THREE SOLDIERS APPEARED FROM BEHIND the stage, wearing black from head to toe in nearly skintight uniforms. All wore the weird tinted glasses. Greater soldiers were in the village. This was bad. One positioned himself next to Kyan and immediately escorted him from the stage, none too gently. The other two found my elbows and half-forced, half-helped me descend the steps and cross the village square.
Crew walked ahead with a fierce determination. The path was wide enough for four people and was the only one that led to the train depot. Tears bit at the back of my eyes. I hated crying. It showed weakness. But, that was exactly what I wanted to do right now. I wanted to run away from here. Put as much distance between myself and Crew as possible. He was a liar and a Greater. My enemy. And, I’d allowed myself to trust him, to love him. That was what hurt the most. I’d been such a fool.
Wrapping my arms around myself, I tried to keep up with the long strides and fast pace set by Crew and the Greater guards. I’d only seen them once. Two years ago, several guards came by train to collect information during a mandatory census. The Greaters wanted to know who owned each dwelling, how many adults and children resided in each one, current pregnancies, the number of males versus females in the village, their assigned jobs, etc. They asked all sorts of questions. Lulu had told me it was common and happened every ten years or so, but her forced smiles and knuckle cracking told a different tale.
We crested the large hill and began our descent. I gripped the strange fabric of my dress’s skirt for dear life, hoping that it would somehow steady me; body and mind. My heart beat furiously and I felt sick, as if a millstone lay in my stomach, heavy and cold. Glancing behind me, the trees along the line of the forest waved in the wind, a macabre goodbye. Their bony, bare fingers mocked me.
I tripped over a rock and the guards who flanked me caught me and hauled me upright before I hit the ground.
“Put her in my car,” Crew ordered harshly.
The two guards grabbed my elbows and all but dragged me around the back of the train and inside a shiny metal car, the insignia of Olympus proudly embossed upon the silver vessel. An “O” halfway filled with what looked like water or waves shone back at me. In the right upper corner, sat the sun, its beams striking the waves at the horizon below in various places. Two small birds flew happily off into the sunlight. Unfortunately, I was not one of those free, happy birds. I was being caged, a pet claimed to entertain a Greater. The guards exited and stood outside the doors. If I thought I’d been in prison in the village, I was wrong. Dead wrong.
I stepped into the car. Everything inside was white—walls, floor, ceiling, décor- everything. To the left, sat a small white circular table with two, short, unpigmented plastic chairs. The design of the furniture flowed in smooth lines. There were curves. No harsh lines to be found anywhere. If it had been made of wood, everything would have been angular. But this plastic flowed sensually, like the hips of a woman. There was a small couch to the right, upholstered in thick white fabric, over the back of which lay a white fur. The fur was soft and thick as I ran my hands over and under it. In front of the couch was an oval table, made of the same white plastic. It sat only a couple of feet off the ground.
A large bed took up the back half of the train car. The ghostly, ashen headboard had a symbol carved into it and the footboard was carved to match. Touching the footboard post, I found that it was made of wood. The bumpy wood grains dotted across my fingertips as I ran them over it. It’d been white washed. The symbol was an “O” much like the one on the outside of the train car, but it was what lay within that letter that scared me. An apple, stalk of wheat, twig with cotton on it, what looked like a chunk of coal, stalk of corn, bunch of grapes, and several other things fill the letter, all overflowing from a traditional weaved cornucopia. And, then I saw it. In small letters, stretched across the top curve read: “May the Harvest be Bountiful.”
I knew the Greaters always took an interest in our production. They relied on us to produce their food and raw materials, so I even understood their oversight. But, this was strange. Why was it carved on the head and foot boards of Crew’s bed? On the bed of the Crown Prince of Olympus? Why did the crown prince have anything to do with the harvest of the Lesser villages? Why would he bother himself with us at all?
The door of the car opened automatically as Crew strode in. He stood rigidly on the other end of the car. His black suit and hair contrast dramatically with the stark, sterility surrounding him, surrounding us. I looked down at the teal dress that I was wearing. The dress he gave me. I thought he was a Lesser, someone who cared about me, if nothing more. My teeth ground together, the sound echoing into my ears. He stared at me, lips pressed into a tight grimace.
When he moved toward me, I flinched back. I didn’t want him to touch me. Silently he put his hands out as if in defeat and moved toward the couch, taking a seat. Rubbing his palms along his thighs, he blew out a breath. Time stilled. Is he ever going to speak?
“You’re a liar.” There. I would start.
He looked at me. “That is fair.”
I scoffed. “Are you really the Crown Prince of Olympus?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t even know that they had a prince. Or a King. I thought they had a council, that the leadership in the Lesser villages mirrored those of the Greater cities.” My hands were slick with sweat, which I tried to wipe off on the tainted gown.
“There is a council. My father consults them on all matters. He values their opinions. He’s known and trusted most of them for years. But, my father is king and all decisions ultimately lie with him. Though he rarely goes against their advice.”
“Why did you put this thing on me?” My fingers moved over the cool metal around my throat. “I feel like an animal.”
