The Year of the Lumin

by Andrew Ryan Henke

  Noir saw held-back tears in Asiada’s eyes. It was the most that he had ever seen her drop her defensive emotional shell. Noir looked at Ratt hopelessly. Ratt purposefully looked at his shirt sleeve and brushed off a bit of dust that had found its way there. “Well, I guess if she really wants to come and put herself in mortal danger, that’s her own dumb problem.”

  Asiada’s eyes lit up with excitement and she ran forward and hugged Ratt around the waist. “Thank you, thank you!” At first, Ratt held up his hands awkwardly and looked at Noir. Then he placed one hand on her back and patted lightly.

  She released him, brushed away a bit of moisture from her eye, and suddenly returned to her former stern, proud self. “Well then, boys, are we ready for tomorrow?”

  Noir sighed and said, “Fine. All of my stuff can be packed up in a matter of minutes.” He looked at Ratt.

  “Same here. I’ll just have to come get the armor tomorrow morning.”

  Asiada said matter-of-factly, “Of course my things are all packed and ready to go.” Noir thought that was amusing since they had not officially decided on her coming until moments before. “Do we know how to get out tomorrow?”

  Ratt started, “Well luckily there are few guards in the tower now since the Azurite Knights have been banished. The few that are here seem to be hired Chiron guards. They won’t know who we are.

  Noir said, “Yes, but what if the Syeters are using them as their eyes? You know, watching through them with some sye connection. They use the slaves that way.”

  Ratt replied, “Good point.”

  Asiada added, “But I left and came back yesterday with no problem.”

  Noir said, “Right, they don’t worry about you. It’s us they care about.”

  The three stood in the room and thought for a minute. Asiada looked around for a place to sit, but wrinkled her nose at all of the dusty choices. She decided to remain standing.

  Noir remembered the way that he could use lux to bend light around a person to make them nearly invisible. He had seen the false Lumin do it with the man's arm, but it wasn’t effective enough to fool guards who were on the lookout for that kind of thing. Also, he had no idea how to do it on a moving person or object.

  Ratt suddenly broke the silence with one sharp clap. He stood from where he was leaning and said, “I think I’ve got it.” They both looked at Ratt and he pointed at Asiada. “You’ve got a lot of junk, right?”

  She managed a slightly hurt, “Hey,” before he continued.

  “Asiada, all you have to do is announce that you are leaving tomorrow since the armor is finished. Most people around here think that’s the only reason you're in the tower anyway.”

  Noir said, “Right, but how does this help us get out?”

  “Trunks. Big trunks.”

  Asiada laughed and said, “I get it. Good plan, Ratt.”

  Noir looked at the two of them in complete confusion. “What in the world are you two thinking?”

  Asiada said, “You two hide in the trunks and are carried out right under their noses. We call for some slaves to carry my 'clothes' out. We’ll be long gone before they realize it.”

  Noir didn’t look much less confused. “You mean like clothes chests?” They both nodded. “You think Ratt and I are going to squeeze ourselves into chests?”

  Ratt’s excited expression froze and wilted. He obviously had not imagined having to actually do that yet.

  Asiada reassured him, “Oh, come on. This’ll totally work. You two are flexible, right?”

  Noir said, “Yeah, of course you like this idea. If we asked you to fold yourself into a trunk, you wouldn’t be too happy, would you?” He shook his head and continued, “Isn’t this a bit drastic, anyway?”

  “Not if this is our only chance to get out without them noticing.” Noir knew she was right. He looked at Ratt with a grimace. It was a good plan, especially with the nearly unconscious slaves carrying the chests. He hated having to utilize them at all, but it seemed necessary in this situation. If the Syeters really were trying to keep him and Ratt there without them realizing it, they wouldn’t expose themselves by searching through Asiada’s things.

  Noir sighed. “Alright. This is utterly ridiculous, but it seems like it’ll work.”

  Asiada said, “Let’s work out the details when we get to my room.” She walked toward the door and started to open it. “I told you guys you wouldn’t survive a day without me.”

