Under the Stars (27 page)

I’d rather have guests than food. And I’d rather sleep than lose my mind.

Day 26

I’m keeping a tally of the days spent in here. I’ve grown used to the steady drip in the corner of the room. It’s not so bad now that I can tune it out.

Day 28

Squeaks doesn’t visit as much. I guess it’s because food isn’t delivered every day.

Day 33

Watered-down soup and a potato is all I get today. I want to make it last, but if I don’t hurry and eat, the bugs will devour it.

Day 39

I think they want me to starve. But not to the point of death. Just so I remember why I’m here.

Day 42

Daphne tried to visit today, but they wouldn’t let her stay longer than five minutes. She mostly hugged me. My throat is so dry it hurts to talk, so I couldn’t say much. But if I was able to speak, I would’ve told her that I miss her, too.

Day 55

I want to make it stop. I want this to be over. I can’t do it. I just can’t live. Nobody should. Not like this.

Day 58

I’m running out of ink. The pen didn’t have much to begin with, but now that I’m using it for diary purposes and to score tally marks, it’s about to fade out.

Day 62

I’ve been sucked into a black hole of emptiness.

51.

The door to my cell unlatches, I think. Or maybe I’m dreaming. I can’t open my eyes wide; it’s a struggle due to weakness.

Governor Hadi stands at the doorway, assessing the room. “I don’t know how you’ve made it this long. I would’ve killed myself by now.”

Inflicting any kind of harm upon me would be too easy, and I don’t want to give them what they’re searching for.

“What do you want?” I whisper. My throat is so parched it takes several swallows before it returns to an ordinary state.

“They’ve agreed to put you on trial,” he says cheerily. I’m sure he was first to volunteer to bring me the joyful news.

“Good,” I mutter, attempting to nod my head. But I think it hardly budges. My body is so feeble that shifting my lips takes too much energy. So much for saving that energy on something useful. Like my trial.

Governor Hadi is blurry from where he stands. I’m unsure whether it’s because my eyesight is diminishing, or if it’s because my eyelids are crusted shut.

He mentions something about two days from now, and then everything dies out.

“Andrina, can you hear me? I’m going to get you out of here,” says a male voice. But everything is distorted to me right now. I might be dreaming. “Andrina! Wake. Up.”

This time I make an attempt to open my eyes.

“What’re you doing here?” I mumble. “How did you get in?”

Malik sits on the bed beside me, lifting me up. My body is dead weight. I can’t move anything on my own anymore. How long have I been asleep?

“I snuck by the guards while they were playing cards. Picked the lock,” he says. “I came to feed you. And when you’re well enough, I’m going to get you out of here.”

“And go where?”

“Anywhere. Doesn’t matter. As long as we’re away from this place, we’ll be better off.” His words are rushed, like he’s on a strict time limit with me.

He positions me so that I’m sitting against the wall where a headboard should be.

“Here, eat this.” A cold, hard object is pushed against my lips. I force them open and warm broth slides down my cracked throat, heating me from the inside. At first I think my body may reject it—since it’s been so long without real nourishment—but it doesn’t.

“Easy now,” says Malik, carefully spoon-feeding me like a toddler.
 
The more liquid that runs into my stomach, the more I want to eat. “Better?”

I nod.

“We’ll take it slow, all right? I don’t want you sick.” He waits until I’ve finished the bowl before picking apart the bread on the table. He handles each piece as if it will crumble in his hands.

After I’ve swallowed the last bite, he says, “I have to go soon. They’ll be looking for me.”

“When will you be back?” I ask. It feels strange to be talking again.

His head shakes. “Don’t know.”

“How’s your family?”

A poignant grin tugs at the edge of his lips. “They’re good. Everybody’s good. I’m making enough money now that I can keep us all fed and clothed.” And then his face tenses. Especially between his brow. “I’m going back to Legora, Andy. I can’t stay here.”

I close my eyes and rest my head against the wall. Keeping them open too long is a strain. “That’s good to hear. You should, you know. I’d go, too, if I was able. Tell your family I said hello.”

He clears his throat. When I peek at him, I notice he’s trying not to tear up.

“What’s this about?” I ask.

“Nothing. Just…wait for me tomorrow. I mean it.”

We both know he’s not going to rescue me. We couldn’t escape these crazy people if we tried. But it’s noble of him to try.

“What would our perfect world be like, Malik?”

He chews on his lower lip, and then replies, “In my world, there wouldn’t be hunger. My family and friends would live with me in a comfortable home somewhere in a forest, where we’d be surrounded by trees. We’d have shade, but the sun wouldn’t be like it is now. Or the moon. And the stars wouldn’t fall.”

“And the insects wouldn’t try to kill us at night,” I add.

He snorts. “Yeah, and that.” He watches me for a few seconds, and then asks, “What about you?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I think I’d like to have a family one day. Mama would be a grandma. Little Mattie, an uncle. And the kids would be able to go outside and play. No worries about protective domes or any of the problems we have out there.” I motion toward the opening above the table.

