Anathema - The Song of Eloh Saga, Book 2 (9 page)

I rolled over and looked away as tears
welled up in my eyes. Where did my friend go and who was the girl
in the room with me?

“Everyone is still so worried about you,”
Ivy continued. “Johna worries because you don’t know your gift. You
worry because it’s going to be a few more days until you can go
outside. Kandek is worried because his little friend is missing.
Even Mark is worried about you.”

Ivy jumped out of the bed and began
pacing.

“What about me? When is it time for someone
to worry about me?” she asked.

“But everyone loves you,” I insisted,
sitting up. “They always have. Johna let you stand behind the
counter and told me to hide.”

“That’s because they’re looking for you,”
she countered, her hands planted on her hips.

I had to change the topic and quick. This
conversation wasn’t headed anywhere good and I couldn’t stand
fighting with my only real friend. Time to change tactics.

“Mark wanted to know more about you,” I
ventured.

Ivy stared at me, her eyes unfocused as she
stared into the dimly lit room. That was it. Ivy was interested in
Mark. Usually the guys were interested in Ivy, not the other way
around. Of course I’d never seen her act this way. She didn’t know
how to handle it anymore than I would.

“Do you think he likes me?” Ivy asked,
settling back on the cot.

I relaxed as she snuggled into my shoulder,
sighing. My friend was back.

***

Over the next few weeks, we settled into a
routine. Each morning Ivy and I studied herbalism with Johna. We
learned poppies should be gathered in the morning because the yield
is higher than at night. We mixed periwinkle tea to ease sore
throats and used aloe to ease the pain of cuts. Ivy was lucky
enough to treat some of the villagers, but I always hid in the back
room or under the counter if time was short. My eye color would
give me away so I had no choice. I could change everything else
about myself in an attempt to blend in, but not my eye color.

Most afternoons Mark stopped in to visit
with us. His humor took some of the edge off of our situation.
While my confinement had similar rules as my past as a servant, no
visits outside and stay away from the windows, I felt freer than
ever. Only one thing worried me – Kandek’s continuing search.
According to Mark, the whole military was still looking for me.
While they were no longer banging on the doors of unsuspecting
villagers, they still had their eyes focused on the prize. Anyone
who turned me in would be richly rewarded and the men involved
would all receive promotions. I was deeply grateful that Mark
wanted to get his promotions for his hard work, not for turning me
in.

Ivy continued to moon over him every moment
he was around. I thought it was funny, but felt a bit bad for her.
It was obvious, at least to me, that Mark wasn’t interested in Ivy.
He was perfectly nice to her, but didn’t fawn back. He didn’t bring
her gifts or treat her any differently than he treated me. None of
that stopped Ivy from sweet-talking Mark every time he glanced her
way.

Some days I was afraid it all would have to
come to an end. Eventually Johna would run out of things to teach
us and send us away. I didn’t know if Ivy and I would manage to
stay together or if we’d need to separate. I couldn’t bear the
thought of heading off on my own and living among people without
sharing the truth of who I was.

And who was I? All these weeks and I had yet
to do anything out of the ordinary, much less something that
indicated my hidden gift. I would have doubted these supposed
powers, but Johna seemed so convinced that one day I would just
know. I wasn’t the first to be in the dark and I wouldn’t be the
last. Then there were days I didn’t even care because I had become
so comfortable with my life here.

After a long day of grinding and mixing
herbs, Ivy said she wasn’t feeling well and went to bed early. By
the time I crawled in next to her, she was sound asleep. I stared
out of hole in the shutters next to our cot. The world looked so
peaceful, and acting impulsively for the first time in my life, I
pulled on my wig, drew my cloak tightly around my shift and climbed
out of the window into the night.

The dark sky glittered with a thousand
stars, not a cloud in sight. I twirled around under the twinkling
lights feeling something I’d never felt before. Safe, free and
content. The air blew so crisp with a hint of lavender.

“I think I’ve died and gone to heaven,” I
whispered.

“No,” a voice said, “not quite, but
close.”

I jumped and whirled around, to discover
Mark standing behind me.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, pulling
my cloak tight. I felt a bit uncomfortable standing in front of him
in nothing more than my nightclothes.

