as tricky as Borin initially believed. The First used their guards to transport all materials and messages that were required to be sent to the Empire. Borin made sure that Dwarves he trusted were at the right place to escort the black Warriors preparing to send the next shipment. Even with the Communications Cabin seized, Canara could not risk any transmitted information being intercepted and resorted to sending her words to her First on the other side of the bridge by way of the train. This caused a problem for the Instructor. Even if Borin managed to get him onto the train, the First would check every inch of it before any departure. The Instructor said he had devised a way around this problem and to meet him with Borin’s selected guards outside the main entrance. There they would escort the team of First Warriors to the train station. The Instructor promised that he would be present in their company, but Borin could not fathom how. The First would more likely cut him down if anyone but their own were anywhere near anything that belonged to the Regent.
He stood there, waiting in the ice cold air with nothing but metal and Runes between him and death. Finally, the heavy door raised opened, and Warriors in black marched out. Carts were being towed carrying containers, both small and large. Now we will see how well I can act, thought Borin. He approached the leading members of the First and stood in their path. All six of the silent Warriors put gauntlet to sword hilt as a warning, but Borin stood his ground. ‘Commander Torbin bid that we escort you and the materials to the train-' But all Borin got for his trouble was a sword point to this throat. The guards behind him backed off at lightning speed with their own blades risen. Barley an inch separated Borin from the sharp steel, but he didn't move. He held his gaze with the threatening Warrior, summoning all his nerve and composure as his training had taught him. 'I beg forgiveness for speaking without your leave. My Commander still retains command of the prison and the station. The Regent has decreed that he still leads us and we will see you to the station. Neither of our leader would be best pleased if you spill our blood on the snow this night.' Every word and body movement was carefully orchestrated to be a weapon that would sink through even the black armour standing before him. An age seemed to pass before the First slowly lowered his blade and sheaved it. If Borin had failed in the attempt to sway them, he was sure the outcome would have been very different.
Borin indicated for his Dwarves to lower their weapons and make an escort formation around the First. He took up position behind that of the leading First Warriors and looked around him. As they moved, one of Borin's men gave him a look, fully aware that the act he had just performed was a complete pack of lies that defied the Regent and her Void-cursed allies and gave a brief salute. Evidently, he and the rest of the guards were more than happy to get one over on Canara's people. But it didn't matter. At that moment, he was sure that the Instructor had failed and been caught, for no one else had come out of the prison. A massive pit of despair filled his heart as he realised that all of his efforts had all been for nothing. Either way, he was committed and continued to escort the First to the station. He thought it best to keep silent and survive the night.
It took an average Dwarf half an hour to walk from the beginning of the prison to the station entrance. On either side of the snow-covered courtyard stood the massive walls and security towers that watched everything in and outside of the facility. Borin looked to the Dwarves on the battlements and in the towers, all of who were sure to be watching. By rights, all of them should have been opening communication lines to the Command Cabin for confirmation that he and his company were on the move. The alarms would sound after messages were sent back to the Watch Officer that no escort had been dispatched to the First. But no sound could be heard but the crunching of snow under the boots of the Dwarves around him. He sighed inside his helmet. His bribes had done their work. He had to pull off a small miracle, using every favour and all of his remaining resources to make sure that the Watch Officer and her men were pacified enough to ensure that he did not encounter trouble. If he managed to get through this day alive, he was honour-bound to join the Watch Officer in her cabin for the night. He wasn't even sure that his people had a punishment for that, but there was nothing he could do about it now but press onwards.
