Eliuteria

Chapter 8

The week had passed with more of the same. The bagrai had become my daily assignment, Veetrala Faedra's idea of suitable punishment for disgracing Zashar Juleen so at breakfast.

Working in the bagrai was disgusting and emotionally draining, but for the first time in an exceptionally long time, I was helping people. I didn't mind being down there so much because instead of tending to self-absorbed, cruel beings I was helping my people. No one cared how filthy or clean the cells were and no one checked to see how I was passing the time. I cleaned as much as I could, but most of my time was spent tending to the people there. I cleaned their wounds and sometimes their clothes. I gave them water they so desperately needed, but I could not give them food. I had no way of bringing it down with me.

I rarely spoke to the same person twice, there were so many cells to attend to that it wasn't possible. Except for the boy, I sought him out every day and attempted to keep his spirits up. There weren't others like him, at least not that I saw. It was possible there were more children, but I had yet to encounter any others locked up and for that I was thankful.

I hadn't seen Laere Eliró since the breakfast and though I hadn't had a spare moment, I was disappointed he had not sought me out. I worried perhaps he'd done as I suggested and found someone else to help him. I hoped not. After witnessing how the people in the bagrai were treated, I'd made up my mind to help him. Whatever he wanted from me, I was certain he could do something for those people... at least for the child.

I left every evening just before the sun set and returning before it had fully risen. I didn't have time to think or do much that wasn't cleaning and tending to wounds. Mia stayed with me every night. She was there if I wanted to talk about it or if I wanted to be distracted and talk about anything else, and she was there if I just wanted to sleep.

As we laid awake in the middle of the night, dreaming of leaving this place, I whispered to Mia my plan to steal some of the healing ointment from the infirmary. She sat up and watched Analiese for a moment, making sure she was sleeping before responding.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Mia asked.

I was positive. Aerias' wrists weren't healing as they should, and I was concerned they'd become infected. That could only be healed with medication.

"You don't have to help me with this," I assured her. "It's a risk."

Aiding criminals would be a sure way to join them. The last thing I wanted was for Mia to be punished alongside me.

"Of course, I'm helping," she said. "You need someone to look out for you."

Together we sneaked down to the infirmary in the middle of the night. Mia stood outside the door, a hand over her stomach and a pitiful look on her face. If anyone walked by, she planned to feign terrible cramps and tell them I'd gone in to find a pain killer for her. For that, we might each get a slap on the wrist, but nothing like the hell we'd pay for stealing the much more valuable ointment to help humans sentenced to live their days in the bagrai.

I did not read well, but I had seen the ointment enough that I recognized the tube and grabbed it. There were several of them lined up in the drawer, but I only took one small tube. One missing tube may go unnoticed, but any more than that would arouse suspicion. It wasn't enough to help them all, but it would help Aerias.

I told myself I was making progress. Every day I was there the place smelled a little better and the people were a little less broken, but I wasn't sure any of that was true or if I just wanted to feel more useful. Aerias, at least, seemed better than when I found him.