Chapter 70: Oppression

Toren Daen

The air of Fiachra was a biting kiss on my cheek, the January weather unabating and demanding. Though the streets radiated warmth under my feet, the wind didn't care.

I was walking toward East Fiachra, intent on checking up on my thieves-in-arms. There wasn't any snow on the roofs, but I was certain it would eventually come. The city of canals never went a winter without a storm.

I walked over one of the canal bridges, noting the lack of people out and about in East Fiachra. I slowed in my trek, sensing something amiss.

It was late afternoon right now, and usually I would see some people out and about on the streets. The fact that I couldn't made me uneasy for a reason I couldn't define.

Lady Dawn, I asked my bond, jumping to the rooftops on instinct. Do you sense anything off? See anything amiss?

"There is no foot traffic in these streets," the asura said, affirming my earlier observation. "The common folk should be walking home from their work at this time of day. Yet you can see lights on in most of the windows visible."

I squinted, peering around. I was in the lower-middle-class area of East Fiachra, close to where my old apartment used to be. As such, I was able to spot a dozen lights on.

So people are home, just not about, I thought, frowning. What could this mean?

My bond and I were in agreement that it couldn't be good.

The streets were surprisingly empty all throughout East Fiachra, even where I was used to seeing those down on their life wallowing in the low shadows and cold corners of the road. Trepidation grew as I moved from rooftop to rooftop. But I soon noticed people out and about.

Except they were not natives. I could tell that simply from their blatant mana signatures, radiating outward as they walked in pairs. I squinted as I spied them from a rooftop, noting their Doctrination robes with growing anger. The robes were noticeably shorter than the usual style, and from how the men stepped lightly, I realized it was to avoid getting mud on their clothes.

Of course, they couldn't stain their pristine dark coats.

But once the flash of anger passed, this only increased my growing desperation. If the Doctrination was doing something in the streets, were Naereni, Wade, Karsien, and Hofal alright? How was Greahd faring? Was she safe?

I couldn't seem to move fast enough as these questions sounded in my head. I bounded over rooftops, using controlled bursts of telekinesis and freerunning to move through the city. Now that I knew what to look for–what to sense for–I was able to feel the mana signatures of Doctrination vicars patrolling all about East Fiachra. The numbers made my fists clench with worry. Easily several dozen pairs were patrolling the streets.

I dropped into the Cistern without bothering to cushion my fall. I focused my senses out with a hint of desperation, but I immediately felt relief when four mana signatures blared to life in my mind.

But before I even walked into the Cistern's main room, I felt the tension thick in the air. I slowed, entering from the side.

Naereni was curled up on one of the couches, holding onto Apple the skaunter, who was for once not panting like a dog. If a mana beast could look sullen, I thought, that would be it.

Karsien was staring at the map, his hands clenched tight. Hofal was sitting in another chair, his eyes slightly glazed over. A broken pipe sat in his hands.

And Wade… Wade looked furious. His knuckles dripped red blood onto the floor, their ruined surfaces bleeding profusely. I could see red spots on the wall where he'd punched the bricks with his bare hands.

"Hello?" I said, breaking the silence.

Naereni perked up a bit. "Oh, hey Toren," she said quietly.

"I noticed the Doctrination patrolling outside," I said, walking into the room slowly. "And I couldn't see anybody outside–"

"They took them all!" Wade said harshly, turning on me with a glare that bore into my skull. "The Doctrination locked them away in their warehouses, saying anybody loitering was wasting the time they could be using to help our Sovereigns."

"What?" I said, moving closer to the group. "That's absurd! Surely this is illegal in some way?" I asked, remembering the High Hall and the trials.

"It absolutely is," Naereni said sadly, nuzzling Apple. "But who wants to fight the Doctrination? There's no way they'll be getting out."

"And it's your fault," Wade cut in with a hiss, turning an almost maddened stare on me. "If you hadn't antagonized that vicar at the Bestowment a week ago, they wouldn't have my mother and sister! You shouldn't have defied them!"

I stepped backward, surprised by Wade's outburst. I was immediately overcome with a sense of shame. I recognized that my actions were probably foolish, even at the moment. But I always suspected that they would come back to haunt me, not the people I cared for.

Hofal interjected next. "That's not fair, Wade. Your family wasn't targeted explicitly, and we both know that Toren's actions weren't enough to spur such an outrageous reaction. This is for some other reason, one we don't understand yet."

The sentry huffed, then stalked out of the chamber. I watched him go, still feeling a bit guilty.

"Thanks, Hofal," I said, moving over to a chair and sitting down with a thump. "Though Wade was right about one thing. I probably should've just let it go."

