"Ahhhh!" Rhyn yelled wanking a piece of wood at Kalbott. Although the guard wasn't drunk - which was a miracle - he fell face first into the mud. Andrew found it weird that Kalbott had been alone. No other guards or any other living beings were in sight.
"Good job!" said Margaret whose compliment brought a proud smile to Rhyn's face.
"What will we do now?" Madden asked. "My feet hurt too bad to keep running without some rest."
"We could tie Kalbott to some tree?" Margaret offered.
"With what?" Andrew asked. "We have no rope or extra clothes."
"Don't ask me," Margaret said rolling her eyes and rested her back against a tall pine which bark matched the color of her hair. "Just brainstorming here."
Kalbott was already starting to move a bit so they really had only a few options. They could've hit him again, keep running or try to keep his company. The last one seemed impossible to Andrew but it was what they would have to cope with.
"You can't be serious," his mother said understanding what he was thinking.
"We're all too tired to keep running," Andrew answered.
"I could just keep beating him with this," Rhyn suggested with a broad smile. "I think I'm getting good at it!"
"That would only make us look like the savages everyone thinks we are," Madden said. Andrew was surprised to hear his cousin agreeing.
"Madden's right," Andrew said. "We'll just keep a watch. Rhyn will still be here with his bat to knock him out if he tries something."
"I still think it's too dangerous," his mother said.
Andrew looked around contemplating the possibility of holding a vote. Margaret seemed as scared of the guard as Mom, and Grandpa was already half-asleep.
"There's six of us and one of him. I think we can handle the situation," Andrew said and sat down on the ground.
His mother nodded reluctantly and no one else said anything either.
***
Carran looked so different from Sencor. Its buildings were fancy and colorful, decorated with ornaments and statues. The people on the streets looked merry and rich. Hodge looked at his hometown feeling like a stranger. It had been a long time since he was last there and to be honest he had never expected to be there again. He had gone out of Sencor multiple times, knowing the tunnels like the back of his hand, but he had never gone that far.
His hands held tight to the edge of the balcony feeling the pleasant coldness of steel in the hot humid air.
"It certainly feels like another shower is on the way," Paine said. Hodge found it funny how Paine was always talkative around him yet quiet with others.
"The showers aren't that often," he answered turning to face Paine. His friend was sitting in one of the huge yellow armchairs placed into the open bedroom, legs resting on the small table.
"I know. It just feels like that," Paine said calmly.
Hodge poured himself some whiskey and drowned it in a second. He hated the bitter taste of alcohol but at the same time found it refreshing. His whole body and mind were shaken by it and in a way, he felt more awake than before.
"You want some?" Hodge offered, waving the bottle towards Paine.
"When have I ever said no to quality whiskey?" Paine laughed to himself. Hodge handed him the glass and took his seat in the other yellow armchair.
"I talked to Steele earlier," Paine said, sipping his drink with a smile on his face. "He's got an old friend working at some laboratory, thinks we should send the explosive's sample there. Maybe he can tell what went wrong."
"Not that it would change anything," Hodge responded. Over the past few weeks, he had been so angry at the rest of the crew. One of them had made a stupid mistake which led to the death of innocent bystanders. And he couldn't find it in him to forgive them. So others were avoiding him most of the time which made it easier for both sides. Paine was the only one he had had any contact during the whole week.
"That's true," Paine agreed. "But it would still be better to know. We learn from our mistakes and all that shit."
"I just wish the mistakes weren't that massive."
Paine just nodded staring the dark liquid in his glass. Hodge's eyes traveled to the wooden box sitting on his writing desk. There was no news of Andy or her family. The whole situation was just a big mess. People were injured, running from death and trying to avoid going back to being a slave. And at the same time, he was in a lovely house - safe, fed, clean and completely healthy.
There was a knock on the door and before either of them could say anything, Steele stepped into the room.
"I thought you were here," Steele said, focusing his eyes only on his brother. Hodge stood up and walked to the balcony doing his best to avoid contact.
"What is it?" Paine asked.
"The first camp has reached Carran. Morgan was wondering if you would be up for helping them out a bit."
