by K. Gorman
She had never ventured too deep into the alleyways of the Underground. Somehow, they felt too private—especially when the mouths were nearly blocked by store displays or bikes. She preferred to keep to the more public ways.
Sophia had no such qualms. She walked where she liked.
Occasionally, the Mage would pause, tap her phone, and lean into a wall for support. Like she was conspiring with the mortar.
But Sophia was a Water Mage, not Earth. The ease with which she moved around the Underground was from habit and muscle memory, not Elemental affinity. What secrets she shared with the bricks were mundane, not magical.
Nearly five minutes passed before Sophia spoke.
“Is Aiden really not training you?” The screen of her phone underlit her face, casting her rich skin in a pale, blue-tinted glow.
The Mage hadn’t even looked up. Mieshka watched Sophia’s dark eyes shift as she read through a block of text.
“He’s been—”
“Busy. Yes, I heard.”
They jaywalked across Wharf Street—which she only recognized because it had her favorite café on it—and paused by an alley on the other side. A security gate blocked the way, its rusted iron bars made impassable by a shiny new lock that looped through its old mechanism. Chain-link fencing spread out from its top, anchored deep into the rafters above. The links caught the yellow light like aluminum spider webs.
Sophia stopped at its locked mouth, frowning at a new message that had popped up on her phone. Her lip curled.
Then, she clicked her phone shut, slid it into her back pocket, and stretched out her fingers.
“It’s not wise to let Elements lie. They get unstable,” she explained, bending over the gate’s combination lock. “Not a good thing with Fire.”
The lock sprang open. Rusty hinges squealed as Sophia shoved it open.
“Watch your step,” the Mage said. “We’re going down.”
Mieshka ducked under Sophia’s arm. The springs slammed the gate closed behind them, putting a barred, prison-like pattern of shadow on the ground. The cement under her feet had cracked and rolled with age and pressure. A chunk of gravel crunched under her shoe. She spotted a stairwell flush to the leftward building, and a steel door hiding in the shadows at its base. Rust flaked off the guardrail when she touched it, pricking her hand.
As she stepped down the narrow, concrete steps, Sophia relocked the gate with a loud, heavy click.
Looking somewhat anachronistic on the old steel door, the interface of a digital keypad lit up as she approached. Sophia slid past, entered in the code, and shouldered the door open.
“I’ll grab us flashlights.”
The Mage disappeared into the darkness, her footsteps echoing faintly in the quiet. Mieshka caught the heavy door before it shut.
“Where are we going?”
The building’s exterior had a juxtaposition of old brick and hasty new concrete patches. She didn’t know enough about architecture to give it a date, but the smooth concrete floor inside made her think it was a more-contemporary installation. Maybe only eighty or ninety years old.
“You know what’s nice about the newer buildings down here?” Sophia’s voice echoed out of the darkness somewhere to her left. It sounded like a large room, less closed-in than the alley had been.
“Easier to rewire?”
The dim light from outside caught the edge of a single superficial crack in the floor. Mieshka traced it with the toe of her sneaker, holding the heavy door open with her shoulder.
“Well, yeah, that’s pretty nice, too—shit.” Something hard hit the floor, rolling away on an angle, and Sophia’s voice cut off, muttering what Mieshka suspected were a few less-than-nice words in her old language. A flashlight snapped on a second later, revealing the Mage’s hunched figure. Sophia straightened, and the beam lit a cinder-block wall momentarily before it swung toward her. “But what’s really nice are the basements. They’ve got secret tunnels. Especially in cold winter climates like Ryarne’s.”
Mieshka winced at the sudden light. “You have secret underground tunnels under your secret underground city?”
“Yep. This used to be a government building. Makes me feel all sneaky and shit, using this place.”
Sophia’s light swept over a dusty, baby-blue guardrail. A set of stairs dropped down from their platform and onto a lower, broader floor. Large pipes drooped from the ceiling, coated with cobwebs. The light paused on a spooky-looking cinder-block hallway that led away from the room.