On reaching the station, the gates opened to permit the company entry. Looking ahead, Borin could see that a train was already in the platform waiting for them. Before the arrival of the Regent, the station was guarded by Warriors of the prison. Looking around, Borin could see the place was practically overrun with black armoured Warriors, all of whom were now focussed on him and his followers. The First in charge that had nearly run Borin through with his sword broke ranks and left to consult with those by the train. Borin couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about. As they were only allowed to speak with one of their own, the First were seldom seen conversing. But he pulled out of his wonderings and used the opportunity to have a closer look at what he and his Dwarves had helped to escort from the prison. The small boxes bared labels concerning messages, all carrying the seal of the Regent and all fitted with the most intricate locking mechanisms he had ever seen. It didn't take Borin long to figure out that whatever keys were used to open them could only be found in the Imperial Palace of Mordabinn.
But it was the big containers that interested him. Since their arrival, no mention had been made of the Regent or the First bringing in any equipment into the prison. Borin had been on the team that helped to transport most of their belongings, and no other team had mentioned anything remotely like the size of the containers that stood before him. He tried to look closer at the writing on the sides, doing his best not to draw any suspicion. Finally, he saw a name written on the inserted parchment, 'Ganrakin, Son of Navrabin.' Borin knew that name as one of the prison guards who died at the hands of the Griftin, frozen to death when the power of his Fire Runes was taken and had been among the unfortunates that the Healers failed to save. His head instantly began to explode. He was sure beyond doubt that the other containers were filled with bodies from other members of the prison guard who had fallen. The injustice of what was happening made him feel sick. He knew Canara was taking them away to hide evidence of what was happening there. She was so full of modern corruption that she would deny these poor Dwarves even their heathen last rights. But he had to maintain his control. None of this helped him solve the problem of what had happened to his brother. The only conclusion that he could think of was that he had failed in his attempt to infiltrate the convoy and was back in the prison somewhere. This seemed to Borin as the most likely scenario. So he kept his mouth shut and moved the cargo to the train.
When the two members of the First had finished their conversation, they indicated to Borin and the others to bring the cargo to the storage car at the rear of the train. They obeyed, steering the big metal carts onto the platform. As they approached, Borin couldn't help but marvel at the magnificence of the vehicle before them. He remembered when he first saw it on the mainland station. Its design was one of strength and power, and he remembered secretly hating it for being one of the ultimate expressions of modern heresy that could physically transport a Dwarf off the ground and away from the land and the Great Rock itself. But he did his duty and got onboard. Like everyone else he had boarded with, he instantly wished he hadn't, for the sheer speed that the train propelled itself with at the beginning made everyone vomit everywhere. But that had also been th
e day when he had met Torbin. He looked at the pampered Scholar, though already honoured for his work, had clearly not done a hard day's labour in his life. Borin hated him for making this whole venture possible, but it made his superiors even more determined to bring a Dwarf with his intelligence into the ranks of the Separatists. So Borin picked his friend up from the decking and shared his water flask with him. A lifetime ago.
The access port of the cargo car hissed open with warm air escaping the compartment, causing steam to fly into Borin's visor. He ducked down, taking a moment to regain his vision when the noticed something amiss with one of the large containers. One of the Fire Runes was flashing, its power clearly on the verge of depletion. Borin had surmised that the Runes were required to maintain the interior temperature, although he could only guess why Canara would go to such lengths to preserve the bodies. He wanted to believe that, for the sake of her soul, that he was wrong and the Regent was going to return the bodies to the Great Rock, all be it in secret. He made to check the faulty Rune when he caught a flash of something in the container's small viewport. He had previously avoided looking at them once he had determined their purpose. But something had appeared on the other side of the glass inside the container. Pressed up against it was the house insignia the Instructor used on his set of armour. Borin felt like his heart was going to collapse. His comrade had stuffed himself in a metal box meant for the dead to be shipped off to Mordabinn, if he even survived the trip across the sea. Borin knew the First would surely see that the Rune needed replacing and the last thing the Instructor needed was more attention being paid to his mad form of transportation. Borin had to think fast. His team reached the access port and began loading the cargo onboard. The First were watching all of them intently, and Borin was struggling to figure out a way that could save his friend and not get both of them killed. Finally, he made a decision.
