Palimpsest

She did not choose the seven for ambition. Every account agrees: she went first to those who wanted it, the powerful and the eager, and turned away from every one of them.

The seven she chose had one thing in common. When she stood before them and offered what she carried, each of them refused.

She gave it to them anyway. The accounts do not explain why this was the right answer. Perhaps she understood something about power that the ones who wanted it never could.

— Chronicle of the First Age. Ledger Archives, Marialis branch. Transcriber unknown.

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Chapter 8 A Bit More Weight to the Trouble

Moving through the tunnel lit surprisingly well by the small lighter, Rhoren felt uneasy—not only because he had been unaware of this place’s existence, but because he did not even know whether someone was truly fleeing ahead of them. Tarr’en was striding quickly in front of him as if completely certain, stumbling often as he tried to keep up his pace.

“I suppose you don’t spend much time outside the grand halls,” he said in a sarcastic tone, almost as if taking revenge.

Struggling to move forward, Tarr’en raised one eyebrow, briefly breaking his blank expression. “It is my duty to observe even the lowest-ranking officer to ensure the job is done properly, Captain Rhoren!” he replied sharply. Then, lowering his voice, he added, “Even if I must crawl through tunnels.”

Rhoren made no reply and continued walking behind him, grumbling under his breath.

After several minutes, he asked, “Are you truly certain there’s a girl ahead of us fleeing from us?”

This time Tarr’en did not respond immediately. Instead, he quickened his pace.

“Whether there is or not is irrelevant. What matters is that this is the only escape route, and we follow it to the end,” he snapped suddenly. “Think, Captain! If the culprit is still in the building, she cannot escape anyway. But if she fled, how logical is it to waste time inside the building?”

Though irritated, Rhoren had no answer. Changing the subject might be wiser. After all, roughing up this small man and having him removed from duty was not an impossible outcome by the end of this.

“How are you so sure the girl did this?” he asked.

Just as Tarr’en was about to reply, a sudden crash echoed through the tunnel. Rhoren could have sworn the ground shook.

He immediately stepped in front of him with the lighter in hand and advanced quickly toward the source of the sound.

As soon as he saw light further down the tunnel, he shouted.

◈ ◈ ◈

“I knew this would cause trouble,” Veylith muttered in a whisper, though the growl in her voice made her anger clear. One hand was already gripping the pistol at her belt. “We need to go. Now.”

“What about her?” Vaelra asked, nodding toward Kaelin.

Veylith turned to Vaelra and looked into her eyes with a serious, almost saddened expression. “We can’t afford to lose more time.”

Kaelin was prepared to do whatever was necessary to escape, but the fact that these people were already risking themselves to help her had changed the way she saw them. They might look like criminals, but how different was she from them right now?

“Go,” she cut in. “They’re after me, not you. Don’t get yourselves into trouble for nothing.”

“We can’t just leave her here,” Darian said, standing beside her. He turned to Veylith. “You of all people should understand that.”

“Whatever we’re going to do, we need to decide fast,” Tivver shouted. “The footsteps of danger are getting closer.”

Veylith averted her eyes, her expression as if swallowing a curse. Darian then looked at Ravah, lifting his eyebrows silently as if asking a question. Ravah seemed to understand what he implied and stepped toward them. “I hate you. I hate all of you!”

She pushed past them and bent toward Kaelin. “Hold tight, princess,” she said, lifting her into her arms in one swift motion.

“Woah!” Kaelin exclaimed in surprise.

“Run!” Veylith ordered, once again remaining at the rear to cover them.

“We must be close to the exit,” Tivver urged as he ran at full speed, still holding the torch in his hand. Ravah, despite carrying Kaelin, was still ahead of all of them. The distance between them and their pursuers was not closing, but Veylith knew they would not be able to keep this up for long.

“Exit!” Vaelra suddenly shouted, pointing ahead in the tunnel.

