2408 Tull 25, Daleth

Chatter was the first thing that registered as Ariden's eyes opened slowly. A groan rumbled low in his throat. The familiar ceiling of their hideout greeted him when his vision stopped shifting. What happened?

He scanned his latest memories. They were composed of him running through the dark tunnel, edging away from the armed soldiers chasing him, a flash of silver zipping past him, and something about a rock hitting the walls and an explosion. What was that? The next frames were nothing but blank. The next thing he knew, he was waking up here...

The plan. What went on with it and what didn't? He shot up and scanned the place. Seated around the round table were six people. One seat remained empty—his.

Relief flooded his system, feeling all the worry flit out of his limbs. Whatever consequences they would have to deal with after that stunt they pulled with The Black Blades, he'd take them on. What mattered most was that everyone was alive. Him, included.

Pain shot up his arm when he moved to swing his legs off whatever mattress they threw him into. He realized he had been lying atop the very crates he had been planning to throw away some time ago. A thin, white sheet was thrown over it and, from there, he spied dried blotches of what looked like blood. His blood.

His gaze went down to the tightness that started to grip his muscles. A thick bandage was wrapped around his arm, a small patch of red already showing. He raised an eyebrow. So that's where the blade hit him.

If he recalled correctly, it was a huge, flat blade he only saw being used near the port cities. Why would Herven's men use it? Were they involved in inter-sea trade?

A light scoff erupted from Ariden's lips. Wouldn't be possible, would it? The barriers would prevent any fairy from getting out of Umazure and out of the other continents. There's no way around those and nobody was quite sure how those came to be in the first place.

He looked at his wound again. If it was from a normal blade, his magic would have already healed it shut. Why would they need to bandage it and why did it still hurt? Moreover, why haven't they left him in the tunnels after he got injured?

It occurred to him that he was still in his black garb. The stains marring the sleeves and the trouser's legs were the only proof of what happened there. He looked at where his friends sat with their arms crossed. They talked in low voices, making it hard for Ariden to hear what they were talking about. Judging from the lightness in the air and the smiles painting Cohnal and Aeril's faces, they were talking about good things.

All of them had changed back to their usual clothes. Suddenly, Ariden felt out of place, like he was a sore reminder of everything they went through for the past few hours. He shook his head and pursed his lips. With a grunt, he edged out of the crates and plopped to the ground. He strode towards the table and raised his uninjured arm in an awkward wave.

"Hey," he said, his voice feeling a bit hoarse against his dry throat. All six people twisted from their seats to regard him. "How's things?"

"So, you're alive," Cohnal jerked his chin at Ariden. A smile was plastered in his tanned face. His hair was as red as ever, like his twin who sat beside him as always. "Was beginning to think you won't pull through."

Ariden attempted to roll his shoulder only to stop halfway when a sharp pain stabbed in his limb and into his temples. "Yeah, that's not good," he said, taking his designated seat and scanning his crew's faces. "What happened back there? How long was I out?"

"Tria and I got out just as the smoke bombs went off," Ralei said. "I attempted to get back to you when I heard there were armed people inside but Cohnal and Aeril needed us to guard the exit route in case it gets discovered."

"As planned, Cohnal and I went inside the main bunker in advance, both to secure an exit route as well provide Faw a way to break inside Herven's records and inventories," Aeril reported, crossing his arms over his chest. "They're over there and, I have to say, she's got quite a lot. Enough to get her thrown to Brittlewood and her operations busted and ceased."

Ariden turned to where Aeril had been looking and, true enough, slotted on another square beside the rolled maps they had used in planning this whole caper, were sheafs upon sheafs of bound tomes. They filled the small niche almost to the brim. That's...a lot of evidence.

"And Faw carried all that?" Ariden raised an eyebrow as he turned back to everyone.

Cohnal smirked. "She had us," he said. "That's what took us so long and why we needed to leave Ralei and Tria out. Meanwhile, you and Lufi are out getting your heads bashed."

"Yeah, Lufi told us her side of the story," Ralei scratched the side of his face, reminding Ariden of the injury he saw her get. "We would have asked you but you're busy bleeding all over the floor."

Ariden glanced at the floor as if to check if he really did get bloodstains over it. He found none. Then, he flashed Lufi a guarded smile. Her eyes were bright today and from his vantage point, he could see a faint scar running from her forehead, down to her eye, and finally, through her cheek. It's a long gash.

"I'm, uh..." Ariden mussed his hair. It had gotten longer and more unkempt. "I'm the distraction. And well, I managed to corner Herven and keep her busy while you guys do your thing."

He recounted everything that happened up to the point where he took the blade aimed at Lufi. At that, she flashed him a grateful look. When he finished, he leaned back against his chair, resulting in a weak creak. "So, now we're here," he said.

"You're not out long," Tria said, her gaze pinned on the bandage in Ariden's arm. "It was night when we got here after losing the people pursuing us. It's the morning of the twenty-fifth now. So, I'll say, just a few hours."

