by T. C. Edge
Yet still, our progress is unimpeded but for the blockages that slow our path. There's nothing else down here, just a vast, empty space. A network of tunnels, too complicated but for all but a few to traverse, so many routes blocked to make it all but impossible to navigate.
We stop again at the end of the larger cave. Ahead, another opening provides a route onwards. I look towards it, notice it's gentle slant, curving slightly upwards towards the surface.
We're close. So very close.
Following the non-verbal commands of the leaders, the soldiers gather together towards the mouth of the tunnel. Kovas looks upon us with keen, almost snake-like eyes, his voice similarly serpentine, hissing as he speaks.
"This is it," he whispers, turning his eyes around. "The tunnel ahead brings us into an underground storage room right in the middle of the city. I'm going to lead, along with Heralds Avon and Gailen, and Lady Dianna. If we encounter resistance, we'll deal with it. The rest of you, file out after us and help create a perimeter. We need to provide a clear platform for our Fire-Bloods to work."
Eyes glance to me and Elian, standing near the rear. We've been told our job already. We know what we have to do.
"When they unleash their heat, only Hestia and the remaining Fire-Bloods should stay in the vicinity, offering them protection should they need it. The rest of us will retreat back below ground." He draws a wicked smile, his dark eyes glinting with a look of vengeance. "They burned many of our men alive in the forest. Let's repay the compliment."
The soldiers stir at that. It does have a morbidly poetic ring to it.
Kovas pauses, then turns suddenly sullen as his eyes work towards me, sticking there as he says, "For Perses. We do this...for him."
I find myself cringing at the words, my fists bunching secretly by my sides. There's just a look on his face, as if he knows it'll get under my skin. As if he knows that I'm wavering, and this, perhaps, might just help turn me.
"OK, we all know what to do. Sensors, keep your eyes, ears, and nostrils open. Give us warning if there might be anything ahead."
With that, Kovas turns, leading the party onwards. From the darkened cavern, we enter back into a tight tunnel, shaped almost like a corridor in its proportions and size. As we progress silently upwards, I begin to notice the distinct signs of foundations above us, built into the surface of the tunnel.
A building, right there.
Inner Haven, right there.
My pulse lifts again, the tunnel still rising. The air seems to clear a little, losing its musty scent. Ahead, the light glow of Hestia and her Fire-Bloods gradually begins to fade. Elian and I do the same in response, bathing the tunnel into a heavier gloom, only broken by the dimly lit lamps held by some of the men.
We stop, the soldiers ahead of us bunching. I look forward, up the corridor of rock, to see Kovas looking up. My eyes take in the sight. An old ladder extends upwards. And above, a trapdoor.
He turns to Gailen now, and nods. The younger Herald takes his position, sent ahead just in case. He climbs up the short ladder, pressing against the trapdoor above. He seems to have to put some weight behind it, pushing harder until, suddenly, and with a light puff of dust, the trapdoor moves.
It does so only by an inch or so, pushed off to one side. Gailen pauses, listening. Our Perceivers do the same. Nothing. No one heard. There's no one coming.
Gailen's fingers reach up, slipping through the crack above. With a light scraping sound, he pushes the trapdoor to one side, opening the space until he can get through. It seems to be hidden beneath something heavy; a stack of boxes, perhaps.
He creeps higher, listening, eyes narrow. He pauses, just a moment, his head poking through the gap. We wait with baited breath, a deep silence pervading the air. Then, with a creak of the ladder, he continues up into the room.
"OK," whispers Kovas, looking back. "We go. Avon, Dianna. We join Gailen above. The rest follow right after. Quick now, and quiet."
With that, he turns and follows Gailen up the ladder and into the room. Avon follows after, then Dianna. Afterwards the rest of the troop begin filing up, Elian and I at the back. I tense further, expecting to hear the sound of gunfire, perhaps, or of a struggle above.
