Chapter 5
Shaol lay on top of his blanket, his mind alive with the thoughts as he looked out the grate at the top of the wall at the softly lit street beyond. In the days since Master had return Shaol had started to become increasingly lost in thoughts of the fortress and Friend’s treasure. She had waited for him and now Shaol was glad she had. The fortress and the thought that this life could end gave him new comfort as he sat in corner of the kitchen and waited to be called.
A shadow flicked across across the crate and then it returned, someone small was just beyond the bars. Shaol stood up and stepped around Pysuun and went to see who was looking into the cellar.
“I found him,” whispered the voice of Raphtune the Missing.
“The backdoor,” replied Shaol quietly making sure not to wake the others.
“Hurry, I won’t stay long.”
Shaol went to Pysuun's blanket and shook the round, lump hidden under the blanket. Pysuun jerked awake with a start.
“What?” he growled, groggy from the sleep.
“Upstairs, now,” whispered Shaol, “you need to see something.”
Pysuun went to speak but Shaol put his hand over his mouth and shook his head. Pysuun pushed back the blanket and snatched up his boots. Shaol found his clothes and both ascended the tight steps to the kitchen, once there Pysuun turned to Shaol.
“What’s going on?” he grumbled.
“I’ve found Horsuun,” replied Shaol simply, “the backdoor.”
Without a word Pysuun was at the backdoor fumbling the blue key into the lock. He pulled open the door and looked into the yard.
“Horsuun,” he whispered out the backdoor with an urgency.
“Quiet,” hissed Raphtune hidden in the shadows, “you’re going to get everyone’s attention.”
“Where is he?” snapped Pysuun to the voice.
“Calm yourself,” snapped Shaol putting his hand on Pysuun’s shoulder and pulling him away from the door, “come in, Raphtune, before anyone sees you.”
A small figure wrapped in a black cloak swept past Shaol and into the room. Shaol started to close the door.
“Don’t latch it,” said Raphtune simply as he pulled back his hood.
Shaol let the door sit off the latch and stepped away.
“Where’s Horsuun?” Pysuun stepped forward with a strange anger.
“Is that how you address your betters, slave?” said Raphtune with a sneer.
“Pysuun, quiet,” ordered Shaol.
“Do you know where my son is?” growled Pysuun growing large.
Raphtune did not respond, he just stood in the centre staring down the man who was threatening him.
“I’m thirsty,” said Raphtune flatly not breaking his gaze, “get me some water.”
Pysuun stopped and then his head snapped to look at Shaol with his hard, black eyes. Shaol simply nodded. There was a moment then Pysuun snatched a metal cup from the shelf, unlocked the door that led to the house and vanished.
“Why did you bring that idiot?” hissed Raphtune angrily.
“It’s his son I asked you to find, you don’t have to worry about him.”
“You have to worry about everyone in this place. Don’t tell anyone else about me.”
“I won’t.”
“Good.”
“How much longer are you in the city?”
“Tomorrow will be my last day,” replied Raphtune as he found a chair.
“Can you take them with you?”
Raphtune laughed.
“No, Shaol, Raphtune the Missing does not travel with others.”
“Then I’ll have to get them out myself.”
“And how are you going to do that?” scoffed Raphtune, “I don’t think the guards will just open the gates for you, even after all your years of loyal service.”
“I have a way.”
Raphtune shook his head but said nothing. Pysuun reappeared with the cup full of water and handed it to Raphtune.
“I never realised I could miss the taste of water until I came to Tarlnath,” sighed Raphtune and drank from the cup, “I’ll be glad to see the last of this damned city.”
“My son?” said Pysuun quietly and politely.
“Yes, Horsuun,” started Raphtune, “he’s working at the fattery in the western part of the outer city.”
“Is he safe?” asked Pysuun.
“His master beats him when the mood takes him, but he is safe and well enough.”
“Did you speak to him?”
“There was no need.”
“Can you get him out?” said Pysuun with a hardness in his voice, “anything, if you can do it.”
Raphtune jumped down from the chair and put the metal cup on the bench.
“Raphtune the Missing is flattered by all this attention but he is not here to rescue lost sons, but don’t worry Pysuun, Shaol has a way.”
“What is this?” asked Pysuun turning to Shaol.
Shaol ignored him.
“Thank you for your help Raphtune the Missing.”
“Good luck to you, Shaol,” said Raphtune walking to the door, “though I would know, how are you planning to leave the city?”
“I have a friend who can help me escape.”
“That is a powerful friend, I hope you can trust him.”
“I trust her with my life.”
“What is her name?”
“I don’t know.”
“How will she help you escape?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why is she going to help you?”
“Because she is my friend.”
Raphtune put his hand on the handle of the door.
“Raphtune the Missing could always use another friend,” he said stopping for a moment, “may he meet her?”
“She does not like to show herself to other,” said Shaol shaking his head, “she is a lot like you in that way.”
“I don’t care who she is,” said Pysuun, “when can she get us out of this city?”
“First, we must do something.”
“Shaol, you stupid bastard,” laughed Raphtune shaking his head, “and what does this mysterious woman want you to do?”
“She has lost a treasure to the Masters, she wants us to take it back for her,” explained Shaol, “once she has her treasure she will take us wherever we wish.”
“She will help me and my son leave?”
“She will take you home.”
“Where’s the treasure?” asked Pysuun, “I’ll have it in her hands by sun rise.”
“It’s in the fortress.”
“The fortress?” exclaimed Raphtune, “even I have not seen inside that place and I have tried.”
“If there’s a way in I’ll find,” said Pysuun his voice hard.
“Does this woman know a way in?” asked Raphtune.
