Nea and Arras are guided by the four Carris through the forest to a kind of camp. A group of six other Carris members wait by a fire. Behind them is a tent and a carriage drawn by two horses. On the back is a cage that is large enough for a bear, or for people. As soon as they enter the camp, the cage doors are opened, they are thrown in, and it closes behind them.
The Carris pack away the tent, extinguish the fire, and are ready to leave in a few minutes. Nea clings to the bars as the carriage starts moving. She slides close to the driver who sits on the top of the carriage.
“Where are you taking us?”
Surprisingly, the man replies. “We are taking you to the next labor camp. It's not far.”
Nea sees her chances of reaching Promise dwindle even further. Once inside a Carris labor camp, escape is hardly possibly. She looks desperately to Arras, but he is silent. His face is frozen in his inscrutable mask. He will not help her. She turns back to the Carris. “Why are you traveling in this area? Were you out catching slaves or were you looking for someone specific?”
Curious, yet suspicious, the Carris turns to her. “Why do you ask that?”
Nea feels Arras stare at her. Her words were rash. Although she had planned on turning Kasia over to Ereb, it is too early. She sits back. “No reason.”
The driver bounces along with the carriage.
“What's up?” Another asks him.
The driver stands up and points his finger at Nea. “She knows something!”
When the others do not understand, he says, “She asked me if we were looking for someone in particular!”
Immediately, all eyes curiously look to Nea. “What do you know, girl?” A Carris asks and aims the tip of his spear threateningly close to Nea's face. She steps back toward Arras. Arras closes his hand around hers. “Don't tell them anything,” he hisses at her. Nea is torn between the menacing spear in front of her face and Arras' warm handshake.
“I don't know anything. It was just a thought...” Nea claims, but the Carris do not believe her. The spear touches her arm and enters the fabric of her jacket, but does not touch her skin. Nevertheless, Nea screams in fear.
“Tell the truth!” The spear holding Carris yells. “Have you seen a pregnant girl?”
Nea panics and thinks of the heavily pregnant Kasia who is now sitting alone in the house. How can she bring a child into the world alone? Moreover, she refused to help her in her fight against the Carris. Telling them about Kasia would not only be betraying Kasia, it would also betray Arras.
Arras' hand on her makes her reluctant. She knows he would not understand. It has been too long since she last felt this close to a man. Although she liked the twins, this is different. Arras feels close to her without touching or exchanging words to each other. She feels connected to him.
The Carris interpret their silence as an admission and again the spear enters the cage. This time it pierces Nea's arm and she screams in pain. Immediately she presses her hand to the wound already flowing with blood.
She is threatened by one of the Carris, who angrily says, “Speak what you know!”
Nea looks pleadingly at Arras. She hopes for his permission to break her silence, but his gaze is adamant. When she reveals Kasia, she will lose him. She is sure of it. As much as she likes Arras, she is not ready to risk her life for a person who would knowingly run into a trap.
“I know where she is!” Nea yells. Instantly, Arras' hand lets go, it is like a stab in the heart, but she has to do this. She was able to survive without him and she knows there is no way he would go to Promise with her. At least now she won't have to part with him later.
“But I will not tell you without something in return!” Nea demands.
“You're sitting in a cage! Do you really think you have any room to negotiate?” One of the Carris said mockingly. “Tell us or we will beat the truth out of you.”
“You haven't even listened to my proposal.”
“Say what you want and we will think about it.”
“Considering that I'm going to tell you where to find Ereb' first wife, I want a route to Promise.” Nea has told them she knows exactly who they're looking for. The Carris should know exactly what Kasia means to them and Ereb.
The majority of the Carris has already decided to reject her offer, but one interrupts, “We cannot make this decision, but we would like to assure you we will put in a good word with Ereb.”
It is not a commitment, but what choice does she have? She has to tell them what she knows; it's too late to back down. She has to rely on their word.
“You can find her in the same house you found us. When I last saw her, she was hiding in a cupboard in the kitchen.”
The Carris look at each other in a mixture of helplessness and anticipation until one of them finally speaks.
He points at half the group, “You go back and look for Ereb' first wife.” Then he points to Nea and Arras. “We will take them to Fortania, Ereb is to judge them.”
The group is divided and the carriage continues to move again. Nea looks apologetically at Arras. “I'm sorry, I had no other choice.”
“You always have a choice,” Arras growls angrily.
His dismissal hurts Nea. “What should I have done? Should I have let them torture me?”
“You should not have even talked to them!”
Of course he is right, but Nea does not want to admit it. Kasia even abandoned them! “Did you know Kasia simply hid in the kitchen while we fought against the Carris? We were her caretakers!”
“Do you think that makes your behavior better?” Arras replied. “You betrayed her!”
“She would not have done it any differently!” Nea said, defensively.
“Probably not,” Arras said. “But I thought you were different.” Nea can hear the disappointment in his voice. His words bring tears to her eyes and she turns away from him. As much as she has enjoyed his company, she realizes now that it was a mistake to get involved with him. To allow a man into your heart makes you vulnerable and this is a vulnerability she never wanted to experience again.
