Walled City (The Elabi Chronicles Book 1)

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Walled City (The Elabi Chronicles Book 1) Page 27

by Maressa Mortimer


  Chapter 44

  Thirday begins badly. Gax opens his eyes and even though it is still dark, his vision consists of black, red, orange and dark blue circles converging, spinning and tumbling together. He groans softly and rubs his temples, but the slow drumming has started already. He can feel the veins protruding on both temples and he tries to push them down, nausea spreading slowly with each heartbeat. To wake up with a headache attack like this is not good news, he knows. Gax tries to breathe slowly, relaxing his shoulders as much as possible. The drumming gets worse, so does the nausea. He hesitates for a few seconds, then, trying to keep his head steady he shuffles downstairs to the bathroom as fast as possible, hoping to make it to the toilet in time. He makes it, then groans out loud, trying to get back up from the bathroom floor. He knows he needs to get to his painkillers quickly, but will he be able to keep them down?

  He has to try though and with shaking hands he pulls the plastic tablet strip from his bag, not looking down as he has to keep his head up to relieve the pressure. He takes two tablets, but remains sitting down on the floor, leaning his head back, breathing slow but shallow breaths. He just cannot be sick again, not when he has taken his precious tablets. His eyes closed, Gax can’t even pray. He has no idea how long he has sat on the floor. He must have dozed off a little and when he opens his eyes he finds himself shivering, but at least the converging circles have ceased their wild spiel. He wiggles his jaw side to side, scrunching up his face, relieved to find all sensation restored to his face as well. Hands are functioning as they should, so all that remains is the headache. Gax shivers again, realising how cold he is and slowly gets up off the floor. His head feels too heavy for his neck and as soon as he stands up he can feel the queasiness growing as well. Gax hesitates, what should he do? Crash on the sofa, or go back to bed? He needs to think, somehow or other.

  He is expected at the shop and judging by the light drifting in through his windows, it must be close to the time he should be at work. He hasn’t even left the house, so he will definitely be late. In the end Gax decides to go upstairs. He lies down under the blankets to get warm again, trying to formulate a question, as well as think of the answer. He is expected at the shop, he has no phone to call in sick. Can people even call in sick in Elabi? He looks at the windows and through the foggy haze in his head he registers that something seems different this morning. Something outside doesn’t seem right. For a while Gax pushes the thought to the back of the queue of questions, then, with his nausea subsided enough, he decides to wander over to the window. He sits up, changes his mind straight away, lies down quickly, breathing in through his nose, out through his mouth. After a few minutes he decides to try again and this time he slowly manages to get to the window. What he sees makes him gasp out loud, his headache temporarily forgotten.

  “No! No, this cannot be true, oh no!” He stammers, Yulra promptly asking how she can be of assistance. Gax doesn’t hear her, the headache taking revenge on Gax for forgetting it is there. He sways on his feet, clinging on to the damp windowsill, eyes wild and staring out of the window. All of Elabi, as far as Gax can see, is white. A thick layer of snow has covered everything. Gax feels more nauseous than ever, thinking of the implications. Today’s implications. There is no way he can leave today with this headache.

  Gax slowly shuffles back to his bed. Keeping his head upright and hardly moving it at all, he gets dressed. He pulls on his soft leather boots, wondering if they’re waterproof, or whether he should risk wearing his special walking boots. In the end he decides that coping with his headache will take up all his reserves and he can’t handle questions or trouble about boots on top of it all. The cold air actually revives him a little and Gax walks to the city, moving like an old man, trying to avoid any impact from jarring his throbbing head, concentrating on his breathing to keep his queasiness at bay. He feels like a proper Elabi citizen shuffling along the streets in the city, not looking at anyone, eyes vacant. He gets to the shop late, but it’s Inritia who greets him. Grabus is nowhere to be seen, fortunately. Gax is hot. He wipes his hand across his clammy forehead, noticing how badly his hand is shaking. He raises his chin in greeting and Inritia returns the gesture, rolling her eyes at the same time. He gets a cloth from the staffroom and once back into the shop he keeps his eyes on the clock. “Four hours,” he mutters, needing to say the words out loud in order to process them. “Four hours, two tablets only. Four hours. Well, three now, because…because…well, it’s three hours.” Slowly turning his whole head he notices Grabus walking past, giving Gax a very strange look. Gax vaguely remembers that maybe he should greet Grabus, but his head can’t quite remember why or how, so he leaves it, instead moving his hand mechanically across the top shelf.

