“Yara… you’re okay…”
He grabbed her and embraced her. Tightly.
Yara’s thoughts raced. Kristos was here. He came to find her. But Toler… Toler needed help. She pushed Kristos back and grabbed his shoulders, looking pleadingly into his eyes. He squinted at her, clearly affected by the Blurry.
“We need to help him!”
“What…? Help who?!”
“Toler. We need to help him. He was kind to me. And his father—”
Yara’s voice broke as tears filled her eyes.
“His father saved my mother from Malek’s attack…”
Kristos’ brows furrowed as his face filled with rage. He stumbled back flabbergasted, pushing her away.
“Help him… HELP HIM?! I thought he was holding you captive! But you want to HELP HIM? You want to help a SKOTAD?! No… NO! I thought there was no way you could be what they said you were! I came all this way to find out THEY WERE RIGHT?! You’re in league with the SKOTADS?!”
Yara couldn’t control her tears any longer. They streamed down her face in torrents. This wasn’t the Kristos she knew. The Kristos she knew would believe her, believe in her. This wasn’t him.
“No, Kristos, please. No! You know that’s not true… You know it’s not! Didn’t… didn’t my parents tell you…? Didn’t they tell you what I discovered?! I was there when you spoke to Pekone… Malek was hiding in the shadows of Pekone’s dwelling. He came out after you left, and I heard them talking about what they had done. Kristos… Kristos, you have to believe me!”
Kristos began to pace back and forth, holding his head between his bent arms.
“Yes, Yara, your parents told me. In fact, they told everyone. They told everyone what you accused a respected Elder of doing. Then, your father thought it wise to attack Elder Malek…”
Yara’s heartstar felt like it had stopped beating. As Kristos slowed his pacing, she felt like she couldn’t breathe. Her father… attacked an Elder… that could only mean…
“Kristos, what happened to my father…?”
Kristos looked down, unable to speak.
“KRISTOS, WHAT HAPPENED TO MY—”
“He’s dead, Yara… He was executed a few hours after your letter was discovered… for attacking an Elder and for treason… and your mother is soon to be on trial… That’s why I had to come to find you…”
Yara felt the world beginning to spin. Her stomach turned, and her body shook uncontrollably. As her legs weakened, she fell on her hands and knees. She bent over, shoulders heaving, and let out a traumatic cry. She cried for her father, for her part in his death, for her entire life.
Kristos knelt next to her and hugged her as best he could. She sobbed into him for a long time until she felt herself becoming numb. As her sobs turned into sniffles, Yara melted into the comfort of Kristos’ arms. She had thought she would never see him again. Now, she couldn’t imagine enduring this without him. Despite everything, she knew he loved her enough to risk his life…
And find me… in the Greens…
Yara glanced up and looked around, wiping her eyes and face. Slowly, she lifted her body and knelt facing Kristos, her face contorted in confusion.
“Kristos… how did you find me… and… where is your Guiding Thread…? It couldn’t have been easy finding me here… and it won’t be easy finding your way back to the village without it when you have the Blurry… Though… actually… I’m much further away than just one mile… So, how did you—”
Yara felt a sharp pain cut through the side of her neck. As a massive dose of Sleeper entered her body, she looked at Kristos in aggrieved horror. The effect was immediate, surging ten times stronger than the inner fight’s dosage.
“I’m sorry, Yara… I wish there were another way… but I can’t lose my father too…”
Everything went black.
***
Toler slowly regained consciousness and felt the need to groan. His instincts told him otherwise. He silenced himself before it escaped his lips. He could hear the Photak warriors close to him, and there were lots of them. He opened his eyes slightly. He was still in the same place in the Greens. He shut them back quickly as he heard voices nearing where he lay.
“Well done, Kristos!” he heard one say.
“Indeed, the Elders will be proud. And so will Chief Lamad. Sunstar will honor your sacrifice today in capturing the blue-haired abomination,” another one said.
“And you witnessed your first Skotad kill! Even though you could barely see it with the Blurry. But don’t worry, it gets better over time. You’re lucky she didn’t realize right away that you were tricking her. If she wasn’t so concerned about saving the nasty Skotad, she might have realized there was no way you could have shot him. Not with the Blurry. And we might not have been able to run out in time to save you from her wrath.”
As they proudly recounted their attack on him, Toler willed himself to be as still as possible. He could feel the glances in his direction. He felt helpless.
“She was distracted by the news of her father’s death… and I don’t blame her. I… I just can’t believe she wanted me to save the Skotad… I can’t believe it's all… true…” he heard a new voice say.
Toler felt a moment of gratitude that Yara had even tried to save him. His instincts had told him she was a good person. He was glad to know he was right. He noted to himself that the new voice sounded quite unlike the others. It sounded distraught. He assumed it was the “Kristos” whom they were congratulating.
“We told you she was consorting with him. You badly wanted to believe that she was being held against her will. Is this now proof enough for you? She is a Skotad weapon of some kind, and she needs to be interrogated as such!”
