Stranger

by Bryant, S. J.

  He straightened and nodded to Bitami. "The poles, both of them."

  Bitami bowed and marched out into the garden. The guards holding Nova and Meeka followed behind, dragging their captives with rough hands.

  Nova's insides boiled and she had trouble focusing her eyes through the red haze. Meeka's feet dragged against the floor beside her, her head hanging low and her breath reduced to ragged gasps.

  The guards dragged them around to the back of the garden, hidden from the main entrance by the house. Here two wooden poles thrust out of the ground with ropes and chains tangled around their bases.

  Nova swallowed hard. The poles looked like torture devices, complete with spatters of dried blood. She planted her feet into the ground and pushed against the guards, struggling to break free. Bitami kicked the back of her knees and her legs collapsed beneath her.

  Nova's guards slammed her back against the pole while Bitami wrapped the ropes and chains around her. He started with her arms and legs, pinning them so tightly that she may as well have been encased in solid rock, then he moved to her body. He wrapped coil after coil around her midsection and then over her shoulders. The ropes held her in place while the chains weighed down her shoulders. Even before Bitami had finished, Nova's back ached with the effort of standing under the weight.

  With the last rope secure, Bitami moved on to Meeka and performed a similar ritual. By the time he was done, only Meeka's head protruded above the mass of ropes and chains. Her frail neck quivered under the weight as her head lolled against the wooden pole.

  "What the fuck is this?" Nova yelled at Bitami when he turned to walk away.

  "Your punishment," he said with a shrug, before marching off, followed by his guards.

  Meeka let out a soft sigh. Her eyes were pinched closed and her breath rasped in her throat.

  Nova's legs wobbled. The chains seemed to get heavier with every passing moment; they tugged at her shoulders, threatening to pull her down. Only she couldn't drop because she was pinned to the pole, so she had no choice but to stand there and be crushed under the weight.

  "Meeka?" Nova said.

  "Mmm?" Meeka said.

  "Stay with me."

  "I can't go anywhere," Meeka whispered.

  "I can't believe that bastard. Are you okay?" Pain pulsed through Nova's face with each beat of her heart and tears stung the corners of her eyes.

  "I think one of my ribs is broken," Meeka said between breaths. Her eyes were still closed; she looked as though she was concentrating very hard.

  "Then you need help! How long will he leave us out here?"

  Meeka snorted. "Until we die? I don't know… until we learn our lesson I suppose."

  "Learn our lesson? We didn't do anything."

  "I brought you the boots," Meeka said, sighing and opening her eyes.

  "So what?" Nova strained to look at Meeka.

  "So you could fight properly and you won. Now Omi has to do what you asked and he blames me."

  "That's ridiculous. It was supposed to be a fair fight."

  "Of course it wasn't, or he would have told you it started at dawn."

  "He set me up from the start?"

  "Of course," Meeka said.

  Nova leant her head against the pole. The ropes chaffed at her arms and wrists; she could already feel the burn and was sure blood would be dripping down her hands within the hour. Her shoulders felt like they carried the weight of the world and agony coursed up her neck.

  "The sooner I get off this planet, the better."

  "At least you can get away," said Meeka.

  They stood in relative silence as the sun faded towards the horizon. As the light fell away, the garden came alive with insects and scurrying animals.

  A sharp sting made Nova's shoulder twitch. A second hit the middle finger of her right hand. A third her forehead.

  Nova whipped her head to the side. "Bloody mosquitoes!"

  Another landed on her cheek while more swarmed around her, even finding pieces of flesh hidden by chains. In just a few minutes her skin felt covered in bites that itched like a junkie's rash. Nova writhed against the chains. "When I get hold of him, I'll kill him."

  "As long as you keep saying that, he'll keep us here," Meeka said, seeming unaffected by the mosquitos.

  "Well it's bloody hard not to hate him when there's nothing else to do."

  "The first time I was put here I was five years old," Meeka said, voice soft.

