by Eric Vall
“I really hope we never have to do that again.” Cal shuddered.
“As long as you are able to fight, you won’t need to,” Daya answered.
“I know, it’s just … those kind of tight spaces freak me out.” Cal looked back through the tunnel with disdain, and Daya followed his eyes.
“Then I suggest you ensure this city never needs to use them,” she replied sharply.
Cal stood up a bit straighter as he nodded. “Of course. It is my duty to the guild to ensure the safety of Hatra.”
Daya gave him a weary look, like she expected him to make a joke, but he didn’t, so she eventually turned away from him and continued down the illuminated path.
As we went, I pulled the flames from the torches so darkness followed behind us. The walk was quiet for an hour or so as we all enjoyed the silence, but then it was broken by Nike, who strolled a bit ahead of me.
“What will you do with these tunnels for now?” he asked. “I know you plan to use the cave one day as a safe house or sorts, but what about the exit near the Asuran village? Do you want to board it up?”
I didn’t reply for a few minutes as I thought.
“No,” I finally answered. “I want to keep it open. The mines are in the process of reopening, maybe we can use these tunnels to move materials below ground so nothing can attack them.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Nike said and thoughtfully rubbed his chin. “They can be useful for the workers who will live there as well. They can use the tunnels to save some time traveling back and forth, and it would be safer for everyone. We’d need to add some equipment to the entrance so they could load up materials, though. Maybe a type of pulley system.”
“That’s a good idea,” I agreed. “We can bring some carts down here, too.”
“Hatra will be restored to its former glory before you know it,” Nike said with a grin. “Once you can mine the orichalcum again, traders will come from all over the world to get ahold of it. You’ll be on the map once more.”
“That’s the plan,” I chuckled. “We need to be on the map again so we can start an economy here.”
“Don’t worry too much about it,” Nike assured as he fell into step beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “This city is already on its way to greatness. In no time, you will have everything you ever wanted. Hatra will once again be known as one of the greatest cities in Rahma, so you should be very proud of your work here.”
“Thanks, Nike.” I smiled. “That means a lot coming from a fellow lord.”
He pulled his hand back and grinned. “Of course, brother.”
The four of us chatted away for the next hour or so before we finally reached the entrance to the library. The dryad sisters were still there, and they sat in a triangle as they played some kind of game with small wooden marbles.
“Welcome back, Evan!” Marina yelled from her spot and waved frantically.
“Thanks, Marina, what are you three playing?” I asked her.
“It’s a game we created as children, but we never named it,” she replied, and then her green eyes sparkled brightly. “Anything fun happen today? Did you fight another beast? Find any more pretty jewels.”
“It went well, actually,” I chuckled. “We didn’t find any beasts, or treasure, but we did find some secrets passageways.”
All three sisters turned to me with wide green eyes.
“Secret passages!” Polina shouted as she jumped up, ran over, and clung to my arm. “How exciting! Tell us all about them!”
The rest of the sisters circled around me, and their game was left forgotten.
“We only found two,” I said with an indulging smile, “but we think there will be more as we continue to search. One led into the mountains, and the other led into the forest, near the Asuran village.”
“I can’t believe it!” Trina squealed as she squeezed my bicep. “You must show us!”
“Yes, you must Evan!” Marina begged. “Please!”
“Okay, I’ll show it to you, I promise,” I laughed and pulled my arms free from the excited dryads, “but first, I need to talk to Alyona and Laika about this. It could be dangerous, as cool and exciting as it is. This could be a way for enemies to infiltrate the city without our knowledge. So, we need to be vigilant and make sure we figure out a way to use these new passages without it being a risk for the city.”
The three sisters quelled their excitement and nodded.
“Of course, Lord Evan,” Trina replied stoically. “We would never want to do anything that could be a risk for the city.”
“Maybe we can see the passages after we talk to Alyona an Laika?” Marina asked hopefully.
Trina elbowed her hard in the ribs.
“Ow! Trina!” Marina glared before she returned her attention to me. “But of course, I don’t mind if we need to wait. You know better than anyone how to keep us all safe.”
I laughed at all three of them. “Tell you what, I’m sure Alyona and Laika will want to see the passages, too. You can come with us when we show them, alright?”
I took the high pitched squeals as a yes and hugged each of them as they threw their arms around my neck.
“Thank you!! I’m so excited!” one of them, I thought it was Marina, yelled in my ear.
“I’m so excited!” Polina cried. “We get to see a real secret passage!”
“It’s just like in those books Trina used to read!” Marina added.
Trina blushed and frowned at her sisters before she whispered frantically at them. The other two rolled their eyes, but let the matter drop.
I chuckled fondly at their antics, and the seven of us left the library in search of Alyona and Laika. I also sent a message to Ruslan to alert him that we were finished for the day and that we had something important to talk about.
My stomach was still uneasy about the passages, but I brushed it off as nerves. Anyone would be nervous about strange secret passageways. It didn’t mean anything.
Or so I told myself.
