The Scourge

by Jennifer A. Nielsen

  It was hard to think of the right word to describe the pain inside me. It wasn't as severe as it had first been in the doctor's office, but overall, I could feel myself getting weaker. Thanks to Della, there was no way to make it better now.

  My eyes darted to the right while I searched for what to say, and as it turned out, he didn't need an answer. Weevil reached into his pocket and pulled out a few more thrushweed leaves. "It's all I have left, but they'll spoil by tomorrow anyway."

  I pushed them back at him. "You need them too. Besides, you already gave me some."

  "You need more." He crouched closer to the cage. "Let me pay you back for the wheat. Let me be your friend, as much as you are mine."

  I stared at him a moment before taking the leaves and putting them into my mouth. I still didn't like the taste, but there was a chance they might help with the pain.

  While I chewed the leaves, Weevil withdrew the lock-picking needles that had been stuck in the fabric of his pants.

  I shook my head. "They'll expect to find me here in the morning. If I escape, I doubt there's anywhere to hide on this island."

  Because of the darkness, it took him several tries with the lock before he found the place to stick the first needle in.

  "You can go back into the cage at dawn, but that's hours away. You need a better place to rest."

  His second needle went into the lock, and within seconds, the shackle popped apart. I waited for him to safely scoot back along his branch before I opened the cage door, and then he held my hand to guide me onto the branch with him.

  "Are we climbing down?" I asked.

  "Actually, I thought we could go a little higher. It'll be hard to avoid the thorns below, and there won't be many higher up. Besides, there's a nice branch above us that looks comfortable enough. No hecklebird nests--I checked!"

  I gave his hand a squeeze. "Let's go!"

  Weevil led the way, carefully explaining where to put my hands and feet. I'd climbed plenty of trees in my life, though never in so much darkness or with the pains that still twisted my side into knots. I should've been more nervous, but I wasn't. Not with Weevil as a guide.

  We didn't have far to climb before he announced we were there and asked me to sit. The branch was sturdy and didn't protest under our combined weight. It also formed a sort of hollow where it joined with the tree's trunk. Weevil settled into that hollow, and I sat beside him. When I did, he reached into a satchel around his side and pulled out a couple of bread rolls.

  "Are you hungry?" he asked.

  I snatched the first one out of his hand and inhaled it without saying a word. I was two bites into the second before I mumbled a "thank you."

  "Your manners have gotten terrible since leaving home," Weevil said in a fake stern voice. "I hope you won't turn out as bad as all the other River People."

  "I intend to be worse," I said, finishing the roll. He then produced a sugar apple. It was small and a little soft, probably left over from last fall's harvest, but I didn't complain a bit. I ate the whole thing, core and all. River People never wasted anything.

  With that, I told him I was full and suddenly sleepy.

  "Rest against me," Weevil said. "If you fall asleep, I'll keep you in this tree."

  I leaned against him, but more than feeling tired, I was relieved to have my friend back. No, not back. He'd never stopped being my friend. It was me who had stopped believing in him.

  "Why did you come with me to the Colony?" I asked. "You were free."

  Weevil pondered that a moment, then said, "When we're apart too long, everything starts to look sideways, as if the whole world has shifted. It hasn't, of course, but then I realize that I'm the one who's walking crooked. You balance me, Ani."

  An ache poked at my side, as it had all night, but I smiled anyway. "Do you suppose Della Willoughby has any friends? Whenever I saw her today, she was alone."

  He gave a low whistle. "We could balance her, I think."

  "That's not why I was asking. I won't be her friend."

  "Someone has to. I don't think she's as bad as she seems. I saw her earlier, bringing food to a few people too sick to get it for themselves. She's just scared, Ani. She needs a friend."

  "No, Weevil."

  "But--"

  "Hush!"

  I leaned forward and crept farther out on the branch. Weevil cautioned me to be careful, but I told him to hush again. Somewhere to the south of us was the sound of movement. A lot of movement.

