Evadere

by Sara V. Zook

  “Please welcome my love, Anna James. She’s had rough travels to the castle. I’m so grateful she’s here.” He turned to me and smiled. “She saved my life on Earth.”

  “To Anna,” someone shouted out.

  “To Anna,” others followed.

  “Thank you,” I muttered before sitting back down even more uncomfortable now that I had been so formally introduced.

  The food was served. It was some sort of tender meat, potatoes and vegetables. It was delicious, and I relished every bite, swearing never to take food for granted again after being without it for days in the wilderness of Evadere. What I assumed was some sort of wine in my cup was very sweet as well. It went down smoothly after each bite, and soon I felt a little intoxicated, a little more relaxed and less worried about the situation I had gotten myself into. My thoughts drifted to the fact that Emry Logan was soon to be a king of an entire planet. It was as if the idea of it hadn’t truly processed before as it was now. It was amazing, and I was grateful to be a part of his experience. He was going from Lainey Tritt and prison on Earth, to the luxuries of a glorious castle that had everything anyone could ever want. King Emry. I repeated it within my mind. Emry turned and looked at me. I grinned. I wondered if he could tell I was now a bit tipsy. It didn’t matter really. I didn’t know why I was letting these people make me feel insignificant. Sure, I was human, but who knows, I could be their queen someday, and they’d have to listen to what I had to say, to all of my opinions. Emry loved me. Yes, I was sure I’d be queen of Evadere right by his side.

  “So, Anna …”

  My head shot up as someone was actually trying to make conversation with me. It was an older gentleman who was seated across the table from me. He was balding with a thick black mustache curled slightly on the ends.

  “Prince Emry said you had rough travels. You didn’t come with him I presume?” the man asked.

  “No,” I replied.

  “How did you get here then? Do tell.” He stabbed a fork full of meat and stuffed it into his mouth.

  I realized everyone else was staring at me. I was the center of attention, a position that I always tried to avoid. “Well, I was found by a Scave girl.”

  “A Scavenger?” a woman asked in alarm.

  “Yes,” I answered slowly.

  “Uh, unhealthy creatures,” someone else stated. “I can only image all the diseases you were exposed to.”

  I lowered my eyebrows at their comments. “She was … fine, actually really nice.”

  “How did you get food?” the man across the table asked. “Don’t Scaves steal their food?”

  I wasn’t sure how to answer. I felt trapped by the question. “Um …”

  “Why don’t you get to the good parts?” someone else encouraged. “Were you ever in danger?”

  “I was chased by a group of contributors. I got stoned in the back,” I said flatly.

  Emry glared at me. “What? You didn’t mention that to me.”

  “So much happened,” I stuttered.

  Atavia looked thoroughly amused that I had been in pain. She would’ve been even more amused if I had died. That I was sure of.

  “They mistook you for a Scave,” a younger man said. “Us contributors only stone Scaves.”

  “Well, she’s human,” a woman stated.

  “True,” he agreed. “Basically the same thing.”

  I narrowed my eyes at them. Did Atavia bring these people here to belittle me, or was it everyone’s nature here on Evadere to stereotype people?

  The man across the table dabbed his mouth with a napkin. “Ms. James, you didn’t happen to meet the infamous Scave Karn, did you?”

  “Surely not,” someone said.

  I nervously took another sip of my drink and set it back down. “Yes, I did.”

  “What?” a woman hissed out in shock. “What did he look like? Is he as gruesome as they say?”

  I nodded at her. “He’s horrific, like a beast.”

  “He didn’t slay you?”

  “Obviously not, she’s sitting over there, isn’t she?”

  Someone snickered.

  “He tried,” I whispered. “A Scave boy spared my life, but he was killed by contributors, too.”

  “He probably tried to steal,” someone suggested.

  “Only to try to get caught, so we would get captured by royalty,” I told them.

  “Sounds like a foolish plan to me.”

  “Me, too.”

  I looked up at Atavia who was savoring every moment of my discomfort. She had her elbows propped up on the table as she crossed her heavily jeweled fingers. My temper flared.

