‘No, no – God no,’ Rhidian answered. ‘I-I read a document by mistake, and I’m being punished for it,’ he confessed, still jaded. ‘W-why were you under the bed?’ he asked curiously.
‘Ah, you think I’m a bit unhinged?’ Rebus reacted abruptly, his wild blue eyes peering at him through the dimly lit room.
‘No, well, err…’ Rhidian didn’t know how to answer.
‘They think I’m mad,’ Rebus rounded, emphasising the they, while pointing in the direction of where the guards had just brought Rhidian in.
‘What – the prison officers?’ Rhidian retorted absentmindedly, looking in the same direction.
‘Yes, of course the prison officers, who else? We’re in a prison, aren’t we?’ he snapped, rolling his eyes.
‘All right-all right, I was only asking,’ Rhidian shot back. ‘Boy you’re touchy.’
‘Sorry, Rhidian, you’ll be touchy too after spending time in here.’ Rebus softened. ‘I hide under the bed to make them think I’m mad, and that way normally they don’t put anyone in with me for long. I like the solitude.’
‘Oh, I see, clever tactics.’ Rhidian arched his brow in appreciation. ‘I hate it here already.’
‘Tell me, Rhidian, I’m assuming you’ve come from Valusha?’ Rebus said, returning to the original conversation.
‘Yes,’ Rhidian answered and a stab of homesickness gripped his stomach. Mia popped into his mind and he tried to think of something else to keep control. It seemed so long ago that he’d seen her, but it was only the day before when he’d left for work.
‘And you’ve been arrested for reading a document you say?’ Rebus seemed really interested. ‘Curious,’ he added with pursed lips.
‘Yes, but I didn’t mean to read it,’ Rhidian said in his defence. ‘And that was it – I was sent here without even giving me a chance to prove my innocence.’
‘What sort of document was it that you were reading? It must have been something really offensive or top secret,’ Rebus dug deeper.
‘Why-why do you want to know?’ Rhidian uttered, feeling like he was a specimen in a lab. ‘You seem very interested in my business. Are you working for the prison warden?’ Rhidian looked at Rebus with contempt.
Rebus broke into the biggest belly laugh and almost doubled over.
‘No-no, of course I’m not, sorry,’ Rebus said, still chuckling, but realised Rhidian was confused. ‘Okay, it’s very important that you tell me where you came across this document? Please, I’m honestly not working for the prison in any capacity. I just really need to know,’ Rebus asked and paused for the answer.
Rhidian thought it over for a moment and decided it wouldn’t hurt to tell. What could they do to him? He was captured now anyway.
‘What difference does it make now?’ he relented. ‘I’m already in here, aren’t I? I found it in my workshop,’ he said not holding back.
Rebus arched his eyebrow at the mention of the workshop.
‘Please,’ he said, and looked very serious. He ran his tongue along his lips. ‘Was it written by someone called Obsidian?’ Rebus said, studying Rhidian’s eyes.
Rhidian glared back.
‘Yes, yes it was, why?’ Rhidian hissed excitedly, almost in a whisper.
Rebus’ eyes lit up at the revelation, just like a child who had found a hoard of silver coins. ‘I knew it,’ he said and a huge smile erupted across his tired face.
‘You knew this man?’ Rhidian was intrigued. ‘How could you know Obsidian?’
‘Knew him? Of course I knew him,’ Rebus exclaimed. ‘He was the ruler of Valusha and the most powerful wizard I’d ever met. That was until he was exiled.’ Rebus’ eyes burned with real hatred. ‘If you found his documents then you must have been in his workshop?’
‘Yes, I presume I was. I’m an engineer and was looking for some plans for a job I was working on and came across the document. I only took a glimpse, but as soon as Jenta-Lor found out about it…’ Rebus cut in on Rhidian.
‘Jenta-Lor is an evil excuse of a man. He’s ruthless and single-minded. He needs to be stricken from power.’ Rebus went from warm and friendly to agitated and bitter in the matter of a few seconds.
‘I agree, Rebus. He imprisoned me for no reason at all really. I have, well err, had, an apprentice called Morbid. He told Jenta-Lor that I’d read the documents on magic, and that I was a wizard too. Now I’ve been imprisoned and he’s got my job.’ Rhidian was sounding bitter too. ‘Why are you here?’ He looked at Rebus.