  I couldn't understand it. Everyone was supposed to be in by sundown--I'd seen the wardens hurry the Colonists back into the prison. Who was out there in the darkness?

  Weevil joined me out on the branch, and for the first time, it creaked. I barely took notice of it, though. My attention was too heavily focused on the sounds to the south of us. If only it were a little less dark. Not enough for us to be seen, but just so that we could see what was going on down there.

  I guessed that the noises were near the building I had seen to the south--the one that people entered but only wardens exited. Perhaps it was wardens out there now, but what were they doing?

  I wanted to climb up higher, where I hoped I'd be better able to see, but the ache in my side had spread now, sending throbbing pulses to the tips of my fingers and toes. My balance was less steady than when I had first climbed out on this branch, though I wouldn't tell Weevil. I didn't want him to know how bad it was getting for me. I didn't want him to think about how bad it would get for him too, eventually.

  "We won't see anything while it's this dark," I said. "Let's go back and try looking again when it's lighter."

  Weevil followed my cue and scooted back first. He took his place in the hollow, but when I went to sit beside him, a wave of dizziness hit me.

  "Careful!" He grabbed my arm and steadied me, then let me lean against him and put his arms on either side of me.

  I closed my eyes and let him do the work of ensuring I didn't fall. "Thank you," I mumbled.

  "I saw your flask of medicine at the base of the tree," he said. "If you can keep from tipping over, I'll go down and get it for you."

  "It's empty," I said.

  Weevil squeezed on my arm. "It's already gone? There's a shortage--"

  "It was stolen while I was in the cage. By that girl you think we need to befriend."

  "Della? But she--"

  "May the gods help me, Weevil, if you defend her for stealing my medicine, I will sing to you, or something worse."

  "There is nothing worse." He leaned his chin against my shoulder. "Listen, she lost her medicine because of you. Maybe she started this fight, and maybe she deserved it, but you did dump her into the water."

  "And I could dump you out of this tree!" I smiled when I said it. Of course I'd never hurt him, but I still didn't want him making excuses for her. No matter how wrong they sometimes seemed, my actions were defensible. Not hers.

  He chuckled and squeezed my arm again. "You River People, always putting up a fight."

  That reminded me of something the governor had said while I was in the physician's office. She had said that the River People had promised not to cause any trouble in Keldan, and then we'd broken that promise.

  I told Weevil that, and then asked, "Do you know what she was talking about? Has there been an uprising? Because if so, no one invited me."

  He shrugged. "No one invited any of the River People." He drew in a breath. "Unless she's talking about an incident a few weeks ago. Your father traveled to Elmdale for some reason, and when he went into the market, they threw him out, saying the River People's money was no good. He was so angry he tossed a stool at the window, shattering it. That wasn't an uprising, but I'm sure the governor heard about it."

  By then, my heart had stopped cold in my chest--and considering that I was a Scourge victim, that could almost be taken literally.

  "They accept my coins in the market--they figure it's one way of getting back their money. My father didn't know how they'd treat him." I sat up, igno
ring the dizziness that washed over me. "I remember that night. I'd been down in the towns, singing. It was late, and my father had become worried so he went looking for me."

  Weevil reached for my arm and brought me back to the center of the branch. "Relax, Ani."

  "I will not relax! Don't you see? The governor thinks the River People are involved in an uprising, but my father only went into town because of me. All of this is my fault!"

  "It's not your fault!" Weevil said. "Your father shattered that window, not you. And maybe the governor meant something else entirely. Keldan has never respected our people. If they want reasons to blame us, they'll find them."

  "Why do they hate us so much?" I mumbled.

  "Because they don't know us, and we don't know them," he said. "It's easy to hate what you don't understand."

  I considered that a moment, and then a harsh reality hit me, like a slap across the face. As sick as I felt with the Scourge, the tightening of my throat and clench of my hands right now was not a result of this illness. It was knowing that recovering from the Scourge was only the smallest part of surviving the Colony.

