Andrew smiled as he heard the faint sound of happy voices echoing through the rocky tunnel. The soft glow of Tsur’s gift dimmed as the tunnel grew brighter with each step. Finally, he entered an immense, underground city he and many others considered their home.

  The city’s ceiling was decorated with a multitude of beautifully glowing rocks, similar to the one Andrew still held. Their iridescent hues danced among the stalactites and resembled the night sky of the world above. Various lanterns and lamp posts, crafted from smaller pieces of the same glowing stones, illuminated pathways and businesses so much so that, during usual daylight hours, the city was as bright as a park under the noonday sun.

  Currently though, the rocks and lanterns bathed the city in a soft, orange hue, signifying to its residents that night had come. The changing brightness was a feature Tsur and the other stone golems who hid this city and guarded its residents added to help people better understand the passing of time. The golems did this after they realized how important time seemed to be for those only given a limited amount of it.

  Andrew stuffed his glowing rock into his pocket and walked beyond the now closed shops that had been carved masterfully out of rock. Each storefront was a testament to its owner's craft: the intricate needlework draped across the seamstress's window, the colorful baskets overflowing with produce outside the farmer's market, the enticing aroma of coffee beans still lingering around the coffee shop. However, he barely registered their unique beauty, his mind preoccupied with Charity. Would she enjoy such a strange sight once she and Leah were inevitably brought here?

  He continued his mindless descent down one of the many halls that branched off the central hub, passing several homes hewn out of rock with wooden doors perfectly placed to separate each home from the shared hall. Lanterns flickered outside the carved doorways and cast long shadows that danced across the rock walls. The faint sound of dripping stalactites and crackling flames only added to the already peaceful atmosphere that constantly flooded this place.

  Andrew stopped in front of the last door of the long hall and let himself in. He immediately dove onto the couch with a long, exasperated sigh.

  “What’s got you down, bro?” Uzziah said, walking toward his roommate and best friend.

  “She’s being watched, man,” Andrew’s words were muffled by a pillow.

  “Already? How do you know?” Uzziah asked, fully aware Andrew was referring to Charity.

  “She saw an Elite last night,” Andrew replied somberly, shifting himself to a seated position.

  Uzziah rubbed the faint scar on his chin, “How much time do you think we have?”

  “I’m not sure. She and Leah are both staying at her dad’s house tonight. They just found out about Rose.”

  Uzziah’s eyebrows raised. “Just now? She’s been dead for two days.”

  “I know, man. I don’t get it, and I don’t know how much Peter knows. Do you think he was told the usual spiel about it being a random mountain monster attack?”

  “You think they feed the high chairman that same garbage lie?” Uzziah replied in disbelief.

  “I honestly couldn’t tell you. I wouldn’t put it past them, though. The Elite and their so-called king don’t exactly seem to have a working moral compass,” Andrew replied.

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  “That’s true, but didn’t you say the high council is usually told when the Elite kill someone for the sake of ‘peace’ or whatever reason they usually claim?” Uzziah asked.

  “Usually, but this one was definitely different. Peter didn’t know until today, and I don’t know how much he knows, but judging by the state of their home when Charity and I got there and the little bit I heard him say before I left, I don’t think the Elite told him the truth. I don’t know what they said to him, but he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would be okay with working for the same people that killed his wife.”

  “Do you think he’s on Abaddon’s hit list, too?”

  “No. He’s too high profile. If they kill him off right after his wife died, it’ll draw too much suspicion, especially since he hasn’t been in his position for long. They won’t do it. It would just cause more work for them,” Andrew said matter-of-factly.

  “Right, then, so what do we-”

  “Help!” A blood curdling ripped through the hallway. Andrew and Uzziah rushed to the source without hesitation. Andrew flung open the door and quickly pulled in three teenage boys who couldn’t be older than eighteen. Two were badly bruised, and the other was covered in blood and nearly unconscious.

  The coppery tang of blood invaded their apartment as Andrew and Uzziah set to work. Uzziah ushered the two boys who weren’t as badly injured to the kitchen table and checked for any severe head trauma or other injuries. Andrew grabbed the medical kit near the door and started cleaning the wounds on the third.

  Andrew ripped the bloodied shirt off the boy, and his own body paled at the grotesque sight. A deep gash that stretched the entire way across his abdomen was actively bleeding, pumping out that dark crimson fluid with each pulse. Blood pooled around Andrew, soaking his jeans and staining his hands. Andrew was confident some of the boy’s major organs were punctured from such a deep laceration, and he would die soon without proper medical attention.

  Andrew’s forearms became slick with blood as he did his best to apply pressure to the massive laceration and stifle the bleeding as much as he could. Uzziah, having finished with the other two, ran to Andrew’s side.

  “Go get Joshua,” Andrew said, his sweat mixed with the boy’s blood. Uzziah ran without looking back.

  “What happened?” Andrew asked the two young strangers sitting at his dining room table, attempting to distract them from their friend’s ragged, weakened breaths.

  “We were on a scouting mission near a new mine that was found recently. Stephen sent us, but I don’t think he knew there would still be so many Elites in the area.”

  “He probably didn’t. Stephen’s a good leader. He wouldn’t have sent you out there if he knew. How did you get away?” Andrew asked.

  “A… a bright light. It came out of nowhere and wrapped around the Elite. It gave us just enough time to run,” the young man said, his voice quivering.

  “A himmelli found you,” Andrew muttered.

  With his hands still stained with blood, Andrew’s finger found its way to his patient’s neck. His pulse was continuing to weaken, and his breathing had become even more shallow. Where is Uzziah? He wondered, hoping both he and Joshua were not far away. He listened to the stifled sobs of the two kids behind him. Perhaps he could distract them just long enough to keep them calm until help arrived.

  “What are your names?” Andrew asked.

  “I-I’m Tim,” said a young boy with long, blood-crusted copper hair.

  “Ezekiel, but most people just call me Zeke,” replied the other, whose left eye was swollen shut, “Is… is Thomas going to be okay?”

  Andrew’s lips tightened. He wished he could lie, offer false comfort, but what good would that comfort do when they came face to face with harsh, unforgiving reality? "I don't know," he admitted. "These wounds are deep, and he’s lost a lot of blood. But he’s still alive right now and could pull through. The chances are slim without Joshua, but we'll know more when Uzziah gets back." He adjusted the pressure on Thomas's wound, the metallic scent of blood still thick in the air.

  “We messed up, didn’t we?” Tim choked.

  “No, this wasn’t your fault. Don’t blame yourselves. Was this your first mission?”

  “Second,” Zeke whispered.