Hastily but as quietly as possible, Rapsamash could not catch up with her little congener while navigating the winding tunnels, lit only by a few oil lamps. Or rather, she could not catch up the one who pretended to be her little congener. Her intuition wasn't just hinting, it was screaming that if she didn't catch up and stop it now, their entire plan would crumble. And maybe not just the plan, but their entire people.
It seemed that the cat had started to sprint as soon as it reached the tunnel, which was why Raps couldn't catch up to it. However, she was certain about where it was heading: the mine exit. There should be guards there, and if she didn't manage to do something with this creature before it reached them — everything is lost.
Just a little more, a couple more turns...
She abruptly halted, finally spotting the cat's shadow on the wall around the corner. It scurried hastily further down the tunnel. Raps could finally catch up with it in a few moments, but what would she do? If she used Suiravka and if the cat truly was a spy — the guards would know something was amiss. Even if she were to simply grab and hide it — wouldn't they look for it? There was very little time left, she had to come up with something. Her heart was pounding wildly. Raps clutched the hidden spike under her clothes and suddenly remembered that the witch had given her something. And this something, also hidden in the folds of her shirt, might work. She grabbed a small bag and hurriedly began to untie it, then darted straight after the suspicious creature. One turn, she had to make it. Barely rounding the corner— the cat suddenly dashed forward. The girl sprinted after it with all her might, but the pursued creature had already turned into the tunnel leading straight to the exit. She was too late... Clutching the bag with the life-saving powder in her hands, the girl carefully peered around the corner: a single guard at his post, and the cat running straight towards him.
— Oh, Vandir, I didn't expect to see you here so early. Something happened?
The creature stopped a yard from the guard and began to change. Raps covered her mouth to keep from crying out in surprise and the terror that stabbed her. The terror that they were right — this was not their little congener; this creature was not a cat. First, it began to grow: its head enlarged, limbs extended, the tail seemed to withdraw into itself, along with the fur and ears. It stood on its hind legs, continuing to change and grow, and clothes appeared instead of fur. A man! A sorcerer! Thoughts raced through the girl's head: she had to stop him. She had to! But how?
— Ugh, disgusting! Don't do that right in front of me next time! What happened then? — The guard grimaced, watching the transformation of his comrade named Vandir.
— I think someone was following me. Look there, in the tunnel, — the sorcerer waved his hand, pointing towards the passage where Raps was hiding around the corner.
— Well, not now, my shift is almost over. What's the hurry? Did they find you out?
— No, I need to urgently report directly to the head of the guard. They need to know what's going on here. Urgently!
— Oh, come off it! Tell me what happened then? — the curious guard blocked Vandir's path to the exit with his spear.
— Put that away, Iltar! No time for your foolish jokes! — the sorcerer brushed away the spear and headed towards the exit.
Suddenly, Rapsamash figured out what to do. It was a last-ditch and highly risky effort, but it was a chance nonetheless. She had to act fast! She sprung into action, dashing directly towards the guard. He turned towards the girl emerging from the tunnel's shadows with visible surprise. Perfect! Raps covered a few more meters and threw the bag of powder directly into his startled face.
— Kill him! — She could only hope that the spell would act quickly. If it worked at all.
The sorcerer turned at the shout, noticing the girl rushing past Iltar.
— That's her! Iltar, stop her!
The guard, seizing his spear, reached his target in one step. Vandir gasped, clutching at the shaft sticking out of his chest. His clothes began to soak with blood. It worked! Watching this from behind the guard's back, Raps suddenly noticed that the sorcerer's blood was red too, not blue, as someone had once told her. She picked up the fallen bag with the remnants of the not completely scattered powder. She needed to get out of there.
— Iltar! Hey! What... what's happening? — another voice came from the direction of the exit, accompanied by rushing footsteps towards the guard who still held the spear protruding from the sorcerer's chest.
— The Breach take me! What have you done?! Vandir, hey! — the other guard, who seemed to have come to relieve the watch, ran to the lifeless sorcerer lying on the ground with a punctured chest. — You've killed him! Iltar, drop the weapon! Drop the weapon or I'll force you to drop it!
