"Avad !" He could hear Aloy calling out for him, in the distance. Avad slammed his shoulder into the guard standing between him and Aloy. The man was knocked to the ground; Avad quickly reached for his sword to end him. But couldn't. Even with Aloy's plea still ringing in his ears. He couldn't. The man looked up at Avad, the fall had knocked his helmet off, and messy blond hair half covered his terrified gray eyes.
Avad hesitated too long, and the guard took the opportunity to kick Avad's legs out from under him. Avad crashed to the ground, losing the grip on his sword. The man immediately got to his feet and jumped on Avad. He punched Avad square in the jaw and for a moment the world went black.
When Avad recovered and turned to reach for his sword, the man's hands were quicker. The guard raised it above his head but Avad quickly hit him in the sternum, knocking the air out of his lungs. The man was gasping for air. Avad saw his chance. He grabbed for the sword, but the man held on tight.
"Hey!" Talanah yelled and the guard instinctively looked up. Talanah rushed the man, slamming into him at full speed, slamming him against the wall.
The guard scrambled to his feet, but Avad was quicker. He kicked the man square in the ribs.
"Argh!" The guard was knocked to the ground again as Talanah got back on her feet. She lunged for Avad's sword and, without hesitation, cut down the guard.
Avad was too distracted to be relieved at their victory. He rushed for the door. "Aloy!" Avad yelled as he burst through the door. Half a dozen faces turned to look at him. None of them recognized him - even with his hood down - they just responded to the noise. None of them were Aloy. She was gone.
"Did you see what happened to her?" Talanah asked as she caught up to him..
"The royal guard dragged her away," Avad said, still scanning the crowd in vain.
"Where do they take prisoners?"
Avad was sill focused on the crowd.
"Avad," Talanah forced his attention. "Where do they take the prisoners."
Avad frowned and pursed his lips, "there isn't just one place." He shook his head. "However, the most important prisoners are housed beneath the Sun Ring," Avad said. "Still, we have no way of knowing where the Shadow Carja keep them."
Talanah looked around the street, except for a few interested individuals, most people had directed their attention elsewhere. "We need to get out of public first," she said.
Avad and Talanah quickly made their way through the streets of Meridian, until they found one of the few still abandoned houses in the city. They left from the time of the rebellion. Many of the most powerful civilians of the city had not been on Avad's side. When Avad took over the city they had to banish them to keep the peace. Those had been the lucky ones, the unlucky ones had learned that both sides of the rebellion were willing to spill blood. Afterwards the properties they had owned had been seized. Avad and his advisors had repurposed many of the buildings, but there were still some left empty in the city.
Avad and Talanah climbed in through one of the windows of the empty building. Scrapping layers of dust from the window sill, as they slipped in. There were no light inside, but enough daylight seeped in to light the room.
"There are only a few places in Meridian you could hold a prisoner," Avad said. "But for all we know the Shadow Carja have built a prison of their own," Avad said, rambling now. "Maybe we can contact people to help us. Though I don't know how, or who to trust," Avad continued as he kept pacing, he was almost unaware of Talanah's presence as he desperately ran through the options in his head.
All his life Avad had been trained to appear calm and authoritative no matter how he felt, but now he couldn't stop himself from unraveling.
"I… I don't think they will hurt Aloy," Talanah said.
"Not yet," Avad said, "they will probably want a public display or-"
"No, I mean not at all," Talanah said.
Avad raised an eyebrow.
"Because they need leverage over you." Talanah whispered, as if discussing something she shouldn't.
Avad had been worried about the Shadow Carja leveraging his brother, he had not considered they could use Aloy for the same end, even as it was one of his greatest fears. Avad simply didn't think the Shadow Carja were aware of how much he cared for Aloy. She didn't know. He had never discussed his feelings with anyone either. But would they try to manipulate him if they believed her to be just his ally? Would they not have tried to use blameless Marad in that case? Did this mean they knew exactly how deep his feeling for her went?
"Avad?" Talanah was staring at him.
"We need to find Aloy," Avad said.
"Yes," Talanah said, she bit her lip. "But I think you should stay here."
Avad crossed his arms. "I might not be the Sunhawke, but I can help."
"It's a question of time before someone recognises you, even out of your formal clothing, and especially after your performance in the Sun Ring," Talanah said.
"You cannot fight them alone," Avad said.
"I won't have to," Talanah said. "You will tell me all the places you know prisoners can be kept, and I will go out there and check all of them. When I find Aloy, I'll come back here and we will go get her back, together."
Avad wanted to protest, but stopped himself. He took a long, slow breath and forced himself to fairly consider the proposal. Maybe instead of her plan, Avad could just reveal himself, maybe if he was public enough he could pressure the Shadow Carja to free Aloy, or risk exposure. Perhaps. Before they imprison me in my own palace , Avad thought gloomily. There was no guarantee either way, but his plan was far more risky. Talanah's had the right idea.
