The Red of the Writing

Four | Rani

Every muscle in my body aches.

Working in the fields is backbreaking work; workers are continually hunched over, reaching down to plant seeds or pick vegetables. Plus, caring for crops is a year-round job, and it needs to be done through days of both boiling heat and bitter cold.

Before, I had never really given any thought to where the food on my plate came from. But now, I know I'll never take any of it for granted ever again.

Fortunately, the Dyers' land is relatively small, small enough that they only employ three workers, including me. And talroot, their main crop, is native to Ayera, which certainly makes it easier to care for than some of the more exotic fruits other farms grow.

But, even so, my hands are still covered in small scars and calluses from the work put into growing the plants. It's a harsh reminder, that even if I somehow get back home, I'll never again be the person I once was. The scars from this time of my life will stay with me forever.

I reach the house just as the sun disappears behind the horizon, having taken clean-up duty for the day. As soon as I trudge through the door, I'm met with the whirlwind that is Cateline Dyer.

"Aurora, honey!" She cries, bustling away from the stove to place her hands on my shoulders. "Emelin and Amahl told me that you'd be late today. Your dinner is on the table, go eat while it's still warm. And I'm preparing some melokee for dessert, but you won't get it until you're done with dinner." She winks at me, before rushing back over to the stove, probably to check on the melokee.

I smile inwardly as I obediently take a seat at the dining table, lifting my spoon so I can dig in. Even though she's our employer, Cateline mothers all of her workers. It can get pretty overwhelming, sometimes, but it's far better than the harsh treatment some other field laborers get, so I can't complain.

Just as I'm lifting the spoon up to my mouth, the back door flies open.

Jareth barrels into the house, nearly knocking over his poor mother, who, unfortunately, stands right in his path. His expression is frantic, and my stomach turns.

This isn't the cocky, vain Jareth I know. He's petrified.

"Jareth!" His mother scolds, steadying him. "There is absolutely no running in this house, you hear me, young man?"

"Kaval!" He pants, hands on his knees as he catches his breath. That single word freezes both of us in our tracks. "The Kaval are here!"

The Kaval are the not-so-secret police of the current Ayeran government. Although there's never any proof, everybody knows that they're the ones who do the dirty work. They root out dissenters, squash uprisings before they can even begin, and make challengers to the current leader's rule disappear without a trace.

And tonight, we are their prey. No - I am their prey.

They're here for me.

The thought sends a bolt of terror through my body. And suddenly, there isn't enough air. I gasp, trying to take in more, but my throat is tight, restricted by an invisible noose. And I can't see, everything is blurry, and my heart is beating too fast, and I'm hot and cold at the same time, and all I can focus on is that single thought-

They're coming for me.

I thought I was safe. I thought I'd evaded them, I thought that they couldn't find me here.

What a fool I was.

Distantly, I can hear voices, saying something, but I can't grasp the words. And then, out of nowhere, a hard, sharp sting hits my cheek.