An hour or two had gone by before the door finally opened. Shield Maiden and Rain Dancer stood side by side, both tense and ready for any attacks. Malcolm looked over at Rose. He could tell from the expression on her face that she wasn’t ready to fight again so soon.
“Are the two of you willing to hear us out, now?” asked Shield Maiden.
Malcolm made a show of looking at the concrete walls of the cell.
“Well, considering the many options we have in our current situation…” said Malcolm. “You know, you guys should really consider going door to door. Like Jehovah’s Witnesses.”
“I don’t think they like your jokes,” said Rose.
“Oh, I do like them, you know,” said Rain Dancer. “Your boyfriend is a regular funny man.”
Malcolm chuckled and glanced over at Rose, who had an oddly embarrassed look on her face.
“It’s not our intention to keep you both locked in this cell,” said Shield Maiden. “As you shall soon see, there is more to our project than the church in Halter City. But we must have your word that you will not attack us or any of the Awakened Children.”
Malcolm tapped his fingers on his chin. It wasn’t that he was hesitant to give his word, but rather, a little surprised that Shield Maiden would be willing to trust him on it. Rose seemed to be thinking something similar, and she gave a slow nod.
“You have our word,” said Malcolm. “We won’t attack.”
Shield Maiden nodded. Rain Dancer’s expression was a little darker than his companion’s, but his body language relaxed slightly, after a moment.
“Good,” said Shield Maiden. “Then please. Follow me.”
She stepped back from the door of the cell, as did Rain Dancer. Malcolm walked out into a hallway, making sure Rose stayed close. Shield Maiden led in front, while Rain Dancer trailed behind them.
“We call this place Underworld,” said Shield Maiden. “It’s our home, and a place where both the star touched and the Awakened Children can live without fear of persecution.”
Underworld? I’m 99% sure they got that from a movie.
The hallway spilled out onto a massive chamber. Malcolm confirmed from the lack of windows that they were somewhere underground, though it was barely necessary. The chamber looked as though it had once been a subway hub point, possibly, or maybe something related to a long dormant sewer.
Whatever it was, it had been completely cleaned, renovated, and overhauled. The floor was polished wood, and the walls had been decorated with massive murals of beautiful, distant landscapes.
Several long tables ran down the center of the chamber, and Malcolm recognized Rion and some of the other Awakened Children sitting around one of them. Shield Maiden waved to them, and all of them gave a quick bow in return.
“We’ll be eating dinner a little late tonight, my children,” called Rain Dancer. “Still working out what to do with the new arrivals.”
“Of course, milord,” said Rion. “Please, take your time.”
Malcolm scratched his head, feeling a bit put off by the display of subservience. Shield Maiden was already walking again, leading them around the massive chamber’s outer wall.
“You might consider this to be our meeting room, or cafeteria,” said Shield Maiden.
“It’s very impressive,” said Malcolm.
“This is an underground chamber,” said Rose. “How are you handling electricity? I see lights hanging from the roof, and for it to be so warm in here, you must have a heating system.”
“Indeed, Ms. Shadow Spryte,” said Rain Dancer, beaming with pride. “We produce so much electricity that we sell some of it back to Halter City.”
“Through a shell corporation,” said Shield Maiden. “It’s where most of our funding comes from. As much as we’d like for Underworld to be completely self-sufficient, no man is an island.”
Malcolm nodded.
“Which one of you came up with the name?” he asked, unable to resist.
“I did, you know,” said Rain Dancer.
Malcolm snorted.
“It’s… very creative,” he said. “Like two words in one.”
Rose started giggling next to him. Rain Dancer didn’t pick up on the humor, but Malcolm saw Shield Maiden trying to contain a coy smile.
“Up here,” said Shield Maiden, gesturing to another hallway. “Is the path down to the dormitories. We keep the Awakened Children divided by sex, but we have several extra rooms, in case of visitors.”
“Does that mean we won’t be sleeping on the cold concrete tonight?” asked Rose.
Rain Dancer flashed a smile at her that Malcolm wasn’t sure he liked.
“You will have plenty of choices about where to sleep tonight, Ms. Shadow Spryte.”
“Rain…” said Shield Maiden, her voice slightly chastising. She approached another opening in the concrete chamber and pointed. “Down here, we have a small but functional gym, along with a meditation room with heated floors.”
She continued like that, showing them a bathing area, a sauna, a small movie theater, and the kitchen. Malcolm was impressed, but beyond that, unsure of how to react to it all.
They have what amounts to a base for a cult down here. But what is their plan for it?
“Would you like to join us for dinner?” asked Shield Maiden, as them came back into the center of the meeting chamber.
Malcolm looked at her warily.
“Why the sudden warm welcome?” he asked. “If I recall correctly, we were trying to kill each other a few hours ago.”
Shield Maiden shook her head.
“You were trying to kill us,” she said, in a matter of fact tone. “We have no reason to make your stay unpleasant. It’s not as though you can do much against us, as we’ve already shown, and we prefer making friends to making enemies.”
Malcolm shrugged.
“We’re your guests,” he said, dryly. “How could we refuse?”
The four of them sat at a table separate from the Awakened Children. Rain Dancer waved to Rion, who stood and gave a small, rather normal prayer before the meal began. Three women in aprons wheeled out carts of food and went around serving all those seated.
Malcolm thanked them as they placed roasted chicken, steamed vegetables, and rice onto his plate. He felt himself lowering his guard around Rain Dancer and Shield Maiden, and had to force himself to keep it up.
“So,” he said. “How did your church come to be originally? It’s not rude for me to ask that, is it?”
Rain Dancer smiled.
“Of course not,” he said. “I received a dream from the stars, you know? That was when I first realized what I had to do with the gifts I’ve been given.”
He closed his eyes. It was hard for Malcolm to tell if he was being sincere. Beside him Shield Maiden kept her gaze down at her food, expression unreadable.
“Did this dream come before or after you became a… star touched?” asked Malcolm. He only barely managed to stop himself from using the word demon, instead, which he sensed would only serve to prickle Rain Dancer.
“After,” said Rain Dancer. “Of what I remember of the time before the stars’ touch on my soul… is only of me being lost. I was not a very nice person before, you know? I was given a second chance.”
“That’s an interesting way of looking at it,” said Rose. “To me, it feels more like I was robbed of my first chance, when I became a spryte.”
An awkward silence hung over the table for a couple of seconds. Malcolm decided to fight fire with fire.
“So…” he said, casually. “Shield Maiden, are you and Rain Dancer, uh, you know? Do you guys share a room?”
Shield Maiden smiled, and thankfully, didn’t seem offended by the question.
“No, we do not share a room,” she said, plainly. “However, if what you mean is a euphemism for sex, then yes, on occasion.”