Choices Made in Mercy

[Thrayjen]

Thunder roared alongside the deep tolling of the town bell. Every note rolled through Thrayjen?s bones, wailing that Komi had made her choice and Free The North would take its prize through fear and pain.

?Banton?s done it. We need to move.?

Rinam looked up at the rat?s solemn words while Blue, only half listening as she watched the stands hum with activity beneath the defiled banner. Thick smoke wafted into the air, dissipating into a dark sky.

?You?re back?? The ferret frowned. ?I told you to go to the infirmary and have what?s left of your face looked at! I?m not sure if the tournament is goin? to continue today, but they?re callin? beasts up top to help with the flames, even the ones still bailin? the flooded tunnels. You better see Poil or your mouse friend before we get grabbed. Let me see that eye again??

?Blue,? Thrayjen said, gently batting away her paw that reached towards his face. ?The stables are on fire. The boars are rampaging throughout Northvale. The banner. It?s the FTN. They?re here to win today. We need to leave the Drag.

Without missing a beat, Blue immediately began towards the door. ?The trainin? yard and archery range are mostly stone and mortar. They should?wait. Wait, ?Banton?s done it?? What does that mean, what did the Coward do?? Blue?s eyes narrowed at the bloodied rat before her. ?The FTN, she?s FTN? Did you know she was goin? to do somethin???

Thrayjen nodded. Blue reached for her shortsword. She hesitated, paw just over the hilt.

?Are you one of them? This whole time?Nire treated you well. I treated you well!?

?I?m not a member of any organized rebellion, Blue. Absolutely not.?

?Why should I believe you?? Blue snapped.

?I don?t approve of their methods,? Thrayjen said flatly. ?The Blackwhiskers would, but I don?t. Those boars are horrifying creatures. My father would organize scores of beasts in a single hunting party just for a set of tusks. Anyone who sets them loose upon innocents, no matter their motivations...I can?t stand beside them.?

The ferret stared at the rat for a long moment before thrusting her chin at Rinam.

?And you? You knew??

?I knew of a choice the Coward could make. I hoped she would choose otherwise.?

Blue?s paw hovered as she thought. Her eyes raced between the two gladiators as she bit her lip.

?I didn?t stop her because I can?t stand for the enslavement Nire imposes, nor the bloodlust he encourages, nor the indifference to violence and murder,? Thrayjen pressed. ?We could have changed the town, day by day, ended this differently, but Komi chose. It?s why I didn?t tell her Aldridge is alive.?

Blue?s eyes widened.

?For now,? Thrayjen said firmly, ?We need to stay safe while whatever happens...happens.?

?I think I knew,? Blue mumbled, blinking. ?Before he...faked his death, Aldridge asked me to do somethin?. His story, about the vole and where he?d been keepin? her, I knew he was lyin?, aye. I knew it! I confronted him about it.?

The ferret swallowed and looked down. ?He didn?t deny anythin? or make any excuses or lie. Not like you, Thrayjen. He just asked me to choose where I want to stand. You?re askin? me now, too. I?m not even surprised, when I think about it. He was always a trouble maker.?

She grinned, shaking her head.

?Askin? me to choose between my life and a rabble of slaves. What would my ol? Pa say??

?Asking you to choose between right and wrong, Blue,? Thrayjen replied. ?And I think I know what he?d say. Your father fled tyranny to save you; he?d do anything to help his children, and that meant leaving his way of life behind.?

?The stoatess made a choice, and you can as well,? Rinam added. Her eyes flickered outside where Nire had risen from his seat and was delivering an announcement to the spectators. ?Now is the time to help save lives instead of taking them for once.?

?What would you have me do, aye?? Blue asked skeptically. ?Murder my own peers??

?Just leave,? Thrayjen said. ?Leave, and don?t look back. Like your father. That?s safest.?

The ferret twisted a polished button on her pressed uniform, staring at him with blue eyes. Her claws stilled.

?Aye. But I?m gettin? my brother first.?

Thrayjen lead them through the hallway, past the dry baths where the sluices no longer pumped water, until they emerged into the Drag.

Shouts were ringing throughout the halls, competing with the ever-ringing bell and the noise of the spectators in the Crater. Bearing collars and blue uniforms alike, beasts ran in every direction, hauling sacks of sand or passing buckets of water from the kitchens up a chain of paws. A cracked wall leaked water, a small trickle flowing hurriedly downwards.

