The Court of Souls?

“Ariadne, in Greek mythology, was the daughter of Minos, King of Crete, and his queen Pasiphaë, daughter of Helios. She is mostly associated with mazes and labyrinths because of her involvement in the myths of the Minotaur and Theseus. Her father put her in charge of the labyrinth where sacrifices were made as part of reparations. She helped Theseus overcome the Minotaur and save the would-be sacrificial victims. In other stories, she became the bride of the god Dionysus, with the question of her being mortal or a goddess varying in those accounts.”

- The Journey to the Afterlife

***Dedessia, the Sea of Souls, Clan: Inanimatum***

***Shade, 8 years old***

“I should have woken up and stopped her. Why did she even go out there alone? In the night!”

They found Manticore in the bathrooms. Dead. I didn't get to see the body because they already had removed her when I heard about it, but Aswang found it.

We sit there in a circle of three, waiting for the training to start. Neither Legna nor I are able to speak. Aswang though is crying his eyes out. Mentally we all are all older than we look, but sometimes even adults cry.

I've already seen other slaves cry tears and howl their pain out to the world, but Aswang has a complete breakdown.

“It must have been the assholes! They harbour a big grudge against us since that incident in the yard. Somehow they must have found out about Manti's habit of visiting the toilet at night.” Legna balls her hands into fists.

I turn my eyes away. What is there to say? Let's kill another one of them to get even? Then they stalk another one of us until one side is wiped out? I think everyone knew that the incident in the yard wasn't a mere accident. But the slavers don't act if there isn't definitive proof.

Manti's death also looks like an accident. Someone made it look like she slipped in the bath and broke her neck. No other injuries.

“At least she got two of the bastards.” I try to cheer them up.

“What makes you think that?” asks Legna.

“Didn't you watch the assholes when we were in the canteen? Two of them were as pale as death itself and didn't eat a single bite despite having food right in front of them. I think they got a good scratch from her fingernails before they subdued her,” I explain.

“We have to kill the bastards!” Aswang cries out between his sobs.

Legna shakes her head. “No need. If they got scratched, then they are already dead. They may be able to keep themselves going for a while by relying on their healing abilities, but once enough of the poison reaches the brain they are dead. The slavers won't waste precious antidotes on them. Especially not if it links them directly to her death.”

“Get out! Get out! Wherever you are! We prepared a new lesson for you!”

One of the overseers cries down the corridor and we jump up, hurrying to get out of the barracks. It is saddening how indoctrinated we already are. Not even Aswang refuses to follow the command.

We enter the yard and form four rows of fifty with our fellow sufferers. The snow lasted only for two months, just like they said.

I let my eyes wander up and down the rows of slaves. Normally we don't have anything to do with the other age groups, but this time the entire yard is completely empty except for us. It strikes me as strange because normally you can always see someone being drilled by the overseers.

Tormentor paces up and down in front of us, looking us over. “Be glad! Today is either your final day as bottom feeders, or you will die. This is your exam to become soldiers and members of this community.”

Or slaves. Have they decided to waste the better slave collars on us? The older children have them.

“Open the gate!”

Another slaver approaches the heavy iron gate which I never saw open up until now. He removes the bar which is holding it in place and pushes the gate open, revealing a busy, medieval city behind it.

“Today you will get to see the city for yourself. You should already know it well from the year you spent in the sewers. All you have to do today is to leave our little heaven through the south-gate. Then you run a circle through the city and return through the north-gate.” Tormentor points at the gate on the other side of the yard.

“That's all you have to do to complete the test. But be careful. I and my team will stand watch in a straight line from this facility to the palace in the middle of the city. If any of us catches you taking a short-cut you won't be allowed into the facility any longer.

You will make a complete round trip through the town and your time limit is until it gets dark.”

Seriously? What a great chance to flee. We can disappear in the town and beg for food until we find a job.

Tormentor raises a golden amulet. “Hahaha. I can already see it on your faces. Escape, freedom. Didn't you already learn that such things don't exist? Everyone of you will get such an amulet. It's worth a month of food out there. Every single citizen knows that you little morsels carry around a high prize. So be careful that it doesn't get taken away from you.”

He gestures at the amulet. “This! Is your ticket to return to this facility. If you don't have it when you return to the north-gate we won't take you back. Let me tell you that none of you will survive a single night out there. The city may be filled with trash, simple immortals who have trouble remembering even one of their lives. But understand that they will gnaw on you like rats. You will be torn to pieces and sold as food at the nearest butcher. Or they eat you themselves. That's how things work out there.”

“We guarantee that you won't get attacked while you are in line of sight of the gates. Otherwise you are on your own.” A crazy grin forms on his face and he offers us the first amulet while two other slavers approach with a chest. I assume it is filled with amulets. “You will go one by one, I suggest you don't lose any time once you get the amulet. Running around the city takes more time than one might think. Who wants to go first?”

“What do we do? This is the perfect chance to escape,” Legna whispers.

“We have to get out of this place. It will eat us up if we stay here any longer. We can use the amulets to pay for safety,” Aswang mumbles.

