Enchained (Enchained Trilogy book 1)

Chapter 5 The Wall

I rise before dawn. Not even a sliver of sunlight covers the horizon. After having made a bad impression by arriving late yesterday, I am determined to report to breakfast early, eager to begin my duties as an arbiter in the eastern sector. I sit up, placing my feet on the cool floor, stretching my legs as I stand. I make certain to straighten the blanket on my bed and tuck it in on the sides so tight that a coin will bounce if dropped on it.

As I step past the window, I pause to look out at the wall. It is a massive structure, built for our protection from barbarians and raiders. Kition is not the only threat we face in this world. It stands taller than the buildings, made of solid stone and concrete, blended together, forming a structure that is almost impenetrable with barbed wire stretched across the top. At varying points, are guard towers, placed between the inner and outer walls, and I have a feeling that I will be asked to be in one at some point. At other areas of the wall are flame throwers which spew black fire, a concept based on Greek fire, but the word Greek was considered too white, so it was replaced, except that the fire that spills from the flame throwers is black, made that way by the chemical compound within them and impossible to extinguish. If touched by black fire, a person's skin melts from their bodies and they die a slow and agonizing death. No amount of medicine can cure a severe burn from it, leaving a victim of black fire with one remedy.

Movement catches my eye and I look down into the yard where the outdoor gymnasium is. Is that Commander Vye? I lean closer to the glass, squinting a bit as I try to make out the person in the semidarkness. The woman stands beneath a bar and jumps at it, grabbing it with both her hands, her strong muscles visible despite the faint light, and pulls herself up until her chin is above the bar, repeating that motion 20 times before letting go. It is Commander Vye.

I watch as she moves to the two benches and places her hands on one and her feet on the other, doing pushups, never faltering or exhibiting tiredness. I hope I can be like her one day: strong, confident, the epitome of a true arbiter of Arel. She stops and stands up, pausing before she bothers to move on to her next exercise. Her head turns in my direction and I jump back, hiding in the shadows of my room, hoping that she didn't see me. When I work up the courage to glance out again, she is gone.

I tear myself away from the window, just as the sun peeks over the horizon, placing a faint red line of light on my face, and pull my pants up and put my shirt on. Breakfast will be soon and I do not wish to be late. I bolt out my door, making certain that the latch clicks when it closes, tugging on a sleeve of my jacket as I dash down the hallway and past a plebeian girl, the same one who had shown me my room yesterday. I stop at the top of the stairs and walk down them with dignity, not wanting to appear rushed.

"Nice to see that you are able to be on time," says Commander Vye when I reach the bottom step. One look at her, and you would never know that she had just been doing pullups as she stands there in her pressed uniform without a single bead of sweat on her face.

I keep my face impassive and say nothing, not wanting to bring her ire upon me or give her a reason to punish me. She motions for me to enter the dining room and I walk in there, eyeing the other arbiters around the table, each of whom stand at attention, waiting for the order from Commander Vye to begin eating. I spot the one unoccupied chair in the room and take my place behind it, mimicking the others, and stand at attention. Commander Vye stalks into the room and walks around its exterior, pausing by each arbiter and inspecting their uniform. Her steel gaze unnerves me, and I rub my sweaty hands on the seat of my pants while she is not looking at me in a vain attempt to dry them. Her boots clomp on the floor in steady beats, timed with the ticking of the only hand clock in the entire house.

Tick. Step. Tick. Step.

I continue to face forward, but move my eyes, following her as she circles the room, until she reaches me and stops. A lump forms in my throat. Her continued scrutinizing of me makes me believe that I have done something wrong. Sweat collects under the collar of my jacket and I feel the heat rise in my face. Why is she just standing there? I remember that Molers used to exhibit the same tactic while at the training compound, and that the only way to escape possible punishment was to not move or speak. I grip my hands tighter and stiffen my knees to prevent them from wobbling. Commander Vye steps closer and I feel her moist breath on my neck. With great effort, I control my breathing and keep my gaze focused on the man right across the table from me, refusing to shift position or make the slightest movement.