The Collectors of Peyka

Chapter 1

The rain would become a solemn reminder of the events that had unfolded. It never rained, but now it cascaded to the ground in a vain attempt to wash away the evidence. No matter the force, the tendrils of blood remained, littering the soil in swirls that reached out to meet the feet of a young male. His eyes were hollow, glazed over in a darkness that had just seen their last flicker of color. It wasn't my fault, I reminded myself. His sand dial expired. No one ever escaped their debt.

"Venus!" Alto yelled from atop a nearby hill. His blonde hair was plastered to his forehead but he didn't pay it much mind. While I remained shocked at the downpour, he treated it as if it were nothing more than a regular evening occurrence. "We've got to go. The morticians will arrive soon."

"One second," I whispered. It wasn't meant for his ears.

I crouched down and ran my palm over the man's face. He wasn't too much older than myself and it made me wonder what kind of events led him to a debt worth collecting. It wasn't my job to ask questions, nor the time. Regardless, everyone knew the price when they made a deal with the commander, and when his time was up, I made sure it didn't go unpaid. Just like all the others before him. I forced his lids closed and stood up, wiping the blood from my blade against my trousers on the way over to meet Alto.

"He was a fighter," he said when I finally met him at the foot of the hill. He was picking at an open flesh wound on his right shoulder. Just before I delivered the finishing blow to his gut, the man had managed to snake out a swipe with a sharpened rock and sliced Alto on his way down.

"We need to get to the river before that gets worse." I wrinkled my nose when he pinched it and a piece of loose rubble descended the rope of blood until it met the edge of the wolves pelt that covered the rest of his arms. The weapon was strong enough to cut, but it wasn't able to withstand the force. The tip must've broken off inside of Alto's bicep. It only meant more work for me, and more complaining from him.

"I'm fine, Venus. But what about you?" He stepped forward and took my chin between two fingers. He tilted my head back and forth, scrutinizing a scratch that connected from the corner of my right eye to the edge of my lips. When I went to push him away, he shrank back like a scolded coyote. "Just wash it out, would you? We don't know what kind of filth that man was hiding."

"We've been through worse," I said. Alto's hand instinctively went to his left forearm. Underneath the bound fur, I knew what kind of scars remained hidden. I was present the day they were created. I shrugged out a knot between my shoulder blades to suppress my shiver. "I didn't think it would ever rain again. At least, not in our lifetime."

"Amazing, isn't it?" He lifted his hands to catch some in his palms. When enough pooled, he flicked his fingers toward my face and I snarled at him. It was playful enough, but I couldn't help to disagree with him. He might have seen it as an amazing gift from Mother Nature, but what I saw was tears. She wasn't rejoicing. She was weeping.

We climbed over roots that had split through the surface and wove around trees that grew too close together. My feet grew heavier as the mud clumped to the bottom of my boots, and I gave my left one a shake to try to lessen the burden. Above, the swirling darkness fell away from us, covered by a canopy of trees that started to smell like autumn. With the occasional flash of light above, the browning of the leaves showed through the darkness, reminding me that another year spent as a collector was almost over. They were going by quicker with each one. I knew I was safe from the sand dial, but collectors had their extensive list of worries that could cause an early end. I often had horrible dreams of my own, and I knew that evening would be no different.

When the sound of the rushing water drowned out my thoughts, I released a slow sigh. It wasn't that I hated what I did. I enjoyed the hours of vigorous training Alto and I were gifted. I looked forward to the freedom we achieved whenever we ventured out of the village. With Commander Alayna's blessing, we were untouchable. We lived a life more fulfilling than most. I had no right to complain.