A TALE OF CAGES AND VINES (COMPLETE)

PART 6 - THE ESCAPE

The Escape

 Another summer had gone by and she was heading towards her seventieth summer. Yang was getting worried. The effects of the Makena were going to wear off soon and they would need a replacement. She needed to eat some more otherwise their hopes of keeping her male looking was going to forfeit soon. Her face was looking softer again and more than once, he had caught Kalen staring intently at her from the corner.

The solider was bound to notice that each day, his 'brother' was turning more and more feminine looking. Even the act of keeping of her hair short wasn't going to help them anymore.

They were both sitting with the other prisoners outside of a cage. Last summer, they had ceased the operations of digging for diamonds and were now focusing on refining Witchka. Dev's hands were still burning from mishandling a pot which led to accidently burning her hands.

She had no doubt that when Kalen found out, he would try to bring some herbs to heal her and that was when Yang suggested that they tell the young guard to bring her some Makena.

"Why don't you ask your friend to get us some?" Yang asked with a drawl.

Dev glared at her brother over her burning hands, "He is not my friend! He shows us a little kindness but that is as far as he will go."

"Dev, we need this plant," Yang stated. It was a fact. They needed it and they needed it soon.

"Do you think I don't know that?" Dev exclaimed before her brother shushed her as the other prisoners turned to them. Yang waved his hand to show that they were fine before they all looked away. Thankfully, there were no guards on their side to catch them. Otherwise, it would mean another beating.

Dev stood and went over to their pot to check on the heat. She made sure the firewood was good to last them another hour. She didn't like doing this to their sacred tree but she didn't want to risk another beating. Especially if they planned to strip her of her clothes and beat her like they had started to do to the others who were caught 'misbehaving.'

She shuddered and leaned back against the wall of the fire house. There were serval pots in top of stoves with two prisoners set on watching the pots.

"Maybe we should consider growing it within the walls of the prison? Somewhere hidden."

"Like our cages or the fire house? "Yang asked with a mocking tone. He then shook his head, "Even if we wanted to, the Makena are only grown near a river and right now, we are far from any."

Dev slumped and pulled her legs up to chest, "Then we are doomed."

"I refuse to believe that."

"Well, our only other option is...," She paused and scanned the area for guards before whispering, "Escaping."

Yang gave a curt nod. Even he had been toying with the idea since Jayl and their fader's death.

But the question was how? They could not fight.

None of them knew how and even then, their vows were iron clad. The moment they raised their hands to hurt someone, they would fall ill, go crazy with delirium for a time before passing out and slipping away into death.

He had watched it happen to some of the prisoners the last few summers.

But still, there must be something they could do.

"Dev. Yang," A voice greeted them from the side. They both looked up to see Kalen and Jun, the other guard that was starting to follow him around. Jun checked their pot while Kalen kneeled to scan Dev's hand.