Rami

Chapter 9

Somebody shakes me awake.  My blankets are soaked with cold sweat.  I open my eyes; Meg is sitting above me, little more than a shadow in the smoky light.  I try to speak, my teeth chattering, but her hand covers my mouth.

"Hush, Rami," she whispers, "We have to go while there's still time."

Memories of the previous night come like icy water.  I groan and sit up.  My forehead aches, my legs are numb and I can taste something like vomit.  I mustn't have slept well in what remained of the night.

"I've got our packs ready," Meg says.  Concern softens her face. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," I manage, though I could easily burst into tears.

A smile flickers across Meg's face.  "I'm glad.  Let's go."

We slip out into a ghostly predawn; leaves rustle and rapids churn in the distance.  The morning air smells of woodsmoke and dampness.  The wind is strangely warm against my cheeks.  A few embers still glow in the ashes of last night's fire.  We creep to the outskirts of the camp in silence, and nobody comes after us.  My people must still be asleep.  I know it's absurd, but I wish that somehow we could have said goodbye.

We're leaving, just like Nico did.  I can't stop that thought from echoing in my mind.

Meg looks at me, shadows on her face.  "What do we do when people come looking for us?"

I shrug.  "I guess we have to hide."

"You're right," she says, "Where do you think they'll look first?  The town?"

I feel sick, but I find myself smiling.  "Probably not.  I'd usually run off into the hills, and maybe you're looking for me."

She stops walking for a moment.

"What is it?" I say.

"Sorry," Meg says, "I was just surprised."

"Why?"

"Dunno."

I sigh and say nothing.  We keep walking, our cloaks billowing in the wind.  The land is almost silent at this hour and darkness pools against the hillsides.  I fight the urge to run and call myself a fool.  Nobody is chasing us yet.

"I guess we look for Firay,"  Meg says,  "It's our best bet, right?"

"I suppose so."

"Any idea where we'd start?"

"I'm not sure.  Sorry."  

Perhaps I was crazy, agreeing to disappear like this.

"I guess we could go around asking people."

"Wouldn't that draw attention?"  I say, choking back a wave of panic.

Meg's face lights up.  "You're right, Rami!  I'm sure she'd find out if we made a scene-"

We reach the bridge.

Meg pales and gags.

I grab her wrist, my heart hammering.  Our eyes meet.  I can't believe Arl changed so much in a single night.

The sun hasn't even risen yet, but the town is swarming with people.  There are strangers in hooded cloaks and dozens of soldiers, armed to the teeth with knives.  A group of children dash past.  Tears track down their mud-caked faces.  A scream pierces the morning air, throwing back twisted echoes.

The crowd surges around a space in the centre of the street, where three soldiers are wielding spades, cracking cobblestones, digging a pit like the mouth of some monstrous beast.  So many people kneel beside the pit.  Their eyes are hollow, their faces bloodless.  They cast their eyes into the darkness and press their hands together; could they be praying?  A cloaked figure begins chanting, his voice shrill.  The people of Arl follow his lead, loud enough to make my ears throb.