  “Two tablets,” he mutters quietly, “two tablets.” He pulls a face, he feels like he is losing his mind, having to give himself muttered instructions in order to function. He secretly takes his two tablets, realising there is only one single tablet left in the strip. He stares at the almost empty strip, his brain struggling to realise the significance of what he’s seeing. Then he puts the strip away safely. It’s important, he’s quite sure, but he can’t figure out why it’s important. Gax is so relieved when the day is over and he is free to go home. Stepping outside the shop his relief is dampened by the amount of snow. Most roads have been cleared, but there is still a lot of snow about. The streets are filled with people and Gax is glad that the second lot of tablets seemed to have helped a bit more. Maybe the day is improving after all.

  That notion is soon dispelled. It happens in a broad street, a little way from the city gates. Gax looks up when he hears murmured voices, his head still slow and heavy. He sees the crowds of mainly Mansits, with various guards interspersed walking along, seemingly aiming for a particular point. Gax follows, wondering what could be going on in Elabi. Where the crowd is a little denser, he can actually hear voices. Not loud and clear, but quietly, people muttering and whispering. Gax slides through small gaps, between bodies smelling of fish and garum. Then he sees what is drawing everyone’s attention. It is an old man, on his knees in a thin layer of snow, clutching his arm and shoulder, looking ill, his face drawn and grey. Gax blinks, then gasps, “Sleym! Oh no, Sleym!” He tries to get closer, but it’s no good. The muttering is louder each passing second. Words like ‘sanatorium’, ‘Downstream’ and ‘where are the guards when you need them’ are swirling in the air. Gax manages to take one more step forward, just to see some guards wrestling with the dense crowd further on, trying to get through the other side of the hastily formed circle. They move towards Sleym, who manages to lift his head enough to see them coming.

  Suddenly, above the muttering, hissing crowd sounds Sleym’s voice, slow and clear, “I know that my Redeemer lives!” He has to stop to catch his breath, the mutterings much louder now, the guards trying to move faster, but the crowd has shuffled forward. Gax isn’t sure whether they moved forward to hear better or to prevent Sleym from saying anything else. “…and though after my skin worms destroy my body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:’' A roar passes through the masses and Gax is stunned to see the sudden anger displayed all around him, with people pressing the palms of their hands over their ears, their mouth open in an angry roar, their faces contorted in unbelievable anger. Sleym leans down, clearly struggling to breathe, then, when the angry roar has died into a hissing, grumbling noise, he suddenly lifts both arms to heaven and with a clear, loud voice calls out, “…Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; and… and…” Sleym slumps forward, hard, whilst a furious, shrill voice shrieks, “Stop him! It’s from the Book, take him, remove him!” Sleym is lying down, his blanched face resting in the snow, eyes closed. The first of the guards finally manages to break through and takes two officious steps to Sleym, bends over him, then shrugs. “Goner,” he says to the guard following just behind him, his voice carrying in the sudden silence. Gax gasps, the noise in his ears completely disappearing, then reappe
aring with increased volume, his feet rooted to the ground, his lungs struggling to get air into them. Gax whirls round clumsily as a rough, croaking voice shouts loudly, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints!”

  The crowd roars again, a roar that grows and turns louder and uglier, the circle moving around the body of Sleym, narrowly missing him in their urge to get to the voice of whoever it was that called out. Gax recognised the voice straight away and he decides that now is probably a good time to get out of Elabi. He doesn’t wrestle against the crowd, knowing that to be a waste of energy. Instead, he flows along a bit and just worms himself sideways, until, like a human crab, he finally gets to the fringes of the heaving masses. Just before leaving the scene he looks back one more time at the still form of Sleym. Looking over his body, he looks straight into the eyes of ‘his’ guard. They both look away quickly and Gax walks out of the city as calmly and casually as he can. He has just passed the city gates when he hears a shout behind him. He daren’t look round, but he has only taken two or three steps when he hears a commotion and clanging noises. Gax can’t contain his curiosity any longer. He has to look round. The city gates are closing! The guards are shutting both huge gates. Gax’s head is spinning and banging away and he doesn’t know whether it’s his headache or the shock that is making the most noise. He staggers home, his legs shaking, his mind longing for that last little tablet, for a cool pillow and for home, his real home in Mataiox.

