Chapter 117. Acquiring Resources
The sewers spilled out into a river not far from the garbage heap. A few filthy fish splashed around nearby, eating the filth, and algae and bacteria bred in the bank nearby, soaking up those excessive nutrients. Abruptly, a rush of pure water came racing out of the sewer, washing away the bacteria and splashing the algae and fish with clean, fresh water. The fish jolted, reminded, for a moment, of what had once been, when the river ran clean and their world wasn’t a grimy dark puddle, and then a half-dozen shoes plopped down into the mud, and they fled once more, escaping the big, frightening shadows.
Rhys gestured. “It’s right up the hill there.”
Lira leaned, peering ahead. “Just past the garbage heap?”
“After a manner of speaking, sure,” Rhys allowed. It was inside the garbage heap, but that was a form of ‘just past,’ if you looked at it a certain way and squinted a little.
Lira gave him a distrusting look, but spun the bracelet on her hand, drawing her umbrella, and stepped out of the river.
It was a short walk to the garbage heap, and a quick crawl inside. Rhys went first, only to find a half-dozen mages ringing the entrance, hands out. He lifted his. “Uh… it’s me?”
“Who’s with you?” Korii challenged.
“Oh—oh. Some new recruits. Friends. You can trust them. Mouse, come on,” he added, as the mousy girl shrank back in the tunnels. He turned back to the mages. “One of them is a master of avoiding notice. She can help you guys learn how to hide yourselves.”
“So she hid from the Empire, all this time?” Korii asked doubtfully.
“Yes. I’ll vouch for her. Mouse, come on.” Rhys reached back and dragged her out. She hung limply in his grip until he stood her upright, and then she stood there, frozen, completely out of place as all the rescued mages drilled into her with their eyes. “She helped me hide from the Empire a few times already. She’s good.”
Korii gazed at Mouse with suspicion, but nodded. “If you’ll vouch for her, then I’ll let it pass. And the other?”
“The other spent the last three years at the bottom of a sewer, thanks to the Empress’s dogs,” Lira said, crawling out of the tunnel and stretching to her full height, then unfurling her umbrella once more. Water poured down on her. “If you want to doubt anything, at least do me the favor of not doubting my resolve to destroy the Empire.”