After the Dark

by Spencer Labbe

“I can tell you still hurt from it —” Todd continued. “It won’t ever go away, I suppose. In a way, though, it does get easier… with time. I think you’ll do great things despite it all.”

  Pil looked up curiously. “Have you lost someone, then?”

  “Not me, no. Elfin don’t easily die, do they? And especially not outside of old-age. Your mother was the first in a long while. Harlem’s the only one I know who has gone through that particular sort of pain.”

  “Someone close to Harlem was killed?” Pil asked, shocked to find something in common between himself and the royal prince.

  Todd nodded. “His brother. Doesn’t let on about it much… but I’ve heard things.”

  “I didn’t even know he had a brother,” said Sandy, confused.

  “Not many do. They like it quiet like that, I think, especially Harlem...” said Todd conspiratorially. “Anyway, it happened when they were very young, from what I can gather. Harlem and his brother went exploring in Lungala. Harlem never said what it was, but they were attacked. That’s how he got that scar.” Todd drew a line down his eye where Harlem’s scar was. “Harlem survived, but they never found his brother’s body.”

  There was a strained silence.

  “Is that why he joined the Elysian? To get a chance to fight the predators in the forest?” asked Pil with interest.

  Todd shrugged. “Reckon so. Like I say, he doesn’t like to talk about it — best to act like you don’t know. Anyway, Elysian don’t get much to fight these days; Harlem has always been extra careful.”

  “Do you know Harlem well, then?” Sandy asked, excited.

  Todd smiled. “No. Well, as well as everyone else, I suppose. He keeps close, Harlem. And besides Elysian missions he’s not here often. He’ll just sort of disappear for days at a time. I reckon he’s visiting the Castle.”

  Sandy looked nervously away. “Elysian… I dunno… It would be cool to be in Harlem’s squad — but I’m not quite sure if that’s best for me. Not to mention Brixton’s father is the Captain, isn’t he?”

  Pil had forgotten about that. His stomach sank as he realized that within a year Brixton’s father would be his Captain.

  “Old Baer, eh?” said Todd with a sure smile. “I dunno if you have to worry about him too much — he’s like Harlem; he’s always away somewhere when there’s no mission.”

  “He is?” asked Pil. “Isn’t that strange, though? I mean, what’s he up to?”

  Todd laughed suddenly, “not a fan of his, eh?” Todd chuckled again. “Don’t reckon he’s up to nothin sly — a lot of people disappear every now and again — we got families, too, us Exidite —”

  “Bet my da’ would like me to be Elysian,” Sandy grumbled, suddenly looking distracted.

  Felicity smiled encouragingly. “I’m sure you’ll find your squad, Sandy. You’ll do great no matter where you end up.”

  Sandy reddened. “Easy for you to say — I almost forgot you’re a Prestige. And eating food with me.” He looked up in sudden delight. “I still can’t believe it! The famous Falon family…”

  Felicity blushed and looked away. “My family’s not all that great, Sandy — honestly I would rather not be treated differently.”

  Pil smiled at her. “Felicity’s a weirdo of a Prestige. She spent most of her childhood in the lower town with us.”

  Sandy looked incredulous, glancing between the two of them as though to catch one of them lying. “But why would you do that?” he asked, confused. “Don’t the Falons have an Estate in the Castle?”

  Felicity started to say something but was cut off.

  “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be, kid —” to Pil’s surprise, it was Todd who answered Sandy. “The Todford are a lesser known Prestige,” Todd explained quickly. “They don’t much support any choice you make that doesn’t benefit the family name." Todd looked down for a minute as though saddened by something. But then, just as suddenly, glanced back up and the friendly smile flew back onto his face.

  Felicity looked at Todd in shock; he smiled at her warmly. “You’re not alone, Felicity, this is your family now. Don’t worry about disappointing anyone except yourself, all right?”

  She smiled, relieved, and looked at Pil. He smiled back. It was good for her to know she wasn't alone. Pil knew that being the only one in her family who wasn't concerned with political affairs of the Castle was a burden she bore regularly.

