Chronicles of Den'dra: A land on Fire

by Spencer Johnson

  “Those of us that spent a large amount of time down here carried sticks with us so we didn’t have to crawl. Not everyone can see in the dark like you can.”

  “I only just figured that out! I didn’t used to see in the dark.”

  “A new Gift? I guess we can add that to your list then.”

  “Where are we going? I can see, but not that well and I would rather not fall in some pit hidden by shadows.”

  “Everything down here is in a shadow so nothing has a shadow.”

  “Don’t get philosophical on me. You know what I meant.”

  “We are almost to the tunnel that will take us to the surface in the upper city.” Aleest again let Cero take the lead as they continued on.

  “I haven’t seen any rats. Thought the place would be teeming with them.” Cero observed when they reached the junction Aleest had mentioned.

  “That is because they are all terrified of you. Probably heard what happened to the poor rat that was trying to hide under your bed last night.”

  “That wasn’t me. Bani is still at the Red Thorn.”

  “Whatever, they don’t make the distinction. We are almost to the top.” Aleest shrugged dismissively and stopped Cero from asking how they knew.

  “Whatever. That is my line.”

  “So what. I can say it if I like.”

  “Whatever, I mean who cares. It is just a word.” A vexing word to be sure. It implied passive disagreement when used in an argument, but a disagreement that dismissed all further argument to the contrary as irrelevant.

  “Just a word. Words are just sounds. An inefficient way to convey thoughts and emotions.” Light flooded the tunnel at the next turn successfully distracting Cero from developing a comeback. Stone rungs were carved into the side of the shaft that went up to the surface. Aleest went up first, but came down a minute late scowling furiously.

  “What is wrong now?”

  “They put an iron grate over the hole. It didn’t used to be mortared into place, but now it is. I couldn’t budge it.” Aleest massaged his forearms after the strain.

  “Let me give it a try.” Cero clambered back up and found himself looking out on a cobblestone surface on the other side of the iron grate Aleest had been complaining about. Bracing his feet on the rungs and his back against the tunnel, he began applying pressure. There was some popping sounds before the grate broke free and clattered across the cobblestone into the side of the building that the hole faced. Fearing that the noise had drawn attention, Cero let go of the rungs and dropped to the bottom where Aleest was waiting.

  “How did you do that?”

  “I just put my back into it and pushed as hard as I could.” Cero realized that wasn’t what Aleest had been referring to by his expression.

  “That was a good twenty foot drop, but you landed like it was nothing.” Cero looked back up the tunnel and had to agree that it had been a long drop.

  “I don’t know. It was kind of like when I jumped over the wall. I just did it without thinking.”

  “Why didn’t you get out while you were up there?” Aleest began pulling himself up the rungs.

  “It made a lot of noise when the grate broke free and I was worried someone might have heard.” Cero followed cautiously.

  “Relax. This is an old storage sector. There aren’t many people around here anyways.” After first checking to make sure that his assertion was correct, Aleest crawled out into the light of the day. “See? No one else up here.”

  “What are we doing here?”

  “This is the upper city. You can see the castle around the other side of that building.”

  “I get where we are, but why are we here?”

  “Because no one in the lower city knows a thing about what is going on in the rest of the empire. We can snoop around and learn a whole lot more up here, on top of that, it smells better.” Cero followed Aleest through the cobblestone streets until they came to a large square where a series of merchants were setting up stalls. Arken was glowering behind one of them causing the two to side step behind a stack of crates and right into Inadar.

  “How did you get up here? The guards at the gate barely let us through. He would have charged his own grandmother a handsome bribe as well as the shawl off her back before he opened those gates.”

  “There are ways around the gate. How are you guys doing?” Cero smirked at Aleest causing Inadar to roll her eyes.

  “I might be wanting to take advantage of these methods when we get done up here. The gate fees are exorbitant; probably more so because of what is happening today. I have to go back and help Torroth, but you two be careful.” Inadar smiled briefly before heading back out into the market.