“In Olympus, it is an honor to wear your husband, or intended’s ring.”
“This isn’t a ring. It’s a collar.” My voice rises.
“It is a ring. It’s just worn around the throat.”
I moved it around, again searching for a clasp, some way to remove it. “Can I take it off?”
“No.”
“Never?” I squeaked.
“It must stay on until we are joined. But most women display theirs proudly for the duration of the marriage.”
Duration of the marriage? “How long do marriages last in Olympus?”
He laughed lightly and looked up at me. “Marriages last as long as the couples in them do. Same as they do here.”
“Stop laughing at me. I don’t want to wear this. I want you to take it off. Now!”
His smile faded. Blinking, he matter-of-fact answered, “I will not.”
“You won’t? You’re going to force me to marry you? Do you think that forcing my hand and making me miserable will make for a happy marriage?”
“No. But I will not stand for the alternative.”
“Kyan?”
He ticked his head back as if I’d slapped him. “Kyan? Kyan is a pawn and he doesn’t even know it. My father is going to place him in the Council. He will nudge him and use him as he does all of the others.”
“Your father said he couldn’t be placed in the Council unless he was married.”
Crew looked away from me and clears his throat.
“He is being married, as we speak.”
“Excuse me!” I yelled.
He jumped to his feet, strode quickly across the car and stood in front of me. “You will remember who it is that you are addressing!”
“Oh, that’s right! The Crown Prince, the liar who gained my trust so he could manipulate me. You speak of your father using people. You’re no better.” My hands shook uncontrollably, as did my voice now. “And Kyan won’t be moved around like some piece in whatever sick game your father is playing. And, there is no way he’ll marry Paige or anyone else right now.” I stood my ground in front of him, praying that I didn’t hit him or kick him in his junk.
“I am better. But here are the facts, Abigail. I love yo
u,” he raised his hand to stop me from interrupting and I snapped my mouth closed, huffing and crossing my arms. “I do. I love you. I think I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. You were being harassed by Zander. I wanted to have him dragged away and tortured, just for touching you, for intimidating you. I wanted...I wanted to kill him. With my bare hands.” He looks down at his palms, which he held out facing him. “Kyan will be married tonight. My father will see to it. The ceremony is probably already over. Did Kyan ever want to marry Paige?”
His eyebrows raise, in expectation of my answer. “No.”
“Don’t you find it strange that Kyan accepted her as his betrothed for so long? It was all planned. You got in the way of those plans.”
“I... Your father asked me to marry Ky just tonight at the Festival!”
“He wanted you out of the way.” His voice rose.
“Whose way? What way?”
“Mine.”
“I don’t understand.” I shook my head.
“Preston was his pawn for a long time. When he told my father about Zander’s infatuation with you, my father told him to make it happen. That’s why they came on so strong.”
Oh my gosh. My stomach hit the floor. I grabbed hold of my abdomen. “Lulu?”
Crew slowly nodded. “She got in their way.”
“But he saved me that day. And then he sent for Mr. Guthrie.”
He shook his head. “He had to act like it was all Preston. Preston took the fall for everything. Then, to keep peace in the village, he called for Healer Guthrie to attend to you. If you had died, there would have been an uprising. I’m sure of it, and so was he. To stop that from happening, he saved you.”
“Then, he asked me to marry Kyan to keep me away from you?”
“Yes. But also to calm the villagers. So much had happened that they were sure to rebel. I’m sorry.”
I moved backwards until the post of the footboard brushed my back. I get it. “He didn’t want his son to marry a Lesser.”
Crew blew out a breath. “Yes. I was supposed to choose an intended upon my arrival back to Olympus, after the harvest. Although, I’m not sure—”
“Why did you stop the wedding? Why not just let me marry Kyan and go find a Greater, make daddy proud?”
“Because I love you. I want you to be my forever.”
I blew out a pent up breath. “Crew, what’s going to happen? Your father is not going to take what you did tonight in stride. You stood up to him in front of the entire village.”
He laughed harshly. “You forgot the part where I exposed myself and him. But it won’t matter now anyway.” My eyes met his. “You aren’t going to like what I have to say.”
I rolled my eyes. “What else could you possibly say to surprise me?”
He shifted his feet and swallowed thickly. “We aren’t here to harvest apples.”
MY MIND SPUN OUT OF control, and I began to feel like a child who’d whirled around in one place for too long, dizzy and disoriented. “What are you here to harvest?”
Crew gently cupped my elbow and led me to the couch, where he settled down beside me. “We are here to harvest females of childbearing age.”
“Excuse me?” My words barely left my lips as a whisper.
“The Greaters have prided themselves on eradicating a multitude of diseases that plagued humanity even just a couple of generations ago. As children, we are all given a battery of vaccinations against these illnesses.” Crew shrugged off his jacket, and unbuttoned the cuff of his shirt sleeve at his wrist. He rolled up his sleeve one crisp, white fold of fabric at a time, until the muscles of his forearms, and then biceps were exposed. A one inch square filled with tiny white dots of raised flesh rested upon his right bicep. “See?”
“Yes.” I look quickly at my arms, even underneath to make sure I don’t have any marks like that.
