Corrupt

Chapter 4

The following week passed by in a whirlwind of activity. We'd wake up, wolf down a piece of toast, work all day, then crash onto our beds at night, falling asleep before our heads hit the pillows.

And so, when we finished our work a few days ahead of schedule, I suggested it would be only right to take a moment to rest.

"I almost forgot what food was," Eloise sighs, munching on a fluffy bread roll. "I've barely had time to taste it all week."

"Well then, I guess we'll just have to eat it all today, right?" Andrea grins.

"Ashia, can you get me another slice of toast?" Hetty asks, turning to face her.

"Hey! Turn your head back! You'll mess up your plaits, you silly bean," I tut, pulling her head back to face the front.

"Sorry!" Hetty squeaks. I continue my styling, twirling her soft ginger locks around and around, occasionally reminding her to keep still, brushing out the toast crumbs that have somehow ended up tangled in her hair.

The calm is nice. We haven't had the opportunity to relax and just chat together in a while.

"So, what do we have left for today, boss?" Andrea mock-salutes.

"I think we just have to check everything through again. Start getting it all put up."

"D'you reckon he'll notice that banner I did yesterday?" Eloise cringes. Hetty giggles at the reminder. Working over dinner turned out not to be our best plan: adding the final touches of embroidery to her tapestry, Eloise had managed to drop mashed potatoes all over it.

"I'm sure he won't mind," Drea says, patting her reassuringly on the shoulder. "It adds character, right?"

"I guess," Ellie sighs. I finish tying Hetty's plaits, and set her free. She promptly scratches her head, tangling her hair again. Before I can help her, I spot Katie and Ashia returning to the table. Their faces are uncharacteristically worried, and I'm immediately on edge. Did we forget about something?

"Hey, what's up?" Drea asks, simultaneously noticing their strange mood.

"Nothing," Ashia replies bluntly, passing Hetty her slice of toast.

"Sure?" I interject, unconvinced. I've never seen Katie look so fearful before. She glances over her shoulders sharply before leaning into the group. Naturally, we all shuffle closer together, everyone curious as to what the girls are so scared of.

"You have to promise not to talk about it," Katie mutters, raising an eyebrow. "And don't say we told you."

"We would never," I respond, the rest of the group nodding and murmuring in agreement. Hetty looks terrified, and Eloise puts a comforting arm around her.

"Okay, so, basically... Wait, who told us?"

"I think it was Elaine."

"Okay. So, basically, we were getting food, and then we noticed that Elaine was looking really worried. You know Elaine? The messenger girl? Yeah. Well, Ashia asked her what was wrong, of course, and she said she wasn't supposed to tell us, but apparently there are rebel gangs forming in Vaskuoyae."

"What are rebel gangs?" asks Hetty, confused.

"Like, groups that think something's bad or wrong, and they might fight over it," Drea explains. Hetty's face pales, and Eloise hugs her tighter.

"What are they rebelling about?" I question.

"Well..." Ashia checks once more that nobody is listening to us. "Supposedly, they're rebelling against King Nikolas."

"King Nikolas? Why would you rebel against him?" I gasp. "Everyone in Vaskuoyae loves him."

"We're not sure, she didn't tell us," Katie replies. "But she did seem really scared."

"She dropped her baked beans three times," Ashia nods.

"She thinks..." She pauses to bite her lip. "She thinks that it could be something to do with Daeva Korren."

"Daeva? Seriously? Isn't their exile the whole thing we're preparing for?"

Neither of them reply. Nothing seems as certain as before.

"Do you reckon the King will call a meeting?" Andrea probes.

"Only if it's really desperate. I'm sure it's not," Ashia says quickly, with a glance at the wide-eyed Hetty. "But I guess, if he thought that the rebels might start causing trouble in Vaskuoyae, he'd probably try and talk to them. And then maybe tell us."

Nobody replies, all of us deep in thought.

Why would you rebel against the King? He's done nothing but good for Vaskuoyae. Why wouldn't you just try and talk to him first?

Are we going to be safe?

I put the thoughts from my mind.

"I'm sure it'll all be fine. It'll probably just be a rumour," I say with a smile that I hope appears to be encouraging. The girls nod.

What if it's not? What if there are rebels? What if they come to Carcaseau?

Though the conversation continues, and soon we're all laughing again, I get the feeling that none of us have quite moved on from those disturbing thoughts.