《Hunt's Table》 Chapter 1: “No. I’m fine. But you – you’re not." For eight hundred years we serfs have lived on this planet. Eight hundred years of being ruled over by the daughters of the Eternal Queen Sarana. Eight hundred years trapped, beneath her hollow trees. C excerpt from A Free Serfs History Written 842 years after Crash Landing Chapter 1: Youve got to get her out of here, Vek said. Sukren pulled a gauze bandage out of his med-kit. He tore it in two, tossing the shorter piece back into the kit. He hadn''t seen Vek in ages, and based on what he was hearing, Sukren wished he wasn''t seeing him now. Is that why youre here? Did Lady Nari send you? Sunlight flickered around and through the edges of the curtain-door hanging before Sukren. He watched Vek nod. Cursing silently, he asked, Is someone coming? When? First thing tomorrow. Ow! Sorry, sorry. Without windows, without electricity, grandmother huts were hard to see in. Sukren could barely make out Vek lying on his side, the boys injured arm half off the straw mat that was the only furniture inside the hut. Let me give you more painkiller. Sukren wanted to focus on Veks injury, wanted to pretend Vek hadnt said what hed just said. But Vek wouldnt let him. No. Im fine. But you C youre not. You have to get out of here. Have to get her out of here. Theyre coming tomorrow. Right when the greenhouse gate opens. Sukren swallowed. It was time to bite down, and bite down hard. Ten years hed spent hiding her in this greenhouse village, and now, just like that, they had to leave it? Hed thought hed get more time, hed thought hed get at least a few more years, rock-god, was it all truly over? No, no, stop. Now was not the time to mourn. Now was the time to act. With practiced hands, Sukren bound Veks wound and tried to think. Tomorrow, they had to be out of the village by tomorrow, but that meant they had to leave tonight before the gate closed. Once the portcullis was lowered, it wouldnt come up again until morning. That meant they had to leave now. Who is coming? he asked quickly. And how many? I dont know. Soldiers, thats all I was told. Lady Kis soldiers, I think. Suddenly the mud-walled hut around Sukren felt like a tomb. He stood, stooping just in time to avoid banging his head against the ceiling. Wait C Im coming with you! Youre not going anywhere with that arm. Despite his racing heart, a smile touched Sukrens lips. You really have to learn how to stop getting stabbed. Im not always going to be there to patch you up afterwards. Damn Eenta soldiers C You need to stay here and recover. The villagers will pretend youre one of their own. They wont betray you. I want to come with you. Vek said it softly, earnestly. For once he actually sounded his age. What was he, fourteen, fifteen? Sukren couldnt remember. Im sorry, Sukren replied. He didnt know what else to say. Vek was like this, always expressing a vulnerability that never failed to make Sukren uncomfortable. Youll C youll be safe here. Vek was quiet. Sukren nodded to him, then reached out and drew the curtain-door open. Outside the grandmother hut the sunlight slanted blue through the greenhouse walls. The sense of urgency that had gripped him within the hut began pounding inside him. Soldiers were coming C he had to get going C they had to leave C Mayah, he called out. He could see her playing out by the edge of the rice field. Mayah, come here. We have to C I have something I need to tell you. *** Mayah felt bad. She hadnt meant to gossip with Beia about Ajantes crush on Sukren. But Beia had promised she and Mayah would be best friends forever if Mayah told her why Ajante kept following Sukren around everywhere, and Mayah couldnt help it, she wanted so badly to be best friends forever with Beia! But then again, Mayah wanted to be best friends forever with Ajante too. And you didnt gossip about the people you wanted to be best friends forever with. You just didnt. Even if Beia had started it, Mayah shouldnt have joined in. Mayah sighed and sat down at the edge of the rice field. She didnt put her feet into it or anything, she was old enough C almost eleven years old! C to know not to do that. Besides, the water was all muddy and yucky. The grownups had finished transplanting the last of the seedlings just yesterday. Mayah had helped the other kids draw water from the greenhouse walls for the grownups to drink while they worked. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. But what did that matter? It wasnt like it made up for Mayah sharing Ajantes secret. Every kid in the greenhouse village helped on transplant days, that was normal. Sighing again, Mayah leaned her scarf-covered head against the greenhouse wall behind her. The wall was a pretty blue against the green of her scarf. Which she liked because blue was her favorite color. That was because it was Sukrens favorite color, too. If we have to live in a box, might as well be a blue box, Sukren had joked with her once. Mayah giggled, thinking about it. The greenhouse village wasnt a box. It was too big for that! All the grandmother huts, and the childrens group home, and the rice fields, and the cookfires fit inside the greenhouse. That was why they called it a greenhouse village; it held a whole village. No box could do that. Sukren was always so funny. And he was brave, too, and smart. He knew everything, even things the village head didnt know. Like how to make sick people better, or how many greenhouse villages there were in the bio-dome, or when exactly the Crash Landing had happened (eight hundred and sixty-seven years ago!). Come to think of it, it wasnt that surprising that Ajante liked Sukren. Although Mayah still thought it was a little gross. Sukren was her, well, not her brother exactly, and not her father exactly, either, more like kind of both. Her guardian. That was what Sukren told her to tell the other children, anyway. Thinking of Sukren made Mayah sigh again. Three sighs in a row, Sukren would call her dra-ma-tic, drawing out the word to make Mayah laugh, but then hed ask her what was wrong, and shed have to tell him about Ajante. No, she didnt have to. She wanted to. It always bothered her when she did something wrong. And gossiping about Ajante was wrong. Mayah got up. Dusting off her bottom with her hands, then, keeping close to the blue wall so she wouldnt fall into the rice field, Mayah started to head back to the huts and cookfires on the other side of the greenhouse. Mayah! Mayah come here! We have to C I have something I need to tell you! Oh, Sukren was calling her! Good, he was by the greenhouse wall too, away from all the other villagers standing around the cookfires. Mayah didnt want to confess in front of everyone. Listen, Mayah, Ive got C come this way. He led her to a grandmother hut, one along the path. Half the huts were on one side of the path, and the other half, on the other. The path led all the way to the greenhouse gate, not that Mayah left the greenhouse that often. Which was normal for a villager. What she didnt understand was why they were going into a grandmother hut. Sukren had left the curtain-door open so it wasnt too dark, but still, grandmother huts were for sleeping. Why were they in one now? And why did Sukren have a worry-worm look on his face? Sukren? she asked tentatively. Whats wrong? We have to leave the village. Something in Sukrens voice made Mayah draw closer to him. She was glad when he knelt and put his arm around her. Clinging to his hand, she repeated his words. We have to leave the village? Thats right. But why? Mayah didnt get it. Leave the village and go where? Outside? Outside was all plastos plant fields, nobody could live there! Some bad people are coming. Bad people? Sukren squeezed her hand. Dont worry. Ill keep you safe from them. Normally Mayah liked hearing Sukren say things like that. This time, though, was different. If she had to leave all her friends and go somewhere else C where? C she wanted to know why. She pulled away from Sukren so she could see his face. But I dont understand. Whats wrong? She watched as Sukren took in a tight breath. You know how this is a Chenta village, how everyone in it is a Chenta serf, right? Mayah nodded. Well, the bad people coming are soldiers, Eenta soldiers. A sudden pall fell on Mayah. Eenta soldiers. Shed heard stories about them before. Scary stories. From the look in Sukrens eyes, hed heard them too. But what about my friends? she whispered. Theyll be okay. As long as we get out of here now. That didnt make much sense to Mayah. Why would Mayah and Sukren leaving the village make the village safer? Sukren was acting like the soldiers were coming after them, or something. When Sukren stood and gestured for her to follow him, she frowned, hesitating. But then he took her hand and tugged her out of the grandmother hut. He led her down the path towards the gate C quickly, as if they were sneaking out. Mayah kept glancing back. Everyone else was eating dinner over the cookfires, and it smelled good, really good. They were crossing under the portcullis spikes when Mayah felt a sudden bout of panic. Was this really it? They were leaving? What about her friends? Couldnt she at least say goodbye? Come on! But C We dont have time. Okay, Mayah whispered. She gave one last look down the path running through the mud huts of the greenhouse village and glanced at the see-through blue walls stretching over it all. When Sukren called for her again, she turned and ran towards him. He was already on one of the ash-paths that led through the plastos plant fields. This way, quick, quick. Mayah hurried after Sukren. He didnt say anything to her, which made her feel like a worry-worm herself. Where are we going? she asked. To the castle. They were going to the castle? Where the Rajas lived? Why? Chapter 2: “I thought serfs couldn’t go into castles.” Chapter 2: Sukren didnt think they would run into a mobile checkpoint unit, not in this part of the quintant, but he couldnt be sure. He hoped they wouldnt run into one, anyway. Just the thought of it made his palms clammy. He rubbed them against the front of his village suit. If you hear anything or see anyone, tell me right away, he told Mayah. So we can get off the path and into the plastos plants. He watched Mayah glance at the row of purple cane bordering the ash-path. Theyre glowing, she said softly. She reached out to touch one. A smile touched her lips. Rock-god, it broke Sukrens heart to see her smile like that, so full of wonder, so full of curiosity. Over ten years he had raised her, cared for her, ever since she was only two weeks old, and now it was all coming to an end. Damn Lady Ki! We have to keep moving, he said gently. The suns already set, and we have a long way to go. Every rustle of wind through the canes was making him jump. It didnt help that the ash-path was sloping upwards, then down, making it impossible to see what was coming up ahead. With the plastos fields penning them in on either side, it felt like he and Mayah were walking on a tight black rope in between walls of purple fire. His shoulders tense, Sukren tried to remember what Lady Nari had told him. If shes ever in danger, Ill send an agent to you. Bring her to the castle, go to the regents desk. Youll be smuggled in and given the paperwork you need to stay. Hopefully, it would be as easy as that: show up at the castle, and be done. Sukren doubted it though. The castle was its own beast. Getting through it could very well likely be more challenging than simply getting to it. Whats that sound? Sukren didnt hesitate. Bodily he hauled Mayah off the ash-path. Soon they were lying curled up around the roots and stem bases of the plastos plants. Sukren took a quiet, shallow breath. Mayah was tense and stiff next to him. The sound of footsteps grew louder, and louder, and louder. He closed his eyes. Keep going, keep going, he urged, dont see us, dont see us It took an eternity, it felt like, for the mobile checkpoint unit to pass. Sukrens hands were shaking as he crept back onto the path. But nobody was within sight, not even when he climbed up the crest to look at the way ahead. Thank the rock-god! You can come out now, he called softly to Mayah. She crawled out of the glowing field, her face ashen. He held his hand out to her and helped her up. Youre doing great, he told her. Let me know if you get tired. For now, keep following me. *** Mayah. Wake up, were here. Mayah blinked slowly. She was on Sukrens back; hed been carrying her. You dont want to see the castle? Not really, Mayah wanted to say. Not if its going to be scary. She blinked again. She didnt want to get off Sukrens back, that was what she didnt want to do, but he was sliding her down now. Yawning, she let go of him, rubbed her eyes, then adjusted her green headscarf. Wait, was that a golden glow in front of her? Curiosity drove out fear. Mayah stared at the castle. It went up and up and up and up, all the way to the very top of the bio-dome. It looked like a huge plastos plant, huge, and not purple at all, but yellow. And C oh! There were things sticking out of it! What are those? Mayah asked, pointing. The long ones, sticking out like that? Those are branches. Like on a tree? Thats right. Four of the bio-domes five castles are giant hollow-trees. But its so tall! And fat! Mayah took a step forward. The wind rustled in the plastos fields behind her. A spike of fear shot through her, and she reached for Sukrens leg. Whats that? she asked, after a moment of clinging to him. The bumps on the castle, what are those? A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Those are balconies. Remember learning about them from your architecture tutor? Of course Mayah remembered. She had to study while all the other kids in the village got to help out with rice. I didnt know they were real! she cried out. Oh, Sukren, look, theres someone on that balcony right now! She pointed. Is it a Rajas? We can go in and see for ourselves. We can go into the castle? Thats right. Mayah felt excited and nervous at the same time. I thought serfs couldnt go into castles. When Sukren didnt reply, Mayah looked up at him. Her brow furrowed. Whats wrong? Why why do you look so sad? He gave her a half-smile. Remember, when you were nine, I told you I had a secret to tell you when you got older? Mayah nodded. She kind of remembered. It had been a long time ago. The thing is, Mayah, youre not a serf. Mayah frowned. What do you mean? Youre a Rajas. What? You were given to me to be raised in a serf village to keep you safe. But bad people found us C theyre the ones who sent the soldiers. Thats why were here. Were going to live in the castle now and be safe. Mayah didnt understand. The Rajas were the top of the top, like the bitty-bats that lived in the branches of the bio-dome, so high up that nobody could touch them. What did Sukren mean that Mayah was one of them? That made no sense. Rajas were so special, they were called princesses and princes, every single one of them, well, except for the queen, and that was because she was even more special! I want to go home, Mayah whispered. Can we go home? Sukren put his arm around Mayahs shoulders, just like he had earlier, but this time it didnt make her feel safe. It felt like he was saying sorry, almost, but that made Mayah feel even more nervous. What was he sorry about? Sukren was only ever sorry to Mayah when he accidentally said something mean to her. Youre a princess, Mayah, Sukren replied. Princess Mayah. You were born in that castle right over there. You are going home. Mayah stayed where she was. She glanced at the castle over Sukrens arm. It was kind of ugly, actually, all that glowing yellow, almost like it was screaming. Sukren had brought home a bonsai, once, and it had had a gold limestone shell too, like most of the hollow-trees that made up the bio-dome, but the bonsai was small and cute, and the bio-dome was big and strong. The castle was weird. Who wanted to live in a tree, anyway? Can you put your hood up for me now? We have to go. Slowly she did as Sukren asked. The castle was even uglier up close. The entrance was a huge arch with a carving of a woman draped in breathflowers at the apex. But the arch didnt have a gate like the greenhouse village did. Instead, it kept going up and into the castle over a broad flight of stairs, like a tunnel with pillars holding it up on either side. So ugly! So messy, not clean and clear like the greenhouse. A woman and a tall, heavy man were standing on either side of the arch-tunnel. Both of them were holding bows, kind of like the ones the village boys used to dart fish out of the rice fields, only a lot bigger. Show us your papers, the woman said, in a pidgin Mayah had only ever heard her language tutors use. They were stolen, Sukren said in the same speech. Im here to apply for new ones. The man glanced at Mayah. She didnt like the way he looked at her, like he was better than her or something. He was the weird one, with his long, loose curls. Mayah had never seen anything like them before! Sukren and all the other villagers, and Mayah too, they all had straight hair. Give this to the checkpoint unit in the entrance hall, the man said, scribbling something down onto a sheaf-pad. He tore off the top page and handed it to Sukren. Go on, then. Sukren grabbed Mayahs hand and pulled her up the steps into the arch-tunnel. Mayah looked back over her shoulder. Who are they? Shhh, Sukren replied. Quietly. Theyre Eenta soldiers. Whyd they act like that? Like what? Like they won something, and we lost. She was surprised when Sukren chuckled. Dont worry, if they knew who you were, they wouldnt be acting like that to you. Mayah looked back one more time. She and Sukren were almost at the top of the steps, so she couldnt see the soldiers as well anymore. Strange. From up here, they could be any one of the adults in Mayahs village. Dark-haired, dark-skinned, why, the man was so tall and big he even looked a little like Sukren. But not like me. They were at the top of the stairs and about to go inside. Mayah couldnt see the purple plastos plants anymore, or the yellow glow of the castle. There was still a little light, though, coming from some fancy-looking lanterns hanging off the columns. Mayah lifted her hand, looked at it, then looked at Sukrens. Im Im so much lighter than he is. Hes brown-skinned, and Im gold. I I never saw that before. Chapter 3: "Just stay on my right so I’m between you and the edge." Chapter 3: As soon as he and Mayah were out of sight at the top of the stairs, Sukren opened the note and read it. Accompany these serfs to the regents desk, it said in Rajim script. He claims their papers were stolen. Verify his story. Scowling, Sukren refolded the note and held his hand back out to Mayah. She took it readily, and they entered the hall together. Once inside, Sukren found himself disoriented. The entrance hall was no longer the lofty painting-filled space of his childhood. Ten years had narrowed it and replaced the paintings with green and purple etches in the walls. The color scheme made it easier to find the internal checkpoint unit, at least. Both soldiers were wearing a stark red that stood out against the cool background. The male soldier took the note from Sukren and showed it to his partner. Ill take them there, he said. Sukren tried to quell the anxiety bubbling up inside him. By the rock-god, he hoped with all his heart that Lady Nari had his and Mayahs papers in order at the regents desk. He really did not want to have a physical confrontation with a soldier as solidly built as this one was. Sukren only grew uneasier as they approached the regents desk. It, too, had changed, and now looked like one of those hatted mushrooms they grew in Fungi Post #2. Well, that was life inside a hollow-tree for you. Its wood kept growing even when cut. Most of the castles interior C from the stages in the auditoriums, to the bookshelves in the libraries, to the walls between the dorm rooms C was made of ever-growing wood. In another ten years the hatted mushroom would be gone, probably, trimmed down as new growth under its base forced it up and out. Sukren ducked under the mushroom-shapes pale green brim; the soldier did the same. Underneath was an open window with a sleepy-looking Eenta woman in regents robes on the other side of it. She blinked at the sight of them. Can I help you? His heart dropped. Another Eenta? No, no, he was being prejudiced, not all Eenta were louts. Lady Nari had plenty of Eenta under her patronage, even though she herself was a Chenta. For all Sukren knew, this Eenta regent had been personally placed at the desk by Lady Nari herself. Our papers have been stolen, he told her. Our patron is Lady Nari. He felt the soldier give him a glance. Sukren pretended not to notice. He tried to smile at the regent who was staring at him. His palms were getting clammy again. If she continued to act confused by his name-drop, Sukren would know she wasnt one of Lady Naris undercover agents. If she had been briefed, however, to look out for someone of his description Relief flooded through Sukren when the regents face lit up. This way, this way, she said, gesturing them around the desks stem. I need to interview them, please wait here, she said to the Eenta soldier, before sliding a bioplastic screen over the window. Keeping her close, Sukren led Mayah to the other side of the desk where the regent was opening a half-door. The regents hands were visibly shaking as she ushered a wide-eyed Mayah in. Sukren glanced at Mayah. He wondered if she noticed the regents excitement. He wondered what she was thinking about the castle. Maybe he shouldnt have sprung on her that she was a Rajas, maybe he should have waited. Or maybe he should talk to her now about how she was feeling? She didnt much look like she wanted to talk though, and Sukren didnt think there was enough time to draw her out gently. Without papers they could be arrested on the spot, and frankly, that was all Sukren could think about right now. Do you have what we need? he whispered. He followed the regent through the door, both halves of which were now open. Inside the kiosk a capacitor light gleamed dimly. Files filled the curving shelves. No one else was inside. Youre to go to Zone 6, Level 9, the regent whispered. To Elanex, a magistrate. Sukren felt Mayah lean her head against his thigh. She was tired, he knew. He knew her face; those shadowed eyes and wrinkled forehead were saying, Im tired, please put me to bed. He didnt blame her. He was tired too. The night was half over, and he hadnt slept at all yet. He tried to think about what the regent was telling him. You dont have our papers here? No. Elanex does. But how are we supposed to get to Zone 6 without papers? Dont the elevator bays all have checkpoint units guarding them? Or did that change? Youll have to use the serf staircase. Sukrens mind spun. We cant climb all the way up to Zone 6 on the serf staircase! Thatll take days! Outside there was a sharp rap against the window screen. Whats going on in there? Do you have them on record or not? The regent met Sukrens eyes. Ill distract him, she said quietly, determination filling her face. You go up the serf staircase to Zone 3. The northwest lift bay on the second level is being guarded by Lady Naris soldiers tonight. Tell them I sent you C my name is Feiana. Theyll help you get the rest of the way. Now go, quickly, before he comes around. Its a straight shot from here, over the fencelet and around that information desk, see? Sukren saw. He didnt like the plan, but with the Eenta soldier now pounding on the screen, he knew they didnt have a choice. Grabbing Mayah by the hand, Sukren slipped out the half-door. Behind him he could hear the Eenta regent sliding open the window to talk to the soldier. Quickly, quickly, before the soldier lost his patience and came after them He helped Mayah over the half-grown fence and around the mini-monument of the information desk, then broke out into a run. They were both panting by the time they reached the door to the serf staircase. The wheel to open it was hard to grasp with sweaty hands and the rising clamor behind them didnt help reduce Sukrens stress. Someone was shouting in Eenmay and although Sukren didnt know Eenmay, Mayah did, and he could tell from her expression that whatever was being said was no good. At last, the door was open. It was set into the castle wall about a handbreadth above the floor, so Sukren had to lift Mayah up and over the rounded frame to get her outside. Rain-slicked wind smacked into his face as he followed; he almost tripped as he rushed to crank the door shut from the other side. Then Sukren turned to take in their surroundings. Spread out before him were the purple plastos fields theyd just walked through. He could also even make out the shape of the nearest castle looming up out of the forest that filled the next quintant over. Sukren was glad he hadnt actually tripped. There was no railing, there had never been a railing, and they were already several levels up off the ground. Come on, he gasped. We have to move. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. But Mayah was standing with her back pressed against the castle wall, her hands clinging to the layer of yellow limestone that covered it. She looked terrified. I dont want to fall! she wailed. Sukren looked at the staircase. It was definitely more slippery out here than he liked. But the steps were broad and wide and as long as he and Mayah stayed close to the castles trunk C as long as the wind and rain picking up didnt grow too strong C as long as they didnt run into anyone else C they would make it. Its okay, its okay, he said soothingly. Just stay on my right so Im between you and the edge. Mayah shook her head. Tears ran down her face. It was so late, and she was so young. I dont want you to fall! Despite everything, Sukren felt a smile touch his lips at Mayahs consideration of him. Here, get on my back again, he said. Ill carry you. That way well both be next to the trunk. He helped her clamber up onto his back. Better? She nodded into his neck. Thank the rock-god shes small and skinny, Sukren thought as he began to climb. And I used to be so worried that she wasnt eating enough. Especially that season when she was sick all the time! I remember going all the way to the shelterbelt to harvest some breathflower sap, hoping shed get her appetite back after eating something sweet. I traveled all night then too, I can do it again, I can, oh, rock-god, Im so tired, no, Im in a castle now, Im supposed to swear by the Eternal Queen Sarana, not by a greenhouse god, Ive got to remember. At least Sukren had plenty of adrenaline pumping through him. The thought of later, of afterwards, was helping too. Sukren had told Mayah they were going to live in the castle, but he could still hope that it wouldnt be for long. Maybe Lady Nari would find a way to contain Lady Kis soldiers. Maybe this night would fade away, like a bad dream, like the memory of an old sickness Sukren slipped. His hands shot out to stop his face from smashing into the stairs C it was automatic C he couldnt stop them C he was no longer holding onto Mayah C both of them were sliding down the rain-wet stairs C the edge C Desperation drove Sukrens fingernails into the wood. He kicked furiously against the slick surface. Friction finally brought him to a halt a handbreadth away from the railingless edge. At once he groped around him. Mayah! Mayah! Im here! With as much delicacy as his heavy frame would allow, Sukren scrambled to his feet, away from the edge. Thank the rock-god, oh, thank the rock-god, Mayah was several steps above him, crying. I let go, she sobbed. I was scared so I let go and you almost fell He hurried up to her. Its fine, Im fine, see? She kept crying. Mayah, it was a good thing you let go of me. If you hadnt, I wouldnt have been able to stop and we both wouldve fallen. Its what I wouldve told you to do if I couldve. Only then did Mayahs tears slow. Really? she whispered. Yes, really. Okay. She rubbed her face with the back of one hand. Her other hand was clinging tight to the limestone shell of the castle wall. How about you stay between me and the trunk and climb up a little on your own? Sukren suggested. Ill be okay along the edge. Mayah hesitated, then tearfully nodded. She began to climb, Sukren matching her pace. His heart was still pounding. Why didnt they grow a railing here, for crying out loud? Stuff like this had driven Sukren crazy back when he lived here. It was like they were trying to send a message that serfs werent valuable. Rock-god! At least they grew canopy-stops along the way. Sure enough, soon the steps grew longer and wider, bulging out off the edge of the staircase. A canopy-stop was up ahead, its frame growing out of the steps. Lets take a break, up there, he told Mayah. Her pace picked up at once; she practically threw herself into the nook. Sukren nudged her to the driest spot. He thought about sitting down next to her but decided against it. Once he sat down, he didnt think hed find it in him to get up again. Sukren? Mayah asked. Yes? That was an Eenta who helped us, right? Sukren immediately crouched down next to Mayah. He swept his own prejudices aside. It was vital he get this right. You remember learning about how there are both Chenta and Eenta villages, right? Mayah nodded. Well, every year on Queen Rathi Day Sukren paused. How was he going to explain this? The simplest way would be to talk to her about the purpose of the caste exams. But he needed to drive in the point that all serfs were serfs, whether they were doctor-priests or regents, soldiers or servies, Eenta or Chenta. He didnt think that focusing on the caste exams would do that. Or would it? Sukren didnt know anymore how he was supposed to direct Mayah. His instructions had been clear on how to raise her in the village, but they werent in the village. He decided to go for it. More information could only better equip her. Every year on Queen Rathi Day, the village children who pass the caste exams are taken and placed in the castles. Depending on how well they do on the exams, they are apprenticed to become either doctor-priests and regents, or soldiers and servies. Thats what happened to your friend Gen, remember him, from the childrens group home? No. You were both pretty young when he left. Wait, I think I remember him. She scrunched up her face. Maybe. I remember all the kids taking some kind of test. But not me. Mayah frowned. Why didnt I take it? Sukren responded as gently as he could. Because youre a Rajas. Mayah was silent. She didnt say anything for such a long time that Sukren almost suggested they start moving again. But then she spoke up. Did you ever take the caste exams? Yes. Did you pass? Yes. I Sukren swallowed, feeling a little nervous. Would she be upset that hed never shared any of this with her before? I became a doctor-priest. Her face was furrowed in concentration. So serfs all start in the villages, but then some of them leave the villages to work in the castles? Relief washed through Sukren. Mayah didnt care that Sukren hadnt explained his past to her. She was simply being her usual curious self. Thats right! What was the Eenta who helped us? She was a regent. I thought she was a soldier, Mayah said. Thats why I was scared. But then she was so nice to us. She was nice, Sukren agreed. But your instincts make sense. Eenta and Chenta both can become either doctor-priests or regents, but only Eenta can become soldiers, and only Chenta can become servies. Mayah was quiet. The rain dripped and dropped onto the canopy roofs latticework of vines and strips of wood. She was wearing her thinking face; Sukren could see it in the glowing orange light of the breathflowers draped over the canopy. It made him feel nervous again. Would she ask him the impossible-to-answer questions? If youre a doctor-priest, why did you live in a village? I thought you said doctor-priests lived in castles. And what about me? If Im a Rajas, why did I grow up in a village? You said its because of the bad people? Who are they? Why do they want me? What would he say then? He wanted to help her process all the newness that had happened this night, but he didnt want to lie. We better get going, he said quickly. I think the rain is slowing down. Lets move while its not so wet. Mayah sighed. Despite his anxiety, Sukren almost laughed. He loved the way she sighed, so dramatic, as if she were trying to convince a skeptical audience of her exasperation. Look up, into the sky, he said to her, smiling. I think its the aurora kaikilas. At that, she perked up, even scrambling to her feet and stepping out from under the canopy roof. He watched as her eyes grew wide. Oh, look, Sukren, look! Look at it! Its so clear! His heart light, Sukren went to stand next to her. Overhead the crisscrossing branches of the bio-dome were a bright smear against the night sky, orange blossoms and blue and green leaf veins blurring into yellow limestone. Higher still, in the darkness above, the gold and green lights of the aurora kaikilas shimmered and danced. Chapter 4: “Am I really a Rajas?” Chapter 4: What are you drawing? Mayah tried to poke her head under Sukrens arm to see. He was tracing something onto the step, using rain from a puddle as ink. It looked like a rectangle, but it was kind of hard to tell. Im trying to figure out how to get from the serf staircase entrance to the lift bay. See, were coming in here, and we want to go there. Sukren touched the bottom left corner of the rectangle then put his finger on the catty-corner at the top right. Mayah glanced at the entrance door. It had a wheel on it, too, just like the last one, just like all the ones theyd passed on their way up. Or maybe not all of them. She didnt know for sure because she hadnt seen all of them. Mayah had tried really hard to stay awake but she had been so tired! Theyd climbed and climbed and climbed and when theyd reached another canopy-stop she had sat down for just a moment. Next thing she knew, she was on Sukrens back again. Why cant we open the door and look in? Mayah asked. I guess we can, Sukren replied slowly. Im a little nervous about opening it and running into someone. We have to keep hidden until we get our papers. But youre right, we need more information. He frowned, then shrugged. I guess we dont have much of a choice. Mayah heard the music before the door was even fully open. It was loud. Sukren grimaced. Dont tell me those are Rajas. She watched as he poked his head inside. Yes, those are Rajas. Holding a Houseparty. He didnt say anything more. Mayah felt a little funny. There were Rajas on the other side of that door. Shed heard so much about them. Every villager had at least one story about the princesses and princes who lived in the castles. And here she was, now, about to see them for the first time. Well, not them. Because she was a Rajas too. Sukren had called her a princess, even. Could it be true? Was she really a princess? Just like the Rajas inside? If she stepped forward, she could see past Sukren through the door. Oh rock-god, those arches! It was like another rectangle was inside the rectangle Sukren had drawn of the room, only the rectangle was made up of arch after arch after arch. Walls of arches! And inside them, music like Mayah had never heard before, and laughter, too, and warmth, and even C wait, was that one of them? She couldnt help it. She pulled off her hood so she could see better, and stepped forward. Sukren grabbed her. We cant go in there, not now. But I want to see, she whispered. Its too dangerous. Mayah pointed at the walls. Cant we hide behind the arches? No. Well have to climb up to Zone 6 on the staircase. Somehow. She could hear the weariness in Sukrens voice. He didnt want to go up the serf staircase. He wanted to take a shortcut. And that was what Mayah wanted too! So why didnt they go for it? The Rajas wouldnt see them if they hugged the walls. She pulled against Sukrens grasp and felt him release her. Oh! Mayah could see them now, the Rajas, the golden ones, oh, that one was a girl, there, with hair as blue as a leaf vein, and tattoos running all over her face, oh rock-god, oh rock-god C Sukren? she whispered. Yes? Am I really a Rajas? she whispered. Sukrens hands on her shoulders were gentle. Yes. Yes, you are. Mayah felt hot and cold all over. It was like she was trying to swallow something tight in her throat that just wouldnt go down. She took one step forward, then another. Sukren didnt stop her. And when he began following her, she didnt stop either A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. *** The shortest distance between two points is a line, but when that line cuts through a Houseparty, its better not to take it. Sukren knew that. Ten years of village life hadnt erased all his castle-bred instincts. He was happy to remain hidden inside the arcade, taking only the merest glances through the arches to his right at the Rajas inside the nave. Hug the walls, thats it, its like you need to get to the end of the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle but the only way to get there is by clinging to the triangles legs. Good, youre at its angle now, its 90 corner. Turn right, and there it is, you can see it, only one leg left to go C What are you doing up so late? A Rajas voice. Sukren closed his eyes. He wanted to bang his head against something hard and unyielding. Stupid, stupid, how could he have been so stupid as to let Mayah walk by the wall-shafts to his right, without her hood up, stupid, stupid, no matter how tired he was how could he have been so stupid! It was too late now. The prince and princess whose attention theyd captured were peering through the arch at Mayah with an interest that Sukren could tell wasnt going to go away. She was feeling sick and had to go to a clinic. Im escorting her back to her dorm, Sukren told them in Rajim. It was a bad lie. A sick princess would stay the night at a clinic; she wouldnt be creeping back to her dorm at such a late hour. Thankfully, Rajas were generally pretty oblivious. Coddled as they were since birth, they had to be. Sukren was fairly sure they wouldnt question his account. Of course, Rajas also tended to completely ignore anything serfs said. So cute! the princess cooed. Youre still a junior princess, arent you? So little! Mayah was staring at them open-mouthed. She glanced at Sukren. He nodded, just the tiniest bit to tell her to respond. She looked back at the Rajas. Yes, she whispered, also in Rajim. I am a junior princess. So shy, too, the princess said, smiling. Come on, come with us, well give you a fun night, youll be able to tell all your friends about it. She has to go back to her dorm, Sukren said loudly. Shes sick, shes tired. The prince reached out and grabbed Mayahs hand. He pulled her through the arch into the nave. What are you wearing? he laughed. Is it some kind of costume? Come on, lets show it off, show you off. Its not every day a junior princess gets to attend a Houseparty. Sukren watched, his fists clenched, as Mayah was tugged along into the nave by the two Rajas. What could he do? Mayah was being led further and further away. She was looking back at Sukren, her eyes wide, but then the prince pulled her into a cluster of Rajas and Sukren lost sight of her. Sukren involuntarily took a step forward, then stopped. All his castle training was screaming at him to stand still, to let the Rajas do as they pleased. Dont you know the purity laws? Dont you know your place? Yes, but didnt he also know Mayah? She was in his sight again, but the princess was leading her to a servie with a beaker of breathflower rum on his tray. She was barely ten, by the rock-god, did these Rajas have no sense of propriety? No, of course not, of course they dont, thats why I hated castle life so much, thats why I jumped at the chance to raise Mayah in a village, but now Im back and Im about to watch as shes made more vulnerable than ever and then I know one of these bastards is going to take her and C Sukren took another step forward. I cant let it happen, he whispered to himself. I cant, I cant. Thats right, a voice deep inside him said. Its true, you cant. But you dont have to be stupid about it. Something inside Sukren came unstuck. He was able to breathe. Dont be stupid, dont be stupid anymore, yes, okay, that means while the Rajas are distracted, go to the lift bay guarded by Lady Naris soldiers, its right down the arcade, and tell them Feiana sent you. Now go! Sukren moved as quickly as he could without drawing attention. He was at the northwest lift bay at once. The two Eenta soldiers guarding it turned to face him, their faces alarmed. Feiana sent me, he gasped. I need your help. To his immense and utter relief, both soldiers immediately drew closer to him so that all three of them were hidden behind a pier. What is it? Do you need to get off this level? one of them asked. No, Sukren said. I need to extract the junior Rajas out there in the nave and get her off this level, and up to Zone 6. Junior Rajas The soldier to Sukrens left put her hand to her mouth. Is she shes Yes, Sukren replied. She is. Im her handler. Tell us what to do! Sukren took a deep breath. Heres the plan. Im going to go out there. You two follow me, weapons out... Chapter 5: “Press the button! What are you waiting for?” Chapter 5: It all happened so fast. The Rajas was leading Mayah away from Sukren, all the way to the other side of the room, and Mayah didnt want to go with them, she wanted to stay with Sukren, but how could she say no to a princess? You are a princess, you are a princess, a voice inside her whispered but it didnt feel real, it didnt feel right. Everything was a blur, everyone was so pretty, a clear bioplastic bulb was being thrust into her hand, voices were telling her to drink. She did, and oh, it was yucky, it was so yucky! Then she turned and saw him. Instinctively she reached out for him; he was Sukren, he was her guardian, he was everything that made her feel safe and secure. All her life hed been there. All her life hed cared for her. And he was reaching for her too, his arms were outstretched and C Mayah blinked. Sukren was grabbing hold of some other Rajas hand, not hers, and the princess was screaming. Hes touching me, hes touching me! Another Rajas shouted, Hes not wearing gloves! Out of the corner of her eye Mayah saw red-clothed Eenta rushing towards them. One of them had his spear out. It looked sharp and shiny and, by the rock-god, was he pointing it at Sukren? Yes, yes, he was, he was coming closer, he was jabbing it into Sukren, he was hurting him! She tried at once to go to him, but was jostled this way and that as other Rajas and soldiers rushed in. Soon she was at the edge of the crowd. Panicking, Mayah started shoving her way back in when she felt a pair of gloved hands on her shoulders. One second she was on her feet, the next, she was being yanked away from the crowd. Immediately Mayah tried to get free. Pushing, pulling, but the grip on her shoulders was too strong! Not until she was all the way back in the arches was she released. Sobbing, Mayah tried again to get back to Sukren but someone was blocking her. Let me go! she wept. Let me go! Hide in the lift here. Im going to get him. As soon as were inside, press L3 on the panel. Do you understand? Mayah stopped crying. She turned to look at the grim-faced Eenta soldier holding her back. He didnt meet her eyes, his focus on the clamoring crowd in the nave. I understand, she whispered. Good. As soon as he let her go Mayah ran to the lift. She rubbed away the tears on her face. Oh please, oh please, she prayed, let Sukren be okay. Please please please please please She was inside. L3, what did the soldier mean by press L3? Was there an L and a number 3 somewhere? She looked at the panel C no, there was one button with L3 on it, yes, that had to be it, this row of buttons was the panel, then. All Mayah needed to do was wait, now, for him to bring Sukren to her. She touched the back of her hand to her forehead. It was hot, her cheeks were flushed, she didnt like this, she didnt like seeing the soldier hurt Sukren, she didnt like it at all, not one bit. Again she rubbed away the tears in her eyes. I shouldnt have told Sukren I wanted to see the Rajas, she thought unhappily. This is all my fault. I should have listened to him, now hes getting hurt, and its because of me, its all because of me. I have to press the L3 button. I have to do that right, at least. Oh, I wish the soldier would hurry, I wish he would hurry! As if in response, Mayah saw the crowd break open. The Eenta soldier who had told her to hide in the lift was dragging a limping Sukren towards her. One of Sukrens arms was slung around the soldiers shoulders but the other arm was hanging loose. Mayah watched as they got closer and closer, but the crowd behind them was following, and getting closer too. She ducked behind the lift panel, her finger on L3. Hurry, hurry... The protests rising up from the approaching crowd were getting louder and clearer. Mayah heard a princess say in Rajim, Youre just going to take him? Another voice called out, He can be put in custody later, a violation of the purity laws requires immediate sanction! She peeked around the edge. They were almost there, they were almost at the lift But the crowd was starting to pull both Sukren and the soldier back. Mayah watched, aghast, as the soldier jerked his shirt-sleeve out of someones grasp. He stumbled, then met Mayahs eyes. After a tiny hesitation, he thrust Sukren forward into the lift and turned to face alone the anger of the mob. Mayah didnt know what to do. The soldier had said to wait until he and Sukren were both inside! But was he coming? Could he even get away from the crowd? Press the button! she heard Sukren cry out hoarsely. What are you waiting for? Mayah jabbed her finger into L3 at once. Even before the doors were closed she ran to kneel by Sukrens side. Blood was welling up out of a stab wound on his arm. Take off my hood, he rasped. Fingers trembling, Mayah did as she was told. Press it over C stop the flow C Mayah positioned the hood with both hands then placed all her weight onto it. Sukren cried out through tight-clenched teeth. Sorry! she gasped. Im sorry! To her relief, Sukren actually breathed out a laugh. The rock-god is paying me back for not taking Veks injury seriously. Mayah had no idea what Sukren was talking about. What do I do? Keep pressing. He closed his eyes. He was still sprawled out onto the floor of the lift, his brown village suit almost matching the cars dark beige. Need water, some point. Mayah almost lifted her hand to point but remembered in time. At least ten minutes to stop a blood flow, that was what Sukren had taught her. There are some water bulbs on that shelf-thing over there. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. They probably have a full bar, Sukren mumbled. Mayah didnt know what that was. She didnt know anything, it felt like, about the castle. She certainly hadnt known how mean it would be. Mayah glanced at Sukrens face. His eyes were open now, and she felt a sudden spike of anger. Dont do that again, she said, her voice trembling. Dont ever do that again. As she expected, Sukren tried to shift onto his side to reach out to her but he couldn''t, not with her pinning his arm down with his hood. I had to, he said softly. I had to get us out of there. Mayah shook her head, unable to wipe away the tears flowing down her face. No, she sobbed. Dont do it again. She didnt know how to tell him what it had done to her to see him cower away from the soldier like that, arm bleeding, pain stamped into his face. Dont make me watch you go through that again, she wanted to say, not while Im too little to help, too little to do anything but cry because youre hurting. Even right now what can I do? You need a grownups help and all you have is me. I wanted to help, but I couldnt, she managed to say. Sukrens touch was gentle on her knee. Youre helping now. And youll help again. How? When the lift doors open, stand up straight as you can, in front of me, so nobody sees me. Until C wait. What level? What did you press? The soldier told me to press L3. She watched the tension melt away from Sukrens shoulders. Good. The other soldier, his partner. Shes waiting there. For now can you C you can C Mayah nodded quickly so Sukren didnt have to keep talking. He gave her a faint smile. Water. Get me a water bulb, soon as C He gestured at his injured arm. I will, she said quickly. She could tell Sukren was getting tired. Adrenaline, that was the word, it was probably going away now. She could feel her shoulders start to slump. Sukren had never let her stay up so late before. Dont fall asleep, she heard Sukren say distantly. Mayah. Wake up. Im awake, she murmured. She yawned. What about when we get to Zone 6, what do we do then? Ill figure something out. That sounded nice. Sukren always figured things out in the end. And then maybe Mayah could sleep. She was tired. So very tired. *** I am not in a good spot, Sukren thought. His arm was still bleeding, and the blood loss was starting to make him dizzy. He glanced over at Mayah fighting off drowsiness; she gave him a big sleepy smile. What are my options? I have to get to a clinic. Without papers, though, a clinic might take me in under custody, but then they wont let me go to Elanex. Maybe I should just keep going up and try to get to Elanex first? Can I last that long? At least Sukren was in an elevator now. Thank the rock-god for both those soldiers. The man had gotten him out of the crowd, and the woman had been waiting, as planned, on the third level. Shed even taken the time to explain to Mayah the difference between lifts and elevators. Lifts go from level to level within a zone. Elevators go from zone to zone. There are always two elevator stops on each zone, one on Level 3 and another on Level 8. Im going to escort you to an elevator now and stay with you until Level 8. Im not authorized to leave Zone 3, so I have to get off at that point, but Ill get you at least that far. Sukren closed his eyes. For all he knew, neither he nor Mayah would even make it to Zone 6. From Zone 3, Level 8 to Zone 6, Level 9, where Elanex was, the elevator doors would open six times. If any of the soldiers guarding the bays looked in and saw that Sukren didnt have an escort, he would be hauled off to a clinic whether he liked it or not. Then, when they found out he didnt have papers, they would either arrest him and take him away right then and there, or if he were lucky, they would admit him and chain him to his bed until they decided what to do with him. Ill just keep going as far as I can. Ill try to make it to Elanex. If Im taken to a clinic first and detained there, well, theres a chance that one of Lady Naris agents will be there too, someone who can send word to Lady Nari on our behalf. Rock-god, if only Vek were here, I could trust him to get me help, even if I were arrested, I could trust him to see Mayah up to Elanex still! Mayah, he murmured. Her head snapped back up. Yeah? Can you C water? She nodded, letting go of his hood. Sukren felt blood trickle from his wound almost immediately. Damn it. Moving from the lift to the elevator had made the flow worse. He leaned over and pressed down with his other hand, shifting so that he was lying on his side. Dont do it again, Mayah had asked, and Sukren didnt want to. Hed known the soldiers would attack him at least to get him away from the princess hed touched, but Sukren had expected a serf prod, not a spear. Not that it was all that much fun to be struck by a serf prod, either. Here. Sukren pushed himself up into a sitting position. His head was swimming. He leaned against the elevator wall behind him. One moment, he whispered. Then Mayah bent down and started pushing down on his wound once more, freeing his hand to take the water bulb from her. Gratitude washed over him. He drank eagerly, his shaking fingers spilling half of it onto the front of his village suit, but Mayah got him another one, and another. They didnt speak after that. Sukren couldnt muster the strength and Mayah kept falling asleep. He managed to prod her awake in time to stand in front of him when the elevator doors opened automatically; thank the rock-god and the late hour, nobody came in to join them. The soldiers didnt even glance inside. A bit of luck at last. Now if it would only hold five more times He settled into a pattern. Wait until the elevator reached the next zone, then nudge Mayah awake, then fight sleep himself until the next zone, and then nudge Mayah awake again. Zone 4 passed, then Zone 5. Finally, hours later, the doors opened to Zone 6, Level 8. By that point Sukren could barely move. Mayah was stumbling from sleeplessness. He felt so bad to force her awake, but he needed her to do one more thing for him. He gathered up everything he had. Put your hood up. Give me your shoulder. Help me get to the lift. They didnt even make it past the elevator bay. The soldiers outside acted as soon as they saw him. Sukrens hood was ripped from his grasp; he tightened his jaw against the pain that shot through him as a cuff-like hand gripped him under his arm. Half-frog marched, half-dragged down the hall, Sukren was barely aware enough to keep track of Mayah. He blinked, and saw that Mayah was in front of him, being driven forward by a soldiers hand on the back of her neck. Sukren didnt like that. Instinctively he twisted against his captors. He was jerked backward for his trouble, and the soldier holding him by his injured arm jammed his thumb into the wound. Pain overwhelmed him at once. Sukren tried to fight the onrushing blackness, but it was too late. The last thing he saw was Mayahs frightened face as she turned her head to look at him, right before the soldier cuffed her back into formation. Chapter 6: "The soldiers were taking us both –” Chapter 6: Thats it, Mayah thought, fighting back tears. I dont like it here, not one bit. Its been nothing but terrible ever since we left the village. She tugged feebly at the bioplastic tie chaining her wrist to Sukrens clinic bed. He was asleep, although his face still looked awfully drawn. At least the doctor-priests had taken care of his arm. It was wrapped up and clean and theyd even stuck a needle and tube in his other arm C to help with hydration, Mayah remembered learning. Mayah was thirsty too but nobody had offered her a drink. She swallowed against the dryness in her throat and tugged on the plastic tie again. She couldnt even sit down on the floor because the bed rail was too high up off the ground. Were they going to leave her like this for the rest of the night? And then what? Would the soldiers come back for Sukren and take him away? She still wasnt quite sure what Sukren had done wrong, but he seemed to have made a lot of people angry. The thought of soldiers hurting Sukren again was what made up her mind. Making sure her hood was on, she reached out with her unchained hand and drew the privacy curtain open as far as she could. Someone walked by, a Chenta, she thought, in a long white apron-coat. Can you help me? Mayah called out in the pidgin. She almost used Chenmay but remembered in time that in the castles the serfs all spoke the pidgin. The Chenta glanced at her and kept on walking. Undeterred, Mayah waited for someone else to pass by. Can you help me? It took about ten tries, but finally a young-looking Eenta girl, only a little older than Mayah was, stopped when called. What is it? Feiana sent me, Mayah said. Who? Mayahs shoulders sagged. It had been her only idea. Never mind, she muttered. Could I C could I have some water? And a chair? Maybe. Mayah watched her go, knowing she wasnt going to come back. Coughing a little, and feeling sorry for herself, Mayah was tempted to give up. But no, she couldnt. She couldnt let Sukren get hurt again. She drew herself up. She was about to try calling out into the empty hallway to see if that would work better when the privacy curtain rustled, pulling open all the way. Behind it was a Chenta woman in black livery. She had a mop in her hand and a look of incredulity on her face. Did you say Feiana sent you? she whispered. Mayah nodded as fiercely as she could. Holy Sarana, the woman whispered. Wait here. Ill be right back. *** Arent you the one always telling me to be more careful? Sukren blinked. He knew that voice, although he didnt understand how he could be hearing it now. Vek? he whispered hoarsely. The one and only. So I hear you ran into a crowd of Rajas and attacked a princess? Or thats what the rumors are saying, anyway. Cant be true, of course, or you wouldnt still be alive. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. A faint smile touched Sukrens lips. He blinked again, then looked around. He was in a clinic. The soldiers had brought him to one after all. And there was Vek, of all people, with a pair of pliers in one hand and two shorn bioplastic wrist ties in the other. What C what are you doing here? Sukren asked, bewildered. Arent you supposed to be resting in the village? Vek shrugged. I rested enough. Speaking of which, you have too. We have to get out of here. Get out of here? Sukren repeated. It was hard to think. Theyd given him a sedative probably, that was why his thoughts were so muddled. Otherwise why else would he feel like something was off? Then it hit him, harder than a blow from a serf prod, stronger than the butt end of a spear. He reeled up, almost falling out of the bed, his mind in a whirl. Where was Mayah? Where is she? he gasped. He watched the smile slide off Veks face. You didnt send her away? With another agent? I C I was out. She was with me. The soldiers were taking us both C Sukren couldnt breathe. He was choking on a panic deeper than hed ever experienced before; he felt frozen in the face of a mind-numbing fear. Hed never not known where Mayah was. Hed never been separated from her for longer than a day. She was his responsibility C she was his to take care of C to protect and provide for C He felt Vek prodding him down the bed ladder. We have to go. We have to tell someone. What if she had been abducted by one of Lady Kis patronees? What if soldiers had come and taken her away while he was unconscious? What if she was being hurt? What if she was crying out for Sukren in some dark dank box? This way, come on, Sukren, we have to move. Step by step. Down the hall. Have to get out. Have to find Lady Nari. Have to tell her. Have to get her help. Have to find Mayah. Okay, out the door now, go! Sukren stepped through the serf staircase door into a shower of wind and rain. He staggered under the force of the gale. It took him a moment to marshal the strength to take a step up. Behind him, Vek didnt seem to be doing much better. Hes still not recovered either, Sukren realized amidst his chaotic thoughts. Neither one of us should be doing this. Neither one of them, however, had a choice. Let me go in front of you, Sukren heard Vek say. Ill show you the way. Sukren pressed himself up against the yellow limestone of the castle wall. Mayah was somewhere inside, she was somewhere deep inside, and he didnt know, he didnt know where she was, she could be hungry or hurt or unhappy and he wouldnt know he wouldnt know C Somehow Sukren managed to follow Vek up the serf staircase. It wasnt the long slog up several zones, thankfully, otherwise they likely wouldnt have made it. Even so, Sukren felt himself shaking after slipping back through another entranceway. Rock-god, he needed to find Mayah, but his useless body was betraying him right when he needed it most! This way, Vek whispered. The hallways on this level werent long and rectangular as in the clinic. Rather, they curved, like ash-paths through plastos fields. Sukren followed Vek around a series of fat, bulging columns C no, those had to be dorms, they had doors on them, and now Vek was stopping at the central-most one, the biggest one. Vek knocked on the door. A young man opened it, an Eenta dressed in red. Sukren jerked away from him, the still burning memory of a spear in his flesh flashing through him. But Vek didnt move. I brought him, he said, but we lost her on the way. Who is it? a voice called out from behind the soldier. I think its the guardian, the soldier replied. He stepped aside; an older woman, a Chenta, took his place. Holy Sarana, she whispered. Come in, come quick. This is Elanex, Vek added. Going to help you with, you know. Sukren swallowed. He stepped in through the doorway; the soldier closed it behind him and Vek. I need to find C she was with me C Sukren? His heart almost stopped. From behind Elanex, a shadow emerged, then solidified into Mayah. His Mayah, oh rock-god, it was his Mayah! Trembling, Sukren held out his arms. When she rushed into them, he began to cry. Chapter 7: “So with this cameragram, my papers are good?” Chapter 7: I didnt want to leave you, but they said I had to, Mayah explained. It was very important to her that Sukren understand that she hadnt left him on purpose. They said someone else would get you later, and if I stayed there with you, it would be harder for you to escape. They were right, Sukren told her. He was smiling now, which made Mayah feel better. She didnt like to see him cry. It made her feel funny, almost embarrassed. She decided to explain herself again. But I still didnt want to leave you. I asked them and asked them if I could take you too. He kissed her on the top of her head. Its okay, he said. Why dont you get some rest now. Its extremely late, its probably already the next day. Mayah was happy to obey. After a quick hug, she scampered back behind the screen room-divider and dove into the bed. Snuggled up under the covers once more, Mayah felt happy, happy for the first time since Sukren had brought her to this stupid place. She couldnt wait to go back and tell Ajante all about how dumb the castle was, how it was just stairs, one stupid step after another in the stupid rain C Mayah stopped. For some reason she thought about the princess, the one who had smiled at her and called her cute. Her hair had been up in braids, nice braids all pinned up. She had been really nice to Mayah. Come on, come with us, well give you a fun night, youll be able to tell all your friends about it. The princess had been so pretty, Mayah hadnt even felt all that frightened, well, maybe a little bit, but not very much. Maybe Ill try to make my hair pretty like hers. And not just down like I always do. And then maybe Ill ask Sukren for a nice neck scarf, like Elanex has. If I really am a Rajas doesnt that mean I get to look like one? Mayah yawned. Sukren would figure it out. He was very smart. She peeked out from under the covers. She could see his outline through the screen room-divider. A machine was going click-flash! in front of him. He was saying something to the Chenta lady. Oops, she meant Chenta magistrate. Mayahd learned from the servie whod helped her that only patrons were called Lord and Lady. So with this cameragram, my papers are good? Yes. And Mayahs too? Nobody is going to check her papers against a genealogical record or registry book? Ill have the necessary records and books updated. What about the commotion we caused getting in? Wont someone look into that, track us down? Lady Nari will find a scape-sheep. Oh, I didnt mean C I wouldnt want anyone to get in trouble just because I couldnt keep things quiet. Mayah could hear the magistrates robe rustling. Lady Nari will take care of everything appropriately. You go and rest. Ill have you and Princess Mayah woken up tonight after the printing press finishes producing your booklets. Princess Mayah. It sounded so weird. Mayah, the princess. Princess Mayah. Beia would laugh so hard if she heard. And she would definitely hear. Even if Mayah thought it might be fun to dress up like a Rajas, that didnt mean she wanted to never see her friends again. She liked her friends. And they liked her. Mayah was very popular. All the boys liked her too, even Kan who was a whole year older than her. She heard the room-divider rattle. It was Sukren. He smiled at her, that tired smile he gave her sometimes after working all day in the rice fields. I thought you were asleep. I am! He grinned. You sound awake to me. I was waiting for you, she said, which wasnt exactly true, but now that Sukren was here, Mayah was glad she was awake. She scooted over to the edge of the bed. See, I made room for you. Its okay. The floors fine. Mayah frowned. She and Sukren slept side-by-side on the same double mat in the village, why would he sleep on the floor when the bed was just as big? But I made a lot of room. Its going to be a little different here in the castle. Especially C you cant touch me anymore, not in public. Okay? Remember that. Mayah didnt say anything. Sukren looked very tired, almost sick. She should probably stop bothering him and let him sleep. She had to sleep too, anyway. They could always go back to the village tomorrow. She wasnt going to think about it tonight. No, instead she was going to think about the princess, about how her braids had been so pretty, and how she had smiled at Mayah as if she really liked her. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Come on, come with us, well give you a fun night, youll be able to tell all your friends about it. *** Sukren was glad he was so exhausted. It made it easier to slip into sleep, to hide from the shame of breaking down in front of everyone. Both Elanex and the soldier had stared at him. Vek had attempted a clumsy explanation. Hes wounded, hes been up all night Im sorry, Sukren had finally managed. Vek had clapped him on the back then ducked out after bowing to Mayah; the soldier had saluted Elanex and disappeared after Vek. Sukren had apologized again to the magistrate. Shed graciously waved it away. Youve had a long night. Then Mayah had started to chatter away, clinging to Sukrens hand. I didnt want to leave you, I asked them and asked them if I could take you too Thank the rock-god it had all worked out. Thank the rock-god Mayah had been safe all along. I dont know what I wouldve done, I dont know what I couldve done, if Lady Kis patronees had gotten to her first. She means so much C to all of us C to the cause C to me. Sukrens eyes were closed. Yes, he thought gently, Mayah means everything to me, and I know it, and Lady Nari probably does too. I was supposed to be Mayahs handler, her minder, but instead I grew attached to her, started to care about her. How could I not? Shes the sweetest little girl I know, so brave for her age, so curious about everything. And now were in the castle and Im going to lose her I know it I know it C Sukren forced himself to stay calm. Ill ask Lady Nari to send us back to the village. Ill tell her Mayah isnt ready yet to be tested against Rajas life. Ill beg her. Ill promise her anything. Sleep, thankfully, came quickly, allowing him to escape his thoughts. Even so, it was fitful, and he woke up at once when he heard someone call his name. Sukren? It was Elanex. She was knocking on the room-dividers wooden panel. He could tell right away that hed slept for a long time; his body felt a thousand times better. Except for his arm. That still felt like it was on fire. Can you wake the princess? I have new clothes and a stylist here for her cameragram. Yes, of course, Sukren replied. He swallowed a yawn and scrambled to his feet. No sunlight peeked out from around the edges of the blackout curtain on Elanexs window. Mayah? Its time to wake up. Mmm. Theres new clothes and C Mayah was up and out of bed before Sukren could blink. Can I see them? Where? Smiling a little, Sukren pointed around the room-divider, then sat back down onto the carpet to wait. He felt both thirsty and hungry, which he took as good signs. His arm was quite sore, but seemed well-wrapped, which surprised Sukren. He hadnt expected the clinic to take seriously the injuries of a paperless unknown. Speaking of papers surely his would be ready by now? Elanex had said she would wake him when his booklet was printed. He toyed with the idea of knocking on the room-divider or going around it but decided to wait. Castle decorum demanded more respect for privacy. His restraint was soon rewarded. You can come out now, Sukren. Elanex handed him his booklet as soon as he stepped out. He clutched it with both hands. Rock-god, if Sukren never had to climb the serf staircase again it would be too soon. He opened the booklet, running his thumb over his cameragram on the first page. The other pages had all his other details, and they werent even false: his birthdate (3rd week of the rainsoon season, 25 years ago), the holy site at which he was born (RockSpire in Lost Technology Quintant), his childhood village (Cotton Post #4), his childhood villages patron (Lord Lin), his current castle designation (Lost Technology Castle), his current zone designation (8), his patron (Lady Nari), his name (Sukren), his caste (doctor-priest), his ethnicity (Chenta), and his rank within Lady Naris patronage (squad member). Pleased to finally have everything in order, Sukren glanced up to smile at Mayah. Oh, she looked different! Her village suit and headscarf were gone; she was wearing a white Rajas frock and a teal under-cloak. She was holding a booklet in her hand, too, its gold and green cover flashing in Elanexs bottle-lamp. I have one too! she said. Look at mine! Her cameragram wasnt inserted yet, but her details were all there: birthdate (32nd week of the dry season, 10 years ago), birthplace (Lost Technology Castle), the box next to junior princess checked off, her current zone designation (8) and her name (Mayah). There were a few pages still blank, which would be filled in once she became a senior princess. The camera is printing her cameragram now, he heard Elanex say. Once its done, her booklet will be finished as well. Now, youre both under my magistracy, so youll have to come back to me every half-season to get a new cameragram and to update any details. Most of the time, of course, I have a regent under me take care of updating papers, but Ill handle both of yours personally. Speaking of which, Lady Nari told me to conduct Princess Mayah to her dorm and get her settled in. Sukren, you are to wait here until Vek comes to take you to Lady Nari. Mayah immediately latched onto Sukrens arm. He winced. Then at the sight of her pout, he knelt, doing his best to gently untangle himself from her. In response, she grabbed his hands. Its okay, Mayah, Sukren said quietly. Im in Zone 8, just like you. I wont be far. She shook her head. He could see the stubbornness on her face. She wasnt going to let go. Dont worry, Princess, Elanex said. Im assigning him to live-in junior Rajas duty. Hell live in a room on your level and be responsible for any emergencies that happen to you while youre in your dorm. If you let me escort you there, Ill find one of the doctor-priests currently on duty and tell him that Sukrens joining his squad. Mayah looked at the magistrate. Promise? she said. Elanexs mouth twitched. She seemed amused. I promise. Okay, Mayah whispered. She still didnt let go of Sukren, but when Sukren stood and pulled away, she didnt hang onto him either. Sukren gave her a smile. She gave him a halfhearted one back, then turned to follow Elanex. Strange. From behind, Sukren couldnt even tell it was Mayah. The stylist had done something with her hair, braided it or something. A frown tugged on his lips. She looked quite like a princess now. Exactly like one, in fact. Chapter 8: “Do you no longer want victory, Sukren?” Chapter 8: Can you do me a favor? Sure, Sukren replied, although he wasnt sure what kind of favor Vek would need. As long as it doesnt involve going onto the serf staircase. Well, actually Sukren tried not to look at Vek as if Vek were crazy. No. I C we might be in better shape than we were yesterday, but C no. They were inside Elanexs dorm, along with the soldier who had been there the night before. Mayah and Elanex were already gone. He has papers now, the soldier pointed out. Sukren wanted to applaud him. He settled for some enthusiastic nodding. Vek shrugged. Never mind. He pulled open the door. This way, to the lift. Once they were outside and around the curve of Elanexs dorm, however, Vek turned to Sukren once more. Can you tell them Im with you? That Ive been assigned to be your personal servie? Tell who? The soldiers at the elevator bay. Sure, Sukren said, a little more slowly this time. He wondered why Vek couldnt just rely on his own papers. Was it because Vek was a shadow member? Even shadow members had the right to use elevators, didnt they? Maybe not. Whatever the reason, Vek didnt seem inclined to explain. Which was fine. Preferable even. Better rested or not, Sukren still didnt have much energy. It would be wisest to save what he did have for his meeting with Lady Nari. Which zone are we going to? Sukren asked Vek. 9. It was nighttime again. They went down the lift with no problems; the regent guarding it was one of Elanexs underlings, apparently. At the elevator bay, however, it was soldiers, unknown ones. Sukren showed them his papers. After a moment he was waved through. He turned at once and pointed at Vek. Hes with me. One of the soldiers held her hand out for Veks booklet. Sukren watched as she thumbed through the pages. She showed the booklet to her partner, then tossed it onto the floor at Veks feet with a sneer. Go. Sukren turned his face away. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Vek scoop his booklet up off the floor. Sukren then led the way to the elevator car, waiting until the doors were closed to glance sideways at him. Vek met his gaze. Thank you. He spoke with a soft, open relief. Its nothing, Sukren muttered. I mean it. I know you like village life, but Im glad youre here now. Rock-god, Sukren couldnt take this anymore. He clapped Veks shoulder, turning him so that they were no longer facing each other. So Zone 9, and then where do I go? Straight through the studio. Theres a balcony on the other side. Shell be there. I can make it on my own. Why dont you go somewhere and get some rest? Mission is to see you to the studio, then Ill go. Vek grinned at him. But thanks. Sukren managed a half-smile in return. They spent the rest of the ride in silence, thank the rock-god, and soon enough Vek was bidding him farewell at the door of the studio. Sukren walked through alone. He cranked open the balconys double-sliding doors, then stepped outside onto a floor of tight-packed crumble stones. Soft splashes reached his ears. He stepped carefully around the first of the fountains. Its breathflower-shaped spouts gushed purple-colored water. Behind the mauve spray Sukren could see another fountain, this one spouting streams of red. Next to it stood Lady Nari. Slowly Sukren made his way across the tight-packed stones. Lady Nari looked up at his approach, her face impassive, as always. Dome, queen and flower are well with you? Sukren bowed his head, trying to remember the correct greeting-response. It took him a moment. Safe, ruled and guarded I am. I heard you had quite the night. She was dressed in a standard regents robe, gray with green trimmings. A surge of emotion welled up inside Sukren. If he didnt know her, he wouldnt have been able to tell that she was a patron, one of ten in the entire bio-dome. She put on no airs to that end; she never abused her station. It was one of the many reasons he loved her. Please, Lady Nari, he blurted out. Do we have to stay? Cant we go back to the village? She remained expressionless. Why do you want to return? Its not C theres lots of reasons C I C Im not used to the castle anymore, I dont know how to raise her here C and I dont even think I can C village life, its a lot better, its easier, its C shes C shes not going to be happy here. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it His voice trailed off into a whisper. His arm was starting to ache again. Lady Nari shifted towards him. You know thats not the point. I C I know. Your mission doesnt change. You are still to raise her so that she feels disconnected from the Rajas. But how do I do that, here, in a castle? Itll be harder, but it has to happen. Keep her from making meaningful friendships. Make sure to discourage her from trusting them. Sukren swallowed. That sounded like a terrible task. Do I have to? Lady Nari fixed him with her gaze. If youre asking me, again, whether you can go back, the answer is no. Lady Ki finally found out after all these years that we were hiding her in a village, and after she found that out, it took her a mere season to find Rice Post #2. You did well to follow the emergency plan to bring her to the castle. Normally Lady Naris praise eased his worries. If she was pleased with him, what else mattered? But there was a tight pain in Sukrens chest that wouldnt go away. Are you sure we couldnt hide in a different village? Do you no longer want victory, Sukren? she asked mildly. Do you want to live like this always, under the rule of the Rajas? You didnt when I first met you. A silent wind swept through the balcony. Sukren closed his eyes, remembering despite his best efforts. Do you want to be free? Lady Nari had asked him, tenderly, almost lovingly. He had cried then, fifteen-year-old boy tears, searching fearfully over his shoulder for the doctor-priest he was apprenticed to, terrified that the mans fingers would close down on his arm. Lady Nari had touched Sukrens face. Even after all these years Sukren could still feel it, the press of her fingers against his cheek, as she promised him, I will rescue you. And she had. She had! She had given him Mayahs laughing baby eyes, and she had given him Mayah giggling as she ran up to greet him, barefoot in the mud, and the stories, and the songs, and rock-god, was that really all going to end? Youre her handler, Sukren. This time Lady Naris voice was soft. Dont forget that. I know it would be much easier to do your work in the village, per our original plan, but well make the most of Lady Kis intervention. Here, at least, youll get the oversight youve been needing. Please, he whispered. But Lady Nari shook her head. We need her. And we need you to raise her. Be patient, Sukren, and do your duty. Sooner than you think, itll be time. *** Mayah? Sukren sounded really confused. What are you doing up? I thought Elanex took you to your dorm. She did, Mayah said. She pointed across the lounge at the door Elanex had taken her to. No, wait, I mean that door, next to it, with the B on it. She sighed. When Elanex had brought Mayah down earlier, she had wanted to explore the entire level, and Elanex had let her. Pretty soon Mayah found out it wasnt that interesting. Two half-circles, that was all it was, a big fat circle split in two by a hallway, with dorms all along the circumference and a lounge in the middle that all the dorms opened up into. She had been sitting on one of the hanging chairs in the lounge but got up when she saw Sukren. She liked the chair, at least. It had nice golden chain-links that went way up to the ceiling, and if Mayah lifted her feet up off the floor, she could swing the chair back and forth a little. Did you go inside your dorm? Sukren asked. Mayah nodded. Sukren was still standing in the hallway. She went to him but didnt lean against him or anything. He was pulled back almost like he didnt want her to. Its going to be a little different here in the castle. Mayah frowned. We really cant go back to the village? Im sorry, we cant. This is our home now. And we should get to bed. Everyone else is asleep. Mayah looked down at her feet, squirming a little. She didnt want to go back into her dorm. She didnt know anyone in there! It was weird to sleep in a grandmother hut with people you didnt know. And shed never spent the night away from Sukren, ever. She didnt even know how to fall asleep without him there, unless she was really tired, and she wasnt right now. Ill be in that dorm, Sukren said. He was pointing at the door with the N painted on it. See, not that far away at all. But I dont know any of them. Sukren crouched down next to her. He said nothing, just looked at her. After a while she gave him a youre weird look, and he smiled a little. I know you dont know them at all, and I know its weird, he said. And to be honest, you might not want to get to know them. And thats okay. The important thing is, were going to do this together. You can always come to me, no matter what. So its okay if I think theyre weird? Mayah asked. Even though Im also Im supposed to be a you know Yes! Yes, its definitely okay. She nodded, feeling a little better. Then she sighed again. But I really am one? Sukren nodded. I just wish I could tell Beia, Mayah continued. Her eyes widened. She had forgotten to tell Sukren about how she had gossiped about Ajante behind her back! Sukren, I never told you, I have to tell you something! What is it? I She hesitated. Its about Ajante. She she said she liked you, like really liked you, and I told Beia. But I guess It sounded stupid even as she was sharing it. I guess it doesnt matter anymore. No, not really. But Im glad you told me. Feeling dumb, and wanting to hide, Mayah turned towards her dorm door. Im going to sleep now. Ill see you tomorrow. Mayah nodded. She glanced at Sukren. He was smiling at her, but it was different, it didnt seem real. She tried to smile back. But hers wasnt real either. It was almost better by herself in the dorm, with the door between them. But no, Mayah wasnt by herself. She could hear the sleeping noises of the other girls, the other princesses. Walking quietly, Mayah crept into her bed. It was a bunk, but on the bottom, so she didnt have to climb. She was glad about that. She got in and pulled the covers up over her head. She still wasnt tired at all, not one bit. Hello, she whispered in Rajim. My name is Princess Mayah. Its nice to meet you. Im a princess, Princess Mayah. Chapter 9: “Let’s shut up about it.” Some planets are colonized by volunteers. Others, by slaves. Chudami was colonized by mutineers C mutineers, and their victims. It was the victims who built this bio-dome we now live under. We are together their descendants; our caste differences do not matter. Rajas or serf, we are all Saranai, united in purpose and in pain. C excerpt from Propaganda Bulletin, draft version X.1 Issued by Queen Kalia 739 years after the Crash Landing Chapter 9: Who are you? Mayahs eyes flew open. She sat up, almost banging her head into the bunk above her. Hello, Im C Im Princess Mayah. She was greeted by a chorus of giggles. Were all princesses, the girl closest to her bedside said. Dome, queen and flower greet you, Im-Im-Princess-Mayah, another girl mocked, to yet another round of laughter. Mayah shrank back. She could feel tears in her eyes already; she forced herself to blink them away. Im Mayah, she whispered, desperate to correct herself. But where are you from? asked the girl who had asked Mayah who she was. And why are you here? I mean, Ca was in this bunk last night C Lets shut up about it, someone further back in the dorm snapped. Everyone froze. Terrified, Mayah glanced back and forth at the princesses on either side of her bed, wondering what in the bio-dome was going on. After a moment, she heard someone by the door sing out, Come on, were going to be late, lets get going! It was so weird. Mayah watched as the girls became unstuck all at once. The girl who had asked Mayah who she was grinned at her. Im Qat! Its its so nice to meet you. Arent you coming to breakfast? Mayah pushed down the covers and scooted off the bed. There were five other princesses in the dorm. Most of them were by a big dresser-closet that had lots of drawers and sliding doors. It was standing against the wall furthest from the dorm door, and had a space cut out in the middle of it for a round window covered with a blackout curtain. One of the princesses tugged on the curtain; it went snap! and disappeared around a curtain rod. The sudden sunlight made Mayah blink. Come on, you have to get dressed! Mayah followed Qat to the window and opened the drawer Qat pointed her to. Inside there were lots of different clothes. Mayah wasnt even sure what to do with all of them. Carefully she watched out of the corner of her eye as Qat and the other princesses got dressed. The underthings went on first, okay, that made sense, and oh, then she had to open the sliding door and, oh, Mayah remembered reading about these, this was a frock, a very nice one too, and ooh, here was a neck scarf! Why are you wearing a scarf? Were going to breakfast, not a balcony. Mayah put the scarf back at once. I was just looking. Come on, come on! One of the princesses was standing by the door, fully-dressed. Were supposed to be on time for breakfast! Thats Shanti for you, Qat said, rolling her eyes. So bossy. Mayah didnt know what to say. She was going to do her best not to be bossy, that was for sure. And she was going to stick with Qat. Qat at least seemed to want to talk to her. Maybe Qat would tell her what the weird freezing thing had been all about? Mayah waited until all the other girls had left the dorm before she turned to Qat and asked. Why did you all stop moving when you asked me where I was from? What do you mean? Back before, you told me someone, Ca, I think C I dont know what youre talking about, Qat said. She seemed genuinely confused. Come on, Im hungry, lets go! Wait, Mayah said. How could Qat not know what she was talking about? She had been right there. It made no sense. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Lets shut up about it. Uh Mayah stopped. Qat had turned away and was reaching for the door. Uh, okay. Breakfast is waiting! Mayah stared at Qats back. Lets shut up about it. That had been the same thing the other princess had said earlier. The exact same thing, in fact. *** Breakfast was in the biggest place Mayah had ever seen. It was an entire level, and the ceiling was so high! It went up and up and up! And the rows and rows of tables were all filled with Rajas, every single one of them, princesses and princes eating and talking. Mayah tried not to stare. But it was hard. She hadnt known there were so many Rajas in the entire bio-dome. One day well be senior princesses too, Qat sighed. She grabbed a tray and joined a line of Rajas headed towards a serving window. Mayah copied her. And then well be able to just go and sit and have servies bring us food. Mayah wanted to ask what a senior princess was, but she wasnt sure that was a good idea. What if Qat acted all weird again? Maybe Mayah could pretend to know? No, Mayah was no good at that kind of thing. Whats a senior princess? Qat giggled. Its what well be after we get our cycles, silly. What? Mayah made a face. Thats gross. How is that gross? Qat was looking at Mayah like she was the weird one. Its the most important thing there is. If we didnt have our cycles, thered be no way a queen could be born, and then the bio-dome would die. Im sorry, Mayah said quickly. I didnt mean it. Mayah decided it was better not to ask any more questions. Not until she knew more, at any rate. If she really needed to understand something, shed ask Sukren. For now, it was enough to be quiet and listen to Qat and the other girls from her dorm talk. Oshta, your frock lines coming loose. Oh, oops, fix it for me, will you? Come on, move, Im hungry! Cool it, Priva! Pass me an extra napkin, will you, Mayah? Mayah passed the napkin to Qat. They were at the serving window now. Mayah looked through the glass at the servie ladling rice onto her tray. He was dressed in the same black uniform as the servie whod brought Sukren to Elanexs room, the servie whod bowed to her. Thank you, she said to him. All at once Mayah knew she had done something wrong. Qat was staring at her, open-mouthed. And Qat wasnt the only one. The prince to Mayahs right, the one behind her in line, was also staring, and so was the princess behind him. Did she just thank the servie? she heard the princess ask. I think so, the prince replied. No C I C Mayah gripped her tray with both hands. I was thanking Qat. Nobody looked like they believed her, but then the princess shrugged. Mayah ducked her head so nobody could see her face. It felt hot, like shed stuck it into a cookfire. She refused to look up until they were past the serving windows. Qat didnt really seem like she wanted to be near Mayah anymore, but Mayah stumbled after her anyway. Thank the rock-god, there was a spare seat next to one of the girls from her dorm. Mayah sat down and began eating. She wasnt going to say a single thing, not one thing. Painting class, painting class, the princess, Mayah thought her name was Priva, sang out. I love painting class. We just started eating, cool it, well get there soon enough. Painting class. Well, that sounded like it could be fun. Mayahs art tutor had shown her how to do depths just last week. Maybe Mayah could do a really good painting and impress all the other princesses. That would be nice. Nicer than the day had been so far, anyway. The rest of breakfast went okay. At least the food was yummy! Mayah really liked the rice and the fish and the egg, and the juice was so good she drank it down super fast. She cleared her tray before anyone else, but that was because they were talking and eating at the same time. Then all of a sudden Mayah had to go to the bathroom. She squirmed in her seat. Where could she go? She knew castles had to have toilets like the village had, but at this point she would rather pee on herself than ask a princess where one was. Come to think of it, hadnt there been a bathroom on her dorm floor? Yes, Elanex had shown it to her last night! Mayah could go to it now, and then C She stopped. She didnt know how to get to painting class on her own. If Mayah went to the bathroom on her level now, she would be stuck there. And then how would Mayah show the other princesses her painting skills? Mayah did her best to hold it in, but by the time the other princesses had finished eating, she felt like she was going to burst. She clenched her teeth and followed Qat and the others out to the lift. Mayah was so focused on making sure she didnt go right then and there that she didnt pay any attention to where they were going, not even after they got off the lift. When she next looked up, they were in a big studio, with one of the walls made up entirely of windows. There were also lots of easels and paint-stands scattered around, and a woman dressed in a robe like Elanexs standing in front of the window-wall. Mayah went straight to her. Im sorry, she whispered. But I really have to go to the bathroom. Of course, the woman said, bowing slightly. This way. The bathroom was very nice, and getting to use it was even nicer. After she was done, Mayah felt much better. Much better, that was, until she came back to the studio and saw Qat staring at her again. What? Mayah said, unable to help herself. Qat shrugged. So its not just servies you like talking to like theyre Rajas, its regents too? I Mayah bit her lip. She walked to the last row at the very end where the last free easel stood. She turned it so nobody could see the canvas. Ill start trying tomorrow to show them all how good I can paint. Ill show them tomorrow. Tomorrow will be better. Chapter 10: “Because I sneaked into one.” The princesses had called it painting class, but it didnt seem like they were going to do much painting. At least not right away. The woman was passing out sheets of paper to the princesses and princes. Mayah was very glad when she saw she could read the Rajim script with no problems at all. Questions for Discussion with Your Row, the title read. There were five questions beneath. Whats your favorite part in The Letters of Sarana that Started the World? Can you picture in your head a scene that best captures your favorite part? What kind of colors best communicate the mood of your scene? What techniques will you use to properly showcase the glory of the Eternal Queen Sarana? How will you demonstrate the majesty of the Rajas through your painting? Mayah took a deep breath. She could do this. She could pull this off. All she had to do was not go first. Let someone else describe a scene, let someone else talk about how he was going to showcase glory and all that, and Mayah would change the answers a little and share them again. She glanced sideways at the Rajas standing in a line to her right. Priva from her dorm was in the row, but Mayah didnt know the others. And they didnt know her either. Wheres Ca? the prince on the other end of the row asked. Lets shut up about it. It felt like the right thing to say, the castle thing to say. And at any rate, Mayah was tired of being the one always told to shut up. She glanced at Priva. Ill go first! the princess sang out. My favorite part in the Letters of Sarana is when she tells the mutineer leader that hes cursed, that his descendants are going to be cursed forever, and that even their name is going to be the Cursed. I love that part! And I think the best scene for that is when the Eternal Queen Sarana is pointing at the Cursed, telling them to go over the shelterbelt and leave the bio-dome proper forever! Colors: blue, green, and yellow. Then Im going to paint the Eternal Queen Sarana so tall and high and make the Cursed as small as bitty-bats! And Im also going to paint the castles in the background to show how after the Cursed left, we Rajas made the bio-dome an even better place to live! I think the castles were carved out before the Cursed left, the prince next to Mayah said. Only Stoneset Castle was built after, right? Priva scowled at him. Yes, well, yes, thats true. But it doesnt matter! Before, after, whatever, when exactly the castles were carved out is not the point. The point is to She paused and scanned the page, then read aloud, How will you demonstrate the majesty of the Rajas through your painting, see, right there, thats the point. The prince shrugged. Ill go next. My favorite part is when the Eternal Queen Sarana finds out you can cut the hollow-trees without killing them. I want to paint a scene that shows the bio-dome being grown, how they had to cut the trees in the right places so they would grow into a dome. Ill use brown and yellow. And maybe some black, like show some breathflower sap leaking down. Ew! Priva sniffed. And then I guess Ill have the Eternal Queen Sarana standing in the middle of it all, showing how she made it happen, and Ill have all her family members stand with her because theyre our ancestors. Mayah was learning a lot. She wanted to write everything she was hearing down, but that would make her look weird. So she repeated it to herself instead. The Cursed are the descendants of the mutineers. The Rajas are the descendants of the Eternal Queen Sarana and her family. She knew about the Eternal Queen Sarana, of course, and she had learned about the Crash Landing too. But she hadnt memorized every single detail about them or anything, like these Rajas seemed to have. Mayah hadnt realized it mattered so much! What about you? Oh, rock-god, the prince was looking at Mayah now. My favorite scene, she whispered, is afterwards when the bio-dome is all built. Im going to draw a map. Ill use all the colors. Ill paint the Eternal Queen Sarana and the castles, too, like Priva said. Mayah stopped, her cheeks burning. Okay, then, she heard someone in her row say. The prince at the other end of the row was snickering. Mayah shrank back into herself even further. It was a good idea, it was! She at least knew how to draw a map of the bio-dome. Tonight, though, Mayah would go and ask Sukren for a copy of this Letters book that everyone here seemed to know. Why hadnt Sukren given her the book to read in the village, anyway? Hed made sure she knew how to read both Rajim and serf letters, and had had her tutored in art, music, geometry, natural science, arithmetic, and all the languages of the bio-dome. But he couldnt have given her this one book? Feeling upset, Mayah listened to the last two Rajas share their favorite scenes. Im going to draw the starship all broken up after the Crash Landing! I liked the part when the followers of the Eternal Queen Sarana all promised to be serfs to help the queens power the bio-dome. After youre done discussing, the woman C no, Mayah had to call her by her title, regent C called out, you can go to your easels and begin painting. Stolen novel; please report. Mayah was glad to hear it. She was getting kind of tired of discussing. Maybe if she had read the book, it wouldnt be so bad, but she hadnt even heard of it before. Picking up one of the brushes on the paint-stands, Mayah dipped it into the water dish. She could hear her art tutors voice in her head. Draw an ellipse first, yes, very good! Thats the edge of the bio-dome, where the hollow-trees that make up the domes frame find root in the ground. Next draw a circle, right in the middle of the ellipse. Excellent. Thats the shelterbelt, our tree-wall that protects us from the Cursed. We live right here, inside the circle, yes, good work! Okay, so first an ellipse, and then a circle in its middle. Mayah painted the lines then stepped back. No matter how many times she drew it, it always looked to her like a giant eye. The holy lake was next C the eyes pupil. Then the castles. There were five castles, Mayah remembered Sukren telling her. See, that was the kind of thing Mayah had never paid attention to before! She knew the castles grew up around the holy lake, but shed always painted however many she wanted, sometimes three, sometimes seven. Sometimes Mayahd even forgotten to paint the castles. Her art tutor had always focused more on the greenhouse villages, and on the holy sites where serf mothers went to give birth. Mayah knew every single one of those! But then again, should she really be putting serf birth sites into a map like this? It was hard, trying to figure out what to put into her map and what to leave out. It took all morning. When the regent told them it was lunchtime, Mayah gratefully followed Priva to the cafeteria. Making sure to stay quiet this time, she listened to the other princesses talk. I heard Queen Pal and Queen Jroya went to a Leaf-Vein Houseparty last night, Oshta was saying. Oooh, Shanti sighed. I wish I could go to a Houseparty too. But its against the rules to go anything hosted by a House until youre a senior princess! Qat was smirking. They dont care. How would you know? Shanti shot back. Because I sneaked into one. All at once the four other princesses stopped eating to stare at Qat. But it wasnt a youre weird stare like Mayah had been getting. Mayah could tell the difference. They were looking at Qat like shed done something amazing. How? Oshta asked. Like I just said. I sneaked in. What was it like? Lots of music, lots of tasty things to eat and drink, and the senior princesses there were all nice to me. Nobody said anything about how I couldnt be there because Im a junior princess. Mayahs eyes widened. That was a Houseparty? Right, that was what Sukren had called it! Maybe she should share her story, and then all the other girls would look at her the same way they were looking at Qat! She opened her mouth to say something, then stopped. If she brought it up now, it would seem like she was copying Qat. They wouldnt believe her. Besides, Mayah didnt know anything about Houseparties. What if she said something wrong about them? Then they really wouldnt believe her. Mayah would first ask Sukren about the Houseparty shed gone to, and then shed share. And Qat would turn to her all impressed, and maybe Priva would sing out about how great Mayah was, and even Rihani who was as quiet as Mayah would say something Lost in her daydream, Mayah was almost left behind when the other princesses got up. She scrambled after them. This time she paid attention to where the lift was going, two levels up, then across the hallway into the studio. It was back to painting, it seemed. Is this what Rajas did all day? Paint? No, Mayahd overheard Oshta say something at lunch about a dance class, and Qat had complained about a prince in their sculpture class. Mayah squirmed a little. She wasnt very good at dancing. And the only sculpting shed ever done was with some mud she and Ajante had scooped out of a harvested rice field. Well, it was important, then, that Mayah did a good job on her painting. She focused on making sure the castles were really big and golden. Five castles, one in each quinter. Should she draw the borders between the quinters? Maybe not. They always made the bio-dome look like a pie and pies were yummy, not glorious. Paint, paint, paint, oh, was that the regent up there telling them to stop? Its time for exercises, she was saying. Mayah pouted. She wanted to keep on painting! But no, everybody was pushing their easels to the side to make room. The regent began playing a stringed instrument. You are the daughters of the Eternal Queen Sarana, and you may give birth to a queen, she kept saying in a soft sing-songy voice. Not that Mayah was paying much attention to the chant. She was too busy trying to copy the movements of the princesses in front of her. Finally, after what seemed like forever, it was back to painting, back to trying really hard to get the map just right Breaktime, the regent said from the front of the studio. You can finish up next session. Mayah put down her paintbrush. Her map wasnt half-bad. The castles were as big as she could make them C they looked like they took up much more space in the quinter than they actually did. And there wasnt a single greenhouse village on the map. Although Mayah couldnt help but paint in the plastos plants. Their shimmering purple was too pretty to leave out! Turning to stretch, Mayah caught a glimpse of a painting in front of her. She froze. The painting looked completely different from Mayahs. It was filled with real things, objects as youd see them with your own eyes, while hers was soft and light-filled and disproportionate, more impressionistic than anything else. Frantically she looked from one painting to another. All of them were of the same style. Oh rock-god, why hadnt she looked up until now? Shed thought to copy the other Rajas during the exercises, but not during the painting, the most important part? Mayah turned her easel so nobody could see her canvas. The other Rajas were putting down their brushes and laughing and joking like they were all friends with each other. Mayah only wanted to cry. Chapter 11: " “Never say that again. Nothing bad about queens again, you hear me?" Chapter 11: She managed to hold it in during the pre-dinner break C which was basically hours of sitting in the lounge outside her dorm saying nothing while the other princesses talked with each other around her C but during the meal itself she muttered something about feeling sick, and left early. Rihani went with her; thank the rock-god, though, she was as silent as usual, and disappeared into their dorm without a word. Mayah was able to go straight to the door with the N on it. At her knock it opened, but the woman who opened it wasnt Sukren. Mayah almost burst into tears. Wheres Sukren? she demanded. Are you feeling sick? Hes in here C Mayah couldnt wait any longer. She pushed past the doctor-priest who wasnt Sukren. Inside the room she saw Sukren getting up from a table in the back. Ill help her, he was saying to the doctor-priest at the door. He gestured Mayah to a clinic bed along the side of the wall. Come here, sit down. She did as she was told, sniffling a little as she watched Sukren pull a privacy curtain closed around them. Let me take your temperature, he said. Mayah began sobbing. She didnt want her temperature taken, she wanted Sukren to hold her and make her feel better. No, not even that. Mayah wanted to go home. The greenhouse village, that was what Mayah wanted, with Ajante and Beia and all her friends, not this stupid castle where Mayah had to pretend to be sick to even talk to Sukren, who she hadnt seen all day, all day! Ganithe, Sukren called loudly. Can you give us a moment? Of course, Mayah heard the other doctor-priest say. Mayah heard the door swing shut; a moment later, she let it all out. I want to go home, she wept, hands covering her face. Sukren, I want to go home, I want to go home! She felt Sukren put his arms around her. She reached out to him, nearly falling off the clinic bed. Sukren caught her and pulled her onto his lap. He didnt say anything, but it was okay, at least he was here. She didnt have to feel these awful feelings about how nobody was her friend all by herself. Sukren would feel them with her. He always did, no matter how bad it was. He was like that. Slowly her sobs quieted. She accepted the water bulb Sukren handed to her and gulped it down. Tell me what happened, she heard him say, his voice soft and tender. I just cant do it right. I cant figure out how to do it right. I dont know anything. Their paintings all look different from mine, more real, and I didnt know I was supposed to do it that way! And theres this book, Letters of Sarana or something that everyone was talking about, and I didnt even know about it C Mayah stopped and took in a shuddering breath. Cant we go back to the village? Ajante and Beia will be wondering where I am. Theyll be really sad Im not there! She watched Sukren exhale heavily. Believe me, he said. I wish we could go back too. But the bad people looking for you are still out there. Were safer in the castle. Bad people, what bad people? The bad people were right here, they were the other princesses and princes being mean! Oh rock-god, and now Mayah was crying again, and getting the front of her nice new frock all wet. Everyone keeps staring at me, she said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Whenever I say anything. I said thank you to the serf giving me food and everyone stared at me. And when I said it was gross because Qat was talking about cycles she looked at me so weird and said if we didnt get our cycles thered be no way for a queen to be born and that then the bio-dome would die. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Oh, Qats talking about the Night of the Dome, thats all, Sukren said. His hand was on her back, it felt nice and warm. Remember, only queens can wield the Dome Ring because its gene-locked? And every Night of the Dome a queen touches the Dome Ring to the bio-dome to give it enough power to last through the rainsoon season? That was right. Mayah did remember. The whole village had stayed up for the Night of the Dome last year. Mayah had forgotten that that was the point of the Rajas; giving birth to queens was what they did. If no queens were born, nobody would be able to power the bio-dome, and then the bio-dome would die. Mayah just hadnt realized that now that she was a princess, trying to give birth to a queen was her job now. Do I have to? Have to what? Try to give birth to a queen? Mayah made a face. I know how it works and everything, but its kind of wet and yucky. You dont need to think about that right now, Sukren replied. Not for a while yet. But everybody else is! Everybody is? Its like nobodys talking about them, but its also like everyones talking about them. Like today, we painted all day long, but before we painted we talked about the Eternal Queen Sarana and how she did such a great job setting up the bio-dome, and then our painting was supposed to be all about her, and then at lunch all that the other princesses wanted to talk about was how Queen Jroya and Queen Pal went to a Houseparty last night, and even the exercises were all about how to be good daughters of the Eternal Queen Sarana and good mothers to any future queens. Queens queens queens queens queens Im sick of them! Mayah jumped when Sukren slapped his hand over her mouth. Never say that again, he whispered. Nothing bad about queens again, you hear me? Not even when you think nobody is listening. Her heart was pounding. Lets shut up about it. Lets shut up about it. Mayah nodded, Sukrens hand still on her mouth. He slid it off. Quickly, before Sukren could say anything else scary, Mayah began talking. What are Houseparties, Sukren? Did we go to one the night we came to the castle? Was it a Leaf-Vein Houseparty? Im not sure. Can you ask someone? I suppose I can. Why do you want to know? Good, Sukren was talking normal again. Mayah kept her chatter up, just in case he stopped. Qat said she sneaked into a Houseparty and everyone thought she was amazing, so I want to tell them about when I went to one too! But we didnt really have a good time there, did we? Mayah thought about it. Well, it was true that the Rajas had taken Mayah from Sukren and then they had acted like it was the end of the bio-dome that Sukren had touched one of them and then the Eenta soldiers had hurt Sukren Yeah, nobody was very nice, Mayah said. But I dont have to tell them that part. Why do you want to tell them about it at all? Sometimes Sukren could be very silly. So theyll like me! But do you like them? He sounded so serious, it made Mayah giggle. Sukren clearly didnt understand how making friends and becoming popular worked. Im not important here. It doesnt matter whether I like them or not. So can you find out for me? Which Houseparty I went to? I guess. He didnt sound very excited. But Mayah felt a lot better. Sukren would find out, and then Mayah would tell the other princesses, and then theyd all like her, finally. And shed figure out how to paint right, and how to do right all the other stuff that the Rajas did. It was a perfect plan! Mayah yawned. Crying always made her feel sleepy. And she was still pretty tired from traveling all over the castle the other night. Is it okay if I go sleep now? Even though the other princesses arent? Except for Rihani, shes in the dorm, but shes a little different, she never says anything, shes even quieter than me. Its okay. Mayah threw her arms around Sukrens neck and hugged him. Thank you! Youre C youre very welcome, Mayah. Chapter 12: “Can I tell you a secret?” Chapter 12: Sukren was feeling frustrated. His conversation with Mayah had somehow ended up with him agreeing to help her gain the approval of the princesses in her dorm, which was the opposite of what he was supposed to do. Your mission doesnt change. You are still to raise her so that she feels disconnected from the Rajas. Yes, yes, but how? Affirm her complaints about the Rajas, that had been his original plan, but Mayah was so fixated on making friends that she had stopped complaining about them already. Instead she was crying about how she was failing to meet their standards. Rock-god, hed hoped for at least a few more days of theyre weird from her! There was a knock on the door. It creaked open. Is it okay if I come in? Ganithe was back. Sure, Sukren replied. He got up, wincing at the pain in his arm. He needed another dose of reliever. Shes gone, she went back to her dorm. Ganithe wasnt one of Lady Naris patronees, she was one of Lord Tyrs. Lord Tyr was a Free Serf patron too. He wasnt as disciplined as Lady Nari, though, if Sukren could say so himself. Lady Nari required all her members to at least learn Free Serf doctrine, and you definitely couldnt rise in leadership in her patronage without buying wholeheartedly into the movement. But Ganithe seemed alright. Shed been told who Mayah was and appeared willing to defer to Sukren about how she ought to be handled. Then again, what was most likely was that Ganithe was passing every scrap of information she could get about Mayah on to Lord Tyr. Free Serf or not, Lord Tyr was still a patron, and patrons competed viciously with each other for power and prestige. When Sukren stopped to think about it, it was amazing that there even was a Council of patrons. How had they stopped fighting with each other long enough to form it? She seemed pretty upset, Ganithe said. Sukren managed a shrug. He appreciated that he didnt have to hide everything from Ganithe, but that didnt mean he wanted to share everything, either. He especially didnt want to share about Mayah going crazy over the Rajas. Or that hed censored her complaints about the queens! Sukren wished he had handled that better. He should have encouraged Mayah, he should have drawn out those negative feelings, but instead he had gotten frightened that she would be punished for her speech and shut it down. Rajas had to be careful about what they said. Or at least the briefings hed been reading all day had said so. The only person who can punish a serf is his patron, but the Rajas are called to punish each other. If enough princesses decide that one of their number deserves castigation, they are authorized to deliver it. Basically, it seemed like as long as Sukren didnt violate any Council directives, particularly about serf-Rajas interactions, only Lady Nari could do anything to him. Mayah, on the other hand, well, if enough princesses disliked her, they could assign her to the box. Rock-god, this was why Sukren didnt know what to do. Discouraging Mayah from developing friendships with the other princesses meant risking their dislike. Not discouraging her meant violating his mission. How could he pick between the two? Are we allowed to leave? Sukren turned to Ganithe. Or do we have to stay here on duty all the time? Until Ul gets back we shouldnt go far, Ganithe replied. Sukren nodded. That made sense. There were technically three of them on duty sharing this dorm, although dorm was overselling it. It was more like a mini-clinic with three bed-shelves sticking out of the side of one wall. Ul had been sick all day and was recuperating elsewhere, leaving Ganithe and Sukren to run the mini-clinic together. Sukren sat back down at the table they all shared and began leafing through his briefings once more. He felt restless. His body was used to physical labor; sitting down all day with the occasional interruption by a sick Rajas was not very invigorating. Even when the sick Rajas was Mayah, because what was he supposed to do about her, what in the bio-dome could Sukren do about Mayah? If you need a break, he heard Ganithe say quietly, you can go. I can stay here for a bit by myself. I appreciate that, Sukren said. But I think more than anything I need something to do. Theres a clinic on Zone 9 thats always looking for extra workers. Huh. That wasnt a bad idea. And Zone 9 was up only one zone, not too far away. Sukren stood. He was about to reach for his under-cloak when Ganithes face stopped him. There was a smirk there, a clearly self-satisfied smile. What it meant Sukren wasnt sure, but it disappeared when Sukren sat back down again. Never mind, Sukren said out loud. His hands were slick with sweat. I should probably stay here. Just in case. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. *** Mayah was mad. Shed gone to Sukren as soon as she woke up the next morning, before any of the other princesses were even out of their beds, to ask about the Houseparty shed gone to. But Sukren didnt know! He said he hadnt been able to leave the doctor-priests dorm all night. Shed stomped back to her bed and was lying in it now, still mad. Sukren was supposed to help her! That was what he did! She could hear the other princesses starting to wake up. Oshta in the bunk bed next to her was yawning. Hm. Oshta was always sighing about how she wanted to be a senior princess. Maybe shed know something Mayah could use. Because it was getting kind of obvious that Mayah needed to learn more. If she was going to live in this castle, which she guessed she was, then Mayah had to do what her tutors always told her to do on her own: research. Search and search and search again, was the way Sukren put it, and why not here, why not about something Mayah really cared about? But was Oshta the right princess to ask? Mayah went through each girl in her dorm. Priva seemed kind of crazy, singing all the time, not really saying anything super serious. Shanti was the nervous one, always wanting to follow the rules. If Mayah really thought about it, she thought maybe Shanti was the one who had said Lets shut up about it the very first time Mayah shivered. Next was Qat, who seemed kind of mean, and Rihani, who didnt say anything at all. Yeah, Oshta was the right one to ask. Mayah rolled over onto her belly. Oshta, she called out in a loud whisper. Oshta sat up. What? Can I tell you a secret? The room went quiet at that. Mayah smiled a little. She was very good at making friends, that was why she had so many in the village, and that was why she was going to have a lot here, too. Oshta was nodding already. Lets go eat breakfast, Mayah said. Lets go right now. You cant, its too early. Shanti pointed at the daysclock hanging over the door. Were not supposed to go until daysleep is over. Ugh, this was why Mayah hadnt chosen Shanti. Then again, Mayah didnt especially want to break any rules either. Was going to breakfast now really going to break a rule? Maybe she should ask. But she didnt want to say anything to Shanti about it or Shanti might think she could boss Mayah around. I have to go to the bathroom, Mayah finally decided to say. She got up. If going to the bathroom broke a rule, well, that would be really silly, but it seemed like it was okay, or at least Shanti wasnt saying anything. Mayah opened the door and walked across the lounge towards the bathroom. She wasnt even halfway there when she heard the door open and close again behind her. She whirled around. It was Oshta. Whats the secret? Oshta asked. She looked excited. Dont tell anyone, Mayah said. Of course Oshta would. That was the point! But you had to say it that way or it would seem like you were trying to get other people to like you, and then they wouldnt. Promise you wont tell? I promise. Mayah sat down in the nearest hanging chair. Oshta came and sat next to her. So you know how you said Queen Pal and Queen Jroya went to a Leaf-Vein Houseparty? Oshta nodded. Well, I went to a Houseparty, too, I think that same night, but I dont know which one it was, and I want to find out. Oshtas eyes were wide. You went to a Houseparty? Mayah nodded. Can you help me find out which one? I can, I can! Each House writes its events down in a record book, and they store those record books in the library, they store everything in the library, we can go there together after class sometime. Or better, lets go during the next off day so we can have more time there. Ill show you, Ill show you! Mayah grinned. Oshta was acting exactly like Mayahd hoped she would. Whens next off day? In a couple weeks. Mayah made a face. Thats so far away! Oh, I guess. Never mind, its fine, Mayah said quickly. Of course it wouldnt seem far away to Oshta, shed lived in the castle all her life. It was Mayah who didnt know what was normal. You know I met a senior princess at the Houseparty I went to? She was really nice. Qat was right, they dont care if we sneak in. At least the Houseparty I went to, they didnt care. Maybe if we find out which House hosted it, we can go together to another event by that House. Mayah felt so happy at the look on Oshtas face. And it was so much fun to use new words like senior princess and Houseparty and even off day. Dont tell anyone, Mayah repeated. You promised. I wont! I wont! Mayah grinned. And I really do have to use the bathroom, she said, giggling. Oshta laughed right along with her. It was pretty funny that Mayah actually needed to go to the bathroom, that she hadnt lied about it just to tell Oshta this secret. She was glad Oshta thought so too. Ill see you soon, okay? Okay! The castle bathrooms were very nice, much better than the villages latrines. Mayah took her time. She wanted to make sure Oshta had the chance to tell everything to the other princesses before she got back. Breakfast this morning was going to be very different from yesterdays! Chapter 13: “Just like in the village!” Chapter 13: A chapel? Thats where it was? Shanti asked. Yep! With these big arch-walls all around it. Qat leaned in. And what did the princess say to you again? She said I was really cute, because she could tell I was a junior princess still. Oh, Oshta sighed. I wish I could have been there too! Next time, Mayah told her. She smiled at Oshta, a special smile that was supposed to tell her not to forget that they C just the two of them C were going to the library next off day. Mayah didnt know if Oshta really understood all that from her smile but at least she seemed happy. Mayah was too. Even painting that day went better. Mayah was going to ask the regent if it was okay to start over, but then she remembered how Qat had said Mayah talked to serfs and regents like they were Rajas, so instead Mayah waited until the regent happened to be nearby. Can I start over? But I need to check the Letters book. I want to make sure my scene is right. The regent gave her a new canvas and a copy of the book right away. Apparently shed had the book with her all day yesterday and Mayah hadnt even known! So silly. This was why Mayah needed to research. She needed to know everything so she wouldnt make dumb mistakes like she had all day yesterday. Mayah opened the book to the middle. That way it would seem like she was just checking it when she was really reading it. The days and nights are longer here on Chudami. There are about three daytimes C or 37.5 Earth hours, to be exact C of sunlight. Then the same, three nights or so worth of darkness. I dont know how well ever adjust. Well have to build homes that allow us to keep our Earth-based cycles. Massive indoor structures, thats what Im thinking, with blackout curtains and electricity to control how much light we get, and clocks to tell us whether its day or night. Because here, on Chudami, Ill have day mean awaketime, and night mean sleeptime. Ill make a new calendar and fit Chudamis rotations into our rhythms. Those three days and three nights, 75 Earth hours, well call a diurnal. And if the sun is out when its actually night (sleeptime), well call it daysleep. If its dark outside when its actually day (awaketime), well call it darkwake. Below was a sketch of the calendar. Funny. Mayah hadnt realized it was the Eternal Queen Sarana who had invented the calendar. She mouthed the familiar names. Sunstir, daysleep, sunwake, first nightsleep, darkwake, second nightsleep. Yes, this was it! Mayah would still paint the bio-dome, but from a different angle so that you could see the sun crossing the sky over it. No, no, wait, what she should do is make half the sky all sunny, and then make the other half all dark, but slice each half into three periods. Then the painting would match the calendar, which the Eternal Queen Sarana had made. Mayah grinned. She was very happy with herself. Sunstir section first! Paint it with the sun peeking over the mountains to the east, yes, that was very nice, and then the daysleep slice was next, sun high in the sky but beneath it the part of the slice that went through the bio-dome would be all dark, the lights all off, and then next was sunwake with the sun setting like it did at the end of the day, and ooh! the first nightsleep slice would have lots of aurora kaikilas in the sky, but darkwake Mayah would focus more on the lights in the bio-dome beneath, then last of all, the second nightsleep slice would get all dark again. Rock-god, she was painting so much faster today! Shed catch up with the other Rajas in no time. When it was time to eat lunch, Mayah put her brush down like everyone else. Then she stopped, frowning a little. Her painting still didnt look like anyone elses. At least her lines were clear and sharp this time, and her sun and the bio-dome looked real, but her painting was more what was the word thematic. It took Mayah a moment to realize what shed done wrong. They arent just painting real things! Theyre painting like theyre cameras! Like the one Elanex used on me! Her shoulders sagged. Mayahd only read about cameras before coming to the castle; shed never seen one before. But of course the other Rajas would have. Cameras were probably no big deal to them, they probably used them all the time. While she hadnt even thought to make her painting look like a cameragram. Mayah didnt feel like crying this time. She wanted to rip her canvas off her easel and throw it on the ground and stomp on it instead. And then shrivel up, maybe, and go and die somewhere off by herself. She kept messing up! Maybe it was because shed been so mean to Sukren this morning. Mayah swallowed. Shed snapped at Sukren and stomped away from him without even saying goodbye. And then she hadnt thought about him until just now. Like really, she hadnt thought about him at all while she was talking to Oshta, and then not at all during breakfast, and not at all while painting either. She hadnt remembered him even once. The rock-god, though, never forgot. The rock-god remembered and paid you back if you did something wrong. Maybe I should go to Sukren and say sorry. Yeah, I really should. Ill eat lunch quickly and then go to him. Then Mayah looked at her painting. But maybe I should come back here during lunch and work on my painting. I mean, I have to start over, again, so Im going to be behind everyone else even more. Actually maybe in that case I should come back during breaktime because breaktime is longer. Or maybe I should come back during lunch and breaktime? Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Arent you coming? Oshta was at the door, looking back at her. Yeah, Mayah said, still trying to figure it out. Im coming. She followed Oshta out of the studio and to the cafeteria. It still felt weird not saying anything to the serfs at the serving window but at least this time Mayah was distracted by her problem. Go to Sukren and say sorry? Or go back to the studio and paint? She sat down with the other princesses, but her mind was elsewhere. After a while, she felt Oshta tap her shoulder. Are you okay? Mayah looked down at her tray. It was still almost full; all the other princesses were half done. I feel sick, she said. She wasnt lying, she really did have a heavy feeling. It just wasnt in her stomach. Mayah stood. She didnt want to throw away her tray of food C Rajas got to eat so much! C but she didnt know where to put her leftovers, so she put everything on the conveyor belt anyway. When she got to the lift she had to show her papers to the regent standing in front of it, but the regent wasnt scary; he didnt have any weapons or anything. Up two levels, and then C Mayah almost bumped into Sukren. He was standing outside the lift on their dorm floor. Mayah, he said, looking surprised. Isnt it lunchtime? Im sorry! The words burst out of her. She reached for him, but instead of responding, Sukren put up a hand and took a quick glance around them. Frightened that someone else was there, Mayah stopped short. Even when he nodded, she still didnt embrace him, letting her words communicate how she felt instead. Im sorry, I shouldnt have been mean to you this morning, Im so sorry! To her surprise, he began laughing. You were fine, Mayah. You were absolutely fine. Now go back to lunch. Dont worry about me. Mayah let out a big sigh of relief. She felt so much better. And hungrier, too. But I already put my tray on the conveyor, she said. Sukren was smiling at her, the way he did whenever he was feeling nice things about her. Mayah always liked it when he did that. It made her feel super special. Come with me, he said. Ive finally managed to send Ganithe on a chase, so my dorm is empty, for once. Ill share my lunch with you. Just like in the village! Thats right, Sukren said, still smiling. Just like in the village. *** Mayah still didnt know what to do about her painting, but at least she felt better. Lunch with Sukren had been a lot of fun. Shed told him about how shed told Oshta not to tell anyone about the Houseparty because she knew Oshta would, and Sukren had laughed and laughed and joked about how dumb Rajas were, which now that Mayah thought about it, was a little weird because hadnt Sukren told her last time never to say anything bad about queens? So did that mean Mayah could say bad things about princesses and princes but not about queens? It was a little confusing. But Sukrens jokes had been really funny. And the Rajas did seem kind of dumb sometimes. Or at least Oshta did, and Priva definitely, and even Shanti too. Well, maybe they werent dumb, but not altogether there? Like even now, Mayah was watching Priva sing and dance little steps in front of her easel, and that was all Priva ever did, it had been a whole day and a half and Mayahd never seen her stop and do anything else, not even once. It was like she wasnt even a real person, like all she was was a song and dance. Mayah shivered a little. She was wearing a frock with sleeve wings but today was sunwake which meant the sun was shining bright and hot into the big studio windows. Priva was nice, though, she was very nice, and Mayah wanted to be friends with her. Oshta first, Priva second. And Priva was painting now, wasnt she, so Mayah should too. She didnt feel like it anymore, because she really didnt want to start over again, but she had to, her painting didnt look like anyone elses. But what to paint? Mayah didnt want to ask for the Letters book again. She sighed. Ill just paint a breathflower. Oh, I know, Ill paint a hand holding a breathflower and tell everyone its the Eternal Queen Saranas hand. And Ill make them both real big so I cant fit anything else into the canvas. That way therell be less I can mess up. She got a new canvas from the regent and began painting as quickly as she could. It wasnt as much fun this time, but that wasnt the point. It looked like everyone elses paintings. That was what mattered. I thought you were going to paint a map. Mayah turned to look at the prince next to her. For the first time since shed come to the studio, Mayah hadnt turned her easel so nobody could see what she was painting. The prince had stepped away a little from his canvas to look at hers. I changed my mind, she said, a little nervous. Was it okay to change her mind? Did she have to tell the other Rajas first before she did? I thought it was better to paint the Eternal Queen Sarana. This is her hand. You should paint the Dome Ring on her hand, then. Otherwise nobody will be able to tell its the Eternal Queens. It was a good point. Mayah didnt like the way the prince said it, though, like he thought he was Mayahs boss or something. But maybe he was? Oh, Mayah really didnt know anything about the castle, she wanted to go to the library with Oshta now, not wait until the next off day! She almost sighed but stopped herself. Better safe than sorry. Yeah, thats a good idea. Painting the Dome Ring meant she needed yellow paint for the band and green for the gem, all on top of the part of the hand shed just painted. Mayah frowned. It was better to wait until the hand was dry, otherwise the colors would get mixed up. But what if she took too long? What if the prince looked at it again and saw that she hadnt painted the Dome Ring yet? It was better to do it now, even though her painting was still wet. Besides, shed gotten a glimpse of the princes painting too, and it was pretty bad. So if hers was bad too, who cared, right? She began painting the Dome Ring onto the hand. Even as Mayah painted she could tell she was messing it up. She kept on going, taking a break only during exercise time. Boring, boring, painting wasnt fun when she wasnt trying at least a little bit, but there, she was done, the Dome Ring was painted, and thank the rock-god the regent was saying it was breaktime now, and you know what, Mayah could work on the rest of her very bad painting tomorrow. It was too bad Mayahd had to throw away her other paintings. Shed liked them a lot more. Chapter 14: "I think time in the box is what you need.” Chapter 14: Finally! It was off day! It was finally off day! Thank the rock-god, Mayahd thought it would never come. She was so sick of painting badly. Yesterday Shanti had told her that after the off day they would switch to dancing and Mayah wasnt even nervous about that, that was how tired she was of painting terribly. Right now, in fact, all she felt was excited. Today was off day! Today was the day she and Oshta were going to the library! Mayah was up and out of bed as soon as the electric lights flickered on. The daysclock was blinking HOUR 1-21 :: DARKWAKE. Wake up, she whispered. Oshta, come on, lets go. Mmm. Its off day! Oshta yawned. Im tired. Come on, you said youd go with me to the library. For a second Mayah was afraid that Oshta would say no, never mind, Im not going, you go by yourself. Technically Mayah knew the castle better now, so she could maybe show her papers at an elevator and make her way alone to Zone 17, where the library was. But Mayah didnt just want to do research. She also wanted to make friends with Oshta! And how could she do that if Oshta didnt come? But then Oshta yawned again and sat up. Okay, okay, Im awake. Where are you going? Shanti called out from her bunk above Oshtas. To the library, Mayah said. She made sure not to say anything else. Short answers were best with Shanti; otherwise shed find a way to find something wrong with what they were doing. And even short answers didnt work sometimes. Yep, there was Shanti hanging over the edge of the bed, frowning. I guess thats okay, but only if youre going to the library to read about the Eternal Queen Sarana. You shouldnt hang over the edge of the bed, Mayah replied. What if you fall and get hurt? Shanti pulled back right away. She seemed upset, but she didnt say anything. Mayah was glad for that at least. When Qat had told Mayah that Shanti was bossy, way back when Mayah first came, Mayah hadnt understood that she meant Shanti was really really bossy. The only thing that worked was to boss her back. At any rate, it seemed like bossing each other around was what Rajas did all the time anyway. Oshta was still yawning when they left the dorm. Mayah had to lead her towards the lift. Two levels down to the cafeteria floor, to eat breakfast super quick, and then another level down to where the elevators were. When they got closer to the elevator bay, though, Mayah slowed down and let Oshta go in front of her. You first, she said to Oshta. I have to get my papers out. It was the first time Mayahd gone into an elevator since shed come to the castle. She was a Rajas now, and she knew the Eenta soldiers guarding the bay wouldnt hurt her. The Eenta soldiers shed seen since had been really nice to her, actually. But Mayah still didnt want to go up to them first. She didnt want to go up to them second, either, but if she wanted to go to the library, she had to. Trying hard to breathe like a normal person, Mayah gave the soldiers her papers. She had to look up so they could check her face against the cameragram but at least that meant she didnt have to look at the big spear one of them was holding, just like the one that had hurt Sukren She let out a big breath when she and Oshta were finally in the elevator. There were some other people there, too, a regent and two doctor-priests, as well as two senior Rajas. The Rajas were kissing; Oshta stared openly at them. Mayah tried not to make a face. Come on, lets sit down, she said to Oshta, pointing to the velvet-lined bench alongside the wall. It took about six tugs before Oshta actually sat down. Then, after they were both seated, Mayah noticed the regent looking at them. Where are you two headed so early in the morning? he asked. Mayah looked at Oshta. Were going to the library, Oshta said. The regent blinked. Thats a three-hour trip, you know that? Mayah shrugged. Regents confused her. They werent servies, but it still wasnt okay to talk to them too much, and sometimes you had to listen to them, but they couldnt do anything to you. And Mayah wasnt even sure what they did. They seemed kind of on the same level as doctor-priests, but doctor-priests helped sick people, while regents, well, they did a whole bunch of things from sitting at desks to taking cameragrams to teaching classes. It was one more thing for Mayah to figure out at the library. She had a whole list! The regent didnt say anything more. Mayah started to get bored. Oshta was still just staring and staring at the senior Rajas. Maybe Mayah should try to talk to her? But Oshta didnt seem to want to talk. And Mayah didnt really have anything to say either. She yawned, got up and got some water, then sat back down. The elevator doors opened, then closed, then opened again, then closed again, over and over. Mayah began singing a village song in her head. The rice is in, the rice is in! What was the next part? Mayah couldnt remember. The rice is in, the rice is in! Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. When the elevator doors opened to Zone 17, Mayah ran out. She stopped at once, her eyes wide. Its so beautiful! she cried out. She almost said Sukrens name before remembering that it was Oshta who was with her. Oshta, its so beautiful! Look at the shelves C theyre growing out of the floor! And the carpeting, its so colorful, its like every color is here! And the lights are so pretty! It was like looking into the night sky, except even more vibrant. The shelves were made of dark wood, almost black, and the rugs everywhere were red and yellow and purple and green and blue, and she could feel under her flex-soled shoes how soft they were, and the lights inside the hanging lanterns looked almost like real fire, just like in the village, just like Mayah had always grown up with, just like it! Mayahs heart was pounding. It hurt almost, looking at those lights, but that was weird, why would it hurt? Why was Mayah thinking about the village now? Why was she thinking about Ajante and Beia? Oh rock-god, she missed them so much, she missed all of them, all of it, she missed it so much! I guess its pretty, Oshta said from somewhere behind her. Mayah heard the princess yawn. Well, were here now, what do you want to look at? As fast as she could, Mayah rubbed the tears out of her eyes. She was here to make friends, she couldnt forget that, that was the point. Lets go find out which Houseparty I went to. And C can you also maybe show me where some books about the castle are? Oshta shrugged. I dont know how to find books. Wed have to ask a regent for that. Okay, Mayah said. Oshta seemed kind of upset. Maybe Mayah shouldnt bother her for a while. Lets just go in. Together they went down the aisle between the first few shelves. It opened up into a huge circular lounge with hanging chairs and sack-seats. To the right of the lounge, oh, was that a tea-nook? Yes it was! With tables and chairs and senior Rajas sitting and talking and drinking tea and eating something creamy and puffy. Oshta made her way towards it and sat down at an empty table. Mayah followed, a little anxious that Oshta might be mad at her. Or maybe Oshta was just nervous herself. She kept looking around like she felt guilty about something. This place is only for senior Rajas, she whispered to Mayah. Lets pretend we are, Mayah whispered back. When Oshta grinned in response, Mayah felt better. Mayah could find her books later. She really didnt want Oshta to be mad at her. Mayah waved her hand at a servie standing in the corner with a tray of tea. She held her breath. Was he going to ask for their papers? No, he was giving them tea! As if they were senior princesses! Oshta looked so happy picking up her teacup. That made Mayah feel happy too. It was a lot of fun giggling and drinking tea and the best part was that Oshta seemed like she really liked Mayah now. Just try harder! Mayah froze. She could see Oshta had stopped moving too. Then at the same time, both of them looked at the lounge where the shout had come from. It had been empty before but now there were a bunch of Rajas in it. There was a princess pointing her finger in another princess face. Other princes and princesses were gathered around them. They all looked like junior Rajas to Mayah because their clothes were like Mayahs C senior Rajas wore much prettier clothes that fit them better C but Mayah could tell they were a little older than she was. Whats going on? she whispered to Oshta. Oshta didnt say anything. Her eyes were wide. She looked really scared which made Mayah scared too. Even the senior Rajas around them were glancing over at the princesses and princes in the lounge. I am trying, I promise! The princess in the middle was crying. I cant help it, I cant! Youre fifteen, the first princess, the one who had shouted was saying. One of the princes started jeering. You should have your cycle by now. If you dont, its because youre not trying to keep your purity levels up. You arent eating right, you arent doing your exercises. But I am! I am! No, I dont think you care. I think time in the box is what you need. No! Please! Look, we have to keep ourselves pure, or you know what will happen! The first princess gestured around at the gathered mob. Isnt that right? Their cry of assent roared through the library. Mayahs hands were shaking. She managed to grab Oshta and pull her down so that they were on the floor underneath the table. Oshtas eyes were still wide. Mayah tugged on her arm. They crawled away from the lounge to the other side of the tea-nook. From there they followed the wall to the shelves further into the library. Mayah didnt know where she was going, but she knew she had to get away from those shouts and C and that wail C oh rock-god C Holy Sarana, she meant. She meant holy Sarana. Holy Sarana, holy Sarana, holy Sarana. Thats what she meant. Lets shut up about it, Oshta was mumbling over and over again. Lets shut up about it. Lets shut up about it. Lets shut up about it. Lets shut up about it! Chapter 15: “What do you want me to do?” Chapter 15: It took them all morning to find their way back out of the library. Its a maze, Oshta explained at one point. She didnt say anything else to Mayah. Mayah didnt feel like talking either, so it was okay. After they finally found the elevator again, they went back down to the cafeteria for dinner. The other princesses were already there. How was the library? Shanti asked. It was really boring, Mayah said quickly. Oshta nodded. Yeah, nothing happened. Hm. Shanti glanced at them. So you were wasting your off day? No, Mayah said, even more quickly. We went there to read about the Eternal Queen Sarana, like you said. But that wasnt boring, it was really exciting, it was just going there that was boring, it took forever, but I mean, we really wanted to read about the Eternal Queen Sarana anyway so thats why we went. There was a pause. Well, uh, did you see any senior princesses? Qat asked. Senior princesses, senior princesses, oh, senior princesses! Priva sang out. Rihani said nothing. Yeah, we saw some, they were great, Oshta said. They were nice. Yeah, Mayah whispered. Really nice. *** That night, Mayah waited until she was sure all the other princesses were asleep, and then she got up and sneaked out into the lounge. She knocked on Sukrens door. Sukren, she whispered loudly. He came out at once and closed the door behind him. What is it? Mayah swallowed. She was feeling a lot of things, so many things, but she didnt know how to say them or even really what she wanted to say. It had been scary in the library. So scary, Mayah was scared even now, shed been too scared even to go to sleep, because what if she woke up and Shanti and Priva and Oshta and Qat and Rihani decided that she was bad and needed to be shouted at in front of everyone? What if Mayah messed up really bad like that princess had? Mayah was trying really hard to follow all the rules but she didnt even know what the rules were because she wasnt from a castle! I went to the library today, she whispered. What? Mayah jumped a little. Why did Sukren sound so upset? He looked upset too, frowning at her like that. What do you mean you went to the library today? You went by yourself? No C no, I went with Oshta. Why didnt you tell me you were going to go? I thought I thought I had. Sukren frowned again. You cant do that, you cant go off like that without telling me where youre going. Mayah bit her lip. Why did Sukren have to be mad at her? She didnt want anyone to be mad at her ever. Not Oshta, not Shanti, not any of the princesses in her dorm, and definitely not Sukren. Its fine if you go to the library, you just have to tell me ahead of time. Sukren looked up at the sound of someones door opening. Take your medication with lots of water, Princess, and youll feel much better. Now its best if you get to bed. Okay, Mayah whispered. Without looking up C what if whoever it was saw her and thought she was doing something wrong? C Mayah ran for her dorm door. Once she got in, she tiptoed to her bed. She didnt want to wake any of the other princesses up. What if they got mad at her for it? *** Who was that? A princess who wanted some medical advice, Sukren replied. Ganithe was on her bed-shelf, propping herself up by her elbows. Ul was awake too, but he was at the table. He and Ganithe exchanged a glance. Sukren gritted his teeth. A little over four diurnals had passed since he and Mayah had come to the castle and he felt like he had spent all of them in a net and bitty-bat game with his dormmates. Where are you going? How is the princess? Why dont you take a break? And then when Sukren tried to, hed found Ul following him, oh, just happened to be in the same totally other zone. It had gotten to the point that Sukren suspected Ul had never been sick. He and Ganithe had worked out some kind of deal to get Sukren out and away so Ul could trail him to Lady Nari, or maybe it was to get access to Mayah without Sukren around, or maybe it was just to drive him crazy because it certainly was doing that! Rock-god, Sukren had been giddy with happiness the one day hed managed to trick Ganithe into leaving the dorm C and him C alone. It had never happened again, of course, though not for lack of effort on Sukrens part. What kind of medical advice? Ul asked, leaning forward, his face full of friendly concern. Sukren forced himself to smile. Ul and Ganithe never let up their pleasant, even jovial attitudes; they never acted like they were anything but Sukrens best friends. The fact that Sukren had to go along with it was the worst part. Other peoples constant pretenses he could handle; his own were another matter. She needed to drink more water with her medication is all. Sukren grabbed his robe and made his way into his bed-shelf. He drew the privacy curtain around him and closed his eyes, touching both eyelids in prayer for no more questions. Im pretty tired, I have to sleep, he said as soon as he was done. It was a lie. Sukren doubted hed be able to fall asleep for hours yet. But he was getting used to dissimulation. There was no other way to gain any space to breathe. Sukren couldnt even figure out how to get a message to Lady Nari about Mayah and his mission. How could he? Wherever he turned, he saw Uls smiling face, and whenever he was at the dorm, there Ganithe was too, waiting and watching. Maybe Sukren could send a telegraph to Lady Nari somehow. But what would he even say? MISSION FAILING STOP MAYAH MAKING FRIENDS STOP CANT PERSUADE HER AWAY STOP, yeah, that would go over really well. Rock-god! Sukren clenched his jaw. He was trying, he was trying his best, but could he really be faulted for feeling relieved whenever Mayah referred to another princess as her friend? Surely Lady Nari didnt want Mayah to be mobbed and punished by the other Rajas? Or did she? Sukren rolled onto his side so that he was facing the wall. Maybe if he tried to sleep a solution would present itself. Are you sleeping, Sukren? Sukren covered his face with his hands. I cant keep going like this. I cant. I cant. Rock-god, find me a way out, or even Sarana, Ill pray to you too, Ill pray to anyone, someone, please find me a way out This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. *** I love dancing, its my favorite! Mayah smiled. Kind of. She was trying really hard, but Priva was weird. Although Mayah didnt really mind. At least Priva never said the wrong thing. And she didnt act like Mayah had to say the right thing, either. Priva was even better than Oshta for feeling safe with. That was why Mayah was smiling at her now, although, to be fair, she would be smiling at her anyway. No matter what it took, Mayah was going to make sure every single princess in the dorm liked her even mean Qat and rule-follower Shanti. For the next four diurnals, the regent at the front of the studio was saying, youre going to practice a dance for Queen Rathi Day. Youll vote now on which choreography you want to do. Mayah hugged her knees to her chest. The mat under her bottom was hard. She was happy to stand up to get her ballot from the regent. But then the regent bent her head closer to Mayahs. Dont worry, she said softly. Two weeks is too short a time to learn a new dance, so I wont give you a leading part. Just dont volunteer to audition, and youll be fine. She was gone before Mayah could say anything. Quickly Mayah sat back down onto her mat and glanced around to see if anyone had noticed the regent talking to her. Qat had, she was giving her the youre weird look again. Mayah scrunched down. She stared at the ballot in her hand. She didnt want to be a fraidy-fish, but she was feeling nervous again. The regent made it sound like all the other princesses already knew all the dances on the ballot. Start of the Queens, For Love of Sarana, Exile of the Cursed Mayah had no idea what to pick. She leaned over to Priva on her right. Which one are you going to vote for? I love all of them, Priva sighed. But I like Exile of the Cursed the best. They got what they deserved! Okay, Mayah would choose that one then. Thats my favorite too! she said aloud. She pulled the tab next to Exile of the Cursed off the ballot. A little bit later, the regent came back around to pick up their votes. She took them to the front of the room and counted. The winner is Start of the Queens. Cheers filled the room. I love Start of the Queens! Priva sang out, clapping her hands. Mayah tried to smile at her. Priva was so weird. There are fifty of you in this class, so most of you will together play the bio-dome. Well need someone to represent the Eternal Queen Sarana, though, as well as Matter and Intelligence and some other roles. Mayah wanted to scrunch down even more into her mat, and maybe hide forever too. A big reason why she had gone to the library with Oshta was so she could learn the stories everyone else seemed to already know. But she hadnt been able to read even a single book, so she still didnt know anything! Jroya and Pal, Mayah didnt like feeling dumb, she didnt like it at all. Well start with the auditions. Everyone who wants to can come up here to try out for the leading roles. For a second Mayah had a crazy thought. The regent had said not to try out but what if Mayah did anyway? What if Mayah went up there and did the perfect dance and then they all chose her and then during the Queen Rathi Day celebration everyone would see how great she was, and they would all cheer and clap and like her and she would be so happy! Mayah almost stood up. But then she stopped. What if she tried out and did such a bad job that everyone laughed at her? It was better to listen to the regent, whoever she was. Mayah still didnt know why the regent was helping her so much. Maybe she was friends with Sukren? Checking a sigh, Mayah watched Oshta and Priva go up to the regent. Of course they would try out, especially Priva. She loved dancing. But what were the rest of them supposed to do? Mayah looked around. Rihani was on the mat in front of Mayah, sitting quietly on her hands. She was second to last on Mayahs friend-list, but she was close by so Mayah crawled up to her and tapped her shoulder. What are we supposed to do now? Rihani whirled around so fast that it scared Mayah. But Rihani looked even more frightened, so frightened that Mayah felt like she should apologize. Im C Im sorry, Mayah stammered. I C I just C I didnt know what we were supposed to do C Do? Rihani whispered. Yeah, I C what are we supposed to do now? Mayah pointed to the front of the room. While they audition? What do you want me to do? Huh? I dont want you to do anything. I want to know what I have to do. What do you have to do? Yeah. Rihani looked at her blankly. Never mind. Mayah crawled back to her mat. By the time she got to it, Rihani had turned back around and was sitting on her hands again. Mayah shivered a little. Then the regent, thank Sarana, called for everyones attention. First up is Nye, the regent said, gesturing towards a small princess wearing a pretty pink blouse. The princess started dancing but Mayah was more interested in her clothes. The pink was so pretty! Could Mayah get a shirt like that? She liked a lot the Rajas clothes she already had, especially all her many-colored frocks, but Mayah thought Nyes blouse was the prettiest shade of pink shed ever seen. All of a sudden everyone around her started clapping. Oh, the dance was done. Mayah clapped too. The next princess was Priva. She actually was a pretty good dancer. Oshta was okay, as were the other princesses. None of the princes tried out, although Mayah didnt know if that was because they werent allowed to or because they didnt want to. After the auditions, the regent passed out another ballot again, along with styluses. Write down next to each role who you think should get the part. Mayah wrote down Priva for the Eternal Queen Sarana, then Oshta for Matter, then Nye for Intelligence because Mayah felt a little bad that she hadnt paid attention at all to Nyes dance. She didnt remember any of the other princesses names, so she left the rest of the ballot blank. Priva, come on up, the regent called, after collecting all the ballots. You got the role of the Eternal Queen Sarana. Priva was smiling so big, it made Mayah feel happy for her. She leapt to her feet when the regent gestured everyone up. All of you with supporting roles, you will be pretending to be the bio-dome. In the first part of the dance, the Eternal Queen Sarana will welcome Matter and Intelligence into the dome. After she does that, you will all sing the chorale. The regent didnt look like she was going to pass out any more sheets of paper so Mayah guessed that everyone already knew the chorale. That was okay. Mayah could listen to everyone else and learn the song really fast. And in the meantime, she could move her mouth around but not sing anything. Mayah watched the other princesses and copied them as they linked their hands and arms until they were in one big circle. Then came Priva, still smiling her head off, followed by two princesses Mayah didnt know but who the regent had said were going to play Matter and Intelligence. I am the Eternal Queen Sarana, Priva sang. Welcome to my bio-dome. The two Rajas holding hands nearest Priva let go of each other and made a gap between them. Priva danced in through the gap to the center of the circle, along with Matter and Intelligence. As soon as they were in the center, the singing started. Mayah opened her mouth. Watermelon, she mouthed randomly, then, yummy fruit, oh, watermelon is a yummy fruit. Then she halted. What could that really be the song that what From Matter comes flesh, from Intelligence comes sentience, the Rajas around her were singing. They have entered us now, to rule our desires. For this is what you shall want, every princess among you: to give birth to girl children, as many girl children as you can. You shall breed and cross-breed, and one day, if the Eternal Queen Sarana smiles upon you, you shall give birth to a queen. Mayah felt like she was going to be sick. That was how you made a queen? She almost wanted to drop hands with the princesses on her either side. Breed and cross-breed, that meant doing it with as many princes as you could. But that was nasty! Oh Sarana, was that what senior princesses did? Was that what would happen to Mayah after she got her cycle? She managed to keep pretending to sing, and even managed to learn some new dance steps during the second half of the class. But as soon as it was over, Mayah rushed back to her dorm floor. She banged on Sukrens door. We have to go back to the village, she said as soon as he opened it. We have to go back right now. I cant become a senior princess. I cant. Sukren looked startled. He glanced over his shoulder. Come walk with me. I want to show you a new balcony I found. Relieved, Mayah reached for his hand. She remembered in time, though, and pulled back. Yes, they definitely had to go back to the village. No more pretending, no more scary stuff, no more bad paintings. She couldnt wait! Chapter 16: "It’s pretty but it’s a lie. But it’s so pretty!" Chapter 16: Listening to Mayah, Sukren could feel his respect for Lady Naris foresight growing. It was marvelous. Sukren hadnt even bothered to teach Mayah about marriage, figuring that she would pick up on what was normal from the way the serfs in the village lived. And Mayah had. Shed often mentioned, in that prepubescent girl way, how Vishti or maybe Karun could one day, when she was older, marry her and be adopted into her line, and then move into her grandmother hut too, just like Wex had done with Xyha. So of course the Rajas way of breeding and cross-breeding seemed alien to her! Shed been brought up, at Lady Naris insistence, in a serf village, with village ways. Its gross. Its just gross. I dont want to do it. It is gross, Sukren said. He gestured for Mayah to sit on a wooden bench inside the butterfly balcony. It makes your skin crawl, doesnt it? Relief rushed through him when Mayah nodded. Good. He would keep to this tack, focusing on how weird the Rajas sexual system was in comparison to serf marriages. He definitely would not emphasize the necessity of Rajas breeding. It wouldnt help his cause, after all, if he nattered on and on about how the Rajas had to breed with as many of each other as possible to even have a chance at producing a queen per generation. And anyway, the system was absurd! Not that Sukren had realized so at first. He too had thought it was normal, but hed learned better after entering Lady Naris patronage C after taking her tests. Lady Nari, like most patrons, had methods to identify and promote the most talented of her patronees to leadership positions. What the other patrons did Sukren didnt know, but Lady Nari used tests. Any one of her patronees could sit for them; in fact, every one of them was encouraged to. If you got a decent score, you could become a squad leader, responsible for a squad of ten castle serfs. If you got a good score, you could become a magistrate, responsible in a castle alone for forty squads. Sukren still remembered his answer to the question about Rajas reproductive norms. The Eternal Queen Sarana was not the loving, magnanimous queen depicted in Rajas art. She created the Dome Ring because she wanted to establish a dynasty of her own lineage, and she knew nobody would go along with being serfs to her descendants unless they were forced to. That was why she gene-locked the Dome Ring so that only her female descendants who inherited her chromosomal DNA could activate the Ring. Now the Eternal Queen was knowingly a carrier for an X-linked recessive disorder. So when I say the Eternal Queen gene-locked the Dome Ring, I mean that she created it to power the bio-dome only if the person wearing it was an affected female descendant. But because we dont know who among the Rajas has the chromosome and who doesnt, princesses are required to breed as much as possible. The more the Rajas mate, the higher the chances are that one of the princesses will give birth to a baby girl with the X-linked mutated chromosome needed to wield the Dome Ring. Top marks, that was what hed gotten for that response. And for his others too. Sukren had done well on Lady Naris tests. Hed scored the highest anyone ever had, in fact. That was why Lady Nari had selected him to raise Mayah, back when shed rescued him from his apprenticeship. Shed seen his heart then, shed known what he wanted Do you want to live like this always, under the rule of the Rajas? You didnt when I first met you. Sukren swallowed. Lady Nari was right. He had to remember the point. No more agony, no more waddling. He owed it to Lady Nari to see Mayah through the next stage of her programming. I just feel confused, Mayah was saying. Everything is so pretty here. Sukren watched her look around at the trees and plants of the butterfly balcony. Unlike most balconies in the castle, this one was enclosed, like a greenhouse, with fresh fruit put out every day for the butterflies who lived in it. It was also tiny, with everything in view, which was why Sukren liked it. Even if Ganithe and Ul followed him here, they couldnt enter the balcony without him knowing it. Even this place, Mayah continued. Although its kind of hot in here. Its like its like its lying. Its pretty but its a lie. But its so pretty! Sukren felt a jolt of excitement. The ambivalence in Mayahs voice had given him an idea. Maybe he could convince Mayah to be uninterested both in Rajas social norms, and in defying them. After all, if she didnt care about anything, she couldnt be accused of caring about the wrong things. Wouldnt that be the best way to keep Mayah distant from the Rajas while still avoiding their disapproval? Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. It may be pretty, he said slowly, but its still a lie, isnt it? Yeah, I guess so. Sukren glanced over his shoulder. Ul and Ganithe were turning him into a paranoid wreck. The balconys humidity was also making him sweat like crazy, which didnt help. Listen, he said aloud, turning back to Mayah. I know you, it bothers you a lot when you do something wrong. Mayah nodded vigorously. And its wrong to lie, isnt it? Yeah. So its also wrong to like a lie, right? Mayah looked thoughtful. Then she smiled. So we can go back to the village? By Sarana, the hope in Mayahs eyes was killing him. We cant do that, Sukren said, as gently as possible. But we can still dislike the lie. Lets call it the Golden Castle. Huh? The Golden Castle was a Free Serf metonym for Rajas power and privilege, but Sukren didnt think he needed to explain that part to Mayah just right then. The way the Rajas live, the way they think its right to live, lets call that the Golden Castle. The Golden Castle wants you to like a lie, so it dresses it up really pretty, see? The Golden Castle says you need to be friends with all the other Rajas C because then youll be happy. The Golden Castle says you need to breed and cross-breed with princes C because then youll be doing the right thing. But those are all lies. The Golden Castle is lying. Mayah looked confused. Sukren didnt blame her. Most people went through life unthinkingly accepting the standards handed down to them. Youre a serf? Well, you have to labor with all your strength for the sake of the Rajas, whether in a greenhouse village or in a castle. Youre a doctor-priest? Well, you have to perform all the reproductive rituals just right, from birthing to gynecological exams. It was Lady Nari who had taught Sukren, and all her patronees, different. Test question #1: What does it mean to be a serf? The Rajas say that being a serf means sacrificing your body and soul to the Golden Castle. But revolution, not slavery, is our destiny. How well I fight for the Free Serfs is what really counts, not how well I labor for the Rajas. Sukren leaned forward. All Im saying is, you dont have to do what the Golden Castle says you have to do. Mayah still looked blank. But then no one will like me. Does that matter? Yes. Why? Because! Mayah was too deep into needing friends to give Sukren a real answer, but that wasnt a surprise, shed been that way in the village too. Despite that, he was feeling excited. He was getting somewhere with her, he could feel it. Do you want friends who do gross things like the Rajas do? At that, Mayah went quiet. I I guess not. Good. Now Sukren had to reel her in, keep her from exposing herself to their judgment. You dont have to do the opposite of what the Golden Castle says. But maybe you dont have to care what the Golden Castle says, either. But then what do I do? Just live. Day to day. Dont think too hard about it. Mayah made a face. Sukren understood. She was a curious soul by nature; it would be hard for her to let go and float through life the way he was suggesting. Just for now, he amended. Can you do it just for a little while? I mean, you dont want to do anything gross, do you? No. Her emphatic response made Sukren smile. So youll give it a try? She sighed. Cant we just go back to the village? I really wish we could. He did. Didnt he? Sukren definitely wanted to go back to the village. But when Mayah sighed again and said that she supposed she could try not caring while still remaining in the castle, Sukren found himself feeling something new. Maybe he could actually pull this off. Maybe Mayah could be indifferent to the Golden Castle, neither seeking its approval nor defying it. Maybe he could actually convince Mayah to walk that line. Lets go look around, Sukren said. He stood and took a deep breath, feeling like it was the first time hed been able to breathe since coming to the castle. The butterflies here are famous for their beauty. Chapter 17: "...it happens to everyone, eventually, but no one will talk about it.” Chapter 17: For three whole diurnals, Mayah didnt talk to anyone or do anything but sit on her hands. Be like Rihani, she told herself, be quiet and floaty and C oh Sarana, she couldnt take this anymore! If the Golden Castle didnt matter, why did she have to be here? Why couldnt she go back to the village? Why did Sukren say no every single time she asked? One thing for sure, Mayah was never going to ask Sukren about the village again. He was just going to say no. No, no, no, that was all Sukren ever said to her nowadays, no, dont go to the cafeteria for snacks by yourself, no, dont volunteer to be part of the Queen Rathi Day parade, no, dont come inside the doctor-priest dorm right now, no, no, no, no, no! Why bother asking, when Mayah already knew the answer? Why bother even going to Sukren when it was always no? Why bother telling him anything at all? The thought came out of nowhere, but once it was in Mayahs head, she couldnt get it out. Sukren wouldnt know anything about her life if she didnt tell him about it. So maybe she should just stop telling him things. Then Mayah could go sneak into the cafeteria and not hear no, dont do that, and she could talk to Shanti and make friends with her and not hear Sukren say no, you need to stop caring about friends, why does it matter if they like you just as long as they dont dislike you? which had to be the stupidest question Mayah had ever heard because of course it mattered if the other Rajas liked her! And besides, making friends with the other princesses in her dorm didnt mean Mayah had to do any nasty stuff. Senior Rajas did that stuff. Mayah wasnt a senior princess yet. So what did it matter? I just wont think about it. Thats kind of what Sukren told me to do anyway, right? Stop thinking, just live and all that. Its not like Im not listening to him. I am, I wouldnt stop listening to Sukren. I just wont tell him everything. Shanti, Mayah said out loud. Do you want to practice for the Queen Rathi Day dance during breaktime together? Shanti seemed surprised. Which made sense. Mayah hadnt really said anything for three diurnals straight. Um, sure, I guess, Shanti replied. Mayah watched her glance at the other princesses around the table. But why? Because youre good at it and Im not. Shanti smiled a little. She seemed happy with Mayahs compliment, which was good, because that had been the point of it. Sure, she replied. I can help you. I want to help too! Priva said. Oops. Priva really was a good dancer, so if Mayah was actually trying to learn how to dance better, it wouldnt make sense to say no to Priva. But Mayah wanted to be alone with Shanti; it was easier to make friends that way. Your part is different, Mayah told Priva. Youre playing the Eternal Queen Sarana, Shanti and I are part of the chorus. Thats true, Priva said. She smiled. Oh, I cant wait until Queen Rathi Day, Ill dance and dance and dance! Why are you talking now all of a sudden? Qat leaned forward. You were so quiet, I thought you were turning into Rihani. For some reason, the question made Mayah nervous. I was just tired. Tired for three diurnals? I dont know what youre talking about, Shanti broke in. Mayah was normal. Thank Sarana for Shanti. Mayah flashed her a quick smile. She thought Shanti would smile back, but Shanti instead gave her a look of confusion. Mayah immediately turned her gaze to her tray of food. Her chest felt tight. She had thought Shanti was covering for her to be nice. Wink, nod, just get Qat off Mayahs back, because everyone knew the truth, right? Everyone was aware that Mayah hadnt said anything for three diurnals straight, right? Mayah couldnt help it. She glanced up at Qat. Qat was staring at Mayah; for a second she looked angry, but then it was gone. Yeah, of course, she said, easily, normally, like she meant it. Mayah was normal. Im done eating, Shanti announced. Want to go practice now? Absolutely! Mayah said. She jumped to her feet, a huge smile on her face. Lets go now, Im so excited! *** Rihani was next on Mayahs friend-list, but Mayah didnt really know how to befriend her. She decided to smile at her a lot and count it as friendship if Rihani smiled back. Thankfully after Queen Rathi Day was over Mayah and Rihani were paired to work on the same potters wheel, so Mayah had lots of chances to smile at Rihani. It took almost four whole diurnals, the entire pottery unit, but by the end of it Mayah was pretty sure Rihani had smiled at her at least once. Or maybe it had been a grimace? It was hard to tell. The workshop didnt have big windows like the studio, and Rihani had spent most of her time on the other side of the table ducked behind the potters wheel. Mayah was pretty sure she had smiled, though. And at any rate, Mayah was getting tired of smiling all day, so, yeah, she would count Rihani as her friend now too. That left Qat as the last person on her friend-list. Mayah made a face. Qat was mean. She seemed different from the other princesses, too. It was like the princesses were all reading a book together, all at the same time, except for Qat who was on a different page. But maybe that would be the way Mayah made friends with her? Because Mayah had to make friends with her. She was the only one left on Mayahs list. Qat, wake up, Mayah whispered. Qats eyes opened. What do you want? Its off day today. So? Do you want to come to the library with me? And find out which Houseparty I went to? Maybe we can sneak into another one together. Qat sat up. So you actually went to a Houseparty? Yeah. Oshta said you had, but I didnt believe her. Mayah had no idea how to respond to that. Ill show you which one I went to. If you show me where they store all the Houseparty records. Okay, fine. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Mayah waited quietly for Qat to get dressed. She was already not looking forward to the day. Why did Qat have to act so grumpy? If she didnt want to go to the library, she could just say so, instead of saying yes then acting upset about it. When they finally got to the library, Qat was even worse. Mayah didnt want to hang around the tea-nook so she led the way through the shelves. Unfortunately, she didnt know where she was going, so pretty soon she and Qat were lost. I dont get it, Qat said. Why did you act like you knew where you were going if you didnt? I couldve shown you the way. Ooh, Mayah was so tired of Qats sniping! Well? Mayah whirled back around to face Qat. Go ahead of me, then. I cant now, youve already gotten us lost. I mean, did you think I had the entire library memorized or something? I just know how to get to the sections I always go to. Well, how was I supposed to know that? Because youre a princess! Mayah swallowed. Whats that supposed to mean? Just what I said. Princesses know routes, we know how to get to the places we usually go to, but we arent regents. I knew that, Mayah replied, her heart hammering. No, you didnt. Mayah met Qats eyes. Yes, I did! she wanted to shout. Or maybe, lets shut up about it. But she couldnt do it. She was no Shanti, who could lie and believe her own lies. Neither was she Priva, who could endlessly distract herself from the truth. No, she was Mayah, and there was no way she was going to be able to cover up all that anger in Qats face with a lie. Fine, Mayah snapped. I didnt know that. I dont know anything, in fact, because the first time I even saw a castle was the night I came to live here. She thought Qat would give her a smug, victorious smile. Or maybe roll her eyes and say, of course, anyone could tell that. To Mayahs surprise, however, all the anger dropped away from Qats face. Her mouth opened in a gasp. Her eyes, a moment ago narrowed in fury, softened, widened, until she looked terrified. Whats wrong? Mayah asked uneasily. Qat didnt move. She kept staring at Mayah. Qat? Qat still didnt respond. Just to be on the safe side, Mayah poked her head around the bookshelf corner to make sure they were alone. There was nobody there. Of course, someone could be hidden a few aisles down, so it was probably better to get to a lounge where they could see everyone nearby. Mayah gestured to Qat. Come on, this way. Qat followed Mayah only after Mayah tugged on her arm. Mayah retraced their steps until she got to a lounge she and Qat had come across earlier, a round place encircled by curved bookshelves, with a round fountain in the middle. Or maybe it wasnt a fountain. It wasnt spouting any water, and its plaque read Rings Home, which didnt sound like a fountains name to Mayah, but then again, what did she know? She pushed Qat to sit down on the not-fountains edge. Whats wrong with you? I dont C I dont C Qat stammered. I told you the truth, Mayah snapped. She still felt resentful. Qat had been so mean to her! So you can stop sniping at me all the time. Qat looked like she was having trouble breathing. You you dont youre not going to tell me Im crazy? Huh? Thats what everyone always says, Qat whispered. Whenever I say anything, whenever I ask anything, they say Im wrong, that Im crazy, that everything is normal. Mayah was beginning to wonder if shed made a mistake. Maybe she should have tried a little harder to lie to Qat? Of course I know the routes, Im a princess, all princesses know their routes. But Qat had seemed so angry! And it was kind of too late now. Besides, it felt good to finally be able to say things that made sense instead of things that were correct. It felt really good, actually. Like shed put down a weight, a weight shed been carrying around without even realizing it. Youre not wrong, Mayah said to Qat. I dont know my way around because Ive never been here before. Oh Sarana, Qat was whispering. Oh Sarana, oh Sarana. Mayah jumped a little when Qat lunged for her. Before she knew it, Qat had grabbed both of her hands. What happened to Ca? Who? No, no, Qat moaned. Tears were streaming down her face. Dont do this to me. Please. Youre scaring me, Mayah whispered. But Qat kept moaning, kept crying, kept clinging so tight to Mayah that Mayah started wondering if she should worry about the blood circulation in her hands. She wanted Qat to let go of her, but it didnt look like she would until Mayah answered her question. But Mayah couldnt remember. Who was Ca? Ca, Ca, oh, wait, yes, Mayah did remember that name! Oh, you mean the princess you asked me about on my very first day? You said I took her bunk. Yes, yes, her! I dont know what happened to her, Mayah replied. The bunk was empty when I got there. A magistrate told me to use it. You didnt see her? Mayah shook her head. She was my friend, Qat whispered. What what happened to her? Qat looked wildly around them. Still holding onto Mayahs hands, she ducked her head. She was disappeared, she whispered. Mayah felt a chill run down her back. What do you mean? Thats what they do. They take you. Who? I dont know. This didnt make any sense. The Rajas were at the very top of the bio-dome. Who would be taking them? And what did it even mean to take someone? Who do they take? Everyone. Mayah suddenly felt very cold. What do you mean, everyone? Every single Rajas. What? What do you mean? There are thousands of Rajas! Have you seen an old princess since youve come here? The question struck Mayah hard. No, she whispered. Ive never seen one. Mayah swallowed. Ever? Never, Qat whispered. But C but why? I dont know. All I know is that it happens, it happens to everyone, eventually, but no one will talk about it. Mayah was suddenly very glad that Qat was holding her hands so tightly. She scooted closer to the other princess. Ill talk about it with you, she blurted out. We can talk about it together. A look of wild fear passed through Qats eyes. But what if they take us then? Well, Mayah said. She forced herself to smile. Theyre going to take us someday, anyway, right? Qat nodded. So we might as well figure out who they are and whats going on, right? Oh, Qat whispered. Could we really? Say yes, Mayah told herself silently. Keep it together. Sure, of course. Qat began to sob. She let go of Mayahs hands and covered her face. Mayah pulled Qat into a hug right away. That was what Sukren always did to make Mayah feel better. Its okay, Mayah said. Its okay. Then she shivered. She was saying it was okay, but was it? How could it be, if someone were waiting for them, waiting to take them into the dark? Chapter 18: “No, no! That’s all you ever say! No! No! No!” Chapter 18: His heart sinking, Sukren listened to Mayah prattle on and on about one of the princesses in her dorm. And then, after that, Qat C who grew up in the same nursery as Rihani C told me how Rihani had been really close to her mother, but then she was disappeared, and Rihani never got over it. Which makes sense. She certainly acts like she never got over it. Sukrens mouth was very dry. It sounds like you talked to Qat for a long time. Yep! We walked all over the library. You know its ten levels high? But each level has the same pattern. Pattern? Yeah, the librarys a labyrinth. Each level is the same, theyre all twisty in the same way, but on one floor, a labyrinth wall might be a shelf, while on another floor, itll be a bunch of statues. Statues? Mayah gave him a youre weird look. Are you even listening to me? Sukren swallowed. I thought you were going to stop trying? Oh yeah. Mayah looked down at her feet. She seemed uneasy. Strange. It was almost as if shed been wearing a mask, only it was slipping now, her bubbly cheer giving way to disquiet. No, it couldnt be. Mayah wouldnt hide her feelings from him. Sukren was sensing his own anxiety, that was all. They were inside the butterfly balcony again, and the heavy humidity was weighing down on him. Too bad the moisture in the air didnt make it any easier to swallow. Yeah, Mayah said again. I tried. I tried to stop trying. But then Qat and I went to the library and we started talking and I ended up telling her everything C Sukren could feel his heart start to race again. Everything? You told her about growing up in a serf village? Oh, well, everything but that. Thank Sarana, he breathed. So I shouldnt tell her? Mayah asked. Because Qat told me a lot of stuff, a lot of secret stuff, so I thought maybe I should share too. No! Dont tell her! Think a little! Mayah glared at him. I shouldnt have told you about Qat. I forgot I wasnt going to tell you things anymore. What? Oops. I mean I wasnt going to tell you that either You C youre hiding things from me? Sukrens head was spinning. He would have never guessed C would have never thought C hadnt he just told himself she would never do something like that? How could you even think to? What, are you going to share everything with Qat now, instead? Well, Qat is my friend. No, shes not! Sukren leaned forward. By Sarana, he wanted to grab her and shake some sense into her. Shes probably a spy, shes probably working for some other patron C Shut up! Mayah screamed. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Sukren almost put his hand on hers. Calm down, Mayah, Im sorry, I didnt mean C Take it back! Tears were spilling down her face. Take it back! Shes not a spy! Shes my friend! Shes real! Okay, okay, its okay C Mayah leapt to her feet. She was sobbing now, but there was nothing Sukren could do. Damnable purity laws! Mayah, please dont go, lets talk about this C No! she wept. No, no! Thats all you ever say! No! No! No! Mayah, please! She was already gone. Sukren sat back down onto the bench, feeling stunned and sick. The butterflies that had flown away in response to their fight were cautiously returning to the starfruit strewn along the base of the nearby trees. He watched their red and gold wings open and close. How could this be happening? How could Mayah choose the Rajas over him? What had he done wrong? I cant let this happen. I have to win her back. I have to. Or else Or else what? Something bad, Sukren knew. He could feel it deep inside him, fear like rot within his bones. He had to get Mayah back onto the safe path. He had to. No matter what it took. No matter what it cost him. *** By sunrise, Sukren had formulated a plan. Phase 1: get back into Mayahs good graces. Im sorry, I shouldnt have shouted at you, can you forgive me? Its okay if you have Rajas friends. I was feeling jealous, thats all. Its been you and me and nobody else for such a long time. Well, sure, you had friends in the village, but you were closest to me. It worked. Youre still my closest, Sukren! But that doesnt mean I cant be friends with other people too, you know! Of course, of course. So youre not mad at me? Not mad at all. Good. Im not mad at you either. Im glad! Now, you should probably get to class, youre starting a new storytelling unit, right? Yes? Okay, go, dont be late! He watched Mayah skip off. Now for Phase 2: get a message to Lady Nari. That would be harder. If only Lady Nari had assigned him a contact-point agent! Without one, well, Sukren could still try to track down one of the agents he knew already, but he didnt want to accidentally lead Ganithe and Ul to anybody new. The less Lord Tyrs spies knew about Lady Naris network, the better. Sukren toyed for a second with the idea of trying to get Lady Naris telegraph handle, but no, that would be even more traceable. Sukren opened the door of his dorm, entered, and turned to Ganithe. You said theres a clinic looking for extra workers, right? Where was it again? Ganithe blinked before answering him. Sukren didnt blame her. Hed been ignoring both Ganithe and Ul as much as possible, refusing to answer their questions and speaking to them only when he absolutely had to. Yes, Ganithe replied. In Zone 9. Thanks, Sukren said. He climbed into his bed-shelf. Ill be going there tomorrow morning. He could sense their confusion. Good, that was the point. Make them think Sukren had nothing to hide. Theyd still follow him, of course, or at least one of them would, but maybe theyd back off once they realized it wasnt a trick. All Sukren was going to do was volunteer at the clinic tomorrow. And the next day. And the next. And the next. And the next. Twelve diurnals went by. Twelve sunsets. Twelve rotations of Chudami on its axis. Slowly, agonizingly, he watched Mayah get closer and closer to the other princesses. It took all he had to stay the course. Dont worry, youll get her back on track, you just have to be patient... Then it happened C a bed was wheeled into the clinic and shoved against the hallway wall. Sukren was two steps away. He watched an apprentice flip through the cards hanging from the bed rail. Ill take care of him, he called out. Hes not high priority, the apprentice replied. I understand, Sukren said, shouldering the apprentice aside. The girl looked annoyed. Then she shrugged and walked off, leaving Sukren alone by the clinic bed. You look like you got into trouble, Sukren said. Its you, Vek whispered. A faint smile touched his lips. Sukren grabbed the bed rail above Veks head. His hands were trembling; Ul and Ganithe were nowhere in sight. Nobody was in sight. Thank Sarana, his plan was in motion! Lets get you into a room, he managed. I have a message I need you to deliver. Chapter 19: “You’re supposed to give them to her. One a day.” Chapter 19: Whats this? Vek shrugged. I told Lady Nari what you said. She gave me this. It was an envelope. Plain, white, the kind of easy-tear packet you put transcribed telegraphs in. Nothing special about it. Until Sukren took it from Veks hand and felt the raised circles inside. Are these pills? Yeah, shout about it, thats a good idea. Sorry. They were standing beside a great arcing fountain. Sukren had been walking through the bathhouse, minding his own business, when out of nowhere a hand had grabbed him and jerked him to a stop. For a moment Sukren had panicked, flashing back to the dozens of times hed been forced headfirst into this fountain, or one just like it in a different zone. It had been well established that Sukrens doctor-priest was not the protective type. Fair game, that was what Sukren had been to the other apprentices and remembering that was making it hard to focus on being discreet. Youre supposed to give them to her. One a day. Sukren opened the envelope. Small white pills, as plain as the envelope they were in. What are they for? I dont know. Sukren looked askance at Vek. Im not going to give these to Mayah without knowing what they are! But Lady Nari told you to. Sukren almost crumpled up the envelope in his fist. Did Vek have to sound so shocked? Was it that terrible that Sukren wanted to verify what these pills were before shoving them down Mayahs throat? He was her handler, for crying out loud! He was supposed to look out for her! What did she say about my plan? Nothing, really. She listened until I was done. Then she gave me that. Vek pointed at the envelope in Sukrens hand. There was a sour taste in Sukrens mouth. So Lady Nari had heard Sukrens offer, and then what, rejected it? He could picture Lady Nari in his minds eye, impassively listening to Vek. Sukren wants to put Princess Mayah in a situation where shell be forced to choose between him and the Rajas. He thinks if she sees him receiving ill treatment at their hands, shell turn away from them. She didnt say anything else? Yeah. That the princess had already made her choice. That didnt make Sukren feel good at all. He looked into the envelope again. There were at least fifty pills inside. Im supposed to give her all of these? One a day until theyre gone. Sukren stuffed the envelope into the pocket that lined the inside of his robe. He didnt like this. There was something else going on. There had to be. Why in the bio-dome would Lady Nari send him an envelope of pills without any explanation? It doesnt make any sense, Sukren muttered. Vek shrugged. She knows best. Sukren bowed his head, thinking. Lady Nari did know best. She was always several steps ahead of everyone else; that was why she was so successful. If Lady Nari had given the envelope to Vek just like Vek said, that meant Sukren already knew everything he needed to know. The message was there. He just had to decode it. She listened to my plan, said Mayah had already made her choice, then handed the envelope to you, Sukren said out loud. She already had the envelope with her? Yes. Okay, Sukren said. Okay what? Okay, Ill figure it out. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Figure what out? What must it be like, Sukren wondered, to live so simply? Lady Nari good. Lady Nari wise. Do as Lady Nari says. No, stop, dont be unfair to Vek. Hes a good boy. Youre not mad at him, youre just annoyed that youre in this situation at all. Besides, its not like you live that differently. At least Vek carries out his missions successfully. A whole lot of nothing, thats all youve managed to accomplish these past thirty diurnals. And Vek did you a favor, delivering your message to Lady Nari. Its not his fault if she didnt like your plan. Never mind, its nothing, Sukren replied. Hows your arm doing? Vek held it up and made a fist in the air. He grinned. Next time, Im skipping the clinic, going straight to you. Im going to tell my other patronless friends to do so too. Sukren couldnt help but raise his eyebrows. Next time? Oh, theres always a next time. Sukren laughed a little. Its amazing youre still alive. Its because of you. Sukren cleared his throat and changed the subject before Vek could get too emotional. Is there a way for me to get in touch with you later, in case I need to send another message to Lady Nari? Oh, I can drop in on you, Vek said. Like I did just now. I dont have anyone tailing me, so its easier for me to move around. Sukren had told Vek about Ul and Ganithe. That was probably why Vek had picked the fountain to waylay Sukren. It was in a corner, surrounded by mist and steam from the bubbling baths that filled the rest of the bathhouse. Splashes from rows of shower heads and the never-ending sound of trickling water dampened and even muted the majority of bathhouse conversations. It was a good location, although Sukren wasnt sure how Vek had managed to gain access to what was supposed to be a doctor-priests and regents-only bathhouse. Ill keep an eye out for you, Sukren said. Thank you. Vek saluted him, then slipped away into the mist. Sukren touched the envelope through his robes lining, wondering whether he should skip his wash and go back to his dorm room to put the pills away. He decided against it. If he went back now, Ul and Ganithe would know something had happened. It was better for Sukren to act normally, and that meant going through with his bath. He made his way to a pool in another corner of the bathhouse. He hung his robe up on a cloak-tree nearby and moved as quickly as he could to get under the cover of water. Thankfully, nobody else was in the pool. Sukren doubted anyone would join him, either, given the baths small size and slightly cooler water temperature. He could sit by himself and think. What was Lady Nari saying to him? Well, she was saying no to his plan, that was obvious. Dont force her to choose between you and the Rajas. Shes already made her choice. Instead do what? Sukren closed his eyes. What was it Lady Nari had said to him when he first came to Lost Technology Castle? Your mission doesnt change. You are still to raise her so that she feels disconnected from the Rajas. But how do I do that, here, in a castle? Itll be harder, but it has to happen. Keep her from making meaningful friendships. Make sure to discourage her from trusting them. But that was exactly what Sukren was trying to do! That was the whole point of his plan! Have Mayah choose him, have her turn away from the Rajas did Lady Nari have a better idea or something? Maybe. After all, shed brought the pills with her. Shed brought the pills with her. It hit him like a blow to the gut. Fear, the same fear hed felt watching Mayah walk away from the butterfly balcony. Lady Nari had already had the pills with her. Shed brought them before knowing Sukrens message. It wasnt his plan she rejected. It was him. His approach, the way he was handling Mayah, the tactics hed chosen to keep her disconnected from the Rajas. That was what Lady Nari was rejecting. And the worst part was, Sukren couldnt help but agree with her. Hadnt he said so himself earlier? All Sukren had managed to do was fail. What he couldnt understand was how it had happened. Hadnt he tried? Hadnt he done his best? How had Mayah become so close to the Rajas? The princess has already made her choice. Sukren could hear the words in Lady Naris flat tones. Mayahd already made her choice. But had he? No. He hadnt. Sukren slipped deeper into the water, not stopping until his mouth and nose were covered. It was painful, admitting the truth to himself, but he could no longer put off doing so. Hed spent the last thirty diurnals riding the fence, only wanting to isolate Mayah from the Rajas if he could do so without hurting her. Yes, yes, hed said to himself, I want to accomplish the mission, but not if it means exposing Mayah to a mob of purity-hounding Rajas! Come on, there has to be another way! There has to be! Right? The sick feeling was back. Oh Sarana, it was to avoid having to make this very choice that Sukren had agonized over how to get Mayah to stop caring about the Rajas. Dont cross them, dont defy them, please, I cant bear to see you face a mob, but dont love them either, because if you befriend the Rajas Ill have to act, Ill have to spread rumors about how youre from a serf village so they wont want to be friends with you, Ill have to lie to you and make you doubt your own feelings, Ill have to rob you of your curiosity and wonder and turn you instead into someone fearful and controllable, and I dont want to do these things, please dont make me, please stop caring about the Rajas before I have to do these things, please please please! Lady Nari was right. It was Sukren who had to make the choice. Whose was he first? Lady Naris, or Mayahs? No, no, Sukren begged silently. Dont make me choose. Dont make me not pick Mayah. Chapter 20: "And makes it so nobody ever sees them again?” Chapter 20: Mayah was glad Sukren was being nice to her again. She liked it better when she could share things with him. Especially since a lot of what Qat said was confusing. They take us, they take us, she kept saying, but when Mayah asked for any details at all, Qat would say stuff like it happens to princesses whose Matter or Intelligence is messed up, and then Mayah would ask what that meant and Qat would say thats why we have to keep our purity levels up, and then Mayah would ask what do our purity levels have to do with anything? only to have Qat start all over again, they take us, they take us, it happens to princesses whose Matter or Intelligence is messed up... It was like she was too frightened to say anything that made sense. She seemed happiest, in fact, when Mayah pushed back against her statements. Youre right, Im crazy. No, thats not what Im saying! A smile from Qat. Youre right, everything is normal. It sounds like youre frustrated with Qat. Mayah kicked her feet against the benchs cross-bar. She was the one who was angry all the time! Now its like she doesnt even want to find out who disappears the Rajas! Its like she still wants to act weird, even though she knows she can act normal with you. Exactly. Sukren got it. Thank Sarana, because nobody else seemed to! But you want to find out, dont you? There was something in Sukrens voice, a catch or a pause, that made Mayah look up. Do you know? she asked. She felt silly, all of a sudden, for not asking him earlier. Of course Sukren would know. He knew everything. Youre asking me if I know who comes in the night to kidnap princesses out of their beds? And makes it so nobody ever sees them again? Mayah felt a chill run down her spine. When Sukren put it that way well, it sounded a lot scarier. She bit her lip. A butterfly fluttered past her face; she jerked away, startled. It landed on the path by her feet. Mayah waited for it to get up and fly away, but it didnt move. She stared at its red and gold wings. They take them out of their beds nobody ever sees them again Who does it? Mayah whispered. Sukren leaned in close. Mayah almost gasped when he touched her hand. He wasnt supposed to! It violated the purity laws! The Golden Castle does it, he whispered. Stop, Mayah begged. They wont stop. They take us out of our beds nobody ever sees us again Mayah couldnt breathe. It was crashing down on her all at once. Shed tried, shed tried so hard to ignore the fear oozing out of everyone around her, shed tried to tell herself she could figure it out, but if even Sukren was afraid, how could Mayah not be? Oh Sarana, no, no, she couldnt think that way, no, they might take one of the other princesses, but not Mayah, why would they take Mayah, shed done nothing wrong, shed started following the purity laws as soon as she knew what they were, she didnt have anything wrong with her Matter or her Intelligence, she was good, she was a good girl, surely they wouldnt take her away, not at night, not while she was sleeping, not like theyd done to Ca The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. We better go back. Mayah nodded. Blinking back tears, she pulled away from Sukren. She had to get back to the dorm. The other princesses were there, and that was where Mayah had to be, Mayah had to be like them, she had to be the best princess she could be, she had to make sure she didnt do anything wrong, yes, that was what Mayah should be thinking about, that was all Mayah should be thinking about C Take this. He was pushing a small white pill into her palm. Her hands trembling, Mayah took it from him. Itll help you not be disappeared. She put the pill on her tongue, swallowed it, and ran. *** The pills did help. They were the only thing that helped. Mayah didnt know exactly what they did C kept her purity levels up, maybe? C but she felt better each time she swallowed one. A sense of control, that was what they gave her. They took Ca from this bed, but they wont take me. If Im good and dont get boxed then theyll start letting us princesses grow old. The Golden Castle will see that Im following all the rules, itll see... Are you okay? Qat asked her in the dorm a few diurnals after Mayahd started taking the pills. Youve gone all quiet again. Before Mayah could say anything, before Mayah could even wonder whether she should say anything, Qat was already backing down. I mean, Im sorry, youve been normal, of course youve been normal, Im sorry. A part of Mayah wanted to scream. Youre fine! Its fine to notice if Ive gone quiet, thats what friends do! But another part of her, the new part, knew she would never speak so honestly again. Its better if Qats sorry, its better if she pretends I havent gone quiet again, its better if we keep our heads down and act like everything is normal. Thats what the Golden Castle wants, or itll come and get us, itll come in the night and take us from our beds Youre right, Mayah said, turning so her back was to Qat. Ive been normal. Oh, Qat responded quietly. There were a few footsteps, and the rustling of a Rajas frock; Mayah sensed that behind her Qat was drawing away. Of course. Of course youve been normal. The other princesses were standing by their bunks, silent and unmoving. Mayah knew now how to reassure them. All she had to say was lets shut up about it and everyone would start laughing and talking all at once. That was all she had to say. Lets shut up about it. The seconds ticked by. She knew they were waiting for her to say the words. All they wanted was a sign that Mayah and Qats quarrel was over and that they could go back to being normal. That was all they wanted. That was all Mayah had to do. So why couldnt she say the words? Shed said them a dozen times before, hadnt she? Lets shut up about it, lets shut up about it, just say it, just say it! Who cares if its not right, who cares if its not okay, who cares if everything about this castle is wrong, just say it, just say it! Do you want to be disappeared? Lets shut up about it, Mayah whispered. Jroya and Pal, Priva immediately sang out. I cant wait to go to sleep tonight, tomorrow is Queen Zi Day, oh, I cant wait to celebrate! *** It surprised Sukren afterwards, how easy it had been. Hed spent so much time and effort raising Mayah up to be fearless, and just like that, hed been able to strip it all away. He hadnt realized shed scare so easily. It concerned him. She had to have been holding back a lot of fear to capitulate so completely, so quickly. But that wasnt the point, was it? The point was that hed done what hed set out to do. He was giving her the pills, and she was taking them. She was so eager to take them, in fact, Sukren didnt think hed find it hard to have her finish the envelope. Then he could tell Vek to tell Lady Nari that hed done it her way. Because that was what this had all been about, hadnt it? Sukren was no fool. Or maybe he was a bigger one than he knew. Hed thought he was going to set Mayah up to pick him, but no, this whole thing, all of it had been Lady Nari setting him up to pick her. And damn if she hadnt played Sukren perfectly! Just like Ive played Mayah perfectly, her entire life long. It was almost funny. Sukren had never felt guilty about manipulating Mayah before. Hed done it for so long that it felt like breathing or eating. Manipulation of Mayah was what he did, that was what it meant to be Mayahs handler. That was what Lady Nari had taught him, at any rate. Through her words, via her tests, by her example. But it would be over soon. Yes, that was what Sukren had to focus on. It would all be over soon. Mayah would be programmed, and when she was ready, shed fulfill the prophecy. Yes, that was right. The Uprising would happen, and shed fulfill the prophecy. And the shadows between them now, theyd fade, theyd disappear, theyd be burned away like Chudamis atmosphere and scattered into space, lost C gone C forever. Chapter 21: “Once I’m disappeared, where will I go?” To whom was the prophecy given? Was it to the Rajas? That is the standard interpretation. This is to no ones surprise, as it is the Rajas who determine what is standard. But when the Prophetess Darshana began her pilgrimage, she did not go to the castles. Scorning the protection of Rajas soldiers(ix) she went instead to the greenhouse villages. Indeed, the first time the Prophetess ever delivered the oracle of the Promised Daughter, it was to an audience of serfs C and serfs alone. ix During the Age of Royalty the caste system consisted simply of serfs, who labored, and Rajas, who ruled and enforced their own rules. It was not until the Age of Religion that the serfs were divided. Some were declared Xhota C literally, serfs of trade C while others were declared Chenta C literally, serfs of service C while the remainder were declared Eenta C literally, serfs of violence. C excerpt from The Lost Princess Commentary on the Pilgrimage of the Prophetess Darshana Written 774 years after the Crash Landing Chapter 21: Sukren paced back and forth inside the kitchen cavern. His heart was pounding. Its been two years, he said to himself. Two flaring years since weve come to this castle. Enough is enough. Im going to tell Lady Nari that its time for Mayah to enter the next stage of her programming. Im going to make her see that Mayah is ready. The door to the cavern creaked open. Shes here, the Chenta servie girl acting as lookout whispered through the opening. A sudden light made Sukren blink. In Lady Naris hand was a capacitor lamp, one of the older models still used in the villages. It lit up the shadowed cave, revealing fully filled bags of grain stacked up against the walls. Several sacks were also piled on top of the smooth tip of an enormous tree root. Lady Nari gestured for Sukren to join her by the root. You wanted to see me? MUST MEET STOP was all Sukren had sent to Lady Nari, having finally been given her telegraph handle. Hed gotten a response via Vek later that day: Tonight, during dinner, go down to the root level serf kitchens, northwest corner. One of the kitchen girls will show you where to wait. Surprised by and grateful for the promptness of the response, Sukren had done exactly as told. For an hour hed waited in the cavern, repeating to himself what he would say, practicing how he would persuade Lady Nari. But now she was here, and Sukren couldnt get the words out. Yes C I C I did, he stammered. Lady Nari gazed at him, clearly waiting for him to continue. I C I wanted to tell you C shes ready. Mayahs ready for the next stage. Oh? Its been two years, Sukren whispered. Oh, this wasnt going well, he was supposed to give his opinion with confidence, he was supposed to say, as her handler, Ive decided now is the time, but here Sukren was, already reduced to begging. Its been two years since weve come to Lost Technology Castle, its been a year since Mayahs last friend was assigned to her senior castle. Mayahs thirteen, and she hasnt spoken to anyone since she was twelve, shes like a wind-wisp, she goes to classes and meals without talking to anyone, she sits by herself, she escapes to the library every chance she gets. Shes fading, Lady Nari, even with me shes been quieter and quieter and C Sukren stopped. He closed his eyes for a second. Shes as isolated from the Rajas as shes going to get, he whispered. The anti-menstrual pills have done their job. All her friends have been seeded to their senior castles already, leaving Mayah behind. And she wasnt even that close to them anyway. She was too afraid of being disappeared to let her guard down enough to truly connect with them. As for the other junior princesses still around, Mayahs unwilling to reach out to any of them lest they turn on her for not having had her cycle yet. Shes completely cut off. And how are you doing? Taken aback by the question C since when had Sukrens well-being ever mattered? C he found himself answering honestly. I C I also C I also cant take it anymore. What cant you take anymore? The constant fear-mongering, the lying! The waiting and waiting for Mayah to be targeted by a purity mob! Delaying the fulfillment of the prophecy. So its the prophecy youre concerned about? Sukren felt miserable. Yes, of course. Lady Nari lifted the capacitor lamp. Sukren flinched a little as the light hit his face. Youre not being affected by your personal emotions? To Sukrens surprise, resentment surged up through him. Just because you dont seem to have emotions, doesnt mean the rest of us cant! he wanted to snarl. He ducked his head, but he knew it was too late. Lady Nari could read faces the way a research regent read scripts, studying them academically for information. If she hadnt realized the depth of his shame and rage before, she knew it now. So you are being affected. Lady Nari pursed her lips. That means I cant trust your recommendation. No! Sukren cried out. No, please, my recommendation is sound! Yes, of course Im motivated personally to see Mayah get out of the situation shes in, but that doesnt mean my recommendation isnt valid! Even as Sukren said the words, he cursed himself. Could he possibly sound more desperate? He forced himself to calm down. Ive obeyed you at every turn. I gave her the pills before I even knew what they were. Im the reason she didnt bother trying to even shallowly befriend the new junior Rajas in her dorm. I kept telling her to wait, that shed be seeded soon anyway because her cycle was coming, that the pills were helping it come. She believed me until it was too late for her to change course. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Youve done well. Praise wasnt what Sukren had been looking for, but he would take it. Maybe if Lady Nari reflected on Sukrens performance she would heed his counsel. Ive done everything for the sake of the Free Serfs. She needs to be primed, Lady Nari replied. She may be isolated from the Rajas, but is she ready to turn against them? We need to move her from feeling contempt for herself, from feeling that she isnt Rajas enough, to feeling contempt for the Rajas. Sukren took in a tiny breath. It sounded like Lady Nari was actually considering Sukrens proposal. Jroya and Pal, could this finally be the end of Mayahs torment at Sukrens hands? Maybe Lady Nari would even C could she possibly C release them to a village? Ill do anything. Tell me what to do to prime her, and Ill do it. Anything? Lady Naris voice was mild, but there was a warning in it nonetheless. Sukren forced himself to nod. Anything, he repeated. She needs to believe theres something wrong not with her, but with the Rajas. Lady Nari lowered the capacitor lamp. Whats your recommendation? How do we get her to that point? Sukren thought fast. Shed have to see the Rajas do something she couldnt accept. Such as? Think, Sukren told himself. Think! Something bad. Something bad C to me. His plan, half-remembered from years ago, sprang into his mind. If she sees me receive ill-treatment at their hands, she wont stand for it. Shell be looking for an explanation, shell want to know how the Rajas could do such a thing. Shell be primed, ready to receive a story that blames the Rajas. Shell be relieved, even, to be able to stop blaming herself for her own isolation. What kind of ill-treatment? The question stumped Sukren. There wasnt much Rajas could do to doctor-priests other than be rude to them. If Sukren violated a purity law they might point Eenta soldiers at him the way theyd done to him that one time, but then Mayah would think, oh, its because Sukren violated the purity laws, thats why hes getting punished. Whatever ill-treatment Sukren received had to be undeserved. Maybe Sukren closed his eyes. Maybe if I was disappeared? Thats a Rajas punishment. Sukren understood Lady Naris confusion. If a patron felt that one of her followers had crossed too many lines, she would simply kick him out of her patronage. Without protection, a patronless serf wouldnt survive long C and that was the punishment. A Rajas, on the other hand, couldnt be tossed away like that. What if she was the next queens mother? Princesses had to be kept in line with control mechanisms that wouldnt stop their reproductive activities. Lots and lots of fear, that was the only way, and there was nothing quite like disappearances to engender such fear. Mayah doesnt know that, he replied. So we disappear you, Lady Nari said slowly. She has two choices. One, blame you for being disappeared, come up with some reason why you deserved it. Two, blame the Rajas for disappearing you. Exactly. Why wont she blame you? Because then shell have to accept shes never seeing me again. Hm. Lady Nari sounded thoughtful. Encouraged, Sukren forged ahead. We can even leave clues for her, hints that Im not completely gone. That way she wont even be able to accept that shes never seeing me again. I like it. Lets do it. Just like that? Oh, okay. When? Now. I C uh C now? You said shes ready, right? I C yes C but C Youve persuaded me. And now is a good time. Weve converted enough serfs to our cause to come out victorious in the case of an armed struggle. Sukren stared at Lady Nari. The Uprising was almost at hand? Well, that was good news. One less obstacle in the way of the prophecys fulfillment. Sukren was thrilled. He was. Once Im disappeared, he began carefully, where will I go? Ill send you to another castle to hide. Sukren touched the back of his head. Not a village then, not yet. Ill make sure to prepare a place for Mayah to join me. Lady Nari didnt reply. Sukren kept his gaze fixed on his feet, but the silence soon became unbearable. He glanced up. Lady Nari was looking at him, silent, just looking. Im sorry, he whispered. Are you? No. No, he wasnt, and he knew it, and she knew it too. You know, Lady Nari began casually, by some counts, the Free Serfs have been waiting for almost a century for the Uprising, ever since the Age of Regents began. Ive been waiting my whole life long. Youve been waiting half your life. Sukren closed his eyes. Half your life, thats what youve given to the Free Serfs. Yes, he whispered. I thought castle life would discipline you. But you still cling to her. Sukren knew what Lady Nari was saying. She was accusing him of obeying her halfheartedly. Of giving up his body but refusing to surrender his will. And she was right. That was exactly the compromise Sukren had reached with himself ever since hed given Mayah that first envelope of pills. Ill never go against a Free Serf directive, hed told himself. Im happy to carry out Free Serf policy. But if Im told to implement something that will hurt Mayah, well, Ill do it, but Ill never want to, never ever. Ill always want whats good for her, over anything else. Sukren took a deep breath. It was clear to him now that Lady Nari had been testing him C again C and that hed failed her test. Hed shown her his hand, his heart. But what did it matter? Sukren couldnt change what he desired. All he knew was that he had to get Mayah out of the terrible situation she was in. He had to get her out. It had been too long. He could not bear it a minute longer. Yet even as Sukren writhed in frustration at the past two years, he could sense his own doubt. Was the next stage in Mayahs programming really the answer? Everything and anything for the serfs, that was Lady Naris mantra. Everything and anything, including Mayahs health and well-being, her sense of safety and acceptance by others. He had spent the last thirteen years lying to Mayah and he loved her like his own child. Once the Free Serfs got unmediated access to her, who knew how they would treat her? Oh, but what choice do I have? I cant take the status quo anymore! Any change has to be for the better, right? After the Uprising, Sukren heard himself ask, after weve won, will I see her again? If its necessary. Sukren bowed his head. Tell me what you want me to do, he whispered. Chapter 22: “You’ll come with me, right? If – when – I get seeded?” Chapter 22: After pretending to browse through a few books, Mayah lowered herself onto the floor next to the bookshelf. Soon she was flat on her back. Above her, directly in her line of vision, was a ceiling hatch painted with the image of a woman wreathed in breathflowers. Beautiful, Mayah whispered. She adjusted her glasses, glasses shed started wearing only a season ago. Shes so beautiful. To Mayahs side was a book on the history of the library. She opened it, and with both hands, held it above her head. Each castle boasts an architectural marvel. In Lost Technology, the labyrinthine library located at the top of the castle claims that honor. It took years of labor to sculpt out of the living-wood the bookshelves that seamlessly connect to the floor below and the ceiling above. Mayah flipped through the pages. The librarys chief designer built a tower above the library; legend has it that she lived in it during the time of the librarys construction, dreaming designs at night, and carrying out those visions into life during the day. That tower used to be accessible through a hatch in the librarys uppermost ceiling. It was closed off due to structural concerns during the reign of Queen Tutha. Footsteps, voices C the sounds traveled around the bookshelves and reached Mayah. She scrambled upright. From what Mayah could tell, a gaggle of young princesses on a library tour was headed her way. Time to hide. Closing her eyes, she made her way left, then right, then right again, then around a circle, then left, then yes, here she was again, at the lounge with the statue of the Cursed. A smile touched her lips. Navigating the library blind was the only game she played these days, but it was fun, nonetheless. It made her feel like she was good at something, at least. Mayah lowered herself into one of the lounges hanging chairs. She examined the statue. The figures at its base were the Cursed, their mouths forced into moans as they cowered before the Eternal Queen Sarana, whose eyes seemed to flash with living anger. To the side of the statue was a plaque. On it was printed the first part of the letter the Eternal Queen Sarana had written to her friend, the leader of the mutineers, the group that had crash landed the Saranai onto the planet Chudami. you who were like my brother, how could you have brought this fate upon us? In your madness you have marooned us on a virtually atmosphereless planet! How do you expect us to survive? No, that is the wrong question. Rather, I ask how you expect to survive. Me and my people, we will rise up and endure. But whatever society I build up here, whatever civilization I breathe into being, I swear to you, you will never be a part of it. you who were like my brother Mayah mouthed the first words silently. The only surviving copy of the letter started mid-sentence, a broken beginning. There was a tightness in Mayahs chest as she stared at the anguished faces of the Cursed. Her heart began beating faster. She reached out to touch the lips of one of the Cursed, a young girl with marks on her face. She jumped when the lights flickered off. A moment later they were back on again, signaling to everyone still in the library that it was near closing time. Mayah got to her feet. Shed been in the library since the end of class. It was time to go back to her dorm floor, check in with Sukren, then sleep. Tomorrow Mayah would sleep in as late as possible, rush through breakfast, daydream her way through class, then go to the library. Again. And her daydreams would once more be about climbing to the very top of the castle, to the very top of the library, all the way to the hatch door, only this time the door would open for her, and behind it would be someone smiling at her, saying, weve been waiting for you, come, come, and Mayah would climb through the door and step out of Chudami into another whole world Oh Sarana, how Mayah wished she could run away to somewhere else, to anywhere else, to anywhere other than here! Just wait, she told herself. Just wait a little longer. Youre going to get seeded soon. Youre thirteen now, it cant be much longer. Very soon, youll be free of this place, and at your senior castle. Youll start over then. Youll finally become someone important, someone precious, too precious to disappear. *** Sukren? Mayah whispered. Yes? She was sitting, as she usually did, on the clinic bed. The privacy curtain was only half-drawn around them, but it didnt matter, as the other doctor-priests werent in the room. Not that that mattered anymore, either. These days she and Sukren didnt talk, not honestly, not like before. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Taking in a breath, Mayah wrapped her fingers around the edge of the bed. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Sukren looking at her, his eyes creased with pain. A pang went through her. Oh! How she loved him! Sukren was the only one ever there for her, the only one always by her side. Even if she couldnt share with him the way she used to, Mayah still treasured him with all her heart. She took in another breath. My stomach hurts, she whispered. Still? Mayah nodded. Lately her stomach was always hurting. I can give you more reliever. He was turning away, reaching for the shelves on the other side of the privacy curtain. Mayah glanced up. There was something different in his half-turned face. Something shed never seen before. Something hard. Mayah clenched her fists together. She wanted to put her knuckles in her mouth and bite them, chew them, even gnaw them off, anything to quell the anxiety surging up inside her. But she couldnt, she couldnt, what if someone saw, what if someone found out, what if someone decided it meant Mayah needed to go, what if, what if!? Here, take this. Sukren, Mayah whispered again. Yes? The words came out before she could stop herself. Youll come with me, right? If C when C I get seeded? Mayah... The anguish in Sukrens voice was too hard to bear. Mayah couldnt hear it. She couldnt stay to listen to it. She couldnt let herself think about what it might mean. What if Sukren C what if Sukren couldnt C She jumped to her feet, off the clinic bed, and onto the floor. I have to go, she muttered, her gaze fixed on her bejeweled slippers. I have to C I have to go to bed. Ill C Ill see you later. *** The door was opening. With a start, Mayah woke up. Shed fallen asleep daydreaming, replaying in her mind over and over the hatch door opening, the person smiling, the new world beckoning, the hatch door opening C The door was opening. But it was nighttime! Who could be coming? Oh no C Mayah squeezed her eyes shut. She tried to scream when a hand slapped down over her mouth, but it was too late, there was a bioplastic muffle on her jaw now and whoever-it-was was scooping her out of bed. She tried to kick, to fight back, but her bunk was closest to the door and oh Sarana, no, shed done nothing wrong, shed tried her best, why her, why did this have to happen to her!? It wasnt until she was placed on her feet outside her dorm that Mayah realized she wasnt being disappeared. For one, the bioplastic muffle was being peeled off her jaw. She didnt think they would do that to someone about to be disappeared. Second, Sukren was standing before her. But not like he normally was. Sukren! she gasped. Even without her glasses on Mayah could see that he was hurt. Livid red and purple bruises lined his face; his left eye was swollen shut. His doctor-priests robe was torn and filthy. Two Eenta soldiers flanked him. I came to say goodbye, he said. I have to leave. What? Dont ask anyone about me after I leave. Whats going on? Mayah whispered. It had been a long time since Mayah had violated the purity laws. A really long time Dont be afraid, Mayah, Sukren said. She watched him wince as the guard to his right nudged him. Im sorry, but I have to go now. For once Mayahs never ending fear about being disappeared was overwhelmed C by panic. Trembling, she reached for Sukrens hand. He stepped backwards, away from her. No, Mayah. But where are you going? Im not allowed to tell you. At that, Mayah had to blink to keep her tears at bay. What did I do wrong? she whispered. Im sorry. Im sorry! No! Sukren stepped forward. The Eenta soldier to his right grabbed his arm. Mayah watched, numb, as Sukren stopped and turned to the soldier. They seemed to be arguing, both of them speaking in tones too low for Mayah to hear. The Eenta soldier shook his head, once, then again. Finally he sighed and shrugged. You did nothing wrong. Sukren spoke with such force that Mayah found herself reeling backwards. You hear me? Remember that. You did nothing wrong. Okay, she whispered. He leaned over so that his mouth was right by Mayahs ear. The very nearness of him made her freeze. May the Lost Princess watch over you, he whispered. Go inside now. Stiff with shock, Mayah stumbled back inside her dorm. She didnt understand. Earlier today shed asked Sukren if he could come with her if she ever left, but shed never even once thought about Sukren leaving her. He was the one who was always there. What, was he gone now? Silent shuddering gasps were racking her body. No! They cant take Sukren from me! They cant! No! No! No! Chapter 23: “Is… is Sukren there?” Chapter 23: But they had. Mayah sat down with her back to a row of books and buried her face in her hands. She was very tired. She hadnt been able to sleep at all after getting dragged out to say goodbye to Sukren. Instead of her original plan of sleeping in, Mayah had gotten out of bed as early as could be considered normal and gone straight to the clinic. Ul had greeted her. Can I help you? Is is Sukren there? No, hes not. He was out already by the time I woke up. Later that day, Mayah checked in again, and received the same response. Hes still not here. Hasnt been in all day. Now it was almost dinnertime and Mayah had to get up and go eat, it was very important for Rajas to eat regular nutritious meals, but by Sarana, she couldnt, not today, she couldnt force herself to shuffle through the line then sit by herself in a corner table, all alone, not today, not today! Dont worry, dont worry, youll get seeded soon, youll become a senior princess soon Normally it helped. Normally the knowledge that all this had to end at some point got her through. That was how Mayahd managed the past two years. Escape to the library, lose yourself in a book, and when its over and youre back, remind yourself that this wont last forever, that if youre a good girl, youll get to become a senior princess someday. Today though, it wasnt working. Today Sukren was gone, he was missing, he was disappeared. Who even cares? she thought despondently. Who even cares if I become a senior princess C if I dont have Sukren? Oh Sarana, the thought of him truly being gone forever was too much to bear. Mayah turned and grabbed a random book off the shelf behind her. She opened it to a page in the middle and blindly began reading. Patronage was originally limited in nature. In exchange for fealty, established doctor-priests and regents would offer protection to their younger and newer castemates. Nowadays, however, the practice of patronage has expanded to the point that Chenta and Eenta castle serfs C servies and soldiers alike C are also entering into the patronage of older and more successful doctor-priests and regents. This was good. This was exactly what Mayah needed. Meaty, heady knowledge that she could bury herself in to forget her life. Even serf greenhouse villages have begun to have patron Lords and Ladys, although the relationship between villages and their patrons is looser; a patron can poach a village away from its original patron by offering gifts and other inducements. In the castles, however, patronage is for life. Indeed, to have a patron is to have life, as only serfs under a Lord or Ladys patronage are shielded from the abuse serfs can legally be subjected to. Mayah settled in further, leaning back against the shelves behind her. Already she could feel her pain subsiding. A little escape, that was all she needed, just a little escape Serfs can lose patronage by committing a crime. These serfs are then indentured out to other patrons who are required to take them on as shadow members of their own patronage. A shadow member has all the duties of a patronee but none of the rights. Anyone can do anything to them. It is legal to turn them away, to rob them, to assault them. Most end up killed by other serfs. *** Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. She made it to dinner after all, and on time too, but ate as fast as she could before going back upstairs to the library. Lately Mayah had started taking her meals in a Zone 16 cafeteria so she didnt have to spend hours going back and forth between the library and the cafeteria in her dorms zone, Zone 8. It wasnt against the rules to do so. Mayah wouldnt have done it if it were; she cared very much about keeping up her health through regular nutritious meals. It did also help that nobody seemed to notice her absence. Oh, the regents still took roll call in class, but they only cared about her attendance, not about what she did when she wasnt in class. Now that Sukren was gone, no one would care. Now that Sukren was gone All at once it hit her C the fear, the grief, the sense that she was spinning out of control. Holy Sarana, now Mayah wouldnt even have the pills anymore! She got them from Sukren! Once her envelope ran out, that would be the end! Bowing her head, Mayah slid off the hanging chair on which she was seated. Collapsing onto the short-woven rug beneath, she grabbed with both hands the threads poking out of it and began counting them. One, two, three, four, thats good, thats better, yes, keep going, one, two, three, four... *** Youll be seeded soon. Youll become a senior princess soon. Youll get out soon. Youll C Mayah slammed the book in her hand down onto the desk. No! she screamed silently. No more! I cant take this anymore! No! No! No! She couldnt accept it. That was what was wrong. Everything else that had happened to her, Mayah had learned how to let go. She knew how to shrug her shoulders, how to turn her heart away. But Sukren disappearing? No! Thered been no sign or word of him for eight diurnals. Eight diurnals, four whole weeks, that was how long it had been since Sukrens departure. And yes, departure was what Mayah would call it. Not disappearance. Hed come to say goodbye to her, hadnt he? Who did that before they were disappeared? Sukren was out there somewhere. She couldnt, wouldnt, believe otherwise. Oh, but what did it matter? Mayah closed her eyes. She could feel despair washing over her once more. A familiar bucket of water was being dumped on her head, the same old stinking liquid dousing her out. Mayah had to follow the rules. She had to. Otherwise she wouldnt become a senior princess. And that was what she needed to become. Tears were pressing against her eyelids, threatening to spill over. Quickly Mayah wiped them away. More than once since Sukrens departure shed stood at the edge of a balcony and wondered what it would be like to climb over and let go. She took a shuddering breath. I cant do that, I cant. Im a Rajas, I have a duty. I have to try to give birth to a queen. I cant throw myself away. But I also cant keep on going like this. Mayah took another shuddering breath. It was true, and admitting it helped. She couldnt keep on going like this. Even if she were seeded tomorrow, it wouldnt make a difference. She wasnt going to last the rest of the day. She wasnt going to last another second. Something had to change. She had to find Sukren. Fear immediately washed over her. How could she find Sukren and still follow the rules? How could she look for a doctor-priest and still prepare to be seeded? Mayah wavered. Then she shook her head. She would have to find a way. And at any rate, wasnt her first duty to her body? Her body, the body of each Rajas, that was what mattered most. Without their bodies, the bio-dome would die. Mayah had to make sure she took care of herself, and if she needed to find Sukren to do that, if she needed Sukren to keep herself from throwing her body away, well, it was her duty, then, to find Sukren. For the sake of her own senior princessship, she had to find him. It was like it was like Sukren was her personal bio-dome. If the bio-dome disappeared overnight, wouldnt all the Saranai look for it? Shed still have to be careful, of course. Shed still have to follow all the rules. Shed A smile touched Mayahs lips. She couldnt help it. It was too funny! Here she was, being such a worry-worm about finding Sukren in a good Rajas princessy sort of way, when she had no idea how to even start looking for him. What, was Mayah going to go up to the nearest Eenta soldier and ask if she had disappeared a Chenta doctor-priest recently? That would definitely be against the rules! Ill start with the doctor-priests lounge, Mayah decided, the shadow of a smile still on her face. The one he used to go to, on Zone 8. And then maybe the butterfly balcony. And also the Zone 9 clinic he worked at. Theres got to be some clue, somewhere, for me to pick up on. Chapter 24: "I even take medication to help trigger my cycle.” Chapter 24: On the wall next to the lounge doors hung a board with all the names and cameragrams of every doctor-priest stationed in Zone 8. Sukrens used to be right in the middle. Mayah remembered seeing Sukrens cameragram glued to a white card with his name printed along the bottom. But now it was gone. All the doctor-priests cards had been moved over one, swallowing up the space that had been Sukrens. That made Mayah nervous. If Sukren were gone on a trip they wouldnt remove his card. If he were disappeared though, they would, and theyd do it like this, without a word to anyone, just move everyones card over one. Biting her lip, Mayah turned and ran down the hallway. The ceiling here was lower than in the Rajas areas, but the walls were still covered with mosaics depicting the Eternal Queen Sarana and her victory over the Cursed. The butterfly balcony was on the floor above her dorm. Mayah didnt think she had enough time to go there now though. It was getting late. Bedtime was pretty strict for junior Rajas. She didnt want to be accused of neglecting her health and when she slept was the one thing she couldnt hide from the other princesses in her dorm. Tomorrow first thing, Mayah promised herself. Ill wake up early again and eat breakfast super quick, then go to the butterfly balcony. But when she stepped into her dorm, she found the other princesses were waiting for her. Were worried about you, one of them said. Mayah didnt even know her name. Oh, Sarana, Mayah didnt even know her name, but that didnt mean she couldnt ruin Mayahs life! And why now, when Mayah was finally feeling better, finally feeling like she was actually moving forward? Then again, maybe the other princesses were cornering her now because they could tell something was different. Theyd been content to let her silently drift along thus far. Since Sukrens disappearance, however, Mayah had been a mess. Of course, they had to have noticed. She could picture it now: the other princesses whispering together about how the old princess had been acting funny these past four weeks, and you know, she never really seems to eat, or at least not with us, oh, do you think she skips meals, do you think shes not working hard to keep her purity levels up, maybe thats why she doesnt have her cycle yet, oh, hm, do you think she needs to be boxed? I eat every meal, Mayah blurted out. I do my exercises. Im doing my best. I even C I even take medication to help trigger my cycle. Medication? another girl asked. She reminded Mayah of Shanti; both in the way that she looked and the way she took charge of the other four princesses. What kind of medication? Mayah took a step back. Her head almost hit the upper bunk behind her. All five of the princesses in her dorm were facing her, hemming her in. I dont know, Mayah stammered, cursing herself for bringing up the pills in the first place. Shed wanted to offer something up to them as proof that she really was trying. She didnt want to be boxed. Not now, not when she was looking for Sukren. Besides, boxed Rajas almost always ended up being disappeared and that couldnt happen to Mayah, it couldnt! A doctor-priest gave them to me, she said, unable to think up a lie. I do as Im told. I dont ask questions. Mayah was shaking. This was the reason shed stopped talking, because once she started she couldnt stop. I have to go to bed, she said quickly. We all do. Hoping against hope that the other princesses wouldnt push any further, Mayah grabbed her nightgown off of her bed, where it lay pressed and prepared against the covers. She undressed and re-dressed with her back to the others, then dove into her bunk. Okay, she heard the Shanti-lookalike say. Just remember, we are watching you. *** After that, all Mayah could think about was moving faster. She had to find Sukren, had to get seeded, had to have something change. But the other princesses were watching her, which meant Mayah couldnt do anything that even looked like breaking the rules. Maybe eating dinner in the Zone 8 cafeteria would help? Even the thought of it made Mayah wince. It was much better to eat alone in a place where no one knew you. In the Zone 8 cafeteria, everyone had heard of her, everyone noticed how she ate alone. She could feel their stares. But what choice did she have? She had to get the other princesses off her back. If they saw her eating maybe they would leave her alone for a little bit longer? At any rate, the butterfly balcony was in Zone 8, so if Mayah ate really fast like she usually did she would have a ton of time to check it out! It was a good compromise. It would work. The other princesses would accept it. They would, they would. But afterwards, when Mayah slipped away to the butterfly balcony, she didnt feel so sure. We are watching you. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Sarana, how Mayah hated this place! How she hated it, with all her heart! Mayah tucked her feet against the cross-bar of the bench inside the balcony and hid her face in her hands. Had it always been like this? Mayah felt like she remembered being happy once, a long time ago. In the village, perhaps? No, no, Mayah wasnt supposed to think about the village, she wasnt supposed to come from a village, that was against the rules, it was against the rules! Mayah stood. She had to start looking around the balcony. Shed eaten quickly in order to make time, after all. And who knew when shed next get the chance? If the other princesses were still suspicious of her, Mayah might have to slow down her search. It was better to act now while she could. Still on her feet, Mayah glanced up and down the pathway. Funny. There was a butterfly lying on the path, still as stone. Was it dead? A servie should have cleared it out if so. Maybe it was just lying there, depressed and lonely and C That was no butterfly. Mayah was on her hands and knees at once. Her glasses slipped down her nose; she shoved them back up again. The humidity in the balcony always made her sweat. Once her glasses were firmly back on, Mayah touched the bioplastic figurine. Picking it up, Mayah knew at once that it was no living thing. A slip of paper had been stuffed inside its translucent wings. Mayah turned the figurine upside down and tried to shake the slip loose. It didnt come loose. Instead, the bioplastic butterfly broke apart. Oops. Well, Mayah could pull the paper out easily now, at least. She stuffed the broken pieces of the butterfly into her pocket-purse and smoothed out the slip of paper. Then she realized C the letters on the slip C they were serf letters C Mayah blinked. The symbols swam before her eyes. Rajas werent supposed to know how to read serf letters. The last time shed let herself read serf letters had been a long, long time ago. She closed her eyes. Its okay, its okay, she told herself, just read it super quick. Nobody has to know. You can go back to not reading serf letters right after. You can forget them all, to make up for reading them just this one time. That was a trade Mayah could accept. She opened her eyes. The personal belongings of doctor-priests and regents are often stored in their lounges. That was all the paper said. Mayah crumpled it up. She rubbed the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. She felt a little sick, reading serf letters like that, but the message distracted her from her nausea. For it had been written for her. It had to have been. And not only that, it had been written for her for this search, this search for Sukren. Why else would the note say what it said? It was like Sukren himself had written it to tell her to go back and check his locker in the doctor-priests lounge. Slowly Mayah sat back down, struggling to understand. Sukren had come to see her before he disappeared. And while his card was missing from the board outside the lounge, when Mayah had asked Ul if Sukren was there, hed said, no, I havent seen him. He hadnt said, no, I dont know who youre talking about, who is Sukren? That was what a Rajas would have said. So Mayahs guess was right. Sukren was gone, but he hadnt been completely disappeared. Not the way Ca had been. Mayah jumped to her feet. The doctor-priests lounge was two levels up. She could be there right away. She still had time before she had to go to bed. Jroya and Pal, it was like she was meant to find this note today! It was like something was guiding her! And if it was C oh Sarana C maybe things were finally going to change C Her face felt flushed. She put a hand to her heaving chest. There was something fierce and hot burning inside her. Mayah hadnt felt anything like it in such a long time, she almost didnt recognize it at first. Then it hit her. Joy. It was joy she was feeling. A smile touched her lips. She was grinning! She was actually full-out grinning! Clutching the note with her fingers, Mayah made her way out of the butterfly balcony and ran down the hallway to the lift. Outside it was cool and soft compared to the balconys hot heaviness. She felt like she could float. Oh, Sukren, Im going to see you again! This isnt the end, you arent gone, you arent! *** Along the back wall of the doctor-priests lounge was a set of gray lockers. A dark green headscarf was poking out of one of them. Only the edge of it was visible, but Mayah would have recognized it anywhere. Hadnt she worn the thing nearly every day when she was younger? Is that Sukrens locker? she asked the doctor-priest behind her. He was the only other person in the room. Mayahd thought nobody would be there, since it was technically still dinnertime, but only one person being there wasnt too bad. When he didnt respond, Mayah turned to look at him. He was the oldest person she had ever seen, with white hair and a lined face. He smiled, a very sad, slow smile. Who? he asked. Mayah stared at him, her lips slightly parted. Quickly she shook her head. Dont worry about it, she told herself. Hes probably just never met Sukren before, thats why hes asking who he is. Nothing, never mind. Just C do you know how I can get that locker open, the one with the green headscarf sticking out of it? She didnt know if he would help her or not. Doctor-priests and regents still had the right to deny access to their personal belongings. They werent serfs, exactly. I think its unlocked, the doctor-priest said. Thank you, Mayah said. Walking between the two large hanging benches that framed the room, she reached for the locker. It opened easily. The only thing inside it other than her headscarf was a large piece of parchment, folded over. Mayah reached for it. With the doctor-priest in the doorway looking on, she didnt want to read it right then and there, but she did want to make sure it was Sukrens. She recognized Sukrens handwriting as soon as she opened the parchment. Immediately she folded it over again. Both fear and excitement rushed through her. Taking both the scarf and the parchment into her hands, Mayah shut the empty locker with her elbow. Thank you, she said to the doctor-priest again, hoping he wouldnt report her. He gave her a deep bow. My pleasure, Princess. Chapter 25: "“You should probably get dressed in something purple." Chapter 25: Mayah frowned. For three mornings now shed woken up early to puzzle over Sukrens parchment. It was hard C and hot C reading under the covers with only a mouth guard night light shining through her teeth, but it was the only way Mayah could keep looking for Sukren without triggering further suspicion from the other princesses. Thankfully, hed written it in Rajim script! Mayah didnt think she wouldve been able to dare read a whole parchment of serf letters. Although, truth be told, maybe it didnt matter. It wasnt like Mayah was understanding what she was reading anyway. RFDFC, the note started, but that wasnt a word! And the rest of it was the same, letters strung together randomly, meaninglessly. She bared her teeth, half out of frustration, half to get a little more light. RFDFC, then a comma. Like it was the beginning of a letter. Like it was C a name. Mayah stifled a gasp. Holy Sarana, what if it was a name? What if it was her name? If this was a note from Sukren, which it had to be, who else would he be writing to, then the RFDFC could be a code for MAYAH. Yes, yes, that made sense! There were two Fs right where there were two As in her name! If she hadnt been convinced before that the note was from Sukren, she was now. Mayah had loved puzzles and codes when she was younger. She remembered writing out messages to him, replacing letters with numbers, or hiding the words in a drawing. It had been so much fun! The bunk bed above her made a creaking sound. Mayah immediately shoved Sukrens parchment deeper under the covers, yanking the bedspread off her head as she did so. Her heart thumping, she lay there with her eyes and mouth closed tight. Slowly the sleep-sounds of the other princesses turned into yawns and footsteps and murmured greetings. Mayah carefully pushed her covers down so that they were bunched up over Sukrens parchment at the foot of her bed. Then she got up and pretended to stretch. If she ate breakfast really quickly maybe she could get back here and figure out the rest of the letter You should eat with us today. Mayah almost jumped. Fearfully, she glanced up at the princess still sitting in her bunk bed across the aisle. Me? she whispered. Dont you want to? There was only one right answer. Mayah made herself nod as enthusiastically as she could. Oh Sarana, she complained inwardly. How am I going to get away from them now? And I still dont even know their names! You should probably get dressed in something purple, the princess said. Thats what were all wearing this week. Mayah forced the corners of her mouth up. Then she remembered she was still wearing the night light mouth guard. She yanked it quickly out of her mouth. No, wait, why had she done that, she should have waited, she shouldnt have removed it in front of the other princesses! Oh Sarana, Mayah was so out of practice dealing with other people. Breakfast was going to be terrible, just terrible. *** To Mayahs utter surprise, breakfast was fine. Oh, it wasnt fun, by any means, but nobody grilled her or told her they were watching her, and for Mayah that was practically a success story. It even felt nice to sit with other princesses, for once. She didnt say much, well, she didnt say anything at all, actually, but that was okay, it was nice enough just to sit and smile and not be stared at for being alone. If only it could be this way all the time. Then waiting to become a senior princess wouldnt be half as awful a process as it was. The worst part of breakfast, in fact, was having to sit there and worry about whether someone would find Sukrens parchment while she was eating. Mayah didnt like it there in her bed, unsecured, barely hidden. Not to mention her green headscarf tucked under her mattress. What if a Chenta servie found either of them while cleaning the dorm? What if they told someone? The thought was enough to give Mayah the courage to excuse herself from breakfast as early as was polite. She hurried back in time to find the dorm already tidied up and the beds made. Barely breathing, Mayah rushed to her bunk. The headscarf was where shed left it under the mattress, but the parchment C where C was it C Then she saw the corner of it sticking out. Someone had folded it over and placed it under her pillow. Chest heaving, Mayah left the parchment where it was, and re-made the bed. Someone had folded the parchment. That meant someone had seen it. That meant someone knew Mayah was keeping a secret. Maybe I should give up on looking for Sukren. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Mayah closed her eyes, trembling. Breakfast that morning hadnt been that bad, right? Maybe all I need to do is go back to waiting it out, smile politely as they watch me, and then Ill be seeded, Im so close, Ive got to be so close, if I had a problem, if I were one of the infertile, wouldnt they know by now, wouldnt they have already taken me? Im going to be seeded soon, I have to be, its the only thing that makes sense. But if I keep on looking for Sukren, if I keep on skirting the rules, then who knows what will happen to me? She swallowed. Her hands were still on the top of her re-made bed, tracing the crisscrossing fabric stitched into the spread. Maybe I should give up. Maybe I should stop. Dont I want to become a senior princess? But dont I also want to find Sukren? *** It took only one more morning to crack the code. All Mayah had to do was shift the alphabet over by five letters, the number of letters in her name. When she decoded the parchment using that cipher, the letter turned out to be a song. A song. An old song. A village song. Or that was when shed learned it, anyway. She could hear the tune of it even now, in her minds ear, the chanted syllables and low, throaty notes rising up out of the blue-lit darkness around the cookfires. Underneath the covers again, Mayah closed her eyes. She wasnt supposed to think about the village. Now and then a forbidden image or sense-memory would come to her, but it was dangerous to let it linger. Everything about this parchment, no, about this search for Sukren, was dangerous. Once more she thought about letting go. Shed had almost every meal with the princesses in her dorm, now, ever since that first breakfast, and shed even learned the name of one of them, Yaw or something. Why risk her senior princessship? Besides, what was Mayah supposed to do now? How could old song lyrics help her find Sukren? Oh Sarana, she missed him so much it hurt, oh, how she missed him, she missed him, she missed him! *** Back and forth she went. Let Sukren go? No, she couldnt. Let being seeded go? No, no, no. For six diurnals she slept with the parchment under her pillow, unable to keep looking for Sukren, unable to let go of looking for him. Sometimes it felt like she was barely attached to the ground, that if she merely lifted her hands to the bio-dome above, shed float up and away. Other times it felt like she was being crushed beneath the roots of the castle. I wish Yaw hadnt asked me to eat with them, she thought unhappily. I feel like I was going somewhere before then. But now Im stuck again. Stuck again. And to make it worse, on her way to class again. Mayah made a face, then looked around quickly to make sure no one had seen. Good. She was so tired of the same classes over and over again. Every four diurnals, junior princesses started a new unit. Painting, then dance, then pottery, then dramatic storytelling, then cameragramery, then music, then theater, then architecture, then sculpture. Followed by a two-diurnal break, and then the whole cycle started all over again. Painting, then dance, then pottery, then dramatic storytelling Mayah had been in Lost Technology Castle for almost four seasons, which meant shed completed eight painting units. Today they were studying architecture. Which Mayah actually liked! But having studied it seven times, and the exact same thing seven times, too, well, it got a little boring. It was the Eternal Queen Sarana who discovered the properties of the hollow-trees, the regent was saying from the front of the classroom. Mayah played with her stylus in the cubby beneath her desk. She built the bio-dome by pruning and slicing the trees until they grew the direction she wanted. Can anyone tell me why she had the bio-dome grow out of an oval-shaped base? Mayah knew the answer, not that she was going to share it. Still playing with her stylus, she responded in her head. Any other shape, and the hollow-trees would collapse under their own weight. The Eternal Queen Sarana knew this. So instead of growing a semi-sphere, she grew a semi-ellipsoid. Thats right, the regent said, in response to someone else. But why did the Eternal Queen Sarana then grow the shelterbelt? Because even a semi-ellipsoid needs support. The shelterbelt provides the hollow-trees with enough lift to get their branches up and overhead. Thats why we call the shelterbelt our circle of life. Its a circle, we live inside it, and its the reason we can have a bio-dome at all. Excellent! Mayah smiled a little. It was fun to pretend at least that she was participating in class. She sat back in her chair as the regent began passing out a sheet of paper to each desk. Mayah knew it would be the letter the Eternal Queen Sarana had written around the time shed created the bio-dome. In it were some instructions on how to cut living-wood properly. Mayah yawned. After reading the letter, they would be expected to practice by slicing up a bonsai. That had stopped being fun after, oh, maybe the fifth time! The regent placed Mayahs copy of the letter on her desk. Mayah didnt pay him much attention, expecting him to move on. When he didnt, however, Mayah glanced up. Did the regent want something from Mayah? No, he wasnt even looking at her. He was standing by her desk, but he was looking out at everybody else over Mayahs head. Its always helpful, the regent said, as if to the rest of the class, to look up the source of a message. Mayah was confused. Shed never heard a regent say something like that before. And what in the bio-dome did he even mean? The source of the Eternal Queens letters was the book The Letters of Sarana that Started the World. Everyone knew that. But how would looking up the book help Mayah learn how to better cut living-wood? She had a copy of the letter with the instructions already! The regent wasnt making any sense. Unless C unless C Unless he was talking about a different message. Mayah clenched her stylus in her fist. Stay calm, dont make any sudden movements, dont act like anything is different She bent her head over the paper on her desk, forcing herself to breathe normally. She didnt let herself smile. She got up and got her bonsai and cut through it exactly like the instructions said. But when the regent said class was over, everyone dismissed, Mayah practically scampered out the door. Chapter 26: “You can always tell who has decided that they cannot live under the rule of the Rajas.” Chapter 26: It had been a while since Mayahd gone to the library, but she still knew her way around without having to think. Soon enough, she found the music section, the songbooks filed neatly together. Methodically she went through each one. No, not this one, no, this was a song about a princess first cycle, no, not here inside a songbook of village folksongs, no, no, no Yes. There it was. Two pages of sheet music in the second half of a booklet titled For My Other Daughter. Mayah knew how to read music, so it was easy to play the notes in her head and match them to the lyrics in Sukrens parchment. Hands trembling, she continued to turn the pages until she got to the very end of the booklet. Tucked into its back cover was a haggard looking lab notebook. She sat down right there, right at the base of the bookshelf. Her hands were still shaking. She placed the notebook in her lap; it opened at its crease. A shadow from the lampstand behind her fell across the page. Sometimes I think the worst thing that ever happened to me was doing so well on the caste exam. I was four, and didnt know what it meant, didnt know that it was going to change my life forever and take me from my parents and apprentice me to a doctor-priest. But at least one good thing came out of it. Since I did a good job at my work, even though I was an apprentice still, I got noticed, and got assigned to care for Mayah. Barely breathing, Mayah pulled her knees up to her chest so that the journal was even closer to her face. That was good. Ive written pages about how good that was, to have Mayah in my life. I still dont know why I got so lucky, or why they told me to take her in, and into a serf village no less, but Im glad it happened. Tears came to her eyes. It was Sukren. It was Sukrens voice, it was Sukrens writing, it was Sukren! She didnt even care that she was reading in serf letters C it was her Sukren! I dont know if Mayah knows how much it meant to me, to have that time with her in the village. Things changed after we moved to Lost Technology. I have to admit, I really dont like seeing her follow after the Rajas like she does now. They dont deserve to have someone like her be interested in them. I guess she cant see it. But I wish Mayah knew she didnt have to follow their rules about how to live and act. Rules about upholding her purity levels, and being good at art, and so much more. Why should she have to live that way? Oh, I wish I could tell her that maybe the problem isnt her, but their rules. A tingling feeling, starting at the base of her spine, was spreading through the rest of her body. She remembered Sukren saying something like this before. But she hadnt listened to him then. Mayah read the last line again. I wish I could tell her that maybe the problem isnt her, but their rules. *** She couldnt stay that day, but she came back. Again, and again, Mayah came back, picked up the notebook, and read. She wanted to touch the fish. I remember that, when Wex caught it with his bare hand right out of the rice field, Mayah wanted to touch it. She was so curious, curious about everything. Barely able to walk but bold enough to try new things. And with anyone, too! It was like she couldnt help but be friendly. I remember she grabbed Wexs sleeve to see the fish better, laughing and giggling the whole time. Mayah traced a finger over the words. Was I really like that? she wondered. She couldnt remember. Sometimes it felt like shed been in this castle, alone, forever. She couldnt imagine going up to someone and smiling and tugging on his sleeve the way Sukren was writing about. But I did do things like that, didnt I? I remember asking Oshta, before she was seeded, if she would go to the library with me. I remember asking Shanti to practice dancing with me. I had to be bold, right? To do things like that? An unfriendly princess wouldnt act that way, right? Mayah sighed. Maybe she wasnt remembering right. That was the problem with having nobody to talk to. It was like looking into a mirror that didnt reflect. The Golden Castle changed her. It stole her from herself. Its the Rajas fault, every single bit of it. Mayah shifted in her seat. The hanging chair she was sitting in twisted to the side. She glanced around at the bookshelves surrounding the lounge she was in. She was glad she was leaving the notebook in the library. If another princess found out Mayah was reading something that so totally violated the purity laws, she would be in for it. Oh, Sarana, now Mayah felt guilty. She shouldnt be reading something that violated the purity laws. Even if it was written by Sukren. Even if it was true. Did she want to get disappeared? Didnt she want to become a senior princess? They dont just punish you for disobeying the rules. They make you feel like you deserve the punishment. Thats why the Golden Castle is evil. Now Mayahs stomach was a tight knot. She carefully closed the lab notebook. She went to the bookshelves and peered first around the shelves to her left, then the shelves to her right. After making sure nobody was around, she returned to the songbooks section, tucked the notebook back inside its booklet, then made her way back to the elevator, back to her dorm. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. *** Thats why the Golden Castle is evil. It says that which is bad is good. It says following the rules C a bad thing C is the right thing to do. Oh, Sarana, I wish I could have explained all this to Mayah somehow! But I didnt have the words, and more importantly, I didnt have her trust. I messed up. I know I did. If I couldve reached her, I wouldve reminded her of who she was, I would have told her not to give herself up for the approval of the Golden Castle, I would have said that the other Rajas werent worth it. Mayah took in a shallow, silent breath. I dont know if Mayah can admit this to herself right now, but I dont think she likes who they turned her into. I dont think she likes herself very much anymore. She used to. Did she? She used to love life. Now all she is is afraid. *** It takes courage, a whole lot of courage, to say no to the Golden Castle. But if theres anyone who could do it, its Mayah. She could feel Sukrens words tugging on her, a subtle pull by an invisible wind, nudging her forward onto a path that she wasnt sure she wanted to go on. Everything was at risk. Her seeding, her acceptance as a Rajas, not getting disappeared oh, Sarana, Mayah didnt want to make this choice, she didnt want to have to make a choice at all! What if she made the wrong one? Then she wouldnt be a good girl and that was all Mayah wanted to be. She wasnt brave like Sukren said. She was terrified. I think shes very close. I think shes fed up with the whole system. I think shell remember who she is, and at the right time, in the right place, shell be herself, and not the princess the Golden Castle turned her into. *** I wonder what Mayah would think of all this. Mayah sat bolt upright. Her arm bumped into the statue next to her. She was on the last page of the journal, dated only a few days before Sukrens disappearance. I wonder if she would like to join us. Us? Mayah wondered. Who is us? It was as if Sukrens notebook was reading her mind. Those of us who have discovered that we cant live by the rules of the Rajas. I feel like she might be ready. Mayah took in a shaky breath and gripped the notebook tightly with both hands. A soft breeze was sweeping through the library, tousling her hair and making her shiver. The tingling in her spine was back. She had the distinct impression that there was something otherworldly going on, some clash between the realm of the spirits and of Chudami, an awesome and terrible union. Everything was fitting together. The years of fear, Sukrens disappearance, and now this journal validating the ache in her heart. For the first time in several diurnals C for the first time since shed found Sukrens notebook C Mayah let herself think about what she was doing. The other princesses had started whispering about her again. Shed started to once more take her meals up in Zone 16. Shed started to ignore everything but the notebook. Because Mayah knew that if she stopped to think, even for just one second, she would put Sukrens notebook down and run as far away from it as she could. Mayah almost did it. Almost put it down and walked away. But for some reason, something stopped her. She hesitated. She stood up, notebook still in hand. She didnt know why, but she felt like the page was about to turn. Like there was more going on than what met the eye, and that it was about to be revealed to her. She just needed to hold out C for a little longer C just a little longer C Got something for you, Princess. Mayah whirled around. A serf, in a familiar all-black livery, stood before her in the gap between the bookshelves. His face was young and handsome. Quite shockingly, he winked at her, and for a moment, Mayah thought she recognized him. He was her height, and there was an easy confidence with which he carried himself. That in and of itself would have marked him as different from his castemates, but to speak to her, a Rajas, in Chenmay and not in Rajim A nervous excitement was building up inside Mayah. It had been such a very long time since shed heard or spoken any Chenmay. She wasnt supposed to know it C she wasnt supposed to understand it C But the words spilled out. Heart pounding, stammering, Mayah replied also in Chenmay. What have you got for me? In response, he held out a piece of paper. Mayah took it from the serfs gloved hand, her heart leaping when she saw it was a note signed by Sukren, in his handwriting. You can trust this serf. Go with him. Hell bring you to me. Sukren, Mayah breathed. Youre going to bring me to Sukren? He sent me to get you. Tears filled Mayahs eyes. The serf couldnt have said anything sweeter to her ears. Oh Sarana, her daydreams were finally coming true! A half-laugh, half-sob escaped her lips. She took a step forward towards the serf. Then she stopped. What if she went with this serf, and the Golden Castle caught her? They take them out of their beds nobody ever sees them again No, no, dont think about that, not now, think about it later, dont make a choice, dont decide, let Sukren decide, let Sukren choose, not you, its not your fault if you dont think about it, its not your fault if you dont decide, just do what Sukren says to do, he says to go with him, so go! But still Mayah hesitated. She glanced at the serf standing only an arms length away. Its okay to think that the Golden Castle is evil, its okay, Sukren said so, and they are evil, everyones so mean, I remember even when I first came here I thought that everyone was so mean, thats why I have to escape thats why I have to be seeded thats why I have to be good, even though they dont deserve it, even though I hate them with all my heart C Her chest was heaving. I can really go? she whispered. Even though Im not supposed to? Mayah was ashamed at once for how weak she sounded. But the serf didnt seem to care. He gestured her forward. She obeyed, uncertain of what he meant to do. Her eyes widened when the serf began pulling off his gloves. He tossed them to the ground then continued to draw up his sleeve until his bare arm was visible up to his elbow. Without a word he held his arm up to her, and Mayah saw that there was a design C a circle cut in half by a line C branded into his skin. She recognized it at once: the symbol of the patronless. You can always tell, the serf said slowly, with just the hint of a smile, who has decided that they cannot live under the rule of the Rajas. Interlude You can always tell who has decided that they cannot live under the rule of the Rajas. It was a good line, if Vek said so himself. It had taken him several days to come up with, playing first with the words in Rajim, then ultimately in Chenmay. He had asked several of his Free Serf friends for their opinions and all the girls had agreed that it sounded perfect, a slogan Lady Nari herself should adopt. But Hanjan had simply snorted. It sounds like something youd say to a Free Serf girl to get her to sleep with you. After that little dose of encouragement, Vek hadnt been sure exactly how to proceed. Sukren would have been the best person to ask, but Sukren was in hiding now. Hadnt Sukren told Vek, though, that the princess was a girl like any other? And wasnt the purpose of Sukrens notebook to get her to identify with the Free Serf cause? If the line had worked on every Free Serf girl Vek had asked, surely it would work on the princess as well. Vek had been much less certain about showing her the design burned into his skin. He knew the princess would recognize it, but how would she react? The design marked him as a troublemaker, one who was to be denied any patrons protection. Youre as good as dead, the Eenta guard had sneered when hed seared it into Veks inner arm. Lady Nari had told him to go ahead and show it to the princess. Its Matters mark on you. Its how I found you. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. That was true enough. Vek remembered how Lady Nari had tracked him down after hearing word of the Chenta serf boy who at age eleven was already marked. Join me, shed told him, her respect quenching in Vek a thirst he hadnt known he had. With the flesh still inflamed around the burns on his arm, Vek hadnt hesitated. Five years now, hed been in the service of the Free Serfs. He would remain so until the day he died. That was why Vek had been selected for this assignment. Not because he was particularly good at keeping secrets, or because he was especially clever, but because there was no one in the Free Serfs who rivaled Vek for dedication to a mission. Lady Nari knew that. She could trust Vek to see an assignment to its bitter end, even if it meant death. And it just might mean death, Lady Nari had warned him. If they catch you, they will have no mercy. This isnt just any princess were talking about. I know, Vek had replied. But they wont catch me. This is one assignment we all know Ill pull off. Lady Nari had laughed. The prophecies arent forecasts of the future. Theyre instructions were called to follow. Were Enablers, remember? Not Watchers. I know, he had repeated. But if Vek were being honest, he didnt really care about the difference. The important thing was that they had the Promised Daughter. Without her, there wasnt even the opportunity to follow the prophecies. With her, though, there was hope. Hope that justice would prevail. That the Chenta would no longer have to bow and scrape before the flaring Eenta. That Mother would no longer have to wear her fingers down harvesting biopolymers, sacrificing her body for an unworthy master. That Father would no longer want to. Chapter 27: "We’re going to the holy lake?” Chapter 27: Outside the sunlessness of darkwake reigned. In the library, bright wood-lined lampstands lit up Mayahs way. Soon she was pointing at the hatch door in the ceiling. Thats what youre looking for? she asked. Yep, Vek replied. You sure know your way around here pretty well, he added. Mayah blushed. She couldnt remember the last time she had been admired by someone out loud. Ive spent a lot of time here. Well, no more, Vek responded. Look up. It was almost funny. How many times had Mayah stared at the underside of this hatch door, at this long closed-off escape from the castle? At least a thousand times. But now, when directed to look up by Vek, it was as if the plafond was shifting, as if all the pieces of the painting were in flux, and the woman adorned in breathflowers was smiling at her. Vek stepped onto the second lowest shelf of the nearest bookcase. He pressed himself into the books as he gripped the highest shelf with his re-gloved hand. Reaching up with his other hand, also re-gloved, he touched the corner of the womans lips. His fingers fiddled with a handle Mayah had never noticed before, painted over as it was by a half-blooming bud. Then he pulled the hatch open, and the womans face cracked in two, a gaping hole replacing her smile. Mayah watched with bated breath as Vek pulled loose a rope ladder that fell all the way to the floor. He sprang off the bookcase with a smile. After you. She tried hard but failed to keep from blushing again. Vek might be just a serf, but he was being really nice to her. He was also the only person to actually have a conversation with her in what felt like forever. He could probably say just about anything and she would be happy. Soon Mayahs head was poking up through the hatchs opening. She sneezed. Dust swirled into the air as she pulled herself up into the tower. She sneezed again, and again. By the time she had recovered, Vek was already inside the tower with her. You okay? Mayah nodded. She looked at her surroundings. From inside the place didnt seem so much a tower as a rounded one-room cell. It was small and bare, except for a rough bundle of straw to one side, and also some curtains, dark, heavy curtains that circumscribed the circular area. Flashes of blue and green peeked out from under one of the curtains edges. When Mayah drew it to the side, she found herself looking through a pane of glass. Oh, the glass stretched all around them; the tower was panoramic. It was like being inside a bubble, or a bowl, although the darkness outside made it hard to see through the glass. Maybe that was a castle in the distance? Yes, it had to be. No other shadow could loom up over the shore of the holy lake like that. Thats where were headed. Vek had come to stand next to her. Mayah could feel his presence. Over sixteen diurnals had passed since Sukrens disappearance; no one had stood this close to her or spoken to her so genuinely that entire time. She didnt want to move. She didnt want Vek to move. Trying to linger, Mayah peered in the direction Vek was pointing. Were going to the holy lake? Thats right. How? What do you mean? Mayah felt frightened by Veks confusion. She didnt want to anger him. I I dont have enough credits to get a cableway pass, she stammered. My artwork was never good enough to win many. Oh, we wont need any. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Then how are we going to leave Lost Technology? He grinned at her. Were going to walk out. Mayah swallowed. Briefly she closed her eyes. Sukren said to go with Vek, just listen to Sukren, its okay if its not authorized by the Movement Bureau, its authorized by Sukren Here, come, put this on. Happy for the distraction, Mayah obeyed. She watched as Vek tore open the bundle of packed straw. Inside was a hooded doctor-priests robe. It was much too big for her, but Vek handed it to her anyway. We have to keep you disguised, he said. And you should probably leave your journal here too. Youre going to want your hands free. Mayah hesitated, clutching Sukrens notebook in her right hand as she gathered the robes layers together in her left. There were so many things in it that Mayah wanted to talk to Sukren about! But her reluctance lasted only a moment. Mayah was going to see Sukren, after all, and that was better than having his notebook. Mayah watched as Vek tucked the notebook under a loose pile of straw. After he was done, she draped the doctor-priests robe over her shoulders. Vek helped her pull on the enormous hood so that she was covered from head to toe. This robe is big enough to be Sukrens. Mayah laughed a little. Im going to trip. Ill catch you if you do. Mayah was glad the hood was so large. She could blush in private underneath it. In fact, Mayah hoped she wouldnt have to take it off anytime soon. It was strangely relaxing, knowing nobody could see her. She even felt bold enough to ask Vek the question that had been burning in her mind. Why are you being so nice to me? To her surprise, Vek winked at her. Because youre special. Blushing furiously, Mayah ducked her head. She couldnt even begin to know how to respond. Yes, Mayah knew she was special, but that had always been a curse. The girl who grew up in a Chenta serf village, the princess who didnt know how to navigate the social life of Lost Technology, low status as she got older and older and still remained unseeded C oh, yes, Mayah was special, special indeed. Yet Vek made it sound like a good thing, like there was nothing she could want more than to be different from the Rajas. That was what Sukren had said in his notebook too. Its them, not me, she recited silently, trying to feel it. Its them, not me. Not me not me not me. She followed Vek back down the ladder into the library after he made sure no one was watching. He helped her adjust her robe once she was down. Can you take us to the balcony with the hanging vines? he asked. Mayah nodded, then led the way, left, right, then left and left again, through the bookshelves. She wanted to go fast to show Vek how well she knew the library again, but it was hard with the doctor-priests robe trailing around her feet. They got there eventually. Thankfully, it was on the same floor as the hatch door. Ive never actually been on this balcony, Mayah said. She was still finding it amazing to have someone to talk to. She slipped her hands up out of her sleeves and pulled aside the curtain of breathflower vines hanging over the balconys entrance. She stepped through it, the wind washing over her as she left the electric lights of the library behind for a fiery glow all around her. Although it was dark outside, the breathflowers were bright enough for Mayah to be able to see the vines covering every part of the balcony, hanging over the railing, curling around the balusters, crawling up the nearby walls. When Vek didnt respond, Mayah turned around to see him tugging open a trapdoor. It opened, and he grinned. After you. Mayah peeked down through the trapdoor. There was a staircase running underneath, a staircase that curled around the trunk of the castle, the serf staircase C Hey, hey, are you okay? Im fine, Mayah whispered, automatically, mechanically. Ill help you down. Still Mayah couldnt move. Theres nothing to be scared of. Im sorry, Mayah whispered. The memories were flooding her, almost choking her. Oh, Sarana, that long night climbing up and up the serf staircase with Sukren by her side she had tried so hard to forget, she had tried so hard to pretend that it especially had never happened, that she was a princess just like everyone else Vek came over to stand by her. He held out his hand. He was wearing a glove, but even holding out his hand, that was monstrous. Mayah couldnt look at it. Didnt Vek know how much trouble both of them could get in for breaking the purity laws? You know, we dont have to follow their rules anymore, he said softly. Then Mayah remembered what Sukren had written: I wish I could tell her that maybe the problem isnt her, but their rules. And slowly, she took Veks hand. Chapter 28: “This is as far as they’ll go. Transfer them to the boats.” Chapter 28: After taking Veks hand, Mayah let him guide her through the trapdoor down to the serf staircase below the balcony. And when he dropped down next to her after pulling the trapdoor shut, and offered his hand to her again, Mayah took it, and let herself revel in the cloth-blocked touch. It was the first physical contact shed had with anyone in nearly two years. Then, suddenly, Mayah found herself gripping Veks arm. She didnt want to go flying off the edge of the staircase! The doctor-priests robe was too big for her! He led her gently down the serf staircase, not once pushing her off of him or making it seem like she was a bother. Then he pointed her towards another door. Okay, in here now. Already? Mayah asked. Shed expected a longer hike. They were probably barely past the library! But Vek was ushering her on, through the door and back into the castle. Her hood had slipped over her eyes so she couldnt even really see where they were. She thought about asking Vek, but when she began pulling her hood back to do so, Vek yanked it forward again. Not yet, he whispered. Mayah contented herself with watching the legs of doctor-priests go by. She could tell they were doctor-priests from their robes; it seemed like they were in a clinic. Sure enough, after passing through a few doors, Mayah felt Vek urging her up and onto a clinic bed. Lie still, he whispered. Dont say anything. He was pulling a sheet over her torso, over her face, over her glasses. Very quickly Mayah could see nothing but white cotton sheet. She frowned. Then she felt Vek tug at her doctor-priests robe. Take this off. It was awkward trying to get out of the robe while lying on top of it. With Veks help she managed to pull one arm out, then the other; he then directed her to roll towards him, then back the other way so he could tug the rest of the robe loose. Finally Mayah was back in her white pantaloons and pink and blue patterned Rajas frock. Lying on a clinic bed. Underneath a sheet. Youre going to be here for a while, she heard Vek say. Try and get some sleep. I C Shhh. Ill be right here the entire time. That made Mayah feel a little bit better, but it didnt dissipate her confusion. What did Vek mean that she should try and get some sleep? Werent they leaving the castle? What were they doing here, in what smelled like some old clinics storage room? Hes taking me to Sukren, Mayah reminded herself. Besides, this is easier than walking down the entire serf staircase, isnt it? And Mayah was feeling at least a little sleepy. Second nightsleep was probably about to start if it hadnt yet already. She closed her eyes and tried to yawn quietly. It was not the easiest thing in the bio-dome to get comfortable on a clinic bed with a sheet pulled up over her face, and she didnt like sleeping with her glasses on, but somehow Mayah managed to drift off. A few minutes later C or was it longer? C she woke up when someone jostled her clinic bed. Dont say anything, just be still, be calm, she heard Vek say in Chenmay. Then Mayah heard laughter C someone elses laughter. You know she cant hear you, right? Mayah went rigid. There was someone else in the room? I just dont want her to wake up, Vek said from somewhere by her head. Shes not going to, a third voice said. He sounded grumpy, even angry. Im just talking, Vek said. Its not like shed understand what Im saying anyway. Slowly Mayah was able to piece together what was happening. Vek was talking in code. He knew perfectly well that she understood Chenmay, hed been speaking it to her ever since hed met her. So by saying she wouldnt understand, Vek was really telling her that the other serfs in the room didnt know Mayah spoke Chenmay. He was telling her to keep that a secret. And not only that, he was also letting her know that she needed to be calm, be silent, and pretend to still be asleep. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Her clinic bed began rolling forward. Mayah couldnt tell where they were going at first, but then she heard the ding of an elevator. Now they were going down, and down, and down Mayah had to stop herself from yawning again. Were they going all the way down to the castles root levels? Because the ride sure was taking forever. Finally, after what felt like hours, Mayah felt her clinic bed moving forward again. But it wasnt the smooth glide it had been inside the clinic. It felt like Vek was having to shove and jerk and yank to get the bed to move even a few lengths. Had someone forgotten to sand down the living-wood floor or something? Mayah had to grip the bed rails with both hands at one point to keep from sliding out. And why was it so cold all of a sudden? The wind C The wind. Mayahs mouth fell open. They were outside. Vek was rolling her bed over the ground. Over dirt. Her bed jerked to a stop. Okay, she heard another voice call out. This is as far as theyll go. Transfer them to the boats. Boats? What was going on? Well, Vek had said they were going to the holy lake. Although he hadnt said why. Come to think of it, why the holy lake? Hadnt Vek said he was taking her to Sukren? I hope your eyes are closed, she heard Vek mutter behind her. She heard someone laugh again. Mayah sure didnt feel like laughing though. Close your eyes, close your eyes, she told herself. Her palms felt slick. Then, suddenly, she felt someones arms around her. Was Vek C was he hugging her? Oh, Sarana, he was, he was picking her up, he was hoisting her upside down over his shoulder, the purity laws C the purity laws C It was too much. Instinctively Mayah reared her head. She struggled to get free of the sheet now wrapped shroud-like around her limbs. Then she heard Veks harsh whisper. No! The fear in his voice made her go still, although she couldnt stop her heart from pounding. She heard someone ask Vek if everything was okay. Yeah, some reaction to the drugs, I guess, Vek replied. Eyes shut tight, Mayah took in a shuddering breath. The blood was rushing down to her head, and she couldnt move. Vek was carrying her like a sack. What was going on? Why was he doing this? Holy Sarana, had Mayah made a mistake? Was this a mistake? Oh Sarana C She had to see what was going on. Scrunching up her face, Mayah squinted through barely open lids. From her angle against Veks back, she couldnt see much, especially since the only light around seemed to be coming from a capacitor lamp hanging off a post near the edge of the water. When Vek swung around, though, she was able to make out the outline of a two-seater boat on the shore. There she is, Vek whispered. He shifted to the side; now all Mayah could see were the black waters of the holy lake. A moment later, she felt Veks gloved hand against the back of her head, supporting her neck as he slid her down and off him and into the boat. Chest heaving, Mayah tried to take in her surroundings. She was lying on her back. The boats bow seat had been removed, it seemed, leaving an open space along the base of the vessel for her to lie down in. She was startled when Veks face suddenly appeared over the edge of the boat. He cupped his mouth with both hands. Youre doing great, he whispered. Im doing great? Mayah didnt know whether to laugh or cry. That was the kind of thing you said to a princess about her pot spinning on its wheel, or after shed finished her turn at the oratory table. It certainly wasnt what you said to a princess lying on a rumpled sheet in the bottom of a cold boat with no idea what was going on! I thought you were taking me to Sukren! Mayah whispered back as loudly as she dared. I am. Were using this boat to pretend to be one of the Rajas-serf pairs that go into the Temple. Its the only way Rajas can leave the castle without being seen. Dont worry, its a stop on the way to Sukren, nothing more. I dont want to overstay my welcome at the house of the divine any more than you do. Mayah took a deep breath. Okay, well, that made sense, although Mayah wished Vek had explained all this to her beforehand. She hadnt even known the Temple was more than just a monument to symbolically honor Matter and Intelligence. Apparently it was, though, if Rajas-serf pairs were physically going there to worship. Vek had disappeared from sight. All Mayah could see was the bio-dome overhead. Or at least she thought it was the bio-dome. From this distance the crisscrossing branches were one big colorful smear, orange and yellow and green and blue cutting up the black sky. For Mayah the smear was boat-shaped, framed by the walls sloping up on either side of her head. She could feel beneath her the vessel scraping against a cluster of long-stemmed Earth grasses as Vek jerked it forward, one tug at a time. Several minutes passed. Mayah opened her mouth to ask what kind of worship the Rajas-serf pairs did at the Temple, when Chenmay speech, quite nearby, reached her ears. She shut her mouth. Suddenly there was a splash, and the boat began rocking back and forth. Mayah was rolled to the side, then back again to the other side, her ear and cheek smushed up against the boats bioplastic lining, her left glasses earpiece pushed upward against the side of her head. Vek appeared overhead once more. Now he was wearing a village suit; Mayah could tell from the brown fringe around his shoulders. She watched as he dropped his gloves C thud thud C behind his seat. He winked at her again, then whispered, Ill be right back. Chapter 29: "...just act like you’re in shock, like you can’t believe you’re here.” Chapter 29: There were several other boats drawn up onto the submerged grasses. About half of them were already in the water. The remaining seven or so boats were still being hauled forward, each by a bitterly cursing serf. Nobody even glanced at Vek as he walked along the shore. Not that he expected them to. To them, he was just another patronless serf drafted to accompany a drugged Rajas to the Temple. Not worth paying attention to. Vek made his way to one of the boats bobbing in the water. Hey Hanjan, he said to the serf standing by the boats aft end. I didnt think it would be you. I was just told it would be someone I recognized. I was told it would be you, Hanjan said, murmuring so quietly that Vek had to lean forward to hear him. I just didnt think you were going to make it. Glad to see I was wrong. Speak up. You didnt greet me yet. Right or left? Vek asked. Hanjan rolled his eyes, clearly exasperated. After glancing around to make sure nobody was looking, he held out his right hand. Vek clasped it, not releasing until he felt Hanjans nails dig into the back of his own hand, five sharp pinches. We have to enter the Temple on the right side of the fifth column, Vek translated mentally. It always felt faintly ridiculous to have to go through the motions of such intense security with Hanjan, but that was who Hanjan was. Barely five years older than Vek, Hanjan acted like he was one of Lady Naris old guard, from before the massive infiltration of the Free Serfs into just about every office of power. Vek waited for Hanjan to indicate the exit route, but Hanjan shook his head. Vek swore under his breath. Nothing about exit? Hanjan glared at him, but Vek paid him no heed. It wasnt like Lady Nari to leave her agents hanging. She would have sent someone she trusted to deliver a message about an escape route out of the Temple, especially given that missions into the holy place never went well. I waited, but no one came to give me anything, Hanjan mouthed, his head turned so that the serfs near them couldnt read his lips. Vek rubbed his thumb against the plastic-capped edge of Hanjans boat. This was unexpected. For a moment he entertained the idea of taking off with the princess across the lake, and skipping the Temple entirely, but there were Eenta mobile checkpoint units that patrolled the lake during the nights of sacrifice, and no Eenta soldier would listen to the excuses of a Chenta servie. Well, he would figure it out somehow. Vek signed a thank you to Hanjan, tapping three fingers twice against his thumb. Just as he did so, a hoarse cry C the launch signal C sounded. As Vek returned to his boat, the call was picked up by his fellow serfs. Chenta, every man of them, began to chant a low, measured village dirge. The unhappy notes hung heavily in the air. *** Mayah stopped adjusting her glasses. The bioplastic hull below the waterline was cool and clammy and the rumpled sheet was uncomfortable beneath her back. But when the Chenmay incantations rose like mist out of the water all around her, their striking familiarity captured her. She knew this song. She knew this hymn. It was a mourning hymn, sung over the bodies of the dead. Old Tineth, that was right, shed died in the night in the grandmother hut one row over and Mayah remembered she remembered Blue walls bright as a jewel, straw mats braced with branches peeled clean of limestone, Tineths dead body lying still and shrunken on a mat held high on the grownups shoulders, on Sukrens shoulder Mayah shivered, but not from the cold. *** Were almost there, Vek said. He was sitting in the stern seat; his sandaled feet were practically in her hair. Mayah had to crane her neck back to see his face. Over her head his hands pulled the oars forward and back, again and again. She smoothed down the front of her frock and took a measured breath. She could feel Veks strength in the water gliding by her on the other side of the hull. She smoothed down the front of her frock again. Were going to Sukren, she reminded herself. Im going to see Sukren. Soon enough, something bumped up against the bow, by her feet. Vek was out of the boat at once. Mayah could hear his feet splashing, could feel his arms dragging the end of the craft up onto what felt like wet sand beneath its keel. Okay, time to get up. Mayah sat up, blinking. Far above, very distantly, gleamed the colors of nightsleeps lights. Auroralight, starlight, bio-dome lights C none of it was bright enough to see clearly by. A beach, maybe? Was that where she was? Only her boat wasnt the only one pulled up onto it, there were lots of other boats, and C were those other Rajas? Yes, each boat had its own Rajas, and its own serf, and the serfs were pulling the Rajas out of the boats C Lets move quickly, Vek murmured. He once again held his hand out to her, but Mayah didnt want to violate the purity laws in front of all the other Rajas so she didnt take it. She was also starting to feel very nervous. What kind of worship were these Rajas-serf pairs going to do in the Temple? How come Mayah had never heard of it before? Try to look a little more stunned, Vek said as Mayah stepped out of the boat onto the sand. All the other Rajas were disappeared so theyre going to be hysterical. Since thatll waste time, just act like youre in shock, like you cant believe youre here. All the other Rajas were disappeared? It was like someone had hit Mayah in the gut. All the air was knocked out of her; she couldnt breathe; she couldnt think. Disappeared disappeared the Rajas were disappeared She was dimly aware that Vek had taken her sleeved arm, that he was hauling her up the sloping beach. Good, she heard him say. You look like you just woke up from being drugged. Behind them Mayah heard an older princess wailing. Please, I can still give birth, please, Im not menopausal yet, no, please Blood was rushing through Mayahs head. They were at the top of the sandy slope C the Temple stood before her C its pillars like white teeth C with soldiers at every entrance C A cry, hysterical and high-pitched, rose up behind Mayah. You cant touch me! Im a Rajas! Thats right, Mayah thought, dizzy, dazed. Vek shouldnt be touching me. I shouldnt be touching him. But theyre letting it happen. Because C because it doesnt matter anymore C because were being disappeared C holy Sarana C Vek lied to me C it was a trick C Im being disappeared. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Overwhelmed, Mayah found herself unable to resist Veks guiding hand pulling her forward. It wasnt until they were standing by one of the columns that she began to be able to think at all. The soldier by the column was giving Vek a pack; Vek turned to Mayah and handed her a pair of eye goggles along with a lightstick. Once youre inside, dont take these off, she heard him say. With trembling fingers she placed the goggles over her glasses, tying the laces behind her head. Then she looked ahead through the pillars. Only blackness was visible. Everything else, whatever might be in the Temple, was swallowed up inside it. A Rajas screamed, full-throated in his despair. A low moan went through the throng still not halfway up the beach. Panic shot through Mayah. She twisted the two ends of the lightstick to activate its glow, then raced forward into the darkness. If she were fast enough, maybe she could lose Vek! Wait! she heard Vek call. Jroya and Pal, where are you going?! Mayah kept running. The lightstick lit up enough of the path in front of her that she could see the twists and turns of the walls in time to turn with them. She was able to put a decent distance between herself and Vek in only a few seconds. Behind her, she could hear him stumbling after her. Come back! he called. You took the light! I cant see anything! Mayah knew she should keep going, but she couldnt help herself. She stopped. You tricked me! she screamed back. What are you talking about? Vek sounded confused, but that didnt mean anything. Hed tricked her so far, of course hed try to trick her again. You told me you were taking me to Sukren! Thats what Im doing! Well, it doesnt look like Sukrens here! Mayah screamed again. Tears began welling up in her eyes, fogging up her goggles. She had let herself believe that she might actually be free shed let herself hope that the awful time might finally be over and here she was now, one of the disappeared, about to be killed, no doubt, and the worst part of it was, Mayah had gone along with it. Nobody needed to kidnap her in the night, nobody needed to drug her, Mayah was so pathetically lonely that all they needed to do was pretend to be from Sukren for her to walk straight into their trap for them. Sukrens not here, Vek said. His voice sounded closer. Mayah took a step back, getting ready to run again. I told you already, the Temple is the only way to get a princess out of the castle. This is a stop on the way. Mayah couldnt take any more lies. You brought me here to disappear me! What? No, thats the other Rajas, not you. Were pretending youre being disappeared, but its just a front, a cover to get you out. He sounded so sincere. Mayah hesitated. So it wasnt a trick? Or maybe it was, but not on her? Please come back, she heard Vek plaintively call out. The other Rajas-serf pairs are going to be in here soon, and its not going to be pretty. We need to be deeper inside the Temple before they get here. But I cant lead us if I cant see my map. He sounded anxious. Maybe he was faking it, but if he was, he was doing a really good job. And if he really had a map, well, she should probably go back then. It wasnt like Mayah would last that long wandering around in the dark by herself. Still feeling nervous, Mayah traced her way back to Vek. When he saw her, his shoulders sagged in relief. Dont run off like that again, he said. They stock this place up with animals and madmen before sending the Rajas-serf pairs in. And the serfs who are drafted to come here are shadow members serving out at least a temporary term. They get to take their frustrations out against the Rajas by dragging them inside, and then they get to die themselves. We need to go before they catch up with us. A clamor was rising up behind Vek. Mayah could hear the Rajas screaming and crying as they were dragged closer and closer to the Temple. She swallowed. She still wasnt sure if she could trust Vek, but at this point, it was either trust Vek or trust the other serfs about to come through, and Mayah could tell from the wanton way they were handling their Rajas that they wouldnt be gentle with her either. Lets go, she whispered. Hold up the light, Vek replied. I need to look at my map. He pulled a rolled up scroll out of his knapsack. Mayah held the lightstick over it. Behind them the din was growing louder and louder. Her hands began to shake. She watched Vek trace his finger along some of the lines on his scroll before rolling it back up. Okay, this way. We need to run. Mayah didnt need any encouragement. They took off together, making their way through the pathways carved out between head-height C or even higher C walls. Vek didnt call for a stop until the sounds of the other Rajas-serf pairs were completely lost behind them. You okay? he asked her. We can take a break now. Mayah was panting for breath. She nodded, grateful for the chance to rest. As happy as she had been to get away, she wasnt used to running around during the night. She wasnt used to running around, period. I thought you knew, Vek said suddenly. He glanced towards her. Mayah couldnt make out his facial expression that well, not with the goggles obscuring his eyes, but he seemed puzzled. Knew what? Mayah managed to ask. Knew what the Temple was for. You seemed so surprised. Dont the Rajas know they all get disappeared in the end? Mayah froze. Sorry, did I say something? She took in a shuddering breath. Princess? Youre so open, she managed. What? You talk so openly about it nobody does that... I havent talked about it to anyone... not since... Not since shed gone to the library with Qat, a long, long time ago. Why not? The darkness felt like it was pressing in on Mayah. She shivered. I dont know. We just dont. Nobody talks about it. At all? At all. Now Mayah was starting to feel sick. Dont think about it, dont think about it, follow the rules, only how could Mayah follow the rules now, she had left the castle! Oh, now she was never going to get seeded, she was never going to become a senior princess! Oh, why did it have to be this way, why did this have to happen to her? She was nobody! Think about Sukren instead, she told herself. Think about how youre going to see him. Sukren will make it all better. He already did, kind of. Through his notebook. He explained, didnt he? The Rajas have rules, very strict rules, that everyone has to follow. If they dont, there are consequences. But in the end, nobody can follow the rules of the Rajas forever. So everyone has to be punished. Even Qat told you that, didnt she? Who do they take? Everyone. Well, now youre seeing where they take everyone. Youre seeing the nightmare waiting for them in the end. Huh. Vek shrugged. Well, I always thought Rajas were a little weird. I didnt realize they were that weird though. Mayah let out a breathy little laugh. Weird? That was how Vek was going to describe it? Well, maybe he was right to. Because it was weird! It was completely weird! It made no sense at all! To her surprise, Mayah began laughing out loud. It was probably out of hysteria, but it was still in earnest. Of course it was weird to not ever talk about something that literally happened to everyone. What else could it be but weird? Oh Sarana, it had been such a long time since shed let herself care about what made sense and what didnt, but she could feel it inside her now, the desire, the need for what she saw and heard to fit together. Sukren had written about that in his notebook, hadnt he? She doesnt ever just nod her head when things dont make sense. She makes sure she understands. Vek was grinning too. Anyway, its not like you have to worry about it anymore. Youve left the castle. Youre never going to be disappeared. You cant be. Youre never going to be disappeared. You cant be. Almost as quickly as the laughter had come, so now came the tears. Veks words hit her as hard as the sight of the beachline and all the disappearing Rajas C no, harder. For it was true. Holy Sarana, it was true! Vek had said it so nonchalantly, like it was nothing, when it was everything, everything! Mayah buried her face in her hands. Her goggles were getting all clouded again, but she couldnt stop weeping. She stood there, letting them get fogged up, letting herself gasp out loud, letting her body shake with relief. Whoa, whoa, are you okay? Im not going back, she whispered. Thats C thats right. Im never going back. Yes. I wont be disappeared. Thats right, Mayah heard Vek whisper. Then she felt his hand, his ungloved hand, on hers C and she didnt pull away. She had left the Rajas. She was not going back to them. She was never going to be disappeared. She had finally escaped. She was finally free. Chapter 30: “He needs to stop the bleeding." Chapter 30: After that, things were different. I thought the Rajas were on top. Why do they let this happen to themselves? Vek was leading the way through a narrow corridor. He stopped at a crossroads and pulled out his map. Mayah handed the lightstick over to him when he gestured for it. After a minute of close scanning, he pointed to the corridor turning right. That way. I think. And its not the Rajas doing it, its the Golden Castle. Whats the difference? Vek gestured vaguely into the darkness that surrounded them. The Golden Castle is, uh, its the system, its like the way everyone does things, even if its bad, even if its bad for the people on top. Mayah frowned, parsing through Veks explanation. Like a bad habit? Its bad for you but you keep doing it anyway? Uh yeah, sure. Okay, that made a little more sense, although Mayah still wanted to know how such a terrible habit had gotten developed in the first place. Vek seemed distracted though. Shed been peppering him with questions, and while his answers at first had been funny and engaging, they were no longer nearly half as clear. Maybe he was getting tired. Come to think of it, Mayah was pretty tired herself. Walking endlessly through this dripping maze was not exactly her idea of a refreshing time. Theres got to be a way out of here, Vek muttered. Mayah wasnt sure at first whether or not he was talking to her, but then he turned and addressed her directly. I mean, Ive heard stories of servies whove escaped the Temple. So I know its possible. Especially because we have a map! None of the other Rajas-serf pairs have one of these. Sorry, give me a second. He paused again. Mayah took the moment as an opportunity to lean against the nearest wall and ease the pressure on her feet. How did Sukren get out? Huh? Sukren was disappeared. How did he get out of the Temple? Vek still seemed confused. Then all at once he was grinning at her. No, the Temples not how they deal with doctor-priests. He went a different way. Like a way just for doctor-priests. Hes fine though! Hes not in any trouble at all. Mayah smiled. She was glad to hear it. Sukren would have hated the Temple. He liked things neat and clean. She understood a little better now why Sukren had washed himself so much while they lived in the village. Everyone else had done it once a week, tops, but Sukren had tried to daily. That was because he was from a castle, first! And in the castles everyone went to the baths all the time. Actually, Mayah wouldnt have minded a bath herself right then. It was very dirty in the Temple. So why do they do it? she asked, as Vek gestured her forward. Even though its bad? You mean the disappearances? Yeah. I think its some population control thing. The Prophetess Darshana wrote that Rajas who could no longer fulfill their reproductive purposes had to be sacrificed. Mayah shuddered a little. She didnt like hearing that. She knew she didnt have to follow the Rajas rules anymore, but she didnt like hearing that she was going against something the Prophetess Darshana herself had said. Making a face, she continued to follow Vek down the empty pathway when a puddle caught her, full-footed. Oh, yuck! Now her shoes were all wet. Sarana, it was really gross inside here. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. She was about to ask Vek if she could take a look at the map, too, when she felt him stiffen just ahead of her. Somethings coming, he whispered. A splash sounded up ahead. Mayah swallowed. She watched, heart suddenly pounding, as Vek plunged his hand into his knapsack and pulled out a blowpipe. He offered it to Mayah, but she shook her head. Shed never even touched one before! Vek didnt push her. He dropped it back into the sack and pulled out for himself a small bow, and a case of darts. The lightstick he returned to Mayah, who held it out so Vek could see better. She could do that much, at least. She could C Holy Sarana C another splash C and something growling C madmen and animals C Relax, Vek whispered. Remember, youre special. And Im a pretty special serf too. They didnt pick me to go with you for nothing. Mayah edged closer to Vek. She was glad he was so confident. It made it easier for her to feel safe with him. Especially with that snapping, snarling growl echoing up ahead. Steady, Vek was saying in a low voice. Steady, steady. Especially with the sound of a mans shout traveling around the corner To her surprise, Vek leapt forward. Hanjan! he cried out. Then he was gone, darting down the dark corridor. Not sure what else to do, Mayah followed. The corridor opened up almost at once into a wide, shallow pit. She arrived just in time to see Vek fire several darts at a dirty, mangy beast with hideously large canines. The creature growled and made as if to turn on Vek, but it was too late. Another dart from Vek, and it whimpered and stumbled to the ground. Vek? A man, clutching his bleeding arm, looked up at them through dirty goggles. Hanjan! Vek lowered his bow. Yes, its me! Mayah looked at the dead beast, her heart palpitating under her flimsy Rajas frock. She placed her hand over her chest. There were several lesions on the animals flank. The blood trickling from them was dark and red. It mingled on the floor with the blood gushing from the serfs arm and side. He needs to stop the bleeding, Mayah said, the words coming automatically from her mouth. He needs to put pressure on his wounds for at least ten minutes, or hell die of volume shock. It would be best if we could get him out of the Temple to tend to him, since its not terribly sanitary in here, but if thats not possible, can we at least get him out of this hole? Vek stared at her. What? Mayah said, wary of Veks look. Was he mad at her? Im sorry. Sukren taught me some stuff, so I thought Why are you sorry? Vek asked. Hanjan, can you walk? Well take you to the bunker. Maybe, Hanjan said. Come help me up, then lets get out of this hole, as the princess put it. Happy that they were going along with her, Mayah scurried to pick up Veks pack off the floor. Sukren had been her biology tutor in the village, and she was glad too now that he had also forced her to learn first aid, despite her original protestations. After asking Vek to show her where the bunker was on the map, Mayah led the way fairly quickly through the twisting corridors until they reached a portion of wall that revolved open to reveal an enclosed space behind it. Inside, two hammocks swung from wall to wall. In one corner was a trunk. Put him in one of those, Mayah ordered, pointing at a hammock. And get me bandages, and as much water as you have. Hes going to have to drink a lot to replenish the liquid in his body. You talk like a doctor-priest, Hanjan murmured. Im a Rajas, Mayah replied, wondering how many bacteria had been on the animals teeth. A doctor-priest taught me some stuff, thats all. A stone pocket in the bunkers wall seemed like a good place to put the lightstick, so she did. After checking her hands under its glow to make sure they did not have any scratches, Mayah peeled back one of the torn shreds of Hanjans shirt. Ragged fang marks scored his arm. She drew in a sharp breath. Im going to die, arent I? Hanjan asked, closing one eye in a wince. Shut up, Hanjan, Vek replied, as he returned from the trunk. Water bulbs were tucked into his arms; bandages were in his hands. Hell be fine, wont he? I can stop the bleeding and clean the wounds, but hes going to have to get out of the Temple to rest and recover. Veks goggles failed to obscure the look of worry on his face. Do your best. Mayah nodded. She took the bandages Vek handed to her and pressed them down on Hanjans wounds. A part of her was relieved. Bad as the situation was, it felt good to be doing something. To be in control. To not be waiting in the darkness for something to attack. Walking around in the Temple searching for a way out was a little too much like being a princess in a castle. Chapter 31: “Did you show her your mark?” Chapter 31: Vek! Wake up! It was Hanjan. Vek yawned, shaking off his sleepiness as he got up from the ground. He started to grope his way in the darkness towards Hanjans hammock, when he felt his friends hand on his shoulder. Come with me, outside. Why? Just come. Shes asleep. Its too risky. Trying not to feel irritated, Vek shuffled after Hanjan as the older serf led him through the revolving door back into the main body of the Temple. There it was completely and totally dark. Mildly surprised, Vek tried waving his hand in front of his face. He saw nothing but blackness. Out of that blackness came Hanjans voice. The princess says that if I stay here too long the bites will likely get worse, that I need medicine. I know, Vek said. I heard her. What do you think I should do? Did Hanjan really drag himself out of his hammock to ask Vek this? Didnt he have better things to do, like rest? Go, get out of here! Unless you have an assignment from Lady Nari to finish. The silence was answer enough. Tell me what it is, and Ill do it for you, Vek said, softening. Hanjan was not in an enviable position. Lady Nari probably put us both in here so we could cover for each other. But what about the princess? At that, Vek couldnt help but grin. Well, youve probably guessed who she is by now. Even in the darkness he could sense Hanjans disapproval. Youre being too obvious. Youve told her how special she is, what, like three times since Ive joined you? Youre supposed to keep things secret. Policy says she cant know shes the Promised Daughter until the right time. Thats all. All Im telling her is that shes special. Just be careful. You dont want her to defect because she finds out something she doesnt like. The Free Serfs are fighting for freedom from oppression! Whats there to dislike? Hanjan chuckled into the darkness. Vek could hear the weariness in his laughter. I can see why Lady Nari assigned you to her. Youre so earnest, you could persuade anyone, no matter what you said. So do you want me to pick up your assignment? But what about the princess? What about her? I think shes demonstrated that she can be pretty useful on a mission. I dont know anything about taking care of injuries. My strategy was always to go and find Sukren. So tell me what you came here to do, and Ill do it. Hanjan was silent. Well? Vek pressed. The older serf sighed. Okay, he said. Okay. I was sent here to steal the Dome Ring. What? Vek whispered. Its here C in the Temple? Yes. Excitement rushed through him. Are we that close to the Uprising? I think so, Hanjan whispered. Vek almost whooped. The Dome Ring. The Promised Daughter. The pieces were coming together I would trust only you to get this done, Hanjan continued. His voice broke, just a little. Lady Nari is going to have my head if I go back out there without the Dome Ring, but I have a wife and if I dont make it out, the Golden Castle will eat her alive. My parents and the rest of my family, they arent going to consider her part of the Matterist sect if Im dead, and without their protection well, you know as well as I how unmarried women fare. Ill do it, Vek said at once. Of course Ill do it. Besides, the Dome Ring is supposed to go to the Promised Daughter anyway. Thats what the prophecies say. Over the shelterbelt, the Rajas Daughter who is Promised, Must go. Over and to The Lake Tower, Her feet will tread. With the Ring of the Dome, Dripping in her hand. Hanjan gave a low laugh. Youre right, I suppose it is. I dont know if thats the way Lady Nari intended it, but scripture is scripture. Vek barely heard him. I cant believe were almost there, he whispered. Almost there, were almost there *** A few days later, Mayah sat down on the trunk, leaned forward, and addressed Hanjan directly. You need to get out of here. Theres nothing more I can do. I know only the basics, and nothing in here is very clean. In fact, why dont we all leave? Her hints had been getting less and less subtle. For some reason Vek seemed to find them hilarious. Well leave soon, he always said with a laugh. Hanjan, on the other hand, seemed reluctant, almost ashamed to leave, which was curious as he was the most likely to suffer from prolonged exposure to this filthy place. At the moment, though, Hanjan looked content, if tired, his side swathed in bandages as he lay in his hammock. For lack of anything better to do, he and Vek C when Vek wasnt in the main body of the Temple scoping out the area C had been passing their time bandying insults. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. How long have you two known each other for, anyway? Mayah asked with a yawn, after Vek once more smiled and told her they would be leaving soon. We grew up in the same childrens group home, in Gear Post #4, Vek replied. A grin lit up his face. With Hanjans extra lightstick, it was easier to see everyones expressions, even with goggles on. Can I tell her about the playground, Hanjan? Sure, Hanjan replied. Well, I dont know if youll remember, but about seven years ago or so there was this Giving Movement craze in the castles. All the Rajas going on about new theories that said serfs needed more things. Some regents even got sent back as schoolteachers to the villages. In our village we got a young woman regent, and she came along with this bioplastic playground set that all the serfs had to help put up in the childrens home yard. It was the stupidest idea ever, Hanjan interrupted. We had to build it in our free time since we were still required to meet our production quotas. So after slaving all day long in the factories we had to come back and set up this playground that nobody asked if we even wanted. Nobody did want it, Vek echoed. Least of all us kids. I was nine at the time, I think, and Hanjan was fourteen. Why didnt you want it? Mayah asked, tucking her cold fingers under her arms to warm them up. I saw some of the playgrounds they had for Rajas children in the castles and they looked nice. Both Hanjan and Vek laughed, dark, dry sounds that echoed together. The playground was where all the bigger kids took the smaller ones to abuse them, Vek explained. You know, all those covered slides and tunnels you crawl through? In there. So if youre seven or so, all youre thinking about is how to never be near the playground ever. Oh. Hanjans family was different, though. Most of us in the group home, myself included, had been separated from our parents. But Hanjans family C you had what, six brothers and one sister and both parents? C were all together still. Serf kids are usually sent to live in group homes in villages other than the ones their parents live in. But Hanjan and his siblings got placed in the group home located in their parents village, because they were all Matterists. So they were able to look out for each other. And if they chose you as a friend, you were golden. Dont say golden, Hanjan interjected. Thats Rajas glorying. Mayah paused for a moment at Hanjans words. Did he mean her too? Surely he couldnt C he had been fine with Mayahs helping him, and he had never said anything rude to her. Hanjan had to mean other Rajas. Not Mayah. Reassured, Mayah asked her question. What are Matterists? Theyre a serf religious sect, Vek said. They believe that the Prophetess Darshana came to tell the serfs that they needed to make purposes for themselves, that they were not to mindlessly fulfill the purposes the Rajas made for them. So they do things like deliberately fail the caste exams, which are often used to break serf families apart. Mayah frowned. Was that why the families in her serf village always seemed to be missing children? One day, there would be a kid, the next day, he would be gone. The grandmothers hadnt seemed too broken up about it though. Sad, yes, but not devastated. As if it were normal. Mayah hadnt even asked Sukren about it, that was how normal it had seemed. Strange. It was almost as if the serfs had their own version of disappearances. They, too, had to face something unbearable, uncontrollable. They, too, acted like it was completely normal. Vek was still talking. Anyway, the point is that if someone in Hanjans family chose you as a friend, you were the luckiest kid in the group home, because some of that protection extended to you. So this, what, fifteen-year-old serf came? He was just transferred so he didnt know that Hanjans family was off limits. He took Hanjans little sister to the playground. She wasnt that young, around twelve I think, but, you know, girls are targets for longer. If you were twelve and a boy, you were safe enough from the other kids unless you were a runt. What happened? Mayah asked, her eyes darting to Hanjan. An ugly smile was on his face. All of Hanjans family was going to kill the new serf boy, and they would have, Vek continued. Except the regent schoolteacher got in the way. Saying all this Giving Movement stuff about peace and love. Nothing about justice, of course, Hanjan said. Probably because nothing unfair had ever happened to her, her entire life. So while all this arguing is going on, Hanjan takes the serf boy, and drags him out to the playground. Relish crept into Veks voice. All of us serf kids are sitting inside the group home, waiting for the argument to be over and for someone to die, when this big, bright light and huge heat wave hits our faces through the open windows and cracks in the walls and roof. We rush outside, and the playground is on fire. Fire, Mayah repeated. Hanjan you set it you set the serf boy on fire? Thats right, Hanjan replied. Mayah didnt know whether to feel impressed or horrified. She was sharing food bars with an arsonist and a murderer. Mayah wasnt sure she wanted to do something so gruesome even to the princesses who had threatened her for so long. But then Mayah tried to imagine what it would feel like to set the castle of Lost Technology on fire, and without meaning to, she found herself smiling. Looks like the princess liked your story, Vek, Hanjan was saying. Did you show her your mark? What did you do to get it? Mayah asked. Hanjan chortled. More like what didnt Vek do. Nah, Vek said smoothly. I didnt actually do anything that crazy. I just kept up a stream of small things. Throwing rocks at Eenta soldiers while I was still in the village, and then when I turned ten, and got assigned to be a servie in Lost Technology Castle, Id pull pranks on the Eenta in their dorms. Hanjan smirked. I used to hear stories even back in the village about Vek. He was infamous for getting the living daylights beaten out of him, only to get up the next day and throw stones at the Eenta again. It wasnt that bad, Vek interjected. Sukren took care of me. It took a few moments for the words to sink in. What? Mayahs head snapped up. Sukren took care of you? Oh yeah, we were very close. Vek was smiling, apparently at some fond memory. Oh, Mayah said. He never told me that. Hanjan coughed, very lightly. Vek didnt seem to hear him. Sukren was the best doctor-priest in the dome, he continued happily. Never came down on you for getting beat. I always recommended him. Just about any serf in Lost Technology Quinter who couldnt get regular care would know to go to him. He never told me that either. Mayahs heart was thumping strangely. Despite the chilly air, she could feel sweat on her palms. He never told me about any of that. Come to think of it, there was a lot Sukren hadnt told her. She hadnt known he was involved in this serf support organization at all. She hadnt even known about his keeping a journal. Why hadnt he told her? Mayah couldnt think of an answer. The only thing she could hold onto with any clarity was that Sukren had not been honest with her. There had been something much deeper in his life that apparently even his notebook hadnt revealed the full extent of. But why? Mayah looked down, trying not to feel the pain coursing through her. Why didnt Sukren tell me? He cared enough about me to rescue me in the end, but not before? Was it because he didnt trust me? Or C could it be C that Sukrens real lifes this underground life with the serfs? All the time he spent with me, all that was fake, just a tiny part of his heart instead of the whole of it? It was a very unpleasant thought. Like taking a step into a rice field and falling headfirst into it because you hadnt realized how deep it was. Mayah had thought shed known Sukren. To hear that he had another whole life without her made her wonder, and not in a nice way. What else had Sukren hidden from her? Chapter 32: “It’s about the Promised Daughter leading us back to Earth." I read the scripture once more in light of Queen Kalias fear-filled vitriol, and I find myself trembling. Wretched though I am here, I understand now why she imprisoned me in this tower. My eyes close, but the letters of the holy text are burned into my heart. I do not need to see the page to call to mind every word of this, the Prophetess Darshanas ultimate oracle. For a Rajas Daughter is Promised to you, And she will lead her people back to Earth C excerpt from The Journal of the Lost Princess, Part I Written 764 years after the Crash Landing Chapter 32: Sukren was annoyed. As soon as the cable car doors closed, he turned on the soldiers sitting across from him. You had to make it look realistic. Thats it! In response, one of the two Eenta soldiers dug into his pack and offered him an ice wrap. Sukren snatched it from him and placed it over his left eye. Holy Sarana, his face ached. He hadnt had a thrashing like this for years. Were sorry, the soldier said. But our instructions were clear. We had to make it seem like something really bad was going to happen to you. Sukren snorted. So you beat me half to death. We figured it was the most effective way to get the message across. Exhaling, Sukren leaned back in his seat. They were probably right, although Sukren wasnt going to admit it out loud. Mayah had looked utterly terrified at the sight of him bloodied and bruised. Just the final link of the chain hed spent the last two years fastening her to. It was perfect, wasnt it? Now she would be afraid forever. As for Sukren, well, maybe he was glad, actually, that the bruises were real. The pain washing over him now was well-deserved punishment for how badly hed damaged Mayah. Do you need another ice wrap? No, Sukren replied. He glanced out the cable car window. It was too dark to see much. During the sunlit hours Rajas would crowd into these cable cars in order to marvel at the view of the sprawling fields beneath. It was also the only way they could legally travel to other castles. Sukren had taken Mayah half a season ago to visit Woodheart after hed earned enough credits through extra shifts at the Zone 9 clinic. Shed been a little frightened that the cables holding up the car would break, but Sukren had assured her they wouldnt, and shed enjoyed the ride after that, even smiling and pointing out things for Sukren to look at through the window. It had been a bright moment in what otherwise had been a dark and bleak period. Sukrens shoulders slumped. How did I end up here? Yesterday I was the handler of the Promised Daughter, and today Im fleeing Lost Technology to who-knows-where. And all I can think about is Mayah, about the way I left her, about Lady Naris refusal to promise me a chance to see her again. If its necessary. Thats what she said. And what did I say in response? Tell me what you want me to do. I didnt even fight. I surrendered right away. How very like me. Where are we going? he asked out loud. Our orders are to deliver you to LakeCentral Castle. There was a stiffness in the response that made Sukren look up. Both soldiers were men, which was unusual. Most Eenta soldier pairings were mixed gender. Up until now Sukren hadnt particularly cared that they were Eenta; hed gotten used to seeing the soldiers in every elevator bay and in the middle of major traffic points. As a doctor-priest, Sukren had high status enough to be left alone. Besides, these Eenta were in Lady Naris patronage. Surely if there were any Eenta who believed in serf solidarity, it would be the ones under Lady Naris authority. But there was something odd about the soldier on Sukrens left. He was refusing to meet Sukrens eyes, for one. And he hadnt apologized to Sukren yet, like his partner had. The first time hed spoken was to answer Sukrens question in that strange, stiff way. LakeCentral, thats an Eenta-majority quinter, Sukren said quietly. What am I going to be doing there? Well, you know, the friendlier soldier replied, his hands twitching in his lap, the quinter might be Eenta-majority, but the castle, you know, its diverse, like all castles, well, except for Stoneset, I suppose, but Stoneset Castle is special, you know? Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Sukren kept his eyes on the other soldier. You took my papers. Could I have them back? Youll be getting new papers. There it was. That flash of contempt. A contempt which Sukren had felt in the blows earlier. Pulling the ice wrap away from his face, he said, still quietly, I may be a Chenta, but Im still a doctor-priest, and the guardian of the Promised Daughter. Not in your new papers. Sukrens jaw stiffened. Hed used both his status as a doctor-priest and his position as Mayahs guardian to do things like reserve the butterfly balcony for his private use, block other doctor-priests from entering the rooms hed decided to use to treat patronless serfs, and get out of standard rotation duties assigned to the other doctor-priests in his squad. If this soldiers behavior was a taste of life without such leeway, Sukren wasnt sure he wanted to stay for the rest of the meal. Give them to me, Sukren said. When we arrive. Oh, come on, Zed, the other soldier said. Give them to him. Hes got to have them on arrival, anyway, doesnt he? He can wait. No, I cant, Sukren cut in. He leaned forward, stifling a wince. I dont know what your problem is, but I can promise you, its not more important than making sure I have what I need, to do what Im called to, for the Free Serfs. Each of us has a part to play, soldier. Play yours. And remember, while I may not be a doctor-priest anymore in those papers of yours, I will always remain her guardian. The Eenta soldier glared at him. Sukren refused to break eye contact. He wasnt going anywhere, he could wait, and yes, there it was, the Eenta was pulling out a booklet of papers from his pack. Shouldntve picked you, he muttered as he handed them over to Sukren. Picked me for what? The Eenta scowled. The guardianship. That was new. Sukren hadnt expected to hear complaints about him as Mayahs guardian. He supposed it made a certain sense. Up until two years ago, nobody had known who the Promised Daughter was, and many hadnt even heard of her birth. After Sukren and Mayah moved to the castle, Lady Nari had allowed him C told him C to spread the word. Anonymity wont protect her anymore. Celebrity might. Hed done his job, relying on the castles well-established gossip networks. By the end of his two years in Lost Technology Castle, every Free Serf there, and many in the other castles, knew Mayah was the Promised Daughter, and that he was her guardian. Statistically speaking, at least a few people had to be unhappy with him as the choice. Jealousy, maybe. Or something else? Either way, it behooved Sukren to found out. Sukren was not just the guardian of the Promised Daughter, he was also one of Lady Naris foremost agents. If her patronees were unhappy for whatever reason, it would help her to know why. Sukren shrugged, trying to seem indifferent. Who would you have had Lady Nari choose instead? The Eenta didnt seem inclined to explain himself, but Sukren was willing to wait. Holding the ice wrap against his face with one hand, he opened his booklet. Everything was the same as before except for his current castle designation and caste. Sukren couldnt help but grimace. A servie? That was who he had to pretend to be? Lady Naris a Chenta, she couldntve picked an Eenta to be the guardian? Startled out of his disappointment, Sukren looked up. The Eenta looked sullen. Sukren removed the ice wrap from his face. His eye still smarted but Sukren could sense an opportunity and he wasnt going to let go of it. It sounds like you think its unfair. Thats right. The cable car rocked back and forth a little in the wind. Sukren ignored the jolting. Maybe youre afraid that Lady Nari isnt sincere when she teaches theres no difference between the Chenta and the Eenta. Maybe you think shes more about the liberation of the Chenta than of the Eenta. Naw, Zed doesnt think that, the other soldier protested at once. Lady Nari has always been good to us. She doesnt favor the Chenta. What do you think? Sukren asked Zed. There was a pause. Wind whistled outside the cable car, shaking it a little again. Sukren gritted his teeth against the pain that washed through him when he braced himself against the bioplastic seat. But he remained silent, looking at Zed. Zed finally nodded. Youre right. Lady Nari doesnt play favorites. No patron really does, Sukren replied. Or an Eenta patron couldnt get any Chenta servies into her patronage, and a Chenta patron couldnt get any Eenta soldiers into hers. Yeah, thats true. So why did you doubt Lady Nari? Its just some stuff weve been hearing, the other soldier broke in. Zed didnt take it seriously. Nobody did. Sukren kept himself very still. What have you been hearing? You know, Zed replied. Lady Kis patronees have been talking about how the Chenta have been more oppressed than the Eenta, so when the Uprising happens, the Chenta should get a larger share of any seized goods. Hearing that made Sukren angry. Hed had no high opinion of Lady Ki before, but holy Sarana, what kind of stupidity was she teaching her serfs? Seized goods? That was what she thought the Uprising was about? Lady Ki is a fool, Sukren replied. The Uprising is about Earth. Its about the Promised Daughter leading us back to Earth. Sukren placed the ice wrap back onto his eye and leaned back. He could see out of his other eye that Zed still didnt look convinced. Sukren would have to report this to Lady Nari. Lady Ki was a Free Serf patron, too, but more and more, it was beginning to look like not all Free Serf patrons were united. What that meant for the Uprising, Sukren couldnt be sure, but he doubted it would be anything good. Chapter 33: “I became a servie when I was ten, like everybody else." Chapter 33: Whats this? Take it. The cable car was about to land. Zed was thrusting a notebook, it seemed, into his hands. Sukren flipped through it. Its blank. Here are your instructions. A note from Lady Nari was next. Sukren scanned it, not liking what it said. A journal for Mayah to find? To trick her into thinking hed been writing it the entire time hed been in Lost Technology Castle? Before Sukren could say anything more, Zed was pulling open the cable car door. Well be back in nine diurnals, at the end of first nightsleep, to pick the journal up, he said. A moment later Sukren was out in the dark dry night, standing alone in the cable car terminal. He watched the cable car containing the soldiers circle around the terminal before heading back in the direction of Lost Technology Castle. It was already deep into first nightsleep. Sukren sighed. He didnt exactly want his first meeting with his new squad leader to be after Sukren had woken him up. Turning to find an elevator, Sukren tripped in the darkness on the trailing end of a torn piece of his robe. A stream of curses escaped his lips. Taking a moment to let the ache in his limbs subside, Sukren considered his options. He needed new clothes. He needed medical treatment. He needed to sleep. Well, he could probably get all three needs met at a clinic somewhere. Sukren could meet his squad leader tomorrow. It wasnt too hard to find an open clinic. He was ushered into the Zone 10 clinic without trouble; his papers were in perfect order. What happened to you? the doctor-priest apprentice tending him asked. I had a disagreement with some soldiers, Sukren replied. Damn Eenta. Sukren raised his eyebrows. The doctor-priest apprentice was Chenta, yes, but soldiers mostly only harassed servies. Or at least that was the way it worked in Lost Technology Castle. Maybe things were different in LakeCentral. It was true that Lady Nari C whose influence was strongest in Lost Technology C was the one patron who pushed most for serf solidarity. Hm. Perhaps Zeds ethnic hostility had been a good forewarning after all. I can spend the night here, right? Sukren asked. Even as the words came out Sukren knew he shouldnt have asked. A doctor-priest apprentice couldnt give such permission, hed have to ask someone higher-up, and a higher-up doctor-priest wouldnt care about an injured servie not having a place to stay. It would be better for Sukren not to ask, and then to stay until he got kicked out. Forget it, Sukren said right away. Ill get out when I need to. The doctor-priest apprentice shrugged. Okay. Sukren watched him go. As soon as he was gone, Sukren pulled out the blank journal. Zed had been thoughtful enough to supply him with a stylus too, how nice. All Sukren had to do was swallow the knot in his throat and start writing. Soon. Nine diurnals wasnt a long time to write two years worth of entries. But Sukren was so tired. He could start the journal tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow, hed start it tomorrow. He tucked the instructions and the stylus inside the journals front cover, then slipped everything into the inner pocket of the servie jacket the doctor-priest apprentice had given him. Hoping nobody would need the clinic bed until the next morning, he closed his eyes. Dont think about Mayah, he instructed himself, and for once, Sukren was tired enough to be able to go straight to sleep. It was still dark when Sukren was jostled awake. Red lights, nightsleep lights, flickered on. What are you doing here? a voice asked. Sukren was disoriented. He tried to sit up. His stiff limbs screamed in protest. Biting back a groan, he started to apologize. Give me a minute, and Ill be out of here. No, I will not give you a minute. Get to your barracks! Right. Sukren had forgotten. No small courtesies were ever extended to servies. He managed to duck the backhanded slap aimed his way, although he wasnt able to avoid the shove out the door. He almost turned to glare at the doctor-priest before thinking better of it. Youre a servie now, act like it, remember your place. Sukren sighed softly. He hurt all over. He couldnt even move without pain shooting through his limbs. Already he was regretting his lost status. He wondered briefly if Lady Nari was angry at him for refusing to wholeheartedly surrender to the Free Serfs. Was this assignment a deliberately unpleasant one because shed been annoyed? No, that wasnt like her. She didnt take things personally. Somehow Sukren made it down the lift to Zone 10s servie barracks. He stood before the closed door, knowing he couldnt put it off any longer. Like it or not, he had to go inside. But he didnt want to. He didnt want to go inside. He didnt want to meet his new squad leader. He didnt want to become a servie. Sukren took a deep breath. His left eye was still swollen shut; his limbs still ached. Everything and anything for the serfs. Or more accurately, what Lady Nari wanted, Lady Nari got. Taking hold of the handle, Sukren twisted the door open. The living-wood hinges were silent. He was able to creep through the doorway into the barracks without making a sound. In front of him was a central aisle, wide enough for even Sukrens heavy frame to pass through comfortably. On either side of the aisle grew bunk beds, carved out of the castles wood. Each bunk was marked with an insignia. Sukren fumbled open his papers. A vine curling around a leaf, okay, all he had to do was find an empty bunk with that insignia, and yes, here it was, and it was even a bottom bunk! Thank Sarana. As Sukren collapsed, fully-clothed, onto the sheetless mattress, he couldnt help but feel like getting a bottom bunk was a reward from Lady Nari for choosing to go ahead into the barracks even though he hadnt wanted to. He knew it was a stupid thought. Lady Nari wasnt a god, or she wasnt like one of the greenhouse gods, anyway, who supposedly always remembered and paid you back for whatever you did. Not that Sukren believed in the greenhouse gods. He was a doctor-priest, for crying out loud! It took Sukren a little longer this time to fall asleep. Too soon, he was woken for the second time that half-diurnal, this time by the glare and hum of darkwakes lightstrips. Still half-asleep, he forced himself up and out of the bunk. Who are you? someone asked. Sukren blinked. Did he give his birthsite name? No, that was how villagers introduced themselves. Right? In castles, all that mattered was your patron. Or maybe servies did care about village origins? Holy Sarana, he was tired. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Im Sukren Kanari, he replied. No, not you, the servie scoffed. You, girl, who are you? Sukren finally figured out who the servie was talking to. A girl, younger than Sukren, but older than Mayah, was standing by the bunk post directly to the right of Sukrens bunk. Sukren supposed she could be considered beautiful although her face was not clean, and her eyes were not happy. I am Aan Kanari, she said softly. From where? Bioplastic Post #2. And after that? Aan didnt seem to want to say. She jumped a little when the servie pinched her arm. Come on, finish your history! Leave her alone, Sukren said. The servie whipped around to face Sukren. You think youre still in your village or something? She can take care of herself. He didnt wait for Sukren to reply but returned to the girl. Well? he snapped. I became a servie when I was ten, like everybody else, she whispered. Got sent here. Applied for Lady Naris patronage. She accepted me. I was in Squad #431. But now youre in my squad, the servie replied. He examined the girl, looking her up and down. And Sukren, with a sinking feeling in his heart, began to realize that hed just met his new squad leader. Wonderful. Sukren was so looking forward to submitting to such an excellent example of authority. You can call me Helt, the squad leader was saying. Only then did he look at Sukren. Where are you from? Cotton Post #4, Sukren replied. He opened his booklet and held it out so that he could scan it quickly. I served in Squad #901 in Lost Technology Castle. So youre not straight from a village after all, Helt sneered. Sukren shook his head. Then he winced, just a little, when Helt seized his arm and jerked him forward. When Helt reached up with his other hand and grabbed Sukren by the chin, however, Sukren froze. Helt was turning his face to the left and then to the right, inspecting him as if he had every right to, touching him as if he didnt even need to think of asking for permission. This isnt going to work, Sukren thought at once. Ive worked too hard for too many years to earn the right to myself. Lady Nari promised me that was what came with full initiation into the doctor-priesthood. Im not losing that. Not for anything. But he didnt move. Helt pulled away first, then made some gesture above his head with one hand. Several other servies hovering around the other bunk posts came closer. Sukrens heart was pounding. Helt wasnt the only squad leader calling his squad to order, he noticed dimly. Other servies were clustering into groups of ten or so all along the barracks. Most of you already know me, Helt said. I was in Squad #29, and then I took and scored a squad leadership position through Lady Naris exams. Last diurnal, I was granted a squad of my own. This one, #232. Our last members have joined us now. Aan, Sukren. Sukrens the one who thinks hes still in a village. Sukren tried to smile, as if it were a joke. He managed to twitch his lips. A new squad leader, a squad leader who had no experience, well, sometimes they worked out, that was the point of Lady Naris exams, wasnt it? To weed out those who were committed to the Free Serf cause and those who werent? But when Helt continued, Sukren felt his heart sinking even further down, sliding past his too-tight black uniform all the way to his black rubber-soled and canvas-topped shoes. Ive already written up Squad #232s tract. You can come to me if you want to know what it says. Holy Sarana, Sukren thought. Why did Lady Nari put me here? Is this another test? Because I dont think Helt or even anyone was told that Im the guardian. Certainly, nobodys acting like it. Maybe Zed really was doing me a favor in the cable car. Next to him, Aan sighed, softly, subtly. Sukren glanced at her, and she met his eyes. He waited until Helt had finished giving them their assignments for the diurnal C working in one of LakeCentrals kitchens C before he made his way towards her. Her hands were down by her waist; she held up a single finger, warning him. Warning him of what? Just to be on the safe side, Sukren kept his mouth shut until they were out of the barracks and in the hallway. As the other servies fell into line, Sukren allowed himself to be pushed to the back until the only person in front of him was Aan. My previous squad leader was like this, she murmured. Didnt let any of us read her tract, always had to ask her what it said. Thats why I applied for a transfer. Sukren nodded. He knew what she was referring to. Each squad was ruled by a squad leader, who wrote her own tract, or rulebook, that the servies or soldiers or doctor-priests or regents in her squad were expected to follow. If you went against the squad leader, she could punish you however she saw fit. There was no way to appeal a squad leaders decision. The only way you could escape an unjust squad leader was by applying for a transfer, asking to be put in another squad, any other squad. Usually such requests were granted without much fuss. As a result, squad leaders were for the most part kept honest because they knew they could lose their followers. Occasionally, though, you would run into a squad leader C usually a new one C who hadnt yet internalized the logic that undue harshness led to a whole lot of transfer applications. They would snap. They would bully. They would keep their tracts to themselves so you couldnt hold them accountable to their own rules. Maybe Lady Naris exams werent a very good measure of leadership quality after all. Oh, but thats not fair. Sure, not everyone who does well on Lady Naris tests are wonderful leaders. The tests are supposed to, and do, weed out those uncommitted to the Free Serf cause. Their point is to indoctrinate anyone with any ambition. We want to rise, we want to advance, so we take these tests, we prepare for them, teaching ourselves Free Serf doctrine. That way, even those who fail the tests, their minds are still trained. Thats what matters. Having a squad leader that you can stand, thats secondary. Why does he keep asking if Im from a village? Sukren asked abruptly. Aan gave him a side-long glance. Because you kind of act like it. What does that mean? They were nearing the end of the hallway. Sukren felt cramped, like he was being pressed down into the floor. He hadnt noticed it last night in the dark, but the ceiling was quite low. It looked like he could reach up and tear the lightstrip off the wall next to him without even standing on his toes. Servie quarters were like that. A Rajas cafeteria would soar up into the sky; a dozen servie barracks would be layered over on top of each other to fit the same space. At least the bare living-wood was beautiful, in its own way. There were no endless mosaics of the Eternal Queen Sarana lining the walls, no shaggy golden carpet covering the hollow-tree floor, no series of badly painted Rajas canvases cluttering the lift. The lift did look like it was going to be more crowded, based on how Squad #232 had to halt several lengths away from its entrance, waiting for servies from other squads further ahead to go in first, but that at least gave Sukren a chance to hear Aans answer. You know. She seemed almost bashful. Youre treating me like Im different from you, from Helt, from the other men. Sukren still didnt understand. Werent women different? Wasnt that just true? Come on, he heard Aan say. The lines moving. We have to get onto the lift. Lost in thought, Sukren followed her without looking to see where he was going. He wound up next to another servie from his squad, who glanced up at him. Howd you get so big? Sukren didnt know what to say. A doctor-priests diet was better than a servies diet, and Sukren ate whatever was put in front of him, all of it, always, because when he was an apprentice hed never known if hed be allowed to eat his next meal. Ive always been this way, he settled on finally. The servie shrugged. From across the lift Helt seemed annoyed, but to Sukrens relief he didnt say anything. It wasnt the kind of place where you felt like you could have a real conversation, anyway. Stuffed into the lift car, everyones elbows in each others ribs, everyones breath stinking up the stale air, all Sukren could do was wonder how anybody could stand being a servie for even a second, let alone a lifetime. Chapter 34: “Please don’t tell Helt.” Chapter 34: It became clear almost immediately that Sukren was going to have to wait until nighttime to work on Mayahs journal. He debated for a moment whether or not he should reveal who he really was to Helt. Maybe he would excuse Sukren from his kitchen duties to let him write? No, not likely. If Lady Nari hadnt seen fit to inform Helt in advance of Sukrens true status, he doubted he was supposed to. So Sukren had to make time on his own to write the journal. Fine, he could work at night, he could force himself out of bed and leave the barracks and find a capacitor lamp burning at the end of some hallway somewhere. He only had nine diurnals anyway; he could catch up on sleep later. Later, later, he told himself again, after shuffling back to the barracks at the end of the day. You can catch up on sleep later. Youve got four hours tonight. Four. Finally Sukren was in bed. He didnt bother willing his tight muscles to relax. The more tense he was, the more likely hed wake up in the middle of the night. It was the only reliable way he knew to make sure he didnt oversleep. Sure enough, Sukren soon woke up to a quiet darkness. He felt awful. Stiff, sore, exhausted, and dry-mouthed. Even reaching for the black servie jacket hed hung on the rungs by his feet was a chore. Come on, come on, get up, get up, you have to. Somehow he managed to fumble his way out of his bed with the blank journal in hand. Trying to keep quiet, he crept around the corner of his bunk C and almost ran smack dab into Aan. What are you doing awake? he whispered. Aan looked terrified. Please dont tell Helt. Tell him what? She didnt want to say more, that was clear enough. Or maybe she was gaping and looking around Sukrens side because someone was watching them? Sukren took the bet and turned around, keeping the notebook hidden behind him. Sure enough, there was Helt, getting out of his bunk. What are you doing awake? I needed to use the latrines, Sukren lied at once. He stood as tall as he could, hoping to shield Aan from view. Whatever her reasons were for sneaking around at night, shed get in serious trouble if she were caught. But Sukren wouldnt. He wasnt a real servie. This wasnt his real life. He could afford to lose it. Helts mouth fell open. He actually seemed stunned. Who do you think you are? he finally spat out. You cant go in and out of the barracks for any reason. Holy Sarana, this man was ridiculous. Is that what it says in your tract? Sukren asked, unable to keep the incredulity out of his voice. The one were not allowed to read? Some of the other servies in the nearby bunks were stirring. Helts eyes were narrowed, his lips drawn. He kept his voice down. You dont know your place, he hissed. Youre going to learn it. Now get. Sukren glanced over his shoulder. Aan was gone. Good, hed distracted Helt for long enough. He contemplated momentarily defying Helt and walking out of the barracks anyway, but he didnt want to make tomorrow any more hellish than he had to. He could start the notebook the next night. Next night was daysleep, anyway, so he wouldnt even have to find a capacitor lamp, he could just go outside and sit on the serf staircase and write in the sunlight. Yeah, that was a better plan. Sukren was still exhausted, anyway, better to sleep now and write later. Sukren gave a salute. That seemed to relax Helt, a little bit anyway. He didnt say anything, just watched as Sukren got back into his bunk. Sukren waited for Helt to leave then rolled onto his side and looked at the empty bunk next to him. He wondered where Aan had gone. Shed seemed pretty desperate. But what could possibly be important enough for Aan to sacrifice sleep for? The blank notebook was still in Sukrens hand. He clutched its spine. Just think of it like youre writing a message to Mayah, a good message, one that she needs to read, one that will help her. Think of it that way. Sure, she might think, falsely, that youd been writing this for her all along, but thats not the point right? The point is C the point is C Sukren didnt want to think anymore. He closed his eyes. When he opened them next, daylight was streaming through the vents along the other side of the barracks. When Sukren stood, a shaft of light, shaped long and narrow by a vent, hit him in the face. It felt good. It felt like the light that would pool onto the mud-soaked meres of Rice Post #2. Sukren took in a deep breath. Village life had been hard, too. But better. Hed worked alongside the other adults but not in secret, and Mayah, Mayah had been by his side every day, oh Sarana, the way shed clung to his finger while frowning in furious concentration with each baby step, the way her face had lit up with delight whenever she woke up and saw Sukren was there C This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Lets get going! he heard Helt shout, and for once Sukren was glad to hear the squad leaders rough voice. He didnt even mind when Helt yanked him to the side and told him he would be on chopping duty. If that were all Helt intended to do to him, well, Sukren would be grateful. Granted, when Sukren found himself facing mounds of roots and leaves that needed to be diced into even smaller roots and leaves, and then diced again even smaller he sighed and got to work. It wasnt so much the labor itself but the boredom that came with it. That was why the village had been better. Sukren had been able to enjoy the social stimulation that came from interacting with the other villagers during those tasks that didnt require him to use his mind. Here in the kitchens, it was just him and the counter in front of him. There were two servies on either side of him, also chopping, but they were too far away to talk to. At least his bruises seemed to be fading, and his black eye healing. Aan slipped him a salve on the way back to the barracks; Sukren put it inside his jacket pocket with Mayahs journal. He waited until he was in bed to pull it out. It was a crushpack salve, the kind you squeezed to catalyze the chemicals inside. He wondered how she had gotten hold of it. Crushpacks were limited to higher caste use, so Aan had to have gotten it from a doctor-priest. Maybe Sukren would find out tonight. It was harder to fall asleep and stay asleep during daysleep unless you had blackout curtains, which servie barracks did not. Sukren woke up after a restless few hours. He got up at once, soundlessly, and crept to the barracks door. Someone was shutting it from the outside. Sukren stuck out his hand so that it would catch the door before it closed. The pressure on his fingers tightened, and then eased. The sound of fleeing footsteps reached his ears. At once Sukren shouldered his way out of the barracks into the bare-wood hallway. Its me, he called, softly. Its Sukren. Aan stopped running and turned around. She didnt seem happy to see him. Sukren was a little surprised. Shed given him the crushpack salve, shed been friendly to him, why was she looking stony-eyed at him now? Fine, she said evenly. Make it quick. Make what quick? She continued to give him a cold stare. You want it, come take it. Just make it quick. It occurred to Sukren that Aan was talking about sex. He didnt know why, but he couldnt make sense of her intimations any other way. I dont want a lay, he replied. He held out Mayahs journal, the pages still blank. I need to I need to write something. Thats why I was up last night. Write something? A little too late, Sukren realized that no normal servie would be walking around talking about writing. Only squad leaders and magistrates had any need to write, and they used printing presses. Sarana, he wasnt doing a very good job of keeping his cover. But he couldnt help it! Maybe if he didnt feel so exhausted, he wouldntve slipped up. Chopping duty had been tougher on his body than Sukren realized it would be. Too tired to come up with an explanation, Sukren vaguely waved the journal in the air. He was relieved when a small smile touched Aans lips. I can show you someplace private, she said. With light? She nodded. Sukren tucked the journal back into his jacket. He followed Aan down the hallway to the lift. Nobody else was there. He waited in silence, letting Aan press the button, letting her crank the gates shut, letting her lead the way through a long empty gallery with windows along one wall and panels breaking up the other. Chain-linked hanging chairs and gold-trimmed lamps decorated the space. It felt like some sort of lounge to Sukren, especially with the full mirror at the end. It stopped feeling like a lounge when Aan tugged the mirror open like a door. In here, she whispered. Was Sukren dreaming? He stepped in through the mirror, blinking to adjust his eyes to the darkness. There was a shadowed figure, bent over, gesturing Aan deeper in. The light coming through the windows behind Sukren gave the place an ill-defined shape. Maybe it was a secret pantry hidden between two walls, with goods lying on the floor? No. Sukrens mouth fell open. Those werent goods, those were babies. Squirming, and snoring, and sucking their fingers, and a few of the older ones lifting their heads at the light shining through the gap left open by the mirror-door, then putting their heads back down when a voice from the shadowed figure cracked out over them. Sukren was so surprised he almost didnt notice that Aan was back next to him, a worn smile on her face, and a sleepy-eyed baby boy, just on the edge of toddlerhood, in her arms. We have to go out there to visit, she whispered. She pointed to the gallery behind Sukren without letting go of her hold on the boy. Sukren stumbled backwards. He had some vague sense that as a servie he shouldnt be sitting in one of the flower-printed hanging chairs, but Aan didnt hesitate. Before Sukren could blink she was swinging back and forth, baby boy in arms, her hand up to shield his eyes from the sun. Sukren watched as the child nestled his face into the crook of her neck, slowly relaxing with the sway of the hanging chair. Mayah had been like that with him, once. Mayah had C oh Sarana C he missed her so much, already C The journal was stiff against his side. Sukren didnt open it. He lay back on one of the hanging chairs and closed his eyes. He had to have slept because the next thing he felt was Aan shaking him awake. We have to get back, she whispered. Sukren forced himself to his feet. He stopped himself mid-yawn. Her baby was gone. The mirror was closed. Chapter 35: “You would put the Uprising at risk? Just because you don’t like being a servie?” Chapter 35: The next night neither Sukren nor Aan spoke as they left the barracks together. Without sunlight it was harder to pick their way out down the gallery to the mirror, but the gold-trimmed lamps jutting out from the panels gave off a steady, if soft, glow. This time Sukren waited outside for Aan to get her son. He sat down on the hanging chair next to her and pulled out the journal. It wouldnt be quite like lying. Sukren could write about when Mayah was a baby. He could write about all his memories of her. He could write down the things hed always wanted to say. Then hed go back and add some dates. Random dates, they wouldnt mean anything, they wouldnt even be noticeable to her, probably. Sukren wouldnt even start at the beginning, hed start in the middle, at the journals crease, so it would be even less like he was pretending to have written this from start to finish. Sometimes I think the worst thing that ever happened to me was doing so well on the caste exam Later, on their way back, Sukren turned to Aan. Does Lady Nari know about he hesitated, searching for the word. These wall nurseries? Aan supplied. Yes, Sukren said. Theyre not legal, are they? Theyre not part of any squad, if thats what youre asking. Shadow babies, Sukren murmured. He shook his head. So she does know? Yes, Aan said softly. She grew up in one. That was right. Sukren remembered now. Lady Naris story was part of her tests. Her mother had been a servie. Shed refused to give Lady Nari up to a childrens group home in a village. Shed found other mothers in the castle raising their babies together in illicit nurseries. Taking turns, theyd sneaked away from their shifts, at night, during the day, pretending to be sick, stealing time away from work, accepting punishment as it came, all in order to care for their children. How come Ive never seen one before? Sukren asked, half to himself. Well, were not supposed to be different, you know? Here in the castles. Were supposed to do the same work as any man. She said it so simply, as if were normal, natural, the way the bio-dome ran. And if Sukren were completely honest, hed never given it much thought C hed never had to give it much thought. Reflecting on it now, though, he couldnt help but feel that it didnt make much sense. The entire burden of reproduction had been placed on women, but with the expectation that women perform as if that burden didnt exist. Sukren would never have been able to raise Mayah the way he had if he hadnt been accommodated both in the village by the other villagers and in the castle by the general acceptance that his guardianship excused him from standard duties. Aan gave him a sidelong glance. You are from a village, arent you? Youre not a real servie. Sukren hesitated, then nodded. Can you tell me about it? she whispered. What do you want to know? I was so young when I left my village I cant remember is it true that in a village, a man has to choose one woman and stand by her? Yes, Sukren whispered. He cant lay her then leave her? He shook his head. And she gets to keep her children? Sukren nodded. At least up until they take the caste exams. And the ones that fail the exams, they dont get drafted into the castles. They get to stay in the villages. Aan smiled. Tired and careworn as she was, her face was radiant. Thats why I applied for Lady Nari, back when I first came to be a servie. Because I heard that she doesnt hunt down the nurseries. She lets them be. Shell even protect you if youre transferring squads because your squad leader came down on you for going to a wall nursery. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Shes a good patron, Sukren whispered. But it wasnt Lady Nari that Sukren was thinking of. It was Mayah. *** After that, Sukren and Aan went to the wall nursery together every night, her to hold her baby boy while he slept, him to write to Mayah. By the end of his ninth diurnal in Lost Technology Castle, Sukren was ready to be done. He didnt know how Aan did it, night after night, but Sukren couldnt take it anymore. I sleep while I hold him, she explained when Sukren asked what her secret was. I couldnt stay up every night, writing or whatever it is you do. Whatever it is I do, indeed. Sukren was so tired that sometimes he couldnt even remember. Write to Mayah, that was all he could hold onto, and then, after nine diurnals, meet the Eenta soldiers at the end of first nightsleep. And right now, Sukren told himself, that means going up the lift, it means telling Aan that she should go on ahead back to the barracks alone because you have something else to do. Aan looked concerned. Its almost darkwake. If youre not back by the time Helt wakes up, hell be angry. Sukren mustered up a smile. He tried to think of something to say but couldnt. Aan stood in the hallway just outside the lift and looked at him through the hexagonal gaps of the grate. Suddenly she nodded. I understand. May the Lost Princess watch over you. I hope I see you again someday. Goodbye, Sukren whispered. He didnt know what conclusion she had come to, but whatever it was, it was probably close enough to the truth. He watched her go, then closed his eyes, half-dozing as the lift went up, up, up, and then he was walking across and around a series of dorm clusters to the elevator on the other side of the castle. After another ride up, Sukren exited the elevator onto the cable car docking bay. An enlarged balcony, that was what it really was, with enough space for a clear bioplastic terminal in its middle. Walking forward through the night air, Sukren could see Zed and his partner waiting for him on the far side of the terminals rotating wheel. Sukren opened the terminal door. With the windows all open, it was just as cold inside as it was outside the bioplastic walls, but Sukren didnt mind. The cold air was waking him up, giving him back his mind, which he needed. You have the notebook? Zed called out. Sukren walked closer to them before answering. Nobody was inside the terminal except for a servie drafted to watch over the cable car during the nightsleep shift, but he was asleep in a corner, and Sukren didnt want to wake him up. Im coming with you. What do you mean? the other soldier asked. Im done here, Sukren said. He spoke with more confidence than he felt, as trained to by Lady Nari. Although he doubted shed expected him to use it to buck her orders. If you dont take me with you, Im going to apply to transfer to another squad, and thatll draw attention the Free Serfs dont need. Zeds eyes narrowed. You cant do that. If Im really a servie, yes, I can. If Im not really a servie, then youre listening to me. You would do that? Zeds partner spoke up. He sounded shocked, as if Sukren were personally letting him down. You would put the Uprising at risk? Just because you dont like being a servie? Well, Sukren didnt like being a servie, but that wasnt why he was making this move. Aans voice floated back to him. And she gets to keep her children? Sukren had nodded. Hed gone back with her night after night and seen how much she sacrificed to care for her son. Not once had Aan given up, no matter how hard it was to make sure her baby boy got the best she could give him. And neither would Sukren. Im sure Lady Nari considered this contingency, Sukren replied. She knows me. She knows I wouldnt want to stay. Ive done my part. Ive written the journal. Its time for me to go. Im not going to stay. Im going to transfer out. Sukren was repeating himself. The sleepless nights had more than caught up to him. All he had left was his determination to get out of LakeCentral Castle C to keep knocking on every door in his way C to push and pressure and persevere C until Lady Nari decided it was necessary, after all, for him to see Mayah again. He was not going to let this notebook, filled with half-truths, be the last thing Mayah had from him. He was also not going to wait for the Uprising in a servie barracks. We could take him to that village, in Woodheart, Zeds partner said. Zed glared at him. What? We could. Zed turned his glare on Sukren. Despite his exhaustion, Sukren found himself able to wonder again why Zed was so hostile. Was he still upset that Lady Nari had appointed Sukren, a Chenta, to the guardianship of the Promised Daughter? Oh Sarana, Sukren was tired, he was tired, he needed to sleep, if he didnt get out of LakeCentral now, he would spend the rest of his time thinking of nothing but sleep and he couldnt let that happen, come on, wake up, think, get yourself out, go! Well have to talk to Lady Nari first, Zed said. Sukren shook his head. From the way Zed was looking at him, it was clear he expected Sukren to say something more, but Sukren had no more mind left. He stood there, silent, waiting. To his faint surprise, it was Zed who gestured for Sukren to follow him to the end of the terminal, where the cable cars slowed down enough in their rotation for passengers to get on. We should show our papers to the attendant, Zeds partner said, hurrying to catch up with Zed who was already halfway down the terminal. Sukren shook his head again, too tired even to feel relief. Let him sleep. Chapter 36: “Too important to sit?” Chapter 36: They took him to a village in Woodheart. For the first diurnal, Sukren did nothing but sleep. He wasnt even aware which grandmother hut they placed him in or who the village head was. The few times he ventured outside the darkness of the grandmother hut, it was to go to the cookfires to swallow a meal. He was vaguely aware that he couldnt C shouldnt C keep leeching off the other villagers but for the most part his craving for sleep blocked out his worries. Besides, Sukren knew he could always make it up to them later with free medical care. His intuition proved correct. Most of his new patients didnt even seem to care that Sukren had slept the diurnal away; they were excited by his mere presence. A doctor-priest? From a castle? Living with them? It didnt take long for Sukren to be summoned by the village head. Fourin-ra wants to see you! Sukren at once followed the little girl sent to him; she led him to the mats on the other side of the cookfires. As an interloper, as a guest, it was important to him to show respect. Already Sukren could feel himself falling back into the rhythms that had governed his life for the ten years hed lived in a village. Ask, dont assume, dont act like youre better, dont accept any special privileges from anyone without paying them back a hundredfold. Humble gratitude, that was what had made village life good for Sukren and Mayah all those years. And Sarana, was it good to be back! It was a different village, of course, no Dastist to joke with or Pleen to help him care for Mayah when he needed it, but Sukren had never found it easy to connect beyond the surface with anyone so he hadnt missed them much. It was village life itself that he missed. The sun shining through the colored bioplastic walls C red, here C and the greenhouse gate standing open so you could see the fields outside C or forest, in this villages case C and even the layout was the same, a path leading in through the gate and grandmother huts clustered up against each other on either side of the path, which led to the yard where the cookfires burned day and night, and then beyond them the rows of green growing things C because this village was Vegetable Post #6 C and yes, the labor was as hard as in the castles, but it was done together, and C Too important to sit? Im sorry, Sukren said. He immediately sat down on the mat in front of him. I was lost in thought. The village head sniffed. He had a sour look on his face. Mnidi, he said, glancing at the little girl still hovering nearby. Get our doctor-priest something to eat from a cookfire. Sukren shifted uneasily. Mnidi was placing many more dishes on the mat than was customary for a single persons meal. There was also a sharpness to the way Fourin-ra had told Mnidi to set up the meal. Why emphasize the fact that Sukren was a doctor-priest? Sukren wasnt even wearing his robes. He was still stuffed into the too-small servie uniform from the clinic, for crying out loud! Sensing he had an audience, or that something at any rate, was going on, Sukren made sure not to eat all the food placed in front of him. When Fourin-ra pressed him to do so, he shook his head. Mnidi was standing at the edge of the mat, while behind Fourin-ra were several village serfs seated and eating rather slowly and unenthusiastically at their own mats. Sukren would have bet several credits that behind him there were more village serfs also seated at their mats, also pretending to be doing nothing but eating. I know how hard it can get in the villages, Sukren said loudly. Theres no need to entertain me. Fourin-ra leaned forward. His legs were crossed, a position Sukren was finding difficult to imitate. It had been a long time, actually, since Sukren had eaten village-style. So you remember what its like to be a serf, do you? Fourin-ra almost purred the words, his beard wagging below his chin. Sometimes I think doctor-priests and regents have forgotten what the villages are like. Living in the castles, as you do. Well-fed. Why would you leave such a life? Im on a mission from Lady Nari, Sukren replied simply. Inwardly he grimaced. He was beginning to dislike Fourin-ra. Of all the village heads he had to meet, it had to be someone who thought doctor-priests and regents had it better? Yes, that was right, being stolen from your family at the age of four and forced into a regime of indoctrination designed to teach you to hate everything serf about you, yes, that was better. Lady Nari? Youre one of her agents? Fourin-ra sounded surprised. I thought you were just an escaped doctor-priest. Sukren felt stupid. He had assumed upon his arrival that Fourin-ra would know Sukren was in the Free Serfs when there was really no reason Sukren should have had such an expectation. It wasnt like Zed had bothered to explain anything to the villagers after dropping Sukren off at the greenhouse gates. He started to apologize but stopped at the look on Fourin-ras face. There was something in his eyes, a keenness that was a bit too keen. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. And now some of the other villagers were starting to cluster around Sukren and Fourin-ra. How do we know hes telling the truth? one of them called out, sneering. Belatedly, Sukren realized that he had perhaps not read the other villagers all that well. He was relieved when a woman standing by Fourin-ra replied. Hes Chenta and hes in hiding. Thats enough for me. And he probably has news from the castle about Her voice trailed off. She looked at Sukren, hope written all over her face. Another woman spoke up. Whats his name? My name is Sukren RockSpire, Sukren replied, giving his village name. By the cotton field greenhouses near LakeCentral Castle. Fourin-ra raised his hands. Everyone get back to work. I need to talk to this man privately. He got to his feet, pointed at Sukren, and jerked his thumb in the direction of the grandmother huts. You, come with me. There was some muttering, but nobody protested out loud. The woman who had defended Sukren, though, had a fierce, unhappy look on her face. Sukren felt bad for her. But what could he do? Now was clearly not the time to defy Fourin-ra. Sukren got up and followed the village head into a nearby grandmother hut. As soon as they were both inside it, Fourin-ra leaned forward, whispering so rapidly that if it werent for the intensity in his tone, Sukren would have had trouble understanding what he was saying. My village is a last resort as a place of refuge. Lady Nari wouldnt have allowed you to come here unless you had nowhere else to go. I have a vital operation going on, but obviously you were valuable enough to risk that. So tell me, who are you? The less you know, the better, Sukren replied, unable to suppress his now growing distaste for the man. Fourin-ras entire demeanor demonstrated that he considered himself to be someone of importance, enough to claim a private place for his conversations. Taking up a whole grandmother hut in the middle of the day? Who did that? Even napping babies had to share a hut between them! Thankfully, there wasnt much light in the hut. Sukren hoped the dimness would help mask his body language. Fourin-ra, on the other hand, didnt seem to feel a need to hide his feelings at all. He scoffed at Sukrens attempt to dissuade him. Arent we almost ready to overthrow the Rajas? I bet in a few diurnals well be walking freely through the forest. Theres scant need for secrecy. Sukren refrained from pointing out that Fourin-ra had just forced Sukren away from everyone else and into a grandmother hut, presumably in order to hear and keep to himself whatever secrets Sukren had to share. After a few minutes, when it became clear that Sukren was not going to offer any information on his own, Fourin-ra pressed him again. So tell me C is the Promised Daughter born? The question made Sukrens heart sink. He had been dreading it from the moment the woman had looked at him with hope written all over her face. Sukren looked down at his hands. He thought of the woman, the hope on her face, the deference in her voice. Is that why I dont like Fourin-ra? he wondered suddenly. Because he doesnt treat me with the respect I prefer? I criticize him for acting like hes important, but am I any different? Didnt I walk in here expecting everything to go my way? Humble gratitude. That only works when you have a status everyones already aware of. And thats what I assumed, didnt I? That I could come in and be the big fish in the little pond and be polite, I could condescend, and oh, the villagers would love me, of course they would, why wouldnt they? You treat them so well, with such restraint, when both you and they know you could throw your weight around C hah! C and make their lives that much harder. Maybe Lady Nari was right to send me off to become a servie. Maybe she knew that was what I needed. Yes, Sukren whispered. Yes, she is. Perfect, Fourin-ra murmured, closing his eyes. Perfect. His heart twisting, Sukren thought of Mayah. Of poor, foolish, frightened Mayah who had no idea what Sukren had done to her. Shes not ready yet, said Sukren. Not yet. Fourin-ra frowned at Sukren. Shes done her part by being born, hasnt she? Sukren froze. Fourin-ras words hit him close, much too close. His mind flashed to the journal hed been forced to write, no, that hed written, hed written every word of it, lying not just to Mayah but to himself about how he was doing nothing wrong when Sukren knew, he knew, that the very assignment was proof-positive that the Free Serfs didnt care about Mayahs well-being in the slightest. All she was to them was a tool, a key, an object to be used C and it was Fourin-ras naked words that were the closest to the truth. He couldnt bear it. He couldnt bear to sit and accept the role hed played in her life. Sarana, what had he done, what had he done to her? Unable to control the self-hate coursing through him, Sukren felt it spill out. What, and so the Promised Daughter only matters to you if shes born? he spat at Fourin-ra. The rest of her life is insignificant? Serfhead, do you think she was born just for your benefit? Fourin-ra stared at him, open mouthed. Im sorry, Sukren immediately said. His chest was heaving. Oh Sarana, I should not have called him a serfhead. That was the worst thing I could have called him. Im sorry, I didnt mean that. Really? Fourin-ra sneered. Well, you are a doctor-priest. Im of RockSpire, Sukren responded. He forced himself to take a deep breath. Im a Chenta, just as you are. Fourin-ra sniffed. Well, you speak Chenmay well enough. Im surprised you didnt forget it, living in the castle with the Rajas, speaking Rajim all the time. Sukren swallowed, took another breath. It was difficult, but I would never forget my Chenta roots. Lady Nari knew this, and she knew you were a loyal serf to the cause. Thats why she allowed me to come here. The speech did not appear to mollify Fourin-ra. His lips were still tight. Try not to wander out into the forest and bring punishment down on the whole village. And next time I hope Lady Nari sends someone reasonable. Thank you, Sukren replied, exhaling. He stood when Fourin-ra did, then winced at the difference between their heights. Sukren was bigger than a serf had any right to be. No wonder that sneering serf earlier had been suspicious of him! Chapter 37: “The closer we get to the Uprising, the more likely it is.” Chapter 37: It wasnt until later that night that Sukren realized he had completely and totally misunderstood Fourin-ra. Shes done her part by being born, hasnt she? Fourin-ra hadnt been dismissing Mayahs life as irrelevant with that statement. Hed been referring to the other interpretation of the Prophetess Darshanas oracle. There were two Free Serf schools of thought regarding the Promised Daughter. Among those under Lady Naris patronage, the generally accepted view was that Mayah was destined to unlock the secret of space travel. The vision Lady Nari painted for them was that of a utopia, all of them working together to create starships that would rocket out of the bio-dome, off of Chudami, back to Earth itself. For centuries, the Golden Castle ruled us, and we couldnt do anything about it, Lady Nari had explained. We needed the Rajas. Without them, how could we power the bio-dome? But now that the Promised Daughter is born, we need the Rajas no longer. Who cares if the bio-dome dies? With the Promised Daughter, we are free to leave it. The Rajas, the Council, though C they dont like that. They prefer the status quo because theyre on top of it. Its not good news to them, to hear about the birth of someone who will take away their power and the point of their existence. The other interpretation, the one Fourin-ras comment suggested he ascribed to, asserted that the birth of the Promised Daughter, and her birth alone, had supernaturally turned the bio-dome into a self-sustaining structure. According to this view, the Rajas had become unnecessary thirteen years ago at the moment of Mayahs birth. Moreover, the adherents to this view C commonly called Watchers C believed that Earth was not a home world to return to, but a symbolic term used by the Prophetess Darshana to refer to a new serf paradise that would be built under the bio-dome. Lying on his back on a thin straw mat, Sukren frowned. This greenhouse village was one of Lady Naris. How had Watcher theology penetrated it? His stomach tightened at the thought of it, at the thought of the Watcher worldview gaining steam. It was dangerous, by Sarana, was it dangerous! Watchers actually thought the bio-dome would keep on protecting them even without activation by the Dome Ring. Their serf paradise was built on the bones of dead princesses. In contrast, Enablers understood the bio-dome had to keep running C that the Rajas had to keep on reproducing C while the starships were being built. If the Watchers gained the upper hand Well, not only would Mayah be killed, there would also be no one to energize the bio-dome when it ran out of power. And if the starships werent launched by then, everyone under the bio-dome would die a slow, suffocating death. I have to report this to Lady Nari, Sukren thought, his heart thudding. She needs to know that Watcher theology has taken root in one of her patron villages. Jroya and Pal, I hope this is the only one *** Gray stalagmites filled the salt field greenhouse. The red-tinted ceiling cast them in a bloody glow. Quickly Sukren told Lady Nari what he had learned. Anger flashed in her eyes as he spoke. Its Lady Kis doing, she responded. I heard she was evangelizing Watcher theology in my villages by Industrilia Castle. I didnt think it would spread so fast to other quinters. Lady Nari shook her head. Shes thinking ahead. She knows that once the Uprising happens, all of us patrons who have been spearheading the Free Serf movement will try to claim power. Shes preparing for that by drawing my village serfs away from me to her. Its a clever plan. Im her primary rival. And she knows most of my constituents are in the castles. She gambled I wouldnt notice right away that she was encroaching on my villages. Sukren was aghast. How could she be so irresponsible? A trace of a smile touched Lady Naris lips. Lady Ki is a genuine Watcher. Shes not using the theology just to establish her base. She believes in it herself. Lady Nari looked at Sukren. You did well to bring me this news. Sukren bowed his head in acknowledgment of Lady Naris praise. He appreciated it for the reassurance it gave him. He had asked Fourin-ra to use his contacts to request a meeting with Lady Nari C that had not been a fun conversation C and had prepared himself to be scolded, or worse. Instead, Lady Nari had been all business. She hadnt even commented on Sukrens insistence that he be taken out of LakeCentral Castle. The fact that she wasnt mentioning it at all did make Sukren a little nervous. Although it was possible that Lady Nari didnt much care that Sukren had abandoned his post. He had gotten the journal done, and that had been the point. Speaking of the journal Sukren cleared his throat. He wondered whether he dared to ask how Mayah had received it. He hesitated, then cleared his throat again. What is it? Lady Nari asked. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Sukren cleared his throat one more time. How how is she? Shell find your notebook soon. Whether that was good news or bad, Sukren wasnt sure, and Lady Nari didnt seem inclined to elaborate. She was gazing over his shoulder at some red-lit structure of salt and stone. Given this news, she said after a moment of reflection, Ill increase her security detail. At the same time, Ill arrange for her to be taken out of Lost Technology as soon as she reads your notebook. I dont want to give Lady Ki the opportunity to assassinate her. Sukren was startled. Do you think that could happen? The closer we get to the Uprising, the more likely it is. Where will you send her? Ill assign someone to take her through the Temple. That place is dangerous! Letting her see what happens to no longer fertile Rajas is the best way to demonstrate the danger of Rajas rule to a princess like herself. Itll be risky, but less so than leaving her in Lost Technology. Ill send someone with her who can both protect her and tie her to the Free Serf cause. Do you have any recommendations? Sukren considered the planned phases Mayah was supposed to go through. After a period of isolation within the starter group C the Rajas, in Mayahs case C the subject was to be exposed to fear that she would suffer harm from continued association with the starter group. At the same time, the subject was to be tied into the target group, the Free Serfs, through social relationships and literature. These two phases would be repeated as often as necessary, until the subject had aligned with the target group. Then the subject would be exposed to a controlled rejection from the target group, in order to trigger in her old fears of exclusion and a corresponding willingness to do anything to keep on belonging. It was the strategy Lady Nari used on all her recruits, including on Sukren himself. It worked well. In Mayahs case, only after she went through all the stages could she be told she was the Promised Daughter. That was Lady Naris policy. Only after she is totally aligned with the Free Serfs, ready to prove on her body that she is one of us, can she know of her position of power. We must wait until she shares our interests and our incentives. Otherwise she will be but an ally C and more than useless. Vek, Sukren said slowly. Hes very sincere. Charming. Mayah will like him. Vek it is. Now, I want you to undo Lady Kis work at the village youre in. Ill arrange for you to get new papers. Make sure the adolescents, at least, re-convert back to Enabler thought. Give it a few diurnals. After that, Im sending you to a safe house in Stoneset Quinter. Youll join Mayah there. For a moment Sukren couldnt breathe. Hed never thought that hed be reunited with Mayah so quickly. Hed imagined it would take seasons of concerted effort. Was Lady Nari reinstating him as Mayahs handler already? Maybe C dare he let himself hope C would she next send them both to a village? Youll finalize her recruitment there, take her through the last stage. Sukren paused. What do you mean? Greet her with coldness when you see her again. Dont demonstrate any intimacy. Instruct Vek and any others with you to keep her at a distance as well. After a week of this C no, two weeks C Youre talking about the phases, Sukren whispered. You want me to C you want me to take her through the last phase. I do. The way she said it, the way she looked at him Sukren went cold. Lady Nari might not be angry that hed wormed his way out of LakeCentral Castle, but now he understood that she didnt intend to let him get away with it. She was giving Sukren this specific assignment for a reason. She knew exactly what it would do to him. After two weeks of this, Lady Nari continued, her voice hard and emotionless, you will bring her to me. *** Most villagers cared nothing for the political struggles that dominated castle life. In his efforts to re-convert Vegetable Post #6, Sukren never referenced the tensions that existed between Free Serf patrons. Nor did he attempt to explain the theological differences between Watcher and Enabler thought. Instead he shared stories about Mayah growing up in a serf village. This is a princess who would rather be a Chenta serf, he said, knowing it would be true eventually. This is a Rajas who chose our struggle. She will lead us back to Earth C our home planet. It was the kind of line that would work only in a village. Animosity against the Rajas ran too high among the serfs who served in the castles. Sometimes Sukren wondered why Lady Ki had not attempted to woo away Lady Naris servies, those like Vek who were not doctor-priests or regents. They were a better audience for Watcher thought. He supposed it was because Lady Naris dominion over her castle serfs was near absolute. It was widely accepted that there was no patron like her. Most patrons looked for strong, skilled serfs to take into their patronage. They wanted value. Lady Nari, on the other hand, had focused on the rejects. The children nobody looked twice at. Those who could not defend themselves against abuse. Shed even invited and traded for specific shadow members. Over time, Lady Nari had created a formidable network through these discards, most of them now adults, all of them devoted to the one patron who had given them a chance. In a few diurnals Sukren had re-converted almost everyone from Mnidi to Fourin-ra back to Enabler theology. He received another booklet and a travel pass giving him permission to go to Stoneset Quinter. Youll have to be careful, came a message from Lady Nari. We may have gotten Lady Kis attention. Shell probably be looking for you. Ill be careful, Sukren thought to himself. Ill be careful, Ill be careful. He was not looking forward to seeing Mayah. Chapter 38: “GET YOUR FRESH MILKSKIN RIGHT HERE..." Chapter 38: Stoneset Quinter was all the way south and then to the west. It took Sukren three days of travel to get there from Woodheart Quinter, mostly because he took it as slowly as possible. Forest travel was not easy; hollow-trees hemmed in the villages of Woodheart Quinter. And after finally escaping the so-called wooden heart of the bio-dome, Sukren had to traverse Industrilia Quinter. He was stopped at least six times by the mobile checkpoint units that circled around the factories. Each time he endured vigorous questioning, despite his travel pass. Whats your business? Why are you going to Stoneset Quinter? Vegetable Post #6 sent me, Sukren would reply. We had a contract with a Xhota stall, but the merchant breached, and didnt pay us what she said she would. Im going there to collect what she owes us. Usually the Eenta soldier interrogating him would snort in response. Sukren found such responses annoying, although he appreciated what the soldier was trying to communicate. When a Chenta village breached a contract with a Xhota stall, the merchant in charge of the stall would hire Eenta soldiers to collect on the village. When a Xhota merchant was the breacher, sometimes the Chenta would try to hire Eenta soldiers, too, but more often than not they would send one of their own to reason with the merchant. Either way, it worked only sometimes. Xhota stalls pooled together their credits to buy off any Eenta soldiers harassing them, and village serfs were rarely able to persuade a merchant of anything. That didnt stop the Chenta villages from trying though. Every once in a while a village would manage to push a Xhota merchant into paying damages. Every other time a village would manage to petition its patron to apply pressure on the Xhota merchants representative. And if a Xhota stall breached too often, word would get around and the Chenta villages as a whole would refuse to trade with it. There were ways the Chenta could protect themselves, in other words, but they didnt always work, and the indignities suffered in between successful efforts were humiliating and painful. By the end of the third day, Sukren was tired of being laughed at by Eenta soldiers, and eager to leave Industrilia Quinter behind him. He crossed the last scrub of hollow-trees that marked the boundary between Industrilia and Stoneset, then stopped, and shaded his eyes against the sun shining brilliantly through the western part of the dome. Before him lay Stoneset Quinter C the Xhota urb C rows and rows of huts stretching out. Sukren looked at the one nearest him. Like all Xhota huts, it was built on posts, its ground floor stuffed with goods and open to the bustle of the market. Sukren stepped into the first row. Immediately he jumped out of the way of a cart being rolled towards him, and nearly collided with a serf carrying a bale of cloth on his head. Two twin-painted faces came chattering by, Eenta celebrating the Greenhouse Festival. Avoiding them, Sukren pushed through a group of grim-faced women all wearing knapsacks of corn on their backs and babies on their fronts. Now he was in the second row of stalls. Merchants called out to the bystanders walking to and fro beside him. GET YOUR FRESH MILKSKIN RIGHT HERE, GROWN IN VAT POST #3! CULTURED MIAPLANT EGG C WITH WATER CHEESES! After a diurnal of traveling by himself through lonely woods and outside of canal-run factories, Sukren found all the noise a little overwhelming. That was the Xhota urb for you, though. That was Stoneset Quinter in general, actually. Unlike serfs in the other four quinters, the Xhota didnt live in greenhouse villages. They lived in an urb, a series of curved rows of stalls, rows that rippled outward from Stoneset Castle all the way to the shelterbelt. Every good made in the bio-dome, whether grown in a village or manufactured in a factory, made its way to the Xhota urb. Merchants would buy them, then re-sell them to other villages and to the castles. It was a one-stop marketplace for the entire bio-dome. Sukren managed to dodge and shift his way through the crowds to the fifth row of the urb. He went westwards, towards the sun, until he reached the stall he was looking for. A woman about his age peered through half-drawn curtains. What do you want? she asked. Im looking for Fatime. Thats me, she replied. What do you want? Can I come in? Fatime seemed reluctant. Sukren decided not to wait around for her to decide to reject him and pushed his way through the curtains into the stall. This wasnt his only mission. He also had to go to the sixth row and find a merchant named Yexin and pass on a message to him. At the end of the full fifth day, exit by the eastmost column, regardless. What it meant Sukren had no idea, but it would be passed down a chain of agents until it reached someone who did understand it, whose life it would probably save. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Inside the stall there was barely enough room to stand, let alone sit. Crates, piled all the way up to the ceiling, filled it. Sukren could smell the fresh vegetables inside them: eggplant, lettuce, tomato. Youre in breach, Sukren said, getting straight to the point. You owe two more payments to Vegetable Post #6. Youre a village serf? Fatime looked skeptical. Show me your papers. She pointed at Sukrens satchel, clearly expecting him to open it and give her his booklet. Youre not a soldier and Im not at a checkpoint, Sukren replied. He didnt want Fatime to derail the conversation. He was wearing a new village suit, one that fit him, thank Sarana, so there was no reason for Fatime to suspect Sukren of being anything other than a village serf. Pay up. Youre a little more aggressive than the other Chenta they usually send, Fatime replied. Do you have a habit of breaching on Chenta villages? Sukren shot back. Thats good to know. Maybe you need to be blacklisted. At that, Fatime hesitated. She took a tiny step back so that she was practically leaning against one of the stacked crates. I wasnt able to get as good of a price on a sale I was counting on, she admitted. I dont have the credits to finish paying Vegetable Post #6. That made no sense. Sukren didnt know a ton about how Xhota political organization worked, but he knew that several stalls, sometimes even a whole row of fifty stalls, would form a collective, and then elect from their ranks a representative to advocate for them. One of the responsibilities of that representative was also to pool the resources of her stalls in order to insure against any breaches made by individual stalls within the collective. Sure, the pooled credits were mostly used to pay off Eenta soldiers, but if Sukren pressed enough, maybe theyd be given to Sukren instead. Ask your representative, Sukren replied. Fatimes eyes narrowed. You sure know a lot for a village serf. And your castle serf pidgin isnt bad, either. For the first time, Sukren began wondering whether he was playing his role wrong. Hed assumed he was acting like any village serf would, but Fatimes consistent negative reaction was giving him some doubts. Or was Fatime simply messing with him, trying to intimidate him? Sukren decided to take the risk. Unless you want me to go to your representative? No, Fatime snapped. Come come back tomorrow morning. Ill have the payments then. Good. Without waiting for a response, Sukren pulled the curtain aside and stepped back out into the bustle and hustle of the row. That had gone well. Or so Sukren hoped. Hed know tomorrow morning. For now, Sukren would put Fatime out of his mind, and focus on part two of his mission, finding Yexin. It took him a while. After wandering around in the sun for over an hour, Sukren was glad when Yexin welcomed him into his stall with a water bulb. Give me a minute, just a minute to finish this sale, he said. His wrinkled face was smiling even as he hobbled, back bent, to his customer. Surrounded by rugs, mats and pieces of cloth, Sukren watched as Yexin bartered with a young short-haired woman dressed in strange, skin-like clothing, the likes of which Sukren had never seen before. They seemed to be haggling over a length of fur at the womans feet. After a few minutes, the deal was done. Yexin came to greet Sukren again, rubbing his hands together. Fingers are always cold, he said. I can take a look for you, Sukren offered. Yexin gave a delighted cackle. Youre a doctor-priest? For a second Sukren panicked, then he remembered, of course, Yexin was one of Lady Naris agents. Accustomed to disguises, he wouldnt take Sukrens village suit as a definitive sign of his identification. Yes, I am, Sukren replied with a smile. It was nice to meet someone friendly, for once. He glanced at the young woman stuffing a rolled-up rug into an already full back-carrier. She gave Yexin a smile, then re-joined the crowd outside the stall. Who was that? Sukren asked. Yexin gestured him forward to sit on a thick carpet in the middle of the floor. Shes one of the Cursed. They come here to trade. That fur she gave me, it came from an animal they hunted down outside the bio-dome, if you can believe it. The Cursed? Sukren had read about them but had never seen one before. They were the descendants of the mutineers, forced to live since the Crash Landing in the buffer zone between the shelterbelt that surrounded the bio-dome proper, and the edge of the bio-dome. He hadnt known they came to trade with the Xhota. Let me see your hands, Sukren said. Yexin held them out. The serfs fingers were discolored, mottled white and blue. When did you start to notice C Sukren began. Then he felt a shadow blocking the sun behind him. Sukren Kanari. Sukren shot to his feet at the sound of his patron name. He almost turned to face the man calling him, but Yexin stopped him. Hes from Lady Ki, Yexin hissed. I know him. Run. Now. Sukren dove to the side, hoping to get lost in the crowd. His satchel with his false papers and medicine kit was yanked from his grasp. Sukren let it go. He weaved through a tangle of arms and limbs, cursing himself as he went along. He should have given Yexin the message right away, then moved on to the safe house at which he was supposed to wait for Mayah. How could he have let a friendly face lull him into a false sense of peace? Stupid, stupid! Nobody seemed to be following him, at least. But Sukren couldnt be sure if that meant Yexin had managed to stall Lady Kis agent or if it meant the agent was successfully evading Sukrens senses. Either way, Sukren knew better than to return to Yexin. Or even Fatime tomorrow. For all Sukren knew, Fatime had reported him to someone, maybe even to Lady Kis agents. Feeling frustrated with himself, Sukren spent the entire day wandering around the urb, ducking this way and that, until he was certain nobody was on his trail. Only then did he finally make his way to the safe house. Chapter 39: “You know I’m going to report this.” Chapter 39: You cant stay here, Petrika told him. Not without an overnight pass. I cant leave, Sukren replied haltingly in Xhom. He hesitated, then repeated himself in the castle serf pidgin, a Xhom-based creole he knew better than he knew pure Xhom. I cant leave, either. The agent took all my papers, including my travel slip. Petrika began drawing shut the curtains around her stall. Sukren helped her, then leaned against a column and watched as she lit a firelamp hanging from the center of the ceiling. Theyll come check soon, she said, without turning to look at him. They always come after sundown. Sukren buried his face in his hands. He couldnt believe he was in this position. It was bad enough that he had failed to accomplish his mission. If he got caught without papers, hed be caged in the lake until someone came to vouch for him. The Free Serfs would send someone to get him eventually, but Sukren didnt know how long he could survive the caging for. Oh Sarana, why had he let go of his satchel? You know Im going to report this. Sukren looked up. What do you mean? Your missions failure. I have to report it. Sukren had told Petrika what had happened. I wasnt going to hide it, he replied. Good. There was nothing quite like the self-righteousness of a twelve-year-old girl. Some of them were Lady Naris best agents, but that didnt make them any less irritating. You dont need to threaten me. Im not threatening. Im just telling you. Sukren looked at the ground. Fine. After a few moments of silence, Petrika spoke. So what are you going to do? I dont know. If you get caught, theyll take you to the cages C I know. Sukren had been caged once before. His doctor-priest had been angry at him for something, probably for accidentally breaking some equipment, and had decided to have him punished. Thirteen and terrified, Sukren had spent a night inside one of the cone-shaped cages. Only the vertex of the cone had been above the waters surface. He and the other two serfs with him had taken turns breathing, all night long. He still remembered the feeling of cold water all around his naked flesh as he waited, waited, holding his breath, for his turn to swim up to the top of the cone and thrust his mouth and nose out of the water into a space just big enough for one persons upturned face. He stood upright. Damned if he was going to let that happen to him again. Where are you going? I dont know. In the darkness Sukren could just make out the troubled look on Petrikas face. Listen, she said. I dont know if youve heard, but lately a lot of serfs have been crossing the shelterbelt to live in the Cursed urb. You might be able to join them. Just for a week, until the Promised Daughter arrives. Ill have new papers for you by then. It was a better plan than nothing. How do I get there? Petrika knelt and started tracing a design in the dust on the floor. It took Sukren a moment to recognize that it was a map of the bio-dome. A giant eye, that was what it had always looked like to Sukren. There was the pupil C the holy lake in the center. And the shelterbelt circumscribing the bio-dome proper, that was the iris. The dome itself, stretched over everything, was the convex lens. Sukren studied the iris. The two Chenta-majority quinters of Woodheart and Lost Technology were to the north. Stoneset Quinter, the only Xhota quinter among the five, was to the southwest. Sandwiched between the two Eenta-majority quinters, Stoneset Quinter was bordered on its east by Industrilia, and on its other side by LakeCentral. Each quinter bordered the holy lake; each quinters castle grew by the lakes shore. The Cursed live here, Petrika said, pointing to the southern end of the eye, in the sclera. She then drew two short parallel lines crossing the shelterbelt, as if marking a gate. I hear theres a gap at the top of the shelterbelt here, she said, pointing to the lines she had just drawn. You can go through it to cross into Cursed territory. Sukren nodded. Ill be back in a week, he said. He felt Petrikas eyes on him as he left. Meandering through the ever-thinning crowds, Sukren managed to get to the last row of Xhota huts. He leaned into a column and observed the semi-circular area he still had to cross in order to get to the tightly packed row of trees that made up the shelterbelt. It was filled with shrubs and small vegetation. There was nothing to hide him from the sight of others. He would have to make a break for the gap at the top of the shelterbelt. Sukren heard the electrical hum before he saw the man rushing him. Instinctively he ducked. The end of a serf prod smashed into the column where Sukrens head had been a mere second ago. Lashing out with his hand, Sukren scratched the mans face. With a snarl the man brought the serf prod down on Sukrens arm; electricity shot through it. When the prod came down on his flank, Sukren dropped to one knee, gasping, trying to keep from moaning. Then it smashed into his back, knocking him to the ground. The sound of sliding bioplastic reached Sukrens ears. He knew then that the man was there to kill him. He tried to crawl away, but the electricity was still coursing through his muscles, crippling him. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Please, Sukren croaked. What C what do you want? In response, the serf prod came whistling down on his head. Sukrens eyes drooped shut as the electricity rocked through his skull. He could feel the edge of a knife pricking his throat. Desperate, he prayed. Please, dont let me die here, not like this, not with the truth unsaid to Mayah! Whether a god heard his prayer or not, Sukren didnt know. But when the man dropped to the ground beside him, a moment after the hiss of a dart, Sukren responded in praise, touching his numb fingers to one closed eyelid, then the other. He felt someone pulling at him. Get up, a small, high voice said. Petrika? Sukren mumbled. I thought you might need help. His bag, my bag, Sukren heard himself say. My papers. There was the sound of rustling cloth. Is this your bag? Yes. Theres only a medicine kit in here, and a daysclock. Sukren forced himself to stand. Give it to me, he told Petrika. She handed him the bag. He wanted to tell her that she needed to find a new safe house, that Lady Kis agents probably already knew where she lived, but he couldnt clear his buzzing mind enough to articulate the words. Dont go home, was all he could manage. Thankfully, she understood. I wont, she replied. Meet me in a week at the corner of the firelamp stall, row 6. Now go! Afterwards Sukren could never quite understand how he had managed it. But a minute or so later, he found himself climbing through the gap that the Cursed had cut out of the shelterbelts branches. He hoisted himself through the opening, then clambered down to the other side, panting. He could see lights all around him, a glowing green and blue nested into the bio-dome itself. There was cooking smoke up ahead. Voices, too, a slow, steady chatter. He staggered towards them. *** The serf nudged Sukrens legs. Move. Sukren did his best to shift out of the way, but the ditch was not very wide, and the serf ended up crawling over Sukrens feet. Welcome to the Gathers Children ditch, someone had said to Sukren upon his arrival. His body still ravaged by electricity, Sukren had acknowledged the words, but not thought about them. It wasnt until the next day, after looking at the worn faces of the serfs lying in the dug-out channel, that Sukren thought he understood what kind of people the Gathers Children were. Hungry, thirsty, and in need C like him. Those needs, however, were soon met. Water he got from wells inside the Cursed urb, the western edge of which was marked by the Gathers Children ditch. Rations, too, came from the Cursed. Before long, Sukren found himself anxious for work. A whisper here, a meeting there, a wound cleaned and bandaged, a report given, a story told, a diagnosis made C this had been Sukrens life. A week was a long time in which to do nothing. In its poverty, the Gathers Children ditch felt just enough like a greenhouse village that sheer force of habit led Sukren to begin inquiring after the medical concerns of the other serfs. Almost at once the prescriptions in his kit were used up. His continued efforts won him trust, and the serfs there began sharing with him not just their physical stories but the ones inside their souls. Most of them were village Chenta. They wept as they spoke of the Eenta soldiers who had taken their food, their children, and their dignity. They cried as they told him of their decision to leave the bio-dome proper to become refugees. Many were furious at the Cursed. They are the descendants of the mutineers! one young woman had cried out. Yet they act as if they were better than us! From what Sukren could tell, the young womans statement was not inaccurate. The Cursed whom Sukren did see were not friendly. They gave food, they gave water, and prayed every day, it seemed, that the Saranai would go back home. But while Sukren understood his peoples frustration, he himself was not as bothered. Hed always found village life to be more relaxing than the maneuvering that made up a castles day-to-day. A simulacrum though this ditch might be, it wasnt so bad. Especially as Sukren wasnt staying for long. The night he was supposed to return to the Xhota urb, he slipped outside the ditch to stare at the planet through the hexagonal gaps made up C and framed by C the bio-domes branches. He had never seen Chudamis surface before. As far as the eye could see, identical, red-crusted plants with giant, drooping leaves lined the ground outside the bio-dome. Mountains loomed in the distance, gray and cold. Someday we will leave this place, Sukren thought. Someday we will thrust ourselves off this wretched planet and go home. A longing swept over him, deep and lonely. Alone, now, Sukren could feel himself relax, could feel himself finally facing the emotions hed pushed down ever since his meeting with Lady Nari. I dont want to obey her, he thought with a quiet desperation. Oh, Sarana, I dont want to, I dont want to! Sukren could see Mayah in his minds eye, eager, happy, excited to be in on the secret hed kept from her all this time. He didnt know if he had it in him to reject her. For two weeks, its only two weeks, he told himself. But those two weeks loomed large, as large as all the years of his life. Sukren looked up at the sky. The solar flares danced across the starry night. He thought about the first time he heard the oracle of the Promised Daughter. The hope that it had inspired in him. Earth was the goal, the end. Where everything would be better. The brokenness gone, the pain redeemed. A place to start over. Sukren had long ago understood that he was not like the other Free Serfs, to whom Earth was a bonus prize second to winning serf freedom. Their fervor was different. At times he had tried to mimic them. It was almost ironic that it was the memory of his parents, Chenta village serfs in every bone of their bodies, that arrested his efforts. Be grateful, they told him in gentle, soft, barely remembered voices, his mother and father both. Always be grateful. They had been happy when Sukren was selected as a four-year-old to become a doctor-priest. It was a better life for their boy, and they should always be grateful. Sukren himself had carried that attitude with him into the castle, not making a sound of protest when the doctor-priest to whom he was apprenticed first touched him. He was obliged to the man, wasnt he? Be grateful. Even joining the Free Serfs, for Sukren, had been less about upending the Golden Castle, and more about Lady Nari, and what he owed her. But caring for Mayah That had been about Earth, at first. Definitely it had been about Earth. Sukren had felt himself restored as he raised Mayah to know all she would need to know in order to lead them there. If it had been up to him, he and Mayah would have stayed in the village until she was ready. He would have raised her to identify totally with the serfs by not even telling her that she was a Rajas. Taking a deep breath, Sukren rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands, blinked, then looked again at the planets surface through the bars of his home. Oh, if only there was a way for the prophecy to be fulfilled without all the lying. If only there was a way for the Promised Daughter to enter into her own without all the politics. If only I didnt have to obey Lady Nari next week Chapter 40: "Be true to your tribe. Kill the princess, and join us.” I close my fingers over the Dome Ring in my hand. The doctor-priest does not try to stop me. He knows he has just given me the most terrible news of my life. I look at my twin baby girls. They are beautiful, beautiful as children can only be to their mothers. Both of them? I ask. Both of them, he confirms. I try to think about what this means. Both my daughters are eligible to be queens. Both of them can wield the Dome Ring. Once Queen Kalia hears this news, I will never see them again. Did it have to be both of them? I whisper, and this time the doctor-priest has no reply. C excerpt from The Journal of the Lost Princess, Part I Written 765 years after the Crash Landing Chapter 40: Mayah flicked the lightstick back and forth. She had learned in the past two days since Hanjans departure both how to cast its beam forward down a dark passageway and how to bend its light back so that it shined against her face. How did I get here? she wondered. Healing serfs and searching for the Dome Ring? This isnt me. Or is it? Is this what it means to be against the rules of the Rajas? She sighed. If only the eye goggles she was wearing didnt press so tightly against her glasses underneath. If only her hair didnt feel like someone had taken clay and braided it into every strand. If only she could go to Sukren and demand an explanation. Hey, are you okay? Vek sounded so genuine. Like he actually wanted to know. Mayah almost told him that she wanted to leave the Temple, that she wanted to stop this ridiculous search for a Dome Ring that could be anywhere in the dank darkness, that she needed to talk with Sukren. But then a distant shriek reached her ears, and she froze against the slick wall beside her. It was a Rajas voice, cracked with age and desperation. Weeping for rescue. You shouldnt be hearing this, Vek said. His normally steady voice betrayed a hint of uneasiness. Are you okay? Im fine, she said quickly. Lets lets go get the Dome Ring. *** That evening in the bunker, Mayah dug through Veks knapsack until she found the map. Drawing it out, she held the lightstick over it. No one believed in reincarnation anymore, not since the Famine of the Flowers, yet Mayah felt a chill as the tips of her fingers touched the map. For five days, now, ever since she had entered the Temple, she had been struck by the sense that she had been here before. That she knew these paths somehow. But why would she feel that way? Mayah? Mayahs hands moved of their own accord, crumpling the map up and thrusting it behind her. At the same time, she backed up several paces until she was standing against the bunkers rear wall. Vek looked at her from his hammock. What are you doing awake? he asked. Nothing, Mayah said. Too loudly. Too quickly. She winced. Veks voice made it sound like she was supposed to be asleep. Had she broken a rule? Oh, she hoped Vek wouldnt be mad at her, please, please dont let him be mad at her C Youre just standing with the lightstick on, doing nothing? Mayah could see him grin. Its all right. You can tell me. Mayah wanted to believe him. Perhaps there was no need to hide. Perhaps she didnt need to be afraid that Vek would get angry and punish her for breaking a rule. Maybe that was what it meant to be free of Rajas rule. All she had to do was pull the map around and show it to Vek. Do it! she told herself. But her fists remained clenched behind her back. Youre a funny one, Vek said. Very mysterious. He yawned. Mayah stiffened as he swung out of the hammock and strode over to where she had pressed herself up against the wall. He stopped about an arms length away from her face. Mayah looked away, disliking that she wasnt taller than he was. It was just another reminder that Mayah was not the Rajas she should be C most Rajas towered over serfs. No, wait. That was Rajas glorying. It was bad to think that way. I can see youre hiding something behind your back, you know, Vek said, his voice amused. Look, whatever it is, Im not going to get angry. I promise. Mayah still couldnt move. You can trust me. His voice was soft. Whatever it is, itll be okay. Slowly, Mayah pulled out the map. She held one end of it in her hand. The rest uncrumpled until it was hanging in the air between them. You were looking at the map? Vek sounded puzzled. Thats it? Jroya and Pal, I thought He began laughing. Well, what did you find out? Did you discover something thats going to help us get out of this place? Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Mayah gave Vek an uncertain smile. He really wasnt mad at her? He didnt think it was a problem? Or maybe the rules were different now. Maybe Mayah hadnt broken one. Picking up the hanging end of the map with her other hand, she once again ran her eyes along the mazes lines. Then it shot through her, and a gasp escaped her lips. Those twists and turns! She did know those twists and turns! Almost before she knew what she was doing, Mayah grabbed the lightstick from out of its stone pocket and ran for the revolving door. Ill be right back, I just want to check something! she called to a sputtering Vek. She burst into the hallway, one hand holding the lightstick, the other grasping the map. Yes, there was a left turn here, and then a right, and then a lounge just around the corner, and C Mayah came to an abrupt stop. Standing before her in the lounge, the surprise in their eyes warped by their goggles, were four Chenta serfs. She has a map! one of them crowed. Mayah didnt stop to think. She turned at once and fled back the way she had come, the sound of pursuit swift on her heels. A few minutes later she was back at the revolving door behind which the bunker was hidden, and thank Sarana, Vek was outside it. Hey! he said. I told you not to run off His eyes widened. Mayah didnt need to turn to know that the four Chenta serfs had come into view. She ached with relief when Vek reached for her and pulled her around so that he stood between her and the approaching serfs. Oh, Sarana, how stupid she was, how stupid, how stupid! Its a Chenta, the tall serf to the very right said, a lightstick in his hand. A Chenta and a Rajas. What do you want? Vek called out, as the tall serf drew nearer. Mayah closed her eyes. She clutched the wall behind her. Rajas tail, a bow-legged man in the back sneered. Why didnt you dump your Rajas like the rest of us? You actually believe the story that were supposed to protect them? Im no Rajas tail. Veks voice was calm. Im branded. Bow-legs exchanged a glance with a stocky, young Chenta next to him. The fourth member of the crew looked, with quick, sharp eyes, first at Mayah, then at Vek. Check him, he ordered. Bow-legs and the stocky Chenta moved in to obey. Mayah flinched as they forced Veks right hand up and against the wall, then flinched again as they yanked down his sleeve to reveal his mark. The tall serf whistled. When he spoke, his tone was admiring. No patron protection at all, ever? Until I die, Vek confirmed. He pulled his hand out of the grasp of the two Chenta serfs, who looked at their leader. If youre branded, you understand, the leader said. The Temple is the only place we Chenta can have our vengeance on the Rajas who put us here. Be true to your tribe. Kill the princess, and join us. Mayah took in a very quiet, very shallow breath. But Vek was shaking his head. You dont want to kill this Rajas. There was a slight emphasis on the word this. Mayah almost missed it in the cadence of the Chenmay, but then Vek repeated himself. You dont want to kill this Rajas. Bow-legs spat at Veks feet. Religious fool, he jeered. Mayah held very still. What did Matter and Intelligence have to do with any of this? Well have the map, then, the bow-legged man announced when nobody said anything else. His arm reached around Vek and grabbed Mayahs wrist. She stiffened in resistance but didnt even have time to cry out before Vek turned and slammed his elbow into the bow-legged serfs face. His own face a mask of anger, Vek grabbed the mans littlest finger and wrenched it backward until it broke with a snap. The man howled and released Mayah. She stumbled backwards against the revolving door. She watched as the stocky and tall serfs rushed forward to grab Vek. The former prevented Vek from smashing down for the third time a fist-sized floor fragment onto Bow-legs fingers, while the latter grabbed Veks other arm. Between the two of them they pulled Vek back and slammed him against the door, which wobbled ever so slightly. Kill him! The bow-legged serf was livid. By the rock-god, kill the Rajas tail, kill him, kill him! Just because its legal to kill him doesnt mean we should, the tall serf said, standing uncomfortably close to Mayah. He destroyed my hand! Mayah scooted further down the wall. She was startled when the map was snatched from her hands by the leader, who tucked it into his belt without even glancing at her. Idem is right, the leader said. Its dishonorable to kill a branded man. Let him go, Dast. We have the map, he can keep the princess. No. Dast was holding his battered hand close to his chest. No. If you wont let me kill him, I invoke the rock-gods law of mercy. Whipping his head around, Dast glared at Vek. And if he refuses to submit to the rock-gods law of mercy, we know hes no true Chenta, and we kill him as a Rajas tail. Holy Sarana, Mayah thought unhappily. This is all my fault. She tried to pray, her fingers creeping up to touch her eyelids, but they only brushed against the bioplastic of her goggles. The vindictive tone of the bow-legged serf made Mayah feel that the rock-god law of mercy, which she had previously heard of only vaguely, was going to be anything but merciful. Im no Rajas tail. Vek spoke the same words as before, but this time he was breathing much more heavily. I submit to the law of mercy. Good, Dast snarled. Which hand is your strong hand? Right, Vek said. Give me his right hand, Dast ordered the tall serf, Idem, who glanced away. Mayah saw uneasiness flicker across his face. Look, Idem said. Hes branded. Hes never going to get back into a patronage, while we will someday. His only protection is his ability to fight. If you take a finger from his strong hand Oh, will we get back into a patronage, Idem? Someday, will we? Only if we make it out of here alive! And with this Rajas tail chasing after us, trying to get his map back, who knows? Still C He broke the bones in two of my fingers on my strong hand! Dast screamed. Ive lost them! I could set your fingers for you, Mayah thought numbly. You probably havent lost their use. You just need a good splint. Just hurry up and do it, the leader replied. Hes already submitted to the law of mercy. Idem may be right, but we dont have time to argue about it. We need to get out while we can. And actually, while were doing this, take his daysclock too. Mayah closed her eyes and sank down to the ground, folding her legs into her chest. She winced as Dast growled at Idem to place Veks hand against the wall behind them, and then again at the sound of sliding bioplastic. They were going to cut Veks finger off? How in the bio-dome was this merciful? She couldnt bear it. Mayah covered her ears and hid her face in her knees and did not look up until after she was sure all four Chenta serfs had left, until after she felt Vek touch her shoulder. Vek! Mayah gasped, scrambling to her feet. Vek, Im sorry, Im so sorry A wry smile touched his lips. I think Im going to need you to dress this wound. Mayah swallowed. Blood, bright and red, was dripping down from Veks mutilated joint. And also Yes? Mayah whispered. Please dont run off like that again. Chapter 41: “... the Temple floor. It’s wet. There’s water on it. I think… I think it’s rising." Chapter 41: Back in the bunker, Mayah folded a thick white bandage over Veks injury. How is this an act of mercy? It had been a rhetorical question, but Vek answered it seriously. Its an old law. I mean, you heard him. He wanted to kill me because I broke his fingers. Back then that was the way it was all the time. A life for a finger, then my brothers would kill him, then his brothers would kill mine, and on and on. An eye for an eye, though, a finger for a finger C that shows mercy to those who otherwise would get sucked into the feud. His voice was quiet, almost brooding. It made Mayah nervous. But she was already kneeling before Vek as he sat on the trunk. She couldnt really get into a more repentant position. Im sorry, she said again. Im really sorry they cut your finger off. Oh, I dont care about that as much as just I never thought Id be called a Rajas tail again. He half-shook his head. Especially not after I got branded. Desperately Mayah wished she hadnt run into the serfs. At the same time, though, she felt confusion rising up inside her. Vek cared more about not being called a Rajas tail than he did losing his finger? Mayah had heard some serfs back in her village call Sukren a Rajas tail for being a doctor-priest, but when shed told Sukren about it, he hadnt seemed to think it was a big deal. Then again, Mayah thought with a flash of shame, Sukren had probably just been hiding his true feelings from her. I thought serfs called only regents and doctor-priests Rajas tails, she said. Why would anyone call you that? Youre just a Chenta serf, arent you? A bitter laugh escaped Veks lips. Yes. Just a Chenta serf. With a special father. Mayah didnt know what to say. After a moment, Vek shrugged. Well, its done now. No finger, no map, no daysclock. Nothing we can do about it. What were you so excited about, anyway, that you had to go run off for? Oh! Mayah leapt to her feet, the lines of the maze returning to her memory. Oh, Vek, I think In the midst of the conflict with the Chenta serfs, Mayah had forgotten her discovery. She tied off the swathe around Veks hand and urged him out of the bunker, grabbing the pack of supplies and the lightstick herself. What? What is it? I think Mayah took a few steps forward. I think Another step, and the walls around her spun. It was as if Mayah was back in Lost Technologys library, its wooden bookcases standing in for the Temples stone walls. The slope they were on C how many times had Mayah walked down it on her way to Circle Plaza? She barely heard Veks queries as she rushed past the bookcase with the thick filigree and then around a curve in the wooden wall. There it was! With the same figure in its center, to boot! I knew I knew this place, Mayah said, as Vek came up behind her. She turned, her face shining. I knew I knew it. Her eyes drank in her surroundings, and she laughed out loud. The bunker was the panoramic tower you took me into! And look, here, this shelf holds the Biographies of Notable Princesses! Oh, Vek, all this time, I kept feeling like I had been here before C and I was right! Vek was grinning at her, and Mayah knew he was doing so despite his pain. I told you you were special, he said, and Mayah could just see him wink from under his goggles. *** Rings Home. Mayah could picture it in her minds eye. The lounge where she first became friends with Qat, the one with the defunct fountain, or statue shaped like a fountain, or whatever it was, Mayah still didnt know. She knew how to get there though. The paths, the darkness, everything was all familiar now. Why though? Mayah wondered out loud. Her feet were sure as they traveled through the shadowed hallways. It doesnt make sense. Why would they build the same labyrinth into the Temple and the library? Vek shrugged. Rajas, you know, as if that explained everything. Mayah felt a little miffed. Rajas werent that bad. Well, maybe they were, if she was doing her absolute best to escape from them, but still, it seemed like Vek brought up how crazy the Rajas were like every other second. A splash sounded up ahead; without hesitating Mayah turned left down a different path. She found herself feeling excited at her very confidence. She knew the way. To Rings Home! Oh, Mayah hoped that the Dome Ring really would be at Rings Home. That would be perfect. And it would be there, wouldnt it? Why else would the lounge have been named Rings Home? Mayah took another turn to the right, and then another, and then they were there. She touched Veks arm. Look! she whispered. Vek said nothing, but his eagerness was easy to read. He strode ahead of her towards the fountain. She followed. Around them the walls loomed, enclosing them and the fountain in a circle. Fixed to the basin of the fountain was an upside-down U, like a sheepshoe, fused to the surface on both ends. And beneath it C there it was C its emerald glistening C the Dome Ring. Mayah caught her breath. Its actually here! She hoisted herself up onto the rim of the basin. But theres a bioplastic chain connecting the ring to the sheepshoe. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Use this, Vek said. He tugged free the knife sheathed at his belt and placed it next to her knee. Careful, its metal. A metal knife? Mayah had never heard of metal being used to make anything but capacitors. She looked at the knife uncertainly. Can you do it? Vek held up his bandaged hand, the dressings soaked in red. Id probably end up slicing my arm off if I tried. Just be careful with it. Youll be fine. Mayah positioned herself on her knees so that her weight would be balanced. The lightstick she placed next to her. Through its glow Mayah saw that the bioplastic chain only had to be severed at one point for the Dome Ring to come loose. Pricking at the tightly linked chain was delicate work, but the blades edge was keen, and it took her only a few minutes to free the ring from its fetter. I got it, Mayah breathed. Cautiously she placed the knife down so Vek could sheathe it. She then pulled her sleeve down over her fingers so she could pick up the ring without touching it directly. Vek leaned forward. His eyes gleamed under his goggles. Put it on. I put it on? Its the best way to store it, isnt it? Mayah hesitated. I guess so. Unless you want me to put it on. It would appropriately reflect my glory C only barely though. Mayah laughed. Vek had switched to speak in Rajim, imitating exactly the affected tones of a prince. Still smiling, she looked at the Dome Ring. The entire basis of Rajas rule was here, in the palm of her hand. A wave of emotion rushed through her. She thought of all she had been through at the hands of the Rajas, of the suffering she had endured. Of the change Vek clearly believed in, the hope Sukren had written about in his journal. Gripped by longing, Mayahs heart ached to take the Dome Ring to Sukren, to tell him, Look, look, Sukren, see what Ive done! See how Ive stolen from them that which they hold most dear! I have their power now. They cant hurt us anymore. Her sleeve had slipped out from under the Dome Ring. The band was heavy in her hand. Its shaft showed streaks of bioplastic melded into the metal. With fingers that did not shake, Mayah picked the ring up, then slid it onto the second finger of her left hand. Then she screamed. What? What is it? Vek shouted. Mayah ignored him. Oh Sarana, her finger, it hurt, the ring, she had to take it off, she had to take it off now! Nearly sobbing, Mayah tugged and jerked the Dome Ring up her finger. Finally it came loose. She gasped and held her finger up. Streaks of red ran from the base of her finger to her nail. The ring shot out claws, she managed, chest heaving. She closed her eyes. It hurts, oh, it hurts! Claws? Vek repeated. Yes, Mayah said. She glared at the Dome Ring; it lay indifferently on the basins rim. It must have a serrated inside, but the claws didnt extend right away. Jroya and Pal, I have no idea whats entering my bloodstream right now give me some water. I have to wash this out. Mayah took in a shuddering breath, blinking away her tears. She wanted to continue complaining, to tell Vek she would have never put on the Dome Ring had she known it was going to attack her, but it seemed childish to complain about a few lacerations when Vek was missing an entire finger. Yes, it hurt, but the pain wouldnt last. She hoped. Unless there was some sort of bacteria in the claws, Mayah thought unhappily as Vek handed her a water bulb. That would be just her luck. She had finished cleaning the cuts and had wrapped a bandage from the pack around her finger, when Vek gave a yelp. What? Mayah asked. The ground is wet. What? The floor, the Temple floor. Its wet. Theres water on it. I think I think its rising. Lets go, Mayah announced. She picked up the Dome Ring and tucked it into one of her frocks pockets, grimacing at the sight of her formerly white pantaloons. Were done here. How do we get out? I dont know. Is there a way out of the library that might also be an exit from the Temple? Mayah cocked her head to the side, running through the library in her minds eye. Yes. Theres a door near here, where the library opens up to a balcony. Lead the way, Vek said. He grabbed the knife, re-sheathed it, then pointed at the lightstick. You take that. Ill carry the pack. Mayah grabbed the lightstick and began splashing her way past the walls that loomed all around her. Their shadows jumped out from under the light in her hand. All the while the sound of rushing water grew louder. Were they flooding the place? A few more turns, and there the exit would be, the opening to the balcony Where was the exit? Mayah skidded to a stop. The ground was slick under her feet. She looked at Vek but her goggles were so dirty and fogged up from crying earlier, she could scarcely make out his face. Where is it? she heard him ask. He held out his hand for the lightstick, then waved it over what seemed to be a solid wall in front of them. Is it here? Falling to her knees, Mayah began slapping at the wall. Already the water had risen several fingers widths. It should be right here, she said, her hands drawing in the air where the door should be. Why was there no door? What had happened to the door? She brought her face closer to where the exit should be, but only managed to bump her eye goggles into a protrusion off the wall. She cursed, reaching up to rub the skin that her goggles had pushed into. Then the fury and frustration she had been holding in at not being able to see anything properly exploded out of her, and she tore off her goggles and threw them away behind her. Now she could see. Even with her sweat streaking her glasses, Mayahs vision was still a thousand times clearer. Twisting her head around, she was struck by the intricate carvings on the ceiling of the maze, which seemed so much loftier now. What she had taken as rough bumps and rude work on the walls was actually part of an elaborate pattern, and even the floor of the labyrinth, which she could see through the rising water, seemed to have a script etched into it. Vek and his horrified expression were clearer, as was the lightstick, which gave off a more yellow glow than green C and so was the handle fixed into the wall before her, beneath the lapping surface of the water. Mayah grabbed the handle and twisted it all the way around. As the water rose, the wall in front of her revealed itself to be made up of a series of overlapping vertical slats that were now turning onto their sides and pulling apart, creating a gap in their center like a mouth opening in a yawn. Mayah could almost see the balcony on the other side. She reached for Veks uninjured hand; he returned her grip. Together they entered the mouth. And together they slipped, with a splash, into the waters of the holy lake. Chapter 42: “Vek, I can’t see anything, and there are things in the water.” Chapter 42: Mayah screamed, and immediately let go of Veks hand. Her cry was smothered as she went underwater. When she sputtered back up to the top, she gasped for breath, and oh Sarana, the air, it was fresh and free, it was outside, and the darkness around her too, it was tinted by the colorful lights of the bio-dome oh so high above them, just where it was supposed to be, and oh, Mayah could almost weep from how normal everything was, except for the fact that she was drowning. Swim! she heard Vek shout, and it occurred to Mayah that she did know how to swim, that she had in fact learned how to do so just last year in a special junior Rajas pool class. Her hands and feet began moving as she started treading the water. Panic struck her briefly when she thought about the Dome Ring C but then she checked her pocket, and it was still there. Good, she heard Vek say. His head was bobbing up and down. He had removed his goggles; Mayah could clearly see the relief in his face through her now water-streaked lenses. You do know how to swim. Mayah laughed, then spat out the gulp of water that filled her mouth. The only thing I dont know how to do is drown, she tried to joke, but she only ended up sputtering on another mouthful of lake. Are you up for swimming to shore? asked Vek. Mayah craned her neck, trying to catch a glimpse of land. Which way is shore? she asked, letting her kicks and paddles take her away from the Temple. She was glad it was dark. Even the little light that was gleaming down from the bio-dome above was hurting her eyes. More than hurting them, in fact. Her eyes were stinging, and her vision was blurring. She felt something brush past her and she shied away, her hands splashing at the water. Vek, was that you? she called, her eyes still watering too much for her to see anything. Another something rushed by her and a moment later Vek responded, Something just went by me in the water! By Sarana. Was the entire bio-dome populated with monsters and things out to hurt her? And why now, when she couldnt see anything? Why after they left the Temple, when everything was supposed to be better? She opened her mouth to ask Vek if he was having trouble seeing too, but another wave splashed inside it. As she swallowed Mayah felt something snake around her leg before moving on. Vek? Mayah called, the panic starting to rise in her voice. Vek, I cant see anything, and there are things in the water. The world was a gray blur that spun around and around. Mayah felt a strong pressure around her wrist. It was warm and firm and Veks voice followed. You cant see? What do you mean? Everything is blurry. We should go back to the Temple. We need to get on land. Bile rose in Mayahs throat. No, she tried to say, but she only ended up choking. Vek guided her through the water and all at once a vision came to Mayahs mind of spending the rest of her life on the inside of a wall that blocked out the worlds light I shouldnt have taken the goggles off inside the Temple, she lamented, latching onto the only thing she could think of to explain her sudden blindness. Im always doing something stupid that ends up hurting me. If I hadnt taken them off I would probably be able to see right now. But thats so unfair! If I had kept them on, wed still be inside the Temple, drowning, because I wouldnt be able to see the handle! Dont cry, Vek was saying. Well, you can see fine, Mayah thought resentfully. And Im not even crying, its just my eyes are watering so much, and maybe Im crying a little bit, but anybody would if they were about to go blind. But as Mayah blinked away her tears, images began superimposing themselves onto her eyes. Was that the Temple she was seeing? Mayah broke Veks grasp to pull both hands up to rub her eyes under her glasses. Yes, yes, it was! The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. They had drifted to the side of the Temple, where, Mayah saw, there was a shoreline of black rocks. From where she was in the water, only the Temples eastmost column was visible, all the way to her left. It stood white against the Temples darkness. Mayah squinted at something on the rocks to the right of the column. Vek, is that a boat? Shh. Vek placed a hand on Mayahs shoulder and pushed her deeper into the water. Yes, it is, and theres a soldier next to it. We can take him. Follow me. Mayah slunk beneath the surface of the lake until just her eyes and the top of her head were above it. She could hear nothing but the quiet song of the water. She kept her eyes on the soldier as she used silent strokes to propel herself forward. She wondered what Veks plan was. We can take him. Did that mean something other than wait in the water while Vek attacked the soldier? Or did it mean they were going to make something up together when they arrived? At any rate, she was glad she could see. It made everything less frightening. Vek tapped her on the shoulder. Underwater, the movement felt more hesitant than she was used to from him. They were now about five strokes away from the shore where the black rocks rose out of the water. The soldier was jumping back and forth on them. Mayah almost smiled at the sight. It looked like he C she? C was playing a serf childrens game, jumping from stone to stone, one leg jutting out to the side at a time. Mayah looked at Vek, to see what they should do next, when the soldier whipped around and stared out into the lake. Mayah ducked underwater. She kept herself beneath the surface for as long as she could, fighting her natural buoyancy. When she had to emerge, she found the soldier was gesturing at them. Mayah turned to Vek. He looked as confused as she felt. Does she think were drowning? Mayah murmured, treading water to stay where she was. Now that Mayah was closer she could tell that the soldier was indeed a woman, quite a young one, in fact, maybe around Mayahs own age. No, she wouldnt care about that, I dont think, Vek murmured back. His face was still a mask of confusion. The soldier was continuing to wave at them but had not made a sound. More than once she had nervously looked over her shoulder to where the other soldiers would be standing at attention by their columns. We still need a boat, Mayah pointed out. And if she wants to turn us in, she would have already shouted to someone. Its not like we have anywhere to go. If they see us, theyll catch us. Her arms were getting tired. Mayah relaxed them, letting herself float in the dark waters. Strange that the lake was so black. She supposed there was some sort of mud coating on the bottom of the lake, and long thin things growing up out of it, reaching out to grab her and pull her down Im going in, Mayah announced. The soldier continued to wave at them. Once Mayah was closer she could see that the soldier was a pretty Eenta girl, her curly hair pulled back into a hairtail. Making sure to keep to the right of the Temples single visible column, Mayah swam to the boat and used it to pull herself up onto the rocks. It was the same kind of boat that had carried Mayah and Vek to the Temple, only filled with bioplastic-wrapped bundles, and with two seats instead of just the stern seat. What took you so long? the soldier hissed. Confused by the question, Mayah glanced at Vek. His shaved head was streaked wet and water dripped down his face as he opened his mouth, then shut it. Mayah turned back to the soldier. What? Ive been waiting here for the past two hours, the soldier continued in a low, angry tone. Do you know how much trouble the Free Serfs would have gotten in if I had been caught? You were supposed to come out of the Temple by the eastmost column before the start of 54ths first nightsleep, werent you told that? What in the name of Jroya and Pal were you doing in the lake? No, we werent told, Vek finally replied. I mean C we ran into trouble. But were here now, and ready to go. Is that boat for us? No, its for the Lost Princess, the soldier snapped. Of course its for you, serfhead. Get in it now and get out of here. The next agent will be meeting you at the end of darkwake in the crosspoint of Industrilias forest. She took another glance around the lake, then snapped her fingers at Mayah. Hurry up, do you want to get caught? Lovely girl, Vek commented dryly, as the soldier disappeared around the corner of the Temple. Gives good advice, too. Lets follow it, Mayah replied, and then she joined Vek in shoving their boat across the black rocks into the blacker water. Chapter 43: “They might leave you alone, but they’ll kill me without thinking." Chapter 43: The boat floated across the lake, as gentle as a leaf on a pond. It moved about as slowly as a leaf, too, or so Mayah thought, with Mayahs and Veks uneven strokes turning them this way and that and to the left and to the right. At one point they almost careened into sight of the soldiers at the front of the Temple. That was when Vek told her, thanks, but he would take care of both oars. What about your hand, though? Mayah asked, a little embarrassed. I think it stopped bleeding. Let me change the bandages, at least. Veks hand had not stopped bleeding, and when Mayah took a closer look at his face, she realized he was turning gray. This time she took more than the proper ten minutes to make sure the wound was closed. All the linen in Veks pack was soaked, but Mayah squeezed out the pieces the best she could before applying them to his injury. It made her nervous that Vek didnt seem to have the strength to joke or banter with her as he usually did. You should eat, she whispered, feeling bad that all she had to offer was a soaked food bar. Here, take this. And drink this water bulb, too, you need to replenish your blood. Vek ate and drank but returned as soon as he could to his rowing. They had been maneuvering through a rising mist for several minutes, when, to Mayahs horror, a voice cut through it. Whos there? it called out in the pidgin. Mayah shared a terrified glance with Vek. Its a mobile checkpoint unit, he whispered. We have to go into the water. We cant get caught. Into the water? Mayah was not going to go back into the lake with its things slipping and tugging at her. And it really wasnt a good idea for Vek to go dipping his injured hand into such a microbe-filled soup either. I said, whos there? the same voice called out. Another spike of fear went through Mayah. To her right she could see the vague outline of a boat, a light hanging from its bow. Panic almost pushed her out the craft, microbes notwithstanding. She stopped with her fingers on the guardrail. Dont be a coward, she told herself. Last time you sat and hid and let Veks finger get cut off. Youre out of the Temple now. Being a Rajas means something out here. Use that. Ill play them off, she told Vek. Ill order them to leave us alone. They might leave you alone, but theyll kill me without thinking, Vek replied, his low voice strained. You go into the lake then. Stay by the left side of the boat, keep your hurt hand out of the water. To Mayahs relief, Vek nodded, then slipped over the boats edge without a splash. She was alone now. Straightening her glasses, she tried to channel the most arrogant voice she could imagine. Be a princess, she told herself. Be a princess. I dont speak your dirty serf language, Mayah found herself saying. It wasnt true. Mayahs language tutors had taught her all three serf dialects, plus the pidgin. But a normal princess wouldnt know anything but Rajim. Say what you have to say in Rajim. Princess? the voice said, now cautious, now in Rajim. Pardon, Princess, we were just Out of the gloom Mayah saw that the patrol boat held two Eenta soldiers. The tall, thin man seated in the stern was the one speaking, while the other one was a woman with a fierce gaze. Mayahs heart sank when she realized the woman was looking at her unkempt frock. But I dont look like a serf, Mayah reassured herself, as the patrol boat came closer. Im too tall. Wait though C they cant see that with me sitting down! No, no, its okay, my skin is Rajas skin. Theyll be able to tell Im golder than a serf. I think. You were just what? Mayah spat, as nastily as she could. Disturbing me? I go out to try this boat C its my hobby, you know C and I get stopped and bothered by rude serfs? She sounds like a Rajas, the woman commented in Eenma to the thin man. I dont think a serf girl would be able to talk like that. Her clothes, though Excuse me, Mayah punctuated her words with a glare. I said I dont speak your dirty serf language, so if you have something to say, say it in Rajim. Yes, she sounds like a Rajas, the man muttered. But what is she doing out here, alone? In a boat? You dont think shes an escaped sacrifice, do you? Shes not really old enough to be a sacrifice, the Eenta woman replied. Shes probably off to meet a lover from a different castle, someone she knew from when she was a junior Rajas. Isnt that illegal? I said to speak in Rajim, or not at all. What are your names? I think this deserves a little reporting. As Mayah expected, both Eenta soldiers went rigid at her threat. They exchanged a glance, and the tall, thin man replied in Rajim, We just want to ensure your safety, Princess. Were going to get in trouble if it turns out shes not supposed to be here, the woman muttered. Maybe we should take her in, just in case. Well be in worse trouble if she reports us, the Eenta man snapped, even as he smiled at Mayah. Even if we get rewarded for taking her in, well get punished for displeasing her. The best we can hope for is to deny ever having seen her. Remember, were here to catch Chenta trying to escape from the Temple. Our orders say nothing about Rajas. Are you going to continue to disobey me? Or are you leaving now? Goldskin bitch, the Eenta woman grumbled. Mayah stiffened. The womans eyes narrowed. Panicked, Mayah rolled her shoulders backwards, then forward, as if stretching her muscles. I didnt freeze up because I understand Eenma, Mayah thought frantically at her. Im just doing my exercises, you know, shoulder rolls. Sorry to disturb you, Princess, the man said. He ducked his head in a bow. Mayah didnt look at him, afraid that the relief would be too evident in her eyes. After a lingering glance on the part of the Eenta woman, she too, bobbed her head. Sorry to disturb you, Princess, she parroted, but there was something about the way she said the words that made Mayah uneasy. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. *** I didnt know you could speak like that. You sounded Like a Rajas? Mayah offered. Vek was back in the boat, looking chilled both from the lake water and the ever-thickening mist. Mayah was starting to shiver herself. Her scratched finger was burning. She began digging through the lumpy-looking bundle at her feet, hoping it contained a blanket. Her fingers closed instead on a book. The cold and curiosity fought inside Mayah for a second, and curiosity won. She tugged the soft-bound book out of the bundle and opened it. The Journal of the Lost Princess, the title page read. Parts I and III. Mayah caught her breath. The Lost Princess had kept a journal? Mayah had never heard that before! She flipped it open, squinting through her glasses at the first page. What are you doing? Startled, Mayah looked up. Im C Im reading C Put that away. Veks voice was harder than shed ever heard it. Thats not for you. Mayah pulled her hands away from the book, letting it fall closed onto her damp lap. Vek was not looking at her. His gaze was focused on some point far out in the mist. I was looking for a blanket, she whispered. Why would Vek be angry at her for looking at a book about the Lost Princess? A familiar disquiet began settling into Mayahs stomach. It doesnt matter that it doesnt make sense just dont let them be mad at you if theyre mad at you you will pay you will suffer you have to do like they want even if you dont know what it is you have to figure it out you have to you have to C She put the book away and hugged her knees to her chest. After a moment Vek spoke up. Im sorry. I shouldnt have snapped at you. Relief washed through Mayah. Its nothing, she said, eager to let it go. I I was just surprised to see Parts I and III put together like that. It was a rather obvious attempt to smooth things over, but Vek didnt seem to mind going along with it. We never found Part II. Some say the Lost Princess hid it purposefully, others say it was lost over time, but for whatever reason, we only have Parts I and III. We again. We The Free Serfs. That was what the Eenta soldier had said. The Free Serfs. Mayah found herself smiling, pleased to have discovered the name of Veks C and Sukrens C organization. The Free Serfs. Well, Mayah didnt have to be a genius to figure out that this was an organization dedicated to getting rid of Rajas rule. That was why they wanted the Dome Ring, no doubt. She could feel it now, the mixed metal and bioplastic band in her pocket pressing against her thigh through a layer of wet clothing. How long have you been with the Free Serfs, Vek? If Vek was surprised that she knew the name, he didnt show it. Since I was eleven. How long has Sukren been with the Free Serfs? I think Vek began counting on his fingers. Much longer than me. Twelve, maybe thirteen years? What? My entire life? Mayah asked, her heartbeat quickening. Hes been with the Free Serfs my entire life? And he never told me? Vek was quiet. Behind his head Mayah saw a series of towers rising wisp-like above the mist. It was the center that charged all capacitors, the chudathermal dry steam power plant that ran along the lakes southeastern shore. Never? Vek asked. He never told you? Well he did write a journal about Rajas rule, which I found, after I followed some clues. Mayah paused. Do you think the Free Serfs put the clues there? Probably. Then then Sukren told them where his notebook was so I could read it? So he knew I was going to read it? She shook her head, trying to understand, then sneezed. I dont know, Vek said quietly. Then he added, Check the bundle behind you, under the seat. I think there might be a cloak in it. Mayah stared blankly at Vek, the exhaustion from staying up all night catching up to her. She thought of Sukren, then hung her head, ashamed of the tears that came to her eyes. Now that they were in relative safety, all her emotions were flooding back. She wanted to know why Sukren had never told her. She wanted to understand what she had done to deserve his mistrust. She wanted to know if it was because she was a Rajas. Get some rest for now, Vek said, his voice still soft. Were out of the Temple and on our way to Sukren. You you can ask him all your questions then. *** Princess? Vek whispered. She was curled up on her seat, her head resting on the pack stored behind her. A cloak covered her torso. Vek wet his lips with his tongue and tried again. Are you awake? The princess didnt stir. She stayed slumped against the pack, breathing deeply. The white fog was still thick across the surface of the lake. It blocked the sight of the Temple from view. As the wind blew, however, the Temple appeared, then disappeared, then appeared again, smaller and further away than before. Vek shivered. The wind bit through his wet clothes. His missing little finger ached. The glimmer of the patrol light through the mist, however, pushed him on. Vek had not expected the Eenta soldiers to give up easily, and they hadnt. But with the blessing of the gods, he and the princess would escape them. Rock-god, Vek murmured. Then he fell silent. Lady Nari did not approve of the greenhouse gods. Most doctor-priests and regents scorned the beliefs that centered on the gods of rock, water and fire. Superstition, they called it, a religious explanation for the natural cultural differences between the three ethnic groups. We must go back to before the greenhouse gods, Vek had written once on some exam. He hadnt done that well on it, but he still remembered his carefully memorized answer. We must go back to Matter and Intelligence, the very essence of being. Those are the forces we serve. Vek remembered having a discussion with Sukren about it once. To his surprise, Sukren had been dismissive. Of course that would be the right answer. Lady Nari is a Matterist. They dont think anything is spiritually significant other than Matter and Intelligence. Thats why theyre called Matterists. What do you believe in? Vek had asked. The Promised Daughter, Sukren had responded. The patrol light was gaining on them. Vek quickened the pace of his rowing. There was an inlet to the west of the power plant, and it would take them out of the lake and into the woods that stretched along the border between the quinters of Industrilia and Stoneset. Vek had planned to set up camp that night at the edge of the woods. That would not be feasible now, not with Eenta soldiers on their tail. He pictured the bio-dome in his head and ran through his options. Then his heart sank. The only Chenta greenhouse village in the vicinity was Rubber Post #2, where his parents lived. After Vek had joined the Free Serfs, Lady Nari had offered to re-connect him with his family. Part of the Free Serf cause was to combat the Golden Castles destruction of serf families. Vek had been tempted by the prospect of seeing his mother, whom he had not visited since becoming a servie at the age of ten. But in the end, he had declined the offer. Thrusting his bitterness away, Vek coaxed the boat to turn. Tendrils of mist clung to his arms and clothes but Vek ignored them. His attention was focused on steering the boat through the fog, into the inlet. Soon enough, the tops of the hollow-trees appeared above the dissipating mist, filling the air with a sweet, sharp scent. He glanced at the princess sleeping form. Vek would have to wake her now. His eyes traveled over her dark hair, her square-framed glasses, her face. She looked very young. Mayah, he called out, his voice cracking slightly. Mayah, wake up. Were here. We made it. Chapter 44: “And the prophecies – they’re being followed?” Chapter 44: Blue-tinted greenhouse, weeping sap trees, single-room mud huts, ragged curtain doors. Seven years hadnt changed Rubber Post #2 a single bit. Following custom, Vek grabbed and shook a handful of the curtain doors fabric. Even in his weariness the force of his shake was strong enough to rattle the shaft that held up the tattered cloth. Mayah was to his right, pouting. It had been funny, almost cute, how upset she had been when Vek woke her up. She had been even less pleased when she realized she had to help lug the boat through the woods until they reached a thicket inside which they could hide it. Without warning, the curtain was pulled to the side. In the opening stood Father. Gray-haired, now, and stooping, the man squinted and frowned, as if he recognized Vek, but couldnt quite remember who he was. Vek? Mother emerged from behind Father. The feebleness in her voice was hard to bear. Is it really you? Fathers eyes narrowed. What are you doing here? Arent you a servie now? Vek could feel Fathers silent judgment. Are you slinking back here because you got kicked out? While Father had been working hard on behalf of the Eenta and the Rajas, harvesting rubber for soldiers to have shoes and for princesses to have erasers, Vek was what C wasting his life? Hadnt he said over and over again that Vek had more potential than that? It was hard for Vek to conceal his disgust. He managed to keep his face blank, however, as he glanced at Mayah. She had closed her eyes, in an apparent attempt to sleep standing up. Princess, he called. As Vek had expected, the contempt on Fathers face was replaced with shock, then wonder. Father gave a low bow in Mayahs direction. Princess, how can we serve you? Over his head, Vek met Mothers eyes. A familiar smirk was playing on her lips. It had been seven years since Vek had seen that smile, but he hadnt forgotten it. What kind of man delights in being a slave? the corners of her lips sneered. What kind of man rejoices in his own oppression? Yes, indeed, Vek thought, a hot knot of anger tightening inside his chest as Father ushered them inside. What kind of man are you? No father of mine C although Ill never breathe a word to the contrary. Not for your sake, though, never for your sake, but for mine, and for Mothers. Start a fire, he told Father. It was warmer inside the grandmother hut, but Vek could still hear Mayahs teeth chattering. He surveyed the room. The last time he had visited, his sister Anai had still been living with his parents. She was gone now, packed off to some childrens group home. Two sleeping toddlers had replaced her. Stepping carefully to avoid them, Vek pulled off his knapsack and placed it on the floor. Inside were the bioplastic bundles from their boat. He pulled one out and dug through it until he found a village suit. This he handed to Mayah. She began changing before Vek even had the chance to turn his back. As soon as she was dressed, she lay down on the straw mat Veks father offered to her. In moments, she was asleep. Father, after gazing at Mayah for a little longer than Vek liked, also went back to sleep. Soon enough, Vek found himself alone with his mother. Mother kept stealing glances at Mayah, and small wonder. Who ever heard of Chenta village serfs hosting a princess? Father hadnt even asked any questions, as if the presence of a Rajas was enough explanation C which showed how much he knew. Is she the one? Mothers low voice was tightly controlled, but Vek could hear the excitement in it. Is she the one weve been waiting for? She is, Vek replied. He leaned forward and touched his mothers cheek, fingers tracing the wrinkles she had collected over her thirty-four years. The fire crackled behind them, steaming his wet clothes. And the prophecies C theyre being followed? For a moment Vek considered what it meant to follow the prophecies. To view them not as vague, ancient principles, but present commands to be enacted on the Rajas girl sleeping in the corner. The idea made him uncomfortable. But it had to be done, didnt it? No matter what the cost. That was what the exam answer was, anyway. And after the Uprising, after the overthrow of the Golden Castle, everything would be better. Everything would be the way it was supposed to be. It was just odd. For the Promised Daughter to be so he struggled for the right word. Helpless? Clueless? Mother was still waiting for his response. He flashed her a grin that he knew would take her back to his childhood, and her youth. Yes, the prophecies are being followed. She closed her eyes and touched her fingers to one eyelid, then the other. It was a weary gesture, with the weight of years of suffering behind it. Seeing it stirred something up inside Vek. He wanted to find a mountain to climb, a castle to storm, an Eenta soldier to slaughter, any sacrifice to offer to the gods as long as they would ease the ache in his mothers face. He gripped her hand. Soon, he whispered. Soon, everything will be perfect. Im very proud of you, Mother whispered back, her callused fingers curling around Veks. I knew that even though your father I knew I could always count on you. *** If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Were those your parents? Mayahs voice was pensive. Vek looked at her. His leaden head was making it hard to focus. What? he asked. She frowned at him. Are you wearing the same clothes as yesterday? Vek nodded and looked down at his suit. The fire last night had dried most of it out. The fever that had come upon him as he slept, however, had dampened his inner shirt with sweat. Disliking the feeling, he tugged at it, peeling the fabric away from his skin. Vek, you should have changed clothes. You could have gotten hypothermia. You might still C Im fine. You dont look fine. Maybe we should stay here a little longer, so you can rest. Now that your family is at work, we have plenty of room. His muddied mind couldnt find a reply at first. Babies nap here during the day, he managed. People come to check. The threat of getting caught was enough, apparently, to inspire Mayah to action. She insisted on carrying Veks pack. He let her. He was feeling tired enough to be grateful. Besides, the bundles inside his pack werent that heavy. The heaviest thing inside them, in fact, was a new daysclock, and that Vek would carry himself. About the length of his longest finger, it was wide enough to strap around his wrist. On its face, blinking symbols laid out the hours of a diurnal C of a single planetary rotation. Three lines divided the 75-hour period into three 25-hour sections; another three lines further divided each 25-hour section in two, giving the Saranai Earth-like periods of day and night. Most serfs didnt carry daysclocks. Most Saranai didnt carry daysclocks. Each castle had a flashing watchtower that shinecasted what hour of the day or night it was, and whether it was day or night. You could almost always see at least one watchtower no matter where in the bio-dome you were. The Temple C and the forests C were the only places where time was blind. Where are we going now? Mayah asked, as they pushed deeper into the woods. Flashes of orange, blue and green emanated from the flowers and leaves around them, lighting up their way. Are we going to the crosspoint, like that Eenta soldier said? Yes. Wheres that? Vek pointed forward. There wont be any more side missions, will there? Mayahs voice was suddenly suspicious. Vek watched her fingers touch a small pouch hanging from the belt fastened around her hips. He had found it in one of the bioplastic bundles and had given it to her to hold the Dome Ring. Wanting to reassure her, Vek managed to force a half-smile. He felt colder than he ever had in his life, yet he couldnt stop sweating. No more side missions. Were going to Sukren now. Good. It was dark inside the forest. Many of the trees towered over them, their trunks like columns planted into the ground, their branches turning, bending to form leafy spirals that reached out with curled fingers to grip the sky. These are saplings, actually, Mayah informed him. They dont grow as tall as the castles or as tall as the trees that make up the bio-domes frame. She seemed fascinated by the yellow limestone-capped woods, and eager to impart to Vek every piece of knowledge she had about it. As long as she didnt expect him to answer C which she didnt seem to C Vek was happy to let her prattle. There used to be bats living in this forest. Ive seen cameragrams of them in my books. Bitty-bats, tiny little things. They can eat these breathflowers, did you know that? Mayah gestured to the luminescent blossoms sprouting from the vines that hung on every hollow-tree. The bitty-bats bodies are so small, and they eat so little that whatever toxin they take in from eating the breathflowers doesnt kill them because they ingest such a small amount of it each time. Mm. Mayah drew in a deep breath. She touched a blue-veined leaf that glowed bright against the nights darkness. Can you tell the difference in the air? Theres so much more oxygen here. It comes from the bacteria living on the breathflowers. They produce ozone, which disassociates into oxygen molecules. Thats how the bio-dome keeps us alive. I remember learning that the bio-dome was so successful, we ended up not having enough carbon dioxide inside it for our Earth flora to grow. Thats why we moved all our plants into greenhouses. Thats why we built our greenhouses big enough to hold serf villages inside them, so that whatever carbon dioxide the serfs breathe out will stay inside the greenhouses, for the plants to absorb. Vek stopped, mid-stride. Whats wrong? Mayah asked. Her levity was unbearable. Those are my parents, you know. My sister. Hanjan. Me. Thats who they forced into the greenhouses. Im sorry, I I didnt mean Vek closed his eyes. His head was pounding. Are you sure youre all right, Vek? Here, lets sit down. He allowed Mayah to help him to the ground. When she handed him a water bulb, he drank half of it, then handed it back to Mayah. You should drink too. She accepted the bulb but did not put it to her lips. So those were your parents? Vek gave a weak laugh. Thats a good question. What do you mean? He turned to face Mayah. You werent asking because you do know how serf marriages are arranged, dont you? She shook her head. It was like they were in the Temple all over again, and Vek discovering anew that Mayah hadnt known what the Temple was for. This time, though, it made him angry. How could she not know what the Golden Castle had done to serf families? How could she be so ignorant of the pain the Rajas inflicted? The Rajas did this to us. They C Vek stopped himself. He tried to remember the answer he had been taught to give on Lady Naris exams. In the beginning, the Rajas wanted a plentiful labor supply without having to invest in breeding systems, so they decreed there should be no serf marriages. Every woman was for the taking of any man who could lay her. During Queen Zis reign, however, there was a push both to allow serfs to marry, and to limit sexual activity to marriage so that serf women wouldnt be so used. The Rajas didnt want to let this happen, but there was enough of a movement that they had to, at least in part. They made it such that inside a serf womans village, no man except her husband could touch her. But if she ever left the village, the old law would apply. Then do you know what the Rajas did? Mayahs eyes were round. No. They decided they needed castle serfs. They could have called just serf men out of their villages to serve them, but they didnt. They ordered serf women out too, and then told them, good luck C the old law applies to you now. So if you ask any serf who their parents are, they can point you to a mother. But a father? Thats a different story. Unless the woman has never left her village, or always traveled with her husband, you never know. Chapter 45: "Why did we steal the Dome Ring again?” Chapter 45: After his speech, Vek had been too tired to move on. They set up camp where they were. It was daytime, technically, according to Veks daysclock, but the sun was on the other side of the planet, making it dark enough to fall asleep easily. Several hours later, Vek awoke. He felt better C only a little feverish. He looked around to find Mayah sitting cross-legged against a tree trunk some paces away. Her face, lit up by the lambent breathflowers hanging on a nearby vine, was troubled. Wondering if his outburst earlier had been too strong, Vek scooted over to her. He lay on his stomach, propping himself up by his elbows. Whats wrong? I was just thinking. Vek dug into his pocket and pulled out a food bar. How many thoughts for this bar? A half-smile touched Mayahs lips. Are you a Xhota trader now? Ill be anything for you. She blushed. I was just wondering who my parents were. I never thought about it before, but I have to have parents, right? All senior princesses give birth. Someone had to give birth to me. Do you think Sukren knows? We can ask him when we get to him. I guess. Her eyes fell to the reddish soil under their feet. I think Im also trying to figure out what all this means. So the Free Serfs have the Dome Ring, now. Are the Free Serfs going to give it to Queen Pal or Queen Jroya C Sarana bless them C for the Night of the Dome, but only in exchange for something? The Night of the Dome isnt for another season, so theres time to work something out, but whats going to be worked out? I guess I just dont understand. Why did we steal the Dome Ring again? There was no way Vek could answer any of these questions. Prophecy said that the Promised Daughter had to have the Dome Ring, but he couldnt very well tell Mayah that. The Free Serfs dont have the Dome Ring, Vek finally said. You do. Confusion flickered in her eyes. I have the Dome Ring? Yes, Vek teased gently. Its in that pouch hanging from your belt, isnt it? So what do I do with it? I suggest you dont put it on. A smile crossed Mayahs face. She touched her bandaged finger. I guess I also just dont understand what all this means about me. I mean when I first read Sukrens journal, I didnt realize it was an organization, that it was the Free Serfs. I thought I thought it was an idea that anybody could have. Like Rajas who werent happy with Rajas rule, and doctor-priests and regents too, not just serfs. Doctor-priests and regents are serfs, Vek replied. Good, he was glad he was getting another chance to correct this misunderstanding. Because it was important. It was on every exam Vek had ever taken. We must never act like doctor-priests and regents are not part of the larger serf body, the correct answer was. All of us, Chenta, Eenta and Xhota, doctor-priests and regents, were serfs. The Rajas tried to split us apart in order to better conquer us. We cant let them win. Theyre serfs who were stolen from their families as children. Mayah was quiet. I think Sukren thought that way too, she finally said. Its not what they teach in the castles though. Its not how they act in the castles, either. But Rajas can be part of the Free Serfs still, Vek continued, trying to get the words out quickly to combat the odd look on Mayahs face. He didnt want her to start thinking too deeply about what she had been taught in Lost Technology Castle. Just like you said, Rajas who dont like Rajas rule. But isnt the point of the Free Serfs to upend Rajas rule? To displace the Rajas from their position? How how can I do that? That would mean I would be working to get rid of me. She was laughing a little. I would have to become a serf, or at least stop being Rajas in order to do that, right? Vek swallowed. He was almost certain that it was his speech on serf marriages that had brought on this bout of doubt. Well, why not? he said aloud. Why couldnt you become a serf? A true serf is one who hates Rajas rule and wants to see it ended. Isnt that who you are? This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. I guess. She gave another little laugh. I think I feel kind of tricked into it, for some reason. I didnt know what I was getting into when I first came with you. But now that Im here well, I guess Im here. Its not like I have anything worth going back to. Now that made Vek wonder. What exactly had happened to Mayah in Lost Technology for her to view a Rajas life of comfort and privilege as worse than what she had now? Before he could think too deeply about it, however, Mayah was rising to her feet. We should keep moving, right? she asked. Vek nodded. His heavy-headedness was back, and his missing finger was throbbing. *** Mayah felt confused. She was dirtier than she had ever been before in her life, but she was happier too. It was better here, with Vek, on the way to Sukren. No one was glaring at her for breaking some unknown rule, or ordering her around, or pretending she didnt exist. Vek treated her, well, like a princess. And Mayah was a princess. Wasnt she? Of course she was. Mayah was a Rajas, born and raised in a well she had lived in a castle, at least. She hadnt been a very good princess, true, but the Eternal Queen Saranas blood ran through Mayahs veins, and that was what made Mayah a Rajas. Was she a traitor, then? Feeling uneasy, Mayah reached down to touch the pouch tied to her belt. Veks words echoed back to her. Why couldnt you become a serf? A true serf is one who hates Rajas rule and wants to see it ended. Isnt that who you are? Was that how Sukren saw her? As someone worth recruiting into the Free Serf movement? Or did he see her as a Rajas? She felt a sting of self-contempt. Of course she was just a Rajas, just a princess, not anyone real, not anyone that mattered C an oppressor like the Rajas in Veks story about serf marriages. Otherwise Sukren would have told her about the Free Serfs earlier. But Mayah hadnt wanted to be a Rajas! She remembered that very clearly. She had wanted to go back to her serf village. Did that make her a true serf? Mayah couldnt tell. She had wanted to go back to her village because everyone was nice to her there. It had felt warm and safe, not at all the way Veks and Hanjans stories made their villages sound. She wondered if her village had been different from the others somehow. But why would it have been? Was it because of me? Mayahs brow was furrowed. Sukrens journal had said he didnt know why he had been told to raise Mayah in a serf village. But Im glad it happened, he had written. Maybe Sukren hadnt told her about the Free Serfs earlier because he had been waiting for her to realize on her own how bad Rajas rule was. He had, after all, sent Vek to rescue her from getting disappeared like all the other Rajas. And he had written pages and pages about her in his notebook. Surely she meant something to him. Even if she was a princess. *** Veks head was pounding once more. Trying not to wince, he gestured at Mayah to follow him to the cluster of trees that encircled the crosspoint. Falling from the clusters branches was a curtain of breathflower vines. Vek pulled them aside for Mayah to duck through. Then, swallowing against the pain in his throat, he followed. Inside the crosspoint was a Chenta woman. On the ground to her left was a roll of clothes. To her right was a pair of oversize net packs stuffed with fish. Open-mouthed, their blue sheens and red gills gleamed dimly in the flowerlight. Do you have what I need? the woman asked him. Vek had taken his knapsack back from Mayah; he slid it off his shoulders and handed it to the woman. Its at the bottom. The woman pulled the bundles out of his pack and unwrapped the bottom one in front of him. When she saw the Journals of the Lost Princess, she nodded, then reached into her pocket to pull out a set of booklets and passes. Vek felt unexpected relief wash through him. Traveling without identification had made him uneasier than he realized. Do you know where the rubber mat stall is? the woman asked. No, Vek answered. Tenth ring of the Xhota urb. About three quarters of the way down from the eastern edge of the quinter. When you get there, ask for Petrika. These fish go to her. She handed Vek the papers in her hand. He took them, and said, I left a boat hidden outside the western entrance of Rubber Post #2. The woman nodded. Watch out for mobile checkpoint units, she told him. Theyre thick in this area. Only then, after there was no more information for her and Vek to share, did the woman look at Mayah. Vek watched as Mayah shied away from her gaze; it surprised him all over again to see how meek she was. Why is she wearing glasses? Vek knew what the woman meant. If a serf lacked perfect eyesight, or had any sort of disability, she was either culled in the Golden Castles endless efforts to keep the bio-domes population down C or she struggled along until it began hindering her ability to work, only to be culled then. Glasses were for Rajas, and for Rajas alone. Shell take them off, Vek replied. Good. You should also cut her hair. Vek looked at the Chenta woman. What? Her hair gives her away. I the knife is in the pack I gave you. The woman picked up the roll of clothes on the ground next to her and handed it to Vek. When he pulled the roll apart, two Industrilia servie uniforms emerged. The woman then opened Veks pack and pulled out the metal knife. Without speaking a word, she strode over to Mayah, who backed away. Hold still, the woman told her. With swift, decisive movements, the woman grabbed a handful of Mayahs hair, lopped it off, and then did the same to another handful. Soon Mayah was peeking out from under a set of ragged bangs. After she was done, the woman returned to Veks pack. She slid the knife back into its sheath, put the sheath back into his pack, then pulled the pack onto her shoulders. Remember, watch out for mobile checkpoint units, she said again, and then she was gone. Chapter 46: “I don’t question my orders, Soldier." Chapter 46: Mayah reached up to touch her shorn head, trying not to pout. She had liked her hair. Why had the serf woman cut it off? Her hair gives her away. Did that mean Mayahs hair had been too Rajas-looking? She had gone to one of the best castle stylists to get it done. Anything to not stick out. Although Mayah had also just liked how it looked. Now it was gone. At least the woman had cut Mayahs bangs short enough that they didnt poke into her eyes under her glasses. That would have been so annoying. Well be staying here in the crosspoint for a bit, Vek told her. Get changed, then sleep, if you can. After this, we wont stop until we get to Sukren. Also C you should take your glasses off. Serfs dont wear glasses. Mayah obeyed, turning around to change into the castle serf uniform Vek handed to her. When she was done, she handed her village suit to Vek, who packed it into a pouch at the bottom of one of the fishnets. Mayah then pulled off her glasses and tucked them into her pocket. After lying down, she picked up her new identification booklet. If she held it right before her eyes, she could make out her new serf name: Iroa Kaduk. Kaduk, she thought. That means my patrons name is Duk. While Sukren Mayah tried to remember what his last name had been. Kanan? Kaner? Kanari, that was it. Nari. Lady Nari, it had to be. Lady Nari, Mayah thought again, and then to her surprise, she yawned. Sleepily she tucked her papers inside her pocket next to her glasses. The next thing she knew, Vek was touching her shoulder, shaking her awake. Lets go. She got up at once, wrinkling her nose. Even without the glow of the breathflowers against the darkness, it wouldve been easy to find her way to the fishnets C they stank. Curling her lip, Mayah pulled one of the fishnets onto her back, fitting the straps on by feel. She could hear Vek doing the same thing next to her. Once they were done, she followed Vek out of the crosspoint into the larger forest, where the lambent breathflowers and leaves continued to shed light onto their path. Vek didnt speak except to tell her which direction they were going, but Mayah didnt mind. She wanted to think now, not talk. Lady Nari. The name sounded familiar somehow. All of a sudden a memory came to her, of light slanting through blue panes of bioplastic C of the excited screams of other serf children as bags of citrus fruit were passed around C Lady Nari they said, Lady Nari gave this to us, our villages patron lady, Lady Nari C Mayahs heart was pounding. She was standing in her minds eye at the edge of a balcony, looking down on her past from a soaring height. If the shadows from the bio-dome above moved, if the landscape beneath her feet shifted, if the tiniest of changes was made, it would all click into place, and Mayah would understand, she would see the line that threaded through it all A mocking male voice in the castle serf pidgin shattered the image in her mind. What are two Chenta serfs doing traveling so late at night? Mayah felt Vek stiffen. She peered over his shoulder. Two blurry Eenta soldiers were striding towards them. She squinted, trying to bring them into focus. Her eyes widened when they came close enough for her to see the serf prod in the male Eentas hand; she took in a quick, sharp breath. Was this actually a mobile checkpoint unit? Or were they soldiers sent after her, the runaway Rajas? If Mayah let herself believe they were there specifically for her, she would panic. So it had to be a normal checkpoint unit. Just a normal mobile checkpoint unit. A regular old unit. All she had to do was pretend to be a Chenta servie girl, and they would leave her alone. Stand next to each other and show me your papers! the male soldier barked. Hoping her hand wouldnt tremble, Mayah stepped forward and pulled out her travel pass and booklet. She chanced a glance at Vek. There was a hard look in his eyes. Whats that stench? the female Eenta soldier commented, clapping one hand to her mouth and nose. She held a capacitor lamp in her other hand. Dolan, whats that smell? Its like rotting fish. The man snorted. Were standing next to two dirt ta, and youre asking me where the smell is coming from? Mayah kept her gaze on her sandaled feet. She did not look at Vek. So, Iroa, youre traveling to Stoneset Quinter, are you? Mayah nodded. Without warning, the serf prod came smashing down onto her left arm. Electricity buzzed through Mayahs nerves. She stumbled against Vek. Surprise at the very experience of physical pain washed through her. When I ask you a question, you will speak up, and speak respectfully. Now, Iroa, your pass says youre going to Stoneset Quinter. Is that true? Yes, Soldier, Mayah whispered, barely managing to keep the bewilderment out of her voice. Yes, Soldier, I am. Very surreptitiously, she touched her right hand to her left forearm, and discovered it had no sensation. Panic spiked through her, but she forced herself to hold still. After another lingering, too-long moment, the Eenta soldier moved onto Vek, and Mayah quietly let go of the breath she had been holding. So, youre delivering fish to Stoneset Quinter? Yes, Soldier, Vek responded promptly. Mayah dared a glance at him and saw the Eenta soldier step up so that his face was right in Veks. Why are you taking rotten fish to Stoneset Quinter? This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. I dont question my orders, Soldier, Vek said softly, and yet there was a hint of belligerence in his voice. Mayah saw that both Eenta soldiers heard it. The woman had been examining Veks and Mayahs papers under the light of her capacitor lamp C she looked up. The man began swinging his serf prod. Maybe you spent too many days out here, and the fish started decaying because you werent fast enough. Gilta, he snapped at the other Eenta soldier, check the stamp codes. Make sure their passes were issued for tonight. They look good to me. Mayah tried to direct her thoughts at the male Eenta soldier. Yes, its all good. Let us go. Please. The feeling was slowly coming back to her left arm. She tried to wiggle her fingers but froze when the Eenta soldier pulled back from Vek. Her eyes flicked over to the serf prod in his hand, but the soldier did not hit her. Instead, he yanked Vek forward, in front of Mayah. I think theres something fishy going on here. Not funny, Mayah thought. She took a step back as the Eenta soldier circled around so that he was between herself and Vek. She stifled a gasp when he pulled out a bioplastic knife. Holding it up high, the soldier hovered over Veks shoulder. Then, without warning, he slashed through the fishnet on Veks back. The fish flopped across the forest floor, silver blue with dead eyes and mouths that were open as if surprised to find themselves spilling into the open air. A stench ballooned outward. Mayah flinched as it assaulted her senses. Its just fish, she heard Gilta say. Look, theres nothing but fish. Shut up, Dolan snarled. You know this doesnt add up. Theyre hiding something! Nobodys hiding anything, Eenta, Vek said softly. A smirk played on his lips as he emphasized the term. Youre going to leave empty-handed. Mayah heard the sound of the serf prod before she saw Vek reel under its impact. A series of blurred images flashed before her eyes: the Eenta soldiers face twisting in rage; the prod landing against the back of Veks legs and Vek buckling; Vek pitching forward, the fish stitched into the lining of his net lending enough weight to send him flying headfirst. Vek was quick enough to catch himself on his palms, but then the Eenta soldier slowly and deliberately smashed the serf prod against Veks right arm, then left, sending Vek to his elbows. Pick up the fish, dirt ta. Mayahs left arm ached in sympathy as she watched Veks bandaged hand grope for an ever-surprised fish. The one he reached for first was a little rounder than the others. Mayah hoped that Vek would be able to lift it up by curling his fingers around it. But then the Eenta soldier brought his serf prod down on Veks knuckles. Pick it up! he barked. He looked like he wanted to lay the serf prod into Veks back, but there was the torn fishnet in the way, its ripped ends trailing onto the ground. In the light of the capacitor lamp, Mayah saw Vek flush, his face contorting as he tried, and failed, to move his numb fingers. Then she saw the serf prod raised high in the air, above Veks head. Before she could stop herself, Mayah was shouting in the castle serf pidgin. How can he pick up the fish if you keep hitting him? Are you stupid? Im dead, Mayah thought, as the Eenta soldier turned his furious gaze to her. He tossed the serf prod to his other hand and stepped over Vek. Mayah tried to keep her face calm but she knew her eyes were wavering C it hurt, the serf prod hurt C and she could still barely feel her fingers C and the Eenta was coming closer and closer C he was right in front of her C The Eentas hand shot out. With the fishnet on her back hampering her movements, she couldnt avoid him, couldnt do anything as he forced his thumb halfway into her mouth, as he gripped her jaw with his hand, as his fingers dug into the soft part of the flesh under Mayahs chin. Tears sprang into her eyes as he yanked her jaw down and forced open her mouth. Then he held the serf prod up. It was pinched between his fingers as if he were about to jab it forward. Open your mouth more, he purred and Mayahs eyes widened as she realized what the Eenta soldier meant to do. In a flash Mayah understood why Vek, despite all his Free Serf defiance, had reached for the fish when ordered to. What choice had he had? Tears of humiliation pushed out of her eyes as Mayah opened her mouth wider and let the Eenta soldier jab the serf prod straight to the back of her mouth. It filled her mouth completely. The electricity buzzed its way through her tonsils, into her throat, numbing her lips, tongue, gums. For several seconds, the Eenta held her in place as she struggled to pull away. Finally, finally, he removed the serf prod, a smirk on his face. Mayahs mouth was left hanging open and she realized, her innards twisting and her face burning, that there was spittle on her chin and cheek, that she was drooling. Dolan? Are you done? Dolan, please! Dolan turned to castigate his fellow Eenta soldier. You always get weak-kneed whenever punishment needs to be administered, he snarled. Shut up and wait for me to be done. These dirt ta havent picked up the fish yet. We dont want them spoiling the bio-dome with their carcasses. I want all the fish picked up. Now! Mayah jumped at his words. She scurried over to where Vek was still kneeling on the ground, his arms curled helplessly into his body. She slipped her fishnet pack off and used her good arm to stuff into it as many fish as she could. Faster! Faster! Vek began helping her the best he could, pushing fish towards her with his numb hands. Together they filled Mayahs fishnet to bursting. When they were done, she tried to tell Vek to take off his own ripped pack so that she could tie its ends together, but her tongue lay fat and useless inside her mouth. She pulled at Veks fishnet with her hands. Thankfully, he seemed to understand what she wanted. Hurry up! Dolan, come on C How many times, Gilta? How many times do we have to go over this? The Eenta soldiers continued to argue. Mayah paid them no heed. Pick up the fish, she told herself. Pick up the fish. Soon she had mended Veks fishnet the best she could. She was about to return to her own now-bulging pack, but Vek stopped her. Switch packs with me. Yours will be too heavy for you now. Mayah pressed her unfeeling lips together as Vek pushed himself up off the ground and crawled to her pack. She was glad her vision was blurry. It was hard to watch Vek fight his own body. But fight he did. Sweat shone on his face as he threaded his arms through the straps and forced his legs to lift him, trembling, into the air. The Eenta soldiers had stopped arguing and were now looking at Vek and Mayah, satisfaction in the mans eyes, strain in the womans. Go away, Mayah thought, as she bent to pull Veks torn pack onto her own back. Go away and leave us alone. Line up and receive your papers! Mayah did as she was told, stepping up next to Vek so that Vek wouldnt have to move. When she tried to lead the way forward into the forest, however, Dolan stopped her. Your passes say youre going to Stoneset Quinter. Go through the greenhouses until you get to the greenhouse next to the shelterbelt. You can cross into the Xhota urb at that point. Theres no need for you to cut through the forest. Mayah swallowed. Her numb tongue was thick against the roof of her mouth. She looked at Vek, but his gaze was fixed on the ground. Not knowing what else to do, Mayah held her hand out to Vek, and turned around. Step by step, she and Vek returned the way they had come. Chapter 47: "That’s what the Free Serfs mean – the end of this kind of thing." Chapter 47: They left the woods and made their way through the line of greenhouse villages. Blue-tinted ceilings and walls gave way to purple, then red, then went back to blue and once more to purple. Mayah was glad it was late at night. These villages they were crossing through were Eenta ones. Halfway through the greenhouse next to the shelterbelt, Vek stumbled, and shrugged off Mayahs grip. He sank to the ground amidst purple-lit pumpkins. Mayah knelt beside him. She felt numb, inside and out. But then her stomach growled. It had been several hours since her last food bar, and even longer since she had had an actual meal. Lets eat, she lisped. No, Vek said. You cant eat yet. Your tongue is still numb, isnt it? Mayah nodded. If you eat you might start chewing it off. You wont know because you wont feel it. He spoke matter-of-factly, as if discussing the best way out of the greenhouse. Turn left, around the patch of ripening zucchini. No, no, dont go down that row of squash. Head straight, instead. Ill smash a food bar for you and put it into a water bulb to make it runny enough to swallow. How much water? Vek shrugged. I always crumble the bar first then put it into the water bulb a little at a time, until it looks right. Always. Mayah knew she was shaking, but she couldnt help herself. She saw in her minds eye the serf prod coming down again, felt it jab against the back of her mouth. Her frame trembled C her left hand clenched into a fist C but only for a few seconds. It took too much effort for her strained muscles, still working the electricity out, to remain tense. Vek touched her shoulder. Mayah? Their eyes met. Mayah stiffened, the jolt of recognition immobilizing her as much as the serf prod had. Face to face, she and Vek were close enough for her to see his eyes, to see them probing, hoping, expecting. She knew that look. She knew that look. Ive seen you before. Her voice sounded strange in her own ears. I know you. A crooked smile touched Veks lips. Mayah tried to name the sensation searing through her, and realized it was shame. You were there that night I came into the castle, she whispered. You were with Sukren. I remember you. You bowed to me. It was the same greenhouse. The same vegetables pushing their way through the dirt. Their leaves fell in exactly the same way; their purple coloring hadnt changed. And yet it was like the light had reflected on itself. As if another pair of glasses had slipped over Mayahs eyes, only for Mayah to realize that the lenses in her original pair had been cracked, her sight distorted all this time. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. This is Rajas rule, her new sight said. This is Rajas rule. You not even remembering Vek. You forgetting his existence as soon as he was out of sight because he wasnt important, because he wasnt a Rajas. Its the same as the Eenta jamming his serf prod into your mouth, into forcing you and Vek to take a detour just because he can. This is Rajas rule, and it is not something you can fight. It is you. Oh Sarana! Mayahs heart cried out. It is my fault! It is! How many times had Mayah been deemed valueless? Didnt she know what that felt like? Of course she did. She just hadnt known C no, hadnt cared C that serfs would feel the same way. Her own desperate need to belong had crowded everything else out. A sob burst from her lips. Im sorry. Im so sorry. Its okay. No, its not, she said, now weeping, desperately afraid that Vek would not forgive her. She covered her face with her hands. I was wrong. Im sorry. I I dont want to be that way anymore. You dont have to be. His voice was achingly earnest. Crying even harder, Mayah thought about how afraid she had been about one day being surrounded by Rajas screaming at her for being impure. She thought about how shed sought escape through drowning herself in the librarys books. She thought about how utterly rejected shed felt for two long years. She thought about how much worse the serfs had suffered. Sobs wracked her body. When Vek reached out and touched her shoulder again, it took her a moment to lift her tear-stained face. I see now, Mayah whispered. She looked at Vek, his face flushed with fever, and her heart ached. I see now, I understand why we need the Free Serfs. Its not right. Thats what the Free Serfs mean C the end of this kind of thing. It means She looked at Vek, and he smiled at her, a merciful, welcoming smile. Barely able to comprehend his grace, and yet starving for it, Mayah wanted to cry again. Suddenly she was grateful that a serf prod had been jammed into her mouth, that the electricity was still ravaging her body. Now Mayah had at least some claim on the hurt of the Chenta, some understanding of their hope in the Free Serfs. Vek finished her sentence, eagerness creeping into his voice. It means well be free. It means we wont be taken from our own homes. It means no more sacrifices in the Temple, Mayah whispered. Then her thoughts turned towards Sukren. It means no more disappearances, she added fiercely. All at once, she caught her breath, and cried out. Vek, thats why Sukren couldnt tell me anything! Because of Rajas rule! Because of the consequences of breaking Rajas rule! The paradigm had clicked into place. And how clear it was! Rajas rule was the problem, and the Free Serfs the solution. Her face glowing with excitement, a weight somehow shed, Mayah met Veks eyes. They were shining. It means we wont be rejected, Mayah breathed, while at the same time, Vek said, It means it means nobody nobody will hit anyone, anymore. Oh, Vek! Mayah reached out to take Vek by the hand, the sharp sweetness in her heart rendering her speechless. But it didnt matter that she had no more words to give. It was enough to feel his fingers return her grasp, and to smile as a hint of Veks old, confident grin played on his lips. Chapter 48: "Mayah said you got your finger cut off?” Chapter 48: Sukren! Sukren! Sukren turned towards the voice. The pre-dawn light stretched so thinly over the Xhota urb that it took him a moment to realize it was Mayah who was racing towards him through the empty streets. Mayah, with her hair blown to the side by the gales buffeting through the branches of the bio-dome. Joy, intense and overwhelming, flooded through him. He shot to his feet. Mayahs safe! Mayahs here! Dread immediately followed. Now he had to turn away from her. Now he had to obey Lady Nari. Oh, Sarana, now he had to Later, later, Sukren would do it later. He couldnt do it now. It didnt make sense to do it now, Mayah wouldnt understand, and oh, it was Mayah, she was back, she was safe, and what in the bio-dome had happened to her hair? Were those bangs? She was almost upon him. He reached out to her. What happened to your hair? And where are your glasses? There was a fishnet on her back; he helped her wiggle out of it. As soon as she was free, she looked up at Sukren and beamed. Sukren tried and failed to suppress a smile. He held his hand out to Mayah and stepped backwards in surprise when she flung herself into his arms. Laughing, Sukren returned Mayahs embrace, and didnt let go until she did. She seemed softer, somehow. Like an edge had been filed down, a splinter removed from within. Something in her upturned face reminded him so much of when she was young that Sukren had to turn away, his chest filled with something so fierce and powerful that it frightened him. Vek is hurt, Mayah said. They both looked down the street where Vek was coming up a few paces behind. He got his finger cut off in the Temple. I made him drink a lot of water like you taught me, but I think it got infected. Ill take a look at it. You go ahead inside. Petrika is cooking breakfast. I bet youre hungry, right? Yes, Mayah said instantly, which made Sukren smile again, but to his surprise, when he began making his way past the close-curtained stalls to Vek, Mayah followed him. Ill help too, she said. *** Bring him up this way, Petrika said. Sukren felt grateful for her; she had pulled down the ladder from the second floor of her Xhota hut and was laying blankets down in a corner of the bare room. Light from the rising sun peeked through the two bioplastic windows in the ceiling. The smell of bean paste stew wafted up from the ground floor. Mayah turned towards it, but Sukren glanced at Vek. The boys face was withdrawn and tight with pain. Im going to take a look at Veks hand now, Sukren said to Mayah. Go ahead downstairs with Petrika and eat. Mayahs eyes lit up. But then she hesitated. You wont need help? Should I bring food to you and Vek first? No, its all right, Sukren said, wondering a little at Mayahs eagerness to return. It wasnt like Mayah to divide her attention between food and people, not when she was hungry. After you eat, you can bring up a bowl for Vek, if you like. Ill do that, she said brightly. Once she had followed Petrika down the ladder, Sukren pulled out a new medicine kit C courtesy of Petrika C and unwrapped the dressings around Veks hand. When the final bandage came loose, Sukren grimaced. The skin around Veks missing finger was red and swollen. You have a fever, dont you? he said, reaching with his other hand to check Veks forehead. Im going to lift your right arm and check the lymph nodes under your armpit. I dont think the infection is too far gone because there isnt any pus, but I want to make sure. Can you tell me how this happened? Mayah said you got your finger cut off? Ran into some Chenta in the Temple, Vek said, his eyes closed. They saw Mayah, so they called me a Rajas tail because I hadnt killed her yet. I tried to fight my way out. I smashed one of their hands, so they invoked the rock-god law of mercy and cut my finger off. Sukrens eyes widened. Did C did they hurt Mayah? No. They left her alone. Relief washed over Sukren. When did this happen? he asked, his fingers gently probing Veks skin. Good, the nodes werent too swollen. About two days ago. Im going to wash your injury, and then well see if we can soak it in some warm salt water. Ill try to find some medicine for you to take as well. Sukren removed a foldable bioplastic bowl from his kit. He filled it with water and a chemical powder, then pulled Veks hand into it, rubbing a scrub around his injury. Vek winced, pain filling his face. For a moment Sukren thought Vek was going to withdraw his hand from the solution, but he gritted his teeth and remained still. I know it hurts, Sukren said softly. Ill let it soak soon. There was the sound of someone climbing up the ladder. Mayahs head poked out a moment later. She had put her glasses back on. Heres some soup! Did you finish your bowl already? Sukren asked. Yes. Give me Veks bowl. No, I can do it. Sukren looked at her. What? Mayah asked, a note of defensiveness in her voice. When Sukren answered, he spoke with pauses, wanting to be careful about his choice of words. Are you planning on feeding it to him? Mayah blushed. Sukren held out his hands for Mayah to transfer the soup to him. When she pulled back, he gently pried the bowl away from her. Go back downstairs, Sukren said. He kept his voice flat, hoping it wouldnt tremble. He had to start obeying Lady Nari at some point. Wait there until Im done. Mayah nodded, her face still flushed. Her head disappeared as she went back down to the first floor. Sukren placed the bowl on the floor where its steaming contents wouldnt spill and closed the trapdoor. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. She just wants to help, Vek said. Lady Nari has another assignment for you, Sukren responded. For all of us here at the safe house. What is it? Sukren told him. Vek frowned when hed finished. I dont like it. I dont think its necessary. Thats not for you and me to decide. No, you dont understand. Ive talked to her enough these past few days. Shes ready. Shes really ready. She doesnt need to be rejected by us. Sukren didnt reply. What does it matter? he thought unhappily. Lady Nari gave the order herself. I dont have the authority to override it, no matter how much I wish I did. Let me soak your hand, he finally said. Well talk about it later. *** Two nights later, Sukren woke to find that the bioplastic sheet covering one of the huts windows had come loose, permitting a breeze to sneak into the room. He got up, careful not to disturb the sleeping bodies on the floor around him and reached upward to push the sheet back into place. It took him several minutes to find the right angle. More than once he thought longingly of his dorm in Lost Technology. Although doctor-priests and regents had to apply for a weekly heat allowance, at least there was a heating system. By the time he had finished, Sukren was thoroughly awakened by the cold and the activity. He paused to take in Vek in a corner to the right, next to Petrika, and Mayah to the left, all of them under skin blankets Petrika had gotten from Yexin. Auroralight flashed into the room, onto Mayahs scrunched up face. Now that she was asleep, Sukren could allow himself to smile, remembering how he used to tease her when she was young about how her face was always concentrated so furiously in her sleep. You must be dreaming about food, Sukren would say, infuriating little Mayah. She would stamp her bare feet on the ground and insist that Sukren stop teasing her. A cough to Sukrens right caught his attention. He reached for the pitcher on a shelf by his head and held it out to Vek. It took Vek a moment before he was able to sit up and take the gourd from Sukren. I thought I would be better by now, Vek said, wiping the water from his mouth and handing the pitcher back to Sukren. I feel fine, a lot better, but I keep coughing. It might be stress, Sukren said, putting the pitcher away. Its not likely that the infection from your finger got to your lungs. I dont think your immune system is that weak. Stress, Vek repeated. He gave a quiet laugh. Sukren glanced over his shoulder at Mayah curled up on her mat. She had changed back into her village suit, claiming it was more comfortable to sleep in. Maybe it was C she seemed fast asleep, at any rate. Sukren nudged Vek with his knee and sat down when Vek shifted over. Hows your finger feeling? I dont think my finger is feeling anything anymore, Vek responded with a grin. Sukren rolled his eyes. The boy was obviously fine. Hows hows it been with Mayah? Vek asked after a moment. Sukren knew that hidden in Veks question was an apology. For the past two days Vek had feigned a weakness he did not have in order to avoid having to reject Mayah outright. He had refused to spend time with her but had allowed Mayah to think it was because he was sick. Petrika, on the other hand, had no problem executing Lady Naris orders. She was not friendly to Mayah, and Sukren knew Mayah noticed and disliked it. But he also knew that Petrika was a stranger to Mayah. Mayah was not crushed by her. No, the burden of devastating Mayah had fallen onto Sukrens shoulders and his alone. Sukren wasnt inclined to accept Veks apology. You know how its been. Im sorry. I just cant do it. Give me another day. You never liked Rajas before. I dont like them now. Then whats stopping you? Sukren knew he was taking his annoyance out on Vek. He was perfectly aware that Mayah was different from other princesses. Just during this trip getting to know her Sukren looked at Vek, who avoided his gaze. Was there another reason Vek was reluctant to turn on Mayah? Had something happened between them? Sukren paused. Yes, something had to have happened. Mayah was blushing every few seconds, and finding any excuse to take care of Vek, to offer him food, to help re-dress his wound. It was unnerving. What happened? Sukren asked. Vek looked down at his blanket. We ran into a mobile checkpoint unit. You know how those go. Sukren didnt let any emotion show on his face. Did they hit Mayah? Yes. They wouldnt have, they were angry at me because I was mouthing off to them, but then she spoke up and tried to stop them. So that was what had happened. Mayah, probably already charmed by Vek C she was a lonely thirteen-year-old girl, after all C had fallen headfirst for the boy after enduring suffering together with him. Sukren tamped down on the surge of anger that ran through him at the thought of Mayah getting harmed. He glanced at Vek, another question on his lips, but Vek didnt appear to want to share more. He had leaned backward, and his eyes were closed. I really hate the Eenta, Vek said after a moment, his voice low. I cant wait until the Free Serfs finally rise up and get rid of their sneering faces. Was it serf prods? Yes. Ive seen you take worse. There was a pause. When Vek spoke again, his voice was tight. I just wish she hadnt seen me like that. I didnt want that. Silence filled the space between them. Vek always did this, and Sukren never knew what to say. What did one man say to another whose dignity had been stripped from him? The best thing Sukren could do was to avoid bearing witness to the act of humiliation, and yet Vek always displayed it for Sukren to see. He reached out and touched Vek on the hand, just as he would Mayah. The Uprising is around the corner. Soon, nobody will even know what serf prods are. A hint of a smile touched Veks lips. And now that we have the Dome Ring C What? I never told you? Thats how Mayahs finger got hurt. When she put the Dome Ring on, little claws came out of it and shot into her skin. She practically had to scrape it off her finger. You have the Dome Ring? Mayah does. Sukrens heart was pounding. The words of the prophecy rang in his mind. Over the shelterbelt, The Rajas Daughter who is Promised, Must go. Over and to The Lake Tower, Her feet will tread. With the Ring of the Dome, Dripping in her hand. Mayah had the Dome Ring. She had the Dome Ring. And they were right by the shelterbelt. Only a few nights ago Sukren had wondered whether it was possible for Mayah to follow the prophecy without being subject to Free Serf manipulation. He hadnt been able to think of a way. To believe in the Promised Daughter was to be a Free Serf. And to be a Free Serf meant to manipulate the Promised Daughter, to introduce insecurities into her psyche to make it easier to control her. The two causes had been married for longer than Sukren had been alive. Sukren? Whats wrong? Who else knows? Sukren asked. Who else knows Mayah has the Dome Ring? Hanjan, maybe. Of CaveMound. Is he a Matterist? Yes. Nobody else? Hanjans very closed-mouthed. Does Lady Nari know? Maybe, said Vek. If Hanjans met with her by now, Im sure hes told her we have it. I was going to tell her when I saw her next, so even if Hanjan hasnt been able to meet with her yet, shell know soon enough. Why? Dont worry about it. Doctor-priest business. A new way of looking at the prophecies. Vek shrugged. If he thought Sukren was lying, he didnt show it. Taking a deep breath, Sukren considered his next steps. He couldnt jump to any conclusions. He would have to re-read the Prophetess Darshanas oracles. And there was Lady Nari to consider. He knew Lady Nari wouldnt be persuaded to change her course of action regarding Mayah. Sukren would continue to reject Mayah, per Lady Naris orders, at least for the next few days. Perhaps by then his research would reveal to him a way out Over the shelterbelt, The Rajas Daughter who is Promised, Must go. Over and to The Lake Tower, Her feet will tread. With the Ring of the Dome, Dripping in her hand. Chapter 49: “I’ll try really hard not to be a Rajas anymore. I promise I’ll try!” Chapter 49: In the end, it wasnt the oracles that persuaded Sukren, but Mayah herself. Shes crying, Vek said to him. It was nearly half a week later. Sukren and Vek were sitting among piles of rubber mats on the first floor of Petrikas hut. They were supposed to be helping customers while Petrika ran an errand. I know, said Sukren. I can hear her. Mayahs sobs were filtering through the bioplastic-thatched ceiling above their heads. Sukren closed his eyes and leaned against one of the huts corner posts. The hem of a drawn curtain whipped against his skin as a sudden gust of wind blew through the Xhota urb. Shes crying, Vek said again. Sukren got to his feet. He pulled down the ladder that connected the stall to the second-floor alcove above. What are you doing? Im going to her. Sukren could see both relief and anxiety warring in Veks face. It was clear that on the one hand, he wanted Sukren to go up to comfort Mayah. On the other hand, Vek knew what Lady Naris orders were. What are you going to say to her? he asked. Ill make sure the prophecies are followed. At that, Vek relaxed. Sukren climbed up the steps and pulled the ladder up after him. He knelt next to Mayah and put his hand on her arm. The sound of her crying grew even louder. Come here, he said. She responded as he had expected, by flinging herself into his embrace. Sukren held her for several minutes as she continued to weep, her tears soaking a patch on his shirt. But he said nothing. He knew Mayah would need silence to face what she was feeling. Even after she began drawing ragged, dry breaths of spent emotion, he waited for her to speak first. Sukren, she whispered. Yes? Is it because Im a Rajas? What do you mean? Is that why you dont like me anymore? Before Sukren could respond, Mayah was speaking again, in a low, pleading whisper. Ill try really hard not to be a Rajas anymore. I promise Ill try! Sometimes decisions are made after seasons, years of agony. Other times they are discovered to have already been made. His heart breaking, Sukren held Mayah closer to his chest, one hand cradling the back of her head. Enough is enough, he told himself. I will not let Mayah spend a single second longer feeling like she has to prove herself to anyone. This may be exactly where Lady Nari wants Mayah to be, but its not where I want her to be. Over the shelterbelt, The Rajas Daughter who is Promised, Must go. Over and to The Lake Tower, Her feet will tread. With the Ring of the Dome, Dripping in her hand. They could do it. Cross over the shelterbelt, hide among the Gathers Children. The Free Serfs didnt need Mayahs presence to overthrow the Golden Castle. They needed her to be alive, that was all. Sukren would ensure that. He wouldnt be betraying the Free Serfs. He would be keeping Mayah safe. He wouldnt even need to tell Mayah that she was the Promised Daughter. He could still obey the bulk of Lady Naris orders and keep Mayah away from harm, away from the manipulators, away from those who wanted to string her out in an endless quest for approval, for worth. And then maybe maybe he and Mayah could even find a way back a way back to the rhythms of village life a way back to the way things used to be Stay up here for the rest of the day, said Sukren. Dont try to talk to Petrika or Vek. This evening, when I tell you to come down, bring everything with you. Are we going somewhere? He put a finger over her lips. Trust me, Mayah, he whispered. Just do as I say, and trust me. *** Where are we going? Mayah asked. She glanced around the Xhota urb. The sunlight was fading, curtains were being pulled shut, firelamps were being lit. Sukren, where are we going? This way, he said. Mayah coughed as a cart rolled past her, the wheels kicking up dust. She hurried after Sukren. He was leading her away from Stoneset Castle towards the shelterbelt. But why? Where are we going? she asked again. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. He motioned her closer to him. Mayah warily obeyed him. Something was wrong with Sukren. Treating her like he always had one day, ignoring her and snapping at her the next, then turning around and acting like he was about to give her some great gift. Was he going to turn on her again? When Sukren placed both his hands on her shoulders and leaned in so close that his mouth was against her ear, she stiffened. Were going to cross over the shelterbelt, she heard him whisper. Ill explain why later. Just stay calm and follow me. Mayah jerked away from him. The shelterbelt? Shh! She could feel the eyes of the people around them turning to her. Sukren tugged on her arm, obviously anxious. But Mayah felt nothing but confusion as she stumbled after him. Why did he want to take her across the shelterbelt? Sukren, I dont want to go. I want to go back to Vek. No, you dont. That made Mayah angry. After weeks of unexplained absence on top of years of falsehoods, Sukren still expected her to accept his commands, just like that? She wasnt a little girl anymore. She had left a castle without papers. She had gone through the Temple. She had endured that mobile checkpoint unit. Couldnt Sukren see she wasnt the same princess as the one he had left behind in Lost Technology? Pulling away once more, she planted her feet right in the middle of the street. You dont know anything about what I want, she snapped. At that, Sukren stopped. Xhota began dodging around them in order to get back to their huts before curfew. Mayah ignored them. She ignored the wind picking up too. The dust, the last calls of the merchants, the rippling curtains, the smell of fish and fruit and bioplastic C it all faded into the distance. Mayah, dont do this. Im not the one doing anything. I will explain everything. Like sunflare you will. He grabbed Mayahs wrist. I will. You never did before. There it was. The source of Mayahs resentment and rage, piercing through. How dare Sukren act like nothing had changed, when everything had? She had waited and waited since their reunion for Sukren to tell her why he had kept his entire life a secret from her. But Sukren had explained nothing. He hadnt even acted like anything needed to be explained. And now he wanted to exert his former authority over her? Who did he think he was? Who did he think she was? Sukren looked at her, and spoke with a mildness that shamed her. Do you think I had any choice about that? Mayah bowed her head. Its because of Rajas rule, she tried to remind herself. Sukren hadnt been free. Sukren had been forced by Rajas rule to keep things secret from Mayah. But recite to herself the words as she might, Mayah couldnt quite bring herself to believe them. She couldnt help but entertain a sneaking suspicion that Sukren had been free all along, that he had chosen to hide things from her because he had wanted to. I dont know, she said. I dont know if you had a choice or not. Well, I didnt. Now come with me. Anger flashed through her again, but long habit led her to obey. They hurried through the emptying streets. It wasnt until they were at the edge of the Xhota urb and the shelterbelt was in sight that Sukren stopped. Were going to climb through that gap there, see? I see it. Good. Ill give you a boost. What about Vek? What about him? Mayah glanced at Sukren. When will we return to him? I dont know. For the third time that evening, Mayah drew away from Sukren. What do you mean, you dont know? How long are we going to be on the other side of the shelterbelt? Not now, Mayah. We need to get across quickly before someone sees us. That side of the shelterbelt is dangerous, Mayah said loudly. Thats where the Cursed live. I know. And youre fine with that? We dont have time for this. I told you. I will explain. Mayah could feel a lump in the back of her throat, and pressure at her eyes. Dont cry, she told herself. Dont cry. Itll fog up your glasses, and you dont want that. Swallowing, she took another step back. I dont want to go with you. Come on, Mayah. Sukren reached out and grabbed her arm. Mayah pulled her arm out of his grasp. Im not going with you. Yes, you are. No, Im not! Mayah C Get away from me! He reached for her again. Im doing this for you, please C Liar! Sukren drew back. Mayah glared at him, her chest heaving. Liar, she thought. Liar, liar, liar! The words ran together in a jumbled mess and still they went on, a protective beat against the pain in her heart. Liar liar liar liar liar liar C Sukren grabbed hold of her again. She struggled against his grasp, but this time he was holding on too tightly. Then there was a sharp pricking sensation in her right arm, and Mayah felt her resistance melting as chemicals flooded through her body. You C you drug C Shh, Sukren said. Mayahs body was limp now. She tried to move her hands, but they refused to heed her. She could do nothing as Sukren pulled her onto his back. Even her eyelids felt heavy. Shh, she heard again. Shh. Itll be all right. Itll all be all right. No! Mayah wailed silently, as blackness pressed down on her. No! Dont do this! Cant you see? Im with you now. Part of the Free Serfs. You dont have to. Please dont. Anymore. Hide from me. The truth. *** Over the shelterbelt, The Rajas Daughter who is Promised, Must go. Over and to The Lake Tower, Her feet will tread. With the Ring of the Dome, Dripping in her hand. Interlude We might share the same ancestors and live with them under the same bio-dome, but our stories arent the same. We think the Crash Landing trapped our ancestors on this planet. They say their gods brought us here, to teach us how to be free. C excerpt from Sukren RockSpires Missives on the Cursed Written 870 years after the Crash Landing Rajani glanced down the slope at Chief Bikash. He was near the dormant volcanos base, inspecting a spear cannon installed by the hunters. It was almost time. Adjusting her breathflower mask so her words would not be muffled, Rajani turned to her twin sister, who was taking point for the first time. Are you ready? Her fingers clenched tight around her syrinx guns handle, Lainla wiped away the sweat trickling down her neck. Rajani studied her sister for a moment, then reached out and touched her shoulder. Youll be fine. All the training you put in was for this moment. Lainla took a deep breath, drawing in the petals fixed to her mask. So you think Im ready? Rajani looked at Lainla, a little surprised. She and Lainla years ago had worked out an understanding. Rajani, three minutes older than Lainla, was the bolder sister; Lainla, the friendlier one. Rajani was the lead hunter of the Jinkari Table; Lainla, the more skilled hunter. It was in line with Rajanis role as Lainlas lead hunter to offer reassurances, but it was not in line with Lainlas to ask for them. Its not my opinion that matters, its Chiefs, Rajani finally settled on. He may be an ass, but hes not careless with his hunters. He wouldnt have assigned you to this task if he thought you couldnt do it. A half-smile touched Lainlas lips. She adjusted her glasses over her skygold facemask. True. Ni! Get down here! Kebet, one of Rajanis friends, was signaling to her to get into position. Rajani squeezed Lainlas hand, then half-climbed, half-slid down the incline to join Kebet and the other ballista wielders. As she did so, she tried hard not to think about what would happen if a mammole attacked Lainla, but it was difficult to ward off the image of lumbering paws crushing her sisters body into the dirt. It wont happen, Rajani told herself. Lainlas a good hunter. The best in our cohort. Only somewhat reassured, Rajani hefted her hand ballista over her shoulder. It was half her height; a slit ran through its long rectangular structure. Turning the crank handle near the trigger, Rajani winched a thick bowstring back through the slit, then slid a bone-shaft pike in after it. One of the hunters standing near Rajani glanced up as the sun passed behind a cloud. I dont know why Chief is keeping us out here. We should be heading back to the bio-dome. Weve killed eleven mammoles this season. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Eleven isnt that many, Rajani replied, although she understood the hunters concern. She could smell the coming rain in the swollen gravel and soil around her. The torrent would turn the volcanos purple moss and yellow lichens into churning orange mud. Eleven would be enough if C the hunter started to say, but others hushed him. Lainla had finished sneaking up to the mammoles at the top of the slope. Rajani steadied herself. Her job and that of the hunters near her was to harass the selected mammole towards the cannons. Further up the volcano, on the other side of the draw, another team of ballista wielders stood tensely at attention. The air all around ached with unshed rain. Rajanis entire body was taut as she waited C would the waiting never end? C for Lainla to lead a mammole down the gully. Theres your sister, Kebet whispered. Lainla was creeping backwards, steering the mammole down the ravine. The shaggy beast lumbered forward on enormous, shovel-like paws, dirt-toned fur covering its massive body. As far as Rajani could tell, Lainlas shot had been true, the syrinx guns needle catching the animal right between its eyes, injecting it with an emblindening neurotoxin. Lainla was keeping the animal moving forward by waving before it a flag covered in female musk. If Lainla managed to keep up the charade until the mammole was past the highest-placed team, she could consider her part successfully executed. But the trick would only last so long before the mammole realized it was not surrounded by its mates. Rajani prayed silently. Lainla just needed a few more seconds A warm morntide breeze swept over them. It pushed the flag against Lainla, blowing the scent down the gully, away from the mammole. The mammole began snorting in the clear air. Its footsteps faltered. Rajani stared as her sister reacted by grabbing the flag with her other hand. What is she doing? Kebet whispered. Another chimed in. Has she lost her mind? Lainla had wrapped the flag around her hand and thrust it into the mammoles snout. Barely allowing herself to breathe, Rajani watched as Lainla urged the mammole forward, her hand only a fingers width away from its needle-sharp teeth. Then it was done. The mammole was beyond the first team of ballista wielders, who began shooting their pikes into the mammoles backside. Roaring, the mammole tore into the ground with its powerful forelegs. The hunters persisted in their assault, propelling the animal down the ravine. When it passed the hunters on Rajanis shelf, Rajani shot her pike into its thick flesh. Once more the mammole tried to escape by tunneling into the ground. It flung shards of gravel into the air. Ignoring the rocky rain, Rajani aimed her ballista so her next pike would tear into the mammoles rear end. Without warning, the mammole reared up and swiped at the ledge Rajani was on. Its massive paws tore into the rock under her feet. Hunters careened down the mountain in a shower of stone, their pike ends slicing through the air as they fell. Rajani ducked, then found herself rolling into the gully, her hands clinging to her still-loaded ballista. All at once mammole jaws were snapping in her face. She could feel the animals breath on her skin. Shoving herself to the side, Rajani scrambled forward on her hands and knees, a crumbling ravine wall to her left, a heaving animal body to her right. As soon as she was clear, she turned, aimed her weapon, and shot at the mammoles backside. Overcome by pain, the mammole rushed down through the draw C right to where the spear-loaded cannons were waiting. Chapter 50: “– it was a girl, a Gather’s Child girl, who was attacked –” Chapter 50: Rajani was elated. Most mammoles claimed at least a few lives before falling to the pikes and cannonspears of the Cursed, but this hunt had been bloodless. She could tell the other hunters were in good moods, too, with myxte and old-Tabled Cursed congratulating each other even across racial lines for a job well done. By the time they had finished skinning and packing the mammole meat, the sun was low in the western sky. Eager to get back to their waiting Table members, the hunters loaded up their packs and hiked down the volcano into the valley. Shriveled az leaves crunched under two hundred pairs of sheathed boots as the hunters made their way to the Cursed urb at the bio-domes southern end. Rajani stopped, as she always did, at the urbs eastern edge. With a pang in her heart, she watched the lodge mothers. Going to and fro between the dirt lodges, they were collecting meat from their Tables smokehouses and returning to their meal benches to cook. Above them the bio-domes crisscrossing branches stretched out like a canopy. Leaves, woken by nightfall, unfurled. Their blue and green veins cast a soft glow onto the landscape rising up from the soil below. Someone jostled her from behind. It was Kebet. Dont be sad, he said, grinning. Maybe someday your lodge mother will ask you to take over her role. Laughing, Rajani shoved Kebet back. That would never happen, and Kebet knew it. He was just teasing her, the way he teased everyone. His sisters, parents and cousins were the same way. Virtually every member of the Solonsa Table shared a taste for cheekiness, it seemed. Rajani-am! Rajani-am! It was Tanush, barreling towards her as fast as he could on eight-year-old legs. He threw his arms around her and launched into a story about a mammole bone knife he had carved. Grinning, Rajani removed her breathflower mask and waddled to the Jinkari meal bench with Tanush dangling from her waist. She arrived just as Abha, one of her cousins, emerged from the Jinkari dirt lodge. Tanush! Abha scolded her son. Let Rajani-am be! Rajani liked Abha. Despite being ten years older than Rajani, Abha had always been respectful of Rajanis lead huntership. Its fine, Rajani told her. Tanush is going to help me take off my pack, right, Shu? Tanush released Rajani and scrambled on top of the meal benchs circular seat so that he would be tall enough to reach Rajanis pack. When I grow up Im going to bring home a hunters pack too! he exclaimed. Wheres Lainla? Abha asked. Rajani glanced behind her. All around them rose the structures of the urb: the rounded mounds of dirt lodge roofs, the squat cylinders of the smokehouses, the rubber-lined meal benches. On the ground below grew untended patches of Earth wildflowers and plicatus berries. There. Rajani pointed. Las talking to someone, I think its Yathi. Wheres Mamai? Or your parents, for that matter? Someone called an emergency meeting of the lodge mother moot, Abha explained. I told your mother to go, that I could handle the eventide meal. My parents are inside the lodge still. Papais old injuries are bothering him. Rajani made a sympathetic face. Her uncle Shib, Abhas father, had been a hunter before getting slammed into a ravine wall by a berserking mammole while trying to rescue Abhas husband from the same fate. Unlike Abhas husband, Shib-vyn had survived the attack C but only just. Tanush had pulled Rajanis pack off of her back and onto the meal bench. She leaned over to help him pull out the slabs of mammole meat. Lets carry these over to the smokehouse, okay? Ill do it! Tanush said. We can do it together. No, youre a hunter. Rajani gave him a look. Being a hunter doesnt mean you dont help with chores. Tanush seemed skeptical. Rajani grabbed an armful of meat and nudged Tanush towards their smokehouse. What do you think hunters are for? she asked him. Hunting, he responded promptly. Is that it? Yes. Hunters dont do anything else? Tanush smirked. They stop you from being a Gathers Child. Rajani frowned. It was true that if a Table lost its last hunter, its members became Gathers Children. But there was a dismissiveness in Tanushs tone that Rajani found troublesome. Is it a bad thing to be a Gathers Child? she asked him. She knew Tanush would think the right answer was no from the way Rajani had asked the question. Yet Rajani could see he was struggling not to respond with a yes. Maybe? Tanush finally ventured. And why would being a Gathers Child be a bad thing? Because then your Table doesnt have a hunter. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. At that, Rajani laughed. All right, Shu. Lets finish up and help your mother cook. Did I say the wrong thing? Tanushs little face was full of concern. No, no. Did I say the right thing? Almost, Rajani said, smiling. Almost. *** Later that night, after the feast, Rajani led her Table members in the eventide chant. When it was over, she felt a surge of relief. Leaning against her sister as the rest of her Table members continued to talk around the meal bench, Rajani closed her eyes. Yawning, she let the murmur of voices wash over her. Finally, now, she could snatch a few moments to rest, to relax, to shed a little the responsibility of lead huntership. It was a responsibility shed been carrying for seven years, ever since she was fifteen, and while she didnt find it unbearably heavy, she also didnt mind the thought of letting it go. But the rules of the Cursed didnt allow for that. Over the years the Jinkari Table hunters had died, or, like Shib-vyn, been too injured to hunt anymore, leaving their Table with two hunters: herself and her sister. Rajani was the older twin by three minutes, and for that reason, and that reason alone, she had to be the lead hunter. C it was a girl, a Gathers Child girl, who was attacked C Rajani sat bolt upright. She turned and leaned into the meal bench so she could see Mamai, who was seated on the other side of Lainla. The two broke off their conversation and looked at Rajani. What did you just say? Rajani asked her mother. Lainla answered. Someone reported to the lodge mother moot that a hunter attacked a Gathers Child girl last week. What? Rajanis mind was spinning. When C who C Last week, so it had to be one of the hunters Chief sent back with the eleventh mammoles meat. Rajanis body tightened with rage. It was infuriating to think about a hunter attacking a Gathers Child. Gathers Children didnt have hunters of their own to bring charges on their behalf! What kind of person would hit someone who couldnt hit back? Which one of them did it? Mamai met Rajanis eyes. I dont know. Do you remember which hunters Chief sent back to the dome last week? I think two Vadyan Table hunters, someone from the Mehen Table, and maybe Rajani paused, trying to remember. Lainla leaned forward. Her face was grim. Yathi told me she heard Pratap of the Vadyan Table bragging about it. Rajanis eyes flashed at the sound of Prataps name. That fool, again. The lodge mother moot needs to create a central body of enforcers, she said out loud, so that Gathers Children can take perpetrators to trial, too. The lodge mother moot may make decisions for the Cursed, Mamai answered evenly. But we are dependent on the hunters to enforce those decisions. Any vote we make that cuts away at hunter power may not be enforced by them. Rajani could tell she had made Mamai nervous. Sure enough, after a few moments of gazing at the firepit built into the center of the meal bench, Mamai said, Dont stir up trouble, Ni. Im not! Good. Annoyed, Rajani stood. She managed to keep her voice even. Im going on a walk. Ill come with you, Lainla said. Side by side the sisters walked to the edge of the bio-dome where the giant trees that made up the domes frame were rooted. They looked out at the planets surface through a hexagonal gap framed by bole and branch. Through the gap Rajani could see the red-stemmed az hedges that surrounded the bio-dome, a gentle rain upraising their long leaves. Far above, high in the night sky, danced the soft green and gold lights of the aurora kaikilas. Remember the lodge mother story about how Gather and Hunt blessed each other with their gifts? Lainla said. Gather gathered nectar from the breathflowers and prepared it for Hunt to drink. Hunt hunted the largest mammole and killed it for Gather to feast on. You shall not wrest life from the ground, quoted Rajani. You shall receive with open hands the food that we give you. And then they danced, whispered Lainla. Rajani leaned against the nearest trunk. Her fingers grazed the yellow limestone that fringed each tree in the bio-domes frame. The smell of wood and sap and limestone rested on her as she watched the aurora kaikilas do its nightly ballet. A million charged particles streaming through the atmosphere, she marveled. And the gods set them in place just to show us what harmony looks like. And then they gave us the Table Chronicles to open our eyes to the laws that govern human harmony. Rajani gave her a look. Im not mad at Mamai. Lainla laughed. Sure youre not. She always blames me! Even when nothings happened, she acts like I instigated that nothingness. Take it as a compliment. Mamai thinks youre so capable, she attributes everything to you. Youre the cause of all things, good and bad. Rajani rolled her eyes. If only I had that much power. Me too. Then maybe we could actually do something about the hunters. Lainlas voice had turned dark. Rajani put her arm around her sisters shoulders and drew her close. Lately there had been rumors about hunters taking advantage of their superior status to mock the Gathers Children. Thus far Rajani had been able to ignore her discomfort by focusing on the fact that it was old-Tabled Cursed hunters like Pratap, and not myxte Cursed like herself, that were making trouble. But attacking a Gathers Child girl, that was going too far. Who was the girl? Rajani asked. One of the newer emigrants, an overbelter. Rajani closed her eyes and pictured the urb in her mind. The atreola, an open strip of land, divided the urb in two. On either side of the atreola, the huntered Cursed lived in their Tables dirt lodges, stored meat in their Tables smokehouses, and ate at their Tables meal benches. The Gathers Children, on the other hand, lived in a ditch that lined the far western edge of the urb. The ditch itself was new. In the past, when a Table lost its hunters and its members became Gathers Children, those members would keep on living in their Tables lodge. Recently, however, more and more overbelters had been emigrating from the other side of the shelterbelt. Hunterless by definition, lodgeless from the start, they lived in what used to be called temporary shelter but what was now known as the Gathers Children ditch. It was late, and Rajani was tired. Still, she couldnt help but feel a deep sense of unease. Something was changing. Something was shifting. A storm was in the air, in the soil, in the rocks. Lets go back, said Lainla. We have to be up for tomorrows ablution in the holy place. Rajani nodded. They made their way beneath the blue and green leaves of the bio-dome back to the Jinkari dirt lodge. The urb all around them was quieting down. Most of the other Cursed had gone back inside their lodges to sleep until darkwake. Of my Table, of my flesh, Rajani recited. It was a verse used to mark endings, of days, of lives, of relationships. Rajani and Lainla often used it to bid each other a good night. So the gods feel towards us, Lainla recited in turn. We are their people. We are the Cursed. Chapter 51: “Ever have my ancestors served you.” Chapter 51: Ever have I served you, Rajani whispered. Metal walls and a metal roof enclosed the holy place. Shadows filled it. The steam rising from the thermal spring inside muddied the auroralight that peeked in through the rust and the cracks. Ever have my ancestors served you. The words were powerful, even if they werent quite true. The Jinkari Table had come into existence only three generations ago, when Grandmamai and Grandpapai left their Xhota kinsfolk and traveled over the shelterbelt to become Cursed. Yet the chants accuracy, or lack thereof, didnt bother Rajani. The spiritual line of the Cursed ran all the way back to Earth, and it was an ancestry that any Cursed citizen, myxte or old-Tabled, could claim. Ever has my Table served you. It was time for the ablution. Rajani knelt and placed her cheek against the razor-sharp edge of one of the black stones that lined the pool. The whetted stone bit her skin. Out of the corner of her eye Rajani saw a host of other lead hunters doing the same, their bodies bent in united submission. Then it was done, and Rajani was on her feet, wiping her face with her sleeve. She stepped out of the way so Lainla could take her place. After disinfecting its edge with a firestick, Lainla knelt and placed her cheek against the same stone. Rajani stood and watched, her cheek throbbing. She didnt try to ease the pain. Pain is our offering, the Hem Table Chronicles read. We give it to the gods in exchange for life. Once Lainla was done, the sisters withdrew to the back of the holy place. Lainla was greeted by a group of hunters also lingering there; she joined in their chatter. Rajani stayed silent. She watched as the next set of hunters started bringing non-hunter Table members forward for a pre-trials blessing. Then she saw Kebet approaching her from across the holy place. He nudged his way to her side. Did you hear about Pratap? Yes. He says the Gathers Children these days arent Cursed, so it doesnt matter what we do to them. Thats ridiculous, Rajani snapped. Rajani was interrupted before she could say more. Someone had stumbled into her; she turned and saw a young girl, fifteen years old at most, trying to find her footing. A Cursed hunter, a man of Shib-vyns age, glared and grabbed the girl by the back of her neck, yanking her forward. Rajanis anger immediately flared up. She didnt like it when the weak were pushed around. Dont shove her like that! she told the hunter. Youre not the lead hunter of the Mehen, Rajani, I am, he snarled back. You mind your Table, and Ill mind mine. Rajani wasnt surprised the hunter knew her name. Not only was she the youngest of the lead hunters, she was also one of only a handful of them that were female. This meant she always had to respond forcefully, no matter what the circumstances. Mind your Table in private, then, Rajani snapped back. She studied the mans myxte Cursed features, and added, Dont do it where everyone can see. Rage filled the mans face. He let go of the girl and lunged for Rajani. He was stopped when Kebet stepped between them and blocked the way with his wiry frame. I dont need someone of your generation telling me how myxte Cursed ought to behave, the man spat as he tried to shove Kebet to the side. Youre the ones giving us myxte Cursed a bad name! Whats this? a voice sounded. Uh oh, Kebet muttered. He looked nervous but stayed in place even as Chief Bikash pushed his way through the throng to where they were. Only when Rajani put a hand on his arm did Kebet relax and return to his original position by Rajanis side. Gipth, whats going on? Chief asked the other hunter. Rajani thinks shes lead hunter not just of the Jinkari, but of the Mehen, too, Gipth answered. A small crowd had started to gather around them. Rajani overheard someone in it ask what was happening. Its just myxte Cursed, fighting again, someone else replied. Hearing that made Rajani wince. She didnt like that kind of talk, and from the look on Chiefs face, he liked it even less. Leaning forward so that his face was level with Rajanis, Chief hissed, Dont make trouble. Im not, Rajani responded, as calmly as she could. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. She had been trying to reassure him, but Chief glared at her as if she had spat at him. She knew he wouldnt lay a hand on her, not here in the holy place, and certainly not after hearing the slur that all myxte Cursed were quarrelsome. But it was with a sinking feeling in her heart that Rajani watched Chief pull away. Training next week would not be fun, to say the least. We should get out of here, Kebet said. Rajani agreed. She glanced at Lainla, who had drawn near sometime during the conflict. Her face was worried. Its okay, La, Rajani said. Im going back to the bio-dome with Bet. You want to stay here? Lainla shook her head. Ill come with you. The three of them made their way to the wall where their sheathed boots lay. Quickly they pulled them on. Holding their breaths, they broke into a run as soon as Kebet twisted open the door. Soon they were back beneath the north end of the bio-domes protective frame, the ruins of the ancient starship that covered the holy place behind them. *** The hunter trials were held every year during the first week of rainsoon season. All those who wished to become hunters had to prove it by enduring not only endless runs around the circumference of the shelterbelt, but also multiple nights of being hazed. It was during Rajanis own trials seven years ago that she and Kebet became friends. They had known each other before, having attended school together in the same cohort, but it was during the trials that their bond was forged. Rajani had even told him about her hopeless, secret dream to become a lodge mother one day, and although Kebet never failed to tease her about it, he had also never betrayed her confidence. A week after the ablutions, Rajani and Kebet were standing with a few other myxte Cursed by the edge of the bio-dome. It was the last day of the trials. The hunters were gathered on the training ground at the northern end of the bio-dome, waiting for the new hunters-to-be to finish their last lap around the shelterbelt. I heard some of the lexikosts were in the atreola all daysleep, talking about how theres been a lot of sunspot activity this dry season, Kebet said to her. Yathi was trying to do some research there but they were so loud she gave up and came back to the lodge to tell us about it. Rajani frowned. I guess that explains why we didnt catch as many mammoles this time. Kebet started to reply but fell silent. Rajani turned to him. Whats wrong? Before Kebet could say anything, Rajani heard Prataps scornful laugh emanating from a group of hunters a few paces away. I put that Gathers Child girl in her place. And of course the girls older brother didnt do anything. Thats what overbelters are like. Rajanis eyes narrowed. She started to turn towards Pratap, then froze when she heard Lainlas familiar even voice. Pratap, you know thats not something to be proud of. Lainla was facing down a cluster of Vadyan Table hunters. What did you just say to me? Rajani heard Pratap sneer. With Pratap was his cousin Nehik, who glanced at Rajani. She ignored him, focusing on her sister. If any of them lay even a finger on Lainla Pratap, Rajani heard Nehik say. Maybe we should leave her alone. Why? Pratap asked. He smirked. Is Rajani going to do something? Is that what youre afraid of? Rajani ran towards the Vadyan, reaching Pratap just as he shoved Lainla to the side. He tried to pull away when he saw Rajani coming for him, but she used her momentum to drive him backward. He responded by swinging a fist at her. Ducking his blow, Rajani side-kicked his knee. Before either of them could continue, Chief Bikashs roar rang out. Rajani! All at once Chief was before her, grabbing her by the chin. His fingers dug into her face as he shoved her backwards into the circle that had formed around them. Off-balance, Rajani tried to catch herself, but Chief followed up with a powerful backhand that sent her sprawling. Struggling to catch her breath, Rajani couldnt escape as Chiefs hands closed down on her shoulders. He hauled her to her feet. She stumbled as he thrust her towards Pratap. I told you not to make trouble! Chief snarled. You started this, now you get to finish it. Ears ringing from Chiefs slap, Rajani wasnt able to avoid Prataps next blow. She tried not to cry out as his fist connected with her side. Through the pain and disorientation, Rajani could hear the hunters around her start to mutter. Chief, please, I started it, not her! Rajani heard Lainla shout. Rajani tried to shake her head, moving backwards as Pratap stalked her. No, she managed. No, it was me. No, Lainla didnt start it, and neither did Rajani, Kebet called out. Pratap shoved Lainla, Chief. How was Rajani supposed to respond? Other hunters watching the exchange chimed in. Kebets right. It wasnt Rajanis fault. All right, all right! Chief shouted over the growing clamor. Pratap, settle down. And you, stop making trouble. He gave Rajani a parting shove that caused her to stumble sideways into the crowd. Lainla, shivering, threw her arms around her. Kebet put his hand on her shoulder. Bastards, he muttered. The tightness in Rajanis chest made it hard to breathe. She closed her eyes, fighting her sense of vulnerability. Now was not the time to give in to her emotions. You okay, Rajani? Rajani looked up. It was another hunter, a few years older. She recognized him by face but couldnt recall his name. Yes, she managed. The hunter glanced around, then lowered his voice. Chief went too far. I know hes usually rough on everyone during the trials, but this is too much. I think hes scared of something. Rajani felt both grateful and ashamed. It ate at her that Pratap continued to escape sanction for his crime against the Gathers Child girl while she received punishment despite having done nothing wrong. Though it was gratifying that another hunter would think so too, it was still humiliating to be beaten in public before the other hunters, and even more so for the beating to be commented on. Chief was blowing his horn. It was time to pick a new hunter to break in. Rajani, move! Chief shouted. Rajani forced herself to start running to the line of new hunters by the shelterbelt. With Kebet on her right side and Lainla on her left, she managed to pick up speed. Still, it took several minutes until her body was finally relaxed enough to stop trembling. Chapter 52: “If we stay facing the rubber forge, our voices will be muffled.” Chapter 52: At the atreolas southern end, near the bio-domes edge, stood a dais upon which an eternal fire was hearthed. At the northern end was the rubber forge, beyond which grew the shelterbelt. Lines of rubber booksleeves hung from the shelterbelts branches. Rajani ran her fingers along the bark of one of the trees. Overhead, a torrent of rain gushed onto the canopy of florets and leaves that covered the bio-domes frame. Fat drops, escaping through gaps between the foliage, smacked into the dirt beside her. She was glad she had insisted on slipping out here alone. With the solitude, Rajani could let the tightness in her chest be released. She bowed her head and replayed the humiliation in her mind, struggling over and over again with a man she was no match for. There was no steam or sacred pool by the hanging library, but Rajani still knew to give her pain to the gods. Pain is purifying, she whispered, quoting one of her favorite lines from the Jinkari Table Chronicles. Accept it, give it up to Gather. Let it lead you to become your truest self. It doesnt mean anything about who you are, the god words said. The pain is a test. Do you still believe you belong to Hunts Table, even when youre not treated like it? Or will you let the pain name you? I still believe, Rajani whispered. But it wasnt true. The pain and shame werent leaving her. And with them returned the doubts about being a hunter at all. Dont forget what your father did for you, the Jinkari adults always told her. Rajani had sworn she would make Papais death worth it. But should she have? Should she still, now, when she was reaping the bitter rewards of submission to a fate she had never wanted? All her suppressed longing was welling to the surface. Gather and Hunt, for how long had Rajani yearned to join the lodge mothers in their rhythm? To be part of the thread that held Cursed life together? And now this. As a young woman, as a myxte Cursed, Rajanis position among the hunters was already somewhat tenuous. Now that Chief had marked her as someone who could be demeaned without consequence, more disrespect would likely follow. There was a noise behind her. Rajani turned and saw next to the rubber forge the hunter who had asked if she was okay. The defeat in his face vanished under a mask as soon as he saw Rajani was there too. What are you doing here? he asked. What are you doing here? Rajani replied. He gave her a wry glance. Probably the same thing as you C or similar, anyway. Did Chief C Rajani started to ask, then stopped. She remembered now. This hunter was Jiat of the Mehen Table, Gipths nephew. The girl at the holy place was his cousin. What happened? she asked. Jiat was silent for a moment. Then he said, I think my uncle and Chief are very similar. Theyre both myxte Cursed C myxte Xhota, even C and of the same generation. And theyre both scared. Of what? Of the old-Tabled Cursed turning on us. Rajani pondered Jiats words. Us C the myxte Cursed C the descendants of overbelters. For a hundred years now, overbelters had been emigrating to the Cursed urb from inside the shelterbelt. Before then, the Cursed had been old-Tabled, and old-Tabled alone. Every Cursed citizen lived under the shadow of that history. Her mother, her aunt and uncle, Kebets parents, any myxte Cursed over a certain age, they were all careful around the old-Tabled Cursed. We have to prove that having overbelter blood doesnt make us any less Cursed, they would always say. Even Mamai, born and raised in the Cursed urb, believed so. Rajanis generation was different. Theirs was the first to grow up in a world in which a full third of hunters were myxte. Theirs was the first to have a myxte Cursed Chief of hunters. Theirs was the first to feel secure in their Cursedhood. Secure, though, only up to a point. The myxte might be Cursed, and feel Cursed, and be accepted as Cursed, but that didnt mean they were quite as Cursed as the old-Tabled. And if Rajani considered it from that point of view, Chiefs behavior made more sense. He wanted Rajani as a fellow myxte Cursed to behave herself before the old-Tabled Cursed. When she failed to do so, he would feel that he had to punish her, or risk looking like he favored the myxte Cursed C and hence antagonize old-Tabled Cursed Tables like Prataps. But why did Chief C not to mention the rest of his generation C feel so concerned about currying favor with the old-Tabled Cursed? It was true that the old-Tabled Cursed had a legitimacy that the myxte Cursed lacked. They were taken more seriously. But they werent dangerous. Their ancestors had been the ones to welcome in the initial emigrants in the first place! Frustrated because she couldnt make her humiliation make sense, Rajani turned her thoughts away from Chief to Gipth. I met your uncle inside the holy place, she said to Jiat. He told me. Why dont you leave him? she asked. I dont have a choice about Chief. But youre older than I am. You could start your own Table. Jiat shook his head. My uncle knows not to touch me. I made that clear several years ago. But my cousins, his children, are young still. I cant take them away from him to a new Table. And if Im not there to push back when he loses his temper he shrugged. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. He didnt need to finish his sentence for Rajani to understand. Lead hunters exercised a good deal of authority. Even abusive ones retained rights over their Table members. Thats the problem, isnt it? she said, thinking about Chief, about Jiats uncle, about Pratap. Hunters can get away with anything because of their status. Right. Rajani ran her fingers through her close-cropped hair. Hunts Table, she swore. There has to be a way to stop them, Jiat said. It was as if Jiat had read her mind. Rajani gave him an appraising gaze. He met her eyes. There was a conviction in his face that Rajani liked. A sudden instinct guided her. Next Gathers Day C not tomorrow, but next week C can you meet me here again? Yes. There are others who may want to come, too. Rajani thought of Kebet, Lainla, maybe Abha. As long as they wont report us. Rajani nodded. Jiat was right. Only those who could be trusted to keep their mouths shut could be invited. Rajani-am! Her cousin Soti was calling for her from the other side of the rubber forge. Lainla-am sent me, its time for dinner! I should go, said Jiat. Me too. A half-smile touched Rajanis lips. Gather be with you tonight. His crooked smirk reflected her own. And with you as well. *** Abha was busy that next Gathers Day, but Rajani didnt mind. For this kind of meeting, the fewer the better. She was therefore dismayed when she arrived and discovered that Kebet had brought along his cousin Yathi. When Rajani gave him a look, he shrugged. I couldnt shake her. Oh, shut up, Bet, Lainla said, grinning. Rajani watched as Lainla and Yathi greeted each other with enthusiasm. Despite their divergent vocations C Yathi, a lexikost, and Lainla, a hunter C their childhood friendship had persisted. This is a good location, said Jiat, looking around. If we stay facing the rubber forge, our voices will be muffled. Muffled? Yathi echoed. Her eyes widened under her glasses. Kebet didnt tell me we were going to be discussing anything Tabu. We arent, Kebet said. Rajani told me we were going to talk about the bad turn the hunters have taken. Especially Chief. I cant wait to tell the lodge mother moot about how much of a bastard hes been. Rajani shook her head. I dont think telling the lodge mothers about Chief will change anything. Why not? A Chiefs authority during trainings and hunts is about as sacred as a lead hunters authority over his Table. No lodge mother will touch either of those spheres. Rajani is right, said Jiat. The lodge mother moot doesnt have as much influence as people think. Besides, the problem isnt just Chief. Its the hunters at large. You all heard what Pratap did to that Gathers Child girl. Nothing is going to happen to him because nobody holds hunters accountable. But how could we change that? Yathi asked. Rajani had spent the last week trying to think of an answer to that question. We need to find a way for the Cursed to be less dependent on the hunters. Lainla looked up sharply. And how would that work? I dont know yet, Rajani admitted. But I know that the hunters have too much power, and that the Cursed need the hunters too much to insist on change. The only way forward is for the Cursed to need the hunters less. For a moment Rajani was afraid her friends would respond with pity, or worse, condescension. Oh, Rajani, she could hear them say. Is this because of what Chief Bikash did to you? We know youre upset, but dont you think youre taking things too far? Could a true hunter think otherwise? Jiat demanded. Lets think. What do we need hunters for? Rajani felt a rush of gratitude for Jiat as the others chimed in. We protect our Table members from idiots like Pratap. We escort outcasts to the castra-dome and arrange for the run. Hunters do a lot. They feed us, they clothe us, they even provide us our currency. Say more, Rajani said, her interest piqued by the last contribution from Yathi. Maybe it hadnt been a mistake for Kebet to bring her. Yathi was, after all, an economics lexikost. Out of all of them, she would know best how reliant the Cursed were on the hunters. Well, to start, if we dont have hunters, we dont eat. Give them your lecture, the one you give to your students about how the Cursed economic system works at large, Kebet said. Its one of her best, he added to the rest of the group. Its kind of long, Yathi said, flushing. Thats fine, Rajani said. Its better if we have the whole picture. Okay, well, like I said, the hunters hunt the mammoles, and then they divide up the catch by Table C but proportionately, so that a Table with ten members gets twice as much as a Table with five members. Each Table budgets the amount it receives to make sure it has enough to last the whole rainsoon season. Whatever is left over after the budgeting is the surplus. A share of the surplus, the holy portion, is given to the Gathers Children. The rest of it we can use to trade for services. All the Cursed who arent hunters have to choose a profession that contributes to the Cursed at large, but we dont have to devote all our time to it. Whatever extra time we have left over after our set service hours, we can trade for extra meat. That is, if anyone wants a service from us. Oh, so thats why Tables with physicians always seem to have plenty, Lainla said. Yathi nodded. Their services are always in demand. Economic lexikosts, like me, not so much. Especially since I specialize in comparing the Cursed with the overbelters. No one finds that interesting but me. Do the overbelters do it very differently? Kebet asked. Oh, yes. I mean, just to start, they use non-perishable items as currency, which means they can stockpile wealth and pass it down. They do? Kebet asked. But we trade with the Xhota for consumable goods. I think the Xhota just do that with the Cursed. Among themselves, overbelters use bioplastic coins. Rajani was no longer listening. Lainlas point earlier had caught her mind. Physicians could trade healthcare for meat from other Tables. They could thus provide for themselves. They didnt need to rely as much on their Tables hunters. If the non-hunter Cursed could emulate them But how? Non-hunters couldnt take down mammoles. During dry seasons, they could and did harvest plicatus berries and wildflowers, but not at quantities high enough to replace mammole meat. Rajani decided to pose the puzzle to the others. Do you think another food source could be found? They looked at her. Like what? Kebet asked. Rajani shrugged. I have no idea. Wait. Yathi looked uneasy. You mean youre serious? You actually want to find a way to undercut the entire purpose of the hunters? Rajani and Jiat exchanged a glance. We just want to need them less, he said lightly. Yathis brow was furrowed. I dont know about this. Were just talking, Rajani said. Yathi glanced at the water clock on top of the rubber forge. Its noontide. The Gathers Day feasting is about to begin. We should go. Without bidding them farewell, Yathi turned and walked away. Rajani, grim-faced, motioned for the others to follow her. Ill let you know when were going to meet again, she said. Nobody answered. Chapter 53: “Rajani, agriculture is Tabu.” Chapter 53: Why did you bring Yathi? Rajani asked Kebet. I told you already. I couldnt shake her. Besides, you didnt exactly warn me that we were going to be talking about well, you know. Youre sure she wont tell anybody? I told her not to. Shell listen to me. Rajani wasnt sure she was convinced. Yathi had seemed disapproving. It was true that Yathi had yet to betray them in the two full diurnals that had passed since their meeting, but would she persist in her silence? Rajani sighed. At least she was helpful. Of course she was. Shes a Solonsa. Were always helpful. Rolling her eyes, Rajani gave Kebet a light shove. He shook his head in laughing protest and touched his back-carrier. Careful, Ill tip over. She grinned at him. Rajani liked bantering with Kebet. It was a good way to pass the time while they and three other hunters, all of them loaded down with skins, waited for the hunter closest to the shelterbelt to finish climbing through the gap in the trees that made up the bio-domes frame. Although the gap was primarily used nowadays by Cursed hunters trading for Xhota goods, it was still known as the ancient gateway through which their ancestors had left the bio-dome proper to live in the space between the shelterbelt and the bio-domes edge. It had been created, and was maintained, by cutting out enough branch and trunk matter to make an opening large enough to fit a grown man and his back-carrier. The trees on either side of the opening grew thick and strong, their branches supporting the convex bones of the bio-dome just as they had been designed to. The second hunter to cross over was Pratap. Rajani scowled. The hunters had returned to the bio-dome three and a half weeks ago, and still Pratap remained uncensured. Rajani was sure that it was Prataps status as a hunter that protected him to such an unmerited degree. So absorbed was Rajani in her resentment that she misplaced a step while climbing down the other side of the shelterbelt. Her foot slipped and she skidded down, scraping her hands against the limestone-covered bark of the tree. The hunters who had already crossed reached out to help slow her fall, Pratap among them. He glared when she yanked away from his touch. What happened to the overbelters? one of the other hunters asked. Rajani looked up. The shacks on stilts that made up the Xhota urb still stood in their usual rows, but it was as if the hustle and bustle of the bazaar stalls housed beneath the shacks was under a gag. And the streets C they were alive not with merchants, but armed men. Maybe we should go back, Kebet said. Rajani could tell the other hunters shared Kebets uncertainty. She herself felt uneasy as well. But Chief had ordered their trade trip for a reason, and she didnt want to give him any excuse to lash out at her again. We need the bioplastic parts, she said. But the guards C The Xhota permitted Cursed trade trips even during the Paxho Purge. If they left us alone then, theyll leave us alone now. At Rajanis urging, the hunters made their way across the stretch of shrubbery that grew between the shelterbelt and the start of the Xhota urb. But contrary to her prediction, they were stopped before they were even past the urbs first row. Show us your travel passes, the first guard snapped. Of the six hunters, only Pratap and Rajani had learned how to speak Xhom with any fluency, and Rajanis Xhom was better than Prataps. Were Cursed, she told the guard. We dont have travel passes. Weve never needed them before. The guard who had spoken looked at his partner. Is this true? They dont need passes? The second guard was a woman with an impatient scowl on her face. Yes, yes, its true. Where are you going? the first guard asked. We trade with an old man named Yexin, Rajani said. The woman made a shooing motion with her hand. Move along. One by one the hunters filed past the two guards. Rajani had just started to think they were in the clear when one of the guards gave a shout. Rajani spun around. The male guard had drawn his bow and was aiming a glistening, poison-tipped arrow at Kebet. Rajanis heart jumped. She took a step toward Kebet. The male guard swung his bow toward Rajani. Whats a Chenta doing with you? he snarled. Are you spies? Did Lady Nari send you? Hes not Chenta, Rajani responded, her heart racing. Hes Cursed. The man swung back to Kebet. He sure looks Chenta to me. Whats he saying, Ni? Kebet asked, looking warily at the Xhota guard. Rajani put out her hands. He looks Chenta because his parents are Chenta. But he was born on the Cursed side of the shelterbelt. The woman slapped the male guards arm. Look at his clothes, idiot. Hes Cursed, theyre all Cursed, just let them go, they dont matter. Rajani held her breath as the man undrew his bow. He then grabbed Kebets sleeved arm and rubbed it with his thumb. It was obvious to Rajani even from a distance that the velvet skins on Kebet were different from the plant-based fabrics with which the overbelters clothed themselves. Anyone could see that. Finally the man let Kebet go. Yexin, you said? Yes, Rajani responded. Ill follow up with him. Now get going! The hunters obeyed, pushing deeper into the urb. The few merchants they came across kept their heads down and their steps quick. Only Yexin seemed unchanged. Good, good, I was afraid you werent coming. You have skins? Good. I have all the bioplastic you need. The hunters were eager to get home, so Rajani was generous in her bartering. At the end of the trade Yexin appeared pleased, even offering dates to the hunters. Rajani refused on everyones behalf. We have to go, she explained, although they wouldve declined the grown food regardless. Very well, very well. When will I see you next? Was it just Rajani, or did Yexin seem a little too interested in her answer? I dont know, she said. Well come when we come. With that, they were done, and out in the streets once more. Strands of breathflower vines, hanging from the bio-dome above, wept rainwater and sap onto their heads. After making sure her load of bioplastic parts was well-covered, Rajani strode through the paths back in the direction of the Cursed urb. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. The hunters were stopped at the same street as before. This time, though, the woman was not there. She had been replaced by a man with a sneer on his lips. There he is, the original guard said, pointing. Theres the Chenta, I told you! Before Rajani could say a word, both guards were on Kebet. The first grabbed his arm. The second pointed a blowpipe in the direction of the hunters. You dont fool us, he snarled. Rajani made as if she was going to approach them. The second guard responded by placing the blowpipe to his lips. The panic Rajani had felt the first time Kebet was stopped spiked through her once more. I made a mistake, she thought wildly. I was afraid that if we returned without the bioplastic parts, Chief would lay the blame on me. But better that than lose Kebet! Let me go, Kebet demanded in Cursed. He tried to pull his arm away but was hampered by his back-carrier. Rajani, tell them to let me go! Hes not who you think he is! Rajani shouted. She could hear behind her Pratap telling the other hunters to take their packs, and his, and go. Furious, she turned around to confront Pratap. The other four hunters, including Pratap, were old-Tabled Cursed. Kebet and Rajani, on the other hand, were myxte. But surely that didnt mean they would abandon Kebet! Give Oveh your back-carrier too, Pratap said to her. Then the two of us will be free to get Kebet. Glancing over her shoulder, Rajani saw that the two guards had tied a leash around Kebets wrists, and that they were dragging him further into the Xhota urb. She wasted no time in shedding her back-carrier. You attack from the right, she said. Ill get them from the left. No. What do you mean, no? You distract them. Keep going after them. Demand our goods back. Ill circle around through the bazaar stalls and crush them from behind with this. He held up a long rod he had detached from his back-carrier. You want to take them on alone? Thats stupid! One of us has to act as a distraction. Otherwise theyll shoot us both. Kebet was being pulled further away with every passing moment. Fine, Rajani snapped. She tore down the street, ignoring the guards shouting after her, cursing when a dart whizzed by her arm. Gather and Hunt, if they started shooting in earnest at her But no other projectiles followed, and Rajani caught up with Kebet and the two guards outside a curtained bazaar stall. When they saw her, both drew their weapons. You dont need our goods, Rajani called out, keeping her distance. Give those back to us, and well let you have him. The two men looked at each other. The sneering one was saying something to the other but Rajani couldnt hear his words. She edged closer. Both guards immediately trained their weapons on her. She halted. Come on, Pratap, she thought. Come on She had just decided she could wait no longer when Pratap burst through the curtains hanging around the bazaar stall. He landed a blow across the back of the sneering guards head. The man crumpled. Rajani ran forward as Pratap swung at the original guard, who ducked and released an arrow that went flying C Kebet had thrown his weight against him. Rajani jumped into the fray. Her onslaught forced the guard to stumble backwards into one of the corner posts of the bazaar stall. Pratap moved in to slam his rod into the guards face, once, twice, three times. Prataps eyes were shining with joy. For a moment Rajani found herself more frightened of Pratap than of the Xhota guards closing in on them. Her fingers fumbled as she tried to loosen Kebets bonds. A pricking sensation caught her in the back of her neck. Rajani slapped her hand against the injury. A dart had just grazed her. She swore. She could feel Kebets still-tied hands prodding her forward through a curtain, but the rest of her senses were growing numb. She got shot, Rajani heard Kebet say. To Pratap? She couldnt tell. She was in a bazaar stall, bewildered Xhota faces scrambling to get out of the way. Furred creatures were fluttering around her in bioplastic cages. The press of people plowed through them and the animals soared out of their broken pens. Then she was in yet another bazaar stall, trampling over green shoots in trays of damp dirt. The green burned Rajanis eyes; she reeled. She was only dimly aware that someone had caught her and was carrying her forward. But even as her body surrendered to the overbelters poison, the sight of the green shoots stayed with her. Thrusting through the dark soil. Reaching for the light. *** If that dart had pierced you directly, you would be following Hunt on your final run right now, the Cursed physician attending Rajani said, shaking her head. Rest, drink this. Youll recover. Her bodys weakness gave her no choice, so Rajani spent most of her time asleep. When she wasnt sleeping, she would stare up at the glowing orange blossoms the Cursed used to illuminate and oxygenate their lodges. Over and over again she saw in her minds eye the cruel joy on Prataps face as he brought his rod whistling down. She also saw the green shoots. Cruel joy. Green shoots. Her mind went round and round, struggling to find the connection between them, a connection she knew was there, a connection that tugged at her even in her sleep. Green shoots. Cruel joy. Cruel joy. Green shoots. Chudami rotated once, a seventy-five-hour effort C one diurnal. Three times the Cursed slept, three times they were awake. Sunstir led to daysleep, sunwake to first nightsleep, darkwake to second nightsleep. Dawn broke over the next sunstir, spinning their sun into view, and with it, and a gasp from Rajani, her cycling thoughts merged. She could hardly wait to tell Lainla. When she did so, however, late that eventide after her other Table members had fallen asleep, Lainla at first did not reply. She was so still Rajani wondered if Lainla had fallen asleep too. But then her sister stirred, and the dim light revealed her troubled features. Rajani, agriculture is Tabu. In hushed whispers Rajani argued with Lainla. She tried to explain the cruel joy she had seen on Prataps face. La, dont you see? Hes a symbol for how the hunters have started valuing dominance for its own sake. If the Cursed copied the overbelters, though C just in this one area C and grew food-bearing plants, wed be able to bring hunters like Pratap to heel. Lainla took off her glasses, closed her eyes, and recited, We dont wrest life from the ground. We receive with open hands the food that the gods give us. Nothing more. The Table Chronicles are clear. Rajani kept pressing. There was a difference between keeping a Tabu and true holiness. She gave Lainla an example. A lodge mother was responsible for educating her Tables children, yes? Lainla nodded. That meant she had to make sure the children went to school until they were fifteen years old. But it wasnt enough just to send them to school and be done with it. The lodge mother had to care about their education. Sending your children to school was like following a Tabu, Rajani contended. Both were practices that reflected inner values. She drew the analogy into the lodges dirt floor next to her rubber bedroll. A line connected school and not doing agriculture. Another line connected a lodge mothers heart, invested in education, to a Cursed citizens heart, invested in not being greedy. Didnt Lainla see? What mattered was not the external behavior, but the internal belief. Thats ridiculous, and you know it. It doesnt matter how much a lodge mother cares about education if she doesnt educate her children. Even in her weakness, Rajani couldnt help but laugh. Fine. But I want to try this anyway. I want to at least look into it. Count me out then. Agriculture is not the solution. After a few more minutes of whispered argument, Rajani, too tired to continue, relented. She told herself she would wait until she was healthy before raising the issue again. But that daysleep, Rajani dreamed. In her dream, the az hedges withered and died, sprouting anew into pulse crops and grains. A figure C was it Rajani herself? C stood by and watched the re-birth, her head graced by the ceremonial hood of a lodge mother. *** It made sense. It made too much sense. Rajani pictured the pulse crops and grains from her dream piling up into a mountain, then cascading down like an avalanche, pushing the hunters to the side, stripping them of their status, forcing them to behave. If the Cursed were able to grow food for themselves, if the Jinkari Table was able to grow food for itself Rajani could become a lodge mother. But thats not the reason Im doing this, she told herself. Its not. Its not. Its not. Still, she kept the dream a secret. She told Kebet and Jiat only about her idea to research agriculture. Both of them agreed to help her. They gathered trading records and historical studies from the hanging library, and with her hunted through them for references to plants. And on sunstir of the sixteenth diurnal of that years rainsoon season, the three of them agreed to meet that upcoming Gathers Day to discuss their findings and decide upon a course of action. Chapter 54: “Food.” My name is Lainla of the Jinkari Table. I seal and store this note in our Tables chronicles for our descendants to read and judge me as they see fit. On darkwake of the fifteenth diurnal of this years rainsoon season, I went to the Gathers Children ditch to look for the girl they say Pratap attacked. I found her and her older brother. I also found the truth: it didnt happen. Pratap tried to, but he was fought off by the girls older brother. I have not yet told Rajani. C excerpt from The Jinkari Table Chronicles Written 870 years after the Crash Landing Chapter 54: Something was wrong with Lainla. All morntide long she had been glancing up at Rajani from across the meal bench, as if she wanted to say something. It was making Rajani wonder if Lainla had learned about her plan to meet Kebet and Jiat later that eventide. Rajani hadnt invited Lainla because she knew her sister wouldnt want to come, but Rajani also knew that wouldnt stop Lainla from feeling left out. La, its Gathers Day, Rajani finally said. Were not going to get another break from training until next week. Dont you want to do something other than watch me read? Rajani watched Lainla look once more at the book in Rajanis hand. Its title was branded into its rubber casing: Petitioning the Lodge Mother Moot. What do you want to petition the lodge mother moot for? Lainla Youre trying to get rid of the Tabu on agriculture, arent you? Rajani closed the book and put down the luminescent breathflower blossom she had been using for extra light. So what if I am? Her sister looked down. Ive been thinking about what you told me. Feeling expectant, Rajani leaned forward. And? I dont think you know what youre doing. Rajanis hopes of a moment ago were dashed. La, she said, but her sister cut her off. Rajani, when it comes down to it, you dont care what happens to the hunters. You never have, because you want to be a lodge mother. And thats fine! Youd be good at it. You know how to keep order in a Table, how to manage resources. You want to have children, and you know how to relate to them and raise them. Youd be fine without the hunters! But the hunters being gone, that matters to me. I dont want the hunters to be gone, Rajani protested. Lainla gave her a scornful look. Really, Ni? Of course you do. Thats exactly what you want. And I know you. Youre going to keep pushing and pushing until theres no need for hunting whatsoever. Oh, come on, now you sound like Mamai! Maybe Mamais more right than you give her credit for. Look, I dont want to take hunting away from you. Hunting is fine. Its being a hunter thats the problem. Our gods name is Hunt! Hunter for souls. Not mammoles. Lainla put her hand up. I dont want to argue theology with you. I just I dont have anything else. You know Ive been in your shadow my whole life. The nice Jinkari twin. But after my trials when that syrinx gun was put in my hand and I realized I was good at something do you know what that was like for me? To be compared with someone your entire life and then when you start to hate yourself more than anything for not being enough like Rajani, to be given a gift like the one I was given? I never encouraged anyone to compare us! Thats not the point! All Im saying is if you actually manage to push agriculture onto the Cursed, youre going to get rid of the hunters. Youre going to get rid of me. Stung by Lainlas rendition of their childhood C did Lainla not remember all the times Rajani had stood up for her? C Rajani was tempted to lash out at her sister. She took a deep breath and managed to get herself under control. Like I said, I dont want to get rid of the hunters. I just want us to have less power. Lainla looked miserable. You dont know what youre doing, she repeated. Ni, you dont know what youre doing. *** Was Lainla right? Did Rajani want to get rid of the hunters as a class? There was nobody who knew Rajani like Lainla did; could it be that Lainla saw something in her that Rajani herself was blind to? No, it couldnt be. Rajani didnt care whether the hunters existed or not. She just wanted them to behave. All the same, had there been any hunters in her dream? Rajani needed to talk to Kebet. His portion of the research explored the history of agriculture. He would be able to tell her whether plants even could wipe out the hunters. Rajani would go find him now, before their planned meeting, and see what he thought. Both the Solonsa and the Jinkari, like most myxte Cursed Tables, lived in the eastern half of the urb. So when Rajani got up and began wandering around looking for Kebet, she stayed east of the atreola. To her surprise, although it was almost time for the noontide meal, most of the meal benches around her were empty. A few Tables were eating, but quickly and quietly, as if it were a workday. She frowned. It was Gathers Day! Why was nobody feasting? Rajani found Kebet with several other citizens gathered around a meal bench near the atreola. In the gloom of darkwake, she at first mistook the performers on top of the meal bench as song-singers, or perhaps story-reciters. After she pushed her way through to Kebet, however, she discovered they were lexikosts carrying out a public debate. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Out of all the artistic presentations that Cursed citizens offered to each other on Gathers Day, Rajani found debates the least interesting. But one of the debaters was Yathi, so Rajani decided to wait a little before pulling Kebet out to talk to him. What are they debating? she asked Kebet. Food. What? Kebet put his hand over her mouth. Shh, just listen. Yathi was speaking. You say the hunters brought in only twelve mammoles this season. Why do you say only? Twelve mammoles have been enough before. If we all go a little hungry, then all of us, Gathers Children and huntered Cursed alike, can make it to the next dry season. Thats the Cursed way. The other lexikost was shaking her head. The Cursed way only works if everyone gives of their holy portion. This season, only a third of Tables did so! Why is that? someone from the crowd asked. Interruptions of performances were rare, but not unheard of. Yathi and her debate partner took the question in stride. People dont know the overbelters, said Yathi. Blue and green light from the leaves in the bio-dome above glanced off her glasses. It was different when most Gathers Children were Table members who had lost their only hunter, who needed just a little help before one of them became a hunter again or married into another Table. Now most Gathers Children are from over the shelterbelt. People dont want their own children to go hungry to let strangers eat. Why arent we assimilating them? Rajani interjected. Isnt that what we usually do? We were able to integrate overbelters into our society when a few came over at a time, the other lexikost responded, but recently too many have been emigrating. Theres some trouble inside the bio-dome proper, it seems, thats pushing them over the shelterbelt. The memory of Xhota guards dragging Kebet away flashed through Rajanis mind. Her body shuddered, remembering the poison that had threatened to send her on her final run. There was trouble indeed inside the bio-dome proper. Chief had even ordered all trade to be halted until the situation changed. There were no more questions, so the other lexikost continued her rebuttal of Yathis statement. Four generations ago, seven mammoles were brought in during the dry season. As a result, most of the Gathers Children at that time starved to death. But almost a quarter of our population is Gathers Children now C and they are overbelters, to boot. They have declared that they wont go quietly. When their food runs out, we can look forward to riots. Theyre making such threats only because we keep denying them Gathers holy portion. As long as we all share, therell be enough food for everyone. What does the word enough mean to you? If it means anything other than a full stomach, you and I dont live in the same world. The onlookers began muttering. Rajani could tell they were feeling uneasy. Their fear made her afraid C not of riots, but of where fear of riots would lead. She could envision the lodge mother moot begging Chief Bikash to use the hunters to protect the Cursed. She could imagine Chief Bikash eagerly assenting. We will be the shield between you and that overbelter horde. Get rid of the hunters? Reduce their power? It would become unthinkable. She pulled on Kebets sleeve. Bet, I need to talk to you. Kebets face was troubled. He followed Rajani out to the atreola. After confirming nobody was nearby, Rajani outlined her thoughts. We have to stave off the possibility of riots, she concluded. So if what the Gathers Children need is food, lets grow them some. Lets petition the lodge mother moot to get rid of the Tabu on agriculture. The next time the moot has an open meeting C when is it, in six and a half diurnals? C we have to be there. I dont know, said Kebet. I dont really want to help feed people who are threatening to riot. Rajani understood his hesitancy. It was not in the nature of the Cursed to bend to threats of violence. She would have to make him see that this was not about helping rioters, but about keeping the hunters from gaining more dominance. Dont think about it that way, she told him. Think about how riots would make the hunters even more indispensable. Providers and protectors? Nobody would be able to even think about holding us accountable. I guess. So you see what Im saying? No, I dont think reality works that way. But youre the one making the proposal, so Ill stand by it. While Rajani appreciated his loyalty, she also wanted his agreement. She was about to try persuading him again when he began talking. Listen, Ni, I was supposed to tell you. Jiat cant meet tonight. His cousin Kaliwa told one of my sisters, who told me. Disappointment filled Rajani. Do you know why he cant come? Probably because of his uncle. Suddenly Rajani was ashamed of her disappointment. Jiat had to face the ugliness of hunter power every day. Grace and understanding should be her response, not disappointment. Thats fine, Rajani said. We can meet next Gathers Day. Kebet nodded. I should go back to the debate. I dont want things to get ugly for Yathi. Rajani gestured goodbye to Kebet and made her way back to the Jinkari meal bench. Lainla was still there. Where did you go? her sister asked. With a start, Rajani realized she had never asked Kebet her question. She almost went to go find Kebet again, but Lainla seemed to want Rajani to stay, so she sat down. I was looking for Kebet, and I found him listening to a lexikost debate. Yathi was one of the debaters, actually. What was the topic? Holy portion giving rates. Theyve dropped this season. Hm. Thats what Mayah told me too. Who? Lainla winced. I didnt mean to tell you. What? I found the Gathers Child girl last darkwake. The one they say Pratap you know. You went to the Gathers Children ditch? Yes. I found the girl. Her name is Mayah. Shes around thirteen years old. Her older brothers name is Sukren. He only knows some variant of Xhom, so I couldnt really understand him, since I never took that class like you did, but the girl could speak some Cursed. What did she say to you? She told me they were hungry. Rajani closed her eyes. To suffer hunger in addition to abuse overbelters or not, werent they still Gathers Children? Invite them, Rajani said. You mean Mayah and Sukren? Yes. Invite them to come eat at our meal bench. Thats what the gods command, dont they? From the Seia Table Chronicles: Embrace the Gathers Child, both the one in your heart and the one in your urb. There was respect in Lainlas eyes. This is what you should be doing, her expression seemed to say. You cant help people by messing around with Tabus. You can help them by upholding the Chronicles. Ill go right now, said Lainla. She embraced Rajani and took off. Rajani watched Lainla run west towards the Gathers Children ditch. Her sisters expression lingered in her minds eye. You cant help people by messing around with Tabus. It reminded her, for some reason, of what Kebet had said. I dont really want to help feed people who are threatening to riot. A sudden gust shook the bio-domes branches, scattering rain over the urb. The liquid felt cold against Rajanis skin. She remembered learning when she was younger how the solar flares punched through Chudamis atmosphere to pack radiation into every molecule. How terrified she had been of rain then! Rajani had since learned that the anti-oxidants the Cursed consumed through their food countered any regular exposure to the radiation present in every part of Chudamis water cycle. Neither the water she drank, nor the rain, could hurt her. So why was she shuddering now at its touch? Chapter 55: “Your father can only tell you what to do, not who you are." Chapter 55: At training the next sunstir, Chief Bikash pulled Rajani out of the morntide drills, and told her he had a special assignment for her. One of the new hunters is having trouble with the hand ballista. Show her how to handle it. Rajani glanced around the training ground. She and Chief were standing at its edge, next to the shelterbelt. Do you want me to take her into the east forfend? There isnt much space here. Yes. Chief gestured to a girl, a new hunter, several years younger than Rajani, waiting a few paces away. Kaliwa, bring your ballista. Kaliwa. Kaliwa of the Mehen Table? Yes. Jiats cousin, the girl from the holy place, who, judging from her sullen features, needed more than just skills training. It was times like these that despite her antipathy for Chief, Rajani couldnt help but admire how well he knew his hunters. There were others more skilled with the hand ballista than she, but if Kaliwas difficulties stemmed from discouragement Once they were in the east forfend, Rajani turned to Kaliwa. Show me. Kaliwa hoisted the ballista onto her shoulder. She rested her cheek against the guard designed to protect her ear from the release of the taut rubber cord that propelled the pike forward. There was no energy in her stance, no effort in her aim. The pike went wide. Go and bring it to me. Her frame as limp as a dry az leaf, Kaliwa retrieved the pike. Rajani accepted it from her, then asked, Did you eat this morntide? Kaliwa nodded. Who cooked? My aunt. Jiats mother? Yes. Jiat is a friend of mine. How has he been? Has everything been okay between him and your father? Rajani wasnt asking just to find out whether Jiat was all right. She knew enough about Jiats uncle to suspect that he had at least something to do with Kaliwas discomposure. Sure enough, Kaliwa rewarded her intuition with a scowl. Tell me, Rajani said. Kaliwa shrugged and looked away. The rain was picking up again. Outside the bio-dome, the az hedges had risen to double Rajanis height. The rain sent the toxin on their leaves scattering everywhere. You want to know what it means to be a hunter? an old hunting joke went. It means you spend half the year hemmed in by rain, and the other half panting with thirst. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Kaliwa, you just passed your hunter trials, right? At the beginning of this rainsoon season? Yes. Rajani pointed the pike in her hands at the mountains looming deep and dark along the az hedge fields far side. So youve never been out there. Never. So youve never seen a live mammole. This time Kaliwa hesitated before responding. What are they like? Encouraged by the question, Rajani tried to fan Kaliwas curiosity further. When the rain stops, and the az hedge leaves go down, youll get your chance then to see them. They came with our ancestors from Earth, did you know? They were small back then. The solar flares acted as a mutagen; the gods blessed us by channeling their evolution into their growth. Now its as if the mammoles were created for us to hunt. Kaliwa looked at the ballista in her hand. With this. Thats right. Wielders like you and me, we use our hand ballistas to drive a mammole to the cannons. Sometimes the mammole gets angry and turns on us. Thats a risk we accept. The cannon men have it even worse. They have to stand their ground as the mammole comes rushing down at them. If they dont kill it in time, they die. Kaliwa was looking out at the planets surface through the gaps between the bio-domes branches. I dont think I can do it. Why not? Tears were in her eyes. My father keeps telling me Im worthless. I dropped the bucket yesterday, and it cracked. I didnt mean to drop it, but he didnt care. He started shouting at me, and when Jiat defended me, he started hitting Jiat. Whatever I or any of my siblings do, Jiat always pays for it because he stands up for us to my father. So you think youre worthless? Thats what my father says. Rajani handed the pike back to Kaliwa. You passed the trials, right? Yes. That means youre a hunter. And a hunter C a hunter is bold. A hunter is courageous. A hunter sacrifices. A hunter protects. A hunter, by definition, can never be worthless. But my father says C Your father can only tell you what to do, not who you are. Only the gods can determine that, and theyve made you into a hunter. And a hunter, Kaliwa, plays a special role. A hunters suffering has special meaning. As hunters, we live out a sacred story, a story of sacrifice. As hunters, we are Hunt to the non-hunter Gather. Rajani closed her eyes briefly. Yes, she thought to herself. Yes. This is who we are. This is who we are supposed to be. Okay, Kaliwa whispered. Rajani touched Kaliwas shoulder. Lets try shooting that pike again. Rajani worked with her for the next several hours to improve her form, and by the end Kaliwa was shooting up to par. After observing Kaliwas final shots, Chief grunted, Good work, then gave them permission to return to the urb for the noontide meal. Kaliwa and Rajani followed the curve of the shelterbelt; it led them out of the east forfend into the urb. Rajani was about to bid Kaliwa farewell when Kaliwa grabbed her arm and pulled herself up on tiptoe to whisper in her ear. Jiat told me to tell you hed be working in the rubber forge all sunstir. Thank you, Rajani replied, glad for the information. She made a mental note to request rubber forge work for her afternoon assignment. Dont get him in trouble. Please. I wont, Rajani said gently, as much a promise to herself as to Kaliwa. Still holding onto Rajanis arm, still whispering, Kaliwa rushed her final words together. And thank you for helping me. A smile touched Rajanis lips. Youre welcome, she said. Youre very welcome. Chapter 56: "I teach them what it means to be." Chapter 56: An hour later Rajani peeled open the door to the rubber forge. She was greeted by a wave of heat. Furnaces lined the north side of the forge. Racks of mammole bones hung on the opposite wall. In the center stood a shallow curing pool. Hunters worked at the kilns and by the racks, some checking the texture and quality of the rubber, others carving pikes and knives over vertically stacked az sap barrels. Rajani grabbed a finished knife from one of the racks. She looked around the forge for Jiat, and found him paring down a mammole femur, his workbench the head of a barrel. She joined him. They worked on the bone together in silence, waiting for a nearby hunter sanding down a pike to leave. Once the hunter left, Rajani looked at Jiat head on. His face was swollen and discolored, making the injuries Rajani had received at Chiefs hands seem negligible in comparison. Im sorry I couldnt make it to the meeting, he whispered. He glanced at the figures tending the kilns behind them. Pity, unbidden, stirred Rajanis heart. She knew what it was like to face a force much stronger than she. You told me he didnt touch you, she whispered. I would never have asked you Jiat gave a low laugh. I gave him as good as I got. He gets very angry when I interfere with how he treats my cousins. They are his children. But I cant just stand aside. That feeling Rajani also knew well. She almost reached out to take Jiats hand. But Jiat was a man and a hunter, not one of her younger cousins. She had likely already given him more sympathy than he wanted; sometimes not making a big deal of a problem was the best thing one could do. So instead Rajani leaned forward, and in hushed tones recounted to Jiat the details of the lexikost debate from the previous darkwake. When Rajani mentioned the looming riots, Jiat nodded. I heard from someone else that theyre even arming themselves with stones and whatever weapons they brought with them. Nows the time, then, Rajani replied. The lodge mother moot doesnt want riots. Theyll be more likely now than ever to accept a proposal to do agriculture. No, Jiat said. He spoke with a grim authority. Agriculture is too slow. Thats what I found out in my research. It takes a season or more to grow plants. You have to wait several weeks for even the fastest ones to start growing, and then you have to wait even longer before you can eat them. Gather and Hunt, Rajani swore. Dont worry. I reviewed the trade records too, and I found that the Xhota once tried to trade us fruit-bearing plants, already potted in soil. The records noted that in keeping with our anti-agricultural Tabu, we refused them. Hope lit up inside Rajani. Say more. We can still petition the lodge mother moot. Not to permit agriculture, but to permit the trade of skins and tools for already growing and grown plants. None of the Cursed would even have to eat the fruit from these plants. It could all be given to the Gathers Children. Yes, Rajani said. The uncertainty she had been feeling since talking to Lainla now was melting away. It would ease their hunger. It would halt the riots. No hunters would be called in. And maybe, after the crisis is over, we could argue that the plants should stay. Over time, well get used to agriculture. Well rely less and less on the hunters. Eventually, finally, theyll be forced to live by the same rules as everyone else. Jiat looked as if he were about to say something when his eyes darted over Rajanis shoulder. Her fingers tightened at once on her knife. Someone was behind her. She turned. Rajani knew none of the four hunters facing her by name, but she knew their faces. All of them were old-Tabled Cursed. What do you want? Rajani said. One of the hunters stood half a head taller than the others. A smirk was playing on his lips. What were you saying about hunters living by the same rules as everyone else? Rajani was tempted C just for a moment C to deny she had said any such thing. Her pride stopped her. She was a lead hunter. She would act like it. My private conversations are not for your benefit. She gestured the tall hunter towards the forge door. Leave. It worked C for half a second. The tall hunter stopped and looked at his gang. He seemed unsure. One of his friends, however, looked at Rajani through his glasses, and scoffed. You talk like you think youre somebody, but thats not how it looked to me when Chief was slapping you around. The others snickered. Rajani struggled not to flush. Anger flooded through her at Chief. Every ounce of respect she had clawed out of the hunters the past seven years, she was about to have to win back all over again. Sebit, dont be a fool, Jiat said from behind Rajani. You dont need this fight. Fight? You? The hunter who had scoffed at Rajani laughed. Have you looked at yourself recently? Rajani readied herself. Fights among hunters were common enough during rainsoon season. The rules governing them were simple: blow off steam, and keep the sides evenly matched. The reason she was facing a four versus two fight right now was because Chief C Hunt damn him C had marked her as someone to beat down for fun rather than fight as an equal. So you want to live by the same rules as non-hunters? the tall hunter taunted. Is that right, Jinkari? This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Non-hunters dont fight back, another hunter jeered. The entitlement oozing out of their mouths was making Rajani see red. How far the hunters had fallen from the ideal she had outlined for Kaliwa! And yet they still commanded respect, they still retained their high status. It was enough to make Rajani tear her hair out. Scowling, she adjusted her grip on her knife. If any of them took even one step forward... Rajani didnt know how it started, but all of a sudden Jiat and Sebit were shouting and shoving each other. The tall hunter joined the melee a moment later, attacking Rajani. She struck back with her knife, knowing she had to be brutal, knowing she had to be fast. His greater strength would wear her down if she let the fight go on for too long. When the tall hunter cried out and pulled back, Rajani saw with satisfaction that she had sliced a gash down his arm. That would teach him to smirk. A knife! he sputtered. In response, Rajani stabbed at him again. The hunter twisted out of the way, bumping into another hunter who was exchanging blows with Jiat. Someone grabbed Rajani from behind, pinning her arms to her sides. She stabbed backwards. With a yelp of pain, the hunter released her. No knives! the tall hunter shouted. Then only two of you come at us, Rajani countered. Rajani saw the tall hunter pause, as if considering her words. She took the lull as an opportunity to lunge for him, but he pulled aside at the last moment. Unable to stop her headlong rush, Rajani splashed knees-first into the curing pool. Out! Out! a hunter on the other side of the pool shouted. Not in here! Jiat pulled on Rajanis arm, helping her out of the pool. They and the other four hunters were shoved towards the rubber forge door. A moment later all six were outside. Her knife was gone C she had dropped it in the pool. Clenching her fists, Rajani targeted the weakest of the hunters. If she went after him now, before he had a chance to recover, maybe her relentlessness would scare the others off. Jiat pulled her back. Let them go. They were leaving? With wary eyes Rajani watched as the four hunters shuffled off to the western half of the urb, where the majority of the old-Tabled Cursed lived. One of them spat onto the ground as he left. Are you hurt? Jiat asked. I dont think so. Let me check. Jiats hand on her back was warm and strong. Rajani kept her gaze focused on the departing hunters, but she allowed Jiat to examine her for injuries. Only after the last hunter had dropped out of sight on the other side of the atreola did she meet Jiats eyes. You were perfect, she said. She was intensely aware of how close Jiats body was to hers. You jumped in right away. You didnt let up at all. You were perfect too. He smiled, his entire face lighting up. Taking them on with a knife, what were you thinking? Rajani grinned. I had to get them with what I could. Jiat gestured towards the east forfend. Come to the holy place with me. Right now? You want to get cleaned up before you go back to your lodge, dont you? He was right. Rajani could get wash water from the vat by her meal bench, but that would mean having to explain her bleeding lip to Mamai. Yes, she said. Youre right C lets go. *** With Jiat, it was simple. There was no arguing, no entreating, no begging for understanding. He shared her desire to reduce hunter power. The word enough meant the same thing to them both. The black rocks and even the hot steam felt different that sunstir as Rajani sat in the holy place and discussed tactics with Jiat. Only lead hunters can submit proposals to the lodge mother moot, he said. You sure youre okay with taking charge of the submission? Yes. What will you argue? First that we should re-open trade with the overbelters, that its past time to normalize relations. Then I may bring up how we benefit from agriculture already. Like how we trade with the overbelters for bioplastic made from domesticated plant fibers. His eyes lit up. Thats a good point. I hadnt considered that. Rajani enjoyed hearing the respect in his voice. I got the idea from my lodge mother. When I was younger she would tell me stories about her mother, who grew up inside the shelterbelt. I remember once she told me that Grandmamai had been part of a trade ring passing plant fibers onto a bioplastic-producing factory. I remember Rajani paused. Thinking about Mamai was like piercing an old wound. It had been different before. She remembered their shared laughter, the way they used to cook together, the way her mother had always assented whenever Rajani begged to learn how she did her lodge mother duties. Then one day, it all stopped. Mamai didnt want her to become a lodge mother, and Rajani was old enough now to get serious about her vocation. Hunters are higher in status, Mamai had said. Thats what I want for you. And so the fighting began, bouts of nastiness that turned into full on shouting matches, until finally, seasons later, Rajani stopped trying and gave in. The years since had brokered an uneasy truce between them, hot resentment cooling into indifference. Now they barely spoke, their relationship a shadow of what it once had been. Whats wrong? Rajani felt shy. She wasnt used to the feeling and didnt know where it was coming from. I was thinking about my lodge mother. She gave a light laugh. Did you know, when I was younger, I wanted to be a lodge mother too? Kebet had thrown back his head and guffawed the first time Rajani had shared her secret with him. Jiat merely looked confused. A lodge mother? I know, silly, right? I wouldnt say that. Not without knowing why. There was something about the way Jiat looked at her that made Rajani want to share more. I spoke to your cousin this morntide. She was having trouble with the hand ballista. Her technique isnt bad, but she was distracted, thinking about your uncle. So I told her what it means for her to be a hunter, how shes part of a sacred story now, one that names her as bold and self-sacrificing, valued and powerful. Thats what lodge mothers do. They interpret. They assign meaning to the roles of the Cursed. I already do most of that when it comes to my own Table. I teach them what it means to be. And if I could do that with the moot C if I could do that for the Cursed at large C The yearning, strong as ever, filled her. Rajani found she couldnt continue. She also found she didnt need to. Jiat had reached out, taken her hand, and filled in with a quotation from one of the Chronicles. To be a lodge mother is to be a prophet. To hear and speak the god words to the rest of us. Rajanis heart was thudding in her chest. Dimly she wondered why, when there was nothing but respect in Jiats eyes, nothing but tenderness in his grasp. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him about her dream from the other night, when footsteps rang out behind them, and they pulled apart. We should get back, Rajani whispered. Jiat nodded, but his face was alive with light. I hope we make it. Me too, said Rajani, and she meant it with all her heart. Chapter 57: “Why are you lying to me?” Chapter 57: Two weeks later, Rajani stopped Lainla outside the Jinkari smokehouse. I found out what Sukrens been doing with his food. Lainla, her arms full of mammole meat parcels, gave Rajani a confused glance. What do you mean? Well, you know how Sukren always eats only half the food we give him, how he packs the rest? Yes. Yesternight, before they returned to the Gathers Children ditch to sleep, I saw Sukren give his uneaten share to Mayah. He does that every night, Lainla responded. Rajanis brow furrowed. He does? Her sister nodded. Rajani was silent. She accepted the parcels of meat that Lainla handed to her, then stooped to help her sister tie down the flap that covered their smokehouse entrance. Why are you so surprised? Lainla asked as she knotted the strings. Hes her brother, isnt he? They look nothing alike. They call each other brother and sister, but Ive never seen their parents. Maybe overbelters do families differently. Its just Rajani struggled to pin down her feelings. Everything he does is for Mayah. Anyone can see that. But for some reason I cant shake the sense that she doesnt like him very much. Are you sure its Sukren that Mayah doesnt like, and not us? Rajani knew what Lainla meant. Inviting the overbelters to eat with the Jinkari had not been Rajanis most popular decision. The adults had argued with her at length about it. They of course submitted to her authority in the end, but Rajani didnt doubt that both Sukren and Mayah could tell they were not completely wanted. Or at least Mayah could tell. The girl was smart, picking up the Cursed language with a quickness that impressed Rajani. Was Mayahs quiet rancor a response to overheard comments about the Gathers Children? Or was it directed against Sukren? I think shes upset with Sukren, Rajani finally said. But Im not sure. Can you talk to her for me and find out? Lainla reached out to take some of the mammole meat packages back from Rajani. I already have. What did she say? A smile touched Lainlas lips. That shes scared of you. Rajani looked at Lainla, aghast. What? You didnt give a great first impression when you barked at Shib-vyn the first night they started eating with us. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. I was telling Shib-vyn to stop mocking Gathers Children in front of them! Still smiling, Lainla shrugged. Half-amused, half-exasperated, Rajani followed her sister to their meal bench. Mamai greeted them. Put the meat on the board. Ill start the fire. Rajani and Lainla placed the parcels of meat on top of the meal benchs circular board. After a few minutes the firepit in the middle of the board was crackling. Mamai began unwrapping the parcels. Are you sure we should eat all this? she asked Rajani. Yes, Rajani responded. She steeled herself. I agree with what you said yesternight, though, we should start rationing soon. Mamai said nothing in reply. Soon their skygold pot was burbling over the firepit, and the smoked meat inside it stewing. The sun hung high in the eastern sky. When Sukren and Mayah arrived, Rajani watched them carefully. To her surprise, instead of joining them, Sukren whispered something to Mayah, then turned back west towards the Gathers Children ditch. Mayah came to the meal bench alone. Why isnt Sukren coming? Rajani asked Mayah. He said hes not hungry. Rajani and Lainla exchanged a glance. They both knew that couldnt be true. Rajani got to her feet and jogged after Sukren. Wait, she called out to him in Xhom. Sukren, wait. She caught up with him in the atreola. A Cursed woman getting water from a well nearby gave Sukren a dirty look. Overbelter, her eyes sneered. Rajani glared at her, then gestured Sukren away from the well to the center of the atreola, where there were fewer people. Why arent you coming to dinner? she asked him. Unlike Mayah, Sukren struggled with Cursed. He used a corrupted but somewhat understandable version of Xhom to communicate with Rajani. The Gathers Children rations are enough for me. Rajani looked at him. Sukrens tone was warm, intended to persuade, and his face was calm. If she hadnt known he was lying, it wouldve been hard to tell. But Rajani was no fool. She had seen Sukrens hunger from the way he ate. She was well aware that the Gathers Children rations were barely enough to keep an adult man like him alive. Why are you lying to me? she asked. Sukren looked away. Food is short for everyone. I dont want to take from you what I dont have to. This time it took a moment for Rajani to process his words. Food is short for everyone oh, she realized with a start. He, or Mayah, more likely, must have overheard Mamai telling me yesternight that we had to start rationing our food. Respect for Sukren rose up inside Rajani. She had already admired him for his steadfastness towards Mayah despite the girls returned antipathy. That he should be willing to go hungry so the Jinkari would find it easier to feed Mayah that he should be willing to do so under pretense so that he would not even receive credit for it overbelter or not, Sukren had the heart of a true hunter. Rajani didnt want to have to accept Sukrens sacrifice, but she knew she should. The Jinkari food stores would not last forever. If the Jinkari wanted to continue feeding Mayah, then someone would have to forego. Ill walk Mayah back to the Gathers Children ditch after dinner tonight, Rajani said. She paused. She wanted to honor Sukren somehow but couldnt think of a way. Sukren rescued her from having to come up with something by thanking her with a smile and walking off before she could say anything else. She watched him disappear behind the meal benches and lodges of the western half of the urb. Later that eventide, when Rajani and Lainla walked Mayah back to the Gathers Children ditch, Rajani pressed a handful of shredded jerky into Mayahs hand. For Sukren, Rajani told her. Thank you, Mayah whispered. Rajani touched her shoulder, accepting her thanks. Then she withdrew and watched as Mayah and Lainla bid each other a prolonged farewell by the ditchs edge. What did she want? Rajani asked Lainla as they made their way back through the urb. Shes scared, Lainla replied. She hesitated, as if she was about to say more, then stopped. Lets get back quickly. Picking up on Lainlas mood, Rajani asked no more questions. They hurried back to the eastern side of the urb. As they went Rajani felt a shadow cross overhead. The sun was still high in the sky, but the rain clouds moving in were now hiding it from sight. Chapter 58: "Get up! The Gather’s Children are rioting! Get up!” Chapter 58: Rajani! Rajani! Someone was shouting her name. It was a mans voice. Rajanis hunter instincts took over and she sprang to her feet, wide awake. All around her on the Jinkari lodge floor her Table members were still asleep C all except for Lainla. Whos calling for you? her sister asked, throwing off her fur blanket. Is it Kebet? I dont know, Rajani said. Stepping over the sleeping bodies of her Table members, she made her way through the orange-lit darkness to the broad sill at the southern end of the lodge. She climbed on top of the sill, then peeled open the door flap and stepped outside. Sukren stood at the entrance, Mayah in hand. Sweat gleamed down his face. It had been almost a week since hed stopped eating at the Jinkari meal bench; Rajani was surprised to see him now. Theyre rioting, he told her. She gaped at him. It was one thing to talk about the threat of riots, and quite another thing to be told they were actually happening. What? she sputtered. The Saranai, I mean, the overbelters, they started shouting C Biting back her shock, Rajani stopped and listened to the noises assaulting the nightsleep. The blare of Chiefs horn, signaling all hunters to come to him C the surprised shouts of awakening Cursed C and a distant roar of rage. Rajani jumped back into her lodge and began barking at her Table members to wake up. Shib-vyn! Jyotsa-am! Abha! Mamai! Get up! The Gathers Children are rioting! Get up! The adults got to their feet, blinking away their sleep. Rajani gave them their orders. Mamai, Jyotsa-am, Shib-vyn, guard our smokehouse. Lainla, get to the atreola. Abha, go around and wake up as many Tables as you can to tell them the news. Soti, Tanush, Kishi, stay inside the lodge. Rajanis Table members rushed to do as told. Once the adults were outside, and Lainla and Abha gone, Rajani then found herself approached once more by Sukren. Please, can you keep Mayah inside your lodge with your cousins? Yes, Rajani said. As Mayah hurried into the lodge, Rajani pointed at Sukren. You stay here and stand guard. At once Shib-vyn protested. Hes one of the Gathers Children! Hes more likely than not to join them in their looting! Rajani shook her head. Sukrens persistent sacrifices had earned her trust. He would keep the lodge safe, especially since Mayah was in it. Hes guarding the lodge, not the food, Rajani said. Still C You will obey me. At that, Shib-vyn blinked, but he also closed his mouth. With one last look around to make sure her Table members were properly equipped, Rajani ran west for the atreola towards the sound of Chiefs still-blaring horn. She arrived just as Chief ordered the milling hunters to get into formations. Make groups of three, he shouted. Keep track of each other. Push the Gathers Children back to their ditch and keep them there. Rajani found herself in a group of three that included the tall hunter who had attacked her and Jiat in the rubber forge. If he recognized her, he gave no sign. Theyre going to pay for doing this to us, he hissed to her. Rajani didnt know how to reply. Her thoughts were too muddled. She didnt condone the destructive behavior of the Gathers Children, but she understood why they were rioting. She would do her part to repel them with minimal violence and hope that the outpouring would open the eyes of her fellow Cursed to see the need for more food, to make sure this kind of rampage wouldnt have to happen again. A small, irrational part of her was upset that the Gathers Children were rioting now, before shed had the chance to submit her proposal. Couldnt they have waited one more diurnal? Pushing aside her thoughts, Rajani raced through the urb with her two partners. They came across a dozen overbelters ripping stored meat out of a smokehouse. Despite her determination to be fair to the Gathers Children, Rajani found herself seething. She pictured the same rioters ransacking the Jinkari smokehouse for meat she and Lainla had poured out their sweat and blood for. Damn them! Rajani pointed the spear she had been handed in the atreola at one of the Gathers Children. Get back! she shouted. Most of the Gathers Children retreated at once. One of them, however, lunged for her. Rajani didnt want to kill him, so she tried to turn her spear around so she could hit him with the shaft. Unused to the weapon, she was slow, much slower than she was with her hand ballista. Too slow. The Gathers Child toppled into her. He was a big man and knocked her to the ground with ease. A rock was in his raised fist. Rajani flung herself to the side as he brought it down. Fear flashed through her, ripping out all remaining empathy. When the Gathers Child pinned her legs under his, and brought the rock up again, a hot and bitter anger surged up inside her. She wanted to kill him. She wanted to take her spear and jam it into his flesh. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. But she was trapped. Trapped underneath his weight, helpless to avoid the rock coming down C With a shout, the tall hunter thrust his spear through the overbelters back. The man reeled backwards, tears in his eyes. He was shoved to the side by the tall hunter, who then offered his hand to Rajani to help her up. She took it. She tried to wipe the blood of the dead man from the front of her tunic, but only managed to smear it in further. Let it alone, the tall hunter said. You can wash it out later. Come on. Rajani followed him. They rejoined the third member of their team, and together drove the last of the dozen overbelters back into the ditch. Soon Rajani was standing guard at its edge, feeling sick. Many of the hunters around her looked as dazed as she felt. None of them had used hunting weapons on humans before. Kebet found her after almost an hour. We can go back to our lodges now. Chief is putting up a detail to guard the ditch. Rajani nodded. She walked back with Kebet. They passed by ripped-open lodge roofs and treaded on torn pieces of rubber. Even the wildflowers, direct descendants of ancient seedlings from Earth, had been trampled underfoot. Back at her lodge, Rajani was told that the hunters had driven Sukren to the ditch as well. They didnt listen to us when we said he was helping us, Jyotsa-am said. Rajani took a deep breath. And Mayah? Shes still in our lodge. Good, Rajani whispered, not sure what she meant. Good. *** They had all expected the riots. They had talked about them for weeks. But Rajani could tell from the shocked faces of her fellow citizens that the violence had still taken them by surprise. Even Rajani, who had made plans based on the riots happening, was reeling. To narrowly miss having her head smashed in by a rock, to stumble past gutted-out smokehouses who could have known that this was what rioting would bring about? The lodge mother moot held an emergency meeting early the next day. Mamai came back and told them what they had decided. All Tables that werent looted are to share with those that were. Because the eastern half of the urb had suffered less damage than the western half, this decision meant the burden of sharing fell mostly on the myxte Cursed. Fearful of old-Tabled Cursed resentment, nobody pointed this out, not even Rajani. Instead, after spending the rest of darkwake carrying loads of mammole meat across the atreola, Rajani summoned her Table members to sit with her at the Jinkari meal bench. Tanush ran to her when she called. How are you doing, Shu-shu? she asked him. He clung to her leg. Im scared. Of what? Rajani watched Tanush struggle to put his fear into words. Finally he asked, Will we be okay? The Cursed have always come through, Rajani responded. Think about our history. When we were freed from Earth we didnt even know where we were going. But we made it. The gods brought us here. They gave us this planet. You remember that from the First Recitations, dont you? Tanush nodded. Stroking his hair, Rajani asked, Can you recite the Recitations for me? She wasnt asking just to ask. She knew that she, Tanush, and the other members of her Table needed to hear a reminder that they would indeed be okay. They needed to hear a promise that if the dread of the previous nightsleep descended upon them again, the gods would pull them through. Tanush squirmed to his feet and stood before them, hands behind his back. Earth was falling, he intoned. Falling, falling, its people falling into dust, once, twice, a thousand times, falling. Into a dark pit, they fell, your ancestors did, but as they fell, they cried out, and lo! Their cries were heard. Rajani led her Table members in the response to the gods. Mayah stood by, watching them in silence. You hunted us down. You gathered us in. You brought us together and delivered us C out of the pit, off of the land, into the sky. Tanush glanced at Rajani. He looked hesitant. Youre doing well, she told him. However young his voice, Tanush was telling the ancient story of the Cursed C their story. Generations of Cursed had echoed these First Recitations. Table to Table the sacred words had been passed on. It was a holy thing to hear them now. Tanushs little face brightened. He took a deep breath, then continued. You will call yourselves the Cursed so that you will never forget who you were before we brought you to this planet and told you to be free. Our ancestors accepted your gift of the vadda trees, the Jinkari Table members responded. With them we formed the bio-dome; with them we created the shelterbelt. But once inside, encircled by our own safety, we began to forget you. Someone had come to stand to Rajanis right. It was Kebet. He had brought Yathi as well, and one of his sisters. A few citizens from the lodges nearby were also coming to join them. Tanush faltered when he saw the new faces, but before anyone could say anything, Lainla went to him. With tenderness in her heart, Rajani watched as her sister knelt and took Tanush by the hand. Together Tanush and Lainla recited the next part, the gods response. Yet among you was a remnant who did not forget. You met together and said, are we not the Cursed ones? Did we not escape Earth to begin anew? This place has become another Earth. Where can we go? A dozen voices lifted up the sacred verse. Then you opened our eyes, and our ancestors realized the shelterbelt was not protection: it was a wall hemming us in, keeping us from life. Our eyes opened, we fled the bio-dome and came to live here, in the space between the shelterbelt and the edge of the dome. We became hunters and lodge mothers, we became Tables and true worshippers. Six hundred and twenty-two years, now, its been, since the Cursed crossed over the shelterbelt. The gathered crowd, Rajani among them, responded. Since the Cursed crossed over the shelterbelt and became a new people. New people, Rajani thought, and the god words burned in her heart. This is what we need. To become a new people That entire darkwake Rajani had wrestled with the gods, trying to understand the broken lodges and frightened faces of her people. Finally she thought she knew. This storm had come upon them because the gods brooked no disobedience to their commands. The Cursed had stopped giving their holy portion to Gather. Hunt had responded. Hadnt Tanush just said it? Earth was falling. Falling, falling, its people falling into dust, once, twice, a thousand times, falling. Rajani thought once more of her proposal, to be argued before the lodge mother moot the next sunwake. Here was a way to set things right. Here was a way to keep the Gathers Children from starving. Here was a way to stop the hunters from falling even further into dust. Here was a way for the Cursed to become a new people Chapter 59: “It’s not hunger you are asking us to endure, it’s death!” Chapter 59: The heat of the eternal fire against her back was steady. It kept her warm even as the sun began setting into the line of mountains to her left. Rajani stood on the dais and looked out over the atreola. The lodge mother moot and other interested citizens had gathered there to listen to her proposal. She drew a long breath and spoke simply. We must return to the Chronicles, or call ourselves Cursed no more. Muttered confusion reached Rajani. What is she talking about? We havent deviated from the Chronicles. She cut through the din. Our Tables have stopped giving our holy portion to Gather. The noise halted at once. Encouraged that no one was denying her assertion, Rajani continued. We are called to endure our hunger together, huntered Cursed and Gathers Children alike. Yet we refuse to. Do you think the gods dont notice this? There are too many of them! Jiat shouted. Its not hunger you are asking us to endure, its death! Rajani and Jiat had practiced this exchange earlier. You are wrong! There is another way! I propose to the lodge mother moot that we trade our surplus skins to the overbelters in exchange for food from their gardens, to be given to the Gathers Children C so that all of us can live to see the next dry season. Make your case, one of the lodge mothers standing in the first row of the crowd said. Rajani took a deep breath. The gods command us to embrace the Gathers Child, both the one in our urb and the one in our hearts. A lodge mother in the Tuk Table Chronicles interpreted this command to mean two things. First, that there are always two halves of a whole, the strong half and the weak half. Second, that the strong half is never to deny or condemn the weaker half. Consider a Table. The strong members are the adults, the weak members the children. The adults take care of the children. They dont deny their shared Tablehood because the children are weak; neither do they condemn the children for their lack of strength. Rather, they accept that the children are weak, and then they care for them anyway. The Gathers Children are our weaker half, its true. But they should be recognized as weaker without condemnation. Who among us thinks its right to beat a child crying out for food? Helpless though that child may be to put meat on a meal bench, he is still a member of his Table, and deserves food from that Table. In the same way, the Gathers Children still deserve food as Cursed citizens. Either we must go hungry as we share our food with them, or we must trade with the overbelters to increase our stores. We cannot have the hunters fight the Gathers Children C our own selves C over and over again. I know that trading for agricultural goods may make the moot uneasy. We already trade with the overbelters for bioplastic made from domesticated plant fibers. To trade with them for planted food is not so different. The only difference we will see is in the Cursed lives saved. Rajani stopped. It was almost dark. The breathflower leaves would open soon. She could see them in her minds eye, their blue and green lights gleaming into the night. Very well, the lodge mother who had spoken earlier said. We will discuss your proposal. At our meeting next week, we will tell you our decision. Rajani bowed her head in acknowledgment. When she looked up, she caught Jiats eyes. They were shining. *** You said you wanted to be a lodge mother, right? Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. It was later that same eventide. She and Jiat had snuck away to the holy place. The darkness obscured Jiats face so Rajani couldnt see him. Only his voice broke through the shadows. Yes, she whispered. Jiats voice was soft. If this works out, if they accept your proposal, you wont have to worry about hunting for your Table anymore. He left the words unspoken, but Rajani could hear them anyway. You could become a lodge mother. Rajani didnt respond. She had never met anyone who could tell what she was thinking without her having to say a word. It was a little frightening, and a little exciting. But if they dont pass your proposal In the darkness, Rajani sensed Jiat shift towards her. His hand touched hers. If they dont pass your proposal, maybe we can talk again. Rajani waited, her heartbeat quickening. There is more than one way, after all, to become a lodge mother. A vision of the annual betrothal dance shimmered before Rajani. The vines wrapped around the young peoples waists, the joyous, group celebration of commitments made. Then the new dirt lodge, the meal bench, an infant in her arms Rajani struggled to check the emotion surging through her. Could she really obtain her hearts desire? Dare she let herself reach for it? Maybe, Rajani whispered. Maybe. *** Once more Rajani stood on the dais. She felt uneasy. The lodge mothers were still talking among themselves. Had they not yet reached a decision? Finally one of them peeled away from the moot and strode up the dais steps. Dread washed over Rajani. It was Urbiya, Prataps lodge mother. Last week, Urbiya began, we heard a proposal that the Cursed violate its longest-standing Tabu in order to feed overbelters. Lead hunter Rajani speaks of Gathers Children, but who are the Gathers Children today? Overbelters, every single one of them. If lead hunter Rajani wants to feed overbelters out of her own Tables share, let her do so. In fact, she already does. Why does she propose to impose on the rest of us a burden we have not asked for? Thats not C Rajani started to say, but Urbiya cut her off. Lead hunter Rajani seems to have forgotten that it was only a short while ago that the overbelters were threatening us, stealing our food, and destroying our urb. Now she wants us to help them? Rajani opened her mouth to push back, but it was too late. Urbiya hadnt even finished, yet the crowd was already clamoring in agreement. Not only does lead hunter Rajani want us to help overbelters, she wants to destroy Cursed life as we know it. We have learned from other hunters that her true desire is to dismantle the hunterarchy. Yes, she wants to leave us defenseless! The crowd was roaring with rage. Painfully Rajani looked at the snarls on her neighbors faces. She had not realized until that moment how infuriating her proposal had been to them. Had her single-minded vision for agriculture blinded her so? The Jinkari Table is headed by a young lead hunter, but a lead hunter nonetheless, Urbiya said over the din. The lodge mother moot rejects her proposal, and I submit a counterproposal, that she and her Table accept official opprobrium for having valued the lives of non-Cursed at a time like this. The mob was crowing with delight. Desperately Rajani surveyed the lodge mothers standing in the first row in front of the dais. Mamais head was bowed, her gaze averted. Very well, one of the lodge mothers said to Urbiya. Her face was cold and hard. We will discuss your proposal. At our meeting next week, we will tell you our decision. Go, Urbiya hissed at Rajani. Rajani forced herself off the dais and shoved her way through the mob to Lainla and Mayah. There were tears glistening on Mayahs glasses, and she was holding her left wrist as if it were injured. What happened? Rajani managed to ask. Some hunters tried to take her back to the ditch, Lainla said. I stopped them, but they were angry. Lainlas and Mayahs ashen faces tore Rajani away from her own fear. She held out her arms. Mayah stepped into Rajanis embrace, burying her face into her side. Lainla put one hand on Mayahs back and the other on Rajanis shoulder. For a few seconds they were able to push the anger of the crowd away from the edges of their tiny, huddled haven. Ni, what are we going to do? Lainla whispered. Well C well take care of each other, Rajani responded haltingly. Well C well find a way. Chapter 60: “I’m going to tell you why I was sent there, and how I got out.” Chapter 60: The Cursed didnt wait for official ostracism to be voted in. Less than a diurnal after Rajanis proposal had been rejected, Tanush was weeping in her arms. They said I was a traitor. They pushed me to the end of the line and said it was because I hated the Cursed. Kishis wide-spaced eyes were full of tears. Dont play friends, she said. I hit. Kishi, you mustnt hit other students, whether they play with you or not, Abha said, but her words only furthered Kishis sobs: Mean! Mean! I want play! Rajani looked at her three cousins. Tanush hadnt stopped crying since flinging himself into Rajanis lap. Kishi was openly wailing. Fourteen-year-old Soti was quiet, but the anger in her eyes was easy to read. Its because of your proposal, Ni-am, she said aloud. Pity for her Table swept through Rajani. She would have never dreamed that the Cursed would turn on her and her Table members C especially sun-blessed Kishi C like this. Its not because of her proposal, she heard Lainla say. Its its, well because the Cursed dont want things to change, Soti, and theyre angry, because It was clear to Rajani that Lainla was having trouble believing her own words. Soti, too, didnt seem to find Lainla persuasive. If Ni-am hadnt submitted her proposal, none of this would be happening right now. Hidden in Sotis insistence was a cry for explanation. Rajani could hear it as clear as day. Why did you do this? What was it for? Did you know it would hurt us? Rajani stood. She couldnt let her cousins carry with them the false belief that she didnt care for them. Nor would she allow cowards to define what it meant to be Cursed. Come with me, she said. Soti seemed relieved. Where are we going? The castra-dome, Rajani said. Im going to tell you why I was sent there, and how I got out. *** Rajani led her cousins to the west forfend. She helped them climb up a ladder hanging from the limestone shell platform nested into the bio-domes branches. In front of them, across a sea of az hedges, rose the western mountain range. A rope bridge extended over the az hedges. Connecting the platform to a mountainside scaffold, the bridge had three tension-tight cables: one to walk on, and two to hold onto. Other ropes, extending like vertebra from a backbone, yoked the cables together. I dont think Tanush or Kishi are tall enough to cross by themselves, Soti said. I could make it though. Rajani agreed. She sent Soti along first, then carried Kishi, then Tanush, across on her back. After letting Tanush down on the other side, Rajani eyed the hunter standing guard. Her body was tense, ready to respond to any insults or threats. To her relief, the hunter instead gestured Kishi away from the edge of the scaffold. Stay under the canopy. You dont need to get any wetter. Rajani let herself relax. Thank you, she said to the hunter. Are you here to visit your friend? he asked. My friend? The overbelter. The tall, heavy one. They said he was eating at your meal bench. Rajani stared at the hunter. You mean Sukren? Hes here? I dont know his name, the hunter said. Behind him, along the scaffolds edge, rain-soaked breathflower vines hung like a curtain from the canopy above. But they brought him in during one of my previous shifts. Theyve been funneling the overbelters through. He shook his head. When I was young the castra-dome was a place to send adolescents. You know, the ones who wouldnt behave after they turned fifteen, the ones who needed a little help to get the rebelliousness out of their systems. Thats the way it was in my time, too, Rajani said. It was like a rite of passage. The hunter shook his head again. Now this place is stocked with adults, overbelters. Dangerous people. Just the other day I caught my daughter lying so she wouldnt have to do her share of cleaning the holy place. Any other time I would have had her up on trial and sent her here, like the Cursed have always done. But nowadays? No. I beat her instead. Better that than to find herself on trial, bound for a castra-dome thats no longer meant for her. Why are they putting overbelters in the castra-dome? Tanush asked. Theyve been rioting and stealing, Soti answered. Sukren too? No, Rajani said, thinking. The hunters took him, Jyotsa-am had told her. They pushed him back to the Gathers Children ditch. Rajani had assumed that Sukren was still in the ditch, guarded by the detail of hunters Chief had set up. She had expected to find him some time later after the security had relaxed. To hear that Chief had sent him to the castra-dome without first putting him up for trial If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. For the first time since her father died, Rajani felt fear inside her like a sickness. Who was next? Would it be her? She imagined the hunters coming for her, dragging her to the castra-dome, denying her the chance to defend herself before her people. Although in her case, would the Cursed even listen to her pleas? Ni-am, why else would Sukren be here? Sotis voice was trembling. You dont get sent to the castra-dome unless you do something bad, right? Rajani wanted to reassure Soti. She didnt want her cousins to feel like they too could be next. But she couldnt bring herself to lie. Come here, she said. She beckoned them to where they could stand on their toes to peek over the mountains crest. Tell me what you see here on the other side. Her cousins peered over the ridge. A bio-dome! said Kishi. Its a lot smaller than ours, Tanush said. He pointed to a bioplastic chute that ran down the scarp into the castra-dome. Whats that thing? The az hedges on this side are so much taller than the ones in our valley! Soti exclaimed, before Rajani could answer Tanush. How come? Rajani decided to answer Sotis question first. The az hedges are taller here because on this side of the mountains, it rains even during dry seasons. It means the people in the castra-dome cant leave unless someone throws a rope down this chute to pull them up. And you got sent here? Soti asked, giving Rajani a sidelong glance. Rajani took a deep breath. She didnt relish telling this story, but she knew it was time. When I was fifteen, I became a hunter, she began. During my trials, Pratap of the Vadyan Table singled out me and Lainla. You know how the Cursed think of myxte girls, that were bossy to our own Table members but soft to outsiders. Thats the main reason Im always so forceful with everyone. Its better for an outsider to interact with me and think, oh, if youre this forceful with me, you must be really bad at home, must be a total tyrant to your Table, than for them to think, oh, youre a typical myxte girl, bet I can take advantage of you. Which is what Pratap must have thought back then, that wed be easy targets. The trials, though, theyre your first chance to develop your reputation as a hunter. Are you going to break under the pressure? Are you going to take what they give you? I knew I couldnt let Pratap mark us as harassable. If I let that happen, nobody would ever leave us alone again. So I drew him away from Lainla; I taunted him, and he left her alone to focus on me. I thought I could get him to stop targeting me after it was just him and me. I was wrong. My taunts caused him to be hell-bent on cutting me down to size. Kebet was also having trouble. He was the smallest boy in our cohort back then, and a lot of the older hunters didnt want him to pass the trials because they thought hed be a burden. I convinced him to join me in striking back against both Pratap and the ringleader of the group that was targeting him. Her cousins gaped at her. Werent you scared? Tanush asked. Yes. But I was more scared of seeming weak. What happened next? asked Soti. Kebet and I broke into the rubber forge and stole a pair of knives. When Pratap and the other hunters came for us during the next session of the trials, we attacked them. Nobody got hurt, Rajani explained when Kishi gasped. Kebet and I were fifteen years old with no previous training. They disarmed us without breaking a sweat. After the hunter trials were over, we were tried before the lodge mother moot, courtesy of Chief Bikash. We were convicted. A troupe of hunters accompanied us over that very bridge we just crossed. Kishi looked back at the rope bridge hanging behind them. Its meaning was changing for her, Rajani could tell. It was no longer just a frightening path but one that the lead hunter of her Table had taken. At that point the Jinkari were basically Gathers Children, Rajani continued. Papai had lost his leg years ago. He was still our lead hunter, but in name only. Shib-vyn could barely grip anything anymore. And Kishi and Tanush, your father had just died. Lainla was technically a hunter after the trials, but she was too young and small to actually function as our Tables protector. Those who visit the castra-dome to give food to their imprisoned Table members have to be hunters strong enough to fight off other people who might try to take their packages of food. So if youre a Gathers Child, and youre in the castra-dome, youre looking at death by starvation. How did you make it? asked Soti. Kebets father brought food for me. He didnt have to C he had no reason to. I was the one who had dragged his son into that mess. But every time he came down that chute with food for Kebet, he had food for me too. This is why the Jinkari Table will always stand by the Solonsa Table. This is why what threatens the Solonsa Table threatens us. Rajani saw understanding light up Tanushs eyes. He had known already that the Solonsa and the Jinkari shared a bond. They often celebrated Gathers Days together; they always backed each other in confrontations with others. Now he knew why. Kebet and I looked out for each other inside there. We protected each other until the time came for us to be released. But there was a problem. Only a lead hunter can do the run for an imprisoned member of his Table to be released. Kebets father could do it for Kebet. As for me Papai stepped up. He took on Hunts mantle, to bring me back to the Jinkari Table. He did the run for me C and then died from the burns and the blood loss. Rajani reached out to wipe away Tanushs tears. This is why we say we belong to Hunts Table, she whispered, reverence filling her heart. It was a thing of awe, to consider a god doing the run for you, bare feet on burning coals, bare flesh tearing against the sharpened bones that marked the path of the run. And you, running behind, the fire of the coals subdued by the osseous shards broken against the body of the god. Sotis eyes were shining. Afterwards, I thought I had to make up for Papais death. I I think I still feel that way sometimes. But when I listen to our sacred stories, when I look at our economic, legal, and social institutions, all I can see is that when the gods say you are Cursed, what they mean is this: that you were imprisoned, then freed. That you were outcast, then accepted. That you were a Gathers Child, then brought into Hunts Table. And that means Papai doing the run to bring me back, that was him naming me as Cursed. That was him reminding me who I am. Something was changing inside Rajani. Even as she spoke the words to her cousins, she felt herself pulled forward into a story that renewed her deep within her hidden heart. You are of my Table, the god words whispered. You are of my flesh. You dont need to prove yourself. You are already proven C by me. You asked me, Soti, why the Cursed are condemning us, why theyre putting overbelters into the castra-dome. Its because theyve forgotten something. Theyve forgotten that to be Cursed is to be a Gathers Child. But our Table? We wont forget. We cant forget. Its written into who we are. Chapter 61: “At least you were honest about it. While me, I lied to everyone and lied to myself.” Chapter 61: Later that sunstir, inside the Jinkari lodge, Rajani lay on her rubber bedroll and listened to the sleeping sounds of her Table members. Tanush was curled up on his side, snoring lightly. Shib-vyn wheezed in and out. Only Lainlas even breathing was missing. La? Rajani whispered into the dark. Lainla sat up, clearly awake. The sisters looked at each other. The flowerlight inside the lodge wasnt very bright, but Rajani thought she saw a tear running down her sisters cheek. Come here, Rajani whispered. She gestured Lainla over. To her relief, Lainla didnt refuse. She crawled over to Rajanis bedroll while Rajani pulled herself up. They sat facing each other, cross-legged, holding each others hands. Im sorry, Rajani whispered. Im so sorry. I told you not to do it. I told you not to mess with Tabus. I know. Why did you do it? This time, Rajani paused, for a long time, to think before speaking. Why did I do it? Because the hunters C they needed to be reined in C they were abusing their power C but I dont think anymore that was all there was to it C What was behind it? I wanted to become a lodge mother, Rajani whispered, acknowledging it, to herself, for the first time. I wanted to leave the hunters. But I didnt want to lose the status that comes with being a hunter. I wanted to take down the hunters, lay them low, get back at Chief Bikash for hurting me C and then I wanted to leave them. A soft sob escaped Lainlas lips. Her shoulders shook. After a minute of silent weeping, she met Rajanis eyes again. I guess were more similar than everyone says, she whispered. A faint smile touched her lips. I didnt want you to push agriculture because I wanted the hunters to retain their status, because I was a hunter. At least you were honest about it. While me, I lied to everyone and lied to myself. What changed? Rajani considered Lainlas question. Why was she willing to be honest now? For she was willing. She was more than willing. To confess to Lainla the truth of her heart was like shedding a burden. The pressure crushing her on every side was dropping away. I wanted it so bad, Rajani whispered. I wanted to leave Chief Bikash and the hunters with nothing. I couldnt admit that to myself. I couldnt admit that my motives were anything but the purest. How could I keep targeting the hunters if it were for my own purposes? If I were honest, Id have to stop, and I didnt want to stop. But the Chronicle verse I quoted to you kept coming back to me. Embrace the Gathers Child, both the one in your urb and the one in your heart. The one in your heart, Lainla, the one in your heart, what could that possibly mean but to acknowledge your own weaknesses without self-condemnation? I think I had to acknowledge that I cared more about hunter status than about hunter behavior, and I had to do that without condemning myself for it. But I couldnt. So I think I used the latter as cover so I could target the former. Lainla bowed her head. While were confessing, I have something to tell you too. What? Pratap never attacked Mayah. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. It took a moment for the words to register. What? Lainla looked up to meet Rajanis shocked gaze. Pratap never attacked Mayah. He tried to, but Sukren stopped him. You know how much that would have bothered Pratap. Hes always been insecure. His Table members would have mocked him to death C what, you cant even attack a Gathers Child girl? Sukren could tell Pratap wasnt going to stop trying, so he told Pratap that hed tell everyone that it had happened if Pratap would leave them alone. Thats how the rumors got started. When did you find this out? About five weeks ago, when I first found Mayah. I could tell something was off. The way she kept glancing at Sukren before answering my questions I pressed her for details, and she broke down and told me the truth, and then she translated for Sukren as he begged me not to tell anyone else. I was going to tell you anyway, I swear, but you were scaring me, messing with Tabus, and I thought I didnt know what you would do with the information, so I waited, and kept waiting Rajani closed her eyes. This doesnt change anything, she told herself. This doesnt change anything. But it did. Rajani wasnt sure who she was angry at C herself? Lainla? Pratap? C but it was anger that was in her heart, and also fear. She had believed all this time that the hunters needed to be checked. Maybe her motives had been wrong, but at least, it had seemed, her facts werent. Now Rajani had to wonder. Did the hunters really need to be checked? Had Rajani been wrong even about that? She tried to push back. Pratap had tried to attack Mayah. Chief had beaten Rajani. Jiats uncle had too much power over his Table members. Yet try as she might, Rajani couldnt help but admit that Mayah had been successfully defended by Sukren, that Chief had legitimate authority to discipline his hunters during training, and that Jiats uncles power over his Table members was the same power Rajani had used to compel Shib-vyns obedience. She took in a shuddering breath. Two stories were playing out in her mind. In the first, Rajani was a traitor rightly condemned by the likes of Urbiya for going against the hunters. How dare she, out of a selfish desire for status, attack the basis upon which Cursed society rested? Ostracism was the least she deserved for trying to violate a Tabu. But in the second story, Rajani found herself sneering at the hunters. They were abusive, they needed to be checked, and who cared if she went after them with wrong motives? Her suffering was for the sake of righteousness. After all, hadnt Pratap gone to the Gathers Children ditch to find a girl to prey on? All this went against the basic values of the Cursed! Her hands shaking, Rajani went back and forth between the two tales. Who deserved the contempt? Who deserved the blame? Did the hunters? Did she? She felt trapped, caught between a heaving mammole body on one side and a crumbling ravine wall on the other. Was there not a third way? Hunts Table, could there not be a way up and out and clear? As if in response, Rajani heard an echo deep inside her soul. When the gods say you are Cursed, what they mean is this: that you were imprisoned, then freed. That you were outcast, then accepted. That you were a Gathers Child, then brought into Hunts Table. Relief, like light, flooded through Rajani. Her heart ached with a sweet, sharp pain. That is the story, she thought, tears in her eyes. That is ever the only story. Either way, I am Gathers child. Cast out by my own people for resisting injustice. Imprisoned by my own selfishness. Then C brought back. Every time, brought back. She opened her eyes and looked at Lainla. The gods command us not to violate Tabus. Yes, Lainla whispered. They command me, as lead hunter, to love my Table members like my own flesh. Yes. And they command us all to embrace the Gathers Child. Yes. Rajani pulled her hands free to wipe her eyes. Gather and Hunt, it was good to be a Cursed citizen. It was good to belong to Hunts Table. I want to get Sukren and the other Gathers Children released from the castra-dome to stand a fair trial, she said. And I want the lodge mother moot in their next meeting to vote against ostracizing our Table. Me too. How do you think we can do it? I have an idea, Lainla said slowly. Ive been talking to my myxte Cursed friends, the ones who arent avoiding me, and they dont feel happy about the Gathers Children not getting trials. Theyre worried the myxte Cursed are next. Can you arrange a meeting with them before the lodge mother moot convenes next diurnal? Yes. Rajani held her arms out to her sister. Lainla leaned into her embrace, but soon pulled back. Is everything okay? Rajani asked. Lainla hesitated. Yes, she finally said. She smiled, and the shadow crossing her face disappeared. Everything will be okay. Chapter 62: "...you know you’re the first one they’re going to kill.” Chapter 62: Lainla was as good as her word. Two days later, Rajani went with her to the hanging library. Bharan, one of Lainlas better friends, was already there. Rajani was glad to see him. As lead hunter of the Pnem Table, and the second youngest lead hunter after Rajani, Bharan had always shared a bond with Rajani. She respected him and she knew the respect was mutual. Rajani was even happier to see Kebet and Jiat. Both had brought their younger cousins: Kebet, Yathi, and Jiat, Kaliwa. Mylin, one of the only other female myxte hunters of their generation, arrived just as the water clock above the rubber forge tipped to an hour past noontide. The remaining four young men were hunters Rajani recognized as part of Lainlas circle of friends. Altogether, they made twelve. Lainla opened the meeting. I know were all unhappy about the way things have been. Were here to talk about how to make them better. Wait, Bharan said. He adjusted his glasses. I dont know if we all agree on what the problem is. The way I see it, we myxte Cursed have been dragged into a mess that isnt ours. Were Cursed. Why should we align ourselves with overbelters? Although Bharan had looked around the circle as he spoke, it was clear he wanted Rajani to answer. She didnt hesitate. We shouldnt align ourselves with overbelters. We should be true to being Cursed. That means embracing the Gathers Children. Mylin leaned forward. Even though it was darkwake, her frustrated expression was easy to see. Rajani, that sounds nice and everything, but it wont work. The Gathers Children today dont want to be embraced. Our ancestors were different. They converted, adopted Cursed customs, and re-formed into Cursed social units. They assimilated. And they could, because there werent so many of them. There were murmurs of agreement. Rajani looked around at the other myxte Cursed. Whatever line we draw now will be used against us later. What if the old-Tabled Cursed decide there are too many myxte Cursed? Do we want to hand them a justification that could be used to send us to the castra-dome without trial? The problem isnt that there are too many of them, one of the hunters Rajani didnt know objected. The problem is that they rioted. We didnt. Like Mylin said. We assimilated. They were talking in circles. Exasperated, Rajani looked at Bharan, hoping he could inject some reason into the conversation. But Bharans face was dark. The Gathers Children did riot, he said. He touched a fresh scar running down his neck. But I think Rajani is right. We need to assimilate them. Otherwise, well end up killing them, and thats a precedent that will work against us later. So lets assimilate them! Kebet broke in. But how? I mean, I agree with you, Ni, I do. Yesternight some bastard told me my parents shouldve stayed on the other side of the shelterbelt, that all this emigration was their fault. We definitely have to be careful not to hand the old-Tabled Cursed something theyll use against us, because they will use it against us. Having said that, Mylins point still stands. Assimilation takes at least a generation. Gathers Children give birth to urb-born myxte Cursed, who go to school with old-Tabled Cursed, who then choose a profession at age fifteen, just like the old-Tabled. But thats not fast enough for what we need now. I agree, Rajani said, thinking quickly. So we do what our ancestors did when they adopted Gathers Children into their Tables. We split the overbelters up. Each lodge takes in one or two. More like five or six, someone muttered. Fine, five or six. Bharan put his hands up. The adoption ceremony laid out in the Chronicles requires us to do the run for them. Even if I were willing to do the run for overbelters I dont know, I would never take them into my lodge with my sisters and mother. Are you telling me, Rajani, that you would let some strange overbelter youve never met before come in and sleep in the same lodge as Kishi? Rajanis mind flashed back to the night of the riot. The overbelters body on hers; the rock coming down; the fear turned to murder in her heart. No. I dont think I could. She briefly closed her eyes. I also dont see another way to be true to who we are. I have a way, Bharan said. The vast majority of the rioters were men. Lets kill them, then integrate the women into our lodges, like you said. Rajani stared at him. Is that the precedent you want to give to the old-Tabled Cursed? All seven of you die, while Kaliwa, Mylin, Lainla, Yathi and I get to live? A grin crossed Bharans face. Oh, come on, Rajani. If the old-Tabled Cursed ever turn against us, you know youre the first one theyre going to kill. The others C even Jiat too! C burst into laughter. Rajani threw up her hands. Im serious! The smile faded from Jiats face. Is this because of that overbelter you had at your meal bench? You dont want him to die, so thats why you dont like Bharans plan? Rajani shrugged. There was something about the way Jiat asked the question that made her feel uncomfortable. She wondered if Jiat knew about the visit she had made alone to the castra-dome yesternight. How about this, Lainla said. Theres probably a handful of the men we would prefer didnt die. I mean, by show of hands, how many of us here got to know some of the Gathers Children men? A few hands went up. See? Lets pull those men out and count them among the women. Then we put the rest of the men on trial for rioting. If theyre found guilty, we put them in the castra-dome, and kill them. Rajani stared at Lainla, aghast. The Cursed didnt kill those they sent to the castra-dome. They got sent there until someone did the run for them to be released. That was the whole point, to give them a chance to come back! The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. But before Rajani could say anything, Bharan was nodding. Im fine with that, he said. Then he looked at Rajani. But you have to lead the campaign to kill them. What? she sputtered. Its not good for a myxte Cursed citizen to be officially ostracized. We have to look out for each other. Before the lodge mother moot meets next sunwake to vote on Urbiyas demand for ostracism, Ill spread the word that Im going to submit a proposal that all of the overbelter women, and a few of the overbelter men, be pulled aside to be adopted into our Tables. The rest of the men, like Lainla said, can go up on trial, then the guilty ones can go into the castra-dome to be killed. If I tell the moot that youre volunteering to lead that campaign into the castra-dome, itll win the approval of the old-Tabled Cursed. Thats not C I dont care if the old-Tabled Cursed approve of me or not! Appreciative grins went around the circle. But Rajani found herself still feeling frustrated. All were doing is drawing the line for who is Cursed in a slightly different place. Instead of all Gathers Children being non-Cursed, were saying all Gathers Children men who rioted are non-Cursed. So? one of them asked. How is that a bad line? They rioted. That makes them outcasts. Rajani threw up her hands once more. So are we all! How many of us have been in the castra-dome? She pointed. You, you, you, you, you C and you all know Ive been in there. If we say breaking laws makes you not Cursed, then none of us who have been in the castra-dome can be Cursed either. To Rajanis surprise, Kaliwa chose that moment to speak up. Maybe we arent Cursed, she said softly, her eyes downcast. Maybe there is a line, and its the one the old-Tabled Cursed are drawing. Maybe, Rajani, youre just Xhota, and Kebet, youre just Chenta, and you, Mylin, youre just Eenta. Maybe none of us are Cursed. Everyone fell silent. Then Lainla shook her head. That cant be right. My cousins Tanush and Kishi are half old-Tabled Cursed from their fathers side, and a quarter Eenta and a quarter Xhota from their mothers side. Who are they, if they arent Cursed? Even you, Kaliwa. You and Jiat are both half Eenta, half Xhota. What are you, if you arent Cursed? But then Rajani is right, Jiat said. Whichever way we draw the line, some of us are left out, unless we draw the line around everyone. Bharans face was thoughtful. Maybe so. But I cant pay that price. I cant ask my Table to pay that price. He looked at Rajani. Your theology is solid. I think you may be right. But doing the run for strangers is the kind of thing gods do, and were only human. All I can do is persuade the lodge mothers to vote against your Tables ostracism, and that only if I tell them youre going to lead the campaign against the Gathers Children to make up for prioritizing them. Rajani looked down. If we say people who riot and are put in the castra-dome arent Cursed, were denying our own Cursedhood. Rajanis words stripped away the veneer of lightheartedness that had been dusting the meeting up until then. She could tell the other hunters were pulling away from her, that their anger had been kindled. Bharans offer was a generous one. She knew that. They knew it too. Ill do it. Rajani looked at her sister. No C Just tell them the Jinkari Table hunters are leading the campaign. You dont have to be specific about which one of us is doing it. I cant let you, Rajani said. Then you do it, Lainla said. La C Choose. Either you do it, or I will. Rajani swallowed. She hesitated. Finally she bowed her head. Fine. Ill do it. Bharan nodded. Were settled then. He stopped as if to say something further to Rajani, but instead turned away. The others began leaving. Jiat glanced at Rajani as he and Kaliwa turned the corner of the rubber forge, but Rajani couldnt meet his eyes. She instead watched Lainla go to Bharan. Bharan whispered something to Lainla, something that caused her to smile. Their hands touched. Then he too was gone, leaving Lainla with Rajani and Kebet. It shouldnt have made a difference. Lainla wasnt obliged to tell Rajani about potential partners until after accepting a betrothal dance vine. But obliged or not, Lainla and Rajani had always shared everything with each other. That was what it meant to be sisters. To hide not only the truth about Mayah and Pratap, but also her budding relationship with Bharan well, that was more than Rajani could bear. She lifted her face. How could you do this to me? Rajani could tell she had made her sister angry. Her eyes flashing, Lainla responded, Youre supposed to consider your Table like your own flesh. Youre not supposed to put your desire to feel virtuous above that. Yet thats what you were about to do. How long do you think the Jinkari would survive under official ostracism? No physicians attending us, nobody talking to us C we wouldnt even be able to be hunters anymore. Is your Table worth so little that you value us less than overbelters you dont even know? Lainla C Kebet started to say. Shut up, Bet. Lainlas chest was heaving. I did what I had to do, Rajani. And so will you. Numb, Rajani watched Lainla disappear around the corner of the rubber forge. Her hearing, her sight, her touch C everything felt shot through with anguish. She was vaguely aware that Kebet was pulling her towards him, but in her disorientation it took her a moment to realize that he had drawn her into his arms. Sometimes there are no good choices, he whispered. Sometimes we have to pick the best of the worst. Until the gods bring us back. Thats what the Loylan Table Chronicles say, right? Rajani nodded. She clutched at Kebets sleeve as he wiped her tears away with his thumb. Ill still think youre virtuous, he told her. More tears filled her eyes. Bet, Im not. You think I dont hear everything Bharan and Lainla are saying? You think I dont agree with them? I would rather kill Gathers Children than do the run for them and invite them into my lodge. But according to everything the gods say, I am that Gathers Child. How can I give them death when I received mercy? Shh. Its okay. He held her against his chest. Only after she stopped crying did he speak again. Killing the Gathers Children may be more merciful to them in the end. Otherwise, after theyre put on trial, theyre just going to be put back into the castra-dome to starve to death. You heard Bharan. You know its true. No one is going to do the run for rioting overbelters. Our fathers did for us, Rajani whispered. Kebet had no reply. Chapter 63: “Maybe it’s the lodge mothers who have too much power.” Chapter 63: Four sunrises later, Rajani and Kebet were out on the training ground, preparing to return to the urb. As they shook the dust off their ballistas, Kebet turned to Rajani. You ready for the open meeting tomorrow? Rajani shrugged. Its not like I have to do anything except stand there and look repentant. Its Bharan whos giving the proposal. The library meeting had occurred a week and a half ago. Since then, the lodge mother moot had decided to postpone their vote on the Jinkari Tables ostracism. Most of the lodge mothers want to give you another chance, Mamai explained. Bharan had said the same. My lodge mother pushed hard for you, said you wanted to atone for caring about the wrong things. She told the moot about my proposal. Urbiya wanted to ostracize you anyway, but the other lodge mothers overruled her. They want to wait and see how you behave. Wait and see how you behave. Scowling, Rajani kicked her sheathed boots against the sandy soil of the training ground. Only Kebet had seen the postponement for what it was: a threat. The moot wants to see you carry out Bharans proposal. I bet they wont vote against your Tables ostracism until after the Gathers Children are all dead. Well, if the lodge mothers wanted conformity, they had it. For three diurnals now, Rajani had behaved. She had visited Sukren in the castra-dome only once more. When Chief boasted about emptying the Gathers Children ditch, shed said nothing, merely glared. And that one time shed shoved Pratap during training had been an accident. Inside, though, Rajani felt like she was suffocating. The lodge mother moot, the Cursed at large, her Table, all of them were like weights pressing down on her. Lainla especially was no comfort. The sisters had spoken only once during the past three diurnals, and then, only to argue. If all you care about is our Table, why are you so protective of Mayah? I care about people I know, Ni. Thinking about Lainla was making Rajani upset again. She looked out at the rain and sunlight falling together onto the az hedge field. Twenty-five more hours until sunset. Twenty-five more hours until Bharan gave his proposal. Twenty-five more hours until her fate was sealed. I wish open meetings were more often, she said out loud. Its the way weve always done it, Kebet replied. Every seven diurnals, trials are held during eventide on sunstir, and open meetings during eventide on sunwake. Its not really fair though. The lodge mothers get to submit proposals to each other every week. The rest of us have to wait until open meetings to make suggestions. She gave Kebet a sidelong glance. Maybe its the lodge mothers who have too much power. Grinning, Kebet shoved her. It was a slight push, but it was a warning all the same. Careful, Ni. Dont start down that path. Especially not with the open meeting tomorrow. Do you think the moot will really pass Bharans proposal? she asked Kebet as the two began making their way south through the east forfend. Several other hunters had gone on ahead already; Rajani and Kebet were part of the second wave returning to the urb. Yes, Kebet said. What else could they do? They have no other solution. I dont know. Something else. Im not convinced the lodge mother moot wants to pass a proposal that calls for trials and adoptions for overbelters. They want blood. The Cursed want blood. Just dont make trouble, Ni, and things will work out fine. Rajani managed to keep her voice even. Everyone keeps telling me that. Thats because its true. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Rajani looked away. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Nehik, Prataps cousin, walking alone through the east forfend. She frowned. The Vadyan Table did everything together. She had never seen a single one of their Table members by themselves. Come to think of it, where was Pratap? She hadnt seen him all sunstir. She nudged Kebet. Look. Hm, Kebet said. Hes alone. Did you see Pratap at all during training? Or any of the Vadyan this past diurnal, for that matter? No, I didnt. Odd. Hunters couldnt miss training without Chiefs permission, and Chief Bikash almost never gave such permission. Lainla had had to argue with him at length when Rajani had been darted by the overbelter soldiers. Im going to she stopped. What did it matter if the Vadyan Table members didnt attend training? Why was it her business? Dont make trouble, Kebet, and Lainla, and Mamai, and all the Cursed, had told her. All at once a raw and writhing bitterness rose up inside her. Im not making trouble, Rajani wanted to cry out. Im just doing what makes sense! Ni Rajani knew what Kebet was thinking. I wont make trouble, she said. I mean it. I just want to find out whats going on. Maybe maybe theres a way out. Maybe these are the gods, giving me a way out. I dont think thats how the gods work. Rajani thought Kebet was probably right. But then she glanced at Nehik. Something was wrong. Seeing him alone made her uneasy. Were the Vadyan planning something? She hesitated. Let it go, or dig deeper? Dont do it, Ni. She glanced at Kebet. Chief inspects the rubber forge after training every day, right? Ill go ask him if he knows where the Vadyan Table members are. I wont do anything else. I promise. Kebet looked skeptical, but he shrugged. Ill be down at the dais. I want to see if anyone I know is being put up for trial. Rajani nodded, feeling a pang of curiosity herself. Trials, weddings, funerals and open meetings were the only entertainments available to the Cursed outside of Gathers Days. During the rainsoon season these events were held before dinner but after training so that hunters also could attend. Where the east forfend opened up into the urb, Rajani and Kebet separated. While he made for the dais at the southern end of the atreola, Rajani went west toward the rubber forge. The meal benches she passed were empty. It looked as if almost everyone was clustered down at the other end of the atreola, watching the trials. If Rajani strained her ears she could almost hear a lodge mother indict the accused party: So be it. Rajani peeled open the rubber forge door and stepped inside. Chief was standing in front of the shallow curing pool in the middle of the floor. Another hunter stood next to him. They both looked up when Rajani came in. You may go, Chief said to the hunter after a glance at Rajani. Ill arrange for someone to replace your shift. The hunter nodded and brushed past Rajani. Only after he was gone did Chief address her. What do you want? Where are the Vadyan Table members? Chief looked at her. He gestured her towards him. Rajani approached him warily, stopping well before she was within arms reach. But Chief didnt seem to notice. I have a proposal to make as well, he said to her. To the lodge mother moot tomorrow? Yes. What does that have to do with C He cut her off, and his voice was as it usually was when he wasnt angry: calm, confident, and full of authority. Pratap and his Table members are inside the castra-dome. Not just them, either. I sent several other hunters into the castra-dome as well. At tomorrows open meeting, Im going to propose that we order them to kill all the Gathers Children. Rajani caught her breath. In a flash she saw how Chief had bested her in a game she hadnt even known he was playing. The Gathers Children all inside the castra-dome, contained, would be easy prey for armed hunters C hunters that were already inside the castra-dome. The lodge mother moot would look at Bharans solution, then at Chiefs, and think: oh, yes, this one is much easier, and much less work, and much more final. Her chest was heaving. After all she had let go of C after all she had suffered to stay true C No! she shouted. Chapter 64: “This citizen is under arrest. Take her to the dais. Now.” Chapter 64: A rack of mammole bones was hanging on the wall to her left. Rajani grabbed an unfinished pike and swung it wildly at Chief. He dodged her blow with ease. She lunged after him, barely noticing the water of the curing pool beneath her feet. She would get him, by Gather and Hunt, if this were the last thing she did, Rajani would find some way to get him! But Chief was not Pratap. He didnt care about making himself seem like a good fighter for the sake of an audience. No, Chief was a grown man, and he was stronger than Rajani would ever be. In moments she found the pike wrenched out of her hands. Another moment passed, and she was falling backwards, splashing to the ground. Before she could rise, Chief had turned the pike around so that its shaft was pressing against her chest, trapping her in the pool. Unable to move, Rajani spat at Chief. He slapped her. You want to feed Gathers Children? he hissed. Is that what this is about? Let me go! Chief was snarling in her face. This land can only sustain a thousand people. Our ancestors knew that, and they set up rigorous methods to ensure that around a thousand people would continue to survive. And those methods are regulated deaths: the deaths of hunters out in the volcanoes, and the deaths of Gathers Children. If theres not enough food, someone has to die. The gods determine how much life is enough. Not us. No! No? The gods told us to share, Rajani insisted, blinking away tears. That whatever we ate in our poverty would be enough. That if we insisted on fulfillment we would lose the ability to be satisfied. All of this is happening to us because were refusing to obey! Chief fell silent. When he spoke again, his voice had softened. I heard of Bharans proposal. Its a noble effort. But its not going to work. The women overbelters are just as bad as the men. Even if most of them didnt participate in the riots directly, they didnt stop their menfolk either. Im sorry for it, but they all have to die. Struggling against the pike, Rajani cried out, To be Cursed is to be a Gathers Child! How we treat them is how we treat ourselves! Dont start us down a path where you and I could someday be put inside the castra-dome without being able to say a word in our defense! But Chief shook his head. I am nothing like those overbelters. And neither, Rajani, are you. Listen to me. Go into the castra-dome as one of my hunters. Ill arm you the way I armed Pratap. When the order comes to kill the Gathers Children, you make your choice then. Either you fight with the hunters to get rid of the Gathers Children, or you are killed by the hunters as one of the Gathers Children. Never, Rajani whispered. Chiefs face darkened. Then Ill have to arrest you for attacking me. Rajani knew what that meant. She would be found guilty and sentenced to the castra-dome without any weapons to protect her. Trapped, trapped! Chief had trapped her and brought her down like a hunter his prey. A voice rang out in the doorway. Let her go. It was Jiat. No, not just Jiat. Kebet, and Bharan, and Lainla, and Mylin, and two of the four hunters from the meeting by the hanging library. Slowly, Chief rose. He dragged Rajani to her feet, gripping her arm. This citizen is under arrest, he said. As hunters I delegate you to accompany her to the dais to be tried. If there is no room on this eventides docket, I order you to accompany her to the castra-dome to wait until the next trials are held. Chief had thought of everything. Breathing heavily, Rajani averted her gaze from the hunters at the door. She didnt want to look at anyone or be looked at by anyone, not now, not in her defeat. Chief, Bharan said. Why are you working with the old-Tabled Cursed against us? You are fools, Chief spat. You think just because you were born on the Cursed side of the shelterbelt that the old-Tabled Cursed will accept you. Youre wrong. You take for granted what we fought to have. Bharan persisted. Chief, my proposal will pass if you dont oppose it. It was no use. Chief yanked on Rajanis arm. This citizen is under arrest. Take her to the dais. Now. Nobody moved. Very well. All of you are now under arrest for disobeying my orders. Rajanis eyes widened. All of them C including Lainla C including Bharan, who was to deliver his proposal tomorrow C Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. No! she cried out. Chief, theyll take me to the dais. Theyll arrest me. Ill even confess to it, so you wont have to prove it. In response, Chief released her arm and pushed her forward. Rajani stumbled out of the curing pool and met Kebet and Jiat at its edge. As soon as they were out of the forge, Kebet grabbed her shoulder. You dont have to do this! But Jiat shook his head. No, shes right. Bharan has to be free tomorrow to deliver his proposal. One of us could go with you, Kebet protested. Rajani shook her head. Bharans proposal has to pass. You have to stay here, all of you. She looked around at the others. Talk to as many people as you can. Get them to convince their lodge mothers. Tell the old-Tabled Cursed that Rajani will do whatever penance they want her to, if only they vote for Bharans proposal. Rajani C Lainlas eyes were full of tears. Shrugging off Kebet and Jiat, Rajani held her hand out to her sister. Its okay, she said. All of it C its okay. Lainla gripped her hand. Ill do the run for you. Ill get you out. I know, Rajani replied. But make sure Bharans proposal passes first. Once more Rajani stood on the dais. This time the eternal fire, its flames flickering and hissing in the wet wind, was to her left. Next to it, on the platforms far side, stood Chief Bikash. One of the lodge mothers stepped forward. Rajani, lead hunter of the Jinkari Table, you are accused by Bikash, lead hunter of the Rikam Table, Chief of all hunters. He accuses you of attacking him, of disobeying him, and of inciting other hunters to disobedience against him. How do you respond? I confess it. A murmur spread through the crowd. Rajani supposed they had expected her to put up more of a fight, but she had given her word to Chief; she had nothing more to give. You have nothing to say? I have nothing, Rajani thought. Seven years and Im back here on this dais next to the same man, headed back to the same castra-dome. Only this time Im alone. Without even an expectation that things will change. Just a desperate hope. Rajani looked out onto the atreola, at her people gathered there to watch her be condemned. She shook her head. So be it, the lodge mother said. You will be escorted to the castra-dome to serve a sentence the moot determines is just. Willing hunters, take her there. *** Rajani placed her hands on the scaffold railing. If she peered out from under the canopy, past the curtain of breathflowers, she could make out the Cursed urb through the bio-domes dark and yellow bones. Behind her, the castra-dome chute was waiting. Kebet, Jiat, Bharan and Mylin stood behind her as well. They had accompanied her across the rope bridge, and now they were waiting to see her down the chute. Rajani closed her eyes. She knew she should go. She had lingered by the edge of the mountainside scaffold for long enough, and the rain was pattering on her head, re-wetting the fur on her collar. Still, she remained where she was, unable to accept the turn her tale had taken. Was this really it? Could this possibly be the end? A fierce, silent rejection rose up inside her. This cant be it, she wailed. This cant be it. It cant, it cant! Oh, please, dont let this be it, dont let this be the end! Change it, make it different, rescue it, rescue me, please! The rain continued to fall on Rajanis head. No one came running down the rope bridge to tell her she could come back. No lightning struck the dais to shock the Cursed into obedience. But then, the rain stopped. Rajani could still feel the water lashing against her face, but her eyes, open now, saw the sun hanging high above her. Was it real? Yes, it was real, it was realer than life itself, it was life, a waking vision she had walked into simply by opening her eyes. The Cursed urb C her urb C stretched out before her. Every part of it, from the shelterbelt to the bio-domes edge, was bathed in sunlight. The pathways between the lodges and smokehouses and meal benches teemed with life. Hunters and Gathers Children, lodge mothers and myxte Cursed, lexikosts and old-Tabled Cursed, they all filled the urb, laughing, talking, drinking, feasting, praying, loving. Their faces showed no fear. Rajani sought her own lodge. There was Lainla, delight in her smile. There was Mamai, peace written into the lines on her face. There was Abha, there was Tanush C all the Jinkari Table members were gathered there together. With them was Rajani. From where she stood Rajani couldnt tell whether the vision of herself was wearing the hood of a lodge mother or the sheathed boots of a hunter. But she could see the joy in her shining face. Such joy Rajani blinked. The skies were once more dark and cloud-filled. An endless rain fell wherever she looked. Rajani? Kebet called. Slowly, Rajani turned. Her heart ached with a sweet, sharp pain, and a whisper, threaded through with fire, was burning in her soul. Your story isnt over yet. Its okay, she said. Its okay. The gods C theyre going to bring us back. Chapter 65: “Well, if it’s worse at least it’ll be different.” An Ode to Hunt and Gather: Our first diurnal as humans we hunted and we gathered C we worshipped you. I will give you enough, you said to us. Enough. Do not turn to the plow, do not turn to the beast of burden. Do not be like those who store and build and crush others in their storing and building. Eat and drink that which is good, not that which is more. More only leads to more only leads to more. C excerpt from The Uro Table Chronicles Written 250 years after the Crash Landing Chapter 65: Two diurnals after Lainla invited Mayah and Sukren to eat at the Jinkari meal bench, Mayah found herself hiding in the shadow of the Jinkari lodge. Sukren was helping Rajani clean out the firepit in the center of the meal bench; they were chatting in Xhom and the pidgin. But the other Jinkari Table members, slicing up meat and wildflower stems, were talking in Cursed. Mayah was listening to them. There was something about the language of the Cursed that reminded her of ancient scrolls, of old museum exhibits, of the root language. Mayah knew how to read and write the root language well enough, but it was a new thing to hear it C or something quite like it C spoken aloud. It made even mundane things sound like proclamations from the Age of Royalty. Most of the Jinkari Table members were talking about a concert they had attended earlier that Gathers Day morning. Mayah picked out the words carefully. The singing was harsh, malevolent even. To the side, Lainla was talking to a woman whose name Mayah thought was Abha. I think Rajanis going to petition the moot soon, she could hear Lainla saying. Im not sure she knows what shes getting into, but you know Rajani. Mayah glanced at Rajani. If Mayah were Lainla, she would be afraid to talk like that with Rajani so nearby, but Rajani didnt appear to have heard her. Rajani was still chatting with Sukren, in fact, and Sukren was even smiling at something she was saying. Mayah scowled and turned away. Stay strong, she reminded herself. Youre not some little princess anymore, remember? Maybe Sukren thinks you are, but youre not. You dont have to look at him. You dont have to want him to smile at you the way hes smiling at Rajani. Come on, dont you have any strength at all? Apparently she didnt. Every morning Mayah swore she wouldnt let herself desire Sukrens approval anymore, but she found herself breaking that promise a dozen times by every evening. Yesterday evening had been the worst of all, Sukren had been so angry with her and it had been terrible because she had deserved his anger, every bit of it It wasnt until Lainla touched her shoulder and asked what was wrong that Mayah realized she was crying. Nothing, she tried to say, wiping her face with her sleeve. Nothing, Im fine, Im fine. I cry when Im fine, too, Lainla responded with a wry smile. Mayah couldnt help but laugh at that. To hear humor expressed in a root language soundalike was both strange and funny. With a single backward glance at Sukren, Mayah allowed Lainla to lead her into the Jinkari earth lodge. Once inside the orange-lit darkness she found her tears returning. Sukren hadnt returned Mayahs glance, he had been too busy talking to Rajani, as if Mayah were unimportant, as if Mayah were nothing at all! So whats going on? Lainla asked. Mayah took off her glasses and placed the heels of her hands against her eyes. I dont mean anything to him, she whispered. If I did, he wouldnt have hidden his entire life from me. If I did, he wouldnt be lying to me still. What is he lying to you about? Somehow it was easier to share in Cursed. The foreign words on Mayahs tongue were like clothes hiding her nakedness. She could stumble through a sentence, she could pause to explain to Lainla what a stand-in root language word meant, she could have the focus be on the telling of the tale and not the tale itself. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! About everything. He was part of the Free Serfs, and he never told me, and he wont tell me why he never told me. And I think hes lying about me, too. He said he didnt know why I grew up in a serf village, but I think he does know, he just wont tell me. And I sorry. Lainla was looking confused. Inside the shelterbelt, the Rajas are the ones with the power, Mayah explained. They rule the serfs. Im a Rajas, a princess, but Im not like the other Rajas. I grew up in a serf village. I never did anything bad to a serf. If there was a word for serf in Cursed, Mayah didnt know it. She used the root language word instead. Lainla still looked confused, though, so Mayah tried to find an explanation that would make sense to her. You know the Xhota, Chenta and Eenta? Theyre all serfs. The Xhota live in their own urb, they help trades happen. The Eenta are mostly soldiers. The Chenta are the lowest status, they do the dirty work. But all of them are serfs. Sukren Sukren is a serf. A Chenta serf. He was assigned to raise me. Ive always shared everything with him, but hes a liar, he wont share anything with me at all! It sounds like Sukrens really hurt you, Lainla said quietly. At that, Mayah began sobbing, the tears soaking the front of her village suit. Oh, if only Sukren would look at her and see not some little Rajas not worth including in his life, but herself, Mayah, fully converted to the cause. But he didnt! And he never would! Meanwhile Mayah was so pathetic that she couldnt stop from wanting him to. That was why she had stayed, wasnt it, when she woke up from the drug-induced sleep Sukren had put her in? Instead of going back to Vek, shed stayed on the Cursed side of the shelterbelt, shed stayed, and that was how Pratap had been able to attack her at all, because she had been around to attack! Oh Sarana, Mayah was weak, weak was what she was. Her longing for Sukren to see her, to value her, to enjoy her existence, that was the problem. Last night I called him a Rajas tail, Mayah finally managed to whisper. I wanted to hurt him, I wanted to get back at him for thinking I wasnt worth telling anything to. But I also meant it! I mean, why else would he spend his entire life caring for a princess if he werent a Rajas tail? Thats why he brought me here. He wanted to take me away from the Free Serfs because hes not like those serfs who nobly suffer under Rajas rule, like the ones Vek told me about. Hes worse than those serfs. So if he doesnt care enough about me to tell me the truth, thats fine, its fine, its just fine! Is it? The simplicity of Lainlas question caught Mayah off guard. No, she cried out. Its not fine, its not! In her mind Mayah could hear her own voice calling out, taunting, mocking. Rajas tail! Youre a Rajas tail! Oh Sarana, the way Sukren had looked at her! Cold as ice, cold as space. You do realize that without me begging for food, you would starve to death? That every scrap you put into your mouth comes from me? She had wept then, harder than she was weeping now. It was as if he had spat in her face, as if he had sneered, of course youre a little Rajas, and nothing more. Even here, on this side of the shelterbelt, even here Im serving you because you cant do it for yourself. And you expect me to tell you anything? He wont stop! Hell never stop! Hell never see me as anything but a little Rajas! Finally Mayah lifted her tear-stained face to Lainla. Im sorry, she whispered. Lainla responded by taking Mayahs hand. I waited a long time for Rajani to start focusing on me as much as I focused on her, she said softly. Eventually I gave up. My sister dreams big; she experiences everyday life as an epic struggle between good and evil; she sees everything but me. Thats who she is. Its not okay, but it is. It is what? It just is. Mayah still wasnt sure she understood what Lainla was saying. It just is? It just is. Despair swept over her. But I cant keep going like this! she cried out. Maybe another day or two I could handle, but not the rest of my life! Im not saying this is your life now, so live it, Lainla replied. Im saying this is your life today, and that you dont know whats going to happen tomorrow. Mayah took in a ragged breath. You dont know whats going to happen tomorrow, she repeated to herself. You dont know whats going to happen tomorrow. Strange. Mayah felt better. Comforted, almost. For it was true. Mayah didnt know what was going to happen tomorrow. In fact, there were several days she had gone to bed not knowing that the next morning would change her life. Like the day before Sukren had brought her over the shelterbelt. Or the day before Mayah had found the false butterfly on the balcony floor. Or even the day before she had left the serf village to go live in Lost Technology. I dont know whats going to happen tomorrow, Mayah repeated out loud. Thats right. And neither do I. But that means tomorrow could be worse than today. It could. Or it could be better. We dont know. Mayah wiped her sticky face with her sleeve. Well, if its worse at least itll be different. Lainla laughed. I also remember getting tired of having the same fight with Rajani over and over again. She probably could have kept going C nobody has an appetite for conflict like my sister C but I got bored. Letting go of her attention was hard, but it wasnt like I had had much of it anyway and letting go meant we could find a new dynamic at least. A new dynamic Mayah liked the sound of that. That was what she wanted with Sukren, wasnt it? A completely new dynamic. La-am, are you in here? Is the overbelter girl with you? Someone was opening the flap that covered the lodge entrance. Yes, Mayahs here with me, Lainla called back. Well, you better come out with her. Her brothers panicking. Mayah scrambled in the darkness for her glasses. Once she found them, she rose to her feet. Time to return to Sukrens ever watchful, never seeing eye. You dont know whats going to happen tomorrow, she reminded herself. You dont know whats going to happen tomorrow. Chapter 66: “Are they serious about rioting?” Chapter 66: You have a library? How? Ill show you, Lainla replied. Unless you and Sukren have to go back to the Gathers Children ditch? It was sunstir. Lainla and Rajani had returned from training, and dinner had been eaten, but Sukren and Mayah were still with the Jinkari. Sukren was playing some sort of game with Tanush, tossing pebbles, or maybe bits of mammole bones. He used to play with me like that in the serf village, Mayah thought, but then she shook her head. I dont think Sukren wants to go back. The serfs in the ditch dont like us. Why not? We eat better than they do, and theyre jealous, Mayah responded honestly. Then, feeling guilty, although she wasnt sure why, she added, Also all they talk about is rioting and Sukren doesnt like that kind of talk. They want him to promise to help because hes a doctor-priest C a physician C but he wont. Are they serious about rioting? I dont know. They talk about it a lot, at least. Lainla was silent for a moment. She looked at Mayah, her lips pursed. Eventually she nodded in the direction of Sukren. Why dont you ask him if you can come to the library with me? It took a few minutes of cajoling, but Sukren gave his permission in the end. Looking forward to seeing the library, Mayah found herself almost skipping on their way there. But when Lainla stopped in front of the line of shelterbelt trees behind the rubber forge, Mayah was confused. Where are all the books? See those rubber sleeves? Mayah didnt see anything, but she nodded. Each sleeve holds one book. Mayah peered forward. Then she saw them, and it clicked. Instead of shelves, long broad swathes of rubber hung from the shelterbelts branches. Each swathe of rubber had several pockets sewed onto both its front and back sides, and each pocket held one book. Can I look at one? Mayah asked Lainla. Of course! Thats why I brought you here. Mayah was glad it was sunstir. Even though it was evening and getting on close to bedtime, it was still bright outside. The sun was shining through the clouds overhead, making it easy for Mayah to see as she unbuttoned the flap enclosing one of the pockets. She slid the book out of the pocket, then opened it. Strange symbols filled the pages. Here and there Mayah thought she recognized a stroke, but the vast majority of the book was unreadable. Why does it look like that? Mayah asked. What do you mean? The letters You mean our alphabet? Oh, Mayah replied. You have a different alphabet, of course. Then she frowned. Why would the Cursed have a different alphabet? Sure, Cursed wasnt exactly the root language, but it sure sounded similar. Which made sense. The Cursed were the descendants of the mutineers who had crash landed the ancient starship onto the planet Chudami. They had kept true to the original speech of their ancestors, while the Saranai had branched out. Perhaps the Cursed had kept the language but changed the script? Why would they do that though? Mayah ran her hand over the page. The paper was vellum-like, but the symbols were clearly printed. No single hand could write so evenly or so consistently. Who makes these books? Lainla pointed to the rubber forge behind them. Theres a printing press inside the forge. During dry seasons lexikosts use it to publish all their research. Mayah looked at the forges uneven stone walls. It was the only building of its kind in all the Cursed urb. Even after weeks of knowing about its existence, she still found it strange. The industry inside the forge didnt sound complex, but that it existed in a society that didnt even have electricity felt bizarre to Mayah. She frowned, thinking. The Cursed really dont live anything like us. In Lost Technology Castle, I remember, I got more electricity than Sukren, and he got more electricity than our whole village did. I dont think there were even two capacitor lamps in the whole village! Out here, though, its like being primitive and knowing science go together. The Cursed might sleep in holes underground, but I bet even Soti could tell me the physics and chudalogy behind each hole. Ive listened in on enough lexikost classes out on the atreola to be able to tell that, at least. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Here, try this. Its a Xhom-Cursed traders dictionary. Lainla held another book out to Mayah. Elated, Mayah rifled through the pages. She stopped at the first entry on a page. Next to a short string of Cursed symbols were the Xhom words: can, a small, sealed bioplastic container. Below it, another short string of Cursed symbols was followed by the Xhom words: cart, a wheeled vehicle. Mayahs heart sank. This dictionary might teach her to pair certain meanings with specific visual strings of Cursed symbols, but it wouldnt teach her how to read the Cursed alphabet. Internally she sighed. Maybe she should ask Lainla if there were any books that would teach her which sounds went with each symbol? Oh, but Lainla had done so much for Mayah already. How could Mayah be a greedy-goat and ask for more? Lainla might get mad at her! Thank you, Mayah said. Thank you so much, I really appreciate it. Its my pleasure, Lainla replied. Oh, Mayah so badly wanted to ask Lainla for a Cursed alphabet primer! Could I she paused. Can I Yes? Ask for something smaller, Mayah instructed herself. Dont be a burden to her, like you are to Sukren. Would it be ok if I came back here? To look at some other books? Of course! Mayah immediately regretted not asking for a primer. But it was too late now. Lainla was turning away, replacing the first book Mayah had pulled out. After youre done with the dictionary, put it back in its spot, here, she said. Mayah nodded. Do I have to check it out, let anyone know I have it? The lexikosts manage the library together. Ill tell Yathi and shell tell the others. Thank you. Thank you for being nice to me. Lainla looked uncomfortable. After a moment she said, Im not being nice. Im being obedient. Embrace the Gathers Child, the Chronicles say, and thats what Im doing. Mayah had no idea how to reply. She settled for nodding. The Cursed did this, she had noticed. It wasnt just Lainla who talked as if Hunt and Gather were the only gods, as if even overbelters believed in them. But who cared? If whatever Lainla believed was why she was nice to Mayah, Mayah wanted her to keep on believing it. If that meant she had to nod every time the Cursed mentioned their religion, so be it. The Cursed holy place didnt have a Temple, didnt have sacrifices, and in Mayahs book, that was more than enough to make it superior to the holy lake of the Saranai. *** Mayah, get up. Get up, now! Sukren was shaking her awake. Blinking, Mayah got to her feet, trying to make sense of what was happening. Why was Sukren hauling her out of the ditch? Why was he hurrying her through the urb? Were they even allowed to leave the ditch at night? By the time Mayah was awake enough to gather her thoughts, she and Sukren were standing outside the Jinkari earth lodge, and Sukren was shouting Rajanis name. A moment later, Rajani emerged. Theyre rioting. What? The Saranai, I mean, the overbelters, they started shouting C Rajani cocked her head as if focusing on something. Then her eyes widened, and she began shouting in Cursed. Listening to Rajani rattle off instructions to her Table members, Mayah wondered what the queer taste in her mouth was. Was she sick? Was she bleary from being dragged awake? It wasnt until Mayah was inside the lodge with Tanush, Soti and Kishi that she recognized the taste for what it was: shame. Im sorry, she said in Cursed. Im sorry we Im sorry theyre doing this. She avoided meeting anyones eyes. Without Lainla around, Mayah found herself afraid of both Sotis self-confidence and Kishis strange looks and disordered speech. Soti was basically Mayahs age, but she behaved with a fearlessness that was more foreign to Mayah than her Cursedness. As for Kishi, Mayah knew that the Cursed called her sun-blessed, and that she was honored among them as a sun-blessed child, but on the other side of the shelterbelt, such children were called misborn, and killed. Only Tanush was fine to be with, but even he was glaring at her now. Why are you overbelters doing this? he asked. Dont we give you food? Im not like them, Mayah responded quickly, desperate to deflect blame. Im Im a Rajas, and theyre serfs. What are you talking about? Soti snapped. A Rajas is higher, serfs are Mayah stopped. What was she saying? Wasnt it bad to be a Rajas? Wasnt she supposed to be on the side of the serfs? A true serf is one who hates Rajas rule, and wants to see it ended, Vek had said. Mayah was supposed to denounce her princess self. Shed spent the whole past season trying to prove to Sukren that shed done exactly that. So why was she putting distance between herself and the serfs now? The queer taste in her mouth was back. Maybe Vek was wrong. Maybe Mayah couldnt escape being a princess no matter how hard she tried. Here she was, denying that she was like the serfs rioting outside, when she should be cheering them on. After all, werent they serfs? And werent serfs always right? Was it the Cursed who were the Rajas, on this side of the shelterbelt? Mayah spent the rest of the night huddled in a corner of the lodge by herself. When Lainla returned, Mayah wanted to go to her. She didnt want to be a cowardly little princess though, so she made herself instead ask Rajani where Sukren was. Hes in the ditch, Rajani replied. The hunters drove him back. Oh. Mayah blinked. How odd. Was that relief she was feeling? She glanced at Lainla. Should I go to him? Its not safe now, Lainla replied. Then she hesitated. I dont want to force you. If she likes, can she stay with us? Her question was directed at Rajani. Mayah watched carefully as Rajani nodded. She looked tired; the light and excitement ever present on her face was gone. Still, when she spoke, she spoke with authority. The Jinkari Table to attendance. Mayah watched Tanush run to Rajani. Silently, she stood there as Tanush began reciting a poem, no, it was a story, but a story that sounded like a poem, with rhythm and cadence and beat. Earth was falling, it began, and a new people, it ended, but the entire time Mayah could only think, this story is not for me, my story is on the inside of the shelterbelt, what am I doing here, why, oh why did Sukren take me away from the Free Serfs? Chapter 67: “I don’t think anyone is oppressing anyone." Chapter 67: Why did he take me away from the Free Serfs? The question stayed with Mayah in the days and nights that followed. Why had Sukren taken her from the Free Serfs? If the Free Serfs were so important to Sukren C if hed belonged to them his entire life long C if he wrote all about serf liberation in his journal C why had he then dragged her out here where there was no Free Serf presence at all? It doesnt make sense, Mayah told Lainla once. The Gathers Children in the ditch dont even mention the Free Serfs. They talk more about the Cursed than they do the Golden Castle! People tend to care more about the obstacles right in front of them, Lainla had replied. Which Mayah supposed was true. But still! Vek had made it sound like freedom was everything to the serfs. Had crossing the shelterbelt really caused them to forget that upending Rajas rule was the point? Or maybe Mayahs earlier uncomfortable thoughts were right, and the Cursed really were the Rajas on this side of the shelterbelt. Maybe wherever you went through life, youd always find someone in the role of the Rajas and someone in the role of the serfs, and it was important to align with the serfs and against the Rajas C even if they werent literally serfs or Rajas. But if the Cursed were like the Rajas, why was Lainla so nice to her? Was it the Gathers Children who were the Rajas on this side, then, and the Cursed the ones being harried and oppressed by them? I dont think anyone is oppressing anyone, Lainla replied when Mayah confessed her confusion to her. I think youre doing a framing thing, youre trying to stuff everything you see into one story because thats the story youre familiar with. But it just doesnt apply here. It didnt apply? Mayah frowned. How could that be? Vek had told her C shed seen with her own eyes the oppression of the serfs C Sukrens journal had been so clear C Listen, Sukrens still in the ditch. I think I could get the hunters guarding it to let us in to see him. Or you can go by yourself if you dont want me there. Either way, you could go and ask him why he brought you here. Mayah closed her eyes. She didnt want to see Lainlas sympathetic look right now. She didnt want to feel all the shame and hope and fear such a look stirred up. For Lainlas kindness was too hard to bear. What if it wasnt real? What if it wouldnt stay? Nobodys kindness had stayed yet, not even Sukrens. And oh, Sarana, there Mayah was, crying again, thinking about Sukren, when it had been so nice, so nice these past few diurnals to get a break from constantly longing for him. Mayah felt so guilty sometimes, but she was glad Sukren was gone. Without him around, she could forget, sometimes for whole hours at a time, that he didnt see her the way she hungered to be seen. Did she want to go see Sukren? Did she want to ask him why? Of course not. He wouldnt tell her anything. He thought of her as a little Rajas and nothing more. No, its okay, she heard herself saying. I dont need to go to him. If thats what you want, Lainla replied, and the sincerity and care in her voice made Mayah close her eyes all over again and turn away. Since when had anyone cared about what she wanted? Oh Sarana, Lainla was dangerous, so dangerous. Mayah couldnt let herself open up to her anymore. Shed already opened up too much already, shed already gotten too close. She had to back away. She had to ask for less. *** Maybe it was habit. Maybe Mayah didnt know where else to turn. Whatever it was, she found herself going every day to the library. Books had helped her before; maybe they would again. It was slow work. She still didnt know the alphabet, so she would start each morning by leafing through the Xhom-Cursed dictionary. Shed find an entry in Xhom C Hunts Rain, for example, a yearly meteor shower. Next to the entry was the same term Hunts Rain, but in the Cursed alphabet. Mayah would note each dot and line, committing them to memory. Then she would scan through the pages of another book, looking for the Cursed words Hunts Rain to show up. Sometimes the entry she chose would show up right away, sometimes it wouldnt show up at all. With Hunts Rain, it took all the way until almost the last page of her selected book for the words to finally emerge. Shed let out a whoop then. There they were! Hunts Rain! Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Even though she had no idea what the rest of the book said, she couldnt help but feel victorious. Or happy, at least. It was a slow way to read but it was better than nothing. *** Over the next few diurnals, Mayah got faster. She learned more words, until she didnt have to use the Xhom-Cursed dictionary as much anymore. Each book she scanned, in fact, had more and more familiar words pop out at her. One of them didnt have Hunts Rain in it at all, but it did have the number five and bioplastic and even ring. Another had mammoles and furs and seemed to be a story about a hunt. What are you doing lately? Lainla asked her. I feel like you eat then run off all day. Im reading, Mayah replied. At the library? Mayah nodded. Hm. Lainla closed her eyes. Lately shed seemed very stressed to Mayah, which was another reason Mayah had been spending so much time at the library. She knew the Cursed were putting a lot of pressure on the Jinkari for taking her in. Shed thought maybe if she made herself scarce, it could help. Or maybe it wouldnt, but it was the least Mayah could do. Does anyone bother you at the library? No, Mayah replied. I mean sometimes lexikosts will come and get a book, but I just get out of the way until theyre gone. Maybe the library is still a good place for us to meet then, Lainla murmured. Her eyes were open now, but she was no longer looking at Mayah, and seemed more to be talking to herself. Ill tell Rajani now. Thank you, Mayah. *** The last book in the swathe Mayah was working through was soft-bound like all the others. When she opened it, however, she saw that it was hand-written. Odd. She turned the first page. Some numbers, most of which she recognized now, and some words, most of which she still didnt know. Nothing special. Yawning, Mayah turned another page. Rajani had had to cut their rations lately, making it harder to focus. Not that shed ever complain, not that she even wanted to complain, but Mayah could tell her hunger was cutting her attention short. Maybe I should go back to the lodge, she thought. Its getting kind of late, and its hard to read during darkwake anyway. She flipped the next page over, then the next. Yeah, I think Ill go back. Then she froze. On the page, the open page, the one she was holding open in front of her, was a life-size sketch of a ring. A ring with claws. Mayahs hand flew to the pouch that still hung from her belt loop. She caught her breath. Holy Sarana, oh yes, it was, it had to be, the sketch C the emerald gem C the Dome Ring. Heart pounding, Mayah ran to grab the traders dictionary. As soon as she had it she plopped down onto the ground right where she was and spread out in front of her both the book and the dictionary. Next to the sketch of the Dome Ring were some Cursed words. Mayah was going to figure out what they said even if it took her all diurnal. Back and forth she went under the fiery glow of the breathflowers. She found the word key easily enough. Then a symbol for an indefinite article, and one for a definite article, and also the verb open, and if Mayah put them all together: a key to open the C But what was that last phrase? By that point it was late, past bedtime, and Mayah knew she should head back to the lodge. What was that last phrase though? A key to open the C what? Mayah couldnt find it! It wasnt in the Xhom-Cursed traders dictionary! Mayah stood. She made herself put both books back. Ill be back tomorrow, she told herself. She put the palm of her hand, slick with sweat, against her chest. Her heart was still pounding. That night she barely slept from fear that someone would take the books while she was gone; as soon as the sun was up she raced back. Yes! Both books were still there! Mayah sat down and opened them up. Mayah! She jumped. It was Lainla. She was walking towards the library, a bemused look on her face, which was nice to see after weeks of nothing but stressed frowns. You ran out like someone was chasing you, she said. I thought maybe something was wrong. No, no, Mayah said. She held both books up as if in explanation. I found something. Or, I cant find something. I C Before Mayah could get into a debate with herself about whether or not to ask Lainla for help, Lainla had taken from her hand the book with the Dome Ring sketch in it. A key to open the She paused. Mayah held her breath. A key to open the Mayah couldnt help herself. What does it say? Im not sure. I mean, I can read it, but it doesnt sound like a word. It sounds like, well, just some sounds. What do you mean? Lainla responded by sounding the string of consonants and vowels out. For a moment Mayah thought she understood her. Then, when Lainla read it out loud again, Mayahs heart almost stopped. Those sounds that wasnt a Cursed phrase. That was Rajim. Whoever had written this book had used the Cursed alphabet to approximate the sound of two Rajim words. A key to open the Lake Tower. Chapter 68: "“Some type of toxin on them. It kills.” Chapter 68: It wasnt until Sukren was standing at the bottom of the chute on the inside of the castra-dome that he let himself break down. Chest heaving, shuddering C he had to force himself to reign it in. He could tell from the way the other serfs were glancing at him that they were sizing him up, and not to his benefit. So they put you in here too, a loud voice called out. Turning on us didnt do you much good, did it? Sukren closed his eyes. Mayahs safe, thats all that matters, he told himself, but he couldnt bring himself to believe his own words. Mayahs safe, yes, shes with the Jinkari, yes, but she hates me now, no matter what I say or do, it doesnt reach her, I cant reach her, I cant reach her C Someone shoved him from behind. Sukren stumbled forward. Someone else caught him by the arm and threw him to his knees. Sukren didnt bother to rise, didnt bother to turn and face his assailants. He knew there was nothing he could do to stop them. To the serfs in the castra-dome Sukren was that flaring doctor-priest who couldve helped us against the Cursed but who sold out to fill his own belly instead! Maybe theyre right, Sukren thought. He hid his head under his arms, preparing for the blows. Maybe that is who I am. That flaring doctor-priest. The traitor. If only I were as well-fed as they seem to think I am. He felt a hand grab the back of his neck. You thought you were going to get away with it, didnt you? a voice sneered, his breath hot against Sukrens skin. You thought your little mutineer friends would protect you, but you were wrong. A kick followed, right in Sukrens side. He bit his lip to keep from groaning. The hand holding the back of his neck let go, and Sukren tensed his entire body, waiting for a fist to come down onto his exposed back. Instead, he felt hands haul him up into an upright position; other hands yanked his arms behind his back. Despite his determination to see things through silently and stoically, Sukren began to struggle. Then, to his relief, he heard someone nearby call out. Let him alone. He treated enough of our sick and injured to deserve that, at least. Sukren chanced a look around. He could feel a serf behind him, the one holding his arms behind his back. Another serf was standing in front of Sukren, the look in his eyes speaking a clear readiness to beat the living daylights out of him. But nearby was another serf, the one whod stood up for Sukren. He wanted to take care of his daughter. Do you begrudge him that? Doctor-priests cant have children, fool, the serf pinning Sukrens arms snarled. We dont know who that girl is to him. And we dont know what he was doing with her when they left the ditch to go to the Cursed. Maybe he was selling her to them. At that, Sukren began to laugh. He couldnt help it. After all hed done for Mayah C after all hed sacrificed C to be accused of something like that! His laughter was cut short by a blow to his jaw. Another blow followed, then another, and another. He gasped, trying not to cry out, but the pain C it was exploding across his face. Then C thank Sarana C someone was tearing the serf off his back. A moment later and Sukren was stumbling forward, blindly following his rescuer across the castra-domes moist dirt, away from the chutes end. He was led to a barrel filled with water. By then, Sukren had developed enough presence of mind to not want to plunge his unsanitized hands into what was clearly a communal barrel. There was no ladle, however, so he carefully cupped his hands, drank, then washed his bleeding face to the side of the barrel. Drink more, as much as you like. Gratefully, Sukren took another drink, then straightened up to look his rescuer in the eye. It was a Chenta village serf, with a woman C his wife? C beside him. Sukren remembered him, hed helped him recover from a burn wound. Thal, that had been his name. Drink more, Thal told him. It never stops raining here, so we never run out of water, at least. He gestured upward. His face throbbing, Sukren followed the movement with his eyes. Overhead a gray rain fell from a gray sky. The same blue and green breathflower leaves that covered and sheltered the bio-dome were here too, and they seemed to catch and redirect the rain in the same way: either out and down the domes bones or in and down a hanging vine. Directly into the barrel in front of Sukren, in fact, dripped a tangle of blossoms and breathflower vines. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Sometimes the leaves collect water and then dump it on your head, Thal said. So keep an eye up. And make sure you stay away from the edge. He motioned at the az hedges pressing up close against the circumference of the castra-dome. Some type of toxin on them. It kills. Thank you, Sukren managed. To his surprise, tears were in his eyes. He blinked them away. Oh Sarana, he thought. How kind they are. How warm. And how nice of them to treat me like a person and not like a traitor. Sometimes these days it seems thats all I am, to anyone. Thal nodded. They slide food down sometimes, and then its a free-for-all, whoever gets there the fastest. Some of us get visitors though. I got to know one of the hunters from a lodge near the ditch. Hes come by with meat for me and Junya here. You think one of the Cursed that helped you and your girl will come by for you? Sukren hesitated. I I do, actually. It was almost funny. Who was Sukren that someone would come for him? Who was Sukren that someone would sacrifice to feed him? Hed come a long way down from his elevated seat as the guardian of the Promised Daughter. Here, nobody knew to care who Mayah was, and as a result, they cared even less who he was. Yet Rajani would still come for him. Of that, he was certain. *** Maybe that was why it had all gone wrong. Sukren let out a shallow sigh. He could feel it inside him again, the sureness, the trust, the knowledge that Rajani would come. How and when had that developed? And did it explain at least partly the distance now between him and Mayah? Lying on his back, pressed in on all sides by other sleeping serfs, Sukren tried to think. He hadnt had many opportunities for reflection since crossing the shelterbelt, and if he were being honest, he hadnt much wanted to reflect anyway. He hadnt wanted to think about Lady Nari and how hed run away from her. He hadnt wanted to consider whether his decision to cross the shelterbelt had been a bad one. So he hadnt. Food for Mayah, that had been his first and only priority. Everything else was too agonizing to contemplate. But here Sukren was now, with no Mayah to feed, and a pain in his jaw strong enough to keep him awake. Although, being hungry did push him the other way. Sukren could feel it consuming him, the cloud, the fatigue, the sluggishness that came along with not getting enough to eat. He almost wanted to give into it, to fade into a restless drowsing. But now was not the time. Clearly something C everything C had gone wrong. Now was the time to figure out how, and why. Because it wasnt just Rajani. It wasnt just the Jinkari Table. Mayah had been angry at him from the very beginning, from the moment they crossed the shelterbelt C no, before then. Sukren had diagnosed her (to himself, privately) as suffering from trauma. Her experience with Pratap had severely heightened the symptoms. Sarana, Sukren had never wanted to kill someone so badly before, but he was too smart for that, wasnt he? Hed known that word would get around and that some kind-hearted soul from the Cursed would investigate. A people didnt feed and water unwelcome refugees out of indifference. And it had worked, hadnt it? Sukrens gamble had paid off. Lainla had shown up, and after that, Mayah had started eating better. And thats when I met Rajani. Thats when I started spending more time with Rajani instead of Mayah. Oh, I shouldnt have, I know I should have stayed by Mayahs side every second we were with the Jinkari, but she was so bitter and nothing I said reached her and then she called me a Rajas tail and I just wanted a break. Yes, that was it, wasnt it? I wanted a break from her non-stop resentment. And Rajani gave me that. Rajani actually admired me for my sacrifices on Mayahs behalf. She thought well of me. It was a relief, such a relief, to go and let Mayah be with Lainla and the other Jinkari, knowing she would be safe, knowing I wouldnt have to deal with her for at least a few hours, while I talked to someone who wasnt trying to control me, who valued me just for me. Even Lady Nari never valued me just for me. Sukren scowled. He closed his eyes. Lady Nari, Lady Nari, Lady Nari. Oh, he was definitely not yet ready to consider her. What she was thinking, how she was undoubtedly seeking him out, how displeased she would be no. At the same time, though, didnt he have to think about her? After all, wasnt it because of Lady Nari that Mayah hated him now? Sukren could have at any point this past season broken Free Serf policy and told Mayah the truth. Youre the Promised Daughter, but I couldnt tell you, thats why I kept my involvement with the Free Serfs a secret from you, because you had to be properly brought into the movement. Its not because youre a Rajas that I didnt tell you anything, stop thinking that, just stop, stop! But I didnt say any of that to Mayah. Even when she called me a Rajas tail. Because I could have said it then. I could tell she was in so much pain, I could tell that all she wanted was my reassurance, and I tried to reassure her, I really tried. I was angry, yes, but I still tried. I pointed out to her all that I was doing to make sure she ate, and why would I do all that for her if I didnt love her? I didnt tell her what she wanted to hear, true, I couldnt tell her that, and you know what? I still cant. Am I that afraid of Lady Nari? Chapter 69: “Eat this now, while I’m here.” Chapter 69: Eat this now, while Im here. Sukren didnt need to be told twice. It had been a full diurnal since hed been put inside the castra-dome. That meant three days without anything to eat. He ripped with relish into the meat Rajani was giving him. He could feel the glares of the serfs nearest to him, but he was too hungry to care. All too soon the meat was gone, and then the wildflowers, and even the plicatus berries he normally found nasty. Thank you, he breathed. Rajani fingered her weapon. Some kind of gun, wasnt it? Sukren tried to remember what Rajani had told him about Cursed weaponry. Syrinx gun, that was it. Small but powerful, a good choice to take into the castra-dome. She still seemed anxious, though. She was glancing around at the three-hundred-odd serfs imprisoned in the castra-dome. There were about a dozen other hunters in the castra-dome with her, also doing food drops, but it was clear that she was wondering, armed or not, could they really stand up to so many? Dont worry, he told her. There are enough overbelters like me, who wouldnt attack you. And the rest arent organized yet. Give it a few weeks, maybe, and then start worrying. Sukren had meant it mostly as a joke. And Rajani did seem to appreciate it, although the smile on her lips didnt last long. Im sorry I didnt come earlier, she said. She looked away as she spoke, and spoke distantly, as if thinking of something else. I didnt learn you were in here until just this sunstir. Whats wrong? Sukren asked, his heart suddenly pounding. Is Mayah okay? Shes fine, Rajani replied. He watched her kick at the dirt by her feet. They were standing next to the chute, as far away from the other serfs as possible. It was the only way to get any sort of privacy. But we, the Jinkari, arent. Theyre voting next diurnal on whether or not to ostracize us. Theyve already started to do it anyway, informally. Her fingers clenched her guns handle. Im going to find a way to get you out of here to stand trial. Its the only way, for you, for Mayah, for the Jinkari, for the Cursed. Sukren didnt particularly like the idea of standing trial, but he supposed it was better than starving to death inside the castra-dome. And if it would help the Jinkari avoid ostracism, well, that was definitely something Sukren desired, especially now that Mayah was with them. How can I help? She was surprised by the question, Sukren could tell. Her face lit up; she actually began laughing. Normally Sukren hated laughter C when was it ever not mocking? C but this time he knew it wasnt at his expense. For indeed, what could he possibly do, trapped as he was inside the castra-dome? A shy grin crept onto his face. Standing there with Rajani, having just eaten, he felt it again, that warmth in his chest that seemed to burn at the sight of her. It was so strange. Hed never felt anything like it, had never allowed himself to feel anything like it. What room was there in his heart for anyone but Lady Nari and Mayah? He jumped when she clasped his arm. Her gaze was open and friendly. If I cant get the lodge mother moot to put you on trial fast enough, Ill come back again with food. She lowered her voice. And if Im not able to come myself, Ill send something down the chute for you, same time as now, next diurnal, when the first nightsleep starts. The thought of having to wait another three days to eat dampened Sukrens mood. Still, he knew he was one of the lucky ones. Not everyone got food drops. Sukren would have to be fast to make sure whatever food Rajani sent down the chute next diurnal didnt get stolen. The other hunters were starting to gather by the chute. That was Sukrens cue to thank Rajani and get back to Thal and a few other village Chenta with whom hed formed a self-protective gang. Thank you, he said, earnestly, and meaning it. I hope to see you soon. Me too, Rajani replied, with a smile. Hopefully next time not in here! *** When the hunters first came into the castra-dome to stay, Sukren had been wary, especially when he saw Pratap among them. Everyone else had been on edge too. Why arent they leaving? the serfs whispered to each other as the day turned into night. Theyre not staying for our good, thats for sure. These mutineers hate us Saranai. Theyre just like their ancestors! The whispers quieted down once the hunters killed a few serfs for trying to steal their weapons, and gratitude soon diluted Sukrens wariness. For the murders stabilized the castra-dome. Sukren no longer had to go to sleep nervous about getting assaulted in the middle of the night; he no longer had to stick so closely to his gang during the day. He almost wished the hunters had come earlier. Thieves had left him barely a quarter of Rajanis first chute delivery, even though it had been labeled both in serf letters and in Cursed with his name. He wondered if Rajani knew why the hunters were here. So far shed stuck to her usual rhythm C visit one diurnal, slide food down the chute the next C which meant four days ago had been her last visit. Sukren had gotten to eat only half that food parcel too, because hed given the rest to Thals wife, who was pregnant. The hunters had arrived literally the following morning, three days ago. Two days ago, Rajanis second chute delivery had come sliding down for Sukren. A hunter had handed it to him, and Sukren had shared half of it again with Thals wife. Now it was sunstir, near the end of it from what Sukren could tell. If Rajani stuck to her schedule, he would be eating again in one full day. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. I can make it, he told himself. As long as this period of enforced fasting doesnt go on for too long, as long as Im not deprived of vital nutrients for longer than a season, I can make it. I wont lose my health permanently. Ill be able to keep doing the work I need to do. Ill be able to continue helping Mayah. But help her do what? Sarana, this was where Sukren got stuck. Help her, I have to help her, thats my mission, thats my work, but I cant, I cant get out, I cant even think anymore, all I can think about is food, all I can hold onto is when Rajani will next come so I can eat C Isnt that your friend? Thal asked him. Sukren had been crouching over one of the barrels, drinking water to fill his empty stomach. When Thal spoke he straightened up. Rajani was early! Shed come a day earlier! That meant wait. He eyed her soaked clothes, her empty hands. He watched as she walked from the chutes end to the cluster of Cursed hunters by the castra-domes edge. I dont think shes here for me. You think shes with the other hunters? Perhaps? But her hands were empty. She had no food parcel and no syrinx gun either, not unless shed hidden something in her wet clothes. Wait, wet clothes? Why were her clothes wet? Rajani was now talking with the hunters. Sukren approached them. He kept an eye on Pratap and stopped well outside of arms reach. He was close enough to hear their speech C not that he understood any of it. Mayah was the polyglot. It said so right in the Prophetess Darshanas prophecies: Many are her tongues. That was why Sukren had arranged for her to have so many language tutors in the village. Because he was an Enabler, wasnt he? He believed the prophecies were instructions, not foretellings. That was why it had been such a shock to watch Mayah pick up Cursed so quickly. That was the kind of thing a Watcher would expect of the Promised Daughter. Finally, after several minutes of passively waiting, Sukren managed to catch Rajanis eye. She peeled away from the other hunters and greeted him in Xhom. What happened? he asked her in the castle serf pidgin she seemed to understand well enough. Why are you here? And why are your clothes wet? Chief Bikash pushed me into the rubber forge pool, then had me arrested. What? Why? Because I attacked him. Sukren couldnt help himself. Maybe it was the strain of hunger and imprisonment, but he began laughing. Shed said it so matter-of-factly. Without shame, without loathing. Just like Lady Nari, and yet at the same time, so unlike her. A sheepish smile touched Rajanis lips. Whats so funny? Nothing, its nothing. He looked down before he could start flushing. Wheres Mayah? Still in the urb. Shes fine. At least theres that, Sukren thought. His stomach grumbled; he ignored it. How long are you in here for? I dont know yet, Rajani said. Sukren watched her glance around the castra-dome. How many of the Gathers Children here understand Xhom? A few. Ill tell you later then. Sukren looked at her, his jaw tightening. Does it have something to do with why the hunters are here? He was surprised when Rajani laid a hand on his arm. Dont worry, she said. I saw something on my way over here. A vision of the future. Were going to be fine. What do I say to that? Sukren wondered. He took a deep breath and smiled, stalling for time. It made sense to him that the Cursed would rather believe that they lived on this side of the shelterbelt because of a divine call than because of an edict by the Eternal Queen Sarana. The last remnant of a pure people, or the exiled descendants of mutineers? Of course they would pick the former story. This talk of visions, though, that was new. After stretching his smile out for a few more seconds, Sukren decided to respond as if he believed her. Rajani had been kind to him. He was happy, more than happy, to return the favor. Who is we? he asked. The Cursed, Rajani responded. The huntered and the Gathers Children alike. Any visions of food? he asked. He was mostly kidding. If Rajani did have food hidden away, though, he wouldnt say no. Especially as her presence now meant no parcel tomorrow Rajanis rueful smile was back. She put a hand on her stomach and shook her head. Im hungry too. I should have eaten before I attacked Chief. Sukren tried to check his disappointment before it could show up on his face. He managed to, but only barely. Come on, he told himself. Youll survive. And you know someone will show up with food for Rajani, at least, and you know shell share with you. Especially if she thinks that everything is going to be fine in the end. Her vision will make her generous. Sukrens last thought made him wince a little. He didnt like how manipulative it was. Rajani might have a Lady Nari-like conviction and sense of authority, but she was still young. Sometimes she even seemed foolish. Sukren remembered being scarcely able to believe that Rajani had invited him and Mayah both to eat with the Jinkari Table. Did she not realize the impact another mouth would have? That she hadnt seemed to marked her in Sukrens mind as vulnerable. Her desire to follow her gods could be used against her. But he didnt want to be the kind of man who took advantage of the vulnerable, did he? Water, excellent, he heard Rajani say. Half lost in thought, Sukren followed Rajani back to the barrel of water beneath the dripping vines. He watched as she drank. Eyes closed as she lifted her cupped hands to her mouth C she seemed so unafraid. Or was she just naive? Which was he? Chapter 70: "He’d want you to abandon him in the castra-dome?” Chapter 70: Later that night, Sukren let himself think about Lady Nari. He and Rajani were standing by the castra-domes edge, Rajani a little closer to the az hedges than he. Ive built up a bit of a tolerance, she explained. All of us who grew up in the Cursed urb have. They watched through the domes gaps the sheets of rain hitting the broad leaves; a few drops got through the canopy layer and trickled down the red-limestone stems to pool onto the ground. How fast would the toxin kill me? Sukren asked. He saw Rajani give him a sidelong glance. I dont know. I wouldnt recommend testing it. Fast or slow, itll definitely kill you. Its so strange, Sukren whispered. He gestured at the castra-domes hexagonal gaps. These gaps at the base, theyre big enough that even I could stoop down and crawl through them and get out. Theres nothing about the structure of the castra-dome itself that traps us inside it. And yet we still cant leave. Some do, Rajani said quietly. Sukren could tell she had picked up on his contemplative mood. She was continuing to look out at the rain dripping through the canopy layer, her hands clasped behind her back. Some Gathers Children, who know nobodys coming to get them out, they leave the castra-dome and let the az hedges kill them. I saw someone do it. Before I knew that Papai would do the run for me, I I thought about doing it myself. Rajani had told him the story. How old were you again? Fifteen. Fifteen years old. What a lifetime ago! What about you? Rajani asked. What do you mean? What were you doing when you were fifteen? All at once images came to his mind: flooded rice meres, mud grandmother huts, blue greenhouse village walls, and Mayah in his arms furiously downing bottle after bottle. How exhilarated he had been! Everything had changed that year. Fifteen was the year hed been rescued from his doctor-priest, rescued by Lady Nari Sukren? Are you okay? How kind she was. How lovely. How much like Lady Nari had been that night shed asked Sukren if he wanted to be free. Hed never seen that side of her again. When hed sought it, hed been slapped down. Over time Sukren had heard from others that Lady Nari was not like everyone else, that she had to C and did, quite successfully when she felt like it C mimic feelings that others felt naturally. Oh, Sarana, Sukren hadnt been able to believe it, had he? Hed wanted so badly for it not to be so. Behind him Sukren could hear the other castra-dome dwellers starting to quiet down as they got ready to sleep. When I was fifteen, he whispered, I was rescued from a bad situation by my patron lady, my lead hunter, youd call her. But I ran away from her. Thats why Im here now. Whyd you leave her? Sukren barely heard Rajanis question. His mind and heart were all on Lady Nari. It was for her sake that hed kept Mayah, whom he loved most of all out of the entire bio-dome, from learning about her true identity as the Promised Daughter. It was for her sake that hed accepted Mayahs scorn and distrust. Oh, Sarana, of course it wasnt fear that motivated Sukren. It was love C for Lady Nari. I think she did C I think she does care about me. I know she does. Theyre wrong, the ones who say she only cares about the Uprising. But its not C its not enough. He was mumbling, he knew. He doubted Rajani understood half of what he was saying. But then she gripped his arm with an intensity that caught his attention. He turned to her. She looked around before beckoning him closer, then closer again; Sukren ducked his head so that his ear was right by her mouth. Im sorry, I need to tell you something, its what I was going to tell you earlier, she whispered. The hunters are here to kill all the castra-dome dwellers. All thoughts of Lady Nari fled his mind. What? he breathed. When? I dont know. Im not too worried, because of the vision I saw. The Cursed urb will be restored. But I thought you should know. We need to tell C All of a sudden Rajanis fingers were digging into his arm. It hurt! Sukren tried to pull away but she grabbed him with her other hand. No. But C If the hunters find out that the overbelters know the plan, theyll kill us immediately. We have to wait. Ive got friends outside the castra-dome who are putting a proposal through to have everyone in the castra-dome tried properly. Only those who are guilty of rioting will be put back in here. So well be out very soon. Rajanis face was shining. She clearly believed what she was saying, she believed it with every pore of her being. For a moment Sukren actually felt swayed by her conviction. Could it be true that everything was going to be okay? That the Cursed urb C how had Rajani put it C would be restored? And Sukren along with it? He was frightened by the hope that suddenly flooded through him. Whyd you leave her? Rajani had asked. Hadnt it been for Mayahs sake? Hadnt it been so that he and Mayah might learn to know each other again, like in the village? The rhythms of the Cursed urb were simple too. Could it be that he and Mayah might still have a chance to return to such a life? Sukren immediately countered himself with an admonishment to not be ridiculous. Vision, what vision? Youre about to starve to death inside a Cursed prison, thats whats in front of you. And if by some miracle you do get released, its the prophecy youre to follow, nothing else. You brought Mayah over the shelterbelt. Next is the Lake Tower. Focus on that. Focus on why youre here. Focus on Earth. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Yes, that was right. Earth was the goal. That was the real reason hed brought Mayah over the shelterbelt. True, she hadnt shown any inclination to travel any further C legend always placed the Lake Tower outside the bio-dome C but Sukren didnt mind that. He didnt need her to go there yet. Not quite yet. Not without him, at any rate. *** It was when Mayah found the map that she made her decision. She looked out across the meal bench the morning after Rajani was arrested and addressed Lainla. I think I should go. Im a burden to you. Ive been a burden to you this entire time. What are you talking about? The open meeting is later today, isnt it? Theyre voting on whether or not to pass Bharans proposal, right? Yes, and I need to talk to someone about that, Im sorry, Mayah, but I have to go C Isnt it better for you if Im gone? Mayah burst out. Your people are turning against the Jinkari because they see me with your Table every day. If Im gone, they wont be constantly reminded of how Rajani picked the overbelters over the Cursed. The look on Lainlas face was thoughtful. You dont say much, but you listen to everything thats said, dont you? I guess, Mayah mumbled. She felt nervous. Was Lainla trying to make some sort of point? Probably not, that wasnt like Lainla, but still, Mayah didnt want to hope for the best. So, Lainla continued. You want to go back inside the shelterbelt? But what about Sukren? Unable to shake off her anxiety, Mayah found herself squirming in her seat. Sukren would want me to do whats best for me. What? Hed want you to abandon him in the castra-dome? I dont want to go back inside the shelterbelt, Mayah said quickly. I want to leave the bio-dome. Theres something theres something out there that I think will help me. And help Sukren. Mayah was relieved that Lainla looked more surprised than suspicious. You want to leave the bio-dome? Yes. I If Im gone during the vote, wont it help you? Mayah asked, trying to push what she saw as her strongest argument. Yes, but you can stay in the lodge during the vote, you dont have to leave the bio-dome for that. I mean, I dont like to tell people what to do, but youre not a hunter, youre not even a citizen, youve never left the dome before, youre young, and what are you even looking for out there? Mayah wasnt sure if she should lie or not. On the one hand, she felt bad to be dishonest. On the other hand, she was afraid she wouldnt get what she wanted if she told Lainla the truth. Theres something out there that might tell me why Im here, Mayah finally said. Lainla looked skeptical. Ive been out there. Theres nothing but mammoles and volcanoes. No, Im talking about the other side of the southern mountains. Here, Ill show you. Its in this map I found in the book Ive been reading. Mayah tugged on the folded pages of the map, pulling them open into a single sheet nearly quadruple the size of the book. First, she touched the circle C the shelterbelt C and the ellipse enclosing it C the bio-domes edge. She paused for a moment to marvel at how small they were. The bio-dome and everything in it was a tiny eye in a vast face, the face of Chudami. Peaks and rivers and a forest filled in the surrounding land, and Mayah even thought that was a sea there, along the lands end. Mayah knew what a sea was, of course. According to ancient lore, their ancestors starship had almost crashed into the sea before landing in the valley, the valley where theyd built the bio-dome. That was how close the valley was to the sea. But Mayah had never before realized how large it might be. The map made the bio-domes valley near the sea look as small as a sapling tree on the shore of the holy lake! It was the second body of water on the map, however, that Mayah wanted Lainla to see. Her fingers traced a path alongside the az hedge fields south of the bio-dome, then up a draw through the southern mountains, then down a cliff wall to land with a splash inside a water-filled gorge. Inside the gorge someone had drawn an X. Next to the X were the Cursed symbols that had so puzzled Mayah: Lake Tower. I think this book is a journal, Mayah continued. I think whoever wrote it made the journey over the southern mountains and found something there thatll help me. Lainla glanced at the map in Mayahs hands. Look, Mayah, Im sorry, but I dont have time C Please, Mayah whispered. Just give me the gear, and Ill be out of your way. Mayah I know I dont deserve it. I know youve done everything for me for no reason. Thats why Ive tried not to ask you for anything. Thats why I wont ask you for anything ever again. But I have to go. I have to. Lainla hesitated. Rajani wouldnt want you to go. Rajani isnt the lead hunter of the Jinkari anymore, Mayah replied. You are. Lainla blinked. Then she sighed. Come with me. Holding her breath, Mayah followed Lainla to the Jinkari smokehouse. When Lainla pulled out a breathflower mask and a pre-packed knapsack, Mayah threw her arms around her. Thank you, oh, thank you, thank you! A wry smile touched Lainlas lips. Remember, this breathflower mask will only last you two weeks. If you dont make it back to the dome by then, youll die of carbon dioxide poisoning. Two weeks, Mayah echoed. Ill remember. Theres a skygold-lined tent inside this pack, along with some food and my hauberk. Tuck the tent against a boulder for more protection. Put the hauberk on before you leave the dome. Thank you, thank you! The wry smile was still on Lainlas lips. You might not thank me later. I dont know if this is right, letting you go like this, I dont know if Im doing it for the gods, or for you, or for Bharans proposal, but well, well see. And now, I really have to go. After thanking Lainla one last time, Mayah grabbed everything she needed, then made her way towards the west forfend. Shed overheard Soti describing the rope bridge to one of the Jinkari adults; soon enough Mayah was crossing it, step by step, hands clenched tight around the guardrail ropes. She paused once she reached the mountainside scaffold on the other side. The hunter standing guard gave her a puzzled look but didnt say anything as she peered over the crest and looked down the castra-dome chute. Was that Sukren standing there, next to Rajani? Yes, yes, it was. Painful hope spiked through Mayahs heart. Trembling, barely breathing, she touched her fingers under her glasses to her closed eyelids, first the left, then the right. Then, after making sure her breathflower mask was on tight, and that her eyes were fixed on the ground, she began walking across the spine of the western mountains, the bio-dome and its valley to her left, the sun on her shoulder to her right. By nightfall Mayah reached the ridge where the western and southern mountains met. She set up her tent and prepared to sleep, all the while still refusing to look up. Chapter 71: “Is it possible... that it’s not because I’m just a little Rajas?” Chapter 71: Mayah walked onward and upward. Above her the sky loomed, broad and heavy. Now and then, she tried to glance up at it, but it was hard. When it rained heavily for the first time, she almost cried. Holy Sarana, she gasped, her arms up and out, the torrent pouring onto her head, unbroken by anything between her and the sky. Holy Sarana, holy Sarana, oh, Sarana! In the downpour, it took some time for Mayah to find a boulder large enough to tuck her tent against. When she was finally inside, she began changing, grateful for the extra set of clothes inside Lainlas knapsack. Then she stopped, half-undressed. What was that sound? Hiss. Hiss. Hiss. Ping! Hiss. Hiss. Ping! Slowly it dawned on her. There was a comet that every year passed by Chudami. It was always followed by a meteor shower. Hunts Rain, that was it, that was what the Cursed called it. Hunts Rain. Mesmerized, Mayah sat in the darkness listening to the iron alloys hissing through the air. Hiss. Hiss. Hiss. Ping! A piece hit the outside of her tent. Grateful once again to Lainla for her shelter, Mayah finished dressing then crawled inside her sleeping skin. Once she was settled in, she stretched her arms up and out, slowly, so as not to dislodge her breathflower mask. Finally, she let her body relax. I wonder when it is, she thought sleepily. I wish I had Sukrens daysclock to check. But he gave it to that one hunter for berries a long time ago. Well, I can still count how long its been. The sun went down, then it came up again, then it went down again just now, so it must be first nightsleep. Closing her eyes, Mayah listened to the metal rainstorm outside. Hiss. Hiss. Hiss. Ping! Hiss. Hiss. Ping! Over and over the sounds repeated themselves, lulling her to sleep. Hiss. Hiss. Hiss. Ping! When she eventually woke up, it was easily and gently. Yawning, she peeled herself out of her sleeping skin. She needed to relieve herself, but she was still trapped C Mayah paused. Silence filled her ears. The meteor shower had ceased. A tiny smile touched her lips. She reached out to tug the pull-rope to the tent door. A semi-circular line bordered by rubber, mammole skin and gold grew wider and wider until it was an opening. Slipping on her boots, Mayah stepped out and crunched onto what felt like a bed of glass. All around her the ground was covered in sharp metal shards. At first Mayah thought the metal was green and gold, but then she looked up, and realized the shards were reflecting the light of the aurora kaikilas as it swept across the black sky. The black sky, stretching far and wide, without the bio-domes hexagonal gaps to frame and contain it, without anything at all to hold it back... Oh Sarana, she whispered. A patter of rain on her head was the response. Smiling a little, Mayah turned to fold up the tent. Sunrise, she told herself, as she pictured the map in her mind. I should get to the top by sunrise, as long as nothing bad happens between now and then. For once nothing bad did happen; dawn found Mayah sweating under her layers of skygold and rubber. The higher she went, the larger the boulders became. Her fingers grew tired of gripping stone, and her back ached from its load. At last she clambered over the final shelf onto a plateau. There were still a few boulders scattered about, but the land here was much flatter. Flatter, that was, until it disappeared, plunging down an escarpment. Breathing heavily, Mayah leaned against a boulder overlooking the precipice. She could see the sun rising through a curtain of rain above the massifs to the east. Their scale took her breath away. Mayah had thought the mountains surrounding the bio-domes valley were large, but they were nothing compared to the range that stretched across the lands southeast as far as her eye could see. Mayah didnt know what the Cursed called the massifs. The Saranai had always referred to them as the New Hindu Kush. That was what their ancestors had called them, in memory of some place on Earth. To Mayahs left lay the bio-dome inside its valley. She could see the rivers rushing down the New Hindu Kush through the southern and eastern mountains all the way to the valley floor. Behind her, to the west, the mountains sloped down into a swamp. And was that thin green-blue line running along the edge of the swamp the sea? As for the precipice to her right, it opened up into the gorge Mayah had seen on the map. From its depths rose sulfurous smoke. If Mayah looked across the smoke to the south, she could see the mountains that made up the other side of the gorge. They were smaller, low enough for her to see that beyond them grew the spiraling branches of a wild hollow-tree forest. A few paces ahead of her, along the edge of the precipice, was a boulder cleaved in two. Mayah recognized it from a sketch in the journal. It marked the beginning of the pass down to the Lake Tower. The rain was light now, as light as the air. It fell in a fine mist onto Mayahs clothes and hands. The wind picked up and swept away the stink and smoke of the sulfur. Then it paused, and silence reigned. No animals grunted; no birds twittered; no insects hummed. Nothing but mammoles and volcanoes, Lainla had told her, and Mayah could see it was the truth. What had Sukren told her? Chudamis a young planet. The oxygen levels here are too low to give rise to multicellular lifeforms. Maybe in a couple million years something will happen, but for now, every animal on this planet can trace its ancestry back to a frozen embryo from Earth. Mayah looked out on the empty world. She took a deep breath, then another, then another, then burst into tears. *** She wept for a long time. She didnt even know what it was that made her cry, but she couldnt stop. Maybe it was the sky above her? The utter vastness of it, the awe and the wonder of it? Or maybe it was the whole of Chudami at her feet, and she the only living creature out there for as far as she could see? If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Oh Sarana, oh Sarana, oh Sarana! she cried. Too late Mayah remembered she probably wasnt supposed to call on Sarana anymore, that a Free Serf wouldnt, but the only other name she could think of at the moment, there at the top of the world, was Sukrens. Taking a deep breath, Mayah closed her eyes. She thought of the Dome Ring, of the sketch of the Dome Ring in the journal, and how while looking at it it had occurred to her to consider, for the first time in a while, how strange and different her life was from literally everybody elses. Once or twice, back in Lost Technology, she had wondered why. But such thoughts were dangerous; they could lead to disappearance; Mayah quickly learned to shut them down. Even after shed left the castle with Vek, she still hadnt been able to shake the habit of not really noticing how strange her life was. Seeing the Dome Ring in the journal, though, that had triggered something. For what was it that Vek had said? The Free Serfs dont have the Dome Ring. You do. That was right. Vek, the Free Serf agent, had let her hold onto the Dome Ring. And hed done so without hesitating. Even more strangely, Sukren hadnt taken it away from her either. Mayah still had the flaring thing inside the little pouch attached to her belt. Oh Sukren, she whispered. Is it possible C could it be true C that theres another reason for everything C that its not because Im just a little Rajas? Because there had to be a reason both he and Vek had let her, a nobody, hold onto the Dome Ring. Maybe it was because she wasnt a nobody. Maybe it was because Oh, I dont know! Its been over five diurnals since I found this journal and I still have no idea about anything. All I know is that if theres a chance, even a tiny one, that theres some other reason why Sukren didnt tell me anything, well, by Sarana C by the rock-god C by Hunt and Gather C Im going to find it out. Maybe he doesnt see me as a little Rajas maybe theres another reason maybe maybe maybe oh rock-god Im crying again Im crying why am I crying again?! A key, its a key to the Lake Tower Mayah didnt dare remove her facemask to wipe away her tears, so it was with a sticky and uncomfortable face that she got up and walked to the split boulder. The space between the rocks two parts was too narrow for both her and her pack, so Mayah left her pack on the ground, then slid on through. On the other side of the boulder, her eyes widened. Before her, carved into the rock, was a narrow staircase winding its way down the face of the gorge. Mayah traced it with her eyes: it went east, then doubled back west, then went east again, back and forth as it descended across the rock face. Erosion had smoothed the steps, however, to the point that some portions of the pass looked more like a slide than a staircase, a slide broken up by gaps like a smile with missing teeth. Between the gaps billowed up sulfuric clouds, red and orange like fire. The first gap was only a few paces away from the start of the staircase. It was narrow, and Mayah was able to jump over it, but only just. She slipped a little on the claying feldspar beneath her feet; with a gasp, she clung to the rock wall on her left. All at once she became aware of her trembling legs and the sores on her back where the knapsack had chafed her skin. She swallowed. The air stank. It was hard to breathe. She took another step forward, feeling her way carefully along the rock face. A welcome gust of wind blew away the sulfur nearby, revealing another gap in front of her. It was much larger than the first gap shed just crossed. Could she jump it? Mayah thought not. Then again, she was also almost at the first bend of the staircase. If she could get over the gap in front of her, the staircase would end, and start again in a westward direction. She crept to the edge of the gap and peered through. Sure enough, the staircase ran directly beneath her. So maybe Mayah didnt need to jump the gap. Maybe she could lower herself down to the staircase below But how? If she were Sukren, she could do it. The distance from Mayahs ledge to the staircase below was a little over his height. But Mayah was small, and besides, she didnt have the arm strength to lower herself down. Mayah imagined dangling over the edge and letting go. If she landed not on the staircase but to the side of the staircase, it would be a long fall down to the gorge floor. Not sure what to do next, Mayah stared into the billowing orange clouds over the lake. When another breath of wind parted the sulfuric vapor, for just a moment, before the fire-like clouds closed in once more, Mayah thought she saw a shining metal tower rising up out of the lake waters. It looked like a giant serf prod. Mayah turned and ran back up the staircase. She didnt stop until she was once more on the plateau with her pack. Bending over, she gasped for breath. For once Mayah was glad to be so high up. There was more oxygen in the air here than down in the valley because the oxygen made by the hollow-trees was less heavy than the carbon dioxide that settled in the valley. It made it easier to breathe up on this mountaintop C it made it lighter C Mayah closed her eyes against a rush of tears. All her hope that there was another reason for Sukrens silence disappeared under a familiar flood of bitterness. Its because of Sukren that I left the castle. Its because of Sukren that the Eenta soldiers caught me and Vek. If I hadnt wanted him, if I hadnt needed him, if I hadnt been so weak, that wouldnt have happened to me, none of this would have happened to me, none of it, none of it! Then Mayah stood up, her back straight. No, I dont have to go down that path, I dont have to, I dont have to! If Sukren has another reason for not telling me about himself, if its not because Im a little Rajas, then its okay, its okay to want him then, its not okay to want him only if he doesnt care about me, if all I am to him is some weak-willed needy little princess. All I have to do to find out if thats who I am is to get down there, Im going to get down there if it kills me, I will, I will, I swear by the rock-god, I will, I will! But the gap, the gap, how am I going to get over the gap? She looked out over the land around her, hoping to find something with which to bridge the gap, when something in the valley below caught her eye. She frowned. Hovering in the air above the southwestern edge of the bio-dome was a dark haze. It looked almost like smoke, smoke from a cookfire. But for Mayah to be able to see it from so high up Had someone set the bio-dome on fire? Chapter 72: "She’s not worth both your eyes.” Chapter 72: When the rope was tossed down the chute into the castra-dome, nobody moved. Ropes only came down to pick up visitors after their food drops. A serf had tried to escape once by shoving a visitor aside and grabbing the cord, but the guard waiting at the top had cut it, foiling his attempt. Sukren could tell that even the hunters were confused. One of them moved towards the chute and touched the end of the rope. He looked back at the hunters and said something in Cursed. Pratap stepped forward and replied. Rajani translated for Sukren. Hes asking if he should go up, and Prataps saying yes. Sukren barely had the strength to nod. Kebet had visited a few days ago to do a food drop, but it had been three diurnals since Rajani had joined him in the castra-dome, which meant it had been eight diurnals since hed been imprisoned. More and more serfs were walking out into the az hedges to die. If things didnt change soon Leaning with both hands against one of the rain barrels, Sukren watched the hunter climb up and out of the castra-dome. The rope helped keep him from sliding back down the rain-slick chute. Another hunter crossed to the bottom of the slide. He angled his head to look up at the climbing hunter. Then he frowned. He turned and said something to Pratap. Whats going on? Sukren heard one of the serfs near him say. Sukren, get your mutineer friend to tell us whats going on. Sukren ignored him. Wasnt the confusion on Rajanis face clear? She didnt know any better than they did what was going on. Hey. The serf shoved Sukren from behind. Ask her whats going on. Somethings wrong, Rajani said suddenly to Sukren in Xhom. Her voice was tense. Sukren heard the other Xhom speakers in the castra-dome pick up on and translate Rajanis words. He should have come back by now. Sukren watched as another hunter went up the chute. He, too, disappeared over the top, and did not return. The mood among the castra-dome dwellers began changing. Sukren could feel their hope stirring up. Even Sukren began to wonder whether this was it, whether he was done starving in this hole, whether he would be freed Everyone out, Pratap announced in Xhom. His accent was not good, but his words were punctuated by the knife he drew from his belt. The serfs began shuffling forward, pulling closer together. Ill be right back, Rajani told Sukren. She went to join the cluster of hunters. From her gestures and volume, it seemed like she was arguing with Pratap. Pratap responded by shoving past her. Irritation written all over her face, Rajani returned to Sukren, whod slipped to the middle of the crowd. Those up front began climbing, one at a time, up the chute. Some of the less hopeful were lurking in the back. Its a trick, I bet, Sukren heard someone mutter. Theyre luring us up to kill us, one by one. Do you think thats true? Sukren asked Rajani in low tones, after translating what the serf had said. Do you think this is a trick? No, Rajani said. This isnt how we do things. This feels not Cursed. Before Sukren had a chance to ask Rajani what she meant, it became his turn to climb up the chute. His eagerness to get out of the castra-dome lent him energy. Hand over hand he went, Rajani behind him. As soon as Sukren pulled himself up and over the lip of the slide, however, he was grabbed by the front of his shirt and yanked to the side of the scaffold. Before he knew it, a slip noose was drawing tight around his wrists. Hey! Sukren shouted. What C If it isnt Sukren Kanari. Terror shot through Sukren at the sound of his patron name. Frantic, he looked wildly around the platform. It was filled with Xhota serfs in strange new uniforms. The man holding Sukren by his shirt was Xhota as well. Other Xhota were herding serfs down the rope bridge back to the bio-dome. So far only Sukren, and a few female serfs huddled together at the southeastern corner of the scaffold, had been pulled aside. A moment later Rajani too was dragged to the southeastern corner. Sukren! she screamed. A Xhota serf silenced her with a blow to her mouth. Sukrens heart was pounding. He tried to breathe, tried to keep calm. The Xhota man holding his shirt was pulling him to the southwestern corner, where the scaffold nestled into the mountains face. Was there a way to escape from him? Could he C Sukren froze. There was smoke in the air. It was coming from the bio-dome. From the Cursed urb. Mayah! The Xhota mans back was turned. He had returned to herding the serfs emerging from the castra-dome. Sukren exchanged a glance with Rajani. The Xhota hadnt bothered to tie her hands. If she and Sukren timed this right Rajani held up three fingers. Sukren readied himself. Three, two, one C Sukren rushed for the man who had tied his hands. He shoved him backwards into another Xhota. He could see Rajani out of the corner of his eye tussling with someone for a weapon. Two of the women Rajani had been placed with joined the fray. Glad for the support, Sukren turned his full attention on the Xhota in front of him. Using all his weight, Sukren shoved him again. This time the man was ready. He grabbed the rope tied around Sukrens wrists and used Sukrens own momentum to drag him forward. Together they stumbled towards the edge of the platform. Someone had drawn the breathflower curtains back, making the land beneath visible. The drop was high enough to cripple anyone who fell; the az hedges would finish the job. As Sukren and the man grappled for the upper hand, it became clear to Sukren that despite his hunger-induced weakness, he had the advantage. The man didnt want to kill Sukren. He wanted to take Sukren prisoner. Sukren, on the other hand, had no such limitations. If I could just loosen his grip on my bonds Sukren kicked at the mans shins. The man jumped backwards, almost letting go. They were right along the platforms edge, when something on the ground caught Sukrens eye. It was a body. The body of a dead hunter. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. A moment passed, that was all, but it was a moment too long. The man used Sukrens distraction as an opportunity to pull out the serf prod hanging from his belt. His fingers still entwined around Sukrens bonds, the man drove Sukren back to the southwestern corner of the scaffold. Each blow of the prod sent electricity cascading through Sukrens body. Not again, he cried out silently as he struggled against his stiffening muscles. Not again! A woman was wailing somewhere out on the platform. Hoping it wasnt Rajani, Sukren tried to turn his head to find her. His drooping eyes landed instead on the other Xhota still ushering the castra-dome dwellers out and across the rope bridge. A hunter C Pratap C was at the crest of the slide. Sukren saw his eyes widen as he took in the chaos on the scaffold. Then two Xhota grabbed him, one by each arm, and without ceremony, shoved him over the edge of the platform down to the az hedge field below. Meanwhile Sukren was being pushed into a sitting position. The limestone shell platform shook with the footsteps of the freed castra-dome dwellers, but Sukren himself was immobilized. When the Xhota man began tying his ankles together, he could do nothing, not even keep his eyes open. Slouched against the mountains face behind him, Sukren tried to draw his thoughts together. What were Xhota doing on the Cursed side of the shelterbelt? Who was the Xhota man? How did he know Sukren? Had they come because of Mayah? Sukren tried to take a deep breath. He managed a shallow gasp. There was nothing he could do but wait. Wait, wait, wait, his entire body tense with electricity and anxiety, wait, wait, wait After what felt like a long time, the noise all around him began to grow quieter. Some feeling was starting to come back into his wrists, sending pain washing through his nerves. He found he could open his eyes. Rajani was gone. There were no Gathers Children and only a few Xhota left on the scaffold, including the man who had called Sukren by name. When he saw Sukrens eyes were open, he came by and squatted next to him. I didnt think youd make so much trouble, the man said, his voice low. All your files said your temperament was mild. Then again, you did make off with her. Nothing in your files suggested that. Sukren said nothing. So where is she? Despite his discomfort, Sukren couldnt help but laugh at that. You think Im going to answer your questions without knowing who you are? The man got to his feet. He shoved the end of his serf prod into Sukrens face. Yes, you will. Sukren leaned his head against the mountains face behind him. The man was standing in front of him, blocking his view, but around to his right Sukren could see pieces of sky through the breathflower vines blowing in the wind. To his left was the rope bridge, with the remaining Xhota clustered around it. Did Lady Nari send you? Sukren asked. The Xhota man glanced back at his compatriots. Sukren carefully observed the way the man waited until he was sure no one was listening before he turned back to Sukren to say, Yes, she did. But she didnt order this attack, did she? The mans face grew cold. Im asking the questions, not you. Where is she? Sukren studied the man. One of Lady Naris Xhota spies, had to be. With enough clout to question a prisoner alone, but still a spy. Still working undercover. Sukren wondered what would happen if he shouted to the other Xhota that the man was a spy for Lady Nari. He was stopped mid-thought by the edge of a bioplastic knife against his throat. You disgust me, the man spat. Here I thought you had a shard of loyalty left to your patron. That you would talk as long as you knew she sent me. The knife was sharp against Sukrens skin. Now tell me where she is! Ihan, one of the Xhota called. Were heading back to the bio-dome to organize the adults. Go ahead, the man replied. Ill bring this one over later. One by one the Xhota crossed the rope bridge, leaving Sukren and Ihan alone. When the last Xhota was gone, Ihan grinned. He tapped the prod against Sukrens ear, sending electricity buzzing down Sukrens neck. So, where is she? It was only then that Sukren realized what Ihans question meant. Shes not in the urb? What do you mean? She should be in the Cursed urb, Sukren said, his heart starting to race. Did one of your Xhota kill her? No, no, theyre under strict orders not to kill any females with Saranai blood. Especially young females. They wouldnt have killed her. Sukrens brow furrowed. If Mayah wasnt in the urb, where was she? Without warning, the knife was once more tight against Sukrens throat. No more tricks. No more lying. Tell me the truth. I am, Sukren replied, struggling to think. Had one of the Xhota confused her for a Cursed citizen? No, Mayah wore a village suit. That alone easily wouldve marked her as Saranai. Youre lying, the man replied. Go check, Sukren said. Please, go check. Make sure shes there. Make sure she wasnt killed. I already did. Then where is she? Ihan pulled the knife back. I heard you were good. I didnt think you were this good. Sukren barely heard him. All his thoughts were focused on Mayah. Where was she? Where could she be? She had to be okay. She had to be. She C Lets try it this way, Ihan said. He placed the heel of his hand on Sukrens forehead, pinning his head against the rock behind him. The next words out of your mouth had better be a location. Where is she? Panic flared up inside Sukren. I was arrested weeks ago C I left her in the urb C she should be there! The knife flashed up. Before Sukren could react, before Sukren could even take a breath, Ihan had pierced his right eye. Pain like Sukren had never experienced before ripped through him. It overwhelmed his senses, almost shutting them down. He was panting, his lungs taking in great shuddering gasps of air. There was the sound of someone screaming C was that him? Where is she? A moan escaped Sukrens lips. Come on, Sukren. Shes just a princess. Shes not worth both your eyes. Both Sukrens eyes?! I dont know! Sukren cried out. I swear to you, I dont know! Even as the words left his mouth, Sukren knew it was the wrong answer. The knife came down again, this time into his left eye. Sukren screamed once more. He could feel blood running down his face like tears. The rock wall behind Sukren was boring into his skull. The scaffold around him smelled like sap and breathflowers and blood. Sukren found himself choking on the sweet sick stench. Everything C sun C sky C scaffold C Ihan C was black. Chapter 73: "They took the children first, all the young ones, all the ones they didn’t kill –” Chapter 73: There was nothing. Nothing Mayah could use to bridge the gap, and nothing to explain the cloud of smoke below. All that was near her was boulder after boulder, each one bare and too big for her to move on her own. Boulder after boulder, all the way down the southern mountains to the bio-domes valley, where the smoke billowed and blew up and up into the sky. Slowly, Mayah sat down on one of the boulders still on the plateau. The gorge was off to her right; the valley was way down below to her left. She didnt know what to do. She sat in the bright clear sunlight, feeling achy and shivery. The cloud of smoke was still thick and dark, even as it rose up into the sky and drifted west. Maybe the fire was because of rioters again? Maybe Sukren was with them? Maybe he was hurt? Maybe its because of me? Mayah got to her feet. She blushed, embarrassed by the very thought. Who was she that anything would happen because of her? Yet yet still, it wasnt just that Mayah wanted to believe there was something special about her, something that would explain why Sukren had hidden his life from her. The fact of the matter was, she was different. Very different. She just didnt know why. Then it hit her. The bio-dome was on fire. It was on fire. What was she doing, thinking this way and that about how different she was or wasnt? The bio-dome was on fire! Sukren and Lainla and Tanush and everybody else was caught down there in the middle of a fire! Grabbing her pack, Mayah raced to the plateaus edge where the rocky descent down the southern mountains began. Then she paused and looked back at the lip of the gorge. Ill come back, she promised herself. I did it once, I can do it again. Ill come back. Ill come back, Ill come back, and Ill cross that gap, I swear it! *** Moved both by anxiety and gravity, Mayah found the downhill trek went much faster than her journey up had. She covered the same ground in half a weeks time, reaching by the end of darkwake the ridge where the western and southern mountains jutted into each other. She paused there to rest. Exhausted and filthy, her foot swelling from being banged against a rock on her way down, Mayah wanted nothing more than to fling herself onto the rubber mat the Jinkari had given her to sleep on inside their lodge. Even in the darkness though, Mayah could see the smoke still billowing up on both sides of the mountain range ahead, right in between the Cursed urb and the castra-dome. Oh no, she whispered. There was nothing to do but press on. Holding her breath, she limped across the mountain ridge to the castra-domes limestone shell platform. Every breathflower vine on it was charred ash; some of the shining blossoms were still aflame. But when she looked down the chute into the smoking ruins of the castra-dome, she saw that it was empty. Nobody, not even a single dead body, was inside it. *** When Sukren came to, he was lying curled up on his side. He felt someone kick him. Get up. Get up. Sukren tried to get to his feet. His wrists and ankles were tied though, so he could only pull himself up into a sitting position. But why was he tied up? He leaned back and felt stone against the back of his head. He tried to open his eyes. His eyes. Get up! Memory returned to him, along with a rush of dizziness. Ihan C the Xhota man C looking for Mayah C his eyes C Sukren found himself breathing rapid, shallow breaths. His mind felt numb; his skin was clammy. He felt the bonds at his ankles and wrists cut loose. Sensation returned to his limbs all at once. At the same time, he was hauled to his feet by unseen hands. Sukren staggered forward, then stopped. He didnt know where to go. He didnt know where he was going. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Someone C Ihan C shoved him forward. After a few shuffling steps, Sukrens outreached hands touched a hitching post. Rope bridge, rope bridge, that was right, there was a rope bridge. By feel Sukren worked his way across, clinging to the ropes so tightly that it felt like he was squeezing blood from his hands with each grip. When he reached the platform on the other side, he stumbled, his feet unready for the change from rope to limestone shell. He had to drop to his hands and knees to be able to fumble his way down the rope ladder to solid ground. Once he was back on two feet, he heard nearby the sounds of people cursing and crying out. A hand shoved Sukren towards the sounds; he stumbled again, tripping on loosened soil. His fall was stopped by a strong hand. The owner of the hand said something in Cursed, but Sukren didnt understand him. Rajani? Sukren tried, his throat catching as he spoke. No talking, a voice snapped in Xhom. Get in line. Were moving. Sukren was prodded forward. He could feel flakes of limestone and bark rubbing up against his right arm. Shelterbelt? Was that where he was? He couldnt think. Someone took his hand and put it on a tree trunk, pulling on it as if he wanted Sukren to climb. Invisible fingers helped him up, then down the other side. Then it was back to moving forward again. Someone C was it the same person whod helped him before? C took his hand and guided him. They walked. Sukren couldnt focus, couldnt figure out where they were. More than once he felt like he was going to collapse back into unconsciousness. When they finally stopped, and someone pulled on his arm to indicate that he should sit, he thanked every god he knew. Sitting was much better. Sukren was able to gather himself. He tried to wipe the blood off his face, disliking the stickiness on his cheeks. He heard someone call his name; he turned his face towards the voice. He heard a gasp. A hand touched his arm. What happened? Rajani? Yes, what C A thought pushed itself to the forefront of Sukrens mind. Wheres Mayah? I dont know. They took the children first, all the young ones, all the ones they didnt kill C A sob entered Rajanis voice. For several moments she didnt speak. Sukren listened quietly to her ragged breathing. I have to go, she finally said. They took the children first and said we wouldnt see them again unless we came with them to the pens. I have to go find out where they are now. Pens? Sukren echoed. He heard Rajani take another ragged breath. Theyve got us inside some bazaar stalls, she said. With barbed bioplastic strands all around the posts to keep us in here. Slowly Sukren was able to piece together what had happened. The Xhota had raided the Cursed. They were captives now. The walk he had just done had to have been through the Xhota urb. And the climb, that had to have been the gap in the shelterbelt. Sukren moved his arm, trying to see how close he was to a post. He accidentally bumped into Rajani and felt her flinch. Whats wrong? he asked. They broke my arm, she said. Ive got a sling, but its not looking good. I can help with that, Sukren said automatically. Then he stopped. Without sight, without tools, without medicine, what could he do? It was starting to hit Sukren that he was truly blind. Not the faintest sensation of light reached his optic nerves. When he felt Rajani rise, her knee lifting from where it had been pressing into his leg, Sukren felt a strange panic. Dont go, he wanted to say. Dont leave me here in the dark. Dont take the light away. It was like he was in a cage, not one with bars, but solid, covered in a black shroud. On the other side was reality, a world of sight and light. Holy Sarana! Had he not spent enough of his life in a cage, in one damn cage after another? Rajani was gone. Sukren felt someone press a bulb into his hand. He removed the stopper and lifted it to his lips. The water eased his aching head. But the rest of his pains were growing stronger. His eyes were burning. His wrists were aching. The indents in his skin around his ankles were throbbing. He felt aware of his flesh in a way he hadnt known was possible. He wanted to get up and help Rajani find Mayah and the other children. But he didnt know where to go, and not only was his exhaustion returning to him in full force, so was a deep sense of shock. It pushed him to stay where he was. To sink into himself. To let the darkness pull him in deeper. Distantly, he wondered who else had died. Then he wondered what his own chances of survival were now. The Golden Castle permitted no disabilities among serfs. At that, Sukren found himself almost laughing. The Council would have never authorized a raid on the Cursed. The fact that the Xhota had raided them meant the Uprising had happened. That there was no more Golden Castle to fear. Victory, Sukren thought. At last. Chapter 74: “Someone stabbed my eyes." Chapter 74: The gap in the shelterbelt had been forced wider. Bits of hair, clothes, and traces of blood marked the branches that surrounded it. The ground beneath had been trampled, the soil packed tight under hundreds of footsteps. Trembling, and favoring her injured foot, Mayah passed the gap and crept on towards the Cursed urb. She almost fell into the Gathers Children ditch before she saw it. The ditchs skin-sheet roof was gone. A cloud of smoke had replaced it, a sour, stinking cinder-filled smoke that made Mayah want to throw up. Grateful she still had the breathflower mask on, Mayah took in one careful breath after another. Inside the Gathers Children ditch the air was better, as the smoke was rising, not falling. But when Mayahs head emerged out of the ditch on the eastern side, she gagged, almost choking. What was that smell? And why was it so silent? Mayah pulled herself up and out of the ditch. As she did so, the wind picked up, clearing the smoke a little. Out of the haze, the lodge roofs around her emerged. All of them bore gashes. Here, a ragged cut gave testimony to a knifes jagged edges, there, a singed hole still smoldered. The smoke-filled night seeped through the gaps like blood, like the blood coming out of the bodies that lay, contorted, all around the urb. Her entire frame shaking, Mayah limped her way through the littered urb. In the atreola, a mound of stinking bodies lay heaped up only a few paces from the dais. This time Mayah actually did throw up. When she was done, she pulled off her ruined breathflower mask, and, throwing it to the side, stumbled as fast as she could into the eastern half of the urb. The Jinkari lodge it was around here somewhere it was oh Sarana oh Tanush He was lying face down, right next to the Jinkari meal bench, not even a handbreadth away from it. Numb with shock, Mayah touched his shoulder. For a moment she thought she could wake him up, that he was just sleeping. But then she saw the blood-soaked soil all around him, and the knife wound out of which the blood had come. With a ragged breath, she stepped back, when something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned her head. It was Shib-vyns dead body, tossed up against the mound of the Jinkari lodge. Wildly Mayah looked around her. As far as she could see under the green and blue glow of the breathflower leaves, she was the only living person in the urb. It was too much. Mayah couldnt stumble across another body that she knew. She just couldnt. She had to hide, to escape. Avoiding looking at Shib-vyns body, Mayah fled into the Jinkari lodge. The rubber mats and furs were still rolled and stacked in place; the water vat and waste bowl were still on their ledges. Forcing everything outside her mind, Mayah went to the vat and drank deeply. Once she was no longer thirsty, she peeled off her clothes and cleaned herself. Then she used the waste bowl, flushing it down with water from the drain-bucket. After getting re-dressed, she ate dried meat from her pack and drank from the vat again. Finally, when she was finished, she unrolled a rubber mat and fur, lay down, and allowed sleep to claim her. *** For two nights and two days, Mayah remained hidden inside the lodge, sleeping, eating, and drinking water. When she finally emerged, the sun was setting. She spent the last hour of sunlight wandering through the lodges and meal benches, looking through the bodies. Almost all the dead were men. Most had the angular features Mayah had learned to associate with the old-Tabled Cursed. The women who had been killed were all old-Tabled as well. Here and there a myxte Cursed man lay stiff on the ground, but most of the myxte dead were children like Tanush, or elderly like Shib-vyn. No myxte Cursed woman, no woman with any overbelter blood in her at all, was among the dead. And neither was Sukren. After Mayah was done circuiting the urb, she stumbled to the library. Torn out of their rubber sleeves, half the books were ripped apart. The forge was still standing, though, and thank Sarana, it blocked the smell and sight of the rest of the urb. Facing the shelterbelt, Mayah leaned back against the forge and slid down until she was sitting on the ground. She stared at the torn flaps of rubber and vellum all around her. She watched the shadows of the shelterbelt trees lengthen until they disappeared into the nights darkness. Only then did the hollow feeling in her chest erupt. Oh, she wept, unable to form even a single word. Oh, oh! Oh! Tears streamed down her face. How could this have happened? How could the Cursed urb and everyone in it be dead? Theyd all been alive only a few diurnals ago, theyd all been so alive Her chest was heaving. Mayah buried her face in her arms and cried aloud. Im sorry! Im sorry! Im sorry! Still sobbing, she staggered to her feet. She had to go and find them, find the ones who were left, find Lainla and Sukren, and C oh Sarana C who was Mayah that an army would come after her? Because Mayah knew, she knew, she knew, she knew, that it was because of her that this attack had happened. She knew it from the bottom of her soles to the top of her crown. She knew it without knowing how she knew. The thought that had seemed embarrassing to her at the top of the mountains no longer felt ridiculous. It felt terrible, like a nightmare come to life. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. By taking her in, the Cursed had paid the ultimate price. Oh Sarana! They had argued so much about whether or not to accept the other overbelters as true Gathers Children. They had been so worried about the cost. But theyd let Mayah slip in through the cracks even though it was her, and her alone, whod presented the real danger Think, she commanded herself. Who did this? Only someone inside the shelterbelt could have. But who? The Xhota, it had to be. Nobody else had access to the gap in the shelterbelt. And hadnt Rajani shared that story one time about how the Xhota almost arrested one of her Chenta-Cursed friends? They wouldnt have been able to do that if they hadnt already won political control of their quinter. And it would also explain the dead bodies in the atreola! The Xhota had burned their dead, theyd honored their own, and left the Cursed to rot. Yet at the same time for all Mayah knew, the political situation in the bio-dome had changed again. Stoneset Quinter could be ruled now by the Eenta or the Chenta or the Free Serfs. Mayah took a deep breath. This, at least, she could hold onto: some of the Cursed, Lainla included C and Sukren with them C had been taken into Stoneset Quinter. By whom, Mayah wasnt sure. But there was only one way to find out. Mayah strode up to the half-torn library. There were a handful of rubber sleeves that werent completely destroyed; she chose two of them. With her bare hands, she dug out two holes by the side of the rubber forge. In one hole she placed the journal and the dictionary, both of them wrapped in rubber. In the other she placed the Dome Ring. Finally, she covered both holes up, stamping down the dirt until the area was as even and smooth as before. Then Mayah turned her face west, towards the gap in the shelterbelt. You can do this, she told herself. Theres something different about you, remember? Something special, like Vek said. Youve done things no princess has ever done before. You escaped a castle. You crossed the shelterbelt to go and live among the Cursed. You even left the bio-dome itself. So you can do this. You can find them. You will. After what they paid for your sake, you have to. *** Sukren did the best he could to care for himself. Bandages he made from his clothes to wrap around his eyes. Whatever drink or food was thrust into his hand, he consumed it all. The Cursed around him helped lead him to the wash-barrel the first time he needed it; after that Sukren went alone, making sure to do so regularly. There was little he could do, however, to fight the onset of infection. Rajani would come by sometimes to tell him what was going on. Feverish, his eye sockets inflamed, Sukren would listen, then go back to sleep. The only time he truly paid attention was when Rajani told him that Lainla had let Mayah leave the bio-dome the day after Rajani had been arrested. From the way she told him, Sukren could tell Rajani expected Sukren to be angry. But all he could think of was the prophecy: Over the shelterbelt, the Rajas Daughter who is Promised, Must go. Over and to The Lake Tower, Her feet will tread. With the Ring of the Dome, Dripping in her hand. Maybe Lady Nari had been wrong all this time. Maybe the prophecy wasnt a set of instructions after all. Sukren had certainly never encouraged Mayah to leave the bio-dome. And hed never even hinted at the existence of the Lake Tower. Maybe Mayah going on her own was just more proof that Sukren had utterly no control, none at all, and C oh Sarana, was this really going to be the rest of his life, was this really going to be it? Relief came eventually in the form of a liquid painkiller. The Cursed had procured a bulb of it, somehow, and it got passed along to Sukren. He gulped it down. It washed away some of the hurt and dulled the rest. He was aware at some point of being required to move. All around him were the sounds of people getting to their feet and shuffling forward. How long he walked among them he couldnt say. The voices nearest to him never changed, but after some time, the voices further away shifted from Xhom to Eenma. The part of Sukren that was still alert realized that meant they had left Stoneset Quinter. A little while later, two Eenma voices grew louder. Soon they seemed to be coming from the space right in front of him. He heard one of them curse. Damn Xhota. The other replied in the castle serf pidgin. They didnt know who they had. That was the point. Hands reached out of nowhere and pulled him forward. His sense of being surrounded by other people disappeared as Sukren was led through what felt like, from the change in the air, a doorway leading into a building. A castle, he guessed. Greenhouses were warmer. He was guided eventually to a bed. He could tell he was now inside a clinic from the taste of chemicals in the air and the bed rails on either side of the mattress. His left hand was taken and manacled with a bioplastic tie to the left bed rail. The same was done to his right hand. Then he heard a voice above him call for a doctor-priest. Footsteps and heavy breathing announced the doctor-priests presence. Sukren wondered if he knew him. It wouldnt be unlikely. Eenta, Chenta and Xhota had been proportionately represented among the doctor-priests and regents. Sukren had pulled many shifts on unsegregated teams. But if the doctor-priest knew Sukren, he didnt say so, and he didnt introduce himself. Whats the problem? he asked. Someone stabbed my eyes, Sukren replied. Sukren felt fingers drawing up his makeshift bandage. He shied away from them. He didnt like the sensation of being vulnerable to other peoples touch when he himself couldnt use his hands. Feet and fingers, those were his eyes now. When they were restrained, he had no control over what he perceived. But like it or not, this was Sukrens reality. He had to endure it until he could find a way out. So when another hand drew up his tattered sleeve, Sukren held himself still. The prick of a needle in his arm followed. He recognized the drugs flooding his system. They were the same ones he had used to put Mayah to sleep back before they crossed the shelterbelt. I wonder where she is now, he thought, as the medication took hold. I wonder if shes found the Lake Tower. Maybe shes already found a way back to Earth. Oh Sarana, I wish I could go with her, back to when she was a child, I wish I could go back, I want to go back, please, let me go back C Chapter 75: “Is anyone there?” Chapter 75: Between Mayahs still-swollen foot, and the slipperiness of the shelterbelts limestone shell, it took all Mayah had to pull herself up mostly by her arms. When she finally reached the gap in the branches, she was panting. She leaned against one of the sturdier boughs and closed her eyes. She almost wanted to go back down to the Cursed side. Let Sukren come find her. He always had before. But no, that was not who Mayah was, that was not who she had to be. Special, different, not just a little Rajas, not just a little Rajas, anything but just a little Rajas. Wasnt that what she wanted with Sukren? A new dynamic? Mayah opened her eyes. She looked out through her glasses into the bio-dome proper, at the curved rows of the Xhota huts. The sun had already disappeared behind the western mountains to her left. Firelamps, one after another, were being lit behind the curtains of the bazaar stalls. She watched them light up the night as the last of the merchants hurried back to their homes. Just like on that evening almost three-quarters of a season ago, when Sukren had drugged her and dragged her across the shelterbelt. And now Im coming for you, Mayah thought silently. Her fingers gripped the branch she was holding a little more tightly. Im coming, Sukren, and this time Im going to help you. Then Mayah faltered. She clung to the limestone-capped wood in her hands, feeling like she was back on the edge of the plateau up on the southern mountains underneath the sweeping sky. Oh! she cried out in her heart. What does it matter why Sukren hid his life from me? What does it matter if its because he thought I was a little Rajas or if its because Im different for some other reason? He lied to me. It wont make me feel any better if its because he thought I was too special to know about his life. It wont make any difference at all. He lied to me, hes a liar, a liar, a liar! Tears were once more in Mayahs eyes, but this time she didnt wipe them away. Instead, she began lowering herself down the Saranaian side of the shelterbelt. Thankfully, it was easier on the way down. There were more knots on the trunks and less limestone. Soon enough, her feet touched the ground. All at once, shouts, rising up in command, echoed out from the urb row nearest to Mayah. Stop! Halt! Stay where you are! *** When Sukren came to, he didnt know where he was. His memories were clouded. There had been Eenma voices, a clinic bed beneath him, and the pinch of a needle in his arm, then another, again and again Sukren touched the pressure patches on his eyes. There was a soreness there, but the infection seemed to have been healed. Reaching out with his hands, he touched a wall. Slowly, carefully, Sukren followed the wall by feel, until he was back to where he had started. He then raised his arms above his head. The tips of his fingers just touched the ceiling. Wood, Sukren decided. He was inside a castle, he remembered that. Was he then inside a dorm room? No, couldnt be. There were no bedshelves, no window. As far as he could tell, there was nothing in the room at all. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Sukren tried feeling his way around again. This time his fingers found a crack that he traced up and to the left and down again. A door. With a hinged flap at its base. It was then that Sukren realized he was in a cell. He had seen one before, from the outside. There were a few placed in each of the castles for princes or princesses who demonstrated violent tendencies against other Rajas. But to put him, a doctor-priest, inside a Rajas cell? If Sukren had not already been sure that the Uprising had happened, he was convinced of it now. Is anyone there? Sukren called. There was no answer. Sukren felt his way to a corner and sat down, leaning against the wall behind him. The exploration had worn him out. His body was still weak. After diurnals of sleeping in the dirt, the walls wooden surface felt harsh and unforgiving. Sukren felt intensely aware of its texture against his skin. He reached up to touch the patches over his eyes again, then stopped himself. The bitterness that Sukrens illness had forestalled was coming back now, in full force. With it too came a sweeping sense of loss. Struck by the finality of his blindness, Sukren for the first time let himself look back and see the truth. The happiness he had known with Mayah in the village was never going to be his again. Sukren pressed the heels of his hands against his bandaged eye sockets. There was a knot in his throat, but no tears came. Instead, a familiar self-blame engulfed him. What had running away across the shelterbelt brought him? Hunger, imprisonment, blindness. His hope that he and Mayah would ever find a way back to the relationship theyd shared had been a fools hope all along. Sukren had known it was over the second hed stepped foot inside Lost Technology Castle with her. But hed still refused to face it. Now Mayah was as distant from him as ever C and missing, to boot. The one charge of his life left unfulfilled. While he was waking up blind and imprisoned by the Eenta. For Mayahs sake. All, all, for Mayahs sake. This is what you get, he told himself, for loving a Rajas. *** I want to beg the doctor-priest to keep the results a secret. But loyal though he is to me, we both know no one would believe him. Everyone knows my blood is as pure as a queens. Even I thought I would produce at least one queened baby. But two? I look at my baby girls, and my heart breaks. Tell everyone, I whisper, That only one girl lit up the Dome Ring. The girls are fraternal twins. Both made the Dome Rings emerald head flash, but since their genetic material is not identical, Queen Kalia could believe it if told only one girl was eligible to be queen. Queen Kalia thinks she has me conquered C surely she will not insist on a re-test with a different doctor-priest, O Sarana, please, please please! I am frightened by my unexpected hope. The part of me that died when they killed my first child resists the quickening in my blood. But even so, I forge on. Despair is not a cloak I know how to wear, and so my mind spins with possibilities. Only one girl will be claimed by Queen Kalia. The other girl will be left alone, and I will be able to raise her against Queen Kalia, or even have her sent away so that at the right moment I look at the doctor-priest. Do you understand? I ask. Yes, he replies, simply, firmly. Then he gestures. Which daughter? C excerpt from The Journal of the Lost Princess, Part I Written 765 years after the Crash Landing Chapter 76: “She wouldn’t call you up to her chamber just to scream at you." Chapter 76: Something was going on. Miserable and withdrawn as Vek had been the past few diurnals, he could still tell that the castle was humming that low hustle-bustle tune of upcoming festivals and senior Rajas Houseparties and new apprentice weeks. He could feel it in the hushed excitement of the mess halls; he could see it in the drawn and tense faces of the soldiers guarding the elevator bays; he could hear it even now in the whispered conversations of the serf barracks. Whats wrong with you? Youve been moping ever since you got back. Vek closed his eyes. Rock-god, no, he groaned silently. It was Hurez, again, it was always Hurez, always so falsely concerned about Vek, always so eager to figure out where Vek disappeared to. Sometimes Vek wished he could just tell Hurez that he was an agent for Lady Nari because then at least Hurez would shut up about it! But Vek couldnt tell Hurez the truth. Lady Nari had made that clear enough. I know you like to talk, shed said to him. So if you have to talk, talk to other agents. To everyone else, including the serfs in your squad, you should be nothing more than an ordinary shadow member. You wont be half as effective an agent otherwise. Vek gathered himself and opened his eyes. Dome, queen and flower are well with you, Hurez? Hurez was standing in the central aisle that ran between the rows of bunks. He was grinning his head off as he looked down at Vek through the bunk beds rails. From Veks angle it looked like one of the rails was slicing through Hurezs neck, which actually made the conversation a little more bearable. You were gone for a while this time, Hurez replied. Im curious now. Do all patronless serfs disappear for diurnals at a time? You were curious before, too, Vek retorted silently. He tried to smile. It was hard to. He couldnt stop thinking about her, couldnt stop thinking about that last night in the Xhota urb, in Petrikas hut, the night before he lost the Promised Daughter C Rock-god, the shame Vek felt was overwhelming. Even just thinking about it made him want to bury his face into his mattress and suffocate on the rubber foam. Again he closed his eyes. If only there was something he could do to get rid of this agonizing guilt! If only there was a way to make up for so fantastically failing his mission! Hey, Im talking to you! Vek had to stifle a very strong impulse to get up out of his bunk and strangle Hurez. He wished he could turn his back on Hurez, but he knew Hurez would start ranting that shadow members like Vek couldnt ignore full-pledged squad members like him and didnt Vek know that he had to answer when spoken to and then Vek would lose it, he really would, and then Anzana would have to get involved, and Vek really didnt want that. Not only did Anzana deserve better C she was the best squad leader anyone could ask for C she was also the only one in their squad who knew that Vek was an agent. She was therefore the only one in the squad whom Vek could talk to, and he wasnt going to ruin that. Hed ruined enough already. Oh, leave him alone, Hurez. Vek turned to glance up at Jethra. She was seated cross-legged on the upper bunk to his right. From his spot on the bottom bunk all Vek could see was her face floating above the tip of her knee, which was just jutting out over the edge of her mattress. He angled his head upward and mouthed her a thank you. Jethra turned away, blushing. Despite his bad mood, Vek had to stop himself from grinning. It had been years since Jethra had joined the squad, and she still couldnt seem to decide whether she should be afraid of Vek or in love with him. But Hurez was undeterred by Jethras intervention. I want an answer to my question! Before Vek could reply and tell Hurez to mind his own business, Zedid from a bunk across the central aisle spoke up. Shadow members have extra duties, didnt you know? Thank the rock-god for Zedid. She was another agent, and one of Veks friends. A few years older than he, she was both beautiful and intelligent. Extra duties, that would have been the perfect explanation to get Hurez off his back a long time ago. Why hadnt Vek thought of it? He watched, relieved, as Hurez made a face before stalking off to his own bunk. As soon as Hurez was gone, Vek got out and crossed the aisle to stand next to Zedids bed post. Thanks, he said to her. She wasnt in his squad, but theyd been in the same barracks for long enough and Vek had run into her at least once while on mission. Zedid wasnt a shadow member, but she didnt care that he was. In fact, Vek had a sneaking suspicion that she liked that he was patronless C that she liked being friends with a patronless servie. Among the agents, a brand like the one burned into Vek was a badge of honor. It was everyone else, including the Hurez and Jethra-types, who treated him with fear and distaste. Ordinary patronees of Lady Naris might call themselves Free Serfs, but they wouldnt be expected to apply Free Serf doctrine to their lives C not until the Uprising, that was. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Zedid gestured at Vek to sit down on the foot of her bed. Vek ducked down and did so. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure nobody was near, then whispered, Do you know whats going on? So you can tell too? she whispered back. Vek nodded. Even the fact that the barracks lights hadnt been cut yet was strange. Normally serfs only got a few minutes of downtime in their bunks before the lights were turned off for the night. So far, it had been at least half an hour! I hope its not something terrible, Zedid replied. She gave Vek a side-long glance. Hurez wasnt wrong you know. You were gone a long time, this time. And you havent been the same since. I hope its not something terrible even at those words, Vek felt guilt wash over him. What if it was? What if something bad was happening because the Promised Daughter was missing? Oh, rock-god, Vek had combed through every second of every diurnal that he had spent with Mayah, trying to figure out what could have happened, what could have possibly happened, where could she be, where, oh, where could she C Hey, hey, are you okay? Zedids hand was on his, five fingers on four. If you cant tell me, I understand, but if you can, Im here for you. Normally Vek would have been ecstatic to have Zedid touch him but he was too overwhelmed with remorse to even notice. Well, he noticed a little bit. Zedids chest was practically in his face, after all. It was hard not to notice that. Maybe shed be okay with comforting him a little more? But no, Vek wasnt supposed to think like that, that was in at least half of Lady Naris exams. He had to think about the possibility of children first, and then decide whether or not he wanted a lay. Which actually, if Vek thought about it, he really didnt. Zedid was very pretty and very nice but what Vek wanted right now was to go back in time and unlose Mayah! Thankfully, Vek was pulled away from once again berating himself by the sound of Anzanas voice. Vek? Where are you? Vek pulled Zedids hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it. He then climbed out of her bunk and strode into the central aisle. Im here. Anzanas face, lined and framed by her short gray hair, was full of worry. She pulled Vek back to the side of his bunk, so they were out of the central aisle, and shielded at least partially from sight. I got a telegraph. Youre wanted at her chamber. Vek swallowed. He didnt have to ask what Anzana meant by her chamber. There was only one person theyd both refer to that way in a public place like the barracks. The wonder and fear that gripped Vek whenever he had to meet personally with Lady Nari was already descending upon him. He reached out to steady himself against his bunk. Rock-god, he didnt want to do it. He didnt want to have to face her again. The last time had been bad enough. Hed even wept to Anzana about it, which was probably why Anzana was looking at him now so concerned. She really was a good squad leader, and Vek didnt deserve her. Even now, she was reaching out to him, squeezing his shoulder. Vek accepted her touch, grateful to Anzana for giving him a moment to pull himself together. Five years hed been in Squad #210, ever since hed been made patronless, and shed been like a mother to him the whole time. Shed been the one to reassure him that he always had a place in her squad. I dont care if youre patronless, Ill never care. Shed been the one to let him out of his duties again and again so that he could accomplish his missions. Its your work thats important. And shed been the one to teach him how to handle his hate for the Eenta. Attack them when theyre alone, when you wont get caught. Listen, Anzana said quietly. She wouldnt call you up to her chamber just to scream at you. Thats not like her. Maybe she was angry last time, but she wont be this time. Vek tried to nod. Dont be afraid. Anzana leaned in closer to Vek, until her forehead was almost touching his. Dont tell her I said this, by the rock-god dont bring me up at all, but Lady Nari wont hurt you. She knows you dont need it. Vek wasnt sure what that meant. It sounded like it was supposed to be reassuring though, so he decided to appreciate it. Taking in a deep breath, Vek wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, then gave Anzana a half-smile. I should probably go. Yes, you should, she replied. She pointed him down the central aisle towards the serf staircase door. Get going. Vek did as he was told. Anzana was right that at this hour hed have to use the serf staircase. No Eenta soldier would allow a patronless servie onto an elevator past curfew. Thankfully Veks barracks were only two levels down from a lift guarded by a Free Serf regent. Vek could use the lift to go all the way down to the bottom of Zone 14, then get off and take the serf staircase again to get to Zone 13, where Lady Naris chamber was. Although, come to think of it, that was a little weird. Why was she having him come to her personal room? He knew where it was, but hed never been there before; she never met agents there. It was too easy for them to be tailed and discovered as agents if they kept up a pattern of visiting Lady Naris quarters. Vek repressed a shiver. Outside the air was bright and the daysleeps sun was warm, but he could feel in the wind the chill of the coming rainsoon season. They had fifteen diurnals until it started. Fifteen diurnals, fifteen diurnals, that was almost four times as long as it had been since hed stupidly, wretchedly lost the Promised Daughter Chapter 77: "Rise up, and take what’s yours.” Chapter 77: The first thing Vek noticed was all the weaponry hanging from Lady Naris walls. Here was an oval wreath of knives; there was a serf prod crossed with a scroll; to his side a dart and blowpipe suspended under a bioplastic screen, and finally, near the wall-length windows behind Lady Naris desk, a bow with a single arrow notched over its string. As far as Vek could tell, the weapons were all still capable of hitting their marks, which made it seem strange that Lady Nari was using them for decoration. But that wasnt the point. The point was Lady Nari, sitting at her desk, looking straight at him. Vek swallowed. He made his way across the chamber, bowing slightly to the attendant sitting at a nearby console table attached to the wall to his right. She nodded back to him. Vek didnt know whether or not he should say something to her. Hed seen her around Lady Nari before, but theyd never actually talked. Well, that wasnt quite true. Vek had spoken to her, thanking her for a telegraph shed handed to him. Shed smiled and said nothing back, not even to share her name. Vek still didnt know what it was, and that too was strange, because he knew everyones name. Maybe hed been scared away by the shadow of Lady Nari looming ever behind her, a shadow, dark and tall, looming Somehow Vek made it to Lady Naris desk. Meeting her gaze C distant, betraying nothing C was even worse than hed imagined it would be. He had to clench his hands behind his back to stop them from shaking. Rock-god, if only he knew what she was thinking! If only shed say something, even something bad! But to have to stand there and wait, not knowing what was going to happen Im sure you understand, Vek, that the Promised Daughter needs to be found. Now Vek felt both anxious and ashamed. Yes, Lady Nari. I have a new mission for you as a result. Vek bowed his head. At least she wasnt shouting at him. He could hold onto that. I need you to interrogate some people who could tell us where the Promised Daughter might be. Ill do anything, Vek whispered. I swear. And not just interrogate them for where the Promised Daughter might be currently. I also want you to find out who leaked the Promised Daughters movements to the other Free Serf patrons. For the first time in four diurnals, ever since hed lost the Promised Daughter, Vek felt a shimmer of hope. What Lady Nari was saying it sounded like she was saying it wasnt all his fault. It sounded like she thought one or more of the other Free Serf patrons might have kidnapped Mayah. Which made sense, Vek supposed. Patrons did political things like that, right? He raised his eyes and chanced a glance at Lady Nari. She was looking steadily at him still, but this time there was a hint of understanding in her eyes. Im telling you this because I know youre loyal, she continued. Thats why Im giving you this new assignment. And not only that, Im here to tell you personally that the Uprising is happening, right now. That sent everything out of Veks head. What? he cried out. Lady Nari had a tiny smile on her lips. The coup occurred earlier today. The non-Free Serf patrons are dead. The Council is no more. Squad #210 is probably on the move right now to secure the telegraph rooms and elevator bays of your zone. If you hurry, youll be able to join them. Or you can help them afterwards move the Rajas from their dorms into the barracks. Vek could do nothing but stare. His mind was spinning. The Uprising the Uprising Its time to rise up, Vek. Youve waited a long time, I know. Now is your reward. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Vek covered his face with his hands. They were trembling openly now, but he no longer cared. The Uprising was happening it was finally happening and not only that, Lady Nari had called him to her not to punish him but to tell him so personally oh rock-god, how could she show him so much favor after hed failed her so completely? Veks shoulders shook as he wept. He couldnt speak. All he could do was worship her. Oh Lady, my patron Lady! Ill do my best for you! Ill give you my all! Ill prove on my dead body that you are right to trust me! I will find the Promised Daughter, I will find out who leaked her movements, I will interrogate anyone and everyone you ask me to, I will do it all for you, for you! Go now, he heard Lady Nari say. Re-join your squad. Rise up, and take whats yours. Vek still couldnt speak. How he wanted to die for her, die right now for her sake, die to give her glory! But no, that wasnt what she called him to. She wanted him to go and not die, but fight. She wanted him to re-join his squad and rise up. So that was what he would do! Quickly Vek wiped his face with his sleeve. He bowed to her, deeply. Then without looking into her face C he didnt deserve that C Vek turned and practically ran out of her chamber. It was time to rise up. It was time to Uprise! *** That went very well, Lady Nari said. She signaled to her attendant for a drink. That was quite enjoyable. She got up from her desk and sat down in her courting chair. Open backed and upholstered with bengaline, the chair was a beautiful piece Lady Nari had commissioned from a now-dead but then-loyal woodworking servie. Lady Nari downed her rum, then examined the arras hanging on the wall in front of her. Yes, Vek had been quite enjoyable indeed. First the guilt, then the hope and finally the adoration. Vek did adoration especially well. Hell be just the first, of course, she said. Ill build up an interrogation corps out of the network of agents and spies I have now. And theyll act to impose my authority not just over my current patronees, but over everybody. For it had to be over everybody. Only Lady Nari, and she alone, was worthy to lead the serfs. She had known this for a long time now. The other three Free Serf patrons might care for the serfs, but their care was shallow, small, stupid. Tyr and Ki were Watchers; Dasgu was a coward. Lady Naris love for the serfs, though, was perfect. It was rich and deep and most importantly, it was powerful. Lady Nari was the only one who both wanted and could actually effect that which was good for the serfs. It was probably Ki, Lady Nari murmured. She released her grip on her glass and held it up to be taken away. Shes been chasing after the Promised Daughter for long enough. Though, then again, maybe not. Ki would have killed her and declared her death everywhere. So maybe it was Dasgu? He is mine, hes demonstrated that often enough, but I wont deny that hes been acting strangely lately. Theres been a hint of resistance about him. Hes an Enabler, though, so if it was him who did the kidnapping, so much the better for the serfs. Lady Nari leaned back into her chair. It would be a good deal of work to run an interrogation corps. Did she have the time for it? Did she have the energy? Her mind and her will were precious resources that she had to husband well. Perhaps it would be better to appoint someone to oversee the corps, a chief interrogator who could report to her directly. Yes, that was a better idea. But who to pick? Ajay, she said aloud. Bring me the Free Serf files, the ones on my shortlist. Yawning, Lady Nari glanced at the daysclock on the hood over her door. It was getting quite late into daysleep. She got to her feet, went to her four-poster bed in the corner of her chamber, and lay down. Shutting her eyes, she listened to Ajay roll open her desks cylinder top. The rustle of paper was next, followed by the sound of the curtains that hung from the posts around her bed being drawn. There, in the darkness, and the silence, Lady Nari allowed a slow smile to cross her lips. She was very pleased. The Uprising was happening. Tomorrow she would wake up to a new world. *** Running racing fighting smashing open every door! Climbing shouting breaking robbing dorm on dorm on dorm! This way C theres a Rajas C he is hiding by the pier! That way C in the foyer C no dont let her disappear! Go lets go lets march lets rise the time for serfs is here! Now Vek, his heart was pounding. His throat was raw with joy. Hed been waiting for this moment ever since hed been a boy. At seven Motherd told him the truth of who he was. Dont ever let it win you; hed sworn it never would. Now the rise was rising, the swell was swelling forth. Vek could feel it in his body, in every bone and drop of blood. This was what hed fought for. This was his birthright. The serfs C and the Uprising C were the sum, the whole, of life. Get out! he screamed. Get out! Chapter 78: “Don’t get too comfortable.” Chapter 78: By the end of the night, it was over. Vek could scarcely believe it. He reached out and wrapped his four-fingered hand around the chain-links of the filigreed hanging chair he was sitting on. Rock-god, was it real? Was Vek really sitting here? It wasnt a dream? He glanced over at Zedid who was perched on a back stool nearby. She was laughing at him. You dont have to act like its holy! I just cant believe it, Vek replied. From the looks of the other serfs in the lounge, he wasnt the only one. Nearly everyone was sitting on and touching the furniture rather gingerly. Vek could see most of his squad gathered together around a firelightplace near the end of the lounge, all of them looking a little stiff as they glanced around. As for the lounge itself, well, it was a massive space, stretching out across the entire floor. Vek couldnt help but marvel as he looked up at the soaring ceiling and across at the conversation pits and clustered chair-and-table-settings and even daybeds. All theirs, now. Not just for him to woodwork and clean for the use of the Rajas, but for his use. I heard from one of the magistrates that this is where well meet now in the evenings, everyone from our barracks, Zedid responded. And that we can pick whichever dorm we want to sleep in. I want to sleep here, Vek said. He pointed at one of the daybeds below the awning windows through which the sunlight was fading fast. Right there. Watch the sun set and everything. Zedid shook her head, smiling. The ceiling here is too high up for me. I want a bunk bed C but a Rajas one this time! That sounded nice too. Actually, any sort of bed sounded good right now to Vek. Nobody had gotten any sleep since the start of daysleep, and it was now the end of sunwake, a full twenty-five hours later. At least things were wrapping up now. Some squads in other parts of the castle were still out there, clashing with non-Free Serf Eenta soldiers, but on Zone 14, all was quiet. Theyd followed the plan C how long ago it seemed now, to Vek, the hours hed spent with his squad being coached by Anzana on what to do and where to go when the Uprising happened! C and it had worked out perfectly. Most of the non-Free Serf soldiers and servies theyd encountered, in fact, had surrendered at once. Once they heard their patrons were dead, some of them had even joined in. Which Lady Nari had predicted, of course. Rock-god, how he loved her! It was all because of Lady Nari that the Uprising had happened, all because of her that it had even been possible. She was the reason Vek was sitting on this hanging chair right now, rocking back and forth, back and forth, slowly, to sleep He didnt know how long he slept. When he woke up, Zedid was gone. He jumped at once to his feet, rubbing his eyes, feeling ashamed. How could he have fallen asleep while the Uprising was happening? That wasnt good anti-casteist behavior! I told them to let you rest. Vek started at the sound of Anzanas voice. She was sitting across from him on a biscuit-tufted chair with bolster arms, one just like the many Vek had made as a woodworking servie. She looked tired too, but content. Outside the awning windows it was dark. There was a daysclock hanging on the wall above the firelightplace, but it was too far away for Vek to be able to tell what day or time it was. There were enough serfs slumped out on the beds and sofas and even on the carpet, however, to let Vek know that it was probably nighttime. Relaxing back into the hanging chair behind him, Vek grinned at Anzana. It happened, he said. Yes, she replied, smiling. I admit I was anxious when we got the summons right after you went off to see Lady Nari, but I guess I didnt need to be. Shes so perfect. Vek was only half-listening to Anzana; his thoughts had returned to Lady Nari. She wasnt angry at all, even though I deserved it. She C Vek stopped. Hed been about to tell Anzana that Lady Nari had given him a new position, that of interrogator, but no, he had to be more careful than that. Wasnt it a flaw of his that he couldnt stop talking? Lady Nari had overlooked it for long enough. He had to be better. Like hed just said. It wasnt good anti-casteist behavior. Instead, Vek decided to share with Anzana the conclusion hed come to earlier, right after theyd finished locking the last of the Rajas into the barracks. She forgave me for losing the Promised Daughter. He lowered his voice. And thinking about that about how it happened I think I got too close to her. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. To the Promised Daughter you mean? Vek nodded. I called her by her first name, I treated her like she was a friend. I shouldnt have done that. Shes a Rajas. And look, Im not glad shes missing, but I am glad, at least, that Im not with her anymore. I want to be a good anti-casteist and I wasnt when I was with her. A good anti-casteist? Anzana repeated the phrase. You got that from Pakat, the magistrate, from his speech? The one he gave to all of us in the cafeteria after wed finished transferring the Rajas? Uh Vek frowned, trying to remember. Im not sure. I guess so? You havent used that phrase before, so I was wondering where you got it from. Anyway, youre right that its important to be careful who youre close to. Im glad youre thinking about it. Vek grinned, happy with the compliment. Everything is going to be perfect now. To his surprise, Anzana didnt smile and agree with him. Dont get too comfortable. What do you mean? She made a wry face, then leaned sideways against one of her chairs bolster arms. There have been reports, thats all. Of trouble out in the villages. Vek was suddenly uncomfortable. He felt like he should change the subject, that the topic was casteist somehow. But surely it couldnt be wrong to simply listen to what Anzana had to say. What kind of trouble? He watched as Anzana glanced over her shoulder before she continued. Apparently some of the crop villages have been refusing to give up their harvests. Over the past few years, because of poor soil conditions, theyve been producing less and less, so the Xhota have been giving them fewer credits, which means they havent been able to buy as much food for themselves as they used to. Why not eat all our own vegetables? Why not eat all our own rice? At least then well eat enough! Thats what theyre thinking. But the castle serfs, the soldiers and servies, they arent going to follow a patron who cant feed them. If food gets shorter well, it wont be good for Lady Nari. Veks unease melted. Anzana was looking out for Lady Nari, that was all! He shook his head in disbelief, half at himself for doubting Anzana, half at Anzana. Hed experienced this before, flashes of intelligence from her that always made him wonder why she was just a squad leader. Rock-god, Anzana, I dont know how many times Ive told you this, but you should really be a magistrate. You could help Lady Nari so much more if you were! Where I am is best. Vek was about to argue with Anzana about it when he glanced up and saw a shadow cross her face. She looked nervous now, as nervous as Vek had been feeling a moment ago. He couldnt for the life of him though imagine what Anzana might be nervous about. He opened his mouth, closed it, then shrugged his right shoulder. Should he say something? What could he say? Finally, a tight smile crossed Anzanas face, and she spoke. Im old, you know. And Lady Nari needs young magistrates, younger ones than me. Dont bring me up to her. It wouldnt be best. She knows where I am, and shes happy with my position. Oh, Vek said. Okay. He was still confused, but he was also still tired. Besides, he didnt like how scared Anzana looked, how sad. He didnt like noticing how the skin on her arms sagged or how sunken her eyes were. He didnt want things to be bad right now. The Uprising had happened! Everything ought to be C had to be C was C perfect. Im going to find a dorm and sleep some more, he said out loud. Then he frowned. Or actually I should get up and help with the Uprising! Vek was relieved when Anzana smiled. Now she looked more like the squad leader he knew and trusted. No, no, she said, scolding gently. You sleep. Weve got long days ahead of us, get all the rest you can while you can. I wouldnt bother finding a dorm room, either. Just go back to sleep here. Vek yawned. That sounded like a good idea. He lay back down on the hanging chair. It was too short to hold his entire body but on his side with his knees bent he fit just fine. Anzana was smart to tell him to sleep, he did need to make sure he was ready to tackle tomorrow. She really was the best squad leader in the entire bio-dome. Vek was so glad hed shared with her about the Promised Daughter. It had been bothering him for a long time now, how close hed gotten to her. Now he felt better about it. The Vek who had gotten too close to the Promised Daughter, the Vek who had lost the Promised Daughter, that was the old Vek, the pre-Uprising Vek. The post-Uprising Vek would be better C smarter C more anti-casteist. Because that was one thing Anzana was wrong about. She was very smart, but she was wrong when she said things could go bad for Lady Nari. Things wouldnt go bad for Lady Nari. Things would go perfectly. The Uprising had happened. Everything was going to be perfect now. Perfect, it was going to be perfect, it was going to be perfect Chapter 79: “Kill all the Rajas!” Chapter 79: And it was perfect. Just picture it. Four elevators set against the curve of the wall, their golden doors inlaid with gold-plated squares stamped with reliefs of the first oppressor Sarana. Veks elevator doors opens up into the bay, the elevator bay, oh rock-god, how many times in an elevator bay had Vek been spat upon and struck and shoved and shamed? How many nightmares of Veks had taken place in an elevator bay? But now the bay belongs to the serfs, the whole damn floor belongs to the serfs and its a flaring senior Rajas House with living-wood caryatids of all the important queens crossing the floor marking the end of the bay and behind and through the caryatids is the bar room to the left and the dance room to the right and a hallway between them, all filled to bursting with serfs, serfs sitting on bar stools, serfs standing on nested tables in the dance room, serfs crowded against each other in the hallway between the two rooms, serfs leaning against the caryatids facing the elevators looking out into the bay and as for Vek, hes joined them, hes at the front right up against a dragged-in lacquered table, and yes, the table makes it hard to get in and out of the bay and up and down the elevators but its still easier than when it was checkpoints! And look, theres Jethra, her face beaming bright, and its good to see even Hurez on the other side of her, and oh, Iolo from their squad is to Veks left, his smile wide enough to split his face as he pushes through the crowd to get to Vek, and then Iolos right there, next to him, and they cant say anything to each other, cant hear each other above the shouts and laughs and discourse all around, but it doesnt matter, theyre both here to listen to a serf share his opinion and then hear another serf share hers and then another serf and on and on everyone getting to talk and share and think and choose. Choose. Picture it. Getting to choose. And oh! Theres a speaker up on the table now, her feet skidding against the varnish of the tabletop, and shes calling out above the noise and the chatter and shes talking about dorm rooms, how they need to be shared among the serfs and not among the regents and doctor-priests and oh, shes being booed and someone is shouting, The doctor-priests and regents are serfs! and shes shouting back, Theyve lived in better places than us for all these years, if they were true serfs they wouldnt be the first to scramble for even better places, theyd give up the dorms to us, the ones whove suffered the most! and there are cheers, lots of cheers, cheers so loud that nobody can hear what shes saying anymore and so she throws up her hands and someone helps her down and now its Iolo himself getting up on the table and hes waving his hands and calling for quiet and just as the crowd begins to hush Iolo screams. Kill all the Rajas! Kill all the Rajas! Kill all the Rajas? Everyone is silent now. Everyone can hear Iolo speak. Why are we feeding them? Why are we guarding them? We moved them out of their dorms into the barracks for what C to keep on serving and protecting them? My fellow serfs, its been eight diurnals, eight diurnals since the Uprisings happened. What can you honestly say has changed? Vek cant answer, he doesnt know, he never knew Iolo could talk like this, hed always been friendly to Vek but hed always been quiet, soft-spoken, and now hes standing up before a crowd and his face is shining and his words are striking Vek with the force of a blow, and he knows theres an answer, he knows it was on one of Lady Naris exams, but he cant remember it now, all he can feel is the sweeping emotion in his heart, all he can see is Iolos fist in the air, all he can hear is the cry being taken up to Kill all the Rajas! and Vek cant help but wonder, why not? *** What do you mean, why not? Zedid all but screeched at him. Rock-god, Vek, youre C She grabbed his hand and yanked him down so they were both seated on her new Rajas bunk bed. It was as nice as Vek had expected, all sleek and downy comforters. Youre practically Lady Naris favorite agent, she hissed through her teeth. And youre telling me that what Iolo said today turned you into a Watcher? Vek blinked. Im her favorite agent? Not the point right now, Vek. From the glare on Zedids face, it probably wasnt, but still, Vek wasnt about to ignore someone saying something like that! Or maybe he could. Yes, he totally could. I didnt say Iolo turned me into a Watcher, Vek replied, trying desperately to remember what tenets of Watcherism Iolo had espoused. Werent Watchers all about the prophecies being fulfilled naturally? While Enablers C like Vek! C believed that you had to act to fulfill the prophecies? What did either have to do with keeping the Rajas around? I said I just said he had a point. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Watchers think we dont need the Dome Ring, or queens anymore, that the bio-dome will work without them, Zedid replied, still clearly outraged. They think the birth of the Promised Daughter made the bio-dome into a self-sustaining structure. Come on, Vek, this was question #7 on the 4th exam! Vek didnt remember that, but he did remember that Zedid had an uncanny ability to recall exactly what was asked and where in each of Lady Naris exams. You know I dont have every single test question memorized like you do. I just remember some of the answers, the ones that are important. But this was important! Vek put his hand on Zedids shoulder. Look, Im the one Lady Nari goes to when she needs someone to go jump into something. Youre the one she goes to when she needs someone to write up another exam. Fair? Fine, fine, Zedid said, rolling her eyes. Just dont say that kind of thing out loud, it looks bad for Lady Nari to have her agents going around saying that the Watchers make sense. Its bad enough that Iolo is doing it, and hes nobody, just another one of her patronees. Yeah, but nobody knows that Im one of her agents, Vek countered. So it cant look that bad. Zedid gave him a coy glance, then got up. Vek followed her out of the bunk. Everyone else had already left for breakfast; the other five beds were empty. One of them technically belonged to Vek but hed been busy lately and had been falling asleep in random lounges. He liked this dorm, though. It had heavy duty blackout curtains currently doing a great job of blocking out the last of daysleeps light, not to mention its chifforobe was stuffed with truly excellent Rajas clothing. One good thing about routing all the Rajas out of their dorms during daysleep was that most of them had been in their sleeping clothes. Theyd left all their day clothes behind. Which was why Vek was at that very moment wearing white pantaloons and a purple-and-gold brocade zip shirt. Not the most comfortable outfit, maybe, but that wasnt the point. So, Zedid said, the coy look still on her face. It turns out word is coming out about who Lady Naris agents are. I dont know who started sharing, but both our names are out there. Vek was confused by Zedids obvious glee. Isnt that isnt that a bad thing? Well, before the Uprising it would have been bad, but it doesnt really matter anymore, does it? I mean, it means you and I and our friends, like Leem and Seone, will finally get recognized for what we did before the Uprising. I mean, not that I care about that, of course, Zedid added hastily. What matters is the Uprising itself. But still. Itll be nice not to have to hide it anymore. To have people, you know, maybe, thank us. What Zedid was saying didnt sound very anti-casteist. And although he supposed it might be nice to not have to hide anymore that he was an agent, Vek wasnt sure he wanted attention for it either. He hadnt always done the nicest things before the Uprising. Not that anyone who cared about the Uprising would care, true. But he still didnt really want it to come to light how many fingers hed broken along the way. What if someone recognized him? Oh, so, it was you, Vek, Lady Naris agent, who attacked me in the Temple Vek was spared from having to come up with a response by a knock on the door. He went quickly to open it. Anzana! he said, opening the door wider. Come in, come in. Anzana stepped in. She glanced around and nodded a greeting to Zedid. I have a telegraph for you, she told Vek. What does it say? Vek asked, taking the envelope from her. Wait, it wasnt open? All telegraphs for Vek were addressed and sent to Anzana so that nobody could trace them to Vek directly. She always opened them first C she had to, to make sure they were for Vek and not for herself or someone else. But this one wasnt open, and it also had his name and handle scrawled across the sealed flap. Vek broke the seal and pulled out the telegraph paper. Holding both the paper and the envelope in his pinkyless hand, he went and yanked open with his other hand the blackout curtain. There, by the window, he read the serf letters on the page. He frowned. What are C Dont tell us, Anzana said quickly. Huh? Dont tell us what it says. I C Vek hesitated, then nodded. Anzana was right. Even if apparently everyone and her sister was discovering that he was one of Lady Naris agents, that didnt mean they had to know about his new position as an interrogator. He would find out what the crypts were C and who Op was C on his own. Chapter 80: “What – what does this have to do with interrogation?” Chapter 80: It took Vek pretty much the whole day to travel down to the crypts. Thankfully, Op, whoever he was, had set their meeting at the end of sunwake, so Vek didnt have to rush. With no soldiers at the elevator bays, harassing him and denying him access, the elevator ride down to the castles root levels was almost pleasant. Only almost, though. It was kind of crazy with all the movement going on. Hordes of serfs shoving into the elevators, their arms stuffed with Rajas clothes and Rajas pillows, heading who-knows-where. The Free Serf patrons really had to get a system into place to organize everybody. Not to mention the elevators cellarette was empty! Vek had been looking forward to finally getting a drink from it, but other serfs had beaten him to it, he guessed, and nobody had refilled it yet. By the end of the day, Vek was hungry, tired and sick of people in his face. Hed tried to stop and eat at a Zone 3 cafeteria, but theyd argued with him about how he should be eating in his own zone and insisted that he show them papers. Papers, as if Vek carried those around anymore! In the end theyd let him in after hed shown them the envelope of the telegraph Lady Nari had sent him C particularly her stamp across the envelopes face. Of course all that took forever, which meant Vek had only enough time to bolt down whatever he could grab before he had to get back onto the elevator to make it to the crypts on time. At least the crypts were empty. It was cool enough down among the roots to make Vek wish his brocaded zip shirt had sleeves, but no one was pressing their elbows into his chest, so all in all, he preferred it. And Vek didnt have to go in too deep, did he? The telegraph said to go through three arches, then make a left, then keep going through more arches until he reached a wall Under the first arch, Vek almost tripped on the broad back of a root that poked out of the uneven mounds of dirt that made up the crypt floor. It was dark in here; the only light came through a fanlight window above the cusped arch door behind him. Thankfully the second arch was clear, but the third had a root cutting diagonally through it, forcing Vek to climb up and over it. He turned to his left and grimaced at the sight of even more roots. Over and up and under and through and rock-god, when would the crypt end? By the time Vek saw the cove lights up ahead, he was already wondering what the crypts were for. Had some Rajas queen ordered the space to be built then forgotten about it? Maybe it had been too hard to keep things clear down here, what with the castle roots growing and shoving and breaking their way through everything. At least the cove lights were bright enough to show Vek a way forward. Still, when he finally got through the last arch, and stumbled into a relatively root-free alcove, his hands were scraped, and his clothes were no longer quite as clean as when hed first put them on. That was when he first saw the wall-stocks. Vek stiffened. He himself had spent too much time locked up in wall-stocks to have any other reaction. He blinked at the man currently hooded and chained to the alcove wall C hands cuffed behind his back C the chain running from the cuffs through a closed loop hook on the wall C all the way to the collar around his neck. Then Vek looked at the man standing beside him. Op, the man said, pointing at himself. Then he pointed at Vek. And you can be Sat. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Vek looked back and forth between the two men. Whats going on? We can call it your training. My training? To be an interrogator, of course! What C what does this have to do with interrogation? Vek watched as Ops eyes grew wide. My dear boy, he said, gesturing around him. This is interrogation. Now watch and learn. How strange, Vek thought, as he watched Op remove the sack from the mans head. There was nothing about Ops appearance that made him stand out. He looked like an ordinary serf. The black servie uniform, the average height, no unusual features C Vek would have passed him in a hallway without even noticing him. Even now, as Op took out a serf prod from a toolkit on the ground beside him, even now he looked normal, natural. As if there was no other way to look, no other way to be. Let us begin, Op said. He tapped the serf prod against the chained mans cheek. This here is Reliam. He is going to tell us exactly how he first came to betray Lady Nari and the serfs. *** It wasnt that bad, Vek told himself afterwards. It was just a few questions. The part when Reliam started screaming had been a little hard to watch, but he was a traitor. If anyone deserved it, a traitor did. And the interrogation had worked, hadnt it? Reliam had given Op a list of names, almost ten serfs. Vek had his copy of the list in his pocket right now; he could feel it folded up against his leg. Nine names, nine names, nine traitors, and Vek had to go through the list and find each one. Vek closed his eyes. He was lying stretched out on a daybed in some lower-level Rajas lounge. His hands were folded behind his head. He felt cold. After the interrogation, Op had shown Vek where the Free Serf files were. Hed taken him through the crypt, showing him how the files filled the entire root level floor. What Vek in the dim light had thought were solid arch shafts were actually hollowed out to fit file cabinets. File upon file upon file of every single serf whod ever participated in the Free Serf movement: the agents, the serfs of every Free Serf patron, and the serfs of every non-Free Serf patron whod ever served as aide or spy to the Uprising. Its here, Op had told him, that youll find all the information you need on those nine names. Nine names, nine serfs, nine other people. Look them up, find them, ask them some questions, add to their files, then tell Op. So simple. Easier than a mission, even. Vek would just one at a time ask them to follow him, then hed lead them to the crypts, and then hed ask them some questions. That was all. Just some questions to find out what they knew about the Promised Daughter, about Lady Ki, about other traitors After were done, we take them to a Rajas cell, Op had told Vek. The man had grinned then, and slapped Vek on the back. Never thought youd see the day, eh? When a serf would be placed in a Rajas cell? It was too bad that Reliam hadnt had anything specific to say about the Promised Daughter. Not that Vek necessarily expected him to announce the Promised Daughters location, but still. It would have made the whole interrogation process feel a little better, a little more useful. Not that the point was Veks feelings, of course. The point was to get information about traitors from traitors. Still. It would have been nice. Vek inhaled deeply, his eyes still closed. He was pretty worn out. It was probably best to get some sleep. He had a lot of work ahead of him. Its going to be perfect, he whispered. Its going to be perfect, its going to be perfect, its going to be perfect Chapter 81: “The Rajas are trying to escape through the serf staircase?” Chapter 81: Vek! Anzana protested, laughing. Were on patrol duty! Vek grinned and held his knapsack up by its hook. Itll be a quick drink, I promise. He thrust his hand into one of the knapsacks side compartments and pulled out the jar of milk hed sweet-talked a friendly kitchen servie into giving him. Phatia C the youngest servie in their squad C immediately bounced forward. A shy smile touched her lips as she stretched out her hands. Still grinning, Vek handed the jar to her with a flourish. After Phatia drank, she passed the jar onto Hurez. He sourly thanked Vek. He took a single swallow, then gave it, now a quarter-emptied, to Anzana. Laughter still in her face, she gestured the jar back to Hurez. Take it to the others. Phatia, you take the forward patrol. Vek, walk with me. Vek was glad to fall into line. He watched as Phatia held the jar of milk so Hurez could unlock and open the grate grafted into place over the barracks door. No doubt the Rajas inside would stare enviously at the milk being carried through to the hallway on the other side of the barracks. Vek felt relieved that it was Hurez then, who was doing it, and not Phatia. Sorry Im late, Vek said to Anzana as they began walking down the hallway. Like the hallways that surrounded most barracks, this one was a curving corridor, stretching from a lift on one end to a small high window on the other. The hallway on the other side of the barracks was the same, minus the lift. Iolo, in one of his rare moments of humor, had described the hallway-barracks-hallway design as a bowl on a balls head, and then another on its butt, too. You dont have to explain, Anzana replied. Vek grinned. It was good to hear familiar words, good to be back in a familiar place. Hed been in the crypts for the past two diurnals, searching for the nine files he needed C and getting more training, in the meantime, from Op. The latter experience had motivated Vek to search quickly; hed almost shouted for joy when he found the last file. Now he had all nine in the knapsack on his back. Vek had debated going straight to his dorm to read through them but had decided to instead join his squad on patrol duty. He did have to maintain his cover, after all. Settling into an easy stride, Vek turned towards Anzana. Is everyone else in the other hallway? Three of them are. Two more are stationed outside the serf staircase doors, with Iolo walking on the steps back and forth to check on them. Vek gave a low whistle. The Rajas are trying to escape through the serf staircase? A few have tried. Now that was crazy. There were always two serf staircase doors out of the barracks, one on either end of it, and while they were popular enough among servies and soldiers, Vek couldnt imagine a princess climbing up the railingless steps. Wouldnt she be afraid of falling? Wouldnt she get tired? Wouldnt she think it was beneath her? Phatia was at the small, high window now, while Vek and Anzana were still near the lift. Vek started to tell Anzana that he was surprised the Rajas even knew the serf staircase existed, when he felt her grip his arm, and heard her say, Dont do this again. He was startled. Do what? Steal from the kitchens. I C I didnt C I asked C It doesnt matter. More and more serfs know who you are now; you cant be seen using your status to get extra for yourself or even for us. That wont end well for you. Vek barely knew what to say. He glanced at Anzana then glanced away. Shame suddenly flooded through him. Im sorry, he mumbled. No, its not like that. Anzana stopped in her tracks and pulled Vek towards her, forcing him to meet her eyes. Im saying it for your sake. I dont want to see you accused. Her voice was warm enough to ease away some of the shame. Anzanas eyes, deep in her wrinkled face, were strong and firm. Im sorry, he said again. I didnt think I guess I didnt realize the kitchen servie recognized me. I thought she was just being friendly. Maybe she was, maybe she wasnt. But you have to be above reproach. Vek sighed. For most of his life hed been virtually invisible, the last to be noticed. That had worked well for him. It had certainly allowed him to accomplish his missions more easily. Now people he didnt know were starting to smile at him in the hallways, and when hed gone back to the Zone 3 cafeteria, the serf in charge had come out of the kitchen to apologize to him for the previous time. Which Vek hadnt minded, but still, it had been a little uncomfortable, especially given his new role. Because how was Vek supposed to interrogate people if they knew who he was? Maybe his newfound fame would make them follow him down to the crypts more easily, but then wouldnt the actual interrogation part be kind of awkward and embarrassing? Maybe Vek would blindfold them or something after chaining them up, and then go away for a little and come back pretending to be someone else. Well, Ill go return the jar when Hurez brings it back, Vek said. Ill tell the kitchen servie I was wrong to ask for it. At least that, right? He was glad when Anzana replied playfully, by wagging a finger in his face. And dont do it again, you hear? Vek was about to bow and reply with a joke in Rajim when he stopped in his tracks. Is that someone screaming? Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! In front of him, Anzana had gone still. Her eyes were tight and wary. When another scream sounded, then several others, she pulled out her serf prod from its sheath on her back. Without speaking a word, she raced for the grate over the barracks door. Vek followed swiftly behind her but was slowed up by Anzana having trouble with the lock. Here, let me help, he said, but she shook her head. Ive got it, Ive got it. Finally, after several minutes, Anzana managed to unlock the grate. By then it seemed like all the Rajas were screaming. Rushing in, Vek narrowly avoided bowling over a princess standing right in front of the barracks door. He killed her! she howled in Veks face. He killed her! He killed her! For an instant Vek didnt know what to do. A Rajas was yelling at him. All the muscles in his body were urging him to obey. But she wasnt ordering him to do anything. So should he flee? No, no, the Uprising had happened, he should take charge, that was what he had to do! Anzana beat him to it. Calm down, she told the screaming Rajas. When the princess didnt listen, Anzana grabbed her by the arm and jerked her to the side, clearing a path to the central aisle between the bunks. Of course the princess screamed even louder but by then Anzana was already walking to the aisle towards a group of Rajas clustered around a lower bunk bed. After blinking once or twice, Vek followed her. By the time he got there, Anzana was talking to another princess, who was tearfully but more clearly explaining what had happened. A serf came in here and cut her, then ran out, the princess was saying to Anzana. It happened so fast. I just dont understand. What did we ever do to you? We took care of you. We kept the bio-dome alive for you. Why are you doing this to us? Just look at her! At the sight of the blue-faced and bloodied body in the bunk, Vek started a little. Behind him he heard Anzana ask where the serf had cut her. He slashed her across the shoulder and then she froze up and started frothing. Oh why, why? She was fertile, shed just started having girl children, why would anyone kill her? Vek stared at the body of the dead princess. Poison, it sounded like, if the princess was to be believed. Which way did the serf come from? Anzana asked. Vek glanced up in time to see the princess point down the aisle at the serf staircase door along the southern end of the barracks. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Anzanas brow furrow. He knew what she had to be thinking. Iolo, Qara and Venit were on patrol duty on the serf staircase. Had it been one of them? Had it been someone theyd let in? And which way did the serf run out? The same way. Vek closed his eyes. Killing a Rajas, well, who hadnt thought about it? But actually going for it, actually taking the knife or dart or prod and profaning a holy life He couldnt help but shudder. Vek. Vek! Yes, sorry. He turned to Anzana. She was pointing him out the barracks door. You need to go and get this information to Lady Nari, right away. Tell her Im figuring out who it was, or narrowing it down, anyway. But she needs to know, and now. Okay, Vek said. Rock-god, it was strange to see the Rajas all stuffed into the barracks, sitting up on the top bunks, stretching out on the bottom ones, half-hanging off the posts, all of them peering out into the aisle the way he used to whenever some punishment or fight occurred. Only one of them was dead now, she was lying dead in her bunk and shed been reproductively-able and although Vek couldnt care less for her he found himself wondering C did it have to happen? Oh, but he couldnt think that he shouldnt think that, it was a Rajas, who cared if she died? It wasnt as if this particular princess had been destined to become a queens mother or something. So it probably really didnt matter as long as only she was killed and C Vek! Go! Sorry, sorry. He nodded to Anzana then raced down the cross aisle that led back to the hallway hed just been in. Phatia was there waiting. What happened? she asked. Is everything okay? A Rajas was killed, Vek told her. Her silence seemed more confused than stunned. A Rajas is dead? she repeated. I have to go, Vek replied. Ask Anzana. Does she need me in there? she asked. Vek was already down the hall and pushing the button for the lift. She didnt say. He felt bad to abandon Phatia there, but once he arrived at the telegraph room, he was glad hed made that choice. The telegraph room was buzzing with activity; Vek was clearly not the only serf trying to get an urgent message out. He stood at the edges of the round room, wondering what to do when one of the servies sitting beside her teleprinter called out to him. Are you Vek? Lady Naris agent? Hm. Anzana had told him not to use his status to get extra for himself, but shed also told him to send a message to Lady Nari right away, and a message to Lady Nari wasnt extra for himself. Vek waved at the servie. Yes! Here, come here, Ill help you! Vek shimmied his way around the serfs hovering over the seated typists and their teleprinters. He had to pick up his feet to avoid tripping over the wires that ran this way and that all around the round room. He managed to eventually get over to the servie whod called out to him, and after an instinctive smile and bow, Vek accepted her communication pad. With only four fingers it was tough, but he pushed himself nonetheless to write the message as quickly as possible. As soon as he was done, she typed it up, and then it was off, off to Lady Nari, and Veks job was done. The servie was a pretty girl, though, so Vek didnt mind lingering. Is it usually this busy? he asked, looking around. I guess we keep you typists working hard. Oh no, its really not so bad, she responded, smiling shyly. A whole bunch of serfs came in just now, all at once, actually. Something must have happened. That caught Veks attention. A trickle of unease worked its way into his stomach. Could you find out for me what it was? Oh, sure, yes, I can. Vek waited by the teleprinter while the servie got up and spoke to a few of the other typists sitting at their desks. More than once she pointed back at Vek, who saluted, making sure to keep the anxiety off his face. When she came back, however, her face reflected Veks hidden worry. All of them are the same as yours. The same as Veks he leaned over her desk and lowered his voice. Theyre all about someone killing a Rajas? Eyes wide, she nodded. I should go, Vek said. He tried to smile. Thanks for your help. She nodded again, quietly. Vek turned to leave, and once again had to work his way through the round room. It was now even more crowded than before C and more tense. Nobody was saying anything out loud, but it was obvious to everyone that something had gone very, very wrong. Chapter 82: “I’m not a shadow member anymore.” Chapter 82: Zedid? Vek whispered. Mmm. Are you awake? Mmm. Restless, Vek shifted from one side of his bunk to the other. He couldnt sleep. He didnt want to bother Zedid, but he needed to talk to someone. Rolling over again, Vek glanced at Zedid. She was lying on her side. Her eyes were closed, but her face was turned his way. Zedid? he tried again. Her eyes fluttered open. What? Vek took a deep breath. Do you ever think C Then he paused. There were other servies in the dorm, four other servies, Jethra, Begvai C another serf from Squad #210 C and two others from Zedids squad. Were they awake? Were they listening? Maybe it would be better for Vek to pull a Hanjan and keep quiet. Never mind, he said. Go back to sleep. Sorry to wake you. Zedid closed her eyes. Sokay, she murmured sleepily. Good night, Vek whispered. Gnight. *** Back in the crypts. Vek stumbling, wobbling. Whats wrong with you? I had a C a drink. A drink? You look like youve had six. Take it easy next time. Yes, I gotta go, right? Go where? Pick up a serf prod. Weve got an interrogation to do. And a new interrogator to train too, see, hes coming now. Hey you! This way! Were over here! Serf prod in hand. Slipping out. Sliding out of his grasp. Pick it up, pick it up! There, Veks got it now. He picks it up. He lifts it. There she is, somebody, name #4, already blindfolded in the wall-stocks. He put her there, didnt he? Last night, he brought her down, he smiled at her and asked her to help him with something, and she did, all the way down to the crypts, she followed him, not even once getting suspicious, and now shes here and its just a few questions a few questions. Find out what she knows about the Rajas murders. Be thorough. If you do a good job, this will be your last interrogation with me. Nows the chance to show me you can do this on your own. Remember, theyre murderers, Watchers, all of them, trying to overthrow Lady Nari, Watcher murderers. Dont hold back. You there, youre going after Sat. Get ready. Vek cant think. Theyre murderers, theyre murderers. But isnt Vek supposed to find out if thats what they are? Or are they murderers already? Yes, they have to be, thats what they are, thats why Vek is interrogating them, yes, thats right, hes right, hes right, hes right! They hate themselves, they have C what was the term Op used? C internalized hatred, yes, that was it, they see themselves like the Rajas see them, they see all of us serfs the way the Rajas see us, thats why they betray us, because theyre on the side of the Rajas, so its okay to hurt them, its good, its good to hurt them! Tell us everything you know, Vek hears himself say. Itll be easier for you, in the end, if you do. *** Youve been quiet lately. Vek looked up. It was Zedid, Zedid and Seone. They were both good girls, Free Serf girls, Veks friends. He was happy, very happy, to see them. What, no response? Zedid sat down next to him on the channel back sofa, playfully jostling him as she did. Shed always been affectionate. Seone, too, although right now she was sitting down on the aalto stool across from them. Come on, Vek, he heard Seone say. We know somethings bothering you. Whats going on? Vek closed his eyes. The lounge was full of serfs. He could hear their excited chatter C in Chenmay and in Eenma, as was usual on First Day. First Day, after all, was when the new apprentices arrived at the castles. Everyone spoke in village speech on First Day as a way to make the drafted children feel more welcome. Behind him Vek could hear someone explaining the holiday to one of the new apprentices. First Day is the first day of the rainsoon season. Its the only holiday we have that isnt about the Rajas. Whats that you say? Isnt First Day the same as Queen Rathi Day? Well, sure, its the same diurnal, but we dont celebrate the queens anymore, we celebrate the new season, the rains that come and fill our greenhouse walls, the underground rivers that swell and replenish the holy lake. Vek, are you okay? This time it was Zedid, her soft voice breaking through his thoughts. Vek opened his eyes and sighed. Im just worried, thats all, he said smoothly. I know that with all the Rajas dying every diurnal that we need more bodies to guard them. We have to draft those who passed the caste exams, we have to. But I heard that the villages dont care, that theyre angry the Free Serfs decided to go ahead still with this years draft. Theyre saying its the same as before the Uprising, that the Golden Castle is still taking their children away from them. Seone and Zedids shocked faces only made him feel worse. Seone even had a hand over her mouth. Well, Zedid said uncertainly. Maybe the villages are upset, but surely they understand that its different now, that its for the Uprising I hope so, Vek replied. Where did you hear that from, anyway? Seone asked. Anzana. Anzana, really? Zedid made a face. How could she know something like that? Vek blinked. What do you mean? I mean, I know shes your squad leader and that you like her, but isnt she kind of dumb? Vek stared at Zedid. He had no idea what to say. Anzana was one of the smartest serfs he knew! He half-turned to Seone to appeal to her for support, but she was shrugging, and the expression on her face said, sorry, what can I do, I agree with Zedid. She doesnt have a reputation for being altogether there, you know? Zedid continued. She put a hand on Veks knee. I know she cares about you, though, and I know you care about her. I Vek still didnt know what to say. I never heard that from anyone Well, nobody was going to say anything to you, Seone replied. Everyone who knows you knows how close you are to her. Vek covered his face with his unmutilated hand. He felt even worse than he had before. She also told me the crop villages were eating their own produce, and that it could cause a food shortage for us here in the castles. But I guess that isnt true either? This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Well Seone cleared her throat. That, actually, shes not wrong about Wait, really? I havent noticed anything going short though. Zedid leaned forward, her hands pushing into the upholstered seat. Vek sat up as well. Seone was a kitchen servie, so shed actually know something about this. I dont think were going to run out or anything, Seone replied. But we are eating into whats in storage. We havent gotten anything fresh in diurnals. Weve got a lot stored though! I know Lady Nari will figure something out before we even get close to running out. I mean, its because of her that we even have these food stores in the first place, you know? For the first time in diurnals, Vek felt a smile tug on his lips. Thank you, he told Seone. She gave him a half-amused, half-confused look. Sure, I guess. No, really. Thank you for reminding me that Lady Nari will figure things out. That she was already ready for the villages to do something like this. That makes things a lot better. And it really did make things better. Hearing Seones simple declaration of confidence in Lady Nari filled out, a little, the hollow ache in Veks chest. Seone was right. Lady Nari would figure it out. All Vek had to do was his little part. Maybe Ill request an apprentice, Vek said out loud. He grinned, knowing his joke would make Seone and Zedid laugh, and enjoying it when they did indeed laugh. How the Uprising had turned things around such that a patronless serf could even think about getting an apprentice for himself! Not that Vek would do it. Having a ten-year-old fresh from a village follow him around everywhere sounded like a nightmare. But still, it was nice that the possibility was open to someone like Vek. Maybe then well be able to find out from your apprentice where youre always sneaking off to. Vek turned and looked over the sofas back at Hurez. Why do you care? Because youre lying. Vek shot to his feet. He could feel the blood rushing to his head, could sense his adrenaline soaring, could taste a bitter hatred flooding his mouth. Rock-god, how he hated Hurez! How he hated him, hated him heart and soul, hated him with every fiber of his being. Hurez and his endless prying and prodding and sneering and snapping, rock-god, how Vek hated him! Dont be ridiculous, Vek heard Zedid say beside him. Veks not lying. Hurez pointed at her. Maybe not, but you are. Dont talk that way to her, Vek hissed. Hurez ignored him. You said that shadow members have extra duties. But the Uprisings happened now, in case you havent noticed, and Veks still sneaking off and leaving his work to the rest of us. I mean, unless hes still a shadow member even now? From behind him Vek heard Seone stand up. Hurez, dont be a flare. Im not, Im just C Youre right, Vek said. At that, not only did Hurez, Seone and Zedid stop talking, three other serfs sitting in a conversation pit nearby did too. Vek could feel their eyes on him as he stepped onto the sofa and vaulted over it. Now he was only a few paces away from Hurez. Youre right, he said again. Im not a shadow member anymore. Now even the serfs in the clustered chair-and-table-setting a little further off were watching and listening too. Vek watched as the confusion on Hurez face turned into alarm. He began to back away from Vek. I didnt mean C I didnt mean to C he started to say, but Vek had had enough. Enough, enough, hed had enough, and now he was racing for Hurez and Hurez was stumbling away and now both of them were on the ground, Vek on top, and he was pummeling him, striking him in exactly the right spots, red flashing before his eyes, and rock-god, it felt good, it felt good, it felt good! But just as quickly as it began, it was over. Someone was pulling Vek up and off Hurez and then Zedid and Seone were on either side of him, each of them holding him back by one arm. Of course they couldnt have stopped Vek, not when he was like this, with his heart all pounding and his chest heaving, but he didnt want to hurt them, so he stayed still. Besides, he could hear Zedid calling out to everyone watching, You know that Hurez deserved that, and more, and then Vek heard the serfs gathered around call out their agreement and throw shouts of encouragement his way, and oh rock-god, to hear Chenmay cheers for him, for Vek with his shaved head, that reached him in a place hed thought was long buried and C he couldnt help it C he turned so that nobody could see his tears C and there like an answer was Zedids hand on his back, and she was whispering not in the pidgin they usually spoke but in Chenmay, See? You dont have to worry, you dont have to be down. The Uprisings happened. Its going to be perfect, its going to be perfect, its going to be perfect. *** Later that night, Vek and Zedid decided to sneak out together to one of the cortiles the Rajas once used for Houseparties. At the elevator bay on their zone, they were stopped C but this time by other Chenta. Free Serfs have re-instated checkpoint units at all the bays, one of them told Vek. He was yawning, clearly reciting a memorized line hed given a thousand times before. Its to keep things orderly. I have my papers, Zedid said quickly. Vek, you dont have to show yours, its enough if hes with me, right? The guard shrugged. He half-turned to his partner. I dont know, is it okay? Vek took Zedid by the hand. His heart was full of emotion. How considerate she was of him! How protective! Although, of course, she didnt need to be anymore. Her question was out of habit, a habit left over from before the Uprising. Its fine, he said out loud. I actually have my papers on me, for once. He pulled out his booklet and handed it to the Chenta guard. Here. Vek was not disappointed. He watched as the guards lazy slouch turned into an upright and attentive posture. Then the guard looked up, his eyes full of awe. Shadow member C youre Vek, arent you? Yes, Vek answered. He held up Zedids hand, his fingers interlaced with hers. And this here is Zedid. The other guard immediately ushered them forward. Go, go, take whichever one you want, please, be our guest. Vek grinned. He accepted back his booklet and tugged Zedid forward. They managed to wait until they were inside the elevator car C thank the rock-god, it was empty C before they started kissing. All the way down to the cortile they kissed; when the elevator doors finally opened up, they stumbled out, both of them laughing. This time the elevator bay was guarded by Eenta soldiers. Vek felt a thrill as he and Zedid approached them. Soldiers normally didnt check the booklets of those exiting elevators, but still, it was way past curfew. Not that there was a curfew anymore! One of the soldiers was an Eenta woman, a fairly beautiful one at that. Vek winked at her as he led Zedid by the hand out of the arcade and under one of the arches that surrounded the cortile. The Eenta turned away. When Vek saw that, blood rushed to his head. He felt almost dizzy from giddiness. Hed been avoiding Eenta since the Uprising had happened. Now he knew that he hadnt needed to be afraid. The Uprising had happened C and it had happened to the Eenta too. He turned to Zedid. You know, I never got how the Eenta fit into the Uprising. I mean, theyre serfs too, that I remember from Lady Naris exams because it was on every single one of them, but theyre serfs who helped the Rajas. Some of them, maybe, Zedid said. They were speaking in Chenmay still, as they had been all day. But I worked with good agents who were Eenta. Didnt you? Yeah, fair enough. Vek had worked with good agents who were Eenta. He just hadnt liked doing it. Whenever Vek had anything to do with an Eenta, anything that wasnt throwing rocks at them, he always found himself fighting uncomfortable thoughts, thoughts about his background, thoughts about who he really was, thoughts like the ones coming up even now Vek stopped walking. Urgently he drew Zedid to him. Half-protesting, half-laughing, she wiggled away, grabbing him by the wrist and leading him to the arcade on the other side of the cortile. Only then, in the darkness, did she allow him to caress her. With eager hands Vek took hold of her. All thoughts were driven from his mind then, which was perfect, it was perfect, she was perfect, the Uprising was perfect, it was going to be perfect, everything was perfect, Vek didnt have to worry about a single thing, not a single thing C *** Vek, sit with us! Vek grinned but shook his head. It was Iolo calling out to him, Iolo with half a dozen other servies at his table. Not that Vek minded Iolo these days, but Zedid was waiting for him, and after last night, Vek wanted to sit with Zedid. He made his way to the hot cupboards where the food was out and steaming in their tubs. Rajas cafeterias were the best! Vek glanced over the cupboards into the kitchen, intending to thank the servie dishing out the food. He met the eyes of an Eenta instead, and almost drew back. Can I help you? the Eenta asked. And nicely too! Not sullenly at all. Huh. Maybe Zedid was right. Shed been telling him that the Eenta were afraid of the Chenta, that they felt pressure to prove their anti-casteism. Not that there was much the Eenta could do to prove they were just as anti-casteist as the Chenta, but still, Vek was happy to give them opportunities to try. Sliding his tray along the sill, he pointed at what he wanted from the hot cupboards. Not once did the Eenta say anything rude, not once did he sneer. Hows the food? Zedid asked him after he slid into the seat beside her. Vek picked up his flatbread and scooped a bite of curry into his mouth. He chewed, swallowed, then grinned. Its perfect. Chapter 83: "Who do you think you are, a goldskin?” Chapter 83: Three diurnals or so later, Vek was once again sitting in a cafeteria, this time alone. Half dozing, he listened to a conversation between two servies in Chenmay. Normally it took only a diurnal or so after Queen Rathi Day C no, First Day C for the castle to switch back to using the castle serf pidgin, but it was five diurnals into the rainsoon season now and it seemed like the village languages were here to stay. The Xhota are starting to pull away, one of the servies was saying. The other shook his head, as if in dismay. I hear the stalls elected a single representative for the whole urb. Theyve never done that before, are they even allowed to? Allowed to or not, they did it. And the first thing she did was put every Xhota soldier out there on patrol duty. Yawning, Vek rubbed the back of his head. Hed shaved it again, recently, and had nicked himself in the process. Oh, well, that was what happened when you had to do it yourself. Vek yawned again. I hope #9 shows up soon, he thought. Its getting late. You done? Vek blinked, then sat upright. Sorry? The aproned servie passing by jerked his thumb at Veks empty plate on the table in front of him. You done eating? Uh, yeah. Then put it up. Who do you think you are, a goldskin? Vek laughed. No, not a goldskin. Happy to put it up. He got to his feet and stretched. The cafeteria was pretty much empty, it was just him and the two servies talking about Stoneset Quinter. Grabbing his plate, Vek made his way to the conveyor belt and placed his plate, cleared of food, onto a tray passing through. He wiped his hands on his pants C a blue and black triangle patterned member C and began to return to his table. Come on, Vek thought, a little irritated. I received good information this time, that this kitchen right now would be the time and place to find you! Then it hit Vek. Maybe his mark was coming into the kitchen down through the serf staircase. Vek glanced at the line of hot cupboards in front of him. The kitchen was beyond the line of cupboards; the door into it was to their right. This was one of the smaller cafeterias, originally designed for senior doctor-priests and regents only. Hed definitely get noticed if he tried the door beside the hot cupboard line, but Vek could probably get onto the serf staircase and into the kitchen through the back without attracting too much attention. Well, if he was going to do it, he had to do it now. Making up his mind, Vek walked quickly to the lift in the back of the cafeteria. One level up and a quick jaunt to the end of the hall and then Vek was outside C and oh, it was raining. Vek stared at the rain for a whole second before coming to his senses. What, was he worried about his pants? He could raid another closet if he needed to! Rock-god, this wasnt like him, he had to get his head straight. #9 was an important mark, the last one on Veks list, Veks last chance to get information on the Promised Daughter. That meant Vek couldnt screw this up. Into the rain and get wet, it doesnt matter, go! By the time Vek got to the door one level below, he was soaked through. With slippery hands he turned the doors wheel. It was locked; Vek had to thrust the wheel to the side to unlock the mechanism. Once inside, he began shaking himself dry, sending the droplets on his head flying. Thankfully, it was warm inside, even hot. It seemed quiet, too. Had all the kitchen servies finished up and left while Vek was out on the serf staircase? He peered through half-cleaned dishes stacked into several upright carts, then eased his way between them. Now he was in the wash-up area. Garbage and broken glassware littered the floor; it was disgusting, but Vek ignored it. These days filthy was the way it was everywhere in the castle. At least the cleaning tables on either side of him were mostly wiped down, as were the basket runners that ran through a dish washing machine and sink. And there, straight ahead, along the length of the kitchen, were the hot cupboards, the ones Vek had seen from the dining room. Vek peered over them back into the cafeteria. It was empty. As was the kitchen, it seemed. Vek frowned. He scratched the back of his head. There shouldve been a few lingering servies in the kitchen at least pretending to be cleaning up. Where were they? Why was nobody here? Wait. Why was nobody here? Slowly, almost hesitantly, Vek did a lap through the empty kitchen. Stories hed been hearing over the past several diurnals started coming together in his mind. I was attacked, shared Seone once, and then someone from her squad had chimed in, My dorm was raided, I came back while they were doing it and they beat me up. Another one of Veks friends had confessed to stealing from the kitchens, and Anzana had shaken her head when she heard. The crime rate has been going up, its getting more and more organized, and its not just Rajas who are being killed. Instinct was now hissing at Vek: weapon, weapon, you need a weapon. But what could he use? Was there a knife in the drying cart? Maybe he could detach a spray arm from a sink? Or pick up a big piece of glass from the floor? Rock-god, Vek had been thinking for ages that he should start carrying a serf prod around with him, but hed kept delaying and delaying and now C Vek spun around. He was back by the upright carts. That noise, though, that soft suction of a bioplastic seal being peeled open, that was the door. Not the serf staircase door, that one was behind him, but the door Vek had decided against using, the door that led from the cafeteria into the kitchen, that door was being opened, and someone was coming through it, someone was coming through it into the kitchen, and Veks hands, both of them, the mutilated and the whole, they were both empty, they were both terrifyingly empty C The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. A smothered scream rang out. Then a muffled pidgin word: No! No! Vek raced around the end of the sink, sliding past the hot cupboards, grabbing as he ran a burner grate from a stove. But he was too late. Right by the doorway leading in from the dining area was a Chenta serf holding an Eenta by her hair. He was sliding a knife across her throat. He was killing her right before Veks eyes. Vek didnt know what to do. He didnt want to fight a Chenta over an Eenta! Then, when the man straightened up and lunged forward, Vek realized, oh rock-god, hes going to kill me next! Veks mission habits kicked in with a jolt. He heaved the burner grate at the other serf. When the other serf stumbled back, recoiling, Vek turned and raced down the kitchen aisle past the stoves all the way to the twin basket fryers. Good, the oil was still hot! He grabbed a basket by its front hook and swung it just in time to block a knife thrust. Drops of oil sizzled against skin C the other serf jerked away with a growl. Vek leaned back against the refrigerators facing the fryers, and, with one swift motion, yanked one of the doors open and knocked it into his attackers face. His attacker reeled back. Vek dropped his basket, stepped forward, and grabbed his wrist with both hands. With his thumbs Vek tried to push his attackers hand backward in order to loosen his grip on his knife. But he was too strong. Vek had been in enough fights to be able to tell at once that Vek would be the one overpowered before long, and damnit, now the serf was using his other hand to scratch at Veks face, his long powerful fingers trying to get hold of Veks stubble and rock-god, he had grabbed Veks ear, it felt like he was trying to yank it off C Thankfully, Vek had enough presence of mind to not let go of the mans knife hand. Instead of trying to free his ear, Vek kicked out with his foot at the mans groin. When the man doubled over, Vek wrenched his ear loose then headbutted his attacker right in the chest, letting go of the mans knife hand at the exact same moment. Then he ran. Past the ice maker and around the fryers, Vek soon found himself back at the serf staircase door. For a moment he considered escaping out through the doorway, but he didnt want to. He had to bring in mark #9 and if the Chenta trying to kill him right now wasnt his mark, then the Eenta had been, and in that case it was worth bringing the Chenta in anyway to find out why hed done the murder. In any case, Vek had to bring in someone! Pausing by the door, Vek saw what hed missed before: a knife, a hefty butchers knife, hidden right up against the end of a dish cart. Perfect! Vek grabbed it and swung it forward. The butcher knife slid against the other Chentas hand, scraping his knuckles. The other Chenta jumped back, and Vek did too. They faced each other, both panting. The other serf was sweating. His short straight hair, typical of a Chenta servie, was glistening. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Vek straight in the face. Eenta, he spat. At that, Vek froze. He came to life only after he found himself ducking out of the way of a crashing-down dish cart. After it was down, Vek realized that his back was against a wall and that his elbow was in the basket runners, while the other serf was C no C he was opening the serf staircase door C Ignoring the plates and cups breaking under his feet, Vek clambered on top of the upturned dish cart and leapt for the closing serf staircase door. He managed to ram his shoulder into the door just as it closed; it pushed open a tiny bit. Vek thought about sticking his fingers into the crack to hold it open so the other serf couldnt lock the door on him but thought better of it. Instead, he thrust his butcher knife blade-first through the crack and swiped. A cry rewarded Veks efforts. The pressure on the door released and Vek was able to thrust it open. Of course he was immediately slapped in the face by a wave of wind and rain but by then Veks adrenaline was soaring. He felt hot, almost feverish. Through the rain he could see the other serf scrambling up the serf staircase. Good! Strength meant less out here on the rain-slick steps. Speed and quick footwork could win this fight, and that meant things were in Veks favor. Sure enough, Vek soon caught up to the other serf. This time he didnt swipe. Tightening his grip on the butcher knife, Vek raced upwards and tackled the serf around his waist. With a jerk, Vek was able to bring him to his knees. Another jerk caused the man to slip and fall face down onto the wet steps. The man began flailing backwards with his knife. Pain bit Veks arm, his shoulder, the side of his face, but rock-god, Vek had him now and he wasnt going to let go! Together they slid down, step by step. Vek could tell they were getting closer and closer to the edge of the serf staircase. He didnt want to chance a glance C if he loosened his grip on the man he would lose the fight C so instead Vek tried to twist the butcher knife around so that its blade would be perpendicular to the mans belly instead of flat against it. But the knife scraped against the steps. Vek would have to wait until it was between steps so that there would be enough room for the blade to turn But now they were starting to slide down faster C and faster C theyd hit a wet patch C uh oh C the man had stopped trying to stab Vek and was now pushing them both down the steps with his hands C faster and faster C Vek was almost at the edge now C With a grunt, Vek twisted the blade at just the right moment. It slid into the mans belly. To the mans credit, he didnt scream, he didnt even groan, but he did stop trying to push Vek off the edge of the serf staircase. Vek could feel the man shuddering beneath him, could hear his gasps. Cautiously, slowly, Vek began to let go, to crawl over the man, to get away from the edge that was now not even a handbreadth behind his heels. Then the man shoved him. Thank the rock-god Vek hadnt been standing. Even so, he was still knocked off balance, and his feet slipped off the edge C rock-god C Veks feet were now dangling over the precipice C his hands were scrabbling but they were wet, wet, everything was wet, his clothes were wet, and all Vek could grab onto was the other serfs leg but the serf was shaking him loose, he was kicking Vek off by shoving his foot into Veks face C There was only one thing left to do. Vek opened his mouth and bit down, hard, on the serfs foot. Toes between his teeth, Vek hoisted himself up onto the staircase, opening his mouth only after he was on his hands and knees on the steps. Immediately he rolled to the side, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the edge. Half-laughing, half-gasping, Vek got to his feet and touched his hand to the castles bark to steady himself. He was alive. Hed brought his mark down. Hed done it. Standing tall, his back straight, his heart thudding and his face flushed, Vek looked over at the weakly-stirring body of the other serf. Vek didnt have to worry about him anymore. Well, he didnt have to worry about him attacking Vek anymore, at least. Vek did probably have to worry a little about the man bleeding out or falling off the edge of the staircase himself. Because then Vek wouldnt be able to question him. And what a lot of questions did Vek have for him! First, though, a clinic. As Op always said, the healthier the mark, the more creative your interrogation could get. Chapter 84: “You’re bleeding all over, you’ve got multiple stab wounds, you’re about to collapse." Chapter 84: By the time Vek had finished dragging his mark to the nearest clinic, he, too, felt like he was about to pass out. The doctor-priest who received them apparently agreed. Where do you think youre going? he asked Vek when Vek tried to leave the clinic room. Youre bleeding all over, youve got multiple stab wounds, youre about to collapse. Get in that bed. Vek had been too weak to argue back. He had just enough strength to insist on a pair of bioplastic ties to cuff his marks wrists to his bed rails, but that was it. Someone else had to do the actually cuffing. The next few hours, or was it days? Vek was in and out of consciousness, waking up to being wheeled somewhere else, or to his mark being wheeled back into the room, or to a doctor-priests apprentice switching his intravenous fluid bags. Only once did Vek wake up for longer than a few seconds, and then it was to overhear some other doctor-priest explain to an apprentice what had happened to Vek. These dumb servies brawling, Vek heard. Both are lucky to be alive. A butchers knife in that ones stomach and poison in the others system. We barely managed to detoxify him in time. Hearing the doctor-priests contempt put a bad taste in Veks mouth. He glanced over at his mark, fuming. Poison? On a fellow servie? By the rock-god, he was going to pay for that! But not yet, apparently. According to what the doctor-priest went on to say to his apprentice, Vek was out of danger but not yet recovered. Both Vek and his mark had a ways to go before either of them could leave. Ill take that as a challenge, Vek decided. Counting down the diurnals, he tested his strength every day. At the end of the sixth diurnal, he told the clinic staff he was leaving. Hed had enough. Six diurnals of the Uprising that Vek had wasted on this mark! His anger only increased as he dragged his mark, now blindfolded and properly cuffed, out of the clinic and down the hall. Six diurnals, in that time Vek could have been discovering the Promised Daughters location, he could have been helping his squad patrol the Rajas barracks, he could have been doing any number of things that didnt involve sitting inside a clinic for six diurnals! Vek hated clinics, hed spent so much time in them before the Uprising, always injured from some encounter with a soldier, always sneered at in the clinics that did admit him, and hed thought things were going to be different, hed thought things were different, they were supposed to be different! Maybe the Eenta are scared straight, but those damn doctor-priests and regents are always going to look down on me no matter what. Im never going to stop being a servie to them. Nobody in the clinic even recognized me. Not that I wanted them to! I dont want to be treated specially! I just want to be treated like everyone else! The Uprisings happened! It shouldnt be this way! Savagely Vek yanked on his marks cuffs, pulling him forward. Hed thought that when the first doctor-priest had agreed to provide the bioplastic ties that that meant the staff had known who Vek was. Apparently not. Apparently theyd agreed to Veks demands for some other reason. Probably because they didnt care. What was it to them if one servie wanted to cuff another servie? What did it matter to the upper castes what happened to serfs like him? Their lives remained good, remained the same! Vek turned left down a hallway, still furious. He had to get to a telegraph room and let Op know where hed been. Six diurnals, by the rock-god! At least there was a telegraph room on the same floor as the clinic. And good, there were also some wall-stocks near the telegraph room door. Vek could leave his mark here for now and send his message, then come back and take him down to the crypts. Only one of the wall-stocks still had its key; Vek locked his mark into it and put the key into his pocket before slipping into the telegraph room. It was again a round room with several doors leading into it C all telegraph rooms were like that C but in this one bits of ardish were embedded into the walls, causing the sunlight coming through the windows to shimmer and dance. Just looking around made Veks fingers ache. Hed worked his hands to ribbons more than once pressing tons of bits of glass into other such walls. Thankfully a teleprinter was free. Vek went up to the servie working it. Without saying anything he picked up the notepad next to the servie and wrote down both Ops handle and an encoded message. Sat got caught up, injured at work. Vek waited just long enough to see the message typed up and sent. Then he turned around and made his way back to the door. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. As soon as Vek stepped back out into the hallway, he could tell something was wrong. Why were there so many people packed in here? Telegraph rooms got busy, but if all these serfs were here to send messages, why werent they going inside? Why were they clustered around C they were clustered around C around Veks mark C in his wall-stocks C Why is he being strung up like that? Vek heard someone hiss. The Rajas are the ones who should be in the wall-stocks! String them up! Another voice made Veks blood run cold. Who put him there? We should find him and put him up instead! Vek was at the edge of the crowd. He couldnt even see his mark up on the wall, not through the serfs in front of him. The last thing he wanted to do was elbow his way forward and declare himself to be the serf whod put another serf in wall-stocks. But what else could he do? Then a thought struck him. What if Vek pretended to find the key? What if Vek pretended to release him only to hustle him away? The gathered serfs were chanting now. Free him! Free him! Free him! Another set, their voices overlapping, were shouting to Put up the Rajas, put up the Rajas! Taking a deep breath, Vek forced a path through to the front of the crowd. I have a key! he shouted, pulling it out of his back pocket. This will open it! A thunderous cheer rose up. Vek couldnt help but enjoy it, even though he knew it was stupid of him to do so. Reaching up, Vek opened the lock with ease. He pulled the collar off his mark and unfastened his cuffs from the chain. His mark stepped out of the wall-stocks, and the shouts and cheers increased. Everyone was practically screaming now, screams everywhere, all around them, hands reaching out to touch the both of them. Ignoring them the best he could, Vek grabbed his mark by his cuffs. He started to try to pull him to the side. Surely there was a way around the crowd, around and along the edges? A sudden lull passed over the mob. Some of them began whispering. As it became clear that Vek was not going to unblindfold or release the man, the whispering grew into muttering and then into raised shouts. Vek jerked away when he heard someone call out his name. How could you do this? the person yelled, fury in her voice. You, of all people! Soon the crowd was shouting and screaming once more. This time, though, it was at him. Vek could feel the noise and fury assaulting him from every angle. Frightened, he turned so that he was half-facing the wall. He had enough presence of mind to keep his hand on the cuffs around his marks wrists, but that was it. The torrent of outrage was worse than any beating Vek had ever been given, worse than any disrespect hed ever been shown at an elevator bay. He didnt know how long he stood there, silent, his head bowed, his face hidden as best as he could hide it. When he finally looked up, the throng had thinned out some, although there were still plenty of serfs hissing and booing. At the sight of one C a balding man with venom in his eyes C Vek jerked into action. He couldnt force his way out of the crowd, but he could go back into the telegraph room and get away from everyone that way. Letting go of his marks bonds, Vek instead tugged him forward by his arm, guiding him towards the door to the telegraph room. Thank the rock-god, Vek was able to push his way back in easily. It helped that his prisoner didnt resist him; the sedation drugs Vek had requested of the clinic were working. Inside, the typists were all sitting at their desks, looking terrified. Vek didnt want to waste time, he wanted to get out, so he ignored them and tugged his prisoner deeper into the room towards an ardish-specked door on the other side. Nobody had yet followed him into the telegraph room, but that didnt mean they werent going to. Vek led his mark through the door and down a hallway and out onto the serf staircase. It was only after he was standing on a tread getting rained on that he felt himself start to breathe again. He still couldnt bring himself to look at anyone. Not at the serfs patrolling a few levels down, not at his prisoner, and definitely not at himself. Come on, he mumbled. Its perfect C its going to be perfect. Chapter 85: “People have been attacking my serfs." Chapter 85: Lady Nari couldnt help but admire, every single time, the beauty of the Green Room. Windows cased in gold against green-painted walls; the canted table in the center, warm and lit up by sunlight; the broadloom beneath, violent with violet threading. Oh, it was exquisite, all of it, exquisite. Lady Nari almost wanted to sigh. How she loved owning beautiful things! Though, to be fair, she didnt exactly own the Green Room. For the past hundred years or so it had been the meeting place of the Council. Now it was the meeting place of the Free Serf patrons, all four of them, and Kis opening snarl C A good Uprising to you, Im here to report trouble C was making it clear that Ki had no patience left for Lady Naris attempts at dominance. Not that Kis attitude was new. No, it was the same bristling rage, the same barely checked ambition, the same boring banality. This was why Lady Nari preferred meeting with someone like, say, a Vek, or a Sukren. Strong emotions, both of them, and not for a second tedious about it. Even Sukrens ridiculous obsession with the Promised Daughters well-being had provoked in him quite an enjoyable angst. Speaking of Sukren Lady Nari leaned back against her seats crest rail. Shed been thinking a lot about Sukren these days, and her thoughts always ran the same way. Sukren had either been kidnapped alongside the Promised Daughter, or he was dead. And while Lady Nari didnt want Sukren to be dead, the thought of someone holding something of hers captive made her much angrier. Sukren was hers, down to his every cell. How dare any of the patrons C how dare anyone C take from her that which was hers? Lady Ki, Lady Nari replied. You wanted to report trouble C in Woodheart Castle? Yes, Ki responded flatly. People have been attacking my serfs. Tricking or straight out dragging them to who knows where, torturing them, then hiding them in Rajas cells all over the castle. And you, Lord Tyr? Lady Nari turned to look at him. An uneasy, twitchy man, Lady Nari still couldnt understand how hed managed to end up a patron. How is your castle? He frowned in confusion, just as shed known he would. Patrons didnt own castles. Their authority didnt extend over bounded geographical locations. Lady Nari had patronees all over the bio-dome, in each of the four hollow-tree castles and some, even now, in the Xhota urb. All the patrons did. Lady Naris laws were followed by her patronees, no matter where they lived, and Lord Tyrs laws were followed by his patronees, no matter where they lived, even if they lived side by side or in the same barracks as one another. That was how it had always been. But then the coup had happened, and the Councils other patrons, all six of them, had been killed. At the time Lady Nari had suggested: Whoever is made patronless by the coup, if theyre in Lost Technology, I will take them, but if theyre in Woodheart, Lady Ki takes them, in Industrilia, Lord Tyr takes them, and in LakeCentral, Lord Dasgu takes them. As for the Xhota representatives, well invite them to apply again and choose among us. I mean, of course, Industrilia, Lady Nari offered. Its the same as Lady Ki, Tyr replied morosely. Rumors have spread to the point that my serfs are starting to lose trust in my ability to protect them. They wont take orders they feel will put them at risk of attack. They wont travel alone. Some of them are even leaving the castle for the factories and the villages. Or for other castles, Dasgu added. Not that LakeCentral is doing any better. Lady Nari turned to Dasgu. He and Ki were sitting on the other side of the canted table, facing Lady Nari, while Tyr was at the tables head. Dismissing Tyr from her mind, Lady Nari concentrated on Dasgu. There it was, that note in his tone, that look in his eyes as he glanced at her did he need to be reminded of his place? Your patronees have been complaining? she asked him. Dasgu immediately began backtracking. Not C not my patronees. But Rtans, Yeishs, Sives, them, the serfs who belonged to the previous Council patrons. Those of whom are in LakeCentral, the ones Ive assumed authority over, theyre the ones being attacked. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Excellent. Just as Lady Nari had commanded. Drinking in the confusion on Tyrs face, the wariness in Dasgus, the stiffness in Kis frame, Lady Nari felt herself relax, felt the anger knotted tight inside her chest unfurl. It was not as pleasurable, perhaps, as the kind of emotion she could provoke from her patronees, but any kind of manipulation, no matter how shallow, could be enjoyed. So nobody in either of your patronages has been complaining? Dasgu shot a glance at Ki, whose furious gaze was still fixed on Lady Nari. Thats C thats correct. This time, Lady Nari allowed herself a smile. She knew it would infuriate Ki even more. That was half the reason she did it. She also did it, however, to test the other patrons. Theyd come to the Green Room, angry and upset, but theyd yet to accuse her of anything directly. Would they continue to throw oblique comments her way? Or would they dare to formally rebuke her? If they didnt dare, it meant the serfs were in an even better position than she had supposed. I C Dasgu started, but then he stopped. Lady Nari looked at him, inviting him to continue, but he shook his head. Nobody else said a word. Lady Naris smile grew as the silence stretched on. Tyr was avoiding eye contact now, as was Dasgu. Ki was still glaring but Lady Nari could tell that fear was mixing into her anger. All of them were afraid of her. Lady Nari really had to hand it to herself. Shed known that if her interrogation corps attacked their patronees proper, even cowardly Tyr would bestir himself to rebuke her. But attacking those serfs not quite under their authority why, any patron would hesitate before putting herself out there for serfs that werent hers. Hesitate, and hesitate, and hesitate, then watch helplessly as fear flourished and confidence crumbled. Lady Nari gave herself a few seconds to bask in the feelings that were now flowing her way. Then she cut herself off. Matterist mercy, that was what was needed now. It was one thing to feed off her own patronees; it was another to toy with the patrons of other serfs, serfs who did not have her guiding hand. For their sakes, she would not overdo it. Then Ki spoke. It cannot continue like this. Lady Nari immediately met her gaze. Would you like to be more specific? It will not continue, Ki hissed, her eyes flashing. This, all this that you C that is happening right now C you have my word C it will not continue. *** Vek was alone. He was reading the pamphlet. The pamphlet, the pamphlet, you havent heard of the pamphlet? Everyone was talking about it. Everyone was reading it. Pass it from hand to hand, Anzana to Jethra to Vek, quickly, hide it in your sleeve, dont let anyone see. Sisters, my fellow servies and fellow soldiers, I tell you what you already know: the Uprising is not yet complete. It is stopped, mid-leap, stymied by those who are at the top. Yes, I speak of the Free Serf patrons! And not only them! I speak of the Free Serf patrons, and the magistrates under them, and of every doctor-priest and regent. What have these so-called leaders done? Instead of destroying the Golden Castle by breaking its every bone and snapping its every sinew, they have cut off its head only to replace it with their own. The Golden Castle still lives C and its mind and mouth are the patrons. Veks hands were shaking. He stopped and took a breath. Nobody was in the dorm. Nobody was watching him read. He could keep on reading it. But quickly, quickly, before anyone else came in. The bio-dome must be completely restructured. Everything must be turned upside down. How we are powered must change. For too long have we accepted words from above. For too long have we allowed others to make decisions for us. From now on we should choose for ourselves those who would lead us! Let each squad come together and elect their leaders. No more appealing to indifferent magistrates and preoccupied patrons to be removed from abusive squads. We take power into our own hands! That was it. That was the end. Unsigned, unmarked, a call to every serf of every castle, or so the rumors went. Vek crumpled it with one hand and pressed it against his chest. Power, power, take power into our own hands, choose our own leaders, oh rock-god, it was the first time Vek had ever read something and been moved by it, it was the first time words on a page had ever touched his soul. The bio-dome must be completely restructured. Everything must be turned upside down. Vek closed his eyes. He couldnt get it out of his head. The mob, the screams, the rage, the fear, all of it, pressing up against him, seeing him, knowing him, hating him. Was Vek wrong? The interrogations hed done, were they wrong? But Lady Nari gave me this mission. She forgave me, then told me to do them. So how could they be wrong? Dont they have to happen? Dont we have to find out where the Promised Daughter is? Dont we have to root out the traitors among us who let spill the Promised Daughters location? Ive got to figure this out. Only what is there to figure out? The Uprisings happened. Everything is perfect now, and everything will keep on being perfect. Right? Chapter 86: "I did everything, everything, they had nothing to do with it, nothing!” Chapter 86: Another telegraph. Another envelope, just for Vek. Anzana hands it to him. Take it easy, she says. Shes worried about him, its clear. Vek tries to smile. He opens the envelope. He pulls out the telegraph. His heart sinks. Hes not done. He thought that once he finished the nine names hed be done, that hed be assigned to something else, but hes not, this telegraph is from Op, its his next mark from Op, now that #9 is done with the crypts and off to a Rajas cell, Vek has to do it again, he has to do it again, again, again. Anzanas turning away, of course, like she always does, and its a good thing too because Vek almost cries out C his breath is caught in his throat C and if she were looking at him shed see it in his face, but she isnt looking so she doesnt see, and its Vek alone who reads the next name on his list, name #10, and it says it right there: Anzana Kanari, of Squad #210. *** Find out what she knows about the pamphlets. Find out if she knows who is writing them, and how theyre printing them. Find out who gave them to her, if it was someone from Lady Kis patronage. Find out which of her squad members killed that first Rajas in the barracks, or who they let in to do the killing. Find out if she knew it was going to happen. Vek had tried to explain. I dont think I can do this anymore. Too many serfs recognize me. A whole crowd saw me take away my last mark. Op had simply looked at him. So? I just dont think its smart, I dont think Im the best person C Op had cut him off. It doesnt matter who knows youre an interrogator as long as no one says youre one. And they wont. Nobody even knows interrogations are being done! So calm down and do your job. Vek had tried one last time. I know her, shes my squad leader, I dont think I can do it C Even better. You know her, so youll know best how to hurt her. *** I dont know! she cried out. Vek cleared his throat, reached behind her head to tighten her blindfold, then pitched his voice lower. Your squad was the one guarding the barracks when that Rajas was killed. One of them did it, or one of them let someone in to do it. Which is it? When she hesitated, Vek brought the serf prod crashing down onto her shoulder. He didnt wince when she staggered under the blow. She had to answer his question. It was a question that needed an answer. I asked my squad members, she moaned. They told me they hadnt seen anyone come in. He was probably lying in wait in the barracks before my squad even got into position to patrol. The Rajas say he came in through the serf staircase! At that, she almost screamed. Oh, and you believe the Rajas, do you? Vek swallowed. He cleared his throat again. So youre saying all they saw was a serf racing out and down the serf staircase? Yes! Why didnt they stop him then? They didnt know they were supposed to! They were there to stop Rajas from escaping, not serfs from passing through! Youre lying, Vek snarled. Holding the serf prod tightly with all four fingers, he brought it down onto her other shoulder. Down she went, knees buckling. The chain connected to her collar through the loop hook wrenched her cuffed hands up above her back. You were the one passing out the pamphlets to your squad members. Why would you do that if you werent trying to sabotage Lady Nari? She was gasping, shuddering, sobbing. Vek could see her tears wet the trim of her blindfold. Its true that I hate Lady Nari, she wept. Ive hated her for a long time, and if thats what you want me to admit, Ill admit it. But I had nothing to do with that Rajas dying, and neither did my squad. You leave my squad alone, theyve done nothing wrong! Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Veks eyes widened. You hate Lady Nari? He watched as she forced herself back up onto her feet, her entire frame trembling. Yes. Ive known her all my life. We grew up together in the same wall nursery. She is nothing but one calculated act after another, all of it designed to terrify people into never crossing her. You want me to confess? I confess it. My squad is innocent. Im the one who spent my entire life pretending to be as simple as possible, all to avoid her attention as best I could. For decades Ive kept up this ruse. Ive seen her do terrible things to those shes closest to, Ive seen her destroy those who love her, all, all, to feed her need for control. She is sick, I tell you, she is sick C Shut up, Vek whispered. C so yes, I did pass out those pamphlets, because I am for anything that might bring her down, anything, I tell you! But my squad had nothing to do with it, it was all me, and I dont regret it for a single second, she deserves it, she deserves every bit of C Shut up! Vek screamed. Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! By the time Vek was done raining down blows on her, she was once more on her knees. Her head was hanging forward, held up only by her collar. Her forehead was bloodied. Vek picked up the cup of breathflower rum hed been drinking and tossed it into her face. Who gave you those pamphlets to pass out? She stirred, weakly. Nobody. I found them lying out in a lounge. Youre lying. It was only me. Give me a name. Or Phatia is coming down here next. No, she begged. Leave my squad alone. Theyre innocent. They dont know anything. I did everything, everything, they had nothing to do with it, nothing! A name. Please. Vek squatted down onto the floor. He opened his toolkit and put his serf prod back inside. Then he examined the other tools. Scissors, maybe, or the drill? Yes, the drill would work. Ill give you one more chance, he said, reaching for the drill. A name. Now. *** The kitchen cavern had seen better days. Back when shed met Sukren in it, it had contained sacks upon sacks of grains, and numerous bags of pulses too. Now the cavern was nearly empty, nothing on top of the tree root that carved the cavern in two, and nothing around it either. A few bags in a pile by the door, that was it. Lady Nari frowned. She would have to do something about the villages, and soon. Lady Nari? She turned. Op was at the door, bowing to her. Im impressed, Lady Nari said to him. Youve had less than half a season, with excellent results. He bowed to her again. I have more, he replied. As you know, I sent interrogators after every serf Vek and the Promised Daughter encountered on their journey through the Temple and into Stoneset Quinter. When that failed to turn up anything, I next went after every serf Sukren encountered after leaving Lost Technology Castle. I finally found someone: the assassin Petrika reported to us, the one she darted, the one sent after Sukren by Lady Ki. Go on, Lady Nari said. While interacting with Op was not as enjoyable as say, interacting with Vek, it had its benefits. Op was skilled at what he did. He was able to compartmentalize. She knew he was a kind father and a loving husband, and that the reason hed joined the Free Serfs was because he hated the Golden Castle for systematically breaking up serf families. Listening to him detail his successes brought her satisfaction. It was like watching the Uprising in action, an Uprising she had instigated, an Uprising she had given birth to. Apparently the morning after Petrika darted him, a Xhota woman in a hut by the edge of the urb gave him medical assistance and shelter. The night the Promised Daughter disappeared, about two weeks later, he was still there. He claims that he saw Sukren by the shelterbelt again, this time with the Promised Daughter. Now that was interesting. Cursed territory? she mused out loud. Thats where Petrika told him to go the first time. Do you think Sukren went back with the Promised Daughter on his own? Its highly likely thats exactly what he did. Very interesting Sukren turned traitor she hadnt considered that Unfortunately, at that point, my interrogator was expelled from the Xhota quinter. The Xhota have banned all non-Xhota serfs from both their urb and their castle, making it difficult to continue operations inside their borders. However, I found a way to contact a still-loyal Xhota agent of yours. Ill have him follow up on what my interrogator uncovered. Very very interesting One last thing, Lady Nari. My interrogator told me that she wasnt the first to question this assassin. He even admitted to having been questioned before. He wasnt sure by whom, as hed been first abducted, then blindfolded during the questioning. But one thing is clear. We arent the only ones looking for the Promised Daughter. And we arent the only ones to know Sukren took her over the shelterbelt. And here, all this time, Lady Nari had been furious at the thought of someone else taking Sukren from her when it had been Sukren all along Excellent work, Lady Nari said aloud. Anything you need, dont hesitate to tell me. What youre doing is my highest priority. Chapter 87: “You’ve only ever wanted to kill her. Why would I tell you anything?” Chapter 87: Who among us hasnt heard of the doctor-priest who raised the Promised Daughter? Sukren RockSpire, Sukren Kanari, Sukren the guardian, guardian of the Promised Daughter. Now, we must add another name to his list of titles: Sukren the missing, Sukren last seen with the Promised Daughter, Sukren disappeared C and the Promised Daughter with him. Its said that even Lady Nari doesnt know where he is. If thats true, does she know where the Promised Daughter is? Is the Promised Daughter even at hand to rescue us? Or did we do the Uprising ourselves, without her, without anything but our own hands, the hands of the serfs? Lady Nari stopped reading. Placing the pamphlet on the canted table before her, she looked up at Ki. You wanted to discuss this? They were alone in the Green Room; Ki, apparently, had not seen fit to invite Dasgu and Tyr. Is it true? she demanded. You dont know where the Promised Daughter is? Behind Ki the sun was pouring through one of the rooms gold-framed windows. Lady Nari gazed at Kis fury-contorted face. What was pretense, and what was real? Was Ki truly concerned about the absence of the Promised Daughter? Or did she already have the Promised Daughter in custody? Was her anger a show, meant to trick Lady Nari into believing the Promised Daughter was still with Sukren across the shelterbelt? Or was it a genuine rage? You want to kill her, Lady Nari replied. Youve only ever wanted to kill her. Why would I tell you anything? Bluntness was not Lady Naris preferred method of engagement, but sometimes it was called for. Besides, Lady Nari had a reason for accepting Kis invitation to meet. Without waiting for Ki to sputter out a response, she tapped her finger on the pamphlet Ki had handed to her upon entering the Green Room. Who is the writer? Is she a magistrate herself? Or did she find a magistrate to print the pamphlets for her? Lady Nari watched carefully as Ki blinked. Why would I know any of that? Ki did not have any tells, not like Dasgu did. As closely as Lady Nari observed her, she still couldnt tell whether or not Ki was lying. Of course, Lady Nari suspected she was. Ki was likely supporting C and quite possibly had initiated C the printing and distribution of the pamphlets. Lady Nari would have to twist the knife in a little deeper to see if she couldnt provoke a more revealing reaction. What I think is that the writer is issuing the pamphlets in response to the trouble you mentioned last time. It seems to me that the writer doesnt like the way the Uprising is going, and that shes trying to cast doubt on it. Now who might dislike the way the Uprising is going? Traitors, maybe? Rajas tails? Casteists? At that, Kis eyes flashed. The writer argues that the Uprising is incomplete, not that it shouldnt have happened. You know Im a Watcher. I wont believe the Uprising is complete until every Rajas is dead. It was a deft answer. A clever sidestepping of Lady Naris trap; she rather admired Ki for pulling it off. And if Ki truly was the one behind the pamphlets, well, Lady Naris admiration would only increase. What a fascinating idea, she remembered thinking the first time she read the first pamphlet. Not the ideas in the pamphlets C the idea of the pamphlets themselves. They were clearly effective in stirring up emotion. Media meant to reach the masses C what a thought! Most communication was limited in form. At the broadest extent, a patron would write a directive and send it to her magistrates who would send it down to her squad leaders who would share it with her members. Perhaps Lady Nari should try her hand at a pamphlet or two. Of course, shed have to silence the current writer first. Why waste resources competing when she could instead have her voice be the only one heard? Lady Nari picked up the pamphlet once more. Sukren the missing, Sukren last seen with the Promised Daughter, Sukren disappeared C and the Promised Daughter with him. Sukren Kanari With a single movement of her hand, Lady Nari crushed the pamphlet between her fingers. Thank you, Lady Ki, she said, evenly, slowly. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. *** Trace it back. Trace the pamphlets all the way back to the writer. Shouldnt I be trying to find the Promised Daughter instead? Isnt that what Lady Nari told me to do? I have other interrogators doing that. Your job is to find the pamphlet-writer. But Anzana didnt have anything to say. She didnt tell me a name. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Then question her again. Until she gives you one. *** It wasnt true, what Vek had told Op. Anzana had given him a name. Youre so busy these days, Zedid said. Vek glanced over his shoulder. She gave him a sleepy smile from her bunk, yawned, and pulled her pink-tufted quilt up to her chin. Lady Nari has me doing C Vek yanked on his tunic, and with one step, crossed the space between his and Zedids bunk. Bending over, he stopped her mid-sentence with a kiss. After breaking it off, he stroked her cheek with his thumb. Dont tell me. Zedid gave a muffled laugh. Are you turning into Anzana or something? Vek shrugged, carefully, precisely. I havent seen her around lately, have you? I guess not. Shes not my squad leader though, so I dont really know. Anyway, Vek replied, like you said, Ive been busy, havent really seen anyone these days. Vek knew he sounded strange. He knew Zedid was right to give him that look. But still C rock-god, he couldnt take it C he was going to break down C I have to go, he whispered. Ill see you around. *** Barhon, Vek repeated to himself as he got into the elevator. Barhon, Barhon. Leader of Squad #459. Currently staying C according to Leems friend C in the senior Rajas dorm near the cusped arch on Zone 16, Level 2. Find him, question him, and then think about whether or not to update Anzanas file. Maybe if Barhon knows something, Op will let Anzana go because she gave up a real name. Or if he doesnt actually exist, and I have to go back to her and get another name, Op wont know she lied the first time. Vek closed his eyes. He felt sick. Hed been feeling sick for at least a diurnal now. Or was it longer? He couldnt remember. Barhon, he repeated. Barhon, Barhon. Vek got off at Zone 16 without any problems, although he was a little surprised to find the elevator bay had been placed on a nursery level. He had to ask the guards on duty C this time a mixed Chenta-Eenta pair! C where the lift was. That way, he was pointed. Around the nursery. Vek quickly saw what the guard meant. The nursery took up the whole level like a lounge, but it wasnt open like the lounges were. It was designed more like a senior Rajas House, except instead of a line of caryatids marking the end of the elevator bay, there was a solid glass wall that turned, then turned again, enclosing the nursery in a rectangle. Vek followed the first turn, and found himself in a hallway, castle wall to his right, solid glass to his left. It was dim inside the nursery. Vek glanced through the glass and could just make out some toys, shelves, Rajas nursery sort of things. About halfway down the hallway he passed a door on his left, cut out of the nurserys glass wall. It wobbled when Vek pushed by. Ignoring it, he pressed on. He was almost there, the lift would be at the end of this hallway, and then he could go and find Barhon. But why were there so many serfs up ahead? It was the start of first nightsleep, shouldnt they be going to bed? Vek slowed as he approached the end of the hallway. Another nursery corner was to his left; if he peered around it he could see at least half a dozen serfs just standing there, as if waiting to use the lift. Or maybe they were part of the guard? Not that there should be so many at a lift actually, Vek couldnt remember the last time hed seen anyone standing guard at a lift. Regents generally had done it before the Uprising, but the Uprising had happened now. Papers? one of them asked Vek, turning towards him. Something wasnt right. Vek couldnt say what, but he knew something was off. He reached for his booklet and at the same time pulled loose with his other hand his knife from its belt-sheath. He kept a grip on its handle even as the serf thumbed through his booklet. All clear? Vek asked. Yes, the serf said, but not to him. Hes the one. Get him. Vek was slashing out with his knife before the serf was able to finish his sentence. The serf stumbled backwards, a gash across his collarbone. Damn! Vek had missed. And there were too many coming for him now, and he was trapped in this little hallway. Could he go back to the elevator and enlist the guards help? No, wait, the door, the glass door in the glass wall, in the hallway! He turned and raced for it. Please be open, please be open, yes! Vek shoved, then after wasting precious seconds, managed to slide it open, all nine fingers straining with tension. As soon as he was on the other side, he tried to latch it behind him, but only managed to close it halfway before the serfs caught up to him. Giving up, Vek ran for the door on the other side of the playroom. He tripped against a miniature bean bag on the carpeted floor, then stumbled over a knee-high structure of blocks. Rock-god, why was everything in his way! Vek slammed into the door on the other side of the playroom, hoping beyond hope that it would lead to the main doors and out to the elevator bay. He was greeted instead with screams and wails. Screams C from the women now getting up off the floor and rushing towards him, and wails C from the children and babies whod just been woken up from their sleep. Get out! one of the women screamed at him. Get out, you flaring son of a flare! One of the other women was more coherent. You think just because this isnt a Rajas nursery anymore that you can come barging in and wake up our children? The Uprisings happened! You cant take sleep away from our babies anymore! The room Vek had forced his way into was too dark; he couldnt see anything in it but shadows of swings and night-clothed mothers. If there was a way through to the main doors, he didnt know how to find it. At any rate, it was too late. Behind him, grabbing him now, were rough hands and strong arms, yanking him back into the playroom, cutting off his escape. In the space of a few minutes, Vek was disarmed and shoved into a tiny chair beside a tiny table. His hands were tied in front of him. Dimly he was aware of the playrooms lights being turned on, of the irate mothers being mollified, of the door to the sleeping room being closed. Keep it down, or we will kick you all out, he heard one of the women say in parting. Yes, sister, of course, Vek heard one of his captors say in response. Then someone was pulling up another tiny chair and settling himself into it. Vek Kano, he said in the castle serf pidgin. Dome, queen and flower are well with you? At that, Veks head snapped up. Im Vek Kanari, he all but growled. The man was a Chenta, and much too big for the chair he was in. He was also smiling, to Veks surprise. My mistake, Vek Kanari, the man replied. Im Barhon Kanari. I believe you were looking for me? Chapter 88: “Can I – if you want me to join you – at least untie me?” Chapter 88: When Barhon first started speaking, Vek had been too furious to listen. He didnt like being stalked and marked, and he especially didnt like being tied up. But hemmed in as he was by the other serfs, Vek didnt have much of a choice but to sit there, and Barhon was at least polite enough, personable even, to smooth over Veks sense of humiliation at his hands. Besides, what Barhon was saying was actually crazy. Vek couldnt help but demand an explanation. What do you mean, you want me to join you? Just that, Barhon replied. Were forming Servies and Soldiers Syndicates and we want you to join us. Why me? I think you know. A chill went down Veks back. Did Barhon C did the other serfs here C did they know about Veks father? I cant help you, Vek replied, slowly, carefully. I wont turn on Lady Nari. Even if it meant you no longer had to hide? Veks blood turned cold. They did know. Rock-god, hed kept it a secret for so long, hed told so few people, and these strangers, these perfect strangers hed never heard of before, they knew, they knew C Think about it, Barhon said. His voice was soft, almost alluring. Arent you tired of never being quite enough? Of always having to prove yourself true to the tribe? Vek closed his eyes. He breathed in and out, squirming a little in his too-small seat. Can I C if you want me to join you C at least untie me? Barhon studied him, then gestured to one of the other serfs C an Eenta C who knelt and cut loose Veks bonds. Rubbing his wrists, keeping his mutilated hand under the other, Vek shifted again in his seat, trying to find a slightly more comfortable position on the tiny chair theyd pushed him into. At the same time, he chanced a surreptitious glance around. Beneath his feet were brightly colored carpet tiles. To his left across the room was the door to the night nursery. To his right, next to the Eenta who had cut his ties, was a Chenta. At least three more serfs were behind him, and another two behind Barhon. There was no way out. Vek would have to do his best to bluff his way through. Not easy, when it was all he could do to keep his hands from shaking, all he could do to keep from bursting into explanation after explanation, endless justifications it wasnt my fault, it was Father, my Mothers husband, he let it happen to her, he arranged it, it wasnt my fault, it wasnt my fault Barhon was still studying him. What do you say? Vek tried to think. You really think people will join a Servies and Soldiers Syndicate? They already are. That surprised Vek. What do you mean? Dont tell me you havent read the third pamphlet. Vek hung his head. Zedid and Op had said the same thing to him. For vastly different reasons, of course, but it was nonetheless humiliating to hear it again. Of course you should read it, Vek, as Lady Naris agents we have a duty to keep up with any forces against her! And then from Op C what do you mean you havent read it yet? Youre supposed to be tracking the writer of these pamphlets down, how can you possibly do that without knowing what shes writing? No, I havent, he muttered. Someone behind him laughed. Vek turned and shot a glare over his shoulder. The Chenta who had laughed put up his hands in apology. Never mind him, Vek heard Barhon say. Here, heres a copy. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. A pamphlet was thrust into his hands. Unwillingly, Vek began reading the serf letters up and down the page. Most of it was railing against the Golden Castle that still lived, but a portion in the middle caught his attention. Sisters, why do we divide ourselves into servies and soldiers, Chenta and Eenta? Are we ruled by the Rajas still? Let us cast off the chains they have placed upon us and recognize that it is on our backs that the bio-dome is built. We, the servies and soldiers, we, the ones who were torn from our villages and our families, we, the rightful heirs to the Uprising! Vek swallowed. This was why hed started avoiding the pamphlets, why hed refused to accept Zedids offer to get him a copy of the third one, it was because of this, this call, this stirring inside his heart, this fire building up, this sense that the writer was speaking not only truth but hope and life and rock-god, Vek couldnt think that way, it was damnable, it was disloyal, it was dangerous Tell me, sisters, what does a Chenta doctor-priest have in common with a Chenta servie? What does an Eenta regent have in common with an Eenta soldier? Hard hours and hard meals are the lot of the servie and the soldier both C and hard words too. While the doctor-priest and the regent, they used to be called by the same term, kalpate, servants of the Rajas. They make no distinction amongst themselves because they live the same lives. Why should we, who live even more similarly to each other, fight amongst ourselves? For their benefit? For the benefit of the Golden Castle? Vek couldnt continue. What do you want from me? We told you. We want you to join us. But what does that mean? What do you want me to do? Barhon reached out and grasped Vek by the shoulder. Vek was forced to sit up straight and look Barhon in the face. Were so glad you asked, Barhon said, smiling. Listen, and well tell you exactly what we need. *** In the end, Vek didnt feel like he had any choice but to say yes. Yes, I will write false reports. Yes, I will feed bad intelligence to Lady Nari. Yes, I will join a Servies and Soldiers Syndicate. Can I go now, please? If Vek had been feeling cheeky, he would have added another yes: Yes, I understand you will be watching me. But joking around was the last thing Vek felt like doing. All he really wanted to do now was hide C from everybody. Because what was he supposed to do now? It was bad enough that Vek had yet to update Anzanas Free Serf file. How could he falsify a report to Op? Vek, he heard Hurez call him from across the lounge. Come, I need to speak to you too. No, Vek replied. In Anzanas absence, Ive been appointed squad leader. Get over here. Vek buried his head in his hands. Could things get any worse? Now how was he supposed to get anything done? Hurez would never allow Vek to get out of squad duties the way Anzana had C oh Anzana C Anzana C Hey, its okay, he heard Iolo say softly. Vek forced himself to look at his squadmate; he didnt want, after all, to seem suspicious. Its okay, Iolo said again. Were all worried about Anzana. Youre not alone. The Uprising really had changed Iolo. Accepting Iolos outstretched hand with his whole hand, Vek made his way across the lounge to the conversation pit beside the firelightplace where the rest of his squad had gathered. Obviously, somethings happened to Anzana, Hurez was saying to Jethra as they approached. We dont know what, but we have to be careful. Things have been off balance lately. Those pamphlets going around he shook his head. Oh Anzana But they did find the magistrate printing those pamphlets, so C Veks head snapped up. What did you just say? Hurez looked startled. Just that they found the magistrate who was printing the pamphlets, so no more pamphlets will be coming out. I mean, they were saying the magistrate probably wasnt the pamphlet-writer herself, that she was just printing them for the writer, so I suppose the writer could find another magistrate to print more pamphlets for her C How did you hear about all this? Vek demanded. Now Hurez looked annoyed. Listen, Vek, I know you think youre a big deal now, but Im your squad leader C Answer my question. Hurez blinked. They they told us at a squad leader meeting just now Where was the printing press found? In Woodheart Castle. I have to go, Vek announced. He didnt bother to say farewell to Hurez or to the rest of his squad. Instead, he took off, almost running out of the lounge. It had been five diurnals since hed been accosted by Barhon, and nine diurnals since Anzana had given up Barhons name. If Vek could find the pamphlet-writer now, hed be done. He could leave Anzanas file unupdated and never mention Barhon to anyone and it wouldnt matter! After all, Op had never told him to do anything but find the writer of the pamphlets. Vek had certainly never been directed to uncover and reveal the existence of a whole new movement. Still moving as fast as he could, Vek thought through who he knew at Woodheart. Xeta would let him bunk up with her, and so would Yenali. Maybe even Patine too. Hed check in with them, look around a bit, and see what he could find. Everything needed to go away, even if just for a little bit. Surely Vek could find something to help make that happen. Chapter 89: "...you can’t bring me up on trial, you can’t, you can’t, you’re not allowed to!” Chapter 89: Daylight C sunstirs daylight C streaming through the broad tall windows of the broad tall auditorium-turned-courtroom. Today is the 25th diurnal of the 870th Rainsoon Season. Let us begin. Vek, sitting in one of a thousand red cane-backed chairs, watching the judge at her podium. The judge at her podium, watching the struggling regent forced to stand, bound, before her. You are accused of theft, you are accused of destroying a magistrates printing press. The struggling regent, bound, crying out. You cant do this! Im in Lady Naris patronage, only she can do this, you cant, who are you, a ragtag bunch of servies and soldiers, you cant bring me up on trial, you cant, you cant, youre not allowed to! Vek, eyes wide, thinking. Servies and soldiers, she means a Servies and Soldiers Syndicate, she has to, she has to, oh rock-god, Barhon was right about the serfs joining them, he has to be right, if there are enough serfs in the Syndicates to do this, to take someone who was only doing what her patron told her to do and then punish her for it, oh rock-god, how can this be happening, how can Lady Nari let this happen, how can it happen that you can be punished by someone else for doing what you were told to do C *** I need to talk to Lady Nari. Why? I just need to talk to her. Lady Nari is busy. If she wanted to run the interrogation corps personally, she would do so. Its not about that. If its not about interrogations, I dont care. Who do you think I am, your telegraph handler? *** Vek stood in front of Lady Naris chamber door, his chest heaving. He didnt know what to say. Lady Naris attendant was standing there on the landing with him, looking at him, but she wasnt saying a word, not even to ask him to leave. Should Vek ask her to let him pass? Would she listen? No, no, of course she wouldnt, how could Vek even think that he had any right to come unsummoned to Lady Naris chamber! Im sorry, he muttered. The attendant still didnt say anything. But Vek couldnt take it anymore; he started to cry. He didnt know why, exactly. All he knew was that he felt terrible, absolutely terrible. Suddenly Vek felt the back of the attendants hand against his cheek. She was brushing away Veks tears. There was a strange look on her face, strange, but strangely familiar too. Who had last looked at Vek like that? Sukren, maybe, Sukren, it had to be. That half-frightened half-kind glance, yes, that was Sukren, just like the look Sukren always gave him whenever he took care of Vek, oh, Vek hadnt thought about Sukren all season, he hadnt wanted to, hadnt wanted to think about losing him too, especially not now, not when Vek desperately wished he had someone to go to, someone, anyone, he could trust to look out for him! Vek blinked as the attendant pulled away her hand. He watched as she made a gesture, as if she were patting the air in front of Vek. Then Vek got it. Shes telling me to wait here, shes going into Lady Naris chamber, shes going to ask Lady Nari for me if I can come in, oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! When the attendant returned, and gestured Vek forward, he followed her gratefully. Inside Lady Naris chamber, it was the same as before. Her desk, outlined in sunlight, was on the other end of the long room. Lady Nari wasnt sitting in it, though. This time she was seated in an upholstered double chair, a courting chair that faced a rich, heavy tapestry hanging over the wall to Veks right. She glanced over her shoulder at Vek. Come in. Sit down. Sit on the courting chair? With Lady Nari? Gingerly Vek lowered himself into the sofa. He felt very uncomfortable. Ajay tells me youre upset. At that, all his emotion came flooding back. Vek had to blink rapidly to keep his tears at bay. Rock-god, he cried so easily! He was seventeen, now, not a child anymore, why couldnt he have better control? Whats wrong? Vek closed his eyes. He shook his head and tried to laugh, but it came out breathy and weak. I I He couldnt say it. But why not? Hadnt he come here to tell Lady Nari how sick he felt, sick to his heart, sick to his bones? Here she was, listening, asking him what was wrong. So why couldnt he speak? Ive seen her do terrible things to those shes closest to, Ive seen her destroy those who love her, all, all, to feed her need for control. She is sick, I tell you, she is sick C No, no, Vek couldnt believe that. He couldnt! Lady Nari was good and right, and she loved him, she loved the serfs, she was looking at him right now with a tenderness that was real. Vek would believe it C he had to believe it C who else did he have C he had no choice C oh Anzana C This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Vek took a shuddering breath. Slowly, haltingly, he told Lady Nari everything. How hed interrogated Anzana. How hed failed to update her Free Serf file. How hed gone looking for Barhon on his own, and how Barhon had recruited him into a Servies and Soldiers Syndicate. How hed failed to tell Op about it. How hed gone to Woodheart Castle to find the pamphlet-writer so as to avoid updating either Anzanas or Barhons files. How hed seen the regent whod organized the confiscation of the publishers printing press get tried by a Servies and Soldiers Syndicate. I didnt understand, he whispered. I dont understand. Why is this happening? I thought I thought when the Uprising happened that everything would be Perfect. Yes, he whispered. He couldnt bring himself to look at Lady Nari. He kept himself facing forward, kept his eyes on the tapestry before him. A planet, brown and blue and white, filled its bottom half. Above the globe the tapestry was dark and dotted with stars. In its very center was a silver tower, no, a starship, the kind their ancestors had come in, like a metal arrow, shooting out into the night sky Vek felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and was stunned. Lady Nari had placed her hand on his arm. Shed never done that before. Not once in all the years hed known her. Its not perfect yet because it isnt finished yet, she said quietly. Not in the way the pamphlet-writer thinks, but in the way of the prophecy. The Free Serfs are to rally together and build a starship. After that, the Promised Daughter must go to the Lake Tower to unlock the secret to space travel so we can return to Earth. Only then will it be perfect. So we can return to Earth All at once, Vek could see it. All at once, Lady Naris words made sense. Hed heard them before, but not really, not in a way that mattered. But now, with Lady Naris hand on his shoulder, with her attention concentrated on him, they struck Vek. So that was where happiness was. On Earth. A burst of relief washed through him. Of course! Of course Earth was the answer! Earth had always been the answer! Vek had forgotten. Hed lost sight. But now, he was being corrected, and how sweet the rebuke was. Now he could keep on hoping in the Uprising. Now he could keep on pressing forward. What a gift Lady Nari was giving him! And to think that Vek C that Vek had dared to doubt her C Tears once more sprang into Veks eyes. This time, he didnt try to stop them. Tell me what to do, he whispered. Tell me how I can help. A smile crossed Lady Naris face. Vek ached with joy at the sight of it. He had been right to come here. He had been right to seek out Lady Nari. Anzana was wrong, she was wrong, and it was good that Op had had her arrested, it was good to remove problematic serfs from the Uprising. Only the best ought to enjoy the Uprising! Only the perfect ought to enjoy perfection! It was good that Vek had interrogated her Vek forcibly turned away from himself. He faced Lady Nari. Please, he begged. Tell me what to do. Ill do anything, Ill go and do it right now, anything. She patted his shoulder then removed her hand. Meet with that Servies and Soldiers Syndicate again, the one that recruited you. Pretend to them that you are giving me bad intelligence. Find out what you can. Vek nodded. That, he could do. It would be almost like a mission, like the ones hed done all the time before the Uprising. Rock-god, Vek had loved doing missions. The thrill of it, the anticipation, the near catch, the triumph! Was there anything better? Was there anything more perfect? Ill do it, he said. Ill find out everything. They wont stop us. The smile was still on Lady Naris lips. Soon, itll all be perfect. *** The trials, though. They didnt end. One of those Syndicates dragged someone into the auditorium, the one the Rajas used to use for queen day ceremonies, Zedid told him late at night the very next diurnal. I went to it. It was pretty awful. They screamed at him for hours and called him terrible, a disgrace, and a casteist too. They also accused him of attacking one of them. Vek went rigid. What do you mean, attacking? They were sitting together on her bed, huddled up beneath the underside of the top bunk, the way theyd used to sit back when they were in the barracks. The judge said the man tried to lead one of them away, but when she wouldnt come, he attacked her and tried to drag her somewhere else. He was stopped though by the rest of the Syndicate. Tried to lead one of them away tried to drag her somewhere else Vek swallowed. Zedid lowered her voice. I dont understand why Lady Nari isnt stopping this. Doesnt she have the power to do so? Vek rubbed the back of his head with the knuckles on his four-fingered hand. He would need another haircut soon. He tried to remember what Lady Nari had told him, but the news that the trials were continuing C and worse, that they were starting to happen in Lost Technology Castle too C was melting everything out of his mind. I dont know, he said. I dont know, I dont know, I dont know! *** One diurnal later, Vek found himself face down in his bunk, the covers over his head. Earlier that day, during sunwake, he had decided to follow some rumors into the auditorium Zedid had mentioned to him. There the Syndicates were again, having another trial. This time it was to punish someone for speaking out against them. Op had given Vek another mark to follow up on. Vek had figured out exactly when and where to approach her: Zone 6, Level 1, 1st nightsleep of the 28th diurnal; in other words, right now. But Vek couldnt do it. He knew he had to. Barhon had told him to keep up the pretense that he was acting under Lady Naris orders, and Lady Nari had told him to keep up the pretense that there was a pretense. Both of them would have wanted him to follow through as if everything were normal. But Vek couldnt do it. The trial, that trial, hed watched it his heart burning with fear, hed watched it with his hands trembling. He just couldnt do it. Not tonight. No, all he could do tonight was hide. Itll be perfect when were on Earth, he told himself desperately. On Earth, itll be perfect, itll be perfect on Earth, itll be perfect *** Vek, Vek, wake up! He groaned. What? It was Zedid, sounding excited, or maybe panicked. Guess what happened last night. Vek almost didnt want to know. It had been a diurnal since the last trial; had they done another one already? He blinked his eyes open slowly. It was darkwake which meant it was both harder and easier to wake up. No sunlight in his eyes, but also no sunlight at all. Nothing but Zedids definitely panicked face in front of him in the gloom. What? he managed. Lord Tyr is dead. He was assassinated. Lord Dasgus taken over both the Eenta quinters, and hes declaring himself queen of the Eenta. Chapter 90: “My becoming queen of the Chenta would also not be good for the serfs." Chapter 90: Rage. Lady Nari had held it back for long enough. Now, it was all she felt. Sheer, unadulterated rage. Her wall tapestry was on the ground, folded over itself after shed ripped it from its hangings. The curtains around her four-poster bed were slashed through with a knife. Shed just finished hacking off the legs of her console table. But it wasnt enough. Broken furniture didnt scream or cry or beg. Lady Nari needed something alive. With a fierce, furious gesture, she grabbed a beaker of rum from her cellarette. She drank, then smashed the beaker against her desk. I need a Rajas, she said out loud. Ajay was at once by her side. Boy or girl? she signed. A prince, Lady Nari responded. She didnt turn to watch Ajay leave the room; she didnt need to. Ajay was one of Lady Naris own. Shed been converted shortly after Lady Nari had cut out her tongue. A gossip, a slanderer, and disliked for it, that was who Ajay had been, a desperately lonely girl who pushed everyone away with her sharp words. Now she was Lady Naris personal guardservant and extremely popular to boot. That was what Lady Nari had done for her, that was why Lady Nari had silenced her. It was because Lady Nari was for the good of the serfs, she was only ever for the good of the serfs, while Dasgu, damn him, damn him to the deepest pockets of Chudamis carbon-dioxide traps, damn him, damn him! Hed been playing her this entire time. Just like Anzana, playing her, pretending to be far less clever than she actually was, playing her successfully, but at least Anzana was rotting inside a Rajas cell now, while Dasgu was alive and in LakeCentral Castle, alive and out of her grasp. Just like Sukren, Dasgu was out from under her power, oh, damn them, damn them all! All of them, traitors, all of them, disloyal, all of them, fools! Did they not know their place? Did they really think they could have any sort of life outside the Free Serfs? Did they think they could want anything other than the fulfillment of the prophecy? By Matter and Intelligence, Lady Nari could kill them, she could kill them, she could kill them all! Grabbing her hatchet again, Lady Nari brought it down on the broken shards of glass on her desk. She kept it up, sweating, until Ajay returned with a male Rajas. Good. Relishing in his cries, Lady Nari bound him as tightly as she could to the last remaining post of her four-poster bed. Not until his skin was white beneath the cords did she stop. There. She finally felt a little better. A little calmer. Calm enough to think, at any rate. Leaving the Rajas there to toy with later C it was a pity she couldnt kill him, but he did need to be left reproductively-able C Lady Nari went to look out the floor-length windows behind the ruins of her desk. It was nearing the end of darkwake. Outside she could see branches and balconies, lit up with orange breathflowers, extending out from the castles bole. They want me to declare myself queen of the Chenta, she said aloud. All my magistrates have already come up here begging me to do so. Lady Nari glanced over her shoulder at the Rajas boy trembling against his bonds. His ears were uncovered; shed forgotten to tell Ajay to muffle them. Lady Nari would have to cut his tongue out too, to keep him from repeating anything he heard. Thankfully, Rajas didnt need to talk to procreate. She turned back to her window, to the flowers like fire against the night. They tell me Ki is willing to abdicate to me, that shes lost control of the Servies and Soldiers Syndicates, that theyre setting themselves up as an authority independent of her. Maybe. Maybe she set them up and lost them, or maybe shes playing a longer game. All I know is that this, all this, is not good for the serfs. Slowly Lady Nari felt herself relaxing. Yes, that was it, that was the problem. It was not good for the serfs to live in fear, and that was what they lived in now, fear of her interrogation corps on the one hand, and fear of the Servies and Soldiers Syndicates on the other. It would have been one thing if Lady Naris interrogation corps had terrorized the rest of the bio-dome into a quick submission. A few deaths, a few disappearances, then peace, under her rule. A worthy trade-off. But that wasnt what they had now. Instead, the serfs had hanging over them multiple competing authorities, and they didnt know which to listen to, which could punish them, which was truly in charge. It was not the way Lady Nari wanted her serfs to live. My becoming queen of the Chenta would also not be good for the serfs, she said aloud. I do not want the serfs to give way to the labels the Rajas imposed upon us. Serf solidarity is the only way to be free of them. Dasgu, fool that he was, didnt understand that. And he was a fool! Lady Nari clenched her fists. She could feel her heart starting to race again. How did I miss his growing resistance? I thought I had him under my thumb. I thought I didnt have to worry about him, that Ki was my only true opponent. And now I cant bring him back, hes too far gone, I have to let him go and let him be destroyed instead. Because he will be destroyed. If not by me directly, then by his own foolishness. For only I know whats best for the serfs. Only I can pull the bio-dome together. Only I can enable the fulfillment of the prophecies! Lady Nari closed her eyes. One by one she recounted each of the problems she was facing. Food stores whittling down, her Chenta patronees calling out for her to buy into ethnic nationalism, the Rajas still randomly being assassinated to the point that nobody even considered it abnormal anymore, murder and theft rates among the serfs themselves continuing to rise, the litter that was literally everywhere, and oh, of course, now that Dasgu had control over Industrilia, he would probably cut her electricity off! And all this on top of the Syndicates seeding doubt in the hearts and minds of even her most loyal serfs Her mouth tightened. What had Op told her the other day? Vek skipped his last assigned interrogation. He was supposed to report to me that night, and he never showed up. And here Lady Nari had thought shed brought Vek around. Shed assessed his situation and recognized that instead of the usual call to glory, reassurance was what Vek needed. That in itself wasnt new. Each serf needed to be handled differently at different times; where one serf might require distance, another would need comfort. But usually she got it right. Anger flared up inside her. Inhaling deeply, she opened her eyes. She was very much going to enjoy expelling her rage on the Rajas boy behind her. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. But not yet. First, she had to come up with a solution. Looking out her window, Lady Nari stood, and thought. How was she going to get out of this? What lessons from her life could she draw upon? Well, to start, shed become a full-fledged regent at age twenty, which was a little early, but not by that much. Her patron had been the type to assign positions of authority by appointment, and shed given Lady Nari no appointment because of Lady Naris focus, up to that point, on the little ones, the powerless, those who had nothing. That had been Lady Naris mothers idea. Draw them into our net, her mother had said, and wait for them to grow up. Lady Naris mother had been nothing but a servie. But shed been wise, and most importantly, shed been a Matterist. Shed held onto her Matterist religion even after being drafted to a castle at the age of ten. Other Matterist castle serfs found her and helped her; she helped other Matterist castle serfs in turn; together they created a network that stretched from castle to castle and even back to the villages. It was that network Lady Nari had built upon. For a decade after becoming a regent, Lady Nari remained without appointment, focused on her goal, on pulling both low status non-Matterist serfs and her mothers Matterist connections together into a broader serf liberation movement. Just thinking about it made Lady Nari smile. Who knew what could have happened if she had been allowed to continue that steady, satisfying work? But it was not to be. A decade, that was all shed been given, and then her patron had been assassinated by her second-in-command, a magistrate who declared that positions would be procured no longer by appointment but rather by might. That the magistrate had changed the rules in order to justify his own patronucide was lost, apparently on everyone. The entire patronage was torn apart as serfs, without consequence, began killing each other in order to advance. Nobody became a shadow member unless forced to by someone more powerful. For fifteen years, the patronage remained thus. For fifteen years, the serfs of Lady Naris patronage suffered, and suffered deeply. Their pain had ended only at Lady Naris hand. After fifteen years, Lady Nari stood over the body of the third patron of that period, buzzing serf prod in hand, and declared in one breath both an end to the lawlessness and the beginning of her own patroncy. Her mother was gone by then, as were many of Lady Naris siblings. But her serf liberation movement, the serfs who made up the network, they were still there. Many of the little ones were now adults, strong and disciplined, made crafty by the violence theyd survived. With their help, the Free Serf movement was launched. With their help, the Uprising had happened. And Lady Nari had learned: never show anyone mercy in public. Yes. Yes, that was what she had learned. Fifteen years of anarchy, of pulling together her reputation, had taught her to never let anyone go unpunished, to never let anyone get away with anything. Matterist theology highly emphasized mercy to other serfs, to not make serfs pay for behavior that the Golden Castle had compelled them to do, but Lady Nari had quickly learned that any demonstration of mercy in an environment like the one in which she rose to power would lead to her own death. So there it was. Public ruthlessness, private mercy. And private meant private. Not even the serf receiving the mercy necessarily needed to know that that was what she was getting. Certainly, the serf later on might realize it, the way Ajay had, but at the moment, and to everyone else, all Lady Naris acts of mercy had to look like and be shaped as punishments. That was where she had gone wrong with Vek, wasnt it? She had not given him the mercy he needed. She had certainly not done so when hed lost the Promised Daughter. And now he needed mercy again, for shirking his interrogation duties. And what mercy could Lady Nari give Vek? The answer came to her at once. Remove him from his position as interrogator. Yes. That was it. Vek didnt want to be an interrogator, that much was clear. He certainly didnt seem to be handling it very well. But how to remove him? And how to do it so that nobody in the know could look and think, ah, Lady Nari is letting Vek off easy, ah, she has a soft side to her after all, ah, lets see what we ourselves can get away with? Public ruthlessness, private mercy. And it wasnt just Vek who needed it either. The Servies and Soldiers Syndicates were also made up of serfs. Their ideology wasnt even that wrong. Lady Nari had noticed a concerning trend of indifference and self-protection from many of the doctor-priests and regents she ran across. Perhaps she should allow the Syndicates to continue to operate. Perhaps she should even allow them to win. Maybe it would chasten the upper caste serfs. Certainly, the Syndicates anti-nationalist bent would help Lady Nari resist the Chenta currently calling for self-determination. Then again, the reverse was also true. Lady Nari could use the Chenta ethnonationalists to defeat the Syndicates. Lady Naris brow furrowed. Back and forth she went. Which was more dangerous? The ethnonationalists or the Syndicates? Which should she take care of first? Which should she show mercy to sooner? They both needed it; they both drew the circle too small. The ethnonationalists around the Chenta only, and the Syndicates around the servies and soldiers only. How, how, could Lady Nari teach them to draw the circle around all the serfs? I should take care of the Syndicates first, she decided abruptly. Theyre developing much faster than I anticipated. I shouldnt underestimate them. Besides, I am a regent. The Syndicates deny even my right to the Uprising. While the Chenta ethnonationalists, at least, see me as one of them. Ill be able to work on them more easily, after the Syndicates are gone. But how to disappear the Syndicates? Maybe Lady Nari should kill them all? If it came down to it. Still, it was not as merciful a solution as she preferred. Perhaps she could aim the Chenta ethnonationalists at them? But how? Lady Nari frowned. She turned the thought over in her mind. Nothing came up. She didnt know enough about how the ethnonationalists were organized. Shed have to research them first, then think. In the meantime, was there anything else she could do? Well, what were the Syndicates doing? Trials. Yes, trials. That was it. Lady Nari turned around. She pulled open the file cabinet on her desk. It had somehow managed to escape damage during her rampage; so much the better. Inside were a few Free Serf files shed had Ajay pull from the crypts earlier. Names of Rajas tails, Free Serf agents who had turned back to the Golden Castle before the Uprising, who even now were reported to have casteist thoughts. So the Servies and Soldiers Syndicates thought the Uprising was not complete? They wanted to try the traitors who were keeping it from its fulfillment? Let them have at it. There was plenty of overlap between their enemies and hers. In fact, it would save her interrogators some work. Instead of interrogating the serfs behind these files, she would give them up to be tried by the Syndicates instead. Lady Nari picked up the topmost file. A regent named Tepikal, who used to spy for one of the dead patrons. The file said she now lived in Woodheart Castle, technically under Kis authority. Perfect. Lady Nari would arrange for her file to surreptitiously end up with the Syndicates. Then Ill feed more names to them, she said aloud. Ill feed them good names, names that will produce trials, names that will win them clout. Then, when theyre snapping to take any name I give them, Ill start passing them their own names, names of other Syndicate members. It was a good plan. One that Lady Nari was confident would succeed. After all, she was a master at infiltrating organizations and bending them to her purposes. That was how shed pulled off the Uprising. I may have to give them an interrogator or two, as well, she mused. They seem to really dislike them. But who? Someone who needs it, someone it would rescue Chapter 91: “Piss ta! Ha! I like it!” Chapter 91: Lady Nari finally finished with the Rajas boy late into the second nightsleep. After telling Ajay to take the now unconscious body back to the barracks, or a clinic if necessary, she pulled her mattress onto the floor and settled into it. The fear and terror of the Rajas boy had been extremely enjoyable. As an outlet it was excellent. Maybe she should consider having a Rajas brought up to her regularly. It had helped calm her down when she needed to be calm, and it was helping her now figure out exactly how to think about Sukren. Because he was the issue behind all of this. If it was true that hed absconded with the Promised Daughter well, then all of Lady Naris problems could be laid solely at his feet. Nobody would have moved against her if shed had the Promised Daughter at hand. Ah, Sukren. Why did you disobey me? Why did you do something I didnt tell you to do? For the first time since shed heard about his betrayal, Lady Nari felt something in her heart, a twinge, almost, of pity. Poor Sukren. Hed never been able to break free, it seemed, from what his doctor-priest had done to him. She hadnt minded that, of course, what mattered was whether or not he could follow through on his part for the Uprising. Who cared if Sukren seemed unable to form relationships with anyone other than the Promised Daughter C and herself? His mission required nothing more. But now Lady Nari wondered. Maybe he had needed something more. A different approach, slightly warmer handling. Oh, but Sukren had responded so powerfully to Lady Naris promise to rescue him! Shed thought he was the type who needed to be left hungry for love, who would turn away from those who were too inviting. Then again, it seemed there were a lot of things lately that Lady Nari had mistakenly thought. Am I losing my touch? No. Im the one who grew up in a wall nursery and found my way into a regents position. Im the one who tricked and killed my way into the Council. Im the one who pulled the Free Serfs from their roots as a middling religious movement into a powerful political force. Im the one who orchestrated the Uprising. Ive been deceived by those I relied on, by other serfs, but that does not mean that I am not who I always was. Nor does it mean that those who deceived me are no longer my serfs, my own, mine to drag, if need be, to the fulfillment of the prophecy. Of course, of course, mercy will be a part of that. Now that I am no longer angry, I will be able to think of the best, most fitting form of it. For Sukren. For Anzana. For Dasgu. For everyone, really, who has ever failed to put the serfs, and the serfs alone, first. *** Purple and green etches in the walls, that was all that was left of the entrance hall. The hatted mushroom-like regents desk had been chopped up; the mini-monument of the information desk had been smashed to splinters. Even both fences, full-grown last time Vek had seen them, were sawed down. He and Zedid stood side by side where one of the fences used to stand. And it wasnt just them, either. Other serfs, also there to watch the rally, stood beside them. On the far side of the entrance hall, still more serfs stood behind an invisible line. It was as if both fences were still up and dividing the entrance hall into thirds like before the Uprising, only, neither fence was actually there anymore. In the middle third of the entrance hall was the rally. Or maybe parade, Vek should call it. Parades were usually a Rajas thing, drunken princesses and princes taking over entire elevator shafts, spilling into elevator bays, going up and down and cheering and laughing and staggering and throwing up. There wasnt much throwing up going on in the parade Vek was now watching, but there was a lot of everything else. A lot of cheering, laughing, and banners waving high, banners with every kind of rock stitched into them, calf rock and mud rock and scale stone, and holiest of all, rock from the birthsites, from UpLevel and RockSpire, from EarthSlash and CaveMound. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. And rock-god, watching the parade, hearing the serfs in it cheer, practically smelling their hope and enthusiasm and faith, didnt Vek feel something stirring inside him? Some sense that things had to work out okay, that maybe the Chenta nationalists rallying everywhere the past few days might make things better, that all the disillusion Vek had been feeling could be left behind him like a dream, that maybe the trials would end before they got to him, that maybe he could finally, finally belong to the one tribe hed grown up in, the one tribe hed dedicated his entire life to The serfs behind Vek kept jostling him and Zedid as they fought for more room and a better view. Vek grinned a little at their spirit; the parade was infecting them too. In front of him, barely an arms-length away, was the strong steady beat of marching legs, the joyful noise of sheep horns and drums, and bright faces all around. Next to him, Zedids eyes were shining too. Wait, was she crying? Vek immediately turned and put his arm around her waist. Whats wrong? He couldnt hear her very well above the drums and the horns and the chanting cheers. He had to bend so that his ear was by her mouth. I just I dont know, he heard her say. I hope this means things will get better, but yesterday there was another Syndicates trial. Vek swallowed. Who? Anyone we know? Someone named Olan Kahamina. I dont know him, do you? Vek shook his head. I dont know why I went to his trial, Zedid continued. But I did. And you know what I saw? The judge pulling out a file, one of the files Lady Nari kept on us, a Free Serf file. At that, Vek went utterly still. The judge used some letter in the file to find Olan guilty of being a Rajas tail. It was some letter Olan wrote ages ago, to his own patron, back when Lady Hamina C I mean just Hamina C was alive. The judge used that to find him guilty! I mean, I get it, Lady Hamina was no Free Serf patron, and Olan wrote a letter to her that got some other serf, a Free Serf, in trouble, but still A horns blast went off in his ear. Vek almost jumped out of his skin. He turned to snarl at the serf but stopped and forced himself to smile instead. He waved to the serf still blowing on the horn, waiting for him to pass by before he turned back to Zedid. Then Vek stopped himself again. The entrance hall was wide open, a cavern in the heart of the castle. And they were standing at the very edge of the parade. Everyone could see them; anyone might. And someone might wonder, what were Vek and Zedid talking about so intently? Lets talk later, Vek said out loud. Zedid looked relieved. She leaned on Veks arm, and a smile returned to her face. Look! she said, pointing. It was another banner, the biggest one of them all so far. Once again behind him Vek could feel other serfs pushing up against him, practically climbing up his legs in order to peer over his shoulders at the bright, blue-dyed cloth. It was held aloft by two strong Chenta men, both of them branded on their forearms like Vek. On the cloth itself the words were stitched with vivid red thread. Death to all piss ta! Death to all ash ta! Death to all goldskins! Piss ta. That was new. Sure, the Eenta had called the Chenta dirt ta for long enough, but the Chenta had never responded in kind. Vek had never heard anyone mock the Eenta for their water birthsites the way the Eenta mocked the Chenta for their earth birthsites. And as far as he knew, nobody had ever sneered at the Xhota for their fire birthsites. Thats a good one! Zedid was crowing. Piss ta! Ha! I like it! Chapter 92: “You go. I won’t hold it against you. Go.” Chapter 92: The trials didnt stop. And neither did the parades. The Chenta nationalists began holding more of them, in fact. Not only that, they also started to form patrols so that if you lived in a Chenta dominant area of the castle, the Soldiers and Servies Syndicates couldnt arrest you as easily. Zedid and Vek had their first fight when Vek refused to move down to Zone 4 where there were more Chenta patrols. Why not?! she screamed at him. Do you want the Syndicates to come get us? We may be servies, but we were Lady Naris agents, and they hate Lady Nari! I cant, he whispered. Are you not seeing the same castle as me? The hallways are filled with wall-stocked serfs in this zone! I just cant. Vek theyre using the Free Serf files to convict. You know I dont want everyone to know whats in mine. Vek closed his eyes. He blinked away his tears. You go, he whispered. I wont hold it against you. Go. Zedid was weeping too, her whole frame trembling as she clung to him. They were sitting on his bunk bed this time, alone for now, thankfully. Go, Vek said again. You should go down to Zone 4. Why wont you come with me? I just cant, he whispered again, helplessly, unhappily. Zedid buried her face in her arms and screamed. Vek tried to hold her, but she thrust him away. Bowing his head, Vek tried to think. He knew he had to do something. But what? His mind was spinning. He couldnt feel anything but fear and panic crushing him closer and closer. Maybe he should move with Zedid C but what if the Chenta found out who he was? Maybe he should throw in with the Syndicates C but what if they found out what he had done? Rock-god, there was no way out for him, no way at all, no matter which way he turned death was waiting for him, and all he could do was sit and let himself be devoured, hoping against all hope that surely this would all come to an end soon, surely Lady Nari had things under control, surely she would not allow harm to come to him! *** Cold, cold, the water is always cold these days! Vek glanced up at the Chenta sitting in the bath with him. The man wasnt wrong; the water was unheated. Vek had only just gotten in and he was already planning on getting out after a fast scrub. In fact, as far as Vek could tell, he and the man were the only ones inside the bathhouse at all. Apparently that meant the Chenta felt comfortable enough to complain openly. Why doesnt Lady Nari do anything? Doesnt she have the Promised Daughter with her? Why is she hiding her? Are things not bad enough yet? Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Vek shrugged a single shoulder, carefully. There was no mist or steam in the bathhouse, so yes, he could tell it was empty, but that didnt mean nobody was listening. Agitating against Lady Nari was still illegal; the Chenta nationalists were also against it. But defending her, arguing on her behalf, well, that was frowned upon by the Syndicates. So it was better to say nothing. It was better to get out of the bath and away from the conversation completely. The Chenta, however, didnt seem to care. He was old, one of the oldest serfs Vek had ever seen, clearly a doctor-priest or regent from his diction and demeanor. Its not just me who thinks this, you know. A lot of people are asking, wheres the Promised Daughter? Isnt she supposed to save us? Why is Lady Nari so silent about her? Vek gave a half-nod. Again, the man wasnt wrong. Vek had heard plenty of whispers these past several diurnals asking where where where is the Promised Daughter? It had been seven diurnals, in fact, since the first Chenta nationalist parade. Seven dizzying, whirling, madcap diurnals. Vek closed his eyes, drumming the seat beside him with his four-fingered hand. Underneath the water the movement was slow, sluggish. Hed hoped to come to the bathhouse to relax; it was nice since the Uprising to not have to sneak in anymore. But Vek could already tell that he wasnt going to find the peace he was looking for. Fear and dread were rising up inside his heart once more. Where where where is the Promised Daughter? Abruptly Vek rose. Lukewarm water streaming off his back, he grabbed his towel from the tiled floor beside the pool and wrapped it around himself. Vek had stolen the towel from some doctor-priests dorm because hed needed a towel and liked the sight of it, and what did it matter if everything was going to pieces anyway? Oh, Vek knew he was being a bad serf, very casteist, oh, rock-god, he hadnt gone to a single interrogation since Anzanas, he was ignoring all of Ops telegraphs, he didnt go to any of the squad meetings Hurez called, he just ate and drank and slept and held Zedid with both arms like his heart was breaking C Maybe that pamphlet-writer was right, Vek heard the Chenta say behind him. Maybe Lady Nari doesnt even know where the Promised Daughter is. Of course she doesnt, Vek thought savagely, his back still turned to the pool and the man in it. Of course she doesnt, and of course she cant say so. If you knew that Lady Nari had lost the Promised Daughter, youd lose all confidence in her, wouldnt you? So she has to stay silent, because that way you dont know for sure, and so youll hesitate before throwing in against her. But me, I know. I know that the Promised Daughters absence is not any part of Lady Naris plan. I know that Lady Nari has no answer for your questions. I know that shes not in control. Oh rock-god, shes not in control, shes not, shes not, shes not, shes not C *** They came for him later that night. Vek awoke with a start at the sound of a door crashing open. He blinked as the blackout curtain was ripped off and as daysleeps light poured into the room. Eight hands grabbed him, two on each arm and two on each leg. He was yanked onto the floor next to his bunk. He could hear someone screaming C Zedid C she was on her knees on her bed shouting, What are you doing, let him go, let him go! But Vek didnt say a word. It was strange, really. He felt almost relieved. For weeks hed been waiting, waiting, waiting and now finally, at last, they were here. Take him out, Vek heard someone say to his right. Zedid was still shouting, she was even getting to her feet, but it was too late, he was already being hustled out of the dorm and into the darkened hallway. Normally hallways were lit up at all times by red bottle-lamps along the coved ceiling, but lately more and more had been going out, which made it hard for Vek to tell who exactly had arrested him. Was it a Syndicate? Most likely. It could be a Chenta nationalist patrol though. Maybe they were starting to do arrests too. He was given no more time to look around and wonder. A sack was slipped over his head and his hands were tied behind his back. Only then did Veks initial sense of relief ebb away. Please, he suddenly started praying. Please, please, dont let anyone I know hear about my trial, dont let anyone I know show up, let it all be strangers, let it all be strangers Chapter 93: "He wanted an Eenta son. He wanted me." Chapter 93: Veks head was swimming. How long had he been inside that sack, sleepless, standing upright inside those wall-stocks? Now there were bright lights everywhere, where was he? A cafeteria? They were going to try him in a cafeteria, oh rock-god, that meant they were going to do this as publicly as possible, and yes, there was already a crowd, there was already a huge crowd, and Vek was blinking, trying to see, trying to not see anyone he knew, but as soon as he was turned to face the crush of serfs Vek realized at once that it didnt matter, that it didnt matter at all whether or not he knew them because everyone, everyone, knew him. He closed his eyes. At once the bonds tying his hands behind his back were given a sharp tug; Vek opened his eyes again. He could feel the emotion swelling up inside him the way it always did, so easily, too easily, but he couldnt cry, he couldnt, not now, not now, please not now, please, please, not now, not now. After a quick, shuddering breath, Vek was able to notice that he was standing on a table in front of everyone, and that the judge was standing on another table nearby. A brown Free Serf file was in the judges hand. Then the judge looked up at the crowd. From the Free Serf file of Vek Kano, he said, I read a transcript of a confession he made upon entering the Free Serfs. Vek couldnt help it. The tears spilled out onto his face. He hung his head and wept, hands still tied behind his back. He listened as the judge read out the secret Vek had shared with Lady Nari when he was eleven years old. Father, the man I call Father, isnt actually my father. He took Mother out of the village to a factory in Industrilia and gave her to an Eenta soldier. After she got pregnant, he took her back. He wanted an Eenta son. He wanted me. The judge stopped there. Keep reading! Vek wanted to beg him. Read the part where I tell Lady Nari how much I hate him, how I never stopped hating him for what he did to Mother, how I joined the Free Serfs as soon as I could, how I never stopped proving myself. Tell them how when I was eleven I tried to kill the Eenta who raped my mother, and that thats why I got branded. Read that part, too! But the judge didnt. Instead, he flipped through Veks Free Serf file and read aloud a sheet Vek hadnt even known was in there, a sheet hed apparently signed, a sheet that indicated hed accepted the duties and obligations of an interrogator. By then the murmur going through the crowd had turned into a raucous roar. Vek could hear clearly the abuse hurled at him. Filth! Traitor! He could see their snarling faces, their pointing fingers. Eenta! Eenta! And then he saw Zedid, her lovely face covered in tears, her hand over her mouth, as she looked at Vek, and then, when he met her eyes, as she looked away. *** They put him back in the wall-stocks, this time without a sack to cover his head, so that everyone could see and spit at his feet. This time, too, Vek bitterly got his wish. No one he knew came to see him. Not even one. I dont understand, he thought, as he bowed his head. How did I get here? *** By the time Lady Nari came to get him, Vek had lost all track of time. He knew from the windows in the hallway if the sun was out or not, but that was it. Without visitors, he went without food, only getting water once from a quick and carelessly held out ladle. It could have been for a whole diurnal. He didnt know, and Lady Nari didnt tell him. Besides, it was her attendant who actually came and fetched Vek from the wall-stocks. Vek followed her mutely, standing back and to the side as she handled the guards in the elevator bays. He didnt say anything as she led him to Lady Naris chamber. When she gestured him into the bathroom, he went in, took off his soiled clothes, and washed himself. He put on the clean clothes that she gave him, lay down on the daybed she pointed to, and then slept. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. He woke up sometimes to the sound of speech, but since nobody seemed to be talking to him directly, Vek didnt get up. One time it was the smell of food that roused him, and at that, Vek did sit up. There was a new drum table beside the wall which no longer had a tapestry across it; Lady Naris attendant was sitting and eating. She gestured at Vek to join her, and he did. The two of them ate silently, together. Vek was glad she didnt try to talk to him. He was halfway done with his meal when he heard the door open. He glanced over to see Lady Nari at the doorway. Habit forced him to stumble up onto his feet. Lady Nari, he whispered. I have a new mission for you, she replied. Vek searched internally for his usual excitement at the idea of a mission and came up with nothing. He bowed his head. Youll have to leave Lost Technology Castle to do it though. Hearing that lifted Veks head. When can I go? In a diurnal and a half, sunstir of the 42nd. Vek closed his eyes. Thank you, he whispered. Finish eating, then Ill brief you. Yes, Lady Nari. *** Vek sat and listened quietly as Lady Nari explained how Sukren had betrayed them. It was Sukren who took the Promised Daughter the night they disappeared. Why, or where she is now, we dont know, but I heard from one of my spies in LakeCentral Castle that Sukren is there now, under custody. Your mission is to contact my spy, arrange access to Sukren, and find out from him the location of the Promised Daughter. So it was Sukren, Vek thought. His mind felt muddy. Sukren, Sukren too Lord Dasgu found out before I did that Sukren took the Promised Daughter across the shelterbelt. That was why he pulled out of the Free Serfs and declared himself queen of the Eenta. I know now that he was contemplating invading the Xhota and taking over their quinter in order to raid the Cursed himself, but even he knew he wouldnt be able to conquer the Xhota easily. They value their independence as much as the rest of us. The Xhota have nothing though. No natural resources, nothing but their bazaar stalls. Of course they agreed to his offer to take them in under his protection and give them resources and local autonomy C in exchange for raiding the Cursed. He wouldnt have told the Xhota though, that the purpose of the raid was to procure the Promised Daughter and her guardian. He must have had them do the raid blind so they wouldnt realize what valuable political pieces they were passing onto him. It was then that Lady Nari smiled. Vek registered it dimly. For all his effort, our sources report that the Promised Daughter wasnt with the Cursed when the Xhota raided them. Like I said, where she is now we dont know, but neither do the Eenta. If we can squeeze it out of Sukren first, we can get ahead of them. This is where you come in. Youll be going with a Rajas delegation of older princesses. Officially theyll be there to negotiate a trade for Sukren. Youll act as their guardservant. This is to give you the freedom to be unnoticed, to find Sukren and question him on your own. Once you have the information you need from Sukren, abandon the Rajas delegation in LakeCentral and find your own way back here to Lost Technology. Lady Nari was looking at Vek. He was supposed to respond. He tried to nod. Apparently she was satisfied because she continued. The Rajas delegation will be offering one of the queens in exchange for Sukren. Both are in Chenta possession, and that very much galls the Eenta. Theyre desperate to get their hands on at least one before the Night of the Dome. Thats the only reason theyre welcoming a delegation from us at all. Now these Rajas have been instructed to follow your lead. Make sure to have them hint, but never agree to, a trade. Their job is to draw out the negotiation process for as long as you need to find and question Sukren. They are not to finalize a deal. The Promised Daughter would be worth a queen. Sukren isnt. *** Later that night, Vek lay on his side and watched the breathflowers burning brightly in the darkness outside the window of the empty mini-lounge hed found. He didnt want to think too deeply; it would hurt too much. But one thing that did keep coming back to him was Lady Naris promise. Everything will be perfect. Now that the Uprisings happened, everything will be perfect. I guess its me, then. Its me who isnt perfect. The Uprising is perfect, but me, I cant be a part of it, because of who I am. Interlude We cry out in the holy place, but only darkness answers. O Hunt, O Gather, you face each other C and leave us gasping in the steam. Yet we breathe on. Awake our breath comes from you. You are our gods and we are your people. When the Cursed cried out, you gathered us. You heard our pleas. You brought us home. C excerpt from Odes by the Cursed Lodge Mother Written 871 years after the Crash Landing Nothing. That was what echoed in Rajanis mind. Nothing. The gods had fallen silent C or maybe she was now as deaf to them as Sukren was blind to the world. Deafness, though, didnt mean she couldnt speak. She could speak C she could rail C she could accuse C and so she did. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. You have abandoned us! she howled. You claim to be our gods C hah! You, who allowed our urb to be laid waste. You, who allowed us to be captured. You, who allowed our children to be killed. I accuse you by name. Either you are powerless, unable to stop the overbelters from destroying us, or you are evil, hating us and desiring to see our death. Either way, you have betrayed us. How could you! How could you! Others around her might beg Hunt and Gather to restore them; even Lainla might still weep to them for comfort. But Rajani had leapt ahead. If Hunt and Gather were unable to prevent this raid, this rape, of the Cursed, then they were not worth following. And they were absolutely not worth following if they could have stopped it but didnt care enough to keep the Cursed from being dragged from their lodges into this land where all they heard every single damn day was the same curse mutineer, mutineer, flaring mutineers, mutineer shut up, mutineer hurry up, mutineer, mutineer, mutineer! Once in a while, during those terrible first two weeks that the remnant of the Cursed spent inside the Xhota pens, Rajani would break down. Only then would she cry out, like she used to, to Hunt and Gather. You promised me! You promised me! You promised me light and life! Chapter 94: “I wonder what your classification will be." Chapter 94: Stop! Halt! Stay where you are! Mayah froze. Her heart was racing C her palms felt slick C her glasses were sliding down her nose C oh Sarana C her glasses C serfs didnt wear glasses C and the men who had called out to her were coming closer C As quickly and quietly as she could, Mayah pulled her glasses off her face and stuffed them into the top of her village suit. It wasnt the most secure location, but it was better than leaving them on. Now all she could see were blurred man-shapes approaching her. Which made it better, somehow. Her hands were still trembling, but not being able to watch them corner her made it easier to wait. In the end it was six men, all in the same uniforms. Four were Xhota, two were Eenta. One of the Xhota was carrying a capacitor lamp. He held it in her face. Show us your classification card, he said in the castle serf pidgin. Mayah stared at him. Some instinct was telling her to pretend not to understand him. Then she realized it was because she was wearing a village suit. Her clothes marked her as either an Eenta or Chenta village serf girl. Neither would know the castle serf pidgin. Im sorry, she stammered in Eenma. I dont know C Im not C Mayah barely knew what she was saying. Her mind was too busy trying to find a story to explain who she was. Please C I dont know C One of the Eenta pushed the Xhota man aside. Whats your name? he asked Mayah. Against her will, Mayah felt gratitude rush through her for Sukren. It was he who had insisted that she learn the names of all the serf birth sites. My name is Tiri DipperToo, she replied. The man didnt reply. Mayah could see the confusion in his face. Eenma name, Eenma tongue, yes, but her hair was too short to tell if it was curly, and her skin, golden, like a Rajas... Who were your parents? he asked. Veks story about serf marriages burst into Mayahs mind. All at once she knew what to say. My mother was an Eenta village serf. I dont know who my father was. With that, the man relaxed. I thought so, he murmured. And your mother, she took you across the shelterbelt to live with the Cursed? Mayah nodded. She took me there about a year ago. She died shortly afterwards. Ive been with the Cursed by myself ever since. The Eenta man conferred with the others. Ask her how she evaded our raid, one of the Xhota men said, glancing at her. Mayah kept her face blank until the Eenta man translated the words into Eenma. How did you manage to evade the Xhota raid? I hid. The two Eenta men chuckled. A job well done by the Xhota, the shorter one joked. The Xhota who had asked the question glowered at Mayah. She ducked her head. Would they take her to the Cursed now? Mayah hoped they would. Lets take her to the penned row, up by the castle, one of the Xhota said. Thats where the Cursed are being held. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. But shes not Cursed, the taller Eenta objected. Shes from across the shelterbelt. Thats Cursed enough to be sent to the pens. The bosses can decide whether she should stay there or be sent elsewhere. Because the conversation was in the castle serf pidgin, Mayah couldnt weigh in on it. She waited, head bowed, for the men to decide where she would go. To her disappointment, the taller Eenta won out. Were taking her to LakeCentral Castle to be classified, he insisted. Along with all the others we found today. You just want to keep your patrol numbers up, one of the Xhota men accused. Our patrol numbers, the Eenta man responded. You get credit for this catch too, you know. The Xhota man persisted. Queen Dasgu promised us local autonomy. If we had known that Eenta would be coming over to our quinter to tell us what to do, we would have never agreed to the alliance. No Eenta soldiers on Xhota land! Were not soldiers, came the response. Were here to help, thats all. Only then did anyone turn to Mayah. Come, one of them said in Eenma. They began walking back towards the Xhota urb. Mayah followed their blurry figures. She felt uneasy when one of them fell into step beside her. A glance confirmed it was the shorter Eenta. Now that he was within her range of vision, however, Mayah was able to see that he was around Veks age, younger than she had first thought. I wonder what your classification will be, he said to her. Mines most trusted. Whats classification? she asked. The Eenta boy didnt seem to be listening to her. And I know who my father is, he said with a smirk. Hes a guard at LakeCentral Castle. Both my parents are. Both of them are Eenta too. Mayah didnt know what to say. It sounded like the boy was bragging. She supposed that meant having mixed heritage was a shameful thing among the serfs. She wondered if it had always been that way. In her Chenta village there had been only Chenta, and they had never spoken of miscegenation. Mayah wondered if she should take advantage of the Eenta boys presence to ask for information but decided against it. She didnt want to mistakenly ask something an Eenta serf girl should already know. Besides, Mayah got the sense that he was speaking to her more for his sake than for hers. Mmm, Mayah murmured. She wondered how she was going to find Sukren. She was beginning to realize that her plan of cross the shelterbelt and start looking had already failed. *** By the time the blurry rows of Xhota huts on stilts gave way to blurry greenhouses all pressed up against each other, Mayah had long since begun wondering when she would be allowed to sleep. She listened quietly as the Eenta boy pointed out every capacitor lamp hanging outside a greenhouse gate. Its because we Eenta hold Industrilia, he said. The Chenta dont have half the electricity we do. Mmm. And they only have two quinters, while we have three! A pool of light lit up his face as they entered a blue-roofed and blue-walled greenhouse. Now that the Rajas are defeated, its time for the Eenta to rise. We were always meant to rule. The Chenta act like theyre the true inheritors of the Uprising, but if that were true, why did they let us tyrannize them for so long? Mayah didnt like the way the Eenta boy was looking at her. She could feel the difference in power between them, and she could tell the Eenta boy felt it too. She turned her face away and looked out over the rows of rectangular meres that filled the greenhouse. Then Mayah frowned. The meres were all empty. Without any water inside them, they looked like shallow graves dug out of bare rock. The entire greenhouse, in fact, was nothing but blue-lit stone. Was this a rockmine greenhouse, then, and not a fishing greenhouse as Mayahd first thought? Something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. One of the meres looked different. She took a step towards it, squinting to see better, then gasped. Were those humans? Yes, yes, they were, bound and slumped up against each other and the sides of the drained pond, those were humans. Get up! one of the patrol members was saying. Time to go! Get up! Mayah watched as the prisoners inside the mere were roused. They were dragged and prodded into a line, a line she herself was then pushed into by the Eenta boy. Too frightened to resist, Mayah tried to listen in on what the patrol members were now saying to each other. When she realized they intended to march them all the way to LakeCentral Castle that night, she swallowed. If Mayah hadnt spent the last few days resting, she would have never made it. Even as it was, when they arrived at LakeCentral Castle after hours of trudging through Earth grasses and around Eenta water-sites, she was exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to fling herself into bed. But the line she was in was halted in a hallway. Her vision was too blurred for her to be able to tell where inside the castle they were, but Mayah thought they were near the kitchens. One of the patrol members was talking with a guard up by the front of the line. On and on they went. Mayah touched her head. It was starting to ache. Finally they began moving again. A door was pushed open, and bunks swam into Mayahs vision. She was in a serf barracks. When someone pointed her to a bunk, she almost wept from relief. There were no sheets or pillows but Mayah didnt care. It was enough to close her eyes against the shifting lights and shadows that her world now was. It was enough to rest her body. I wonder where the Rajas are now, Mayah thought to herself as she drifted off to sleep. I hope nobody finds out Im one of them Chapter 95: “No talking! Hurry up!” Chapter 95: A rough hand on her arm. Shaking her. Shaking her awake. Mayah sat up, bleary-eyed. It took her a moment to remember where she was, to remember how she got there. Stifling a yawn, she reached for her glasses, then remembered C she couldnt wear them anymore. Eat this. The woman who had woken Mayah up shoved a cup of rice mixed with water at her. You missed breakfast. Wishing the cup were bigger, Mayah swallowed the runny meal. She rubbed her face with the back of her hand, then got up. The woman took the empty cup from her at once, gripping it with both hands as if it were a Rajas rum chalice or something. Then, just as quickly, she tucked the cup into the folds of her servie uniform. Startled, and a little confused, Mayah waited as the woman stepped back, as she looked Mayah up and down. She seemed wary, but she was now just at the edge of Mayahs vision so Mayah couldnt quite make out the expression on her face. Then the woman pointed to a bucket in the corner, a rag hanging from its handle. The foreman assigned you to help me today. Wash where I sweep. Mayah knelt by the bucket. She was still hungry and tired, but she didnt say anything. She mostly felt confused. An Eenta wearing black livery that didnt happen, did it? And there was something too in the cadence of the womans voice that reminded Mayah of Sukren. She puzzled it out as she scrubbed the rag across the barracks floor. Why would an Eenta serf woman sound like Sukren? Do you have it? Mayah looked up. Another Eenta all in black, rubber mattresses bundled up in his arms, had entered the barracks. The Eenta woman was looking right at him, clearly expecting an answer. Yes, the man replied. I managed to procure the right dosage. I can administer it to you at any time. We wont need to go to a clinic. Thank the water-god, the woman murmured. For my part, I have the file you requested. And something else, a C Who is she? The Eenta man was looking at Mayah now. The woman shrugged. She came in last night with a couple others. Has she been classified yet? No. The man stiffened. He turned away from Mayah, who dropped her head. Suddenly, she understood. These were no castle serfs. The man was a doctor-priest, and the woman a regent. That was why they sounded like Sukren. *** Rajani sat, head down, her arm still in its sling, at the very back of one of the barbed-in bazaar stalls. Next to her was Sukren. He was blind, he was sick, he was dying, and there was nothing she could do, nothing, nothing, nothing, just like the gods had done nothing, just like they could do nothing, oh Hunt, oh Gather, how could you have allowed this to happen, how could you have let it, how, how, how! Then she heard the murmurs traveling down. Theyre moving us. Theyre telling us we have to move. Rajani got to her feet. At least her arm was splinted now C a Cursed physician whod refused to treat Shib-vyn just before the raid had, for Rajanis sake, bargained through the barbed bioplastic for a fallen bio-dome branch C but even so, getting up was no easy task. She had to shift to the side, get onto her knees, then grab Sukrens shoulder to heave herself up. Then she remembered C Sukren couldnt see her reaching for him C she shouldve asked him, warned him, before she touched him. Sorry, she mumbled. But Sukren didnt move, didnt even acknowledge her. Sukren, she tried again. Theyre telling us we have to go. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. A grunt emerged from his lips. He still didnt move. Overwhelmed, Rajani closed her eyes and tried to think. Maybe he needed help to walk, maybe he needed something to lean on. But there was nothing around them. The stalls that made up the pens were not exactly bustling with bazaar goods. When the Cursed had first been shoved into them, all theyd contained were rotting barrels and broken-down bioplastic stools. Now, four diurnals later, they contained little else still. Here, Rajani heard someone say. She opened her eyes. Kebets father, Ishiah, had approached, and was pulling Sukren to his feet. A few others, Becher from the Kerimot Table, Zemirsh from the Alem Table, were assisting him. Nearby Jiat was helping Kebet hobble his way down the length of the pens. Ishiah, Becher, Zemirsh, Jiat, Kebet, Sukren. Six of them. Together, they made up half the surviving men. While Rajani and the other women counted sixty. That meant ninety-three percent of the Cursed had been annihilated in the Xhota raid. Rajani closed her eyes again. She didnt want to think anymore. Slowly the seventy-odd Cursed citizens made their way to a gap between two bazaar stall posts where the bioplastic barbed strands had been cut. Outside the pens the Xhota soldiers were waiting to shove them into rows of four. Rajani managed to grab Sotis hand right before they were pushed into a row; her cousin clung to her. Its okay, Rajani murmured. She said it out of habit, not because it was the truth, because it wasnt. In fact, it was obvious to everyone that it was not okay, that nothing was okay. But what else could Rajani say? Soti was frightened and Rajani was used to reassuring her frightened cousins. Now only one cousin. Tears slipped down Rajanis face before she could stop them. She felt Sotis fingers tighten around hers. Rajani-am? she heard Soti ask. Is it true, what they say about us? Are we mutineers? At that, something inside Rajani, something shed thought had died, flared up. No! she cried out. No talking! Hurry up! They began moving forward. Rajani couldnt see much beyond the backs of the citizens in front of her, and since both she and Soti were in the middle of their row of four, neither could she see very well the landscape around them through which the Cursed were now marching. But she could see Soti. She could see Sotis frightened face, her utter willingness to obey the shouted command to shut up and walk faster. No, no, no, Rajani thought, the first thought shed had since the raid that wasnt marked by rage and grief. No, no, shes too young, theyll mold her, theyll convince her to hate herself, shell become an adult believing that shes a mutineer descendant, shell swallow their lies, shell think less of herself in her own head, and I cant let that happen, I cant, I cant, I cant! But is it a lie? a voice hissed, fork-tongued, inside her. Havent the gods abandoned you? Do they even exist? Maybe the overbelters are right, maybe you all are mutineers, maybe you deserve this fate. No! Rajani cried out, her hand curling around Sotis. No, I wont let her grow up believing that! So youll teach her a lie. No! You said it yourself. Either the gods are powerless, unable to stop the overbelters from destroying the Cursed, or they are evil, hating the Cursed and desiring to see their death. No! You said it yourself. Rajani had said it herself. She had. She still said it to herself, said it night after night after night. But now Sotis face was cast down and her gaze was lost, and she was frightened and Rajani remembered, she remembered how oh so long ago Rajani had crossed a rain-slick rope bridge and stood on a limestone shell platform built into the face of a mountain and shed told Soti the story of the Jinkari Table, shed told Soti who they were. And what was it that shed told herself then? The pain is a test. It doesnt mean anything about who you are. Do you still believe you belong to Hunts Table, even when youre not treated like it? Or will you let the pain name you? A bitter laugh almost rose up out of Rajani. Oh what wouldnt she give to be back in the Cursed urb, facing down her own people, facing down Chief Bikash! What wouldnt she give to suffer that kind of pain! Compared to what she was going through now, it was nothing, nothing. How could anyone call what the Cursed were enduring now a test? How could anyone see death as a tool? Death was the all-consuming maw of a mammole, it was the choking carbon-dioxide outside the bio-dome, it was the end, it was the enemy. Rajani might have left it there, might have bowed her head and returned to her bitterness. But Sotis hand was still around hers, and Sotis soul was still looking for answers. Chapter 96: “Nobody knows. You never get a warning.” Chapter 96: They come and get you, Mayahs bunkmate was whispering. They question you. Depending on what you say, depending on your record, they classify you. When do they come? The whispered response came from the serf in the bunk to Mayahs right. Mayah herself was eavesdropping, pretending to be asleep. Keep your eyes closed, breathe evenly, she told herself. Dont miss this chance to find out what it means to be reviewed. Nobody knows. You never get a warning. What questions do they ask you? About before. They want to know whether you helped the Eenta, or whether youre complicit, whether you collaborated with C Someone coughed. Mayahs bunkmate stopped at once. Mayah waited, holding her breath, but she heard only silence. Eventually she gave up and rolled to her side. Collaborated with the Rajas, it had to be. If a serf had collaborated with the Rajas, she would be found out during her review, and classified accordingly. Whats classification? Mayah had asked the Eenta boy. Well, it had been over a week now since the Eenta had dropped Mayah off at LakeCentral Castle, and in that week Mayah had learned that classification was everything. It determined where you slept, with whom you spoke, how much food you received to eat, and where you could go. An unclassified individual like Mayah was confined to the castle. She had discovered that when trying to leave it on a made-up errand. A guard had shouted at her and shoved her back in when she failed to produce a classification card. Mayahs hands were clammy. Tiri DipperToo isnt real, she thought. She wont be in any genealogies, and I dont think I know enough about Eenta village life to be able to lie about it. Maybe I could make something up about being a patronless castle serf instead? Thatll at least explain why Im not in a registry book. Then she hesitated. Something wasnt right. The men, women and children with whom Mayah shared the barracks were all either awaiting classification like herself or were classified as having suspect loyalty. The latter group had even less freedom than the former, and not much better access to resources. But what linked them together? Were they all complicit? But the Eenta regent Mayah had met her first morning, she found out, had been a Free Serf. And many of the suspect loyalty were former village serfs who had never even seen a Rajas. How had they collaborated with the Golden Castle? Was it really collaboration Mayah should avoid admitting to in her review, or was it something else? Did it even matter what she said or didnt say? Mayah found herself shivering. She missed Lainla and the Cursed. She even missed being hungry in the Gathers Children ditch! At least the rules had been clear there. Here, Mayah didnt know what was or wasnt real. *** Evening came, after a long day of sweeping and cleaning and shining and this and that and a thousand other things Mayahd had no idea needed to be done to keep a castle up. And still she didnt know what to do about her pending review. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. She sat on her bunk and tried to keep her thoughts on her dilemma but looking out at the higher classified Eenta accusers gathering in the central aisle, Mayah didnt think she was going to be able to. Gritting her teeth, she prepared herself. Unclassified members had to attend call-out sessions, but careful observation had taught Mayah that they didnt necessarily have to participate in them. If Mayah didnt want that to change, she had to keep her emotions from showing on her face. Who wants to go? a higher classified Eenta called out. Any volunteers? Mayahs stomach clenched. If nobody volunteered, everyone of suspect loyalty would have to confess something. That had happened two evenings ago. Each serf had had to endure less interrogation personally, but their collective confessions had pushed the session late into the night. Exhausted, Mayah had dozed off, only to be slapped back awake by a higher classified Eenta. When a former village serf girl around Mayahs age got up from her bunk, Mayah didnt know whether to feel relieved or sick. Yesterday evening the same girl had volunteered to confess as well. I thought the Chenta and Eenta had always been different, she had said then. Now I know better. The Rajas looked at the serfs on their right, and said, you are the Chenta. Then they looked at the serfs on their left, and said, you are the Eenta. Theres no real difference between us. It took you this long to realize this? a higher classified Eenta had sneered at the trembling girl. Others had joined in. Were you not paying attention to anything weve said? No wonder your loyalty is suspect. The girl was in the central aisle again now, her hands clasped over her village suits waistline. I didnt educate myself, she whispered. It took me longer than it should have to learn that the Chenta and Eenta have no real differences between them. Mayah squirmed in her seat. Why was the girl doing this? What did she expect would happen? The Eenta werent ever going to pat her on the head and say good job you are absolved now. It had taken Mayah only a week to figure that out. Besides, the accusers this evening were different from yesterdays accusers. They wouldnt understand that the girl was trying to demonstrate progress. Sure enough, one of the Eenta accusers scowled and pointed a finger in the girls face. Mayah winced. She expected him to rail at the girl for not having educated herself quickly enough. To her surprise, he instead screamed, How dare you say that! The Chenta and Eenta have always been different from each other. Even on Earth they were different! The other accusers began piling on. You think you can even compare the Chenta and the Eenta? Im sorry, I didnt mean anything bad C the girl stammered. Youre sorry. You think thats enough? You think its enough to mean well? No, its not intent that matters, but impact! I C How many times do we need to say this? We Eenta were oppressed from the start, and that makes us pure, it makes us better than the complicit Chenta. Well destroy them the way we destroyed the Rajas! The girl began weeping. Im sorry, I didnt know, Im sorry, Im sorry! Mayah began blinking. She couldnt cry, she couldnt cry, it didnt matter how bad she felt for the girl, she couldnt cry, because then shed get in trouble, theyd haul her up there and make her volunteer and Mayah couldnt remember anything, she was so confused, because hadnt Sukren told her there was no real difference between the Eenta and the Chenta? Had he been wrong? Or had he told her that because he was a Chenta himself? Was it true, as the Eenta were saying now, that the Chenta had been the real Rajas collaborators all along? Mayah couldnt remember, and if she said the wrong thing she would get in trouble, and if she got in trouble theyd find out that she was a Rajas, and then it would be over. I have to get out of here. Before they classify me as suspect loyalty. Before I go insane. I have to escape. Chapter 97: “Two people, that’s confirmation, it means it’s a true vision.” Chapter 97: The Xhota marched the Cursed through the dome to a red-walled cage guarded by soldiers who were not Xhota. After being counted and shoved forward through the entranceway, the gate was lowered with a bang! shutting them in. They were prisoners once more. But at least now, for the first time, they were alone among their own. The questions started trickling in. The new soldiers had taken Sukren away, so Ishiah was the only one who could answer them. Were by LakeCentral Castle, he told everyone. The new soldiers are Eenta. I remember them from before I crossed the shelterbelt. Dont make them angry. Theyre very mean. What is this place? Mamai asked him, staring wonderingly at the red walls that hemmed them in on every side. Its a greenhouse village, Ishiah explained. I used to work in one of these. He pointed at the rows and rows of small green plants that stretched out from the huts by the greenhouse gate all the way to the red wall on the far side of the village. They probably want us to care for them. Mamai looked horrified. You mean agriculture? Rajani started laughing. She couldnt help it. After all she had suffered to drag the Cursed around and over and past their Tabu against agriculture, to be surrounded in the end by plants, plants that she and the other Cursed had to tend well, it was funny. And apparently she wasnt the only one who thought so. Kebets face wore a wry smile, Jiat was shaking his head as he snorted, and even Lainla, heartbroken by Bharans death, even her eyes were touched by mirth. Oh Hunt, oh Gather, Rajani breathed out, wiping her eyes. Oh Hunt, oh Gather. Their names. That was all. Their names, the first prayer shed uttered free of hate since the raid. Easy, simple, out of habit, like taking in a breath of air. And something inside her unlocked. Rajani looked out at the remnant of her people in front of the overbelters mud huts. I saw something the night I was arrested, she said to them. I dont understand what it means. I dont understand how its possible. But I cant deny my own eyes. Then Rajani stopped. How could she go on? How could she tell them of the urb lit up in glory and honor, of the light and life shed seen even as the rain filled with radioactive particles poured down on her head? These were her people, whod turned on her before. Of course they would turn on her again. And out here, Rajani was not the lead hunter of the Jinkari Table with a lodge of her own. Out here, Rajani was nothing. Besides that, did Rajani herself even still believe what shed seen? Back and forth she went. Should she speak? Could she? What would she even say? The song had slipped; it was all sharps and flats now. Her vision would be a jarring, discordant note. It wouldnt fit the rhythm. In any case, it didnt matter. Rajani couldnt risk suffering any more rejection. So she turned away from her people and went to Soti. Soti, Rajani could trust. And Lainla, and Abha-am, and yes, Mamai, and the Solonsa Table, Kebet and his father and mother Ishiah and Jedial, and his cousin Yathi, and she could trust Jiat and his cousin Kaliwa, and Mylin too, and her mother Erari, and maybe also Ahziel of the Shallum Table, and Guthi of the Ilhab Table, yes, Rajani could trust them as good hunters and fellow citizens as well. I saw the urb, Rajani said aloud, facing Soti. I saw the sun shining through the bio-dome on all of us. And not just us, not just you and me but the rest of our Table, all of us alive, even Tanush and Kishi A sob from Abha-am interrupted her. Swallowing, Rajani held out her hand to her. And the urb was filled with life, she whispered. It had lexikosts and hunters and lodge mothers and physicians and every kind of citizen worshiping together, all of us together, all of us, like it says in the Machir Table Chronicles about how all of us are of Hunts Table. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Here Rajanis voice faltered. She didnt know what else to say. What did her vision of light and life have to do with the red walls around them? How did it fit into the story they were living out right now? Rajani felt her desire to keep going fade away. Another word, another sentence, and someone might erupt out of their own bitterness to blame and condemn her. Before the raid, back when Rajani was lead hunter of the Jinkari Table, she wouldnt have cared, of course. She would have been eager to meet fire with fire. But she knew herself well enough to know that she couldnt endure resistance anymore. Definitely not right then. And maybe not ever again. Then Rajani heard someone say, I saw it too. Rajanis head snapped up. It was Sheerah of the Horon Table, a lodge mother around Abha-ams age. She was twisting her torn and burnt sleeve with her fingers. I saw it too, she repeated, in barely a whisper. The urb, just like you said. With all of us dancing between the lodges, in the atreola, everywhere, together. I was getting water from one of the wells and hurrying because it was getting dark. Then I blinked, and my next step was into a world of light. I I didnt understand it. It was beautiful, but I didnt understand it. Thats confirmation, Rajani heard Jedial say. Two people, thats confirmation, it means its a true vision. But what does it mean? someone asked. It was Pispah, a hunter of the Ara Table. She turned to address both Rajani and Sheerah. Our urb was destroyed and our people killed. How can it be whole and full of life again? I have no idea, Rajani replied. Sheerah shrugged. Pispah grunted, clearly dissatisfied. Others, however, seemed more hopeful. Maybe it means the gods will punish the overbelters for taking the urb from us, someone said. Or maybe it means were all sleeping, and this is a dream, someone else said, to actual full-chested laughs. But it was Kebet who hobbled forward and caught their attention in the end. Isnt it obvious? he said. It means the gods are going to bring us back. It means the gods are going to restore our urb. It means all of this C he waved his hands around at the brown huts, the red walls, the green fields C all of this is going to become untrue. *** All of this is going to become untrue. Later that night, after a meal of cooked grain C grown grain, forbidden food C Rajani pondered Kebets words. The debate had continued after hed spoken them, with most people asking the right questions. How? The urb, maybe, could be re-built, but how could dead people come back to life? Nobody had any answers. But for the first time since the raid, the Cursed were not lost in shock. Rajani could tell the difference. Some of them wept while they ate, but they were the kind of tears that came at the end of a trial, or at least at the end of the beginning of a trial. Now the seventy-odd citizens were drinking water from the faucets set into the greenhouse walls, although not too much, heeding Ishiahs warning. The greenhouse walls are hollow and overbelters store water in them, but mostly for the plants. If we take too much, the plants will die, and the soldiers will blame us. What do you mean the water is for the plants? someone asked him. Jiat answered that one. Plants drink water like us. But theyre like babies, they need someone to give it to them. Rajani cupped her hands under the spigot and waited for Lainla to turn it on. She drank eagerly as soon as her hands were full. Then it was Lainlas turn. Rajani leaned against the red wall and twisted the faucet knob on and off. She was still thinking about what Kebet had said. All of this is going to become untrue. Oh, if only she, or Jedial, or any of them had something to write with, if only they had their Table Chronicles with them! Then they could write down the lessons they were learning, they could store the stories they were living, they could add to their Chronicles the way their ancestors had before them. Well, maybe they still could. From what the others were saying, the Xhota had destroyed as much of the urb as they could, but maybe some books had made it through. Maybe some of the Table Chronicles had survived. Maybe a few of them could go back one day and gather the pages together, then make a book, a new book, of all that the Cursed had gone through before and after the raid. And then Rajani would write the words she couldnt let go of, the words burning in her heart. Either the gods are powerless, unable to stop the overbelters from destroying us, or they are evil, hating us and desiring to see our death C or Hunt and Gather are still the gods weve always known and their stories still true. If I want to believe that you have the power to bring us back, then I have to believe you could have stopped the raid and didnt. And why didnt you? I dont know. But I do know you. That was as far as Rajani could go. The knot in her throat was still tight. The distance between herself and the gods still yawned deep. There was a hardness in her heart that wouldnt melt; Rajani wasnt sure that she even wanted it to melt. She might need it. Almost certainly she would. The overbelters had shown themselves again and again to be a cruel, cruel people. She had to meet them with starmetal and stone. Otherwise, they would win. Chapter 98: “The patrols will bring them in." Chapter 98: Its the ones from the Chenta quinters, the guard was saying to his partner. Theyre such a pain. Half of them dont even know they have to come to the castle to be reviewed! Quietly, silently, broom in hand, Mayah took another step down the corridor, and listened to the voices around the corner. Shed swept this hallway earlier but had now returned, hoping to overhear exactly this: guards gossip. It was the only way she could get any information on what had happened to the bio-dome recently. If she wanted to have even a chance at passing her review, she had to know that at least. The patrols will bring them in, the other guard replied. And theyll be reviewed, like all of us, to see whether C or not C they can be trusted. Living with the Chenta, they probably think like Chenta too. Mayah pursed her lips, trying to fit in what she was hearing with what shed picked up so far. As far as she could tell, the guards were talking about Eenta fleeing from Chenta-majority quinters. That much shed picked up already. After the Uprising, Chenta living in Industrilia and LakeCentral had fled for Chenta-majority quinters and Eenta living in Woodheart and Lost Technology had fled for their quinters in the same way. Lord Dasgu had instituted the classification system as a way to keep track of all the individuals in his quinters, newcomers from Chenta-majority quinters and old-timers alike. Is it really that we cant trust them, though, or that we need their labor? the first guard replied. I mean, someones got to do Chenta work around here. Why not the suspect loyalties? What? Youre not suggesting that Queen Dasgu is lying about the reason for classification? No, no, of course not, the first guard hastily responded. I never C no C thats not at all C no, definitely not. Besides, if we needed labor, we could have conquered the Xhota and had them do Chenta work. They wouldnt have lasted a week against us. Thats why they agreed so quickly to join Queen Dasgu and the Eenta. Why didnt we conquer them then? If it was so easy? Mayah was at the corner of the hallway now. She peeked around its edge. Without glasses nothing was very clear, but she could tell the guards were standing in front of an exit to the serf staircase. One of them seemed to be gazing disapprovingly at the other. You ask a lot of questions, but not the kind Id expect from someone of your high level of classification. I just C I like to think, I like to know. Thats all. Is that right. I mean, they brought in all those mutineers recently, didnt they? The Xhota brought them in, right? Whats your point? If the guard had a point, Mayah didnt hear it. The words caught up to her and she drew back around the corner, hand over her mouth. Mutineers C the Cursed C they were here C Oh, if I can escape, I can escape to them, and then I wont have to worry about my review! It was such a good idea. It was the first idea Mayah had had that brought her some relief. But how would she do it? She didnt even know where the Cursed were exactly. Somewhere in LakeCentral Quinter? Oh, maybe the guards were still talking about it, maybe she should listen some more? But no, they were talking about something else now, some upcoming guards inspection. Mayah would have to find some other way to uncover where the Cursed C and Sukren with them C were. *** Coffee Post #1. It cost Mayah her glasses C her last link to her Rajas life C to find that bit of information out. That wasnt all her glasses bought her, though. They also got her assigned to clean LakeCentral Castles library. Thank Sarana that Mayahs foreman was a greedy man, not a political one! Besides, the way the foreman was pawing through all the belongings of the lower classified, Mayah figured she didnt have much time until he found and took her glasses away anyway in exchange for nothing. And it wasnt like she could wear them. Plus, shed been tired of being nervous about someone finding them and then accusing her of being a Rajas. It was better to be rid of them. Especially in exchange for a library! It was important to remember, however, that Mayah didnt know how long shed be assigned to the library for. She didnt exactly expect the foreman to be either fair or nice. He didnt seem particularly fair or nice at any rate. It would probably be smarter to treat him like he was one of the princesses Mayah used to go to school with. They had been interested in Mayah only for as long as she could give them something good; so too would the foreman be. Once he realized Mayah had nothing left to offer, hed get mean. That meant Mayah had to move, quick quick quick, find maps of the quinter, find blueprints of the castle, find a way out of LakeCentral Castle to Coffee Post #1. Unfortunately, the library was big. Mayah looked, and looked, getting more and more nervous with each passing day, and still she couldnt find anything. Then one day an Eenta came up with a cart stuffed full of manuscripts. He wheeled it into the library right near where Mayah was sweeping. She caught a quick glimpse C they looked like newly printed books C maybe they had more up-to-date information that could help her find a way out? The thought gave her hope. Feeling excited, she ran for the cart as soon as the Eenta was gone. Hm. All the books were the same. RAJAS TALES, each read. Mayah squinted at the words through the clear bioplastic cover of the topmost book. Well, maybe it would tell her where all the Rajas had disappeared to? That might be helpful. Mayah glanced over her shoulder, then picked up the book from its pile, and opened it to the table of contents. TALE 1: THE CRUEL PRINCESS AND THE NOBLE SERF GIRL. TALE 2: THE UGLY PRINCE. TALE 3: THE PRINCESS WHO LIED TO A SERF MOTHER. TALE 4: THE PRINCE WHO ABUSED A SERF CHILD. There were around fifty tales, all variants on the same theme. Mayah hesitated, then turned to the first tale. Before the Uprising, before the Eenta led the Free Serfs to victory, we were ruled by a cruel and cowardly class. Yes, boys and girls, I speak to you of the Rajas. Oh, they were cruel, oh, they were cowardly! Let me give you a story to show you just what I mean. You see, back when they ruled us, they could do anything they liked to us. They could beat us, they could call us nasty names, they could put us in cages and not give us food. One day, one of these Rajas, a princess of the name of Yaini, decided she didnt like the looks of the poor little Eenta girl forced to serve her. So do you know what she did? The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Mayahs eyebrows went up higher and higher as she continued reading. Yaini ordered the serf girl to hand over her meager portion of food? That didnt make sense. A princess like Yaini would be eating much better food at the cafeteria. She wouldnt want serf rations. Also, a princess wouldnt have cared about, much less noticed, a castle serf girls looks! Mayah skimmed through the other tales, but nothing in them stood out to her. Not that she had expected anything to. Mayah needed facts, not fiction. Replacing the manuscript, she returned to her broom. Maps, that was what she needed. Not stories. Especially not badly written stories that werent even realistic. Well, they werent completely unrealistic. The Golden Castle had been oppressive. Like Vek had said. Rajas rule was the problem, and the Free Serfs the solution. Right? Mayah stopped sweeping. The past few weeks she hadnt given much thought to anything but survival. Her mind felt foggy. The Rajas were the problem, the Free Serfs the solution. Mayah knew that. So how come the Rajas Tales bothered her so much? What did it matter if they werent exactly true? The point was it was To end Rajas rule, that was it. But then again, Rajas rule had ended. So why tell such stories? It seemed kind of mean. Not that it was a problem for serfs to be mean to Rajas. Although, then again Mayah hesitated. There was a thought in the back of her mind, but it was the kind of thought youd confess at a call-out session, that was how bad it was. Mayah closed her eyes. She pictured herself standing in the central aisle between the bunks. It was the only way she could allow herself to try the thought out. I feel like the serfs are being mean to each other more than anything else. There! She had done it! For the first time since coming to LakeCentral Castle, Mayah felt like she could breathe, like a weight pressing down on her chest had been lifted. Another thought occurred to her, and this time it slipped out easily even though it was much worse. I cant think of anything that happened under Rajas rule thats as bad as call-out sessions. Now Mayah felt like she was about to faint. Did I really think that? Could I really think that? Is it okay? Can I think more? Like, maybe all this serf stuff has nothing to do with me? Maybe all I need to do is keep my head down and stay out of the way? Let the serfs figure out their new world. Ill focus on finding the Cursed. And Sukren. And the truth about who I am. But wait. Who cares about that? Finding out why I grew up in a serf village wont help me escape my review. I mean, who even cares if Sukren lied to me? Sukren never made me feel bad about being a Rajas like the serfs here do. He listened to me. He took care of me. He loved me. *** That thought remained with Mayah for the rest of the week. It was at the end of that week that she came across the journal. With her blurred vision Mayah might have missed it, but her hand happened to brush its soft-bound spine. There was something familiar about the feeling. Glancing furtively around the library, Mayah pulled the book off the shelf, and brought the cover to her eyes. The Journal of the Lost Princess. Parts I and III. Mayah immediately put the journal back. She picked her broom up from off the floor. Without even sweeping the area nearby, she left for another section of the library. She was back the next day. After making sure nobody could see her, Mayah opened the journal and squinted at the first page. My name is Menai. I am a princess of fourteen years of age. I was born in Woodheart Castle, 747 years after the Crash Landing, in the 11th regnal year of Queen Kalia. I received my cycle a few weeks before my fourteenth birthday. I waited eagerly to be seeded, but when the kalpate came to get me, they brought me not to my senior castle, but here, to this glass tower above Lost Technology. They did not mistreat me. They gave me books, bedding, and food, but they told me nothing. I am here in the tower now, writing between the lines of the books I was given, desperate for an explanation. Why did Queen Kalia imprison me? For I know it was her. Only the queen has the authority to imprison other Rajas. But I have scarcely even met her. What am I to her, but another princess? The next page contained the same handwriting. Today one of the kalpate, the same one who gave me ink and a pen, slipped me another book. I think he pities me, and well he should. But his pity was not of the kind one gives to the infertile. I could tell he considered himself to be in the presence of one who is holy. Promised Daughter, he called me. Mayahs hands were shaking. She marked her spot with her finger and closed the covers. She could feel the texture of the pages against her skin. Promised Daughter, he called me. Promised Daughter. The words echoed in her mind. Almost as if shed heard them before. Like a sense-memory of a blessing from long ago. O Promised Daughter. O Promised Daughter. Mayah did no other cleaning that day. Once she had to drop the journal and kick it under a shelf when two serfs carrying pamphlets passed by her, but she didnt bother moving from her spot. After they were gone, she knelt, picked up the journal, and resumed reading. For two days Mayah read, heedless of the risk. She learned how the Lost Princess had defied Queen Kalia during her imprisonment in order to uncover what it meant to be the Promised Daughter. She learned how the Lost Princess had been forced to choose between her twin daughters, one to go to the budding Free Serf movement, and the other to go to Queen Kalia. She learned how the Lost Princess had in her later years designed both Lost Technologys labyrinth library and the Temple. After she finished the journal, Mayah moved onto the book next to it. The Lost Princess Commentary on the Pilgrimage of the Prophetess Darshana. Mayah had read many commentaries by the Lost Princess before, but never any on religion. The key to the prophecies is the Dome Ring, Chapter 7 said. Our ancestors from Earth could create machine-serfs with electrical souls; the Ring is one of these serfs. While the technology to create such devices is lost to us now, the Dome Ring the queen has is still viable, its power undiminished even after centuries of use. Its abilities are threefold: first, to test the Rajas population for a queen; second, to catalyze the bio-dome on the Night of the Dome; and third, and most importantly, to test the Rajas population for the Promised Daughter. In the case of the Promised Daughter, the Rings inner claws will open upon contact with her skin, piercing her finger and causing blood to flow. This is to fulfill the oracle issued by the Prophetess Darshana: Over the shelterbelt, the Rajas Daughter who is Promised, Must go. Over and to The Lake Tower, Her feet will tread. With the Ring of the Dome, Dripping in her hand. To be clear, the above is only part of the oracle. It is the most well-known part, but despite what the Famine of the Flowers say, it is only a part. The entirety of the prophecy is reprinted in the appendix. Slowly Mayah turned to the appendix. There she read again and again the prophecy of the Promised Daughter in full. *** That night Mayah listened to, without hearing, the accusations and confessions of the call-out session. The words, the weeping, it all washed over her. All she could hear was the drumbeat of her heart, and the same thought, over and over. I am the Promised Daughter. I am the Promised Daughter. I am the Promised Daughter. So thats why Sukren loved me. Chapter 99: “If I had my way the Eenta would torture you to death." Chapter 99: An Eenta guard named Baripa is our spy in LakeCentral. She informed us that the Eenta have been keeping Sukren drugged inside a clinic, but that within a few days of your arrival to LakeCentral Castle, hell be moved to a Rajas cell and permitted to come to consciousness. Baripa will arrange access to Sukren once hes been moved to his cell. Vek sat down in the hanging chair in his dorm and silently repeated to himself Lady Naris final instructions. He was glad to get a moment alone. The Rajas in the delegation he was pretending to serve were too twitchy and eager to please. After repeating the instructions, Vek stood and moved to look out the window. The gold and blue-fringed curtains that usually covered the windows in senior Rajas dorms had been removed, but through the window he could see several greenhouses along the outskirts of the castle grounds. Red, blue and violet, they stood out from the green and gold Earth grasses that filled LakeCentral Quinter. All around them herds of sheep munched happily. Vek took a deep breath. If Baripa were smart, she would be keeping track of Vek, she would know that Vek was alone now, she would come to him And there it was. The knock on the door. Vek hurried to pull it open; he stepped back to give Baripa room. If it was her. Whoever-it-was was wearing a doctor-priests robe, hood and all, and was hiding deep enough inside it to be able to avoid eye contact. Vek? came a whisper from inside the robe. Yes. Off came the hood. I am Baripa, the woman said, still in a whisper. An Eenta. I can change tomorrow nights guard schedule to give you a few minutes alone with him, but if you get caught, I wont help you. Ive worked hard to earn a place here. Lady Nari wouldnt want me to risk it. Why not tonight? Vek asked, trying not to sound annoyed. He found it hard these days to not get angry. Wasnt Sukren transferred to his cell today? Its too short notice, Baripa replied. She reached into a pocket hidden inside the folds of her robe and pulled out a key. Ill show you a secret passageway into a lift shaft that leads down to the cells. At the start of nightsleep the guard will leave. Youll have fifteen minutes at most until the next guard arrives. Vek took the key with his four-fingered hand. I wont get caught. Dont give me away if you do. Youll suffer an accident in custody if I think youre going to slip. Vek said nothing aloud. Lift, start of nightsleep, fifteen minutes. Yes, he could pull this off. He listened as Baripa told him that the Eenta had started torturing Sukren earlier that day for information about the Promised Daughters whereabouts. So far, Sukren had divulged nothing. That was good. Fear of continued torture at the hands of the Eenta would have Sukren looking for a way out. Vek could make use of that. After all, if there was anything Vek knew how to do these days, it was interrogation. *** The next night came not a moment too soon. Vek crawled through the secret passageway into the lift shaft. He had to lay flat on his stomach inside the shaft, the underside of the lift car floor a fingers width above him. He held his breath as the guard stepped through a bi-parting gate into the lift. The car floor hit Veks shoulder blades. He froze. Would the guard notice the different feel beneath his feet? Apparently not. A moment later, the pressure lifted off of Veks back, and the lift car rose. Vek waited until the guard was several lengths above him before slipping out of the shaft and through the gate, into the hallway. It was almost as dark in the hallway as it had been inside the shaft. A single red bottle-lamp in the ceiling lit the way. Vek counted the cell doors under its flickering light. One, two, three, four. The fourth door was Sukrens. Vek turned the key, wincing a little as the door creaked open. Then he was inside. Who is it? a hoarse voice whispered. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it It was pitch black inside the cell. Vek tapped his daysclock. The numbers and lines lit up, allowing Vek to make out the outline of Sukrens body halfway up off the floor. Its Vek. I have fifteen minutes. I can get you out of here, he lied. Where is the Promised Daughter? Vek C I dont have time for anything but answers. Where is the Promised Daughter? I told the Eenta the truth. I dont know. The last I heard shed left the bio-dome. Left the bio-dome? Whod you hear that from? One of the Cursed. Who is this person? I need to question her. Unless you told the Eenta about her? Are they already C No, Sukren replied. Vek found it easy to ignore the pain in the mans voice. I didnt tell the Eenta about her yet. Is she in the greenhouse with the other Cursed? I think so. Whats her name? What does she look like? Vek could see in the dim light that Sukren was hesitating. Youre not in a position to bargain, he snapped at him. You tell me everything I need to know, and once Ive confirmed that your information is good, I get you out of here. Thats how this is going to work. Then you better hope you can move faster than the Eenta, Sukren said. Im not going to be able to hold out on them for much longer. Today I almost his voice wavered. But if you get me out of here now, Ill help you, and I wont be able to help them. Vek felt fury spike up inside him. Youre a traitor, he spat. If I had my way the Eenta would torture you to death. You dare act like your life means anything now, after the way you abandoned us? Sukren was silent. Vek stepped forward and crouched on the ground before him. The light from Veks daysclock revealed a blindfold, no, those were bandages over Sukrens eyes. Had he been blinded? Her name, Vek said. Name and description. Even if I tell you, Sukren whispered, its not going to help you. Im going to end up telling the Eenta soon enough, even though I dont want to. So get me out of here. You can hate me all you want, but its to your benefit to stop the Eenta from trying to get information out of me. Sukren was right. Vek might feel nothing but rage for him, but he was still right. Too much pressure, and Sukren might even tell the Eenta about Veks visit. I cant get you out right now, Vek said. But Ill tell the Eenta that Lady Nari wont trade for you unless youre untouched. Theyll listen. Vek worked it out in his mind. He would tell the Rajas negotiators to inform their counterparts that a queen was on offer if and only if Sukren was not harmed. That would be enough to stall the Eenta while Vek followed up with the Cursed. Okay, Sukren responded, the relief clear in his voice. Her name is Lainla of the Jinkari Table. Shes around your age, a little older. Shes of Xhota blood. Shes got close-cropped hair, an athletic build, and wears glasses. Vek committed the details to memory. He would inform the Rajas negotiators to ask the Eenta, as a gesture of their goodwill, to let Vek choose a Cursed girl for the night. He doubted the Eenta would refuse. They would look down on him for mixing with a mutineer, but Vek was already a mutt, so what did it matter? The lights on Veks daysclock blinked. He stood. He had only a few minutes until the next guard came. He had to go. He shouldnt risk it. The words burst from his lips anyway. Why did you do it? Why did you run off? When Sukren didnt respond, Vek kicked his thigh. Answer me! Sukren drew himself up into a sitting position. You remember what Lady Nari always said? Pick your identity and stick to it, no matter what the consequences may be. I remember. Thats what I did. Fury coursed through Vek once more. That is not what you did. You ran out on the Free Serfs C on the Chenta. You C you come from a full Chenta lineage C you threw that away C Why the hell should the Chenta have first claim on me? I was apprenticed to a Chenta doctor-priest. You think the fact that we were both Chenta affected how he treated me? No, Im talking about Mayah. What do you mean? I am the guardian of the Promised Daughter. First, foremost, always. No matter what the consequences may be. Regret permeated Sukrens every word. Vek turned his face away. Sukren made Lady Naris call to accept whatever consequences might come sound not like victory, but death. I have to go, Vek said aloud. He took one last look at Sukren. Then with the four fingers on his strong hand, he opened and closed the cell door, and locked it behind him. Chapter 100: “You mean we should riot.” Chapter 100: Mats of coffee cherries lined the southern end of the greenhouse, where the electric lights were strongest. With meticulous care, Rajani raked and turned her portion of the drying red fruit. She didnt want the Eenta in charge of quality control to give a negative report to the guards who doled out the Curseds rations. When she was done, Rajani stood and stretched her left arm. She looked around at the other rakers, most of whom were finishing up. Yathi, though, was behind; Rajani stooped down to help her. Together they worked in silence under the red sheen of the greenhouses bioplastic walls and roof. Red cherries, red walls, it was red red red everywhere Rajani turned. Will you tell us of your vision again tonight? Yathi asked her. Yes, Rajani replied. After we get our food from the Eenta. She glanced down the length of the greenhouse, across the rows of coffee bushes, all the way to the mud huts around which the Cursed were slowly gathering. The greenhouse was a fraction of the size of the Cursed urb, but it was the largest indoor structure Rajani had ever been in, with enough space within it for fields and huts to house at least a hundred bodies. Behind the huts was the sole exit out of the greenhouse. Rajani had learned from subtle investigations that it was guarded day and night by a troupe of soldiers C the same soldiers who once at morntide and once at eventide doled out rations to the Cursed. Rajani could see in the distance that Ishiah was making his way to the greenhouse gate. He disappeared around its corner and reappeared a moment later, with the inspector now beside him. Rajani knew the inspector from his gait. Shed memorized it after seeing it every day of the past seven diurnals that the Cursed had spent inside the greenhouse. Yathi shifted. Knowing she was afraid, Rajani motioned her forward. Ill wait for the inspector. You go ahead to the huts. Thank you, Yathi whispered. Soon enough the inspector had crossed the fields and was running his fingers along a mat of drying cherries. Rajani listened as he said something to Ishiah in an overbelter language. Ishiah responded haltingly. After looking through the rest of the mats, the inspector nodded, said something else to Ishiah, then took off across the fields. What did he say? Rajani asked. I think he was saying everything looked good, Ishiah responded. Im not sure. He keeps talking to me in Eenma, but I was a village serf before I joined the Cursed. I know Chenmay and not much else. Rajani nodded. Whos on duty to get the food tonight? Jiat and Rinen. Rajani winced. Rinen was fully Xhota. The Eenta guards wouldnt bother him too much. But Jiat was half Eenta, and if there was anything their Eenta captors hated more than the myxte Chenta among the Cursed, it was the myxte Eenta. Their Eenta captors were furious, Rajani had learned, that other Eenta who shared their blood had lowered themselves to mix ethnically with the likes of mutineers and Chenta. Ishiah saw her wince. We each do our part. He paused. You ready for tonight? Yes, Rajani replied. She was tired, but she said it as strongly as she could. Because that was her part. To speak with conviction, to share her vision as if she believed it. Which she did. She was determined to believe. Stone and starmetal, that was what Rajani was now. And this was what she was going to hold onto, this was all she could hold onto: the Cursed would not be defeated. They would not be destroyed. They would not die. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. She and Ishiah left the mats of coffee cherries behind them and returned to the cluster of huts where the Cursed were waiting. Lainla was huddled up against the wall of one of the huts, her face hidden in her arms, her glasses dangling from her fingers. Rajani almost went up to her. She almost put her arm around her shoulders. But a cry went up, distracting her. The food had arrived. Rajani joined the double line that stretched from the greenhouse gate to the clearing between the fields and the huts. Jiat and Rinen were at the very front of the line. They would pass a vat of food onto the first pair in the double line, who would pass it onto the next pair, and so on, until the vat reached the clearing. Soon, too soon, all the vats were down the line and inside the greenhouse. Rajani looked at the five vats in dismay. Five? That was it? Two weeks ago theyd dropped from seven to six, and now they were dropping down to five? And it was the same cooked grain, too, which barely filled or gave energy. Her mind spinning, Rajani joined the circle around the nearest vat. She took the ladle when it was handed to her, ate, then passed it onto the person beside her, on and on until the vat was empty. Then she went to find Kebet. He was in another circle, swallowing his last mouthful. When he saw Rajani, he wiped his mouth and hobbled over to her. Its not enough, she said to him. Theyre not giving us enough food. I know, he replied. At this rate, well starve to death. If its not enough next time too, we should fight back. We cant wait until were too weak to put up any resistance. You mean we should riot. Rajani couldnt help it; her mouth twisted into a smile. Before she could respond, however, the citizens nearest to the greenhouse gate began murmuring. After exchanging a glance, she and Kebet began pushing their way to the front of the crowd. There, beside the still-open gate, she saw two Eenta guards and a young Chenta man, barely out of boyhood. The Eenta guards were shouting something. The murmurs turned into frantic whispers. Theyre saying to bring all the girls forward. Kebet and Rajani exchanged glances again. Get the young girls and keep them out of sight, she told him. She repeated herself to the people nearest her, and the whispers began changing to echo her words. Rajani herself stepped forward. She eyed the Chenta. The Eenta had never asked for any girls before. It had to be him that this was for. Yet why? Since when did Eenta show favor to a Chenta? Rajani felt someone slip into place beside her. She turned. It was Lainla, grief still marking her face. Rajani gave her hand to her sister, who clung to it with all the force of a syrinx gunner. They both froze when the Chenta came closer to them. He looked at Rajani, then at Lainla. Lainla? he asked. Rajani couldnt help herself. So surprised was she to hear her sisters name on this strangers lips that she looked at Lainla. Just as quickly she looked away, but it was too late. The Chenta was pointing at her sister and saying to the Eenta guards in the same garbled Xhom that Sukren had used, I want this one. No, Rajani shouted in Xhom. No, youve got it wrong. She pointed at herself. Im Lainla. Im Lainla. Its okay, her sister said. She let go of Rajanis hand. No C But the Eenta guards were already pulling Lainla away. Rajani tried to lunge after them, but someone held her back. Cursing herself for giving Lainla away, Rajani watched with a pounding heart as the Eenta guards began closing the portcullis. Lainla and the Chenta were standing just on the other side; Lainla was looking back at Rajani with both fear and determination in her face. There was nothing Rajani could do to help her. Nothing, nothing, nothing again, nothing from the gods, nothing from anyone, O Hunt, O Gather, why, why, why C No, Rajani couldnt go there, she couldnt go back there, she had to go forward, she had to believe, she had to, she had to! This was happening for a reason, it had a purpose, it had meaning C You know what? To hell with it. To hell with everything. Kill him! she screamed. Dont hold back, La! Dont wait! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Chapter 101: “I don’t want to hurt you." Chapter 101: Vek didnt realize the Cursed girl had taken his knife until after he shut the door to his Rajas dorm room and felt the point of it against the back of his neck. He raised both hands, slowly, and said in the castle serf pidgin, Im not going to hurt you. Blood was trickling down his neck and seeping into his collar. The knifes point dug into his skin. Trying not to flinch, Vek repeated himself. Im not going to hurt you, Lainla. He hoped that by using her name he could get her to relax. Or relax enough to give him the time to turn and slap the knife out of her hand, anyway. But instead, he felt the girls hand push him forward against the wall next to the door. The knife remained steady against his neck. She said something to him in a language he didnt understand. It wasnt like anything hed heard before. Eenma, Chenmay and Xhom were all dialects of each other but what the Cursed girl was saying sounded like it came from another age. Do you speak Xhom? he asked. His palms were up against the wall. If she shifted, he could overpower her But she didnt shift. She said something again in what Vek assumed was the Cursed language. Then at the end, she added in Xhom, Xhom only a little. Great, Vek thought. If she doesnt know Xhom, she wont understand the castle serf pidgin. And she wont be able to say anything I understand, either! Irritation flooded through him. Briefly he considered shouting for help, but he didnt want to. He should be able to handle a girl. Sukren told me your name, Vek tried instead, checking his annoyance. You know Sukren? He felt the knifes pressure release a little. Sukren? Yes, Sukren. Hes here, in the castle. A stream of Cursed followed. Vek had to fight back more frustration. The Cursed girl looked like a dozen Xhota girls he knew. How could she not know how to speak Xhom? Im looking for Mayah, he said. Mayah. Do you know where Mayah is? He didnt wait for her grip to slacken this time. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Vek ducked and spun around. The knifes edge slid up against his shaved head, but he managed to grasp her right arm with his left hand. At the same time, he pinned her left hand, knife and all, under his right armpit. The girl kicked her heel around Veks ankle, throwing him off balance. Vek grunted as the back of his head connected with the wall. Then he gave a yelp. She was trying to free her knife hand by yanking it out, heedless of how the edge cut into his side. Xhom-speaker or not, the murder in her eyes was clear. Vek didnt blame her for fighting back. She didnt know he only wanted to question her, not hurt her. But it was becoming clear that the girl was going to hurt him if he didnt incapacitate her. Using his left hand, he grabbed her by the throat and began squeezing with all five fingers. She jerked backwards. The momentum yanked him forward. His foot tripped against hers and they both fell sideways onto the floor, her knife hand now trapped under his weight. Finally Vek had the advantage. He reached across his chest and wrested the knife handle away from the girl, rolling onto his back as he did so. Once he was clear of her, Vek clambered to his feet. He held the knife out, pointing it at her, keeping the door to his back. She responded by scrambling for the hanging chair in the rooms center. With a speed Vek found impressive, she detached one of the chairs chain-links and held it up in her hand like a whip. I dont want to hurt you, he said again. Well, now he did, a little, but only because he was annoyed at how long it had taken him to get the knife back! Im looking for Mayah. Thats it. Do you know where Mayah is? She studied him without dropping her stance. Her face was dark. Vek almost lunged for her. But then his old mission instincts kicked in. Yes, he could keep fighting with her, and probably eventually bring her down, but he had to remember that this girl wasnt like his other marks. What information could you torture out of someone who didnt even speak your language? It would go faster if he won her over. Keeping his eyes on her, Vek placed the knife at his feet and kicked it over. Then he put his hands up. I dont want to hurt you. He saw the girl look at the knife. She bent down to pick it up. Hopefully, she wouldnt attack him with it. Would she? He honestly wasnt sure. Had he made a mistake in giving it up? Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The girl glanced at him through her glasses. Where Mayah? she said to him in Xhom. Vek nodded. After a tense, lingering moment, she dropped the golden chain-link to the ground. Vek took a deep breath, then released it. She was still holding onto the knife but was keeping it angled downward. Vek watched as she began using it to carve something into the living-wood floor. For the first time in a long time, he felt something like excitement. He started to cross the length of the room to get a better look, but backed off when she jumped to her feet, knife point out. I just want to see, he said, but it made no difference. She wouldnt return to her carving until Vek returned to his side of the dorm. So he waited, itching with impatience, until the girl stood again. This time she backed away until she was by the window. Only then did she address Vek. He didnt understand what she was saying, but her gestures were clear. He rushed to the carving and knelt by it. In the floor was a map of the bio-dome. Vek didnt recognize it as such right away, but once he saw that the circle inside the elliptical shape was the shelterbelt, the image came together for him. He touched a scratched-out stick-figure at a spot outside the bio-dome. What does this mean? he asked, looking up from the drawing. Lainla looked back at him. Is this Mayah? Vek touched the stick-figure again. Mayah? Lainla nodded. Vek sat back on his heels. This wasnt new information. Sukren had already told him that the Promised Daughter had left the bio-dome. Although, to be fair, Vek didnt even know what that meant. He knew the Cursed did it. Hed heard rumors that they hunted outside the bio-domes frame. But what that looked like exactly, he didnt know. Then the words of the prophecy came back to him. Over the shelterbelt, the Rajas Daughter who is Promised, Must go. Over and to The Lake Tower, Her feet will tread. With the Ring of the Dome, Dripping in her hand. The Lake Tower, Vek vaguely remembered, was somewhere outside the bio-dome. Did that mean the Promised Daughter had gone to it? But that wasnt what was supposed to happen. The Free Serfs were supposed to rally together and build a starship. Only after that would the Promised Daughter go to the Lake Tower to unlock the secret to space travel. Vek found himself feeling angry. Had Sukren told the Promised Daughter who she was? Was that why she had gone off? Where was she now? He didnt realize Lainla was beside him until he felt her hand on his shoulder. It was a gentle touch. Vek ducked his head and closed his eyes. Be angry, be angry, he told himself, do anything but cry, think about Sukren, about how Sukren betrayed you, how he ran off with the Promised Daughter, how she went with him, how they both left you to face by yourself the howling mob Normally it worked. Ever since hed left Lost Technology, at any rate, Vek hadnt even been tempted to cry. It was harder for some reason, though, with Lainlas hand on his shoulder. He had to wait longer to make sure he had himself under control before he could lift his face to her. The knife was still in her hand, but she no longer looked like she wanted to kill him. She started to say something in Cursed, then stopped. She shrugged, a wry smile on her face. Vek had to bow his head again. He couldnt remember the last time someone had smiled at him. Certainly, it had been before his trial. Everything had been before his trial. Lainlas hand was still on his shoulder. When he glanced at her she was still smiling at him with that same wry smile. Im sorry, it seemed to say. Everything sure is terrible, isnt it? Vek closed his eyes. He took in a ragged breath. Rock-god, rock-god, he didnt want to go down this path, he didnt want to start thinking again, let alone feeling, but the disappointment of running into his last dead end was too much to bear. Without the Promised Daughter, how could he go back to the Chenta? How could he face them again? Because it was the Chenta he would be going back to. In the almost four diurnals that had passed since Veks trial C barely two weeks C the Chenta ethnonationalists had resoundingly won. Veks trial, apparently, had tipped the balance. That, and all the Chenta villagers from Eenta quinters flooding into Lost Technology and Woodheart Castles. Vek had stayed inside the empty mini-lounge while waiting for his mission to start, and even though hed spent most of that time C just over a diurnal C completely in hiding, even then hed seen enough to be able to tell that the future was Chenta. Fury burned through him again. This time it was steeped in shame. Maybe it was because Im half Eenta that I agreed to be an interrogator. Maybe its something in my blood. Maybe Ive always had violence in me. Maybe maybe maybe C Next to him, Lainla squeezed his shoulder, then let go. She stood, saying something, something soft and almost sing-songy in her language. For some reason it made Vek think of the other Cursed he had seen inside the greenhouse. He had never seen Xhota, Eenta and Chenta gathered together like that, not even during the Uprising, and certainly not before. And as far as Vek could tell, more than half of them seemed to be of mixed ethnicity. At that thought, the longing in his heart could no longer continue to be repressed. Blinking rapidly, Vek bent so that he was almost prostrate on the floor. Oh! he cried out silently. Oh, if only there could be a place like that for me! Chapter 102: “Tell her I did this because I am a hunter." Chapter 102: Senior Rajas dorms had kitchenettes. Vek didnt know how to cook and neither, it seemed, did Lainla, but together they managed to scrape something together from the water, rice and salted meat someone had left in the food storage bins. Lainla appeared to be most impressed by the electric stove burners. More than once shed held her hand only a fingers width away from the hot coils, exclaiming each time in her language at how hot they were. Or so Vek was assuming, anyway. Hot? he asked in the pidgin. He copied her gesture and pretended to touch the burner himself, then winced in an exaggerated manner. Hot? Hot, Lainla repeated thoughtfully. Then she grinned at him. It made Vek feel warm and welcome to see it. She seemed nice, that was the only way to put it, nice in a way that didnt have an agenda behind it. Especially now that she was no longer trying to kill him, Vek was actually having fun. He was almost sorry to have to let her go tomorrow and return to his lonely existence. Then again, maybe he didnt have to. Vek studied her from across the folding table theyd pulled out of the kitchenette. She was grimacing a little with each mouthful of rice, although she seemed to enjoy the meat well enough. Listen, he said suddenly. I wanted to ask you C I mean I know you dont understand anything Im saying C Her eyebrows were raised. But she seemed willing to sit and hear his babble, so he continued. Maybe I could join you. You know, your people, the Cursed. Vek paused. By this point he knew he was talking more to himself than to her, but the words kept coming out. I cant go back to the Chenta. Not without the Promised Daughter. And you know, Im not the type to grovel for acceptance. If I had been, I would have never joined the Free Serfs. If the Golden Castle was going to reject me, I was going to reject it. And I did. I was with the Chenta because thats how I was brought up, and I was one of them, but if theyre going to reject me now, why bother? Its not in me to try to belong when I know Im going to fail. Lainla was laughing a little now. Vek couldnt help but grin sheepishly in response. It was funny for him to sit and talk like she could understand anything at all about what he was saying. And yet, for all that, he felt better. Maybe it was possible for him to join the Cursed. Maybe he could leave all this behind. Then Vek shot to his feet. Someone was knocking at the door. At once Vek motioned to Lainla to get back. She grabbed the knife off the table and retreated to the bed. He waited until she was sitting on its edge with a blanket pulled up to cover the knife before he stepped closer to the door. The Rajas delegation he was with had a special knock they were supposed to use, and it wasnt the soft but quick tapping he was hearing now. So Vek didnt know who it was. It could be Baripa. It could be anyone. Who is it? he said in the castle serf pidgin. Im busy now. Let me in, a voice responded in a whisper, in Chenmay. Vek froze. He knew that voice. He grabbed the handle of the door. It cracked open, and light spilled out from inside his dorm room onto Mayahs face. *** Ive been in LakeCentral Castle for almost five weeks, Mayah said. I found out you were here when I saw you the other day with some Rajas in the cafeteria. You looked right at me. But you didnt see me. Vek could barely breathe. He didnt even know why he was so excited. Hadnt he accepted the failure of this mission? Hadnt he been even making plans in light of it? But here she was, and Vek was thrilled, he was elated! Rock-god, maybe he was programmed still by the Golden Castle to adore the Rajas, or maybe he was programmed by the Free Serfs to worship the Promised Daughter. Vek didnt know, but whatever it was, it was working, because here she was, before his very eyes, here! He took her hands in his C something he would have never dared to do before C and kissed them. Youre here, he whispered. Youre here, youre here! She pulled her hands out of his grasp. Did you know I was the Promised Daughter? The sharpness of the question, more than anything, jerked Vek back into himself. I he hesitated. Did Sukren tell you? No. I found the Lost Princess journal in the library and figured it out from there. She paused. So you did know. Why didnt you tell me? I C it was policy C Lady Naris policy C Lady Nari? Mayah repeated. Her eyes narrowed. Who exactly is Lady Nari? A patron? Shes shes a Free Serf leader. She rules the Chenta quinters right now. And what was her policy? Vek wasnt sure if Mayahs new-found knowledge meant the policy of secrecy was now lifted. He hesitated. Mayahs eyes narrowed further. Tell me, she snapped. Now Vek had lived with Rajas contempt for long enough to recognize its signs. He pulled away. However the Promised Daughter had found her way back to acting like a princess, it didnt mean he had to take it. The Uprising had happened. After all that had gone wrong, Vek could insist on this privilege, at least. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Watch yourself, he told her. The Promised Daughter blinked. Her lips twitched, but she said nothing. After giving her a cool gaze, Vek continued. The policy was to not tell you who you were until after you had aligned yourself with the Free Serfs. Until your experiences led you to feel that our good was your good. The Promised Daughter didnt respond right away. When she did, it was to further question Vek, which he couldnt help but find irritating. Is that why you came here to LakeCentral? To take me to the Free Serfs? It was true enough. Yes, he replied. What will they do to me when they have me? Frustration flared up inside Vek. Gone was the Mayah who had tearfully embraced him inside the vegetable greenhouse. Gone was the Mayah whose face had shone with hope at the thought that she might become a true serf. In her place was a princess C cold, aloof, superior. The Free Serfs had failed. He responded honestly. Theyll imprison you. Lainla said something in Cursed. She wants to know what were talking about, the Promised Daughter said to Vek, before turning and answering Lainla in the same tongue. Vek watched them talk. The thought of bringing the Promised Daughter back to the Chenta ethnonationalists like this what was the point? Even if they were happy to have the Promised Daughter back under their control, wouldnt they blame him for having failed to finalize her identification with the serfs? And wouldnt they say his failure was due to his heritage? He could hear their voices now. A true Chenta could have persuaded her. A true Chenta wouldnt have been hindered by his own complicit background. No matter what Vek did, it wouldnt erase his Eenta half. And like hed told Lainla, he didnt want to spend the rest of his life trying to make up for it. Besides, he wasnt even sure how he would get the Promised Daughter out of LakeCentral back to Lost Technology. Maybe if he left tonight, without any warning they could swim across the lake yes, that might work. But that would mean leaving Sukren behind. Vek closed his eyes. His own snarl came back to him. If I had my way the Eenta would torture you to death. If Vek left with the Promised Daughter, Sukren would most certainly be tortured to death, and not right away. Would Sukrens fate with the Chenta be any better though? Lady Nari normally did not take things personally, but Vek knew Sukrens betrayal had hit her hard. She had trusted Sukren. She had relied on him. Would she not punish him once he was back under her authority? Vek was distracted from his thoughts by the Promised Daughter. She was shaking her head, saying something that sounded like, No, no, no. What is it? Vek asked. At first she wouldnt tell him what Lainla had said. But when Lainla jabbed her finger in Veks direction, the Promised Daughter capitulated. Shes saying I should trade places with her. That I should take her clothes, and go join the Cursed, and that shell take my clothes, and stay here. In exchange, she wants you to take the Cursed with you when you go back to Lost Technology. Vek stared at Lainla. All at once he saw the pieces of his problem coming together. He would go to the Rajas negotiators and instruct them to make the trade, Sukren for a queen, with the Cursed thrown in to seal the deal. Lady Nari is willing to trade a queen just for Sukren, Vek would say, but she has to justify her decision to some powerful constituents. One of them has been looking for individuals to run experiments on. If the Cursed C seventy bodies C were added to the trade, she would agree to it at once. That the Eenta badly wanted a queen was obvious. Vek probably didnt even need to push them that much. An offer tomorrow, an acceptance the next day, then he, Sukren, the Cursed, and the Promised Daughter with them, could be marching out of LakeCentral Quinter next week. Shes saying shell only do it if youll ensure the Cursed are protected and provided for. She says they cant be starved or mistreated. But what about her? Vek asked. He felt a twinge in his heart. Of course he didnt know Lainla that well, hed just met her, but still, shed been the first person to show him compassion on this side of his trial. The Promised Daughter and Lainla exchanged a few words. She says shell hide here in this room until she can escape and join us. That wont work, Vek objected immediately. Theyll find her as soon as they open up this dorm to clean it. Which they will within a few hours after I leave it to lead the Cursed back to Lost Technology. Well have only those few hours, at most, before they discover her and realize that someone else went back to the Cursed in her stead. And once they find her, they wont exactly be gentle to her. She says shell find a way to give you and the Cursed as much time as possible to get out of LakeCentral Quinter. That she can hide under the bed, or climb out the window, or anything to forestall their discovery of her. But what about her? Vek insisted again. He met Lainlas eyes. He knew he was being stupid to resist. It was a good idea. It was probably the best one they were going to come up with. And it would solve all his problems, wouldnt it? It would get Mayah out, and Sukren, and give him just barely enough status to temporarily risk asking Lady Nari if he could join the Cursed. She says its worth the sacrifice. Vek took a deep breath. Again he thought of the mixture of Eenta, Chenta and Xhota inside Coffee Post #1. Lady Nari would probably put them to work somewhere, in a greenhouse maybe. Wouldnt that be best for him? He was young and strong. He could work in a greenhouse and be done with endless political games. He could be half Eenta, with no one to care that he was. In fact, it might even be better, holier for him, to return to life as a greenhouse serf. But what about Lainla? Vek hesitated for only a second longer. Then he sighed and surrendered to the mission. Tell her, he said out loud, that Ill join the Cursed and advocate for them conditions that only I myself would be willing to live under. He waited as the Promised Daughter passed on his words. Then he said to her, The guards will be back tomorrow morning to return her to the Cursed. Will you be missed if you go with them instead? I dont know. Im unclassified right now, so Im not very important. But my review is coming up. I dont know when. All I know is that it could happen any time. Vek nodded. He would ask Baripa tonight to start covering up the Promised Daughters absence. I think this will work. Youll go to the greenhouse tomorrow morning, dressed as Lainla. Ill have them put Sukren in there as well. Then all of you C Sukrens here? Uh, yes, hes a prisoner of the Eenta. The Promised Daughters eyes were hard. When will you send him to the greenhouse? As soon as I can, Vek replied, wondering if he should actually keep Sukren in his cell until the day of their departure. But no, he wanted Sukren out of the hands of the Eenta. They had agreed to refrain from torturing him until the negotiations were concluded, but the sooner they no longer had access to Sukren and Sukrens information, the better. Good, he heard the Promised Daughter say. Good. He watched as she turned and flung her arms around Lainla. The two girls held each other for some time. The Promised Daughter said something to Lainla. The older girl responded. Vek didnt know what they were saying, but he couldnt help but admire Lainlas courage. He wanted to find a way to honor her for it. To thank her for the last few hours they had spent together. Your people must be worth a lot for you to take this risk, he said to Lainla. When the Promised Daughter translated the words, a smile lit up Lainlas face. When you see my sister, she said to Vek through the Promised Daughter, Tell her I did this because I am a hunter. Shell understand what I mean. Chapter 103: “I hate you! I hate you!” Chapter 103: Tomorrow we leave, Mayah thought. Tomorrow we go to Lost Technology Castle. Tomorrow the Free Serfs imprison me. Mayah dumped the last bit of water from the spray-can onto a flowering coffee plant. Then she put the spray-can back in its spot next to the greenhouse wall and joined the Cursed by the grandmother huts. They were all marching from LakeCentral Quinter to Lost Technology Quinter the next day. Mayah had listened yesterday as Rajani explained to the Cursed that during the march they had to treat Mayah as one of their own. My sister gave up her spot for her so that all of us could be freed from the Eenta. So dont do anything to make the Eenta guards notice her. That Rajani wasnt angry at Mayah had surprised her at first. She knew how close Lainla and Rajani were. Yet when Mayah tried to apologize, Rajani had refused to listen. Lainla will join us. After we leave the greenhouse, shell escape the castle and come after us. Mayah hoped Rajani was right. It was hard for her to think about Lainla. She kept wondering whether Lainla had traded spots with Mayah solely because of Mayahs political value. Just like Sukren had C Mayah stopped herself mid-thought. Wait, wait, hold it in, dont let yourself feel it, breathe, push it away, think about anything but him. A cry went up. It was time to eat. Mayah joined the double line. When a vat of steaming food reached her, Mayah pulled her sleeves up over her hands and helped pass it down. Four more vats came by. After they were placed on the ground, the double line broke up into groups of a dozen or so around each vat. Mayah held back a sigh. Mushroom grain, again. She dipped the ladle into the vat and choked down a tiny portion before handing it off. She hoped the Cursed would see her as unselfish rather than ungrateful. Then she looked up C and saw Sukren. Even without her glasses Mayah recognized him. He was coming down the path between the grandmother huts, his hand in the crook of Rajanis elbow. A bandage was over his eyes. When Rajani saw Mayah, she stopped. Sukren stopped with her. Mayah felt her legs propelling her forward. Her vision was blurred, yet she could clearly see him standing there, looming over her as he had her entire life. Then he was before her, and Rajani was pulling on Sukren, trying to jerk him out of the way, but it was too late, too late to stop Mayahs clenched fist as it went up and struck Sukren across the face. Mayah watched Sukren stagger backwards. She didnt care. All the rage she had stuffed down inside was exploding out of her now into violence. She hit him again, and again, pummeling him with both hands. I hate you! I hate you! she screamed. Out of nowhere, someone pulled back her right arm. Another someone grabbed her in a sideways embrace that pinned her left arm against her side. Mayah lunged forward, twisting against the people holding her back. Tears were streaming down her face. You liar! she screamed at Sukren. You liar! You lied to me! You C A hand slapped over her mouth. Her chest heaving, Mayah watched as Sukren touched his mouth where she had hit him. He put his hand out and took an uneven step forward, then another, until his fingers reached her shoulder. Then he drew himself forward so that his face was in hers. You were not worth it, he hissed. A strangled cry emerged from Mayahs throat. Her body shook. She was unable to resist the hands pulling her away from Sukren. They guided her into one of the grandmother huts; she was laid down on a straw mat. Curled up on her side, Mayah wept aloud, face in her hands, gasping for breath in between each sob. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. The pain in her heart was unbearable. To look back and realize that all her happiness had been a lie C to know that everything good that had ever happened to her had been because she was the Promised Daughter and not because she was Mayah C to realize that Sukren C that Sukren C her childhood C The memory of her serf village was like an open wound. Mayah couldnt let herself remember; neither could she turn away. He had betrayed her trust, the only trust shed had in the whole world. *** Somehow the night passed. Mayah slept some, and when she woke up, she sensed someone next to her mat. It was dark inside the hut. Her swollen eyes, without glasses, couldnt make out the persons face. Who is it? Mayah croaked. Drink this. It was Rajani, with a bowl of water in her hand. Mayah sat up and drank. After the bowl was empty Mayah rested its rim against her closed eyes, first the left, then the right. The clay felt cool against her skin. Sukren wants to see you, Rajani said after a moment. For the first time Mayah considered the bandage across Sukrens eyes. What happened to him? What do you mean? Why are his eyes covered? Someone stabbed his eyes out during the raid on the Cursed. Oh. Listen, Mayah Rajani hesitated. Mayah What? This is just a test, Rajani finally said. The pain is a test. Even when youre not treated like it, you still belong to Hunts Table. The pain doesnt have to shape who you are. It doesnt have to name you. Im not Cursed, Mayah responded. I dont belong to Hunts Table. I never did. The agony was returning. Unwilling to bear it, Mayah closed her eyes and let herself once more go all the way back, all the way as far back as she could to the tallest-walled story she could hide behind: that of Rajas supremacy. The serfs are nothing, she told herself. They arent special like the Rajas. Without us the bio-dome would die. Without us nobody could live on Chudami at all. What are serfs in comparison to princesses? Who is Sukren in comparison to me? Hes a serf. A serf who stole me from my childhood. A serf who lied to me. A worthless serf! Look at how they treat each other now. Look at the serf paradise theyve created for one another. Hah! Mayah got to her feet. The serfs have used me for the last time. From now on, I decide what happens to me. You really think you have that much power? a voice inside her sneered, but Mayah ignored it. She forced her thoughts away from the reality of her own helplessness. She would forge a new path. She would remake herself. She would follow in the tradition of the Rajas, a tradition that had been denied her. Oh, yes, Mayah would find her way back to Earth. But damned if she was going to take a single serf with her. *** I couldnt bring myself to do it. I could see on the Towers silver surface the ring-shaped slit C if I reached my hand out C if I slipped the Ring in C I couldnt bring myself to do it. Promised Daughter though I may be, I cannot fulfill the prophecy. If I knew what was behind the door, if I knew what was behind the rise of the Prophetess Darshana, then maybe, maybe, but its all a mystery to me. Who knows what the Lake Tower holds? For good or for ill, I will leave its opening to the next Promised Daughter. Whoever the next Rajas princess with the right nucleotide sequence is, I pray she knows more freedom and more courage than I. C excerpt from The Journal of the Lost Princess, Part IV Written 780 years after the Crash Landing Chapter 104: "You are a serf, and I am a princess." Chapter 104: You were not worth it. Did Sukren mean it? He couldnt tell. When Mayah had started screaming her hatred out at him, all hed been able to feel was his own vulnerability. Even now Sukren could still hear her rage, could still feel her fist in his face, could still feel the helplessness that had washed over him as he stood there, unable to see, unable to stop her attack, unable to do anything. You were not worth it, hed hissed. Sukren leaned the side of his head against the grandmother hut next to him. Hed asked Rajani to bring Mayah to him and so shed led him to Mayahs hut and left him around the corner. Or at least that was what he assumed. How could he know for sure, now that he couldnt see? No, he trusted Rajani, he knew her, he knew how she would act, while it was Mayah he was unsure of, even after all these years. What do I even want to say to her? Im sorry, I didnt mean it? You were worth it? Sukren took in a deep breath. Yes, he continued silently. Yes, you were worth it, because without you I am just another abused apprentice. You are the difference between me and a thousand other serf boys. Thats why I put up with everything. Thats why I still will. Even as he articulated the words to himself, Sukren knew it wasnt fair to put all that on Mayah. He knew that she, like everyone, wanted to be her own person, and not a prop in someone elses narrative. But Sukrens love for the new life her existence had given him had fused with his love for her; and so his adulthood had been forged. Whether that made him a Rajas tail or a self-centered bastard or both, he didnt care. He would be the guardian of the Promised Daughter until the day he died. Out of nowhere, a hand touched him, interrupting his thoughts. Startled, Sukren pulled back. Im sorry, a voice said, and the hand was gone. Its Rajani. I brought Mayah. Sukren didnt know if he was facing Mayah or not. Without being able to see her, he couldnt even tell if she was there. Nor could he tell if Rajani had left or not. He had his hand against the grandmother hut wall, and he could hear the chatter of the Cursed in the yard. Wall, chatter: his reality. Mayah? he tried. Im here. Her voice was cold. Sukren wished he could see the expression she was wearing. So much of his relationship with Mayah had been him reading her face. Stripped of that, was there anything left? Im sorry, he said. When she didnt respond, it was as if she wasnt there. Mayah? What? This wasnt working. Sukren let his hand fall away from the wall. It didnt matter what he said to her. She was already gone. There was nothing left, nothing left between them. All those years, and nothing was left. Mayah, please, he tried again. This time, she did respond. But as Sukren listened to her low, fierce words, his alarm grew. No. You listen to me. This is how its going to be from now on. You will do everything in your power to help me make the best of my captivity with the Free Serfs. After that, I want nothing to do with you. You are a serf, and I am a princess. Do you understand me? If he could have stared at her, he would have. To hear Mayah echo a story that the Free Serfs had risen to overturn, a story that Sukren himself had spent years shaping her to deny was there something in Mayahs blood, some unkillable Rajas gene or spirit returning her to this story now? No, Sukren knew human nature better than that. The Rajas had fabricated a lie C a tale of their inherent superiority C to justify their oppression of the serfs. Mayah was using their tale to mask her pain. Like a child, she didnt care that it was a lie. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Ill help you, he replied gently. He didnt bother to correct her. It was too late for that. Good, he heard her whisper. And that was it. After a little while, Sukren lifted his head. Can C can you get me Rajani? *** Rajani led him out through the greenhouse gate. The packed dirt beneath Sukrens feet turned into grass, while the humidity of the greenhouse was replaced with a breeze. How far do we have to go? he asked. I dont know, Rajani said. I dont know where were going. The Eenta guards are leading us up ahead. Hey C you! It was clear that the last part of Rajanis statement was not directed at Sukren. Who is it? he asked. The Chenta who took my sister, hes coming this way. Hey! Wheres my sister? Veks voice materialized somewhere to Sukrens left. Shes still in the castle. We need to cross into Lost Technology Quinter before they find her. What? Rajani halted, bringing Sukren to a stop as well. What do you mean? I thought she was joining us once we left the greenhouse! Theres no way she can leave the castle without getting caught, said Vek. And if they catch her, and find out that she and Mayah traded places, theyre going to come after us and prevent us all from leaving LakeCentral Quinter. Shes hiding for now. We have to hurry so that were out of the hands of the Eenta by the time shes found, or your people will be in a much worse situation. Sukren could feel people flowing forward past him and Rajani. He wondered if he should say something. He didnt know what though. After his encounter with Mayah, he didnt have any emotional reserves left. Besides, was it even his place to speak? It was not his sister who was waiting to be caught and tortured for information in a language she didnt understand. She told me to tell you that shes doing this because shes a hunter, Vek continued. Youre her sister, right? She said youd understand what that meant. Rajani still didnt move. Sukren could feel her body trembling. From the tension in her arm, he imagined her head was bowed. She muttered something to herself in Cursed. Then without warning, she began moving again, jerking Sukren forward and causing him to stumble. Im sorry, she said. I shouldve told you I was moving. Im fine, Sukren responded gently. Sukren, I need to talk to you. This time Veks voice was coming from Sukrens right and was much closer. Hed also switched from the castle serf pidgin to Chenmay. I need C wait, watch out, youre about to C never mind, you stepped over it. Here, you should go C Sukren cut him off. Its more confusing when you try to direct me. Just tell me what you came here to say. I need your help. That surprised Sukren. With what? When we get to the Chenta, when you see Lady Nari, I want you to ask her if I can join the Cursed. Sukren shifted uncomfortably. To see Lady Nari again or to not see her, in his case, but to be seen by her Why? I never told you. I never told anyone. Im the Chenta ethnonationalists found out about my parents. Sukren waited for Vek to continue, but he didnt. Sukren had to prompt him. What about your parents? Veks voice dropped so low, Sukren could barely hear him. My father was an Eenta. Now that was news. What? Vek didnt reply. Sukren didnt need to see him to know the boy was probably burning with shame. Come to think of it, Sukren probably could have responded a little more thoughtfully. Still though! Half Eenta? Vek? I Sukren cleared his throat. Vek still hadnt said anything. I guess the other Chenta dont like this. After a pause, Vek said, Thats right. The waver in Veks voice made Sukren nervous. He would have thought Lady Nari strong enough to keep the Chenta ethnonationalists from turning on so faithful an agent as Vek, no matter what his background. Had the Uprising loosened her grip? For the first time Sukren wondered if they were walking into a worse situation than the one they were leaving. I should probably ask Vek for an update on the political situation. And I also need to know if I have any standing left as the guardian of the Promised Daughter. The more capital I have, the more I can help Mayah. So tell me, Sukren said out loud. Whats happened in the bio-dome since Ive been gone? Chapter 105: “I think they’re going to kill them.” Chapter 105: By the time Vek was done, Sukrens mind was reeling. Hed already figured out that the Uprising had fractured along ethnic lines, but it sounded like things were touch-and-go even in the geographic territories under Lady Naris control. What about me? he asked. How much do people know about me? They know youre her guardian, and they know you and the Promised Daughter disappeared together. Thats it. Lady Nari hasnt told them yet why I disappeared? No. Interesting. If nobody knew Sukren had absconded with Mayah to keep her from the Free Serfs, maybe he could still squeeze something out of his position as her guardian. What about the Rajas? Sukren asked. What happened to them? Vek snorted. You really are a Rajas tail, arent you? Why do you care what happened to them? Sukren ignored him. I care about Mayah. Oh, shell be fine. The Watchers are the only ones who want to kill more of the Rajas off, and even they wouldnt touch the Promised Daughter. Nobodys going to like that shes a princess, but she wont be harmed. Sukren translated that in his mind. Mayah wouldnt be killed, but she would be constantly condemned. Out loud he asked, Who do they hate more, the Rajas or the Eenta? They hate them the same. All non-Chenta are the enemy. Sukren mulled this over. The Cursed are also going to have a hard time then. Well, I told Lainla Id join the Cursed and advocate for them as if for myself. I dont know if thats going to be as easy as you think. The Cursed have customs that govern who can join them and how. It might not be as simple as asking Lady Nari for permission. Sukren could tell from Veks silence that he hadnt liked Sukrens answer. Sure enough, a snarl followed. You owe me. Make it happen. I can try. Lainla seemed fine with the idea. Okay, Ill ask Rajani, Sukren replied. Lady Nari, though, why not ask her yourself? Shes not going to grant me any favors. You better hope she does. If you have any sense at all, youll ask her for permission to join the Cursed yourself. A self-imposed exile will be better for you than anything the Chenta ethnonationalists could come up with. The boy was afraid, Sukren realized. Sukren didnt need his sight to understand that Vek was reluctant to tell Lady Nari to her face that he wanted to leave the Free Serfs. Sukren didnt blame him for that. Lady Nari was not to be toyed with; Sukren would have to make Veks request as smooth and easy to swallow as possible. And he would. Vek had done good by him, stopping the torture after his visit. Sukren would act as his go-between in return, even if he didnt think Lady Nari would listen. Ill ask her for you, he said, adding Vek to the list of people he had to help, after Mayah and the Cursed. Thank you. Satisfied with Veks account of the Chenta political landscape, Sukren moved on to question him about Lady Naris auxiliaries. Names, details of position, everything Vek could remember, Sukren tucked away. As they spoke he continued to follow Rajani, his hand under her elbow. At one point he wondered aloud how far they had gone and how long it had been. It was hard to tell distance and time without being able to see any markers to show him the way. Its been a few hours, Vek replied. Were almost at the border. Sukren could tell that the Cursed around him, Rajani included, were starting to pick up speed. He wondered if Veks message that they had to cross into Lost Technology Quinter before Lainlas discovery had been passed around. Thinking about it made Sukren want to move faster too. What do you see? he asked Rajani. Some kind of plant growing up all around us. Stringier than moss, but shorter than az hedges. Like wildflowers without blossoms. Grass, Sukren said. We call it grass. Grass, Rajani repeated flatly. There are animals too, clustered around a lake to our left. And greenhouses. Greenhouses everywhere. I dont know why the Eenta guards led us this way. We would have arrived in no time at all if we hadnt had to walk around all these damn greenhouses. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Do you see anything up ahead? More greenhouses. Theyre in a straight line, though, instead of in curves like the greenhouses weve been walking around. There are soldiers on top of the ones up ahead, too. Sukren situated himself on a mental map. He had been to this border before. During his time in Lost Technology he had crossed many times to LakeCentral on Lady Naris business. Theyll take us through a greenhouse soon, he told Rajani. Theres one that has gates on both the Chenta and Eenta sides. I think I see it, Rajani said. As they got closer, the flow of Cursed slowed, eventually halting. He and Rajani waited, then shuffled forward, then waited again. Whats going on? he heard Rajani ask. Seventy people going through a gate takes time, he replied. No, I think theyre doing something inside the greenhouse. Going through a gate shouldnt be this slow. Rock-god, Sukren heard Vek swear. Theres a runner out there, coming from LakeCentral Castle. Sukren immediately thought of Lainla. Was the runner coming to provide news of her discovery? How long do we have until were all through? he asked Rajani, wishing he could see the distances for himself. I dont know, she replied. Her voice was as tense as her body. Gather and Hunt, why isnt the line moving! Finally it was Sukren and Rajanis turn. They squeezed in together, Sukrens right arm knocking into the side of the gate. Inside he could smell the heavy scent of citrus. Rajani led him forward into the fruit-flavored air, then stopped. She cried out C Sukren felt her torn away from him C Rajani! he shouted. Someone grabbed his arm. He tried to wrench it away, but stopped when he heard Vek say, Its me, its Vek. Whats going on? Sukren asked. The Chenta soldiers are separating the Cursed into groups of Chenta, Eenta and Xhota. Im not sure I dont know what The terror in Veks voice was easy to hear. If the Cursed were being broken apart, Vek would have no refuge. And neither, for that matter, would Sukren. But an idea was forming in his head. If Sukren could strike just the right tone, maybe Get me Mayah, he told Vek. Shes right over there. Ill get her now. Sukren waited with growing impatience for Vek to return. After what seemed like several minutes, Vek was back. I have Mayah. Im sorry I took so long, I was trying to get the Chenta to stop, but they dont want to take any Eenta into Lost Technology Quinter with them. Sukren could hear Veks voice break. I think theyre going to kill them. Whos in charge? Gerath EarthSlash, a magistrate. I know him, Sukren said. Tell him to come to me. Ill get him now. Good. Now Mayah. You said you wanted me to help you make the best of your captivity? Yes, came the whispered reply. Then do as I say. Hold onto my hand. Look up at me while I talk. Dont turn away, not even for a second. Mutely, Mayah obeyed. A little while later, she whispered to Sukren, Hes here. Gerath, Sukren said. Sukren, Gerath responded. You will keep the Cursed together. There was silence. Without sight Sukren had to guess at what it meant, but he suspected that Gerath was trying to assess whether Sukren still had the authority to command him. Back before Sukren had crossed the shelterbelt C a lifetime ago C hed had the right to extract resources when he needed them, to compel behavior when he saw fit to do so. With Mayah holding onto him, gazing up at him like hed told her to, Sukren gambled that he could trick Gerath into accepting his authority once more. Do you think you best understand the prophecies of the Promised Daughter? Sukren continued. Gerath, he remembered, was a careful man who had always exhibited a reverent attitude towards the Prophetess Darshana and her pronouncements. Do you want to take that responsibility onto yourself? Answer me, Gerath. Do you? Bringing Eenta C mutineer descendants, to boot C inside our quinters? Sukren, thats a hard thing for you to ask. Im not asking. You dont know what purpose the Cursed serve. They have to be kept together. Again there was silence. It was followed by a terse, Fine C for now. Sukren waited until the orders had been shouted out. Then he turned and said to Mayah, Youll go with the Cursed. No, came Geraths response. The Cursed, fine, they can stay together, but I have specific orders regarding you and the Promised Daughter. Shell come with me. Now. Damnit, Sukren thought. Keeping Mayah with the Cursed would have been best for her. But he knew further argument would do nothing. He grasped Mayahs hand. He likely had only a few seconds to say what could be his last words ever to her. Already he could feel someone trying to pull them apart. Mayah, he said. Yes? she whispered. There was so much to warn her about. He wanted to tell her that the Chenta would express nothing but contempt for her Rajas background. He wanted to warn her that she would be watched for signs of princess superiority and that she should never show any. Know your place, he wanted to say. Never speak without first checking yourself. But they were pulling on him, trying to drag him away. Sukren squeezed Mayahs hand. Dont ever speak Rajim again, he said. Then he was torn from her, his fingers clutching the empty air. Mayah was still there, maybe, in front of him, but without his hand to see her, she was already gone. Chapter 106: “What happened to your eyes?” Chapter 106: They took Sukren to Lost Technology Castle. It took the rest of the day to get there by foot; by the time they arrived, Sukren was ready to collapse into whatever corner he was shown to. That corner ended up being the corner of an elevator. Lady Nari wants to see you first thing in the morning, he was told. If you want to sleep, sleep now while we go up. Sukren slept. He was awoken several times throughout the night by people getting on and off the elevator, but broken sleep was better than no sleep. By the time he was told to get out, Sukren felt marginally better. He was even able to recognize the rest of the route to Lady Naris chamber: transfer from the elevator to a lift, then get out and sweep past a grass-planted wall, then skip the open balcony to the right, yes, there was the air rushing in, and now a short set of stairs, and then a doorway at the top of the stairs C So youve returned, a voice said. Sukrens heart C he couldnt help it C was filled at once with fear and love and awe. Lady Nari, he whispered in reply. Leave us, she said, presumably not to him. Sukren heard the tread of someone behind him, then the opening and shutting of Lady Naris chamber door. What happened to your eyes? Lady Nari asked. They were stabbed. Lady Nari said nothing, which was not a good sign. Worn out though he was from traveling all day yesterday without eating or drinking anything, Sukren kept himself upright and still. He had to focus, had to be careful. This meeting would determine whether Sukren spent the rest of his life locked up in a cell or whether he lived long enough to spend any time in a cell at all. I hear you brought Mayah back. It wasnt me, Sukren said at once. Here was his chance. It was Vek who brought us both back. He wanted me to make a request of you, on his behalf. What is it? He wanted me to ask you for permission to join the Cursed. He believes the Chenta no longer value him as a member of the tribe. Again, there was silence. It was broken by the sound of Lady Nari laughing. That unnerved Sukren. It was the first time hed ever heard her laugh. And her words, bitter, mocking, full of emotion. Was this Lady Nari? Shed never C not in years C expressed any sort of feeling like this to him C not since he was fifteen. The laughter, thankfully, soon ended. And why didnt Vek want to ask me himself? At her question, Sukren knelt on one knee and bowed his head, the way a serf would before his new patron. His courage failed him then, and he hesitated, before reminding himself that he had just pulled it off with Gerath, that he still had the power to use words to reach into a persons heart and turn it towards his will Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. But once more the love and awe and fear from before, from years of before, flooded through him. Lady Nari was not just any person. She had taught him everything he knew. The next words Sukren spoke had to be true because she out of everyone would be able to see through his falsehoods. Vek doesnt know you like I do, Sukren whispered. And what is it, Sukren Kanari, that you know of me that Vek does not? There was a bite to the way Lady Nari said his name, but Sukren took it as a good sign that she called him by his patron name at all. Bowing his head even lower, his heart hammering, Sukren said, He doesnt know that you love us. This time the silence was expected, and Sukren continued speaking into it. He doesnt know that you love the serfs. That every decision youve ever made was on our behalf. That you sacrificed your whole life to raise us out of the dirt and into the light. Still Lady Nari did not speak. I know right now that it looks like everything you did was for nothing. That the serfs are split along Rajas-invented ethnic lines, that we cant escape the shadow of the Golden Castle. But I also know that youll bring us through. The serfs will unite as one body under the bio-dome. We will return to Earth. Just like you always said. Sukren stopped then. With bowed head and bated breath, he waited. After a little while, he heard Lady Nari ask, her voice half a sigh, half a hiss, the question hed been waiting for. Why did you leave me, Sukren? Because you love the serfs, Sukren whispered at once. You love the serfs, and only the serfs. And Mayah, shes a Rajas. I knew you wouldnt love her the way you loved me. There was silence. Then C Get up. When he was on his feet, Lady Nari continued. Vek doesnt have to join the Cursed. Hes scared, but he doesnt realize that this push for Chenta ethnonationalism is temporary. Ill get control of the people again. But you Sukren waited. When Lady Nari spoke again, her voice was unfamiliarly soft. The Free Serfs have been waiting a long time for an explanation as to where the Promised Daughter was. Ill tell them what you did. Ill tell them you placed her above your loyalties to us. Theyll want to punish you. I will have to punish you. I understand. This will be your punishment. Youll go and be one of the Cursed, and be Sukren Kanari no more. She was releasing him. She was releasing him from her patronage. There was a knot in Sukrens throat. A desperate part of him wanted to cry out, no, no, please, keep me, dont cast me out, keep me and punish me if thats what you want, but dont do this to me, anything but this! For what was life without Lady Nari as his patron lady? What would it even mean anymore? To not have her attention or her care, to not seek to please her, to not fear her wrath C what was left? Yet at the same time, Sukren was flooded with a sense of grace. Free now, for the first time, yes, that was what he felt, no longer under orders to lie and manipulate, to spend himself on a vision he couldnt see. He would no longer be a Free Serf, no longer be a serf, and there was a gift in that that he knew Lady Nari was giving him deliberately. This was her last act of love. Yes, Lady Nari, he whispered. Do the Cursed have someone you think can act as their representative? Sukren groped for an answer. Yes. Someone named Rajani. Go and tell my attendant waiting outside to send someone to fetch her. Ill send for both of you after she arrives. Yes, Lady Nari. Chapter 107: “She has to punish me somehow.” Chapter 107: The next day after they took Sukren, two Chenta soldiers came for Rajani. They didnt explain anything, but Rajani wasnt going to risk being difficult. Yes, the greenhouse theyd transferred the Cursed to was a dead one, with no soil on its floor or water in its walls, but still, the Cursed were alive and together, and Rajani desperately didnt want that to change. She therefore followed quietly, even meekly, as the soldiers walked her along black-smeared paths through fields of purple stalks. Overhead, the crisscrossing branches of the bio-dome soared. Here and there the sun shined through the gaps above, but it was mostly cloudy, mostly gray, the heart of rainsoon season. It wasnt until sunset that they arrived at the castle. Rajani might have been impressed by the sight except she was much too thirsty. So what if the overbelters lived in a towering pillar of gold? So what if they had come up with the idea of transforming a giant vadda tree into a home? They knew nothing of compassion, and even less of respect. Everything Rajani had agonized against in the Cursed urb, the overbelters embraced and even called good. If that wasnt the definition of evil, Rajani didnt know what was. The soldiers she was with even tried to stop her when she lunged for a fountain rising up in the middle of what was the widest and highest internal space shed ever seen C even bigger than a greenhouse. Lapping up the water as fast as she could, Rajani drank and drank until one of the soldiers grabbed her by the arm and physically dragged her away from the fountain. A blindfold for her eyes and cuffs around her wrists came next; Rajani spent the rest of the journey through the castle without sight. She did fall asleep at some point, on what felt like a moving floor, although Rajani couldnt remember from school whether or not overbelters had things like moving floors. Or maybe the floor wasnt moving. Maybe she was just dreaming. It was certainly starting to feel like a dream, albeit a terrible one. Waking up to the sound of dings, then falling asleep again, then waking up and feeling the floor moving beneath her, then falling asleep once more, then finally being pulled to her feet, and hustled to another moving floor Hunt and Gather, Rajani was still so thirsty, and now she needed to relieve herself on top of that, and yet this nightmare wouldnt end! When her blindfold and cuffs were finally removed, and she saw Sukren standing at the base of a dais that led up to a door, immense relief rushed through her. Immediately Rajani called out his name. Sukren! Then remembering he had told her he wouldnt necessarily recognize her voice, and empathizing with him given her last several hours, she added, Its Rajani. Rajani, he replied. Are you all right? she asked him. Are you? he asked in response. Rajani glanced at the Chenta soldiers who had brought her there. They were standing back by an open-air balcony down a little and on the other side of the hallway, watching her and Sukren. Above their heads electric lights fizzed and spat. On either side of them were paint-splashed etches; the designs were geometric and unending, traveling up and down the walls and even the floor for as far as Rajani could see. Feeling dizzy, she turned back to face Sukren. As usual, she was speaking in Xhom, and Sukren in his corrupted Xhom. She didnt know if the guards could understand them or not. It was probably better to assume that they could. Why am I here? she asked Sukren. Lady Nari released me from her patronage. She told me to join the Cursed C if the Cursed will have me. Rajani was taken aback. Why would she do that? She has to punish me somehow. Punish C joining the Cursed is her idea of punishment? I think allowing me to join the Cursed is her idea of mercy, Sukren replied. Releasing me from her patronage is the punishment. I guess, Rajani replied. The thought of Lady Nari using the Cursed as a dumping ground made her uneasy. If all those she released to the Cursed were like Sukren, it wouldnt be a problem, but Rajani doubted there was another man like him in the entire bio-dome. Gerath must have sent a telegraph to Lady Nari that I told him to keep the Cursed together, Sukren continued. The fact that she asked to see you means shes actually considering letting it happen. But shell need a reason to do so. I think shell ask you to come up with one. Rajanis brow furrowed. Why me? She told me to pick someone. Rajani grimaced, then felt bad when she remembered Sukren couldnt see her facial expressions. It made her feel like she was taking advantage of his blindness. At the same time, Rajani didnt know how to communicate a grimace verbally. I dont know about this, she finally said. Im not like you. People listen to you. But me, every time I try to convince someone of something, they end up wanting to outcast me. Im beginning to think I can only talk with people who already agree with me. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Lady Nari isnt like other people. Shell give you a chance to convince her. Before Rajani could object again, the door at the top of the dais opened. A woman poked her head out of the doorway and gestured them forward. Feeling tense and anxious, and wishing there was a toilet she could go to first, Rajani told Sukren, I think were supposed to go up now. Dont worry, Sukren replied. Ill be right next to you. Can I take your arm? Rajani nodded, then said, Yes. She took his hand and placed it on her elbow. Together they walked up through the doorway into a chamber the shape of a semicircle, with a short meal bench made of wood at the apex. Sitting at the meal bench was a woman. Behind her, along the curve of the wall, were several wall-length clear bioplastic panes which framed the blackness of darkwake outside. My name is Lady Nari, the woman said in fluent Xhom. Whats yours? I am Rajani of the Jinkari Table, Rajani replied. She felt a little overwhelmed by all the things inside the room. Sleeping mats but upraised, more meal benches of different shapes and sizes why were there so many of them? Tell me, Rajani of the Jinkari Table, why should I keep descendants of mutineers inside my borders? The overbelters odd taste in decoration disappeared from Rajanis mind as resentment flooded through her. You dont have to keep us, she couldnt help but snap. Wed be happy to return to our urb. Rajani felt Sukren tug on her arm, sharply. Lady Naris face was impassive. You misunderstand, she said to Rajani. The reason your people are here at all is because they were a useful means by which to transport the Promised Daughter. I have no further plans for them. Your choice is not between returning home and finding a way to contribute. Its between contributing and dying. Rajani almost clenched her fists. It was like getting slapped in the face, this reminder that she C and all the Cursed with her C were no longer free, no longer their own. Feeling helpless, and hating it, she replied, We can work for you. In a greenhouse. I have plenty of serfs who have far more experience at greenhouse labor. Rajani swallowed. Think, think, she told herself. What do the Cursed have that they could offer? Hunting C no. Religious rituals C no. Rule of law C no. Loyalty to ones Table C We can offer you loyalty, Rajani said quickly. Absolute loyalty. You C you will be our lead hunter. We will be your Table. And as my Table, youll do as I say? More than that, Rajani said, pressing in. A lead hunter is the head of the Table. As you decide, so we act. As you think, so we move. She could see Lady Nari was considering her words. At first Rajani thought she should let Lady Nari come to a decision, but then anxiety rushed through her. She couldnt sell her people into slavery without getting more for them than their lives in return! The lead hunters relationship with her Table is reciprocal, though, Rajani said. Its not just about obedience. Lady Nari observed her. And what would you want from me? You would provide for us and protect us. That C that means we dont get neglected in water and food rations. It means C it also means our people are off limits. You enforce that. You punish the Chenta who try to assault us. Anything else? Rajanis words came out in a jumble. We get to worship our own gods. You ask for a lot. I offer you a lot. We will submit to you utterly. We will be your body. Lady Naris gaze moved from her to Sukren. This relationship she speaks of, between a Table and a lead hunter. Is it true what she says? A Table will always be loyal? As far as I could tell, yes, Sukren replied. Rajani was a lead hunter herself. I saw even an adult mother in her Table obey her. Very well, Lady Nari said. Rajani of the Jinkari Table, I accept your terms. I will be your lead hunter. The Cursed will be my Table. You will be fed, and neither your women nor your men will be touched. In exchange, what I desire, the Cursed will implement. And you, Rajani, I appoint you as liaison between the Free Serfs and the Cursed. You will work with the Free Serfs to arrange for your people to be fed and given water, and you will pass on my orders and see that they are followed. Moreover, you will be responsible for justifying my authority to the Cursed. A hollowness was growing inside Rajani. You want me to be a lodge mother, she whispered. What? Lady Nari said. A lodge mother. She does what you described. She arranges the food for her Table and governs it under the authority of the lead hunter. Yes, then. Youll be the lodge mother of the Cursed. And our gods? Rajani said, trying to keep her voice from trembling. We worship our own gods? For now. Chapter 108: “I didn’t want it this way!” Chapter 108: Rajani managed to hold back her tears as Lady Nari dismissed them. She kept herself under control the whole day, all the way back to the greenhouse the Cursed had been taken to. They took a detour through another greenhouse to get stores of water and food; even then Rajani held it in. Only after the guards deposited Rajani and Sukren just inside the Cursed greenhouse gate did she allow herself to let go. I didnt want it this way! she cried. I didnt want it this way! Sukrens arms were around her, his hands holding the back of her head. Rajani clung to him with her good arm. I didnt want it this way! I didnt want it this way! The grief Rajani had forced herself to put off was all-consuming. You have to keep going, shed told herself. Wait, wait, until the Cursed are safe. But becoming a lodge mother, receiving her hearts desire like this, no, Rajani could no longer hold herself back. Weeping wildly, she mourned the destruction of her people, of the life the Cursed had once known. She buried her face in Sukrens chest and cried out against the deaths of Tanush and Kishi, and against the loss of her sister. Sukren held her until her sobs quieted. Even then they didnt let go of each other. Instead, Rajani clung to him all the more tightly. Help me, she begged. Im going to need you. I will, he said. I promise. *** Sukren stood behind Rajani and listened through an interpreter as she explained to the Cursed the arrangement she had worked out with Lady Nari. As Rajani continued, a murmur began to grow. Rajani responded to it. Im not done. Listen to me. Lady Nari told us that we could worship our own gods for now. We know what that means. It means we will never cease to worship Hunt and Gather. It means we will never stop telling their stories about who we are. It means we will do it in the open when we can, and in secret when we must. The murmur quieted. Rajani continued. These overbelters want to label us the children of mutineers. They want us to embrace our mistreatment at their hands as deserved. This is a story theyve created. Theyre forcing us to play a role in it, but it will never be our story. We will tell our own stories to each other. We will never forget that we are the Cursed. Sukren heard Rajani pause, heard her take a breath before she said, We will obey the overbelters. We will submit to them fully, recognizing that the gods brought us here to be disciplined. When they told us to share with the Gathers Children, we should have obeyed. Out of fear that the gods would not provide enough for us, we refrained from giving them our holy share. That is why we are here right now in this greenhouse. Here, where we cannot ensure for ourselves that we will have enough, we will be freed from the fear of not having enough. It is here that we will learn how to be satisfied. But no matter how long that takes, we will never forget that while the overbelters can tell us what to do, they cant tell us who we are. We are the Cursed. The rescued ones. Of Hunts Table. Brought here to Chudami by the gods and not by mutiny. Every morntide and every eventide we will recite the First Recitations. When you greet another Cursed, you will ask him, have the gods rescued you today, and he will say yes, they have. We will not let the overbelters define us as a broken, conquered people. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. There was silence. Then a voice called out, saying something Sukren didnt understand. The translator told him, Shes asking, what about you? Sukren waited for Rajanis response. Sukren is the one who ensured that we would stay together and not be separated and killed. Hes here to join us, to become one of the Cursed. Another voice rang out. Shes asking, how can you join the Cursed? Theres no run anymore, and you cant be brought in without someone doing the run for you. A third voice responded. Sukren heard the translator say, Hes saying, if you married one of the Cursed, you could be brought in that way as well. Sukren felt Rajani tighten in front of him. He knew what she was going to do. He knew what Rajani saw when she looked at him. The man whod defied the Chenta for the sake of her people, the man who knew the Chenta and their politics, history, language, and leaders, the man who would help her people navigate their slavery with knowledge and not fear. Sukren was not surprised, therefore, to feel Rajanis hand on his. He listened as the interpreter translated her words. This is the way it will happen from now on. If we find men and women among the overbelters who are willing to lay aside their stories in exchange for ours, we will accept them. No longer will they be overbelters. They will worship with us. We will belong together to Hunts Table. *** Rajani couldnt look into the crowd. She knew Jiat was watching her. Her heart broke C oh, the life they could have had! C as she told the crowd that she would marry Sukren to make him Cursed. But she said the words anyway. This was not about Jiat, or herself, or their feelings. This was about the Cursed. About the survival of her people as members of Hunts Table. Our story isnt over yet, Rajani said. She forced herself to remember the light that had spilled over the Cursed urb in her vision, the joy on the faces of her fellow citizens. The gods will bring us back. They will bring us home. We will wait for them here, and while we wait, we will know them anew. *** Mayah sat on the sleeping mat and looked out the window-wall of the panoramic tower. The glass surrounded her like a bowl. If she squinted, she could see the edge of LakeCentral to the right, and the lake and its Temple straight ahead. Sukrens notebook was still there, underneath the straw scattered around the tower floor. She didnt touch it. Instead, Mayah thought about the journal of the Lost Princess. The Lost Princess had been held prisoner inside this very tower by Queen Kalia. She had written the first of her journals where Mayah was now sitting. I have lost everything, the journal had said. Even who I am has been taken from me. Slowly, Mayah began reciting the first stanza of the Prophetess Darshanas prophecy. First she said it in the castle serf pidgin. Then, some perversity led her to repeat it in Rajim, but under her breath, so quietly that even she couldnt hear herself. Have confidence and not fear. This exile you endure under the dome will not last. Sky and star await you! They await you with longing. For a Rajas Daughter is Promised unto you, And she will lead her people back to Earth. Your hearts will be filled, And the Starfolk will live again.