  "You… what?" Nova said, forgetting the mosquitoes.

  "I was five," Meeka repeated, gazing into the darkness of the garden. "I was terrified of the dark then. I would have done anything to get back inside."

  "Who would put a five year old out like this?" Nova said.

  Something cold clamped about her chest at the thought of a five year old weighted under the chains and terrified of the darkness.

  "It was my father; on the day I'd been forbidden from attending school."

  "What did you do?"

  Meeka let out a derisive snort. "Nothing. I was labelled a troublemaker from the day I was born because of my eyes and the teachers saw it the same way. When a group of children ganged up on me they said it was my fault; I was banned from school after that. My father was furious because at least with an education there was some hope for me. I think he hoped I would die out here; then he wouldn't have to be bothered with me."

  Nova shook her head, lost for words.

  "I've been out here lots of times since then," Meeka said. "Don't worry. You forget about the chains after a while."

  Nova didn't think that was possible. The sheer weight of them was making her head pound, still she bit her lip, if a five year old could get through it then so could she.

  ***

  Nova spent the night drifting in and out of sleep. Just when her eyes closed, something in the garden would move, or the chains would jingle and she'd snap awake again. Beside her, Meeka's head lolled from side to side.

  The first spec of dawn was a welcome sight because it chased the mosquitoes away. Nova watched the sun rise with some apprehension. The chains dug deep gauges in her flesh and bruises ached along most of her back. She hoped that Omi would find it in himself to let them down; she could barely face the thought of spending another day strung to the pole.

  They waited in silence as the sun got higher. It cast the garden into dappled shade, except where the poles were. The trees and grass around the poles had been cleared away so that they stood in a desolate patch of dirt. No overhanging trees stopped the sun beating down on them and as the day wore on, the sun got hotter.

  Sweat poured down Nova's face and soaked her arms and legs beneath the chains. The salty layer made the ropes and chains chafe worse and left her body stinging. She could smell the sweat clinging to her body but she couldn't even raise an arm to wipe the droplets from her face. She licked her top lip and closed her eyes. She refused to beg Omi for mercy.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  It was mid-afternoon when rough voices roused Nova from her heat-induced daze.

  "Toro is coming! Omi wants her down and cleaned off before he arrives."

  Nova opened her eyes a slit. Bitami and two other guards hurried towards her, faces grim. They kept glancing over their shoulders and talking in low voices to one another.

  "We'll have to take them through the back," said Bitami. "Toro is already at the gate."

  The guards ran to Nova's side, unlocking the metal chains and unwinding them from her shoulders. The sudden weightlessness made Nova feel as if she were flying. Her shoulders lifted involuntarily and she rolled her neck, relishing in the cracking of her vertebrae.

  They untied the rope from around her bloody wrists, strips of skin peeling away and clinging to the metal. She touched a hand to her shoulder; it came away bloody.

  They untied Meeka, but her expression didn't change as the chains came free. Bloody grazes covered her skin, interspersed with blooming bruises. It was only then that Nova noticed the scars already m
arking Meeka's wrists and shoulders.

  She clenched her teeth and turned on Bitami.

  "This way," he said, ignoring her glare.

  He slid a section of wall aside to reveal a dim passage leading into the back of the mansion. A guard led the way inside, followed by Meeka and Nova. The other guard and Bitami came up the rear. The short passage came out in a small alcove at the back of the bath house. The steam from the heated pool filled the air with fragrant clouds.

  "You will wash and put on clean clothes," Bitami said, pointing to a folded pile. "Then you will come out and greet Toro."

  Nova glared at him but for the moment she was too focused on her injuries to bother striking back. The warm water bubbled beneath her and promised release from her aching muscles. She ignored the guards and stepped into the water fully clothed.

  Dirt and blood streamed off her and into the water. The small outlet stream carried the filth away as she let the water run over her injured wrists. It stung at first; the water tugged at loose tendrils of skin and got into the grazes. She bit her lip and let the water do its work.

