Part Eight
Now eight months pregnant, Leorie found herself getting ever more easily tired. She began to wish her pregnancy was over with so she could free herself from the extra weight she carried that made her back ache, and her whole self feel uncomfortable. Nothing that Ayari had suggested to help ease her discomfort seemed to work, and Reyden was not much help. Like now.
"Reyden, we've come far enough, I want to go back now," she complained.
"Not much further, Leorie. Fresh air will do you good," replied Reyden, unusually cheerful. Ayari agreed.
"You probably ache so much because you've hardly done anything recently." Leorie just scowled as they trudged along.
"Just a short walk," she muttered. "Just a little something to get you out of the house." Ayari rolled her eyes.
"Okay, let's stop for just five minutes," she said. "Kai could do with a rest too." They sat down on a partly broken wall that used to form part of someone's back garden, and watched Kai run about, the gold "Kai" that used to be on the necklace he had been sent when he was a baby glinting in the sun. Ezala had kindly incorporated it into on of his jackets, after the necklace had broken. Kai found some stones and sitting down to play with them. He lifted one to his mouth, and wasn't keen to let Ayari snatch it away.
"You've got all this to come," said Ayari to Leorie and Reyden, not for the first time.
"It can't come soon enough," said Leorie. There was silence, then Reyden suddenly frowned.
"Did you hear that?" he asked.
"What?" asked Ayari.
"I'm not sure. I think someone is near." Reyden stood up, and looked around. He studied the wall they were sat on. It still looked fairly stable, and formed a kind of stairway that came up next to a window that had had all its glass taken out.
"Ayari, help me get Leorie up this wall," he said. Leorie shook her head.
"I'm not going up that," she protested, but Ayari took one arm and Reyden took another and helped her onto the wall. Then Reyden climbed up a bit, and pulled Leorie up while Ayari steadied her. They managed to get Leorie through the window, and Ayari climbed back down to get Kai. Her heart stopped when she saw that he had gone from where she had left him, but she was relieved when she saw him wandering a little further down the road. She ran after him, and caught him.
"Don't run off like that," she scolded as she bent down to stop him running away. Kai just looked at her, and offered her a pebble. Ayari took it, and put it absent-mindedly in her pocket. She picked Kai up and turned round to go back to the wall.
And came face to face with three High Council enforcers.
Ayari quickly recovered herself and turned and fled, the enforcers not far behind. Kai's weight and her long dress slowed her down considerably, and she knew she couldn't out run them. She only got a few metres down the road when they managed to surround her.
"Give us the child," said one of them.
"No," replied Ayari, holding onto Kai tightly.
"As a Mortalist, you are required by law to hand over your child and be made to stand trial," said the same enforcer, his voice partially muffled by the mask he wore.
"Maybe I'm not a Mortalist," said Ayari. Another enforcer got out a small device with a point on one end. He suddenly jabbed it into Ayari's arm, taking her by surprise. Removing it, he analysed the results.
"No Harluca is present in the bloodstream. You are clearly a new-born," he said. "Hand over the child."
"You can't take him away from me," said Ayari. "You have no right to do this."
"As it is High Council orders, we have every right. Your son will be re-homed with new parents."
"I'm not giving him to you." Ayari found the stone in her pocket that she had placed there, and threw it at one of the enforcers. It hit him square between the eyes. He recoiled in pain, moaning something about blood poisoning. The other two closed in on Ayari. One tried to prise Kai away from her, while the other tried to hold Ayari who twisted and bit and kicked the best she could.
"Have you got the sedative?" asked the one trying to get Kai.
"Yes," was the reply. The first enforcer looked at Ayari.
"You will understand that because you refused to co-operate, we have to take other action," he told her.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" glowered Ayari. She soon found out. Another sharp pain, this time on the side of her neck. Suddenly she couldn't stand up. Her strength seemed to drain out of her, and she could only watch helplessly as the enforcer easily lifted Kai out of her arms. As she slid to the ground, the last thing she saw was Kai being carried away, crying and trying to wriggle out of the enforcer's arms. She tried to raise her arms out to him but they wouldn't respond. Then darkness fell in front of her eyes.
Hours later, Ayari came round. Groggily, she raised her head to see where she was. She became aware that she was upright, her arms chained above her, making a V shape with her head. Cold dark grey stone stared back at her. She was in a cell. A wave of nausea swept over her, and she lowered her head again, closing her eyes until it had passed. Slightly more awake, she looked up again. The cell was not very big, windowless, and it did not have any furniture in. Ayari tried pulling on the shackles that held her arms, but they remained firm.
"Hello?" she called, but her voice echoed round the cell. There were no footsteps outside. Ayari wondered about Kai, and what had happened to him. She prayed that he would not be harmed, either by the enforcers or those people who he would be given to. She knew that the chances of her ever seeing her son again were very small indeed – he could end up on the other side of the planet. Yet part of her would always hope. Suddenly, Ayari felt very alone, and more frightened than she had ever been before. Her family had gone, and none of her friends were there. The sounds of footsteps made her stiffen. A small hatch on the door was pulled back, and she could see part of a man's face looking through it at her. Then came the jangle of keys, and the sound of the door being unlocked. The man stepped through the door, followed by another.