  “So, where is a good place to start looking for information?” Aleest thought for a moment before heading off down another side street. They meandered around for a while until they discovered a gaggle of boys playing some sort of game in an uncharacteristically quiet corner of the upper city. Aleest joined in and was soon chatting with a couple of the kids. They appeared to have been old friends so Cero just watched from the side. When he had learned what he wanted and after playing a couple rounds, Aleest came back and joined Cero.

  “The princess has been parading all around the upper city nearly every day the last few weeks. Yesterday she even came to the market and bought some jewelry and a couple fish. Her guards carried the fish and Rack says that they threw the fish in the gutter when they thought no one was looking. They also said that the guards took the jewelry away from her and put the pieces in their pockets. Rack also thinks that they were just trying to make the people like her so they won’t make problems for tonight’s ceremony.”

  “What is tonight’s ceremony?” Cero inquired as he watched the intricate series of hops and somersaults that the kids were performing.

  “The crowning ceremony. Yacub mentioned it yesterday. It involves the princess in full procession going through Shienhin and out the west gate to a tree grove where there is an old rock they think they have to be crowned on. It is all a little stupid I think. A crown is a crown and it doesn’t matter where you are when they put it on you.”

  “It does a little if you aren’t actually the princess.”

  “I suppose. The procession starts early today so she can get all the way around the upper city before leaving for the King’s Rock. We could probably see her if we waited at the castle gates.”

  “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go.” Aleest greeted Cero’s suggestion with an enthusiastic grin.

  “Come on. I know just the spot.” Cero had to trot to keep up with Aleest as they took a series of back alleys until they came out behind a small throng of people intent on the same goal. Aleest skirted the crowd until he came to some ornamental gate structure. There was a small hole at the base that they were able to slip into. Once inside, they climbed the framework and came out on a ledge halfway up the wall. They had a bird’s eye view of the city and were situated right beside the gate. The structure gave the old stone the façade of grandeur without requiring the effort needed to repair the ancient bulwarks. Laying on their stomachs and peering over the edge, they were invisible to the people below.

  Nearly an hour later, the giant gates began opening inward. Twenty men could have marched abreast through the fully open gates. Normally, the gates would have remained latched and any visitors would have entered through a smaller gate within one of the great doors. A few minutes later, there was a loud cheering from the assembled throng below as the first of the castle guard marched through the gate. They were wearing their finest polished armor and had feathers in the plumes that fluttered atop their helmets. Cero noted that they were not entirely for show as they immediately began forcing the crowd back for the next group of guards. The two groups took turns pushing the throng of people back and forming a wall of armor between the people and the rest of the procession.

  There were easily a hundred castle guards attending the procession and preparing the way before the f
irst open carriage rolled out of the gates. A chill went through Cero’s veins as he recognized the figure watching the crowd with an expression akin to disdain. The black hair and silk garments were the same as when he had seen the man in his dream. He didn’t have to ask Aleest, who was mumbling some incoherent threats at his side, the identity of the man even if he hadn’t been able to recognize Reigns on sight.

  “So that is him.” Cero mused as Aleest began describing Reigns’ ancestry in terms of the rodents that had made contributions. “I thought you liked rats. Don’t insult them like that.”

  “You are right. Rats are too noble to be related to him. Snakes on the other hand are a different story.” Following Aleest’s observation, Cero peered over the edge at the second carriage that passed through the gates. Inside and reclining on several purple cushions was a girl that, from their prospective, looked nearly identical to Em’risi. There were subtle difference that one who hadn’t known the real princess wouldn’t have noticed. The hair was a little darker and curlier. The fingers on the hand that was waving mechanically were a little shorter than should be. Unless one had Aleest to point out the “obvious” dissimilarities, there was little chance someone would ever notice.

  “She looks scared. See how she keeps glancing at Reigns?” Cero nodded as she made another furtive glance.

