The Lostkind

by Matt Stephens

  "Lets synchronize our watches." Gill said.

  Vincent nodded and checked his watch. "Eight hours... go." They both started their watches, beginning the countdown.

  "Why not just send them a message from up here?" Connie demanded. "Why do you have to go back?"

  "Because if nobody's come to talk to me, or Tecca; odds are good that the Bad Guys won. Vandark's smart. He'll keep anything I can throw at him a secret. This only works if they all hear me."

  "The Whisper Gallery?" Connie hissed, worried.

  "The Whisper Gallery." Vincent agreed, determined.

  Heavy silence. Connie sent Gill a look; and the man found something fascinating to do on the other side of the room.

  Connie stood close to Vincent and spoke in a low voice. "I managed to arrange a surprise vacation to my mom's." She explained. "I can be there for a week or so. If you need me here, nothing's promised."

  "No. You should go." Vincent told her. "This plan goes bad… Vandark might come looking for you. I need Gill here, but I'd rather you be safe."

  Connie sighed. "Never thought I'd be fleeing the city." She smiled at him, just a little. "I've been hanging with a bad crowd, huh?"

  "Looks that way." Vincent peeked at her out of the corner of his eye. "But why don't you say what you really want to say?"

  Long silence.

  "Don't take him with you." Connie whispered. "The Underside cost me you, it's almost cost me my brother; it cost Tecca his grandmother… It can't have him too."

  "Connie..." Vincent sighed. "I've been terrible to you, I know. But for what it's worth... Tecca will be back soon."

  "Meaning?"

  "Meaning New York isn't his home, the Underside is, but Tecca won't be coming with me; and if you're going to run… do it soon, and take him with you." Vincent said.

  ~oo00oo~

  Outside the City Planner's Office, Drew was perched on the hood of his parked car; and Benji and Tony waiting in the backseat, and Tecca pacing impatiently back and forth in front of the car; waiting for an answer.

  Drew put out a hand and stopped him. "Kid, will you hold still? You're making me nervous."

  Tecca reined himself in with difficulty. "You're Connie's brother?"

  "Have been all her life." Drew confirmed. "You one of the kids from her Clinic?"

  "Technically, yes." Tecca admitted. They were silent for a moment before he continued. "She wants to adopt me."

  Drew reacted. "Well. That's big."

  "It's a first for me too." Tecca admitted. "Thing is, I kind of like the idea."

  "Connie says she's about to explain what the hell is happening." Drew said. "But I'm guessing you already know, huh?"

  Tecca glared. "It's not something we talk about. Ever. Ev-er!"

  "Connie trusts me." Drew offered. "Does that buy me anything?"

  "Yes." Tecca said honestly. "That's why I decided not to kill you."

  Beat.

  "Well… welcome to the family then." Drew said awkwardly.

  They were saved from further conversation when Gill, Connie and Vincent came out of the building; a shared look of determination on all their faces.

  "We're ready." Vincent said firmly. "Drew, Benji, Tony… thank you so much for getting it all together for me."

  "Are you going to explain what's going on now?" Drew demanded, fed up at last.

  "Yes." Connie said softly. "And you're a Prince for being so patient with me."

  Vincent wrapped up the little meeting. "Connie, tell your brother the story. Tecca, you're coming with me, Gill…"

  "Set up a Press Conference." Gill said for him. "On it. This works, I'm fired; you know that."

  "I do." Vincent sighed. "I'm really very sorry for that."

  "Don't be." Gill said easily. "The best thing about the job was the late night poker games. Stupid Gambler's Anonymous."

  Vincent shook his best friends' hand. "Thank you for… well, for all of it."

  Gill nodded, swallowing. "Thank you for… ahh, you know."

  "Men." Connie breathed disgustedly. "Just can't say anything can you?" She stepped forward and hugged Vincent tightly. "Be safe."

  Vincent hugged her back. "I will." he turned to Tecca. "We have to stop by my place first. I need some equipment. You ready?"

  Tecca nodded, filled with a fierce energy. "Let's move."