Thrayjen made a path through the bedlam, up the hallway until the hollering was softened by walls and the floor began to slope up.

?What you said about the bowyery was right,? Thrayjen said to Blue as they walked. ?It?ll be safe from fire but I must get Foxglove.? The rat looked at Rinam. ?The Barrow folk are with the FTN. No doubt they were waiting for something like this to act. The FTN will show their presence again, I?m sure, using the boars and the fire as a distraction to sneak slaves out. Keep a sharp eye for allies and opportunities and we?ll make it out.?

A terrible squealing noise flattened their ears to their heads as loose stones began to shake from powerful vibrations. Ahead of them, where the corridor widened into a split landing, several shrieking beasts turned sharply into the open doorway and heedlessly barreled by. The rat swore under his breath, watching after the fleeing creatures until another squeal snapped his attention away.

A boar, enormous and tusked, barreled past the doorway, his tusks scraping the side of the stone walls. The rat ran forward, ignoring the protests of his companions, and stuck his head past the threshold of the archway to peer with his single usable eye. The boar heard him and tried to turn around, but its frightening tusks trapped it on a single path. It kicked and bucked, squealing in rage and it tossed its body to and fro. A stone hooked, the boar lurched forward, and an entire wall collapsed from the force of the giant animal?s strength.

No longer protected, the destroyed flume that supplied the gladiator baths gushed water that followed the downward slope of the Drag. Thrayjen?s paws flew in all directions as the water rushed by. The boar was also knocked off balance and, startled, took off again in its original direction, snorting.

?As if we didn?t have enough floodin?,? Blue loudly complained as white peaks of water rushed by her knees.

A horrible thought occurred to Thrayjen as he watched the blood run from his fur. The tunnels beneath the Drag had mostly flooded the night previous, and with broken pumps there was only elbow grease and buckets to relieve the water, both of which were being used to extinguish a fire. Barely a soul was left to focus on the dangerously rising flood anymore.

?The lower levels are going to fill up before anybeast can do anything about it. They can only focus on one disaster at a time,? Thrayjen said, turning back the way they had come.

?So? The floodin? will force beasts out, then!? Blue answered. ?End of tournament, chaos everywhere, slaves escapin?...that?s good, right??

?Not for the beasts trapped in the dungeons.?

?Do you want us to go back?? Rinam asked, water dripping from her whiskers. ?We may not get another chance to go forward, if the FTN fails.?

?No.? Thrayjen shook his head. ?I?ll go back. You two keep moving.?

?We can help more together,? Rinam said.

?Get out while you can. I?ll be fine,? Thrayjen said. ?If the rebellion fails and I?m caught trying to release prisoners, I can convince Nire to spare me. A few ?my lord?s and he?ll be too happy to believe me.?

?Now?s the time to get your pups!? Blue exclaimed excitedly. ?Nobeast will be lookin?, and Marik will keep his mouth shut if I make him, aye. He?s probably movin? the little ones right now, so who?s goin? to notice if one or two go missin? in the fuss.?

A flash of gold. Thrayjen smiled broadly.

?Kentrith Hapley has saved us the trouble.?

?What?!? Blue exclaimed.

?The FTN is using the fire and the boars as a distraction. They?ve smuggled the dibbuns out already.? The rat paused and frowned. ?Don?t you think that wouldn?t have been my first worry??

?It should have been me to help them,? Blue said with a frown.

?Make haste,? Rinam scolded. ?I will fetch Foxglove, and we will meet you at the bowyery.?

?If you get a chance to leave the Crater,? Thrayjen warned, ?Escape. I?ll find you on the outside.?

The white mouse shook her head. ?There is still a fight to be won here.?

?No,? Thrayjen growled at her. ?Don?t squander any opportunity that presents itself. Leave. I?ll find you. I will. Blue.? He looked at the trainer. ?Make sure she goes with you.?

?Come with us!? Blue insisted. ?Why bother with a bunch of prisoners when your pups are out there and I can get you out there too!?

Thrayjen shook his head, stones filling his stomach as he thought about the flooding from the rain, the broken water channels, the impending storm that would surely add to the burgeoning flood.