  “I would say she looks terrified of Reigns. I wouldn’t expect anything else. Em’risi would have been sitting right there if she hadn’t escaped when she did.”

  “He killed them all… Everyone I love is dead. I'm going to be killed next. If only I could defy him and tell everyone I'm not real. He would be ruined, but not before he exacted his revenge on me. Oh, how did I get caught up in this…?” Cero heard the voice at the corners of his mind and at first dismissed it as something being said below, but then he heard it again and was able to make out the words. Puzzled he tried to figure out where it was coming from. The carriage was almost directly beneath them at this point when he heard it another time, only louder than all the others. The riddle was clarified a moment later when the old man driving Reigns’ carriage leaned back and whispered something to him. Reigns then turned and glowered at the princess, silencing the voice instantly.

  “Would Reigns kill all her family and friends to keep them quiet?” Cero inquired of Aleest who barely took his eyes of the procession of knights that was now passing by.

  “Of course. He probably had that done as the first thing right after making her the princess. That knight there is a mean one. He wanted to beat me when I dropped his bridle once, but Em’risi was there so he didn’t. He wants his son to marry Em’risi, but he is so fat that he can’t even ride a horse. He has to have servants carry him on a litter whenever he goes anyplace. That one over there is always tripping because he lost his toes when a table fell on them.”

  “A table?”

  “Yes, a big iron one. The legs on one side were loose so when they put a boar, or was it an elk? Whatever it was, they had a big roasted one and when they dropped it, the table it fell over and smashed his toes.”

  “That sounds terrible.”

  “He deserved it. See that riding whip he has? It isn’t for decoration. He beats his horses terribly.” There was a vindictive undertone in Aleest’s voice that gave Cero pause as he noticed the knight’s horse had oddly straight lines of lighter color to his hide that belied the scars along his neck.

  “It looks like all the interesting stuff is passed. We should see if we can find the rest of our people.” Cero scooted back to the hole they had used to climb through the roof of the ornamental bulwark. A few minutes later, they crawled through the broken masonry at the base and began working their way through the people massed around the gates. Eventually they broke free and took the back alleys to the market. The procession had already passed through by the time that they arrived. It took them a little while to find their friends because the stall that they had occupied were vacant. Even the wagons were gone. They had about decided that the other two teams had returned to the Red Thorn when Inadar encountered them.

  Inadar explained that the people had been more than willing to spend their free coin because of the coronation. They had sold all their supplies in short order and an officer had come by and purchased their wagons with the oxen. Now with only the sacks of coin, they were looking for a different method of reaching the lower city rather than the gates. Seeing them without the wagons, the guard had demanded an outrageous fee to let them out of the upper city. They had managed to sell the items at a profit, but all the bribes and fees were putting them on the other side of the profitable line. Three official tax collectors complete with castle guards had passed through and demanded a percentage of the moneys earned throughout the day. If they made their rounds again before the small band could escape, there would be less money than they had started with. It was reason enough to explain why the other merchants had been surreptitiously slipping most the gold coins into secreted coffers.

  Niman was the first to duck into the hole when he had been shown where it was. He seemed to have a certain familiarity with the sewers, but steadfastly refused to expound on how he had gained that familiarity. The rest were a little more hesitant, but they followed after Cero and Aleest without many complaints. Torroth had the presence of mind to pull the grate into place once they had all disappeared into the sewer entrance. They walked single file through the darkness with Cero in the lead, even though he didn’t explain why he was better suited for the task.

  It took a few minutes to adjust to the light once they had left the tunnel, even with the setting sun nearing the horizon. Making their way to the street, they paused when they saw the castle guards systematically going through each building. Everyone got the idea at the same time and began moving towards the Red Thorn and the packs they had in their rooms that were filled with all manner of incriminating items. Cero gave Aleest a glance that set the lad at a trot back into the slums behind the street facing buildings. Once out of sight, they took off at top speed. The few people that were in the area didn’t comment when the two youth sped past intent on ensuring that Bani didn’t fall into the wrong hands.