  Gax tumbles into bed, not caring what the watchers will think, say or do. Sleym, the old man who was his friend, Sleym is dead, having died on the streets surrounded by a mob, his face in the cold snow. Gax groans softly, his eyes stinging with hot tears, grief whipping up his headache and nausea. Then he remembers Sleym’s words, his parting shot as it were and suddenly Gax finds himself grinning through his tears. Good old Sleym, instead of being sent packing Downstream, he got to go like this! Gax smiles, reliving those moments, followed by the hoarse voice quoting that wonderful Psalm. That had been Reicii, he knows and his smile fades away. What will happen to Reicii now? After all, the entire mob seemed to have been after him! Then Gax’s hazy mind remembers the woman’s voice and he wonders again that she knew Sleym was quoting the Book! How did she know? It hadn’t sounded like an old voice, so how had she recognised the words?

  Gax half drifts off, his thoughts still spinning and tumbling around, accompanied by his heartbeat banging on the inside of his skull. Above the din in his head, Gax suddenly becomes aware of another knocking sound, an external one. Someone is knocking on his door! He sits up, wondering whether he should answer the door, or whether it’s just more trouble. In the end, Gax walks slowly downstairs, opens the door and for a moment thinks he has imagined the knocking, as there doesn’t seem to be anyone there. He leans out a bit, and almost jumps out of his skin when he sees the friendly guard standing quietly next to the door frame, his back against the house, his face dark and serious.

  Chapter 45

  Gax sucks in his breath, his head spinning and drumming, making him sway on his feet. He glances round to see if there are more guards, then looks back at the one and only guard, who has stayed quiet all this time. The guard looks at him, then raises his chin and motions Gax closer. Gax steps through the door opening with one foot, leaning towards the guard, who whispers, “They will come for you at first light. They know you’re involved; more than involved. That Mansit told them everything. They will come, so you’ll have till first light. Now, they’re watching you, I take it you’re aware?” He looks at Gax and can tell from his face that yes, Gax knew he was being watched. One corner of the guard’s mouth lifts in a half smile and he continues, “If they see you leave, they will come for you. You will need to make your escape in secret.” Gax dips his head, he understands. He will need to wait till midnight… “Do you know how to do that?” The guard looks at him, his eyes narrowed. Gax’s reaction obviously threw him a little. Gax nods, explains that he will have to wait till midnight. The guard doesn’t say anything, he just looks at Gax, a glimmer of appreciation in his eyes. “And keep your Book safe,” he suddenly adds with a grin, wiggling his eyebrows. Gax feels his cheeks warm up and the guard barks a sudden laugh, raises his chin in greeting and is gone, the darkness swallowing him up.

  Gax slips back into the house, his sore head trying to think and plan. The first thing he does is flop down on the sofa and tell Yulra to put the telly on. He pretends to be absorbed by the programme she finds him, telling her, “Not that loud, thanks, turn it down.” The flashing images and noises make him squint and he presses cold fingers against his temples and forehead. Staring at the large screen he tries to think. He can pack a few things before midnight, as his large rucksack is in the bathroom. By pretending to go to the toilet he can put stuff in his bag. The rest will have to be done at midnight, meaning that his arrival at the stone tower and his coracle will be delayed. Will Caecilia stay and wait if he doesn’t show up? He had promised her that he wouldn’t leave Elabi without saying farewell, but will he be forced to do so? He prays that she will stay, willing her to be patient, brave the cold and just sit in the stone tower till he gets there. After that he will have a good few hours to get out, getting down to the little cove at the foot of the lighthouse. He will arrange his bedding in such a way that the watchers might not be able to tell that he isn’t there, buying him time till day break. He tries to formulate a list with things to pack, his head protesting all the while. Will he have enough time to do it all?

