Lyra jumped back. Charlie’s eyes grew wide.

The floating, transparent core was almost an exact replica of Orb.

Lyra’s eyes flipped between the ghostly reincarnation of Orb and the blonde baby she’d sat down on the table.

The ball floated closer to her. She panicked, swatting at it. The transparent dungeon core bounced off her hand and then flew away. It hovered in a far corner of the room, out of reach. She looked at it, confused, and then back at Charlie. “What is that?” She shook her head. “You can talk, right? I heard you. I know I’m not crazy. At least, I don’t think I’m crazy.”

Charlie stared at her. He was supposed to be keeping his powers secret. But he had spoken to her earlier already, and if there was anything he had learned since getting his powers, it was that it was useful to have someone around he could talk to. Something was wrong with Orb, and now he had this new temporary dungeon core to figure out.

With all the children planning to go deeper into the dungeon, it made sense to look for an ally in Lyra.

“My interface says I’m a dungeon core baby! So, I can talk, and I can fight, too!” Charlie said. Usually Orb helped with this part. He wasn’t very good at it.

Lyra stared at him like she almost hadn’t actually expected him to answer. Her eyes flicked back over at the floating dungeon core cowering in the room’s corner. “Okay…earlier when Varroc was here, you were going to attack him, weren’t you? I could feel something in the air. A build up of magic potential. That was you, right?”

Charlie nodded. “You told me to stop. So, I waited. But I wanted to help Luc and keep them from taking Kyo. I…don’t like Varroc.” He realized now that even if she hadn’t stopped him, his powers may not have worked. The interface had told him he needed to create a temporary core first. For some reason.

“I thought so. Can you show me your power? I’d like to gauge how strong you are,” Lyra said.

Charlie shook his head. “No! I don’t want to hurt you by accident. I haven’t had my powers for very long.”

“It’s okay. I’m strong. You saw what Kashak did, right?” she asked.

Charlie looked at the crater in the table. He had seen. Kashak was powerful. Especially for someone his age. He turned back toward her and nodded.

“Kashak and I have fought before, a lot. An old friend of ours used to train us. Luc too. He helped us hone our abilities. I’m strong. Not in the same way as Kashak, but I am strong. We’ve fought before, and he’s never beaten me. Not once. I promise, I’ll be okay.”

Charlie frowned. He wasn’t sure about this, but maybe it was for the best she knew what he could do. Still, he would hold back just to be safe. He looked around and scooted back on the table. Charlie visualized a small, but firm, pillar inside his dungeon.

He held out a hand toward her and used his combination attack.

Transfer! Dungeon Manipulation!

She responded just as quickly. “Emerald Hex Elemental!” A stream of water shot forward and met the pillar head on. The stream split the pillar in two. A second stream of water covered her body, protecting her from the scattered shards of dungeon material he’d thrown at her. The tiny rocks dissipated into dust and faded away.

Lyra smiled. “You’re strong! I bet you held back, didn’t you?”

Charlie nodded. He had held back a lot. Still, he was surprised she’d been able to stop his attack at all.

“Okay, now that I know you have powers, I’ll tell you the truth. I do want to help the other children escape the dungeon. But I don’t plan on going to the king afterwards. I have a different goal in mind.”

Charlie tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“I know Luc has the right intentions. But I don’t think going to the king is going to fix anything. Sange has been like this for a long time now. Years. If the king hasn’t acted by now, it isn’t because he doesn’t know. It’s because he doesn’t want to act. So, my goal isn’t to escape this place.”

There was a twinkle in her eye. “After we save Kyo and help the others escape, I’m going to destroy this dungeon myself. I’m going to clear it. I believe if we do that, everything that’s happening in Sange will come to an end. And Charlie, if you’ll lend me your power as well, I’d like your help.”

Charlie pushed himself off the table into a sitting position. He put a few fingers in his mouth while he thought.

The last time he’d taken on a dungeon, people had gotten hurt. Someone had died. Vicke had died. And now, Orb was out of commission, and he was separated from all the rest of his friends as well. He didn’t know if what Lyra said about the king was true, if he really didn’t care enough to put a stop to Varroc and his men.

But Charlie knew some things. He knew Merlin was somewhere in Sange. He knew that Sophia’s mom was waiting for her daughter. And he knew that all of these children had been stuck in this dungeon for a long time.

If Lyra thought they could stop all of this by taking on the dungeon, then he would help.

He would take it on, too.

