34. Colt

Colt

When Colt stepped outside the brothel and glanced up at the billowing clouds, his heart sank with a sense of dread. They seemed darker and redder than usual today, as if a storm was brewing. It felt like an omen of what was to come.

Colt pulled his hood over his head and glanced at the fine layer of snow on the ground. Now, only a few flurries of snow drifted down as he and Helena walked from the brothel toward the cemetery.

The cobblestone path led them to the eastern part of the city, nearest to the wall. Beside him, Helena held a basket of roses she'd clipped from her bushes. Along the way, Colt saw an old man he remembered from when he was younger. The man stepped off his front porch, carrying a bucket and using a cane to limp to the water pump in the small public square.

Colt walked past him, and a sting wedged into his heart.

He stopped short, and Helena looked back at him, her brows drawn together.

He put up a finger, gesturing to Helena to give him a minute, then he turned to the well where the old man struggled to push the water handle down. When he saw Colt approaching, the man seemed annoyed, perhaps thinking Colt was taking over and drawing his own water instead. But Colt took over pumping the handle, and after the water began flowing, he took the man's bucket and filled it. When it was full, he gestured for the old man to follow him back to his house.

"Thank you," the old man said, and Colt set the bucket inside the man's house. Then he met Helena again, who smiled at him. Colt kept his eyes on the ground as they walked.

The cemetery wasn't far, but they were sure to avoid the attention of the beasts and Arroki that looked their way as they went past.

Their little group had met and worked in secret over the course of the past two days, planning an uprising that would be staged in just one more. Helena and her girls had used their network to turn the brothel into a safehouse and recruit others to join the uprising.

Meanwhile, Elian had been organizing factions of Legion soldiers and civilians all over the city. They would carry out coordinated attacks on the Arroki soldiers during the uprising tomorrow and take the Bronze District first, then Azure, before finally marching their way to Gold.

Rhielle had been gathering weapons from homes or shops that had been stashed away, while Amias configured a plan for their group to enter the citadel through the catacombs.

That left Colt and Brom, who stayed busy sparring in the brothel. Helena had cleared the parlor, and two of her girls had taken to training with them to prepare for the attack.

At night, Colt took to the rooftops, seeing how far he could get into the higher districts before the guards heard him. Breaching Bronze or Azure security wasn't difficult, but the Gold District had guards that were more competent. The biggest beasts and most useful Arroki gathered in Gold and were clever enough to guard the tower and the rooftops around it. Getting into the Gold District was possible, but it would take the chaos of the uprising to conceal their movements. Colt and Brom had watched the patrols every night, proving helpful to Amias in selecting the safest pathway to the citadel.

When they arrived at the cemetery, Helena took Colt straight to his mother's grave. The cemetery itself looked neglected. Fresh snow covered the tops of weathered tombstones, and parts of the surrounding wall were crumbling in places. There were a few trees scattered throughout, their branches bare in the dead of winter. The area was quiet, with only the wind howling against the brick walls of the cemetery. The air was bitter, and tufts of white from their breath swirled around.

Surprisingly, when they stopped at his mother's grave near the end of the path, her tombstone was much nicer than most of the others around it. Etched into it were the words ‘Agatha O'Malley' and also a date that made Colt's stomach churn.

She died when I was just a week shy of six.

Colt clenched his teeth.

"How did she die?" he asked, unsure if he wanted to know the answer.

Helena drew in a deep breath and said, "She was found in a room at the Wayfarer's Inn."

"She killed herself," Colt stated.

When Helena didn't speak, he knew.

"I could have saved her."

"There's nothing you could have done. Agatha loved you, but she suffered greatly in her mind. She wrote a note. She wanted me to care for you, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. If anyone should be to blame, it's me. I didn't carry out her last wish…"

Colt closed his eyes, trying hard to imagine the last time he'd seen his mother. He supposed Helena had made the right decision not to tell him what had happened. But he'd lost her either way, and Helena had carried the guilt of putting him away.

"A brothel… is no place for a child," Colt said, sighing heavily. "You did the right thing, Helena. I can't say I'm proud of every path I've taken, but it brought me back here, and I've sure as hell learned a lot along the way." He thought of Owen and Brom. "I've gained many friends… and a lover who needs me."

A moment of silence passed between them, and when the cool wind gusted, Helena shivered and looked up at the sky as a raindrop fell. She picked up one of the roses and then held the basket out for him.

Colt took one and bent down before his mother's grave. Then he laid it gently on the snow, and for the first time since he'd lost his mother, he let the tears release from his eyes for her.

That afternoon, Colt met with Amias to go over plans. They opened Amias's maps and blueprints of the labyrinth beneath the citadel and laid them out over a table. There were tunnels everywhere beneath the city, and three entry points were marked, one of which came out of an abandoned well in the Bronze District, where Amias had smuggled himself into Luthien. The other was permanently closed off by a fountain in the Gold District, as Elian confirmed to be true. That left the Azure District, accessed by an entry point in the cemetery.

"The labyrinth starts below the citadel and runs through the city, passes beneath the city wall and comes out in the forests and farmlands beyond," Amias told him. "They were excavated for Aleana's people to escape the city in case of an attack. When Mordren attacked centuries ago, there were many guides who led groups through them to safety. I'm not sure if Mordren knows about them or not, but we must assume he does. Imagine trying to take a city, only to find its people missing."

Colt glanced at the map, imagining all the winding tunnels below his feet. "So you'll be able to look at this and navigate all the way to the citadel?"