When Veylith saw the artificial lights of the dock filtering through the darkness at the end of the tunnel, she realized they would soon emerge beneath Harborroot Bridge. But even if they reached the docks, being chased would draw all attention to them.

I need to find a way to lose them, she thought, before it’s too late.

…

Tarr’en was running out of breath, yet Rhoren—though older—was steadily widening the gap between them. It seemed he now truly believed the suspect was fleeing ahead.

“Come on! We’re losing them!” Rhoren shouted without even looking back.

Tarr’en had been certain from the beginning that the suspect was ahead of them. But the sounds he heard and the shadows he glimpsed suggested there were at least five, perhaps six people in front.

Until now, he had believed the breaking of the seal to be random—an accident. There had been no evidence to suggest otherwise, no sign of rebellion. But the presence of a group waiting for the girl suggested this might have been planned, and that possibility began to unsettle him. Because if it was not an accident, then the other half of the seal was in danger. And if the second half were to break as well, what followed would be far more than a local incident that could simply be covered up.

…

The end of the tunnel was now very close, and the city lights faintly illuminated the exit. Ravah and Vaelra were almost there, with Tivver and Darian right behind them. As they approached, the tunnel narrowed, ending in a tight passage through which Ravah struggled out while carrying Kaelin. Darian and Tivver emerged more easily.

Once outside, Tivver understood where they were.

Harborroot Bridge was a wide stone bridge with a single arch. On either side of the arch, just above the water level, were two flood tunnels. From across the river, they appeared as nothing more than two holes running through the bridge—overflow channels meant to reduce pressure if the water rose.

The tunnel they had exited opened directly into the center of one of these flood channels. Invisible from the outside and impossible to discover by accident—an ideal escape route.

“Very clever,” Tivver whispered to himself. Then Veylith’s voice snapped him back.

“Tivver!” she shouted as she ran toward the exit. “We have to stop them!”

He understood immediately. Whoever was chasing them—if they emerged from the tunnel—they would not get far without being noticed. He had to prevent them from coming out.

Rhoren could tell they were nearing the exit as the air inside the tunnel grew steadily cleaner. If he did not lose their trail, it would be easier to capture them with the help of the other city units.

He was still running fast, though once again he realized he was too old for this kind of pursuit. The longer the chase continued, the slimmer his chances of catching them became. Tarr’en was trailing far behind and seemed unlikely to be of much help.

The light ahead illuminated the tunnel well enough. Rhoren extinguished the lighter in his hand and slipped it into his pocket. “One last effort,” he muttered to himself, then sprinted through the dim tunnel at full speed.

Tivver noticed that the tunnel mouth had been reinforced with wooden supports. With so many people, horses, and carts crossing the bridge above, constant pressure must have been bearing down on this structure. When he touched the beams, he could feel every stress point.

He pulled a small hammer from his pocket and struck rapidly at different spots. With each blow, cracks echoed through the wood.

Meanwhile, Ravah had already jumped down from the flood channel to the ground below. The opening stood about a head’s height above the muddy riverbank. The low summer water level might have saved their lives—had it been winter, they would have been forced to leap directly into freezing water.

Ravah reached up, lowered Kaelin carefully to the ground, then extended her arms again to help Vaelra down. As Vaelra turned, she looked back at Tivver.

Breathing hard, wiping sweat from his forehead, Tivver saw her watching and gestured sharply with his hand. “Go!”

Veylith, thanks to her slender build, reached the narrowing tunnel without slowing and hurled herself outside. Because she never reduced her speed, she slammed hard into the flood channel wall.

Rhoren was no more than twenty steps away now, but as the tunnel narrowed, his broad frame caused him to collide with both walls.

Tivver struck the wooden supports at critical points as fast as he could. Dirt was already falling from the ceiling. Veylith lay against the flood channel wall behind Tivver, pistols aimed into the tunnel. If the man reached the exit, she would have no choice but to fire.

Rhoren was shouting as he ran, both shoulders scraping along the stone. Veylith’s finger tightened on the trigger, her aim fixed on his head.

