5. Fellow Inmates

Urgent whispers penetrated the dreams of the figure, lying awkwardly on the ground.

‘Give it here. Let me have a look at least.”

‘Shh! Honestly, must you whisper so loudly? We can’t take any more risks. If this doesn’t work, there will not be another chance till next week. The others will have given us up for dead by then.”

“ I know it has to be tonight, Saka. It’s all we’ve talked about for days.”

“Oh, this wretched, wretched thing!” A soft scuffle ensued, but Tien did not dare twist her head to look.

“A simple ‘please’ wouldn’t have cost you a thing, Fenrysienne. There’s no need to forgo your manners and good breeding just because we are in the bowels of Tira. Ouch!”

“You know I hate to be called that! Now, see? I’ve undone the first knot, while you’ve been jabbering.”

“Give it back, and I’ll stop.”

“No, let me get the rest out. My nails are longer. Honestly Saka, how did your belt get so tangled? ”

This had been going on for the last few minutes, as far as Tien could tell. At first it had seemed to be part of her muddled dreams. But as the throbbing in her head and arms brought her to groggy wakefulness, the whispering had not stopped. Bewildered, she lay still.

My head feels so thick and slow, she thought. Like I’m moving underwater through thick mud. Oh, my shoulders ache. Where are my arms? She wriggled her hands and found that they were clasped together behind her back. She couldn’t separate them or bring them up to her face. Why won’t they move when I want them to? Are they stuck? Her sluggish brain began to churn, backtracking over what she could last remember; wanting to make sense of the pain and unfamiliar voices she had woken to.

A jumble of images pierced through the haze of her memory. They flashed past like bats at dusk, vanishing before she could really see them. Bouncing in the back of a cart. A man’s laughter. Another man’s screams. Or had she been the one screaming? And then, a sudden jolt of agony. Fragments of conversation echoed nightmarishly inside her pounding head. ‘

Juicy little Aryks to squash. Juicy. Juicy. Ha ha ha. Little Aryks to squash.’ The Raseen! she remembered, with a thrill of fear. I’ve captured by the Raseen. Panic rose at the back of her throat. Every muscle tensed for flight. But she fought the instinct and lay motionless, straining to hear. The earthy smell of mould and soil filled her nostrils. Her garment was damp, and she shivered, though there was no breeze.

“…why has she been put here with us? There must a good reason,” the woman was whispering.

“Well, she has not stirred since she came in. The prodding she received may have nearly finished her off.” The reply was a man’s.

Thanks for the sympathy, Tien thought, indignation rousing her a little. Prodding? she mused. That sounds awful. It’s no wonder my whole body aches.

“Listen,” the man was saying, “ we cannot second guess every minute of what will happen. Let’s trust in our plan. And I’ll have my belt back, thankyou very much.”

Slowly, hardly daring to breathe, Tien opened her eyelids a fraction to get her bearings. A dark stone wall materialized before her fluttering lashes. Without moving, her eyes scanned what seemed to be a cramped and windowless room, bare of any furniture. Two small patches of light filtered through a crack where the ceiling met the wall. Could it be late afternoon? she wondered, because the light is dimming. How long have I been here? The whispering was coming from a shadowy corner opposite her, only just within her line of vision. Tien could make out the silhouette of a man. He had his back to her. He uttered a muffled curse.

“Saka, if you won’t let me fix it, at least light a waxmatch, so you can see what you have to untangle,” the woman hissed.

Someone struck a match. Tien gasped as the sudden flare illuminated the woman’s disfigured face. Her features were swallowed up again by the darkness, as the man dropped the match. Stupid, stupid, stupid, Tien chided silently, screwing her eyes tightly shut. When she dared to open them again, the two companions were kneeling over her. Another waxmatch cast a flickering light over their faces.

“Who are you?” the man whispered. He gently pulled her up, into the light of the match. As he stared at her, his eyes widened and his mouth fell open.

Tien groaned as he abruptly released his grip, leaving her to slump painfully back onto the floor. “Fen, see the mark on her neck? She is an Aryk. But look, she wears a Watcher’s cloak.“

Tien was fully alert now, and butterflies fluttered in the pit of her stomach. This must be a holding cell or a prison. Maybe Mama and the others had all been prodded and were stashed here somewhere as well. But who were these people?

