Defying Equilibrium: Book II

Chapter 3: Heartless

Oscar should have been scared.

He should have been, by all laws of logic. He could not think of a single situation in which he should be more terrified, and yet he wasn't. As he crouched in the dark, awaiting Dakora's signal, he was nothing but calm. He had never been someone particularly ruled by logic.

They had not simply stormed in, weapons blazing, prepared to take on any opponent in their path. Well, that was Dare's plan, but the rest weren't quite as stupid. So instead, they took an hour outside the entrance to plan. Planning was one of Ahmed's rules, after all. Rule 8, in fact. Attacking without a plan would end with all of their deaths.

Dakora was the only one who knew what it looked like from the inside. She drew them a diagram of the layout in the dirt with a stick, crude but effective. Using the stick as a pointer, she had gestured to various parts of the layout.

“The forges are built layer upon layer, and the place is like a bloody labyrinth so don't get lost. There are spiral stairwells located in various sections of the structure, the key to moving around. This is also where you are most likely to run into people. And remember, nearly everyone here has some degree of skill with either magic or combat, or both, so keep your weapons close if you want to live.”

She gestured to a rectangle she had scrawled into the dirt. “This is a corridor, which'll be to our right once we're inside if I remember correctly. And that will lead us to the stairwell, and the floor we want is the second lowest, the one just above the forges themselves. One that floor are a few detaining cells, and they're our best bet.”

Silas had looked at her, an eyebrow raised. “How do you know where prisoners are kept?”

“Watch it,” Dare had said, eyes narrowed. “If you weren't so self-absorbed, maybe you'd know that you aren't the only one with a past they don't like to speak of.”

Silas grinned. “Oooh, am I making the idiot angry? Self-importance is the way I am, if you want kindness then speak to my other half.” Before Dare could retort about just where Silas could shove his self-importance, Ahmed interrupted.

“Can you do that, Silas? Let Riess take over whenever you want?”

Silas shrugged. “Sure. As I told you, Riess isn't aware of my existence, so that puts me in control. I can be Riess whenever I please. I just don't please very often.”

“So what, your plan is to get inside and then let Riess take over? Regain his memories?”

“Something like that.”

Out of curiosity, Oscar asked. “So once Riess has his memories back, and you become 'one again' as you said, then who is left? You or Riess?”

Silas shrugged again. “I've no idea. What do I look like, an expert on this? If I knew what I was doing, I wouldn't have done it in the first place.” He said bitterly.

“Can someone please tell to me what the hell you're talking about?” Sansu pleaded, perplexed. “Who is Silas? I'm so confused.”

Dare realised that none of them had bothered to explain the situation to her. He had made sure to fill Dakora and Oscar in on the details after Silas had told him, but he hadn't thought to tell Sansu. The thought made him feel pretty guilty.

“Later,” Oscar promised her. It would all become clear later.

Dakora cleared her throat. “Um, is anyone paying attention to me, or is my help not worth your time?”

The all muttered 'sorry', except for Silas, who under his breath muttered, “None of you fools are worth my time.”

Dakora ignored him. “Alright, once we get down to the second floor there will be guards, and we won't get past them without some persuasion. Persuasion with weapons, to be specific.”