Chapter 13

Chapter

Thirteen

" W hat are we supposed to be looking at?" Marieke asked blankly. Zev had to agree. He saw nothing but a further small alcove.

"I'll show you." Trina squatted down and crawled into the space. She turned her head back to them, her eyes flashing with mischief in the lantern light. "If he'd like to give me a boost, that is."

"I'm sure Marieke can help you," Zev said unemotionally. "She's stronger than she lets on."

"Shame," said Trina, but she accepted Marieke's help nonetheless. Zev couldn't see much from his vantage point, but the girl disappeared from view upwards.

"And here I am." Trina's voice, faint but triumphant, echoed down. "Connected right through to one of our old, abandoned tunnels."

"Impressive," Marieke acknowledged. "You'd never know it was there unless you crawled right in here."

"Come on, then," encouraged the disembodied voice of Trina. "And bring that one-of-a-kind man of yours, too."

Marieke didn't reply, instead drawing in and releasing a deep breath as if summoning patience. She lowered her head enough for Zev to see her face through the alcove's opening.

"Well, she's precocious," Marieke said flatly.

Zev raised an eyebrow, keeping a straight face with difficulty. "You really think there's no one else like me?"

"Oh shut it," Marieke said, abandoning dignity as she pulled her head back into the space.

Zev grinned at her legs as he passed the lantern through to her. "Shall I boost you up?"

"I can manage just fine, thank you," Marieke said with a frostiness that didn't fool Zev for a moment.

His grin broadened. "Shame," he said, echoing Trina's earlier reply.

He left Marieke to her splutter of protest as he went to haul the boulder back in place and hopefully hide their route out. By the time he returned, the alcove was empty but for the lantern. He squeezed himself into it, observing with interest the ledge that became visible at about his neck height. Marieke and Trina both knelt at the edge, Marieke receiving the lantern and Trina hauling at his arm in an attempt to help him up that was more eager than actually helpful.

"Let's go," Trina said, once they were reunited. "I'm pretty sure others don't know about this route, but our voices might carry if we stay too close."

She set off at a brisk walk, the others following.

"Does this lead all the way out?" Marieke asked hopefully.

"It does," said Trina. "We're actually not that far from the canyon opening. But I won't take you straight out. I'm just getting far enough from the latrine for us to talk without fear of discovery. I have questions."

"So do we," Marieke said.

Trina nodded as she turned one corner, then another, ending in a decent open space .

"I'm sure. You go first."

"Is it really safe for us to stop here?" Marieke asked. "Won't they come looking for us?"

"I doubt it." Trina settled herself on a rock that looked like it had fallen from the rough arch above, apparently unconcerned about the risk of the tunnel caving in further. "They'll probably think you threw yourselves into the stream to escape. If you had, you'd be dead for sure. It flows quickly, and stays fully underground for a long way."

"Will you be in trouble for helping us?" Marieke asked, the question showing more consideration than Zev had thought to display for the monarchist girl.

"No, I'll be fine." Trina lounged back at her ease. "I doubt they'll realize I helped you, but even if they did, it won't be anything more drastic than latrine duty for a month. She might seem tough, but Svetlana would never hurt one of our own. And I'm part of this community, born and bred." Her eyes passed over the pair of them. "Outsiders are another matter entirely, of course."

"This is all well and good," Zev said. "But why are you helping us escape?" He might have found the young girl entertaining, but that didn't mean he trusted her.

"Because I don't think Svetlana is right to hold you," Trina said. "And I'm not even confident she will hold you rather than hand you over to Rissin and his group who, from what I can gather, are very eager to have you. I imagine they'll offer her an excellent trade."

"So your motives for helping us are purely selfless." Zev remained skeptical.

Trina grinned again. "Not purely. I also have my own questions."

"If one of those questions is will Zev carry you off into the sunset, the answer is no," Marieke informed her brutally .

Trina somehow managed to look both amused and aggrieved. "Why are you answering for him?"

"Yes, why are you?" Zev's voice was milder but no less humorous.

"Because I have it on good authority that your family are very picky about your love life," Marieke said tartly. Her eyes flicked back to Trina. "Go back to what you said about the elves. Why are they so eager to have us?"

Trina shrugged. "Something about the movement of magic in the canyon. I didn't really understand what it was all about."

"Well, neither do I, and I'm an actual singer," Marieke said. "There's no rhyme or reason I can find when it comes to the magic down here. But I get the sense we don't want to be passed off to Rissin and the other elves?"

