by Rosie Scott
“Says a female,” Ricco replied evenly.
“There's a reason I've lived on the surface for almost eight years,” Nyx replied. “Our sisters do unforgivable things to you men, but it's not all sunshine and rainbows for us, either.”
“I'd call bullshit, but I'll agree to disagree,” Ricco muttered.
“Are you coming with us then, yes or no?” Calder insisted.
Ricco rolled his neck to the side, where it cracked loudly. “I guess I will.”
“You are a shapeshifter?” I asked him.
“I am,” Ricco replied. “Transformed for the first time last week.”
I glanced to Calder. “Transforming is chaotic, Cal. Nyx has said sound travels far and wide underground. How will we be sure we can take on Thanati without those in Hazarmaveth overhearing and getting involved?”
Calder pushed the map of the underground across the table to me. “Look at the tunnel between the two cities, love. Sound travels far, but the underground spans over the entirety of Arrayis. This tunnel alone goes from the rain forests of the wildlands to a third of the way into Eteri. Unless there are travelers in the tunnels, they shouldn't hear us.”
“We will need people guarding the tunnels so our battle is not sabotaged,” Nyx commented.
Calder nodded. “Yeah, just in case. Also, Kai, many of the beastmen can also fight with weapons. Transforming isn't the only trick we have up our sleeves.”
That made sense to me. After all, the Alderi were masters of stealth, and many of the soldiers who decided to follow our lead had been born and raised in the underground. They would be familiar with its ways, while also having the added powers of shapeshifting.
Even with our vastly smaller numbers, it was possible we would take the underground by storm.
Twenty-two
15th of New Moon, 420
Beneath a layer of thick jungle vines was an intimidating blackness. Even with a canopy of plants and leaves above us, it had been fairly warm in the rain forest until we approached the entrance to the underground. Somehow, the coolness of its depths lowered the temperature of the nearby forest just enough to be noticeable.
Calder stood just before the entrance, his red eyes stuck on the unknown hidden within the darkness of the tunnel. He was quiet and still for so long, I finally put my hand on his back in a friendly pat.
“You okay?”
He blinked suddenly, as if trying to clear his mind. When he finally spoke, his words were low and only meant for Vallen and I, since we were nearest to him. “I have spent nearly seventy years avoiding this place and trying to forget it. I still have nightmares of leaving this opening with Koby only to be pulled back. I've often tried to feel better by convincing myself that my memories are incorrect.” He nodded toward the entrance, where the blackness was cold and unyielding. “But no, this sits exactly as I left it. I have to be insane, because here I am, of my own will.”
Vallen chuckled on the other side of him. “Yes, but this time, that insanity has spread to us all. This time, you have nothing to fear. It is the underground that will be having nightmares of you, friend.”
Though Vallen's statement was exaggerated, it seemed to make Calder feel a bit better. He turned to the rest of our army, which grouped up behind us as far as the eye could see through the thick forest. “I need Alderi volunteers to be at the front of the group,” he announced. Nyx and Ricco immediately walked to be next to him, which he noted with a nod. Other Alderi filed their way through the others to be near the front. After two dozen or so came forward, Calder formed another group which would be at the army's rear. The superior hearing of the Alderi would hopefully catch the noises of pursuers before they could harm us, while picking up on those in the army who would need to quiet their movements.
Vallen, Jayce, Anto, Jakan, Cerin, and I would all be just behind the first group of Alderi. Jakan in particular needed to stay near the front, because in times of stealth, he would be needed. He knew illusion spells which could silence our steps and enhance the eyesight of those who were not Alderi. Even still, such spells only lasted a limited time. During our trek through the wildlands, we had all been teaching the recruits as much magic as they could learn, and Jakan was no exception. Many in our army had since picked up illusion magic. That didn't mean we could use the magic to keep our entire army silent forever. It would take immense energy to do such a thing, and we needed to conserve as much energy as possible, as shapeshifting was a challenging high-energy spell. There were hundreds of beastmen following us, but without the energy with which to utilize their powers, that would mean little.
