The Inheritance of Wrath, page 23
As they continued through Rode, curious eyes peeked at the strange group through windows and cracked doors, despite the early morning hour. Zakiya could read the apprehension on the face of each of the city inhabitants. The fear. The worry. They had seen a great deal of change over the last few months and likely considered them to be yet another threat to their way of life.
They were led into a prison deep within the city. Large, gray stones made up the tall structure. Much like the wall that surrounded the city, it seemed ancient. Almost too ancient. As they entered the archaic building, dark corridors created a confined feeling. Low-burning torches placed along the walls were too far apart for each lit area to meet the next. Soft, scuttling sounds could be heard in the shadows as rats ran in and out of prison cells.
The group was split, with each person thrust into a small, individual cell. Being the odd man out, Tummu was forced into a cell that was already occupied by a small man huddled in the corner. Clanging doors slammed shut behind each person, and most of the guards departed, with only two remaining at the start of the long hallway to stand watch.
Beyond the scurrying of rodents, the only sound was the soft whimpering that came from Cui’s cell. The young man was scared and at the end of his breaking point. He tried to keep his crying under control, but the slightest sniffle echoed throughout the prison.
“It will all be ok,” Professor Baker said from his own cell. “I’m sure we’ll find a way out of-”
“Silence!” one of the guards ordered. The professor did as he was told, and Cui’s whimpering quieted, if only slightly.
Zakiya stood in front of her bars and folded her arms, a scowl marking her disappointment in herself. With her eyes closed, her mind circled through a variety of thoughts, ranging from pondering Liwanu’s whereabouts to reflecting on her childhood. She thought of her oldest brother, who was in and out of prison most of his life. That thought then led to her mother, who always seemed to make light of situations like that. Zakiya had always known, even at a young age, that her mother acted that way to try and belay any worry that the children would have. It never worked. So clear was her memory, it was as if her mother were there next to her saying, ‘oh, your brother is just being silly again.’
But Zakiya never found her brother to be silly. In fact, she found him to be disgraceful. And her mother’s acceptance of his behavior was unacceptable. For the first time in her life, she wondered if she was any better than the rest of her family. Perhaps she was destined for nothing but failure and disgrace, just like her mother. Or worse, her father.
“Zakiya,” a warm voice called through the cold dungeon. She looked up to see that Professor Baker was in the cell diagonal from her. The concerned look on his face brought her back to reality. She looked down at her hands, which had been clenched into fists so tightly that she was shaking.
“I’ll be ok,” she reassured him. With handkerchief in hand, the professor gave her a look of uncertainty.
“Well, that makes one of us,” he replied as he attempted to wipe some of the grime from one of the bars to his cell. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been in a place so filthy in my entire life.” Zakiya managed a smile; more of a thank you to the man for helping her reel in her thoughts than anything else.
Only then, when she wasn’t consumed by her worries and self-doubts, did she stop to ponder the other man in Tummu’s cell. The only movement that came from him was a constant tapping from one of his fingers against the prison floor. His head hung low and his chin pressed into his chest. For a moment, the tapping stopped. Then the man jumped to his feet and rushed to the bars of his cell and pressed his face against them. With bulging eyes and gnashing teeth, he shrieked hysterically.
“Please make the pain stop!” the man screamed. Zakiya stared at him for a moment and noticed that blood was dripping from a mangled mass on his leg.
“No talking,” a guard said sternly. “I will not warn any of you again. The next person to speak eats a bullet.” The injured prisoner hobbled back to the rear of his cell and whimpered as quietly as he could. Tummu backed away from the man and shared a worried look with Zakiya.
The ominous sound of footsteps echoed through the cells as someone approached. Zakiya looked down the hall to see a man in a trench coat, a lit cigarette hanging from his mouth. She knew without a doubt that it was Samuel.
He stopped in front of Zakiya’s cage and turned to face her. With a tilt of his head, he peered up at her, his shallow eyes barely visible beneath the brim of his hat. She looked down her nose at him in disgust. After taking a long drag, Samuel slowly blew the smoke toward her face, but she refused to move. The smoke hit her eyes, but she did not blink, hardly feeling the sting of the black cloud.
“Zakira, is it?” he asked condescendingly.
“I am Zakiya, leader of this group and the fiercest warrior you will ever meet! Someday soon, you will find out how justified your fears truly are. We will take you down and restore order in this world that you have thrown into chaos.” Her words echoed through the prison, and for a moment, even the mice and rats were silent. Samuel flicked his cigarette to the ground.
“Yes, of course,” he said condescendingly. “Professor Baker’s pride and joy.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I suppose the professor hasn’t told you much at all,” Samuel said with a shrug. “Or perhaps, you can’t even discern who you truly are. Are you too proud to see what’s happening?”
“What would you know of pride? You are a small, pathetic man that uses fear to get what he wants. Nothing more. Soon you will pass and be remembered by nobody. You are nothing.”
“This is where I leave you,” Samuel said calmly. “But unlike your father, I will come back to deal with you later.”
