by Kevin Ashman
Suddenly, he sat bolt upright and jumped out of bed. He ripped off the bed covers, and threw the mattress across the room, before tipping his cot up on its side.
There it was, very faint but still visible in one of the wooden slats of his bed. Using a fine pointed blade of some kind, one of his predecessors had inscribed six ominous words.
‘Beware the Brotherhood of the Sark!’
Pelosus stared at the ancient message over and over again. What did it mean? Who were the Sark? Why did one of his predecessors go to so much trouble to leave this message, yet hide it so well? The questions came thick and fast and he had no answers. Slowly, he reassembled his bed and lay down exhausted. He needed more information and had an idea where he could get it. Before he fell into a restless sleep, he had decided on a course of action that could put his very life in danger.
----
Pelosus was waiting for the clerk when his breakfast arrived the following morning, causing a raised eyebrow of surprise from the clerk.
‘Surely you haven’t been up all night?’
‘No, I managed a few hours’ sleep,’ he replied.
‘Good, the way you’re going you will die of exhaustion way before the food or water runs out.’
‘Can you spare a few minutes?’ asked Pelosus suddenly.
The clerk looked worriedly at him.
‘Are you okay, Pelosus?’ he asked.
‘Yes, sit down,’ he said, ‘I wish to talk with you.’
The clerk did as instructed.
‘Please, help yourself,’ said Pelosus indicating the brew the clerk had brought in. He joined him at the table accepting his own cup of brew.
‘How can I help?’ asked the clerk.
Pelosus took a deep breath.
‘It’s like this,’ he said and proceeded to tell the clerk everything he had learned so far. The clerk sat back, listening in astonishment and waiting in silence for Pelosus to finish.
‘Well?’ he said, when he had finished, ‘what do you think?’
The clerk stared at him for a long time in silence.
‘Why are you telling me this?’ he asked eventually, ‘if Petra warned you to keep silent on forfeit of your life, why entrust me with this information.’
‘I need help,’ admitted Pelosus, ‘I can’t do this on my own. Yes, I have knowledge of the heavens but in this case, I don’t think it will help. I need someone who is familiar with the ways of the Citadel and the machinations of the ruling trades. I also need someone whose knowledge is a match for, and if possible, exceeds my own. You are that man. You are familiar with the council as you take the minutes of every meeting and have full access to the library. If anyone has access to more information than I, it is you.’
‘What do you expect of me?’
‘Just your help, to decipher the mystery and in return, I will ensure your safety is protected when this entire sorry episode comes to its climax. Hopefully, we can find this other place she speaks of and you and I will join the ruling elite in safety.’
‘You do realise I should report this indiscretion to Petra,’ pointed out the clerk, ‘you could be executed. Why do you take this risk with me when I have known you only two years?’
‘I am a good judge of character,’ answered Pelosus, ‘and know an honest man when I see one. After all, you wouldn’t be in the position you are now without the complete trust of the council and even if you do report me, by my calculations, we will all be dead within two months anyway. Perhaps an assassin’s blade between my ribs may be preferable to death from thirst.’
‘I will not betray you,’ said the clerk eventually, ‘I will help. Perhaps together we can resolve this problem and aid everyone in the city, not just the trades.’
Pelosus nodded in agreement.
‘I have to speak to the soldiers first thing, but come to my rooms at nine bells, we will start work then.’
The clerk nodded and stood to leave.
‘Oh, by the way,’ said Pelosus, ‘I have worked with you for almost two years and I still don’t know your name. I can’t keep calling you clerk.’
The clerk smiled.
‘No, if we are to work together, perhaps it would be better to get to know each other better. Please, call me by my first name.’
‘Which is?’ asked Pelosus.
‘Petit,’ said the clerk, ‘my name is Petit.’
‘Nice to meet you Petit,’ laughed Pelosus as he shook his hand, ‘it would seem our future is entwined.’
‘It would seem so.’ answered the clerk aloud, then silently to himself as he left the room, ‘more than you could possibly imagine.’
