The Missing Traveller

When Alister was woken by Mirielle hissing his name, he opened his eyes slowly. His caution was unnecessary, however, because the window of the cabin was still pitch black. Silence replaced the rumble of the lift.

“Are we there?” Alister mumbled, and sat up to stretch his arms. “Why is it dark?”

“We’re here.” Mirielle sat on the wooden panel, her mattress already covered and her bag packed. “We’re inside Mount Era.”

“What?”

Mirielle arched an eyebrow. “All the things Jondar told you of Deemstun, but he didn’t tell you the entire city is built within the Mount?”

Alister’s eyes popped wide open. “He failed to mention that.”

She laughed and helped him pack his things. With a wince, Alister shifted some weight onto his leg and braced himself. Pain still shot up his legs, but it was far from the debilitating agony which used to cause his leg to buckle. He thanked Mirielle again, and she handed him his crutch.

Before they left the compartment, she raised a hand and placed it on his cheek. He blinked and caught his breath, and Mirielle’s blue eyes held his.

His cheek heated with candra, and she pulled her hand away. Alister touched his own face. He couldn’t find the bruises which coloured it yesterday.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Mirielle drew a deep breath. “This is it.”

He glanced over at her. Although she wore a calm mask, she fingered the bracelet. It must have taken all she had not to spin it around with candra as fast as she could.

“We can do this.”

She let go of her bracelet. “Do you truly believe that?”

“I have to.”

They stopped talking and stepped off the lift into a dim, square cave, where a dozen people watched the doorway expectantly.

Alister’s eyes scoured the room for Lidia Benlin. Spiky black hair, grey eyes, a stern expression, pale skin…

“Alex! Mirna!”

A tall woman with long, flowing brown hair bounced towards them. “It’s so good to see you both!” She hauled them both into a hug, and her cheery voice became a hiss. “Now act like we’re family.”

She pulled away, a sweet smile on her face. “It’s been so long! How was Bastium?” She guided them across the room. “Did you watch the Tournament of the Skies? Tell me all about it!”

As Mirielle donned an excited mask to describe the Tournament which Lachram Harlow won the year before, Alister examined Lidia, and found pieces of the girl from the picture. She was immersed in her disguise, from the brown hair and powdered face to the blithe smile. He cast his eyes around the room; plenty of other travellers reunited with their families, and a line of Defenders stood and watched, but he doubted they were listening in to ensure their conversations seemed realistic. He looked back at Lidia’s excited blue eyes. Better to be safe than sorry.

“And what about you, Mister I Want to See the Union?” Lidia grinned and nudged Alister’s side. He winced. “What did you do to your leg?”

“It’s a…long story.” He forced a chuckle. Lidia arched an eyebrow.

“Well, fine. I’m sure grandma will get it out of you tonight.” She stopped and turned to them. “I know you said you didn’t want everyone to bother, but we may or may not have planned a little get-together.” Lidia smile held the perfect amount of guilt for an excitable cousin.

Mirielle rolled her eyes. “Of course you did. You never did listen to a word I say.” She picked up the act without hesitation.

Alister watched the exchange so intently, he didn’t realise they had reached a heavy metal door. Three Defenders lined the doorway, watching the travellers arrive.

“Papers?” One of them asked. Alister handed them The Smith’s documents, and two of the Defenders peered at them.

“So, what did you miss most about me, Alex?” Lidia prodded him on the shoulder. “My stunning good looks? My wit?”

Alister stared at her for a moment, and then laughed. “It’d have to be that great store of modesty.”

“Ah, yes. That I do have.” Lidia nodded. “Oh! I can’t wait for you two to see Aunt Nola’s twins! They’re so tiny!”

“She had twins?” Mirielle exclaimed. “She and uncle must be so happy!”

Lidia laughed. “Yeah, once they have a moment of silence. It’s never quiet in that house.” She looked over at the Defenders. “I’m sorry, but are you nearly done? I don’t think Alex here will be able to go another five minutes without at least starting to complain about his leg.”

Alister glared at Lidia in a way he hoped was similar to the way Gale would glare at Estelle, and allowed himself to look back at the Defenders. “Is there a problem?”