Amias gave him a tired look. "I will lead the way as best as I can."

"I know." Colt smiled, then asked, "What about Jensen's journal? Did you find anything useful?" He'd given the book to Amias the night he'd arrived in hopes he would be able to find something in there.

"To be honest, Colt, the only useful bit of information in that book is about striking the heart of a god. It's clear he obtained much of his knowledge from spirits, which meant he focused more on speaking with his mind than he did with his physical powers. He's very clear when he writes that emberstone must pierce the heart." When Amias raised his eyebrows high, Colt eased off the table and blinked, understanding Amias's insinuation.

When Brom came into their room, Colt looked up. "Elian and Rhielle are here. With weapons." He raised his eyebrows.

Colt and Amias made their way downstairs to the kitchen where Elian and Rhielle were holding bundles of weapons. They laid them out over the cutting table, sending utensils scattering as they arranged swords, knives, and arrows.

"Everything is set in motion," Elian told them. "Harlan has told me the Legion is attacking Luthien's gate tomorrow morning. Those in the city who aren't joining the fight have been warned to retreat to safer areas. "

"Won't Mordren know what's about to happen?" Brom asked, as he wrapped a loaf of bread.

"He already knows," Rhielle said. "The plan will allow most of the regiments to make their way through the main gate. Once they've breached it, that will be our cue to move."

Elian nodded. "With the Arroki distracted, it'll give us time to move to the citadel from the inside, through the tunnels."

It sounded simple, but Colt knew there were a thousand moving pieces to the plan.

When Amias cleared his throat, Elian narrowed his eyes, and when the two men saw each other, the Wielder tensed. It was awkward seeing the two of them meeting again under much varying circumstances. Elian had been ordered to track Amias down, and when he'd succeeded, Elian's comrade Lou Cadwell had shot Amias with arrows. The scars from those arrows had given Amias his gait when he walked. But judging by how Amias stared now at Elian, it seemed there were no hard feelings.

"Amias…" Elian started.

Amias put up a hand and said, "I am only here to help, not cast judgment. I recognize my wrongs, and why what happened… happened. But right now, we will put aside pasts and work on saving this city, and my nephew."

For a moment, Elian only stared at him in bewilderment, but then he nodded. "Very well. I'm… glad to have your help." He cast his eyes in Colt's direction. "Now, you should practice using this." He pulled up a small crossbow designed to shoot one-handed.

"You can use the parlor," Helena told them. "There's an old mannequin in the storeroom you can use for a target."

Taking the crossbow, Colt went with Elian to the storeroom. Finding the mannequin, they carried it to the parlor and set it up at the end of the room. Colt had seen soldiers using crossbows since he was a child. He'd used it himself only once, when he and Owen had been held up on a backroad in Milarc. One-handed crossbows such as this were still fairly new, but he'd seen mercenaries with them. He'd always wanted to use one and didn't need Elian's help much as he navigated the different parts of the weapon. After loading the bolt, he took a shot at the mannequin and pierced the lower half of its body. He reloaded and shot six more times, hitting the mannequin near the heart twice.

Elian came forward and nodded. "Impressive. We may have a shot after all."

"You could always do it instead," Colt pointed out. "Since you're more familiar with these types of weapons."

Elian went with him to retrieve the arrows. "I'm afraid I can no longer fight." When Colt threw him a questioning glance, Elian held up his right hand and wiggled his two remaining fingers.

Colt yanked the bolt from the mannequin and shrugged. "There are other ways to fight, you know."

"What, with the Core?" Elian shook his head. "I suppose. But after all of this is done with, I don't want to use a Core anymore."

Colt had noticed how dour Elian had become since leaving Vanhelm. His once passionate belief in Cleansing Astrans had dissolved into regret and shame. He'd lost the three fingers he used to hold the Core. And only the gods knew what had happened to him in the caves below the camp. Clearing his throat, Colt looked back at the crossbow. He prepared another bolt and shot at the mannequin, this time piercing it right where the heart would be.

"Here, you should try it." Colt handed Elian the crossbow, and Elian hesitated as he took it. He loaded the bolt with his thumb and forefinger, then aimed with his left hand. He stood poised for a long moment before he pulled the trigger. When the arrow shot out, it missed the mannequin completely and instead bounced off the wall.

Colt flinched, and when he looked over at Elian, he caught the man's disappointed face. "As I said… there are other ways to help."

"Such as?" Elian turned his head to Colt but didn't look at him.

"Changing things here in Luthien, in Avathon, for the better. Making the Legion own up to their mistakes and treating Astrans with respect. They deserve freedom from the Legion."

This seemed to have hit Elian in some way, as the man gazed ahead at the mannequin for a long moment before he nodded, as if considering Colt's words.

One can hope.

"Yes," Elian finally said. "I'll think about it. But we must kill this god first." He cast his eyes up at Colt, who smirked.

"I'm just a backup. I'm confident Owen can get that dagger and take the bastard out on his own."

"But in case he can't…" Elian paused as he pulled up a new bolt from the quiver. On the end of it was the dark emberstone that had been chiseled from his charm. "You will have to do it."

Colt took the bolt and looked it over carefully. An immense weight fell over his shoulders when he realized Elian was putting his hope in him to kill Mordren. He blinked in awe and trepidation.

"Colt," Elian said, and Colt met his eyes, full of a whirlwind of emotions. "You have one shot. Make it count."