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. . .
The room was large but cosy. The walls were made of rough stone, reinforced with wooden beams, and a large log fire burned in an alcove in the wall. Wooden frames with random mementos hung on the walls, all labeled with neat, scripted handwriting. A single, dusty lamp hung on the ceiling, dimly illuminating the hazy room and the people in it.
Around a dozen unfamiliar faces looked up at us. They were all busy- some playing cards at the various tables scattered about, a few leaning against the wall and talking in hushed voices. A shady character was leaning against the wall glaring at me, flipping and catching a sharp-looking knife in his hand. The air was full of laughter and chatter and general hustle and bustle.
But they all froze when they caught sight of the new arrivals, the room descending into a tense silence as I struggled to think of what to say. After a second of quiet, a familiar voice sneered out of a dark corner,
"Well, well, well, if it isn't my good ol' buddy, cranky Darien the fool." Evan's scarred face broke into a grin as he stepped towards me, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You got here all right? You are here alive, so I can only assume you're Resistance material,"
For a moment I was so surprised that I just stood shocked, trying to understand what he was trying to say.
"It was a test?" I asked, perplexed. He nodded.
Then it dawned on me what he meant and rage drowned me like a flood. I was so angry that I could barely do anything apart from splutter and try to find a word bad enough to call him.
"You… little... You..." I stuttered angrily, but before I could do anything more than curse in a string of Minecraftian swear words even Gareth would have been proud of, something leapt out of the haze and tackled me in a vice-tight hug.
"You're alive!"
"Ow!" I yelled, as Dawn stepped on my foot, and she took a step back. Her face was instantly lined with concern.
"What happened?"
"Long, long story, involving creepy tunnels, giant Arachnids, and broken feet," I muttered, still leaning on Ellen heavily. Dawn's eyes widened and she was about to speak when beside me, Evan tossed me something- a bottle. It was a tiny vial, barely bigger than my finger. I caught it clumsily, my fumbling fingers just about closing around it in time before it plummeted to the floor.
"Drink it, it'll make your footsie feel better," Evan remarked in a mocking voice, smirking. Glaring at him, I downed the tiny bottle in one gulp, and suddenly, instantly, my foot began to heal. The swelling disappeared, as did the pain, and in a few minutes my foot felt as good as new. Gingerly, I tested it, holding onto Ellen in case I was going to fall. Surprisingly, my foot didn't hurt at all.
"Thanks," I said grudgingly to Evan. Than I turned to Dawn.
"How did you get here?"
At this, Ellen shoved me impatiently.
"Come on, save the emotional meeting for later," She growled, and started to drag me towards a door. I had no choice but to follow.
"I tell you later!" I called over my shoulder, before Ellen bundled me through the door and slammed it behind me.
I looked around. I was in an elegant office, or at least as elegant as you can get when you're living in the underground. The walls were smoother and more polished, painted a dirty beige. Several torches were embedded in brackets around the room, casting warm, flickering light and making shadows dance on the walls. A neat oak desk stood up against one wall, piled high with paper work, stationary and several weapons, leaving barely any room for any actual work. A short iron sword was balanced precariously on the edge, threatening to fall and clatter to the floor. A man sat behind the desk, scribbling furiously and frowning in concentration, muttering nonsense to himself. For a second he reminded me of Hugo, and I felt a painful pang of longing as my thoughts drifted to home.
The man at the desk looked up. His bright eyes widened in surprise, and his hand slowly stopped it's fast paced writing. At first, he didn't strike me like a leader. He looked normal, with his fair hair and a bright expression. His goatee was trimmed neatly, and his hazel eyes expressed a kind of interesting creativity- the sort of eyes that could look at a scene and memorise it before sharing the memory with a tub of paint and a canvas.
"Hello," he said pleasantly, nodding at Ellen and looking at me curiously. "Apparently we have a guest." He raised an eyebrow at me and held out a hand. "Maximus Tenus is the name, nice to meet you. I suppose you have good reason to disturb me?" This time he addressed Ellen, who nodded. He frowned, then looked at me again, a spark of recognition flickering in his eyes.
"Who is this? You look familiar. I wonder if..." He started shuffling through the immense amount of paper work on his table, evidently looking for something. Then he pulled a sheet out and examined it with interest, his face gradually growing more and more surprised until the paper was just inches from his nose. I recognised it as one of my posters.
When Maximus spoke, it was with a new tone of urgency I hadn't heard a moment before. He turned his attention to Ellen.
"Tell me everything, from the top," he said urgently, throwing a strange glance at me. "I want the full report of how this one," he nodded in my direction. "Got here."
Ellen started from her end, about how she had been patrolling the streets before stumbling upon a wanted guy looking for the resistance. Then she went on about the chase, and told him about the Endermen, ending with the events in the tunnels. After she finished, Maximus frowned.
"You let him live? The usual protocol would be to kill them,"
"Wow, I feel so welcome," I said sarcastically.
He scowled.