‘I’m also a wizard. I was under Obsidian’s command,’ Rebus said truthfully.
Rhidian looked as if he’d swallowed something that needed to come back up.
‘A real wizard?’ Rhidian exclaimed. It took him a moment or two to take it in.
‘Yeah, I’m a real wizard. That’s why they leave me alone in here. They think I can still do harm and perform magic. So neither the prisoners nor the guards want anything to do with me. And I help it a little by acting eccentric,’ Rebus explained.
Rhidian had read about wizards, but when he’d moved into Valusha they’d all gone. He then peered back at Rebus. ‘Why don’t you escape from here?’ he quizzed, his voice getting louder. ‘Wizards make magic, don’t they? You could conjure a spell and blow the cell doors off.’ He was really sceptical, and wondered if this man was actually telling the truth.
‘Shh…’ Rebus’ face tightened and he put his finger to his lips. ‘Don’t give any information away in this place. The less they know the better.’ He again pointed towards the end of the corridor.
‘Oops, okay, sorry.’ Rhidian lowered his voice and looked a little sheepish. Perhaps he is telling the truth, Rhidian pondered. There were rules to this place as anywhere else, and as a newbie he would probably have to learn them right away.
‘I can’t use my magic in here, there’s a seal around the prison which stopped my powers from working,’ Rebus explained. Rhidian’s mind went into overdrive. How would such a seal work, especially where magic was involved?
‘Who put the seal on the prison?’ Rhidian asked.
‘Jenta-Lor. Jenta-Lor has taken it upon himself to own this prison and Valusha,’ Rebus revealed.
‘Are you talking about some kind of “damper field”? I’ve been an engineer for years, and I wouldn’t have a clue as to how to build a damper field to stop the use of magic. Whoever has done such a thing would have to be a wizard too, for that kind of power?’ Rhidian assumed. ‘But wizards aren’t allowed in Valusha, are they?’
‘That’s exactly what I thought,’ Rebus reasoned. ‘He’s claiming he’s not but I can’t use my magic, and that would mean that a wizard is running this place and Valusha. So, Jenta-Lor has fooled everyone,’ Rebus realised.
‘How many wizards were there in Valusha, besides you and Obsidian?’ Rhidian asked. And where are they now?’ Rhidian was very interested. Where there were good wizards, there was hope, he assumed.
‘Only two more as far as I can remember, but there may have been others,’ Rebus retorted. ‘But they escaped the same time as Obsidian. There could be some who have kept themselves secret. I was rendered unconscious when they caught me, so I couldn’t use my magic. Anyway, it wouldn’t have mattered because the damper was already in use,’ Rebus said bitterly, still beating himself up on being captured. ‘I’ve been here ever since.’
Why haven’t they come back for you, Obsidian and the others?’ Rhidian queried.
‘They can’t use their magic and don’t want to be captured either probably. They were lucky to escape the first time,’ Rebus said. ‘They must be scattered in different places. As for Obsidian, he’s disappeared without a trace. I haven’t heard from any of them.’ Rebus was obviously feeling that he’d been abandoned.
‘Rebus, look, I need to get out of here,’ Rhidian confessed. ‘I have to get away from here and find my wife, Mia. She’s in danger in Valusha. Once I’ve done that, she and I can go somewhere safe and live out our lives in another place far from her
e.’
‘I need to get out of here, too, and find Obsidian,’ Rebus said in reply. ‘He needs to be back in charge of the city. And then you won’t have to move away. You and your wife can stay and live in peace in Valusha again.’
‘But if you can’t use your powers,’ Rhidian said, ‘how are you going to manage it? This place is a fortress from what I’ve seen and, more importantly, nowhere to escape to. We’re on a floating rock!’
‘I’ve been locked up here quite a while.’ Rhidian could see the bitterness in his eyes. ‘I know everything that goes on in here, from memory. I’ve been studying this place for a couple of years, waiting for someone to help me escape. I know all the routines of the guards and the blueprint of the prison. I only need to break out and get hold of a sky ship and find Obsidian. The sky ship that brought you here will be leaving at ten o’clock tonight. I need to be on that ship,’ Rebus stated. ‘Once out of here, I can regain my magic and find where my master is, then convince him to come back.’
