Ascension (28 page)

Running as
quickly as I could, I tripped and stumbled over the cobblestone. I
ripped off my impractical shoes and continued running, trying to
figure out where I should go. Going over the conversation in my
head, I realized that I hadn
’
t told Lydia everything. She
didn
’
t know
about Heath and Val and Mr. Harris. Pausing for a few moments to
catch my breath, I heard the sound of horse hooves over the
cobblestone, followed by guards shouting and metal clanking. I
dashed off the side of the road, running down the slope so that the
hill would help cover me. I crouched and ran along the edge until I
reached a bridge, under which I hid and listened to the
horses
’
hooves
pound above me, keeping time with my heartbeat.

When the last one
passed, I stealthily crept out from under the bridge and sprinted
across the street. My feet were starting to blister and bruise from
all the running, and I started to reconsider throwing my shoes
away. This was no time for me to be rash and act without thinking.
I spotted the stables up ahead, and wondered whether or not there
would be an extra pair of work boots in the shed. I opened the
doors, finding it dark and empty inside. I could hear the horses
neighing, restless and frightened. I grabbed a lantern and a match,
slowly making my way through the stables until I reached the supply
closet. Opening the door, I gasped and dropped the lantern. From
the ground, it
’
s light flickered over Brussel
’
s body on the floor, his nose
broken, his eyes swollen and dark. I nearly collapsed as I took in
the pool of blood around his body, searching around until I finally
identified the source, a deep stab wound in his stomach. I pushed
down on the wound to try and prevent any more blood loss, even
though I knew that at this point it was probably hopeless, but I
couldn
’
t not do
anything. I knelt there, hands trembling, and he moaned in pain,
but he wouldn
’
t
open his eyes.

“
Brussel?
Brussel!
”
I kept repeating his name, but
to no avail. I looked around and, finding a pitcher, poured the
cold water on his face. He spluttered, his eyes opening but not
truly seeing anything.
“
Brussel!
”
I shrieked, no longer concerned about being
discovered.

His wandering
eyes finally found mine. Seeing me for the first time, he
mumbled,
“
Fara, what are you doing
here?
”

“
Brussel! What
happened to you?
”
I answered, ignoring
his question.

“
Oh, this. This
ain
’
t nothing.
The guards, they just,
“
he grunted and
coughed, some blood trickling out of the corner of his
mouth,
“
they came and tried to rile me
up. Get me to talk. Said you guys were working some mighty scheme.
Well, I didn
’
t
know anything about no scheme, but I wouldn
’
t have told them even if I did,
and I told them so. Seems they didn
’
t like that answer though, cause
they done dealt me a good one.
”
He
coughed again and closed his eyes.

“
No! Brussel,
stay with me!
”
I shook him again, and he
only opened his eyes a slit.

“It
’
s alright, girly. This is just a
scratch. I
’
ve
had worse,
”
he coughed out the
word
“worse”
, and I cringed at the blood
that speckled his beard. I gripped his hand, and he squeezed back
weakly, as if it took all of his energy to do so. Slowly, though, I
felt his grip weaken, until it was only my hands keeping his
suspended. I gently eased them down, silent tears dripping down my
face. Is this what I was fighting for? Is this what was waiting for
us? Is this all my fault? Endless doubts, questions, accusations of
guilt ran through my mind. I sat there in his pool of blood,
mourning all the lives that have been lost because of the
disparity, the unjust separation between the rich and the poor.
Knotting my skirt in my hands, I felt a bulge in the fold, and
remembered that Jean had handed me something. Pulling it out, I saw
that it was a small fabric doll. Now covered in
Brussel
’
s
blood, the doll took on an eerie appearance.

The sound of a door creaking open
startled me out of my grief. I shoved the doll back in my pocket,
stood, and hid behind the storage room door, peering through the
crack. I saw a familiar form walk in through the doorway, and
before I could stop my feet, I found myself running towards
it.

“
Erik! They
killed him! They killed Brussel!
”
I
sobbed as we met, my hands pressed against his chest, curling into
him as though he could shield me from all that was happening around
us. He dropped the bags he was carrying and surrounded me in his
arms, and we stood there as I drenched his chest with my
tears.

When I had calmed
down, he pulled me away, and seeing the blood, asked
quietly,
“
Where is he?
”
I pointed to the supply closet and Erik made his
way towards it, his grip tight on my hand.

Upon seeing
Brussel, or rather, Brussel
’
s body, he knelt down and felt
for a pulse. He cursed again, louder this time, making me jump. He
closed Brussel
’
s eyes and stood up slowly.
“
We
better get going. They
’
re bound to be back soon.
”
He
handed me a bag, explaining that he managed to get a few supplies
stuffed in it in a rush, but it wouldn
’
t be enough to last us for long.
We walked through the horses, all pawing the ground, restlessly
pacing in their stalls. Erik found Elana and tried to calm her
down, stroking her face and holding her head against his shoulder.
He quickly grabbed a saddle and riding gear and tacked her up, then
went back to the storage room to get a second set of gear for the
horse I was to ride. I chose a younger mare, Misten, one who I
remember being kind and gentle but also strong and determined. She
had a grey coat that shined like metal, freckled with light spots.
Petting her helped me calm down, and before I knew it, Erik had her
ready for me to ride. I tied the pack to her saddle and went to
mount, only to remember that I still had no shoes. I decided not to
say anything to Erik, as it would only slow us down and we had so
little time.

