Fire burned along Tea’s torch, the pixie tossing the empty bottle back into their void of stuff. In the darkness of the passageway, their gem seemed to glow brighter than it ever had topside.
“Should I even bother asking? Or do we still not have time?”
Tea’s expression was hard to read, but there wasn’t so much as a hint of a smile. He might as well have been an associate again. He sighed, continuing down the long stretch of steps leading further into the passage. His footsteps were growing fainter as they went.
The passage began to expand, Tea’s exit leading to a massive chamber of rocks and gems. Stalagmites stuck out from the ceiling, Giu having to avoid their constant dripping. Is that a river? He could hear water flowing from somewhere, though the chamber was too dark to make anything out. Nothing except the occasional contraptions they passed. Broken pieces of metal that were caked in rust and moss.
“I do trust you, Gi.”
He peeled himself away, finding Tea next to him. Their gaze was locked ahead, but they were lingering close.
“I may not always be good at showing it,” the pixie said, “but it’s the truth. You’re one of the few people I can these days.”
They raised the torch, scanning around the passage. At different sections the system diverged, fire illuminating the converging paths. Like intersections in a road. A series of tunnels that seemed to stretch on indefinitely. More than far enough to cover the Villa.
“This place,” Giu said. “What is it?”
“Mr. Jian called them the Dragon Tunnels,” the pixie explained. “They run all over the Villa from Tullula to Ling-Li. Mostly unused these days. Except by the Dragons.”
“This is all bear territory?”
“Technically it’s paladin land, but they don’t use it anymore. At least, that’s how it’s been for a while.” Tea looked to the ceiling. “Something tells me that’s gonna change soon.”
They flew on ahead, torch illuminating sections of glowing crystal. They gave off warmth as they passed, Giu touching a few out of curiosity. Though he couldn’t remember ever seeing them, they felt familiar. As did the tunnels themselves the further they went.
“Where are we going, Tea?” he asked. “You can tell me that, at least.”
The pixie flicked an ear. “Away from the Villa. Since it’s on lockdown it’s only a matter of time before there’s an attack.”
“Attack from who?”
“My guess is the Syd. That envoy we saw was probably just a warning. And those rabbits in the forest.” The pixie hesitated. “I didn’t want us caught between all this, Gi. The longer we stayed, the sooner we’d be dragged into their war. I like not being forced to pick sides, Gi.”
Tea stopped flying, the duo stopping at the intersection marked by the first sighting of water Giu had found since they’d entered the Dragon Tunnels. A small river of groundwater which ran along a section of crystals. There were more rusted contraptions scattered around those gems.
“That path leads outside Villa territory. We follow it, and it’ll take us away from all this invasion crap. I’ve got clients in Scaliborrow and Equinox. They’d probably help us make ends meet while this blows over. We could make it work.”
He nodded. As much as he didn’t like the idea, he nodded. Tea didn’t move.
“But I know that’s not what you want, Gi.”
He blinked, the pixie finally turning to him then. The entire trip through the tunnels, not once had they bothered to so much as glance in his direction. Now they were floating in front of him, staring at him directly.
“So the truth, then,” they said. “Truth is, I've been...digging. Back when we went to the Ministry, I was looking for Immy's file. At first. But then...I also started looking for yours."
He instinctively tensed. “Mine? I thought you said-“
“Giu Penhair was not in the system. Because he didn’t exist until you got your license. But your other name. Yisto.”
Tea put a hand on him, flying a bit closer.
“Gi, you did have a file," they said. "You were- Are in the records. So is this place.” They looked over his shoulder. “And it’s gonna be full of paladins any minute now.”
He followed the pixie’s gaze, seeing nothing but the darkness of the tunnels behind them. Still, given how high-alert the Villa was, he didn’t doubt Tea’s words.
Something big was coming to the Villa. Maybe the Syd too. And the longer they stayed, the more he could feel its approach.
Though he had no strong ties to either side, he'd found a home in both places. Though the Syd didn’t think too highly of him, it was where he’d spent time with Immy. Where he befriended Eli. Where he’d tasted the best thing on the face of the planet. And on the other hand, there was the Villa where he met Tea. Where he got to kick an annoying masked thief in the face. Where he became Giu Penhair.
Neither side was one he wanted to choose between.
“I don’t want us caught up in a war,” Tea said. “But I can't be afraid of you knowing the truth either. I don't wanna hold you back.”
“What are you talking about, T?”
They flicked their ear towards another stretch of tunnels in a different direction.
“Memories are tricky, Gi. But they all have their triggers. Words. People. You’ve been down this tunnel before. If anything can jog your memory, it will. Might even make you…you again.”
He looked to the path, the idea making his tail unroll from his waist, swishing slowly behind him. But as much as he was curious, his legs didn’t move. Not before he looked to Tea first.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.
The pixie shifted. “I wanted you to be Gi a little longer. But you were right back there. Partners are supposed to trust each other. No matter what.”
They looked up at him, the reluctance clear as day even if he could tell they were trying to hide it. He glanced at the other section of road. An escape Tea more than likely had planned for them since they’d gotten to the Villa. Since they saw the thousands of paladins gearing up for battle. And yet here they were letting him choose a different path for the two of them.
Was that why they were in such a hurry? Because the pixie wanted to run away. Still wanted to run away. He swallowed, slowly making his way down the tunnel. Tea fell in behind him, their torch illuminating everything.
***
Given how large the path was, he couldn’t help but wonder about its creation. Several more contraptions revealed themselves as he went, one involving a wheel that had become home to a family of spiders. Another looked to be a broken lever of sorts. Whatever the Dragon Tunnels had once been, he had little doubt they were as ancient as the city itself. Maybe even the nation.
He sniffed at the wind, catching scents both stale and fresh. Many familiar, though he couldn’t recall why he thought so. The further they went, the more he found piles of bones covered in mosses. He spotted a pair of yellow eyes watching them from afar, but it never approached. It only issued a low growl as the two went on, Giu taking the hint and sticking close to Tea.
“This is it,” the pixie said.
They slowed down as they reached the edge of the tunnel section, the area marked by a large slab of rock. Tea flew over to it, runes appearing as they whispered some sort of incantation.
“Have you been here before, too?” he asked. “You seem like you know your way around.”
The boulder rolled away.
“I only know a couple tunnels, G- Yisto. It’s easy to get lost if you don’t do your research. Probably why she used these.”
“She?”
Tea raised the torch, flying straight through the opening.
Beyond the boulder, the tunnel fell directly into a chamber of rock and stone, the pixie flying along the walls to bring it alight. Their torch passed over different sections, runes glowing and illuminating the darkness. What was once pitch black soon became a dome of light. Light that all seemed to shine on the centerpiece of the chamber.
Giu froze, a twinge hitting the back of his head. He could see her. Her face. Paintings plastered over the wall. Staring down at him as it had done so many times before. He winced, the images coming back just as Tea flew down to him, tossing the torch aside.
“Yisto. This is-“
“A tomb.”
He felt the words come before the pixie had any time to finish. As did the name of the person who stood in the center. The statue whose sword always filled him with equal parts dread and fascination. Who he always thought Immy resembled.
The founder of the Villa.
Memories came flooding back at once, Giu leaning against the wall as he tried to process them
Note: New Chapters dropping every Sunday. Feel free to leave comments, critiques, praises, favorites, ect. if you’d like. Watches and shouts are also welcome. ^^
