ONE

… Taelynn

An ‘accidental’ bump of my elbow sent the marketgoer into a stumble, inadvertently knocking the baker’s pan as he pulled it out of the oven. I snatched two large loaves before they hit the ground, stashing them down my shirt. I pulled my large sand cloak on, hiding the bulges. I was grateful for its protection as I turned onto a larger street directly in the wind, sending sharp pieces of sand at the passersby. I pulled my scarf up to protect my nose and mouth too.

I hurried off while the baker was still distracted, his curses at the unfortunate man who’d knocked his wares to the floor still echoing behind me. The further away I was at the time he stopped to count the loaves, the better.

After a few random turns, I realized someone was following me. An Enforcer? I didn’t see the uniform, but maybe they didn’t want to draw attention. I ducked into a crowd, breaking the line of sight between us. I doubled back so I was behind the suspicious person, pretending to inspect a vendor’s wares.

I watched as the Enforcer slowed, then turned quietly and started heading toward me. How did they know where I was? I moved on, trying not to let them know I’d seen them. As I did so, I spotted a second, similarly dressed person watching me from across the street. I pulled my scarf higher and ducked into a sidestreet.

As fast as I could, I took a few more turns before I reached the hazardous heap of trash. I climbed up it- I’d piled trash around it to hide a staircase of sorts. In a few seconds, I was up on top of the building’s slanted roof. As long as the winds didn’t start up again, I’d be safe up here. The roof, and nearly all the roofs in Juniac, were slanted towards the winds. This kept the sand from piling on them, and usually kept it out of the streets. But if the winds started, they would likely sweep me off too.

I peeked over the edge. I saw the two Enforcers below, quietly conversing. One shook their head and then they both split up, leaving. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. I stood up, deciding to travel on the rooftops rather than risk going back down the streets again.

The roofs around here were all the same height. Because of the winds, tall structures were often not feasible. Buildings had to be short, stout, and resilient. The taller buildings, two or sometimes even three stories, were built towards the Oasis. But the Outskirt buildings were perfect for my travel.

I set my feet, judging the distance to leap the gap. I could make it easily. I crouched, then jumped. Something appeared in front of me, a glowing pattern in the sky. I couldn’t stop and slammed into the strange object, stopping my leap in mid-air. I struggled to catch my breath, then realized I was now falling. I spun quickly to try and minimize the damage, but I’d taken too long. I hit the ground hard, knocking my breath out for the second time. Nothing seemed broken though, thank goodness the building was only one story

I sat up quietly. A third Enforcer- not one of the ones who had been following me earlier, but still vaguely familiar- stood above me. I noticed a patch on his shoulder, a small star shape. The symbol of a Magician.

“Couldn’t you have waited until I landed?” I asked, getting shakily to my feet. I must’ve bit my tongue, because my mouth started filling with blood as I spoke.

“No,” he replied icily. “You are to be placed under immediate arrest and taken to the Courthouse for trial.”

“No thanks,” I said. The Magician raised an eyebrow. “You see, to arrest someone, you have to catch them. And you can’t catch something you can’t outrun.” I waited for a second to let my words sink in then took off just as the Magician registered the words.

I headed towards my hidden camp but purposefully took a random, meandering path. I may not have been the fastest runner, but my initial headstart would pay off. I was more of an endurance runner, once my pursuer was worn out, I could easily lose them and find one of my camps to hide out in.

The Magician was quite slow, and he must not have been very skilled in magic. What he should’ve done was created another one of those glowing barriers that I’d smacked into mid-jump. Maybe running wasn’t the best choice, my lungs were already burning. I’d have to shorten the route, which would be riskier. I silently cursed myself for choosing to run with injuries. I could’ve escaped later, why did I do it?

There had been something almost familiar about the Magician, but I couldn’t place it. The feeling I was missing something big kept bouncing around my head with every step on the streets. But when would I have seen a Magician? They usually stayed near the Oasis. The first, and only, time I’d seen a Magician was a month ago, when- I pushed off the flood of memories that threatened to drown me. I’d been lost in them once, I couldn’t afford to do it again.

I glanced backward and noted that the Magician was dropping further behind. Good. I was thinking about the best way to loop back to camp when another marking appeared directly in front of me. I dodged it quickly, heading down a very narrow alley. As I passed the mark, I felt its heat brush over me, forming small red marks. I tried not to think what would’ve happened if I hadn’t been able to dodge it quickly enough.

