18 Panic Room (1/2)
I know some of my plans border on recklessness but I swear I don't go looking around for trouble despite how trouble seemed to enjoy chasing after me all the time. And you know what they say about trouble—it loves company. Especially if its old pal misery.
After the battle outside the entrance to Broken Sellsword's Canyon, the city guard marched me, Luca, and Varda to the open massive iron double gates.
Onlookers gave way while they gawked at us. Some had sympathetic faces that showed they understood we were just trying to help. Others looked disgustedly at the two humans who'd overreached themselves.Luckily, Aura and Edo weren't part of this walk of shame and were nowhere in sight.
As we got closer to the cliffs, I glanced over at Luca and noticed how he averted his eyes from the imagery carved into the cliff walls. I understood why, of course. They reminded him too much of his own circumstance. I, however, thought it was a shame we couldn't spend a few minutes to look upon it.
It would have been a sight to see despite their dark theme, the giant stone wall sculptures depicting the cruelties of slavery in larger-than-life imagery carved onto the sandstone walls on either side of the iron front gates. The gates themselves loomed over us at a height of sixty feet, and although half-open in a gesture of welcome to travelers seeking to enter the city, the fact that they were solid iron, a metal most harmful to fairies, seemed like a grave warning to would-be troublemakers.
Unfortunately, the sharp shadowblades poking at our backs left no room for us to admire the architecture. As we passed through these iron gates, I thought about how we had become the troublemakers. After all, we looked like a party of criminals being paraded down to a jail cell.
Isighed. ”I don't suppose they'll just let us off on a warning...”
Beside me, a grumbling Varda shook her head. ”If they find us guilty of lawlessness, they'll give us a punishment that fits the crime. Might even take away our rights as free people and sell us off as slaves.”
Luca stiffened. ”They could do that?”
Before Varda could answer him, she received a poke from behind along with an order to shut up by a city guard.
We walked silently past the gate and into the canyon that was way beyond anything I could have thought up in my imagination.
There was a wide cobbled street snaking forward into what was obviously a city shaped out of the surrounding rock. And I'm not talking simple-type cave dwellings either but sprawling sandstone mansions hewn out of the canyon's inner walls. There were also magnificent looking stone-cut towers spiraling up into the night sky which seemed to be carved out of the naturally formed, giant stalagmites littered across the canyon grounds. On both sides of the road, five-foot light-emitting gemstones stood at equal intervals and shared their luminescence to a crowded city entrance full of fairies of all kinds.
I wanted to explore this visually captivating city before me, however, a glimpse was all I could manage at the moment as the guards had shoved me and my companions toward the first dwelling right after the gate.
Carved out of the sandstone wall on our immediate right was a three-floor structure of rough-hewn bricks similar to that of one of New York City's famous brownstone houses, but designed in the sharp edges and linear patterns indicative of dwarven style masonry. Orange banners similar to the tabards the guards wore hung over the structure's exterior. Right next to it hung the sapphire flag of Lover's Embrace with its two embracing skulls-and-crossbones coat-of-arms painted onto it.
It was a reminder to me that we were not in friendly territory and I would have to watch what I said if I didn't want more trouble than we were already in.
There were a set of sharp steps that led from the cobblestone sidewalk up to a square opening of an equal measure of eight feet in both length and width. It was another dwarven design quirk.
They led us up these steps, through the opening, and into an interior of polished stone walls and square pillars that reflected the dwarven design of the exterior. Smaller versions of the light-emitting gemstones hung like torch sconces on the walls. The floor was volcanic rock tiles while the furniture was a variety of marble that had been shaped into sharp-edged chairs and tables with wool upholstery.
This was mostly guesswork as I only had a passing understanding of dwarven culture. It was more my interest in architecture which was on full display earlier when I gushed over my first glimpse of the city that made me curious about the masonry work put into this building.
After this entry hall, most of the guard who escorted us into the city dispersed into other areas and duties. Only two guards took my team through a few more square pathways and arches that eventually landed us in a box-like room with only chairs and a single wide table for furniture. There were no windows in here. Just polished stone walls and luminescent gems clinging to them.
The guards left us in the room after we'd followed their orders and found chairs on the other side of the table. As we faced the entryway, a stone slab slid down the square opening like an automated garage door.
”Dean, I don't like this...” Luca whispered in my ear. ”I really don't like this.”
It was only then that I remembered that he had stress-related anxiety issues that presented itself as claustrophobia. I'd almost forgotten this as we spent most of our time outdoors under the canopy of the night sky with its twinkling stars and brilliant golden moon.
I ruffled his hair. ”Hang in there, Luca... We'll get out of here as soon as we explain the situation.”
”That's not likely going to happen,” Varda interjected. ”This is one of their tactics. Sweat them out until they go crazy and talk...”
I knew that, but Luca might not have. This annoying fact drove me to give Varda a meaningful look that told her to shut up about it.
Varda raised her arms in surrender. ”Sorry... I forget how fragile human psyches are...”
I facepalmed myself as I heard Luca groan involuntarily. Varda could be pretty clueless, especially when it was a time to be delicate. This was a trait she and Qwipps Daggerby shared.
Luca lasted a full thirty minutes before he started biting his nails. This was the first sign his anxiety was reaching intolerable levels. The second would be hyperventilation. Luca, like most people who suffered from anxiety attacks, reached a point where they couldn't breathe properly because of breathing too quickly.
As this used to happen a lot after dad's accident, I always kept a puke bag or something similar to help him calm his breathing. Sadly, he had exhibited none of these symptoms in the Fayne and I'd forgotten to stay prepared.
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”Varda,” I whispered in her ear. ”Say something...”
”What should I say?” she asked.
”Anything... maybe a joke?” I asked.
”Dwarves don't joke around too much, Dean... We're very serious people,” she hissed.
That may have been true for her but I recalled her uncle getting trounced by Great General Darah for being a little too sarcastic.
”Then make something up,” I hissed back. ”It's an order, Quartermaster.”
”That's an abuse of authority, Commander!” she countered.
”You realize I can hear you two, right?” Luca interrupted our banter. ”I have anxiety issues. I'm not deaf.”
There was a loud exhale of breath from Luca. ”I'll be okay... you don't need to keep watching over me, Dean...”
”What are you talking about, Luca?” I patted him on the back. ”I'm the big brother. It's my job to watch over you.”
”Look where that got you?” Luca gestured to the thick stone walls that surrounded us. ”We're stuck in here because I was too dumb to mind my own business.”
”Luca...” I began.
”You're not supposed to be here,” Luca's voice was rising. ”You're supposed to be in school getting top grades or hanging out with Ty and Arah or taking care of mom... anywhere but here!”
”Luca,” my voice was a little higher now too.