by S Kaeth
“I think it’s clear Eian isn’t here.” Ra’ael’s voice quavered.
A line of lights at about knee height appeared on the walls beside them, slowly brightening. They were in a small, rectangular, stone chamber of smooth, clean lines.
“The floor’s wrong,” Takiyah observed as she went back to collect her tools, which lay scattered in front of two flat metal pieces that came together in the middle. Doors.
She was right. It was clean—no dust, no sand, almost as if it had been swept and scrubbed. It was far more a floor than the ground.
Takiyah started back toward them, pausing to stretch her hand over the strips of light. “What is this?”
Taunos shook his head. Seeing the closed space was no better than not seeing it. He struggled to force his floundering brain to think. Takiyah strolled past them, while he stooped to meet his sister’s shorter stature and pulled her along. One step, then another. Another set of doors stood before them, two flat surfaces with a thin groove between them. It would make sense for Eian to have gone through there if he’d come this way. He wished the floor was dusty, to show footprints.
“What is this place?” Ra’ael’s voice was sharp with awe and fear.
Another step and another. Don’t think, just do. “Let’s find out.”
At a touch, the doors slid apart. No need for telekinetic force. Ra’ael crowded behind, stepping on his heels as they left the tunnel.
They emerged onto a ledge inside a massive cavern, marked by a deep chasm cutting through the middle. Rows and rows of buildings stood cut and shaped from stone, forming a grid of open-topped square and rectangular buildings. Huge pillars stretched to the ceiling of the enormous space, some with arched doorways and windows, within which fluttered curtains of light and airy cloth, and others carved and decorated with intricate designs. More buildings were cut from the sides of the cavern. Everything stood in straight lines, while around the city, the rock of the mountain curved naturally. Wonder banished all other thoughts.
“All these marvels, all this time, hidden right under our feet,” Taunos murmured. Another time, he would gladly lose moons and moons to explore down here.
“There must be more than a thousand people living here,” Ra’ael said, but her reproachful tone was subdued. He’d almost forgotten—it would be hard for the others to fathom so many people living together. They had no experience with cities.
In the middle of the grids on either side of the chasm, gaped an empty space around irregularly shaped metal buildings, shorter and broader than the stone buildings, linked by something like a heavy rope. The rope glowed with yellow light, though Taunos could see no fire to light it. The ground was paved with stone and lit with lanterns, which Taunos had to give the other three a word for. Ra’ael stared in astonishment, and Kaemada closed her eyes wearily. Takiyah only nodded, leaning over the edge to gaze in wonder until Taunos wanted to snatch her back from the drop.
Eian was nowhere in sight.
“You moved… a mountain,” Kaemada slurred.
Taunos laughed. “I will bring this up another time to save myself from my shortcomings.”
Takiyah grinned at him, her eyes bright with excitement. His heart understood, leaping with the familiar thrill of the new. Curiosity had sunk its teeth into him, bringing him fully to life with the challenge, eager to learn all he could. If only this was a simple adventure, rather than a search. This was not the fae. Finding Eian in a city like this was an impossible task, but then, Taunos had always taken great joy in achieving the impossible. Surely they could find him.
To the side, stone steps led far, far below them—the only way down.
From an alcove in the rock above the stairs, a person with a hairless, knobby head stared down at them, their mouth tight. They wore a circlet with a red jewel in the center that caught the light as they turned and disappeared behind more rock. There was no clear path from there to here, nor from there to the ground of the cavern. Were there more tunnels inside the rock?
The doors slammed shut. His skin prickled with warning. He and Ra’ael went to the entrance, but no amount of pushing or pulling would open them. They were locked in, locked onto this path, wherever it may lead. A shout sounded from the city below. Pale figures in flowing clothes began to rush around like insects when the hive is knocked over. Some sprinted toward them, and others scattered into buildings. Clearly, there was a peacekeeping force.
The organization screamed civilization, so surely they’d have rules, someone to talk to, to help in their search. Like the guards running toward the bottom of the stairs, if he could calm them down and convince them they weren’t an invasion.