  “How dare you judge the Scaves.” I felt my voice grow louder, the alcohol making me bolder with every sip. “They were cast away. They have nothing. How else could they live other than to steal? They have no other means of survival.”

  “They weren’t meant to live,” a woman commented.

  I glared at her. “Who are you to decide?” I yelled out. “What makes them so different than you?”

  “Well, of course, my dear, they have no powers,” the man across the table stated with a smirk.

  “Neither do I,” I said.

  “Well …” he hesitated. I could tell he was about to say something against me, but he changed his mind after glancing Emry’s way.

  “I feel sorry for the Scaves,” I continued. “They’re a horrific people because of the way they’ve been forced to live. How can you blame them for having ill feelings toward contributors?”

  “My dear, Anna.” Atavia spoke for the first time in this conversation. “You don’t know what you’re saying. You only know one side of the story.”

  “I lived that side of the story for a few days. It was terrible.”

  “The Scaves are out to kill us,” she said calmly. “They want Emry dead. Is that what you want?”

  “Of course not,” I snapped. I had suddenly lost my appetite. This dinner had been a trap. I glanced at Emry. Why wasn’t he saying anything? Shouldn’t he be defending me? “This world needs peace.”

  “Peace,” Atavia said. “That’s something we all desire. That’s what we’ve always strived to create.”

  “By labeling powerless babies as Scaves and casting them away for dead?”

  “Anna,” Emry said in a scolding tone.

  I narrowed my eyes at him then. I had offended his guests, his mother.

  “Yes, we are trying to eat,” Atavia added. “Ms. James is obviously still sleep deprived.”

  “No …” I started to say, but Emry put his hand on my knee, stopping me. I sat back in my chair, discouraged. No one would listen to me. No one cared about my opinions. Not even him. I was outnumbered. My sudden burst of boldness vanished.

  “Your majesty.” A servant girl came in through another door. She approached Atavia and whispered something in her ear.

  Atavia clasped her hands in delight. “She made it. I’m so thrilled. Please make sure she gets food served immediately, and send her right in.”

  I watched the servant girl leave and seconds later burst back through the door with a tall, thin woman at her side. She brought her over to Atavia who then stood and placed her hand approvingly on the woman’s back.

  “Friends,” Atavia announced. “Please welcome a daughter of a dear friend of mine, Raleigh.” She turned to her. “Raleigh, you can sit … over there.” She pointed. “There’s an empty chair right next to my son, Prince Emry.” Atavia looked at me and smirked.

  Raleigh strode over to us in a dark wispy dress that flowed behind her as she moved. She had long, shiny blonde hair that reached the middle of her back, curled at the ends. Her face was pale, and her lips had been painted a deep red color. Her cheeks were rosy, and her eyes painted back with long, curly lashes. Emry stood and pulled out a chair for her right next to him. I hated her immediately.

  “Prince Emry, it’s so very nice to finally meet you,” Raleigh said batting her long lashes at him.

  “Likewis
e,” he replied, kindly.

  The servants rushed in with food for Raleigh and piled it on her plate.

  “Oh, my,” she said, smiling. “I couldn’t possibly eat this much.” She giggled and looked at Emry once again.

  The man across the table who had badgered me, spoke up. “Ms. Raleigh, what a delight for you to join us. What group are you from?”

  The woman hadn’t touched her food yet. She unfolded a napkin and spread it out on her lap. “Clothes.”

  “Really?” he said.

  She nodded, her flawless hair falling in blonde tendrils around her face.

  “She’s adding fashion to her clothes. She more like a designer,” Atavia told him. “Don’t be shy, Raleigh. Tell them your ideas.”

  She smiled, loving every minute of the attention. “Well, I just think we need to add a little more fashion to our clothes, have more choices. We’ve had the same designs for such a long time. Although the gowns and pant suits are beautiful, it wouldn’t hurt to have them updated a little.”

  “What a wonderful idea,” a woman said.

  “I would love for that to happen,” another agreed.

