Fallen Tiers

by Cheryl Matthynssens

  He had no choice. He had to send them onto the plains and hope that this wave his brother predicted would not rise to such a level. Every eye was on him and a sense of dread filled him, as he looked over the men and women, some holding children.

  “Make for the outer exit to the lands of our people,” he commanded loudly over the howling wind. “If you can, get up onto the bridge. At the least, make for the garrison. It might give you some protection.”

  He had not asked Levielle, but he knew the general would never turn the people away. He was too honorable a man for that.

  He stood on the ramp as the people turned, pressing and shoving to make for the one ramp left up onto the plains. He could only pray that Luthian had not had that sealed as well.

  “Move quickly, but take care with the children,” he warned. “Don’t let your loved ones get trampled.”

  He picked up a small child as it passed him and handed it over to the parent who already had two teens and a wife in tow. “Quickly now!” he urged.

  Sordith had not told them of the wave. Most thought they were seeking protection from the wind and rising water. He did not dare tell them now. People would die in the panic.

  When the press had moved off enough that he could elbow his way around the trench, he set out for the far end. If he found one of his men, he gave the order to evacuate onto the plains. He kept shouting for them to all make for the exit as he moved. Fortunately, it was on the other side of the trench and while it bottlenecked as he passed it, he still was able to force his way on the opposite side.

  He continued down the tier, re-routing those he could. He reassured them there was time, but to move quickly. He shouted orders and urged people not to push, but most were not listening. He had never realized before how many people were part of his holdings. Seeing them all in the main pathways of the trench, moving to the one exit left to them, made him very grateful the main sewer canal was covered. He was certain more than one would have found themselves floundering in the depths of the vile liquid.

  The crowd dispersed a bit, and after several minutes of sloshing through what had developed into a fast flowing stream on the walkway, he found himself outside Auries’ house. He called in through the open door. There was no answer. The room stood a good six inches deep in water, rugs soaked and drapes whipping in the wind. Sordith breathed a sigh of relief to know his friend had received his message, and hopefully was safely on the first tier, rather than being in the press across the trench. He tried to pull the door closed, but the water inundating the house from the walkway prevented him from it. He finally gave up and moved on. There were more pressing matters than soggy rugs.

  As he moved his way around the trench, the press became less. People at this end must have realized they were blocked in earlier. Most likely, the first ramp down had been the first to be walled up.

  He thought he heard muffled crying below the sound of the driving rain and the howling wind near an alcove where some merchant had stored his boxed goods for later retrieval. He spotted a piece of material and shifted a box. In the shelter of the small dugout alcove a little girl was huddled, filthy, wet, and sobbing.

  Sordith knelt down and put out a hand. He called to her, raising his voice above the din of the storm, but still trying to sound gentle. The child could not have been more than three.

  “Come here, sweetheart.”

  She stared at him with large, brown, almond-shaped eyes. She was barely visible in the filtered light of the storm. Slowly she moved forward.

  The storm took that moment to send a streak of lightning cracking across the sky, followed by a boom of thunder that seemed to rock the very ground beneath their feet.

  The child shrieked and drew back into her cave of boxes.

  Sordith tried again. “Come on, sweetheart. You can’t stay here.”

  Her fear of being left alone was stronger than her fear of the storm. When she tentatively moved forward again, he grabbed her and swept her up into his arms.

  “It will be okay. You and I will be just fine,” he assured her, rubbing her back. He hoped he was not lying to the child. She clung to him - her arms so tightly around his neck that he was certain he could have let go of her and she would not have lost her grip.

  Sordith made his way to the last ramp, which was empty. He would not rest easy until he checked the cave where he originally sent Keelee though. He was able to run now, dodging items that rolled and tossed in the wind. He splashed through the standing water and held the child close, covering her head with one strong hand.

  When he reached the cave and stepped within, he pushed the water and loose hair from his eyes. He knelt and did the same for the child he had put down in the shelter of the cave’s mouth.

  “Wait here, little one,” he said, tucking wet red hair behind her ear.

  He moved swiftly into the cave’s depths, the slight ramp making for dry stone beneath his feet.

  “Keelee?” he shouted out. “Keelee, are you here?”

  He saw a flickering light ahead.

  “Yes!” Her voice was shrill and held an edge of panic.

  He heard her running steps before she launched herself out of the semi-darkness into his arms.

  He hugged her to him, both in fear and relief. “What are you still doing here?”

  He pushed her away from him to search her face. Those emerald eyes were large and he could tell she was frightened.

  “The wind got so strong that the children were afraid. The older children and I were helping them across to the ramp and up to safety when a wall went up. I didn’t know what to do, so I brought them back here.”

  “Oh Gods, how many are still in here?” He attempted to look past her. From where he stood, he could only see a couple.

  “There are only six left. We got the rest out.” She searched his face. “We can stay here, in the high part of the cave, yes?”

  “I… I don’t know Keelee. Alador said there was a wave coming. Larger than any of us has ever seen. The tide is high and already lapping up the steps of the trench.” Sordith pulled her back to him and hugged her tightly. “I left a child at the entrance; I will return shortly, I can’t leave her there.”

