“We’ve all made mistakes Mary. Braith will lead us to a better life though.”
“My mistakes didn’t involve me murdering someone,” another man sternly interjected.
Aria fought the urge to shy away from their resentment and condemnation, but if she survived any of this, then she was going to have to get used to antipathy from those around her. She gathered her strength as she pressed her forehead to the cool metal bars. She braced herself for their disapproval.
“His mistakes have made Braith who he is. They have made him a leader and they have made him strong. He will come here, and if he is successful, he will free us all.”
“And do what with us?” another woman asked. “Drain us dry like he did the others?”
“No he will give us freedom, real freedom. You can return home, or you can stay within the town, but no matter what you decide, it will be your choice to make.” There was a protracted moment of silence, of breaths held in hope and disbelief. Most everyone here had been a part of the rebellion. This was what they had been fighting and hoping for their entire lives. “He’ll do good, real good in this world,” she insisted. “My father believes in him.”
There was a shifting and then suddenly a hand seized hold of hers. Aria jumped and bit back a cry as the large hand wrapped around hers. It was a man’s hand, calloused and roughened from dirt and labor. “David trusts this creature?”
The creature comment irked her but she didn’t pursue it. There were some battles that weren’t worth fighting. “He does,” she confirmed as the man’s hand tightened around hers. “And so do I.”
“He bought you,” Mary whispered.
“He saved me,” Aria corrected.
“He didn’t save the others.”
“But he will save the ones that he can, now. I wouldn’t lie to you about this, I wouldn’t steer you down the wrong path, he is our future, our hope; you must trust me on this. How many are down here?”
“There were fifty-two of us, but Walt hasn’t returned since they pulled him up yesterday. There will soon be another auction; they usually run at least once a month, sometime’s more depending on the number of raids. There will probably be around another fifty people in here with us after that.” Aria’s skin crawled, it was awful enough down here now, never mind cramming another fifty people in. “Have you seen my son Aria? Have you seen John?”
It was the hope in Mary’s voice that pierced Aria’s morose thoughts. She would like to give Mary the answer she sought, but she couldn’t. “I’m sorry Mary, I haven’t.”
Aria’s hand was still wrapped within the man’s as she listened to Mary’s faint sobs. “I’ll find him,” Mary whispered. “If I somehow get out of this, I’ll find him.”
Aria tried to free her hand from the man next to her but he held on. “What of you Aria?” he inquired.
“What of me?” She was growing annoyed by the fact that he wouldn’t give her hand back to her.
“You really trust this creature?”
Aria frowned, his voice was familiar and for a moment she couldn’t place where she’d heard it before. Then she recalled her capture, her time within the holding pen before she’d been brought on stage to be auctioned off. There had been a man that had told her to be strong, and though she hadn’t seen him or known who he was, she recognized the voice now and knew it was the same man. “Completely.”
“It can’t be any worse than it is now,” the man murmured as he squeezed her hand again and released her.
Aria didn’t respond. She absently rubbed her wounded finger as she strained to see. She wished that she could part the shadows, rid the world of the darkness enshrouding it, but that was impossible. The darkness was absolute, complete, there was no parting it. There was no escaping it.
***
Braith moved through the trees with ease. He knelt at the edge of the tree line, his eyes closed as he opened his ears to listen to the sounds of the day. David and Daniel knelt beside him, Daniel unraveled the designs that he had illustrated and laid them out. Though he didn’t open his eyes to see the dark shadows of the drawings, he knew the boy was talented, he’d seen some of his other work. Daniel outlined the attack plan for the town with the ease and knowledge of someone far older than his twenty-one years.
“This area here is large enough for us to move everyone into the town without becoming hindered by the forest.” Braith kept his eyes closed as he felt the open space around him that Daniel described. The wind moved freely through the area as it was less crowded with trees and obstacles. “Setting fire as we go will confuse them and drive them from any hiding spots they may have. They won’t know what to expect from us.”
“So this is where we will split off from?” Xavier inquired.
“Yes, from what Braith has described the entrance to the tunnel is in this area of the woods.” Daniel’s fingers skimmed over the drawings causing them to rustle slightly. “If you split off from here you’ll be hidden within the forest until you reach the mountainside.”
“Are you sure the king doesn’t know about this tunnel?” Ashby inquired.
“I created it as an escape route from that man in case it became necessary. No one knows about that tunnel, except for me,” Braith told him.
“Must have taken awhile,” William muttered.
Braith shrugged, his fingers and muscles clenched at the mere thought of the king. “You do what is necessary, no matter what the cost,” he added bitterly. “I’ll take twenty in with me when we first enter.”
“You can’t go into that palace so unprotected,” Gideon protested.
“If I take more than that it will be impossible to move them through undetected.”
“The tunnel is our best advantage to get more men inside without being seen,” Gideon insisted.
“If they know we are inside they will make sure that they have Aria with them,” Braith growled.
“Braith…”
“No!” he barked. “No more arguments Gideon. This right here, this, is not a democracy! Not when it comes to her. I will go in there with only twenty. We will have one hour before others may follow, but I will have that hour to try and locate her first. When the others enter they can make their way to the main gate, but I will remain inside until I find her.”
“Can we take all of the troops through the tunnel?” Frank inquired.