  Pil and Dirk knew nothing of the lavish lifestyle of Prestige which, Pil knew, made her feel even more alone. It often seemed to Pil like Felicity thought she needed to explain herself or prove her worth to them. She doesn’t need to worry so much, thought Pil. He had known for a long time just how much she was worth — even if her family didn’t.

  The rest of the day passed without incident. Brixton was nowhere to be seen in the food hall, and after eating and saying goodbye to Todd, the four of them headed back to the living room to talk more about the next day. It was late at night when they were interrupted by the door opening and Brixton, Pheonix, and Raven swept their way into the sitting room, looking very pleased with themselves.

  “Still here, Persins?” said Brixton as he sat down in an empty armchair. “I’d have thought you would have run back home by now. I mean, I’m sure you’ve heard we have a mission tomorrow… or maybe you're hoping to get yourself killed tomorrow and put an end to the misery of poverty.”

  Dirk stood up fast, his face dark and his hands balled into fists. “Dirk,” said Pil calmly and quietly. Dirk looked over at him, his face twisted with hot anger. “It’s fine… If we fight here, he will just run to his daddy. He’s not worth the trouble.”

  Dirk sat slowly back down, still glaring hard at Brixton.

  “That’s right, Persins, call off your dog. Doesn’t seem like he could think for himself, anyway.”

  “Why are you so sure of yourself, Bells? You have gotten your way so far, but don’t think it will last forever. In case you’ve forgotten how to count — you and your twin shadows are quite outnumbered…” Pil leaned forward calmly, hiding his emotions behind a mask of unconcern. “You must know something we don’t — let’s have it, then — why should I be afraid of you?”

  Brixton laughed. “I’m sure I know things you couldn’t even imagine. But don’t worry your little blue head about them; your group of misfits won’t last long enough in the Exidite for it to matter.” He glared at them all, smiling sinisterly.

  “Your pathetic, Bells — you hide behind other people like a shield and act as though the world owes you — I wonder how you’ll fair without daddy around?” Brixton’s face twisted in anger. “When you’re facing things too big to bully, and no one is there to help you… perhaps we’ll find out soon enough.”

  “You would know all about things too big for you, Persins — you charring midget — I wonder how you’ll fair when you’re up against the Bahbeq. Not even your mother could save you, then.”

  He had finally gone too far; Pil stood up and closed the distance between them so quickly, Brixton hadn’t even had time to get up. Pil stood towering over Brixton, who was smiling up at him as though he had won some sort of competition.

  Somewhere in the back of Pil's head, he could feel Felicity and Dirk behind him, backing him up. Anger pulsed through his brain, making it hard for him to think. How easy it would be to break his nose, thought Pil. He knew he could move faster than Brixton and he had, at the moment, the advantage of height. I could strip that smug smile off his face in a second, and who would stop me?

  The Puddles brothers had moved as though ready to pounce, but they seemed to need to be told what to do. Dirk could toss them aside as easily as a bag of feathers.

  But should we attack? Pil asked himself. No — not yet, at least. Not until we’re very far away from Harlem Havok and Baer Bells — not until Brixton’s back is turned and no one’s there to seek retribution.

  “If — you — ever — speak about my mother again, Bells,” began Pil with as much venom as he could muste
r, “I will break you. Don’t forget who beat you in the tests.” And with that Pil turned on his heal and stalked away towards their room, gesturing hastily for Felicity and Dirk to follow. He didn’t want them to get into trouble over something as pointless as Brixton Bells.

  Pil sat down on a hammock and waited. Dirk entered directly after him and sat down. Felicity, behind him, slammed the door as she stormed into the room.

  “Why didn’t you hit him, Pil? You could have pulled him to pieces! That stuck-up little brat!”

  Pil took in a deep steadying breath and relaxed back on the hammock, looking her right in the eye. “I could have — but does that mean I ought to have?”

  “He deserved it! The way he was talking… I have seen you fight kids a lot bigger for a lot less —”

  “Listen — there’s too much at stake. There’s too much to risk right now!” Pil paused and looked at them both seriously. “Don’t you guys trust me?”

  “’Course we do,” said Dirk immediately.