"It's better that way. It ensures that people don't dig around, keep quiet and let us do our business. So exactly why is Mr. Smith here in one piece?"
Ellen gave me a dirty look.
"He said Evan sent him,"
The room descended into grim silence at these words. Maximus instantly turned his attention to me.
"You, tell me everything. How you got to Istenmire, how Evan found you... I need to hear everything."
"Hang on," I said, frowning. "He didn't tell you I was coming?"
The guy shook his head grimly.
"We are all as lost as each other in this business. Now tell me all that has happened,"
Now it was my turn to take over the story. I told him all about my old life, about how Evan appeared randomly and saved me from the Endermen, about our most recent travels. I didn't talk about the dream though- I decided to keep it to myself until I had time to figure things out.
"Hmm," Maximus said, stroking his chin, clearly deep in thought. "I must speak to Evandrus personally about this. I suppose he always does things his own way, but for him to seek out a wanted man whom he barely knows… that is most unlike him."
"He said I was in grave danger," I remembered. "At the time I thought he meant the Endermen, but now I'm not so sure. He sounded like he already had suspicions it was to do with Skiamance even before they outright told us."
Now that I wasn't running for my life and had time to think about it, an interesting thought entered my head. I had the sneaking suspicion I was not the only one to be visited by the spirit of warning, and that Evan had his fair share of dream visits from Monetia. It would make sense, especially because the Evan that I knew was unlikely to come and find me out of the goodness of his heart.
Maximus waved this away impatiently.
"It doesn't matter. The important thing is that you are here now, and we must decide what to do with you,"
"What do you mean, what to do with me?"
He ignored me, and turned his attention to Ellen.
"Ah… Miss. Tennon, bring Evandrus here for a… chat will you? And show Mr. Smith the ropes- I'd hate to kill him any time soon. After all, he does seem like a pleasant, productive, young chap. Off you go now," he dismissed us with a vague gesture of his hand, and returned to his writing.
I got out of the chair and went out of the neat, elegant office, slightly nervous and wondering what the heck I got myself. As soon we came out, Evan and Dawn approached us, Dawn utterly perplexed, Evan confident and grinning. Ellen frowned, and said slowly,
"Max wants to see you Evan,"
"Oh really," Evan grinned crookedly, his hands casually in his pockets. "In trouble am I? Is he going to cut my weekly allowance?" The mischievous glint in his eyes was still there, and with his dark character and his scar he looked unsettling, almost creepy, in the flickering light of the fire.
Ellen rolled her eyes.
"I don't even know why he bothers telling you off. You never take any notice of his ranting anyway." Evan chuckled darkly, but didn't say anything.
"Seriously? You call him Max?" I said, chuckling. I expected Ellen to tell me off, but she gave me a strange look, her expression looking almost as if she was scared, and fear sparking in her eyes for just a second.
"Did you hear his second name?" she asked quietly.
I frowned, recalling the memory of him telling me.
"Tenus, wasn't it?"
Ellen nodded.
"And you know what that means in Minecraftian, don't you?"
A shiver ran through me. It literally meant the dark. I nodded, already setting a mental note to never laugh at the guy's name again. Ellen shook her head, her voice dropping to a low whisper.
"They call him Maximus the Dark for a reason. He's not bad, nor is he the traitor sort… But let's just say I wouldn't get on his bad side,"
"Hang on, can somebody explain what in the name of Notch is going on?" Dawn's voice cut through the conversation like a storm through calm. She signalled a stop with her hands, looking from Ellen, to me, to Evan, then back to Ellen again.
"Who're you, blonde?" Ellen asked beside me, irritated.
"Look who's talking, Miss I'm-all-so-dark-and-mighty? You better tell me who you are," Dawn replied furiously. Evan smirked again, and started making his way to the office.
"Much as I like to watch this vicious battle to the death, duty calls," he said sarcastically, nodded towards the door and then turned to me. "Make sure they don't kill each other before get back." Then he leant in close to me and added under his breath. "Because I want to watch."
Chuckling, he disappeared behind the door, still grinning.
Dawn and Ellen glared at each other a second longer, before turning away from each other at the same time- a gesture I would have found funny if I wasn't so tired and shaken up.
"So er… What do we do now?" I asked casually, trying for conversation. Dawn glared at me while Ellen rolled her eyes.
"What...?" I asked, completely confused.
"C'mon, I'll show you the bunks," Ellen said eventually, sand then steered us through the main room. The laughter and chatter had returned, and I could barely hear myself think through the racket. Eventually we reached a corridor, torches lining the rough stone walls, and I looked up, noticing about a dozen doors which I guessed led to the rooms. Ellen went through one of the doors, and motioned for us to follow. I shrugged, but Dawn looked dubious.
We went inside. A single, dusty redstone lamp hung on the ceiling, throwing the room into smudged light. Inside, two bunks were pushed to each side of the walls, leaving barely any room in the middle to walk through. A small, wooden chest was somehow crammed between them on the far wall. On one of higher beds, a man was laying down, leaning on his elbow and reading something.
