Authors: Vera Nazarian
Elasirr only smirked, and then, in the shadows, she saw him open a tiny low door in the wall of the alley, a door where she did not see one before. “Come!” he whispered, bent his head down and disappeared inside.
Wordlessly Ranhé followed, feeling a sort of excitement begin to mount in her, for what she saw was a new secret of the City, unfolding. . . .
Inside, it was pitch black. At first. And then, as her eyes began to grow accustomed to the dark, she slowly began to make out the soft glow of moonlight seeping in from the outside through the thin crack below the door. With that, she saw that they stood within a tiny dry-smelling claustrophobic cell, and Elasirr had to keep his head down in order not to bump the low wooden ceiling.
She then felt the strong pressure of his hand take her own, at which a sort of sensory awareness ran through her fingers and outward through her, while at the same time he began to speak in a low urgent whisper, and his opaque face was very near her own.
“
Listen to me, Ranhé. Where we are about to go is a place most obscure. You must promise beforehand that you will say nothing to anyone ever about this, about
how
we get there. Promise this in the name of Elasand-re Vaeste, and I know you will not lie. For if you break your word, I too make a promise now, that I will kill you—no matter what we have been through together, no matter what you might think of me, I will destroy you, warrior woman!”
She snorted. “Yes, I do believe you’d go to the ends of the earth to do that, my Lord Bilhaar. Really, no need for you to hiss in my face, now, I promise to be silent about this always.”
And in answer to that, he chuckled softly, and pressed her hand, tightening his own fingers about hers in an iron grip. Suddenly he bent down, and with his hand pulled at some hidden switch upon the floor. In that instant, the floorboards fell inward in a square section of utter darkness, and she saw short stairs leading down into an unknown subterranean hell.
“
Go on,” he said, releasing her hand. “And I will follow.”
And silently, she nodded, then took hold of the floorboards, and began her descent into the unknown darkness.
She moved by feel only, gripping the sides of the stairway, and overhead she began to hear his own descent, while the opening to the outside world had come closed again, for she could hear him turn some kind of internal lock.
There were strong echoes in this place, suggesting stone.
“
Keep going,” she heard him whisper from above. “Another twenty feet, and you will hit level ground. Wait for me.”
“
Really, think I should?” she whispered back. “What if I get a crazy urge to venture out on my own somewhere in this abysmal dark? Where are we exactly, anyway?”
From above, his soft laughter. “You, Ranhé, are in the bowels of the City. Welcome to the sewers!”
“
I don’t smell anything,” she said, while her feet suddenly felt an ending to the stairs, and she was on solid ground. “Only damp. . . .”
She stepped away from the stairs in the dark, giving him room, and then felt his quick practiced movements, as he leaped the last several feet onto the floor.
Then, there was the striking of stone against stone, and she saw a bright pinpoint of light that bloomed into a candle flame. It illuminated a stone corridor thrown into dancing shadows, and Elasirr’s striking face. He had drawn his travel hood back, revealing the flowing matted mane of his sun-hair, and stood looking at Ranhé with unblinking eyes. “Ready?”
She nodded, and he proceeded to move down the length of the corridor that stretched out in shadow before them, holding the candle to light their way. At about twenty feet, the tunnel branched into three, and Elasirr took the right-most one.
“
That way”—he pointed to the middle corridor—“are the real sewers. If we keep going, it will stink soon enough.”
“
You seem to know this place well,” she ventured, but then realized this was not too surprising for an assassin.
“
I make it my business to know most of this City,” he replied, seriously. “Both above and under ground. Do you know where we are now?”
“
No,” she said.
“
We’re just below the Markets, before the Inner City entrance. We’re almost there. Qurthe are probably standing right above our heads.”
And indeed, about fifty more feet, and their tunnel ended before a doorway hewn in stone. Before it stood Elasand Vaeste leaning against the wall, while a lit torch sat in a wall sconce.
“
You made good time,” said Elasand, stepping forward, an almost-smile on his lips. He looked at Ranhé intently, saying, “How is my aunt?”
“
She is perfectly fine, my lord. I told her you are well also.”
“
Good.” He grinned then. Ranhé noted with surprise that there was an almost nervous expression on his face, as he looked between her and Elasirr, and then back again, gathering himself for something.
“
Well?” he said. “Are we ready?”
In answer, Elasirr merely nodded, his face composed.
“
My lord,” she began suddenly. “If there is something you are about to reveal to me in secret about yourself, then I probably know already. In fact, I’ve suspected as much, and I promise beforehand that you have nothing to fear from me, for I will be silent—”
“
Ranhé,” Elasand sighed. He turned to her then, looking with intense eyes into her own. “Ranhé, freewoman, are you able to keep the best-kept secret in the City?”
“
I think I am capable, my lord,” she replied, looking openly into his eyes.
“
Then, meet the Guildmaster of the Light Guild, for he stands now before you.” And with those words, Lord Vaeste turned, pointing with his hand to the man standing at his side—the man with the sun-hair.
For a moment, Ranhé’s mouth fell open.
She stared at the man who she’d known all this time as the Guildmaster of the Assassin Guild, and he watched her in turn, with a light amusement.
“
But—” said Ranhé. “How can that be? You are the Lord Bilhaar!”
“
I am,” said Elasirr. “And I also rule the Light Guild.”
“
But what of you, Lord Vaeste? I thought all this time that you were the Guildmaster, I was so sure—”
“
Precisely,” replied Elasirr. “That’s what everyone is supposed to think. Elasand-re has been my decoy in that for years.”
Ranhé stood shaking her head unbelievingly. “But—” she persisted. “How can an assassin head the Light Guild? How can you be responsible for two Guilds at once, two of the most powerful Guilds in Tronaelend-Lis?”
