The sun rose as morning light drifted through the window. I had not slept the night before. Trying to figure out what my teacher had planned only compounded the headache that came from him high jacking part of my brain just to pass on some information.
The lack of sleep left large bags under my eyes. Yawning, I got dressed into the unformal thin black top and brown pants I had grown accustomed to over the past few days. Pulling on the waterproof boots, I still had my duties with the soldiers. There was still a drug pandemic going on, and we had yet to find the source.
Even with the half-cure I had found, I could not let the drug continue to spread. Not everyone was willing to go to quarantine. Power was too tempting for some. They did not trust that the city was telling the truth about the drug. Soon Demonkin would begin spawning as more and more people not treated began to turn. It was even more likely that once Envy stepped into this realm, he could activate everyone who had taken the drug and start the mutation in people simultaneously the same way the more advanced version of the drug could.
If the Free Cities fell, then a large portion of military resistance would fall with it. That was not something I could allow.
Charly followed me out of the house as I met with my unit outside the slums. The soldiers stood in an orderly line, waiting patiently for my arrival. I was happy. Kadmos kept them well disciplined.
“Kadmos, before we begin our usual search, I have a couple questions.”
“Yes, my lady, what is it?” he replied with a solute.
“In your reports, Aktaio city is the place most flooded with the drug across the free cities, correct?”
“Yes.”
“As a local do you happen to know of any old ruins near the city. Are their rumors of places built long ago, specifically ones with the symbol of a crow?”
“You mean the Dead Men’s Maze?” Kadmos asked with confusion.
“Dead Men’s Maze? Explain.”
“The maze is an old ruin outside of the city. It stretches for under the plateau. A giant crow is plastered on the entrance. It is said you can walk for weeks in there without finding an exit. A few years ago, bandits took over the ruin. We send soldiers in almost every week trying to clear them out, but we barely ever catch any.”
I smiled, knowing I had found a new target. Now that I knew to look for old Corvus facilities, this was much easier. If someone wanted a place to manufacture lot twenty-three without drawing attention, a bandit hideout was an easy cover.
I commanded one of the soldiers to send a message to my parents. I had learned my lesson. This time I would tell them first, and then do something reckless. Though, I still did not want to tell them in person. I doubt they would approve of me going to a bandit camp. It was better to already be there by the time they were notified.
The only known entrance to the ruins was over three hours of travel outside the city wall. Kadmos explained what he knew about the ruins during the journey.
“The main entrance to Dead Men’s Maze is constantly guarded by more than twenty soldiers. Despite this, the bandits still manage to get supplies in and out of the maze regularly. Every month or two we find a newly dug tunnel into the maze. Procedure has us send soldiers in and clear out anything we find before collapsing the entrance. It is a frustrating game of cat and mouse with no end in sight.”
“Does the maze run under the city?” I asked.
“Not according to any of the maps we have, but it is not impossible. Even if the original maze did not stretch that far the city guard suspects the bandits’ leader has an innate talent to manipulate rock and earth. It is entirely possible he created a tunnel leading from the maze into the city.” Kadmos replied.
“Have you considered that the drug infesting our city might be coming from the maze?”
“Of course, we have!” Kadmos growled angrily, “The city created an entire task force for the sole purpose of rooting out these bandits. The problem is nobody can find them in the maze. Even Chancellor Otto came out here himself a few months ago, but he said he could do nothing after the first attempt.”
“He only tried once?” I asked in surprise.
“In the past, yes, he did try again a few days ago as well, but he quickly gave up. I don’t blame him. That blasted place is the worst. Whatever those walls are made out of, they completely block any innate talent that affects them and even repair any damage done to them. I was in one of the first groups sent into the maze, but my ability to see through walls is completely useless there. I imagine Chancellor Otto’s vision-based talent did not fare much better.”
As we walked, I asked a few more questions. I learned details about Kadmos’s dives into the maze, but the more I heard the more confused I became. The sheer number of techniques required to run a place like this had to be in the hundreds. Not even the Corvus palace had been that secure. If they had a place like this, why did they not use it during the war four hundred years ago?
After a long trek through uneven rocky terrain, we arrived at a stone structure built into the side of a small hill. The entranceway was nearly identical to the base I visited before coming to Aktaio. The large insignia of a crow was prominently displayed over the carved stone entrance.
'I hate them so much!'
Even just seeing the insignia brought back feelings of rage, but I knew to control myself. It was just a piece of stone. Without the empire it represented, it was nothing.
Small fortifications could be seen around the entrance, preventing anyone from getting in or out without being seen. Unfortunately, the twenty or so men nearby were much less impressive. Calling them guards would be stretching the word. While they did wear armor, nothing else about them screamed soldier. More than half of the men sat around a makeshift table playing cards. More than a few men had drinks in their hands. Two were even sleeping under the shade of a nearby tree. Not a single one of them noticed our approach before we were right on top of them.
“Are you sure the bandits are not just walking past your so-called guards carrying their supplies?”
I could see Kadmos’s face flush with anger as he took large, pounding steps. He grabbed hold of the hair of a nearby soldier and threw him to the ground.
The soldier screamed as he was sent sprawling. He spouted a few curses before he looked up. Seeing who threw him and the entire squad of guards, he froze
“C- captain Kad- Kadmos, what are you doing here?” The soldier stuttered. There was a lisp in his speech and a smell that suggested he had more than just a few drinks already today.
“That is what I should be asking you!” Kadmos shouted furiously, “Are you soldiers on guard duty or tavern drunks on vacation?”