Fifteen
(Two days later)
Once Nea's prisoner transport passes through the city walls of Fortania, she feels displaced, as if she has stepped into another time. Part of it is the old buildings, but the decisive factor is the smell of fire and raw sewage in the air. Nea imagines it must be what the Middle Ages smelled like. It is late in the evening, so torches light up the streets. There is rubbish everywhere, whether plastic bottles or animal bones, all in various stages of decay. No one feels responsible for disposing of things properly.
The streets are full of people, most wearing the dark red vest of Carris, which identifies them as slaves. The prisoner transport comes to a halt in front of a building. Its high walls are topped with barbed wire. A look inside reveals it to be a prison.
The Carris take the carriage and the occupants past the guards at the gate. They take the carriage inside the prison. Once inside, a man wearing a red top and trousers under his heavy armor jumps on the back of the carriage and opens the door of the cage. He holds a spear, which he points threateningly at Nea and Arras.
“Get out slowly,” he tells them, and jumps from the carriage. He is joined by two more armed and armored guards. Arras is first in line and Nea anxiously follows him. Although Arras stands up to his full height and towers over the guards, she can feel his fear. He's stiff and wooden. This is the attitude she recalls from when they first met. His face is frozen into a mask that makes it impossible to read his thoughts. For the last two days he has treated her like a stranger. Actually, it was more like he treated her as though she did not exist, even though they sat side by side in the cage. His disregard has made her angry. Again and again she has tried to engage him in conversation, but not once did she notice him stir.
Nea jumps from the car, but it's hard for her to maintain balance while her hands are tied behind her back. She stumbles, but is caught by two guards. They are led f
rom the courtyard to the interior of the building whose windows are all fitted with iron bars. Nea has never seen the inside of a prison before, but she can imagine that before the disease, this place was certainly much more sterile than it is now. There is waste carelessly tossed everywhere. The linoleum floor seems to stick with every step. In addition, it is extremely dark, there are no torches, like on the streets. Only one guard has a small torch, its light is sparse.
After the third gate they eventually pass a corridor which is open with cells on both sides. The prisoners crowd the bars curiously as Nea and Arras pass. Some of them seem scary, others look crazy, still others look so emaciated and weak that it hurts Nea to look at them. The guards open the cell door and push their prisoners into the cell, poking at them with their spears. Nea is glad they left Arras with her, even if he no longer respects her, he gives her a sense of security. As soon as the door closes, Nea turns to the bars.
“When will Ereb speak with me?” She asks in a shaky voice.
“If he has time,” one of the guards replies.
Nea is not satisfied with this answer and with all of her courage shouts back, “He owes me! I have brought back his wife!”
A murmur passes through the other prisoners. Nea hears the word 'traitor,' but she tries to ignore it. But the guards ignore her and simply leave without answering her.
As Nea turns around, Arras looks at her, almost triumphantly. “Did you really think you could trust them? How naive are you?”
She has never seen him like this before. Usually he is always so serious and careful with his words. He takes delight in her failure.
Nea is too hurt to say anything and withdraws into the farthest corner of the cell. Now that the guards are gone, along with their torch, it is still dark in the hallway. Nea can hear the other prisoners more than she can see them.
She sinks to the floor, pulling her knees tightly to her body. In spite of her coat and the enclosed space, she is colder than she ever was in the forest. It is a cold that comes not from without, but from within.
Suddenly a male voice is heard from her right side, “Traitors are not welcome here!”
Nea tries to suppress the tremor that runs through her body. She turns her head in the direction from which the voice came from. Based on the stoop of the man, she figures he is of advanced age, probably fifty or older.
From the opposite side, another voice says, “Leave the girl alone. Why should Ereb' woman be free while we're all waiting to die? I would have done what she did as well!
“You're just as hypocritical as you are devious,” the first man hisses.
Nea is afraid of both men. She wishes Arras would hold her hand again, but his is so far away from her that she could not touch him even if she stretched her hands out to him.
Although Nea is terrified, she clears her throat. “How long have you been here?”
“Look, the bitch can speak,” the man hissed unfriendly. The other responds, “For too long, but I'm next on the list.”
“”What list?” Nea asks, trying to bring the tremor in her voice under control.
“We come to Ereb in turn and he decides when and how we die.”
“Is there no way out?” Nea gasps in shock. The first man laughs derisively.
“There are two options. Either you become a slave and survive a few more years before collapsing due to over work, or Ereb can decide to hang you or burn you to death, depending on what mood he's in.”
Stunned, Nea stares into the darkness. Her death seems inevitable. Desperate, she crawls across the floor to Arras. She stretches her hand out to him, but before she can touch him, he backs away from her. “What do you want?” he says.
“I'm sorry for what I have done,” Nea implores, but Arras shakes his head, disappointed.
“I'm sorry your plan did not work out, but now I'm mad at you. How could you do that to Kasia?”