?Nobody else will care. I can?t pretend to forget there are souls trapped down there.?

??alright. I won?t let her come runnin? back when I?m holdin? a door open for her.? The ferret ignored Rinam?s grunt of dismissal. ?Take care of yourself; you?ve got to get back to your pups one of these days, aye.?

?Aye.? A longing smile. A sigh. Thrayjen turned away.

?The grave digger,? Rinam said, catching the rat?s sleeve. ?Kadar. Do you recall where he resided in town, where we visited Aldridge?s hollow grave? If we do not meet again inside this wretched place, look for sign of me there.?

She pressed and curled her fingers together and showed him the new sign. ?Until another day,? the mouse said. She turned and, together with Blue, disappeared beyond the landing.

Thrayjen made his way back down the Drag, beasts hastily moving out of his way as he swaggered like the fearsome butcher they believed him to be. Nobeast interrupted his purposeful stride, and the black rat moved to lower levels without interruption.

The deeper into the tunnels Thrayjen went, the higher the water levels had risen. Most hallways were flooded up to Thrayjen?s shins while others were completely inaccessible as the sloping ceilings trailed beneath the water line. Several beasts were attempting to bail the water with buckets, but they simply could not carry their liquid cargo up the Drag fast enough. A short stairwell lead up to a hallway that escaped the flood, but it turned sharply and revealed only darkness. The rat tentatively trailed down the dry path, letting his eyes adjust as he tried to keep a steady pace for what seemed like an eternity. Strange echoes haunted the lightless passage and soon became voices.

Thrayjen readied himself to charge as torchlight began to brighten the hall. Amidst jingling metal, the voices quickly became female and silhouettes gave birth to three forms.

?Miss Banton,? Thrayjen greeted the stoat, who brandished a spear beside the Monster of Mossflower and, to his surprise, a small otter Thrayjen recognized from the nursery. The rat tried to smile at the dibbun but her mother?s heated glare made it impossible. The blood soaking Komi?s pelt stifled any further pleasantries.

?Thrayjen,? Komi answered back. ?Why are you coming this way??

The rat raised his empty paws, showing the trio he was unarmed.

?The dungeons are still flooding. It?s getting worse.?

The stoat winced at Thrayjen?s words but the otter deepened her glare.

?Oh?? Minerva asked accusingly. Not headin' down here t' help yer freind Hargorn in his 'duties?' Ye're in for a surprise, mate..."

The hitch in the otter?s voice gave Thrayjen pause enough to consider her torn dress and the bruises on her neck.

?The bowyery is safe, from fire and boars, at least,? Thrayjen replied quietly. ?The workshop will give you a place to...hide, if you need it. The only blueback there will be Blue but...you needn?t worry about her.?

"As if I'd believe somebeast of yer reputation, tellin' me somethin's safe! There's likely a score o' Nire's beasts waitin' for us! He'll gut us himself if he gets a chance. Don't turn yer back on him." The otter lowered her own spear, heavy rudder maneuvering her daughter even further behind her.

?Surely I?m as credible as the Monster of Mossflower?? Thrayjen laughed bitterly. ?I never cheated, at least. I won?t repeat the things you?ve done in the arena in front of the little one, but we?ve done terrible things here. You and I both, Monster. Komi, too.?

A small sneer flittered across his lips as he glanced at the stoat.

?Her paws certainly look bloodier than mine. I?ve maimed and I?ve killed opponents in the arena to save my own hide. Yet you trust Miss Banton when she released death upon all to further the agenda of chaos. A shame,? Thrayjen continued, frowning deeply at Komi. ?But necessary. Terrible deeds indeed, done to survive, done to keep hope alive and give freedom a chance. That?s your daughter, yes??

?Don?t talk about my daughter,? the otter snapped. And don't ye dare talk about me as if ye know anything about me. I've done everythin' because I had to, not because I enjoyed it, like you, you nasty cur! Killin' beasts and bowin' like yer damn proud of it. I was tryin' t' save my daughter."

?Nire had my children too,? Thrayjen hissed impatiently. ?I didn?t want to come here, and I certainly didn?t want to lead a life of death and cruelty again! I did everything to abandon those ways, but I?ll slaughter a thousand beasts before I let that cat harm even a whisker on their noses! Boars, lynx, whoever stands between them and safety!?

