Chapter 8

“We call this the crypts,” Anna said proudly as the blindfold was pulled above my head.

After we spoke at the big house by the river. Anna and Gerert had insisted that I come with them to another place that was safer. They said that there was someone I needed to meet.

“The blindfold was necessary,” they told me, as where they were taking me was a secret. Not that I would have been able to find it even if I could see where I was going. I just about knew the way from the ruin to the Merchants’ Bridge. They overestimated me in that regard.

It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the torches. The darkened room had a familiarity to it. The brickwork was old and misshapen, and there was a damp air to the room that you could almost taste. “Take a seat,” Anna said, I bent down on the wooden chair behind me and rested my arms by my side. She leaned up against the door in front of me.

A voice spoke in the local tongue. The words sounded blotchy and sluggish to my ears.

Anna replied to it in a humorous tone, and then addressed me, “She doesn’t like the look of you.” “Who doesn’t?” I asked.

“Me,” said the voice, this time in Bervian.

The old lady was black-skinned, with white thinning hair and eyes a mix of hazel and brown. She leaned her right hand heavily on a cane that hunched her shoulder up higher than the other. Her eyebrows were pinched together in a hard frown. It was a mean look, not like the one Ottom had which was of hatred and disgust, this was of annoyance. As if my very presence wasn’t worth her time. She was Hafran. Her sharp nose, and pointed chin indicated that she was the Bervian neighbour to the east.

As someone from the central parts of the Bervian hills, I rarely saw the people from the coast, but she wasn’t the first I’d come across.

She walked to the front of me and for a while. Glaring. Gazing deeply into my eyes.

“It’s too much of a gamble, I can see that from one look,” she said in Bervian.

“Only if I’m wrong,” replied Anna.

The old lady stood upright, “Well, then for all our sakes let’s hope you’re not.”

She looked at me one more time before turning and walking towards the door Anna was leaning on. Anna opened it for her, and she made her way out. The tapping of her cane grew fainter as she disappeared into the darkness.

“Well, that could have gone better,” Anna said.

“What just happened?” She smiled but said nothing.

Instead, she walked to the other end of the room.

On the wall was a neat-looking rack that held an assortment of blades. Some straight, others curved, all shiny to the point of shimmering in the firelight.

“You ever held a sword?” Anna asked, “I mean a real sword, not some hunting knife they give you on the hills. Vidlaian broadswords are said to be the best forged, I prefer a Telforn Rapier myself. They’re good for sticking someone with, and at some point, in your life, you may have to decide whether you prefer to thrust or cut... here, stand up, take this.”

She pulled a sword off the rack and handed it to me. I gripped the hilt tightly. It looked common enough, the pommel and hilt were as ordinary as any the city guards wield. The blade however looked pristine, as if it had been polished, over and over again.

“It’s a decorative piece and so it’s seen more oil than most swords. You could use it all the same, however.”

It felt weighty in my hands like I was holding a stick at its weakest end. I could not tell if this was how it was supposed to feel or if it was just too heavy for me.

“Well, go on!” Anna said and motioned her arms “Wave it around, see how it feels.”

I did so. I swished the blade in diagonal slices, pretending I was running down an enemy or someone who wronged me. Ottom came to mind quickly. I had thoughts of slicing his large belly like I was carving akerin meat.

Anna looked impressed, “From that display, I’d say you’d prefer to cut,”

“As would I,” Gerert was standing in the open doorway.

He was with another. A local by the look of him, small and blond with bright red cheeks. At first glance, he looked like a young boy, a teenager perhaps. It was only when I looked into his eyes that I saw the wrinkles around them. He was a lot older than he looked.

“I see she has started with you right away; I suppose it couldn’t hurt," Gerert said, then he looked at Anna “She’s ready for him.”

Anna nodded, took the sword from me, and placed it back on the rack. “Follow me,” she said.

The four of us walked down the darkened corridor, our footsteps echoed off the walls making it sound like a slow applause from the dead. This place gave off an uncomfortable feeling. It wasn’t quite the feeling of fear, but it wasn’t far off. The hairs on my back stood and I found myself fidgeting at any noise that I thought wasn’t coming from the four of us.

“What is the place?” I asked.

“Have you forgotten already? We are in the crypts.” Anna said.

“Yes, but what actually is it? What are we doing? Why are we here?”

“This is where our people operate,” said Gerert, “it also serves as the best place for you to train.” “Train?” I frowned, “for what?”

They remained silent. After a moment of walking through the corridor, we came to a large set of wooden doors. Anna glanced at me, her clouded eye brightening in the dimness, she pressed both hands on the doors and pushed them open.

“Welcome to the ground!” she said, spreading her arms out with open hands.