  “It’s in the works,” Atavia told them.

  Raleigh took a sip of her drink and daintily set it back down. “After all, even the humans live in world of fashion.”

  Everyone’s eyes flashed to me instantly.

  “Is that true, Ms. James?” the man asked.

  I glared at him but didn’t answer. I was ready to go. They obviously already had all of their minds made up about me.

  “Would you excuse me,” I said standing. “I’m not feeling well suddenly. I think I’m going to go back to my room.”

  “Are you okay?” Emry asked.

  I nodded. “Will you come with me?”

  “Actually,” Atavia interrupted. “Emry, I was hoping you could show Raleigh around the castle. She’s never had a tour before, and she’d love to see the place, wouldn’t you, Raleigh?”

  “Oh, yes, very much,” Raleigh replied.

  Emry stood. “It wouldn’t be polite to ignore a guest.” He turned to me. “I promise I’ll come check on you in a little while, okay?” he whispered in my ear.

  I looked at Raleigh, then Atavia, then him. “Do whatever you have to do.”

  He kissed me on the forehead and sat back down in his chair.

  I stared for a few seconds, shocked that he was staying and I was going. I hurried out of the room and headed straight for the staircase. I sat down on one of the steps and buried my face in my arms resting on my knees.

  Things had changed in the blink of an eye. Emry had finally found his place. Of course he was a prince, why wouldn’t he be? Nobody wanted him to be with a human, but I wasn’t about to give up. I had tried letting go of Emry Logan before and vowed never to do it again. We both needed time to adjust to this new lifestyle. He needed a little bit of space, and no matter how angry that made me, I was just going to have to accept it.

  I sat up and crossed my arms. Raleigh. The thought of her made me burn with more fury. It was as though Atavia had purposely brought her here to compete with me, and Raleigh was beautiful and elegant, all the things I felt far from being. The jealousy feeling was reminiscent of what I had felt when knowing Emry had been married to Candy on Earth. I hated the helpless feeling that went along with it this time. Emry and Raleigh would be alone together tonight as he showed her around the castle. I could just picture her now, laughing and flipping her silky blonde hair behind her back.

  I needed to get up and go somewhere to cool off. If I stayed here, I’d only see Emry and Raleigh together, and then who knows what I’d do. I might go off the deep end and do something or say something I would regret. I had to trust him, give him some space. Atavia, Raleigh … they couldn’t come between us.

  I moved away from the stairs and roamed around the main floor. I tried to distract myself by paying special attention to the artsy detail that covered every inch of this place. Then I walked through a narrow corridor and a strange door caught my eye at the end of it. Then I recognized it. It led down to the dungeon. Jo entered my mind. Surely she wasn’t down there again. She hadn’t been at dinner. Atavia seemed perfectly capable of locking Jo back up behind Emry’s back. I wouldn’t put it past her. Something told me she was down there.

  I had to pull back very hard just to get the door to budge as it was extremely heavy. I looked backwards to make sure no one was watching when I heard the screechy noise it made as I pulled it open wider so I could fit through. Seeing no one, I closed the door behind me as I made my way down the dark staircase. I could feel the dampness increase with each step. There was a small torch lit along the wall. This place reminded me of something I would’ve seen in a movie. It was creepy, cold and full of shadows. It was different being here for the second time. This time, I was all alone. My breathing became shallow as I grabbed the torch and held it out in front of me.

  Atavia didn’t hold many prisoners, and from what I could tell of the small dungeon, they didn’t stay here long. I wondered how the whole judicial system worked here. Was there a counsel, or did Atavia just have say over everyone?

  I held the torch out. It was so quiet, I could hear my own heart beating away in my chest.

  “Jo?” I whispered. I cleared my throat. “Jo?” I said a little louder. There was no response.

  You shouldn’t be down here, I scolded myself. I held the torch up to the first cell on my left. It was empty. I took a few more steps and held it out to the right. Again, empty. My feet clumsily shuffled along.

  “Jo?” I called out. “Anyone?”

