Chapter 28
Cedric walked back, his thoughts glum. He didn’t want to train. He didn’t want to be the key to the king’s demise. He just wanted his freedom. Cedric took a hesitant breath on the top of the staircase where he and the Skat had entered the Sanctuary. This was stupidity. Cedric knew that. But the walls of the Sanctuary had begun to close in on him, creating a claustrophobic effect. He needed the open neverending sky above him. He needed just a little taste of freedom to combat the trapped feeling that had gripped him. But the surface world was dangerous. Out there, soldiers prowled the streets, one eye searching for him. Not to mention Rafe was hounding him relentlessly. The Sanctuary was safe. The only safe place in Yashu, and probably this half of the country. Putting aside that safety simply to ease his discomfort was idiotic. And yet that couldn’t stop him from lifting the stone door, pulling his hood over his head, and darting into the streets of Yashu’s slums. Cedric strolled through the allies of the slums, staring at the bright bold sky twisting his head to a certain direction when he sensed motion from the corner of his eye. Each time he looked, however, it was only a rogue wandering through the slums. They nodded their head to Cedric as he passed before slipping back into the city’s depths. Somehow they knew that he was one of them, unlike last time he had taken to the slum’s streets as a servant. Cedric almost laughed remembering that time which seemed ages ago. From a dog of the castle to a treasonous magic weaver.
Before long the streets slowly became cleaner and cleaner as he approached to inner circle. Horses’ snorts and the sound of wheels splashing through puddles saturated the air, followed by yells and simple chaos. The buildings swelled and grew, a level each block, until eventually each building was fully formed. Cedric stood at the mouth of an alley that emptied into Elephant Square. Soldiers formed a semi circle in the square, their eyes drifting across the plethora of people. Cedric retreated into the darkness and circled the square, keeping an eye on the rifles on the soldiers’ sides. He sank inward as the square narrowed into a street. Cedric passed the backside of the bars and inns, fully aware where this street would lead. Somehow, he felt like an observer. As though he couldn’t be touched, and his fate was simply to watch the fate of others. But was he only watching? Or was he waiting?
Cedric put his hands into his pockets, and drifted on the outskirts of the castle. Now he felt as though he was the one watched. But by whom? Cedric craned his neck, searching, but all seemed calm. He clicked his tongue a single time before his attention was once again on the square, lifting his head to the castle that overlooked the square. Such a graceful creature, a gorgeous piece of arcetecture. All the places he had seen only confirmed this fact. And yet he couldn’t think of a place that absorbed more evil within its walls. He hoped dearly that this truly was the most evil place in the world. Otherwise this world was certainly doomed.
Cedric found himself drifting into the square, and despite the soldiers he couldn’t seem to stop himself. He was suddenly at the castle’s wrought iron fence. He placed both hands upon it and breathed in its power. It was almost as though it had stored the memory of his escape. At this fence he had placed his foot on forbidden ground for the first time.
“Hey! Get away from there.” Cedric turned to see a soldier approaching him.
“My apologies.” Cedric stated, and began to walk away, the soldier’s gaze boring a hole into the back of his head.
The soldier almost glanced away before the wind knocked Cedric’s hood from his head. Cedric, foolishly, glanced at the soldier to see if he spotted the mishap, which confirmed Cedric’s identity.
“Hey!” The soldier yelled o his companions. “It’s the boy!”
Cedric didn’t stick around to see the other soldiers’ reactions. He raced into the nearest alley, whipping around corners. Cedric paused at the corner of a building. Judging by the buildings’ conditions, he was approximately at the border between the inner circle and the slums. He slumped over, gasping for a quick breath, then straightened up to make his way back to the Sanctuary. He had gotten enough fresh air.
He took a step when the sound of approaching footsteps took away his breath. Cedric backed up against the crumbling wall, and stole a quick look around the corner before swiveling back. It was a soldier, his rifle at the ready. Cedric’s breath was short and quick. To his left was a solid wall that he couldn’t hope to break through, and to his right the soldier was approaching. There was no-where to hide. Cedric looked up to the sky. Looks like he would give his life to see that sky. One step at a time, the soldier was getting closer. The stomping sound his boots made mocked Cedric. They told him that there was nothing he could do-they were going to get him. Cedric tried to think of a plan but his mind remained blank. Cedric’s hand darted to his side, but they didn’t find the cold metal he was searching for. Since hiding in the Sanctuary, he had ceased carrying his gun. There didn’t seem to be a need. And now, when he needed it most, it wasn’t there. Cedric could picture where it was so clearly he felt as though he could almost reach out and grab it. But of course thinking about it hard enough would not help.
The soldier was now at the entrance to his alleyway, facing opposite of him. It occurred to Cedric that this would be the moment to strike, but if he moved the soldier would sense the motion and shoot him before Cedric even had a chance. This was it. In a matter of seconds the soldier would surely turn his head and seal Cedric’s fate. Cedric licked his lips and waited.
“Hey you! Over here!” A girl’s voice lilted.
Cedric couldn’t see where the voice had come from, but he could see a pebble fling through the air and hit the soldier in the head.
The soldier turned around with a snarl. “You little brat! Come back here!” he took off out of Cedric’s limited range of sight.
Cedric stared, his mouth agape, unable to fathom this incredible stroke of luck. Just moments ago he had prepared for the end. What had just happened? This must be some sort of trick. Cedric would exit the alleyway straight into the soldier’s clutches.
