Elemental Thief Part I : Child of Calamity

Desperation

Two days.

She had travelled with no issues for two days, but upon stopping on that second day, one of the Guards called her over, and she found herself facing the intelligent silver-eyed gaze of the man who had escorted her and Glenora on the first day.

"This isn't your work team." He said simply, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched her as he might watch one of his own children.

"I didn't want to stay back there." She whispered, shaking her head and watching him for a long moment, fighting to control the fear, the frustration and the panic that was rising. "Just let me stay out with this team, then I'll join up with mine and fall right back into that schedule."

He didn't understand her, even if he knew what she was saying. She saw his expression as his eyes searched her face. "We have this schedule for a reason. You need the break. You're barely being allowed to be on the work team as it is, as young as you are."

She looked down at her hands, then nodded slowly, feeling a large pit of sinking dread. "I didn't mean to make any trouble. Just this once, we're already two days out. By the time I'm back, it'll be four days."

"If we were walking. No. In the morning, I'll fly you back. I knew you were on the wagon the entire time, child. I'll need to report this to my commanders and once we're back, you'll be lucky if they let you return to your work team. You can't break the rules we have for everyone, and think nothing will come of it." His voice was gentle, patient, and a little regretful.

In different circumstances, she would have felt obligated to just accept what he said and do her best to keep out of trouble, even just to keep him out of trouble. But the sense of security that had seemed to build with every mile she put between her and where Kethan would be waiting for her disappeared with the threat that they would be returning to the camp outside of Reysana and she knew, somehow, deep in the core of her being, that if she went back, she wouldn't be safe.

But she would get nowhere arguing with the man, no matter how gentle and understanding he appeared to be. Feigning resignation to her fate, she nodded and went to sit down under the temporary shelter that had been put up while they were talking, grabbing a dish of food and sitting in a corner to eat.

Camp life continued as it always did, with the workers setting things up and the Rulin supervising, just prowling around, watching both the humans and the darkness beyond the flickering torches. She knew they were watching her, knew that they weren't as oblivious as they pretended to be. She didn't even need to look at them to know.

They'd be able to hear her without being near her, so she forced herself to eat as she tried to settle herself on a course of action that was thought out.

Treasa didn't know why it was so difficult to decide to leave, even now. It was clear in her mind that as scary as the woods were and as ominous as the threat of Cassaei possibly was; she stood a better chance out there, with things she didn't quite believe in, then back within reach of Kethan.

But she found herself thinking of the people she had come across in the short time she had been in Rulin and aching to leave them behind. She had known more kindness, more people considering her well being within the last several weeks than she had since her mother had died. Their companionship, even in the small snippets she had experienced, had grown hooks into her heart and Treasa knew she would be throwing it all away if she ran. Even if she survived, she could never return. They probably wouldn't let her return to the work camps, would probably send her back to Clairval if they caught her.

She didn't want to lose the friendship from the workers she got along with and the odd kindness of the guards. Treasa realised it mattered to her. In so short a time, she had grown attached to the people who had taken the time to care about her.