“No,” said Shaol, “but I thought we could find a way in looking like Unders that work inside.”
“I have thought of that,” said Raphtune and walking back to his chair, “there are servants but they don’t leave the fortress.”
“They just brought new prisoners to the city, the Masters were talking about it at the dinner,” said Pysuun, “some of them are to be sent to the fortress. If we could, somehow, be confused with them we could get in.”
“Even if you did,” sighed Raphtune, “how do you expect to get back out? From what I have seen, once you’re in you’re never allowed to leave, it’s a one way journey. There’s a line the guards have drawn in front of the gate. I saw a girl accidentally step across it, when she was delivering something. They cut her down without a second thought, just left the body on the stones to bleed out while the rest of the goods were transferred.”
“We’ll figure out how to get out once we’re inside,” said Pysuun angrily, “the prisoners will be assigned in a few days.”
“That’s a sure way to get yourself killed,” snapped Raphtune, “your time in Tarlnath has made you as stupid as the Orsil.”
“Who are you to talk to me like that?” growled Pysuun.
“I am Raphtune the Missing,” said Raphtune defiantly, “and while I have walked freely the roads of the eastern kingdoms, you have sat in this place and wiped the arses of the lowest of all the men.”
“And yet you wear the same tattoos as us,” spat Pysuun.
Raphtune laughed and walked up to Pysuun and held out his left arm and wiped away the black line that decorated his skin.
“Ink,” he said with a smile, “Raphtune the Missing would never let the Orsil mark his skin.”
Pysuun was growled to himself.
“Now look closer,” commanded the boy.
“The tattoos are wrong,” said Shaol noticing for the first time.
The tattoos that marked the face and arm of every Under signified their position, owner and task, but these lines and dots on Raphtune’s arm, even the lines on his face were wrong.
“I didn’t even need to learn what tattoos marked a slave. I just drew some lines, hung my head and was able to walk their streets without as much as a word from your masters. The Orsil see only what they need to see. They’re paranoid and strong, that’s what makes them dangerous, but, luckily, they’re extremely stupid.”
“If you’re so clever why haven’t you been able to breach the fortress walls,” huffed Pysuun at the boy.
“I did plan to see the fortress before I left,” said Raphtune walking back to his chair having made his point, “but when I saw how they guarded it, I just decided it was not worth the risk, there are other fortifications in this land to see.”
“What have you learnt about the fortress?” asked Shaol.
“There’s no way, that’s what I learnt. You cannot even see the other end of the tunnels that go under the wall. The guards that watch the one open gate never go down the tunnel. The other three are shut and never used. Goods are delivered to the one open entrance, but then the guards move the barrels and sacks under the gate themselves, then servants from the fortress load them onto the different wagon and wheel them off.”
“The goods move from the city to the fortress then,” said Pysuun.
“You don’t look like a rack of meat,” said Raphtune.
“But barrels or boxes,” asked Shaol, “we can hide in them.”
“Could we get out the same way?” asked Pysuun.
“Not sure,” shrugged Raphtune, “the goods go in. I’ve never seen them take bring anything out, but something has to happen to the waste.”
“It is something,” said Pysuun.
“Risky,” said Raphtune, “where do they take the goods? How do you get from the storage room to the… where is it you need to go?”
“I don’t know,” said Shaol, “Friend, will show me.”
“Does your friend know where this thing is?” asked Raphtune.
“No, she has not seen Tarlnath for a very long time.”
“That’s not good enough,” said Raphtune forcefully, “you can’t just run around a fortress blindly looking into rooms, you’ll be stuck by a guard within moments.”
“This is all I know,” said Shaol.
“Then we need to talk to your friend,” said Raphtune, “all of us. Once we know more, we can decide more.”
“She will only talk to me.”
“You do realise Shaol could be mad,” said Raphtune turning to Pysuun with a smile.
“I’ve known crazed men before, Shaol is not one of them.”
“How many will she take?” asked Raphtune.
“How many what?” said Shaol.
“You’re going to need more help, I can get help, but I need to know how many she can free,” said Raphtune.
“I’ll have to ask her,” replied Shaol.
“Then you need to talk your friend,” said Raphtune jumping down from his chair again, “I’ll be back in two days. I’ll decided then if I’m going to help you.”
“We didn’t ask for your help,” snapped Pysuun at the boy pulling the black hood over his head.
Raphtune laughed and vanished into the night. Shaol closed the door, slowly, and walked to pots that Faun had left for him to clean.
“I don’t trust him,” said Pysuun.
“We have to trust him,” said Shaol, “he can move through the city freely, we can’t.”
“How are you going to talk to your friend?”
“She is being held by my old Master in his house,” said Shaol, “I need to get there.”
“I don’t understand…”
“She is different, that’s why she can help us.”
Pysuun nodded as Shaol picked up a pot and a scrap of fur.
“He leaves with the caravan every morning, we can go then,” said Shaol, “do you know the way?”
“Ragon? Yes, I know his house” asked Pysuun, “do you know when he leaves?”
“Yes.”
“Then we go this morning.”
Shaol shook his head.
“Tomorrow, you’re too excited now” said Shaol, “this is something we must do with clear heads.”
“I can’t sleep,” said Pysuun, “not now.”
“Then help me with the pots, we can wait for the day together.”
Pysuun grabbed a rag and a pot and sat on the floor and fumbled with the large, awkward piece of metal, spilling milk across the floor and onto his clothes. Pysuun was as good with pots as Shaol was with tables.
“Are you sure your friend can help Horsuun?”
Shaol simply nodded and continued to scrub, there was nothing more that needed to be said.