by Eric Guindon
“I came looking for you, Mother. I’m here to free you!” Kyria told her.
“Oh, darling, you found me?” Her mother hugged her and Kyria fought hard to keep her tears under control; it felt so good to be held. A part of her wanted to just hand over all of this to her mother and let her take care of everything, but Kyria knew she couldn’t do that. It was her vow to fulfil. She was the one with the means to see it through, not her mother.
“Mother, the bandits, they killed Father,” Kyria said. She wasn’t sure if her mother had seen the end of the fight or how things had ended.
“I know, sweetling. Oh, I know.” Kyria felt her mother’s tears on her hair.
“We can’t stay here like this, Mom. Bandits might come into this room at any time, I don’t know. Can you tell me what you remember?”
Santha nodded, reluctantly pulling away.
“The leader of the gang that attacked the Yard, Kurin, he took me prisoner after the fight. He didn’t know what else to do, he didn’t have the will to kill me in cold blood and he couldn’t just leave me there. They took me to a place near an abandoned city. I tried to escape while we were there, but they caught me, hurt me, cut me. I was delirious after that for a while. Next thing I knew, I was in Groandel. They took me to some tavern and then under it. There were a lot of corridors and, eventually, the collar.” She told the tale as if testifying, simply relating facts. Kyria could see that her mother was holding back her emotions too, just like she was.
“Take these people and leave here, Mother. They’ll obey any orders they’re given while they have the collars on, so it might be best to leave them on until you reach safety. I’ll show you where the sewers are. If you follow the flow, you should make it out to the river. Once you’re out, find the city guard.”
Her mother objected immediately: “Kyria, you’re coming with us. Stop talking like you’re sending me away with those people and staying here!”
“No, Mother. I have to stay here. I still have business here. I have to find this Kurin who took you hostage. I promised Papa. I promised I’d make the bandits pay, that their leader would suffer.”
“But Kurin’s just another thug in the chain, Kyria! I heard him talk. He’s not the boss of all this, someone else gave him orders.”
“Then I’ll find Kurin and he’ll lead me to his boss,” Kyria asserted.
“You can’t do this, Kyria. Just come with me, please don’t argue,” Kyria’s mother grabbed for her arm, but the girl evaded her.
“Mother. Please trust me. I need to do this and I need you to lead these people out of here,” Kyria insisted, firm like her mother had never seen her. The girl thought she saw something change in her mother’s eyes as she spoke. Her posture altered subtly.
“You’ve grown up a lot, haven’t you, since I last saw you?” Her mother said.
“Yes.”
“Let me hug you one more time, sweetling. Then I’ll take these people to safety.”
The two held each other close for another minute. When Kyria’s mother pulled away, she said, “Meet me at your uncle’s when you can.”
“I promise,” Kyria said.
After that, the two got to work on herding the collared prisoners to the sewer entrance, picking up Gleari along the way.
Kyria’s mother wished her luck, then, lamp in hand, she descended through the grate and into the sewers. Gleari was next and then Kyria ordered each collared victim down the ladder one at a time.
It was only when he stood right before her, next in line to be sent down, that Kyria recognized Kurin, the leader of the gang that had attacked the Yard, the man who had kidnapped her mother. He was collared, like all the others, his expression was so unlike the one he wore when in control of his own will that he was nearly unrecognizable.
I noticed him earlier, Haylem told her. But you were busy.
Kyria blinked at the man for a moment, speechless.
“What’s the matter, Kyria?” Her mother asked from below.
“Nothing,” the girl mumbled. She ordered Kurin to step out of the line and stand to the side, then sent the next prisoner down instead. When all save Kurin were in the sewers, Kyria told her mother to go and lead them out.
“Be safe,” her mother called in parting.
Kyria waited a moment then turned to Kurin.
“Back to the smelter room,” she ordered.
Chapter Thirteen:
I Will Find Their Leader
Kyria had the bandit gang leader sit in one of the chairs the overseers had used. She stood facing him, her weapons at the ready, but not for Kurin. She was on the lookout for any new bandits coming into the chamber from the stairs.
“Can you hear and understand me?” She asked the collared bandit.
“Yes.” He spoke without inflection.
“Why do you have a collar on?”
“Because it was put on me.” Kyria realized that, although he was compelled to answer, the man was not altogether mentally present, and answered her questions quite literally.
“Who put the collar on you?” She asked him.
“Elmin.”
“Who’s Elmin?”
“Elmin is Elmin.”
Kyria sighed. “If you had to describe Elmin’s job, what would you call it?”
“He’s a cell leader in the Hex and Star.”
“Is he your boss in the Hex and Star?”
“Yes.”
“And he put the collar on you? Don’t answer that,” Kyria said quickly. “Is Elmin the boss?”
“Yes.”
“I mean, is he the head of the Hex and Star?” Kyria thought it probable Kurin wouldn’t register her emphasis in the previous question or interpret it correctly in his current state.
“No.”
