The first opportunity to steal away to the depths came after preparing and administering the medicine to the whole warren. It was only then that Agog retreated to his quarters, exhausted and covered in sweat, vomit and ash from preparing and taking care of over a hundred ailing Gobbos including the children. The Great Mother had collapsed after several hours of work, age and previous exhaustion catching her much earlier in the night. The Chief had left, the warren was thrown in chaos and the throne was empty. Everything was falling apart, but in the depths lay secrets that not even the Great Mother seemed to know. She had waited, biding her time while helping to heal the sickened in hopes of just such a chance. Behind the throne lay the chambers of the chief and beyond that was his secret prison.

  “Ruha….” A raspy pained voice called out as she approached, “Ruuuha!?”

  As of yesterday, there were fifteen survivors of the Bura tribe who had long suffered in irons behind the throne that remained alive to function as a source of power for Chief Mudohoon. Now, six of them lay slaughtered in their own blood before her. She rushed forward to her grandfather and clung to him, the iron chains rattling as she began to sob while trying to free him, “Pele! PELE! You are alive!”

  “Ruha… The key. Only the key will work.” His voice stopped her, but she did not have the key or knew where to even look for it.

  Taking a step back and looking at the dark room, devoid of light, but visible only in muted grays through her eyes she could not look away from the six males whose bodies had been covered in scars from years of torture had been gutted like a fish and left in heaps of blood and intestines. Pele had been beaten to a blackened mass, but he had endured unspeakable horrors throughout the years of his imprisonment. His hands and feet had been pruned, along with his ears nipped, making him unable to properly walk even if he was freed. Deformed by torture and marred, even castrated, he was nothing more than a shadow of his former self. He had once been the Chief of the Bura, but she would never know anything more than this broken husk because of Chief Mudohoon. Her mother was missing, which meant she was likely still alive. Though little else could be said of the others, yes… others no longer kin. They were freed, but the emptiness inside of her threatened to swallow her up. Nothing felt real. It was like an unending nightmare she was only just beginning to experience. Looking would only make it worse. She did not want to see. It was better not to know. Better not to see their faces one last time.

  “Why… why would he do this… that… that fiend almost killed the whole warren.”

  “He took the keys.” Pele explained, “He knew… and he cut it from their bellies. He took the three keys to the sanctum. He’s gone mad.”

  “What are you talking about Pele!” She whimpered, “What keys!?”

  “The keys to the Dwellin fortress. He is running with your mother and the others. I do not know what he is intending, but he was rambling about needing to escape into the mountains. He has truly gone insane.”

  “Grandfather Pele!” she shook her head, “Save your strength. I’ll get food.”

  “Ruha.” He shook his head and sobbed, “Please. Get out of here while you still can. He plans to kill everyone in the warren!”

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  “He already tried by poisoning the food! I helped administer the medicine, they are ill, but they will live-”

  “He is working with the Mahn and is going to have them destroy the warren.”

  Ruha realized that the poisoning was only meant to soften and distract, not finish off the warren. She shook her head and looked at Pele, for nowhere else in this prison was safe to look, “Why… Why… Why would he do this…”

  “Run. Just run, Ruha!” Pele begged, “Sixteen years ago they attacked us, and we fought, but they used fire and hounds. They smoked us out, blocked the vents and suffocated us. Those who ran were slaughtered. Those who surrendered were fed to their hounds. You need to run. Please… please run!”

  She couldn’t abandon him. She couldn’t run. It was just too much. Too much. Everything had become so insane. Nothing made any sense anymore. She knew too many secrets, knew too much. Agog and the Great Mother had worked their hardest to save the warren, but it would all be for nothing? Belos! You coward. Why did you recognize V? Why did you recognize a qued? It was not fair! If only she had power… if only she had his blessing. Then she could do something.

  “Please… Ruha…” He weeped.

  “Pele.” She said as she puffed up her chest, “I will come back for you.”

  He knew that was not the words of her being defeated and he rattled in his irons as she left the room, “No! Don’t fight! Run! Run you fool!”

  She would not run! She had stood against Leaf and while she had lost one battle of wills, she would not lose the next. She couldn’t lose. She was the Chief’s daughter! Now that Chief Mudohoon had left, she was the leader! She needed to act.

  She ran up to the great chamber where half the warren lay recovering from the poisoned gruel, as she ran into the chamber, she felt their eyes fall on her even before she shouted from the depths of her gut, “Chief Mudohoon had fled! He has betrayed us and tried to kill us. As I am his daughter, I declare myself Chieftainess Ruha! I will not allow my father to get away with this. Belos has reserved me for greatness in the warren, and I will do my best to protect you all!”

  It was eerily silent as they looked at her, most having barely the strength to sit up let alone voice their concerns. A captive audience perhaps, but they were her subjects now. There was no dissent.

  “Mudohoon has murdered my family and taken seven members of the Bura hostage. He is working with Mahn to kill us all. I need every one of you who is able to muster your strength to assist in walling ourselves in and preparing for their attack.”

  “Mahn…” a whisper came from the mass before her, “What…”

  Ruha put her hands on her hips and stood proudly, “If we wall ourselves in and seal off the upper levels, we can survive any attack those surface dwellers throw our way! They cannot even reach us here, only their hounds can even move through the warren.”

  Agruyl, the gatekeeper, stood up and bowed his head, “I, Agruyl, recognize you as Chieftainess. I will follow your order and seal the gate.”

  “There is another exit.” She said to the crowd, “The one Mudohoon escaped through. If you know of it, tell me and we will seal it. The fate of the warren rests in us working together. Many of you know I helped administer your medicine, and I know you are all in pain, but we have no time to lose! Please, help me save us all.”

  One by one, they began to tell her of what they knew and were roused enough to stand with her. Though they had been poisoned and expected to simply die, one by one they put their faith in her. It was not over. The time to get revenge on her father would come, but for now they needed to endure the possibility of an enemy attack. There was no time to waste.