Garinor decided that running into the brush was too risky for his own safety and though it might cause problems for the residents, he ran for the house. It didn’t take him long to get there with the threat of pursuit empowering him.
The building was larger than he first thought. He only saw one side of it on his way, but as he ran around to find a door, he saw that it extended beyond what he expected. There wasn’t much to the house. It was a typical, boxy wooden home, though a lot larger than normal. He knocked on the door and it opened soon after, an old woman welcoming him inside.
“Hello, stranger,” she said in a gravelly voice. “Come in. Don’t stand out there alone.”
“I’m sorry to come,” he said as he stepped across the threshold. “But I had no other choice, really.”
“Nonsense,” she replied. “Come this way. You’ll go right down into the basement for a while, I think.”
He hesitated at this but realized that he had no other recourse after intruding upon her. “There are some people after me.”
“Oh, I do understand, young one. Don’t worry. My sisters and I will discourage them. All you need do is sit with the others and bide your time.”
“Others?” he asked, but she didn’t respond.
She walked him toward an innocuous door, which looked like a dozen others in the hallway, but it opened to a narrow stairwell that led into a dark room. He thought he heard noises for a moment, but when the portal opened all the noises went away at once.
Without light to see by, he trudged down the stairs carefully. The old woman plodded along behind him and it was clear she had traveled the stairs innumerable times in her life. “Beware that step,” she warned him as he put his foot on a loose board that shifted under him. He caught himself in time, which was lucky, for he didn’t know if he could have stopped himself from sliding all the way down.
“Put your hand on that wall, dear. To your left. Now follow it along a ways and you’ll reach a safe place in no time. Don’t worry, this won’t take long.” After that, she worked her way back up the stairs.
Garinor took her advice and walked along the corridor, keeping his hand gliding along the wood. There weren’t any obstacles in his way, just darkness. He couldn’t see anything, but he kept moving. It took about five full minutes before a dim light shone and he realized that there was a door ahead of him. He pressed against it and slid it open and he was surprised at what he saw.
Inside were about thirty boys his age. They all stared fearfully at the doorway, but relaxed instantly when they saw it was someone else like them. Most returned to their hobbies, such as playing dice or cards, but three kept a close eye on him.
Garinor entered the room, wondering what was taking place with everyone else here. There was no one older than him and no one younger. They were all fourteen years old.
“Hello,” he said to one of the boys who kept staring at him. “I’m Garinor.”
The boy walked forward and introduced himself. “Jinorrah, but everyone calls me Jin. I guess you just got here, and you were being followed. The Sisters wouldn’t have let you in alone otherwise,” he explained. He motioned to the other two to go about their business.
“The Sisters?”
“Four old ladies who run this place,” Jin answered. “They took us all in to keep us safe.”
Garinor nodded, knowing the answer but needing to ask the question anyway. “Safe from what?”
“The prince, of course. Total madman, if you ask me. He has a whole army set up under his control and no one can stop him. Even the king won’t interfere. That worries me more than anything else, actually. If you can’t trust the ones running the kingdom, what are you supposed to do?”
Garinor shrugged, not knowing how to respond.
“Well anyway,” said Jin, “the Sisters have been running this place for decades. Bunch of old crones who never had children of their own. Took in any strays. But us… we’re special.”
“Why is that?”
Jinorrah looked at him like he was crazy. “Aren’t you listening? The prince is after us. That’s why we’re all down here in the dark while everyone else is up above. But living here is better than not living at all. It’s a terrible trade-off, but it’s better than nothing, if you ask me.”
Garinor swept his eyes around at the other boys. “How long have you been here?”
“Me? Eight years. These others? All different times. Some of us came here by accident, and it looks like you’re one of those. Others were sent here knowing we’d be safer here than at home.” He slapped Garinor on the back. “Now you’re here and you’re one of us so you might as well settle in.”
“But I can’t stay.”