“I’ve been watching the house at night since
I met you,” he said, pointing to a blanket on the ground.

“You mean for Johna?” I asked. “She’s been
so great to us. I should have figured she asked someone to keep an
eye out.”

“No,” he said. “She doesn’t know. I was
doing it to protect you.”

A myriad of thoughts raced through my head,
one more confusing than the next.

“I don’t understand,” I said.

“You needed help. I can help you,” he
answered, stepping closer to me. “Please, let me help you.”

“But Mark, I’m a fugitive. You’re
honor-bound to uphold the law. Don’t you think you’ve done enough
by keeping my secret?”

“I am honor-bound to do the right thing,” he
said, slamming his fist into his hand. “Is slavery the right thing?
Is chasing after a girl who wants to be free the right thing to do?
I’m tired of being held under the thumb of the Malborn. Aren’t
you?”
“I don’t know,” I stammered. “I’ve been a slave my whole life. It’s
all I know. What do I know about the rest of the world?”

“Oh, Reychel,” he said, propping his foot up
on an old stump. “There’s so much you don’t know. Our land is
filled with people who don’t agree with the Malborn’s tyranny but
also can’t just stand by and follow the rules like our fellow
Serenians. Some of us want to fight back.”

“
But fighting back is
useless. The Malborn have all the weapons, all the power, and all
the land. What are we supposed to do? Join a group like the Sons of
Silence? From what I hear all they do is hunt down the Malborn and
who cares if a few commoner Serenians get in the way. They are
violent and dangerous. It’s no way to change our place, it only
leads to more violence.”

“Not always,” Mark insisted. “Sometimes they
do good things. There are good people in the Sons. Their efforts
aren’t as obvious.”

“Not from what I’ve seen,” I said, rolling
my eyes. “They attacked Kandek’s castle not long before I left.
Instead of freeing one Serenian, they broke a hole in the city wall
that had to be repaired by slaves, killed two merchants, and got
themselves all thrown in prison.”

We had all been punished for the attack. No
one was allowed to leave the castle unless accompanied by a guard.
For a month Ivy bought food in the market under the heavy shadow of
a guard. She wasn’t allowed to speak to anyone other than to
inquire about prices. Even looking at a merchant in the wrong way
was enough cause to be punished.

“Those actions weren’t condoned,” he said,
placing his palm on his forehead. “It wasn’t supposed to happen
that way. The plan was for a quiet infiltration, not a full-scale
attack.”

I stared at my new friend, quickly realizing
there was so much I didn’t know about him or his past. Yes, he was
a soldier in the army, but it wasn’t out of the realm of
possibility that he had also been recruited into the Sons. A
Serenian by birth but a solider for the Malborn by trade. Where did
his loyalties lie?

“Mark?” I asked, placing my hand on his arm.
“What are you trying to tell me?”

“Nothing. Everything.” He sighed, running
his hands through his thick brown hair. “I’m not supposed to tell
anyone I’m in the Sons. It means immediate dismissal.” His eyes
bore into mine. “You won’t tell. And I know it’s not because I know
your secret. It’s because I trust you.”

“I won’t tell anyone,” I promised.

“Not even Ivy,” he said. “She, of all
people, can never know. I don’t trust her at all. That girl only
thinks about what benefits her, not anyone else.”

“Mark,” I gasped. “How can you say such an
awful thing? Ivy’s my best friend. She’s been with me since I can
remember. She’s never done anything but help me.”

“Really? What has she done for you?”

“She convinced Tania to free me. I wouldn’t
even be here if it weren’t for her.”

“Did you ever stop for a moment to think
that Ivy had other reasons for freeing you?” he asked.

“No,” I said, getting angrier by the moment.
I felt my nails digging into my newly made fists. “Enlighten me,
Mark. Why did she do it?”

He turned away, his shoulder shaking
slightly. I could see the pressure building in his body as his
muscles tensed up.

“I don’t know,” he said. “But I’ll figure it
out. Why do you think I’ve been coming by every day?”

“To see Ivy?” I stuttered. I knew it wasn’t
true. He wasn’t interested in her at all. I’d just had no idea his
interest lie in me.

