[The Anagolay]
I can hear the rush of blood in my ears.
"Where are we?"
My question is echoed. Footfalls along with yells of command are muffled, dissolving and distant. There is a constant drip - drip - drip of water from wet clothes. From my left a screeching sound elapses and in a second, my surrounding is lighted.
Juba is holding a torch, Sanim beside him blinking. Everyone is here, on a cave-like structure inside the bridge.
"Where" – I repeat, irritable.– "the heck are we?"
"The tunnels." Answers the kid on my right. I only have my eyes on Juba. I notice his surprise when Lila told me.
"We need to get going, we are still not safe here."
"Juba, I am asking you where we are."
There must be an edge in my voice for he pulls his sword. Sanim shrinks back and the girl puts herself between us.
"Anagolay, calm down. We are on the tunnels okay? It does not exist on any map and its very top secret so let's just go–"
"I hate being left out of the loop." I march towards Lila, snatching my weapons from her. "You see Juba, I already let you slip once, I am not doing that again.
"So, where are we?"
Resigned, Juba lifts the torch to the great darkness ahead of us. "If you let me, I will show you."
We continue on. The tunnels, as Lila calls it, have walls like an upturned boat. Mud and stone bricks that are perfectly almost freakishly squared are piled like nothing I have ever seen. Dust have gathered as though sand on a beach, coating the walls and the floor. At some areas the path is wide and the roof is far above us but at times we had to be in a single file. There is a tang smell of soil all around.
It looks old, these tunnels. No, it feels and breathes old. Millennium old. Ancient even and yet I have seen no earthen structure like this.
"I know right," Lila says beside me. "It feels.... something. I don't have a word for it."
"I gather you know of this because of Gaviel."
She nods. We turn into a fork and our little party stops. "We are exactly underneath Asuelus," Juba says.
How can he be so sure?
He points to a hole on the left. "This is our way."
I went closer to the other path, filling my curiosity. Stepping once at its mouth, a snap jolt me to a stop. I nudge what I had stepped on while Juba comes close. The light reveals a long bone.
Scratch that. Bones. Multitude of human bones haphazard on the path.
"This leads to the city's catacombs," Juba says, holding the torch higher. The ceiling is low with rectangular holes. I can glimpse more of the remains up there.
Great. What a wonderful omen.
"My tribe has been the keepers of the tunnels for five millenniums." Juba begins. "We do not know who constructed it or when but we believe it is as old as time itself. Years of exploration led us to the vast areas of Freobel, owned by different kingdoms. Some opens to barren lands while others are in the middle of cities. Sewers. Under bridges. Other paths connect to mine tunnels dug by the people before us.
"The girl was right. It does not exist on any map nor it will ever be and for all time we have kept its secrets engraved solely on our minds.
"At this day and age, the family of the chieftain of Nenabus are the only ones that keeps its knowledge alive and hidden lest it fall into the wrong hands."
Sanim steps closer to Juba. "It is true then. My uncle. He told me stories about this place. My people get lost and never came back."
Tato signs a question, interrupting.
"Yes. I am interested in that too. Juba, Tato asks that if you are so concerned in keeping it a secret, how come a Captain of an Aeonnite army and an Elite at that, knows of these tunnels?"
"He is a friend of our people."
"Really? You expect me to believe that?"
Juba purses his lips on a thin line. Chin high, he says, "I do not need you to believe me. It is not my place to say."
I snort. This is exactly the reason why I work alone. "Good luck delivering Sanim on your own." Tracing our steps back, I walk away.
"Anagolay, where are you going?" Lila asks, which I ignore.
"Royu stop."
I do not.
"Just wait. Stop!"
At once and of their own accord, my body stills. Of course. Curse that Eng't Urh making me stop against my will with so much as an order. I guess I have to content myself that this time I can breathe. She marches in front of me, glaring daggers.
"What is your problem? You want a hug or something?" I glare at her back and she pinches the bridge of her nose.
"Sure, Gaviel doesn't talk about things that much and Juba is still a stranger but you can't hold it against them for keeping things from you especially about the tunnels."
"I did all that you asked of me. I went to my tribe, I help you rescue Sanim and you can just drop him off yourself. Do not let me get involve anymore."
Lila frowns, confuse playing on her face. "The oath…"
"I took the oath because I like to believe that I could help you but not…" Not at the expense of my ways, my control.
"Anagolay…"
"I had an edge. Nothing gets to me. I plan, I work and I succeed. Always. Everything that had happened recently drastically changed my life and I would like to have the dignity of keeping how I do things. Our situation does not guarantee me anything. Are we really below Asuelus or are we jumping in the mouth of a crocodile? I hate not knowing and I absolutely detest the idea that I am not in control–"
"Oh, Anagolay," she says with patience that irks me. As though she is speaking to a younger brother. "When are you going to accept that you are not in control, not ever?"
Folly, yes but I still answer her. "Ignorance is bliss, kid."
Lila scratches her head no doubt vexing about me. I have trusted my instincts all my life and it is telling me Gaviel is shady. And Juba? I cannot place them as people I can trust. I do not follow people I do not trust hence, I am leaving even with the bounds of a blood oath.
