Chapter 8

"There is nothing. Guys at the doors did not see anyone suspicious enter or leave. No one saw or heard anything suspicious. We found no traces of brake in. Frankly, it could have been one of ours.”

They were sitting in Sergei's office. His castle as he liked to call it to himself. This was his home and pride. He lightly rapped his fingers on the expensive wooden table he had inherited from his late father. Across from him sat Dirk and Saluman. His most trusted sons. He trusted them enough to let them see what was hidden in the basement. Both now had a downcast look on their faces, as Dirk kept talking summarizing everything they knew.

Sergei listened to Dirk's report, but none of what he said came as a surprise. Someone who could take a key without waking him up was a professional. It would be a miracle if there was anything out of the norm. He even found the key simply dropped on the ground in the basement. Dirk was a dependable man and one of many he had taken under his wing. Sergei did not doubt his effort in finding the culprit who had entered his sanctuary. But this time he doubted his children will have any success no matter how hard they worked. Still, they had to try.

It was already two hours since Sergei woke up from the warning. It was not the first time he had gotten a warning or a hint in his dreams, but it was the first time it had been so vivid, so urgent… There one more thing that had been different. He had not seen what he had to vary of what danger was there. Only a shadow. His gaze turned to the man sitting next to Dirk.

Saluman had not said a word after greeting him Tonight the guard had been someone he had recommended and vouched for and the boy was probably blaming himself. “They both are taking this too hard, it was not their fault after all.” Sergei shook his head. “In a way this was inevitable... How could we afford proper security measures? Too poor, too poor... We even had to take a contract from Minsrel family.” Sergei frowned. It was a dark day when they were forced to invite Minsrel lackeys to this place for negotiations.

It could not be helped, those who came here had nothing else and Sergei had taken upon himself to help these lost souls. They were a rough bunch and got into trouble frequently even before he gathered them up and beat some sense into them. Ex-convicts, runaways and misfits. People who needed a place to call home.

Expenses added up quickly, and Sergei often had to make tough decisions. He could not be picky with sources of money. To keep this place afloat he would sacrifice anything. Even his pride.

Sergei kept rapping on the table deep in thoughts, now it was the only sound in the room. His sons were waiting for his decision. "Nothing much we can do." His thoughts grim Sergei finally came to a decision and gave his orders.

"Dirk see what is new on the streets, see if some big shot has come to Oldsteel or there are new rumours about you know what. Have some of the men double check if anything is missing. Saluman, you are responsible for checking if there are any cameras nearby that could have picked the culprit. Be forceful if necessary. If you find anything contact me immediately. Also, find out if any of the boys know something about locks… No, forget it, find out who knows the most."

“Yes, father.” both of them nodded and got ready to leave. Sergei sighed hearing the moniker he had gotten. He did not feel worthy of it, but his men, no his family had insisted. And he did everything to help them and be worthy of their affection. But it was hard and tiring.

Sergei lazily scanned his room, making sure that nothing was out of place before making another decision. He stood up and got the key that once again was hidden under his clothes. He would not get any sleep tonight, so he headed to the basement. He needed to calm down and he knew the easiest way for him to do so.

He had spent countless hours just sitting before The Divine Star – as he called it. ‘Divine’ as it was showing its compassion by blessing him. ‘Star’ because it was guiding his path forward in the dark far out of his reach. And to be fair, it also looked like a start to him.

Sergei did not know what this object really was. It did not matter. He knew that it had saved his life and led him to where he was now. How long it had been now that he had followed The Divine Star? Many years now and he would continue to do so until his time comes to the end.

He arrived before ‘The Divine Star’ and sat down on the ground, watching the blue liquid dropdown. He had a habit of coming here when his heart was turbulent. This light soothed and cleared his mind. He barely could remember how he had lived before he had found it. Back then he had been but a boy who knew nothing of life.

He had found ‘The Divine Star’ by accident really. Being young and rash he had frequently argued with his parents, bless their souls. No day went by in peace. He had thought that the world would bow before his ambitions and he expected his father and mother to support his decisions. “How old was I back then? Fifteen? Sixteen?” Sergei reminisced. “A fool…”

Back then the world was different. The city was still recovering after the unrest that came after the government fell for the third time in a five year span. Turbulent times where who you knew were more important of what you know. Some argued that it was still that way, but Sergei thought of them as ignorant. Nowadays you could get a degree, make something out of yourself. If you had a talent you could change the world.

When he was young he saw countless promising young men and women pulled under the current by necessity to go and work. No time for education, no chances to do what you want. The sickness took many back then. Overwork it was. Yes, back then just to survive another day was a blessing.

His parents had given him a chance to learn. He had a plate full of food, a warm place where to sleep. But that was not what he had wanted. He had watched his friends become part of local gangs that had taken over the broken city. They had the power he had thought. They were respected, they could live as they wanted while he had to go to sleep by ten and wake up with the morning sun. He had resented it.

One day he had run away from his life. He had left his home to strike out on his own. A friend had introduced him to a man who was ‘guarding’ the street he was living on. The guarding was simple extortion, but he had felt that it was only right that they got money for defending them from gangs.

