Sheep to be Slaughtered

~Chapter Eleven~

         Her grave was something I had never once envisioned being so desolate. Besides the freshly dug earth, there was nothing that told the village of the one protector I had that laid buried there. Zander had long since left and it was only me that knelt beside the earth that covered my mother's body. My fists clenched the dirt that hid her from my eyes, my hands viciously squeezing the dirt as though it intentionally sought to devour her and pull her into the core of the earth, forever separating the two of us.

          But this was Founder Marco's fault entirely. If not for him, my mother would still be here. She would still be here to care for Leanna... to care for me. Clods of dirt fell from my hand as I squeezed the pieces of earth as tightly as I could. I wanted Founder Marco to taste my rage and sorrow. I wanted him to feel as I felt. I wanted to rip his power from him and make him feel as lost and helpless as I did now. 

        But those were mere wishes. I had not the power to inflict vengeance... I had no power to unleash the fury I harbored within my being... and so I continued to weep instead. My salty tears dampened the soil that covered what was physically left of the only woman who had cared for me.

       "I don't know what to do, momma..." I confessed. "I don't know how I can get to that chest... I don't know if I can keep Leanna safe... I need you here with me. You shouldn't have stepped in and made Founder Marco angry... you should have just let me do as he wished..."
               
         But she hadn't and she was gone. She had defied Founder Marco... taking control of her life again in those final moments. I had seen that look of peace on her face when Founder Marco first confronted her... she had taken her freedom back despite the cost.

          She had encouraged me to do the same.

          And if was going to do something... if I was going to go after the chest, I needed to take action before Founder Marco decided I should join my mother in death. I needed to move.

~

          I had intended to make contact with Founder Marco at the Daily Offering later that day. He was not present, however, and another villager was there to take his place. I recognized him as Elias, one of Founder Marco's most devout followers. He would surely know what condition Founder Marco was in and whether I could speak to him. The thought of speaking to Founder Marco was a repulsive one, but I didn't dare show my hatred for him. I needed to do this with great care lest my true intentions be found out.

          Leanna stood quietly by my side. Her eyes were red and puffy, indicative of the terrible night she had. It would be dishonest to say that I wasn't concerned about her silence. She hadn't spoken a word to me yet since she woke up... the only thing she had done was take some of the meat I had gathered for Daily Offering to bring it to the table herself. She had never wanted to take part in the Daily Offering, she had always been too young to care for it or understand it. Yet today was different. She was different and I could not help but worry. Thankfully, Zander was keeping his distance and I was grateful for it.

         We reached the table after a few minutes of waiting. To my surprise, Leanna didn't hesitate and walked right up to the table and set some of the meat down. Elias did nothing to conceal his glare as he towered above my younger sister. For a moment, he said nothing. He made no move to accept the offering nor so much as offer a nod of acknowledgement. Rather, he and Leanna's eyes remained locked on one another, both of them glaring and angry. Why was she angry with him? I hadn't given her the details of mother's death for fear that Founder Marco would spin the story. But Leanna was looking at Elias like he was the one that stabbed mother. Instinctively, I moved forward to force Elias's attention onto me. I placed my offering upon the table and was about to take Leanna's hand when she spoke.