He glanced down at the thin body of the young girl. Her hands were clasped across her chest, folded as though she were resting. But beneath the grey cuff of her ruffled blouse, a crimson stain darkened her chest on the left side. He shuddered. It was what he had tried to shield Shai from seeing. Sileas's blouse had been torn open across her breasts. A fist-sized hole gaped below her ribs where her heart had been. The horror of it bore the mark of someone worse than the Gracious Leader.
Someone like Lael's enemy: Samael, the ruler of Death. But what would Samael want with Sileas? The enemy was rarely seen and only mentioned in Lael by the Mothers as a fear tactic: to keep the children from crossing over Lael’s boundaries.
Shai mentioned Sileas had an infraction last night. Something about the Chapel. What did Sileas do? She must've broken into the Chapel. Well that was stupid, but it wouldn't have been the first time someone had attempted it. There was only one thing worth breaking into the Chapel for: the Book.
That had to be it. If Sileas had broken the big Law it was punishable by Death.
One of the Watchers must have reported Sileas for her infraction. Which meant the Leader must have sent Samael to do his dirty work.
Rage flared. If he ever found out who had reported Sileas he'd do to them what Samael had done to her. Never had he seen something so heinous. There had been many people attempt to touch the Book, but not one of them had been given a punishment greater than isolation or lashings.
That meant one thing: Sileas must have stolen the Book. Another thought made his blood run cold. If someone had seen Sileas in the Chapel with the Book, they probably also witnessed her receiving his letter: the letter meant for Shai. If anyone discovered he had written that letter requesting a private meeting with Shai, he’d be exiled as a rebellious Watcher. And his plan to get Shai out of Lael would be ruined.
How had Zev fouled up his first assignment? While Zev was giving the message to Ellersly about taking the children, he should've delivered Shai’s letter himself in spite of the risks. Of course Zev gave it to Sileas by mistake, he didn't know one girl from the other.
Damn!
He spat on the ground then slid off the rock. He crawled on his hands and knees to the edge of the hole then peered down into Sileas's white face. Her tangled hair looked like little black bird nests arranged around her face. She must have given a good fight.
He searched her pockets for the letter Zev had given her but he came up empty-handed. Maybe she'd dropped it somewhere during the attack.
The thing that bothered him the most was the look that had been permanently frozen on her face. Horror. The last face she would have seen would've been Death's.
Her wooden tear-drop pendant lay nestled in the hollow of her neck; its chain still intact. Aliah wiped his face on his sleeve then pulled sharply on the chain, breaking it. He pocketed the pendant before pushing a waterfall of loose stones and mud into the hole. The first lump of earth hit the body with a dull thud.
"Good night, little bird." He continued to shove dirt, mud, and river stones into the hole. He worked until sweat streamed into his eyes and the trench was mounded into a small hill. Cramps assaulted his arms and legs as he sat back on his heels, shoulders slumped.
He took Sileas's pendant from his pocket and with a flick of his thumb he popped the top off then spilled its contents into the palm of his other hand. Only the remainder of a few pale yellow grains of a sand-like substance fell into his cupped hand. Someone had already emptied it. Maybe she'd even done it herself in an effort to die faster.
He blew on the grains, watching as the wind whisked them away: the essence of who she was. He pushed the cap back on and shoved the pendant deep into his pocket again.
The snapping of a branch behind him made him jump. Adrenaline surged through him. He leaped to his feet, fists curled at his sides. Waiting.
I got the message you sent me: twenty-one missing children. Clever. The one you just buried is a message from me. The words echoed inside his head in a sharp, clear voice as though it had been audible.
Pain sliced through his skull. He dropped to his knees, rammed his hands against his ears. "I didn't send the message to you! It was meant for the Leader of Lael! I have no fight with you!" His own words rushed out in screams and burned his throat.
I am the only Leader of Lael. And by taking those children you've upset the balance in Lael that I've created. You've broken the Law of Life. You have twenty days left to restore it. He could feel the smile in the voice. Deliver Shai to me in Gershom, not to Elchai, before twenty days is up.
