“Three of us are escorting two young men to Vigil and we can’t pay the funds for their passage.” She paused, apparently to read his reaction. “So we need you to get them out. That’s what you do now, right?”
Barden looked Daniel up and down before he shook his head. “Sorry,” he said. “I can’t do that. Even if I could, the way out isn’t safe anymore.”
Mila rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Jeremiah, you know—”
“Barden. I don’t know anyone by the name ‘Jeremiah’.”
She nodded. “Barden. You know we can handle ourselves. Just show us the way.”
“I have no doubt that you and I assume Claudia and whoever else is with you can handle yourselves,” he said. Barden pointed at Daniel. “His safety is what I would worry about.”
“You let me worry about him,” Mila said. “Tell me about the way out.”
He smiled and swirled the drink around. “You’ve always been so damned stubborn.”
She grinned. “You’re one to talk.”
He nodded to Daniel. “Who’s he to you?”
Mila shrugged dismissively. “Someone worth the effort. You know what that’s like.”
He stared at them for a long moment before speaking to Daniel. “Well . . . aren’t you a lucky kid.” He turned back to Mila and sighed. “When the people that were stuck here after the war started mining to earn the money they needed to buy their lives back, some of the mineshafts they dug out intersected with caves. I used some of these caves to smuggle people out of the city.”
“So why’d you stop?” Mila said.
“The caves mostly collapsed during the eruption of Dragons Maw, one of the few that didn’t, recently become a satlis den. The very one you’re now seeking to use.”
Mila exhaled heavily. “Of course it is. How long ago did the satlis move in?”
He glared at her. “Happened about two years ago.”
Mila tapped her chin for several long, tense moments before speaking: “Can you take us there?”
“No. I am not going in there”
“You don’t have to. Just show us where it is.”
Barden looked at the floor before shaking his head: “I can’t do that.”
Mila narrowed her eyes. Daniel could tell she was trying to come up with another approach. “Why?” she asked, “Why do you do this?”
“What? Drink?” Barden said. “It’s not for the flavor, I’ll tell you that much. But I think you already know that.”
“No, why did you help people like Daniel and Aaron get out of the city? Where did it start? You left the Dragon Guard. Why not go somewhere quieter, live in peace?”
He lifted the bottle to his lips but stopped short of drinking it. He looked at the ale swirling around the bottom before sighing and lowering it to the ground. “Five years ago,” he said. “The Dragon Guard was recruiting again, so Grey Gate always had a couple of young men and women passing through. There was this one girl, couldn’t have been more than fourteen.” He bit his lip and shook his head. “The captain then wasn’t what Flint was, but he still charged twice as much. The girl, like most, didn’t have enough marks. She was here for weeks trying to earn the money, doing whatever she could . . . but the year was nearly over, so she’d finally had enough of it. Stole a rope and tried to climb over the east wall.”
“What happened to her?” Daniel asked in a whisper.
“They have archers in those towers during the night. At the very least, it was quick.” Barden placed his face in his hands briefly before lifting his eyes to look at Mila again. “She reminded me of my sister when I was younger.” A smile crossed his face that quickly faded. “It wasn’t the first time it happened and it won’t be the last. My wife and I decided to do what we could for whoever we could. Didn’t matter who they were or why they needed out. All that mattered was that they were trapped here by a corrupt system.”
“What about the satlis?” Mila said. “How did you find out they took the place as a den?”
“Two years ago. It’d been several weeks since the last run, so we had no idea they were there. I led a man and his son to their deaths. Those Shade damned cats nearly killed me too. I closed off the passage and haven’t gone back since. The others in our operation left the city for good, but Lisa wanted to try one last time to see if the cats had gone nearly a month later. Told her it was stupid, they don’t move on like that, but I couldn’t stop her. Guards caught her and those she was leading just before they went into the tunnels. They’re in prison now but, probably saved their lives.”
Daniel was afraid to ask his next question but he felt he needed to know: “What happened to Lisa?”
