He turned the corner into the alleyway behind the palace of judges. He usually avoided traveling the long alley because no matter the time of day, the shadow cast on it made it as dark as night. However, the path provided a shortcut to his destination. He glanced down the dark pass. He saw nothing suspicious, unless stacked wooden crates and barrels posed a danger, which he was certain they didn’t. After a short inner deliberation, he decided to take the shortcut.
The deeper he moved, the darker it became and the more he regretted his decision. It was quiet, too quiet for his liking. A leaking, tipped-over mug dripped quietly beside him, and a low howl whistled in the air.
“Look who’s here,” came a voice from beside him. Salik jumped from behind a barrel. His face was bruised and he had a purple lump above his left eye. “You should really consider taking a different path next time. You’re getting predictable.”
The same five boys from the night before hopped out from behind the barrels as well.
Aadi was dumbfounded by their tenacity. Was he really that important to them they would hunt him down again?
Salik grinned, exposing yellow teeth with black blotches. “His little girlfriend is not here this time to save his rear.” He rushed at Aadi, running wildly from side to side.
Despite the shock he’d been dealt, Aadi grounded his feet. He rocked his head back, dodging Salik’s wild attack. Before his opponent could react, Aadi punched him in his right eye.
“Arghhhhhh!” The boy screamed. He staggered back and caressed his injury. He turned to his posse. “Aren’t any of you going to help me out?”
“Stay where you are!” Bester ordered. He held his arms up as he stood before the rest of the gang, which was a strange sight, since they were all much taller than him. “Neko said he wanted him unharmed.”
Aadi could practically see Salik’s face turn from white to a deep red. “How dare you!”
“You’re not in command here!” Bester countered. “You were in charge of the last mission, and we all know how that turned out. You’re too hotheaded.” Bester stood toe to toe with Salik. “Of course, if you have a problem with that, you should tell Neko that you can make better choices than him.”
Salik’s fury drained out of his face. His breathing lowered to a harsh rasp. “No. You’re in charge. There’s no need to tell Neko any of this.” Aadi could tell that forcing those words out of his mouth was one of the hardest things Salik had ever done.
The short boy turned to Aadi. “Hello, I’m Bester. I’ve come to recruit you.”
“Recruit me?” Aadi asked. The whole situation confused him. He had expected another attack, and now they wanted him on their side?
“Yes,” said Bester. “I know this might come as a shock, considering how badly we handled the situation the last time we met.” He shot a disapproving glance at Salik. “But we actually need you in our side.”
Aadi’s confusion turned to anger. Who did they think he was?
“I’m not about to join a group of bullies who terrorize the weak.”
Bester waved his hands frantically. “No, you got it all wrong. We’re no bullies. The total opposite. We work for a great man who wants nothing else than to bring prosperity back to Va’siel.”
“Yes, I heard,” Aadi said. “He must be a really great man if he has people like this…” he pointed at Salik, who growled back at him, “…under his command.”
“No one is perfect, but don’t take it out on Neko. Please come with us to meet with him, I know he’s dying to meet you.”
“Me? Why would he want to meet me?”
“Word has reached him that you have information on how to put a stop to the earth scorch. And since he has eyes everywhere, he knows you spend many a day with the old man from the library, which means your information is likely reliable. He wants to hear it.”
Aadi’s insides jumped for joy. Finally, someone had listened. But before he could get too excited, he assessed the situation. This could be some kind of trap. “If this Neko is so desperate for my information, why did he not come looking for me himself? Or why not go to the grand record keeper himself and ask for the information from him?”
“We tried asking him, but he refused to tell us anything. Our master insisted, but the old man refused to listen. Then he heard of you. That is why he sent us to collect you. Don’t you see? He wants to help, just like you.”
Aadi gulped, reassessing the situation. What Bester had said about Frode definitely sounded genuine. The old man could definitely be stubborn at times.
“Who is this Neko? How exactly will he help?”
Bester looked back at him sternly. “That is not for me to say. Come with us and you’ll see.”
Aadi paced back and forth for a moment, not sure what he had to do. But after a minute, he saw that he had no option. He had spent months spreading the word, yet no one had listened. And now someone had finally heeded his word. He had to hear this man out. Well, no risk, no reward.
“Let’s go,” he said.
Bester nodded, satisfaction on his face. “Follow me.” He led the way out of the dark alley and into the city.
Surrounded by the gang of boys, Aadi followed, hoping he wasn’t making a big mistake.
Chapter 7
It wasn’t long until they reached their destination. Whoever this Neko was, he was sure loaded with money. His Baroque-style mansion stood in the richest part of the city. And it was large; not as big as the emperor’s mansion, but quite big nonetheless. The boys led Aadi through a hidden entrance in the back. They made their way past a number of barking dogs that roamed the yard and into the mansion.
It appeared to be some type of backroom, hidden from the rest of the mansion. Aadi had no doubt that this was where shady deals took place. The room was dim and hazy with smoke. The plain metal walls and lack of any kind of paintings or decorations gave the place a lifeless feel.
“Nice to see you accepted my offer,” boomed a deep voice.