Ra’ael’s frame was set with tension, but Takiyah seemed unaffected, staring around in open wonder. His sister stumbled toward the broad stairs, and he heaved a sigh.
Kaemada was making things difficult, of course, and if he tried to keep her from her task, there’d only be more chaos. Who knew how the guards would react? Keeping his arm around her, Taunos guided her to the inner edge of the broad stairs, where the wall was worked with metal engravings and gleaming jewels. The wolf tottered at their heels.
“We should stop here,” Ra’ael said.
Taunos tossed her a look over his shoulder, continuing on. She knew Kaemada just as well as he did, and they might as well meet the guards halfway. It was certainly better than the guards meeting them while they were locked in a battle of wills with his sister. She’d never fought him before, but her son had never been missing before, either. The others had no idea how to deal with a situation like this. How much trouble would Ra’ael’s antagonism cause them? They had to trust him. If they would just follow his lead, they could bring Eian home safely.
“Need… ask… about Eian,” Kaemada slurred, not hesitating in her descent.
“There’s less maneuverability here,” Ra’ael said.
Taunos shook his head. Assuming they were a civilized people, they could ask about Eian, possibly pay a fine for trespassing, and be on their way. A friendly demeanor and smile could open doors that otherwise remained shut—like the doors sealed behind them—while acting defensive could be construed as guilt. Still, tension tightened his shoulders. He refused to glance back at the doors that had locked them in.
“We can fight in close quarters.” Ra’ael raised her voice. “We have Taunos.”
“Taunos is going to ask them about Eian,” he called back.
She muttered something under her breath, and he couldn’t help but grin. She was far too fun to needle, and it lessened the tension a bit.
“No need… to fight. We… do not… threaten them,” Kaemada breathed.
“You cannot know that, Kaemada,” Ra’ael said. “They could be like anything. They’re not necessarily civilized.”
His sister met his gaze, then faltered.
Taunos forced a grin. “Little sister, you would go willingly into a dragon’s claw if it told you it meant you no harm.”
She scowled at him. “What little trust! Life… would be brighter… if everyone… gave others a chance…” She trailed off, out of breath and unfocused. He tightened his arm around her. Could he dare hope they had medical facilities they could use, such as the great halls of healing he’d seen among the Dahuti?
“Maybe so, but a little caution helps a long life,” Ra’ael said.
Kaemada shook her head and would have fallen if Taunos hadn’t been holding on to her. “May find they’re… not strange.”
“Caution is prudent, but let’s not jump to a fight either, shall we?” Taunos gestured to make peace. He needed his attention on the guards, not on bickering.
The oncoming people quickly closed the distance between them. They were tall by Rinaryn standards—about as tall as he was—and so pale that in some places their skin was translucent. Their features were strange, with very little in the way of noses, thin, pale lips, large eyes, and two knobs at the tops of their heads, which were bare of any hair.
The guard fo
rce wore a uniform of boots, pants, and a shirt with an upturned collar under an embroidered jacket. Buttons adorned the cuffs and the many embroidered pockets, and ruffles decorated the necks and wrists. The two women among them wore skirts over their pants and broad, fabric belts. The men had metallic belts with rectangular cases attached, and strips of fabric tied in knots around their necks. It looked stifling. Some wore thick-rimmed glass circles on their foreheads and tall hats with wide brims. Each wore a stern expression.
Kaemada’s voice wavered as she called out, “We mean no harm!”
“We’re only looking for a small boy, lost yesterday morning,” Taunos added. He halted, keeping his free hand open and away from his side, and turned his most charming smile on them.
The strangers drew cudgels from loops at their belts. Tannevar growled. Ra’ael muttered, “Twelve to five, my sword and dagger, Takiyah’s staff, Tannevar’s teeth, Taunos… Do you still keep blades in your boots?”
“We cannot… fight them. Our chances of finding Eian… be less. Show them… not empty words.”
His sister was planning something stupid. Taunos narrowed his eyes at her. “Stay behind me.”