***

Lyra and Charlie made their way back to the daycare. The other children were already gathered, waiting when they arrived. Luc and Florence sat in front of them. Kashak and Desmond were looking at the spears again. Kashak pulled a few out and handed them to Desmond. Lyra approached.

“Are any salvageable?” she asked.

Kashak ignored the question. Desmond sighed. “So far? Three. Plus, the few we have hidden in the dungeon. We have enough for a small group to carry spears. Not as much as we had planned for. Ideally, everyone would be armed,” he said.

Lyra nodded. “We’ll make it work. Thanks, you two.” She walked over to the other children and stood before them. Charlie looked around. Many of the children looked up to Lyra. That much was obvious. What she said next would either break them or give them hope. Some still cried. Some had stopped and were wiping their faces. Others sniffled. A few looked to be on the verge of exhaustion.

But every single one of them focused on Lyra the minute she walked to the front of the room.

“I know today was hard. Varroc thinks he broke us. He thinks he’s won, and we’ll give up now. But he didn’t win. He destroyed this place. But he did not destroy us. You all know we’ve been talking about escaping the dungeon for a long time. After meeting with the council, we’ve decided, now is the time. We’re going deeper into the dungeon tonight.”

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

A series of gasps and whispers started. Kashak and Desmond approached. Florence helped Luc to his feet. They stood beside Lyra.

“I know we thought we would have more time. But the time is now. We’re going to save Kyo, and we’re going to escape. In a few days, we’ll never need to even see a dungeon again. But we all need to be strong. Everything is going to be alright,” she said.

Charlie tilted his head. Her words sounded so confident. But unlike the others, Charlie could feel something they couldn’t. He could feel the quickening of her heartbeat through her chest as she cradled him in her arms.

Charlie didn’t blame her. As the kids got ready, and packed what little they could salvage from Varroc’s destruction, he only had one thought on his mind.

He was about to go deep into a dungeon for the second time. But this time, Charlie wasn’t with a group of seasoned adventurers. This time, he was a baby in a group of children.

He would do everything he could to keep them safe.

Merlin

Crussus slapped him on the shoulder. “I’d say you’ve earned your dinner tonight!”

Merlin shook his head, eyeing the moldy bread in his hand. “I hate to say it, but you were right. After being in the mine all day, I’m starving.” He swallowed, staring at the bread some more. “Okay, maybe not. I’ll save it for later.” He put the bread in his pocket.

His stomach grumbled.

“Fine! I’ll pick around the mold.” It sucked. He’d had to run through a dangerous flare-zone and his only reward was a piece of stinky, moldy bread. Merlin looked back at the rear of his cloak where the fire at singed it. He was lucky it had worked out.

Now, they sat in the enormous crater in the center of the city, the mining operation that he’d been assigned to. There were others spread throughout the city, but this was the newest. And the largest. Several new mineshafts were being explored and mined every day.

One of the other men walked by the spot where Merlin and Crussus sat, eating their dinner. The man clapped Merlin on the shoulder as he walked by. “Great job today, Merlin! I’ve never seen someone run through a flare zone like that on their first day! I didn’t think you’d make it!”

“Please stop reminding me of that horrible place,” Merlin said, shivering. It had been a long day. Thankfully, there hadn’t been any other casualties after the incident with the spotter. They’d mapped out the small pocket of kierstone quickly and made their way back to the surface.

They’d been able to seal the flare zone on the way back with kierstone to keep the flames from threatening them on the way out. Merlin asked why they hadn’t done so in the first place, but Crussus had shaken his head.

“We aren’t allowed to take kierstone into the mines, only out. I don’t know why. Guards are strict about that. We aren’t allowed access to it once we turn it in.”

Merlin cleared his mind. He was more interested in something else. He looked around. “Crussus, why don’t the people here fight back? Surely there are more of us than there are guards.”

Crussus choked on his bread. He looked around frantically. “Merlin! You have to be careful about saying stuff like that. They’ll hang us.” He leaned in. “Truth is, they tried. Three years ago…or maybe it was four? Anyway, there was a rebellion. A group of knights from a neighboring country infiltrated Sange. They joined the work camps and convinced the people to fight back. It was almost successful, but just when they thought Varroc’s men were routed, they say…” he paused, nodding to another prisoner walking by.

He waited until the man was out of earshot to continue speaking.

“That’s when the snatchers first showed up. They were…inhuman. With their help, Varroc suppressed the rebellion and executed a lot of people involved. Many of the people you see around you, well, they watched their parents, siblings, children, and spouses get executed. I don’t know if you’ve lost someone before, Merlin, but it takes the fight out of you.”

