The White Sheep's Disguise ✓

Chapter 8

I've lost track of time. Hours turned into days and lonely minutes stretched into inevitable slumber. The Farm Territory of Rivian extends farther past Gudgeon Docks to the disbelief of many that choose to never leave. In the many instances I glanced out the back of the prison wagon window, I glimpsed fields of gold and green, livestock of all kinds, wagons full of every fruit and vegetable imaginable.

Stories are told of Hegemonize and the nightlife; parties and life blossoming within too tight streets. But one thing that territory doesn't have is an open landscape. There isn't enough room to breathe, let alone witness the stars in the sky. In the Farm Territory, we've never faced such a fickle problem. The stars are brightest here and I position myself late at night to ease into sleep. Even if my head bumps on the floor of the carriage, at least I receive a shred of hope. It may be one of the last things I see.

A normal journey for a merchant delivering fish to the capital is six days. Five to get from the ocean to the checkpoint, a well-guarded post meant to keep out anyone that doesn't have the right qualifications to get into the capital. Merchants and prisoners always have the right-away, as do any guards bringing them forward to the queen's attention.

To my great displeasure, the guards at Rylan's disposal promised I wouldn't have trouble receiving an audience from the queen. They chuckled afterward and locked the door once I was back in the carriage and sitting on the wooden bench not large enough to fit me.

The last day of the journey is spent crossing the bridge that separates the capital from the rest of the land, along with the strive to pass high-quality farms and producers of different meats. From what I've heard, the queen prefers goat.

Every day goes by slower than the last. The guards are reluctant to speak to me as Rylan ordered them to not look in my direction at all unless I spoke to them first. He promised to slit their throats if he heard the faintest rumor of my mistreatment from anyone, even a lowly peasant. The only mercy he could give me, considering he's the reason these iron shackles have dug into my wrists for six days now.

I'm only allowed out of the wagon to do my business, and even then, they tie the chains to a tree first so I don't run off. Even if I wanted to, I don't know this part of the land I've called home since birth. The roads are different; the people smile more the closer we come to civilization. Fields stretch beyond the eyes can see, rolling over Flower Foothills and breaking apart small villages. Smoke rises from their chimneys.

I don't bother asking passing merchants, or any travelers, for help. They admire the prison wagon as it means another Luminary will fall at the queen's hand. Though they smile more, that doesn't mean they appreciate my kind. And to think...I only wanted to heal that woman. How could this have happened? Why wasn't I smarter?

Three years of keeping myself in silence never failed to be so useless. I have nowhere to go. The guards escorting me to the capital hardly provide food or privacy; they snicker behind trees as I try to find the courage to do my business and once I'm done, they're not kind about their comments. Apparently, ladies aren't supposed to have that need at all.

My meals consist of an apple in the morning, slices of stale bread at lunch, and dried venison for dinner. On the third day, I received only their scraps when one guard, a gadigator with sharp teeth and a pointed, green snout, decided I wasn't worth the trouble. Who cares what Rylan says? he snapped. Then, he tossed his scraps into the window and ordered everyone else to avoid feeding me more.

To say he got a pummeling is an understatement as the rest of the guards didn't want to feel Rylan's wrath once they returned, having to deliver the news I didn't make it to the capital because of starvation.

The long travel along the bridge captures my attention the most. My body is weak and I can hardly stand long enough to make it to the window, but I grab onto the iron bars for support and crane my neck to view the dark waters surrounding the stone bridge. We ride on the Void Queen's craft. She ruled this land once, before her sister, and she is the reason Rivian's functional territories counter entire kingdoms.