A/N: Many thanks to ShareneM for the positive review, I hope you are reading this. Sorry it took me a while to update, but I have so many stories to update. (It actually took me five months to update my story 'Jellicle Titans', so it could be worse.)
This is not the last you've seen from me in this fandom. I'll probably be uploading a one-chapter story shortly.
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Chapter II: Deadly Disease
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I stroked my back as I remembered the pain. My back was swollen and as red as the whip that had caused the pain. I clenched my jaws together as I placed a wet piece of cloth against it to ease the pain. With a sigh, I dropped onto my bed. When I had gotten out of the punishing room, the meal was already over and the dining room was empty. I didn't get to thank the man who had prevented me from getting the full punishment of fifty lashes. I also didn't get the chance to talk to Tira. She was probably very worried right now.
I wiggled my body back into my black uniform, trying to touch my back as little as possible. I had to get back to the kitchen for the next baking shift, the last one for today. As I walked through the clean hallways, I spotted a heavy door. The door that lead to the guest room Alstred would be sleeping in tonight. Was it really only this morning they had found him?
As I placed a plate of freshly baked bread on the inspection table, I saw the supervising Ra-Kachar give me a stern look. They were keeping an eye on me, that was clear.
Three of the four plates I made were not clean enough. They were taken away to be disposed of in The Hole.
After having a hand-washing ceremony, we were free to go. I decided to go to Alstred and thank him for saving me. I went to the wooden door and knocked.
"Come in," I heard.
I opened the door and walked in with a pitcher containing some sort of beverage. "I was wondering if you would like a beverage," I said, holding up the drink.
"No thanks," he said with a smile.
"I… I also wanted to thank you."
"You don't have to. I just didn't want any food to be wasted, but I didn't know they were that strict around here. You know, in Rithmere we believe spilling food brings you bad luck, but it doesn't give you a physical punishment. Are you okay?"
"Yes. I deserved it."
"What? No, you didn't! You almost dropped something!"
"But… I could have let evil fall upon the entire city!"
"Really? Letting food fall on the ground causes evil forces to come? Do you actually believe that?"
I didn't answer, because I didn't know the answer. Did I believe it? What else was I supposed to believe? "The Ra-Kacharz know what is best for us. They only want Noradz to be a clean and safe place to live."
"Of course they do." He sighed and sat down on his bed. He rubbed the underside of his nose with the back of his hand. "No offense, but I hope I can leave your city tomorrow or the day after."
"Of course, if your wounds are healed."
"I'm starting to feel better," he said, after which he made a sniffing sound and stroked his nose again.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yes, why?" he asked, as he repeated the wiping motion.
"Is… is something wrong with your nose?" I asked, worried.
"Huh? No, no. It's just…", sniff, "I think I might have caught a cold from floating in that river." Sniff.
"How can one catch the cold?" I asked, confused. "Can you also catch warmth?"
He laughed. "No, it's an expression. It means I'm a bit sick."
"Sick?" I asked, taking a step back.
He looked at me. My hand started shaking, and the orange beverage almost spilled over the top of the pitcher. He reached out to stop my hand, but I abruptly pulled back. The fluid spilled over the side and dripped down my hand, onto the floor.
"Oh no," he said, "I hope you're not in trouble again." Sniff. Sniff.
I didn't even mind the spilled drink. I grabbed behind my back with my free hand, trying to find the doorknob. It was then he realized why I was acting so strange.
"Oh no," he said with a look at his hand, "This is a problem, isn't it?" Sniff. Sniff.
My hand found the doorknob, and I pulled open the door. "Wait!" he said.
I stopped and looked back. His hand was stretched out and there was a begging look in his eyes. "Don't… Don't tell Reece!" Sniff. "I…" Sniff. "I can…" Sniff sniff sniff. He threw his head back and closed his eyes. He opened his mouth. I tried to hide behind the door, but one hand was still on the doorknob. I heard a strange noise coming from Alstred and I felt something on my hand. I immediately pulled it back.
There were small drops on my hand. I grabbed my wrist with my other hand. He had sneezed.
He sneezed.
And it had touched me.
I turned around as fast as I could and started to run away. I heard him screaming my name in the background, but all the sounds were fading as I could only think of one thing. I had to cleanse myself as fast as possible.