Aadi nearly jumped out of his skin as the front door opened and a tall, husky man walked in. He wore a blue army uniform, complete with multi-colored ribbons and medals on his chest. His face was extremely large with a square jaw. A long pipe dangled from his mouth.
“Leave us,” ordered the man. The boys quickly scrambled back through the back door. “As you might have guessed, I’m Neko.” He took a seat on the cushioned chair that sat in the middle of the room. Aadi waited for Neko to offer him a seat, but once it became apparent that wasn’t going to be the case, he helped himself to one of the smaller wooden chairs.
They sat facing each other now. Neko puffed quietly away on his pipe.
Aadi waved the cedar scented smoke away from his face. “So….”
“My apologies.” Neko inhaled and exhaled loudly. “You’re probably wondering what a great army commander like myself would need from a lowly nobody like you.”
Inside, Aadi chuckled to himself. The man certainly was blunt and full of himself.
“The fact is that even legendary leaders like myself have to resort to using the lesser folk from time to time. As you have already noticed, I have a few boys roaming the city for me. They are my eyes and ears in the streets of Missea.”
As the man finished speaking, a servant trudged into the room. The plates clanked against each other as she placed them down with trembling hands.
“Could you possibly do that any louder?” Neko sneered.
The young girl looked down shyly. “I’m sorry, sir.” She placed down two cups of water. As she made her way out, Neko spanked her behind.
“I’ll see you later,” he called after her.
Still looking at the floor, she left the room.
Aadi’s stomach twisted with anger. Usually he wasn’t one to resort to rage, but he hated to see people taken advantage of.
“Is something bothering you?” asked Neko, no doubt noticing Aadi’s discomfort.
“It was just that girl. She wasn’t wearing the usual servant clothes.�
�
“That’s because she’s not a servant. She’s a slave.”
Aadi tightened his grip. “No person should be owned.”
“Slavery has been an acceptable institution for centuries in Va’siel. Are you going to change that?”
“Yes, I am.”
Neko grunted amusedly to himself. “I doubt that very much. No one person can make a difference.” He took a large sip of his drink. “But that’s beside the point. We’re here to discuss other matters, are we not?”
I’ll free that poor girl tonight. Then we’ll see if one person can’t make a difference. At least that’s what he said to himself. Outwardly, however, he simply nodded and said, “Yes, you’re correct. I was told that you believed what I had to say.”
“Affirmative. Unlike most of the other nobles in Missea, I grew up hearing the kind of stories you’ve been spreading, stories that many may label as mere superstition. I also have a deep respect for the predictions of the Maki people. If they say that a creature will arrive from the cosmos to take over Va’siel, I take the threat very seriously.”
“Bester mentioned that you could find a way to help. How?”
He smirked. “I thought you’d never ask.” The unnaturally long grin made Aadi a bit tense. “You see, I happen to be in good favor with Dr. Narciss.”
“Dr. Narciss?” Aadi asked shocked. He had expected a character like Neko to be mixed up with less than reputable people, but he wanted nothing to do with it. “I will not be involved with that man. He was banished from Missea for a reason. He ran horrible experiments on live humans.”
Neko rolled his eyes. “It’s true that his methods are a bit eccentric.”
“Eccentric? They’re barbaric. No one in their right mind would boil people to see what would happen.”
“Agree to disagree, then. Those details are beside the point. What matters is that he has the ear of both the Ladrian and Suteckh emperors.”
“How is that?”
“Unlike the foolish emperor we have here, the rulers of Ladria and Suteckh recognize potential when they see it.” Neko licked his lips hungrily, causing Aadi to get a chill. “The good doctor has done some interesting work for them. Now, I want you to go to him. Tell him about this creature.”
Aadi nodded. “Why should I waste my time with him? He won’t even believe me.”
“That doesn’t matter!”
Aadi took a step back. Neko was obviously not in his right mind.
The man cleared his throat and took a long breath. It almost seemed like he was trying his best not to explode. “He doesn’t have to believe you. He owes me a favor. Tell him that if he relays what you know to the emperors, our debt will be repaid. He’ll have no choice but to accept.”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to be associated with that kind of man. Besides, I don’t know where he is. He was banished, remember?”
“The doctor has never been one to follow directions well. He snuck into the city a few months ago to run some experiments.”
“What kind of experiments?” Aadi asked. In the back of his head he couldn’t shake away the stories that had been circulating lately. Stories of young girls disappearing, only to be found later horribly disfigured.
“So, will you do it?”
He hid his anger behind a face of calm. “Yes. Tell me where to find him. I’ll make sure to relay the information. With luck, he’ll be able to make the emperors listen.”
The unnaturally long grin returned. “I knew you’d see reason.” He took another long puff from his pipe and blew it in Aadi’s face. “Now, this is what you must do. Go down to the blacksmith district. No guards will patrol there tonight. Find the only abandoned home on that street. Go into the living room. There is a bookshelf there. Knock on it and say these words exactly as I say them: In the dark, the marionettes come to play.”
Once he had gotten the information, Aadi hurried out of the mansion. Fortunately, the boys weren’t waiting for him in the backyard as he had expected. Which meant that this was going to be far easier than he had thought.
