Ashtium: City of Sun

GRETA

I sit down on the ground, leaning against the fountain’s edge. Up above, an arched overhang looms overhead of me. I had walked around for a bit earlier and taken a nap near a pool of water surrounded by more cut stone. The water in the fountain trickles quietly as I run my hand over its flat surface. My mouth opens in silent shock when I find a pile of dead urkmink a couple feet away from it.

I look around wildly in confusion, wondering if Enoch brought them to me, but I don’t see him around or hear anyone else walking back here.

It is such a large open space though. I haven’t strayed too far away from the fountain myself in fear of getting lost. Could an animal have dug up so many urkmink? The ground is stone though like Enoch told me. However, the plants have soil of sand.

The pile of dead bugs makes my stomach growl. Last night after eating Enoch’s food my stomach had emptied itself. Hungry for the delicious morsels, I scoop up the small pile and dart back over to my hiding place by a row of big bushes behind the fountain.

Then I crouch down, storing most of them under another bush near my hiding place. I eat two of the fat urkmink bugs in my hand with a hum. How I relish their taste in my mouth! The feel of their crunchy goodness is so very satisfying. It’s nostalgic, but I know now why Enoch is trying to get me to eat the other foods.

Bugs aren’t as filling as the things he brought me last night, but my stomach doesn’t agree with Enoch’s food yet -- even if it is more flavorful and won’t stain my teeth as he claims.

After I finish eating my third bug, I force myself to eat no more urkmink.

My attention shifts to the bushes and plants around me thinking about what could have dug the bugs up. I find it hard to believe they would have all crawled up from the earth and died on top of eachother. In the desert, if I saw such a pile of urkmink I would have cried. I already ate three. That’s more than I would have been able to find in a week out in the desert.

My ears perk up hearing someone’s footfalls.

“Greta? Greta, where are you?”

I pop up from my hiding position hearing Enoch holler for me. He jogs over to the fountain, but my gaze still roams over our surroundings. I come out of my hiding place while wiping the bug juice on my robe. When I get close enough, I feel over his facial features with my hands.

It’s the only way I can identify him other than his voice and height.

His voice cracks, “W-what are you doing?”

“Seeing you,” I say.

His hands cover my own and I tense up. His skin is so warm and soft. Much different than my own...and the hands of the old lady I met. How many different people have touched me since I came here?

Will the god of the sun ever touch me and heal my vision? I don’t want to be fooled again and get whipped by a violent stranger.

Enoch lets go of my hands and guides them to my sides carefully. “I’m sorry for getting upset yesterday. I think the one you were talking about was my father. Believe me, he is no god.”

“Who is your father then? And your mother? Are they both alive?”

“Yes.”

“But you told me the god of the sun is not real.”

I see his silvery form shake his head in disappointment. Another flying creature soars overhead of us and I shiver seeing his head turn away from me as he walks closer to the fountain turning his back to me.

“How are you so calm? Aren’t you terrified to be in such a different place? I wouldn’t want to be left alone in a place unknown to me.”

I walk up to him wondering what he’s looking at. “I know you are a messenger from the god of the sun.”

He kicks a pebble across the slate ground with his foot. His voice turns bitter, “There is no god here.”

How can that be though? This light does not make itself. The bugs did not come to me on their own. I think the god of the sun is here. Enoch must be testing me to see if I am to earn my god’s favor and forgiveness.

“I have faith,” I say eagerly.

“I know you have killed two guards,” Enoch chimes.

My face pales, the knot in my stomach returning. How does he know that? It is just another reason he must be a messenger from my god.

“They were going to kill me.”

“Did you attack them first?”

“Yes...” I whisper, but he must know the circumstance.

He sighs heavily. “My father and Urdmin are away. They left this morning. It will buy you some time to leave.”

Why would I ever want to go back into the desert after finding this haven? Enoch takes my hands again and sits down on the fountain’s edge. I sit beside him.

“Leave? I want to stay,” I insist hoping he relays my hopes to the god of the sun.

“No! We, I mean, you...you can’t stay. There are rumors of kingdoms spying on us. You will be killed eventually if you remain here. You have no family. No one will be able to claim you’re a citizen.”

“I will work.”

“Work? No one will take you in. You are unskilled.”

I huff at his ignorant comment. He was certainly not very well informed about me by my god. I have plenty of skills.

I killed the soldiers easily, but if they were my god’s soldiers then they would have not threatened me. There are other things I’m good at besides...killing. I’m good at digging. I can see in the dark. However, when I think more about it, something tells me those things won’t be much use here if I am to “blend in” as he says.

He hands me a jar of white powder and tells me to scoop some out. I follow his directions and wipe my teeth with the strange substance. Then Enoch gives me a square pouch that holds cold water. I take a few sips from it and swish the water around in my mouth then spit out the refreshing-turned-tart water.

Enoch leans in closer to me and I feel my face heat up.

“They still have a grey tint, but the sludge is gone for the most part. Can you rub the chalk on your skin?”

I smear the dusty stuff on my skin too and sneeze seeing a cloud of it raise off my arms into the air between us.

“Well, you look really pale now. Pale is better than grey in my book,” He pulls out a rectangular object and slides it over to me. “Speaking of books, I brought you one.”

“Empirical Law Volume VI: Architecture and Design,” I read out loud.

“You can read! This is wonderful.”

My parents did have books. I eventually had to burn them for fire though. Most of them were journals technically. They belonged to our relatives and their travels across this land. I probably shouldn’t have burned them because I’d know much more about my background.

I was a child then and didn’t really think much about it.

“Of course, I can read. Things are less dim here. I can see and feel like you too. I have a brain with thoughts,” my voice starts rising again. I can’t help it. I feel like I’m in a dream and when I wake up, I’ll be alone and starving again in the desert. “Too many thoughts...”

Enoch pats my shoulder and I go silent. This time, I don’t flinch from his touch. It’s nice to have someone who will listen after years of being alone. It’s nice to be close to someone other than myself. He gently picks up my sore wrist and rubs some kind of cold goop onto it.

“What did Urdmin do to you?”

He must be talking about the fake god I ran into.

“Whipped me. I am not in pain, what are you doing?” I ask in a raised voice.

“Healing you,” Enoch mumbles while wrapping some kind of sticky cloth around my wrist. “Where else are you hurt?”

The salve makes my wrist tingle and the bandage restricts movement in my left hand. He presses the jar of goop into my right hand. “Keep it then if you wish. I can see your ankle was lashed at,” He speaks faster, “At the minimum, put more medicine on that too.”

“Okay,” I promise quietly.

Enoch stands up. “I have to go to work, but you will not be hurt again if you remain hidden here in the courtyard. Do not come out unless you are certain it’s me. There is plenty here to discover. Plants, statues, the hidden art of my ancestors...you will not be able to explore it all before I return.” I smile hoping it will be enough to bring an end to the new anger in his voice. “Okay?” he adds.

“I will not leave here, Enoch.”