by Mark Tufo
“Just turned sixteen, why?”
“Happy Birthday again, Princess.”
My eyebrows furrowed as I looked at him then raised in recognition when I realized his intent. My heart might have skipped a beat or three. “You want me to go to war next year?”
Brody nodded.
“NO!” Tallow shouted, coming up beside me and making sure he was between Brody and me.
“The War is fought primarily with swords.”
“We all know that,” Tallow said fiercely.
At seventeen, every citizen that was scheduled to go to war was issued a dull practice sword and was required to attend so many hours of training. Here in Dystance, the futility of the war and scarcity of food had created apathy towards training and mandatory practice had fallen to the wayside. There were some that took it seriously, but they were so few as to be ineffectual when the conflict actually started.
“You don’t know this, but I’m from Indian Hill.”
Tallow and I gasped. The warriors from Indian Hill were legendary, as they’d rarely lost a battle.
“We make our walk from the Bio Buildings at five and from the moment we leave we’re given a wooden blade. We train continuously until our eighteenth birthday when we put everything we have learned to practical use.”
“Killing others, you mean!” Tallow was simmering.
“Stop, Tallow. They’re as much victims as we are. They just chose to do something about it.”
“Tallow, I didn’t take enjoyment from killing in The War, but if it came down to me or someone else dying, I choose them every single time. That’s what you’re going to have to do, too.”
“I’m not killing anyone!” he protested.
“You already have,” Brody pointed out.
Tallow quickly closed his mouth.
“Whether it was for the Princess here or yourself, you chose your lives over theirs. I’m asking you to do the same, only on a much larger scale.”
“Then teach me. I’m seventeen and I can do what needs to be done. Leave her out of this.”
“You’re not seventeen yet and I don’t want to be left out of it, Tallow. I certainly don’t want to be left behind wondering if you’re going to live or die.”
“War is no place for women, Winter. Especially you.” Ah. This was the first time I understood why he wanted to run away from here so desperately.
“War is not a place for anyone,” Brody said. I noticed a far-away look in his eyes like he was remembering something particularly distasteful.
“What now?” I asked.
“Well, first off you both are going to have to put an end to this uprising and release my men.”
“Winter, you can’t believe him. As soon as they are free they’ll have all the rifles and also know we can’t do anything about it.”
“You’re going to have to trust me on this.” Brody was looking at me and deliberately not at Tallow. “And, it’s going to have to be soon. I’ll need to let the Overseers know that there was an unfortunate accident at the hut. Torric and Hunter were killed in the fire and Durgan was killed trying to rescue them.”
“And what of your men, especially Lericho? They can’t all be of like mind.”
“This one’s smart, Tallow. You’re going to have your hands full. I’ll take care of him, and I’m the only one that deals with the Overseers visits. Once they’re gone, we’ll begin. The training is going to be difficult. I’d say this outland area would be perfect if it weren't so far away. For now, it will have to be in town. Do either of you live in a single?”
“I do,” Tallow said sourly.
“Perfect.”
“When?” I asked.
“Tomorrow. I’ve got one short year to teach you all that I’ve learned in close to twenty years.”
“You’re twenty-five?” Tallow asked incredulously. “That’s ancient.”
It was a rarity to see a man hit his twenties.
“Winter, we can’t just go back and tell everyone we were kidding and to give themselves up.”
Tallow was right.
“Brody, you’re going to have to pretend you captured us,” I told him.
“Pretend?” He was looking at the rifles he had in his possession.
“Fine. We’ll just go with the fact that you captured us and that you won’t have us hanged if everyone surrenders.”
“That should work.”
We were walking back toward town when something I’d been dwelling on, repeatedly, came to the surface. “Why?” I turned slightly to ask Brody, who was trailing us by a few paces in case anyone should see us.
“I was wondering when you would ask. I trained with the people from Indian Hill my entire life. We were close, close as children with the same birth mother, I would suppose. We were kept together with our age group throughout the entire time we lived on the Hill. I had a friend named Marcus; we did everything together. I would have died for him, and it seems he thought the same way about me. When we went to the Front we were given some intel on where the enemy was. It was wrong. They descended on us like rabid dogs.”
“They?” I asked, hoping it was not people from Dystance, although I had a hard time imagining Dystancians looking like rabid anything.
“It was Ferals.”
“They’re real?” Tallow stopped walking. It seemed his mind couldn’t process the information and get his legs to work correctly at the same time.
“As real as you and me.”
“Is it true all the women fight alongside the men whether they’re pregnant or not?”
“I didn’t stop to ask if any of them were pregnant but, yes, there were a lot of women. It’s pretty common to see them at The War, and without Bio Buildings they have a harder time sustaining their population.”
“Maybe they have it right,” I said.
