NOVEL NEXT Chapter 25: 25. Yarub
We set out the next morning, feeling vibrant and refreshed. The atmosphere of the previous night awoke with us, and the next two days on horseback saw us basking in that light mood.
Only when we reached our destination did the air turn tense. And for obvious reasons.
Their brother was in danger, and our course of action would determine whether he would survive.
Our horses came to a stop atop a simple cliff overlooking the town of Yarub, and straight away, a downcast scene unfolded before our expectant eyes. It was easy to tell that oppression had occurred in that settlement.
Our gazes locked for a bit, and our expressions turned pensive. Due to the steepness of the cliff's path, we made our way down it on foot. A relatively large cluster of trees existed at the base of that landform, allowing for adequate obscurity.
"Through these trees, there's an entrance that leads into the town via an underground tunnel," Eiko explained when we arrived at the cliff's foot—hidden from the public eye by the trees.
"It's a secret entrance and exit, only knights know about or can access."
"Why do you even have such a thing?" I felt forced to ask. Had they anticipated the war and built that convenient entrance?
"I don't know… maybe so we knights could gain access to it without having to deal with our fame? Knights are rather rare, as such, we are popular. Most of us don't like it all the time."
"Valid," I nodded, allowing my gaze to advance. The very trees around us seemed to respond to the grim air above the town. And for some reason, that reality felt more evident to me.
Before we proceeded, Eiko filled us in on the state of the town, politically.
According to her words, Yarub actually had its gates opened to the rest of the kingdom, even whilst being under the Empire's control. She however explained that the reason for this was the people within the town.
Understanding that they could not cater for the entire settlement, and they needed them to be alive for use; the Empire established contact with Yukov concerning the issue, and using the lives of its people as a bargaining chip, it ensured that Yukov could not deploy a frontal attack on it, and still allow the empire to deal business with the surrounding settlements.
This decision had been made three months before now, and according to the details she had; although the people did not die off completely, starvation remained a big issue.
To ensure none of the people within the town escaped, the Empire mandated that anyone who wished to go hunting or trading in other towns had to put their families within its custody. Basically holding them hostage.
With that, they could forcefully buy the loyalty of the citizens.
Also, only a handful of towns had staked their well-being on the line to even allow traders to come to Yarub. Thankfully, the Empire did not ruin that.
I at least felt glad that some aspects of its actions were reasonable.
I had asked why we couldn't just disguise ourselves as traders, and she explained that two things hindered such an approach.
One, the towns that dealt with the empire and its merchants all had a mode of identification—One sealed with a Craft only the empire knew how to make. The second had to do with Eiko herself.
Her strength would stand out too much, and although it wasn't unusual for merchants to hire 'Rebels' as protection, a person of her stature would constitute too much of a buzz.
I was once again reminded about how the standards of this generation had plummeted.
Once upon a time, Hill-Stage Rebels came a dime a dozen, and Mountain-Stage experts were common enough for a city's armed force to feature multiple of them.
More people had walked the path of power then, than now. It was a pity.
With those details established, we began our short journey in search of the hidden entrance, and contrary to my imagination, it had indeed been hidden.
Rather than a door concealed by trees or within a cave, we arrived at a seemingly random point within those formations of trees and Eiko crouched to make her way through the leaves and sand… putting both me and Nura in slight confusion.
But before we could voice our thoughts, she pressed her pendant into the ground, even if she put it in the keyhole meant for it.
Wonder and shock reverberated through my mind when the earth gave a low rumble and a portion of the ground gave way to reveal a stairway that led beneath the surface!
"See? Hidden," she smirked, seeing our expressions. Stepping into the gap wide enough to fit a person, she walked a few steps before looking up at us.
"Quickly, the entrance won't be open for long," she beckoned, and only then did Nura and I respond. Truly, the entrance slid shut less than a minute later. I reckoned it was a safety mechanism.
Now inside, we walked down a dark, murky, and damp tunnel, with our only source of light being the torch Nura lit. Due to her healing core, Eiko's Flame-craft was heavily limited.
The sound of our steps echoed within the stone dungeon as we remained silent… alert.
Eiko had only mentioned it, but she said she hoped the town master had not sold the knights out in a bid to save his skin.
And though she did not say it; if by chance he had, then we would be walking into what was most likely certain death.
As the sole of our shoes neared the exit of the tunnel, I took into note its width and features. It did not allow two people to stand side by side, thanks to how narrow it was, though it was at least 10ft in height. Now and then we encountered torches still within their holders, and from the looks of it, none of them had been touched in years.
According to Eiko, that tunnel was over a century in age too, and there were several such ones beneath specific settlements — Known only to established Knights of Yukov.