I saw a hand-washing chamber. I stumbled inside and fell to my knees in front of one of the bowls. I pressed a button and the bowl filled with water. I plunged both hands into the cold water and rubbed them together as hard as I could. I tried to take a bottle of soap on the left side of the bowl, but it slipped out of my hand and fell into the water. I scrubbed and scrubbed my palms. Foam was forming on the surface of the water. I scrubbed and scrubbed between my fingers. I felt dizzy. I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed. I tried to stand up, but I was too dizzy and almost fell. I grabbed onto the bowl to avoid falling, and the bowl tilted so far that the soapy water gushed onto the floor. I slipped. I fell. Everything turned black.
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Sneezing is one of the most unclean things in the world. That was one of the first rules we learnt. Someone who sneezes is unclean, and nobody should touch them. If someone sneezes while you are in an area of ten feet around them, you should be cleansed thoroughly. If not, you could get infected.
Two hours.
Two hours, that's how long it took to cleanse me. Two hours of soap, water, sprays and sponges.
When I finally got out of the cleansing room, Tira was waiting for me. She gasped when she saw me.
"Robin, are you okay?"
"Yes, Tira, I'm fine," I said as I hugged her. "I am completely clean."
"I… I saw them take the stranger to the trial room. Do you think he will be punished?"
"I don't know," I said, hiding the concern in my voice. If there had been a trial, he would probably either be killed or spend the rest of his days in the dungeons. And it would be my fault. He saved me, and now he would be locked up because of me.
I saw Reece and the other eight Ra-Kacharz passing, on their way to their private quarters. I rushed towards them, and they stopped when they saw me.
"Clean Noradzeer, master Reece," I said, greeting the First Ra-Kachar.
"Clean Noradzeer," he repeated.
"Clean Noradzeer!" the other eight repeated after him.
"Clean Noradzeer," I said once again.
"Speak," Reece finally said.
"What happened to the guest?"
"He is no longer our guest. He is now our prisoner. The Nine have decided that he is a threat to the safety and the health of our people, so he has been locked away in our dungeons. Clean Noradzeer!"
"Clean Noradzeer!"
"Clean Noradzeer," I said again. "But will he ever be released?"
"He has been infected by evil, unclean forces. We cannot risk letting him out. Once evil falls upon someone, it cannot be undone."
"But if nobody gives him medicine, he might die!"
"Guard your tongue! You should be glad we didn't lock you up for all the unclean things that happened around you this day! Now, it is time you go to your sleeping quarters! Clean Noradzeer!"
"Clean Noradzeer."
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Two days passed. Two days of bad feelings. Rue, guilt… He was rotting away in that dungeon, even though he didn't do anything wrong. I had panicked when he sneezed, and didn't think about it then, but now…
I don't know what it was that made me leave my room during the third night, but as I slowly opened my door, trying to make as little noise as possible, I realized that this was against every law the Ra-Kacharz had ever made. If I was caught now, I would be eliminated almost certainly.
I was very unclean.
I passed Tira's room. As I passed the few lit candles, my long shadow moved back and forth. At the end of the corridor, I reached the door that lead to a marble staircase, which went down into the main hall. I peeked my head around the half-open door, looking if there were any Ra-Kacharz around. I saw no one, but I waited, remembering the things my ex-roommate once told me after one of his nightly trips. A Ra-Kachar comes in through the northern door, and then disappears through the southern gate. Five minutes later, another one goes from the eastern door to the northwestern door. About fifteen minutes pass, and the process repeats. I hoped the information was reliable. After all, his nocturnal trips ended up getting him locked away.
I stayed still for a few minutes, until I saw a Ra-Kachar coming through one of the doors. I thought it was the eastern one, which was good: after this, I would have approximately fifteen minutes before another one passed here. The Ra-Kachar crossed the shiny white floor, and I ducked away behind the door to avoid being seen. I looked through the keyhole, and saw the Ra-Kachar standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking up. He stood there for a while, before he started to climb the stairs.
Not good.
I searched a place to hide. My room was on the other end of the corridor, I wouldn't be able to reach it before the Ra-Kachar came in, and there were no tables or niches to hide. I decided to stay right where I was. That way, when he would open the door, I would be behind it, and as long as he didn't close it, he wouldn't see me.