Everything fell into place remarkably well. Raps waited a little longer, hiding and listening around the corner until the bewildered Iltar was taken away. There was bound to be an uproar, but it was better than having the entire plan crumble. A shiver ran through her, and her legs felt like they were made of cotton. Rapsamash slowly slid down the wall, settling on the cold tunnel floor. It worked. It worked! She, although not by her own hands, killed a sorcerer. Killed. Feelings of pride, shame, fear, and some devilish joy mixed inside her, filling all her thoughts with a mad cacophony. Her heart was ready to burst out of her chest, right through the ribs. It seemed the pounding was so loud it echoed off the tunnel's arches, reverberating all the way to the exit.
Slowly, but surely, the voice of reason broke through the storm of emotions and adrenaline: she needed to return as soon as possible before she was discovered. Rapsamash dug her short nails into her own head, trying to come to her senses. Her legs were disobedient, and so she crawled away from the entrance, where other guards were already starting to converge. A sudden thought made her jolt: what if this wasn't the only sorcerer among them? She needed to inform the others quickly!
At the communal barracks, someone started a song about old times. It told the story of their people's journey to this world, their first hardships, and misfortunes. It was about how their far ancestor - Lleolirian Ba Mora Ammadithra - "Wanderer of the Blue Sky and Two-Moon Night" - united the fragmented and disjointed tribes and clans and established the first common settlements, away from the warring human, elf, dwarf, and other nations.
The song told of how their ancestors lived freely, wandering the world, but always returning home. How the starry sky served as their map - the only and most reliable one. How every new sunrise was met with joy and reverence, with hope for a better, brighter future. How they lived in peace and tranquility, harmony and prosperity until the dark times came. Times that even the Great Ruler couldn't save them from. But everything in this world changes, and even dark times will come to an end, which a new sunrise will surely herald someday.
This song always evoked mixed feelings in Rapsamash: almost everyone born in the tunnels had never seen the sun. How will they know that the dark times have ended if they don't know what a sunrise is and when it happens? How will they navigate by the starry sky when they've never seen it in their lives? How can any of them, not even close to being worthy of the Great Ruler, locked underground, whipped and worn by slave labor, illiterate and unable to fight, lead their people to prosperity and find a new place in this world?
She couldn't understand it, but she wanted to believe it. Now, her people's dream was very close, all that was left was to escape from here, break free back to the sky, sun, and stars. And from there, they would find their way. Maybe even without a new ruler, but they would surely find it.
Right now, for Rapsamash who had just returned from the tunnels, this song was more of a background noise than something sacrosanct and inspiring. She quickly located her uncle among the gathered relatives and, without saying a word, pulled him away from the barracks. He didn't resist and only looked intently at his anxious niece.
— What's wrong, Raps? You look troubled. You rushed off into the tunnels so quickly, — her uncle looked straight into her eyes, slightly leaning forward.
— I... I killed a sorcerer... not exactly me, but I told him to kill... it was a cat, he was a sorcerer, and he listened, and I ran after him, and he almost got away, and almost revealed our entire plan, and now I...
— Hold on, dear, let's take it one step at a time. A sorcerer?
— Y-yes! A sorcerer turned into a cat and was walking among us, listening and watching! He sat by granny Ittira's hut.
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— How did you realize this?
— Well, he was behaving strangely. Gran also thought something was off with him, but we couldn't figure it out... and now I followed him, and he turned from a cat into a human...
— Was he eavesdropping on us?
— Yes! That's why I ran after him because he was sitting right over there, — Raps pointed to a small rock in the middle of the underground hall, — and heard the entire plan you were discussing.
— And what did you do? — her uncle's face became more focused.
— I... I enchanted a guard with the powder Gran gave me, and he killed the sorcerer.
— Are you sure he's dead? He didn't get a chance to tell anything?
— D-definitely..., — Raps hesitated for a moment, — S-sorcerers also die if there's a hole in their chest, right?
— Let's hope so. We need to tell Ittira. You did well to stop him, Raps. You saved all our skins, thank you.
— I... I...
Rapsamash grabbed her head. The images of recent events flashed before her again, her eyes filled with tears.
— Easy now, you did everything right. Don't worry, nobody got hurt, right? Everything is fine, you didn't let Eklat know about our plans, which means we'll carry them out and break free, escape to freedom.
— I... I killed him..., — she couldn't understand why she had dealt with the creature from the cage without hesitation, and the killing of their enemy, a spy who was a mortal threat to them and who wasn't even killed by her own hands, evoked such strange and different emotions in her. She had done it without hesitation at the time, and that's why she was somewhat scared of herself now.
