Chapter 6
I barely slept that night for the anticipation and anxiety that coursed through
my veins. So when the sun rose I was already waiting at one of the tunnel entrances, I waited a while after the sun rose for Murtok to sore through the sun, and when he was satisfied, he dove down onto my shoulder and we started the next piece of this journey together. I made sure no one was and then I opened the trapdoor in the floor and down a ladder I went, to calm my racing heart I started counting the rungs and once I reached 50 my foot hit hard ground, and Murtok had stopped at one of the top rungs so he could dive to the bottom once I reached it. I could hear the rustling of people all around me, and I could hear the sound of metal being drawn of sheaths, I took a deep breath to steady myself and continue on this path I have chosen, I turned around, and I could see no less than 5 people waiting in the light of the lantern at the bottom of the ladder, and before any of them could speak, I spoke first, quietly but firmly I said, "I am here to meet Fox", I could feel their laughs about to start but at that exact moment, Murtok appears on my shoulder, and no one saw him dive down the hole, that shuts them all quickly, and I could see some taking a couple steps back and praying for the holy father, but I wasn't paying attention to them, I was speaking with Murtok. "You saw the look at their faces, I told you it was worth it for me to wait until you reached the ground," in mock outrage I answered, "you knew they were here, and you said nothing, traitor," the only answer I got was our mixed mental laughter.
Now that introductions were made, Murtok showing himself, one of the group, presumably the leader, removed himself from the rest and told me to follow him, we didn't speak to each other, we didn't introduce ourselves to the other, we only walked down tunnels, him leading and me following, I do not know how long we walked, all I know is that we were further underground than before. At some point I felt the tunnel beginning to open up, and I could tell that further ahead the light was much brighter than the flickering light of the tunnels. We reached the opening and my breath was taken away, we reached a cave so big that it could house half of the outer city, and it did. The cave has developed into a city, and here I learned the true role of the person I was coming to meet, the Fox was not just a criminal mastermind, he had built a village underground and was ruling it. We walked through the streets, and to my shock, I had expected to see a village worse than the outer city, however the main streets were made of gravel not mud, the houses, yes houses, are made of stone, we even passed a market. The people looked well fed, and I even saw something that resembled a guard patrol, on their clothes is what looked like steel foxes serving as bages, and they wore them proudly, they looked like good people trying to do what is right, not like criminals itching for the chance to kill someone, or steal something. We continued going until something changed we faced a wall a manmade wall, someone on the wall called for identification, and the person leading me said something that the other person understood, and the gates opened.
Inside the layout of the building was different, there were some, more spaced out than normal houses, and everyone I saw here wore the steel fox, and even the person that was leading me put on a golden fox, and I understood these are not houses but barracks for the guards I saw patrolling, I felt that where not everything, and I was right. We went through another tunnel that led to another smaller cavern this one was full of barracks and training grounds, and everywhere I looked I saw someone with a purpose no one was sitting around doing nothing. We went to a building at the middle of the cavern, and this building was different, it was an office building. My guide nocked on the door, spoke with the woman that opened it and left. I was guided by this woman to an office and told to wait. I looked around the office and it was all work, there was nothing personal that could indicate whose office I am in, so I sat on one of a couch and waited.
I waited until finally The Fox came, "I see you accepted my invitation, welcome, this is my secretary Laura," he said taking a seat next to me while she went to the office table and started working. He continued, "now proper introductions must be made, I am Vos, also known as The Fox, my patron is the Keeper of Love and Light, what about you," he said as he lifted the shirt to show me the mark at his shoulder a red rose in the middle of a yellow sun.
I mediately bristled about the mention of patrons, "my name is David, this is Murtok as you now," I said as Murtok cawed from my shoulder.
"Who is your patron if I may ask?"
"I do not wish to reveal who my patron is, I barely know you."
"If you wish to stay here you will tell me who your patron is, I know the patron of everyone that lives in this city, so if you think I couldn't keep a secret think again."
"It is not that, no one knows who my Patron is no one."
Getting more forceful, he said, "you think you are the first orphan that comes here, or the first person whose patron is someone they wish to hide, think again half of the people here are The Keeper of Deceit and Dishonesty."
I conferred with Murtok and we came to the same conclusion, I need to learn how to fight and this is my best chance, so we would have to risk it, he seemed a practical and logical man, so we thought that he would see the a use for us and not throw us out immediately, so I said, "I will tell you, but I will only tell you alone, she has to leave."
"She is me second in command, everything I know, she knows."
