Charlie

Lyra’s eyes darted around the hallway as she thought about the implications of what Tomas had said.

Charlie was having a hard time processing it, too. The dungeon was summoning all the children. Why would it do that all of a sudden?

“Tomas, what do you mean it’s too late?” he asked.

Tomas looked up at him. “Usually, the dungeon uses Varroc’s men to deliver children. The snatchers aren’t involved once the children come to Sange. But now, the dungeon is giving orders to them specifically. There’s only one reason it would do that. It’s hurrying for some reason.”

Lyra shook her head. “Hurrying? What do you mean?” she asked.

“Snatchers don’t need rest. They don’t have to eat, sleep, or drink. They subsist on the magic connection they have with the dungeon. Additionally, they have access to tunnels and hallways that Varroc’s men do not. It won’t take long. An hour, maybe two, before all the children are delivered.”

Charlie looked at Lyra. “We have to hurry, then! We don’t have much time.”

Tomas paused. “Lyra, where did you say Kashak, and the others went?”

She looked surprised. “What do you mean? They used the path you marked. Before you…went away, you found a safe way out of the dungeon. You don’t remember?”

Tomas shook his head. He backed away until his back hit the wall. “No…that’s not good.”

“Tomas, what do you mean?” Lyra asked, taking a step toward him.

“The reason that path was unguarded was because it’s the entrance that the snatchers use. If Kashak and the others leave that way, they’ll run right into all the snatchers that were summoned by the dungeon.”

“Arh!” the friendly Scaler said. Charlie frowned. This was awful. Kashak, Luc, Sophia, and all the other children were in danger now. He’d thought they’d be safe. Charlie had thought it was the right decision to send them on their own.

Was it a mistake to separate from them?

The Scalers would help them fight, but would that be enough?

“We have to go. They’ll need our help. I can mask their presence,” Tomas said. He forced himself to stand upright and took a step down the hall.

Lyra grabbed him by the sleeve. “I can’t. I have to destroy the dungeon.”

Tomas spun around. “Why? Why do you care so much about the dungeon all of a sudden? Before…before you only cared about the children in our dungeon. So why now? You can escape with them and get to safety. I know I put ideas of adventure in your head. But this feels different. What’s driving you to do this, Lyra?” Tomas asked her.

“It’s just something I have to do. I’m sorry.” She lowered her head, refusing to look at him.

He turned to look at Charlie. “And you? Why are you doing this? Just to help Lyra?”

Charlie shook his head. “I want to help everyone! I can’t leave without trying.”

Tomas sighed. “I have to go. I can’t hide the other children’s presence from here. There’s nothing I can do to help the other daycares, but at the very least, I can try to hide Kashak and the others. Good luck.”

Tomas ran down the dungeon in the direction they’d come from but paused and turned to look back.

“Lyra, Charlie, whatever you do, don’t let the core guardian touch you.”

With that warning, he turned and ran down the hall.

The friendly Scaler turned to look down the path further into the dungeon. Charlie looked up at Lyra and nodded. They set off. The final fight was ahead.

This battle would decide the fate of Sange and all its people.

They had to win.

But his thoughts drifted to his dwindling dungeon integrity.

12%.

He would have to win the hardest fight of his life with only 12% of his power at his disposal. He knew what that meant.

Failure was a possibility. He needed to prepare for it.

He projected his thoughts so that only the friendly Scaler and Bonehead could hear him. “Hey, you two, I need you to do me a favor. If during the fight I have to use my Transfer ability. I’ll need your help.”

The friendly Scaler’s eyes rolled up to look at Charlie atop its head. Bonehead looked over from where he was walking to Charlie’s right. “I have two other friends. Bleedy and Mousifer. I think you’ll like them. Right now, they’re in the dungeon. I guess the other two Scalers are as well. If things get bad, I’m going to force them outside. I don’t want to do it unless I have to. It’s dangerous here. But if my dungeon integrity gets too low, I’ll need to pull them out to save them.”

He patted the friendly Scaler on the head and smiled at Bonehead. “If that happens, I want you two to grab them and run away. Lyra can keep Kyo safe. I just don’t want anything to happen to my friends. To any of you,” he said.

