The Unkindness of Fire

Chapter 3

"There were some Tribal territories and groups that maintained their lands, culture, and languages for longer than others. Though many from the River Tribe of the western part of Diladia remained in the area of Uweya, their lands eventually fell into the hands of the royals. The Mountain Tribe of the north, though agreeing to be considered a part of Diladia, maintained the rights to manage the Northern Territory as their own through a series of treaties. Some scholars think their location near the Great Lake served as a crucial bargaining chip in the negotiations of the great Mountain Tribe Treaty." Page 450 of A Brief History of Diladian Tribes

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Four more weeks pass. The days come and go at what seem like an impossible pace. Vencia and I grow accustomed to standing in the lines for rations, sleeping often, and staying alert always. We find companionship with Seema and Indigo, and we all help each other - with extra bits of food or watching the children when one of us needs to try and take a shower or go scavenging. We settle into a rhythm, and I, for the most part, try to not crumble over what the passage of time must mean for us.

It's starting to cool off – which made me thankful, but also fearful. The heat was exhausting, but the cold was threatening. Winter's in Diladia weren't awful, but I had never spent one at the mercy of the elements. It made me long for the crackling fire my father would skillfully craft in the hearth of our home that was now such a distant part of our past. I pull my thin blanket closer to me at the thought.

It has been six weeks since John Yarrow promised to deliver my letter, and we have nothing to show for it.

Though Indigo was resourceful, food was still sparse, and increasingly so as we transitioned to fall. Harvests were always the most plentiful during the summer months, and slowed in the cooler seasons. What a privilege it had been to be able to step just outside of our house and find abundance in the fields and forests. There's no such sustenance in the safe camp. I wondered how long our bones could turn on themselves for nourishment before it became a necessity to consider other means of survival.

As I sit watching others in the tent, my father's last words came crashing through my subconscious, a rallying cry to remember what he had said.

I have suppressed the memory of his confession so far, but if things don't improve, if I can't find a way out of here, then I would have to utilize the last hope I had. I would send another letter, scream it from the highest place I could find, say the words I didn't even know the full weight or truth of to anyone who would listen, possibly damning us in the process, before I let us starve to death.

Ever intuitive, Seema must have sensed my growing unease.

"I've heard of boarding schools in the Northern Territory," she says as she braids Juniper's hair. Indigo had taken a restless Vencia with her on her latest adventure to find some extra bits of food. I didn't have the energy to join them today.

"Boarding schools?" I blink at her, her words not quite sinking in.

"Yes. I know a couple of people taking young ones up there. No one ever looks too closely at the Northern Territory." She levels her gaze, meeting my eyes over Juniper's head. "It's all, under the table, you might say. Winter is no season to spend in a tent. I've been waiting to hear about the refugee program, but... I think we may need to consider other options."

A heaviness that has only grown more poignant every day that we've spent in this place presses down on me. "They're only taking kids?"

Seema nods.

"Is that even safe?"

Seema smooths her hands over Juniper's braids. "I wouldn't consider it if it were not."