“Guards will tell you she’s in prison too. I know better than that with Flint in charge.”
Mila leaned in and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I understand your hesitation so I’m not asking you to lead us through. Just show us the entrance and we’ll take care of the rest. I won’t make you go down there again.”
He shook his head once more. “I refuse to be the cause of more death.”
“No one is going to die. I will not let that happen.”
He stared at the floor for a long while. “I need to think on this,” he finally said.
Mila leaned back and nodded. “I understand. We’re staying at Prospector’s Rest. If you decide to help us, you can find us there.”
Chapter Ten
24th of Horace, 26th year of the Fourth Age.
They passed no one as they went through the slums. Every door was closed. The group of six was deep in the south side slums, trying to keep their pace quick as they wound through dozens of main passages and offshoots of narrower tunnels. The further into the mountain they went, the fewer doors and braziers were set into the walls, until the tunnel was as it had been long ago, just a mineshaft. After so many turns, Daniel lost track of which way they were heading. If they were separated he didn’t think he’d ever find his way out. Finally, Barden led them down one last tunnel which brought them to a wall with a single, iron-banded door in its center.
Barden had come to the group that morning at the inn and told them he would lead them to the tunnels. But he would go no further than that. Now he stood before the sturdy door and fumbled in a bag at his side before pulling out a set of keys. He cycled through them before finding the one he wanted and sliding it into the oddly pristine padlock. When the lock didn’t release, his eyes widened in surprise before he tried another key. Daniel thumbed the pommel of the iron short sword that now hung at his waist as he watched Barden work.
Kenneth and Mila had gone into Market Level just after Barden’s visit that morning to procure the items they would need for their now-extended journey. Since they lacked funds, at Claudia’s suggestion they’d sold their horses. They hadn’t been able to get even half of what they were actually worth and walked away with a total of ten gold marks for all five of them. Kenneth, needless to say, had been furious, but they weren’t going to simply leave them in the stables for the city guard to have for free—if not out of respect for the horses, then out of spite for Flint and the guards. Aaron hadn’t liked having to leave Bella behind, but had agreed it was necessary in the end. Daniel was equally upset about leaving Connie’s horse. It had almost felt like having to leave home again. He never thought he’d be brought to the verge of tears over a horse.
The morning purchases included a short sword each for Daniel and Aaron. The swords were, in Kenneth’s words, “of a quality befitting a child’s toy.” But after a treatment with Kenneth’s whetstone, they were plenty sharp and would do well enough for the time being. They purchased, in addition to the swords and their fresh supply of food, a fire-starting kit for Daniel. Torches for each of them were strapped to the undersides of their packs, as well as two decorative glass vials that they’d filled with oil they “commandeered” from an unlit brazier in
the slums not two hours earlier.
Daniel’s mind quit wandering when he heard Claudia whisper to Barden in the dark. In spite of her attempt to stay quiet, her voice echoed in the empty tunnel: “What’s wrong?”
Barden fumbled with his keys. “I don’t know, it won’t open . . . my key isn’t working.”
A familiar voice called from behind them: “It appears someone managed to get a key for the old one, so we had to change the lock. Safety concerns and all that.”
They whirled around to see Flint flanked by ten guards, their swords drawn, walking toward them and blocking the path back to the city.
Flint stopped a dozen feet away. “Barden,” he said, “I’m so disappointed. I had my suspicions, of course, but I had hoped I was wrong. I rather like you. Shame you happen to be a part of . . . this lot.” He sighed and motioned for the guards behind him to move forward. “By the law of the land of Edaren and the authority given to me by the Representative of Grey Gate, the Third Seat of the King’s Council, I place you all under arrest under charges of smuggling.”
Claudia stepped in front of Daniel and Aaron, her sword drawn. Behind him, Daniel heard the strain of wood as Mila drew an arrow and took aim. The guards paused and glanced at one another, concern clear on their faces due to the quick and aggressive motions made against them.
