"Relax, we will be gone in the morning," I said, hoping that they would let their guard down around us. But even so, they did not let their guard down and stared at us, ensuring that we didn't do anything funny. Knowing that they were just being careful, I ignored them and continued to work on the dough on hand.
The little ones, oblivious to the animosity the older kids had towards Samantha and me, still continued to work close to us and continued to guide us in making the mud cookies.
After making the dough and setting them up in a stone oven, we waited as Old Eddie used a first-class magic, ignite, to heat up the stone oven, baking the cookies over the fire. When he did so, both Samantha and I realised that this Old Eddie wasn't a simple man; no magician would be living in the slums, no matter if they were an apprentice or a low-levelled one. This can only mean one or two things, one; Old Eddie is a spy from Volcano Continent. Two, he is a wanted criminal. Despite our curiosity, we decided not to ask any questions. After all, everyone has their secrets.
While Old Eddie was doing so, the children left for public toilets to bathe, change and do the laundry, get ready for dinner and rest for the night. The little ones brought came to us and took our hands as if wanting us to go with them together and have a bath with them. I declined, but Samantha took up the offer as she had not had a bath since I met her.
When all the kids left, the only ones in the alley left were Old Eddie and me. Silence permeated the air where only the crackle from the stove could be heard.
"You must be wondering why an exalted mage like me is doing in this dump" Old Eddie's voice broke the silence between us.
"Everyone has their secrets, and I am not a curious one", I replied, pausing for a moment before continuing, "Why didn't you hand them over to the church? I am pretty sure that they would be able to let them have a better life."
Bang!
Old Eddie slammed his free hand on the table before angrily retorting back at me, "Those bastards? The worst thing you could do for them is putting them in the care of the church".
"What do you mean?" I asked suspiciously, wondering what the Radiant church has turned out now.
"Hmph, those bastards don't deserve such names anymore. It is better to call them demon worshippers," Old Eddie snorted.
With anger rising within me, I asked, "Why do you call them so?"
"Well, this is not really a closely guarded secret; neither is it common knowledge, so I won't fault you. The Radiant Church now only keep up the façade of being a saint to the masses. But those in power know that they basically run the entire underworld, whether it's drugs, human trafficking, or the black market, the Radiant church are the ones running them. Sending these children there is basically sending them to be slaves".
An extreme amount of suppressed rage could be seen consuming my body before the sounds of the children coming back calmed me down, hoping that Samantha was with them so that she could explain if what I heard was the truth. Seeing Samantha with them happily chatting with some of the girls there, I quickly went and grabbed her hand and brought her away so as not to let others hear our conversation. When we reached a deserted place, I asked, "Is it true?"
"True? About what?" Samantha replied, confused by my question.
"The Radiant Church! Are they the ones controlling the underworld?" I angrily shouted at her, wanting so badly for what Old Eddie said to be false.
Hearing my question, Samantha's brightened mood with the girls seemed to have fallen as she looked away, refusing to answer me. But the silence was what told me all.
My hands dropped, and the flames in my eyes seemed to have dimed, realising the truth of the situation, "Why. Why did you not tell me? Is this the real reason you did not want to take refuge in the church?"
I wanted a reply, but Samantha refused to face me and kept silent. "Answer Me!" I roared at her.
"It's true. The church doesn't have a refuge. It is a place where people have given up on themselves and decided to live a life of slavery," Samantha replied, biting her lips before continuing, "I didn't want to tell you because I knew that you won't be able to take and in the Demon Continent, you will be more susceptible to negative thoughts".
Hearing her words, I stayed silent, knowing that what she said was true. Even after thousands of years, I was still unable to wash off the first and only home that I knew.
After staying in silence and sorting out my emotions, I calmed down and returned to Old Eddie's Alley with Samantha behind in tow.
"Uncle, Sister, where did you go? We are about to eat dinner. Come join us," said a little boy who ran up to us, took our hands and pulled us along and to the circle where the rest of the children and Old Eddie were sitting.
Seeing us come, the older ones stared at us with vigilance, and as a precaution, they went to separate Samantha and me, afraid that we might work together and harm them. This arrangement was fine with me as I didn't know or want to sit near her after knowing the truth. Looking at Samantha, it seems that a weight has been lifted off her shoulders.
As the basket of cookies was passed around, the children slowly nibbled at them like they were the most precious and delicious food in the world and wanted to savour its taste. Although I am a lich and can't eat, one look at the baked mud with sea salt, I could tell that the food is not the best in the world. Instead, it might even be the worst. Even hard bread would be better than this.