  The guards hurried out of the room, leaving Meeka and Nova alone. Meeka delicately removed her dress and lowered herself into the water with a low moan. Nova averted her eyes and focused on scrubbing the dirt from her hands but even so she couldn't help notice the purple bruising covering Meeka's left side. She bit down on the rage rising in her stomach and focused on washing away the dirt.

  When the pain in her wrists had eased, she tugged her clothes off and laid them in a sopping pile by the water's edge. She drew a deep breath and lowered the rest of her body into the warm water. The sudden sting at her shoulders brought tears to her eyes. She could picture the raw skin leaking blood into the water but couldn't bring herself to look.

  After the initial sting the warm water went to work on her exhausted muscles. The knots in her neck and shoulders faded away and she let her back relax. More layers of grime fell off, colouring the water a dull brown, but gradually her pink skin was revealed.

  Meeka dunked her head under the water and pulled her fingers through her hair, dragging out leaves and chunks of dirt.

  "We shouldn't stay too long," Meeka said. "It would be an insult to Toro, and Omi won't be in a good mood."

  Nova sighed. She could quite easily have spent the rest of the day in the bath, letting the pain of her time on the pole get carried away. She knew Meeka was right though, and the last thing she wanted was to be strung up on the pole again as soon as Toro left.

  She scrubbed once more at her skin to remove the last traces of dirt and then stood, letting the warm water run off her in rivulets. She climbed out of the pool and towelled herself dry. Meeka did the same. They pulled on the simple clothing; both wore white trousers with loose shirts that hung down past their wrists. The fabric was light and gentle against their wounds whilst also conveniently hiding their injuries.

  Nova rolled her eyes and led the way to the main entrance hall. She entered to find Toro sitting on the platform surrounded by pillows while Omi knelt on the floor. She relished in the sight of him having to grovel in his own home. It made a good change.

  She walked to the platform, doing her best to hide the pain emanating from almost every inch of her, and bowed before Toro, as far away from Omi as she could manage. Meeka bowed low on her other side.

  "Stranger," said Toro.

  Nova sat up on her knees and looked at him.

  "I'd like to continue our last conversation. The rest of you may leave us," Toro said.

  "My Lord, she's dangerous. I really don't think—" Omi said.

  "I said leave us," Toro repeated, glaring at Omi.

  Omi bit his lip and stood. He withdrew from the room along with Meeka and the guards until Nova was left alone with Toro.

  "You may sit comfortably," Toro said, pushing a red cushion towards her.

  She took it and sat, trying to keep a straight face as pain shot up her knees.

  "You're injured," Toro said. He wove his fingers in front of his face and looked at her over the top. "Let me guess; Omi lost his temper again."

  Nova nodded once.

  Toro's expression didn't change. "Unfortunately while most of us have control of our emotions there are some who haven't yet mastered it."

  "I just want to go home," Nova said. "With my companions."

  "Where is your home?"

  Nova tilted her head to one side. That was a hard question to answer seeing as she didn't really know. "For the moment it's on our ship."

  "The contraption you were found with?"

  "Yes."

  "But what do you eat? Have you found a way to survive without food?"

  "No. We have ways of making food," Nova said, not wanting to reveal too much.

  "From nothing?"

  "Yes."

  Toro nodded. Nova had expected some exclamation or at least a raised eyebrow but he gave nothing. His face remained the same serene mask it had been since she entered the room.

  "When can we leave?"

  "When you've taught me about your technology."

  "I thought invention was banned on Chindo," Nova said sharply. She thought of Meeka and her hidden alcove.

  "To some, yes," said Toro. "It would give the people too much power, which they wouldn't be able to handle. Wars and crime would break out. It's much better to keep things as they are; peaceful."

  "So why would you want to know about our technology?"

  Toro lowered his hands to his knees and leaned forward. "I said inventions are forbidden to the common people. I am anything but common."