Mila spoke quietly to Daniel and Aaron: “Get behind me.”
Without a word, Daniel did as he was told. Aaron quickly followed suit, placing them directly behind Mila, with Barden still at the door fumbling with the keys, hoping the impossible would happen and one of them would work on the new lock.
Flint raised an eyebrow. “Then, am I to understand you will be resisting arrest? Oh, how fun.”
Daniel glanced behind him at Kenneth, who was slowly moving toward the door.
Barden threw down the keys and rushed forward to stand in front of Claudia. “Enough of this, Flint,” he said. “I take full responsibility. Leave them out of this.”
Flint shook his head. “Regardless of your personal feelings of guilt,” he said, “I’m afraid you’re all responsible at this point.” He waved for the guards to advance.
The first guard approached. When he was close enough, Claudia darted around and past Barden, slamming her open palm up into his nose, breaking it and causing blood to flow down his face as he cried out in pain. The second guard was startled by Claudia’s speed. She took advantage by lunging forward again. This time she swept out her foot and knocked his legs out from under him, causing the guard to fall to the ground under the weight of his chainmail. A third guard recovered quickly enough to swing wide at Claudia’s midsection, but he was far slower. Claudia raised her sword in defense, letting the blades collide and hold firm against one another.
Daniel heard Mila release the bowstring with a resounding twang. The third guard cried out in pain as an arrow punctured his thigh in the gap between his chainmail and leggings. He cried out as he fell to the ground and clutched at the wooden shaft in his leg. Behind them, Daniel heard Kenneth grunt several times. When he looked back, he saw the huge warden bashing the door with his shield. The wood was cracked and the old and weak iron was bending inward. After several more strikes, the wood connected to the latch shattered. The door flew open in a shower of dust and splinters.
Kenneth stood to the side and called out: “Let’s go!”
Daniel and Aaron ran through the doorway, followed by Barden and Mila. Claudia kicked back another guard before turning to follow, allowing Kenneth to bring up the rear, his shield raised as he backed down the narrow tunnel and formed a living wall between the two groups.
Flint shouted angrily as he ripped the arrow out of the fallen guard’s leg: “Get up and go after them!”
The guards attempted to follow but the passage was only wide enough for them to move single file. When the group of guards came close enough, Kenneth lashed out with his shield, shoving them back and causing them to fall atop one another. After the lead guards regained their footing, Kenneth slammed his shield into them again, sending them to the top of the tangled mass of bodies before he turned and ran down the narrow passage after the rest of his companions.
They’d had no time to light a torch so they ran as fast as they could manage in the darkness. Thankfully, it was a straight tunnel with little variation in the floor and walls. After several minutes their pace slowed gradually until they came to a complete stop. The old mines were quiet save for the sound of their heavy breathing. Daniel heard someone shuffling through a pack, followed by the flashes of spark stone. A torch flared to life, momentarily blinding him.
Barden lifted another torch to the flame to light it before he passed it to Claudia. “Hopefully they won’t follow us this far,” Barden said. He motioned further down the mine. “Stay close. If you go down the wrong branch, you’ll be lucky to ever see daylight again.”
With that, they started into the darkness, Barden leading the way. Kenneth and Claudia brought up the rear with the rest of them in the middle. The walls of the mine were rough and the wooden supports looked rotten and brittle. They passed several branch-offs which led to nothing but more darkness, as well as a few cave-ins that blocked the way further into the mountain. Daniel couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be lost down here without any light or sense of direction. Who knew what else could lurk in these tunnels, waiting for something to stumble into it? If satlis had found their way in, something else must have at one time or another.
Daniel placed a hand on the hilt of his new sword. He wasn’t sure why, but it felt reassuring to have it beneath his palm, to know it was still there and ready in case anything happened. Kenneth had taught him and Aaron the basics before they set out to meet with Barden that morning, so it was all still fresh in his mind—the way to grip and stand, and how to properly jab or swing. Kenneth had also told them the ways a satlis was likely to attack and how best to avoid them altogether should they end up in a fight with the creatures.