"None could have foreseen this," Karsien spoke up. His mask was on, obscuring the deep burns I knew were underneath. "But that doesn't mean we will just let it go."

I oriented on the man. "What are you planning?"

"We need to know the state of those captured. The Doctrination only took those walking under the sun into custody, and Wade's rats were able to track the vicars to a large warehouse near the refurbished temple."

I nodded along. "Is there any sort of rescue plan? Any way to get those people free?"

Hofal clenched his hands around the two pieces of his pipe. "Maybe. But nothing will stop the vicars from just roundin' them up again. Like wogarts in a pen."

I felt a wave of familiar helpless anger coast over me. It felt the exact same as when the Joans had butchered my brother, the illegality of the action irrelevant to the authorities. Except now, it was a vast amount of people in an entire subdistrict.

So many Norgans, I thought, gritting my teeth. And none who are willing to simply stand and fight!

The Rats were willing to risk life and limb for change, but I held no illusions that they'd be able to outmuscle the Doctrination. The Joans were a petty family. The Doctrination held sway over the hearts and minds of all men.

But maybe there is a way to outmuscle the Doctrination, I thought, an idea popping up in my mind.

I brushed my hand across the metal card Sevren Denoir had given me, standing out prominently in my pocket. If I accepted Sevren's offer of support from the Denoirs, would that allow me to push back against the Doctrination here? Maybe get some real legal support? After all, the Denoirs were the ones to get Grey out of the High Hall.

My hands feathered over the smooth engraving as I thought. No, I wouldn't be able to guarantee the Denoirs would go against the Vritra Doctrination, but it was a card I would be able to play if all else were lost.

"So it's just a scouting mission," Karsien continued. He gave me a once-over. "You've gotten stronger, Toren. We'd be happy to have your assistance with this."

I nodded, grinding my teeth. "What can I do to help?"

—

The three of us stood on a rooftop not far from the refurbished temple, which I had yet to see. Naereni and Karsien were busy looking toward the warehouse's position, a rat sitting on Naereni's shoulder. Hofal wasn't with us for this particular mission, as it would require mobility and stealth beyond his ability. I took a glance at the night sky.

I could see the stars here once again. But they seemed dimmer in the wake of this crisis.

I was wearing a new Rat masquerade mask since the last one had been destroyed.

The rat on Naereni's shoulder squeaked, then jumped down, following a few steps to reach another roof. She immediately moved to follow, the rest of the Rats trailing after.

"This is a new way to scout," I said quietly, allowing my voice to be heard with sound magic.

"It's got something to do with Apple," Naereni replied, also hushed. "Wade said he's able to spread his reach farther and give more complex commands to his little minions whenever Apple is close to him." She narrowed her eyes back at me. "Which is why you can't kill him. He's an important member of the team, now."

I rolled my eyes. I might have protested before, but fighting neverending waves of tree demons had a way of making skaunters seem like an afterthought. Sure, my first encounter with skaunters almost ended up with me dead. But every tree demon I'd met had nearly ended with my death.

But Naereni's words also got me thinking. Beast Bonds and Wills were practically nonexistent in Alacrya, for reasons I couldn't fathom. But it was theoretically possible, wasn't it? Had Wade bonded with his skaunter in the magical sense?

"There's a patrol ahead," Karsien said softly. "Wait until I tell you all to jump. Wouldn't want you to be discovered snooping, eh?"

We watched as a couple of vicars trailed along the streets below, their faces visibly plastered with disgust as they avoided a puddle of mud.

Karsien waved his hand forward as they passed, giving us the go-ahead. We continued to stealthily move closer to the warehouse.

Our quest was simple. Right now, the Rats and I were behind in information. We knew the people of East Fiachra were being held in a warehouse, but we didn't know their condition or why they had been detained in the first place. That was our quest: to dip in, see what we could find, then get out.

I muffled our collective footsteps as we got closer. The Doctrination patrols were heavier here, but I'd come a long way since the first time I had to quiet my own steps. With a mix of Karsien's direction, Wade's rat, and my stealth efforts, we quickly reached the edges of the warehouse.

It didn't look like a warehouse. Religious symbols were marked in freshly dried paint on certain parts of the building, the freshly raised stone standing four stories tall at the least. It towered over every other building in the area, the black tone making it seem even darker in the night.

There were no windows to be seen, immediately telling me how difficult it would be to get in. The rat, however, spared us those problems. It bounded down the rooftop, scampering on four little legs through the dark. It scurried toward one patch of the wall, nudging it with its nose.

