Rami

Chapter 19

Birra's train station is overrun with people: soldiers, merchants, Reahn refugees and many more I have no hope of recognising.  They pack tight against the concrete walls, their faces masks of fear and uncertainty.  I feel suffocated.

Ellie grabs my wrist and tugs me towards a queue beneath the glare of electric lights.

"C'mon.  Hurry up."  She has to yell over the clamour of voices.  Her eyes dart back to the twins, then to Arah, as if she's frightened of losing them in the crowd.

We reach a queue in moments, then stand in nervous silence as the line crawls forward.  I'm too anxious to speak, or even to listen when the twins beg Ellie for food.  My fear is too raw, a dark ache in my mind.  What if they don't let us enter the city?  What if they realise I'm a changeling?  And even if we do leave the station unharmed, do my companions trust me?  For all they know, I might be seen as an enemy.

A spark crackles from my index finger.  I focus all my will on stifling it, and frustration wells inside me.  If I had a better understanding of my powers, perhaps I could control them.  How have I lived my whole life in such ignorance?

Footfalls clink against the floor, then a soldier's voice crashes in my ears: "Next."

And I hear it at the edges of his voice.  A hissing, grinding noise like static.  

We step forwards. I watch the soldier's face for any trace of emotion, but his eyes are impossibly cold.

"I'd like to see your tickets," he says.

I fish in my pocket and find a crumpled wad of paper to show him.

"They're genuine. Good." He scribbles something on a clipboard. "Why do you want to enter Birra?"

"We come from Rea," Ellie says, "We're escaping the civil war."

His eyes narrow. "Even the Quaryn girl?"

Does he suspect me? What should I say? I can't even think; I don't have time.  Perhaps I should just tell the truth.

"I want to speak to the emperor," I say, "Um, I have a message."

He scribbles something on his clipboard, then meets my eyes.  "You're a fool if you think he'll even hear that request.  His majesty is very busy."  He pauses.  "I'm going to scan you for weapons."

Metal screeches against metal, and something lowers from the ceiling. There's a blinding flash of light. Red afterimages flare against my closed eyes.

He gestures towards Arah. "You're carrying throwing knives.  Give them to me."

Arah takes a leather bag from the pocket of her cloak and wordlessly hands it over. The soldier gives her a disdainful look, weighs it in his hand, tosses it into a slot rimmed with steel.

His eyes lock with mine. "Are you carrying weapon designed to shock people with electricity?"

I stiffen. "No. I'm not."

I swear I don't sound convincing enough.  My heart begins to thunder. Electricity is slithering in my bones, merging with my heartbeat, rising to my fingertips.  I close my eyes and focus all my will on repressing it.  He can't discover that I'm a changeling, or my friends will pay the price.  I couldn't stand that.

I shove my fists into my pockets in case sparks begin to fly.  My ears are ringing.

In a flash, he takes a pair of handcuffs from his belt and lunges at me.  I shock him with all my strength, then duck away as he crashes to the ground.  The twins watch me in horror; the soldier's fingers are still twitching.  He glares at us with wild, bloodshot eyes, paralysed, his teeth gnashing together.