  As his tunic slipped forward Nova caught a glimpse inside to his undershirt. Tucked into a smooth holster was the unmistakable shape of a plasma pistol. It glinted silver in the torchlight of the hall.

  Nova bit her lip to stop herself gasping. Her eyes flicked back to Toro's face and she tried to keep her expression neutral. Inside, her heart was raced. The gun didn't fit into anything else she'd seen on Chindo, like the swords the rest of the people carried. A cold fear crept through her stomach; if Toro was hiding that kind of technology, what else was he capable of? The interference, blocking her communication with Cal, maybe it wasn't natural at all.

  Her mind raced as she sat as still as stone, watching Toro. She forced herself to keep her eyes on his face, instead of returning to the gun at his waist. If she could just keep calm then maybe he wouldn't know she'd seen it.

  "We'll come back to the magic food," Toro said. "First, tell me where you come from."

  "Where I come from?"

  "Yes."

  Nova took a deep breath to calm her beating heart. She couldn't see any harm in revealing her home planet.

  "Tabryn," she said. "In the Pleasure District."

  "Tabryn," Toro said, his tongue struggling over the unfamiliar word. "And all of you come from this, Tabryn?"

  "No," Nova said slowly. "We all come from different planets."

  "But how can that be? You all look and speak the same. You have the same technology."

  Nova puzzled over the question. She had no idea what Toro was trying to get at.

  "We're all humans," she said slowly.

  "Yes," Toro said. "Where do humans come from?"

  "What?" Nova frowned. Clearly the people of Chindo were human so they must have come from the same place; how could they not know?

  Toro gazed at her but didn't repeat the question.

  "Earth," Nova said. "We come from a planet called Earth."

  "Earth," Toro said. He nodded to himself. "Tell me about the humans."

  Nova made a stumbling start, explaining the expansion of the human colonies and the formation of the Confederacy. She was careful to skirt around the level of their technology and the colonisation ships. She needed to know how much Toro already knew before laying all her cards out.

  "Where did your people come from?" Nova asked.

  "Earth," Toro replied with a sly smile.

  Nova's fist clenched b
ut she forced herself to stay calm. "I mean, how did you get here? How long have you been here? What do you know about your history?"

  "In a ship," Toro said, steepling his fingers in front of his face.

  "What about the rest?"

  "We've been here for as long as our history tells us and we know as much of our history as you. Do your people fight?"

  Nova bit her lip and hid her frustration, it would get her nowhere with Toro. She turned her attention back to his question and thought about all the fighting going on in the human colonies. It wasn't just the Hunters and the Confederacy, there were always small turf wars going on between the planets and even between cities. She'd stayed well away from that though.

  "Sometimes," she replied.

  "Tell me about it."

  Toro had a way of asking simple questions that left Nova talking for what felt like hours. Somehow he got her to reveal far more than she would have liked without telling her anything. They spoke until well past midnight and by the end Nova's voice was hoarse.

  "Thank you," Toro said. "You may go now. I will call upon you again and we'll talk more."

  Nova nodded and bowed her head before backing out of the room and sliding the screen shut behind her. She shuffled back to her room, her eyes drooping closed before she'd even shut the sliding door behind her.

  Just as she was about to collapse into bed a soft tap sounded at her door.

  "Yes?" she said, exhausted.

  The door slid open to reveal Ree carrying a small tray loaded with food.

  "I thought you might be hungry," she said.

  In response Nova's stomach growled. She hadn't even noticed just how starving she was until she saw the food. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten; she'd been tied to the pole and before that she'd been fighting Nori.

  "Thank you," Nova said, sitting on the floor in front of the tray.

  Ree bowed low and slipped out through the sliding panel. As soon as she was gone Nova dug into the food, ignoring the small tongs and instead used her fingers to lift the food from the plate to her mouth. She was so hungry that even the slimy white tentacles tasted alright. She swallowed every morsel, leaving the sparkling orange cube until last.