As I pressed myself against the wall, holding my breath, I heard the Ra-Kachar's footsteps come closer. They stopped right before the door. I waited. The handle of the door moved… He pulled the door, shutting it. As I heard the footsteps fade away, I heard a voice mutter: "Who always leaves those stupid things open anyway…"
When I was certain he was at the bottom of the stairs again, I finally let out my breath. I kneeled down to look through the keyhole just in time to see the Ra-Kachar leave through the door on the northwest.
About a minute after the Ra-Kachar disappeared, I opened the door. As silently as I could, I closed it behind me and climbed down the stairs. Dungeons, I thought to myself while I was standing in the middle of the hall, in plain sight of whoever would come in. Dungeons. I thought I remembered the dungeons to be in the east of the city, so I took the eastern door. I followed a long corridor for a solid five minutes. I was careful not to make any noise. Suddenly, I spotted a spiral staircase on my left side that went down into the darkness. Assuming those uninviting shadows were the dungeons, I took a lantern from the wall and made my way down. I became more cautious, because I highly doubted the dungeons were left unguarded.
I reached the bottom of the stairs. I was in a narrow, but long room, but not quite a corridor either. The only light came from my lantern and a lonely candle on a table in front of me. Apart from the candle, there were only a half-eaten piece of bread, an empty bottle and a bunch of keys on the table. The room was barely broad enough for the table to stand there, and you could only pass it on one side. Behind the table, there was a chair, placed so that whoever sat in it would see everyone who came down the stairs. A bit further, I saw a heavy wooden door on the right wall.
This was too easy.
Those words barely crossed my mind before I heard a noise on the far end across the long room. In the semi-darkness, I could just make out an iron door. Someone was on the other side.
In a wave of panic, I opened the lid of my lantern and blew out the flame. After that, I leaned forward and blew out the candle on the table too. I was now standing in pitch darkness, and I heard the iron door open. A vague light came from the room behind it, and in the door opening I saw the silhouette of yet another Ra-Kachar. Upon seeing the darkness of the room, he sighed and turned around.
"Great, burnt out already…"
He disappeared back into the other room, leaving the door open, so there was just enough light for me to see what I was doing. I grabbed the keys off the table and hurried towards the main door. I tried a random key and tried to unlock the door. It didn't work. While I tried a second key, I suddenly heard a loud 'hey!'.
The Ra-Kachar was back, holding an unopened bottle and a freshly lit candle. He stared at me, while I was standing there with one of the keys still in the keyhole. I tried to think of any good excuses, without success.
"Just what do you think you're do- oomph!" The Ra-Kachar fell to the ground. The bottle and the candle dropped, and it became dark again.
Whoops.
I walked into the direction of the dimly lit chamber, almost tripping over the Ra-Kachar on the ground. As I stepped into the light, I inspected my lantern and the rather large dent in the metal.
I was in serious trouble now.
I entered the room behind the iron door. It was larger than I thought it would be, but most of the space was taken by all kinds of objects. Weapons. Clothes. Flasks. Backpacks. Pieces of armor.
The belongings of all the prisoners that had been in these dungeons.
The light in the room came from a lantern on a shelf. On the shelf were several unlit candles. On the floor underneath the shelf, there was a box with several sorts of food and drinks for the guard. I took a look at the piles of items. My stare met a blue cloak. I picked it up, and underneath it were a dagger in a blue and silver sheath and several pendants.
After picking up all of Alstred's stuff and taking the undamaged lantern, I went back to the other room. The key was still in the keyhole. I turned it, and I heard the lock open. I pushed against the heavy wooden door and it slowly swung open.
I saw a long hall with doors at both sides. The doors were made of thick wood and each had a small iron grid at eye-level. The air was thick and smelly, and it was freezing cold. About every three doors, a torch hang on the wall, making the entire hall dimly lit.
I walked to the closest door and looked through the iron bars. The cell seemed empty. I moved on to the next door. Also empty. The third cell contained a human-sized pile lying on the floor, covered with a dirty brown cloth. It didn't move and didn't make any sound. I quickly moved on.
After two more empty cells, I came across one with a figure lying on the bed with their back towards me. The person on the bed grunted and slowly turned over. I could now see his face, but it was not Alstred. His dried-out lips parted as he stared at me in disbelief.
"Robin? Is that you?"