Chapter 8
It was late afternoon when Daya, Cal, Nike, and I made our way toward the airship to find Laika and Alyona. I knew Laika would want to stay close to her comrades who had fallen into the sinkhole, which meant she would most likely be around here somewhere. Alyona and Laika were also never too far apart, so if Laika was here, Alyona probably was, too.
Surprisingly, Ruslan, Julia, and Moskal met us at the entrance of the ship and walked with us inside.
“Wow, you guys got here quick,” I told them with a tired smile.
“Everything alright, son?” Ruslan asked with a worried look. “Your message sounded urgent.”
“Fine, Pops. We just found something in the third tunnel. Something that could be helpful or could potentially be a big threat.”
Julia and Moskal shared a surprised look, and Ruslan’s eyes went wide.
“How bad of a threat?” my father asked hesitantly.
“I’ll explain everything in a minute,” I assured him, “I want to tell everyone at once.”
Laika and Alyona were inside the airship on the training deck, and Alyona stood on the side with her nose in a book while Laika oversaw the training.
I recognized some of the trainees from yesterday. Today, they seemed to be working on their stance and mobility, and Laika barked orders and corrected their positions as she weaved her way through the group. Each member held a long stick in their hands, and a training dummy was stationed in front of them.
When Alyona realized we had returned, she closed her book with a snap, and a bright grin spread across her face.
“Evan! You’re back!” She ran over to us, and her dress billowed out behind her. Then she wrapped her hands around my neck and pulled me into a brief kiss.
“Hi, there,” I greeted with a smile when I pulled away.
“How were the tunnels today?” Alyona asked as she tucked herself into my side, and I wrapped an arm around her waist.
“They were good,” I chuckled.
“I have a lot to tell you.”
Laika looked toward us and grinned at me. Then she turned back to the trainees and whistled loudly.
The trainees winced slightly, but they all stood at attention.
“Alright, that’s enough for now,” the wolf Demi-Human shouted. “Take a lunch break. Pyotr will continue your training after lunch.”
The group groaned slightly, and Laika smirked and gave a short laugh.
“Don’t let him hear you complain like that, he’ll give you twice the amount of work to do,” she warned.
The groups immediately fell silent, and Laika laughed quietly again.
“Dismissed,” she called over her shoulder as she walked over to a bag along the floor. Then she quickly packed up her gear.
The training group behind her immediately scattered around the room and toward the benches to collect their belongings and grab some food before their next session.
Suddenly, I caught a flash of orange from the group.
“Ravi?” I called out.
She spun on her heel and smiled with a wave. Then she ran over toward me.
“I’ll be right back,” I told Alyona as I kissed the top of her head.
“I’ll be here,” the princess replied while I moved away from her.
I met Ravi halfway, and she yanked me into a hug.
Her dark orange hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and instead of her robes, she wore leather armor, which I was sure the guild had loaned her. I took a moment to appreciate how the armor fit perfectly to her slim frame, and I licked my lips as I continued to look her over.
“Hi,” she said. Sweat gleamed on her forehead, and she panted slightly, but she was still breathtakingly beautiful.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” I asked her. “And what are you wearing?”
“I want to learn how to be a better fighter,” she replied with a determined look. “I never got to train back home like this. If I want to live here, I should at least learn how to defend the city. I don’t want to depend solely on my magic to defend me, though, I want to learn how to fight.” Then she glanced down at the armor and smirked at me. “The guild let me borrow this. Do you like it?”
“I think it suits you.” I grinned hungrily but changed the subject so I wouldn’t ravish the phoenix right here and now. “How is the training going?”
“Well, today is my first day, so I’m not very good,” she admitted with a blush, “but I’ll keep training until I’m better.”
“Maybe I can give you a private lesson sometimes,” I offered with a suggestive smile.
“I don’t think we would do much training if you gave me a private lesson,” Ravi laughed.
“Probably not,” I confessed as I pulled her tight against me, “but would that be a bad thing?”
Ravi’s blue eyes glinted with mischief. “No, I don’t suppose it would.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Laika had finished with her gear and was walking toward the group.
“I’ll talk to you later, okay?” I said to Ravi with a smile. “I need to talk to Laika.”
“Is everything alright?” Ravi asked, and her brow knitted with concern.
“Yeah, it’s fine. I can tell you about it later. You should go enjoy your break.”
She slowly nodded. “Okay, fine. Promise you’ll tell me later?”
“Promise,” I assured her with a quick kiss.
“Okay. I’ll see you later. Bye.”
She kissed me once more before she took off out the door to join the other trainees for lunch.
I returned to the group and pulled Alyona into my side again, and Laika bowed respectfully at the Elders, Nike, and me.
“My lords and lady,” the wolf Demi-Human greeted, and then her head cocked to the side slightly. “What’s wrong?”
She glanced between all of us with a raised brow, and her tail twitched anxiously behind her as her ears swiveled atop her head.
“Evan and his group found something potentially dangerous in the tunnels,” Julia answered as she flicked her fan open and fanned her face.
