Blood and Gold: Chapter 24

[jiminee]

 Here we go!
Chapter list | Map

Vechs is only half sure what he’s doing situated up a tree near the Naziv hideout at the deadest hour of morning. It’s still dark and he’s in danger of falling off the branch he’s clinging to.
Blame and Guude are in separate trees too, all three trying their hardest to blend in with the foliage. Vechs has been instructed not to make any noise, but this doesn’t stop him from whispering loudly over the sound of rustling leaves.
“Why do we have to be up here so early?”
“Because we don’t know what time they’re going,” Blame hisses back. “And we can’t afford to miss them. Now shut up.”
Vechs obeys, shifting his position so his limbs won’t fall asleep during the wait in the tree. His bag is securely by his side.

After what feels like hours waiting, Blame whispers a warning and Vechs clings tightly to the branch, attempting not to move as he hears footsteps in the forest below. He sees Nebris first, moving confidently ahead of the group as they move through the forest.
Vechs prays they won’t be seen, and waits until Etho, Zisteau and Aurey have passed below and are out of sight and hearing. Blame gives a signal and Vechs drops to the ground with a thud.

Guude follows, grumbling, and finally Blame drops from his tree and the three head in the direction Naziv went.
They try to move silently but fast, without getting too close to the group ahead of them. Blame’s plan is to follow them into the Underground and then confront them in the tunnel, and try to block off the tunnel with the explosive of Vechs’ own creation.
Vechs can see the wall now, and the little group disappearing into its hidden entrance. He counts under his breath, approximating the time it will take for all four to get down the ladder, then motions his companions to run forward. Pulling the bricks out of the wall, they squeeze into the tiny space. Vechs points the light from the ladder below the trapdoor out to Guude, then descends it with purposeful footsteps.

The Underground is not its usual hustle-bustle and Vechs wonders why. Few people are around, but even so, he is nervous that somebody might see them. He and Blame are okay, but he wonders how they’re going to get away with bringing Guude in there, if someone is to notice.
“Walk with confidence,” Blame whispers in his ear and the three set out across the market, trying to look like they belong there. The three head straight for the tunnel where he knows Naziv and Bdubs will be.
He hears voices as he turns down the dark tunnel. It’s dimly lit and looks hastily dug, more so as he moves up its length. It slopes steeply upwards, and Vechs is almost sure he can hear the sounds of the city above his head.

In the half-light Naziv are standing at the end of the tunnel holding torches. There is shock on Aureylian’s face as she turns back to see Vechs, Blame, and Guude, and she nudges her companions so that they turn around as well.
“Blame? Vechs? What are you doing here?” asks Zisteau.
“Zisteau, come on. Still here to stop you.
“Blame, I swear-,” Zisteau is interrupted by Bdubs who pushes to the front.
“Guude?”
“Listen man, I’m sorry,” Guude says. “But these guys here came to me and told me you were doing something dangerous. I’m siding with them.”
Zisteau turns and whispers something to Nebris that Vechs doesn’t catch. Nebris nods and moves further up the tunnel and as Vechs watches him he takes a pick and breaks through the ceiling of the tunnel. A little light comes in from above and Nebris breaks away at the hole until it’s large enough for a man to fit through.

Blame suddenly leaps forward, knocking Zisteau down. Vechs is paralysed for a second before moving into motion, moving to tackle Bdubs.
Nebris and Etho are already escaping through the hole, and Generik is almost through when Guude pulls him back down with all his strength. Through the corner of his eye Vechs sees Aurey climb up through the hole.
Zisteau pushes Blame off him with a grunt. Blame tries to hold him down but Zisteau is stronger. Bdubs is struggling underneath Vechs and Vechs punches him, but he hears Blame yell at him to go through the hole.
Vechs hesitates.
“Go! Then drop the explosive!”
Vechs hits Bdubs once more and pulls the explosive out of his bag, jumping up towards the hole in the ceiling as Blame struggles free from Zisteau’s grip. Vechs climbs up into the room above, vaguely aware of a musty smell and the pressure of hands on his shoulders but Blame is soon up into the room with him.
“Drop it!” Blame says.
“But what about Guude….”
“DROP IT!”
Vechs ignites the explosive and drops it through the hole, then feels Blame pulling him away from the hole. Nebris, Etho and Aurey are already in a corner of the room and Vechs can now see it is the treasury of the palace. Gold and jewelry is piled up in heaps in the room, dull with age. Vechs holds his breath, heart pounding as adrenaline surges through his veins. He prays that Guude and Generik and Zisteau and Bdubs have the sense to run before the explosive goes off but he can’t be sure and then he hears Aurey scream “Run!” down the hole and then the tunnel shudders with a boom and the treasury’s ceiling shudders and sends down dust and the hole crumbles into the tunnel below filling it with rubble.