There's nothing. If Gailen and the rest have met anyone up there, they've despatched them without a whisper.
I go ahead of Elian, up the ladder, into the storeroom. I find myself in a large, dusty space, boxes everywhere. The trapdoor, as I thought, lies beneath a stack of them. It seems to be a place unused, or long forgotten. A building, perhaps, that's hardly occupied, if at all.
Elian joins me, and we continue on after the others. Through a door, up a short flight of stairs, into a dark corridor. Everything is neat, simple, yet coated in a thin layer of dust. Down the corridor we go, moving towards another flight of stairs. We turn left, follow the others up, staying low and tense, ready to fight.
Gradually, a bit of light begins to appear ahead, speaking of a larger space. My heart hammers as we press on upwards, entering into an atrium. There, I see our soldiers gathered in the darkness, each with narrow eyes, crouched here and there behind the cover of desks and chairs. To one side, I see the door leading outside, flanked with large windows that allow a bit of moonlight to spill in, finding a space between the clouds above.
Kovas and the others are there. They're looking out, in quiet, whispered conversation. There seems to be some confusion.
I share an uneasy look with Elian as we stay, side by side, always ready to let the fire flow if needed. Together, we creep towards the leaders at the front. I see Kovas turn, hearing us coming. He lifts a hand and shakes his head, gesturing for us to stop, drop to our knees, wait for them to secure the area.
I feel myself drawn down by Elian, staring out at the windows flanking the door. I see shadows of buildings beyond, a few lights shining inside them. I hold my gaze, scanning for movement, for soldiers on patrol.
There's nothing. Silence. No movement at all.
The Heralds and Lady Dianna suddenly slip out into the night, moving through the door with great speed. I see them zip off into the square beyond, as more of our soldiers stand up and follow them out. My eyes flick off, turning to our Sensors. They appear in deep concentration, searching, perhaps, for signs of our enemy in the buildings around us, listening for footsteps of men on patrol, smelling for scents only they can detect.
"We should follow," Elian whispers. "Move into position."
He takes my arm, stands me up, begins moving me towards the door.
I follow, heading for the night, for this large square, surrounded by buildings, at the heart of Inner Haven. Yet, something doesn't feel right.
There's something very...wrong here.
We step out, our eyes turning towards our solders, moving in groups, setting a perimeter around the square. I begin to rise from my crouch, standing there on the steps of the building, looking into the heart of the great city we've come to destroy. Around us, many buildings stretch, all set around a huge open space. I look a little closer at it, see the monument in its centre.
I peer closer. It's a cenotaph, I think, a monument to those killed here during the war.
"The High Tower," I whisper to myself. "This is where the High Tower was."
"We need to go," hisses Elian, pulling me off. "Get low, Amber. You might be spotted."
I don't crouch down again as he does, nor do I move. My eyes merely turn around the grand space, the huge buildings that surround it, the thousands who must live here.
Or, at least, did.
Because there's something wrong, something very wrong.
There's absolutely no one here.
No patrols. No guards. No citizens rising early. I can see no movement behind windows. No hint of life at all. It looks...deserted, abandoned, as if everyone has just upped and disappeared, vanished like smoke in the wind.
"They're not here," I find myself whispering, staring out at the silent night. Behind us, I hear the Sensors fol
lowing, moving into a better position, scanning the world around us. I turn to the Perceivers, knowing just what they can do.
"What do you hear?" I ask. "Up in the buildings. Breathing? Heart beats. Snoring? Anything?"
The soldiers look back at me, their expressions all the same, crinkled into a state of confusion as they turn their eyes around.
"There's...nothing, Herald Amber," one says. "No signs of life that any of us can hear."
We move a little further into the square, and zapping through the air, see Dianna coming our way, her white hair lit by the sparse moonlight, breaking through the clouds above. She hurries to a stop before us, her green eyes set beneath a heavy frown.
She says the same. We all say the same.
