by Emerson Fray
Chapter 13
Ren wondered how there could be so many rebels when the people of Mahendra just went on with their lives. These people were their family and their friends; how did they move on so easily? None of the rebels were under twenty, but Ren thought some of them must be missed. The more she walked with Abetha, the more she wondered which ones were spies that slipped in and out of the capital without notice. She hadn’t been in the city often enough to recognize anyone.
“Why are so many burned?” Ren questioned. It didn’t seem right to harm yourself for a cause, especially when it wasn’t necessary. Ren felt it was never necessary.
Abetha turned and watched Ren stare at a nearby insurgent. His arms were covered with white scars, twisted marks showing his loyalty to the cause.
“They’re not all scars,” Abetha said, “some are just tattoos. We have them to show our allegiance to our ancestors; the ones that did not want to take part in any kind of monarchy.”
Ren finally tore her eyes away from the scars. “What did you just say?”
“When our ancestors crashed here they had a choice to either keep a monarchy government, or allow the people to choose.” Abetha shrugged. “It was a unanimous vote; the people wanted their power.”
“And that’s why you scar yourselves?” Ren asked. “Did you…?”
Abetha smiled. “I have my markings.”
“As do we all,” Kian said. He appeared from around a corner, long white hair blowing behind him. While he brazenly showed his markings, Abetha still hid hers. Ren wondered why.
“I don’t understand that,” Ren said.
“Of course you don’t,” Kian replied, “you’ve never had to fight for anything.”
As insulted as she felt, he was right. Not once in her life had Ren truly rebelled against something, besides her father’s words. And that wasn’t quite the same as creating a revolution against the government. But still, Ren didn’t think she would go quite that far, especially when the Monarchy had only come to Novae to lead. Still, the hole in her stomach said that something else was coming.
“Have you shown her the pit yet?” Kian asked, eyes bright with excitement.
“I wasn’t going to,” Abetha replied. Her eyes narrowed on Kian, maybe sensing something Ren couldn’t. Ren already had a bad feeling about the way Kian was tapping his foot impatiently.
“I’ll have the honour then,” Kian announced with a grin. He placed a hand on Ren’s back and started leading her into the woods. Tentatively, Abetha followed.
“What’s the pit?” Ren asked, already knowing the answer.
“It’s where we train,” Kian explained, pushing a little harder. Ren was already tripping over her own feet he was moving so fast, but he didn’t seem to notice. “And also where we keep prisoners on occasion. Or in case a child wanders in.”
“You keep children prisoner?” Ren asked.
“Not yet, but we’re prepared for anything.”
Ren bit her tongue, holding back her comments as best she could. It was no wonder Enn was so surly—she had to deal with this all the time.
They hurried through the trees and Ren wasn’t given the opportunity to enjoy the woodsy scent like before. She almost tripped over a fallen log, and Kian never slowed his pace to help her. Her heart raced and she hoped she wasn’t going into a cage for the rest of her stay. Or a literal pit was about to be thrown in.
Soon she could hear cheering and low hollers of excitement. Overhead the sun shone through the leaves and Ren spotted two more brick buildings, these ones twice as tall as the ones behind her. They sat about two dozen meters apart. Kian pushed aside a low branch, the bark coated in tiny thorns. He kept it aside for her but her shoulder still brushed against it, tearing at her sleeve. Small drops of blood began to drip through.
“Sorry,” Kian said, his eyes low as he looked at the seeping blood. “But look, we’re here.” He smiled, holding his hand out to display the spectacle.
Ren stood on the edge of a circle, surrounded by a dozen rebels. They shouted profanities at someone in the centre, and though the person’s hands weren’t bound, they didn’t move. The person had their back to Ren, but she already knew who it was.
Sheridan.
Ren breathed her name and tried to run to her, but Kian yanked Ren back. It was the same arm he’d twisted before, and this time she let out a cry. Sheridan turned, eyes finding Ren’s.