I turned through a few more sidestreets before finally reaching my destination. There was a pile of abandoned wood crates that I slid out of the way and crawled into the passageway. I quietly moved them back into place, covering any traces of the hole.

I crawled a bit further before the ceiling opened up and I was in the small, darkly lit room that was my home. I breathed a sigh of relief and exhaustion, slumping down on a stool. I glanced across to the beds, 2 stacked on top of each other. The top, where I slept, was messy and unkempt. The bottom bunk was still neatly made, just like he’d left it.

Squinting my eyes in the dim light, I swore I saw his form sleeping there, like always before. I shook my head to clear the memories away.

The person sleeping on the bed stood up. I scrambled backward, nearly falling off the stool in shock. I hadn’t imagined a form on his bed, there really was someone there.

“You see, Taelynn,” said the Magician, entering the thin slant of light from the window, “You don’t have to outrun something when you know exactly where it will run to.”

I froze at the words. As I stared at the Magician, I knew where I’d seen him before. He was the one that had taken so much from me. “You,” I whispered. The Magician only nodded stiffly. “Come to finish the job, I guess.” I sighed, knowing there was nowhere left to run now.

The Magician tied my hands behind my back, leading me out onto the street again. We walked slowly to the Courthouse. I held my head high, not willing to admit defeat.

The merchants looked at me with disgust, and glee that the pest had finally been caught. Others, just like me, only looked dejected. My eyes fell on an old friend of mine, whose name I could no longer remember. She was holding a tiny infant baby, and a toddler clung to her skirt.

I tripped on the street’s rough stones, scraping my chin. The Magician turned, exasperated, and pulled me upright. As he did so, I kicked the two loaves of bread I’d dropped toward my friend and her children. She quickly bent down and picked them up, checking around to make sure no one else had seen them. I smiled on the inside. Then the Courthouse’s shadow loomed over me.

“Guilty!” The judge declared, then proceeded to read off my crimes. Usually, I tuned him out at this point, already thinking of an escape plan. I’d been in and out of prison so many times I’d stopped counting. In Juniac, almost everything was illegal, making it pretty hard for someone like me to survive.

But this time I was worried. They’d sent a Magician to track me down- that was serious. The judge’s next words proved my emotions. “Taelynn, for these repeated offenses, you are to be sentenced to immediate execution.”

The Magician who’d caught me pursed his lips, barely masking his pride. It was the same look he’d worn when they’d killed Qorr. At least I’d see him again soon.

I was promptly marched to the steps of the Courthouse, where the milling people stopped to watch. The bell rang brightly, sounding my death. More people began to crowd the square- viewing the executions was mandatory.

The bell stopped and I was forced down to my knees. An Enforcer pressed something hard and metallic against my head. I looked up slightly to meet the eyes of the Magician, who was watching nearby. The Enforcer’s weapon hummed, then I heard a loud bang as I slipped away into darkness.

My head hurt like crazy. I groaned, sitting up. A quick scan of my surroundings showed me a small concrete box. Another jail cell?

After a second my head cleared and I remembered, very distinctly, getting shot in the head by the Enforcers. Was I dead? Or was this some kind of afterlife?  Why the jail cell then- was I condemned to eternal imprisonment?

I stood up, quickly running my fingers over the small room’s stone walls to prove they were in fact real. There were no windows, only a rectangular indent of what I assumed was the door.

I cursed under my breath. Whatever prison this was, they took security more seriously than the others. I felt around the door again, but it was pointless. Whatever mechanism held it shut did its job well, and it fit the space so tightly I couldn’t fit my fingers around it.

Despite knowing it was pointless, I scoured the entire room again. There was no escape. I was trapped.

I started pacing frantically, thinking, trying to find a way out. I’d never been truly and completely trapped before- not like this. There was always an escape, there had to be. I couldn’t be stuck here, I had to get out.

Stop, I told myself even as the panic grew. I’m in control, not them. I forced myself to stop pacing and took a few deep breaths. They would have to open the door sometime. Then I could make a plan. But obviously, they wouldn’t open it if I was actively trying to escape.

I sighed, sliding down to the floor and leaning against the cold wall. I could wait. I could play their games, as long as I could be free again.

I started counting to pass the time. I was at 2,637 when the door began to open.