Forgotten Monsters

Chapter 37- Leverage

“Indigo!” Tessa yelped as she woke up gasping to frigid water drenching her hair.

            “You’re just being lazy, and people who don’t work hard have no place in our society.” The little girl hissed spitefully.

            “Who told you that?” Tessa asked, still exhausted by a night delivering rations to the prisoners on the south side. She had been imprisoned in the north most area, where the platoons rarely travelled.

            “It’s none of your business.” Indigo sniffed, “Get up.” Tessa complied, shaking from the cold. It was past midwinter, but still freezing. But she wasn’t on the streets yet, not since she had joined the rebels.

            Pushing aside the child’s unnerving attitude, she twisted her hair up and quickly changed.  

            “Will you take Indigo and the boys onto the market today, it’s almost the shadow festival and they’ll need new clothes.” Jade tugged at the collar of Russet’s frayed shirt. The boy pulled away and shoved Saffron, starting another fight.

            Tessa was sick of babysitting the unruly children, she wanted to do something, but at that moment she had to please Jade.

            “Of course, I’ll be back in time to make deliveries.” She said referring to Jade’s washing job. “Indigo, go get your cousins.”

            “You still have to earn your place.” The girl muttered before running after her two younger cousins.

            “Did you get paid?” Jade asked quietly. Tessa nodded stiffly and handed over the collection of copper crowns. It hurt to let the money go, but once again she found herself with no other alternative. Jade never questioned where the money came from, and Tessa often wondered what Gray’s aunt thought of it. “And Gray?”            

“No idea, we didn’t talk.”

            That was becoming more and more of a common occurrence. Gray would wake her and they would travel silently through the tunnels before splitting into their separate groups. There Gray would suddenly wake up, playfully mocking his friends and taking control of his platoon.

            Afterwards, both of them would be far too exhausted to talk, and they would run back to bed just in time to wake up again. They were together practically all night, but they never exchanged a word.

            “I’ll ask him tonight.” Indigo returned with her cousin’s trailing behind her, a petulant expression on her face.

            “Why can’t Tessa do the washing and you can come with us?” She whined. “We don’t like her.”

            Jade sighed. “Keep them close.” She murmured to Tessa, and the young woman nodded back solemnly, ushering the children out the door. 

            “I won’t let them out of my sight.”

            “You’re lying.” Ross smirked. “Harlow Blind doesn’t exist; he was made up by desperate prisoners.

            The grey haired man responded, “Then tell me why people know about him if no one can escape.”

            “She escaped.” Matthew muttered, staring distrustfully towards their confiscated weapons. “Besides, what proof do you have that you were ever in the dungeons?” Harlow Blind stood up and rolled up his sleeve, revealing the pale skin on the inside of his forearm. Burned into his flesh was the Queen’s insignia, two intertwining serpents, their bodies grotesquely scared on his arm.