“She came rather fast,” Abetha said. “I thought it would be another day.”
“Yes she did,” Kian agreed. “Isn’t that wonderful?”
“What are you going to do?” Ren questioned. Her arm stung, and every time Kian moved it brought her more pain than before. She was sure some part of her bone had cracked, and would take weeks to heal if she didn’t see a doctor soon.
“We’re going to be keeping Sheridan locked away for a very long time,” Kian revealed, “I just wanted her to see you first. Another failure.”
Ren tried to pull away from Kian, but it was no use. As she did she saw Sheridan step forward, and run into a shimmering blue barrier. It crackled as she connected with it and disappeared when she backed away. Ren asked, “You have EM shields, too?”
“We have more than you think,” Abetha said, but her voice was quiet this time. Ren saw her eyes dart from Sheridan to Kian, maybe just as upset as Ren was. Ren knew they’d talked before when she was busy with her “royal duties”, and Abetha must have some kind of bond with Sheridan. She couldn’t want Sheridan to be a prison for the rest of her life, could she?
“You can’t do that,” Ren shouted. “What did she do?”
“She’s not going to stop until you are back in Mahendra,” Kian announced. His brow furrowed, grip tightening. Ren’s knees threatened to buckle, but she stayed standing, if only to hide her weakness. Maybe her father had taught her something useful.
“So you have to imprison her?”
“Unless you have another solution?” Kian questioned.
“Just…keep her prisoner until you trade me away,” Ren suggested. “Then send her back too.”
“She has a point,” Abetha said.
Kian rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Sheridan has been a thorn in my side for far too long. She would go straight to the King about us if she were freed. I want to keep her here.”
“And I wouldn’t?” Ren asked. She became very still, waiting for his reply.
“Oh, I see what this is about,” Abetha admitted, taking a small step back. She didn’t offer any other information to Ren, but Ren saw her lips twitch.
Kian grinned wider at Ren. “We both know you wouldn’t do that. Your father would slaughter everyone here if he found out, and probably a few people in town. You wouldn’t ever tell him how to find us.”
Ren bit her lip, beaten. She thought there had to be a way around it.
With a glance down, Kian said, “But if you’re going to be so adamant, I’ll give you a challenge. Best me in the pit, and I’ll let her go—until she interrupts again, at least.”
“Kian,” Abetha warned. “You’re being a child again.” Her arms crossed.
“Fine,” Ren agreed. Anything to make sure Sheridan got out of this as fast as possible.
“Kian!” Sheridan shouted, her fist banged on the side of the shield, forcing small spider web cracks to shoot out across the field. Her jaw was clenched, and Ren couldn’t look away from the accusation in her eyes. Sheridan looked to Kian. “I’ll fight in her place.”
Kian shrugged. “I think the Princess is determined to do this herself.” He faced Ren, pulling her close enough that she could feel his breath against her lips. “What do you say to a joust?”
She flinched as Sheridan hit the shield again, but nodded in agreement. Behind her Abetha sighed, and she wasn’t sure what to make of that.
Ren stood above the rebels atop a shaky brick building and stared down at her Sotarian. This is for Sheridan,
she reminded herself. And the fact that she could barely move her left arm wasn’t going to affect anything. Across the dirt ring stood Kian, already holding a vine from the giant tree nearby. She’d barely noticed it before, her entire attention focused on Sheridan.
The pit, as everyone put it, wasn’t so much a pit but a circle. It was surrounded by wood and brick buildings, and on the far edge a huge willow tree. Some of the vines were as thick as Ren’s arms, and she gripped one nervously. More pain shot up into her shoulder, making her flinch.
“How does this work?” Ren asked Abetha.
“You swing across,” she replied, “first one down loses.”
“That’s nearly twenty feet.”
“Nobody has died from the fall yet,” Abetha said. She was distancing herself from Ren, and refused to even look in Ren’s direction. Both of them focused on Kian.