“She told me that the Skotad’s father was the one who saved her mother from Elder Malek… when Lana was attacked years ago in the Greens. I mean, I know the entire story is a lie, but what if they are the ones who have been lying to her… What if they had been turning her against us all along…? Maybe that’s why she wanted to save him. He probably made her feel like she owes him…”
Toler felt confusion fill his thoughts as he listened to Kristos. Then, it all came back to him.
The Photak my father saved in the Greens… it was Yara’s adopted mother… and… she lived!!!
“It doesn’t matter now, Kristos. We all know it’s a complete fabrication. And now that her father has been executed, her mother will stand trial for bringing this abomination into our village and risking all of our lives. And the abomination will be questioned. She will tell us all we need to know, by any means necessary. It’s a pity she can survive in Sunstar’s light… but Pekone has an even greater instrument prepped for her interrogation.”
The Photaks around snickered maliciously. Then, they began to pack up their things. From the sound of it, their packing included an unconscious Yara. Within moments, they called to each other to move out.
When Toler was sure no one was there anymore, he opened his eyes and looked around. Convinced he was safe, he pushed himself up, panting as the groan finally escaped his lips. He dragged himself to a nearby Saptree and leaned on its trunk. Taking a deep breath, he clasped his hands around the Photak arrow and pulled it out quickly.
“Aaaarrrrrrhhhhhhh!” he cried out in agony.
When the flash of intense pain subsided a little, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a brown packet of mirrored balm. He opened it and winced as he dabbed it deep into the puncture. The wound wasn’t very deep, probably because the shot was taken at such a distance. The Photaks would have stayed far beyond the reach of his ears.
He pushed himself up and leaned back against the tree. As he drank from the Saptree to rejuvenate himself, his eyes fell on the marking of Sunstar on its trunk. He touched it lightly.
Toler sighed. He knew that what he was about to do would risk over a decade of Skotad research and secrets. He reached for the packet again. He squeezed out even more mirrored balm and began dabbin
g it all over his face, head, arms, hands, legs, and body. He didn’t stop until he was completely covered in it. The balm glistened as it soaked into his skin, causing sparks of pain everywhere it touched.
He leaned against the tree, breathing heavily.
“Okay, Yara… I’m coming to get you…”
***
Yara felt herself sinking into depths way within herself. Around her, she heard the taunts of the Tribe’s voices slashing into her like daggers and then disappearing.
“Blue-haired abomination!”
“You're no Photak.”
“Weapon!”
“She doesn’t deserve to live!”
“She’s a Skotad.”
“Cage her!”
“Kill her.”
“KILL HER!”
Yara tried to scream, but nothing came out. She had no voice… she had no strength. She had nothing. She was no one. She had no place in this world. Her birth parents never claimed her. They knew keeping her would be a mistake. They weren’t wrong. She had killed her Tribe father. She left the letter that caused his death. She should have never said anything. She deserved to die. She hated Malek. She hated the Elders. She hated herself…
“Yara…”
It seemed fainter than usual, at first… but she heard it again, from the depths within her.
“Yara…”
“Who… who are you…?”
“You need to arise, Yara. You must arise now!”
“I… I can't. I'm too weak. They used the Sleeper on me… The dose is too strong… I keep fighting it… but I’m losing… I can barely stop myself from sinking deeper into it…”
“You are powerful enough to triumph over this… but your power is not in the fight. It’s in your surrender.”
“What… what power…? I have no power…”
“You are only as powerful as you allow yourself to believe… Surrender, Yara… surrender and ARISE!”
As a massive wave of the Sleeper surged through her, Yara felt herself being pulled by its force. She still tried to fight it but felt herself lose stamina the more she struggled. She used the last of her strength to make one final desperate push against it. It responded with a pulse that obliterated the last of her willpower. Failing, she gave up. She surrendered and fell straight into the Sleeper’s wave.
“YaraStar… do you know who you are?”
It was here. Energy. Dangerous, powerful energy. It was back. Crackling through the Sleeper with intense attacks.
“YaraStar… I know who you are.”
Everything stopped. Then, every piece of her skin began to burn with heat. It was coming from within her, burning away all of the drug in her blood. Burning away the weakness. Burning everything. As it burned, it also began to release her. As her awareness came back, Yara’s eyelids felt heavy. Slowly, she allowed a glimmer of light into them as she peeked through. She had somehow regained consciousness.
“Arise, Yara!”
Yara’s body jumped involuntarily at the now-audible voice. Startled, she mentally shook herself. She could no longer tell the difference between her dream world and the real one. Perhaps there was none. Still, she knew within herself that the voice wasn’t imaginary. She knew, because she was not supposed to be awake yet. It was impossible with the dosage she had felt. The voice had brought her back.
She glanced around trying to figure out where she was. Soon, the environment registered. She had snuck in there with Kristos once. It was one of the cells they used to keep Skotads for the extraction of information before their execution.
Kristos…
Yara felt a stab of anguish. The Sleeper. Kristos was the one who had used the Sleeper on her. The memory of what happened suddenly rushed back to her. His betrayal burned through her. She was here because of him. She needed to find her mother, and she needed to get them both out of the village. She looked around her, searching for anything she could use to pick the lock of the bars that stood in the way of her freedom. They wouldn’t be expecting her to be awake this soon. It was the perfect time.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps coming down from the upper keep. Her heartstar sank. She was too late.