A glace with Murtok, and I started lifting my shirt, I took way longer than lifting my shirt to show my shoulder should take, but Vos was content to wait, he understood the gravity of showing my Patron for the first time, and to complete strangers. Once it my shoulder was bare, I said "My Patron is The Banished, Lord of Death and Darkness." And my mark his True Mark showed, I could see it in both of their faces, the shock, the confusion, the fear. I dropped my shirt to cover my mark, and that is when I saw them share a look full of calculation and the cunning that he is famous for. In that moment, I knew that I would not be turned away, that he would teach me all I want to learn, even if only to use me.
"I understand your reluctance now, but be assured no one outside of this room will learn of this, not from the either of us, and it will not be documented. Now as I remember I made you a promise, so if you would follow me, I would like to start fulfilling it."
I started following him, and once we reached the outside he started talking, "we are going to a private practice room, I was wondering do you have a place to stay or would you want to stay here."
"I have a place to stay, Murtok is wondering if he could fly in the caves, if there is something that he should watch out for."
"He can do as he wish, there is no natural danger here, but he should watch out for the people, some are desperate that they wouldn't mind eating a raven for lunch." With that he launched of my shoulder and started exploring.
"Why are you teaching me?"
"You saved my life."
"That is not it, everything you is calculated, you don't do anything that doesn't benefit you, and knowing what you know, I could not find a single reason for you to still want to teach me, so why me?"
"Fine, I'll tell you, at first it was just because you weren't afraid, when things went down as they went, and that way you kept a raven with you, and seemed to understand it and it understood you. Now it is much more… how did you say it?... ah yes, knowing what I know, the stories and rumors could all be true, so I would be a fool to throw all that away."
"The rumors are exaggerated, and I have not killed anyone, nor am I willing to kill anyone for you, so if that is what you want, I will leave right now."
"For now, I do not want anything from you, all I want is to learn what you could do, and be on the right side of it."
"If in the future you ask me to kill anyone for you, I will leave and you will never see me again."
"That is fine by me, I would not force you to do that… and we have arrived to our destination, are you ready to be beaten and bruised."
"I am, old man."
At that he chuckled and we went inside. The inside was a small arena, with seats in a circle around a sand floor that was under the seats by a couple meters. That is where we went, he threw a me a wooden short sword and started teaching me. He started teaching me the basics, how to hold the sword properly, and continued to more of the basics. It was good, his teaching style is unique, he complemented me whenever I did something right, and smacked me with a wooden staff whenever I did something wrong, he would correct me once and the continue smacking me until I got it right.
We continued my training until the midday bell rang, and that signified that it was time for lunch. We headed to the mess hall, where all the guard who do not have an active duty came to eat, the noise and laughter conveyed to me the sense of comradery that these people had for each other. But once Vos entered, the tables nearest to him would greet him, say a word or two and continue as if he wasn't there, and that is how I learned that these guards saw him as one of them, and because of these acts that he did, having meals with them, remembering their names, asking about their families, laughing with them, slapping them at the back, he was one of them. Unlike me whom everyone stared at and started telling stories. Once Vos sat at a table he invited me to sit with him, and I was passed a plate of beef. Without thinking much about it I called Murtok and told him to come eat, that was an oversight I admit it but I couldn't back down. So, Murtok came through the door and landed on my shoulder, and it wasn't until I had fed him a piece of meat that I noticed everyone had fallen silent and was staring at us, without looking at Vos I knew that he wouldn't interject, that in a sense this was a test and he was waiting for the result. So, I did the only think that was left for me, I continued feeding Murtok, and I fed our shadows some power, although now I could handle the power from the portals, and made them dark enough that the light shining at our backs was invisible under the blanket of darkness that I had created. I did all of that while still looking at my plate, not acknowledging their stares. Then simultaneously with Murtok, we looked up and stared each man and women in the eyes and then continued eating our meal. I could feel the unease of the guards at this display, but once we continued eating I dispersed the power in our shadows and returned them to normal. Slowly the noise and chatter continued, but with a different tone, a tone that suggested that they were discussing us. By my side, I could feel Vos oddly enough emitting a sense of being proud, at how I handled the situation, or how his guards handled it I do not know, but I suspect both.
We went back to the arena, but before we could start, we talked. He asked, "why did you do that back in the mess hall? And how did you do it?"
"They just saw a new kid for the first time, and it appeared that I was close to you their leader, so I appreciate you not intervening and reinforcing that idea. So I had to establish myself as something special, something that no matter what happened, no matter what they did I was more important than all of them, so I used some of my powers in order to empower our shadows, and I didn't speak to keep the mystery. If they knew that I was only a street orphan with a raven companion I would be easy to get rid of."