"All right," Avad siad finally, "I will wait here."
Talanah nodded and seemed relieved at his compliance. She walked over to a desk in the corner of the room. It was covered in dust and cobwebs were spun between its legs, but she managed to find some writing supplies. "Write down all the locations I should look for her, even prisons not in use by you," Talanah said.
Avad quickly wrote out the list, it was a short one, there weren't many prisons in Meridian and only one no longer in use.
"I'll heat out now," Talanah said as she took the paper and started for the window. "Sun-" she stopped herself. " Avad , don't go looking for her yourself, even if it takes hours for me to get back. If they get both of you… I'm not sure what they'll force you to do…"
Avad could see genuine concern on her face, and he felt it too, He wasn't sure what he would be willing to do, what he'd let happen to spare Aloy. "I won't," he promised.
Talanah climbed through the window and disappeared into the city. Avad tried to sit down, but felt too on edge to sit still. Instead he paced the room, trying to get the image of Aloy being dragged away out of his head.
Aloy leant back against the stone wall. She let her exhausted body slide down to the floor. All her muscles were sore from struggling, from trying to find a way through the bars. Small beads of sweat rolled down her forehead as she sat, back against the wall, her hearts still racing.
The last thing she'd seen before being dragged away to this cell, was Avad and Talanah overwhelmed by the other guards. Did they escape? And if they had would they come after her? And what would happen then?
If Talanah was right, and the Shadow Carja wanted to use her to pressure Avad into giving them the appearance of legitimacy, the worst thing that could happen was to have both Aloy and Avad be captured.
Aloy froze when she saw the young man who was guarding her approach the cell, he looked at her but quickly looked away when he realised she was looking at him. It had been a common pattern since they put her in here.
When the guard turned away again and disappeared from view, Aloy relaxed again. She stretched her sore arms, while looking around the cell for anything she had missed, anything that could help her escape. Until she was distracted by distant voices.
From her cell Aloy could not see anything but the stone wall that separated the cell walkway, and she couldn't figure out where the voices were coming from. Aloy also didn't recognise the voices and could only make out a few words. Nothing that could help her, but thankfully also nothing she feared to hear; there was no news about Avad or Talanah.
Avad had tried to exonerate her in his speech to the crowd in the Sun-Ring. But that wouldn't protect her now. If the Shadow Carja still wanted to turn the public against Aloy it would be very simple to do so.
Aloy stopped her examination of the cell when she spotted the young guard approaching the cell again, shy eyes checking on her. Aloy sat down with her back against the bars trying to find some privacy in the tiny cell.
As the day passed, the room grew darker and darker, making it harder on Avad to keep his mind off the situation. In the dark his mind seemed to exclusively focus on his worst fears.
Avad's eyes scanned the room trying to find something to distract himself. The room was barely lit by the light coming in from outside, but you could still tell this had been a luxurious home. It paled in comparison to the palace of course, even with Avad having erased some of the decadence of his father's design.
Avad wondered what it would be like to live here. Maybe not this precise house. But just here, in the city, rather than the palace. To go to work for a few hours each day, then come home and enjoy time together with the people you love. He wondered whether he could ever reduce the importance of his position enough, to where a life like that was possible.
At some point in the past his family must have been no more important than any other. At some point that changed. Avad didn't know when or how his ancestors had begun to be regarded as God-Kings, but it had to stop. His father had proven how dangerous this belief was.
During the past years Avad had worked to gradually dismantle the excesses of his predecessors. Giving up most of the estates to public use, getting rid of the tradition of bringing tributes to the Sun-Ring for the Sun-King in substitute for the Sun. Not everyone was pleased with the changes, many nobles regularly came to the palace to complain, many who'd greatly benefitted from the previous regime. But Avad never relented, he knew the generations that would come after them would consider this the new norm, and not complain about it. In the end it would only help Meridian be a better place.
It was deep into the night by the time Talanah returned. Avad had been nodding off despite his nerves, but was jarred awake by the noise of Talanah climbing through the window and tripping into the dark apartment.
Avad jumped to his feet. "Did you find her?"
Talanah bit her lip. "I think so," she said.
"Where is she?" Avad pressed.
"You said the palace has holding cells, right?" Talanah asked tentatively.
"Yes."
Talanah hesitated. "I think they're holding her there."
"At the palace? Why?" Avad eyed her with suspicion.
"Let's just go get her back," Talanah said, avoiding the question.
" Why ?" Avad pressed, his heart jumpin up in his throat.