  The last wall they scaled was the one behind the Red Thorn. Yacub barely blinked when the back door was nearly torn from its hinges as they rushed through. Taking the stairs two at a time, it was mere moments before Cero was in his room with an agitated Bani. Aleest appeared with his pack only a few seconds after Cero had Bani in his pack and was coming back out. They were downstairs by the time that Inadar entered the front door with a breathless Torroth on her heels. Niman and Arken took a little longer but declared breathlessly on passing that the castle guards were at the next building over.

  Cero and Aleest returned through the back door with the rest in tow leaving Yacub placidly carving away at the table. The wall skirting the rickety back stoop only proved a momentary barrier even with the loaded packs when they heard the front door burst open.

  “What is that all about?” Inadar hissed as they ducked through the shanties trying to avoid the castle guards that were searching everything.

  “It is something Reigns does when there is some big event. He searches for contraband and fines everyone a bunch of money if he finds anything. I hear he even plants stuff so he can fine people. I should have remembered and warned you. I'm sorry.” Aleest seemed contrite enough that Inadar didn’t push the issue.

  “How are we supposed to avoid them?” Arken whispered nervously as they peered at a handful of the guards from behind a heap of broken stone.

  “We have to get to where the people watching the procession are. They won’t be searching there.” Aleest began sneaking out and the rest followed. There were a few close shaves with watchful guards that lagged behind the leading searchers before they got to a milling crowd.

  “That was close.” Niman wiped the beads of sweat that were forming on his brow.

  “Too close. We need to get out of Shienhin tonight.” Torroth glanced over his shoul
der as one of the castle guards passed by. Night wasn’t far off at this point. The time spent inside the tunnels had twisted their sense of time.

  “We can’t until after the ceremony is done. We are effectively locked inside the walls.” Arken grumbled as the crowd began jostling him.

  “That isn’t exactly the truth. Cero and I came over the walls to get in. We can get back out the same way if we are careful.”

  “Can’t do that either. There are patrols all along the outside. Reigns doesn’t want the ceremony interrupted by commoners.” Niman was as grumpy as Arken, or was it the other way around?

  “Hey be quiet. We got ahead of the princess. She is coming now.” Torroth elbowed his way to the front of the throng of excited citizens with the rest of the party a razor’s width behind. The look alike princess was now riding a horse alongside Reigns having abandoned the open carriage. The rest of the litters had also been discarded and it was clear that they were prepared for the expedition across the plain to the King’s Stone. No longer were there garlands of flowers blowing in the breeze or silk ribbons fluttering from the castle guard’s pikes. The riders seemed to hardly notice the impoverished crowds that vied for a glance at their sovereign in the growing gloom of nightfall. Lanterns were carried by the attendants keeping the procession well lit, but soon the only other light was from the candles that the more fortunate in the crowd held.

  “She is actually fairly good looking.” Torroth flinched as Inadar poked him in the ribs with a grin.

  “You did like Em’risi. I knew it!” Inadar’s intended taunts were forgotten when suddenly the older man that Cero had seen driving Reigns’ carriage earlier spurred his horse forward towards the princess.

  Time seemed to freeze momentarily as Cero’s perspective shifted to that of one similar to what he had enjoyed the first time he had watched the procession. He could see each of the castle guards where they stood in various stages of movement. The princess’ white knuckles and the grimly determined look on her face. The enraged expression on the old man’s face and Reigns’ white furry. He saw that the girl was in the process of digging her spurs into the horse’s side. Everything fell into place as the picture came together. She was trying to escape. The old man knew somehow and was trying to stop her. Reigns was already drawing a sword so what he might do once he caught her was not questioned. Cero’s focus shifted to his companions who were staring at the passing spectacle in differing degrees of confusion. Last of all, his vision focused on himself where he lay on the ground with Aleest concernedly reaching for his hand.