His voice had risen to almost a shout in his frustration, but the smallest of sounds stole their attention and calmed the rising heat in Thrayjen?s chest.

?Verna!? the small otter squeaked from behind her mother. ?And Helix! You?re their daddy, aren?t you? I remember! Verna cried all night after you visited. I told her it?d be alright??

?He?s on our side.? Komi stepped forward, reaching to her belt and unclipping a familiar ring of black keys from an even larger one.

?I don?t trust him,? Minerva spat.

?I do,? Komi said simply. ?He could have stopped me from setting the fire and releasing the boars. He could have killed me, or raised an alarm. He didn?t.?

As Minerva began to grind her teeth, the rat counted Komi?s keys. Twelve keys for twelve cells; Komi handed him the keys to release the prisoners.

?Where did you get these?? Thrayjen asked, brow furrowed. ?Hargorn always keeps these on his belt.?

?That?s a story for another time,? Komi quickly answered, and produced another key from her mysterious prize. ?Look up.?

For a moment the rat remained confused. Against Minerva?s protests, the stoat pushed her key into the lock of Thrayjen?s collar and turned it. A click, a clank, and the collar fell to the floor.

An enormous weight lifted from him as he stared down at the open ring.

?Thank you.?

Komi shrugged nonchalantly. ?What?s ahead of us that way??

?Most of the tunnels that way are flooded,? the rat replied. ?It?s a bit of a maze, trying to stay dry. There are some beasts trying to haul water the further up the Drag you go, and they?re quite frantic about it so you should make it through without the little one being noticed. The bowyery is safe.? Thrayjen looked at Minerva as he spoke. ?It?s double walled, being behind the training yard, so the boars can?t get to it, and it?s mostly brick and mortar so the flames won?t bring it down.?

?Will you go there later?? Komi asked.

?Eventually.? The rat jingled the ring of keys. ?First things first.?

Again, Thrayjen debated telling the stoat of Aldridge?s fate, but the memory of the freed boar collapsing a wall calmed the urge. Any life she had with Aldridge was over, and the sudden revival of her past lover likely would not go over as well as it had with Blue.

?The FTN might be comfortable letting chaos reign, but I no longer have the stomach for such.?

Komi smirked at his jab and accepted his extended paw. They shook and moved around each other. Minerva kept her spear trained on the rat but let him pass.

?There?s room at the end of the hall, to the right. It?s the Inquisition Chamber and doesn?t go anywhere else except to Hell?s Gates. The left door is connected to the dungeons.?

With that, the otter picked up her daughter and followed after her stoat companion, a wide-eyed Fable staring over her shoulder at him.

At the end of the passage, ignoring his curiosity to open the door on the right, Thrayjen threw the other door open and leapt down the steps into waist deep water.

Water was steadily trickling from the ceiling like rain, and pouring out from a large crack that came down and ran the length of a wall behind a row of cells. The guards normally present at either end of the hallway had abandoned their post, and a single solitary bucket floated helplessly in the rising water. A leathery wing stretched between bars, reaching desperately for the pail while the helpless creature scrambled for purchase halfway up her cell wall.

?Miss Kali!? Thrayjen sloshed through the water, counting the number of paws that reached out to him along the way. A scant few beasts remained imprisoned in the dungeons, and Thrayjen grimaced as he concluded the rest had been dragged up top for tournament fodder.

Perhaps that was the safer, in the long run, the rat thought.

?THRACKEN!? Kali squealed, joyfully dropping down into the water that flooded her cell. ?You?ve come to rescue me! I knew that someone would! I knew that, somewhere out there, there must be someone...who??

?Stop that,? the rat snapped as the bat began to look like she might sing. The enormous breath she had drawn in filled her cheeks until she slowly, noisily, let it out between pursed lips. Thrayjen stared at her for the entirely too-long minute, his mouth slowly falling open.

?Hi,? Kali finished meekly.

?It?s good to see you, too,? Thrayjen answered softly, and tried several keys on the cell door before it swung open. The bat flung herself towards him, large wings enveloping the taller beast and almost knocking him down into the water. He embraced her, awkwardly slinging her arms around her neck.

?Why are you down here?? Thrayjen asked. Kali frowned at him.