  Chapter 40

  Claustrophobia

  Asiada made a quick trip out of the Azurite Tower that night to take her real belongings back to her father’s inn. While she was there, Asiada debated telling her father goodbye since she knew she would not see him again in perhaps a long time. But she also knew he would not allow her to go. He would demand that she not go.

  She had had a rough time with her father. Even though he was not her real father, he always provided for her. But since she could remember, he tried to suppress her visions and memories. If they were memories at all. Only until recently had she stopped telling people about the things in her head. She and her father had gotten along much better since she stopped.

  Thus, Asiada settled on leaving a note with one of the inn helpers saying she was going away for a while. In the note, she said she wanted some adventure, but she promised she would be back as soon as she could. She wrestled with the last sentence of the note. Her pride told her to leave it with a simple goodbye, but eventually she decided to put, “I love you, Dad. I will be in good hands, so do not worry about me.”

  The three met at Asiada’s room in the early morning as they had planned. Ratt had already placed the parts of his armor from Godo’s workshop in a cloth sack. Noir had his small amount of things packed and ready to go. Even though he had spent a month there, he felt surprisingly unattached to the room or the tower. He was upset about having to leave Steven without saying goodbye, but telling him couldn’t be risked. At least, unlike Aimee, he knew that his uncle would stay put so he could be found again later.

  When everything was set, Asiada went to retrieve the four slaves she had requested for carrying her trunks. While she was gone, Ratt tried various positions in the two large chests that they had ready. He knelt, laid on his back with his feet above him, and tried every other position he could think of all the while complaining and groaning about having to go through with it.

  “You’re taller than me,” Ratt said as he tried another position. “If I can barely fit, I don’t know what you’re going to do.”

  “It’ll work. Don’t worry, Ratt.”

  Ratt stood in the trunk, frowned, and rubbed his stomach. “Did you ever eat?”

  “Yes. I had breakfast, like we planned to,” he teased.

  “Man, I'm hungry. Do you think there's time before Asiada gets back?”

  “No, Ratt! She's going to be back any second. You should have eaten earlier.”

  A specific rhythm knocked at the door signaling Asiada's return. “Ah man, this is going to be awful on an empty stomach.”

  Noir walked to the door and said, “You'll probably fit better in there without food in your belly.”

  The door opened revealing Asiada, but as planned, the slaves were nowhere in sight. If the sye circle had a link to one of the slaves' minds, they might see Noir and Ratt getting into the chests.

  Asiada entered the room and closed the door. “I tried to get younger, stronger ones so they wouldn’t drop the precious cargo.” Her silly joke washed right past Noir. Asiada’s nonchalant attitude toward the slaves bothered Noir. A scoff from Ratt implied that he felt the same way. Since he was from Tier where there were no slaves like this, he did not like the practice either. However, Noir had heard that Tier made up for it by enslaving the general population with force and threats. They also used din slaves, which were no better in Noir's eyes.

  Ratt complained, “Can't we get something to eat first?”

  Asiada's brow furrowed, “Didn't you get food, doofus? You were supposed to. Who
knows how long you'll have to be in there.”

  Noir replied, “I already said that, Asiada. Let's leave him alone. His forgetfulness will be his punishment.”

  Ratt rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on. It's not that big of a deal. I'll be fine. I'm just whining.”

  “That's more like it,” Asiada laughed. “Man up.”

  Ratt confidently said, “I guess it’s that time.” He stood in the chest and sighed. Noir looked at his own with dread.

  “Well, get in, boys. We don’t have all day.”

  “She’s right,” Noir agreed. “We need to make sure we can join the Chiron forces before they deploy to Talik today.”

  Asiada said, “They aren't leaving until after midday, so don't worry.”

  Noir stretched one final time then stood in the trunk. He knelt down onto his knees and bent his head down to the bottom of the chest. It was a pretty tight fit and Noir was thankful that he did not inherit the claustrophobia that his uncle had. “I hope this works. If we get found out, I’ll feel pretty silly balled up in a trunk.”

