Eve of Enlightenment

Chapter 19

I wake in a cold sweat and realize that I cannot breathe. I clutch my throat, lungs afire. The room is dark and swimming. It takes several seconds to piece together my surroundings, familiar as they are, before I hear a scream that shocks the breath into me. Corsa's. I recognize it immediately, though I cannot recall having ever heard it before.

My guardian is a fearless woman. She would not utter such a cry unless something has gone terribly wrong. I think immediately of the twins. Of Enos.

We do not have much crime in the village. At least, nothing serious. Occasionally, there is petty theft from a farm or store. Desperate acts from otherwise lawful and respectful, respectable citizens.

Everyone here knows everyone, and these minor infractions are quickly corrected... settled amicably among the individual parties without the need for oversight. We have no official police, no legal system. On those rare occasions that some unforgivable act has been committed, they are brought before the community for judgement.

We hear horror stories from travelers about desperate acts on the road. Kidnapping. Murder. These are just foreign concepts, bandied about like faerie tales within our heavy walls. No Balaiin would ever expect to be the subject of such faraway problems. They would sooner fear a ghost or a gremlin.

Some villagers have protested the Elders' strict policies against strangers, but still others tout it as the reason for our metropolis. It has never failed to be impressed upon me how lucky it was that I was allowed to stay, but then a lone toddler can't pose much threat. Still, I know that Enos had to campaign hard against my being thrown to the literal wolves.

Travelers are not permitted to stay in town past sunset. There are camps outside of our walls for those who wish to remain in the area, but there is no appeal to stay for long. Mostly, it is occupied by traders and passersby. 

Many of the inhabitants feel that this is a heartless policy—I would count myself among them—but the Elders have always been firm in their stance. The wall is protection not just from the wild, but from its people. A stranger can't be trusted. Their ways are different, their morals unformed. We are happy to accept what they have to offer, but we will never accept them.

There is another scream, and I bolt to my feet. I gasp and make straight for the twins' room. It is the first time that I find myself grateful for a small house, for there isn't much ground to cover. Their door is ajar. I crash through it to find them huddled together in Alvi's bed.

Were the moment less fretful, I might think it sweet of them to find so much comfort in one another. I would give anything to have that in another person. As it is, I have no time for jealousy.

"What's happening?" Arri demands of me. I hate that I don't know. A cursory assessment of their room finds nothing out of place. The children are safe. At least for now. Without answering her question, I hurdle again into the hall.

Enos meets me there, eyes wide with an unrecognizable fear. It shakes me to my core. Corsa, then.

I can hear her yelling. She sounds angry now. Enos and I stand side by side, weighing our options. We are deciding who should approach first when the trouble comes to us instead.

Corsa slams open her door, hair and clothes in disarray. Gone is terror, replaced by abject rage. She holds her assailant before us by... its... tail. My Incarnate twists unashamedly, webbed feet flailing, as she shakes him in conjunction with her words.

"This THING was in my WATER!" she accuses me, stepping too close for comfort. Her eyes are alight with frightening emotion. I once again fear for my safety. At least this devil is one I know.

"I almost DRANK him, Kal." She thrusts the tiny creature into my chest, and my hands rise reflexively to catch him as he tumbles down the front of my nightshirt. His hissing does us no favors.

I can see her drenched gown now. I can picture the scene: Corsa, half awake, reaching for the water at her bedside, and the lizard flopping out into her face. Water everywhere.

I laugh in spite of myself. In spite of the danger. I laugh out of relief. I laugh, because it is honestly kind of funny. Corsa shoots me a hate-filled glare and slams her door, but I can't control myself. Enos smiles with me, shoulders dropping from their defensive posture. Finally the twins venture out to see what has become of us.

"What happened?" Alvi wants to know. Arri hides behind him.

"Nothing." I can't stop laughing, and they watch me, unconvinced. "Go to bed."