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The boy-soldier grabs my arm and guides me down the staircase. His grip is firm and strong, especially for his size.  There is a strong chance he's a Strength, but there's no real way to tell. Years of training and constant paranoia can have the same result.

As soon as we reach the outer doors, the other two men rejoin us. They are older, at least in their thirties, and lack any kind of Mark. Despite that, their pure muscle mass is enough to make me look twice.

Verin and Lionel watch from a distance, there faces boarding between pride and terror. To anyone's knowledge, our leader has never taken anyone under his wing. True, they had been worried before, but that was before the escort showed itself. I can about guess the scenario running through their heads. After all, I'm only his student. If I'm in enough danger to warrant an escort like this, then what kind of danger does he expect on a daily basis? And, by extension, what kind of danger will he be putting me into?

The two older men open the door. Bright sunlight fills the street, a stark contrast to the artificial illumination that I last witnessed. I blink at the harsh light, but the boy-soldier doesn't wait for my eyes to adjust. Instead he ushers me outside quickly, practically throwing me into a carriage parked in the street. A group of people have gathered, but I don't get the chance to identify them before the carriage is moving, pulling me from the underground city.

"Where are you taking me?" I ask sharply. I manage to reposition myself in a dignified manner, pulling my bag into my lap. The skin over my fresh wounds protest, and I'm thankful that I'm not bleeding. My companion doesn't seem to notice my discomfort. The boy-soldier simply looks out the window and lets out a sigh.

"We're going to your new home, and that's all you need to know, " he says as he pulls the curtains down, casting the interior in darkness. "Right now, all you need to know is that my name is Alcander. I'll be your guide until you get adjusted."

"I thought I would be directed by my Full Mentor, not one of his underlings," I reply.

Alcander peeks out of the window, a short burst of light cascading into the darkened and stuffy space. He blinks and shuts the curtain, once again robbing the interior of brightness. "We're causing quite a stir," he says. Alcander rubs his fingers on his left wrist as he stares into space. "I had hoped this would go a little more quietly."

"You pulled up in a carriage. What did you expect?" I say. I begin to move the curtain to see for myself, but Alcander springs across the carriage and slaps my hand away. A dagger forms in my hand on instinct. Alcander looks from me, to the dagger, and back again. Surprisingly, he sits back down and extends his hand out.

"May I see it?" he asks. I flip the dagger and carefully hand the hilt to him. He takes it from my hand and examines it. Alcander holds the dagger like he was born with it in his hands. After a few minutes, he hands it back to me with a small smile on his face.

"I could never tell that didn't exist moments ago. In fact, it feels like it was made by a master craftsmen," Alcander says, astonishment in his voice.

I imagine the dagger gone, and it disappears in my hand. Tiredness seeps into my body, but it's minor enough that Alcander doesn't notice my quicker breaths. So I'm still not close to 100%. How wonderful.

"You never answered me, Alcander. Why are you here and not my Full Mentor?" I ask to distract him.

The carriage starts to rock even more than it had before. We hit a large hole, and my bag tumbles from my lap. The top opens, and everything spews across the floor. Alcander reaches down, but I block him. He slowly pulls away and I gather my things. I can feel the book inside its wrapping, and I let out the breath I've been holding.

Alcander doesn't wait for me to reseat myself. "Your Full Mentor is a busy man. He doesn't have the time to attend to your every whim, Miss Blackwood."

"Stop calling me that," I say, shutting the bag. "Miss Blackwood. I'm not a store owner, I'm not a teacher. I'm a human being."

"Kella, then. I do hope we emerge from the tunnel soon. This can't be good for the carriage or the horses."
We hit another large bump, and Alcander almost falls to the ground. "Not too good for us either."

Tunnel? "What tunnel?"

He shakes his head. "Nevermind. Are you hungry?" Alcander opens up his jacket and pulls out a piece of bread. He rips of a piece and carefully eats it. Nodding in satisfaction, he rips off another and offers it to me.

"It's fresh. Made only this morning," he says. It's only at the sight of food that I remember the last time I ate is well over thirty-six hours ago. I take the bread and stuff it into my mouth.

I spend the next hour slowly devouring the rest of the bread. Alcander rations me, making sure I don't eat too fast and end up puking up my meal. He calmly sits and waits, and I'm actually grateful for his presence. In many ways, he reminds me of Verin. Calming in a strange way, sassy to smart reponses, yet patient. Both are very adept at simply ignoring questions they don't want to answer.

They also let me just fall asleep.

One minute I'm finishing the last piece of bread. The next Alcander is crushed up next to me, shaking me awake. I start to talk, but he slaps his hand over my mouth before I get the chance. The carriage isn't moving anymore. Sunlight bleeds through the curtains, which have moved just enough to reveal trees of the above-ground world.

Alcander slowly moves his hand away from my mouth and places a single finger on his lips. He gestures for me to stay and turns to face the door. Alcander slowly stands as straight as possible and smooths his clothes. He steps out and closes the door behind himself, blocking my view of outside events.

"Is there a problem, soldier?" I hear Alcander ask. He sounds dignified, like a nobleman addressing his subjects.

"The Bellatrix Festival begins today," a gruff voice answers. "No travel is permitted into the city areas, on orders from His Majesty."

The Bellatrix Festival. It's newer holiday, instituted after the King's eldest son died because of Markling. People are always bloodthirsty, looking for anyone and everyone who might be tainted with remenets of the disease. It is a dangerous time for us to travel.

A moment of silence passes. "I was unaware of this fact, I assure you," Alcander responds. "Believe me of this. It is of the utmost importance that we gain entrance today. I have orders from nobility-"

"Show me them."

Alcander reopens the carriage and pulls an envelope from a small slit under the seat. He glances at me only once, giving me a firm nod as he ducks back outside. I sit as still as a stone. Even breathing feels dangerous.

A minute passes, then five. I stay inside of the carriage, listening to the tense silence. A bird sings outside, bright song an ironic hightlight to the conversation. I hadn't done anything to hide my appearance before we left. If the soldier doesn't believe the papers, he has every right to check the carriage and arrest Alcander. If that happens...

"This letter mentions two passengers," I hear the gruff soldier say. My body involuntarily goes on alert.

"My wife," Alcander says. The lie rolls smoothly off of his tounge. "She's resting inside. Please, don't disturb her. We just found out that she is going to have our first child-"

I don't get the time to react. Light fills the carriage, momentarily blinding me. A large, bulky figure stands in the doorway. As soon as he sees me, he draws the sword at his side. I reach for my power, but it slips away from me like sand in a fishing net. I'm powerless as he rests the tip of the sword on my throat.

"Devil child!" the soldier yells.