----
Chapter 16
Amber woke up and opened her eyes. It was as dark with her eyes open as it had been with them shut and she lay shivering on the damp floor, not knowing how long she had been there. Her memory came back slowly, recalling the frantic struggle as her captor had carried her further into the subterranean depths beneath the Citadel. Slowly she got to her knees and crawled forward, one hand held out in front of her, immediately touching the clammy surface of a stone wall. She turned around and sat with her back to the wall, staring into the claustrophobic nothingness.
The blackness was overwhelming and she had no idea of space. She could be in a room a mile square or four foot square, there was no way of telling. Amber brought her knees up to her chin, embracing them with her arms and closed her eyes in fear. At least the darkness of her eyelids held no surprises. A few seconds later, or was it hours, she couldn’t tell, a faint noise in the distance sprung her eyes open in fear. She scanned the area to her front, refocusing on something that had caught her eye. Two tiny pinpricks of light had been lit miles in the distance, solid, un-flickering white stars in the blackness of a starless sky. She focused on the lights intently; it was the only release from the suffocating black blanket.
A minute later, the lights went out, reigniting half a second later. She stared, not sure if she had imagined it or not. About thirty seconds later, it happened again, the lights going out and reigniting half a second later. Over and over the sequence repeated. White lights burning for thirty seconds, then they would go out, then half a second relight again, until eventually Amber could judge within half a second, when they would extinguish. She stared for an eternity, the flashing pinpricks of light consuming her very existence, over and over again. What was their meaning, was it some sort of signal? Their regular pattern reminded her of something, something familiar, and something comforting.
Then it came to her, yes, the colour was all wrong but with a stretch of her imagination, she could almost imagine they were eyes. That was it; the pattern of the lights reminded her of someone blinking in the darkness. Not two lights miles away, but a few feet away, blinking in the darkness. Blinking…eyes in the darkness…a few feet away!
Amber’s scream resounded around the subterranean room and out into the maze of passages that riddled the bedrock beneath the city.
----
For the second time in a matter of hours, Amber emerged from unconsciousness, this time from the feint that had overcome her in her terror. She stayed curled in a foetal position on the floor, hardly breathing in her fear. She lay for an age, her back toward the eyes, afraid to turn, afraid even to imagine who or what was there. Eventually, the dampness of the floor forced her to move and with a rush, she sat up against the wall, staring at the place where the eyes were a few minutes ago. They were still there.
‘Who are you?’ she whispered coarsely, her dry throat making the words unintelligible. She cleared her throat. ‘Who are you?’ she asked again, this time much clearer. The pinpricks of white moved slightly in unison as the creature in the dark moved its head slightly to look directly at her.
‘Who am I?’ asked a deep strange voice, ‘I wish I knew, Amber of the Red-door gang!’
Amber jumped slightly at the answer, but strangely comforted at the fact that this creature at least had a voice. At least it was human.
‘Of course, you told me your name yourself, less than a day ago.’
‘Crispin!’ she gasped, ‘is it you?’
‘It is,’ he said.
‘I’ve been looking everywhere for you,’ she said, ‘but your voice, your eyes, they’ve changed. What’s happened to you?’
‘I don’t know, Amber of the Red-door gang,’ he said, ‘I am weak and I am in pain. Carrying you here used the last of my strength, but you are safe now, the danger has passed.’
‘What danger?’
‘The Watchers, they were following you in the tunnels. They had set a trap for me near the sewer, but you were walking into it. I couldn’t let that happen, so I grabbed you and brought you here.’
‘But why didn’t you say something? Why did you hold my mouth shut?’
‘I could not risk you calling out,’ said the strange voice, ‘there are Watchers everywhere.’
‘What happened to my head?’ she asked feeling the lump once again.
‘I dropped you,’ said Crispin, ‘my strength has gone.’
She watched the pinpricks extinguish, this time for several seconds and she realized he had shut his eyes.
‘Are you all right, Crispin?’ she asked eventually.
The lights lit up again.