Merlin looked down. “I know.”

Crussus sighed. “Sorry. I don’t mean to bring up any bad memories. I just, there’s a reason I wanted to make sure you kept the fight inside alive. Not many people here have it.”

Merlin thought for a moment. Crussus kept saying that, about having ‘fight’ inside or whatever. To be honest, Merlin didn’t feel like he had that at all. If Charlie was here, he’d already have done something. He was probably doing something now in the dungeon. Yet here Merlin was doing slave labor. Risking his life to survive another day. Was that really what he should do? Shouldn’t he be working to help as well? Sure, they were separated. But what could Merlin do here, to help Charlie wherever he was? What if…

“But you think some do? You think some people would fight, given the chance?” Merlin asked.

Crussus stared at him. “Are you talking about an uprising?”

“Maybe.” Merlin swallowed. His heart was beating so fast he could feel it in his toes.

“I know of a handful. Maybe thirty or so men. If that. If you’re serious. Then yes, there are a few.”

“We would need weapons. I suppose we could make some, but thirty men isn’t much. How could we—”

Crussus held a hand up. “It’s true. Anyone can craft makeshift weapons. But if we want a fighting chance against Varroc’s crew, not just any weapons will do. We’ll need to take up arms worth a damn. That won’t be easy. Sad thing is, Sange used to be known for its blacksmithing. But Varroc has forced almost all the old blacksmithing families into working for him. We’d never get access to them, even if they might be willing to help. Still, there is…”

Merlin leaned in. “Is what?”

Crussus pointed to an old man sitting at a table by himself. He ripped small pieces of his dinner bread up and plopped them into his mouth. Slowly savoring each moldy bite. “That grumpy old man over there could help. But convincing him won’t be easy. Trust me, I’ve tried.”

That was interesting, so Crussus had thought about this before. Merlin stood up, hurrying over toward the man Crussus had pointed at. “Merlin wait!”

Merlin looked over his shoulder. “I’ve got an old man to convince!” he called out.

They joined the man at his table. He was older, with large hands, much too large for his body. He eyed them distastefully when they sat. “Crussus,” he said coldly, plopping another piece of bread in his mouth.

“Torq! How are you?”

“Worse now. This your new pet?”

Merlin scoffed. “I’m Merlin. I hear you’re a blacksmith.”

Torq stopped for a second before putting another piece of bread in his mouth. He stood, shook his head, and walked off.

Crussus sighed. Merlin hurried after him. “Wait! Are you really okay with this life? You don’t want to fight?”

Torq spun around quickly and slapped Merlin hard across the face. “My father fought! My grandfather fought! You know where they are now?” He pointed to the enormous pyramid of black kierstones. “Buried under that rubble, with everyone else executed after the rebellion. My grandfather was a legendary blacksmith. He made a weapon for the hero of Aysela himself. I promised I would do the same thing one day. But I’m old. If I help you and get killed like them. I’ll never accomplish my dream. I’ll never craft a weapon for a hero as a great as that man was. So just be grateful I’m not turning you in to the guards. I’ve got to live as long as I can. I’ve got to live until I accomplish that dream.”

“You’re surrounded by kierstone. What’s stopping you?” Merlin asked, rubbing his face.

Crussus hurried over. “Merlin, that’s enough. We need to go before people notice.”

Torq laughed. “Kierstone is shit.” He shook his head. “No. That’s not fair. Kierstone is fine. But it has its limits. No, the weapon I was born to make will require a rarer material. It’s not that I don’t agree. This life is terrible. But I won’t throw it away for you, lad. Good luck.”

Merlin grabbed Torq by the shoulder firm. The short old man turned around as if he would strike Merlin again.

But he froze when he saw what was in Merlin’s hand.

The shining black dungeallis crystal Charlie had given him before they’d entered Sange. The guards had searched him for weapons. But Merlin was used to hiding valuable things on his person.

It was easy enough to keep them from finding it.

“What about this? Can you make that weapon with this?”

Torq’s jaw dropped. “But…how did you…you found this in the mines?” he asked.

Merlin shook his head. “No. I didn’t. But based on your reaction, this would work. So, I’ll trade you. You help us make weapons, and I’ll let you craft something out of this.”

Torq bit his lip. “Aye, I can make a weapon from that. But it doesn’t matter much. A weapon like this has to be crafted with someone in mind. Without a hero, that…is just a useless rock.”

Merlin smirked at that. “You want a hero from another world? I can help with that, too. Let me tell you about my friend. A boy named Charlie.”