  Felicity paused, biting her lip. “You know I do, Pil — I wouldn’t have survived two seconds in lower town without you and Dirk. But that’s why I won’t let Brixton get away with —”

  “I have no intention of letting him get away with anything,” interrupted Pil. “What he’s been doing is wrong. But we’ve got to be patient; we still don’t know why he’s so sure of himself. I’d rather not risk my position in Exidite on our very first day.”

  Felicity sighed. “You’re right, of course.” She rolled her eyes. “That doesn’t mean I have to like it. You would never let anyone get away with talking to me or Dirk like that.”

  “Just tell us the plan, mate,” said Dirk determinedly.

  Felicity nodded in unenthusiastic agreement.

  “We have got to hit him when he’s not expecting it — when no other Exidite is around — in the outside. Let’s go to sleep for now; I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be very eventful,” said Pil as he lay down in his hammock. Immediately he felt all the stress and pain of the day flow out of his body.

  Dirk lay down on the hammock next to Pil’s; and Felicity went to the bathroom to shower, grumbling darkly about cheaters.

  Pil sighed deeply. This had been the longest day of his life, and he had a feeling it was only just the beginning. Pil wondered again what the outside world looked like. Would he see the famous Knix Mountain where the Bahbeq lived? Surely not yet.

  But still, Pil thought as his eyes drooped heavily down, there will be plenty of time to explore all of Haven — and maybe get my revenge.

  8

  The Outside

  The new Elfin day dawned slowly, the lamps — spaced evenly apart above the Entri cots — glowed leisurely a brighter and brighter shade of orange. If Pil hadn’t been awake already, the intense brightness of the room certainly would have done it. As things were, Pil was awake — and he wasn’t the only one. Pil had awoken early in the morning to the sounds of voices whispering darkly from across the room.

  “But what could do it?” came a voice that could have been either of the two Puddles brothers.

  “Some think it’s a Fairy, but Harlem says they don’t have real magic…” replied Brixton slowly, thinking. “But even if it is just a Fairy, they won’t stand a chance.”

  “How is it going to happen?” asked the other brother eagerly.

  “Not going to be charring difficult. It is a very dangerous mission, after all. Even for a Prestige…” The two other boys chuckled sinisterly. “We just have to be in the right place at the right time. Listen, I think I heard something,” Brixton cut across suddenly. Pil stiffened and hastened to close his eyes, his thoughts scrambling. What is this about? Is this about the information Brixton seemed to have learned while they had all been eating? Is it a plan to attack him? Or maybe Felicity? There was too much to wade through. The door to the room opened, cutting across Pil’s panicked thoughts.

  “Oh, it’s you — Shackles,” sneered Brixton superiorly. “Did you actually fall asleep on the couch? Suppose it felt like a cloud compared to your ripped-up Mid-town cot.”

  Sandy didn’t reply, but Pil could practically hear his face rushing up with embarrassment. “Pil!” said Sandy loudly, ignoring Brixton’s jibe. “Felicity, Dirk! Get up, we’ve got to go!”

  Pil waited until he heard Dirk yawn awake and roll out of his hammock before peeking his head up; making a show of rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

  “Is it orange already?” Dirk grumbled sleepily, stumbling to the bathroom.

  Pil got up and walked over to Felicity. “Fel,” he said gently, rocking her hammock. She opened her dark-blue eyes slowly — she had been curled in a ball with her mouth wide open, dead asleep.

  “Honestly, how you ever woke up for the Exidite test is a mystery.” Pil chuckled and walked away to get ready.

  They got ready with little talk. There was a closet off one wall that contained various Exidite clothing: black, short-trimmed Foxfir shirts and matching shorts. The emblazoned E was the only thing missing from the familiar Exidite attire.

  “Wonder when we get an E on our shirts?” Pil asked, throwing off his ratty leaf and fir shirt and trading it for the comfortable black one.

  “Probably when we get put in a squad; we are only Entri, after all,” said Felicity as she walked around the corner from the bathroom, dressed in her new sleek black clothing.

  When they were all finished dressing, they rushed out of the room to join the growing mass of Exidite, who were all roaming tiredly to the meeting place.