"They're… I heard people talking… they're planning on taking Aloy to the Sun-Ring," Talanah said. She didn't say what would happen there, because both her and Avad were old enough to remember what the Sun-Ring used to be used for. Avad's mind immediately jumped to all the horrors he had witnessed in the Sun-Ring during his father's reign.
"The Shadow Carja won't do that," Avad said, his fists clenching. "They would be risking losing the people's support. Aloy is too beloved in this city and my father's traditions too hated."
Talanah nodded. "I agree, I don't think they believe they'd get away with it. It's just… a way to get you out in the open."
"Yes, I considered that as well," Avad said. "But I can't risk it."
"Of course, but we can't risk the Shadow Carja capturing both of you either."
"I am not staying behind," Avad warned.
"I wasn't going to-"
"Besides, I know a way into the palace that the Shadow Carja do not know of." Avad collected his pack and already headed for the window.
"Are you sure?" Talanah asked as she followed him.
"Me and Marad are the only ones who know where it is. All the other people who knew its location, are dead."
"All right," Talanah said. "Let's go."
"You're Aloy," a soft voice came from behind Aloy. It wasn't a question. Aloy shifted, trying to get more comfortable; the bars pressed against her back. She didn't respond to the voice.
"They said you abducted the Sun-King," the young guard said. "They… they want to bring you tot the Sun-Ring to..."
Aloy wondered whether the young guard was trying to taunt her with his information, but the way his voice fell away rather than explain to her the atrocities that would happen in the Sun-Ring, made her feel he wasn't pleased with the plan.
The guard remained silent for a while. "I… you helped me once," he said.
Aloy turned to look at him. The young guard was standing in front of the cell, his helmet covered most of his face, only showing a young face and two grey eyes looking back at her.
"Jorgriz ", he said and took off his helmet.
"I remember," Aloy said.
"It was years ago, I know you don't recognise me, but I always remembered," Jorgriz said.
"No, I remember," Aloy said, "but you're not Shadow Carja, you're Oseram."
Jorgriz smiled. "Yeah, but Beladga wanted to live in Meridian, so we left Free Heap."
"To become a royal guard?"
"That's where I ended up at least." Jorgriz came a little closer to the cell. "I want to help you," he said.
Avad and Talanah were just outside of Meridian village; the exit of the secret escape route was there, in a small cavern only accessed via a narrow entrance hidden behind a wall constructed of plants and rocks.
Avad and Talanah made their way through the cavern, their way lit by a small lantern Avad had grabbed from a marketstand. When he reached the exit he fumbled to open it, as he had opened it from this side before.
"You go first," Avad said to Talanah and he handed her the lantern. He closed the exit behind them before following her.
"Have you been here before?" Talanah asked.
"Yes."
"Have you… had to use this escape tunnel before?"
Avad hesitated. Flashes of a hurried escape, accompanied by only two loyal friends crossed his mind. "Only once." Talanah briefly glanced at him over her shoulder, but didn't speak. It was clear that Talanah was waiting for more information, but Avad wasn't sure how much more he was willing to tell her.
The tunnel went all the way underneath the village; every now and then you could very faintly make out some of the sounds from above. Eventually they reached the end of the tunnel, and a long narrow ladder located there. The ladder extended for a while until it led into another tunnel that led you deeper through the mountain, then up a ladder again, and another tunnel. The climb was less straining than the climb through the maintenance shaft had been.
"We're nearly there," Avad said to Talanah as they entered the final tunnel. "At the end of this tunnel there will be a hidden door that will lead outside, right outside the palace."
"How many hidden doors did you build in here?" Talanah asked. Avad was about to correct her, but then Talanah spoke again. "This one?"Talanah knocked on the door.
"I'll open it," Avad said as he moved past her.
He pushed open the door and stepped through it. A rush of wind met him, knocking him back against the wall. The ledge was big enough to walk two by two, but the long drop still felt closer than Avad would like it to be. They were so high up it was difficult to even make out the ground below.
"Ah!" Talanah stepped out onto the ledge; she immediately flattened herself against the wall, her bulging eyes fixed on the chasm before them.
"I apologize, I should have warned you," Avad said. "At least this path isn't very long."
From here Avad led. He shuffled closer to the wall than he needed to, but the wind still felt strong enough to blow him right off the ledge.
Avad looked back at Talanah. "Are you all right?"
Talanah briefly nodded.
The ledge was right under the palace, hidden by a rock ridge. The wind carried faint sounds of voices. Despite knowing it made no sense, Avad strained to hear Aloy's voice. Of course he couldn't hear her voice, but he just wanted confirmation that Aloy was at the palace. Avad hadn't let himself consider what he'd do if she wasn't in the holding cells. Or if… Avad shook the thought from his mind.