?It was me; I wrecked Nire?s banner. I mistimed my escape and...killed the guard.?

The rat made a sympathetic noise.

?At least you kept your lunch down, though,? Thrayjen joked, earning a half-hearted smile from the bat. Frantic pleading from the other prisoners recalled their focus. The water was rising.

Thrayjen went to each cell, trying every key until one would fit and the lock would click with the beautiful tone of freedom. A hare, a vole, and a rat all gracelessly flung themselves from their prisons as Thrayjen informed them of the Crater?s dire situation.

?That door leads up the Drag. The FTN is here, helping beasts escape in the chaos. Watch out for the boars on the loose, there?s fire up top by the barns, and the lower levels are flooded so keep going up!?

The motley group jumped for the door that would lead them to drier paws, but Thrayjen?s ears flickered and he paused beside Kali before they, too, could flee.

?What is it?? the bat asked anxiously.

?Listen,? the rat ordered, bringing a claw to his lips. Together, they stayed still and squinted through the darkness of the dungeon. Past the single surviving torch, the door to the Fell Wing loomed. Both Thrayjen and Kali shuddered as they made out the sounds of something howling beyond the threshold.

Together they turned away, but the orange glow of the flickering torch reflected off of Kali?s collar and gave the rat pause. The shadow of his collar felt heavy on his neck then, as though it had been freshly clamped around his throat. He thought of the Monster of Mossflower, her torn dress and frightened daughter. He thought of Celine.

?Go on,? Thrayjen ordered Kali, ?Follow after the other prisoners. Stick together and get to the bowyery.?

?You can?t be serious!? Kali shrieked over the ever-present sound of streaming water. ?Those beasts are horrible! They?ll kill everyone!?

?They deserve a chance at life just as much as we do,? Thrayjen said firmly. ?Besides, if you were faced with drowning, would you be in the mood for lunch??

Kali looked nervously from the Fell Keep to Thrayjen, shaking her head. ?Please don?t! Please, please, please! It?s not very nice but please! Aren?t the boars enough??

The bat cried out one final plea as Thrayjen trudged towards the black doors and pressed his ear to it. The frantic screams of something were immediately beyond the locked barricade. He pulled the keyring to his swollen face and, in the dim light, plucked the largest black key from the ring.

It might not even be the right key, Thrayjen thought, allowing himself a shadow of hope that the Fell Keep was lost. The bat was right to think him mad, that the monsters would rend him to pieces, but he could not bring himself to tear away from his sympathy. The monsters, mere beasts beyond the door, were the same as he. Frightening, deadly, enslaved. Scared.

The lock clicked.

Thrayjen and Kali both started as a door slammed open and, from where the guards should have been keeping watch, a blue-clad fox charged forth with a lute braced above his head. Being up to his waist in water, the screaming tod quickly slipped and fell tail over nose.

?It?s cold! It?s cold!?

Between yelps, Baxter spluttered to the surface and waved his lute about like a club. Sopping wet, the fox finally realized that nobeast was attacking him, nor was he in any imminent danger.

?Where?s Kali?? the bard boldly demanded at Thrayjen.

?You?re too late,? Thrayjen said. He clucked his tongue, unimpressed, and drew the torch from its sconce.

?What?!? the fox barked.

?BAXTER!? Kali hollered as she waded across the dungeon and threw her wings around the fox.

?I came to save you,? the fox said mournfully.

Thrayjen eyed the fox?s lute. ?Is that all you brought??

?My hero!? Kali cooed, regarding the fox with genuine admiration. ?Now help me stop Thracken from releasing the monsters.?

?WHAT?!? the fox barked again, watching helplessly as Thrayjen pushed the heavy black door open.

Immediately, Bessie reared up in her swamped cell, four legs planted firmly on the stone wall while her other appendages reached and stretched for purchase against the steel cage. Eerily silent, the spider skittered clumsily across her leaky ceiling until coming to rest in a web-covered corner. Thrayjen raised his torch and stared at her with his good eye, seeing the hundreds of sharp little hairs that rose from her hide, the snapping pincers, and eight beady, black, unblinking eyes that stared straight back at him.