“So Elmin is not the ultimate boss of the Hex and Star?” She felt it best to get multiple confirmations.
“He is not.”
“Do you know who is?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Kyria sighed. “What is the name of the boss of the entire Hex and Star?”
“Anderas.”
“No last name?”
“None that I know.”
“How did you come about knowing who the leader of the Hex and Star is?”Kyria remembered that other members had claimed they only knew their own superior.
“He unmasked himself in front of me.”
“Why did he do that?”
“He did not tell me why.”
Kyria shook her head and tried again: “Why do you suppose he unmasked himself in front of you?”
“Because I was collared.”
“So you’d never tell anyone his identity . . . Why did they collar you? I mean, why do you think you were collared?”
“Because they were angry at me about the incident at the Yard.”
“When you went to the Yard, did you intend for there to be violence?”
“No.”
“But you threatened it. You were willing to deal out violence, right?”
“Yes.”
Kyria sat down in the other chair and sighed. She had really wanted this man to be the one to blame for everything, but he wasn’t. She needed to find this Anderas if she was to fulfil her final promise.
“Where do you think I might find Anderas? What’s the most likely place he would be, I mean.”
“Upstairs.”
“Is he often upstairs?”
“Yes.”
“Does he live there?”
“Yes.”
“Is Anderas a noble?”
“Yes.”
This explained a lot to Kyria. A noble could hide the chimneys and lifts on his property, claim them as part of his estate’s usual functions.
It’s settled then; I have to go upstairs and find this Anderas and make him pay for his crimes.
You can’t just go and assault a noble, Kyria. There will be repercussions, Haylem warned.
I know, Ha
ylem. But if he is a noble, he might have the power to get away with his crimes.
If you are determined to do this, then I will assist you, of course.
Thank you, Haylem. I couldn’t have done any of this without your help.
Kyria stood up and headed to the stairs.
Kyria was still underground when she came to the top of the stairs; they had not taken her as far up as the surface. The corridor she found herself in was lined in the same stone as the floors below, but the character of the place was different on this level. Instead of storerooms, the doors she opened lead to single quarters or barracks, most of them empty.
In one instance, she surprised a man in the middle of dressing. She shot him before he had a chance to react.
In the next instance, she opened the door to find the room full of Hex and Star men settling into a barracks room.
“Carry on,” she told them with all the authority she could muster.
The men looked at her, some smiling or trying to catch her eye. When she closed the door, she could hear them talking about her, but not about raising the alarm. Still, she hurried along.
Her cover was blown altogether when someone exiting a room found her prowling in the corridor. She hadn’t been facing the man and he yelled “Intruder!” before she had a chance to shoot him. After that, she ran down the corridors, looking for a way to get further up. The men responding to the alarm were ill-equipped for dealing with the girl; none of them carried crossbows or other ranged weapons. She simply shot them as they presented themselves and continued on her hurried way.
When Kyria reached a locked and elaborate door marked ‘no entry’ she decided this might well be the place she was looking for. Unfortunately, the door would not open.
I need to get through this, she sent to Haylem. Suggestions?
While the rune-mind thought, Kyria shot more bandits coming to investigate. One member of the last group to come down the corridor managed to retreat without being shot. The next group had crossbows.
Please hurry! She urged Haylem.
Let me take over, the rune-mind commanded. The girl did, retreating to a small corner of her mind as Haylem’s consciousness filled her body once more. He turned her back to the incoming bandits, leaving them only her cloak for a target. Then he cut her hand and hastily drew runic patterns onto the door, concentrating them around the lock. A second later, after a few more crossbow hits, Haylem made her step away from the door and crouch, covering as much of her body as possible with her cloak.
There came a loud boom and splinters of wood flew everywhere.
Haylem retreated from the girl’s mind, leaving her in control once more. The first thing she noticed upon returning to her body was how much the last few moments had depleted her. The crossbow bolts, the rune magic to destroy the door, the exploding wood splinters, these had all drained her.
Kyria took a deep breath and forced herself to carry on. She needed to keep moving.
Behind the door, which was now blown to smithereens, was a spiralling stairway leading up.
Yes!
Kyria climbed as quickly as she could, taking two steps at a time until she was too winded to keep up the pace. She had to turn around every few seconds to take shots at the pursuing bandits. Soon, she couldn’t hear any more men coming after her and was able to focus on climbing the seemingly interminable stairs. Kyria was convinced she had to have climbed higher than the surface by this time, but still the steps went on.
At last she came to a door, of sorts.
It was made of the same material as the walls and had no frame or handle. Only cracks indicated the edges of the door, betraying its location. Kyria pushed and it slid silently open.
The girl found herself in an immense closet filled to overflowing. This one room was larger than the whole ground floor of her parent’s house. The value of the clothes around her was beyond Kyria’s ability to reckon. There was even a window, letting in moonlight. Kyria could see the entirety of the upper and lower city spread out below her.
Where am I?
It looks like we’re high up in a central building on the mount, Haylem provided.