— He was our enemy, Raps. If you hadn't done this — we would all be thrown to the beasts or dogs to be eaten. An eye for an eye, a stranger's life in exchange for all of ours. You did everything right.
Sangar gently hugged his crying niece.
— Raps, when you feel better — we will need to have a serious talk. About the plan and your... feelings, — the uncle continued after a minute of silence, — Before it's too late — we need to tell Ittira about the sorcerer. Go quickly, I won't disturb the others for now.
The girl wiped away her tears and nodded. Her uncle was right, she understood this with her mind, but her heart seemed to grow cold. She was now a killer. She didn't hesitate in making that decision. She was ready to kill him with her own hands. But she preserved the lives of her loved ones, her people. That's what matters most. And yet, her soul seemed to split.
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Ittira greeted her in a cheerful spirit, assuring that several more potions were ready, and, moreover, she found a way to replace some ingredients with others, and therefore she would be able to make some incendiary stuff as well. And only a couple of hours had passed since Raps had visited her. The girl told the witch about their suspicions turning out to be real and how she dealt with the spy.
— And you think that sorcerers just don't die easily, hm? — The wise woman squinted cunningly, looking at the confused girl, — Rapsi, Rapsi, sorcerers are sometimes even weaker than other people, so they're sure to give up the spirit from a spear in the chest. Just make sure you don't let them open their mouths, and don't let them wave their hands in the air, or who knows, what they'll come up with. They have a lot of tricks, even more than me. But don't worry, a spear in the chest is a sure remedy. But something still bothers you, right, hm?
— What if he wasn't the only one here?
— Did you see any more strange cats, hm?
— I think... all others are familiar.
— And our plan is still not exposed. And if there was someone else besides him — we would've been in trouble a long time ago. So, I believe he was the only one. But still — be on guard, Rapsi. Although you are always on guard, aren't you, hm?
— Y-yes, I suppose... — Raps looked distantly at the bottles and bags standing on the skewed table.
— Anything else? You seem out of sorts.
— No, no, everything is fine, I just... Just the day is almost here... — the girl didn't dare to tell the wise woman about what she felt after what she had done.
— We'll manage, Rapsi, we'll manage. We'll get out of these dungeons, mark my words.
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The celebration was still going on at the barracks. Maybe this was their way of relieving tension before what was to come? It was very fortunate that the festival happened just before they were to attempt the nearly impossible. Her uncle was waiting for her, standing away from the others, observing as their relatives sang songs and danced. When they were free — they could celebrate every day. They just had to get out of here.
— Raps, do you feel better?
— A little, but... It's a strange feeling...
— What's strange about it?
— I wasn't afraid when I acted, but afterwards...
— Do you remember what you felt before..., — the uncle hesitated, carefully choosing his words, — before you caught up with the sorcerer?
— I felt that if I didn't do something to him — we would all be lost.
— So you were ready to do anything to stop him and not reveal our plans.
Raps nodded.
— And what did you feel when you realized what was happening? That this cat was a sorcerer?
— I... I don't know...
— Were you scared?
— No, I wasn't afraid then... I think it's the blade, Suiravka, it helps me, well, cope with fear.
— So you attribute your bravery to a knife?
— But it's magical..., — the girl involuntarily reached for the spike.
— Well, let it be. But I'm worried about what happened afterwards. You were confused, weren't you? And no knife helped you cope with that.
— It's... I...
— Raps, — the uncle squatted in front of her, — I'm trying to help. If you get this confused after what you have to do, and you have to do it with your own hands, you won't survive. And I know what can help you in this.
— W-what? — The girl's eyes were filling up with tears again.
— Tell me, what do you feel... well, for example, towards Kavir?
— Kavir?
— Yes, Kavir.
— I... I hate him! With all my heart — I hate him!
— Quiet, quiet, don't scare the others. Yes, this very feeling... If you had the chance, would you kill him?
— I would... P-probably.
— And if he hurt your loved ones before that?
— Then yes, definitely yes!
— This would enrage you, wouldn't it? Surely you felt your fur standing on end, your teeth baring involuntarily, and the urge to attack even an enemy who clearly overpowers you.
— Yes, I felt it...