The four of us slowly crowded around it. There was a small door here, presumably a side entrance.

"I've got it," Naereni spoke up, stepping forward and withdrawing that strange artifact she used on our heist to pick locks. She knelt in front of the door, getting to work.

I scanned the deathly still night, my nerves ratcheting up with the awareness of our current situation. Every shifting shadow seemed to contain malicious eyes, ready to report us and doom our operation.

"We're in!" Naereni's voice said triumphantly. I turned back to see the door slowly swinging inward, revealing a dark interior.

"Good job, Naereni," Karsien affirmed, slipping past while outlined by mist.

I was taken aback by the inside of the building. I expected to find the people here, maybe locked up in a cage or watched over by a dozen mages. Instead, I was faced with long rows of crates stretching high into the gloom.

We were on our own, now. Wade's rat hadn't explored the inside of the building.

"Toren, scout the east side of the building. Naereni, you're with me. We're looking for offices of some sort," Karsien said, his bandana covering his face. "Meet back here with anything you find."

After Naereni followed her leader into the darkness, I looked around. I sensed several mana signatures amidst the stacks of wooden boxes, but most were congregated in Karsien's section.

I bent my knees, tensing and building up force into my legs. Then I jumped, suppressing the sound of my boots cracking against the stone. I was a dark blur as my body shot toward the ceiling, a barely visible white glow pulling me toward it as I leveraged my telekinesis spellform.

I twisted, landing feet-first on the ceiling. My emblem locked the soles of my feet to the roof, allowing me a bird's eye view of the entire warehouse.

I smirked. I'd picked up a few tricks since I was under Karsien's wing. From my high position, I was able to see the sea of crates beneath me. I frowned slightly, wondering why they were here and what the Doctrination was storing.

I shook that thought away, enhancing my vision and turning my head. I surveyed the room, trying to find sources of light or doors that could lead to an office.

There, I thought, noticing a place on the east side that opened into an alcove.

I darted across the ceiling, utterly silent and dark as a shadow. I noticed a guard in front of the office door, making me frown. How to get rid of him?

I lit up with an idea a second later. I shuffled within my dimension ring, withdrawing a rock. I latched onto it with my emblem, making it hover upside down. Then the stone darted down, popping against the ground a few times a ways away from the guard.

The vicar's head turned toward the sound, his eyes narrowing, but his grip only tightened on a spear in his hands. He didn't move.

I clicked my tongue, the sound of which was thankfully masked by my magic. I brought the stone up again, then let it fall once more.

The guard finally shifted, seeming a bit nervous, before moving to investigate.

When he was several yards away, I dropped, silent as death. I tested the door lock, seeing it wouldn't budge. But thankfully it was not a mana-enforced lock, but a simple pin system.

I closed my eyes, focusing on my telekinesis spellform. Then I used it to crush the inside of the locking mechanism, allowing the door to swing open slightly.

I smirked. My powers weren't precise enough to pick a lock, but brute force almost always worked. I let the door shut behind me with a nonexistent click as I hurried in, scanning the place.

My attention focused on a map stretching across the opposite walls. I quickly recognized it as a map of East Fiachra, the subdivisions and landmarks standing out to me. Lines were drawn in bright ink across the paper, stretching from the warehouse I was currently at to different points across the district. Reds and greens crisscrossed in specific manners, ending at…

"God," I breathed, my eyes widening. I didn't recognize the routes, but I knew the endpoints. I'd seen them before the ill-fated assault on the Joans' blithe caches. Wade's network had outlined the common dropoff locations that the Joans used to give out their drug. "This is all for delivering blithe. "

"Contractor!" Lady Dawn blared in my head. "Defend yourself!"

The warning came almost too late. I whirled on instinct, thrusting my hand outward. A pulsing barrier of pushing telekinesis met a twisting stream of mucky green fluid, but I hadn't had time to apply my telekinetic shroud. I felt the opposing magic eating into my own mana, slowly but surely dissolving it. But the lack of a telekinetic shroud might've saved my life. Instead of allowing the acidic spell to reach me, the pushback launched me into a wall, making it crack.

I coughed, my mind racing. Oath and Promise drew themselves from their sheathes, settling themselves into my waiting hands.

I finally felt the pressure settling into my bones, pressing me down to my knees. I watched the remnants of the bright green acidic spell bubbling on the stone floor, the mana greedily ripping apart the earth.

"Hello again, little mage," a voice like slime dripping down the back of my neck said from above. It was the kind of voice I'd expect from the depths of a bog; some sort of creature from within rearings its head to speak. "I was wondering when I'd see you again."