Amendments (10 page)

              Soon, Craven got up and sighed, “It’s about time.  We should go.  Do you still know the way, Ruith?”  He nodded.  “Good.  Let’s go separately as to minimize suspicion.”

              First, Craven went out the front, and then Ruith and Noir went out the back.  Noir followed a bit behind Ruith.  He went a long way down one street, then around a couple corners.  Finally, he went in the back of a house much like Craven's.  Before entering, Noir pretended to look at a hand-made jewelry stand, and then followed Ruith a minute later.

              A woman just inside the door nodded to Noir as he entered.  Then she directed him down a flight of stairs to a basement.  He went down the wooden stairs and saw six people already seated and talking.  Ruith and Craven were there along with three women and another man.  Ruith stood and held out his hand to Noir as if to introduce him.  “Here is our Luxin that has brought renewed hope.”

              Noir bowed as he had learned was polite in Tier.  The other four greeted him with pleasant words and gestures, but they seemed nervous.  Noir took a seat at the table when he was offered it.  For a few minutes, they talked about Inderrin.  They discussed the news of the town, but Noir could tell it was nervous small talk.  They talked about their families and loved ones with various illnesses or difficult jobs.  As they talked, two more men came down the stairs.  The first man took the last available seat and the last man decided to sit on the stairs.  After a few pleasant, if not nervous greetings, they finally got to business.  Ruith said, “Well, I understand you have stopped meeting since I was last in town.  Does the oppression of Tier only weigh heavy on your lives while I am here?”

              The townsfolk grunted and did not meet his eyes.  One even rolled his eyes.  Ruith added, “Also, why so few?  We filled this room with forty or fifty bodies last time.”
              “Ruith,” one of the women started, “we were willing to follow you, but….”  She trailed off.

              The man on the stairs and picked at his fingernails as he finished for the woman.  “After you left, the group’s mood changed.  Many thought you were killed, Ruith  We knew for
sure
that you had at least been chased out of town.  No one was willing to take command after that.”

              “Like I said, the group faded,” Craven added.

              “Look,” started the man who had sat at the table after Noir, “it doesn’t matter if we got the
whole town
with us.  One or two of those din slaves could wipe us out.”  The man’s voice rose angrily as he spoke.  “And even then, if we
somehow
beat them, the Tierian army would come and do what we all heard happened in Astraline and Alister.  They murdered ten percent of the population!”  The man was almost yelling when he finished.

              Ruith put out a cautionary hand to the man as if to calm him.  “I know that, Thayloh.  We all do.  But did you hear about Lithe?”  They stared at him blankly.  A couple shook their heads.  “They revolted and
won!
”

              The men looked at each other with confusion.  Craven cautioned, “Well, they didn’t exactly
win.
”

              Ruith responded, “They
did
win!  They have their freedom!  Not a single one of them was harmed in any way.  That is our dream, people!  It
is
possible!”  He motioned to Noir and said, “Please, tell us all what you told me about the free town.”

              Noir started his story about Talik.  He talked about how the town was run and how they accepted all who came to them.  Noir wasn’t sure how many new refugees they could take at a time, but he had faith that Grandel and Elrid could make anything work.  He talked about Lithe and what happened there.  When Noir mentioned the Savior of Tier, a couple of the men scoffed, “Come on!”

              “Now you are telling us fables, Luxin.”

              Noir shook his head and said, “No, good sirs.  I swear to you everything I am telling you is the truth.  This person, the Savior of Tier, is my friend.  I was with him in Chiron and the Azurite Tower.  I helped make his armor, so I know better than anyone what it can do.  Why would I lie to you?  I have nothing to gain from all this.”

              Ruith said, “Let Luxin Noir finish.  I believe what he says and you should too.”

              Noir finished his story.  Most of the people in the meeting were mesmerized by what Noir said Ratt could do.  However, one man leaned back in his chair and acted like he was not listening.  A woman stared at the table never making eye-contact with Noir.

              At the conclusion of the story, Ruith reiterated with excitement, “They now live totally free in Talik.  They are free of the overseers, of the din slaves, and the Tierian army.  They no longer have to fear the luxsyedin vigor scans that have taken our children from us.  They are free from the constant pressure of working—”

              Ruith was cut off mid-sentence as the door at the top of the stairs suddenly slammed open.  They all jumped in shock.  Noir had already seized lux as he looked up the stairs. Noir felt the tingle of Ruith doing the same next to him.  A man and a woman in black and red cloaks came down the stairs.  On their robes, they each had the symbol of a red circle with protruding points that represented din.  They were followed by two downcast women who had silver bands around their necks.  These silver bands were connected by a chain that led to their din handler's wrist.  Behind the din slaves and din handlers, four soldiers in Tierian armor thumped down the stairs.

              Every person in the room stood.  The woman who had not made eye contact with Noir spoke in a frenzied whisper, “I told you it was insane to come here.  Someone betrayed us.  I
told
you.”

              Once all were down the stairs, one Tierian soldier accused, “You have been charged with conspiracy against Tier and her people.”

              One of the din slave handlers said, “We can do this the hard way or the easy way, traitors of Tier.  It is your choice.  Come peacefully and no one will be hurt.”

              The room was silent for a long moment.  Finally, Ruith came forward and stood next to Noir, who was the closest to the intruders.  He said, “We are merchants discussing trade routes and price exchanges between our towns.  That is all.  Why do you charge us with conspiracy?”

              The Tierian soldier almost spat his words.  “Do not take us for idiots.”  He put his hand on his sword hilt and looked at Ruith from under his furrowed brow.  “You have been charged.  It is done.  Now, come with us or we will force you to come.”