Elasirr smiled—amused, sardonic, and yet like a sharp blade. “I can only be responsible for one indeed.” He mused, “For in truth, there is no Assassin Guild. It is but a cover for the Light Guild. And Bilhaar is merely the elite warrior guard for the Light Guild, that had been formed since the start to protect the integrity of the Guild, and to guard the ultimate secrets of
color
light and Rainbow. For that reason, Bilhaar and the Light Guild are one and the same.”
“
Now, with that out of the way,” said Elasand with a smile of some relief, “would you mind opening the door, Elas, so we can go inside?”
And in reply, the Guildmaster of the Light Guild smiled at them both, torchlight shining demonic on his face, and reached forward to touch a secret lock.
The heavy door opened silently, and they entered the Inner City.
CHAPTER 16
T
he first thing Ranhé saw, with an unexpected pang of joy, was a soft familiar pasted-on glow of
orange
. A large low brightness came to fill a room from one orb in the corner. The room was large, with walls of indeterminate matte stone, a great airy open space, and it branched off in a number of open corridors.
There were many people in the room, and several immediately turned and headed their way. One of them, a bearded older man, greeted Elasirr with an upraised hand, saying, “At last, my lord! We were beginning to be concerned.”
“
All is well, Marihke,” responded Elasirr, walking to the center of the chamber, and effectively drawing everyone’s attention. At his side, Elasand and Ranhé stepped forward also.
There were voices everywhere, the mention of “Guildmaster,” and then the busy room was silent.
“
It has started,” said Elasirr loudly to the room in general. His face was fierce with an emotion that Ranhé had never seen him wear. “We will meet in about a half-hour’s time, to discuss the options before us as a Guild, and the options for the City as a whole. The invader is stronger than I had thought, and there will be days of fear before us. We must get to work without wasting a moment. I will see you all in the meeting room.”
And with that, he again nodded to all in general, and then motioned to Elasand and Ranhé to follow him.
They walked through a large clean passageway that led slowly upwards on an incline, and Ranhé realized they were once again approaching ground level, this time within the safe territory of the Inner City. Everywhere, she saw a network of other passageways and corridors, all well lit, and peopled by a great number of busy individuals, men and women, all energetic, performing a variety of tasks. They passed open chambers, where quantities of vitreous materials were shaped into all manner of orbs, and she realized that orbs were merely hollow simple spheres of glass. In other places, she saw Guildsmen working on various arrays of
color
light, brilliant, incredible—rooms full of orbs of pure
blue
, of all possible shades, or pure
green
.
Interestingly, there were almost no doors in this place. Every chamber opened freely upon another, as though once one was within this forbidden Quarter, all secrecy was dropped in favor of common interaction. Persons would enter one room to consult with others, then return to their own work-stations.
“
Why are they working now, when it is almost midnight?” Ranhé inquired almost shyly of Elasirr, without looking at him, as they walked.
He glanced at her, and she could not read his look at all, she suddenly realized. “The Guild works around the clock, always,” he said simply. “Not just because we are currently under enemy occupation, and not because we are driven to it by necessity, but because the nature of light makes varied creative demands upon the light artisans. Many here work while they have the willpower simmering within them, then sleep freely when they grow tired, which could be any time, day or night. Such irregularity is inherent in the talent of those who wield
color
.”
“
Why, my lord?” said Ranhé. “If I may ask? Or is it not something I might know?”
Elasirr considered her for a silent span of seconds, then suddenly stopped, saying, “Why don’t you come and I’ll show you.”
“
What are you going to do?” asked Elasand. “Do you think it’s possible she too may have it?”
“
I will test her,” said Elasirr, “for, yes, it is possible. And we need every new talent we can get. After all, she also saw something in the forest—What was it that you did see, Ranhé? You’ve never exactly told us.”
“
I dreamt of one of the Tilirr,” she replied tentatively, remembering with the strongest pull, fields of
dandelion gold
.
“
This may or may not mean something,” said Elasirr brusquely, as he turned to a different passageway, and they emerged in a small chamber.
There was a single small table in the center, next to it, a chair, and upon the table, one small orb, about the size of a human fist.
“
Sit down, freewoman,” said Elasirr coldly. “What I want you to do is fill this orb with
color
light.”
Ranhé sat down at the chair, raising her right brow in amusement. “You must be joking. And how am I supposed to do that, my Lord Guildmaster?”
“
Your question invokes the very basic principle of the Light Guild,” said Elasirr. He then drew closer, leaning forward to look at her, while Elasand continued standing some steps away.
“
What is
color
, Ranhé?” said Elasirr, looking into her eyes.
“
Hell if I know,” she said, on the defensive, staring up at him with a thin smile.
“
Color
is a way of perceiving light,” said Elasirr. “Any light. When you stare at the sun, or at a candle flame, Ranhé, what you should be seeing is some kind of
color
, naturally. What you see instead is only the contrast of bright and dim.”
“
I don’t understand,” she said, seeing his intense serious look, while her own smile left her face. “Are you telling me that we should all be seeing
colors
every time we look at light? But how can that be?”
“
Yes,” he said. “And not only that. We should be seeing
colors
every time we look at any visible object—any object upon which even the smallest measure of light falls.”
“
But we do not, Ranhé,” said Elasand. “Somehow, we do not see that which we naturally should, which is within our ability, our nature! The fact that we can see
color
at all, even if it is only within orbs, attests to this potential ability of ours.”
“
Color
is a property of light, an extension of it,” continued the Guildmaster of the Light Guild, “and it appears that we had lost this natural ability to perceive this property when the Rainbow fell.”