Part One - Rescue
Chapter 1
The sun once shone in the Caves of Anliath but not anymore. Nestled beneath the great City of The Spires the once glorious caves had been transformed generations ago into prisons. In the ancient past the caves had been shelters and store rooms where traders and others could protect their goods before shipping them downstream to the sea ports and beyond. Over time, a permanent settlement had grown around the caves as the trade from the inland to the sea and back again had increased. When King Karlath I had finally united all the warring tribes under his rule, he had chosen Anliath as a central place to build his capital. Good trade routes meant good roads, which armies needed. It took a generation to build a fortress that satisfied Karlath. Heavily fortified, the capital's most magnificent features were four spires, one at each corner of the palace. In time, the city had become known as the City of The Spires.
A hundred years ago three of the local tribes had rebelled against Karlath the VI. After a long and bloody war Karlath's armies had destroyed most of the tribes people. Those that were captured were put into the caves and the entrance sealed behind them. Thirty years later, Karlath VII decided that his father's idea should be expanded so walls replaced the sealed entrance and the caves were cleaned out and transformed into the Royal Prisons. Today they were almost always occupied with political or criminal prisoners.
Kari's job was to feed the prisoners. As a result of childhood accident Kari was horribly disfigured. Her face and arm bones had been crushed on one side and her hip broken, leaving her with a noticeable limp. Her useless arm hung withered and limp at her side but she could still carry the slop and water with her other hand. After the accident Kari's parents realized that no one would ever accept her either as an apprentice or as a wife. Kari's father arranged with a friend to get Kari the job at the prison and she had been here since. She slept in an empty cell when there was one and ate the same food the prisoners ate. In the nine years since her father had dropped her off at the Caves neither he nor Kari's mother had spoken to her again.
Every day Kari had limped up to the main prison entrance and picked up the food and water for the prisoners. Using a pole, she lifted them on her shoulder and slowly made her way into the depths of the Caves of Anliath. Despite her handicaps, Kari was strong from work and seen from behind, had an attractive figure. Her long hair, although unkempt, was rich and dark as it fell down her back reaching to her knees. Newer guards, before they saw her face and arm sometimes made comments to their fellows who greeted them with laughter. When they finally saw her crushed in face and disfigured body from the front their initial lust turned to horror for most and pity for a few kinder souls.
Kari was used to it. Her body was crushed but she had a bright mind and often imagined what it would be like to be like other girls her age. Then, reality setting in, she brushed aside her fantasies and got on with her work. Kari started at the first cell and doled out the food and water. There was a bowl for the food and a cup for water. Twice a day she would fill these, saying nothing to the prisoners. When she was younger she had tried befriending some of the inmates but their release or their execution came all too soon. After a while, Kari just stopped talking to them at all. They came and they went, a series of nameless faces that in time all blurred into each other. When the prison was full Kari had no time to talk anyway and when it was mostly empty she liked to explore the empty caves. Every so often she found a trinket left over from the days of the traders. These she horded and kept as a collection in one of the back caves that was not used as part of the prison.
Today the prison was nearly empty so Kari was able to finish quickly. She made her way back into the caves, deep into the older parts of the caves to continue her exploring. The torch she had gave off a flickering poor light but she didn't mind. The little things the traders left behind were usually covered by dirt and dust anyway. She bent down and began where she left off, methodically brushing away dirt with her hands in hopes of finding a new treasure. Hours passed with no new finds but Kari was used to menial tasks and this, at least, was for her own pleasure. Finally, realizing it was close to time for the evening food, Kari sighed. She stood and slowly made her way back to the gate.
As Kari reached the gate she heard a voice calling out her name. It was Garleth. He was one of the few guards to ever show her kindness, perhaps because one of his own children, a son, had a club foot. Kari's condition was far more severe but perhaps Garleth saw beneath the cripple to the person below.
"Don't say I mentioned this, Kari. Got a new prisoner today. Different." Garleth whispered conspiratorially.
"Different? Like me?" Kari rasped the words out.
Garleth looked puzzled then understanding came to his face. "No, no. Not like you. But different all the same. I am supposed to tell you to make sure you put this in her food each time. Supposedly she would die without it or some such thing." Gareth passed Kari a pouch. Astonished, Kari opened it to reveal a whitish powder. "Only a few shakes of it each time, they said. Too much would kill her. They just said to make sure. She is in the second cell in. Don't forget."
Kari, her eyes wide with fear, looked up at Garleth. For nine years she had carried slop and water and never, in all that time, had she been trusted with anything else. What if she made a mistake and put too much in? What if the prisoner died because of her clumsiness? Garleth looked at her and saw how terrified she was. "Don't fret. Just take a pinch like this," Garleth took a small pinch of the white powder between his thumb and finger, "and sprinkle it on. That's what they told me to do. A pinch mind you. No more. Understand?" The last word was spoken almost kindly. Kari nodded.
Kari had nowhere to carry the pouch so she took a string from the hem of her blouse and tied the pouch around her neck. At least there she could feel it and would know it was safe. When she arrived at the second cell, Kari carefully placed a pinch of the whitish powder on the slop and slid the bowl into the cell. Curious, Kari tried to see the prisoner but the darkness of the cell enveloped her completely.
Oddly, this prisoner was the first Kari had ever seen to receive visitors almost daily. Kari was curious but knew better than to let it show. She continued her routine, providing food, sprinkling powder, seeking treasures in the old caves. In time, Kari's curiosity was buried beneath the mundane. The visitors came less often and everything went back to normal in the prison caves.