  ~oo00oo~

  Vincent took his time, gathering what he'd need, making sure he had everything. He sent one last look around his apartment; very aware that he might never see it again. It was the last chance he had to listen to doubt. Connie was half right: It wasn't really his war. He wasn't one of them; he just knew about them. He'd helped out hundreds of homeless people too; and wasn't considered part of their family either...

  His eyes slid unconsciously to the windowsill; half expecting to see Yasi perched there. What would she do? He asked himself. She'd protect her own.

  You failed to protect yourself from the Riverfolk; you didn't pass any of Yasi's tests... You didn't say anything against Owen, or even try to save your own life in the Underside... History says you're not ready for this. Vincent closed his mind to the questions. If he went, he was probably going to get himself killed; but if he didn't even try, he'd never forgive himself.

  Taking a deep breath, Vincent turned to go. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror... and froze.

  The long coat Yasi had given him went down past his knees. The hiking boots were far more appropriate for the Underside than office shoes. He took the old Lostkind Lantern, his first memento of the Underside, and clipped it to his utility sling, slung over his chest like a bandoleer. He took the Riverfolk Goggles, just in case he couldn't risk using the light. He hesitated at the weapons, but eventually took the knife he'd been issued during the fight, and the crossbow Tecca had left him after Wotcha died. That left the charm bracelet, made for him in another life by the homeless children. The people who fell through the cracks of the world had thanked him for noticing them. He didn't dare wear it around his throat; so he tied it around his upper arm instead.

  He looked the part. He was dressed in a bohemian mixture of modern and medieval. He was a steampunk urban warrior, looking like something outside the normal world.

  He wasn't a New Yorker any longer.

  He was Lostkind.

  ~oo00oo~

  Tecca's jaw dropped when he saw Vincent step out of his apartment, and lock the door behind him. "Huh."

  Vincent left his door key under the mat, and spread his arms a little. "What do you think? Will I blend in?"

  "Well... yeah." Tecca guessed. "But I don't know what you expect to do... You cannot possibly take them." Tecca said bluntly. "You look like us, but... If Yasi couldn't stop him, I doubt you can."

  "Doesn't matter. I'm not going to fight Vandark. I'll never succeed." Vincent said honestly. "But I've got an insurance policy."

  "Meaning?"

  "Meaning, if anything bad happens to me; it won't matter. Vandark will still lose."

  ~oo00oo~

  Tecca had led the way out of the apartment building, to the nearest manhole. Waiting until the street was empty, the boy produced an odd shaped piece of metal like a conjuring trick, and used it to lever up the manhole cover. The boy moved with experienced ease, having done it a million times. Vincent had always exited this way; but never entered.

  Tecca didn't even hesitate, leading the way down the pipe, until they came to a maintenance hatch. "Phone exchange." He told Vincent. "The city fixes phone circuits through here. Try not to bump anything."

  The exchange passage was narrow and filled with electronic bits and pieces; and Tecca led him through. There was a chalk mark on the floor. One of the Lostkind's glyphs. "The door only opens from the other side, but the Labyrinth is right below our feet now." Tecca explained.

  "Let's go then."

  Tecca held up a hand. "So. If you do manage to do... whatever the hell it is you're planning to do? What then?"

  "Then Vandark loses, and
the Lostkind win. Either way, the bad guys are done."

  Tecca was staring blankly. "Okay. We're not going in until you tell me what you're planning to do down there."

  "Well, you're half right." Vincent said, turning to face the boy squarely. "I'm not telling you anything; but you're not going to come with me, so it hardly matters."

  Tecca took a step back instinctively. "You still need me."

  "No I don't. If you don't let me in this way; there are a hundred others I can try. I need a Watcher I can trust." Vincent challenged. "Not the kid traitor that let Owen loose, and left secret messages for the Riverfolk."

  Tecca froze for a microsecond, and then reached for his belt.

  "Looking for this?" Vincent probed, holding up Tecca's belt-knife. "Connie took it off you when you were enjoying your ice-cream sundae."

  Pause.

  "How did you know it was me?" Tecca asked nervously, not bothering to deny it.

  "You missed." Vincent said simply.

  "What?"