Ariden moved his arm again, expecting pain. He got it. "What did they hit me with?" he wondered aloud, studying the blood slowly blooming through the bandage. "DId I...did I need stitches for that?"

"Quite a lot of stitches, actually," Lufi interjected. "You're lucky Ralei and Tria knew how to patch you up."

"Which doesn't make sense," Ariden said. "Wouldn't my magic have healed it already?"

Tria's eyes wandered to one corner where the sword responsible for hurting him sat. Dried blood still stained its blade in ugly, black splashes. Ariden squinted at it. Now that he thought about it, the eerie dark sheen was something he hadn't seen before.

The former spy shook her head, making the golden circles hanging from her clothes chime. Today, she wore a shade of taupe all over. "That wasn't a normal blade," she said. "I analyzed it and reached out to my sources in Otralo. They told me the same thing. It's dwarven metal."

Ralei frowned. "It's a real headache in the army, if I recall correctly," he said. "A type of metal left by the Dwarves when they colonized Umazure during the Hundred Years' War. It was made from different minerals and different magic. It can wound but our magic wouldn't be able to touch it. That's why the wounds they inflict take a long time to heal."

Tria folded her hands atop the table. "A lot of these underground movements are known to smuggle supplies of Dwarven metal," she said. "I should have predicted The Black Blades would be privy to use them considering they're one of the biggest cartels around."

"Hey, it happens," Ariden said. "I'm glad to be alive and I owe it to you all for saving me. How's the situation in the mines?"

"The situation has been stabilized for now," Tria reported. "I scouted the area earlier and I can confirm the sentries are awake of the network underneath Otralo like we intended. Although, if I may say, the smoke bombs are horrid. Let's not use that method again."

Ariden bobbed his head. It's true that whatever Faw did to the bombs made out of Temple soap and a few secret ingredients was quite nasty. The girl wouldn't divulge what other herbs she threw at the mixture and Ariden didn't feel like pushing. Whatever it was, it could rot in Faw's toolbelt forever.

The plan was really never about stealing the ores Herven Fulmer had accumulated. Ariden just had to get the authorities' attention, putting The Black Blades into the limelight. Hence, the harmless bombs. Apart from the tunnel he exploded, none of the other bunkers were touched. It was enough to make the sentries wonder why in Rudik's name there were orange clouds raging throughout the city coming from the hidden mines.

Lufi scoffed in derision—a sound Ariden wasn't used to hearing from her. He turned to the girl to find her with a quizzical look in her face. "You're seriously not gonna say anything about it?" she said.

Ariden blinked. "Say anything about what?"

"That you're basically the Crown Prince and didn't feel the need to tell us," Lufi said. "Can you imagine my surprise when you walked in? How come Ralei and Tria knew and not us?"

"Oh, that," Ariden nodded slowly. "It's important that you don't know it so your reactions would be genuine when I deal with Herven. If you knew and started acting differently, she might have caught on to the plan earlier. It's a safety measure I had to employ considering I have no way of knowing how perceptive the cartel leader would be. I'm sorry for not telling you."

"As for Ralei and Tria," he glanced at the two people in question. "Ralei was a good friend of mine even when he was in the army and Tria, being...well, Tria, knew about it because she knew far too much about the territory."

"And some pockets beyond it," the woman corrected. Once a spy, forever a spy. Ariden could see now why Ralei brought Tria in. Then again, why would she agree that readily? Did she have some hidden agenda or a personal stake in this whole venture?

Tria chuckled, catching Ariden's attention. "If you're thinking about my allegiance, rest assured that it's only in you," she said. "I understand the frustration of being the one in power, of knowing everything, but being unable to do anything to change it. This thing that you are doing? I respect the intention behind it.

"Besides," she said with a shrug. "It's fun. Makes me feel young again."

Ariden smiled to himself. Ralei's words rang in his head. It's about asking anyone their age. Sure, he wouldn't but he needed a shot to calm his nerves. What Ralei said about it didn't matter. His fingers patted all of the pockets he knew his clothes had. He found nothing.

He whirled to Ralei who pretended he didn't know what Ariden was looking for. "Where is it?" Ariden narrowed his eyes on the soldier. "Did you take it?"

Ralei rolled his shoulders, making the scars in them ripple. "I think you put it on your coat before you left the palace," he said. "Then you threw your coat away when you changed into the miner uniform when the smoke bombs went off."

Ariden's face fell and Ralei's morphed into a triumphant smile. "Think of it as the universe's way to tell you to stop it," he said. "Stop dangling in cliffs, Your Highness."

"Yeah, about that. Would we have to call you Your Highness now?" Cohnal scratched his scalp with a frown.

Ariden exhaled through his nose. "Nah, call me Ari, like always," he waved his hand in the air. "Don't make it awkward."

Faw's felze bubble gave a distinct pop. "Well, Your Highness," she said. "I got what I'm told to get. Where's my cut?"

A grin spread from Ariden's lips. "You'll see," he said. Then, he met his crew's eyes, one by one, before saying, "It's time for the second part of the plan."