"There's no one," she whispers, shaking her head. "No one here at all."
I feel my pulse begin to settle again, a strangely wry smile beginning to build on my face. I shake my head, looking to Dianna and Elian. "They knew we were coming," I say, nodding. "Somehow, they knew."
A sense of unexpected relief works through me, an almost ironic thing. Yet the slowing race of my heart doesn't last long, and nor does the wry smile on my face.
Because as we stand there, at the heart of Inner Haven, knowing that, somehow, we've been tricked, a sound begins to build from many miles away.
Explosions. Gunfire. Battle and war.
And its coming from outside the city.
In the direction of our own camp.
105
In the middle of the square, near the cenotaph commemorating the civil war of Haven, and the following war against the Cure, our own leaders quickly gather, rushing forward from various streets at frightening speed.
Joining Lady Dianna, myself and Elian, Kovas, Avon, and Gailen come phasing. Hestia, too, stamps forward, her own fires lit a little brighter. Around us, the contingent of guards continue to stay on watch, wary of a trap.
"No one," barks Kovas, slowing to a march as he joins us. "There's no one here."
"The Perceivers can't hear anything," I say. "There's no sign of life in any of the nearby buildings."
Far away, the rattling of guns and explosions calls distantly to our ears. A haze of light appears to glow, beyond the city towards the north of our position.
"They're attacking the camp," says Dianna. "They've lured us here, leaving it undefended. We have to get back there immediately."
Kovas snarls, turning his eyes menacingly around the great square. He looks to the building we came out of, tucked into one corner, a grouping of our guards still there. Then, scowling, he turns his eyes about once again, grunting and shaking his head.
"Burn it down to be sure," he says. His eyes flick to Elian and me. "You two, do what you're here for. We'll get back down into the tunnels. Burn the place down, kill who and whatever might be hiding here."
"There's nothing here, Kovas," urges Dianna. "It's a waste of time. We must return to camp immediately."
"We have plenty of men there."
"Weak men," Dianna says instantly. "Inexperienced men. If a man like Ares is there, he'll tear them all apart."
"We have our own soldiers attacking the breach. They'll have heard the commotion and joined in."
"They're probably caught between the two," I suggest. "Between those guarding the wall, and the forces attacking the camp. They'll be closed in on those plains like fish in a barrel."
"And what the hell do you know of it!" shouts Kovas. "Just do what you're told, girl. Both of you, light this damn place up. Do it. Now!"
I stand my ground, my chest heaving. "No," I say.
His eyes light up, wild and bright. "No? You're denying my order?!"
"It's pointless, Kovas," I say, dropping the 'Herald' from his name. "And going back through the tunnels is going to take too much time." I look towards the wide, open streets, stretching towards the inner walls. "We need to stay above ground. Get to the breach and get behind the soldiers there. Then work out onto the plains and face them head on."
"And you're leading this army now, are you?!" he says, his voice half a roar, half a bellowing laugh. "I'm not going to take advice from a Fringer like you..."
"She's right, Kovas," says Dianna calmly. "It'll be quicker above ground, and we'd be able to get behind them. Going through the tunnels will take too long."
Kovas looks at her, almost shivering with rage and frustration.
"I agree," says Avon softly. "This is no time to debate. There is no one here, Herald Kovas. It is senseless to burn the place down. It'll only force us into the tunnels again."
Gailen, to show his solidarity with us, nods firmly, and manages a grunt of approval. Kovas, wide-eyed and wrathful, looks about to explode. He works his gaze across us all, finishing on Elian, and Hestia there by his side, seeking some support.
"Elian. Are you to deny me too?" he growls.
Elian fades just a tiny bit to my side, as if showing where his loyalties lie. "It...it makes sense, Herald Kovas," he says, doing so tactfully and showing the proper respect. "Our soldiers might be dying out there. We can't waste a second. There is...there is no one here, sir."