"Sure! You coming, too?" Paine put his glass on the small table and stood up.
"Actually, I was thinking the two of you could go," Hodge could feel Steele looking at him even without turning.
After a short silence, Paine agreed. "Yeah, we'll go."
"Great."
There were exactly five seconds of silence again before Steele informed them of some other news.
"Two camps have already been destroyed," he declared.
"Two?" Paine asked in shock. "They're moving so fast."
"I guess the mission is clear and easy for them."
"We'll have to get as many people as possible here. I doubt they'll attack in the city," Paine said.
"We're working on that. It's not like we sit around all day moping about what happened," Steele answered clearly directing his words to Hodge. The blue-haired man didn't even bother to roll his eyes. He just stayed focused on one of the spiders building web on the balcony railing.
"I know you're not moping," Paine said. The words must have hit a weak spot for him as well. "We'll get going in fifteen."
With that, the conversation was over and Steele disappeared as fast as he had arrived.
"I'll go change," Paine said and Hodge nodded.
"I think I'll find something more comfortable as well," he answered.
In fifteen minutes, they were both standing on the street wearing black uniforms with the sign of a white raven on their chests. In Cirren mythology, there was a white raven named Toth who was a sign of the old world ending. It was also a clever way of differentiating themselves from the Night Ravens whose logo was, of course, a black raven. The albino version of the bird was supposed to give hope and mark the light showing from the end of the tunnel. For Carran people, the uniform meant nothing but for the Sencor refugees, it would become the symbol of revolution.
As they neared the edge of the city, the camp became visible. The locals were avoiding the area packed with about thirty men, women, and children whose scent was strong and repulsive. Being off the sedative soup was doing good for the ex-prisoners - many of them were laughing and truly looking happy.
"It's Toth!" yelled a little boy noticing them. He wasn't Cirren so Hodge found it impressive he even was familiar with the concept of the white raven.
Some people started whispering, others just stared at them as if waiting for something.
"Hi, everybody," Hodge said as loud as he could. "We are here to help you. The Emperor doesn't want you to be free. We will direct you to our headquarters, There you will be safe from his guards!"
As he looked at the people in dirty clothes who were obviously malnourished, Hodge felt weird in his clean uniform. It was setting a clear line between their crew and the people.
"Take your most essential belongings and follow us," yelled Paine, taking over the speech.
Noone asked anything. They just started blindly following. Morgan was already waiting for them in front of the house. His uniform was even fancier, resembling more of a leader's. There were four doors directing everyone underground where they had already prepared big rooms with beds. The conditions weren't really better than they had been in Sencor but here they were free.
One of the men was bigger than others. He was not just a small giant, he also sat up straighter than others. It was obvious he was the one who had led the group that far. Hodge stepped closer to him and shook his hand.
"My name is Hodge," he introduced.
"Seth," the man responded.
"You are the leader of your camp?"
"Yes, Sir!"
"There's no need to call me a sir. I'm just like you, a refugee from Sencor trying to start a new life." Hodge didn't like to be considered superior in any way. He believed in equality.
"But thanks to you we were even able to escape," the man said.
Hodge didn't know how to respond so he changed the topic.
"There will be more of you here in the next few days. We will need men who can take command so that we can get through this situation. Would you like to be named captain?"
Seth's eyes grew larger as the frown on his forehead grew deeper.
"It is a lot of responsibility," Seth answered.
"I know. The next year will decide our fate. We could all be executed by the Emperor or we could go ahead and make our own rules, change the world even." Hodge understood that his words were a bit too ambitious but that was what he believed. The world could be so much fairer but instead, it separated people into groups - some better than others.
"I like you," Seth said with a grin. "I would be honored to be a captain in your service!"
Hodge wasn't going to say that no captain would be working under him. Leadership was never for him. He liked to talk, to dream and then act on those dreams striving towards fulfilling them. But giving orders and keeping track of people was not for him.
"What is the plan then?" Seth asked. "If I may ask of course."