“Don’t go feeling all sorry for them; they fought for all they were worth. Nearly broke through our ranks. Marcus was one of the first to die. I was fighting off a Feral, when two I hadn’t seen came up on my side. Marcus cut them off, killed the first one before he ended up with a spear in his stomach for his troubles. And just like that a man I’d known my entire life was gone, and for what? That’s something you both are going to have to figure out. I will not accept that my best friend died for nothing. There is something strange about this war, but I just don’t know what it is. As part of my gift for winning a major battle, I was assigned this post. I expected to find a sector full of hate and resentment for the other sectors. What I found was completely different. I mean, we were always taught that the other sectors were hell-bent on destroying us, so why would they allow Brokers amongst their populace from other sectors? What I found was an area that really had no clue as to what was going on or why they were fighting. Our philosophies about how we prepare for The War may be completely dissimilar, but we’re very much the same in the ‘why’ of the fighting.”
“Meaning you don’t know either?” I asked.
“Exactly.”
“So Hillians aren’t the enemy? And neither are the Feral? That only leaves the Brutons and Klondikes,” Tallow said, bewildered. “If that is even the case.”
“If I was to hazard a guess I bet they know about as much as we do,” Brody said. “Keep walking, I’ve got a mountain of paperwork I need to finish before tonight. And you’ve got a rebellion to crush.”
“Then who are we fighting and for what purpose?” I asked.
“Well that’s the question now, isn’t it? MOVE!” Brody’s demeanor abruptly changed. He shoved Tallow to the ground with the rifle.
“What the h...”
“Someone’s coming,” Brody said quietly. “Princess, help him up and try to make it look like you’ve been crying or something.”
It didn’t take too much convincing for my already bone weary, stressed out body to produce some water works. They may have even been for relief that finally we might get some help.
“Winter! Winter, is everything alright? We’ve bee
n looking for you.” Cedar stopped well away from us.
“Get over here, girl!” Brody yelled. Cedar hesitated. “What are you going to do, get some more of your stick-laden friends to plant trees around me? These two will be dead and buried by the time you get back. Now get over here.”
Tears were falling freely from my face. “I’m so sorry, Cedar.”
“Winter, I have to tell the others.”
“He’ll kill us,” I cried out.
“You’re pretty convincing, Princess,” he said for just my ears.
Cedar took some tentative steps toward us, looking back, I’d imagine, in hope some backup would come her way.
“Did you have to push me so hard?” Tallow was brushing grass and dirt off the front of his clothes.
“Yup.”
“It’s over,” I told Cedar. “It’s not just us he’ll kill, but everyone in all of Dystance if we don’t surrender.”
“He can’t do it alone,” Cedar said defiantly.
I was proud of her for standing up to him but not too keen on how she was so willing to sacrifice us.
“Alone? As soon as I don’t check in with the Overseers they’ll have an army of Brokers in here. No one will survive. It doesn’t matter if you stop me. You need to think before you run off and get help. Now I’m willing to let this whole little incident get swept under the rug to some degree. These two main instigators will have some justice to atone for and the whole community will be on half-rats for a month, but if I can avoid the ton of paperwork that would be involved, the better this will go for all of us.”
“No cutting of rations.” Cedar stood her ground. Again she left us out to dry; at least I thought she had. “And Winter and Tallow are allowed to live.”
“I don’t think you really have a bargaining chip here, little girl.” Brody seemed like he was getting mad.
“What about your life? Is that not a bargaining chip?” Cedar asked.
Brody laughed. “I guess I can see your point. Alright, these two live, but will be under house arrest until I determine they are free to go.”
“And the rations?”
“Fine, fine, full rations, but you vermin help us rebuild the Broker hut.”
“Deal.” Cedar bounded off.
“Holy crap, I didn’t think she had it in her,” Tallow said.
“How old is she?” Brody asked.
“Sixteen, same as Winter,” Tallow told him.
“Do you trust her?” he asked us.
“Yes,” we answered together.
“Alright, then she’s in with you two. We’ll start training tomorrow.
“I’d rather she stay out of this,” I protested.
“You’re going to need all the help you can get, and she's got a tough attitude. Now, to the next point of business. Sorry about this, kid.”
“For what....”
Brody punched Tallow so hard he spun to the ground. “If I bring you both back with no damage the other Brokers will think I’ve lost my edge. Where do you want it?”
“Nowhere,” I answered honestly. He cocked his head.
“The lip...”
The words had barely issued forth when his fist met my face. I staggered back. I’m pretty sure he’d pulled that punch, but I can’t remember ever being in more pain. My bottom lip burst under the assault, blood coating my teeth and tongue.
“Damn, Princess, I hit you harder than I hit your boyfriend. I think you broke one of my damned knuckles.” He placed his hand up to his mouth and sucked the blood out.
I think I would have raved at him and possibly attacked if I were certain my jaw wasn’t broken. My lip was swelling so much I could see it when I looked down. I helped a dazed Tallow up and Brody escorted us through town, making sure to parade the defeated through the streets. There were hushed murmurs among the crowd that had gathered to watch. Brody’s men came out of a building across the way, with a couple heading straight for us.
“I’ve got this under control,” Brody said, gripping my face tightly in his hands. My feet danced rapidly from the pain he was inflicting. He was showing them where he’d punched me. “This one gave up a hell of a fight, but she realizes her mistake now.”