Tivver gripped his hammer with both hands and struck with all his strength at the large keystone set low on the right side of the tunnel mouth.

The wooden framework at the threshold began to splinter and collapse. Pieces broke loose from the ceiling, falling and sealing the entire exit. The force of the collapse hurled Tivver backward onto Veylith. A shower of rubble and thick dust rained down over them.

When Vaelra and the others heard the crash, they had already hidden among the bushes by the riverbank, not yet setting out. Vaelra suddenly lunged forward, but Ravah grabbed her arm and signaled her to wait.

As the dust cloud settled, Veylith opened her eyes and found Tivver lying against her arm. Their faces were no more than a hand’s width apart.

“You have beautiful eyes,” Tivver said in a flirtatious tone without changing his position.

“Ugh,” Veylith muttered, rolling her eyes and letting her head fall back.

A few minutes later, when Vaelra saw the two of them appear at the mouth of the flood channel, she let out a breath of great relief. Then she stiffened again. “I’m going to kill both of you,” she whispered with a low growl.

Kaelin was relieved that nothing had happened to them, of course—but what truly affected her was Vaelra’s reaction. It was an unfamiliar feeling, and it unsettled her.

When the two reached them among the bushes, Vaelra hugged them both at once. Veylith looked at her with a surprised expression but did not return the embrace. Tivver slipped an arm around Vaelra’s back. “Were you worried about me, baby?”

“Shut up, Tiv,” Vaelra replied, then turned to Veylith. “What happened?”

“Tivver managed to bring down the tunnel entrance before the man behind us reached the exit. They won’t pursue us for a while—but I’m certain he saw both our faces,” Veylith answered at last, casting a brief glance at Kaelin.

Kaelin lowered her eyes. She felt guilty—but more than that, she felt like a burden because she still could not properly walk.

“I still don’t think we can leave the city, boss,” Ravah cut in, lifting her head from the roadside and looking in the opposite direction. “Warden patrols are everywhere. Looks like they’ve blocked some of the roads too.”

Veylith quickly stepped beside her and looked toward the city. She saw numerous patrols roaming the streets with torches in hand. When she turned toward the main gate, she could make out a large patrol group, even from a distance. The city walls were high; escaping by climbing them as a group was nearly impossible. They could try the other three exits, but something inside her said the situation would be the same there.

She clenched her teeth and turned her head toward the dark sky with a low growl. Closing her eyes, she stood motionless for a moment, as if waiting for her anger to subside. Then she opened them and turned back to the others.

“There’s still time before sunrise, and the streets are crawling with patrols. We need to hide.”

She turned to Darian and nodded toward Kaelin. “You need to heal her enough so she can walk.” Then she looked at Vaelra. “The blacksmith’s tavern is nearby. Go there, get a room, and lie low.” She stepped back to stand beside Ravah. “Ravah and I will look for a way out of the city. We’ll meet you at the tavern before morning.”

Ravah showed no expression and gave no reply. She simply stood beside her like a soldier awaiting orders. Vaelra only nodded in agreement. When it came to planning, none of them but Veylith had the necessary experience or ability. Darian knelt beside Kaelin and began healing her.

Veylith looked at Kaelin one last time, then said, “Let’s go,” touching Ravah’s shoulder. Together, they slipped out from the bushes and disappeared into a side alley opposite the patrol route.

While Vaelra and Darian crouched beside Kaelin, Tivver kept watch from within the bushes. He could tell the patrols were drawing closer.

“Buddy, you don’t need to make her brand new,” he called to Darian. “She just needs to be able to walk so we can get out of this wonderfully fragrant and spotless swamp. She doesn’t need to sprint.”

“Patience,” Darian said, eyes closed, his glowing hands resting on Kaelin. Tivver hated when he said that word. The way this strange dwarf—who had no fighting ability—could remain calm in so many situations was either naivety or a wisdom Tivver would never understand.