  He looked at the frightened, exhausted children he could see with a sinking heart. How would he get them out? Staying here was not an option. He squeezed Keelee’s hands and ran back the way he came.

  The short distance took a mere minute for him to reach the bend where the cave opened to the trench. The child stood where he left her, watching the rain and mud pour from the plains on this side of the trench and descend like a chunky waterfall over the mouth of the cave.

  He swooped the little girl up, and started to turn, when he heard a faint call over the wind and rushing rain.

  “Anyone down there?”

  Sordith put her back down and stepped through the vertical stream of mud and water. There, peering down over the wall was a guardsman, a rope dangling inches from his face down the trench wall. Sordith waved to him as he shouted back.

  “I have about half a dozen children.” He attempted to shout back as he held up five fingers. He shrugged back through the wall of muddy water to grab the little one he had found in the alcove.

  Sordith swiftly tied the rope around her. “Hang on as tight as you can,” he shouted in her ear, then tugged the rope. He did not wait for her to reach the top. Once he was sure she was being lifted, he sprinted back for Keelee and the others. He knew they were running out of time.

  Sordith ran into the cave, honing in on the flickering light Keelee created to give comfort to the children. Water was beginning to seep from the roof of the cave. Small pools were showing where the cracks above had given the water access. All of a sudden, the idea of a cave-in was added to his fears.

  He grabbed up the first child he reached as he shouted to Keelee urgently. “Quick! There are ropes! We have to get them out!”

  He did not wait, turning to run back to the mouth of the cave. By the time he retu
rned, there were more ropes. He secured the child he carried, and sent her up. As he finished, Keelee emerged with the others. One by one, he sent them up. Finally, he got to Keelee. He wiped the mud out of his eyes and swiftly pulled a rope around her.

  “Time for you to go, love,” he shouted over the din of the gushing water and mud.

  He just began to tie the knot when he heard the screams from the tiers above. He say Keelee’s eyes grow wide as she stood before the mudflow, while the sound of a million men running filled the air. “We’re going to die,” she breathed and reached out for him.

  He flung the rope around Keelee and frantically tied the rope around her waist with shaky hands.

  “Go!” he shouted. He tugged on the rope and hoped the gods gave the guardsman on the other end courage to stand his ground and pull.

  She screamed as her feet were lifted off the ground. She grasped at him to try to keep from leaving him behind. The guard was frantically pulling on the rope.

  “I will be right behind you,” Sordith promised.

  The ground began to shake as the enormous wave curled and hit the seafloor to come rushing in at an incredible speed. The roaring sound of water filled his ears and he leaped for another rope, not taking the time to secure it.

  Sordith had begun to pull himself up hand-over-hand when the rushing wall of water and debris slammed into them. He clung to the rope desperately in the torrent of swirling water. He felt underwater projectiles of debris strike him, and almost lost his grip when something hit his side so hard he knew it must have broken ribs.

  He heard Keelee scream and looked around madly for her. He barely caught sight of her being swept down the trench in the rushing current of water before it curved from his sight. Sordith looked up one last time, muttered a quick prayer, and then let go of the rope.

  Sordith struggled to reach Keelee. The water was powerful, but the debris in it was the more imminent danger. He had been hit so many times in a short few moments that he was already feeling like he had been in the practice ring with Owen for an afternoon and come out wanting.

  He got lucky when Keelee’s rope snagged on one of the ship’s masts that had broken up. It slowed her drift away from him. Unfortunately, the mast began to roll, and quickly pulled the young woman under. As she came up, thrashing and gasping for air, Sordith was swept by her and grabbed her in his arms. With one hand around Keelee, he pulled a dagger and cut her free of the rope he had tied around her only minutes before.

  The wave continued to push them. He saw part of a hull of one of the ships roll up behind her, driven toward them by the powerful wave. He dropped his dagger and grasped Keelee as tightly as he could, kicking his feet to turn them. He wanted it to be his back that struck the floating hull rather than hers. She screamed when she saw the debris bearing down on them. It crashed against his back, and he almost lost his hold on her. The hull rolled out of sight behind them and they were swept around the last corner of the trench.

  The end of the trench was a mass of jagged rocks. The city was built on a cliff-face and once the trench reached far enough to take in the sewage, the diggers and mages had just stopped.

  Sordith swiftly considered their choices. Swimming against the current was not an option - the water was moving too rapidly. The initial wave that hit the rock face would create a rebound wave. Hopefully, it would be enough to slow them down. Maybe they could get a purchase on that rocky slope and move up from there.

  Keelee screamed again when a body popped up from the depths beside them - a woman with her face bashed in. Her long hair was tangled with seaweed and her gown threatened to wrap its folds around them. He did not have time to console Keelee. If he did not think of a plan quickly, it might be their fate as well. As the water carried them to the jagged wall, Sordith pulled a second dagger in an attempt to try to hook anything on the trench’s smooth wall to slow them down. The surf took that moment to push them forward and his hand was rammed into the rock face, the dagger falling from his grip.