“Has he fallen before?” Ren questioned.
“Not yet,” said Abetha.
Below her Ren knew Sheridan was watching, waiting for her to back down. But she never had when Ren was in danger, so why should Ren now? She squeezed her eyes shut, thinking of the best way to make Kian fall.
“I’ll make the deal even better,” Kian yelled. “If you can draw my blood, I’ll let you both go free!”
The crowd, which had grown to twice its original size, was laughing loudly at that statement. Ren asked, “Does he mean that?”
“I’ll hold him to his word,” Abetha murmured. Her eyes fell to Ren’s arm. “Are you sure you can handle this? Do you even know how to—”
“No,” Ren interrupted. “But I need to do something.” She looked down to Sheridan again, her mind made up. Inhaling deeply, she asked, “Can you make sure Elian is okay? Ever since we were kids it was kind of just us—I mean…Dad was there, but he wasn’t quite…there.” She looked to Abetha and received a nod.
“Are you ready, Princess?” Kian called.
Ren faced him, her chin high in the air as she did her best to wrap the vine around her right arm. She tugged on it, feeling its strength and hoping it would be enough to get her through. She nodded at Kian.
They each took a few steps back, and with one last breath ran forward. When she met the edge of the wooden planks that covered the roof, Ren jumped with all her might, unsure if it was enough to get her to the other side, let alone knock Kian to the ground.
The crowd roared, matching the sound of the wind as it flew through Ren’s hair. The pressure on her right arm was too much, and as she sailed over Sheridan’s head she felt her grip slip. Kian passed her, giving her a light tap on the arm; even such a small gesture made her wince. It was then that she realized Kian knew exactly how injured her arm was, and was going to happily use it against her.
Approaching the other side, Ren almost missed the roof. Her toes just barely managed to grab onto the wood, but she slid back, the vine being stretched too far. She looked over her shoulder, staring at the rebels below. They were all laughing at her, waiting for her to fall and forfeit the match.
Something tugged the vine forward. Ren whirled to find Enn giving her an exaggerated eye roll. “This is just sad,” she said, pulling Ren onto the planks and giving Ren enough strength to stay up on her own.
Ren was nearly speechless. “You helped me.”
“Don’t get so excited,” Enn ordered. “The game wouldn’t be over if you fell from here; it’s against the rules.” She nodded towards Kian. “Not that he would tell you that. Hurry up. I got things to do.”
Ren took a moment to line herself up, her rival already prepared. “Thanks,” she mumbled.
“Let’s go!” Kian shouted. He started running before Ren did, and this time when she kicked off she got a little more force. As she crossed the circle she saw Kian’s arm jut out, ready to smack her down. In a panic she squeezed her eyes shut and slid down the vine, narrowly dodging his forearm.
“Bad move, Princess!” he yelled with a laugh.
As she opened her eyes Ren realized her mistake, a brick wall coming up way too fast. She tried to climb up the vine but it was too late, and as she connected hard with the wall the rebels hushed. The fingers of her free hand managed to slip between the cracks of the bricks and hold her there, the pain in her arm nothing compared to the pounding in her skull.
Somehow, Ren managed to keep hold of the vine. She hung there a while, trying to gather her bearings as stars spotted her vision. The world was spinning, even after she had steadied. But she couldn’t feel anything with her fingers, and she didn’t know how to outlast Kian. She didn’t think outlasting him was going to work; she needed to attack.
“Are you all right?” Abetha called down.
Ren tilted her head up, letting it fall back as she blinked the last stars away. Her head moved up and down in a shaky nod.
Grabbing onto the vine with her free arm, she pulled herself up, inch by inch. The crowd was silent, watching as she struggled her way up the vine. When she pressed her fingers onto the planks, Abetha knelt down and helped her the rest of the way. Ren lay on the boards, breaths coming in short gasps.