"That is the correct course of action if not the only one you could have followed, and you have to tell me all about your powers, and your connection to your companion."
"For now, all I will tell you about my powers is that they are growing by the day, what I can or cannot do, I might tell you eventually, but not today."
"That is fine with me, but after seeing everything that I manage here, I cannot afford to train you every day, so I will try to train you as often as I can, but someone else will teach you."
We continued training for a while, and an hour or two into our second session, I stopped mid strike, "what are you doing, get your sword up," shouted Vos, "shhhh" I answered shocking him silent, and mentally I asked Murtok "What is happening, talk slower."
Murtok answered me quickly, "I overheard a messenger, say that he has a message for The Fox, he said that his wife is giving birth."
"WHAT" I shouted aloud, I turned around and faced Vox, "Your wife is giving birth."
"WHAT," grabbing me by the shirt, "How do you know?"
"Murtok saw and told me, if you would like to wait for the messenger be my guest."
"Then stop wasting my time and follow me."
He broke into a run and I started following him barely able to keep up with his long stride, once we reached the tunnel the messenger ran straight into his quarry, Vos told him "I know, I am going." Once we reached the outer gate of the barracks, he pointed to one of the guards at the gate, shouted at me, "David fil in Kit and come."
While I was catching my breath, Kit said, "what is happening to my father, it is not dangerous if he is not sounding the alarm."
By that I had finished catching my breath and said to Kit, who appeared to be older than me by two years, "it is not, your mother is giving birth."
"What is wrong with you man, you could have said something faster, now follow me and stay close." And he too started running.
After what seemed a hour of continuous running, we finally reached their house, it looked like all the other houses, it was not something grand, it was a normal house for a leader of his magnitude. Once we entered the smell of sweetness overpowered everything else, and when we reached the bedroom it came from Vos more than anyone else, the person that had been nothing but confident and self-assured was afraid something must be going wrong. I could still feel Kit beside me excited to meet the new baby, but I said, "what is wrong," that is when Vos noticed than we had entered the house, he turned around, and with tears in his eyes he said, "we do not know if they will survive," then he turned around and continued his vigil holding his wife's hand. The room was full, Vos, his wife, his son, two midwifes, a maid, and me, but I pushed to the side of the bed moving everyone aside, I focused and tried to search for the shadows of death, I had never sought them out before they would always appear for me, so I started looking, and when I could see nothing, I pushed harder, and harder, and harder, until something inside of me cracked wide open and pushed itself to the surface. The room was plunged in complete darkness, and the things I saw in that darkness are simply horrifying, in moments the darkness lifted but everyone was caught of guard, and they didn't even see what I saw. In a couple more moments everyone even the woman in labor, crowded around me, curled in the corner sobbing, and then Murtok flew through the window, shattering it, and he came and sat at my chest, trying to console me, even he didn't see what I saw, but he could feel the distress I am in.
Vos grabbed me by the shoulders, asking me "what happened," a few more moments and I had collected myself, I didn't let go of Murtok though. So I said, "when someone is near death, I can see the possibility of how and when they die, and it manifests as a shadow," looking at Vos, I continued, "that is how I was able to warn you, I saw a blade entering through your back and exiting your stomach, and you would have been in agony for a week and then you would have died, and the only thing that could change that outcome was me warning you. So I was looking for the shadow on your wife and daughter, it is a daughter by the way, I saw nothing, both of your girls will survive this. But I had never tried to intentionally look, so I saw all the ways everyone in this room could die, I saw million upon millions of deaths for each person, in wars, by other people in this room, peacefully, every single possible death, and I felt the emotion of the person dying, I felt the anger, the furry, the hate, the fear, the terror, the peace, the love, I felt them a million million times for each person. I will go up, I need fresh air."
They had no words to say, no answers, nothing they could say could lessen what I was feeling. Vos said, "Kit lead him upside, you will meet your sister Vixi when you come back down… thank you David…"
Kit, his full name Kittridge, I learned led me the full way to the surface, and I continued to my cave, still clutching Murtok to my chest. When I reached the cave, the sun had set. I didn't even try to eat, I knew that anything I would eat would come back up. I pulled every piece of clothes and anything soft that I had stored away set them by the river on the other side, and I lay there, listening to the sound of the water, trying to remember the life that this water brings, the life flowing in every person, and plant in the word, but nothing I could do could erase the images from my eyes every time I closed my eyes. I continued to hold Murtok, until I fell asleep, still holding him to my chest, and without him, without his touch on my mind sending his support and comfort straight to my mind trying to calm me down, I would have lost the will to live and starved to death.