"We're going to finish what we started," Hodge answered. "Once we're done, no man, woman, or child will be a slave or named Silt. It's about time we showed the world who we really are."
"Good job!" said Margaret whose compliment brought a proud smile to Rhyn's face.
"What will we do now?" Madden asked. "My feet hurt too bad to keep running without some rest."
"We could tie Kalbott to some tree?" Margaret offered.
"With what?" Andrew asked. "We have no rope or extra clothes."
"Don't ask me," Margaret said rolling her eyes and rested her back against a tall pine which bark matched the color of her hair. "Just brainstorming here."
Kalbott was already starting to move a bit so they really had only a few options. They could've hit him again, keep running or try to keep his company. The last one seemed impossible to Andrew but it was what they would have to cope with.
"You can't be serious," his mother said understanding what he was thinking.
"We're all too tired to keep running," Andrew answered.
"I could just keep beating him with this," Rhyn suggested with a broad smile. "I think I'm getting good at it!"
"That would only make us look like the savages everyone thinks we are," Madden said. Andrew was surprised to hear his cousin agreeing.
"Madden's right," Andrew said. "We'll just keep a watch. Rhyn will still be here with his bat to knock him out if he tries something."
"I still think it's too dangerous," his mother said.
Andrew looked around contemplating the possibility of holding a vote. Margaret seemed as scared of the guard as Mom, and Grandpa was already half-asleep.
"There's six of us and one of him. I think we can handle the situation," Andrew said and sat down on the ground.
His mother nodded reluctantly and no one else said anything either.
***
Carran looked so different from Sencor. Its buildings were fancy and colorful, decorated with ornaments and statues. The people on the streets looked merry and rich. Hodge looked at his hometown feeling like a stranger. It had been a long time since he was last there and to be honest he had never expected to be there again. He had gone out of Sencor multiple times, knowing the tunnels like the back of his hand, but he had never gone that far.
His hands held tight to the edge of the balcony feeling the pleasant coldness of steel in the hot humid air.
"It certainly feels like another shower is on the way," Paine said. Hodge found it funny how Paine was always talkative around him yet quiet with others.
"The showers aren't that often," he answered turning to face Paine. His friend was sitting in one of the huge yellow armchairs placed into the open bedroom, legs resting on the small table.
"I know. It just feels like that," Paine said calmly.
Hodge poured himself some whiskey and drowned it in a second. He hated the bitter taste of alcohol but at the same time found it refreshing. His whole body and mind were shaken by it and in a way, he felt more awake than before.
"You want some?" Hodge offered, waving the bottle towards Paine.
"When have I ever said no to quality whiskey?" Paine laughed to himself. Hodge handed him the glass and took his seat in the other yellow armchair.
"I talked to Steele earlier," Paine said, sipping his drink with a smile on his face. "He's got an old friend working at some laboratory, thinks we should send the explosive's sample there. Maybe he can tell what went wrong."
"Not that it would change anything," Hodge responded. Over the past few weeks, he had been so angry at the rest of the crew. One of them had made a stupid mistake which led to the death of innocent bystanders. And he couldn't find it in him to forgive them. So others were avoiding him most of the time which made it easier for both sides. Paine was the only one he had had any contact during the whole week.
"That's true," Paine agreed. "But it would still be better to know. We learn from our mistakes and all that shit."
"I just wish the mistakes weren't that massive."
Paine just nodded staring the dark liquid in his glass. Hodge's eyes traveled to the wooden box sitting on his writing desk. There was no news of Andy or her family. The whole situation was just a big mess. People were injured, running from death and trying to avoid going back to being a slave. And at the same time, he was in a lovely house - safe, fed, clean and completely healthy.
There was a knock on the door and before either of them could say anything, Steele stepped into the room.
"I thought you were here," Steele said, focusing his eyes only on his brother. Hodge stood up and walked to the balcony doing his best to avoid contact.
"What is it?" Paine asked.
"The first camp has reached Carran. Morgan was wondering if you would be up for helping them out a bit."
"Sure! You coming, too?" Paine put his glass on the small table and stood up.
"Actually, I was thinking the two of you could go," Hodge could feel Steele looking at him even without turning.