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One of the other Soldiers at the table stood. This one also had blue painted on his armor. I knew enough now about Aktaio ranking to know he was also a captain, but a lower-ranking one than Kadmos. “Take it easy on them Captain. It is just a bit of fun. Except for the dives to clear out bandits once a week nobody ever comes out here. The bandits are not brave enough to fight us directly. This post is nothing more than a waste of time. Stare at the same patch of grass for a year with nothing happening and it is only normal for us to cut loose on occasion.”
“On occasion? Do you really expect me to believe you are not slacking off every day? You did not even notice our approach! For the realm’s sake, half of us are wearing metal armor. The entire city can hear when we move, but you can’t notice us ten steps away. What if we had been bandits who wanted to cut your throats? You would all be dead before you could even draw your weapons.”
The half-drunk captain sighed. He placed his arm around captain Kadmos’s shoulder and led him out of earshot of his men. “If you feel that strongly about it, report us to the commander. Nothing will change. This is a silver unit. Just let it go.”
Kadmos rubbed his temples and I could see his frustration boil, but despite my expectations, he conceded. “Fine, it is not worth the headache for a silver unit. Get me a recent map of the maze. We want to take a look inside.”
“Really? Why? We never find anything.” The captain asked, looking at the nearby soldiers, then at me and Donte. Realization dawned on his face. “Oh, I see. You have your own little silvers to deal with. Let me guess, they think they can do in an afternoon what hundreds of soldiers could not figure out after years of work.”
“Just get the map,” Kadmos growled.
“Fine, fine, just do not blame me when you waste hours of your life only to end up back where you started.” The captain replied, handing Kadmos a folded piece of paper.
Kadmos took it with a nod. “A word of warning. It is possible two commanders will show up later. Try to get your men in shape, otherwise, your head might just be the sacrifice.”
The captain paled. He started shouting orders at his men. They were slow to listen, even belligerent about it, but it was not our problem.
Gathering our unit, we walked into the mouth of the maze. My headache returned tenfold as we walked down the stone steps. The eyes of the dark crow lording over our every step. I had Sylvie land on my shoulder and picked up Nox. If we were to make it through this maze, I had a feeling I would need their help.
Inside, the maze was well-lit by soft blue lights floating overhead. This facility was operational, unlike the mountain fortress from before. Looking around curiously, I could not see anything special. The stone walls were bare, without any carvings or clues. I could not see any purple gem controls anywhere it was just a simple corridor that immediately split into five more passages.
“Which way do you want to go first?” Kadmos asked, “According to the map, there should not be any dead ends for a while, but the corridors have a tendency to change so who knows how accurate the map will be when we get further in.”
“I do not think it matters,” I replied with a shrug, turning down the right path. As we made the turn, I pulled my dagger out of its sheath. Activating the purple gem, I left a deep groove in the wall. Simultaneously, I sent a hidden wisp of flame into the wall.
“I would not bother,” Kadmos spoke, “Any damage done to the wall is repaired in just a few minutes. Making marks will not help.”
“Too bad I do not have a magic ball of golden twine,” I mumbled, remembering an old legend.
“How would that help?” Donte asked curiously.
With nothing better to do while walking the empty corridors, I recounted to him the old legend found in the archives of the first division. Donte was fascinated by the tale of an adventuring hero slaying a mighty beast and running away with the princess.
Every time we came to a branch in the path I always chose to stay against the right wall. Despite Kadmos’s protest I still made a mark at every turn. I had to test a theory I came up with when I entered the maze, but it would take time.
The walk was incredibly boring. There were no signs of bandits, and nothing to differentiate one corridor from another. All that existed were the endless grey walls and the dim blue light on the ceiling.
I had Sylvie attack the lights once out of curiosity. It seemed to be embedded in the ceiling, and nothing she did had any effect.
“What is a silver unit?” I asked curiously, walking over to Kadmos, “The way the captain talked; I assume it was not a title of respect.”
Kadmos sighed. “You are not wrong. A silver unit or silver guard is a term we use to describe the children of nobility who, for whatever reason, join the Aktaio military. More often than not, they are completely useless. Their pampered lifestyles do not create good soldiers. It is difficult to keep them in line since their parents can usually get any unfortunate commanding officer that tries fired. So, rather than let incompetents rise through the ranks just because of their family name, we created silver units. We give them some minor responsibility somewhere they cannot cause trouble, make them feel important, and everyone is happy.”
“Do you see me as a silver?”
“By the realms, yes,” Kadmos spoke, before freezing realizing his mistake. I had my hand on my hips and raised an eyebrow at him. “Um... I mean… not all silvers are useless buffoons like those outside the maze. Some are surprisingly hard workers with useful talents. Those silvers rise through the ranks incredibly quickly and are never relegated to useless missions. You definitely fall into that category. Your talent with animals alone is incredibly useful. It has nearly found us as many infected as my own talent.”
“Speaking of which, I think we are far enough in,” I replied, nodding to Sylvie and Nox, “Let’s see if my theory is right.”
Sylvie returned along the previous route, while Nox disappeared down a new tunnel. As they moved, I connected with them completely. Instantly, the headache started pounding in my head even more.
I smiled confidently. I would have to remember to thank my teacher sometime. Without his high jacking my brain the night before, it would have taken much longer to figure out the trick to this maze.
'Do not thank him. That is a disaster waiting to happen.'
Through Sylvie’s eyes, I checked the marks I left behind. The scar from the dagger had healed, but the wisps of flames remained. More importantly, despite haven taken dozen of turns up until now, I could only sense four locations where the flames burned.
We had been walking in circles. The maze entire was an illusion.