The room was big. It made the room with the paintings by the river look tiny. It made our place in the ruin look like a stone compared to a boulder. I’d dare say you’d fit the entirety of the Merchants’ Bridge inside. It was a vast hall held up by large, circular columns, made completely out of misshapen rocks and mortar that tapered into an arched ceiling. A bench was built into the walls all the way around. Only leaving gaps for the numerous doors that dotted the hall. Weapons hung on every inch of the walls. All different shapes and sizes and varieties, that I had never seen before. Spears with nasty looking curved blades at the end, swords the size of myself that seemed only fit for giants, strange bows, and peculiar arrows with figurine tips that looked as artful as much as they did sharp. The old lady stood leaning on her cane. She was on a raised platform in the centre of the room. Black braziers surrounded the stage making the hall shine brightly unlike the corridor we had come from. “This first was built as a sanctuary from foreign invaders,” Said Gerert as we walked into the room. “You see, Wannihiem has always been a hub of wealth, but hasn’t always had its large walls to defend it. So before having the bright idea of building up, the brilliant minds that were most likely my ancestors decided to build down and where we are right now, are some of the original foundations. This place was designed to hold the entirety of the city surface if need be, granted there were a lot less people back then, but still, it was an impressive feat. In its glory days, these crypts connected the entire city in one big network that was full of secret entrances and hidden pathways, but unfortunately, years of neglect have seen too many cave-ins and-”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Come Gerert, don’t bore the poor man,” Anna interrupted.

“I’m not boring him; Jeb am I boring you?” I shrugged and smiled awkwardly, the truth was I had too much on my mind to be bored or interested. As much as I was in awe of this ginormous foundation. I was more concerned. Concerned with where I was and why I was here and exactly how this was all meant to help with the release of my brother.

When we approached the old lady, she pointed her cane at me, “On the stage.”

I looked at Anna who nodded. I stepped up nervously, still unsure what was happening. The small blonde man stepped onto the stage also and stood opposite me. His grey eyes were distant, his face expressionless.

Without warning, the old lady slammed her cane into the ground making a loud thud, then she took a step back. The blonde man walked towards me and offered a hand. I took it, thinking it was a traditional Wannihiem greeting. It wasn’t. Before I could think he had pulled my hand towards him, put a palm on my chest, and lifted me by the torso until I was mid-air. I could have only been in that position for a moment, but time seemed to slow as I went crashing down to the ground. The stage rumbled as my back slammed into it. I let out a loud groan then coughed as the wind left me. I could hear laughing from Anna and Gerert. The slam had brought back the ringing in my ears I had received from Caine the day before. I stared up at the stone ceiling.

“As expected,” the old lady spoke in Bervian. “he’s too trusting and slow to react.”

“You could have killed me,” I said, wide-eyed and in a broken voice.

“Oh please,” she said. “You’re on softwood and Ben here is a professional, if he wanted to hurt you, he would have. This is what you give me Anna? Not only a boy with the smell of the hills on him but someone who whines like a babe as well?”

“Boy?” I said.

“Give him time Raina, he’ll surprise you. I’m sure of it.”

The old lady grunted and then narrowed her eyes at me, “Well, get up!” She snapped, slamming her cane to the floor.

As I rose to my feet, Gerert leaned over and put something in my hand. It was a knife made of wood. The old lady stepped towards me, “Now when you stab someone there are three things you must remember to ensure a killing blow, first you must be accurate. People will say the neck is the best place to stab if you want to kill, but in truth, it’s the heart, more people survive from neck stabbings than they do with the heart and if you correctly pierce it, they will die in seconds.” She poked two fingers into my chest. It hurt so unexpectedly, I had to take a step back, “Between the second and third rib from the top on your right side is where you want to aim. You’ll notice on your prop dagger that we’ve dyed the tip of the blade red, it’s so that we can see where you’re hitting when you start stabbing.”

“Why are we-”

“Don’t interrupt. Secondly, you need power. There’s no point in assuming that your knife is going to do all the work. When you strike you want to strike as if you’re aiming to run your knife all the way through so your hilt is poking out of your enemy’s back. This differs with weaponry I’ll admit, but with what you’re doing that’s, how you want to think. And thirdly. You’ve got to want to kill. You’ve got to go with anger. They’ll be no praying beforehand like you Bervians do before a hunt. There will just be you, the blade, and the life your about to end. Nothing else matters.”

I snapped. I couldn’t say whether it was because I was blindfolded and put in the back of a carriage for over an hour. Or if it was because I had just been unexpectedly slammed on my back. Perhaps it was the fact that my brother was missing and most definitely hurt, and none of these seemed to care all that much. It was probably a mixture of all three. Whatever it was, it didn’t matter. I had gone past the point of no return. I felt my cheeks flush and my body tense.

“What are we doing!?” I roared and balled a fist.

The old lady's eyes glinted. It wasn’t quite a flinch, but it was still something.

Both Gerert and the blonde man reached for their pockets.

Anna just grinned her usual grin.

“So far no one has told me anything. Instead, I keep getting led from place to place with no idea how any of this is to help my brother.” I turned to Gerert, “you say I have to kill you, we’ll how? How exactly, let me be done with it now! if it’s you they want you, then I’ll gladly trade your life for my brothers!”

The old lady gave the smallest of smirks, “Maybe he does have a spine.”

“Put the man out of his misery,” said Gerert. “He’s starting to make threats and they’re directed towards me. Tell him what’s going on otherwise he’s going to be as stiff as Ruland all day.”

Anna sniggered.