Trina shook her head vehemently. "Rissin is dangerous. Elves are always a bit tricky to deal with, but that one is particularly slippery. Not my favorite of the expedition leaders."

"Expedition leaders?" Marieke repeated, frowning. "What do you mean by expedition?"

"Their forays into our canyon," Trina said matter-of-factly. "When they come to mine."

"So they are miners?" Zev asked. "The gear they had when we encountered them made me think so."

Trina nodded. "Of course. That's what elves do."

"That matches the stories," Zev mused. "In those, elves were jolly little men who loved to mine jewels."

Marieke made a noise in her throat. "Jolly isn't how I would describe them."

"Hardly," Trina agreed. "And they don't mine jewels. They mine magic. Straight out of the rocks. It's why they come to Sundering Canyon. The magic here is plentiful, and the terrain perfect for mining it."

"Come here?" Zev repeated. "So they don't live here? "

"Of course not." Trina raised an eyebrow. "We have an agreement that allows them access."

"And they trade you things from the outside world," Zev finished.

She nodded.

"Where do they live? Somewhere in Aeltas, right?"

"How do you know that?" Trina looked surprised.

"The silverware," Zev said. "It was stamped with a design I've seen before at traveling markets. Supposedly from the south."

Trina nodded again. "That's right. Their community is hidden deep in the jungle. Right in the center, so I'm told. Elves love defined regions. Mountain ranges, forests." She shrugged. "Canyons. Apparently the magic is better."

"Like heart magic," Marieke mused.

Zev shot her a look. Had she meant to say heartsong?

Seeing him looking, she added, "It's a type of magic. Or not exactly a type of magic, more a depth of magic. The principle is that singers can exercise heart magic—as in, they can access the magic of the land to a deeper and more powerful extent—if they have a connection to the land they're drawing it from."

"What kind of connection do they have to have?" Trina asked curiously.

"It could be one of blood, or one of belonging. If it's the land of their ancestors, or if they grew up there, that kind of thing," Marieke explained. "I've never experienced it in much depth, because I come from a spread-out farming region on the coast. That connection to the land is mainly relevant in defined regions like forests. That's what made me think of it. The elves' principle for harvesting magic aligns with our principle for magical connections to the land."

"Interesting," said Trina.

She spoke cautiously, and Zev had a flash of understanding. Her demeanor was too familiar not to recognize. Like him, she'd been raised to think singers and their wielding of magic were to be reviled. But, also like him, when confronted with the reality, she couldn't help finding it fascinating. Maybe even appealing. He knew from experience that it was an unsettling feeling, and he tried to make his tone less combative.

"I don't understand what you mean, Trina. How do they mine the magic?"

"I can't tell you the mechanics of it," she said. "I don't understand it at all, no human does. It's been the elves' trade as long as elves have existed, and they guard their secrets carefully."

"But they can't sing, right?" Marieke said. "They can't form enchantments?"

"Not like singers do," Trina confirmed. "They use the magic to make talismans. They can serve a consistent purpose until they run out, or they can be designed to release a more specific magical function when broken, or otherwise activated."

"Yes, I know what talismans are," Marieke said absently. "We learned about them at the academy. Just without mention of elves. We were told it was an art that had been lost."

"Nope, not lost," Trina said cheerfully. "It remains the exclusive property of the elves, like always."

Marieke nodded. "So if someone is using talismans to cause the disasters in Oleand, the elves are involved, at very least as the suppliers."

"Is it talismans causing the disasters, though?" Zev looked at Marieke. "I thought you said it was a singer."

Marieke raised her hands in a helpless gesture. "I don't know. That's what I thought, but I can't be sure. I have very limited experience with talismans. The discovery that they're still being made changes everything. I assumed a singer was behind the fire, but anyone could have access to magic if the elves are supplying talismans to humans."

"I'd be surprised if they were selling talismans to humans," Trina said. "They don't do that—they couldn't keep their existence secret if they did."

"They sold them to Gorgon," Zev pointed out.

Trina stared at him. "Really?"

"That's how he carried out his attacks on singers in Oleand," Marieke confirmed. "The attacks definitely involved magic."

"Wow." Trina leaned back, lost in thought. "Svetlana has kept that quiet. Gorgon knew all about talismans, of course. But I have no idea how he would have persuaded the elves to sell them to him. He wasn't nearly as charming or convincing as he thought he was." She sighed. "Or at least, I never thought so. Others evidently did."

