Page 73 of Kingdom of Chains

Everything went dark.

No one spoke as a rumble of hooves passed overhead. Isabel’s hand found Blackmane’s in the dark, and his fingers closed around hers. Of course she was afraid. She had just been thrown into a black hole, and the man she was fleeing from was right above them.

When the thunderous noise overhead faded, Tolly said, ‘Give me a moment.’

They heard him shuffling around, and then there were sparks from a flint, sending Isabel scrambling closer to Blackmane. Pale light filled the room, cast from a candle Tolly was holding. It gave Blackmane a chance to gauge their surroundings. It was amazing that they could stand up while underground, a vast contrast to the maze of tunnels that had once connected the boroughs inside Chadora’s walls. This one opened out to spacious rocky pathways that could be navigated without the need to duck one’s head. There was no way it was man-made.

‘Are we in a cave?’ Isabel asked, peeling herself from Blackmane.

‘Yes.’ Tolly lifted the candle high so they could see. ‘This way.’

Blackmane kept hold of Isabel’s hand, his other resting on the hilt of his sword. They followed him down a wet path to a large space with water trickling down one wall. It took Blackmane a moment for his eyes to adjust properly, to realisethere were people on the other side of the cave—lots of them. Men, women, children of all ages. Some were seated on woven mats preparing food. Others were sewing. Children were playing a game with rocks in an area marked out by charcoal.

‘Do you live down here?’ Isabel asked when she noticed younger children asleep on blankets along one wall.

‘For now. We try not to stay in the same place for too long.’

A young boy, around ten years old, abandoned his game and ran over to Tolly. ‘Do you want to play with us?’

One of the older girls came after him. ‘Can’t you see he’s busy?’ She eyed the strangers cautiously before leading him away.

‘I’ll play later,’ Tolly called after him. ‘Their mother was captured two weeks ago and taken to the camp.’ His voice was quiet now. ‘The women do a great job caring for all the children between them.’

Isabel looked around. ‘How many are there?’

‘Eighty-three at present. We were originally trying to make sure the children remained with their mothers at all times, so that even if they were captured, they would at least be together. But when we found out they were being separated from their parents and caged like farm animals, we decided to keep the children underground as much as possible. This area’s mostly occupied by the remaining families.’ He pointed down a path. ‘The soldiers you saw earlier sleep down there.’

The boy returned to Tolly again. ‘Can you play now?’

Isabel bent down to his height. ‘I could play with you, if you like?’

The boy sized her up, clearly not trusting the kind offer. ‘Do you even know how to play?’

She shook her head. ‘No, but you could teach me.’

He considered that for a long time before finally nodding. ‘The first rule is no throwing rocks at people’s heads.’

‘Excellent first rule,’ Isabel said as she followed him.

Blackmane’s eyes never left her.

‘They're not good with new people,’ Tolly said. ‘Encounters with strangers don’t usually end well for them.’

Blackmane watched as she was handed a rock and listened carefully to the rules of the game. He noticed the other children kept well back from her, some even retreating to the safety of a familiar adult. It was difficult to watch.

‘I took a risk in bringing you down here,’ Tolly said. ‘There’s a reason we don’t let people from outside the group in—even people we think we know.’ He looked at Blackmane. ‘I need to know I can trust you.’

‘You can trust her.’

Tolly’s eyebrows lifted. ‘But not you?’

‘I’m trustworthy until I receive orders to the contrary.’

Tolly exhaled through his nose. ‘You really are a defender.’

Blackmane did not reply. He was silent while Isabel took her first throw. It hit one of the women sewing. Isabel’s hand flew up to her mouth, and then she rushed over to check that the woman was all right, apologising profusely.

‘She’s not great at the rock game,’ Tolly observed.

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