Aliah squeezed his eyes shut. Muscle spasms seized his jaw and a dribble of blood oozed out of the corner of his mouth. He ran his tongue over the wound his teeth had made in his bottom lip.
He spat again then gripped a handful of his hair in each fist and dropped his head to his knees. "I...will...kill...you!" He screamed. Hatred churned in his stomach and bile rose in his throat.
A twig snapped behind him again. Bringing his hands down from his head, he twisted his neck and glimpsed a large, black wolf, less than five feet behind his right shoulder.
You can't kill me. I'm the Master of Death. Just bring Shai to me for her Reward, or I will destroy all of Lael, beginning with Shai and ending with you. I will father the next Leader of Lael.
The voice seemed to come from the wolf this time. Its head hung low, hackles raised. Yellow eyes pierced Aliah's soul. Its black lips curled in a silent snarl before it turned and disappeared back into the bushes. The voice fell silent, but still echoed in his mind.
Aliah remained at Sileas's grave for a long time. Disgust mixed together with rage like an acidic drink that turned his stomach sour.
This is my fault. He sat in the dirt until the pain in his head subsided and a numbness settled in. He pushed himself up and brushed the dirt and dried mud from his trousers. It had to be nearly mid-day already. He couldn't waste any more time.
He pulled his hood over his head and ducked into the bushes, taking the same route the wolf had. When he came through the other side of the shrubbery, he stopped at the spot where he had found Sileas. Bent grass created a small bowl where she had lain but there was no sign of blood. Her body must have been placed there, long after her death, to serve as Samael’s counter-message.
He stood and buttoned his cloak, giving a quick tug on his hood and whispered, "Do what you want, Samael. But you won't get what you're after. You'll never find Shai."
He was ready to continue with his plan. He looked up at Shai's stone house as he neared. She stood near the steps, her arms wrapped around herself, watching him as he emerged from the bushes.
CHAPTER 14
Shai
She watched him bend over the spot where Sileas had been before he climbed the hill towards the house. His shoulders slumped and his hood concealed his face. She waited.
He stood ten feet away from her at the top of the hill, his chest heaving. She put her right hand over her heart. He echoed it. A soft smile pulled at her mouth. It was their old, familiar greeting: friends forever.
For a moment it was as though nothing had changed.
She ran to him, closing the gap between them in moments. But her heart sunk further with every step. Nothing would ever be the same again.
He put up his hand as she drew close. "Don't." He turned his face away. "Don't look at me."
She grabbed the edge of his hood and pushed it off. He blinked but kept his face turned away from her. Clumps of mud clung to his hair, dark smears covered his cheeks and chin. His skin had a waxy-white pallor.
Shai swallowed hard as she watched a single tear fall from his eye. "Aliah?"
He turned his face toward her. Red-rimmed eyes searched hers. "It's Death, Shai." He hung his head. His voice rasped like he'd swallowed a cup of gravel. "Samael did it. I guess our Leader thought the poor kid’s infraction was worthy of death."
So that's what she had seen on Sileas's face. Death. Laelites had never been exposed to it. T
he sick were removed from Lael and every child was either recruited or sent to the Camps before the age of sixteen. Everyone except for Aliah. Grief welled up inside her chest again. She couldn’t blame him. This was the enemy’s work.
"Aliah, what happened to Sileas wasn’t your fault. It was mine."
Aliah jerked his head up, looked into her eyes, and then sighed. His shoulders sagged even more. "You saw who it was?"
She nodded then swallowed hard. "It’s because we were talking earlier about infractions. About how she wanted to commit the big one, but I didn't think she really would. We argued about it." She twisted the hem of her tunic. If Sileas was right about Aliah’s involvement with the Watchers should she really let that come between them? She searched his face. He looked so haunted.
A sudden impulse to touch him, to comfort him, threatened to undo her resolve, but she resisted. Law or no Law, if she touched him now she’d be betraying herself. She would be saying that being a Watcher was okay. And Aliah’s constant denial of his involvement with them only sliced deeper into her heart like a blade of lies.