Calder nodded toward the sky, which was bright and sunny with the weather of early New Moon between the breaks of leaves. “Everyone, take a long, good look at the sky, because that's the last we'll see of it for awhile.”
I did just that, letting my eyes travel along the fields of blue above the rain forest trees. For many, this would be the last time they'd ever see it. Many in our army would not return to the surface at all. Our mission in the underground was quite the monumental task. Our time with Calder would include the takeover of three cities, one of which was the underground's infamous capital, if we could succeed. Each city would be larger and more challenging to tackle than the last. Allotting time for difficulties, battle, and travel, it could very well be years before I saw the surface again.
That thought felt like a lie. So as our army entered the tunnel and left everything familiar behind, I did not yet feel a longing for sunlight. The tunnel started off quite thin and unremarkable, sloping down into the earth at only a couple of feet wide. The Alderi who had carved this path had been quite skilled, because they'd managed to find the one area of the rain forest with enough rock to forge it from. I supposed that was yet another reason they chose mountains as their connection points, because thick rock helped them to create a structure which could last for many years.
Our army made slow progress through the tunnel until it finally opened up to twice its previous size, at which point we took some time to regroup, ensuring none of the beastmen were left behind in the entry tunnel. By this time, we had spent hours traveling further below ground, and my sense of direction told me the tunnels curled around much like a spiral to attain depth without much distance. By this time, then, any sunlight that had followed us into the tunnel was gone. Calder and some of the other beastmen passed around lanterns which held lights from alteration magic, so those of us who were not Alderi wouldn't trip over our own feet. The alteration light was a soft yellowish-white, I noticed, unlike illusion-made light, which tended to be so overtly white it appeared almost blue.
Even with the lanterns, the travel progressed slowly, since we couldn't risk the use of energy, and our way was still cast in darkness. I started to panic with indecision. If the entire underground was this dark, how in the world was I going to last even a week without going crazy, let alone many times longer? Without the lights it was pitch black, and though the tunnels had been carved with amazing accuracy, they were still made of rock and thus were uneven. The temperature was the only thing which felt nice and familiar, since it had cooled considerably, though I had to imagine it would continue to drop the deeper we went. As far as I could tell, there were no plants around us at all. And how could there have been? We were surrounded by rock. I hoped Calder and the others weren't mistaken, and that there was plant-life down here. Otherwise, we had an entire army which would have to survive on packed food alone. If taking over Thanati did not go as planned, we wouldn't have access to the city's supplies.
It had been hours since we had left the sunlight behind us when we first came across trouble. Or had it been hours? It was so hard to tell in incessant darkness. I came to a stop over the uneven rock as the lantern Cerin held beside me shone off of the backs of those before us. The army slowly stalled behind us, piling up as a mass between stone walls. At first, I wasn't sure what had happened, because everyone was so quiet. Then, Cerin moved his lantern past the Alderi before us
, just in time for us to see Jakan and Nyx go invisible.
Whatever had stopped us, it was a threat. I calmed my breaths, forcing the air to filter through my nostrils as quietly as possible. With an entire army behind us, we weren't silent. We couldn't be. But based on what little sounds echoed off of stone, one could never have guessed almost one thousand soldiers lay in wait.
For a few tense moments, we heard nothing. If Jakan and Nyx had pursued someone, we couldn't hear it. Then, audible clues traveled to our ears over rough rock. A crossbow bolt released sharply from its flight groove. A female gasp of surprise. Another bolt's whistle of trajectory. A body collapsing to the floor. Seconds later, something heavy was dragged over bumpy ground.
Nyx and Jakan returned to our group minutes later. The thief was in the midst of wiping two crossbow bolts clean, before he loaded them back in his weapon.
“Assassin on her way to the surface,” I heard Nyx whisper, probably to Calder. “She came from Thanati.”