“In a way, yes, to see Ivy. To figure out
what she’s up to, but I don’t know yet. That girl is hiding
something. That much I can assure you.”

“Why are you so certain? What did she ever
do to you?”

He turned slowly and placed his hands on my
shoulders.

“I just know, Reychel. You have to trust
me.”

“I can’t. You have to tell me the truth. I’m
so tired of taking what everyone says at face value. My whole life
I’ve just trusted people, but lately I’ve learned everything I
thought I knew has held only a shadow of the truth. If you want me
to trust you, then you need to trust me first,” I stared into his
eyes, daring him to confide in me.

He dropped his arms to his sides.

“I’ve never told anyone this before,” he
said.

“Tell me,” I begged taking his hands in
mine.

“I’m gifted too,” he said.

“No, you’re not. I know how to detect it and
I don’t see anything in your eyes.”

“Look again,” he said, coming closer
stopping only when we were nose-to-nose.

I breathed lightly as I looked into his
eyes. There was no spark. I didn’t know what kind of game he was
playing, but I couldn’t bring myself to look away. Then suddenly it
was there. A spark shining so brightly that I couldn’t help but
gasp as I pulled back.

“How did you do that?” I asked, stunned at
what I had seen.

“It’s a shield,” he said. “I can make them
and detect them.”

“You’re so strong,” I said. “Stronger than
Johna. And much stronger than Ivy.”

“I am, but not as strong as you. The night I
first met you, I rushed home and after my perfunctory greetings to
my parents, I checked my eyes in a mirror. They don’t glow nearly
as strong as yours.”

“But close?” I asked.

“Very close,” he said with a smile.

My thoughts lay in a jumble as I considered
everything. He was telling the truth, but he must be wrong about
Ivy. She was my dearest friend. I couldn’t believe she had other
reasons for sticking by me.

“It’s how I know Ivy’s not what you think,”
he said. “I can detect walls in people’s minds. Secrets. I can’t
read them, but I know they are there. When Ivy looks at you, that
part of her bulks up. She’s hiding something from you Reychel.”

“I don’t know what to think,” I said,
confused. “Is anything simple anymore?”

“No,” he said. “It’s not.”

Chapter Ten

As I stretched my arms above my head, I
thought about how late I was out last night. After revealing his
secret, Mark hugged me, said goodnight, and then crawled into his
bedroll not far from where we had stood. It was the last time we
spoke, but I hung around on the stump for a while longer staring at
the moon and stars.

I couldn’t conceive of Ivy being anything
other than my best friend. Eventually I gave up thinking about it
and slipped back through the window. Johna snored in her bed and
Ivy’s head hid under the blankets. Everyone had been asleep, my
midnight jaunt still secret.

The mirror on the bedside table showed my
black stubble had changed to measurable wisps of hair. Johna’s
hearty meals gave heft to my cheeks, replacing the sunken
indentations from my life as a slave. My hands were no longer
callused and raw. New skin had softened them into the delicate
hands of a woman who picks herbs, not one who washes and dries
dishes all day.

I was so absorbed in examining my own
appearance, I didn’t notice Ivy standing in the doorway until she
spoke.

“Trying to see what he sees in you?” Ivy
hissed.

“What are you talking about?”

“Mark,” Ivy said, closing the door behind
her as she stepped into the room. “I woke up last night when you
sneaked out to meet him.”

“I didn’t sneak out to meet him,” I tried to
explain.

“Sure. That’s why I looked out the knothole
and saw you two standing there whispering and with his hands on
your shoulders. Hardly an innocent position.”

“You don’t understand,” I said. “I went
outside to be outside. Not to be with Mark. I didn’t even know he
was there.”

“I can’t believe this, Reychel. I told you
how I felt about him. The one time in our lives that I’ve asked
something from you and you took it away from me. How could you do
this?” Ivy stomped her foot as tears streamed down her face.

“He’s mine!” she yelled. “Mine! Do you hear
me?”

“Ivy, he’s certainly not mine,” I said,
taking a deep breath. “But he’s not yours either.”

“How dare you?” Ivy’s arm reached out to me,
her fingers spread.