Chapter Two

Cyril tossed and turned in his hammock bed. He couldn’t sleep. Staring up at his ceiling, he pushed off the wall with one hand, allowing him to swing. It was too late to try to work on any of his spells, and his mentor was far too loud for him to summon her. Peeking over the hammock, he knew he couldn’t go to his parent’s room. They would be busy. With what he wasn’t quite sure but, whenever papa came back they always spent a lot of time alone in the bedroom.

Groaning, he kicked his sheets off and tumbled out of the bed. Crawling up on his desk he looked out the window. The city looked pretty quiet from here.

Maybe, just for a moment… he thought. Momma would be very upset if she knew he left. She didn’t like him going out. Even in the back where no one could see him, but it was so boring in the hideout.

Stiffening his jaw, he nodded to himself. He’d just go out for a minute. For fresh air, then right back inside. Momma would never know!

Cyril wrapped himself up in his cloak and snapped the leather straps together. Quietly he opened the door and poked his head out. Glancing down the hall, he could see the light still glowing in his parent’s room but everywhere else was dark, save for the moonlight creeping in the windows.

Pulling the hood over his head he tiptoed through the gathering room. The man at the door was fast asleep. Cyril knew that if his mother could see the watchman like this she would throw a fit. This was okay for him, though. He didn’t want to be noticed as he snuck out. Tonight he just needed to be outside.

Slowly he slid the door out of the way, keeping an eye on the man. Once there was a gap big enough to slip through, Cyril stepped out into the night for the first time. He placed the door back in its spot and turned to face the dark city. He sighed in wonder as he gazed over the the empty shops and stalls. The shadows were beautiful against the bright stars of the cosmic river.

Walking out into the street he kicked up clouds of white dirt with his boots. The streets were glowing with the light the moon provided. In the silence there was a strange music made by the crickets and dogs that howled and barked at their neighbor. It felt odd being out on his own, but he wasn’t afraid. He rounded a corner but quickly turned tail to hide.

Out in the middle of the road was a small group of people; a woman in a glowing white dress, a little girl that clung to the woman’s hip, and three men that looked like the drawings his parents had all over the house. Gasping he knew who they were,

“The Supervisors!”

They had the woman and child surrounded as they ushered them down the path.

I better get out of here, he thought.

Not that they would have anything to arrest him for. But getting dragged somewhere away from his family was not something he wanted to endure.

Quietly he backed into the shadow, hoping to remain unnoticed. The group slowly approached where the little boy stood. Every man wore a hood and mask over his face. Their eyes barely visible in the dark. The shadows that enveloped them made them appear dark and more terrifying than anything he had ever seen. Creeping further back into his hiding spot, Cyril’s heart pounding in his chest. He now wished his momma or papa were there with him. Or that he had stayed home. These men were scary.

The group suddenly stopped. Holding his breath, Cyril watched as the woman went to the man in front, demanding to know what was going on. He said nothing, the as quick as lightning, his sword was drawn and at her throat.

The boy gasped as one by one the other men drew their weapons as well. One of the others in the rear grabbed the woman by the collar while his companion snatched the child and covered her mouth. The man holding the dark skinned woman kicked her knees forward causing her to fall.

“Make one sound, Your Majesty, and your death will befall you much slower.”

The woman grappled at the hand restraining her head. “Why are you doing this?! Our family has been nothing but supportive of The Supervisors for generations.”

“We've received a better offer.” The man before her raised his arm, the light of the moon reflecting brightly from his blade.

Eyes as wide as saucers and without much forethought, Cyril summoned his magic and shot an icy blast at the lead man. The force knocked the towering offender into the building, freezing him to the wall. Now the others were on guard. Both released their captives, more interested in the invisible attacker.

As soon as she was freed the woman snatched up her daughter and dove into a nearby alley.

“Damnation! Don't let her escape!” One managed to yell before he too was frozen in place.

The final Supervisor looked torn; Was he supposed to run after the woman or stay and fight? Slowly he backed towards where she was last seen, his eyes flashing between alley and dark shops. His arms shook with fear. It was clear to the boy in shadow that this man was not prepared to fight a magic user.

Cyril moved to a better spot closer to where the man stood. He would still be out of sight but would have an easier time hitting him. It took a lot of his mana to hit the first two with as much power as he did. A silly mistake on his part but he was more worried about what would happen to the woman and her child.

