Le Esel 1007
Where do people go when harvests are poor? To the cities, apparently. I was not the only one who had the idea to go to Yahvsii Isvar. The easterly road seemed as crowded as it was for the Harvest Week festivities, even though they were now over. My village hadn’t gone. We hadn’t had food to trade, and there was so much unrest. I thought that perhaps people in Yahvsii Isvar would need workers. I might be a terrible cook, but I could do laundry and run errands.
The road being crowded was good, I reflected. Everyone thought I belonged to another group, so no one bothered me. By the third day, as we approached Yahvsii Isvar, I found myself in the middle of several groups of people from the Quatsiakta Chiefdom leading Qosarlen.
“Are you hoping to find work in the capital, or sail to Buarvige Island?” one group asked another.
“Anywhere with food,” a woman answered. “Our chief kept all the food for himself and his cronies, as I’m sure you heard.”
“I hear some of the groups plan to bring a complaint before the Queen.”
Another person laughed. “Don’t bother. She’s useless. Our real Queen is in the south. Time these Yai’s gave up their power. A thousand years it’s been.”
“So they say,” an old woman said. “I studied in the monastery before I was forced to leave.”
Since I was alone, I was a faster walker. I wanted to get to Yahvsii Isvar before the others to better my chances of find work. I didn’t get to hear the Quatsiakta people arguing about the Queen. Instead, I saw a group of soldiers heading the other way.
“You ought to tell your family to turn back, little girl,” one of them said. “The city has fallen to the herders. They’ve come for revenge.”
“We mean to fall back and hold our villages,” said another.
“Where are you from?” I asked, though their tanner skin meant they were probably from the Sarnii Chiefdom. They confirmed my observation and asked me where I was from.
“Quatsiakta,” I lied. I worried that they would press me for which village, but they didn’t. I doubted loyalists from the Sarnii Chiefdom would leave an Aza girl alone. They wouldn’t know that my brother had fought beside them.
I wondered if Torvin would be among the soldiers coming back, but I doubted it. If he’d lived, he probably would have searched for a wife. I didn’t dare ask about him. I was sure that he would have lied about where he was from, too.
Once I was outside the city gates, I began to doubt my plan. I could see smoke from fires set by rebels. People were pouring out of Yahvsii Isvar. Dozens of Yahvsii soldiers in light green uniforms were repairing and fortifying the city walls. “There was another riot last night,” I heard someone say.
“Sraonir Chiefdom is blockading trade,” I heard another say.
To the north was Yahvsiin Tevoe, a fine, old city not along the Nae Seris. To the south was Tevocae, by the port. I figured I could turn left and head to Yahvsiin Tevoe. Hopefully, the Nae Tevis wouldn’t be blocked.
I reached the Yahvsiin Tevoe gates by nightfall. “Haven’t you heard?” one of the guards said. “The Senate has warned all citizens to keep to their villages.”
The other guard spat. “You aren’t a Yai. What village are you from?”
“My village cast me out. Please, I’m looking for somewhere to winter.”
“And you think we have the food?” The guard laughed in my face.
I turned around, dejected. I was still carrying my food. Maybe I could find a cave on the mountain to shelter until the weather warmed again. I had watched the boys kill small game a hundred times. If no one knew, was it a sin?
But then I remembered. Yahvsiin Tevoe might have strong walls to keep invaders out from before unification, but those walls were old. In the fading light, I walked around the walls. I found other people who had been turned away or cast out of the city. Some looked scary and shouted maniacally when I walked past, but no one harmed me. I kept my head down and pretended I knew where I was going. At last, I found a spot where the walls were lower and age had slanted them. I tied my bags tighter around my waist and chest, and started climbing. Once on top, I realized I didn’t know how to get down. I walked along the ridge, watching carefully for any guards, until I found a house close enough to jump onto. I did so lightly, but there was no need; no one was there. I poked around until I realized it was abandoned. The loft looked decrepit, so I curled up in a corner and hoped no one would find me. I didn’t light a fire.
Richenda 