Daniel had asked Claudia about them after he and Mila had returned to the inn. They were some of the most dangerous animals that roamed the mountains of Edaren. They tended to stay within their burrows during the day and ventured out to hunt the night hours. They killed their prey with potent venom from their fangs and maimed anything they couldn’t kill with their spike covered tails.
Daniel kept running over it all as they marched on through the darkness, taking only three turns during the next hour in spite of the dozens of passages they passed. As they went, he examined the walls of the mines and could see marks and divots in the stone where ores and jewels had no doubt been mined away years earlier.
“Barden,” Claudia said, “I’ve been curious about how you came to know this route in the first place.” Daniel heard him hum softly as he thought. “Was a map sold to me by one of the older families of the city about a year after I left the Dragon Guard,” Barden answered. “He said he could trace his family line back to the nobles of Shale. The whole system of tunnels was mapped at one time and this map showed most of it.”
Daniel furrowed his brow. “Why would he sell a family heirloom like that?”
“Well, he smelt a lot like black blood.”
Daniel knew the term. Black blood was a highly addictive drug. The only reason Daniel had heard of it was that at one point it’d had a presence in Sapella’s Crossing. A dealer had tried to set up a den for it but had simply vanished shortly after arriving. The residents of the town became aware of the drug’s presence only when an addict was forced to go without it for several days and lost his mind. The dealer’s body was found later in an abandoned home, along with the bodies of several others who had been a part of his operation. All of them, it seemed, died of natural causes. Though no one actually believed that, but there had been no other explanation.
From what Daniel had heard, black blood was rampant in Luden. Thinking about the power of the drug alway
s made him uneasy, so he pushed it out of his mind. Instead, he focused on their slow and cautious walk. They continued on for another hour until they came to a shabby wooden wall with a narrow door. It had so many chains and locks that Daniel was worried it would be impossible to open. Barden began unlocking and removing the multitude of chains, setting them gently on the floor to avoid making any unnecessary noise.
It took Barden several minutes to remove them all. When he was done, he stepped to one side. “The cave is a straight shot with only one fork,” he said. “Take the right passage if you want to get out safely and quickly. The left has an abrupt edge followed by a steep incline, shortly after that there is another steep climb on the way out. It also eventually leads outside, but it’s a much longer route so I don’t recommend it.”
Aaron spoke, concern evident in his tone: “What are you going to do? You can’t go back now. They’ll do worse than just arrest you.”
Barden shrugged. “It was bound to happen eventually. Who knows,” he said with a weak smile, “maybe I’ll share a cell with my wife.” Daniel felt a twinge in his heart at Barden’s words.
Kenneth ushered Daniel and Aaron through the door and placed a hand on Barden’s shoulder as he passed. “May Verhova protect you,” he said. “When we get to Vigil I’ll see if there’s anything we can do for you and your wife.”
Barden seemed surprised at the gesture. He mumbled a thanks under his breath as Kenneth stepped through the narrow opening.
Mila was about to step past but Barden grabbed her by the arm. “You make sure they make it through,” he said.
She nodded and lifted his hand from her shoulder. “They’ll be fine,” she said. “I give you my word, Jeremiah; I’ll make sure of it.”
With that, she and the others stepped through and Barden shut the door behind them. Claudia used her torch to light each of the others’ until they all carried their own source of light. Then, with a deep sigh from Claudia, they started off into the cave, the sounds of chains and locks being put into place behind them. The walls here were smoother than in the mines. Hundreds of stalactites hung from the ceiling. A few longer ones nearly reached the floor, so they had to step around them. All was silent save for their breathing and footfalls, and the always-distant dripping of water. It was obvious why no one spoke. While satlis tended to settle in one area, it was also possible they had been driven out by any number of other predators.
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