  Ratt did the same and Asiada put the cloth from her bedding onto the top of each just for a little extra precaution. Then she closed each trunk’s lid and slid the lock into place. Slivers of light seeped through the cracks of the trunk, but Noir could not see through them. He already felt cramped.

  Noir heard the door open and Asiada gave a few quick instructions to the slaves. Then Noir felt an ungentle jerk followed by the unsteadiness of being in the air. Asiada said a few more instructions and they started moving.

  The next few minutes were silent except for the quiet shuffling of feet and an occasional order from Asiada. He could not tell the direction that they were taking and wondered how Asiada would choose to get the two heavy chests down to the bottom floor. The stairs were wide and not too steep, but that would still be a difficult task for the slaves. There was another option, but he trusted that Asiada was not that careless.

  Noir's question was soon answered after he heard Asiada instruct the slaves to put down the chests. A heavy thunk jarred Noir and he felt solid floor beneath him. Then he heard a sound that he was fearing. The steady squeaking sound came from the lift used by slaves and servants to transport heavy objects up and down multiple floors. The dolly was recessed inside the marble wall and went from the bottom floor to the very top floor. If the lift failed, it would mean nearly a hundred foot drop for Noir and Ratt. He made a mental note to chew out Asiada once this was over, if he made it through without the device breaking.

  After a minute, Noir felt himself lifted into the air, then placed down again. Another thump and a wobble from the lift signaled that Ratt's chest had also been placed on the lift. He heard Asiada's voice from outside the trunk, “Well, I guess I'll get my luggage on the bottom floor.” Noir wanted to yell out at Asiada for her stupidity, and he knew Ratt was also biting his tongue next to him.

  Then the squeaking of the wheels and rope of the lift started again and the sound slowly disappeared up above them.

  Noir heard Ratt's voice next to him start from a low grumble before getting louder. “...that stupid girl. I can't believe her. Of all the things to do, she put us on this thing. What a stupid, idiotic girl.”

  Noir quickly hushed Ratt.

  “Don't 'shh' me! We could fall and die in here, Noir.”

  Ratt's voice echoed sharply up and down the shaft. “I know, Ratt, but we're passing by other floors. Someone could hear.”

  “That dumb girl is getting a piece of my mind when we get out.”

  “Okay, Ratt. Now shh.”

  The two occasionally heard voices and noises of different floors slowly pass by. Eventually, they became aware of a louder floor approaching. There were dull metal clangs and voices talking back and forth loudly. The sounds approached and eventually sounded like they were right outside of the trunks. Then a sharp jerk signaled that the lift had stopped.

  “Oh, no, no, no,” Noir heard Ratt say. “No, no, this can't be.”

  Noir said quietly, “What? What's wrong?”

  “Oh man, you gotta be kidding me. They stopped on the wrong floor!”

  Noir realized that that was a bad thing, but not as big a deal as Ratt was making it out to be. Though it may take a few minutes, Asiada would eventually find them and they would be on their way. “Yeah, so? What's the big deal?”

  “Is your nose stuffed or something? Can't you smell that?”

  Noir sniffed and he realized why Ratt was especially upset at having to stop at this floor. They had stopped at the tower's kitchen. Noir tried to muffle the laugh that escaped him.

  “Yeah, it's funny to you!” Ratt all but yelled.

  “Shh! Jeez, Ratt! They’re gonna hear you and we can’t risk this getting ruined.” He tried to be serious but the humorousness spurred him forward. “It does smell pretty good, though. Is that chicken?”

  “And potatoes and rice!” Noir could almost hear Ratt salivating in the chest next to him. “How long are we going to be in these things?”

  “We just got in here. Be patient.”

  A voice, louder than the others came closer and said, “Ey Carrarde. Know what 'em chests are?” He had an odd accent.

  Another voice came over the sounds of things baking and pots clanging. “No. We didn’t order anything. Must be here by mistake.”

  The first voice spoke again, now sounding almost overhead. “What, uh, what to do with?”

  “Just put them over there for now. Someone will probably come get them in a minute. Did you take the next batch of soup out yet?” A pause. “Well, do that after you move those chests.”