‘What? Tonight? You want to escape tonight?’ Rhidian felt a twinge of excitement. ‘What then? Where will we go?’ he asked.
‘Well, hopefully round up the rest of the wizards who were exiled. Once we have our powers back we can take back Valusha and restore peace. Jenta-Lor has a lot to answer for and he needs to be imprisoned.’
‘I can help,’ Rhidian chipped in. ‘I really can,’ he gushed with delight.
‘How?’ Rebus was wide eyed. ‘What can you do?’
‘For one, I can pilot a sky ship. I’m an engineer, remember? I’ve messed about with sky ships on Valusha. And… I’m also a locksmith too, which Jenta-Lor doesn’t know about,’ Rhidian said with a grin. ‘I don’t want to stay here any longer than I have to.’
‘You are exactly what I’ve been looking for.’ Rebus’ face was filled with hope and joy. ‘But it’s not going to be easy. I have a plan for just two people, so…’ Rebus was interrupted!
‘I can help, too.’ The voice came from beyond the room.
Rebus and Rhidian stopped talking and were filled with fear. What they’d been speaking about could now be all in vain. Someone else was listening, but whom? Rebus swallowed hard and stared at Rhidian. He thought the next cell was empty. How did this person get in without his knowledge? How stupid was he to not know? Damn it, he cursed himself.
‘Who are you? What have you heard?’ Rebus rasped with anger. ‘Come on, out with it, right now.’
‘I’m Red, sir. I didn’t mean to, but I heard everything.’ The tone was of a younger person. A gentle, timid voice bled through the wall. ‘I’ve just come in here today and they put me in this cell alone. Let me help you. I want to escape with you too, please,’ he said with desperation in his voice. ‘I won’t tell, honest. I need to get out of here. I don’t think I can make it if I stay in here any longer.’
The boy seemed genuine enough.
‘How come I didn’t hear you?’ Rebus pressed, still not convinced that this person was trustworthy.
‘I don’t know. Maybe you were sleeping? It was quiet when I was put here and I didn’t know you were there, until Rhidian came in, that is,’ the boy called back in little higher than a whisper.
‘Is there definitely no one else in there with you?’ Rebus probed. ‘Tell me, boy.’ His tone was commanding.
‘No one. I was brought into the prison last night and put in another cell. Then they put me in here,’ he explained. ‘There was no one down here when they brought me in. I’m telling the truth, sir,’ Red explained. That made sense to Rebus because he’d been taken to the exercise yard earlier.
‘How old are you, son?’ Rhidian asked with curiosity.
‘I’m fifteen, sir,’ he said with a shake in his voice.
‘What the devil is a fifteen-year-old boy doing in here with the adults?’ Rhidian asked Rebus.
‘It doesn’t matter to Jenta-Lor how old you are,’ Rebus replied.
‘Why are you in here, son?’ Rebus called in a friendlier tone.
‘I don’t know. I haven’t done anything wrong,’ Red answered honestly. ‘But they arrested me anyway.’ This struck a chord with Rhidian, as he’d been abducted too.
‘Where’s your family?’ Rhidian added.
‘They died years ago and I’ve been moving around the city on my own,’ he told them.
‘That makes sense, too,’ Rhidian said. ‘Jenta-Lor doesn’t want strays cluttering up his city. They either end up here or disappear for good.’
‘OK, sit tight, Red, and keep quiet. We’re all going to escape tonight, but we haven’t much time,’ Rebus explained with eyes half open, knowing that he had to trust Rhidian and Red now. ‘Let me think. They’ll leave you two here for a couple of days. These are just holding cells. That means we’ll be left alone after we’ve eaten in the Mess Hall. We will have to break out then, under cover of darkness. They won’t be expecting the “new fish” to escape on the first night.’ Rebus’ eyes flashed and a grin filled his mouth. ‘They won’t expect anyone to escape at all!’ And he laughed.
Chapter 4
Mia
She rolled over and automatically reached out to the spot where Rhidian normally slept. Her hand flattened on the cool empty space on the mattress where the duvet had been pulled away. Half asleep, she puzzled as to where he was. She lazily raised her eyelids and gradually focused. She took in a deep breath and let out a long-winded yawn. Mia smacked her lips together and cleared her dry throat.