Climbing to her hands and knees, she looked up at Kian. He wasn’t even out of breath, grinning widely at her. The rebels began to hoot and holler, eager to see her either give up or take another swing and fall to the dirt. Maybe even hoping for her to die. She could only glance at Sheridan before forcing herself to her feet.
Abetha knelt beside Ren and helped her up. “Here,” she whispered. Ren felt the weight of something in her hand. Her eyes fell to find a green dagger she now held, its handle elegantly carved from jade.
“What is—”
“Use it,” Abetha said. Ren pressed the blade against her wrist, hiding it to anyone that might notice. If anyone did they didn’t say a word, and Ren steadied herself against the vine. She didn’t know if Abetha wanted Kian dead or just injured, but it was enough to at least help her win the battle.
“Remember,” Ren murmured, “winning the battle doesn’t mean winning the war.”
And she really hoped a war wasn’t about to begin based on her actions. There was a chance that if she won this battle that Kian wouldn’t keep his word and trap Sheridan in an EM shield forever, and kill Ren for besting him. She hoped not, and somehow she doubted he would go back on his word. Abetha seemed to have an idea of her own, and maybe it would keep Ren and Sheridan breathing.
Taking as much time as she could, Ren prepared herself, steeling her nerves and blocking out the shouts of the rebels. On the edge of her mind she could understand their words but they never made it through to her, not even Kian’s whines to hurry up. She flexed her fingers around the vine, wrapping it up her arm as she had before but just a little higher. In her other hand the dagger felt heavy.
Was she going to just kill him and get the rebellion over with? She opened her eyes, thinking about all the bad things Kian must have done to become a leader; none of them she thought worthy of death. The Novaeans only wanted freedom—they shouldn’t be punished for trying to release their people from the Monarchy’s grasp. Abetha and Kian had both said that they didn’t want to kill anyone. Ren looked down at Sheridan and wondered how true that was.
If it came between choosing Kian or her family though, the choice was obvious. She gave Kian a nod, and she could tell he noticed the change in her. He grabbed the vine and ran. Ren matched his pace.
Her body hurt. Her arm had been twisted and grabbed too roughly, she’d hit a brick wall and smashed her head against a bench, but Ren pushed off with as much strength as she had. She felt her own weight being held by her fingers and focused all her attention on Kian. As they were about to pass he brought his arm out to smack her stomach, a hit that would easily make her fall. Rather than climbing down, Ren hoisted her body upwards, swinging her legs over Kian’s arm while slashing at his vine. The dagger cut through with ease but wasn’t long enough to slice it completely; just enough to make
it snap beneath Kian’s weight.
Ren looked behind her and watched as Kian soared to the dirt. He thrust his shoulders forward and rolled as he landed, saving him from any real injuries, but she saw he was in shock. It took him a moment to stand up, but he wouldn’t face her or even the crowd. There was no way he hadn’t bled from that fall.
Still swinging on the vine, Ren missed her chance to land on the opposite house. She swayed back and forth, and waited for the vine to stop before calling to Kian. “I made you fall,” she said. “We’re free to go.”
Kian pushed his hair back and looked up at her. The crowd was silent, a few of the rebels shuffling off before seeing what would happen. Part of Ren thought Kian wasn’t going to be true to his word. She stared at him, a dozen feet above his head.
He took a deep breath, and then another, and started shaking, his hands in fists. On his fingertips Ren spotted blood, as did the rest of the crowd.
“I’ll let you both leave,” Kian said. “But only because I’m so impressed that you actually won.” He whirled and smirked at her. “It’s not like I haven’t proven my point already.” He looked to the rebels. “Our original plan is on!”
Before she could reply Kian stalked into the crowd. After a few minutes, the rebels began to disperse as well, and Ren couldn’t believe they were leaving so easily. Soon Abetha and Enn were the only ones that remained. They stood near Sheridan on the ground, waiting for Ren to climb down.
