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It’s late when Calian comes back from the meeting. I kept Tayen company while he was gone. With four children to provide for, they share my concerns.
The way his head shakes when he returns, confirms that my uncle isn’t budging on his opinion. The outlaws are still our enemies, and now it seems we have a new one, Ivan Cooper.
Why can my uncle not understand that our men aren’t warriors like our ancestors were? They’re farmers and hunters. We can’t compete against what is coming for us.
Troj looks like a warrior, so do his friends. They walk with confidence and fearless faces. I used to hear the people speak of them back when my grandfather allowed me and Mother to visit the library together.
Dirty Souls is what the townspeople call them, and they wear their name on their leather as a warning.
“You should get some rest, it’s late.” Tayen rests her hand over mine, jolting me back to the present. My mind has been overtaken by thoughts of Troj again, I really need to focus on saving the village.
“Goodnight.” I kiss her cheek, then say goodbye to a concerned looking Calian before I leave for my own cabin.
I tiptoe inside so I don’t wake Dyanni. My best friend moved into my cabin with me after Mom died, her family cabin was overcrowded with the number of brothers and sisters she has anyway. I’d always thought I could confide in her about anything, yet I seem to be keeping more and more secrets from her these days. I’ve never spoken to her about Troj, or of my apprehensions concerning Tawk. She wouldn’t understand. I see the way she looks at Tawk, the same way all the girls look at him. She’d think I was crazy for not wanting him. She’d think I was even crazier for desiring one of the outlaws.
I sneak into my nightdress and settle into bed, closing my eyes, knowing that tomorrow will only bring with it more worries… and I will still be powerless to them.
A high-pitched shriek stirs me from my sleep and I bolt upright, automatically racing toward the door. I pull on my robe as I swing it open and instead of being greeted with the cool evening air that I expect, my face heats and bright orange flickers catch the corner of my eyes.
Cries of terror deafen me and my aunt falls at my feet.
“They’ve taken him. He’s gone,” she cries out.
I smell singeing skin and when I look down at her arm, I see it blistered. My eyes move toward their cabin and I realize it’s ablaze, angry flames licking the air and filling our village with smoke.
Our cabins are built so closely together, it won’t take long for all our homes to be destroyed.
“Wake everyone, get them away from the fire,” I yell, pulling her onto her feet and handing her back to a startled looking Dyanni. Men begin to rally, attempting to put out the fires that are spread around the village.
My uncle is gone. Taken, my auntie says. We have no leader, and we need help. We need manpower, and I don’t have time to allow the nerves in my stomach to stop me from getting it. So, I leave the village and run, as fast as my shaky legs can carry me.
I sprint across the meadow then climb the bank to the tree line that forms the border between us and them. I cross onto their territory hoping to find help. I realize my feet are bare when they become snagged and sore, but I don’t let that stop me.
I pass two large houses without lights or any signs of life, and decide to chase the sound of the loud thumping music that comes from the bottom of the track.
There are people down there, bright lights, and a fire, So I run toward the chaos hoping to find Troj.
He will help us, I know he will.
The first man I come across is standing near the entrance, drinking from a bottle while a woman rests on her knees in front of him, worshiping him in the most intimate of ways, and I have no choice but to interrupt.
“I need to find Troj,” I stutter, and a wide smirk pulls on the man's face.
“Bet ya do, darlin’,” he chuckles, pointing a finger into the building and then fisting the girl in front of him by her hair, pushing her deeper into his crotch.
I swallow thickly, and rush on in, trying not to be distracted by what I’m witnessing. My village needs me.
I find myself in a large open room, staring at a hooded skull carved into the wood desk in front of me. Nobody’s standing behind it, like the lady does at the library, and I don’t have time to wait. So I burst through the doors where all the noise is coming from and enter the chaos.
The smell here is strange, smoky, musky, and despite the lights being low I can still see everything that’s happening around me. Some of the women are half-naked and they sit shamelessly on the laps of the men. The floor sticks to the soles of my feet and the music is so loud that it hurts my ears, but I somehow manage to push my way through the crowd, sheltering my ears as I struggle through. I’d shelter my eyes too if it wasn’t so important that I seek Troj out.
I get shoved between bodies until eventually, I see him, with his elbow resting on the bar, his head tilted as he talks to the woman beside him. He must be something special to her because she strokes her fingers over his skin the same way Tayen does to Calian.
I watch him tuck his hair behind his ears and smile back at her confidently, and it triggers a painful tug at my chest.
He does a double-take when our eyes meet across the room. His stretching wider as he stares at me in what is either shock or anger. I can’t tell. He immediately abandons the woman and marches toward me, and I suddenly realize how pathetic I must look, standing here among these people, barefoot in my nightdress and robe.
“They took my uncle,” I tell him, managing to form a sentence despite the dryness in my mouth.