  As he predicted, the initial wave hit the wall and created a rebound wave. Water ebbed and flowed as it found no way to move forward. Sordith realized the trench was inundated; there would be no escape that way. If they could keep their heads above water, they could get out on the landside of the trench. They had to find a way to get on this rocky outcrop. Twice they were pulled under by the agitation of the waves. Once Sordith was slammed against the rock wall so hard, that for a moment he could only gasp in shock and pain.

  Eventually, the power of the wave ebbed, as did the water coming from the first tier. If they were to escape, it had to be now. If they did not make it up the slope or find a way to anchor themselves, the water would change its course and carry them back down the deep passages toward the harbor. The tide would not remain high for too much longer. Fearing that they would be swept to sea, he looked about wildly. He saw a small flat ledge that might hold Keelee.

  “You have to let go of me, Keelee,” he shouted to the nearly hysterical woman.

  “No!” She clutched him tighter around the neck. Her eyes were wild and glazed in shock.

  “Keelee, let go! If you don’t let go we are both going to die!”

  His harsh tone seemed to reach her through her shock, and she loosened her nearly choking hold around his neck.

  “I am going to push you up onto that ledge.” His words were nearly inaudible to his own ears and so he motioned pushing her up.

  Keelee followed his eyes to the ledge then nodded when she realized what he meant to do. They both worked their way over to the rocky outcrop. Keelee was hampered by her wet skirt; it was weighing her down and would keep him from lifting her up to safety. He pulled his last dagger and, holding her as tightly as he could against the rock face just below the ledge, reached down and slit her skirt off her dress. He had to tug hard at the waist to rip it off. She went under in the process and came up sputtering and spitting, gasping for air. He dropped his last dagger as she thrashed, but she was now free of the weight that held her down.

  Sordith frantically felt around for anything to press against with his foot. Finally, finding purchase, he held her waist and thrust her up. His exhausted muscles burned with the effort, and the pain in the side that had been hit with something in the initial wave made him grit his teeth. It took two tries, but finally Keelee pulled herself up onto the narrow ledge.

  Sordith now struggled to stay afloat. He was exhausted, and if it were not for Keelee he might have given up. She reached down a hand, and the need to live coursed through him. He worked his way to the corner. Fortunately, years of climbing sewers and walls as a street urchin served him now. His fingers slipped more than once, but finally he was able to pull himself up onto another small outcrop on the rock face that connected to the plains. He flopped to the ground wearily taking a few deep breaths – well, as deep as he could with the ribs he felt shattered on his left side.

  Despite the lack of ocean water here, there was no shortage of rain and wind. It was not as strong as he suspected it was up on the tiers, though; they were somewhat sheltered here from the brunt of the storm.

  With a groan, he forced himself up and turned around. The water was still milling beneath him, a slurry of garbage, sewage, debris, mud, and bodies. He realized he could not quite get his hand out to Keelee on her ledge.

  He motioned and called, “You have to jump.”

  He had to give her credit, despite the terror on her face she nodded and carefully pushed herself up to her feet, using the wall to creep up. He watched helplessly as she almost slipped on the slick stone back into the filth beneath them.

  “Catch me,” she hollered over the roar of the wind. “Don’t let me fall.”

  She leaped forward and he snatched wildly at her. He managed to grasp a hand and an arm and pulled backward as hard as he could. She landed on top of him. They both groaned in an exhale of breath.

  They laid there for a moment, their combined rapid breathing and exhaustion making movement imp
ossible. Sordith knew they could not stay here, there was no shelter from the fury of the storm. It had rolled ashore with the wave and brought all its force, throwing lightning bolts across the sky in rapid succession.

  It felt like the end of the world.

  He pushed Keelee off him and helped her up.

  Sordith searched the cliff face they were currently sheltered against. His keen eyes observed an area where water was rushing in and disappearing. He motioned for her to wait and moved along the rocky wall. Finding an opening a little above his head, he struggled up onto a rock, his body cramping and pain-ridden with every move. There below him was a cave. It did not look to be much of a cave, but from where he stood, he could see it was above the waterline.

  “It’s a cave,” he hollered, the wind whipping his words away.

  He motioned her to him and gingerly pulled her onto the rock where he stood, his body screaming at the effort. He dropped down into the hole first. The impact of a mere ten feet took his breath away. He had been right; while there was a small stream rushing off into the depths of the cave, there was also a large sandy ledge well above it. He motioned Keelee to come down. She dropped into his arms and he went down on his butt in the sand, but they were out of the wind and driving rain. They both were covered in mud and sewage. Sordith pushed the hair out of Keelee’s eyes and smiled at her. It was just so good to be alive.

  “Milady, you look like shite,” he said between painful breaths.

  “And you as well, Milord.” To prove her point she literally removed a turd caught in the folds of his shirt and tossed it to one side.

  He chuckled and leaned forward to kiss her, but stopped mid-lean with a painful groan.