Devour | on hold

Chapter 22 (Astonished)

- Chapter Twenty-two -

**LENNO'S POV**

Astonished

"Quidel's daughter?" The words are caught in my throat; I wonder if I even said them out loud. She smiles, approaches me and puts a hand on my arm.

"Sit down," she says. I stare at her for a moment, unblinking, still. I sit.

"Will you let me understand?" I don't want to be harsh-especially that she's bizarrely kind, unlike what I would've expected from Quidel's daughter.

"Sure," she takes a seat next to me, and inhales. "I'm not what you'd think I am," she says, "or should be." I look at her, waiting for more. But she stops.

"Yes?" I nod for her to go on.

"I'm a-" she whispers, "-secret Canneyote."

My jaw drops.

"And a future Eyote tribe member," she continues.

"I-" I stutter, "I can't believe it, y-you-out of all people-are a Canneyote?"

"I know it's crazy," she sighs, "and I wouldn't blame you if you don't believe or trust me."

"No," I say, "you don't look like you could be lying."

"But it's just weird?" She almost smiles. Almost.

"Yes, it's pretty weird," I say. "It's the last thing on earth that I would've expected."

"I'll tell you everything in time," she looks around her quickly, then back at me, "this is not the conversation we should be having now."

"Then what conversation?" I ask. "Why are you even here?"

"I said I'm your savior."

"I know," I run a hand through my hair, that's starting to grow. I never left it to be that long. If you consider two inches of hair is called long. "How's that? And why?"

"I've always been a secret Canneyote, Lenno," she smiles sadly, "even when I had to eat humans with them, I was pretending. I know it's filthy and I shouldn't have done that, but you don't know how bad I really felt. How inhumane and dirty. How much I really wanted to change, but I admit I was afraid. I was afraid of father and of all of them. You don't know them; they would have eaten me alive." Tears form in the corners of her eyes.

"It's okay," I say gently, trying to soothe her. "I believe you."

"I still haven't got to the point," she sniffles. "When they took you to prison on that day of the Celebration, I knew this must be the end of it. I must break that wall of cowardice and break my way through my fears. I knew you were right. I know your whole tribe is right. And mine is not. I had to finally change. I swore to help you out of here. I had to do something right. And I knew how impossible it is that you escape on your own."

"So you'll help me escape?" I ask.

"Yes," she answers. "But not only that."

"Then what?"

"I'll come with you."

I'm astonished.

I don't know if I think she's amazingly brave or stupidly crazy. But I know she's doing the right thing. And I've never seen anyone take such a risk. I'm awed.

"You will?" I say in amazement.

"Yes." She runs a hand through her short brown hair, and breathes, "Look," she says, "I've been planning this since you were taken to prison. A month ago. And I think I have a good plan."

"Which is..?"

"I've made up a story of treason," she says, "I convinced father that some of the soldiers and guards are planning to overthrow his government. I said I've heard from some friend who has a soldier brother. He overheard them and told her." She laughs. "Anyway, he believed me. He has always believed I am to be a good Leader after him, and so he trusts me with so much information, and everyone working in the government is ordered to obey me. Everyone listens to me.

"Anyhow, this is why you can notice the decrease in number of soldiers. Father holds tens and tens of gatherings these days. And this is how it was easy for me to get here. I actually didn't just walk in front of them." She points at the wall, which the woods are beyond, "I've came through the woods, I've been digging a tunnel for twenty seven days. It connects here to somewhere in the woods, kind of far."

I'm astonished. Again.

"You planned all of this?" I ask. "Alone?"

"Yes," she answers. "Being so lonely can help you work and think clearer I guess." A sad smile flashes over her face. "Anyway, the plan is: I'll sneak in and out of here for the coming few days, bring you food and herbs for treatment. And I guarantee that the torturing is over, they're so busy with father right now. And my opinion was to leave the prisoners in the cells until we end that treason thing. And father agreed, he said the prisoners are in a terrible condition to be able to even make any kind of problems."

I snort; of course he thinks this. It's just business to him. People's lives are nothing but some business talk. It's makes me sick.

"So all you have to do is eat the food I bring you and do your best to get well quickly, using the herbs I'll provide you with. They won't heal you completely, but we just need you to be able to walk at least." I nod. "We have to make it out of here before the guards return to their jobs, big in number. We have to leave before the observation process is dense again."

I wonder if I was ever as lost for words as I am now, "okay," I say. "But how will we hide this hole in the ground?"

"When I'm gone, you'll refill it with sand, it's a small space actually. It's barely half my height, then there's the horizontal tunnel."

"The sand will flow into the horizontal tunnel." I say.

"I've put a barrier," she winks.

How smart, I think.

"Okay," I smile at her.

"Any questions?" She says getting up.

"Hmm, no," I get up too. "Thank you," I say.

"You can thank me when we're on our land," she smiles. "And I would thank you too."

"What?" I say, "why?" But she just smiles, and jumps in the hole, disappearing into the tunnel again.

I wait for a very short while then refill the hole with sand again. Smiling.

I feel strong again. I'm ignoring all the pain screaming and shrieking everywhere in my body, and I'm telling it to shut up. Because it's not to stop me anymore, it's not to bind me again or avoid me from escaping this hell. I'm no longer waiting for death. I am hoping. I will get out of here soon, run again, punch again, I'm collecting myself together and I'm getting out of here. Very soon.

Very soon I'll be able to see my family again. Very soon I'll see Lenmana.

And I can't wait.

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Hiii,

It's a short chapter, but I hope it wasn't so boring. Please vote and comment and tell your friends about the story if you like it; it'll mean the world to me.

Nouran,,