"I have to go,” he said. “I'll see you at the Chapel for breakfast." He held out his hand. "Take this." He dropped something into her palm then turned around, his cloak swirling, and fled down the hill until he was out of sight.
She looked at what he’d given her: Sileas's pendant and chain. She walked back towards the house, her arms crossed tightly against her chest. The wind had picked up again. She lifted her face to the sky. No storm, only the constant grey clouds. I hate this place. I can’t wait to leave.
She squeezed Sileas' pendant. I’ll find a safe place to keep it. The thought cheered her as though protecting the necklace would somehow preserve her friend.
She reached for the knob of her door just as a twig snapped to her left. She turned her head. Was someone watching her?
CHAPTER 15
Aliah
A hush had descended over the community. The tidy rows of small houses, all painted the same dreary grey, mirrored the bleak sky.
Aliah slogged through the streets on the west side of the river, keeping his head low, moving only his eyes. The Mothers, and a few of the older children, peered at him through the windows of the Boys' Houses.
With his hood concealing his face and shoulders hunched, he knew he looked like a Watcher. He flicked his eyes east, across the river, at the rows of houses. Every window of the Girl’s Houses stared back, empty and dark like Sileas's eyes.
The wind whipped his cloak as Aliah picked up his pace, his head down.
"Woah! Watcher, what are you doing in the streets? Aren't you supposed to be doing your thing more... secretly?”
Aliah snapped his head up. A moment later he would have collided with the boy. He jerked his hood further down.
"Aliah? You look... bad. What happened?" Warmth flooded him at the concern in his friend's voice.
"Ellersly."
"What's going on? Talk to me!" Ellersly planted his short barrel-shaped body in front of Aliah to bar his way, his thick arms crossed.
Aliah sighed. "Something happened. We need to get those kids and my mother out of here, now!" He hissed the words through clenched teeth. They wouldn't be the only Watchers around.
"Now? Wait, Aliah. I thought you said we had more time. I...I'm not ready. We need more supplies and… Where are you going?"
Aliah had pushed past his friend and was striding down the street away from eyes and ears. Ellersly trotted beside him, his shorter legs taking twice the steps. Aliah slowed until Ellersly's labored breathing improved. His dark blonde hair stuck in damp chunks to his head in spite of the wind. He stopped to bend over, both hands gripping his left side.
"How much more time do you need?" Aliah kept his voice low. Shifting his glance to the right. Left. Then behind Ellersly. The street was quiet.
"Three days, Aliah. That's all. Just three more days." Ellersly stood up, sweat dripping off his large nose. His face wore a grave expression. "I've just come from the cave."
Fear coiled around Aliah's throat. Mother.
Ellersly smiled. "Hey, she's okay. She's worried about you though."
Aliah nodded then resumed walking. He couldn't risk saying anything more in the street. He headed towards a large, stone building with a flat roof. Supply House was painted on a wooden sign that hung crooked from a single nail above the door. It was the only building without windows where they would be safe from Watchers.
Aliah pushed open the wooden door then ducked through the entrance. He held the door open for Ellersly who snatched a burlap sack from a pile on the ground, just inside the door. Two small lanterns sat lit on a long wooden table in the center of the large room. Ellersly took one, then handed the other to Aliah.
Tremors shook Aliah's hands and a deep chill crept through him.
"So tell me what happened." Ellersly's eyes were large and round in the dim light. The boy was fifteen and large for his age, but in the shadowy room he looked like a young child.
"I will. But we should gather supplies first." Aliah spoke softly.
Ellersly sighed then turned and walked to the numerous shelves that lined the walls in front of them. Hundreds of glass jars filled with jams, fruits, and vegetables of every variety sparkled like jewels in the lantern light. The boy placed his lantern on the ground then chose a jar to put in his sack before turning to Aliah again.
"Can you tell me now?"
Aliah's throat burned. His head throbbed. "It was horrible, Ell. Shai's friend Sileas is gone."
"Gone? But she wasn't one of the ones I took to the cave."
Aliah shook his head, the pounding increased. "No, I mean she's gone. Samael got her."