  I fully intended to get better from this disease ... somehow. And if Weevil was sick by then, I'd figure out a way to help him get better too. Afterward, we'd have to find a way to leave this island, something no other Scourge victim had yet done.

  For that, we'd need the help of a pinchworm. And not just any regular townsfolk. We'd need the help of someone with an influential father who was powerful enough to stand up to the governor herself.

  We needed Della.

  Just at the thought of it, a sour taste filled my mouth, but I swallowed it, just as I'd have to swallow my pride in order to escape this island. "I hate to say this, Weevil, but you were right before. Somehow we've got to make Della Willoughby our friend."

  I slept for most of the night after that, though I doubted Weevil even closed his eyes. Every time I awoke, he was there with his arms around me, keeping me safely in the tree. Most River People thought I was the stronger one in our friendship, but that wasn't true. Weevil was always stronger than me.

  Normally, I would have at least tried to stay awake, but without the medicine, I was hurting more than I wanted to let on. Based on my constant squirming, I'm sure he knew, and he was obviously worried, but there was nothing he could do except let me sleep.

  I did feel a little better once I woke up. My side was still burning, and it felt like someone was using my forehead for a drum. But the dizziness was better, which was a good thing, since dawn was coming fast and I needed to make it back to the cage before anyone realized I'd cheated on my punishment.

  When he saw I was awake, Weevil didn't ask how I was feeling, something I appreciated. Instead, he said, "It's about time you woke up. You snore."

  "No, I don't!" I countered.

  He chuckled. "Well then, perhaps you were singing in your sleep. It sounds about the same."

  I sat up and from out of nowhere, Weevil produced a vinefruit for me. He must've plucked it while we were on the outer branch last night. Before taking it, I eyed him. "Where's yours?"

  He shrugged. "I'll eat as soon as I get down from this tree. I'm not sure when they'll let you out."

  So I took the vinefruit and bit into it, making sure not to drip juice on myself this time. That'd be hard to explain to Warden Gossel when he returned for me. Vinefruit were always delicious, but never more so than this morning.

  While I ate, Weevil stared off into the distance, lost in his thoughts. Finally, he said, "I admit that when you told me about the wheat yesterday, I wasn't sure how to react. All this time, I thought I was doing better for my family than I actually was. One of the last things my father said to me before he left was that I was responsible for my family now. He trusted me, and I let him down."

  "Your father would be proud of you! Nobody could've done more than you've done for your family."

  "I needed your help, even if I didn't know it before." Weevil shrugged. "It should be me in the cage, not you."

  "Stop this," I said. "It shouldn't be either of us in that cage. The truth is that I was always going to be punished because of what I did to Della--all the rest was just Gossel's game for his own entertainment. He told me they want to break us, that they have to break everyone here in the Colony."

  "Then the best thing is to make them think you're broken," Weevil said. "We have to stay out of trouble."

  My smile turned mischievous as I glanced back at him. "Now when have you ever known me to stay out of trouble?"

  In return, he only frowned at me. "You should try it, for once. There's a building south of us, probably where we heard all that movement last night. It's called the infirmary, though from what I've heard, nobody who goes in there is ever seen again. You keep getting in trouble, and that's where you'll end up."

  "I'm still curious about those noises we heard."

  "No you're not, and it'd be best if you forget you ever heard them. Listen, people will be waking up soon. You need to get back in that cage before you're spotted."

  With the little available light, it was easier to stand on the branch, holding on to higher limbs for balance. My legs were shaky when I first stood. The Scourge must have moved into the muscles there too, but I was steadier than when I'd scooted along the branch earlier.

  I turned southward, in the direction of last night's mystery sounds. Everything in that direction was quiet. But from this height, I was able to see behind the infirmary where a tall fence was made of posts dug into the ground and lashed together. The fence was probably left over from when Attic Island served as a prison. Maybe the prisoners were sometimes allowed to wander, just as we moved about here in the Colony. That fence was apparently the line nobody was supposed to cross. So from which side of the wall had I heard all that movement? And who was making it?