There’s coughing for a few minutes as dust settles and then Nebris yells, “What the blyx was that for?!” at Blame and Vechs.
“Why are you still doing this?” Vechs asks. “it’s practically a death sentence at this point.”
“Because we can!” Nebris steps forward and begins scooping handfuls of gold coins into his bag. “You idiots! You ruined the whole plan, and now the others are stuck down there.”
“We just wanted to stop you from doing something so dangerous,” Blame says.
“And now it’s even more dangerous!” Aurey says. “Anyway, you two, and Nebris, Etho, grab as much as you can and then get out. Shouldn’t be hard to dig back through the rubble.”
“What about you?” Vechs asks.
“Don’t worry about me,” Aurey says. “I’m going to do what I came here to do.”
In the dim and dusty light, Vechs sees determination on Aurey’s face. “Tell me what that is.”
She looks at him, tears forming in her eyes. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”
She pulls something out of her bag, and even in the darkness Vechs can tell it’s another explosive. Aureylian instructs everyone to stand back against the back wall.

“Someone’s going to hear the explosions! We’ll be caught!” Etho says.
“If everyone escapes into the underground they won’t be.” With a swift motion, Aurey ignites the explosive and throws it against the door.
Vechs is paralysed for a second but finally he moves through the piles of gold towards the back. He braces himself and as the room explodes with dust and falling bricks he hears someone screaming. His ears ring and he feels dizzy, coughing in the dust that makes it impossible to see anything. Someone’s grabbing his hand and pulling him out from under the rubble that half buries his body and as he realises the warm hand pulling him up is Blame’s, he sees Aurey leaping over rubble and running through the door that has been blasted open.

“We have to go after Aurey!” Vechs says through the dizziness, his feet tripping on the unevenness. He can see that, aside from part of the wall, a corner of the stone roof of the vault has collapsed, and a large slab is over Nebris, pinning him to the ground.
Etho has his hands on his shoulders and is trying to pull him out, but Nebris grimaces in pain.
“Etho,” Blame says. “Go back down to the Underground and get help to free Nebris. Me and Vechs will go after Aurey.”
Vechs looks at him in disbelief. “Really?”
Blame nods. “We can do this.”
Etho begins scrabbling at the hole that leads back to the underground, pulling away the pieces of smaller rubble and dirt until there’s an entrance big enough to slip through.
“Will you be alright?” Vechs asks Nebris with concern.
“I’d rather not be trapped under a huge blyxing rock.”
Vechs sighs. “Just hang in there okay?”
“I wanted to be the one to kill the prince,” Nebris mutters with a growl into the grim room. It echoes enough that Vechs hears it.
“What?”
“Zisteau, he said I could do the honours.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Blame asks coldly.
“I should go find Aurey,” Vechs interrupts.
“Okay,” Blame says. He suddenly turns to Vechs, gripping his arm. “Do everything you can to keep safe.”
Vechs nods and leans to kiss Blame quickly, ignoring the surprised noise this draws from the trapped Nebris. With one last glance at Blame he steps over the rubble that litters the doorway and through the thick metal vault door.

He's in a dark, low-ceilinged hallway, that leads to a faint light illuminating some stairs at the other end. Vechs sprints down the hallway, mildly surprised at the lack of any guards. His only weapon is his dagger, and he doesn’t want to have to use it, but he expected more security.
He takes the stairs three at a time and they lead him up to an empty room. At the top of the stairs is a wooden trapdoor, already open.
Vechs tries to soften the sound of his footsteps but they still seem to echo far too loudly; he slips a hand in his bag and grips his dagger, heart thumping. The room is plain stone bricks and doesn’t seem to serve any purpose; a door stands open at its far end and Vechs creeps towards it.
The doorway deposits him in a large hallway, much grander and more fitting to what Vechs had expected to see inside the palace. It has a tall ceiling and is lined with gold, and polished mirrors are spaced down both walls. Again, Vechs can see no guards; just some weaponry displayed in brackets between the mirrors.