We went out through the back exit,
and I said a small prayer for Brussel, despairing that we had to
leave his body behind. I stayed atop Misten, waiting for Erik to
come out with Elana. He was taking a while, and I started to get
nervous. In response to my nerves, Misten began stomping her
hooves, and I tried to calm her with soft hushes. Finally, Erik
walked out of the barn, pulling Elana with one hand and holding a
lantern in the other. Once he reached Misten and I, he looked up at
me with grief heavy in his eyes.

“
Fara, we have to
burn the stables.
”

It took a few
moments for what he said to process. I could only look at him as he
continued to explain.
“I
’
ve already doused everything in
oil, and the horses are all let out of their stables. It will catch
quickly, and the horses won
’
t be in any
danger.
”

He went through
all the practical steps of his plan until finally I
interrupted,
“
Why? Why do we have to burn
it down?
”

The stables were
my home away from home. Not the castle, not the
servant
’
s
quarters, but the smelly stables, full of my horse friends and
Heath, who always showed me the utmost kindness. I hated to see it
all go down in flames.

“
Fara,”
Erik held
my face in his hands and I grew still.
“
We need to do this. It is the best way to distract the
guards, and there aren
’
t any houses nearby to catch fire. Plus, they will have to
catch the horses after putting the fire out, which will give us
time to find Heath, get the plan, and get out of town. So, can you
help me?
”
I looked at him and could see
in his deep, green eyes, that there was no other option. With his
warm hands still on my cheeks, I nodded.

We tied up Misten
and Elana and I let all of the horses out of their stables, herding
them towards the door. Coming from behind me, Erik lit the oil he
had spread around the hay and the thatches, and we ran out of the
stables as it quickly took the flame. We dashed back to Elana and
Misten, who were nervously pacing in reaction to the fire and the
herd of horses racing past them. We jumped on their backs and took
off towards the Harris
’
s home. I stopped and looked over my shoulder, watching as
the fires consumed the the stables.
“Fara,”
Erik called, and I slowly spun Misten back around, hoping
that we would reach Heath in time.

I could only hope.

Ξ

We
couldn
’
t ride
as quickly as we would have liked because we didn
’
t want to attract any attention.
Consequentially, the short trip seemed to take hours. It wasn't
until we finally made it to the Harris
’
home that my heart was able to
calm down to a steady pace. We tied the horses in the back so that
no passing guards would be able to see them, and I walked through
the back door, the situation too urgent for common
courtesy.

We entered the
house and I called for Val and Mr. Harris, hoping that I
wouldn
’
t find
them in the same state I found Brussel. We went through the house,
searching every room, and finally, I found Val. If the situation
was lighter, I would have laughed, because we found her in the
kitchen, practically climbing into the pot she was cleaning. When
she pulled her head out, her eyes widened at the sight of Erik and
I, and she rushed over to me and began to fuss over my clothes, the
blood, and the missing shoes. Never breaking character, she berated
Erik for letting me ride with no shoes.

“
Respectfully,
your Highness,
”
she said with a sight
curtsey, then getting back to business,
“
you really shouldn
’
t have been so senseless as to
let a lady go out without proper footwear
”
, and made me sit down until she found me a pair of her own
that would fit. After she made sure we had food in our stomachs,
despite our protests of not having time to eat, she asked us about
what had happened in the castle.

“
All I know is
that guards have been running through the neighborhood, going
through every home, using this as excuse to take whatever they want
as
‘
pieces of evidence
’
. It
’
s
terrible.
”
Val shook her head sadly, as
though she was the mother of society and the guards were her unruly
children.

“
Val, where are
Heath and Shawna? Are they safe?
”
I
impatiently asked her after she had finished her motherly
ranting.

“
Heath is out in
the back with Mr. Harris. They are working at getting things ready
for you all to leave. Shawna is with another family, safe and
sound. Come, follow me.
”

She led us out to
the back where we found Heath and Mr. Harris going over the map I
had drawn for them of the colonies. All seven were on the map,
scattered around Stonewall, which was more or less in the center of
Ahrenia. Upon seeing Prince Erik and I, Heath grabbed us by the
shoulders and shook them assuredly, telling us that they had it all
planned out and ready to go. Before he could dive into his plan,
Erik placed his hand on Heath
’
s shoulder, and told him gently
that we had to burn the stables. Heath
’
s face fell for a few moments,
and he nodded solemnly.

“
Tis okay. It
weren
’
t even
mine anymore, was it?
”
He gave a small
smile and steered us towards the maps.
“
You see here, you two have to start with this one
first.
”
He pointed at Cethin, then moved
towards the east.
“
Mr. Harris and I will
travel to the two eastern colonies, while you and Erik can go to
the north. When Croxley comes back, we can send him to the
west-most colony, and from there he can go to the south.
I
’
m figuring it
will take about a month to get to all of them on each side, and
then we can have them all organize in Cethin, the because it is
closest to Stonewall. That means you, Fara, have to go to your
family first, convince them to join the rebellion, tell them that
they need to open their homes to the other Nethers until we have
enough numbers to invade the city.
”