“This way,” she said, handing her a flashlight.
The door shut behind her, and Mieshka took a moment to sweep her light across the rest of the room, revealing the raised platform they had entered on and the small table of flashlights Sophia had bumped into. A large, silent boiler stood in the corner of the lower level, a few foldable metal chairs next to it. A window of frosted glass reflected her flashlight from the opposite wall.
Their footsteps echoed ahead of them, closing in as they entered the hallway. A sprinkler system stuck out from the ceiling, metal heads glinting like spurs. They passed two doors on the left, painted the same pale blue as the railing. By the rusted square outlines and empty bolt holes midway up, she surmised that their signs had been removed. The Mage, obviously accustomed to the route, veered toward the third and shouldered it in. It slipped open with barely a sound, and their flashlights revealed a set of concrete stairs.
Shadows wavered on the walls as they walked.
Mieshka followed the Mage down. The metal railing rang lightly as she slid her hand down it.
“You know,” Sophia said again. “You probably killed the crystal’s power when you let it shield the entire city.”
She nearly missed a step. ‘Let’ was a very loose term to use in conjunction with the crystal. The Phoenix had a distinct, bold personality. It had, more than once, tried to coerce—and outright force—her to become its new host. It had no love for the crystal that had imprisoned it.
“It didn’t die,” she said, suddenly paying a lot more attention to Sophia in front of her.
Cool air pricked her skin. With her small stature and blasé manner, it was easy to forget how dangerous the Water Mage was. If she wanted, she could call to the water in Mieshka’s body and tear her apart.
She slowed, allowing some distance to come between them.
As if that would help when push came to shove.
“Oh, it probably did. I saw you before it happened—you were much more powerful then.”
“It helped me find you guys—”
“For which I am eternally grateful. That cell was getting old. But, you know, some people might take umbrage over what you did.”
Sophia’s voice remained light, staying ahead. Then, finally, she stopped, turned, and faced her.
Mieshka stopped abruptly, watching Sophia’s expression. Her eyes were intense. The flashlight underlit them quite well, accentuating the rounded curve of the Mage’s eyelids, the subtle coloring within her irises. Her dark skin, like teak in most lights, took on a bluish tint.
For a second, the Mage seemed like a complete stranger—a complete, deadly, dangerous stranger.
Mieshka sucked in the tunnel’s cold air. “Some people?”
Sophia’s lip quirked.
“Do you know the Earth Mage?”
“We met once,” she said cautiously.
She hadn’t seen Michael since she’d helped rescue him. For that, she’d been grateful. Rumor had it that he wasn’t the friendliest person. Aiden used some choice words whenever Michael’s name came up.
“What was your impression of him?”
“I’ve heard he’s very… traditionalist,” she said, watching the Water Mage’s face.
“He’s a cock,” Sophia said.
In the silence, the word ‘cock’ echoed down the stairwell.
Mieshka gaped. It would seem that Sophia shared Aiden’s opinion of the man.
“And he thinks I—what—stole the Phoeni
x somehow?” Mieshka asked.
“Like Prometheus stole fire.” The Mage’s tone darkened with sarcasm.
She took that as a ‘yes.’
“But… how?” she sputtered. “Why? I don’t think I could—”
“Oh, no, you definitely couldn’t have,” Sophia agreed, cutting her off and waving her empty hand. Her shadow danced on the wall behind her. “Michael is a paranoid old fuck. Granted, he’s spent so much time being such an asshole that his paranoia has some very legitimate roots. Unfortunately, his delusion makes him a threat to you.”
Mieshka stepped away from the railing, backing up. She stopped when her left hand hit the wall. “Do you think he’d hurt me?”
“He’s hurt people before.”