After a short silence, Paine agreed. "Yeah, we'll go."
"Great."
There were exactly five seconds of silence again before Steele informed them of some other news.
"Two camps have already been destroyed," he declared.
"Two?" Paine asked in shock. "They're moving so fast."
"I guess the mission is clear and easy for them."
"We'll have to get as many people as possible here. I doubt they'll attack in the city," Paine said.
"We're working on that. It's not like we sit around all day moping about what happened," Steele answered clearly directing his words to Hodge. The blue-haired man didn't even bother to roll his eyes. He just stayed focused on one of the spiders building web on the balcony railing.
"I know you're not moping," Paine said. The words must have hit a weak spot for him as well. "We'll get going in fifteen."
With that, the conversation was over and Steele disappeared as fast as he had arrived.
"I'll go change," Paine said and Hodge nodded.
"I think I'll find something more comfortable as well," he answered.
In fifteen minutes, they were both standing on the street wearing black uniforms with the sign of a white raven on their chests. In Cirren mythology, there was a white raven named Toth who was a sign of the old world ending. It was also a clever way of differentiating themselves from the Night Ravens whose logo was, of course, a black raven. The albino version of the bird was supposed to give hope and mark the light showing from the end of the tunnel. For Carran people, the uniform meant nothing but for the Sencor refugees, it would become the symbol of revolution.
As they neared the edge of the city, the camp became visible. The locals were avoiding the area packed with about thirty men, women, and children whose scent was strong and repulsive. Being off the sedative soup was doing good for the ex-prisoners - many of them were laughing and truly looking happy.
"It's Toth!" yelled a little boy noticing them. He wasn't Cirren so Hodge found it impressive he even was familiar with the concept of the white raven.
Some people started whispering, others just stared at them as if waiting for something.
"Hi, everybody," Hodge said as loud as he could. "We are here to help you. The Emperor doesn't want you to be free. We will direct you to our headquarters, There you will be safe from his guards!"
As he looked at the people in dirty clothes who were obviously malnourished, Hodge felt weird in his clean uniform. It was setting a clear line between their crew and the people.
"Take your most essential belongings and follow us," yelled Paine, taking over the speech.
Noone asked anything. They just started blindly following. Morgan was already waiting for them in front of the house. His uniform was even fancier, resembling more of a leader's. There were four doors directing everyone underground where they had already prepared big rooms with beds. The conditions weren't really better than they had been in Sencor but here they were free.
One of the men was bigger than others. He was not just a small giant, he also sat up straighter than others. It was obvious he was the one who had led the group that far. Hodge stepped closer to him and shook his hand.
"My name is Hodge," he introduced.
"Seth," the man responded.
"You are the leader of your camp?"
"Yes, Sir!"
"There's no need to call me a sir. I'm just like you, a refugee from Sencor trying to start a new life." Hodge didn't like to be considered superior in any way. He believed in equality.
"But thanks to you we were even able to escape," the man said.
Hodge didn't know how to respond so he changed the topic.
"There will be more of you here in the next few days. We will need men who can take command so that we can get through this situation. Would you like to be named captain?"
Seth's eyes grew larger as the frown on his forehead grew deeper.
"It is a lot of responsibility," Seth answered.
"I know. The next year will decide our fate. We could all be executed by the Emperor or we could go ahead and make our own rules, change the world even." Hodge understood that his words were a bit too ambitious but that was what he believed. The world could be so much fairer but instead, it separated people into groups - some better than others.
"I like you," Seth said with a grin. "I would be honored to be a captain in your service!"
Hodge wasn't going to say that no captain would be working under him. Leadership was never for him. He liked to talk, to dream and then act on those dreams striving towards fulfilling them. But giving orders and keeping track of people was not for him.
"What is the plan then?" Seth asked. "If I may ask of course."
"We're going to finish what we started," Hodge answered. "Once we're done, no man, woman, or child will be a slave or named Silt. It's about time we showed the world who we really are."
Loving the length of this part, the story's very captivating, enjoying it a lot, next part please! :)
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