‘In truth?’ he said weakly, ‘no, Amber of the Red-door gang, I am not alright. I think I am dying.’
This was too much for Amber. She was holed up in a black hole heaven knows how far underground with a dying boy. All the fun and adventure had fled long ago. This was serious and she needed help. She crawled across the room to the invisible boy.
‘Crispin,’ she said, ‘you need help; tell me how to get out of here and I’ll bring my cousin. He will know what to do.’
There was silence for a few moments.
‘It’s too dangerous,’ said the voice eventually.
‘We have no choice, Crispin and now I know what I am up against, I will be more careful. I can look after myself.’
‘You are the only person ever to offer me kindness, Amber of the Red-door gang,’ he said, ‘it is too late for me. I don’t want you to get hurt.’
‘Look,’ snapped Amber, ‘first of all, stop saying Red-door gang. My name is just Amber and I’m doing this whether you like it or not, now if you know the way out of here, just tell me, otherwise I could take twice as long.’
‘Okay,’ he said eventually, ‘the entrance lies to your right. I can’t give you directions because I don’t know where we are myself. Take this,’ he added.
Amber felt something hit her on the foot and felt around with her hands until she found the object Crispin had thrown. She picked it up, recognizing her pocketknife.
‘Thanks,’ she said, ‘how did you get it?’
‘I took it off you when you were asleep. Couldn’t risk you waking up and doing something stupid.’
‘Okay,’ said Amber, ‘try to get some sleep. I will be back as soon as I can, and this time with help, don’t go anywhere.’
‘I am going nowhere,’ he said.
‘Okay, where did you say the doorway was?’
‘To your right.’
‘How do you know which way I am facing?’
‘I can see you.’
‘In this darkness?’
‘Darkness?’ he said. ‘To me it is lighter than the brightest day. Good luck, Amber of the Red-door gang, be safe.’
Amber shuddered involuntarily but didn’t answer as she crawled out of the side room and into the unfamiliar tunnel.
----
Chapter 17
Kenzo woke up to the sight of Braille’s stupid grin looking down at him.
‘Wake up, sweet-cheeks,’ boomed Braille.
‘How long have I been sleeping?’ asked Kenzo, yawning.
‘Eight Hours,’ grinned Braille. ‘Snoring like Fatman after a skin of ale. Would have slept longer too if I let you, but you’ve got a visitor.’
‘A visitor? Who?’
‘Oh, no one special, about seventeen, long black hair, pretty face. Look, if you’re not interested, can me and the boys have a crack coz…’
Before he could finish, Kenzo had jumped up and grabbed his tunic.
‘Leona,’ he shouted and ran out of the block.
‘Guess you are interested after all,’ said Braille quietly
‘Four hours!’ he shouted. ‘Make sure you’re back for your shift or I’ll nail your arse to that bloody bell.’
‘I’ll be back!’ shouted Kenzo over his shoulder.
Kenzo ran out of the room and across the courtyard to where Leona was sitting on the edge of the well. He stumbled to a halt just before her.
‘Oh Kenzo,’ she said, ‘what happened to you?’
Kenzo felt his nose gingerly.
‘Oh, just a barracks room brawl,’ he lied, ‘no damage done, how are you?’
‘Me? Oh I’m fine, though father is not happy that the guards are stationed in the keep.’
‘Not happy that I’m in the keep, more likely.’
‘Well, that too,’ she chuckled. ‘Anyway, I made some enquiries, and found out that your squad was here. Isn’t that lucky?’
‘Lucky, yes,’ said Kenzo, running his tongue over his swollen lip. ‘Look, I’ve got four hours off, do you want to do something?’
‘Like what?’
‘I don’t know; go for a walk or something.’
‘Yes, sounds nice, but before we do, can you do something for me?’
‘Anything!’
‘Can you take a wash? I’m sorry Kenzo but you stink.’
‘Wash? Yes of course, stay there,’ he said and ran back to the billet, emerging fifteen minutes later, shaved and washed, his hair tied back and glistening in the sun.
‘Ready,’ he said. ‘Where do you want to go?’