He couldn’t go to the guards, that’s for sure. They would never believe him. No, he would have to do this alone. He was going to find this scientist and put a stop to him, himself. There was no way he was going to allow him to continue with his experiments.
As he arrived in the blacksmith district, the first thing he noticed was the lack of guards. They were no doubt assigned to another district for the night. Neko had been right thus far.
Tip toeing, he moved down the arching street. Soon enough he saw a beat down cabin with planks of wood over its windows. Part of the roof was falling apart. The door was leaning inwards from its hinges. Even quieter than before, he pushed the door aside. Immediately, he saw the bookshelf his informant had spoken about. Like the rest of the house, it didn’t appear to have been used in decades. Dust had settled over the dozens of shredded books that rested on it. On top of the bookshelf, there were two kid-sized marionettes staring back at him. The whole scene filled him with a sense of dread.
Warily, he knocked on the bookshelf and repeated the words. “In the dark, the marionettes come to play.”
Nothing happened.
Aadi examined the bookshelf, trying to push it out of the way. It remained unmoving.
“Well, that was a waste of—”
Suddenly, the bookshelf slowly slid to the side, revealing a set of stairs that led down.
Taking a breath, he ignored his growing anxiety as he moved. With each step, the rickety steps creaked even louder, whining under his weight. His nerves began to take a hold of him. What if he has some type of unnatural creature protecting him? Or what If— No! He’s an old man. I will capture him and turn him in.
But regardless of his brave words, his heart continued to race. It surely didn’t help that the path was only being lit by an occasional torch on the wall.
A moment later, the stairs ended as he crept into a large underground room. It appeared to be some kind of laboratory. Plastic pipes dangled from the room. There were over a dozen wooden tables. Some were empty, while others had bowls filled with organs atop them. Aadi seriously doubted they were animal parts.
Clank!
It was a second too late when he realized that a metal cage had just fallen on him. He rocked the bars, trying to move them, but they did not budge.
His insides turned into glaciers as a short, hunched man appeared from behind a paper screen. Behind him followed the five boys who worked for Neko.
“I take it this was some kind of trap,” said Aadi. His dread had given way to a feeling of foolishness.
The old man trudged to the cage and examined Aadi as if he were some kind of animal. He was completely bald. The spectacles he wore over his eyes made them look much bigger than they really were.
“What is this?” demanded the doctor. “I clearly told Neko I needed a female for my experiment. A male is useless to me.”
Salik grinned with satisfaction. “We thought he was going to bring his little girlfriend with him. But it looks like he decided to go at it alone. No matter. I’m sure you can find some use for him. Will you take him?”
“Yes, I will take him.” The doctor looked distraught.
“Neko will be pleased to hear that,” Bester said. His eyes met Aadi’s. “Aww…don’t be too surprised. I was never that good to begin with. That little argument me and Salik put on was just part of our plan to get you to come with us.”
“It always works,” added Salik. “Nobody will miss you where you’re going.”
“It’s been you?” Aadi bared his teeth. Thinking of all the poor people who had suffered stirred him into action. He shook the cage. “You’ve been helping this psychopath kidnap people.”
Bester cackled. “Who cares? We only take peasants like you. No one will ever miss you, just like no one missed them.”
“You’re wrong. They had families. Friends. People who loved them.” Images of Zoen and Ishani flashed in his head. “T
hey were people just like you and me. How dare you!”
“If you’re quite done, leave now and let me be. I have work to do.”
“I’m sure you do.” Salik motioned the boys to follow him.
“Tell Neko that next time he better bring me a girl. Or I will not pay the full price.”
“You’ll have your girl tomorrow night,” Bester said. “I guarantee it.” The boys disappeared into the stairs that led up to the city. Even when they had disappeared from view, Aadi could make out their loud laughter.
The doctor took a tentative step toward Aadi. “Now my friend. Time to figure out what to do with you.”
Aadi gulped. Whatever the doctor had in mind, he was sure he wanted no part in it.
Part II
“The Prisoner”
CHAPTER 8
When Aadi’s eyes opened, he found himself in a much different environment than he had expected. The last thing he recalled was the doctor blowing a green smoke toward him that caused him to black out.
Knowing the doctor’s reputation, he had expected to wake up tied to a table. Perhaps with a hand or leg missing. Or if he was really unlucky, he wouldn’t ever wake at all. He hadn’t thought he would wake up inside a rickety carriage. And he certainly had not foreseen being accompanied by other boys his age. Aadi counted ten of them, including himself. They all wore gloomy expressions. Thick chains encased their wrists and arms.
Aadi looked down at himself. Sure enough, he too was wearing the chains.
“Hey,” he called. “What is this place? Where are we going?”
“Shhh!” said a long nosed boy. “Do you want them to stop the horses and come in here?”
I was right. We are in a horse-drawn carriage. “Who is going to stop the carriage?”
“Shhh!” echoed the boy.
The boy beside Aadi looked up at him. “We’re being sent to Kilead Keep.”
Legacy Of The Golden Wielder: A Novella Prequel to the Void Wielder Trilogy Page 4