“You’re safe now.” A voice told him from behind. Cedric whipped around to meet with a girl, the same age as he, with large daring green eyes, a small nose, and a wide smile which seemed to be permanently set as a deviously wicked smile. Her hair hung a little higher than her shoulders, blonde, and looked as though the girl had cut it herself. It was brazenly uneven. Dirt smudged her face, but underneath that dirt hid a pretty little jewel. . “He won’t be able to find his way back after all the allies I led him through.”
“Thank you.” Cedric told her.
The girl grinned quickly. “It was no trouble. My name’s Abby.” She stuck out a hand and Cedric shook it.
“What were you doing out here?” Abby asked.
“Just exploring.”
“The slums?” she looked around as though she couldn’t picture what could be of interest here. “What is there to do around here? Now the train station is by far more entertaining. Have you been there?”
Cedric blinked, trying to figure out what a train station could be.
Abby laughed at Cedric’s confused and vacant expression. “Here, I’ll show you. It’s not that far.” She took Cedric’s hand and they were suddenly walking through the slums with a certain purpose.
Abby looked back at him. “So what’s your name?”
“Cedric.”
“That’s right. You’re one of The Reaper’s students, aren’t you?”
Cedric nodded in reply, though it took him a couple of minutes to realize she was talking about Gabriel.
“I’m his student too.” Abby stated as a sort of explanation.
“Are you a magic weaver?”
“No. Just your humble thief.” She giggled. “The Reaper’s an excellent teacher.”
“He is.” Cedric agreed readily.
“You need to work on evading the soldiers better.” Abby informed him.
Cedric wished he had a better case to argue. “I know.” He admitted reluctantly. “I usually have more sense than that.”
“I understand. That’s the problem with the Sanctuary.” She stopped Cedric as a soldier marched by, and continued on once he was gone. “It deadens your senses.”
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t have to worry about getting caught in the Sanctuary.” She explained. “So you get used to it. You forget how to hide, and how to run. Once a rogue forgets those two, he’s as good as dead.”
“You’re right.”
Abby smiled. “Of course I’m right.” She said it as though she didn’t expect to be anything different.
“How far is this place?” Cedric asked. They neared Yashu’s edge.
“Very close.” Abby assured him. Tall grass circled her athletic calfs.
He looked ahead and it came into view. It was a platform, with a sheet of metal overhead that stood next to some sort of large horizontal metal ladder like the tram tracks. On the ladder was a monstrous metal creature. It almost looked like a tram, but had to be three times wider and ten times longer.
“This is the train station?” he asked in disbelief.
Abby nodded.
Grass and weeds crept in green tendrils over the floor and columns in the train station, emphasizing its abandonment.
“How old is it?” Cedric asked her.
“I don’t know. Forty years, fifty years old? It’s difficult to guess.”
“Are these trains?”
“Yes.”
“They almost look like the trams in Avalon.” Cedric commented.
“Oh really?” Abby asked with interest. “What did they do?”
“They carried supplies to and from other towns. Like material for making the war machines.”
“These are like those, I suppose. But these carried people.”
“People?” Cedric approached the train, curiosity buzzing in his head. “How?”
Abby walked up to the train’s side, grabbed the handle of a door inlaid in the wall, and pushed it open to reveal the train’s hallow interior. Cedric walked up to the door, fascinated.
“Ticket please.” Abby said as she stood inside the doorway.
“What?”
Abby giggled. “Never mind.”
Cedric cautiously entered the train, and stepped up the stairs. He leaned against the railing, and looked down the length of the train. Seats lined down the train, their fluffy insides spread across everything. Dirt clung to every corner, and clearly it had been rummaged through so thoroughly there couldn’t be anything of value yet.
“People sat inside these sections.” Abby explained.
“What happened to it?” Cedric asked.
“Went out of business.” Abby shrugged. “I guess when the economy began to sour people couldn’t afford to travel anymore.”
Cedric sighed. “Can you imagine what we could have accomplished if King Henry had lived longer? Or if the next ruler had handled the drop better?”
Abby smiled. “We live in the skeleton of a once mighty nation. Now the other countries that surround us are the mighty beasts. And they don’t take too kindly to us.”
“Why?” Cedric was reminded of Isaac in Avalon. Had they taken over the city? What would happen once they had?
“The king after King Henry enjoyed military conquest. Everia, for instance, is the country’s greatest enemy. The king’s soldiers demolished many of their cities, killed their civilians, and tortured their soldiers. Now their industry is mightier than ours. We can no longer fight them, but they’re attacking us for revenge.” Abby explained with a hint of disgust.
“How do you know all of this?” Cedric asked.
“I steal the rare book when I can.” Abby replied. “It’s important to understand why we’re in this situation, and what to expect from the future.”
“And what do you expect from the future?”
Abby shivered. “The rich suck wealth from the lower class. So what will happen when the wealthy’s source is dry? Everything will collapse. Look at the lower class already. We’re dying!” A smile crossed Abby’s face. “But look what wonders the machine age left behind. It may be a skeleton, but it’s glorious in its own right.”
“Are there a lot of places like this in Yashu?”
Abby nodded. “They’re a bit buried, but they’re there all right.”
“Do you think you could show them to me sometime?”
“Of course,” her eyes shifted to the sky. “but for today you’d better get back to the Sanctuary. It’s already getting late, and the soldiers are more frequent at night.”
“How about you?”
Abby winked. “I have some business to take care of.”
They nodded to one another, and Cedric began to stroll back to the Sanctuary as the sun descended back to the ground.