The Coalition (Book 1)

Chapter 11

The rain was coming in torrents by the time he reached a large cave buried beneath a thick growth of ivy. It was past Lael's south boundary fence, in the Borderless. Its location made it the perfect hiding spot since community laws prevented anyone from venturing outside of Lael.

Water seeped into his leather boots and his hooded cloak had done little to shield him from the rain as he ran. He breathed heavily and pushed aside the thick ivy from the mouth of the cave, then slipped inside the narrow opening of the rocky hide-away. A dim light at the end of a long tunnel illuminated the interior just enough for him to reposition the ivy concealing the entrance with cold, numb fingers.

He blew into his cupped hands as he ducked his head to avoid hitting the low ceiling while he walked towards the light. Tufts of moss splotched the wet walls and floor of the cave, muting his footsteps and filling his nose with a damp, earthy smell.

Turning left at a fork, he followed the narrow tunnel until it led to a large cavern. Voices of children and their soft laughter echoed in the dark recesses, thawing the chill around his soul.

"Aliah!" A small tow-headed child ran to him and wrapped her chubby arms around his leg. He tousled her soft curls, and winked at her as she peered up at him with large, grey eyes, before she ran to join the rest of the children huddled around a fire in the center of the cavern.

Low wooden benches lined two curved walls, serving as both bed and chair. Three large, metal buckets filled with water stood on one side of the cave while several more were placed on the opposite side.

Aliah made his way over to an older woman who sat rocking an infant. "Mother," he whispered. Her dark curls were damp against her neck and she turned her face towards him. She smiled and two deep dimples appeared in her cheeks. She had always been beautiful.

"How are you? How's Shai?"

He ignored her question and pulled the blanket back from the infant's face and sucked in a deep breath. The baby had pink cheeks, dark hair, and eyes that made Aliah's heart skip a beat. They weren't the typical Laelite grey but a piercing shade of blue that sparkled in the firelight. Like Shai's.

Aliah chewed his lip and watched his mother stroke the infant's cheek.

"He came with the other children Ellersly brought tonight," she said softly.

Aliah paced the earthen floor. The baby was a surprise, and that meant there were twenty-two children he was responsible for. He knelt in front of his mother.

"Do they still have their pendants?" The question caught in his throat. He knew the answer.

She gave him an apologetic smile. "The pendants were left behind. This is the only child Ellersly didn't bring from Lael. Somehow he was taken from the Camps, so he wouldn't have a Laelite pendant yet." She smoothed the baby's black hair. "We are all better off without those cursed things."

Aliah rocked back on his heels then sat hard on the ground, his head in his hands. "I sent Ellersly a message to get the children out of Lael, but removing their pendants was never part of the plan. Whose suggestion was that?"

"It's better this way," his mother said, without looking at him.

What kind of an answer is that? Aliah raised his head, his eyes following Mara's peaceful rhythm as she rocked the baby. Her gentleness had made her the favorite Mother among the children when she was in Lael. Aliah hardly remembered the day she was escorted from Lael to live in the Borderless, but even now his chest ached with the hollow feeling her absence had made.