Ellersly dropped the jar he held. It smashed at his feet leaving a pool of beets in crimson juice to stain the stone floor.
"Dead?" The young boy's eyes widened. He clutched his burlap sack to his chest. "You saw it? He...Samael’s never done that before. I mean...right in Lael? What about the Leader?"
"Infraction pushishment." Aliah's voice caught in his throat and he swallowed hard. Would Ellersly know he was lying? He raked his hands through his hair as he studied his friend.
Shadows played across Ellersly's chubby face giving him an eerie appearance. Ellersly’s voice shook when he finally spoke. "So the Leader killed Sileas? I don't get what Samael has to do with it."
Aliah sagged against a shelf. Flashes of hot and cold assaulted his body. "Samael's the ruler of Death, right? So naturally the punishment had to be carried out by him."
Ellersly shrugged. "I guess so, but it still seems weird doesn't it? I mean everyone knows that Elchai and Samael are enemies. It's almost like Elchai hired Samael to do the job. That's just dirty."
Aliah needed to be careful what he said. Every Watcher took an oath: preserve and protect. If anyone heard them they’d be reported.
"It might be dirty Ell, but infractions must be punished. To preserve the integrity of our community." He slouched to the floor and put his head down. Ellersly remained silent.
"If Sileas was guilty of taking the Book, then the Law says she deserved punishment. We are Watchers after all... sent to enforce the Law." Aliah looked at his shaking hands, dirt caked under each nail. He glanced up at his young friend and lowered his voice. "I have to get Shai out of here. Who knows what will happen to her when she's... rewarded."
Ellersly nodded and whispered, "I know."
Aliah had said enough. He'd already put his friend's life in danger by involving him. He closed his eyes and leaned against the cool stone wall. He just needed a moment to think.
A tiny flare of heat pulsed through his chest. He knew that feeling. Shai was in trouble.
Adrenaline thrummed through him, wiping the feverish feeling from him. He stumbled to his feet then picked up Ellersly's lantern and whispered, "It's time to go, my friend."
The younger boy nodded and started for the door, but Aliah's voice stopped him. "Ell, I'm going to… kidnap Shai. It??
?s the only way I can get her to come with me. If something happens to me, look after her for me. Protect her with your life, as I would."
Ellersly's mouth opened then closed like a fish but no sound came out.
Aliah narrowed his eyes. "Promise me!"
The boy's cheeks shook as he nodded his head up and down.
Aliah put his hand on his chest as the heat spread, renewing his energy. He turned to go but stopped when Ellersly pointed. Eyes wide, the boy stared at something on the opposite side of the room, near the door. His round face wore an expression of terror. His mouth hung open, his lower lip trembled.
Aliah turned, pushed his hood aside and glimpsed a dark shadow. He raised both lanterns. Their beams of light collided and illuminated two amber eyes peering at the young men.
The wolf.
CHAPTER 16
Shai
She had taken a few steps toward the house when a sharp pain stabbed her chest like a hot poker. She dropped Sileas' pendant and curled around the pain as it pulsed, bending her over at the waist. Gasping. Her heart hammered against her ribs. Thunder rolled and lightening ripped the sky like an old bed sheet, letting the rain pour out again.
Beads of sweat gathered on her forehead mixed with rain, plastering her hair to her face. A force pressed around and inside of her. She sagged to her knees in the mud, gagging. Her face on the ground breathing in wet earth smells. What hit her?
Then a burst of blue light exploded in front of her, and a voice spoke. "Shai, don't be afraid. The Book has been stolen. Find it. Keep it safe."
She shook her head. Pain arced through her body; she retched while the rain soaked into her tunic and leggings. Her legs became rubbery. She raked her fingers through mud and rocks. No sound could be forced from her tight throat.
She pushed herself to a near-sitting position and squinted into the blue light. Fat drops of rain ran down her face and into her mouth. As a figure stepped towards her from the light she saw a familiar face. His square jawline appeared soft in the falling rain and his mouth turned up slightly at the corners. A flood of heat washed over her again.