‘Rhidian? Rhidian?’ she repeated through the still darkness of the room, her voice croaky. ‘Where are you?’ But he wasn’t there and that was unusual. He did work late most nights, but not this late. She lay there for a few seconds, pondering. This was odd, she thought.
Suddenly the quietness of the night was violently interrupted by a heavy banging at the door downstairs. Mia sat bolt upright in bed and immediately thought the worst.
‘Oh my God. Rhidian!’ she called out. She got up, and slipped on her dressing gown and in haste forgot her slippers. Her heart raced as she hurried downstairs, not knowing what fate lay ahead. She felt short of breath and by the time she got to the hallway she was gasping for air.
Mia turned on the light and suddenly thought that it could be anybody trying to get in. But there again, burglars wouldn’t knock and raise the alarm. Also, Rhidian would have his own key. But she was quite frightened by now and held back. She stood quietly in the cool of the passageway panting, trying to figure out what to do. She tried to control her breathing by taking shorter puffs.
‘W-who’s there?’ she trembled, her throat still hoarse and weak.
‘Mia Fines?’ the voice boomed from the other side. Jenta Police, she realised straight away. What did they want with her at this time of night?
‘Y-Yes,’ Mia gasped. ‘What do yo…’ but she didn’t have time to finish.
‘We are Jenta Force police officers – open the door immediately or we will be forced to break it down.’ She was scared and didn’t know what to do. Where was Rhidian when she needed him? Why were they breaking down her door? What had Rhidian done? What had she done? Her head was filled with all kinds of theories.
‘Okay, hold on,’ she said, her whole body shaking from shock. ‘Just a minute, I have to get dressed.’ She stalled for time, but it didn’t matter, it was too late anyway.
Suddenly there were two, heavy thudding sounds. The first shook the complete frame and made Mia scream. The second one, the door gave way and in burst two police officers. Mia was terrified and tried to make her way back upstairs; her instinct was telling her that this situation was all wrong.
‘Mia Fines, you are under arrest. You must come with us,’ one of the police officers said as he lunged and grabbed her arm, which spun her round. He then slipped handcuffs on both her wrists. Terrified, she peered at his face, but it was obscured with a visor. All she could make out were the eyes, which were reddened and lifeless. That scared her more than anything.
‘Please-please, don’
t,’ she squeaked, and tried to wriggle out of the steel bands, but there was no escape. She was hysterical now, tears rolling down her cheeks. ‘But I haven’t done anything wrong,’ she pleaded. ‘Please, why have you come here? Please can I put proper clothes on?’
The two policemen didn’t answer and led her straight outside – still barefoot. There was a vehicle waiting, its painful blue flashing lights stabbed at her eyes, making her squint. She lifted her hands to block the pulsing brightness. The officer pushed her towards the car, rough in his endeavour. The back door was already opened as Mia was heaved inside, still wrestling with the cuffs.
‘Please stop. Where are you taking me?’ The car sped off with her sobbing and terrified in the back.
Valusha was a vast city and Mia was taken to the heart of it. The vehicle zoomed through the empty streets – the patrol car was the very same one which had only earlier taken her husband, Rhidian, to the ship. The same officers now held his wife and had special orders to place her inside the vehicle, while Rhidian had been thrown in the cage at the back.
Mia stopped struggling; there was actually no point. She worked out that it would all be a mistake and she would protest to Jenta-Lor and everything would be back to normal again, she hoped. This was obviously a complete misunderstanding. Rhidian must be there too, she thought.
The police car silently whooshed along the roads. The car stopped outside Jenta-Lor’s mansion and this made Mia feel a little more relaxed. She’d spoken to the ruler on previous occasions when he’d held parties. He invited his most experienced engineer and his lovely wife, she recalled. Mia remembered that charm exuded from Jenta-Lor, like a dripping, wet sponge. This will soon be sorted out, she gasped and pursed her lips. She rested a little more easily into the seat. She’d see Rhidian soon enough.
The large steel gates silently opened, rolling away and disappearing into the walls each side; it seemed to take ages. Mia couldn’t help gazing at the splendour of it all. The dainty, coloured lights that lined the way; it was beautiful.
Wizards' Exile Page 3