There was a long silence as she digested that. Michael certainly hadn’t seemed all kittens and bubbles when they’d met, but the man had been abducted and starved for three days. Aiden’s rants about him were largely specialized—Michael had a history of causing problems with the shield—but not personal. They were on the same side. Michael was a pest, not a threat.
By Sophia’s tone, she had deeply underestimated his malice.
“Why is he still around, then?”
“Ever tried fighting an Earth Mage underground?” Sophia gestured to the walls, making her flashlight’s beam arc to the angled ceiling above. Long, stringy cobwebs hung down, their thin shadows slipping over the rough concrete. “It’s suicidal. Besides, I don’t think he’s actually killed anyone. He’s exiled from Mersetzdeitz, so we’re kind of stuck with him here.”
Sophia’s boot scraped on the concrete as she moved down a step. She looked to the side, her ponytail in profile against the dimly lit backdrop.
“Anyway,” she said. “I’d like to offer you my protection.”
“Against Michael?” Mieshka asked. “I thought you said that was suicide.”
She heard her voice echo in the absence of Sophia’s reply, repeating tinny renditions of the last word: suicide, suicide, suicide.
The Mage did not move, did not speak. Amidst the tall concrete walls, she looked small.
Then, Mieshka understood.
Someway, somehow, she had made a friend.
“Thank you,” she said.
“I’ll need to put a tracking spell on you,” the Mage said.
“Aiden already—”
“Aiden’s spells won’t work for me.” Sophia looked down the stairs. “Better do it on the landing. It’s flatter.”
Mieshka was no stranger to tracking spells. This would be her third, including the two Aiden had cast on her before.
Sophia’s magic felt different than Aiden’s. It touched her head like a cool stream. Blue light flared in the dark, representing Sophia’s Water Element as her language’s symbols shifted and shivered across Mieshka’s skin.
The tracking spell locked into place.
Sophia withdrew, taking the cool connection with her.
“Is Aiden really not training you?”
“Well—”
“Make sure he does. I think you have a lot of potential.”
“Really?”
“Really. Now, let’s play hooky while our guards are distracted.”
*
“So, you moved here with your dad, but your uncle stayed in Terremain?”
Sophia sat across the table from Mieshka. They took up the back corner of a café, sipping on chocolate milkshakes. The place had a nice feel to it—eclectic with its collection of scrounged, unmatched chairs and card tables. The Water Mage’s phone sat on the table, occasionally flashing. Mieshka did most of the talking. By the time the milkshakes had been served, Sophia had a contracted version of her recent life.
“Yeah. He works at the base. I’m originally from Dione, though, on the coast.”
It had been one of the first cities to fall, mostly due to its position. She hadn’t been in it at the time. Her mother had been moved to the Terremain base long before war had officially been declared.
The Mage sipped thoughtfully at her drink. “Ah. My dad’s in Mersetz. Well, my sort-of stepdad. He adopted me after the Transition. My real Dad’s gone.”
Right. That seemed like a good topic to avoid. Mages had lost ninety percent of their population in the apocalypse that had hit their world before they’d made the Transition. They’d tiptoed around the death of Mieshka’s mom, for which she was grateful. Although the Phoenix had helped her get through the loss, she still sometimes felt the blow. It was a touchy subject.
“Do you see him much?” she asked.
“Sometimes. He calls me on one of the Council’s engines. He doesn’t like the Underground.”
“My dad doesn’t, either.”
The touch of Sophia’s tracking spell had vanished shortly after it had been cast. It would stay dormant until the Mage activated it. From how Aiden had explained it, the spell itself acted like a beacon, with the Mage being the receiver.
But the touch of magic made her own Element prick the underside of her skin. Heat pulsed inside of her like a second heartbeat.
If the Mage noticed, she didn’t care.
“You in school?” Sophia asked.
“It’s reading break.”
“Lucky.”
Mieshka nodded. Despite the sore muscles and bruises, she much preferred training with Jo than slogging through school.
Sophia’s phone buzzed against the table. The Mage swiped at its screen.