“Fair point,” said the old lady, “Jeb, isn’t it? You currently stand in the grounds of the Mards, the people that run most dealings in the city north of the Ra.”

“Okay,” I said.

“My name is Raina; I am the matriarch of these people. This is Ben. Gerert and Anna you know.” She breathed in, “Now you and your brother had fallen into a trap from another set of people called the Helms. They run everything south of the Ghid. Us and them are… at odds with one another and unfortunately, you have been muddled in with it. As you’re aware, the Helms want poor Gerert here dead, and those fools have tried to use you to do it. However. We, being the people that we are, have and have gotten you on our side.” She looked into my eyes to see if I was following and then continued. “Initially the plan was a simple one. We’d have you, your brother, and Gerert, stage a fake killing. Publicly. So that the Helms could see and think that Gerert is dead. But your brother being taken captive has made things more complicated. We now have to get your brother out of captivity, whilst still continuing with the plan.”

“So how do we do that?” I said.

“Like I mentioned before,” said Anna “With the man hidden within them, the man who's secretly one of us... It’s hard to get messages to one another, but when we do. We’ll tell him to keep your brother safe.”

I Raised an eyebrow, “And he can do that?”

“Yes, but it will raise susupicion. He’ll be risking his life as much as you are risking yours.”

“Exactly,” said Raina. She looked at me intensely, her brownish, hazel eyes shining off the fire from the brazier. “Jeb, I’ll ask you to trust us, like we are to trust you. If you can ensure that you’ll pull off a perfect performance in killing Gerert, then we will promise to get your brother back.” She held out a frail hand, and I shook it.

“I promise,” I said.

“Good, now that everyone is on the same page let’s get to it... Gerert if you please.”

“Hold on,” he said, “Let me just get into character.” Gerert bowed his legs slightly and walked with the leaning gait of the drunk he was when I first saw him. He turned his back on me.

Raina spoke: “Jeb, you are to put your left hand on his right shoulder and pull, then you are to plunge the prop knife into his heart... No no, you don’t hold the knife like that, you hold it like this....”

*

“Pig’s blood?” I said frowning.

“Indeed,” said Anna. “It looks a lot like human blood. No Helm would be able to tell the difference... or the guards for that matter.”

I had left the crypts by blindfold again and was thrown into another carriage. The driver dropped us off at the same place I had met Anna earlier. She took the blindfold off and we started walking towards the bridge.

I shrugged, not entirely convinced, “If you are sure then okay.”

“I am sure. Believe me Bervian, this isn’t our first time. It is the reason we are making you practice. Where you will stab will determine how much blood will flow. Piercing a bag of pig’s blood will spill quicker than a human’s stomach, piercing a heart however, the blood will flow the same.”

I looked out at the river without saying anything. I didn’t want to know how she came about that knowledge.

“You did well today,” Anna continued. “Even Raina seemed to come around towards the end,”

“I thought I’d be there for longer,” I said.

“If we could keep you, we would have, but the Helms will be monitoring your ruin twice a day, and if you’re not back by sundown, they’ll get suspicious. Best not to give them a reason to start looking for you.”

I nodded, “And so what now?”

“Now, we practice, day in and day out until the week’s end, we’re going to make it so that there are no mistakes on our part.”

“Okay.”

There was silence for a moment. The late afternoon wind swept in from the river, and a cool breeze brushed Anna’s hair over her clouded grey eye.

“You know your way from here?” She asked when we arrived at the bridge.

“Yes. Are you not coming any further? I still have some questions.”

Anna smiled, “Unfortunately I can’t. If I were to step one foot on that bridge my head would end up on a spike by the end of the day. In this line of work, you must know where your boundaries are.”

I tilted my head, “Would the Helms really do that?”

I realised it was a stupid question. The side of my brother’s face still sat in the corner of our room at the ruin.

“Who said it was the Helms?” she replied.

“If not them then who?”

Anna nodded towards the bridge. It was a fair distance, but I noticed him, leaning upright on a pillar. Hooded. Somehow, I could tell he was gazing at us.

“Who is he?” I asked.

“Doge Rolof – this fine city’s elected ruler – has a keen interest in our affairs, and let’s just say he doesn’t like it when one group tips the balance too far on one side... That man there makes sure we follow the rules.”

“Rules?”

She smirked and nodded, “The game is a corrupted one, but it still has rules, you’d best remember not to break them often or it will give you problems. Us, the Helms, and the Furns know our limits.” “Furns? What’s that?”

Anna cocked an eye, “Did we not mention them? Archin’s lot. They’re another group like us and the Helms, they have the central parts of the city.”

“Did you say Archin?”

“Yes, why?”

I leaned my elbows up against the river wall, “I have heard that name before. The beggar that kicked me out of the alley, right before I first met you. He said it was Archin’s territory.”

Anna shrugged, “He wasn’t wrong.”

“Are there any others? Groups I mean.”

“There are a few smaller ones that take on a single street, but they’re not a concern to us. No, these are the big three of the city.”

“Well, I suppose I am lucky you found me then.”

“More than you know,” she gave a glance towards the bridge, “best be getting back now young Jeb, it’s almost sundown.”