As he looked back at the strangers, Kaemada shoved away from him, stumbling down the stairs. “We come in peace! We will not harm you. We came to find Eian. He’s lost. Please help us!” Her breath failed toward the end of her rushed speech, and her legs buckled, so she crashed against the wall.
Tannevar snarled and Taunos snatched his scruff just before he could leap. He wrestled the beast close to avoid snapping teeth, fuming. Why couldn’t his sister follow simple directions? Whenever she couldn’t win an argument, she simply did what she wanted, regardless of the consequences. It was Taunos’s task to protect her, whether she wanted it or not.
Two of the strangers grabbed Kaemada’s arms, batons pointed at her. The doll dropped from her weakened fingers to the stairs, bouncing several steps farther down. She looked at it, her expression pained, but the guards kept a firm hold of her.
“We cannot fight them,” she said to Taunos. Then she turned to the guards. “We come in peace! Came for Eian, little boy, lost. Please!”
“You trespass on Kamalti territory. You will be taken to the Council Chambers to await your fate,” said a tall man with a red jewel tied at his throat.
Taunos exchanged an astonished look with Ra’ael. The Kamalti were legends; could these really be the people from the fireside tales? Even more, they spoke the Traveller’s Tongue. At least they didn’t have to worry about translation.
He was drawing breath to reply when another man, this one with an extra layer of lace at his cuffs, broke in irritably. “Well? Move!”
Red-jewel and Lacey steered Kaemada down the stairs past the other guards ascending toward them. Ra’ael shifted next to Taunos. “Kaemada…”
“I’m alright! Do not fight!” Kaemada stumbled again, and the guards caught her roughly. She slurred an apology, the words coming so swiftly and imprecisely that even Taunos had trouble understanding.
Tannevar thrashed in Taunos’s arms and wiggled loose. He shot down the steps.
“Kae—Tannevar!” Taunos shouted.
Kaemada turned, slow and clumsy, but still managed to wrench herself sideways in time to put herself between her guards and the leaping wolf.
Tannevar slammed into her, and he, Kaemada, and the guards behind her all tumbled down the stairs. A few of the guards leapt out of the way and turned toward Ra’ael, Taunos, and Takiyah with malevolent looks and ready stances, while others ran to help those who had fallen. Taunos raised his hands. These city guards were among the prickliest he’d ever seen, but at least they hadn’t used their weapons yet.
The guards near Kaemada shouted at her while the others regained their feet. Tannevar snarled and snapped, but he was so unsteady he was no danger to anyone. Kaemada put her arms around his neck, shielding their captors with her body once again. Taunos took a deep breath and kept his hands obviously clear of weapons, stepping down another step.
Harsh voices roared at them as the guards shouted in their native language, gesturing forward with their batons. Taunos pushed down his concern and anger. He had to do what he could to steer them toward a path where he could win, and they’d all come out unscathed.
“She will not hurt you!” Taunos called out in the Traveller’s Tongue, for they’d spoken in it before.
Red-jewel gestured sharply at them, and Taunos motioned to the others to come peacefully. Kaemada had been right in one thing—a fight would only worsen their chances to find Eian. He picked up Eian’s doll, displaying for the guards that it was not a weapon, and allowed them to shove him down the stairs. Two guards hauled Kaemada up by her arms, provoking Tannevar once more.
“Shareil, Tannevar, shareil!” Kaemada pled.
“Tie up the furred one,” ordered one of the female guards.
Two men advanced cautiously and bound Tannevar’s muzzle shut with fine metal cords, looping chains around his neck as well. All the while, Kaemada turned breathlessly from one to the other, pleading for mercy, pleading for calm, and trying to explain.
“Kaemada, they’re not listening,” Taunos said in a low voice, watching the guards.
“I have to try! They might listen. But only if we try!” she gasped, looking frantically from their captors to Tannevar and back.