?You?re not that bad,? the rat said, loud enough to be heard over the water that rained down from cracks in the stonework. The spider?s front legs wriggled towards him. ?Nooo,? Thrayjen said, his voice gentle. ?Don?t know why Aldridge was so frightened of you. You?re a beauty??

He fiddled with the keys, eyeballing the lock on Bessie?s cage. Bessie rested her legs on the bars.

?They?re too large,? he muttered to himself, then cursed. He approached her cage and quietly tried a key. The spider remained still, but the key did not fit the lock, nor the next key. After each one had been tested, the rat?s shoulders slumped.

?Good riddance!? Baxter said from behind the doorway, and Thrayjen turned to the fox with a snarl.

?Good riddance?! She?ll drown, you savage! She?ll drown for no other reason than Nire stole her from her home just as he did me. She?ll die hopelessly frightened and unknowing why she was subjected to such a fate!?

?B-but...but she?s evil!? Baxter offered, recoiling as the rat shoved his scarred muzzle into his face. ?She?s killed dozens!?

?Shall I lock the door after you then?? Thrayjen growled. ?Stay here and drown myself? Good riddance, right, fox? Good riddance to the Blackwhiskers!?

The fox winced and bit his lip as he struggled to find a response. He looked from Thrayjen, to Kali, and then finally to Bessie. He stared at her.

Bessie stared back.

?Aug, fine! Fine! She?s giving me the same look my oldest did right before I left and never returned??

The fox stuck his paw into a pocket and pulled out a fork, a gnawed on old bone from a past snack, and a spare lute string.

?Will any of this help??

Thrayjen took the bone, passing Baxter his torch as he did. The fox absently accepted the light, watching Thrayjen snap the bone with his heavy front teeth and gnaw it until the splinters formed a sharpened point.

?Just wait until Kali and I are far away so-OH, COME ON!?

Thrayjen jammed the bone into the lock and wiggled it up, up again, down, down, side to side and again until the lock finally released. Still until then, Bessie stirred from her position and scuttled above the cell door.

?Thracken?? Kali nervously stepped back to join Baxter around the corner.

Thrayjen threw the cage door open, and Bessie burst forward.

The spider tore from her cage, scuttling across the dripping ceiling and slipping several times as she hurriedly crawled through the Fell Glow doorway. Thrayjen heard Kali and Baxter shriek and the spider rushed by, and something heavy fell into the water.

?Kali!? Thrayjen shouted, and sighed in relief as the bat appeared in the doorway.

?I?m okay!? she chirped. ?Baxter fell again. Bessie...just...she just left.? Kali paused contemplatively. ?Is she going to eat everyone??

?No,? Thrayjen answered far more confidently than he felt. ?She?s like us. She just wants to go home. If she?s left alone, she?ll follow the Drag somewhere drier, and somewhere away from all the chaos. Maybe Mossflower Woods. Maybe Nire will dart her and she?ll be recaptured; he won?t kill her, at least. Either way, she?s better off than in here.?

?What about over there?? Kali pointed to a large iron hatch that resembled a ship porthole. A drizzle of water leaked from the seam where the domed disk closed against the wall; a circular valve sat in the centre of it, tightened to trap the screaming beast beyond. Thrayjen frowned, wondering what kind of creature would be crammed behind the heavy barricade.

Something Nire wanted in the Grand Tournament, no doubt. Why else would it be here and not in one of the pits...

Thrayjen approached the hatch and knocked. The screams suddenly stopped, just as mysteriously resuming as discernable words.

PLEASE! the creature begged. PLEASE, MERCY! HELP! AZALEA IS DROWNING! AZALEA IS DROWNING! AZALEA IS SSSORRY SSSHE ATE THE MARTEN! PLEASSSE!

?It can talk?!? Kali screeched, hopping over to stand beside Thrayjen.

?It?s a ?she?.?

They shared a brief glance before Thrayjen began to crank the valve and open the hatch.

The hatch opened a crack, water freely poured out from the small escape, and the voice inside became louder. The choking behind the creature?s words became evident as water poured out from behind the hatch, and a long, forked tongue darted from the small opening.

?VULPEZ, SHE?S A SNAKE!? Kali cried, leaping back and knocking Baxter over again.

?Yesss,? Azalea hissed from behind her metal blockade. ?Azalea isss Whiptail! Azalea will not bite! Pleassse, pleassSSsse help Azalea!?

