The Orphan of Saint Olette

Eighteen

The barren plain that surrounded Karasti sat before them, like a page waiting to be written on. The rest of the South, for all its focus of artisanal crafts, was comprised of a mind boggling mix of rolling green hills, and factories that belched thick, black smoke into the air. But Karasti seemed to be devoid of either. The village, for it was hardly large enough to be called a town, sat in the midst of a wasteland, devoid of all life, save for the patchy grass on the ground beneath them and a few sparse trees that looked more dead than alive.

To Rin, the place was incredibly reminiscent of his former home in the Aur Valley, but even that had been home to more greenery than this. The Aur Valley was most known for its plentiful coal deposits, but word of the natural beauty of the place still spread, for it was close to the Riverlands and the beauty seemed to trickle down in the water. Maybe that was why Karasti looked so miserable. They hadn't seen any rivers since leaving Eturia, and while they could hear the ocean in the distance, there didn't seem to be any sources of water. For a boy from near the Riverlands, where the hearts of most of the rivers in the world lay, it only made sense that no running water would make for a lifeless landscape.

Shay, however, was less alarmed by the landscape than his Southern counterparts. His corner of Olmaea had felt much the same as the land surrounding them, though Karasti was decidedly cleaner than his home, even with the dust clouds their steps threw up into the air. For all the luxe Olmaea boasted of, there was a real sense of emptiness in the poorer parts of the city. Not that the upper class were aware of that. Shay had been looked down on his entire life, purely because of his place of birth, and he had come to resent the aristocracy and grandiose displays of wealth because of it. What business did people have judging others based on their wealth alone? All the Lords and Ladies sat around in their giant houses while their servants made them money, and they claimed to be better people for it? Shay had lied, stolen, borrowed, conned and worked his entire life, and he was no closer to getting out of the slums he'd been trapped in for his twenty three years of life.

He had hoped that moving to a new destination might grant him a better lease on life, but every time he managed to accumulate some wealth, whether it was through stealing or hard work, something would come around that forced him to spend it again. He didn't like to admit it, but he was worse off for leaving the slums.

"I don't mean to question you, Shay, but are you really sure we can make anything here?" Rin asked, brows raised towards him hairline. Karasti didn't look like it even had any money to spare.

"Trust me, Rinian, I've got this all worked out."

He didn't. He shifted his pack on his shoulder, and took the lead once more, leading the other two towards the village. The sound of the waves grew louder the closer they got to the village, and soon enough the pungent scent of dead fish hit their noses. It didn't bother Shay. The slums had smelled worse, the fish was almost what he would call fresh air, if he were back home. Rin endeavoured to just get through it. He knew his nose would adjust to the smell eventually, he just had to fight his way through it long enough to reach that level of indifference. But Aoife was less optimistic about it. The stench was overpowering, and no matter how much she covered her nose and her mouth, nothing seemed to block it out. Each step she took towards Karasti left her drained, and her knees were shaking. She thought she was going to vomit if she got any closer. She was close enough to vomiting as it was, she didn't want to make it any worse.

"Shay, I can't do this," she said, frozen to the spot, her cheeks devoid of colour.

Shay turned, walking back towards the girl. Maker, give him strength. He was starting to regret ever getting involved with these two. Had they never left the city before? Rin kept insisting he came from the Aur Valley, but he'd never seen a miner that waiflike before. And now Aoife, acting like a bad smell was the end of the road. How would she ever cope in the slums?