  Pil, Felicity, Dirk, and Sandy walked more quickly so that they didn’t have to be anywhere near Brixton and his lackeys. The walk was short, and they soon reached the door that led to the fighting hall. As soon as they entered the room, they saw Harlem standing at attention facing three separate groups of men. One group was behind the burly Baer Bells, one was behind the skinny and tall Avalon Astro, and the closest group to them was behind the plump man Tiberius; where Todd stood, waving over to them cheerfully. The four of them took their places next to Todd and waited for the rest of the Exidite to arrive. It wasn’t long until the hall was full of black and the doors opened and closed for the final time.

  Harlem stood for a second, examining them all before beginning his speech. “As I am sure most of you know by now, we are going on an unexpected expedition outside.”

  He paused. There was no reaction among the faces of his men. "Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't venture out this close to the Afterdark, but as we were returning last time, our Elysian squadron picked up some unusual activity within Lungala forest. Lungala is a dark place filled with many unknown creatures, but what my men described to me seems to suggest magic was involved. There were reportedly strange golden sparks flying through the sky above a certain area of the forest. The Chasm of Agora.”

  A shocked silence froze the room; Exidite were nervously glancing at each other. Pil looked questioningly up at Todd, who was frowning hard and staring at Harlem. “For those who don’t know, the Chasm of Agora is a cave on the face of a mountain ridge. We have avoided it for a while, but I think the time is ripe to both scout the area for a harvest and to check out the source of this disturbance. This way we can better prepare for our next expedition.”

  Many men were whispering quietly; this mission didn’t appear to be a popular idea.

  “We will stand as ready support for our brothers,” Harlem continued loudly. “But the bulk of this expedition will revolve around the Scouts and Tiberius.” He turned to Tiberius, who nodded importantly and then turned to face his scouts. “Tiberius, my father is adamant about this mission; he is very interested in this magical disturbance. Move with haste."

  Tiberius nodded in agreement.

  “Men, you heard the Captain. We leave immediately — move out!” Instantly the Scout squadron began to march. Pil and the rest were swept away by the sudden rush of movement. It had all been very mechanical and hasty, Pil thought, but perhaps that just showed how
important this mission was. It was all Pil could do just to keep up with the seasoned Exidite as they swept out of the hall and towards the entrance. The rooms were drastically different than they had been the day before; the long room that had held the long tracks of hot coal was now empty and clear of smoke. The large group expanded out in the room and came to a sudden stop. Tiberius turned to face his men.

  “All righty, boys and girls, you know where to go. I’ve sent Dot up ahead to get the hatch ready and check out the clearing. Exit C today, and don’t anybody get lost. Entri!” he shouted suddenly. Pil’s heart jumped. "Follow along as best you can," said Tiberius gently. With that, he turned on his heel and swept down the long hall, but not towards the entrance they had come from the previous day. Instead, he turned right and headed to the far wall. As Tiberius approached it, the white wall emitted a loud screeching noise, and a thumping came from deep inside. A square section of wood then pushed itself out from the rest and slid upwards.

  Todd looked around to smile at Pil’s shocked expression. So, this was how the Exidite left Westleton without being seen — a hidden tunnel — and this was just one of many, from the sound of it. The large crew of men narrowed out as they all ducked their way into the passage and out of sight.

  The hidden passage led to a dark and damp tunnel driven underneath the mound, separating out into other passages, and curving and winding so much that Pil soon became confused. If it were not for the slow-moving line ahead of him, he was sure he would have lost his way. The only light in the tunnel came from dim lamps hung independently along the dirt ceiling. Pil followed the crowd through the maze of dirt as it led them farther and farther down. And then suddenly back up again, steadily inclining until, without warning, the procession stopped.

  A high-pitched bell chimed from up ahead, and a loud screeching vibrated the inner tunnel floor in answer. A cold breeze flew over them as another hidden door was opened from outside. The Exidite poured out of the tunnel, one after another. As the procession got closer and closer to him, Pil’s enthusiasm mounted. He was finally going outside! His whole life had led up to this moment; and now that he was finally approaching it, his anticipation was almost uncontrollable. It was taking all his effort not to run past this slow line of moving Exidite and run out into the open world of Haven. To finally be free! A sudden nervousness rushed over him. What if it wasn’t everything he had built it up to be in his mind?