A TALE OF CAGES AND VINES (COMPLETE)

PART 7 - THE DEAL

The Deal

When she died, she imagined that when she woke up in that the Eternal Garden would be green and full of plants of all kind of colors. Her family would be there to greet her and she would be in her younger body from before the troubles started. They would take her hand and lead her to their new home where they would all live in peace.

It was a comforting fantasy and thought.

Imagine her surprise when she woke up to a wooden ceiling, the smell of pinecones and the feeling of a fur blanket placed over her carefully. Groaning, she turned to her left and saw a sliver of light come through the leafy wall beside her.

'This wasn't the eternal garden,' she thought as she tried to sit up but then winced as pan overtook her left side. Glancing down, she tried to push herself up so she could see what was causing her pain. Slowly, she also used her other arm to pull the blanket away.

A bandage was wrapped around her left shoulder.

Then it came back to her. Her escape. The guards killing Yang and her stumbling run into the forest.

Why was she still alive?

How as she still alive?

Pulling the blanket up, she lied down and stared at the ceiling. She didn't want to cry. She had been crying for a what felt like forever. All she felt was numbness.

Mouchim.

Prinka.

Her little sister or brother.

Jayl.

Fader

And now, Yang.

There was no one left in her family.

She was the last.

There was no one in the land left for her to live for.

Even though she felt that she didn't have the energy to cry, a lone tear still fell from her eyes and it rolled down onto the pillow she had. Blinking slightly, she sniffed and instead focused on her surroundings.

She was inside a sort of bush tent. One made similar to one her family carried around but there were changes. It was made for three people. There was a rope at the corner that had some clothes and herbs hanging.

A fire was lit a few feet away from her. One of the mats was rolled up and neatly stacked. There were wooden plates on the ground and a pitcher to the far corner. At the foot of her bed was a role of brown cloth. The more she studied it, she realized that it was her rags from the prison camp.

Eyes widening slightly, she peeked under her blanket and was relieved to find her bindings in order.

The sound of branches snapping had her turning onto her side and frowning as a man entered the tent. He was tall and long locks of hair that fell down to his back. He was dressed in animal skin and cloth. His feet were covered and he looked like one of Kalen's people.

He was also carrying three furry little creatures, all stung up. When he saw that she was awake, he slowly put down the creatures and held up his palms, "It's alright. I mean you no harm."

Dev frowned and croaked, "You speak my language?"

She then coughed slightly. The man stepped to the side and poured some water from the pitcher into a cup of sorts. He then drank from it before passing it to her," Are you able to sit up and drink?"

She tried to sit up but winces. Seeing her discomfort, he slowly made his way over and held the cup up for her to drink from. With every sip, her throat felt better and she realized how thirsty she was.