“When are we stringing them up? You know we still haven’t heard from Torric and Hunter,” Lericho asked sourly.
“I don’t know about those two. They’ve been talking about deserting for months; maybe they finally did.”
“And Durgan? They must have had something to do with his death.”
“I don’t know about that either, but I’ll get to the bottom of it.”
“Let’s just hang them up and be done with it! When did you go soft?”
“Don’t push me, Lericho. Do you know what kind of paperwork needs to be processed before I can ‘string someone up’? If they had something to do with it, I’ll find out and they’ll be dealt with. For now they’re under house arrest, and if anything happens to them while they are wards of the town that person or persons will have to answer to me.”
“And what of the others that rose up?”
“Were you hurt?”
“No, but...”
“Does anyone look like they’re rebelling now?”
“No but...”
“Lericho, if the Overseers catch wind that we lost control of this town there’s a pretty good chance they’ll send us back to The War, or worse, become Brokers in Feral.”
When we got to Tallow’s, Brody ushered us in quickly.
“Listen, some of my men are not going to like the fact that you made them look like fools and destroyed their home.”
I didn’t say anything, but I wanted to tell him that he was the one that lit the place on fire.
“In order to save face I’m going to have to post guards, but I’ll make sure it’s some of the less vindictive types. Expect to be treated unkindly at least for a little while, if it gets too bad let me know and I’ll rotate them off the schedule. When it’s my turn to guard is when we’ll have our lessons. Under no circumstances are you to leave this place. Do you understand me?”
Tallow had finally worked the glaze off his features and now all that was there was unbridled fury.
“Relax sweetheart,” Brody goaded. “We’re just getting started. You’re really going to learn to hate me in the upcoming months. That little love tap I gave you will be a mosquito bite compared to the beatings I’m going to give you both from training. If you hated me before, at least you’ll have good reason now.”
“Oh my goodness, something to look forward to,” I said as I lifted my shirt to wipe my lip.
“Sarcasm? I love it. Again, you two do not leave this place. You will be considered escaped convicts and the guards will shoot on sight regardless of my orders. That’s just the law.”
Tallow looked like a caged animal and we’d only been in his place a couple of minutes.
“We won’t leave. I promise.”
“Listen to the Princess,” Brody said as he shot a look at Tallow. With that, he closed the door behind him.
“We need to get out of here,” Tallow said.
“I heard that, idiot,” Brody said from the other side of the door he’d just closed.
Tallow sat down in a chair. He looked like he was deflated, as if someone had let all the air out of him. There was some murmuring outside, I guessed it was Brody talking to the guard or guards. I was feeling anxious; maybe I was catching what Tallow was throwing off.
“We could run,” Tallow whispered.
“And go where? Obviously we can’t go back to the library.”
“Dystance is huge, Winter. You can’t tell me we couldn’t hide out for the rest of our lives in the mountains.”
“Maybe, but then what happens to the people we know here? Nothing changes, they go to war, they die, repeat. We could affect a change, Tallow.”
“Do you really believe that crap, Winter? What can he possibly show us that will even remotely prepare us? And what are you doing volunteering? You are givin
g up a year of your life for what?”
“Oh, Tallow, I’m giving it up for you.” Tears threatened to fall. I went down the small hallway hoping he hadn’t noticed.
“I’m sorry,” he said, coming up behind me and placing one hand on my shoulder. He rested his forehead on the back of my head. I could feel his breath travel down my neck, the warmth of it spreading through me. “I feel like I’m...we’re in over our heads. We’ve led a failed rebellion, and now we’re planning on launching an even bigger one…yet we don’t even know who we’re really fighting against. I always thought the Brokers were the ones who ran things. Come to find out that they are almost as clueless as we are. It’s discouraging.”
“There’s a reason for all this.” At least I hope there is, I thought. “Or else why would we have even found the library to begin with? And what of Brody?”
“What do you mean?”
“He could have, and probably should have, shot us the minute he took control of those rifles. He wants change as much as we do–maybe more.”
“I don’t know, Winter. I’m so confused. I can’t even think straight now that you’re going to war with me.”
We slept a little, but even that got boring. I had no idea how wretched house arrest was going to be. All we could do was watch as daily business in town resumed. At first it was slightly cautious, each side attempting to feel the other out. Would grudges be held? I noticed that the Brokers were not carrying rifles. That had to have been Brody’s call, especially with the hostility not more than two days in the past. The majority of the older kids were assisting in the rebuilding of the Broker hut. Apparently, wherever the food cache had been hidden, it had been safe and made it through the fire, as rations had begun anew. The fighting amongst the population seemed to be more involved as a good number of the people hadn’t eaten much in that time frame. Again Brody held true to his promise; rations weren’t being cut.
I was standing by the window and Tallow was sitting on a thin matted couch. The door swung open quickly. “Food,” the Broker said before dumping it on the ground.
I looked at the pile of slop on the floor. I’d seen wild animals turn away from stuff that looked better than that.
“Hungry?” Tallow joked.