              Noir felt an almost imperceptible tap on his arm from Ruith.  Noir looked over at him and Ruith held up one finger as if to say, “be ready.”

              Ruith threw himself onto his knees in a pathetic looking plea.  He cried out, “Please no!  My children will starve without me to work for them!  You have to understand!” 

              Noir was not sure what the tap on his arm was for until he felt the tingle of lux come from Ruith.  Noir saw a small flow of lux come from Ruith and the guard looked down at his sword hand with shock.  He tugged on the weapon, but it wouldn’t come out of its scabbard.  To Noir’s eyes, the sword glowed yellow with lux.  Ruith suddenly thrust upward from the ground.  His elbow crashed into the soldier’s chin and he flew back into another soldier.  As he fell, Ruith expertly pulled the soldier’s sword from its scabbard.  Noir understood that the tap on his arm was for him to be ready for the counterattack.  Noir surrounded the handlers with a spherical light shield.

              Both handlers raised their hands to attack with their stolen din.  It was not what Noir thought would happen.  He figured they'd see the light shield and understand they couldn't use their powers.  Noir yelled, “Stop!  You will fry yourselves!”  His words came too late.  The light shield filled with swirling fire.  Screams came from within.  All of the other soldiers stepped away from the sight and watched with their weapons drawn.  In a few seconds, the din flames subsided, but the two handlers still thrashed and burned inside the light barrier.  The din slaves pulled frantically at the cords that attached them to the light shield and their burning handlers.  The soldiers seemed to regain their senses and turned on Ruith and the other conspirators.  Noir released the light shield around the handlers and immediately the smell of burning flesh filled the room.  Noir made three separate flows of lux and formed restraints of hardened air.  None of the three still-equipped soldiers could move their swords.

              Ruith stabbed under the breastplate of one of the soldiers.  Noir yelled, “No, Ruith!  They are beaten!”

              Ruith went to thrust his sword into another soldier’s neck, but Noir stopped the attack with a light shield.

              Ruith stopped attacking and turned to Noir.  “We have to kill them, Noir.  They’ve seen who we are.”  Ruith motioned to include the people they'd been meeting with.  “They’ll go and do to these people’s families what they did to mine.”

              One of the remaining soldiers pleaded as he pulled on his frozen arm, “No!  We won’t!  We swear!”  The other three soldiers echoed his plea.

              “Noir, I’m sorry but we have to.”  Ruith turned to the other men.  “Tell him.”

              Craven’s jaw had been open in disbelief.  He jumped at his name as if waking him out of a dream. Craven swallowed and said, “Yes.  We have to.”

              Another man agreed.  “They'll kill our families, Noir.  They unfortunately have to die.

              Ruith questioned, “Do you see, Noir?”

              “No!” Noir responded.  “We can’t just kill them!  If we don’t trust them….”  He wasn’t sure how to finish.

              The conspirator who had not talked yet said in a gruff voice, “Look kid.  When you do things like what we do, ugly things can happen.  If you knew the evils that these Tierian soldiers probably have done, you wouldn’t object.”

              Noir looked from the townsfolk to the soldiers eyes.  One looked angry, but the other two had pleading, desperate faces.  Noir thought for a moment then said to the soldiers, “Look.  I’m the only one here capable of holding you as you are.  I’m going to release you in a moment and these men can’t stop me.  I’m giving you a chance.  You—“

              Craven yelled, “You idiot!  They will kill our families!”

              Noir continued, “You can run and tell your friends and superiors about who was here.  If that happens, I will—”  Noir stopped as he was suddenly, violently shoved from behind and fell to the floor.  He looked up in shock as two of the townsfolk stood over him.

              “We’ll kill you, kid!” one yelled.  Noir felt small and powerless looking into the immense anger in the eyes of these two men.  Suddenly, he felt like a child again.  “You don’t know what it’s like!  They’ll murder our families!”

              Noir sat up and backed away from the two men.  He couldn’t say anything.

              Ruith said, “I’m sorry, Noir, but this has to happen.”

              Noir remarked, “Well, the din slaves should be set free, though.”

              “We’ll deal with that in a moment.”  Ruith stepped forward and thrust his sword at the soldiers.  Noir closed his eyes and looked away.  He couldn’t stand seeing people killed unless there was no other option.

              After a few moments, it was over and Noir released the hold on the men’s arms.  Low thumps and the clang of armor rang through the room as the soldier’s bodies fell.  Noir opened his eyes and looked around the room.  Everyone stood tense and looked at the carnage.

              Noir finally demanded, “The din slaves must be rel—”

              Craven interrupted, “They are more victims of Tier than they are of us.  We will release the slaves.”

              One of the din slaves was crying.  She tugged on her collar and said, “It doesn’t matter.  We can't get these off.  Plus, all the soldiers in the town know our faces.”

              The other din slave said, “We have to go back.  If they find us in hiding, our lives and our families’ lives would be over like anyone else's.  But, we will hide your identities.  All they know is that you were meeting here.”

              The other added, “Please believe us.”

              Ruith stepped toward them and looked at the two young women for a moment, then said, “What will you tell them happened here?”

              The two din slaves looked at each other, and then one answered, “I’m not sure, but it doesn’t matter.  We don’t know any of your names and we probably couldn’t identify your faces if they asked us to.  Even if we told them the truth, it wouldn’t change anything.”

              Ruith asked, “Are there any more soldiers outside?”

              “No, just what came in.”

              Ruith looked at them a moment longer, then turned to the other conspirators.  “What do you think?”

              Craven looked around at the others, and then said, “Like I said, they are victims of Tier just like us.  I believe them.”  The other townsfolk grumbled agreement.

              Ruith turned back to the two din slaves and said, “Give us some time to deal with this and get far away, then we will let you go back.”