The girl heard footsteps and heavy breathing coming from the stairwell and decided she had best hurry. She found a door leading out of the closet and pushed through it.
The next room was a bedchamber of extreme opulence. Moonlight shone through the elaborate glass wall facing the city below. In the centre of the room, was a massive four poster bed made of exquisitely carved wood. Opaque curtains hid the interior of the bed from the girl, but she could hear sounds of covers slipping against covers from within.
“Who is there?” A man’s voice called from the bed.
“What is it?” A sleepy woman’s voice.
“Someone is in the bedchamber!” The curtains parted and a man wearing only loose pantaloons stepped out of the bed. A short blade glinted in his hand.
When the moonlight hit his face, Kyria thought he looked familiar, but she could not place him.
The man saw her: a girl in a dark green cloak, pointing two runic cylinders in his direction.
“How dare you?” The man demanded. “Guards!” He called. “Do you have any idea who I am?” He asked.
“Anderas?” Kyria asked.
“Prince Anderas! Your monarch! Now beg for my mer—” Kyria did not let him finish, shooting him with one of her weapons.
Royal guards burst into the bedroom, halberds held at the ready before them. From behind Kyria, Hex and Star bandits were pouring in, their crossbows at the ready.
He’s the prince! If I let him live, he’ll just cover all this up, Kyria told Haylem.
Are you sure you’re ready to kill a man, Kyria? Asked the rune-mind.
No. I don’t think anyone is ever ready. But I think I’m willing to face the cost of doing this if it means getting rid of this man and getting justice for everyone he’s ever harmed.
The rune-mind did not argue against Kyria.
Before bandits or guards had a chance to stop her, she shot Prince Anderas, ruler of the city-state of Groandel and head of the Hex and Star gang, a second time.
Royal guardsmen rushed to secure Kyria while others pushed past her to stand against the bandits. She dropped her weapons and surrendered to the Prince’s official guard.
Chapter Fourteen:
Doing the Right Thing
The guardsmen threw Kyria into a stone dungeon room, dank and covered in the grime of decades. She lay where she had landed, unmoving. The dark windowless cell was completely silent; all she could hear was her own breathing.
The door is just plain wood, Haylem said. When you’re rested and ready, we should be able to use your blood to get out of here.
Kyria did not respond.
Kyria? Asked the rune-mind.
Still nothing.
Haylem kept quiet for two hours. Still the girl did not move or respond.
Kyria? He tried again.
Please leave me alone, she finally answered. Kyria moved from where she had been lying, dragging herself along the dirty floor until she reached a corner. There she sat with her back against the wall, her head resting on her knees.
Are you all right? Asked the rune-mind after another few minutes of silence.
I’m not, no. I thought it would feel good to avenge my father, the workers, all the people that the prince has harmed that I don’t even know about, but it doesn’t. All I feel now is empty, Haylem. I just did to the prince’s son what the prince’s men did to me: I took away his father. What does that say about me? In his children’s eyes, I’m the bad guy.
Kyria broke down then, sobbing in great gasps.
You have to forgive yourself, Haylem told her.
I shouldn’t be the bad guy in this!
You’re not, Kyria. You’re not.
But I am! I thought I was doing the right thing, but I acted just like the bad guys! I wasn’t solving any problems, or making things better, I was out for blood. I wanted
someone to pay for taking away my father. That’s all I cared about. But my father wouldn’t have wanted this. He wouldn’t have wanted me to go and become a killer in his name. He would hate me now for what I did!
I didn’t know your father, Haylem said. But I doubt he would hate you, Kyria. I think you did courageous things, helped people, and stopped someone from ever harming anyone’s father again. You may not have needed to kill the man, and you may regret that choice, but it’s done. Was it the best thing to do? I cannot say. But it was still something good, I think. In a perfect world, you would not have had to do it. But this is a far from perfect world. You have taken the burden of that man’s death onto yourself and the fact that you regret taking his life, that it had to happen, that means you’re not the bad guy, Kyria.
I hate that I wanted him dead. I hate that I wanted it to feel good to kill him. I hate that I still want it to feel good, Haylem.
It’s a hard thing, killing, the rune-mind agreed. It’s a harder thing living with yourself afterwards. Haylem paused for a moment before going on. But you are strong Kyria, and I think deep down you know that you did what needed to be done, given the facts as you saw them. It was a hard decision to make and you made it. You must accept this and let yourself move on.
Move on to what? The girl asked. What is there left? I fulfilled my vow. I freed Mother. What else is there?
For one thing, you have to get out of here before they execute you for murder, Haylem said. But that is just the beginning. I didn’t want to burden you before, I wanted your needs to come first before telling you about this, but I think the time has come.
What are you talking about, Haylem?
There is much more for you to do, Kyria. Much, much, more. The world is in great danger and no one knows it. I can’t prevent what’s coming alone, I need help. I need your help, Kyria. You want to atone for taking the prince’s life?
More than anything, the girl said.
Then save the world with me.
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