The two Scalers nodded at his words. That made him feel better.

His thoughts drifted to Vetica and Merlin. What if he lost this fight and never got to see them again?

He looked up at the floating, temporary dungeon core. It rolled along the ceiling of the dungeon above them.

Charlie closed his eyes and focused on the image of his friends in his mind. He knew it was a long shot, but he had to try.

He would do everything in his power to win. But if things went bad, he at least wanted to say goodbye to his friends.

“Merlin, Vetica, I don’t know if you can hear me, but I wanted to try to talk to you one last time.

“I’m going into the dungeon. Well, I’ve been in the dungeon.

“But now I’m going to take on the core guardian.

“I don’t have much power left, so honestly…I don’t know if I can win.

“But the snatchers are bringing all the other children to the center of the dungeon.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“The dungeon is going to do something to them.

“I’m the only one who can stop it.

“Well, Lyra and my lizard friends will help too. But I just have a feeling it might go wrong.

“So, I just wanted to say thanks for traveling with me.

“I’ve had a lot of fun, and I hope you two escape and go on more adventures.

“You’re the best friends ever.”

Merlin

(Several moments before Charlie’s goodbye)

“We need to act quickly! What are we waiting for?” Achai demanded.

Several of the other men at the table sighed. Merlin understood Achai’s impatience. It had been days since Kyo was taken. He shared his concerns. They needed to act soon, but if they made the mistake of rushing things, the rebellion would be over before it started. Achai had to know that.

Of course, he did.

But who could expect a father to not want to hurry and save his son?

They were sitting inside the shack Godo used for his business arrangements. Most of the key figures of the rebellion were here. Godo, Crussus, Torq, Achai, Merlin, and a few other prominent members of Sange. Some had held government positions before Varroc had run them out. Others were just respected among the prisoners.

Today was the first time they’d all met at once.

It was risky, but relaying information one person at a time was too slow. They didn’t have that kind of time.

Also, their leadership was somewhat divided. Crussus and Torq on one side. Achai and those loyal to him on the other. Some did their best to stay out of it. But Merlin didn’t have a choice but to mediate between the two parties. If both sides didn’t work together, this rebellion would fail.

But managing them was easier said than done.

“We all share your sense of urgency, Achai. But we have to ensure we don’t doom the resistance for the sake of one boy,” Sullivan said. He was one of the former government members.

Merlin flinched. Achai wouldn’t take that well.

Achai stood and slammed his hands on the table. “You wouldn’t say that if it was your son missing!” he yelled. Several men grumbled in agreement.

“I have two children in the dungeon. I don’t know if they’re alright. I haven’t seen them in years and the people responsible for checking on them have been lying to us. So, excuse me if I’m short on sympathy,” Sullivan shot back.

Achai’s mouth fell open. He glared at Sullivan.

Merlin intervened before the situation could get any worse. He held a hand up. “Gentlemen, please. We’re all on the same side, and we share in our concerns for the children. We will save Kyo, Achai. We’ll save all the children. But first, let’s take stock. How are things?” he asked, looking around the table.

Torq waited a moment to see if anyone else would speak. When no one spoke up, he did so. “Forge is up and running strong. Those boys Crussus brought to assist me were slow at first, but they’ve got the hang of things now. We’ve got weapons. A lot of them. Now, the kierstone will hold up, but the wood we had access to wasn’t very good—”

Godo shrugged. “Godo not have much time. Bad wood better than no wood, yes?”

Torq laughed. “Aye lad. I’m grateful you were able to get any at all. The spears will hold up well enough. We’ve got swords and shields as well. Those will be reserved for the more experienced fighters. We’ve got a lot of people, though. I’d like a few more days to make sure our stockpile is adequate to arm everyone.”

Achai started to protest, but Merlin held a hand up. “Let’s just hear everyone out first.”

Achai relented.

Crussus stood. “Training is going well, too. I’ve found a few more men with combat experience. The number of people I can gather at once is limited, but thanks to the new guys, we’ve been able to train way more than before. Still, I feel the same way that Torq does. We need more time. We only get one chance at this.”