?You won?t eat anyone?? Thrayjen asked. ?Not like you did that...marten??

?No!? Azalea shrieked, then gurgled as a rush of water poured past her. ?Please! Azalea will be good, she will not resissst anymore!?

?We?re not beasts in blue,? Thrayjen replied, continuing to twist the valve. His paws flew over each other, never stopping even as Azalea?s nostril appeared. ?In fact, we?re staging revolution right now. My apologies for the inconvenience??

?Then Azalea will help! She will desSstroy those who imprisssoned her!?

Thrayjen hauled on the valve several more times and stumbled back as Azalea?s head burst from the tunnel she had been locked in. Her tail pointed upwards with the slope of her prison, and scars ran along her belly.

The snake looked down, head swiveling while part of her body still remained entombed. Her eyes rested on Thrayjen, and she dove forward until they were nose to nose. Her tongue flickered out and brushed against the rat?s face.

?Azalea owess you her life! She will devour those who would ssteal her from her home! She will wring the life from their bodiess! She will-?

?Do no such thing,? Thrayjen said sternly, swatting the snake?s tongue away from his face while his heart fought against his ribs. Azalea recoiled before springing forward. Her jaws opened impossibly wide and fangs longer than Thrayjen was tall flashed before the snake slammed her jaws shut and glared at the rodent. Behind him, Baxter and Kali whimpered.

?She wants to fight for us, let her!? Kali insisted. ?She could be useful!?

?Just leave,? Thrayjen pressed on, forcing himself to stare into each of Azalea?s eyes as she shifted her head to look at him. ?Just leave. There?s a battle brewing here, and the chance at freedom is fleeting. You?re big, and scary, and you?ll be targeted by any bluebacks with darts or blade. The FTN, they?ll kill you just for being a snake in the Crater. Get out while you can, Miss Azalea.?

?No, no!? Baxter insisted. ?Stay! Stay and eat all the bluebacks you want! It?s a buffet!?

?They?ll be plenty of dead with when the day is done,? the rat said. Azalea snorted but Thrayjen, very slowly, rested a paw on the snake?s snout. ?You?ll die if you fight, so don?t fight. There?s flooding, fire, boars on the loose, and slaves are beginning to stir. Nobody will spare you. Nobody will fight for you. Just leave.?

Azalea looked from the stiffly alert rat to the trembling bards behind him. Her tongue flickered out, tasting the damp earth and the smoke and the fear in the air.

?Azalea will go, then,? the snake hissed, and began to slither further out of her tunnel. ?Azalea will go and never return. What of you, rat??

?I?ve got friends to help.?

The rat took a step back, and then another. With a final nod to the whiptail, Thrayjen grabbed Kali by her wing and began to back them out of the room.

?Wait,? Azalea suddenly lunged forward, stopping just short of slamming into the trio. ?Azalea has friendss, as well. She can help them.?

~*~

Screams of sheer terror rang systematically throughout the Drag. Horrified beasts wearing blue and collars alike leaped into doorways or pushed each other down stairs, scrambling to flee from the snake that slithered through the Drag. Upon her back, three beasts clutched at her in varying degrees of dread. Thrayjen sat almost comfortably, subtly stroking several of Azalea?s scales as he admired how smooth she felt. Behind him, Baxter clutched at his lute and whimpered, tears staining the fox?s cheeks. At the rear perched Kali, her painted fur running all sorts of drowned colours, screaming and whooping and singing battle songs with exaggerated vibrato.

?It?s just up here,? Thrayjen said, and Azalea slowed. The archery range within sight, Thrayjen slid from the snake?s back and helped a sweating Baxter down.

?Nooooo!? Kali protested when Thrayjen offered her a paw. ?Can?t we keep her??

?No,? Thrayjen sighed. ?As much as I?ll regret it later.?

?Azalea will dessstroy those who imprisssoned her?? the snake offered once again.

?The front gates are that way. Just keep heading up in any direction.? Thrayjen pointed further down the hall, unable to stop from smirking as his pulse raced. ?They?ll be heavily guarded, but if you move quickly, most beasts will simply scatter. Watch out for the hawk. And the boars. And everyone, really.?

?Azalea will never eat a rat again,? the snake promised, and her body moved forward down the corridor before her head could catch up. ??You have Azalea'sSSs gratitude."