Her eyes were sad as she looked up at them. "Whatever you think of us, we were all devastated to learn that Gorgon had not only gotten himself killed, but managed to bring down multiple others of our community with him. Most of the ones he recruited were similar age to him, really young. He was only a few years older than me. We were never close, but we still grew up together."

"I'm sorry," said Marieke, her tone subdued.

Zev studied Trina's face, seeing something more that she wasn't saying.

"He tried to recruit you, too, didn't he?"

She started, her eyes darting to him with a wariness that was confirmation enough.

"I wasn't part of his plan to attack singers," she said.

"I didn't say you were," Zev responded calmly. "But did he want you to be?"

Trina studied him for a moment, then let out another long sigh. "Yes," she admitted. "And I considered it. The thing is, not all of us are happy to live down here forever, cut off from the world outside. I'm loyal to my community," she clarified quickly. "I don't have any desire to serve either of the usurping councils. But…" She shrugged. "That doesn't mean I agree with Svetlana and the other elders, who all bemoan the lies of the councils but don't have any interest in doing anything about it. To them, living apart and refusing to submit themselves to the governance of the councils is enough. I don't see it that way, and I'm not the only one."

"Which is how Gorgon found others like him, willing to take the fight to the singers," Marieke said softly.

"Yes." Trina frowned. "But their plan was no better than Svetlana's lack of a plan. They were just murdering people. That's not the tale he told me when I was considering joining."

"What tale was that?" Zev pressed.

"He said that the murder of the royals had cursed the land—although that part he didn't come up with, to be fair. That was what that girl said."

"What girl?" Marieke asked sharply.

"I forget her name," Trina said, looking surprised by the tone. "I was only ten or eleven at the time. I mean, Gorgon wasn't much older, but I remember him being very taken with her. We were all pretty excited. It's such a rare thing for us to have outsiders come here."

"But who was she?" Marieke insisted.

"She was an Oleandan who said she was sympathetic to our cause," Trina said. "She knew about how the monarchs were slaughtered and how both Councils of Singers were lying about what happened, which got everyone's attention. We thought we were the only ones who knew or cared about that. She claimed that the land had been cursed ever since, and that the existence of Sundering Canyon was proof of it. I guess because we live here, she thought we'd want to help convince everyone about the land being cursed on account of the councils." Trina looked glum. "But as usual, our leaders weren't interested in anything that would get them involved with the world above. They want to be left alone to disapprove from a distance."

"But some of the young people, like you and Gorgon, feel differently," Zev said.

"Yes." Trina nodded.

"But that must have been Jade," said Marieke, her voice excited as these pieces came together.

Trina brightened. "Jade! That was her name. Do you know her?"

Marieke shook her head. "We never met. But I've heard of her."

"Well, she left when she realized we weren't interested, but I'm sure that her talk of the land being cursed is where Gorgon got his idea. He talked more with her than the rest of us did."

"What was his idea?" Zev asked.

"When he first tried to recruit me, he claimed that the curse on the land meant that the magic of the land was rising up against singers, to punish them," Trina said. "I'll admit that caught my interest. He talked as if we were going to find instances of this happening and use them to prove to everyone that the singers were the problem. Then the plan changed to finding a way to actually cause the magic of the land to turn on singers. I even swallowed that for a while. By the time I realized that his plan was actually to attack singers in inconspicuous ways and try to make it look like the land had turned against them, I was no longer on board. I couldn't work up the courage to tell anyone what I'd been part of, and next thing I knew, Gorgon and the others had left. I'd never fully committed, and he hadn't told me the whole plan. I didn't know enough to stop it, anyway. "

There was a defensive note in her voice, but Zev couldn't find it in him to blame her for what Gorgon had done.

"I should have known better," Trina added sadly. "Of course it was too absurd to think that Gorgon could somehow control the land itself. No one could do that, not even singers."

Zev held himself as still as possible, even his breathing feeling strangely conspicuous.

"Yes, that's not how magic works," Marieke agreed. "Or at least, not the magic I know. But Gorgon mentioned a different kind of magic. Did he talk to you about heartsong?"

Trina's confusion looked genuine. "What's heartsong?"

Marieke leaned back, resigned. "Never mind. I thought Jade had learned about it from your community, but that seems unlikely."

Zev silently agreed. He'd reached the same conclusion Marieke no doubt had. Based on Trina's account, it seemed probable that Gorgon had learned about it from Jade, not the other way around. And all that was apparently years ago. The puzzle wasn't making much sense even to him, the only person in the room who actually knew what heartsong was. The magic that tied him and his family to the land didn't seem to bear any relation to Gorgon's plan.