‘I know,’ she said, ‘let’s go down to the causeways, there’s something going on down there.’
‘Ok,’ he replied, ‘but there’s something I want to ask you.’
‘Let's go,’ she smiled and took his arm. ‘We can talk as we go.’
They left the keep and walked down through the city to the nearest gate. A crowd had gathered on the causeway to the Hunters-tower watching with interest what was going on below.
‘What’s happening?’ asked Kenzo to no one in particular.
‘The Hunters are exploring the city under the water,’ someone replied, ‘they are bringing up all sorts of things.’
Sure enough, a row of Hunters dressed only in their loin cloths were sitting along the edge watching their colleagues below. For those used to hunting Narwl, a simple descent to explore the sunken buildings was easy as they could stay down for several minutes at a time. Kenzo recognized one of the Hunters and approached him to see if he could find out more.
‘Hi there,’ he said casually. The Hunter acknowledged his greeting. ‘I’m Kenzo,’ he continued, ‘we’ve met before, I believe.’
The Hunter frowned.
‘Don’t think so,’ he said.
‘You were a bit worse for wear. I think it was a few moons ago, my friend arrested you for fighting with the Bakers.’
‘Ah yes, I remember,’ said the Hunter, ‘you’re the one who let me go.’
‘That’s right,’ said Kenzo, ‘no harm done as I recall.’ Kenzo had a policy of fairness and was often repaid with trust in this city of suspicion. They both turned their attention back to the divers in the water,
‘Been down yet?’ asked Kenzo casually.
‘Yup, quite amazing really,’ he said, ‘it’s a city just like that inside the Citadel. Must have been heavily populated too, there are hundreds of houses down there.’
‘Looking for anything special?’ asked Leona, ‘I heard a rumour that fish people live there.’
The Hunter laughed.
‘No,’ he said, ‘we are the nearest thing to fish people you’ll find in these waters,’ he paused, ‘but between me and yo
u, there is treasure down there.’
‘Treasure?’ asked Leona, fascinated, ‘what have you found?’
‘All sorts of things,’ he said, ‘but one in particular is priceless.’
‘What is it?’ she asked excitedly.
‘Hang on,’ he said ‘we’re about to haul it up.’
For the next ten minutes, Kenzo and Leona waited patiently as the Hunters became preoccupied with what was happening below the waterline. Divers changed places and they overheard snippets of the conversations between the Hunters as they went about their task. There was great excitement as a Hunter surfaced.
‘Get ready,’ he called, ‘we’ve got it loose and it will be up any second now.’
The crowd leaned over the wall, impatient to see what they had found. Suddenly, something shot out of the water like a leaping Narwl, splashing back down to lie floating on the surface.
‘Wood?’ someone asked.
Kenzo agreed, but not just any wood, even with the film of algae over its surface they could see it was Mahogany and therefore worth a fortune. The swimming Hunters guided the wood to the bridge and their colleagues soon pulled it up onto the stones. The crowd gathered around to see the valuable artefact.
‘What is it?’ someone asked.
‘I think it’s a sign,’ said one of the Hunters.
‘Surely not,’ said another, ‘a sign made from solid Mahogany, what a waste.’
‘What does it say?’ asked Leona leaning forward for a better view.
‘I can’t see,’ said Kenzo, ‘hang on, they’re cleaning it up.’ He watched fascinated as the algae was scraped off by the Hunters to reveal the wood underneath. Leona’s excitement waned as she watched Kenzo’s face change. The excited smile had gone, replaced with a frown as the words were revealed.
‘Kenzo, what’s the matter?’ she asked.
‘That sign,’ he said, ‘I recognize the words. I’ve heard them recently. All of a sudden, his eyes opened wide as his brain recalled the memory. ‘Amber!’ he whispered.
‘What, Kenzo you’re frightening me, what’s the matter?’
‘Those words carved on the wood,’ he said, ‘they’re the last words Amber said to me before she disappeared. Come on, we have to go. I’ve wasted too much time already.’