  "When the Riverfolk attacked me, Wotcha gave you the crossbow. She took a beating to distract them... and you missed."

  "I could have just missed. It's harder than it looks."

  "I know. That's why I didn't say anything to Yasi." Vincent just looked at him. "But it turns out I didn't have to. She knew it was you." He started counting on his fingers. "You were there when they met their first Wildman Warrior in the Labyrinth, and probably slipped him the blade. You were there when Owen was a prisoner, and with the rope; you could have levered the hatch open; you knew that Yasi and I were close, and Owen was able to use that knowledge when Yasi had him prisoner; and you knew when the attack would come. Something that even Yasi didn't know. That's why she sent you up to me." He glared. "I didn't need you to find a door kid. After three years, I got friends in all the ignored places in this city. But I needed to be sure. And you didn't even bother to deny it."

  Tecca swallowed, but when he spoke, it was with the fiery passion of a true believer. "We've been eating out of garbage cans!" He snapped. "Stealing garbage, for food. Doesn't matter if it wasn't rotten; it was still refuse to you people! Ever since my grandmother was my age; that's the way it's been. I tried to convince her that we could live like Kings. Vandark understood that. So did Owen. I tried to convince Wotcha! She said I was being silly. Silly! For wanting her to be comfortable and powerful instead of pretending she had to sleep in the gutter; she thought I was 'being silly'. Well I refuse to live like that when I get old. I'm gonna be a King!"

  Vincent scoffed. "The hell you are. I'm going in there, and I'm going to win this thing. And if I die, my 'insurance package' will still do the job. If Yasi's alive; she'll be by soon; and if she's dead, Vandark will still blame you. It took me a week to set this up, and Vandark's going to wonder why you didn't warn him." Vincent's voice turned to pure iron. "It won't take him long to realize that you were too busy eating Ice Cream with Connie."

  Tecca paled.

  "So. You still want to go down there?" Vincent challenged. "Because it's going to be worse for you than it will for me; and that is saying something."

  Tecca swallowed.

  "Run." Vincent growled, and stalked down the tunnel, not looking back at him. Tecca ran and Vincent checked his watch. Six hours, forty minutes.

  ~oo00oo~

  Vincent was swallowed by darkness the instant his feet touched floor. Feeling around on the top of his head, he pulled the goggles down to his eyes, and was able to see in front of him, enough to make out the walls.

  What so few people realize about a labyrinth, he thought to himself; Is that all the walls are connected. The only ways in are above floor level since they all lead up to the surface; and the only way out is the Entrance to the Underside. The entire maze is all one wall that branches off into confusing twists and turns. To find your way out, albeit slowly, all you have to do is put your hand on a wall and keep following it.

  It was a very slow, roundabout route, but it was a reliable one.

  Vincent adjusted the ruby-red goggles, the pitch black now a dim red glow, and he started making his way deeper into the Underside.

  ~oo00oo~

  Benji looked terribly disappointed as Connie finished telling the three of them the whole story. "No Buried Treasure?"

  Connie ignored him, eyes focused on her brother. "Drew? You okay?"

  Drew just stared at her. "I'd like the truth now, please."

  Benji piped up again. "Oh it's true, I saw Vincent's maps. But I thought it was... meh. Secret City is much less interesting."

  Tony just looked at him. "Less interesting?"

  "Buried treasure, we can spend it. Secret City, there's not much point if we know about it; cause they'll never let us go."

  "They let Vincent."

  "CLAM UP!" Drew shouted at his two friends and glared at Connie. "Come on sis, what the hell is really going on?"

  "Drew, you know me..." Connie pressed.

  "Yeah, I do. I remember you making up stories all the time." Drew snapped. "Look around this apartment, there's not one true story to go with any of your stupid junk."

  Connie twitched. Benji and Tony leaned back in their chairs, suddenly silent; trying to become absent from the conversation.

  Drew immediately deflated. "Sorry, that was way too... Sorry."

  "Drew, if I was going to make something up; I'd pick something a hell of a lot more believable than this." Connie said softly.

  "I don't believe it." Drew said finally. "If it were true, I can't believe you'd want out. I've seen you at the clinic, at the Soup Kitchen... You love the kids; and you'd have a whole city's worth of people to take care of..."