"So Jade was the one who put ideas of cursed land into Gorgon's head," he mused aloud.

"I'm sure she didn't intend for him to use the information to target and kill random people," Marieke said, her voice as defensive as Trina's had just been. Zev raised an eyebrow at her, and she shrugged. "I feel a sense of connection with Jade," she said. "We're on the same path."

"The idea of the land being cursed didn't just come from Jade," Trina reasoned. "It's also just what we've heard. They say that Oleand is dying."

Zev caught Marieke's wince .

"Dying is strong," she said. "But it's in trouble. I don't know if it's under a curse, but something is eating away at Oleand. And that wasn't caused by Gorgon."

"No, it was just a convenient backdrop to make his scheme more convincing," Trina agreed.

"Just like it makes the current disasters—which are also fueled by magic—seem like the land is rising up," Marieke said.

"Current disasters?" Trina asked. "You mean, since Gorgon died?"

Marieke nodded, but didn't expand. "It's a shame it isn't safe to communicate with the elves. It seems likely they know something about what's going on, at the very least."

"It's not exactly safe to communicate with elves, but it's perfectly possible if you're smart about it," Trina interjected. "You just have to be careful not to commit to anything with your words, and don't let yourself be swindled into bad bargains. And don't put yourself in Rissin's power. Find a better elf."

"I don't think we can trust any of them," said Zev frankly. "If they answer to no one, how can we rely on their integrity?"

"I don't know if I'd quite say they answer to no one," Trina said. "They have a power structure of sorts. I don't know much about it, but there's some kind of leader—called the Imperator. And of course, they answer to the magic. If you make a bargain with an elf, the elf is just as bound as you are."

Zev considered this information, not certain it was reassuring. He had no interest in being magically bound to anyone, elf or otherwise.

"It must be my turn to ask questions," Trina said. "I want to know what it's really like up there. Is it true that both Oleand and Aeltas are poorly run and the people suffering?"

"Honestly, not really," Marieke said. "Oleand is deteriorating for reasons no one can figure out, and it' s definitely making things harder. But that's only in the last few years. Prior to that, we were as prosperous as Aeltas still is." She glanced at Zev. "Well, perhaps not quite as fertile as some parts of Aeltas, like Zev's area. But we were doing fine. And even now, many people's lives are continuing as normal." She looked at Zev. "I can't really speak as to the state of Aeltas, of course."

Zev took a moment to reply. "Our land thrives," he said simply. "I wouldn't say our people suffer. But it's far from perfect. The Council of Singers is not truly representative of the population, and it makes decisions with reference to its own wisdom, not always what's best for everyone."

"I'm not claiming that our council is perfect, either," Marieke said quickly. "Or that its decisions are always right. And I think the decision to hide the truth about how the first Council of Singers came into power is inexcusable. But I truly believe that they generally want to run the country well. They keep order, they do what they can to help the harvest thrive, they make provisions for the vulnerable." She shrugged. "I suppose those who are in power like the position of influence and wouldn't readily give it up. But I don't think they've given any reason to think they're corrupt and power-hungry, at least not in my lifetime." There was a challenge in her eyes as she met Zev's. "Do you disagree as relates to your own council?"

Zev folded his arms across his chest. "No," he admitted. "They do try to run things well. But the whole structure is flawed, with singers far too heavily represented, and not nearly enough opportunity for most of the population to be heard. And while I don't have any reason to think our council members are lining their pockets or anything like that, their authority is still based on lies about the past, which is a form of corruption in itself."

"You have a point there," Marieke said. She sounded too weary for her years. "And I'm not trying to make excuses. "

"I know you're not."

Zev's voice was softer, and he found his hand straying to her shoulder. He squeezed gently, trying to communicate without words that he didn't blame her for the crimes of the singers of the past. Ever since she'd gotten her first hint that history had been rewritten, she'd shown over and over that she wasn't like them, that she wanted to know the truth and to make things right.

"Shall I give you some privacy?" Trina's cheeky question made him drop his hand, not sure whether to be irked with the young girl or entertained by the color now staining Marieke's cheeks. "But seriously," Trina pushed on, "would it be madness for someone like me to try to forge a life up there? Would I be dooming myself to poverty or famine, or be persecuted for my origins?"

"Not at all," Marieke said. "You wouldn't have to tell anyone your origins if you didn't want to, and there are plenty of things you could do to sustain yourself, especially if you're willing to learn useful skills and not too proud to take mundane work."

Trina nodded, her expression thoughtful. Zev got the sense that Marieke's words were very different from the picture the community leaders had painted for their young folk of life on the surface.