“Same here,” he says with a big smile on his face. But it’s as if he realizes our world will never be that way, and his grin soon fades. The sun will always be too hot. The moon will be a reminder of the cold. And the stars will always fall. “I have to go.”

I decide not to push him further. “All right.”

He kisses me and we say our goodbyes. In two days, I may not be alive to hug, kiss or speak. For all I know I’ll be murdered in the same manner they say I killed Zarek.

I wish Squeaks was here. At least I’d have someone to talk to.

52.

Dawn has peeked over the edge of the earth; its rays caressing, warm, alluring. I didn’t sleep last night. But I prayed Malik could hear my words. I told him how sorry I was, how none of this should’ve happened, and how, if given another chance, I would’ve left with him when there was time.

Though no amount of words will prepare me for the day ahead, I’m confident my head is lucid enough to stand against Valyad.

A soft knock startles me.

“Yes?” I say.

The door creaks open.

“It’s me, miss,” says Daphne.

I don’t think twice about scrambling from my bed and hugging her. “How’d they let you in here?”

“I told ‘em I had ta see ya. Even if it’s for the last time.” Excess water pools around her eyes and begins to fall. “They said it had ta be short.”

I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Whatever happens, will you contact my family? They have a right to know.”

She sniffles. “Of course, miss.”

“I need you to do something else for me,” I say. “I need you to send a message to Halgan. To Kelin. Tell him what’s happened, though I’m sure he already knows. ”

“How did you—” she begins, but stops.

“Never mind that. Tell him we need his army.”

Her arms curl around my neck.

“And, Daphne, try to hurry. We don’t have much time.”

It takes every ounce of strength left within me not to join her crying. “Just find my family. Let them know. They may not make it in time, but it’d be best coming from you.” What if they don’t make it? What if I’m dead before I can say goodbye?

Daphne nods. “Yes, miss.”

“Tell them how much I love them.”

“I will.”

With one last embrace, Daphne shuffles off in a torrent of wailing and tears.

Why do I feel like I’m losing everyone I love? If I could go back in time, I’d do everything differently. I never would’ve returned to Valyad. Mama was right—people like us just don’t belong here. We’re destined to make our own lives, whether it’s in the middle of a vast desert or somewhere nobody’s been since the Age of Desolation.

One of the two guards stomps through the door. “It’s time,” he says. “Follow me.”

No amount of mental preparation could’ve prevented my feelings at this very moment. I might vomit. I might put forth a struggle. I might even run out of this place, hoping to be shot along the way.

But my heart is telling me to be strong. I can’t show them they’ve gotten to me. Especially not Governor Hadi. Whatever they have planned in there, I must be ready for.

I’m only escorted by the single footman. He grips my arm the entire way to the main hall. They’ve removed the podium and replaced it with a long table and several chairs. Governor Hadi sits in the middle, reading over papers laid out before him. On both sides are people I don’t recognize. And the remaining space is filled with Valyad’s citizens.

“She’s here, sir,” the guard says. “As you ordered.”

Governor Hadi doesn’t look up from his reading material. He flicks his hand a couple of times. “That will be all. Have a seat, Andrina.” He motions toward a lone chair at the front of the room, facing him.

I hold my head high and sit.

“Shall we begin?” Governor Hadi asks, glancing around the room. It’s not like he really needs to consult anybody. Everyone’s answering to him. “Andrina Stevens, you are brought here today because you have been charged with the murder of Zarek Vartanian, King of the New World. I will call forth witnesses, hear their testimony, listen to your defense, and from there a jury of Valyad’s people will render a verdict. Do you comprehend everything I have explained?”

“Yes,” I reply.

But it’s a facade.

A footman by the side door lifts a chair and brings it to the side of the table, in front of the crowd.

“I will now call Lucy Otten.”

Lucy, Lucy, Lucy. The name sounds familiar. It’s not until the blonde girl steps forward that I realize who she is.

“Lucy, did you ever at any point serve Andrina?” Governor Hadi asks.

“Faithfully, no. I was, however, her maid for a day.”

“Just one day?”

“Yes. She dismissed me.”

Governor Hadi eyes the sheet of paper in front of him. “On what grounds?”

“She claimed I was sleeping with the King, sir.”

This garners the governor’s attention. His eyes lift from the paper to her. “And were these accusations true?”

She frowns. “Of course not. Andrina only wanted to push me away because she saw me as some sort of a threat. I was loyal to His Majesty. And she wanted him for herself.”

“How so?”

The other judges sitting at the table are completely into her story. Occasional nods. Deep crevices on their foreheads. How can they not see through her?

“Well, she told me she was working on winning his favor, that she was close and didn’t need anyone interfering. She said she’d do anything to help her people.”

“And by this you mean: she was hell-bent on marrying our King?”

 
“Of course.” She bats her eyelashes one too many times, keeping the innocent girl persona.

“What do you think she had to gain by becoming Queen?”

“The only thing I can think of is that she wanted his money. I mean, if I came from rags, and someone handed me everything on a silver platter, I wouldn’t refuse it, either.”

“Very well. You may step down. Call the next witness, please.”

She won’t even look at me. How much have they paid her to cough up lies?