Zakiya slammed her entire body into the door of her cell, shoulder first, and stretched her arm as far as she could through the bars. She managed to swat the tip of his hat, knocking it to the ground. Without flinching, Samuel turned and walked further down the hall. He first turned to the left, and looked at Cui, who quieted his crying. Then Samuel turned and looked at Professor Baker. Without a word, he pulled out a key and unlocked the cell. He then grabbed the professor by the arm and led him out into the hallway.
“Not even a hello?” asked the strange man in Tummu’s cell. “For old times? Friend?”
Samuel stopped. “I have no need of friends, fool. You served your purpose and I no longer needed you. That is the extent of our relationship.”
With her anger replaced by curiosity, Zakiya looked through the bars of her cell at the strange man that claimed to be a friend of Samuel’s.
Professor Baker was led into a room that differed from the rest of the prison. Large windows bathed the room in bright sunlight, causing him to squint. One desk and two chairs on opposite sides of the desk were the only objects kept in the room. Everything was neat and orderly. Despite the vast improvement in cleanliness, the professor knew that this was the area of the prison to truly fear.
“Sit,” Samuel commanded, closing the door behind them. Without hesitation, Professor Baker did as he was told. Samuel removed his trench coat, folded it neatly, and placed it on the back of his own chair. Pistols swung around his body within their holsters as he moved. He removed the weapons and placed them on the table. Then he sat down, fished through his pockets for a cigarette and matchbook, propped his elbows on the table and lit the cigarette.
“There is only one reason your friends still live,” Samuel said. “Can you guess that reason?”
“How could I begin to guess?” Professor Baker asked with a shrug.
“The young man that shot me with an arrow,” Samuel said with a raised voice. “Where is he? Where is Liwanu?!”
Professor Baker knew that his entire group of friends were clueless as to Liwanu’s whereabouts, but if he let Samuel know, there would be no reason to keep any of them alive. He knew that it was important to choose his answers very carefully.
“Answer me!” Samuel screamed.
“I… thought that he was with us the entire time.”
“Do not lie to me,” Samuel said as he rose back to his feet.
“I am a senile old man,” the professor said. Samuel grabbed one of his pistols and made his way around the table, resting the end of the barrel against the professor’s temple.
Professor Baker gulped.
“Surely you wouldn’t kill me. You seem to have at least some idea of the knowledge that I possess. I am of more value to you alive than I could ever be as a corpse.”
“You possess so much more than knowledge,” Samuel said. “You are correct in assessing your own self-worth.” Samuel lowered the gun and pointed it at the older man’s foot. “But you don’t need two feet to still be useful to me.”
Professor Baker swallowed and glanced down at his feet. The beat of his heart sent blood pumping down to his toes, which seemed to tingle with anxiety. All moisture escaped his mouth, and his dry lips stuck together for a moment before he spoke again. “I am quite willing to share some of my research with you, but I am afraid that I do not know how I can help you find Liwanu.”
“If you and your friends cannot tell me his whereabouts, then I will begin the executions immediately. And carry them out personally.” He holstered his guns and put his trench coat back on.
“Wait,” Professor Baker said as he raised his hands up in front of himself. “I only said that I don’t know what happened to Liwanu. That does not mean that the others don’t know.”
“I will soon find out,” Samuel said. He motioned for the professor to follow, and the two of them left the bright room and entered the hall once more. Metal bars clanged open and Professor Baker was ushered into his cell once more. He turned to see Samuel investigating the inhabitants of the other cells. Cui cowered in a corner, obviously terrified.
Professor Baker’s heart dropped into his stomach when Samuel opened that cell and grabbed the young man by the arm, nearly having to drag him out into the hallway. With mouth agape and eyes wide, Cui looked at the professor for help. All the professor could do was hold up his hands apologetically and sigh.
Chapter 28
Liwanu arrived back at the cliffs that overlooked the northern part of Rode. Multicolored leaves kept him hidden while he sat perched in the tree closest to the city wall. He removed his shirt and hung it on a branch beside him. His eyes scanned the top of the city wall, following the movements of two guards. Once they passed each other, he went to work.
He pulled a special arrow from his quiver, one that was blunt on the end. Running the length of it, attached at both ends, was some sturdy cordage. It was the least accurate arrow he had, but if he could get the rope to the other side of the wall, he knew that it would catch on the parapet. He grasped his arrowhead necklace his father had given him and anxiously ran his fingers across its surface. Then he notched the specialized arrow to his bow.
The morning sun was rising to his left, illuminating the wall around Rode. Visibility from the wall looking outward would be limited. Taking aim at the top of the wall, he let fly with his arrow. A sigh of relief left his body when the arrow found its mark just before he ran out of rope. Acting quickly, he threw his bow over his shoulder, tied the rope off to a tree branch, and grabbed his shirt. He held the shirt tightly in each hand after wrapping it around the rope as he prepared to slide across the open chasm to the wall.
After adjusting his grip on the shirt, the professor’s notebook fell out. He caught it before it fell too far and looked at the page he had last turned to. It was a continuation of the explanation of the seven faults of man and their connection to the group. He skimmed to a heading labeled ‘wrath’ and read a few words.
When the one facing temptation reaches a certain level of maturity, and has visited Empyrean enough times, they will need to develop a deep understanding and longing for the exact opposite trait that opposes their evil desire. These are known as the seven heavenly virtues. For wrath, it is important to obtain patience.