The Defender who held his Seal Card met his gaze steadily. Alister’s heart hammered away, but he managed an easy-going smile.

“Everything seems to be in order.”

Alister took the papers from the Defender. “Thanks.”

Lidia linked one arm through Mirielle’s, and held Alister’s shoulder with the other as she led them through the tunnel. “Come on, come on! I can’t wait for everyone to see you again!”

And they were in Deemstun.

They turned a corner and went through an archway, which led to a carved cavern the size of the town squares in Bastium. Countless sets of stairs—leading up and down—dotted every inch of the curved walls, but the most miraculous part of the cavern drew Alister’s eyes upwards. Hundreds of mirrors covered a ceiling high above their heads, and shot light down into the cavern. It was as bright as day.

Lidia led them through the crowds of people, around the large stone fountain in the centre, to a staircase on the other side of the room. She threw an arm under Alister’s shoulder and helped him up the stairs. Light flasks lined the cylindrical tunnel.

Alister glanced at her. “Lidia, thanks for—”

“Helping you up?” A momentary stone glare told him it wasn’t yet time to give up the act. “Not a problem. Although it was far easier when you were only half my size.”

Mirielle and Lidia chatted idly about an imaginary past, and the three of them finally turned into a flat street. The Smith’s correspondent led them into one of the first doors on the left.

The streets of Deemstun might be different to any other in the Union, but the inside of the building was just like any other cheap inn room.

Lidia flung her head forward, and pulled off a brown wig. Underneath was spiky black hair which brushed her shoulders, shorter than any other woman Alister had seen. Her merry expression dropped to a sullen one which matched her picture. She reached a finger to her eye as if trying to remove dirt, and when she pulled her hand away, her blue eye became dark grey. She did the same for her other eye, and closed whatever changed her eye colour into a small box on the desk.

“Alright, here’s the deal. I talk, you sit and listen.” Her voice was low and stern as she stepped out of her shoes and dropped a full head in height. “Ask questions when you want, but use your sense before you ask stupid ones. Got it?”

They nodded. Lidia raised her eyebrows at them, and looked at the couch. The two of them sat.

Lidia’s voice was all business, and held none of the sweetness from before. “So, I don’t know where in Bastium you two came from, but forget everything you know about etiquette. Deemstun is unlike any other city in the Union. Why? Because here, we operate under King Baudouin. This is a monarchy; there’re strict rules, and stricter penalties for breaking them.” It was clear she’d given this speech countless times before from the way she breezed through it.

“You’d be surprised it’s necessary to say this, but don’t plan or commit treason, don’t plot to murder the king, don’t harbour fugitives, and don’t express anything but positive opinions for His Majesty.”

Alister smoothed his expression; he suspected their plan to find and break Lark out of prison was a step further than harbouring fugitives.

“It’s a law anything might be considered treason—which can include insults—is reported to the Defenders, and nine of ten people here will do so out of loyalty to His Majesty. Don’t wear red; it’s a symbol of royalty, and unless you’re hiding something from me, neither of you are part of the royal family.

“It will be rare for you to see His Majesty during your time here, but he does make rounds of the city every so often. If he enters the room you’re in, you stand and bow. Don’t speak to him unless he speaks first, and then refer to him only as ‘Your Majesty’. Don’t touch him, don’t ask questions, and don’t turn your back on him. You don’t sit unless he does, but I doubt he’ll sit in the same room as you. All of this applies to any of the princes or princesses, except you would call them ‘Your Royal Highness’. Dukes are called ‘Your Grace’, and other members of the royal family are ‘Your lordship’ or ‘Your ladyship’. I know you’re not from here, so you won’t know what any of the royalty look like, but just follow the cues from everyone else around you.

“Last of all, don’t mess up the identities my employer set up for you. If you do, then it’s on my head. Is that clear?” She raised her eyebrows again, and Alister resisted the urge to shoot Mirielle a wary glance.

“You can stay here for one night. Your rooms are the first on the right and left down that corridor.” She gestured towards an archway. “Then, you’ll find your own place to sleep. If you get lost, this is building number twenty-three in the Furdier district. Any further questions, let me know.”

