Bec decided that night she had to run. She knew the way to do it, as she had once met the Red-Haired Pest of Clomang.
“You’re here with a bridal party?” he had asked while sitting in the window.
“Yes. Why I have to wear this veil thing. I’m kind of surprised you could tell.”
“Well I couldn’t. I heard some guys talking about how one of the attendants was a slave, so I thought I would check.”
“What for?”
“Don’t you want to escape?”
“No. I’m getting a free education that my parents could have never afforded. My master is a teacher.”
“You got strange priorities.”
“Well so do you Mister Thief.”
“I’m only taking what’s supposed to be mine. But listen. If you ever do want to run, the sewers are right handy.”
“You use the sewers? No wonder you smell so bad!”
Bec gave a sigh as she stood over the grate. She hadn’t counted on taking the boy’s advice, but figured it was finally time to do so. She pulled up the grate and slipped down into the sewer, replacing the grate over her head. She then held her nose and shook her head.
“If I ever find that pest again…I’ll either thank him…or else strangle him for suggesting this.”
Bec followed the tunnel, which had a lot of twists and turns. She had little idea of where she was going and only carried enough provisions for a few days. She would look up through the grates at times to see where she was and would come out at night to steal food.
“He did have good tips on how to do this,” she said. “And he’s right. The Grumans took our country, so we have every right to take back what should belong to us.”
She kept following the sewer system until she finally found herself in Pintock, which was next to a cliff and had a lot of tall towers. She waited until nightfall before she climbed out of the sewer and took a long bath by the well. She then went to pick the lock of a dress shop and took a few changes of clothes.
“I kind of wish I had a way to hide my skin,” she muttered. “Guess a cloak will have to do.”
She put a cloak over her head and went around the city, looking up at the tall buildings. She finally spotted a thin tower, which had a lot of greenery spilling out of the window.
“Gotta be that one.”
She went over to the tower and looked up at the window. It was very high and she rubbed her chin.
“Those girls will have to jump…and need something to land on. Let me see here.”
She went around and saw a wagon full of old clothes. She struggled to get it over to the window, carefully checking the street.
“It’ll be morning soon. I just hope they’re early risers.”
Just then, she saw a girl with fair skin stretch and gaze out the window. Her hair was long and black as she stroked the leaves of the vine.
“How wonderful you are my love,” she said in a dreamy voice. “You have given me shade and comfort…even from so far away.”
“A nice sentiment,” Bec said.
The girl gasped and looked down.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Bec Durida. Who are you?”
“I am called Kiki Abring. Friju? Wake up Friju!”
Bec smiled as another girl came to the window, who had a lot of curly hair.
“Oh wow! Oh hello! Are you here to get us down?”
“I didn’t pull this cart over here for my health.”
Friju laughed as Kiki climbed up into the window. She nimbly jumped down into the cart, landing softly in the old clothes.
“Quickly Friju!”
Friju bit her lip as she climbed into the window.
“Oh boy. I don’t like heights.”
Bec shook her head.
“Just close your eyes…and don’t…”
“EEEEEEEEEEE!”
Friju had covered her face before jumping, landing in the cart like Kiki had. Kiki quickly pulled her out as Bec sighed.
“….scream.”
“Oh no,” Kiki said. “People are coming.”
“This way,” Bec said, grabbing her hand.
Bec led them to the nearest grate and pulled them down into the sewer. The two girls ran behind her as she sped through the tunnel for some time. She finally stopped to catch her breath and Friju and Kiki looked at her.
“Where are we?” Friju asked.
“We’re in the sewer,” Bec said, wrinkling her nose. “A guy in Clomang suggested this…and I’m going to kill him for not warning me about the smell.”
“But…what’s a sewer?” Kiki wondered.
“Oh it carries water out of the city,” Bec said. “The dirty water. Try not to step in it.”
They went a bit further until they came to a platform, where they were able to get away from the water. Bec shared what she had in her bag and looked at the other girls.
“How long were you in that tower?”
“Oh much too long,” Friju said. “We got put in there after we got ambushed in the woods.”
Bec gave a gasp.
“So you are from those rebels in the woods?”
Friju laughed.
“They call us rebels?”
“Yes,” Bec said. “My master is…was…a schoolteacher. I heard a lot about the rebels from the students. Seems a few were caught.”
“They were?” Kiki gasped.
“Some,” Bec said. “But they all got away again. I mean…two guys are held in the stocks in one village…and they got away with the girl who would dance there…and also the drummer from over the border. And the red-head in Clomang busted out two other girls. He’s the guy who suggested using the sewers.”
Bec made a face as Friju giggled.
“Well um…we’re all meeting at the oasis…so you can find him when we get there.”
“Can I punch him in the nose?”
Friju giggled again as Kiki shook her head and Bec gave a sigh.
“But have you two been stuck in that tower all this time?”
“For the most part,” Friju said. “But we also witnessed miracles while we were up there…”
YOU ARE READING
The Account of the Brides
AdventureBec is finally getting educated due to the Gruman occupation. But she realizes it's time to escape when she hears about the prisoners in the tower.
