The Darkness Behind the Light

Chapter 8

The trek through the tunnels was short and we found ourselves in Shadank Mine before we had time to adjust to the darkness of the deep. Before reaching the surface, Natalie had found four suits of armour that had been discarded. They were similar to the armour of the assassins that attacked Cathy and I and Riley confirmed it for her attackers. We were on the right track but now our targets had made themselves harder to track. We could easily walk past them as they hid amongst the miners and ambush us from behind.

We left the mine and entered the surrounding camp carefully. The miners looked at us confusingly and it was understandable but made reading them difficult. Riley and I scanned the area to try and read emotions while Natalie read their faces. When we were clear of the camp, Ed wished us well before heading back to Malkia.

We had emerged just outside of Malkia's protective walls and the trek to the quarry would be long through a lightly forested side of a mountain in the dark. The smart bet was to return to the city and head back out in the morning but we needed to press on while the trail was still fresh.

"Riley and I will continue to scan for trouble," I offered. "Nat's knowledge of the area will make sure we don't get lost out here."

"The woods around Malkia aren't the safest to travel in the dark," Riley informed.

"You're travelling with the right company though," Natalie replied, anxious to be heading out. "Once we get to the quarry, things will get a little bit trickier. If we can pick up a trail by the time we hit the work site, we'll camp for the night. If we give up now though they'll be long gone before we can figure out where they're going."

"Then let's not waste anymore time," Cathy said, matching Natalie's mood.

Away from the lights of Malkia, the path was illuminated only by the full moon. It gave us a decent range of visuals to track down the assassins but they would also be able to see us; especially Cathy's shiny armour. We split into groups of two and broke from the path up the mountainside.

Riley watched the back with Cathy while I scanned the forest ahead of us with Natalie. She was focused on our destination but that didn't mean I should focus solely on scanning the area. Natalie would sooner walk me into a tree than worry about losing our trail. She was 'funny' like that.

The wildlife and insect life around us was the only signs of life I could feel and I relaxed my scanning a bit. "What can we expect in the quarry?" I asked Natalie.

"I suspect nothing has changed too much. Despite the military's assaults on the area, they will always be two big factions that divide the space and fight with each other."

"Where would the Light fit in with this layout?"

"They could be posing as a bandit gang or sharing space with a previous gang. I know the gang closest to us is run by a sadist only known as the Butcher."

I laughed. "He doesn't care that his name is a huge cliché?"

Natalie smiled. "Well he didn't choose it. The people around him started calling him that.

"Of course. People like things that are comfortable. If he had an exotic name or something different, the effect wouldn't be the same because everyone would be too focused on the name."

"Anyways," Natalie said, trying to get back on point. "He's been holed up there for awhile; even before the last military raid. He dug in and held his ground until the military was called away. Lost nearly all his men but he rebuilt quickly before another gang could try and move him out."

"Sounds like he had some help," I said thoughtfully. "Allying himself with the Light would help secure his position after the military raids until he rebuilt his army."