Jin raised an eyebrow. “No? What have you got to do that’s so important?”
“I—I just do,” he stammered. “I didn’t even mean to come down here with you all.”
Jinorrah shook his head. “Listen, if you go up now then we’re all dead, if you’re being followed. Give the Sisters a little time and they’ll sort it out. You’ll see.”
Garinor wasn’t reassured with these words. He wondered if he would be allowed to leave or if his new life would be in this cellar with all these others. There wasn’t much else he could do, so he let Jin introduce him to a group of boys playing cards and they started up a new game with seven players.
It took a little while for Garinor to understand the game. There was a pattern that had to be followed from the cards in his hand and it was tricky because it changed depending on the last card that was played. If it was a number, he had to play a card that was either higher or lower depending on which suit was showing. If he couldn’t play a card properly, then he had to draw from the deck. Of course, he didn’t understand at first what would happen when the highest numbered card was played, because then no one could ever have a card higher than that, but that was where the face cards came into play. They were a sort of wild card that let the next player put down any card in his hand. The first one to play all his cards was the winner.
It was a rather simplistic game once he got the hang of it, but it was entertaining enough to distract him from his woes. He noticed that a little strategy could come into play at times, but it was mostly a game of luck. After four rounds, Garinor hadn’t won, but he almost defeated Jin in the next game.
A long time passed before there was a stir of activity. A group of boys off in one corner stood up and went around the room, purposefully heading for the doorway. Garinor watched intently, wondering if they had gotten bored and decided to leave. But they didn’t go to the door, rather to an alcove beside it. The shortest of the group opened the cupboard door and started pulling things from inside.
“Looks like rations today,” Jinorrah grumbled. “Come on, get in line.”
“Rations?” he asked.
“Usually the Sisters come with food by now. It must mean something’s up and they can’t come down, but we’re well-stocked here for a few days if we’re desperate. It’s been a few times we’ve needed to dip into the rations. Not too tasty, but does the job.” When they reached the head of the line, the short boy handed out a few slices of dried food and a cup of water to drink. Garinor thought it looked a lot like prison food, but he ate it without complaint.
The rest of the day was uneventful and very dull. He thought it was interesting how the other boys could entertain themselves with the repetitive games of chance or storytelling. It was a difficult existence, living in fear like they were, and they were making do, but Garinor wanted to free them all and give them their lives back. He didn’t want to waste away down there forever. He stared at the exit and wondered if he dared go off on his own.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Jin said, coming over to him. “But it’s not a good idea. And we wouldn’t let you anyway. If there’s one of the prince’s men up there, then the Sisters would guard us to the death. And if there wasn’t, one of them would come down and tell us.”
“What if I fought you and won?”
Jin smiled. “Well, that’d be a neat trick. First of all, I’m pretty good in a fight. I have four older brothers and they’re all the rough-and-tumble type, so I’m trained pretty well for defense there. But if you did manage to get me, then you’d have to deal with them.” He motioned around at the room at large. “I told you before, there’s no way we’re letting you sneak out and risk our freedom.”
“This is freedom?”
Jinorrah sighed. “Better than death. Now why don’t you settle down or something instead of all this stuff. Really, you’re just going to make it all feel worse and there’s nothing wrong with this place.”
“But I—”
Jin held his finger up for silence. “See, now that’s the thing. It’s not all about you, now, is it?” He waited until Garinor closed his mouth and then he continued, “Good. I’m telling you, it isn’t bad here, but you won’t be stuck here for long if you don’t want to be. Once the guards are gone, you’ll be allowed to go, too.”
Garinor wasn’t sure if he should believe this tale. The others seemed content enough, but he didn’t know if it was because they truly had chosen to be there or if they only thought they had. He wondered if he told himself enough times that staying was a good idea, he too might believe it.
There wasn’t much he could do. He could either bide his time and see what would happen when one of the Sisters arrived or he could attempt to work his way toward the door and flee, fighting if necessary.