Merlin nodded he turned to face their merchant companion. “Godo, the leaders of the other mining camps, they’re all on board?” he asked.

“Godo is good merchant. Best merchant. You give Godo product, and Godo will sell it. Godo has sold this rebellion. The camps have purchased in bulk. They will join. But word spreads slowly, even with good product. Godo say, allow word to spread. Product sell.”

Merlin smirked. “Good. We’ll need to find a way to get them weapons. They know about the signal?” he asked.

“Godo will get them weapons. Godo already tell them of signal. Godo does good business.” He waved a finger as he spoke, and then winked at Merlin.

“I’ve spoken with the other sitters as well, at least, those I can trust. They will assist us. We have more freedom to move around the city than most. It will be valuable,” Achai said. Several of the men on his side nodded their heads at this.

Things were coming along nicely. Merlin nodded his head, looking around the tables. They had weapons; they had training, and they were in communication with the people of Sange. After a few more days had passed, the leaders in the other camps would have built up even more support for the rebellion. Then, when he gave the signal, they would fight.

A city against its oppressors.

Every day that passed was another day of worry for the people of Sange. Most of them didn’t even know the truth about the sitters. If they did, there wouldn’t be an organized rebellion. The people would simply riot. It was a necessary secret if they wanted things to go well. If they wanted any chance of keeping the people in a united front.

It wasn’t lost on him and the others that hiding the truth made them just as bad as the sitters.

“Well, any other news?” Merlin asked.

Crussus nodded. “There are patrols almost nightly in the forest around Sange. Lately, there have been reports that the patrols are going missing.” Crussus paused. He furrowed a brow and turned to look at Merlin. “Actually…those reports started around the same time that you showed up, Merlin.”

Everyone turned to look at him. “Interesting. Well, the more patrols that go missing, the easier it will be for us to take the city. So, that’s good news.” Merlin couldn’t help but wonder. Was their assassin friend out in the woods causing trouble? If so, he certainly wouldn’t complain. He just hoped she was being careful. She didn’t have any backup out there. One mistake could be her end.

Godo raised a hand. “Ah yes, Godo has something too. Godo hears that soldiers from surrounding towns come to Sange. He not know why. But maybe due to missing patrols.”

Torq shook his head. “That’s unusual. Varroc is picky about the soldiers under his command. If he’s bringing in fighters from the other cities, something big must be going on.”

Merlin wondered at that. There was a lot to think about.

“Merlin, Vetica, I don’t know if you can hear me…” Merlin’s hand shot to his head. Charlie’s words played in his mind.

Everyone around the table turned to look at him.

“Merlin, are you okay?” Crussus asked, jumping to his feet.

Merlin held a hand up, listening to the rest of Charlie’s words.

The memory of the last sentence played in his mind over and over.

“You’re the best friends ever.”

He shook his head. What was that? He hadn’t heard from Charlie since arriving in Sange, and now, all of a sudden…

He looked up at them. “We have to fight now. They’re taking the children deeper into the dungeon. All of them. If we don’t act now, we may be too late.”

The men looked at Merlin as if he had lost his mind. The room erupted into questions, protests, and talking.

Crussus leaned in. “Merlin, what are you talking about? What’s going?”

Merlin turned and put his hand on Crussus’ shoulder. “Charlie just spoke to me…it was him. I’m not crazy. We have to move now, if we don’t—”

Crussus stared at Merlin and then nodded. “Alright, if you say we move now, I’m with you.”

Merlin’s mouth fell open. Just a moment ago, Crussus had been keen about delaying the rebellion. Now, just like that, he’d had Merlin’s back.

Still stunned, Merlin turned to look around the table.

Torq nodded. “If you say it’s time, lad, then it’s time.”

Sullivan sighed. “It seems the wind has shifted. Very well, I’ll support you, too.”

“Godo is ready to get to business,” the big man said, jumping out of his chair.

Achai stared at him. “You don’t have to convince me, Merlin. I’m ready to move.”

Merlin took in a deep breath. This was it. Everything they’d been preparing for.

They were going to risk it all.

Their lives. Their dreams. Their hopes.

The people of Sange were going to fight.

For their town.

For their freedom.

For their children.