Marysvale (35 page)

When they had all left, Jane closed the
door and checked my head to make sure it hadn’t been cracked open.
“I really wish you would stop pushing him like that,” she
said.

“
So do I,” I
muttered.

Hannah walked over to me and sniffed.
“He’s right. You do smell like a pig.” Then darting well out of my
reach, she added, “I’ll go fetch some water for your
bath.”

“
What did he whisper to
you?” asked Jane, after Hannah had left the room.

“
Nothing much,” I replied.
My head throbbed and it was painful where she parted my hair in an
effort to get a better look.

“
Since you won’t tell me, it
must be something bad.”

“
Is anything Lyman says
good?”

“
No,” she confessed
quietly.

She finished her inspection and
revealed a blood-stained hand.

Reading the expression on my face, she
assured, “Don’t worry; it looks worse than it is.”

“
Very comforting,” I
replied.

Mr. Wolfe broke his silence, “Did you
find a way out last night?”

I shook my head. “I’m certain that our
horses are being held in the fortress. And from what I can tell,
there isn’t any easy way in.”

His shoulders dropped. “No, I wouldn’t
think so.”

Sounding more optimistic than I really
felt, I suggested, “Perhaps there is still a chance. If I can slip
over the wall and sneak around the back side of the hill, a way may
present itself.”

“
Perhaps,” he said, but he
didn’t believe it. To tell the truth, neither did I.

Hannah returned with the water. Seeing
our downcast expressions she observed, “I missed something, didn’t
I?”

“
No, not really,” said
Jane.

“
Then why all the sad
faces?”

“
Because we are still trying
to figure a way out of here,” replied Jane.

“
And not just here,” I
added. “First we have to get our horses out of the
garrison.”

“
Why don’t we just leave the
horses and go on foot?” suggested Hannah.

“
Absolutely not,” retorted
Mr. Wolfe.

“
Why? We’ve done it
before.”

“
Because that was then and
this is now,” he barked. “We are not taking such a
risk!”

Jane and Hannah both looked taken
aback. I was too, for that matter. Even though I agreed with him,
his agitation still surprised me.

“
He’s right,” I confirmed.
“I don’t think there is any way Lyman will just let us go—at least
not me. If we’re discovered missing, they will most certainly give
chase. On top of that, we still have to evade the Brean. Without
horses, we won’t make it far.” And, though I didn’t say it, I felt
sure Lyman wouldn’t let Jane go without pursuing her, especially
with me. He wanted her for himself. I tried not to think about it,
finding myself growing angry at the thought.

Jane added, “Since they’re expecting
John tonight, we wouldn’t have much of a start on them.”

Hannah’s optimism deflated a bit. “Then
we don’t have a chance.”

“
You never know,” I said
encouragingly. “Maybe I can convince Lord Wright to let us go. At
the very least, I won’t have to figure out a way inside the
fortress.”

Mr. Wolfe spoke up, “I’m sorry. Short
of Lord Wright’s permission, and without an actual plan of escape,
I’m afraid I can’t allow the risk. There are other
alternatives.”

“
Such as?” asked Hannah
skeptically.

“
We can continue as we
always have. There is no reason why we have to flee right
away.”

“
Except that John is about
to go up to the garrison tonight,” blurted Jane
uncharacteristically. “Who knows what will happen to
him?”

It made me feel wonderful to have her
support.

“
I know you’re concerned,
Jane,” he said with growing frustration. “But I think we are being
too quick to judge. We don’t know why he was invited. Perhaps he
will be offered some government position. If not, then I’m sure a
strong, young man like John can get stationed as a town guard, or
even as a soldier to the lord. Why else would he be given new
clothes and invited to the garrison? They could have killed him by
now if they had really wanted to.”

“
You saw how Lyman treated
him. You can’t possibly believe he will be treated fairly,” she
argued.

“
But it’s not entirely up to
Lyman is it?” snapped her father. Then, rubbing his forehead with
one hand, in an effort to regain some composure, he added, “Now,
tomorrow we will go to the minister of housing and find John
permanent living arrangements. That is my final decision.” Turning
to me, he added, “You are, of course, welcome to stay here until
then.”

It was pointless to argue. Besides, the
fight had gone out of me. My hopes were dashed and my heart sank.
The thought of having to stay any longer, to simply exist without
reason, was smothering. Even though I’d been living my whole life
without aim, at least it was my choice to make. Here, there was no
choice, no hope. Like the pierce of a venomous thorn, the despair
of Marysvale poisoned my soul, slowly decaying my will to live. I
could see no escape from the place that had become my
cage.