“How do you know?” Calder.
“Because we're nearly to the split and I studied the map just like you,” Nyx replied. “Thanati is to our right. Hazarmaveth is to our left.”
“We are already at the split?” Calder exhaled, surprised. “I remember this tunnel being much longer.”
“Because you wanted to get out of it,” Nyx commented. “Listen—we need to camp for the night. If we go any farther, we'll have to infiltrate the city or stay in the main tunnel and contend with everyone that travels between the two cities. Stay here, and we'll only have to keep watch for assassins using this exit.”
There was a pause. “We'll use Alderi as lookouts.”
“Of course,” Nyx agreed.
Our first night underground was spent just as Nyx suggested. We had Alderi lookouts on either side of our army, and we slept right on the cold floor over what few bedrolls we had. Since more travel would bring us to the main tunnel, I reasonably expected our attack on Thanati to start in the morning. From studying the map, I knew that even Thanati was large in comparison to the surface cities, so my nerves were jumpy with the anticipation of battle. We had planned for this extensively over the past few weeks, and our army was fresh. There had never been a better time for victory.
The next morning, I only awoke because Cerin was shaking me. Our army had remained as quiet as possible, and there was nothing but blackness save for a few glows of magical light reflecting off of surfaces in the distance. If it weren't for Cerin, I was sure my body would have tricked me into sleeping for much longer, because for all intents and purposes, it felt like night.
Nyx and Jakan had both went on a scouting mission early in the morning, before our army prepared to move forward. They hadn't been able to breach the city much from the edge of the tunnel, but between them and Ricco's knowledge, we knew the gist of what to expect. We would be approaching Thanati from the northwest. The city was in the midst of expanding in the southwest over two underground lakes, so right now, they had dozens of males free of ties and excavating the rock. The slaves were overseen by many females, of course, but it sounded like an opportunity to immediately overwhelm the group before the rest of the city was even aware of the attack. Our plan was to free the male excavators, convince most of them to join us, and launch an all-out assault on Thanati using our bolstered numbers. It was probably the only city we would be able to use that tactic with. The other two cities were much larger, and would most likely need stealth missions before our assault in order to sabotage them and whittle down numbers.
“Kai.” Calder moved close to me as our army packed up their things. His bluish face was cast in an array of shadows from a nearby lantern.
“Yes?”
“I seek your advice,” he murmured. Though our Alderi lookouts still waited at the split, we couldn't risk having our voices heard.
“For the battle?” I questioned for clarification.
“Yes. I have been a captain of a ship, not a general of an army. The most I've ever done is tell them when to shoot the cannons and yelled at them to stop bickering.” A small smile spread over his lips.
“You will be unable to tell them anything in your beast form,” I added.
“You can see my predicament.”
I nodded, though I couldn't have been sure that Calder saw it given the combination of the darkness and his poor regular eyesight. “Use your army's strengths, limit weaknesses. Try to do just the opposite with the enemy.” I glanced back toward the rest of them for emphasis, though I couldn't see anything that wasn't touched by light. “Your greatest strengths are your beasts. The enemy's greatest strength is stealth. They are trained assassins, but they prefer to kill victims who are asleep or otherwise incapacitated. Don't allow them the chance. Thanati is small and isolated enough that rushing head-first into battle will be of a great benefit to us. Cause chaos and catch them out of their element, and we may take most of them out before they know what's happening.”
“And weaknesses?” Calder prodded.
“It takes your beastmen a while to transform, and they cannot communicate while in the form of their blood-kin,” I replied, matter-of-factly. “But thankfully, they can listen. Rely on those who are not shapeshifters to relay orders, and let your soldiers revel in blood lust. If it were up to me, I'd let Ricco lead the charge on this one.”
“Because he is from Thanati?”