He laughed, deep and hearty. “You don’t have one.” He recovered, “Only Greaters are inoculated.”
“Oh.” Well, I felt stupid. “Just making sure.”
“With the vaccines, come side effects. We thought most were safe. There was swelling around the injection site, redness and soreness, as well. Some individuals would be feverish for a few days; others would experience nausea or vomiting, sometimes both.” He searched my eyes.
“Okay.”
“Over time, all Greater children were vaccinated and it became mandatory to do so. There were no long term complications or side effects, or so we thought. When the first round of children came into adulthood, about half had trouble conceiving after reaching adulthood. Testing revealed that the problem lay within the reproductive system of the female population. Greater males were not sterile. However, the females were barren. At first, no one understood what was happening. But after more and more of the female population became sterile, and fewer and fewer Greater children were born, the problem was tracked to the series of vaccines given to the females as children.”
He continued, “We’ve since stopped giving the vaccines to female children, until we can isolate which specific one or combination is causing the infertility. But, all Greater women of childbearing age right now are barren. No more Greaters will be born in this generation, maybe for several.”
“So, you want Greater males to take Lesser females as wives? Breed them like cattle? What?”
“The scientists want to harvest eggs from Lesser women, inseminate them, and place them into the wombs of Greaters so that the Greater females may have children of their own. Information about this issue isn’t widely known. The procedures are mostly painless and can be done in doctor’s offices discreetly, so as not to cause a panic.”
“So the Greater women don’t know they’re having Lesser babies.”
He swallowed and nodded. “Yes.” Rolling his sleeves back down, Crew buttoned the cuff and looked back over at me. “Look, I know you don’t understand all of this and probably think it’s wrong, but—”
“Oh, I understand it all very well. And, it is wrong. What you’re doing is deceitful, to the Lesser and Greater women, and the population of Olympus itself. Your father is a master manipulator and your standing by his side tells me a lot about your character, Crew. And, I don’t like what’s been brought to light.”
He lowered his eyes and turned his head away, then stood, grabbed his jacket and stalked silently out the door.
∞
WHAT FELT LIKE AN HOUR later, while still sitting on the blanched couch in the ghostly car, I heard the unmistakable sound of screaming erupted outside the train car. All of the girls who’d been helping Orchard Village with its harvest were being rounded up like cattle. I could see the girls from Wheat and Coal, from Vineyard and Maise. Then came the ones from my own village. Girls I’d known my entire life, were being dragged toward the trains by an army of guards, clad solely in black, like thieves in the night. The car roughly rocked to and fro as they were loaded into the cars attached to Crew’s.
Laney! Two guards dragged Laney down the hill. She dug her heels into the dirt, causing a two-foot high dust trail to follow in her wake. She thrashed and pulled, scratching and clawing for a freedom that would never be hers. I banged on the glass panes of the windows. “Laney! Laney! Let her go! Please! Laney!”
I moved toward the front of the car watching as she disappeared into the train car in front of me. What are they going to do to them? To us?
Would the Greaters let them come home after they strip their ovaries? The thought left a sour taste in my mouth. Bile burned my throat and tears stung my eyes, before spilling onto the flesh of my chest. And I cried. Sobbed. For my friends. For what would be stolen from them, ripped out and given to someone else. I seethed with hatred for the Greaters and Crew was very lucky he wasn’t in my presence right now.
∞
I LOOKED LIKE A BIG stain of color in a room of nothing, dirt upon perfection. For twenty minutes, I cried, sitting by the window looking out at the only home I’d ever known. Unable to escape this prison. Tw
o angry, deep voices boomed just outside the door of my car: Crew and his father.
“I told you to leave her alone. What part of that did you not understand?”
“She is a Lesser. You also said I could choose from among the eligible females. The only stipulation you gave me was not to bother with those who were betrothed. That was it, Father!”
“Do you not have eyes, Son?” Exasperation laced his voice.
“What are you talking about?”
“She may have been raised a Lesser, but look at her eyes.” Silence. “Ahh, now you get it. She was born Greater. She may have been inoculated. She may be infertile. And, you...you have to give Olympus an heir.” His voice raised with each word.
“What about Cam?”
“You are my firstborn. It is your responsibility.”
“That is archaic, Father.”
“Perhaps, but it’s just the way things are. Does she even know of the ring?” Silence. “I didn’t think so. The mirrors here are aged. At best, most are tarnished and warped.”
“I love her.”
“I know you do, Son. But, you have a duty to your people. I’ll have her tested. If she is fertile, you can have her.”
They were speaking of me like I was a possession. Have me? And why would they think I was born a Greater? How would a Greater come to be a Lesser? And what freaking ring?! They weren’t talking about the one around my neck.
The door of the car opened with a whoosh of air and Crew climbed the three steps and then walked down the narrow aisle way decreasing the physical distance between him and me. “I know you probably heard part of that.”
I nodded, not having anything to say to him. Most of what left his lips was a lie and I was worn out and tired of his lying tongue. The mouth he’d used to love me with had cut me in two.
Reap (The Harvest Saga Book 1) Page 17