"Glad to see you're finally awake," said the first. Ayari said nothing. The man took hold of her chin with his hand and moved her head around, looking at her.
"You're a beautiful lady. I don't understand why you would wish to grow old and loose your looks," he said.
"I don't understand why I should be made to live forever in a society that won't respect my beliefs," Ayari answered. The man said nothing, just released her chin.
"Where's my son?" asked Ayari. The man smiled at her and shrugged.
"I don't know, lintia. I do not deal with that aspect of things."
"Then what do you deal with?"
"I just keep an eye on the prisoners like you, take them to different places if required. Verace here and I don't do much else I'm afraid." He finally released her chin.
"What's going to happen to me now?" Ayari asked him.
"Well, we'll move you to somewhere a little more comfortable, get you some food and water, and there you'll stay for maybe a day or so until it's time for your trial."
"Oh."
"Count yourself lucky it's only a day or so, a few months ago, you'd have had to stay there for two or three weeks, there were that many of you Mortalists to be put through," said the man. He turned to Verace. "Got the keys?"
"Yes, Crail." replied Verace, passing them. Crail reached up and unlocked the shackles from Ayari's wrists. Breathing a sigh of relief, Ayari let her arms fall to her sides. She did not remain free for long for Crail attached another pair to her wrists. These had a long chain coming out from the middle, and Crail used this to lead her out of the tiny cell into the corridor outside.
"You're not wearing masks," said Ayari.
"We're safe in here. It's outside that you have to be careful. But a couple of hundred years looking after the High Council's prisoners makes you a little more aware than most that you newborns are not infested with germs."
"I most certainly am not," replied Ayari, indignantly. Crail just laughed. Verace followed them. Ayari noticed that he seemed a little more uncomfortable about this job than Crail. They went up a flight of steps to the next floor. Now they were back on ground level, for there were small windows that looked straight into the dense shrubs and trees that surrounded the High Council building. Ayari knew that the building stood on a hill and was supposed to be a vast honeycomb of corridors and rooms. It was a testament to the Brunnen-G's more open and grand days of the past. After a few more minutes, they stopped outside another cell.
"Here you are, lintia. Welcome to your new temporary home," said Crail, opening the door.
"My name is Ayari, not Little One," she muttered as she was shepherded into the cell. Crail either didn't hear her or ignored her, for he simply shut the door behind her, and locked it.
"I shall see you later," he said, through the hatch, then disappeared. Once again Ayari was alone. She surveyed her new surroundings. This cell was a little bigger, and had a small barred window, a kind of bed and a table. Ayari dragged the table up to the wall, and stood on it to see out of the window. She could only see bushes and shrubs still. She climbed down again, and went and sat on the bed, not sure what to do with herself.
It was the middle of the night. Ayari was curled under her blanket, not properly sleeping. So when someone knocked on her door and called softly to her, she woke up straight away. There was someone peeping through the hatch on her door. Curious, yet also on her guard, Ayari got out of bed and stood in the middle of the cell as the door was unlocked. To her surprise, Verace stepped through it.
"Are you here to take me somewhere?" she asked. Verace carefully shut the door behind him and shook his head.
"No," he said. Ayari eyed him cautiously.
"So…why are you here?"
"I would like to try and help you," said Verace.
"Help me? How? Crail said you and he were just prison guards." Verace shook his head again, and gestured to Ayari to sit back down on the bed, which she did. He sat next to her.
"I am a younger man than Crail and many of the High Council. I still remember what it is like to be a newborn. I do not think that what they are doing to people like you is right. Ever since the High Council declared the laws regarding Mortalists, I have been trying my best to help protect the newborn. It has become difficult in recent months, I lost track of many of them as they became scattered." Ayari frowned.
"How do I know you're not trying to trick me into revealing the whereabouts of my friends and others?" she asked.
"All I can give you is my word. I cannot prove otherwise I'm afraid, and I do not expect you to trust me," replied Verace.
"Have you talked to any others here?"
"Some. I have managed to get two out of here. Others just turned their backs on me. I always try to help those who have children such as yourself."
"Would you be able to find my son?" Ayari asked, quietly.
"I can try for you, but there are a thousand places he could be now, and my resources are limited," said Verace,
"Anything you can do…would be a great help to me," said Ayari. Verace nodded.
"I understand."
"Would you be able to get me out of here too?"
"I will try my best. If you can get the High Council to prevent your trial for a few days, that would be useful extra time," said Verace. "I must go now, but I will speak to you again soon." He stood up.
"Thank you," said Ayari. Verace paused at the door.
"What is your name?"
"Ayari," she replied.
"Goodnight, Ayari," said Verace, a small smile on his face. Then he left.