Once he settled himself between two stray carts, Cyril waited for the Supervisor to let his guard down. The boy hunkered low as the man paced the stalls and shops. He watched as the man backed down the street searching for the attacker, then Cyril quietly chanted a spell under his breath. Waving his hands over each other until enough sparking blue magic gathered in his right, Cyril cast a frost rune behind the guard. On the next step the man became instantly encased in a column of ice. The trap so swift that not even a scream could escape his lungs before being enveloped.

“Yes!” Cyril cheered to himself as he scampered out to the opposite side.

Careful not to let any of his captives spot him, the boy darted down the alley he had seen the woman disappear into. He searched behind every crate and under all the tarps, but there was no sign of her or her child. Shoulders sinking as he reached the end of the alleyway he cast a glance between the crossroads. She could have gone anywhere by now.

Snapping his fingers, the boy dug through his cloak. His mentor had given him a spell on how to find people or things the last time he saw her. Hopefully he still had it stashed away somewhere.

Before he could find it the faint sound of muffled crying caught his ear. Taking a small step down the left alley the boy minced towards a dark corner. A shadowy figure was hunkered down behind boxes and garbage trying to quiet something that couldn’t be seen. Though pretty positive this was who he was looking for, Cyril stopped. What if this person was bad? Maybe he shouldn’t have interfered with anything. Then again, those men were going to hurt the little girl too. So maybe he did the right thing…?

Taking a deep breath he approached. Lighting a fire in his palm he illuminated the figure and whispered, “Hello?”

The woman gasped, jumping to her feet. She clutched her child to her chest and stared the boy down, “Who are you?”

“M-my name’s Cyril. I saw those men out in the street try to hurt you,” he pointed back down the way.

She glanced up then back to him, “You’re the one who threw the ice?”

He nodded, “I didn’t want them to hurt you or her so I stopped them. Why did they try to kill you?”

The woman turned away and shook her head. She absent mindedly rubbed her daughter’s back hoping to put the girl back to sleep. Maybe this was all a strange dream and they all would wake up back in bed.

“Do you wanna come hide at my house?” Cyril held out his free hand. “My momma and papa are really, really good at protecting people, and we got lots of friends that can fight. They won’t let anybody hurt you.” She glanced at him unsure. “It’s just back this way,” he grabbed her sleeve and tugged her down the alley.

“Back where they attacked me? No. No, we can’t go that way. They’ll kill me and my daughter, and probably you too for interfering,” She pulled away, shaking her head violently, “That was a very brave thing you did, but now you’re in danger and so are we. I’m sorry but, we can’t go with you.”

Before she could run the other way, the strange boy darted in front of her. He spread out his arms, attempting to block her way.

“What if I could find another way home?!” he pleaded.

She stared him down. There was no way to know if he could be trusted. He did save their lives though, so, perhaps…

“Mewet,” her daughter muttered before struggling to get down. The woman set the girl down and watched as she walked over to the little boy.

“What’s your name, again?”

He lowered his arms, “Cyril. What’s yours?”

“Hatshepsut,” she smiled and bowed, “Can you really find another way to your home?”

“Dear, we don’t know if we can trust him…”

The little girl pouted, “He helped us though,” she looked back at him and stared deep into his eyes. Squinting at him, Hatshepsut watched as Cyril slowly became uncomfortable under her gaze. Tilting her head, she turned to her mother and said, “I think we can trust him”

They both looked to her with big smiles. Cyril nodding his head furiously. With a sigh, the woman gave in, “Alright, but please hurry.”

He pumped his fist in the air, like he had seen his mother do so many times. Opening his cloak, Cyril rummaged through his cloak pockets. He pulled out a small scrap of paper and a pouch.

“I haven’t tried this a whole bunch yet, so give me a minute,” He quickly read the instructions his mentor wrote down for him. Grabbing a pinch of the purple powder, Cyril tipped his head back, closed his eyes, and sprinkled it on his face. With his eyes still closed he chanted the spell and waited until he felt all of the powder melt into his skin.

Shaking his head, Cyril opened his eyes and said, “I want to go home. Back to momma and papa.” Slowly a small purple ball formed before him and started to move around going opposite from where he came.

He grabbed the girl’s hand and lead her and her mother down the alley. They paused at any open roads, checking to see if they were clear. This way was much longer than the one he had taken to get down, but he supposed that was good. They didn’t want to run into The Supervisors again.

Ducking in and out of alleyways, the group finally made it back to his house. He tried to open the wall but the door was locked. Slapping a hand to his forehead, he grumbled, “Perfect…”

“What’s wrong?” the older woman asked.

“I have to wake up the watchman.”