"Fun as our little chat has been, I think we'd best be on our way," Zev said. "I don't share your confidence that your people won't come looking for us."

"Fair enough." Trina pushed herself to her feet. "I'll show you the way out. If you head eastward, there's another tunnel opening several leagues from here. It's on the other side of the canyon, the southern side, and it contains a staircase that should go all the way up. The entrance to the staircase will be well hidden from the top, but it will be easy enough going up. You might just have to shift some rocks. "

Zev nodded. "So we'll come out on the Aeltan side of the canyon," he said. "Like we entered from. That's good."

"Yes," Marieke agreed, her eyes fixed unseeingly on the stone wall in front of her. "Yes, that's best."

Zev didn't ask her what she was thinking. They would have time enough to talk when they were navigating the canyon. He just put his hand below her elbow, lightly steering her after Trina. Marieke came out of her reverie and hoisted her pack up her shoulder, following their guide with Zev close behind.

When they emerged into the tunnel, Zev put an arm over his face. It was still before noon, and the daylight was blindingly bright compared to the dimness of the monarchists' cavern system.

"This is where we part ways," Trina said. "I'd better get back to the main area before anyone connects me with your disappearance. I'm sure there will be quite the bustle." She grinned, apparently enjoying the prospect. She must have faith in her ability to act dumb.

"Thank you, Trina," Marieke said. "We're truly grateful. One night held captive underground was enough for me."

Trina chuckled. "When you're used to it, it's really not such a bad life." A defiant light came into her eyes. "I'm not going to spend my whole life underground, though. Who knows? Maybe we'll meet topside one day."

"I hope we do," Marieke said, offering the other girl her hand. They shook, and Zev moved subtly backward, noting the calculating way Trina's gaze slid to him. No need to give her the opportunity to try to hug him or something.

The next moment, Trina had turned and trotted westward, back toward the settlement.

"Come on." Zev's eyes scanned the area uneasily, painfully aware that he had no weapon. "I don't think we should linger." He felt vulnerable, and he didn't like it .

"Agreed," Marieke said. "I can't see any sign of Rissin and his crew, and that's more ominous than reassuring."

They started walking, moving eastward as quickly as the uneven terrain would allow. They hugged the canyon wall, listening out for any sign that Svetlana's people were pursuing them. A creek bubbled along in the center of the ravine, a few scraggly plants growing alongside it. But for the most part, it was barren rock.

At first they didn't speak, Marieke seeming to feel the tension as much as Zev did. But when a quarter of an hour had passed without incident, they both began to relax.

"So, Trina was a surprise, wasn't she?" Marieke said. "I didn't expect help from anyone among the monarchists."

Zev just grunted. If they knew who he was, he could probably command all the help he wanted from the self-described monarchists. But he'd felt no desire to reveal his identity. They might know some of the truth about the past, but as far as he could tell, they believed—like the original council—that the Aeltan royal line had been fully wiped out at the time of the coup. He had no idea what they would do with the information if they learned their mistake, but judging by their previous record, he doubted it would be anything useful. The last thing he wanted was to see misguided young people like Gorgon burning down the academy and killing people like Marieke in his name.

"She was very taken with you." Marieke seemed determined to draw a response out of him, and he couldn't help the hint of a smirk that tugged at his lips.

"Deplorable taste, I agree," he said solemnly.

Marieke shot him a look, seeming unsure whether to laugh or be annoyed. "You know that's not what I meant."

"Do I?"

"Yes," she said. Zev watched her navigate a shaley patch of rock as she seemed to steel herself to speak again. "I know you know, because I'm not the one giving mixed signals. It's you who—"

"Marieke, stop!"

She bit her lip. "Too direct? You have to admit that—"

"No, I mean stop!" Zev lunged forward and threw out his hand so that Marieke walked into his arm. Her foot stopped an inch from the netting Zev had spotted half-covered with dirt.

"What is that?" Marieke demanded, her eyes wide as they followed Zev's gaze to see the net.

But Zev's gaze had already flicked upward, searching the area frantically. "It looks like a trap, like a hunter might use in a forest."

"A shame." The high-pitched voice was laced with regret as Zev and Marieke both spun frantically to find it. "I'd really hoped not to need to use up another talisman."

Zev let out a growl as his eyes latched on to Rissin, perched on a rocky shelf above them. His hands balled into fists as he stepped between the elf and Marieke. But he was still out of reach when the little creature raised a metal disc above his head, his hands poised to snap it in two.