  Moving to the next set of cells, these were the last ones. I saw a wall up ahead indicating this was all that was down here. I held the torch up to the right again. A face peered at me pressed up against the bars. I screamed and jumped back. An eerie cackle escaped from the prisoner’s mouth. I took a deep breath in an attempt to compose myself.

  I moved closer, realizing I was safe on the other side of the bars, but still feeling the panic zipping within me. I held the light up and squinted my eyes for a moment, trying to focus on the face. What I saw made me gasp and jump back. No, this couldn’t be true. I covered my mouth. It wasn’t Jo, but it was someone I knew … someone I thought I’d never have to see again.

  Chapter 9

  “What are you doing here?” she growled at me.

  I couldn’t see her face anymore as I was standing back, but the glimpse of her face I’d had a moment ago was haunting.

  “Me?” I said. “What are you doing here? I thought you were exiled to Earth.” I stepped forward. The light illuminated upon Mrs. Anderson’s face.

  “How did you know that?” she snapped.

  The voice didn’t match the face. She seemed freaked out here, the complete opposite of how composed she had been while on Earth. I had never heard her raise her voice once. I remember it had driven me crazy that she could almost yell with a controlled voice, but now, her emotions were no longer bound.

  “How dare you be here,” she continued. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you?”

  I stared as the torch light reflected in Mrs. Anderson’s pupils, tiny flames dancing in her wicked eyes.

  “I’m dumbfounded Atavia even permits you here. Do you know what she thinks of humans? It’s all your fault I’m here.”

  “My fault?” I raised my eyebrows.

  “This is all about him.”

  “Who?”

  “Don’t play stupid with me. You know that I mean Emry Logan. You’ve done nothing but ruin my plans to get rid of him once and for all. He’s no good. You have no idea what you’re messing with.” Mrs. Anderson narrowed her eyes. “I can’t believe I’m looking at you here of all places.”

  I felt a lump begin to form in my throat. “I don’t understand what you have against him. He’s a good person.”

  She chuckled. “Humans know nothing about powers, because they have none. Here everything is about power. Everything
is controlled by it. Everyone only strives for more. Emry is Atavia’s child. Atavia is pure evil.”

  “She loves Emry.”

  “She loves power more. I was trying to get rid of him before he matured into his powers, while he was still clueless of his heritage on Earth, but of course, you had to stick your nose into all of that. Please, enlighten me, Ms. James. How has your beloved Emry been since he’s been here? Has he been as attentive to your every need?” she asked.

  I remained silent, biting the inside of my lip so that Mrs. Anderson wouldn’t know she had struck a nerve.

  She grinned and pressed her face even further against the bars. “Because he’s power hungry, too. They become obsessed with it. It takes over and controls even the deepest of emotions, even love.” She hesitated for a moment. “Atavia doesn’t view Emry as her son. He’s merely another product for her to control, to use at her will to do what she wants. The entire royal bloodline needs to be destroyed.” Mrs. Anderson’s hands released their tight grasp on the bars and fell to her sides. “The task would be completed if you hadn’t interfered. I had him right where I wanted him.”

  “You don’t know what you’re saying.” I tried to sound harsh, but my voice came out as timid.

  “No, you don’t know what you’re saying. You know nothing about these matters. You’re merely human, and you’re blinded by love, a love that doesn’t even exist between you and Emry Logan.” She cackled again. “You’ll find out soon enough. One thing you’d better get through your head fast, Ms. James. You’re powerless in a world of power.”

  “What’s going on here?” a voice shouted out.

  I turned around to see the silhouette of a figure headed straight toward me. It was Jillianne, Atavia’s right hand woman. Her eyebrows were lowered as she tromped toward me with her own torch.

  “You’re not permitted down here,” she shrieked in her annoying, high-pitched voice. She glanced at Mrs. Anderson and then grabbed my wrist and spun me around.

  “Hey!” I yelled. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Jillianne continued to sink her nails into my skin, forcing me to leave the dungeon. “I’m taking you straight to the queen to inform her of what you’ve done.”