W
ITH
nothing left to say, I quickly bathed and dressed
in my new clothes. I had to get out. I had to think and calm the
growing panic that had taken root in me. Unable to meet Jane’s
searching eyes, I left. I was only a block away when a hand slipped
around my wrist. Lost in thought, I hadn’t heard anyone approach. I
turned and gazed into those deep, green eyes that had the most
amazing effect of causing both elation and anxiety. I wanted to
snatch Jane up in my arms and never let her go, though I knew that
wasn’t going to be possible now, no matter how much I loved her. I
didn’t even know for sure whether she felt the same way. There was
also the piercing sword of realization that whatever we shared was
only a seed of love—true love would only blossom with time and
nurturing; and time with Jane appeared to be a fleeting
commodity.

“
Can I walk with you?” she
asked hopefully.

“
Of course,” I replied,
truly glad she came. Offering her my arm, she fell in as we walked
the streets of the town. The sun slipped behind a bank of dark
clouds, throwing the town into shadow.

“
Where are we going?” she
asked.

“
I don’t know. I hadn’t
really thought about it.”

“
Are you upset?”

“
No,” I lied. Even though I
knew I shouldn’t be angry with Mr. Wolfe for doing what he thought
best, I was. I also felt extremely disappointed in myself. After
all, coming up with any real plan of escape had, well…escaped
me.

“
Yes, you are,” she
countered.

I smiled at her. “So you’re now a mind
reader?”

“
Good enough to read
you.”

“
Am I really that
easy?”

“
No, but I can tell you’re
upset. Why else would you leave without saying a word, and with no
destination in mind? Besides, I can tell because I’m upset, too,”
she said sympathetically.

I looked at her quizzically.

She read my expression. “I really don’t
want to stay in Marysvale either.”

“
Why?” I asked. “I mean…I
can’t imagine anyone wanting to live like this; but I want to hear
your reasons.”

“
I suppose for the same ones
you have,” she answered. “I know what this town is—all of us that
live here do. There is no freedom and no future—other than what our
leaders decide for us. And I know what my future holds for me if
it’s up to Lyman. I can see the way he looks at me. I would rather
die than to have to wake up next to him.”

“
Would you be willing to
leave your father?”

She fell quiet.

“
I’m sorry,” I said quickly.
“Don’t answer. It’s not fair for me to ask that of you.”

We walked in silence, following street
after street in no particular fashion. Walking always helped clear
my mind and calm me down, and this time was no exception. I started
to notice a few things. Firstly, for a town of this size, the
streets were relatively empty, but not entirely. People hurried
this way and that, never making eye contact, and ducking their
heads as we passed. No one smiled. And the people had one thing
amongst them in common…fear.

Jane, apparently reading my mind again,
broke the silence. “They’re afraid. You never know whom you can
trust; even family members can be threatened or persuaded to turn
on you. Disloyalty and criticism about the town leadership are not
tolerated, and the punishment is quite severe. It’s better to keep
your mouth shut and not say anything at all, than to open it and
say something to the wrong person. And your being dressed in their
clothes doesn’t help, either.”

“
Oh,” I said. “Are these
their clothes?”

“
Yes. Everything new comes
from them. You look like an off duty soldier.”

A few more streets passed before she
asked, “Is there anything else you want to see?”

“
The sight of Marysvale
fading away behind us.”

She smiled. “Anything else?”

“
Not
particularly.”

The noise of a gathering crowd echoed
faintly down the street.

“
What’s that sound? Can you
hear it?”

She nodded. “It’s the
marketplace.”

“
Let’s go see it,” I
suggested.

“
I’m not sure you want
to.”

“
Why?”

She paused before answering, “Because
goods aren’t the only thing being sold there.”

“
What do you
mean?”

Jane’s face turned grim and she uttered
one word, “People.”

It took me a moment, but comprehension
eventually dawned, and then turned to shock.

“
That man from last
night?”

“
Perhaps, but I doubt it.”
She went on to explain, “There aren’t many slaves here, but there
are some. They are bought, traded, and sold in the town square by
the nobles. Our leaders enacted slavery as a benevolent alternative
to death, and to serve as a deterrent for those inclined to disobey
the law.”

Would I choose to be a slave over
death?
I pondered.
Perhaps if death was the only other
alternative…

Sensing my dilemma, Jane asked, “What
troubles you?”

“
I was wondering which I
would choose. Maybe that man will be a slave; but he will be alive.
Over time, perhaps they may free him.”

I knew, the moment that I had spoken
it, that I didn’t believe it.

“
No,” she said with a sad,
slow shake of her head. “But there is another aspect you haven’t
thought about. Come with me and I’ll show you.”

“
What if I don’t want to see
it?”

“
You don’t,” said Jane
quietly. “But it may be good for you to see what happens with your
own eyes.”