Avad realised this was a trap, (or perhaps hoped, because the alternative was worse). By using this path, this secret passage the Shadow Carja had no knowledge of, Avad hoped they could get the upper hand. There weren't many people left in Avad's life who he felt strongly connected to; the relief he felt when Vanasha and Aloy had brought back his little brother, wasn't enough to erase the pain of losing his older brother, his friends during the rebellion, Ersa... and even his father.
Avad hated his father for what he had done to his people, to Meridian, to the Sundom, and Avad wouldn't change what he did to save Meridian, but part of him couldn't help but mourn his father.
When Hades attacked and Avad'd had to watch Aloy go and face Helis, he had been so scared. He'd tried to stop her, fight Helis in her stead, but of course she had not let him. When Avad saw the spire light up, and he knew Aloy had stopped Hades, he felt relieved for Meridian, for the Sundom, but first and foremost because he knew that meant Aloy was still alive.
"We can enter the palace from here," Avad said as they reached a ladder disguised as a natural stone formation. "This leads to a passageway underneath the palace, one that leads directly to the main bedroom. From there we will have to slip out of the palace and get to the other side of the clearing, to the entrance of the underground holding cells."
"Do you think there will be any Shadow Carja in the Palace?" Talanah asked.
"They have taken over the city, but I can't imagine them utilizing the palace; difficult to hold up the pretense nothing is wrong, that they are not taking over in my absence, if there's suddenly someone other than me living in the palace."
Avad climbed the ladder first. At the top there was the entrance of yet another tunnel, one much smaller, just big enough to crawl through. There was barely any light in there, just what little seeped in through the cracks, enough to remember what way was up, not enough to see what was coming. Every few metres Talanah would bump into Avad and murmur a quick 'sorry.'
Soon they reached the grate on the other side, Avad pushed it open and they both slipped into the room. The room on the other side was dark, but still brighter than the oppressive darkness of the passage. Small decorative openings carved in the wooden walls let in some light from the outside, it wasn't enough to light the room, but the room was familiar enough to Avad for it to not matter.
"Be careful," Avad said as he pushed a table out of the way.
"I think you were right; I don't think anyone has this room in use," Talanah said.
Avad picked up the book lying on his desk. It was a book about old Carja myths he'd been meaning to gift Aloy, it that night they met up, but in all his enthusiasm, he had forgotten it on his desk. It hadn't been moved in the time he'd been on the run.
Talanah looked around the space and studied Avad's movements. "This… is your room, isn't it?"
Avad turned to see Talanah looking at a canvas hanging on his wall, it was decorated with Nora symbols. Avad wondered what Talanah thought about it, and if she was going to ask him why it was hanging on his wall.
"Yes it is," Avad said as he put the book back down on the desk.
This used to be his father's room. On the door there were still many extra locking mechanisms his father had had installed, and there was the escape tunnel he'd commissioned. This was at the height of his father's paranoia, when he would not even allow his own sons to see him. When he spent every day waiting for his enemies.
Maybe he wasn't paranoid after all, Avad thought to himself, as he considered how it had all ended.
"If there are any guards outside of the palace, we should be able to surprise them. The guards probably expect us to come from the bridge, not from inside the palace. They are probably guarding the routes they expect us to take, not an empty palace," Talanah said.
Avad nodded. "Follow me, I know the way."
Avad opened the bedroom door, just a crack, just enough so he could peek into the hallway. The hallway was dark and silent. Avad's room was on the ground floor, so all Avad and Talanah had to do was reach the front door and cross the courtyard to get to the entrance of the holding cells.
Avad signaled for Talanah to follow him and both of them slipped out of the room. With bated breath they passed the many doors of the hallway, both of them listening for any guards that might surprise them.
At the front door, Avad carefully pushed the door open, while Talanah waited next to him. He cracked the door just enough to peek through it. Avad froze. Very close to the door the were standing at, there was a single guard posted. Thankfully the guard didn't seem to notice the door being opened.
Avad looked around the clearing; there were no other guards he could see. They knew the Shadow Carja were stretched thin trying to control the city, and the Shadow Carja's leadership clearly wasn't at the palace, so the few guards here were probably guarding the holding cells.
Avad turned to Talanah and held up one finger to tell her how many guards there were. Talanah peeked through the door as well and nodded at Avad. Talanah pushed through the door. Avad watched as she grabbed the guard and knocked him out, before the man even seemed to realise what was happening. Avad helped Talanah drag the guard inside.
"Now we just have to get to the holding cells," Avad said and walked out the front door. When he looked up, he froze. Across the courtyard another guard had appeared. And he was looking right at Avad. Avad was about to turn and warn Talanah, when he noticed someone appear behind the guard. Aloy .