Echoes

Chapter 4

Slavery wasn't legal in Alvion, but the law stopped few. The wealthy folk who lived within the inner wall were notorious for owning indentured servants, both men and women of any age. As well, most of the hard labor tasks, like mining or farming, were done by those illegally bought in the slave trade. Slaves and servants were usually people from the edge of the city, near the wall, where jobs were few and arduous, but I'd heard stories of people from outside the walls trying to smuggle themselves in winding up captured. Parents often sold their children as indentured servants to the inner wall in hopes of a better life. Luckily, the Patils and I lived just outside the inner wall, so it would be easy for us to find at least one transport ring.

"Nisa, are you sure you didn't hit your head a little too hard, because that's absolutely insane!" Josh exclaimed.

"It's the only way I'm gonna get out of here," I said. "The plan is simple: you bring me in, say I was trying to smuggle myself into the city, they deport me out."

"Or they kill you," he mumbled.

I shrugged. "Either way, it's the only option I have."

"Or, you could just stay here, and pretend this never happened," Josh said, spreading his hands.

I sighed. "Josh, listen. I know you don't agree with what I'm doing. I get that. But you have to understand, I don't belong here. If someone finds out that I'm...different, I'll be killed. I need to find others like me. I need to understand why I'm like this," I said.

Josh didn't reply. Instead, he outstretched his arms for a hug. I wrapped my arms around his gangly frame.

"I'll do it," he said. "I'll miss you, but I'll do it."

I let go and smiled. "Thanks, Josh. I figure Ravi has the locations of some rings stashed away in his office. Think you can get us in?" I asked.

"Nisa, how do you think I stay in the loop of all his assignments?" He retorted.

"Alright then, show me what you got," I said. I led him out of my room and down the hall to Ravi's office. Josh being much taller than me, reached up over the door frame and brought down a tiny key. He quickly unlocked the door and we slipped inside. I flicked the light switch on and the room became illuminated, revealing a desk cluttered with papers and walls lined with bookshelves.

"You know, in nine years of me being here, I've never been in this room," I noted.

"You're not missing much, since you're not into all this police business," Josh said, rummaging through the stacks of files on one of the shelves.

I wandered around, scanning over the shelves. On the wall directly above the desk was a picture frame.

"Hey, Josh remember this?" I asked pointing at the photo. The three of us were sitting on a brick wall with ice cream cones. It was years ago. My hair was long and in a ponytail, Ravi had no mustache and Josh was still shorter than me.

"It was my tenth birthday, how could I forget?" He said. "You shoved my ice cream cone in my face right after we took that picture."

"Oh yeah!" I laughed.

Josh didn't laugh. "We won't be having any more memories like that after you leave," he muttered.

"No one said I'll be gone forever," I responded.

"Whatever. I found the file," he said, walking over to me with a manila folder. We put it on the desk and opened it up, searching through the papers.

"There," I said "There's one right on the edge of Lalona lake, in a warehouse. It's probably huge, too."

"Most likely, with the lake tying into the river, it basically provides transport to all over the Alvion," Josh agreed. We packed up the file and put it back, making sure to leave everything exactly how we found it, which Josh had practice doing. He locked the door and put the key back on top of the door.