“Healing always takes longer than wounding,” Darian continued without changing his posture.

Vaelra stood in front of them, shielding the glow of Darian’s hands from view. “Are you feeling better, darling?” she asked in that confident, steady voice Kaelin found striking.

Kaelin was not used to this kind of attention or help. Especially not from strangers who might be putting themselves in more danger because of her. It still felt strange—almost wrong. “Why are you helping me?” she asked suddenly.

Vaelra gave her a small smile, as if she had expected the question. “Didn’t you need help?”

“But… this wasn’t your fault. By helping me, you’re getting yourselves into trouble,” Kaelin said, almost angrily.

“Does the responsibility to help someone only exist when we’re the cause of their problem?” Darian asked quietly, eyes still closed.

“And do we look like we weren’t already in trouble?” Vaelra added with a sly smile.

“We’ve added a bit more weight to the trouble we’re already in. So what?” Tivver said from ahead without turning around.

“The one chasing me was a Warden captain. Didn’t you think he had the right to pursue me?” Kaelin continued, as if arguing that rescuing her had been a mistake.

“Right?” Vaelra echoed in surprise.

“Think?” Tivver added, still not leaving his post.

“The fact that someone in authority is chasing you doesn’t automatically make him right,” Vaelra replied, her expression turning serious. “I saw a girl running like her life was in danger, and my instincts told me to protect you. That’s all. The others trusted my instincts, as they always do.”

Darian and Tivver said nothing, but their silence confirmed her words. Whenever Vaelra took a risk or insisted on something that seemed unreasonable, even Veylith listened. They had learned—through hardship—to trust her instincts.

“We can move,” Darian said at last, breaking the silence. He withdrew his hands and opened his eyes.

“Finally,” Tivver said, turning to them. “I’ve already mapped out a route by watching the patrol movements.”

Vaelra extended her hand to help Kaelin up. Kaelin looked first at her hand, then at her face, before taking it and allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. Her leg felt much better now—strong enough to walk for quite some time.

They all crouched and moved to Tivver’s side, ready to leave the bushes. Vaelra said nothing more, but Kaelin felt she didn’t need to. It was a strange group—but in an odd way, she had trusted them from the very beginning.

“Follow me,” Tivver said, and began walking briskly toward a narrow alley where no light reached.

◈ ◈ ◈

“Captain.”

Tarr’en’s voice brought Rhoren back to himself. When he opened his eyes, he realized he was lying on the tunnel floor, illuminated by the light of his lighter. His throat felt dry and burned as if he had spent the whole day in smoke. His body was numb, though there was a sharp pain in his back.

“What happened?” he asked, coughing.

“You were almost crushed,” Tarr’en replied. “The tunnel exit collapsed suddenly and threw you backward. If you’d been a little further ahead, it might have come down on top of you.”

“Damn it!” Rhoren cursed, striking the ground with his fist as he realized they had slipped from his grasp. “If I’d been a little faster…” He exhaled sharply. “Now they’ve completely escaped.”

“Not completely,” Tarr’en interrupted. “I assume the tunnel leads to the bridge, and your units are still patrolling the city. You may not have been informed, but before coming here I ordered additional guards placed at the city entrances and exits, with instructions not to let anyone suspicious leave. So they cannot escape that way—and they won’t move freely inside the city with patrols everywhere.”

After straightening his clothes, he continued, “I know which district we should search.”

He picked up the lighter, glanced back down the tunnel they had come from, then turned to Rhoren. “Coming, Captain?”

Without waiting for an answer, he began walking.

Rhoren struggled to his feet and brushed off his coat before following. He was still angry, but thought to himself, I’ll have to tolerate this man a little longer—at least until we find them.

“Do you know the way back?” he called after Tarr’en, though he wasn’t expecting a response. None came. The two of them disappeared into the tunnel, walking slowly in an unspoken silence.

From behind the wooden support beams lining the tunnel walls, a short-haired, athletic woman stepped out and watched them leave.