“Well, that, and also, it's pretty obvious from the few times I've talked with him that he has had extensively traumatic experiences there. Ricco has more scars on his body than I've ever seen on anyone else combined. Each one of those scars has a memory associated with it that will fuel him in his revenge, and he will be one of your best fighters today. Revenge is a powerful force, friend, and is the reason why both of us are here as it is.”
Calder nodded in the light, agreeing. “Okay.”
“Your sisters' weaknesses are their oppressive nature. While you and your beastmen cause chaos, me and the others should be freeing their slaves. Both Jakan and Nyx can pick locks, and all of us are able to relay what is happening to the slaves. Your attack will serve as not only our main assault force, but as a distraction. Five people—” I waved around toward Cerin and the others “—can be easily overwhelmed. One thousand beastmen cannot. Protect our mission, and we will secure more allies for yours.”
Calder exhaled heavily. “I'm glad you're here, love.”
I smiled, before patting him on the shoulder. “Me too. Now, relay the orders to your army, and have them transform.”
“Here?”
“Yes. We are many miles away from Hazarmaveth, and if anyone from Thanati hears you, it won't matter anyway. The last thing we want is for all of you to be attacked mid-transformation.”
“True. Thank you, Kai.” Calder gave me a look of gratitude, before he went off to do as I suggested. When he told Ricco nearby that he could lead the charge, the scarred man appeared pleased.
“Much appreciated,” Ricco drawled.
“Jakan. Nyx,” Cerin whispered next, calling their attention. “Where is Thanati's dead?”
“We didn't see any corpses,” Jakan replied, regretfully.
Nyx added, “In Quellden, male corpses were thrown into the crawler pit. Female corpses were buried. I'd have to assume the ritual is similar here.”
“So find the crawler pit, and I can find the dead?” Cerin asked.
“There are no skeletons in a crawler pit, bud,” Nyx replied. “They eat everything. Bone and flesh alike is turned into mush with their acidic saliva. I wouldn't get near the damn things.” A hesitation. “They spit, too. Acid.” She made a disgusted noise.
I remembered Nyx telling me the story of the Reaping she'd attended as a juvenile, and how her mother, Queen Achlys, had thrown her friend Jemia'h into the crawler pit for fear he was weakening the women. It made me wonder how often the crawler pit was used for such a purpose, and whether or not the men were still alive and conscious when they started being eaten.
I turne
d in Ricco's general direction, since I couldn't see him in the darkness. “Ricco, where does Thanati keep their dead?”
Ricco's voice crept out of the blackness. “Acid is harvested from the crawlers of Quellden, transported to Thanati, and kept in a vat, where they dump the bodies.”
“Both males and females?” I prodded.
“No. Just males. Females rarely die down here.” There was a pause. “Until today.”
That meant Cerin and I were out of luck when it came to raising the dead, unless they were recent corpses. I didn't let that bother me. Both of us had different weapons at our disposal, anyway.
Just then, the echoed cries of men and women alike sounded off of the rocky walls. The beastmen were transforming. It was only when I heard the crackle of bone near me that I realized Ricco was as well. The man did not cry or grunt in pain once throughout his entire transformation, as if he'd become so used to trauma during his life in the underground that he barely felt it when magic tore apart his body and reformed it.
Cerin readjusted his lantern, and the magical light within scattered over Ricco in a creamy glow. His body had thickened, and his dark gray skin had sprouted fur, patches of it growing thickly between puffy scars which sliced through skin even in beast form. It was clear to me now that Ricco had been beaten brutally and repeatedly, for now that he was without any clothes, I could see that his scars covered almost every inch of his body, some overlapping others. I found myself sympathizing with his anti-social demeanor. Given the permanent physical reminders of his mistreatment, I would have expected little else.
Ricco's long Alderi ears widened into the circular shape of a rodent's, before a thick, gray tail sprouted from his spine, devoid of hair and growing much longer than most of the other beasts. Despite the constant crackling of bone, Ricco did not complain. His head grew outward to a point, and he spread his jaw open, making way for four razor-sharp incisors which grew from four front teeth.