  Gax adds as many things as possible to his bag, running a bath at the same time. His boots are ready to put on, the last tablet he puts on the sink area, to take before he sets off. He will need it, he knows, and just thinking of the long hike through the snow, pulling his coracle along makes him feel sick. He groans, closing his eyes, knowing it’s not really the right question but still, “Why, Lord? Why do I have a headache today of all days, why?” He has a very quick bath, then puts some clothes on under his pyjamas already, to save time at midnight. When the kitchen alarm goes off, knowing he still has another alarm to go, Gax goes down to the bathroom, sneaking more items down with him, one of them being a white sheet. He pretends to use the toilet, quickly putting a few more things in his bag. His head is glad to be back in bed, resting on his pillow. Gax really does his best to get as much rest as possible and when the alarm wakes him at midnight he sighs quietly.

  The moment has come. He is leaving Elabi. Tonight he is getting out of this place, he will be on his way back home. He has been longing for home so often, but now that he is leaving this miserable place, Gax just feels sad. He dresses as warmly as he can, then quietly walks downstairs, takes his last tablet, puts his boots on, finishes packing his rucksack and he is off. Before slipping out of the door he wraps himself in his white sheet, just in case someone is watching the house. He slips out the house, locking the door behind him. After all, why make it easy for them in the morning? He sets off towards the stone tower. Every now and again he flicks his torch on for a few seconds, to check that he is on the right road. Fortunately, people walking to and from the city during the day have marked the main road, so at least that is easy to spot. There is some moonlight, which helps as well, its silver light reflecting on the snow crystals. Gax walks past the side path, but soon realises his mistake and turns back. He is tired already, the rucksack is quite heavy and walking through the snow is draining his energy, even though the path is well trodden down. His walking boots have a good grip, but Gax finds it harder than he had hoped for. His headache isn’t helping, the exertion making his head throb.

  He slithers down the steep little path, having to use his torch more now. Gax is relieved when he finally spots the stone tower, it’s dark shape looming up, casting a shadow ahead of him. He gives an involuntary gasp when another dark shape separates from the building, then realises it’s Caecilia! “I am so glad you’re still here,” he whispers, “I am late and I was worried you would have gone home and given up on me!” Caec
ilia steps closer, looking at the large bulging shape on Gax’s back and the fact that he is wrapped up like a chrysalis. “It’s my bag,” he explains, “and I’m in a sheet to make it harder to spot me.” He goes into the tower, unwraps himself, taking his bag off as well. They sit down on the stone bench and Gax notices the tears in Caecilia’s eyes.

  “I really thought you wouldn’t come, that something bad had happened to you already,” she says and he can hear from her voice that she is still upset. “I heard that something terrible had happened in the city and I just knew you were involved,” she says, looking at him as if expecting him to contradict her. Gax dips his head, then tells her about Sleym and his testimony before he died. Caecilia listens, her dark eyes wide open, hand clasped over her mouth. “Oh no,” she stammers at the end. Then she adds, “His family will be in so much trouble over that. And he has actually quoted the Book…” Her eyes stare off into the distance, her face serious, as if she can just imagine the family, the knock on the door, the Enquiry, the questions asked. Then Gax tells her about the voice from the crowd, which he knows was Reicii quoting a Psalm, the surge of the people towards the voice. Caecilia’s eyes get even wider and she shudders but doesn’t say anything, just swallows. Finally Gax tells her about the quiet knock on the door and the guard’s words. “Yes,” she says, “yes, they always come at first light. We will have plenty of time to get out.”

  The tower room goes very quiet at that. “What do you mean, ’we’?” Gax asks in the end, looking at her. Caecilia shrugs and tells him as a matter of fact that she is coming. “You can’t!” He gasps, “You can’t just up and run, move to another country, leave everything. You don’t know what you’re saying. You haven’t thought about it at all!” Caecilia spins round, facing him and Gax swallows, for he can see that he has made a mistake.

 

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