It had lasted for a month. Only a month and all of his illusions of grandeur he could gain was lost. He was just another henchman. His job was to beat up anyone who would not pay, and even at that, he was no good. Too soft-hearted he had been told. They never injured workers or business owners. They had to work to bring in money, that only left their families. But how could he hit a kid much younger than he was? How could he abuse a housewife crying for forgiveness? He could not but others could.

He wanted out, but he had no place to return to. Back then he had been too proud to go back to his father and lick his boots. No, he gathered some of his friends who wanted more and hatched a plan. A simple heist, but they had thought it to be brilliant. A way to get ahead of their peers.

The plan was truly simple. If this city would not give them a chance they would find another place. All they needed was a capital to start over. Their boss had an iron way of doing things. It allowed no mistakes but was predictable. They found out the route that one of the collectors took and ambushed him before he could empty his coffers. The plan had worked out flawlessly until the collector got killed.

It was the first time Sergei had seen a person die before his eyes and it was not the last. Danny, one of the boys had stabbed the man after he did not comply with their demands. Right through the ribs. A long and sharp dagger. Sergei still could recall how red the blood was that time.

They had gotten their objective. Now they had to get out, but now there were split opinions of how to proceed. Danny wanted to go to the capital but Sergei could not trust him. Not after what he had done. But they could not split now. The whole neighbourhood was after them and they only had a single car they had stolen to get out with.

Mark did not make it out of the city. They had gotten as far as the fringes of the city when a shot came from a chasing car catching Mark in the back. He bled out in Sergei’s arms. Before death, he apologized to his mother. It left four of them. Danny, Niko, Virm and him.

In the end, they lost the pursuers on the windy mountain roads. The high strung nerves made the silence that lingered between them tense. They were hungry, was lost, it had gotten dark and one of their friends had died. They had not even given him a proper burial leaving him to lie on the ground between two large boulders.

Back then Sergei had been lucky. In a heat of the moment, he had demanded his share of the money. He had not wanted to go with the rest and for that, he had gotten beaten and left behind. Only later he had found out that the trio had not gotten out of the mountains. They had gotten caught and lynched. Only Sergei had survived in the end.

He did not turn back to his home town. He started to walk in the opposite direction. Away from the failure that had been his life. He cried while he walked. He had not cried for many years, back then his mother had sung for him to calm him, but now he was alone.

There was rarely anyone travelling these roads. No one saw him stumbling and falling. For hours he had wandered the with no destination in sight. After he had run out of tears he screamed with anger, when his throat failed him he kicked pebbles thrown about the road. He even found a pebble he hatted more than any other. He called it Danny. He kicked and kicked it until the pebble tried to run by ricocheting into the nearby ravine.

Sergei chased it. Danny would not escape, but instead of finding Danny, he had found his future light.

A blue shimmer, barely visible in the morning sunlight. It was feeble and soothing light that healed his wounded heart. When he let the blue hue shine upon him he felt like he could fight on. That everything would be all right, that he had a future.

Sergei took the ‘Divine Star’ with him. It became his driving force. He could not return back home to his parents, but he could still write them. With this goal in mind, his pace had gotten brisker.

That was already forty-something years ago. Those events had changed his life and changed him. In a way, in the span of a couple days, all of his life was decided for him. Soon after he found a job as a loader in a local Oldsteel factory. When he earned he spent on education. His parents never visited him nor he did them. All of their communication happened through letters.

His parents had died when he was 28, first his mother, and a half a year later his father. They left everything they owned to him. He sold everything but some of the more intimate belongings and bought an old warehouse. A place where he planned to make a shelter for those similar to him.

Somehow he found himself as the head of a family. Family of rowdy and disobedient children, but they were his children. And as the head, he had his duty of protecting them.

And all through his years, The Divine Star had accompanied him in his journey. And now someone had stumbled upon his greatest secret. For what purpose had they come to this place? Did they know? Will they reveal this information to others? How will this impact their home?

Life was rough for the kind of men they were, and The Divine Star was what guided them trough perils of it. For the first time since he was a teen, he again felt a bloodlust bubbling in the back of his mind. Back then it was against Danny, a clear target, but now it was against an unknown.

“We have to find them. No matter what it takes... No one will endanger my family!” Sergei clenched his fists in anger. He felt helpless, but maybe there was a way for him to change it. He did not know what he needed or what to do, but in front of him was something that always had helped in the worst moments of his life.

Sergei bowed his head in front of The Divine Star. He had never asked for anything more than it gave. But today would be different. With his sincerity, he will reach for divine and wait for its judgement, and if in return The Divine Star asked his soul he would gladly give it.

It was small at first but there was a change in the air. Sergei did not move and kept waiting, he had no doubts that his patience will be rewarded and rising his head now would be an insult to the Divine Star.

The connection he had forged over the years had brought an unexpected boon to him. This small tether underwent growth. In his mind he could feel the Divine Star more clearly, his bond with it grew heavier and more distinct.

The Divine Star was rooted in place. No person could move it, he had suspected it before, but now he knew it. It would not leave this place until its goal is achieved and he would become Its most devout believer. He would become Its arms and legs. It’s eyes and mouth.

Sergei had made his sacrifice and received what he had asked for. “No, it is even more than I asked for…”

Before opening his eyes Sergei offered another prayer to his god. He thanked It for the guidance, hope and blessing. Then he swiftly stood up and left the room. It was now time for him to be the one doing the guiding. There was much to do and he would not let his God wait in vain.