"Aw, hey Ellen. Where ya been?"
Ellen rolled her eyes.
"Sorting out these idiots." Beside me Dawn bristled furiously,
"We are not-"
Ellen cut across her, addressing me. She gestured to the bunk on the far side, the red sheets neatly folded.
"That'll be your one. No one uses it anyway," Dawn opened her mouth for a scathing retort, but I didn't care. I just collapsed into the bed, the warm sheets feeling like heaven after spending a night on a cold, wooden floor. I fell asleep almost instantly, embracing the darkness with my last thought being: Please, no more nightmares.
. . .
It was safe to say that I wasn't liking the Resistance all that much. A few days passed since we arrived, and since nobody trusted us enough to let us out on missions and jobs, or even outside, we were truly stuck in the place. I hated it- stuck inside with nothing to do all day, being useless. At least at home I got to go to the woods. Dawn had it easy as she liked to read, but I was reduced to pacing the corridors angrily all day and trying to not kill Evan for sticking me into this mess.
Three days after we first arrived, there seemed to be more commotion than usual. The headquarters were pretty hectic as it was with members carrying messages, sharpening weapons and being busy, but that day everyone was milling about and talking in hushed voices, as if something very terrible had happened. Everyone seemed to be going to the main room, the one I came into when I first got here. As I tried to figure out what was going on, Ellen brushed past me and whirled around as I caught her arm.
"What's going on?" I asked nervously. Ellen's sharp, blue eyes seemed to echo my own uncertainty, and she lingered by the door, letting the people pass by.
"Max called a meeting," she said grimly. "And I think it's to do with Lord Skiamance," she turned and melted into the crowd, disappearing from sight. There weren't even that many members- around two dozen- but because the space was so confined it felt like a lot more.
I stood still for a second, shocked, before going with the crowd and trying to get to the main room.
It took a while, but eventually I emerged from the corridor into the open space filled with chairs, with everyone scrambling for the best seats. At the front stood Max, his face grim and determined, yelling instructions and trying to achieve order in the complete chaos. I glimpsed Dawn taking a seat to my right and swept into the chair next to her. She had to talk loudly to make herself heard over the din.
"Any idea what's going on?"
I just shrugged and turned my attention to the front. Meanwhile, all around us there was a total riot- people standing up in their seats and shouting incoherent words and queries. After a minute of failed attempts to calm the crowd, Max roared loudly,
"QUIET!"
Dead silence. The people slowly sank back into their seats, all attention on Maximus.
"Good," he said gruffly, walking up to the front again and glancing at everybody, doing a head count. "Most of you are here. Good. Now that you've stopped screaming and panicking like a bunch of little girls, shut up and listen. We have some very important matters to discuss."
He took a shuddering breath, and his face darkened. For the first time I understood what Ellen meant when she said Maximus the Dark. Because if I thought he looked like a less shady Evan before, I definitely didn't think he looked any less dark and dangerous than Evan now.
Max paced the length of the room, hands clasped behind his back, keeping his eyes on his audience.
"As you all know, in the recent week, several problems have arisen for the Resistance. We have also had some very unsettling reports from our assets concerning these problems, which must be dealt with as soon as possible," he started slowly, and several hushed whispers broke the silence. He glared in the general direction of the murmurs and ploughed on. "The first and foremost one concerning our most bitter enemy, Skiamance."
A sharp voice yelled out from the back row,
"The Spawner!"
Max nodded grimly.
"Indeed," he said firmly. "That is the problem that requires our most immediate attention. Our spies have reported he is bent on it's retrieval, that he will not stop at anything until the Spawner is in his hands." Max gazed around the room, frowning. "I take it everybody is aware of the magic of the Spawner?"
I wasn't, but I decided not to point that out. I looked at Dawn and mouthed- Can you tell me later? She nodded at me and fixed her attention back to Maximus again.
"Good. In that case, I know that you all understand why I can't stress enough that the spawner must not come into his grasp. It would mean the end of all we are fighting for. The end of the world as we know it." The room descended into tense silence, until somebody else- a lad somewhere in the middle- called out loudly,
"So what's the second problem?"
Max paused, considering how to answer. After a minute of quiet, he gazed about the cramped space, scanning the audience.
"Yes. As some of you may know already," he nodded at Evan and Ellen, sitting a few metres to my left. "We have had some new arrivals. One of them goes by the name of Darien Smith," he finally found my face in the crowd and held my gaze. I swallowed nervously, unsure where he was leading with this. "It is clear Skiamance will stop at nothing to find the young man, and this causes us a problem," he continued, stopping his pacing. "Just as no prison is completely secure and unable to be breached, no place is truly safe and unable to be found. Skiamance has his suspicions, but having our friend Mr. Smith here will only make the situation our more risky. We have a rat in the camp, and this may be the news Lord Skiamance is waiting for. And now," his eyes flicked to my face again. "We must decide how we will solve these problems."
I shivered. Because from his expression I started wondering: Was I was going to get out of this meeting alive?