“People are starting to miss us,” she said, tapping a message into the app. “I suppose I should let them know where we are.”
“I suppose so,” Mieshka echoed, stirring her thick milkshake. The blender had left small, soft chunks of ice cream that collapsed against her tongue when she drank. It was good. She’d have to remember this place.
She was down to the dregs when Roger and Jo walked in. Roger had a hitch to his stride that was normally absent. She tried to remember if he’d had that before she’d left him and Jo alone to ‘get a room.’
Jo looked down at the drinks, a hand on her hip. “What’s shakin’?”
Mieshka smiled. “Funny.”
The two guards stood next to the table, at ease. Roger’s dark eyes found hers with a little smile, and all of the little hairs stood up on her arm.
Roger took a bit of getting used to. She’d met people like him before—some of her mother’s friends, probably still in the military, had a similar edge to them. It was his attention. Roger was one of those very, very attentive people whose mere presence made one self-conscious. Like he saw every movement you made and knew exactly why you made it. Buck, Aiden’s other bodyguard, had a similar quality—but Buck had the grace to mask it.
Roger reveled in it.
Mieshka forced herself to swallow, take another sip. Chocolate ice cream melted on her tongue.
Sophia stirred her straw through the remains of her drink. “I suppose I better get back to work.”
“I suppose we better, too.” Jo caught Mieshka’s eyes.
She took that as a hint. Her chair caught on the wooden floor as she pushed it back. Jo steadied it before it fell.
“Roger, take her spot. I’m ordering another shake.”
“Another?” he parroted.
“Another. I’ll get you one, too.”
Mieshka thought she caught the hint of antiseptic as he stepped by. She checked out the bandages on his arm. The fabric had started to unravel by his thumb. Lumps padded the sweater sleeve on his arm.
“Meese,” he said, bringing her gaze back up to his face. “You have a friend named Robin, correct?”
“Yes?” Robin was one of two friends she had made at school. What did Roger want with her?
“Have you heard from her lately?”
“Er… no. She’s grounded.”
Robin had been involved in the Underground raid on the Cyprios building a few months back. Robin’s mother didn’t know all the details, but the late-night outing and an abysmal report card had been enough to ensure R
obin spent her reading break in her apartment. No cell phone, no Internet.
Maybe Roger knew her from the raid?
“Ah, that would explain it. Thank you, Meese. I will see you on Monday.”
Monday? She frowned. Before she could reply, Jo tugged her toward the door. Mieshka smiled, waved, and let herself be pulled into the street.
“I should probably tell you something.” Jo was making a quick beeline away from the café’s open door.
“Tell me what?” Mieshka glanced back through the windows. Roger had switched his attention to Sophia, who had returned to her phone.
“I kind of volunteered you for Roger’s security duty.”
She tripped over a rare piece of flat sidewalk. “What?”
“It’s paid work. I thought it would help. Besides, he’ll make sure you get some hand-to-hand training.”
“So, he gets to beat me up, too?”
“Oh, no. He doesn’t oversee training—not anymore, anyway.”
Mieshka had a feeling he’d make an exception for her. She couldn’t speak for a moment.
“You’ll be fine,” Jo said. “It’s like a neighborhood watch program. You just wander around, being there. Besides, I think you need to expand your social horizons.”
“My social horizons?”
“Make new friends.”
She doubted that would happen. She hadn’t made many friends at school this term. Although, the people down here did have a lot more in common with her than aboveground Ryarnese. And she had just made friends with the Water Mage. That had to count for something, right?
“They’re going to recognize me, aren’t they?”
“You’re quite popular already, from what I hear. By the way, who’s Robin?”
“I met her at school. She helped in the Cyprios raid.”
“Oh. Friend?”
“Yes.”
“Cool.”
They merged onto a cross street. Jo glanced up as a cyclist swerved around them. The streetlamp flickered. Mieshka rolled her shoulders back, feeling her bones click.