?Aw,? Kali groaned. ?I really liked her. She could have given everyone a ride out??

?Or every blueback and slave would have banded together to kill the ?monster?,? Thrayjen replied. ?This way is better. She stands a chance, and gives us an even better one.?

?What do you mean by that?? Baxter asked, finally coming out of his trembling fit.

Thrayjen barely glanced up as he headed for the archery range and bowyery beyond. ?The guards will be preoccupied now with fire, boars, Bessie, and Azalea on the loose. Their spears and their arrows will be looking for other creatures while we find a way out.?

?What do we do now?" Kali asked. Thrayjen pushed the door open and stopped cold in his tracks. The yard was full of frantic beasts. Foxglove stood upon the workshop roof, tossing bows, arrows, and sharpened tools to beasts below as Marigold tended to slaves bearing wounds from boar or from guard. Blue stood, passing out wooden training weapons and arguing with Rinam as they counted beasts and attempted to sort the able-bodied from the meek.

"This is...this is wrong!" Thrayjen growled, glaring across the compound. "They were supposed to leave!"

?What now? What do we do?? Kali asked tentatively, sensing the rat?s rising anger. Thrayjen cursed and began to march across the range.

The bloodied rat must have made a startling sight, for some of the Barrow beasts took an offensive stance as the rat drew nearer. Rinam waited inside the bowyery door, greeting him with a somewhat smug smile.

?You were supposed to leave,? Thrayjen growled at her. The mouse shrugged. A flash of gold at her waist. Her rondel came to paw.

?I am needed here.?

The rat?s jaw dropped as his lip curled. Her stubbornness had dragged Aera into harm?s way, and the rat wanted to scream at the white mouse.

?Look at all these beasts,? Kali breathed in awe, her chest swelling with pride. ?And they?re all here, willing to fight for what?s right!?

He remembered the Fell Wing. He remembered Kali begging him not to open the doors, recalled Baxter?s fear as Thrayjen picked the lock to Bessie?s cage. It hadn?t been smart, but it had been the right thing to do. Like Komi and the boars, every beast had a choice to do the right thing and Rinam had made hers.

?Damn you,? Thrayjen grunted, forcing his balled fists into the sign for courage. The mouse raised a brow.

?You?re frightened.?

?For you,? Thrayjen explained. ?For Aera, and Miss Blue. For my children, out there somewhere.?

?You?re own life??

?I rode a snake earlier. I?m feeling rather immortal right now.?

?It was amazing!? Kali exclaimed, and both Rinam and Thrayjen started at the bat?s exuberance. ?She was like HISSSS and I was all YEAAAAH and beasts were like WOAH!? She gestured too hard with her wounded wing and winced.

?Can you still fly?? Thrayjen asked urgently as he looked from the hole in Kali?s wing to the smoky sky.

?Maybe...I don?t know yet.?

?Kali, you can get out of the Crater,? Thrayjen said excitedly. ?If you stick to the smoke, if you stay low, Thunder won?t notice you. He?ll be too preoccupied finding where the boars have gone off too. The guards up top are minding the fire!, Kali! Kali, you could find Aldridge??

The rat trailed off, Kali?s eyes widening.

?Aldy...he?s alive??

?Yes, but it?s a secret,? Thrayjen hissed, hushing her with a quick whistle. ?He?s in Northvale. He?s been preparing for this day.?

The bat looked up contemplatively. She gingerly tested her wing, unfurling it again.

?I don?t know how far I can get on this??

The rat ground his teeth, seething to himself as he mentally measured the hole in Kali?s wing. The bat wouldn?t get far at all before her membrane tore and pain expelled her from the sky.

?It?s alright,? Thrayjen said, nodding rhythmically. ?You?re right. You can?t, you?ll cripple yourself.?

?So what do we do?? Kali asked quietly. Thrayjen looked around the archery range, watching carefully as beasts excitedly milled about.

?I?m not sure,? the rat answered. ?But I need a cup of tea.?

Blue exclaimed from where she had climbed onto the roof, perching precariously beside Aera. Her blue coat stood out amongst the beasts in collars. Thrayjen frowned, and gestured for the maids to come down.

?There?s always time for tea, Miss Blue. Especially before a fight.?