Before she could ask, the little boy started kicking the wall. A shuffling could be heard on the other side. Then suddenly, a small plank slid out and a set of eyes stared at them.

“Cyril?!” a man exclaimed, “What in blue blazes are you doing out there? And who the bloody hell are you-” The sentence caught in his throat as he locked eyes with the woman.

“Just let us in!” Cyril begged, “There are bad men after them!”

Silence. The eyes disappeared and the plank slammed back into place before the wall swung back into a dark hallway. Cyril dove right in, ushering the others to follow.

Hatshepsut raced after him, leaving her mother alone. She still wasn’t so sure-

“Come in or you’re staying out there, miss.” the watchman warned.

Swallowing, she stepped into the hallway. They were immediately encased in darkness when the door slammed shut. A match was struck behind her as the watchman lit a candle. The man marched up to Cyril, a stern look on his face, “What were you doing out there? How did you even get out?”

Cyril tapped his fingers together, “You were asleep…”

The watchman coughed and slapped his hand against his head, “Your ma is going to kill me when she finds out!”

“She don’t have to!”

“You brought the bleedin’ Empress and her girl to the hideout! There ain’t no way she and your pap aren’t gonna find out!” he whispered harshly. Slumping into the seat behind him, he groaned, “I’m a dead man.”

Clenching her hands the empress tried to remain calm as she asked, “Could one of you please just tell me where we are? I’d feel better… maybe, if I knew where my daughter and I were hiding.”

The watchman leaned back and sighed, “Welcome to the Phantom’s Refuge, main quarters to the Midnight Hand, Empress Kasmut. Sure you’ve seen posters and fliers about us, yeah?”

Whirling around to face the boy, Kasmut hissed, “You brought us to a home of thieves and cutpurses?!”

“Hey! We’re not that bad!” Cyril pouted, “I live here with my momma and papa. They run it.”

“Y-your father is Sundu Tyrkod?!”

“Yeah, he’s real big and strong,” Cyril flexed his arms and puffed out his chest, “He’ll help!”

“Ravalynn ain’t so bad either,” the watchman cut in. Extending his hand a smiled tugged at the corner of his mouth, “The bosses call me Grim. I don’t do much, just make sure only certain people come and go. Look, yous two can stay if you’re really in a mess. We’ll let the bosses figure out what to do in the morning,” rolling his eyes he muttered, “If they’ll be awake by then.”

Kasmut looked at the man curiously. He waved his hand saying, “You don’t wanna know. Trust me, ma’am.” Turning to Cyril, he added, “Where are you taking them to stay?”

“My room.”

Grim grimaced, asking, “You don’t have any spells or wards laying around, right?”

The little boy rolled his eyes, “Momma made me clean up my room before papa came home. It’s fine, Grim.”

“Alright…” Nodding to the empress and the princess, Grim returned to his post and blew out the candle, “Nighty night, all.”

Wishing the man a good night as well, the royal pair followed Cyril down the dark hallway. He stopped to peek around a corner, staring at the door on the end. Kasmut heard him sigh with relief and say something about the lights being out. That must have been his parents’ room, she noted as he waved them down the opposite end.

Cyril slowly pushed the door open, trying ever so carefully not to let the hinges squeak. His papa tended to be a light sleeper and a stern waker. Not grumpy like his momma, just a bit more serious.

Once inside, he ran over to his hammock and pulled out a couple of big fluffy blankets. “Here,” he said, shoving the blankets into Kasmut’s arms, “I only have one bed. Well- More of a hammock, I don’t like beds, so you’ll have to sleep on the floor.” Turning to Hatshepsut he added, “She could fit in the hammock with me, I guess. I’ve never had to share it before. Least not since I stopped being scared of storms.”

Kasmut stared at the boy. Shaking her head, she shrugged her shoulders and motioned for Hatshepsut to climb in. She was really in no mood to worry about her daughter sharing a sleeping space with a boy. Besides, they’re only children.

As she set out her blanket mat, she watched as Cyril offered to help Hatshepsut into the hammock. He’s a very polite boy, Kasmut thought with a yawn. Not exactly what she had expected from the child of two crooks.

With her daughter stretched out with her head at Cyril’s feet, the empress finally laid herself down. Her lids grew heavy as she stared out the window. She still couldn’t wrap her mind around the events of the night. Pulling off the palm fiber wig, Kasmut tossed it aside along with all thoughts on her husband’s safety and her own escape from assassination. She could sort it all out tomorrow. With any luck, these criminals might be able to protect her for the time being.