“Don't fall for it!” I hiss. “We don't know how this city works, we don't know anything. Why shouldn't the amulets simply be taken off of us? And I bet my ass on it that the thrice cursed amulets have some kind of tracking charm on them. Take the amulet and do everything you can to complete the race as fast as possible. Have a good eye on the city and learn as much as you can! Only once we have the needed information we can escape this place!”

I try to catch their eyes to ensure that they won't try something stupid. After a few moments they nod and I draw a deep breath. “Legna, you can cast your wings of light to fly over crowded streets. Don't let anyone get close enough to grab you, trust nobody. Aswang, we can't fly. But you are fast and a good runner. Try to use that.”

Aswang's grim eyes focus on me. “What about you? Don't get me wrong, but if you do this on foot you will never make it. You are just too bad at running. The adults will have you in no time.”

I clench my teeth and already start dreading my strategy. “I suppose I'll search for the closest manhole lid and try to cheat my way through the sewers. I can see in the dark, even if they don't give me a glowball I will have no problems.”

We wait while the other groups get handed amulets one by one. Nobody speaks until it is our turn. Aswang is first. He simply takes the amulet from Tormentor and dashes through the gate, disappearing in the crowd between the market-stands. The people throw hungry glances at him, but the nearby overseers seem to be a deterrence.

Next is Legna. She takes her amulet, but instead of using the safe area around the gate to run as fast as possible she chooses one of the rain-pipes on a house to climb to the roof. She is as quick as ever and in the next moment I can see her take the jump to the next house.

I take my own amulet and use the rare chance to glare at Tormentor. Then I run as fast as possible through the gate. My mind is already busy taking in as many details as possible.

If the layout of the sewer system reflects the city's streets, then there should be two ring-streets which lead around the city. All I have to do is to reach one of them and enter the sewer there. It will spare me the trouble to crawl through the drainage-pipes because I am not entirely sure if I've grown too big for them.

After crossing the square in front of the gate I take a side-street and run for my dear life when a guy who looks like a homeless person calls out for me. It's not like I believe Tormentor's words blindly, but I also don't see why he should come up with this crazy game and lie to us about the townspeople knowing of the amulet. Never would I go near a person who is in dire need of money when that person knows that I carry a month's salary in my pocket.

The man behind me screams enraged, but he seems to be too weak to catch up to me. The talk about the famine at least wasn't a trick. I run past a lot of people who look tired and hungry, but I am still close to the gate, so not many try to follow me.

I take the turn around a corner and run into someone. The collision takes the breath out of me and my counterpart. Both of us go to the ground. I immediately get back to my feet and find one of the assholes in front of me.

He stares at me equally surprised but soon regains his wits. “I've found one of them! The shade! He is here!” The scream draws attention and I already dread to see whoever he is calling for.

A small fireball forms in his hand and he aims at me.

Instinct takes over and I let myself fall backwards and into my shadow while the spell fires down the street and ignites some garbage. The fire's light irritates me and I feel my mana disappearing at an alarming rate.

Taking my whole body into the twilight between light and darkness takes a lot out of me and I don't want to know what happens when my mana runs out while I am in this other form.

I stretch myself thin and thank the gods that this side-street is practically covered in a single, big shadow. The asshole searches for me, turning left and right while I float behind him. It's the only way I can describe the feeling I have when I walk through the shadows. This other dimension is like a deep, cold sea which tries to suffocate me, so floating is a pretty close description.

Emerging from the shadows I concentrate mana in my hand. I don't waste time to admire the dark blue energies and perform a cutting motion downwards, opening a shallow wound on his back. It's a very basic and crude way to use mana, but also the most efficient one when in close combat.

He screams and turns around. My hand comes back up and I dig it deep into his stomach.

The shining amulet around his neck draws my attention and I snatch it. Idiot. Why didn't he put it into a pocket?

His shrill scream pitches up and down as I move my hand through his stomach. More in desperation than in a considered counter-attack he shoves me with both hands, causing me to stagger backwards.

His eyes turn into slits and then as round as an owl's, watching his bowels being pulled out of him. Then his jaw dislocates and elongates, revealing sharp teeth.

That's it! I decide to leg it at the double.

The bastard is a fucking werewolf and it seems like I made him mad! At least I pushed him over the edge by disembowelling him.

I run as never before in my short life, dodging people left and right while moving through a maze of side-alleys. Always trying to keep the direction. Finally I reach the end of a side-street. There I find a big, main street, just as I had hoped! It must be the first ring-street! And right there in the middle of the street is a manhole!

Then I notice the attention on me, a lot of it. More and more eyes wander to me, or better, to what I hold in my hands.

Right hand? No... surely they don't want a little werewolf's guts? Though... they are edible... yuck!

Left hand? Amulet... a month of food.

A howl echoes out of the maze behind me. I twitch around and I freeze in shock. The bowels which I held in my hand for the entire time! They are a trail leading directly towards me. My legs start shivering as the little werewolf steps around the corner, busily shoving his guts back into his belly. Behind me I feel the crowd closing in. I am so dead! And to think that the manhole is just ten metres away.