Vechs’ feet land on soft carpet as he steps nervously into the hallway. It’s blood red and Vechs walks slowly, even though his footsteps can’t be heard. It’s eerily quiet; Vechs doesn’t know what he expected to hear. Perhaps the chatter of courtesans, or even just the occasional guard. He doesn’t even know where to look for Aurey, but something tells him the grand hallways is guiding him towards her.

“What is Zisteau’s plan?” Blame moves to sit on a large piece of stone by Nebris.
Nebris laughs. “I guess you never found out. Well there’s no harm in telling you now. Zisteau told us. His plan is to expose the corruption of the monarchy, beginning with the Corax prince. He’s leading a – a revolution if you will – of the entire Underground, against the palace. And he promised I could be the one to kill the prince.”
“Everyone knows the royal family is corrupt and has been for a long time. That’s just the way it is.” Blame frowns. “What does he hope to achieve?”
“Absolution.”
Blame turns his head quickly towards him. “I’m sorry, what?”
“If I’m not wrong,” Nebris says, “I’ve worked it all out. Zisteau feels guilty for something, it might be the human blood in him. In any case he sees bringing down the prince as an act of repentance.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Blame says. “How could you know that?”
Nebris shrugs as well as he can. “I just guessed. From watching him and listening to his words.”
“Well your guess is as good as mine,” Blame says. “Thanks for telling me, I’ll go try to stop -.”
“Is all you think about stopping Zisteau?” Nebris interrupts. “Why don’t you let what happens, happen? It’s not going to make a difference, you’re only one man. I don’t know what your idea is but you can’t change fate, or whatever you think you’re doing. Zisteau’s just as capable as you are.”

Blame is frozen mouth half-open as he stares at Nebris.
“Now run along and find your boyfriend. If anyone’s in need of adult supervision, it’s him,” Nebris says. “You can tell me the story of how he persuaded you to get back together with him later.”
Blame shoots Nebris a glare but stands up anyway. “You sure you’ll be okay?”
“Of course I will. Don’t worry about me. I’m ­me! Anyway Etho, or Zisteau and his army should be back through here soon and they’ll be able to free me.” Nebris attempts to extract his arms from their entrapment in order to make some sort of reassuring gesture, but fails.
Blame nods at him then scrambles through the blasted-open vault door, not looking back as he jogs down the low hallway to whatever awaits him beyond it.

Comments

[eclipse3]

The plot twist to end all plot twists!
Awesome chapter! (::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)

[(Anonymous)]

"Don't worry about me. I'm me!" Clasic Nebris. He will find some cheaty way to get out without help. Also, what was the grand plan with throwing an explosive down the only escape route again? I think I missed that part.
-Observing Anon

[jiminee]

Stopping Zisteau and his crew from getting through (although it's partially failed already, considering Aurey, Etho and Nebris were able to get through.)

[(Anonymous)]

Ok, that makes more sense. Thanks! (::) (::)
-Observing Anon

[ruddiestbubbles]

From everything that's been said, I would like to believe that Aurey has some ties to this prince you keep mentioning. Maybe a brother, or even a long lost lover? That would be an interesting plot twist.

[jiminee]

Many people have theorised that connection. Things are going to be revealed very soon... c:

[scara]

I've been theorising on that too. Can't wait for the revelation.

[(Anonymous)]

its kurt

whoops this be sadie

[(Anonymous)]

kurt is the prince

Re: whoops this be sadie

[jiminee]

id like to know your thought process behind this... c:

Re: whoops this be sadie

[(Anonymous)]

i've just... got the shittiest bottom feeding plot twist gut sense that is screaming about how that is going to turn out so aurey doesnt kill the prince. either that or aurey discovers there is no prince. but there is the better plot twist in kurt being the prince