  Noir heard the handles of his chest being lifted, then he felt a jerk upwards and the unsteadiness of being in the air again. The man's voice said quietly overhead, “These are heavy, Lumin help me!” Noir felt a few more wobbling steps. “Arg. What in here? Lumps of iron? Lumin!”

  Noir's chest thumped down and he could smell the cooking food even more sharply now. Ratt would be in even more misery when he was carried over. Again, despite the averse situation, the situation got him stifling laughter.

  A low thump signaled that Ratt's chest was placed next to Noir's. The footsteps left and were swallowed by the noise of the kitchen around them.

  After a moment, Ratt's voice came moaning softly. “They're making chicken and rice soup, I know it now. I love this stupid tower's chicken and rice soup. I'd kill for some right now.”

  “You should have thought of that before all this, Ratt.”

  “You should have this, you should have that.” His tone was playfully defensive. Ratt saw the humor in the situation as well, though he was unhappy that it was based on his misfortune. “How about you should have thought of a better plan?”

  Noir said in a hushed tone, “What? This was mostly your and Asiada's idea.”

  A few minutes passed and Ratt and Noir argued playfully in hushed voices, confident that the kitchen noises would cover them up. Noir gave Ratt a hard time for his forgetfulness.

  Footsteps came closer and the same accented voice from before loudly said, “Eh? I need chair!”

  “No time, Dokmats! You know that! Just stand to peel those potatoes. There are only twenty or so. It won't take you too long.”

  A moment later, the footsteps stopped next to Noir's chest. The accented man said quietly, “Stand to peel potatoes? Only twenty! Carrarde crazy. I been on feet all morning. I will sit on chest if have to.”

  Suddenly, Noir's chest jerked sideways, bumping his head against the side. A scraping sound and small vibrating of the chest signaled that he was being dragged. He was unsure how far he went before it stopped, but a soft thump on the lid gave Noir the impression of a heavy, tired cook sitting on his trunk. The wooden lid creaked a bit and Noir got another image of him being squished by that heavy, tired cook.

  Then his nostrils tickled at a new scent. It smelled like the trash can from his house when he was behind on his chores for the week. The man must have dragged him to t
he trash heap to peel the potatoes. The situation was no longer funny to him and he wondered how long Asiada would take to determine which floor they had been wrongly sent to. He wondered if Ratt would somehow find out about him being drug to the trash heap because he was sure Ratt would find it hilarious. Luckily Noir's hands were near his head so he could pinch his nostrils, though the putrid stench seemed to find its way into his nose anyway.

  ~~~

  Asiada walked hurriedly down the flights of stairs searching for the trunks. She had forgotten to count the number of marks on the ropes to see which floor the trunks had been sent to. She figured it would not be hard to find where they had been sent, but she was getting frustrated and the slaves did not seem to know the command, “Hurry.”

  She looked up at the four slaves from the bottom of the next landing. “Come on you dolts.” The slaves all made eye contact in their vacant look that they always gave. They were trying to make sense of the command. She had grown up with slaves around her in the city and had never thought much about them, but Noir’s views had started getting her to think more on the topic.

  She let the slaves catch up and they all proceeded to the floor directly above the ground floor. The sounds and smells of the kitchen came to her and she thought of Ratt not having eaten that morning. A giant grin came to her face and she could not stifle the laughter that came. The slaves looked at her blankly. She spoke to the slaves even though they would not respond. “Serves him right. He should learn how to follow a plan.”

  She entered the kitchen and did a quick scan for the chests. The chest she recognized as housing Ratt sat very near to the lift from which it came. The one Noir was in was currently being used as a stool by a large, sweaty cook peeling potatoes by a trash heap. It was too funny of a scene and she laughed again.

  The cook peeling potatoes heard her laugh and stood up. “Welcome, little missy. You like some soup? I think it is done if you like some.”

  Asiada said, “These are my chests that came here by accident.”

  The large cook with the accent responded, “Oh! Your chests. I was using as stool. I hope you no mad.”