Suddenly my vision blurs and my thoughts get hazy as something inside my head rearranges itself and another me takes over. Time slows to a creeping halt.

Seriously... like in the story of Ariadne's thread. Just that the thread led the monster towards me. As Gideon I would never die in a situation like this. There is so much time to think and all I need is in my hands.

“He has a second amulet!” My mouth moves and my hand throws the amulet in a high arc in front of the werewolf's feet. He just eyes it in surprise.

Just like this.

Mana collects in my hand and forms a spell formation. Then gravity lessens and I jump lightly, just tipping off the ground. It's more than enough to carry me above the crowd.

The ensuing rampage of starved people is indescribable! It's a mob with only one rule: Every man for himself. The people are clawing and biting each other, climbing and stepping over fallen ones. It's carnage incarnate and spreading rapidly. The last thing I see of the werewolf is it being buried under the crowd of crazed townsfolk.

My jump carries me in a perfect arc to the manhole. A single hand is enough to lift the metal lid which is affected by the gravity spell.

Then I jump down into the hole, into the darkness... and fade away.

I regain consciousness with a dizzy feeling in my head. Slowly I remember what happened. Another flashback. And it was even worse than ever before. I get up and try to grasp my situation. How long was I out? Can I go back to the facility? Or are the doors already closed? Where am I?

I stagger forward, following the sewer. Finally I reach one of the crossings which have numbers to identify them. “23” I immediately recognize the number and turn to where I assume the north-gate to be.

Just after a few minutes of walking I have to sit down again. This is what complete mana exhaustion feels like. The other me used a single spell and I almost died because of it. How long did it last? A few seconds of floating drained me completely. And how long did the other me stagger through the sewers? I was so lucky that no slime showed up to gnaw on me while I was unconscious.

I have to get a grip on my memories. So far these flashbacks were really useful and saved my ass more than once, but this could have gone very wrong!

As soon as I feel a little better I continue my march until I arrive at a ladder to another manhole. This is as close as I can get via the sewers.

I climb the ladder and try to push up the metal lid. Nothing. It doesn't budge! I feel my chest tightening as I hit the lid in silent frustration. I got so far and fail just because I am too weak!

I close my eyes and concentrate. Just a little mana is all I need.

I create the spell formation which the other me used. Just smaller. It needs to be lighter! The lid budges and I shove it aside, feeling tiredness wash over me. I almost slip and fall, but bite my own cheek to stay awake.

The taste of blood fills my mouth as I crawl out of the manhole and my eyes fall onto the north-gate. I made it! It is still open! As I crawl towards the gate I see one of the overseers grabbing the handle. Slowly he starts closing the left wing of the big gate and I realize that the sky is almost dark. As a shade the difference isn't that clear to me when I rely on my special senses.

I can't get up. I'll never make it.

Someone steps in front of me and I look up. It is an old man in rags with a broom in his hands. He looks from me to the gate, then back to me.

Yeah, sure. All he has to do is to wait until the time is up. Then he can gather my amulet despite me being so close to the goal. He reaches up and scratches his chin, revealing a golden collar around his neck. At least another slave will get to loot me. Him, I can forgive.

I drop my head and let it rest on the ground.

Suddenly I am grabbed at my clothes and lifted! The world tilts and turns as I am flung forward!

Ground, gate with surprised overseer, sky, old man in throwing position, ground, gate with dodging overseer, sky, old man cleaning the street, ground!

I land hard, making two somersaults until I finally stop in front of Tormentor. The old bastard threw me away like some trash which was blocking the entrance to his house!

He saved me.

“Look who made it to the graduation ceremony! A shade!” Tormentor kicks me and rummages through my clothes, retrieving my amulet. “Well, I think that's it for this year.” He walks away, whistling a tune which I recognize as 'Once upon a time in the west'. Though I don't know why I know that. Is it Gideon's knowledge?

“Shade! You made it! I thought I'd lost all of you!” Suddenly Legna's tearful face is above me. She looks worse than Aswang in the morning.

“What? What do you mean? Where is Aswang?” I look up, seeing the gate fall shut and locked by one of the overseers.

Legna digs her hands into my chest. “He didn't come. And I already thought you didn't manage it either!”

That can't be. Not Aswang too. As I look around the yard my eyes fall on Lardass and his group of assholes. They are one man short and one of his group members looks very sick. I killed one of the poisoned ones. Lardass is throwing his stupid grin at me. All which comes to my mind is raising the blood covered hand. Then I say soundlessly, 'It isn't mine'.

The grin disappears and he turns away, walking back to the barracks.

“We have to escape, Legna. This place will eat us whole if we stay here. And even if we survive it, we will be like them in another ten years,” I mumble.

“How?” she sobs.

“We have to gather supplies, clothes, survival gear and more information. Most importantly, learn about places where we can go.” I remember the mob of people who tore the asshole apart. “This clan has no future.”

.