She paused for a moment, and when they didn’t say anything, she turned towards the door. “I’ll be back before dark.”

“It was nice meeting you,” Mirielle said as Lidia shut the door, and then widened her eyes at Alister. “Before dark? How do we tell?”

Alister shrugged. “I suppose with those mirrors. They were something else.” He winced on his way over the couch and fell into the cushion. His leg didn’t pain him nearly as much as the day before, but after all of Deemstun’s stairs, it was a huge relief to take the pressure off.

Mirielle paced with a frown. “So where do we go from here?”

“The first thing we need to do is find out where Lark is being held. Then, we can figure out the plan to break him out.” His palms sweated from the daunting task ahead of them. One thing at a time, he reminded himself.

She frowned. “We don’t even know how many prisoners there are in Deemstun.”

Alister wiped his hands on his breeches. “I’m sure Lidia will know. We’ll just ask her.”

“What about all the guards, and the locks?” She slipped her bracelet off and spun it in the air with candra, her expression matching the stress Alister felt. “I know we never truly had a plan, but we kind of need one right now, don’t we?”

He forced his worries aside. “We’ll figure it out. We have to.”

The door slammed open to Lidia, her expression fierce and her eyes wide. “What did I just hear?”

Alister’s head darted to Mirielle.

She returned her bracelet to her wrist. “I’m not sure, what did you hear?”

“Well, it sounds like you two are planning on breaking the law by busting out a prisoner.” Lidia’s hysterical tone was a stark contrast to Mirielle’s soft voice. “Didn’t you hear me a minute ago? You two get in trouble, I get the blame!”

“We’re not planning on getting caught,” Alister protested. Hiding their plans would do no good now.

Lidia took no comfort in his confirmation. She threw her hands up in the air, exasperated. “Oh, so this isn’t some sick joke! Good!” Her mocking laugh dropped, and she hit the two of them with a hard glare. “Do you think breaking into the high security prison and busting out a prisoner is going to be easy? You’d be better off trying to start a fire in a rainstorm. There’s no way you’ll be able to do it without getting caught yourselves!”

Mirielle crossed her arms. “We have to try. This is why we came to Deemstun.”

“Excellent.” Lidia’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “I get saddled with the two biggest gamas The Smith ever did forge for. Bane of the burning blight.”

Alister raised an eyebrow. “What kind of people come in illegally to keep the peace?”

“People who are smart! Yes, the law is broken every once in a while, but they’re not stupid enough to try something impossible! I’m going to lose my job if you go through with this, you know?” A lapse in her anger revealed a hint of fear, but her stern expression returned after a fraction of a second. She jabbed her finger at them. “Don’t make me lose my job. I like this job.”

Alister stood, ignoring the pain in his leg. “You don’t understand. Baudouin is trying to seize control of the Union.”

Lidia laughed once. “You think I don’t know that? I live here. So what?”

Mirielle leaned forward. “He’s planning to use the Stone of Dominus to do it.”

“You’re going to have to give me a brush up of ancient history.” Lidia narrowed her eyes.

“The Stone our ancestors found after the flood on the peak of Mount Era, that Gamaliel released? It created The Madness, Marked people, and killed hundreds, including Gamaliel himself!” Mirielle’s voice grew louder. “Baudouin’s planning on using its power to control the Union. He could end up destroying the entire Mount for all we know. Lark is in prison for knowing too much about this plan, and we trust him.”

“And trust me when I tell you this. You’ll most certainly be put in a cell right next to his if you go through with this, and I will too.” Lidia raised her eyebrows. “If I don’t report this, I’m already breaking the law.”

Mirielle threw her hands up. “This is more important than Deemstun’s law! If Baudouin releases the Stone of Dominus and destroys everything, it won’t matter if you’re in a prison cell or not.”

Lidia rolled her eyes. “Travellers always accuse His Majesty of rash and dangerous plans, but guess what? Deemstun is thriving more than ever, and the rest of the Union reaps the benefits! Besides, that Stone is ancient history.”

“And its effects still change the world we live in.” Alister was surprised at how calm his voice was.

“You two are mad. Your plan is such a pointless endeavour, and it will do nothing but destroy all of our lives!”