Once Tannevar was bound, the guards stripped them of their weapons. Taunos stood over Kaemada and the wolf while her friends clustered at his back. Kaemada looked miserable, so Taunos pulled her close. “Shh, I have gotten out of worse situations, little sister.”
But could he do it again? Without sacrificing anyone close to him, people he couldn’t bear to see hurt?
The guards dragged them apart and shoved the end of a truncheon into Kaemada’s back. She stumbled forward with a cry, and Tannevar snarled, fighting his bonds. Both fell in a heap.
Taunos snapped. “Leave her alone! Do you not see we’re not trying to hurt you?”
Takiyah murmured, “For first impressions, this could be going better.”
Red-jewel shouted at the guards beside Kaemada in their unintelligible language. They shouted in return while Kaemada struggled to regain her feet. Taunos clenched his fists, watching their body language for clues. The guards likely did not want their movements hampered by a prisoner who may or may not be faking an injury. He could understand such a concern. He could use that concern.
“Let me carry her,” he said.
They looked at him and then each other, muttering. Red-jewel glared at him for long moments before nodding curtly, gesturing from Taunos to Kaemada with his baton. Smiling pleasantly, Taunos gave his sister back the figurine and lifted her in his arms.
She protested, cradling the doll, and he gave her a stern look. “Rest, little sister. You can hardly stand.”
The guards shoved Takiyah ahead with a cudgel. She hissed, glaring at the offending guard. “Careful!”
Ra’ael bore the jab in silence. Taunos stepped forward, though Lacey sneered at him and poked him with his baton anyway. Determined not to show his anger, Taunos gritted his teeth. Tannevar brought up the end of the line, led by two wary guards.
They were marched through the streets in stern silence. Taunos kept his gaze moving. Anything they could learn about these people might be an advantage. Everything so far had been posturing and intimidation, not true danger. The civilized air of the underground city increased the chances of some sort of system for justice. The enticing call of a challenge pulled at him. If he could figure out the system quickly enough, it would give him an edge.
The massive buildings were constructed from white stone, sometimes veined with blue, pink, or purple lines. Everything was polished, engraved, and heavily worked. Metal filaments and precious jewels decorated stairways, entrances, and the front of buildings, and the decorations grew more and more ornate as they walked along. Statues carved from smooth stone marked squares and crossroads. Some seemed like tall, b
ald Rinaryn, while other statues, more worn in appearance, had lizard-like features.
“Look at the lanterns!” Takiyah’s voice was thrilled. “The metalwork is beautiful.”
Taunos had to smile at her undaunted love of adventure, even as Ra’ael hissed, “Takiyah, stop admiring our captors!”
The air down at city level was much warmer than at the entrance, and the people they saw around them were dressed in a very different manner than their guards. Instead of the ruffles and layers, the regular citizens wore clothes of very fine, flowing fabric in white and muted colors. Jewelry abounded: gold chain belts, metal filament anklets, bracelets, necklaces laden with precious jewels and charms, and circlets made of braided or corded metal filament and hung with gems. The women wore long dresses and wrapped themselves in sheer shawls of white or pastel colors, shimmering like rainbows. The men were clothed in light, short tunics, sometimes open in the front, and simple kilts that went to the knee, held up by heavily decorated belts.
The sea of people around them grew thicker as they made their way deeper into the city. Held back by the guards, the throng grew impossibly large as hundreds of people gawked at them. In the distance, others swarmed about their business, calling greetings, crying wares, arguing over goods. It seemed likely that there were more people here than all the Rinaryn gathered together at the Seeker Tree.
“I have always wished to meet Kamalti,” Kaemada breathed with a faint smile. “Your city is beautiful.”
The guards scowled more deeply at her until her smile faded away. Tannevar snarled, bucking against his chains.
Ra’ael shared their scowl, though hers was directed toward their captors. “The Kamalti are a myth.”
“How can you doubt the evidence of your eyes?” Takiyah asked, looking around in open wonder. She looked up and gasped, her steps halting, and Taunos followed her gaze. A massive glowing ball of lights took the place of the sun, illuminating the cavern. “Look!”