Chapter Thirteen
Yara stilled herself and closed her eyes.
Perhaps, if the person thought she was still under the effects of the Sleeper, she would be left alone again. She needed time to make a plan, and she needed space to do it. As she heard the footsteps softly nearing her cell, she did her best to even her breathing. She could feel her eyelids anxiously fluttering against her strong will. She could only hope the person would think she was dreaming.
The person seemed to pause, and for the next few moments, there was only silence. Then, the unbelievable happened.
“Yaaarrraaa…”
A soft whisper cut through the air. It couldn’t be. Yara flew up and turned to face a most welcome sight.
“Mila!” Yara exclaimed.
“SHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhh!”
“I’m sorry,” Yara whispered back, thoughts racing. “Mila, what are you doing here? How did you find me? How did you even get in the main keep?”
Mila grinned triumphantly.
“I have my ways,” she giggled with pride.
“For once, your sneaking has paid off, hasn’t it MilaStar? Okay, give me the report, young warrior.”
“Well, they didn’t think you’d be awake for a while. They’re pretty silly, thinking you’re weak like that. I knew better, so when they went to their meeting, I snuck in.”
“Mila, how many guards did you have to sneak past?”
“Only four. And they were all talking. You’ve caused a big stir, Yara… They’re saying you’re a…”
Mila looked down, brows furrowed.
“That I’m a Skotad?”
Mila nodded and then peered up at Yara through the cell bars. Then, she earnestly continued, “But I told you… even if you are a Skotad… I’d still think you’re the best. And I do, Yara. But… I’m scared for you. I think they want to hurt you…”
Mila broke into soft weeping, covering her face with her hands. Yara’s expression saddened. She sat on the floor so she could face Mila.
“Well… I don’t know what I am just yet… but I did meet a Skotad… and from the way he looked, I’m not that either.”
Mila looked up from her fingered cocoon.
“Well, you need to tell them! You need to tell them, so they don’t hurt you… or worse… especially after what they did to your…”
Mila fell silent, unable to finish, her eyes watering again.
Yara felt an overwhelming pang of pain rip through her. She hadn’t begun to process the loss of her Tribe father. It was too hard to believe. Even worse, all executions were done publicly, and all Photaks were required to bear witness… including her Tribe mother, and even little Mila. Yara felt her anger rise. Her cold, hot rage against Elder Malek and his treachery felt unbearable.
“Listen, Mila. I have already wrongfully lost my father. I need to save my mother. The fact that they have me here in this cell means that her trial is simply obligatory. They have already decided she is guilty… guilty of simply rescuing me from the Greens as a baby and raising me. I can’t let them kill her. I can’t… I can’t lose her too.”
Mila’s lips tightened as she nodded with determination.
“We are going to save her, Yara.”
“No, not we—I will save her. No, no, don’t protest, Mila. I’m serious this time. I won’t be able to forgive myself if anything ever happens to you too. I don’t want you to risk any more than you already have. We just need to find me a way out of this cell and back to the Greens. I will do the rest. Okay?”
“Sigh. Okay, Yara. What should I do?”
“Pass me something that I can use to pick this lock. In the meantime, I want you to do what you do best, young warrior—sneak around and scout. I will need to find a way that isn’t heavily guarded out of the village. Can you do that for me, Mila?”
/>
“Yes! I can!”
“Good. Have you seen where they are keeping my mother?”
“Yes… they have her bound by the stones. They have had her there since they killed… your father. She has to stay there until her trial. It starts in a couple of hours—around the time they think you will be awake.”
“How many guards did they post there?”
“Only two… then they all went to Pekone’s dwelling for their meeting. All the Elders, and the Chief. The Chief looks sad. They said that if Kristos hadn’t brought you back, they would have sent Chief Lamad to Light Banishment. They blame the Chief for everything. They said he was the one who broke the Elders’ tied-vote that let you stay when you were a baby. Kristos was trying to save him, so he had to come to get you.”
Yara gasped. As Mila searched around for broken blades to pick the lock, Yara thought about the impossible position the Elders must have put Kristos in. Her heartstar sank at the choice she knew he had been forced to make.
“Will this work?” Mila asked, interrupting Yara’s thoughts.
“Yes, I think so. Let me see…”
As Yara examined the blade and tried fitting it into the lock, Mila asked her about the Greens and her journey there. Yara told her all she had seen and the beauty of the flora.
“And… the Skotad? What did he look like?”
Yara felt a sense of sadness. She knew that Toler couldn’t have survived the arrow wound on his own. She also knew it was only because of her that he had been attacked.
She sighed.
“Well… he’s dead now… but he was kind to me… I don’t know if all Skotads are like him, but if they are, then we have been wrong about them all along… the Photaks shot him straight in the chest because he was with me…”
“Yara… I think you’re wrong. I think they would have killed him even if he was not with you…”
Yara huffed in response. Mila was growing up so much faster than she had realized. She reached out through the bars and tousled her red hair.
The Unmarked Girl (The YaraStar Trilogy Book 1) Page 9