The woman gazed at Tien. The skin on the left side of her face stretched tightly over her features, tugging her mouth and left eye into a permanent leer. The scarred flesh was shiny and uneven, as though it had been melted and then smeared across her cheek and jawbone before it set. A knotted scarf concealed her hair, but she had made no such effort to hide her scars.

“Who are you?,” the woman asked. Her eyes were troubled. “How do you come to have this cloak?”

What cloak do they mean? Tien wondered. She bent her head painfully to look at what she was wearing. Sure enough, her shoulders were shrouded in a dark material that she did not recognize. She looked up at the two of them, confusion darkening her eyes. What should I say, she wondered? Will they believe me if I tell the truth? She decided to try. She was in no condition to make anything up.

“I am Tien,” she said, trying to meet their gaze. “I do not understand why I have this cloak on me,” she said. Her voice sounded low and hoarse to her own ears. She cleared her throat. “I have never seen it before.“

Fen glanced at Saka, her expression lost in the shadow he cast. Saka crouched down on his haunches, close to where Tien still lay. He searched her face with suspicious eyes.

“Why have you been brought to the city jail?” he asked.

The jail in Tira, Tien told herself. I was right. She blinked. Surely this was a dream. Her body felt light and floaty as if she was watching this conversation from some distance. Nothing seemed real.

“I’m not sure,” she said aloud, wishing that Saka would stand up. “I was caught by some Raseen in Pojabe yesterday. At least, I think it was yesterday. One of them said that they needed to keep me for questioning.” It suddenly occurred to her that maybe Eunaat was here as well.

“Was anyone brought in here with me?” she asked hopefully.

Fen’s face softened. “No,” she said, “I think you were on your own”. A deep gong resonated around the room. Tien jumped. Someone was ringing a bell outside.

Saka tensed. “We’ve been distracted,” he said over the din. “We have to go.”

They’re planning an escape, Tien realized. Her mind raced. Why didn’t I see it before? She raised beseeching eyes to Fen. “You’re trying to escape, aren’t you? Please take me out with you!” She bit her lip, shocked by the words that had tumbled out of her mouth. What am I saying? she thought. These people are in jail. That means they’re criminals and possibly dangerous. Although, she remembered, I’m innocent and I’m in their cell. Oh what does it matter? The important thing is that they have an escape plan. I would never be able to find a way out of here by myself. I’d never have considered the possibility. Tien wanted to sit up, but she did not have the strength to, without her hands to help her. And whenever she stretched her neck, black dots clouded her vision.

Saka was shaking his dark head emphatically. “Not a chance.”

“I will go on my way afterwards, and never tell anyone I saw you, ” Tien pleaded.
“Think about it, Saka,” Fen muttered. “What will her fate be if we leave her here? She will be punished for not alerting the guards. And there is a reason for that cloak. I know it.”

The thud of heavy boots echoed on the stone floor outside. Saka tugged Fen, by the shoulder, over to the wall adjacent to the door. “We go ahead as planned! “ he hissed. Then he turned back to Tien. “Play dead.” His voice was urgent. “If they need you alive, as you said, he will come in to check on you. He may even untie your bonds.”

Heartless pig! Tien kicked the wall hard with her bound feet, till she had Saka’s attention again. “Please don’t leave me to the mercy of the raseen. Please?” She had get through to him. She did not want to die. Not here. Fear tightened her throat.

“You will never see me again afterwards,” she whispered. “I’ll disappear and I won’t tell a soul. Please?”

As Tien spoke, she thought she saw a softness flicker briefly over Saka’s face. Then it was gone. “Lie still and stay quiet if you want things to go better for you,” he said shortly, not meeting her gaze.

The footsteps slowed as they reached the door. “Your luncheon buffet is served, and if its aroma is anything to go by, it be the most unforgettable taste sensation in town!” rasped a loud voice, as a key turned in the lock.

Saka threw a last desperate look at Tien, before returning to stand near the door.

© 2006 by Shelly Taylor