— Now think that all of Eklat, all his people — they are all like Kavirs. Yes, they look different. Yes, there are Kavir-children, and Kavir-women. But they stole everything from us, took our freedom, and now they're slowly taking our lives.
— That's... Isn't that a bit too...
— Wrong? Raps, think again: was it Kavir who came and took everything from us?
— N-no...
— Is it because of Kavir that we are all locked up here?
— No.
— Is it because of Kavir that mama got sick?
— No!
— Is it because of Kavir that Arti was born?
— No!
— There are people who are even worse than Kavir. Those who told him to watch us and beat us. Those who came to our lands. Who took them for themselves. And they all, all of them — are worse than Kavir. Do you understand?
— I understand, but... all of them?
— Do you think we only have a Kavir like this in our mine? In each, in every mine there is such a person, maybe even several. And above them, there is someone else. And above them, there is someone else. All the way up to the Vizier. But even the Vizier is subject to them, subject to Eklat.
— So it turns out, Kavir is really... not the worst?
— He can be the worst for you. But for us as a whole — the very worst is Eklat itself. Anyone who obeys the king and lives in his kingdom — is our enemy. An enemy, do you understand? They didn't pity us when they threw us in here. They don't pity us when they force us to work in the mines till exhaustion without light and with dangerous creatures literally beneath us. They don't pity us when they feed us scraps or not feed us at all. They don't pity us when they break up our families, torment our loved ones. They never pity us. We are a resource for them, a source of wealth and profit. So why should we feel sorry for getting out of here, taking what's ours, making them pay with their lives for our ruined ones? We'll be even more humane than them, we're not going to use them as slaves, — the uncle paused for a moment, then looked his niece straight in the eye, — Tell me, Raps, should we pity them?
— No, we shouldn't.
— Will they pity us if they find out... even if they just suspect that we want to regain our freedom? Our freedom!
— No, they won't.What will they do to us, Raps?
— They... they will kill us.
— And will you let them do that?
— No.
— And will you regret taking their lives?
— N-no..
— More clearly, Raps, say more clearly.
— No!
— They took everything from us. Will you forgive them for this?
— No!
Rage was boiling inside Rapsamash. Her spark, initially weak and barely noticeable, was turning into a bright flame.
— What they did to mama. How they dealt with your father. Will you let them get away with this?
— No!!
Her fingers tensed on their own, the fur on her arms and mane bristled.
— For all those who died in the mines, extracting wealth for the usurpers. For all those who lost their loved ones. For all those whose future was buried under the earth and shackled in chains. Will you fight for them?
— Yes!
— Will you avenge those who can't avenge themselves?
— Yes!!
— Are you ready to take everything from them, like they took everything from us?
— Yes!!!
— And will you regret it?
— No! No!
Blood was boiling, Raps could barely discern her uncle sitting in front of her. She wanted to sink her claws and fangs into any guard that came to hand. Tear him apart, rip him to pieces, take his life...
— Save this feeling, Raps, — Uncle put his hand on her head, stroking the fur, — It will help you when you are there, alone. Remember everything these people have done, everything they have done to us, and to you. And make them pay. For everything. For each one of us. Rage, hatred — they will help you survive. This is a part of you, and you should not be afraid of it. You have always been good at thinking, but sometimes, your nature, your body will tell you what to do. Let out your anger, your fury. And don't let them take your life. Your life is the most precious thing you have.
— I will make them... I won't give mine...
— Don't forget about this, Raps, — Uncle hugged her tightly.
The girl was overwhelmed with emotions. But now she was completely confident in her strength and that she was ready to take others' lives. And only one thing still bothered her.
— And... what about mama?
— We will take her, Raps. Carry her with us. But I'm not sure she will withstand... We have to go through the desert.
— She will withstand! She will!
— Well, if you're so sure about that, everything will be fine. Then, if you feel better and the confidence has returned to you — you simply have to survive. And help us take care of your mother when we get out.
They won't abandon her! They'll take mama with them! Raps was very glad to hear this, and now her soul was at peace. Almost at peace. She hoped that on the way home she wouldn't meet guards, and especially Kavir, otherwise she wouldn't be able to hold back all the hatred that had engulfed her, igniting a flame in her heart. There were only two days left until they would reclaim theirs. Until they would regain their freedom.