"First of all, stop calling me kid. Second, Gaviel heck, even Juba has every right to keep things on their own. That's the thing about trust, Royu. Even if you don't know everything about that person, you just got to trust he's not going to screw you over. Even you have secrets you are not sharing with us."
I glower back at her.
Right, I mentally scream. I can definitely have one glimmer of secret with you prowling inside my head!
"Look," she points at me. "I can pry in your thoughts but only at the present. Your past and your secrets are your own and I can't force you to reveal it unless you want to. Like Queen Dela per say."
I quirk a brow. "What about her?"
"You tell me."
"Nothing," I say. Perhaps too quickly, defensively.
"And that is what I mean. You don't get to demand it Anagolay."
Oh, I do. And I can. With a sword and a pressure here and there... maybe snap a finger in two, something that will break a person. Now, what would break Juba?
Lila sets her jaw, twists her wrist and I spin on my heels walking involuntarily to where the fork and the others are.
"Kid, Lila, hey…" I protest but like a puppet, I cannot resist the string controlling me. "I can walk on my own!"
I hollered, cajoled and bawled. She only let go of her hold of me in front of the others. "Happy?" I snarl at her.
"Actually, yes."
* * *
"Are you sure that is the house?"
'Yes.' Tato signs.
No problem. Except a horde of angry, unfairly treated citizens against a pissed off bunch of egotistical bastards trying to take back control, are there between us and our meet-up house. I push slightly at the window, peering at the men throwing what they could to the patrols on steeds while mutts go wild barking.
Armed mostly with pans, forks, and hoes, the Faye'in and other oppressed being here are releasing pent-up frustration and anger, giving them courage to face the Aeonnites.
I did not expect something of this scale as a result of what we did.
Asuelus city is in an uproar when we exited from the tunnels. We were down under for only an hour but the resistance, it looks like, had been happening since the sun hid on the horizon.
Closing the window, I think of our plan. There was not much of it in the first place: I get some help, Lila takes Sanim, bring him to me, Gaviel pretends to chase us to Minna knows where and we successfully deliver Sanim to his Uncle.
While we were executing that plan of ours, the guerrillas must have dispatched some of its fighters to Bessilus plaza way ahead than anticipated to plant whatever made those explosions. Through their actions, the laid-back majority of Asuelus finally had their reason to rebel. Not that they need much convincing. No one has ever ventured resistance on the capital city before, especially not with the presence of Elites and royal guards. Despite it all, Thraine brave it.
And we were just playing along.
There is a crash and a cackle of flame. Screams above battle cries and mutts being released. At a long table squatting at the center of the home we invaded, Tato and Juba hunch over a candle and a rough sketch of Asuelus' streets.
"This is us," Juba taps our position. "Here and here are where the riots are heaviest. This street as well." He indicated the streets surrounding us.
Walking up to them I point to the roundabout way we could take. "This street is our only option then we turn south to get into that house."
Tato signs to us that we must hurry, we only have until midnight to take Sanim to the Thraine and his brother must be panicking with worry.
"Fine. Alright."
We made preparations and soon we are circling to our destination. It is only two inns away when the riot turned tables. From a rooftop, we spy Captain Ixas Sabardin, the giant and Captain Dunn and their men in charge. Slaying must be necessary for them as they slice the locals fiercely as though they are serpents needed to be wiped from the face of the Earth.
I notice Sanim clenching his fists, Tato readying his bow. Lila grabs my arm pointing at something. "Anagolay do you see that? That smoke!"
"What?" I try following what she is trying to make me see. "No."
She chews her lip before saying, "It's right there."
"Come on," I say. "We have no time for sightseeing."
Arriving at the house, Tato knocks twice on the thick door with heavy fittings of iron. The man that opens it is unknown to me. Everybody went inside, eyeing the stranger.
"So, you changed your mind, betrayer of brothers."
"Nice to see you too Denai," I grunt. He sits on a bamboo chair on a corner. "Besides, I am right here now."
The house is lighted by two candles, one is in the hand of our contact.
"Denai," Lila greets. He smiles at her comely like they are good old friends.
"Everyone, his name is Farid."
Sanim greets Farid in his tongue. He is as tall as I am, solidly built with mahogany like skin and eyes associated with the Thraine. He is stiff in movements, as stiff as the hair he ponytailed as though he did not bathe for a year.
I hand Sanim his earring with their crest which he immediately wears and I let him tell Farid our story as Tato and Denai catch up with each other.
I pretend not to listen to the boy by asking, "Hate to interrupt, but how did you two came to an agreement with Gaviel?"
"Tato fought him in Gakaloai." Denai says. "He saved his life - again and he asked if he ever called for us, would we answer…"
"Uhuh."
Sanim is dramatic, focuses on how he felt and his observations are lacking but he relates the events quite well.
"I feel woozy," Lila observes.
An aftereffect of using her power?
No.
Sanim is out, Farid caught him. Denai slumps with Tato and my vision blurs as if a mist prevents me to see. My head is spinning. Am I spinning? I know I turned to see what is going on but the floor is upon my face.