James Islington - The Shadow Of What Was Lost

Asha paused a second longer, then nodded.

Once they were inside the stairwell and the door was locked again behind them, Jin visibly relaxed.

"The lower level has been sealed off, all but abandoned since the war began," he explained as they started downward. "With so many fewer Gifted around, the Council decided the upkeep was impractical, not to mention unnecessary."

"So why are we down here?" asked Asha.

"Because this is where the Shadraehin is." Jin smiled at her dubious expression. "Sorry to be so mysterious, but it’s easier if I just show you."

Asha shivered as Jin used his key again and they emerged from the first landing of the stairwell. The tunnels on this level were still lit with lines of Essence, but the illumination was dimmer, colder. Closed doors lined the way ahead; there was no dust or grime - the power of the Builders had evidently seen to that - but the corridors still fairly reeked of abandonment. The grim silence was broken only by the echo of their footsteps as they started forward.

They walked for several minutes through a series of dimly-lit tunnels; though Jin seemed confident in his navigation of the twisting passageways, Asha knew she probably wouldn’t be able to find her way back to the stairwell if she needed to. She had no reason to think Jin meant her ill, but the realisation still made her uneasy.

Finally they came to a halt, the way ahead blocked by a large door. Unlike the other doors they’d passed, this one was made from smooth grey steel and looked like it would be impossibly heavy to open.

Asha squinted. There was something engraved on it in elegant, flowing script:

All that I wanted, I received

All that I dreamed, I achieved

All that I feared, I conquered

All that I hated, I destroyed

All that I loved, I saved

And so I lay down my head, weary with despair

For all that I needed, I lost.

"We call it The Victor’s Lament," said Jin quietly, following her gaze. "Nobody knows who wrote it or why it’s here, but I always thought it was appropriate."

He stepped up to the shining metal and placed his hand against its surface. Nothing happened for a few moments, and then there was a sharp click. The door swung open soundlessly.

Asha gazed in astonishment into the hallway beyond. The walls were darker than those in the Tol, closer to black, though still displaying the effortless smoothness that typified the work of the Builders. There were no lines of Essence here; rather, torches lit the passageway at regular intervals, stretching out into the distance for as far as she could see.

Two burly men sitting just inside the door, both Shadows, sprang to attention as it opened. They only partially relaxed when they saw Jin.

"Who’s this?" one of them asked Jin in a suspicious tone, jerking his head towards Asha. "We weren’t expecting anyone new."

"This is Lissa. I’ll vouch for her," said Jin.

The two men exchanged a look, then the first one shrugged, stepping aside. "She’s your responsibility until the Shadraehin clears her."

"That’s fine." Jin ushered her inside, past the men and down the long passageway. Asha flinched as she heard the steel door boom shut behind her, her sense of unease growing. Wherever they were going, there was no easy way back now.

Finally the tunnel ended, opening out onto a large balcony. Asha stopped short as she emerged into the light, gaping at the scene before her.

The cavern was enormous. The wide stone ledge she was standing on was at least fifty feet above the floor; she could see distant walls to her left and right, but the space stretched back further than she could make out. The smooth black expanse below was dotted with sturdy-looking structures and people moving between them; everything was illuminated by a warm yellow-white light, bright after the torch-lit passageway.

The men and women below were all Shadows, Asha realised after a moment; the cavern echoed with the sounds of their conversation, laughter and the general hubbub of life. There was a row of simple houses off to one side, with several more evidently under construction. Fires dotted the vast floor.

Despite the strangeness of it all, it was the source of the light that held her attention - a massive cylinder that lit the entire space with its gently pulsing glow. As she focused on it, she realised it seemed to be some sort of pipeline; the energy within it was rushing upward, an unending torrent of power flowing from floor to ceiling.

"Beautiful, isn’t it," murmured Jin, following her gaze.

She turned to him. " What is it?" She gazed around again, barely believing what she was seeing. "What is this place?"

"This is the Sanctuary," said Jin, a note of pride in his voice. "Somewhere Shadows can come and be free to go about their lives in peace, away from those who would abuse us. Here, people can live without having to be subservient, without fear of Administration or the Gifted. Without having to be less ." He gestured to the pillar of light. "As for that - from what I understand, it powers Tol Athian. The lights, the defences, all the things the Builders designed. It’s also deadly to anyone who isn’t a Shadow, which is why the Shadraehin chose this place to make a home."

Asha stared out over the bustling scene below. "It’s remarkable," she said softly.

Jin gave her a wide, approving smile. "Administration don’t think much of it, of course - they think the Shadraehin is gathering a militia of some kind, planning to strike at them somehow. They’re wrong, obviously, but people like Gil don’t know that. Which can be useful, on occasion." He grinned, then headed for the stairs, beckoning for her to follow. "I’ll make some introductions, show you around. You’ll like the people down here. They’re the ones who still have some spirit left in them… or in other words, are nothing like the Radens of this world," he added with a roll of his eyes.

Asha raised an eyebrow, thinking of the conversation back in the Tol. "So Raden knows about the Shadraehin, and wants nothing to do with him? With any of this?"

Jin made a face, nodding. "He’s not alone, either. When people become Shadows… a lot of them just give up, to be honest. Raden and his ilk live miserable lives, and yet they act as if it’s nothing more than they deserve. As if because they get treated like they’re worthless, they really are." He gave a resigned shrug. "So rather than seeing the Sanctuary as something positive, they just worry that the Shadraehin is going to stir up the Administrators against us, draw attention, make things harder. And maybe that’s even true - but fates, in my opinion, it’s well worth it."

They reached the bottom of the stairs, and Asha gazed around in astonishment. Appearances from above hadn’t been deceiving; disregarding the odd setting, there was little to distinguish the scene before her from any other small village in Andarra. Somewhere out of sight, the sound of hammering indicated that construction of some kind was underway. Not all the structures were houses; one appeared to be a school, with several young children listening attentively to a man in threadbare clothes. There was even a building that seemed to be serving as a makeshift tavern.

They were closer to the torrent of Essence now, and Asha craned her neck to look up at it, trying to see where it disappeared into the cavern roof. She could make out the swirling threads of energy distinctly now, crashing together and ripping apart again as they hurtled upward. She felt as though there should have been a thunderous roar emanating from the column, but it was completely silent.

Her gaze travelled downward, and she frowned. Sitting what looked to be only a few feet away from the base of the cylinder was a man, cross-legged, his face hidden by a deep black hood. He was motionless as he stared into the streams of power rushing by.