**
The sun set and the boys slinked back into the arms of city. They had a special task tonight. Fake perched himself on the roof of an upper tier slave depot. He kept his fingers in his ears to block the sound of their weeping. Andin moved through the sewers as swift as he dared.
Fake looked at his chronometer. Andin looked at his chronometer. The minute hand crisply jumped to the next engraved mark. The prince emerged from the sewage system. Andin lit the straw in the beasts-of-burden’s stable. The animals panicked. The fire prince retreated swiftly to the sewers and back to the hideout. From the windows he could see the red glow of the blaze.
Fake got to watch the real show. In their desperate attempts to flee the flames the animals burst through the pen’s doors and into the city streets. Soon nearby patrols ran in sounding the alarm. The slaves’ crying turned to confusion and cheering as they saw the fire grow.
The Sadists guarding the slaves silenced them with pain spells. The city’s fire brigade arrived shortly after to put out the flames. Guards were brought from the lower levels to help corral the rampant animals. Fake watched the response carefully, taking note of which groups took orders from who. The city was a tightly operated machine; even their small fire would send enlightening ripples through the system.
The fire was put out and the animals returned and accounted for. Satisfied with the response the lead Sadist left, giving orders to interrogate the slaves and to increase upper tier patrols. Fake followed the leader. Fake’s target went to an unmarked building. The leader reported to another man in full battle regalia. They travelled together down into the next tier.
The two men became three as they passed the report along to another of their superiors. Finally, with five men in tow they reached the entrance to the fortified terrace. The Divisas gathered above them curiously. A Sadist officer spoke to them through the gate. The first man Fake followed spoke the longest to the officer beyond the sealed tier.
The four others reported in as well. A Divisa dove in from above and moved through the men. All feared the creatures; Divisas were creations of Garruk and served him directly. “The Master’s children are on edge tonight,” hissed the gate guard. “Your report has been accepted; there will be an inquiry tomorrow, bring those responsible to this gate,” he added dismissing them.
It didn’t matter which slaves the men pinned the fire on; if their investigation came up short they would be the ones held responsible. “That will not happen,” assured one of the five Sadists. Fake wished to follow them to learn more about how they would investigate the arson, but the officer at the gate was the more promising lead.
The illusionist didn’t dare test the Divisas; he watched as best he could from the upper tier. The officer wrote a short note and held up his arm. A Divisa happily wrapped its body around his arm, piercing the note and sending waves of agony through the officer’s body. The officer collapsed as the Divisa flew up to the topmost terrace of the tower.
Through his telescope Fake watched a seven fingered hand deftly remove the note from the Divisa. “So you are watching,” said Fake. The illusionist could see no more and removed himself from the heavily guarded lower district. Back at the hideout Fake relayed what he saw to Andin.
“A well informed god,” noted Andin.
“The officer said the Divisas serve Garruk directly,” added Fake.
“I can’t imagine Garruk passing up on a fresh slave or two to feed on; there must be a way in underground.”
“Can you tunnel there?”
Andin shook his head, “A short run maybe; but that deep down is solid bedrock. If I started now I might make it before the portal opening, but cutting rock isn’t a subtle activity.” Andin couldn’t shake a strange feeling of urgency surrounding their mission.
Fake saw the look of concern on his friend’s face, “Don’t worry I feel it too, we have to hurry.”