I see Kovas's eyes begin to change, the knowledge that he's entirely outnumbered beginning to register. No one is going to follow him underground now. The only thing he can do, worm that he is, is wriggle his way free by consenting.
"Fine, so be it," he seethes, working hard to contain his anger. "We move straight for the wall. Watch for resistance. And traps."
His eyes pass mine as he finishes, and I see that note of uncontainable rage blazing inside them. A look that tells me plainly that he'll seek vengeance against me now.
My heart thuds at that expression, and a name, and face, pops into my mind.
Jude...
"Right," Kovas roars, no need to be quiet anymore, turning around the square. "We move for the inner gate. Keep on guard, and be prepared to fight. Our camp, our army, is under threat. We must get there as quickly as possible. We must stay above ground now, flank behind the enemy forces. Let's get to it!"
I huff, shaking my head, as we begin to rush off. Oh, he can be outvoted by the leadership group, but he'd never let the soldiers think he isn't in command.
Our initial route takes us directly up a long road heading towards the spiralling street that seems to coil around Inner Haven, straight past the central monument, where the High Tower once stood, and the many large buildings here, some of them seemingly intended as apartments and living quarters, others municipal buildings intended for the running of government, and the city at large. Though we remain tense, ever expecting an attack to be sprung upon us, we see no signs of life as we pass through the streets, the few lights that are on within the buildings apparently left lit only as a diversion, as a way of trying to deceive us should we come this way.
It seems unlikely to me that this is merely a coincidence, that we have been lured here right at a time when our camp is being assaulted. This must have been intended somehow, it must have been planned. And I wonder, as we go, just where all the Havenites are.
They have, it seems, been far more prepared than any of us realised.
The city is as I anticipated, as we've been told; drab and grey, all straight lines and simplistic, functional design. Here and there, I get the impression that a layer of creativity, of something resembling art and beauty, is being added to the streets, some buildings painted with a dash of colour, or even with entire frescoes. Others display ornaments on their window sills, flowers hanging here and there, giving the place some life.
I think I know the reason. Where once this place was run by the emotionless and uncreative Savants, interested only in function and basic form, everyone and everything having a role and specific purpose to suit their skills and requirements, it has now been taken over by others with a little more imagination. The splash of colour and life that has begun to appear in certain places is clear evidence of that change.
It still has a long way to go, of course, but it's certai
nly a start.
Yet, I have little opportunity to let my eyes wander and explore this strange and fascinating place, a city so different to Olympus, and yet just as sprawling, just as well populated, if not more so. And, we're coming to realise, just as powerful too, even after all they've been through.
Crafty, smart, and deceptive, what we're seeing is a strategy of their own, one devised by their highly intelligent leaders, by those who have become used to conflict of this scale.
Our party rushes quickly, though doesn't employ its full, top speed, at least not as a collective. Though most of our troop has Phaser powers, some don't, a number of the Forgers, in particular, and some of our Sensors, specialised for a single power and purpose. They will need to be protected, and so some of our party stay behind, leaving the quickest to fly forward and secure the areas ahead, checking them for enemy troops, and working out how we're going to get behind the gate and through the inner wall when we reach it.
Kovas, Dianna, and Avon move ahead, then, with a number of Phasers, most with additional gifts. I stay behind with Elian, Hestia, and the other Fire-Bloods, with Gailen also staying to help protect us should he need to. Though he can travel at speed like we can, using the wind to boost him as we use the fire, he can't match the best Phasers for pure speed across flat surfaces. He can fly yes - or 'sort of' fly, at least - but isn't as quick as them on the ground.
The threat of being attacked, however, never materialises. Not long after we split up, we find ourselves rushing up a side-street linking the streets of the winding coil, and barrelling out to find that the inner wall lies just ahead. It's thickly built of metal and stone, taller than I'd anticipated, set with a number of weapons tucked into its rear side, ready to be opened out and deployed if need's be.