  "Why would I have to look underground?" Connie retorted. "There's plenty of lost boys right here on the surface."

  "Like Tecca?" Tony offered, and they both turned to him. "I noticed what looked an awful lot like official papers on your breakfast table."

  "You had breakfast at Connie's?" Benji jumped in. "And you didn't bring me?"

  Drew spun on Connie. "Don't tell me... You want to adopt this kid and you think he comes from Neverland?"

  "Neverland was in the sky." Benji countered; and everyone ignored him again.

  "I don't think it; I know it. He does too." Connie told Drew.

  Drew paused, stuck between not believing and believing this new evidence.

  ~oo00oo~

  Vincent saw the light change and pulled off the goggles. He could see a light ahead. He'd done it. He had found his way through the Labyrinth. The first time he came here, Yasi had lead him to an underground channel that led straight to Twelfth Level. On his way out with Connie six months before, he'd seen more of the geography. He had no idea where he'd come out now, but was amazed to see there were almost a dozen exits from the labyrinth meeting to form a much larger Tunnel. It had to be the Main Entrance. He could hear two Riverfolk guards talking to each other; and here and there he could see signs of recent construction... and destruction alongside it.

  Yasi collapsed the tunnel, and somebody rebuilt it. He thought numbly to himself. Whatever happened, it's well and truly over now.

  He tried to creep along the edge of the Tunnel Wall, but there was little to no point. There were two Riverfolk guards. Vincent crept along as silently as he could, looking for an opportunity to sneak past them... And they whirled toward him. Vincent couldn't detect the slightest sound from his footsteps, but they had both spun as if shot.

  "Take me to your leader." He demanded, proud of the way his voice held steady.

  The two Riverfolk looked at him, unimpressed.

  "Kill him." One said simply to the other.

  "Okay McCall, here we go." Vincent told himself bravely, and pulled out the crossbow.

  The Wildmen looked at him, looked at the weapon in his hand.

  And started laughing.

  Vincent gripped the crossbow. Well, this plan is going well.

  The Riverfolk moved in, drawing their familiar curved knives, and he too
k aim... And froze. He couldn't fire. Oh come on! Vincent raged at himself in a panic. You knew this was going to be... Come On!

  It was no good. They were getting in too close and Vincent couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger. He scurried backward, trying to get some room; trying to get out of reach...

  The nearest one picked him up by the throat and Vincent felt his feet leave the ground; feet kicking against the faceless monster uselessly. Vincent had his fingers dug into the Riverfolk's wrist, trying madly to get some air as it all started to go black...

  There was the sound of metal rasping, and a distant cry of pain; and the hold around his throat weakened slightly. Vincent came back to consciousness painfully, as his vision cleared, and he saw the Riverfolk that had dropped him in the middle of a knife-fight with a Shinobi in a hooded cloak. The second guard was already down, probably before either of them knew he was coming.

  Vincent's vision was still blurred, but clearing; as the two warriors moved around each other like switch-blades, slashing in and out of reach.

  The Shinobi ducked around to the Riverfolk's left, and the guard made a full bodied swing that left him completely out of balance. It was all the opening the ninja needed, driving his blade home in under the Riverfolk's guard.

  Vincent's throat burned for a moment, as the hooded figure stalked over to him, and pulled back the hood. "What the hell are you doing here?"

  Vincent choked on a short bark of laughter. "Dorcan?" He croaked. "I can't believe I'm happy to see you."

  Dorcan pulled him up. "You picked a hell of a time to come and visit." He glanced back at the two dead guards. "We better get moving. They'll have friends coming for them soon." He gestured at the tunnel. "Go home."

  "Dorcan, I'm staying."

  "No you're not." Dorcan said directly. "There's a war going on down here."

  "I know." Vincent took a deep breath determinedly. "I'm down here to win it."

  Dorcan tried to hide the pity on his face. "Vincent, no offense, but what I've seen tells me that you wouldn't be much good in a fight."

  "I agree." Vincent admitted. "I'm not here to fight this war, I'm here to end it. Tonight."