He stared at her. “Will you report it?”

Lidia’s panicked hazel eyes held his, and she hesitated. “No. That could destroy what The Smith has worked for. And I’d still lose my job. Only way I wouldn’t is if I manage to convince the two of you to forget this insanity.”

“Well, that’s not going to happen.” Mirielle’s lips pulled into a slight smile. “Maybe you’ll just have to help us.”

“What, now?”

“You said this is impossible. For us, maybe. But if we’ve someone who already has connections to informants, who knows the city…”

Lidia’s glare returned. “I’ll not be dragged into your ridiculous scheme!”

“We’re going to do it either way,” Alister said.

Mirielle nodded. “We have a plan.”

Lidia laughed. “Is it a good plan?”

Mirielle pursed her lips. “We have a plan.”

Her eyes swung between the two of them as if they were mad. She let out a frustrated scream, and stormed out. The door crashed closed behind her.

Mirielle took her bracelet off again and spun it with candra, a frown on her face. “What now? What if she tells someone?”

“She said she wouldn’t.” He paced across the room with his limp. If Lidia wouldn’t help them, how were they to know who to trust?

“We need to find out where Jondar is.” Mirielle spun the bracelet slower. “And that’s probably the easiest part of this entire plan.” She made a frustrated noise and tensed her hand. The bracelet fell into her palm.

“What—”

The door slammed open and Lidia stormed back in.

“Fine! I’m not saying I’ll help, but I’ll take you to Yuri Gunter.” Alister’s eyebrows furrowed at the name; it sounded familiar. “He used to be a Defender, but he quit a few years back. He’s one of the only people in the city who knows how things like prisons are run, and probably the only one to share that information. And I’ll tell him, if he gets the two of you caught, then I’ll kill you before His Majesty gets his hands on you.” Her voice became a growl. “Follow.”

The two of them followed a still fuming Lidia out of the house, and she led them through so many twists and turns Alister wouldn’t have been able to find his way back alone. They reached an open archway, which led to a lift.

“Passes, please,” the conductor said. Lidia held up a card and dropped three coins into his hand.

“These two gamas have been gone for a while. We’ve yet to organise their passes. We’re going to Reltanine; that should cover the trip.”

The conductor let them on the lift, and Alister glanced at Lidia. Her expression was sterner than he’d ever seen it. She glared up at him.

“What, Alex?”

Alister looked ahead. “Nothing.”

Amongst other questions, he wanted to ask how far away Reltanine was; he assumed it was another district. He fingered the corner of the Pass Card The Smith forged for him in his pocket. Her dark eyes and his need to go unnoticed in Deemstun stopped him from asking, or suggesting they use their existing Pass Cards.

If the conductor found her disdain curious, he showed no signs of it. He stood there as the lift pulled away from Furdier. They stood in silence as the lift passed through the Mount. It stopped twice to let people on, before it stopped once more at another unrecognisable archway—Deemstun’s lift had no windows—and Lidia strode out, Alister and Mirielle behind her.

After five minutes of following Lidia through the labyrinth of passageways, she stopped outside a door which looked just like any other, and slammed her hand against the wood.

They waited for the better part of a minute before the door opened. Inside was a middle-aged man with greying blonde hair. His entire form seemed withdrawn and hunched, and the pale skin on his face couldn’t have seen the sun or a smile in years.

“Yuri, this is Alexander and Mirna.” Lidia’s voice was no livelier than it had been to the conductor. “Alex and Mirna, this is Yuri Gunter.” She pushed past him to get inside, and he moved out of the way without complaint.

Yuri’s voice was quiet. “Come in.”

Alister and Mirielle went inside and joined Lidia on the couch. Yuri sat opposite them on a wooden stool, and somehow seemed even more withdrawn while sitting.

“What brings you here?”

“I’ll let gama number one and two tell you themselves.” She flung her hand in Alister’s direction.

Yuri directed his gaze to Alister. The unsmiling man wasn’t threatening; he just seemed dim.

“Well…” Alister shifted in his seat. “About three weeks ago, I received a message from a red-winged hawk. It was from—”

“Lark,” Yuri said, “the travelling merchant.”