“What happened?” my lover asked in a hushed voice as she gave a side eye to the trainees still lingering around the edges of the room.
I waited until the last of the trainees left before I answered.
“In the tunnels, there are secret passages to hidden entrances,” I explained. “One of them leads to a cave in the mountains, while the other we found led into the forest, near the Asuran village. We’re sure there are probably more, but we haven’t checked the rest of the tunnels.”
“Secret passages?” Ruslan clarified in confusion.
“Do you remember learning about anything like that from Tristan?” I asked.
“Not that I recall.” The fox shook his head, and he furrowed his brow as he seemed to rack his brain for any of his childhood memories. “My father didn’t tell me much of Hatra during her prime, he was more concerned with keeping the people safe and alive. He never spoke of the past.”
“Don’t worry about it, Pops.” I placed a hand on his shoulder, and he sighed heavily.
“It seems my father liked to keep his secrets, even from me. I just wish he would have told me more about the city, so we could be better prepared for these things.”
I gave him a sympathetic smile but didn’t respond.
“So, what will we do about this?” Laika asked. “The tunnels could be a major threat to the city. We should seal them up.”
“I disagree,” Alyona responded from my side, and her cute face was scrunched in thought. “They could also be very beneficial to the city. I think we should use them.”
“What else should we know about them?” Laika sighed with a small shake of her head. “Are they safe?”
“Potentially,” Nike replied. “The passage to the cave should be secure, it slowly narrows into a path barely wide enough for one person, and from what we could find, there wasn’t another obvious way inside. The route that leads out into the forest could be a risk, though, not to mention any others that could exist that we haven’t found yet.”
“We should focus on searching the tunnels and see if any other passages lead out,” Ruslan said as he rubbed his chin, and his ears twitched slightly, but they were the only sign that gave away his stress. “We need to mark each entrance into the city so we can monitor and seal off any exits that would be deemed too dangerous.”
“You’re right,” I agreed, “we need to ensure the safety of the city, that is our first priority. We can send out several teams to finish off the tunnels and scout the area for any exits. We’ll just need a map so we can mark each passage.”
“I’ll grab some from the library when we go down,” Julia volunteered.
I nodded to her in acknowledgement. “Thanks. Moskal, do you mind helping Julia?”
“I’m happy to help wherever you need me,” the third Elder assured me.
“Good,” I replied. “While you two map the passages, I want you to keep track of which paths should be destroyed or sealed to prevent our enemies from taking advantage of the cracks in our defenses.”
“Of course.” Moskal nodded.
“How will we keep an eye on the passages we leave open?” Daya asked with a frown. “Surely, that will still be a risk to the city?”
I looked down to Alyona, who was still tucked into my side. She felt the movement and turned her head up to me.
“Do you think you could create a permanent barrier around the passages to prevent anyone not welcome from getting inside?” I asked her.
“I shall try,” she hummed and crossed her arms. “The barrier I used for Ravi was only meant to be used once, but I can see if there is a way to amplify the spell and let it remain in place for a long period of time. I’ll look into it. If not, I will search the spell books for anything that could be useful.”
“Thank you.” I pressed a kiss to her cheek before I turned back to the others. “Laika, would you mind leading a group down into the tunnels?�
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“Of course, Daya and Pyotr can each lead groups as well,” she immediately responded. “The outskirts can wait until the tunnels are complete.
“Pops, you want a group, too?” I asked him with a chuckle. “Don’t want you to feel left out.”
“I supposed I could manage that,” Ruslan laughed loudly and grinned.
“Good, I’ll take another group, and Nike, you can lead one, too,” I ordered. “We can finish as many tunnels as possible tomorrow, since I think it might be too late to start today. We don’t know how deep some of the tunnels will go, and we don’t need anyone out there after nightfall. We can start first thing in the morning.”
“What shall I do?” Alyona asked from her place at my side. “If I’m going to be needed to make the barriers, I’ll need to be able to reach any of you and your groups quickly.”
“You should stay here for now and continue researching,” I told her. “Once we know the tunnels are safe, we’ll bring you down to do your spell.”
“Alright,” Alyona agreed, and Nike, Laika, and Daya nodded as well.
“Okay, then,” I concluded, “I guess we can meet at the library at sunrise. Anyone have any questions?” I glanced around the group, but everyone remained silent. “Alright then, I’ll see you all in the morning.”
Nike, Ruslan, Julia, Alyona, and I left the airship to return to our rooms. As we walked, Nike caught a glimpse of some of the other Leyte citizens who had come on King Rodion’s orders. They waved to us all, and Nike broke away from the group.
“I'll see you in the morning,” he called back to us as he walked toward his friends. “I’ll head to bed and get some shut eye. We’re going to have a busy day tomorrow.”
“Have a good night,” Julia called after him.
He met up with the group and offered a small wave before they all headed to their cabin.
“We should offer them some of the houses,” Ruslan commented as we continued toward the temporary palace.
I nodded. “You’re right. They’ve done more than enough for us, it’s the least we could do.”