And that was when she realized she couldn’t. She dropped the dagger to the dirt below, and when she tried to grab onto the vine the pain was too much. If she even loosened her grip she would fall too far, and with her current injuries, to her possible death. She couldn’t move enough to climb up or down.
“Are you coming down or not?” Enn asked, arms crossed over her chest. “I gotta drop the shield already.”
Ren’s eyes widened as she thought of the shield that surrounded Sheridan. How high did it go? Swinging her feet around, she smacked one foot into the side of the shield, and saw the blue shimmer. Carefully she tapped along its surface, and managed to find her footing.
“Get off!” Enn shouted. “I just said—”
“I—uh, can’t get down,” Ren called. “My arm…” As she stood on the shield she unwrapped the vine, and while she could feel the blood rush through her arm again it wasn’t strong enough to lift a book let alone her entire body. She was trapped atop the shield.
“Take it down,” Sheridan ordered. Enn squinted at her.
“She’ll fall,” Abetha said, not sounding as worried as she should have. Rebel Abetha was very matter-of-fact when it came to speaking, apparently.
“I know,” Sheridan replied. “Drop it.”
Enn huffed and pulled a remote from her back pocket. “Fine.” She clicked the button, and Ren watched as a thin blue light shot around the shield. It bounded towards her, barely giving her enough time to think about what was going to happen. When it reached her feet she started falling, a gasp catching in her throat.
Ren shut her eyes and covered them with her hands, expecting to smash her head again. But rather than connecting with the ground she fell into Sheridan’s arms, and was easily caught. She peeked through her fingers at her personal Sotarian. “Thanks.”
Sheridan set Ren on the ground, and as Sheridan’s hands brushed over the cuts on her legs she felt each tiny opening sting. She felt everything sting, actually; things she hadn’t even thought were hurt. Now that she wasn’t swinging wildly on the vines she could feel each cut and bruise on her body, and the hit to the wall was coming back full force. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to will the pain away, but all she managed was a groan.
“Is Mahendra far from here?” she asked through the pain.
“About a half days journey,” Abetha said. “I’ll join you.”
Ren flinched. “You will?”
“I am missing as well,” she said. “Unless you want them to know of my part in this?”
“No,” Ren said quickly. “I just…I just…” She wasn’t sure what she thought.
“We should hurry,” Sheridan said. “It’ll be nightfall soon.”
Ren nodded.
The three started walking, after Abetha gave a nod goodbye to Enn. As they reached the edge of the pit Enn called, “Hey.”
Ren looked over her shoulder.
“You aren’t so bad. I guess. I still don’t want you as a princess.”
Ren chuckled. “I don’t want me as a princess either.”
Taking a few more steps Ren noticed that only Abetha was beside her. She looked over her shoulder to see Sheridan was staring in the opposite direction, her lips a tight line. “What is it?”
Sheridan blinked and turned to Ren. “You’re hurt; you won’t be able to walk all the way back, and I won’t be able to carry you.”
“I’ll be fine,” Ren replied. But as she did she put too much weight on her ankle and felt it almost give out on her. She leaned over and placed her hands on her knees, her lunch threatening to come back up. “Maybe not.”
“What are you suggesting?” Abetha asked.
“We stay the night, head back in the morning.” Sheridan kept glancing over her shoulder but Ren couldn’t place what was wrong. Well, what was specifically bothering Sheridan at least.
“Will he let us leave tomorrow?” Ren asked Abetha.
“He will,” Abetha answered. “Kian—”
“Kian always keeps his promises,” interrupted Sheridan. Ren and Abetha both raised their eyebrows at that. Sheridan hadn’t even turned to face them to speak, her eyes still watching the shaded pathway that led back to the camp.
As much as she hated the idea of letting her father and Elian worry for another night, she didn’t have much of a choice. She couldn’t feel anything but pain now, and there was no way she would survive a half day’s walk back to Mahendra yet.
“Okay,” she conceded with a groan. “Let’s stay.”