Nea thinks about his words and knows they are right. She has not thought about Kasia in some time. Why should she? She will have her child and live in a golden cage. No, she won't be threatened with death. Kasia is in a much better position
“I cannot understand why you hate me so much. I did not betray you... I betrayed Kasia,” Nea argues. “I would never betray you!” She adds. But her words anger Arras further.
“I want nothing to do with a selfish person such as you.”
“But we will die,” Nea cries. Arras is her only friend and his rejection is unbearable for her.
“I'd rather die alone than next to a traitor,” Arras replies coldly and withdraws into the other corner of the cell.
Nea sees his behavior as unfair and her grief turns into anger. “Why is Kasia so important to you? You have known her almost as long as you have known me. Do you like her, or what?”
Arras laughs joylessly. “Are you serious? You're absolutely embarrassing!”
Nea listens to the silence and realizes they are probably an amusing distraction for the other prisoners.
The next day, the gates are opened again. Nea immediately runs to the bars. Maybe the guards will take her to Ereb. But when the guard stops in front of the cell and takes the prisoner who said he was next on the list, she realizes she will probably have to wait a long time. Nevertheless, she speaks to the guard, “Have you reported to Ereb about me?”
One of the guards turns to her and irritated, lifts his left eyebrow. Nea remembers him. He was also present the day before. “Sure,” the man replies and turns away.
“When can I see him?” Nea asks, even though she knows the man is lying to her face.
“When you're next in line,” he growls without turning around. He takes out the man and two other prisoners. All tall and apparently healthy men. Nea doubts Ereb will have them executed. The Carris have a need for slave labor. That makes her feel better about Arras' chances at remaining alive. She is also quite strong for a girl, though she does not look it.
More prisoners are picked up and more are brought in over the next two days. It is a constant coming and going, so now Nea and Arras are next on the list. In this time, Arras has still not exchanged a word with Nea. She tells herself that she does not care, but it hurts every time she looks at Arras. She felt so close to him and now he wants nothing more to do with her. Maybe she is selfish, but you have to be in order to survive in this world.
Additionally, she feels terribly weak. It has now been four days since she last ate something. The guards provide the prisoners with water, but they only eat when Ereb decides to feed them. It is a relief when on the third day; the guards open the cell doors and remove both Arras and Nea. They are carried through the courtyard of the prison and tied in a cage on a carriage and taken through the city. The eyes of the people are at times compassionate, and hostile at others, depending on whether or not they are slaves or members of Carris. They stop in front of the old town hall, a large Victorian building. It still exudes the splendor of the time before the disease. A warm red carpet paves the way for them to walk to the council chamber where every decision is made. The walls are high and made of precious marble. Each of their steps generates an echo. Nea would be impressed if she had not been so scared. It is unfair to let one man decide their fates.
The great doors of the council chamber are wide open so that they may enter easily. The guards force them to their knees and press their heads down before Nea can catch a glimpse of Ereb.
“Ereb is chaos, chaos is Ereb,” a voice not unfamiliar to Nea says. Startled, she raises her head and stares into the face of Urelitas. He wears a sunny yellow robe before her. Behind him is Kasia with a baby in her arms. She is guarded by several guards. At least she and her child are in good health.
“I remember you,” Urelitas continues slowly, threateningly, pointing an outstretched finger at Nea. “I knew something was wrong with you immediately.”
Nea would loved to have laughed out loud. He really had no idea! What is he doing here anyway?
“No one lies to Ereb! You have used his
name for your dastardly plans,” he accuses. Nea looks inconspicuously around at the people present, but none of them seem to be dressed splendidly enough to be considered godly. Is their leader not here? If it wasn’t for Kasia, she would think this Ereb was nothing but an invention created by the Carris.
Urelitas now turns to the others present, “This traitor has kidnapped Ereb’ first wife and thus endangered the life of his child!”
Nea stares at Kasia stunned. Kidnapped! Nea saved her, even if she betrayed her later. Kasia makes no attempt to defend her. “That’s a lie!” Nea yells. “I did not know who she was!”
“How dare you, you accuse the first wife of lying?” Urelitas snaps back. His pale skin turns red and veins stand out on his forehead.
“She’s telling the truth!” Arras surprisingly comes to Nea’s aid. “I was there myself.”
“That’s her accomplice!” Urelitas now turns to Arras. His outstretched finger almost touches Arras’ nose.
“Kasia help us!” Nea calls pleadingly. Kasia shakes her head sadly. “You betrayed me,” she whispers so quietly no one can hear. Nea reads the words from her lips. She probably could not help them even if she wanted to. Like a coward, she doesn’t even try.
“Where is Ereb?” Nea calls. “I will speak to him myself!”
Urelitas laughs hysterically. “You do not deserve the honor of his presence. I will make the judgment in his name and will.”
Nea already suspects that this cannot end well. She knows that Urelitas is a cruel man.
He points to Arras. “I sentence you to twenty lashes.”
Promise: The Scarred Girl Page 16