Liwanu snorted and dropped the notebook to the ground below. Patience was the last thing on his mind when his friends were in such immediate danger. He threw his shirt back over the rope, grabbed both sleeves, and jumped out over the ledge.
The frigid air rushed across Liwanu’s shirtless body. If not for the dire nature of his mission, he would have shivered from excitement as well as the chill. But his thoughts were too focused on the wall that stood between him and his friends. Friction from the coarse rope kept him from picking up too much speed, and he caught himself with his strong legs as soon as he hit the wall. He swung back and forth a few times to gain momentum, ran up the wall and let go of his shirt with one hand. The other shot up and grabbed the top of the wall, and for a moment, he was hanging by his fingertips. Despite the freezing temperatures, nervous sweat dripped into his eyes as he reached up with his other hand. Once his grip was set, one swift motion led him up and onto the wall.
He raced to the other side and peered over it, hoping to find some way down. The drop was just as far to the ground on the inside as the outside, with no easy path discernable. His eyes searched back and forth. A building to the west reached up toward the wall close enough for him to make the jump. When he looked down the top of the wall on which he stood, he saw the guard nearing the point where he would turn around.
Without any other option, Liwanu sprinted toward the guard. He notched an arrow and fired it high into the sky. After a few seconds, it landed squarely on top of the guard’s metal helmet, causing him to stumble to the ground, completely stunned. Taking advantage of the extra moment, Liwanu made his move.
He didn’t have the luxury of hesitation when he jumped off the wall toward the nearby building. After a few moments of falling through the air, he realized that the drop was much further than he originally estimated. His feet hit the roof with tremendous force, but he bent his knees and collapsed onto his side to avoid injury as best he could. After tumbling over twice, he fell from the building’s roof into an alley. The world spun around him as he tumbled through the air.
After crashing through the roof of a shed, something broke his fall. It took him a moment to gain his footing and find his bearings. He sat upon a large pile of leather scraps. It seemed that the building next door was a leather working shop, but he didn’t have time to think too much into it. His arrowhead necklace jangled as he put his shirt back on. After making sure he hadn’t broken any bones in his fall, he was out of the shed and running through the streets.
A bell sounded behind him from atop the wall, and he knew that the guard he had allowed to live was the culprit. For a moment he questioned his decision to stun the man instead of killing him. The thought had to be pushed form his mind. His feet carried him continually further into the city, travelling mostly through back alleys to avoid detection.
As the morning progressed, more citizens of Rode shuffled through the streets, going about their daily routine. Inquisitive eyes followed Liwanu as he strode along, and it became evident to him how much he stuck out. His dirty appearance, strange clothes and unusually long hair made him truly unique in the large city.
Shining helmets across the street caught his attention, and he saw a man talking to the two city guards wearing the headgear. The man looked over his shoulder and pointed in Liwanu’s direction. He slipped into an alleyway, realizing that blending in with the morning rush was not a feasible option after all.
Overwhelmed by the massive size of the city, he wondered where he might begin his search for his friends. For the first time since he had left to conduct his first mission the night before, and after running throughout most of the night, he could hardly catch his breath from his extreme exhaustion. He sat with his back against the wall of a nearby building that looked abandoned, hoping that he could think of a solution to his dilemma.
After a few seconds, a man stumbled into the alley. Liwanu jumped into a defensive posture and the strange man fell backward from shock. It was clear that the man was a vagrant of sorts and more than a little tipsy, despite the early morning hour. Liwanu relaxed and approached the stranger.
“Excuse me, sir,” he said. “I’m trying to find my way toward the city prison. Could you please show me where to go?” The man looked at Liwanu, then shifted his gaze to the wall behind him. After turning around, Liwanu saw a wanted poster with his own likeness clearly sketched on it. He turned back toward the man and put his hands up defensively.
“So, you’re here to confront Samuel?” the man asked. Liwanu nodded. “I’ll help ye. He keeps talking about makin’ this place safer, but every day the guards get better armed and more aggressive. Nothin’ more than lousy criminals with authority to do as they please. Just keep headin’ west, down this street right ‘ere, until you hit the cemetery. Make your way through there and you’ll see the prison. It’s an ugly ol’ buildin’, hard to miss.”
“Thank you,” Liwanu said. With a clear destination placed before him, energy returned to his tired body. His pace increased as he continued further into the heart of Rode.
Travelling the distance to the prison took longer than he expected, likely due to keeping to the alleyways and sometimes even rooftops to avoid detection. Stone statues marked a gated area up ahead, and he knew that he had reached his destination. A quick scan of the area confirmed that there was nobody around, and without hesitation he sprinted through the gate.
It didn’t take long for him to clear the graveyard, and just as he was told, an archaic building waited for him on the other side. The building was surrounded by a gated fence and at least a dozen guards. A particularly grotesque statue provided concealment for Liwanu as he watched the guards walking by. After a few minutes, he had deciphered their general pattern and movements, but before he tried to break into the building, he wanted to ensure it was in fact the right place. There was a chance that his friends were not in there at all.