  From that very moment, I knew that all I really wanted was to get behind the fence. My curiosity nagged at me like an itch, one I knew I'd eventually be forced to acknowledge. I decided not to tell Weevil, though. He had interpreted my silence as agreement.

  Weevil helped me back into the cage, and though I hated being cramped up again, the truth was the short climb here had put a fierce pain in my gut, so even if I had all the space in Keldan, I'd still be curled up somewhere in a ball. For all it mattered, I might as well be in the cage.

  He apologized as he shut the cage door, and I didn't answer. I wanted to. I needed to thank him for risking so much to give me a better night, and for bringing me food, and for giving up a night of sleep. But my teeth were gritted together so tight that I couldn't say a word, and I hoped he understood.

  "I'll be waiting when they bring you down," he said.

  I nodded and waved him away. He needed to get out of the tree before he was seen. And before he could see the tears forming in my eyes. It was cruel for Della to have taken my medicine.

  And cruel for me to have refused to offer any medicine to her, after I had been responsible for the loss of her flask. This was probably exactly how she had felt on the boat ride over here, in pain but with no one offering sympathy, and with no hope of things getting easier. Meanwhile, I had sat almost right next to her with a full flask of medicine, indifferent about offering her even a sip. No, determined not to offer her help of any kind. In many ways, I was no better than she.

  It was only minutes later when the Colony began to awaken. Della was one of the last to leave the prison and looked worse than I felt, which was no small accomplishment considering that my insides were knotting themselves into ever tightening loops. The medicine was doing her no good. Or maybe even harming her, if she was drinking too much of it. Even the River People's mild herbs could be dangerous if we took too much.

  This was going to become a problem. If I wanted to become her friend--which I didn't, by the way--the truest act of friendship was to take that medicine away and control its dosage for her. But if I did that, she would hate me even more, and then I'd have no choice but to do
something unkind back, earning her revenge. Also a deadly cycle.

  It was another few hours before Warden Gossel returned for me, along with two other men, to lower my cage. Once it was on the ground, he crouched beside me and checked the door to be sure it was locked.

  "Were you in here all night?" he asked.

  I nodded up at the tree. "I was up there, yes, sir." That was truthful enough.

  "Most people start crying after the sun goes down," he said, then muttered something under his breath about River People. A compliment, I thought.

  I smiled at that. We had the reputation of being stronger than the townsfolk, but maybe we weren't. Maybe we just didn't follow the same rules. Because if I had remained in the cage, I probably would've done worse than just cry to get out.

  He helped me from the cage, and though I was unsteady on my feet at first, I realized that I felt better than I had earlier that morning. I still had some pain, of course, but less than before.

  "You've been given a job assignment," he said. "Laundry. You'll be responsible for collecting used linens from the old prison and bringing them to the wash." His eyes narrowed. "Do grubs know about washing, or do you all just stand in the river to get clean?"

  "Actually, we avoid cleanliness," I replied. "Our smell keeps you pinchworms away."

  He smiled, though it instantly darkened. "With that attitude, I bet you don't last a week here, grub."

  "You're pronouncing that word wrong," I said. "It's not 'grub'; it's 'Ani.' Hear the difference?"

  "No." Gossel had roughly the same sense of humor as a cornered snake. None.

  "I'm not as sick as when I got here," I said. "I intend to get over the Scourge."

  "Nobody gets over the Scourge," he said. "Not when they understand how bad it really is."

  I turned on my heel to walk away from him. "Pinchworms might not get better. But River People do."

  Weevil was waiting for me right outside the gate. "Why is your face so flushed?" Then he added, "You were arguing with that warden, weren't you?"

  "He started it."

  "I doubt that. Here, take this." He handed me some flapjacks. They were cold and slightly burnt, but I didn't care. "Don't miss any more meals, all right? It's getting harder to steal for you."