Chapter Three

Quickly, she put on a deep crimson tunic, loving

How the free shirt allowed her skin to

Breath. She double-checked her quick sword

At her waist and left to take a look at on the outer

Perimeters of her home.

~*~*~

Every Lost One was once at the Pit except

16-year-old Gavin now patrolling the entry

Gate and 18-year-old Liivel who had found

Himself a job in Midlaan to carry new

Financial support into the encampment.

Eighteen youth underneath the age of thirteen

Sat amongst the last 9 teen Elders

Waiting to discuss the day. Finger ingredients and

Fruit juice have been exceeded around as Mageia

Took her seat at the head of the circle beside

Dean.

"Okay, everyone!" she said, getting their

Attention. "From our Collectors, please tell me

If you have been spotted for the record."

"I," said Sissi, a 12-year-old collector with

Some defected fingers joined into one.

"How did that happen, for the record?" Dean

Said writing in the document book.

Her cheeks flushed crimson with embarrassment.

"A woman noticed me digging into a lady's purse

In the Olesha Arena."

"Okay. Learn from your mistake," Mageia said

In a kind but firm tone.

"I will. I thank the gods I was not caught," the

Girl stated bobbing her head.

"Gods be good," everybody said in unison.

Mageia nodded. "I too used to be spotted" This

Made a few eyebrows increase greatly surprised at the

Most experienced one in the family. She

Had no excuse barring the truth she let the

Proceedings on the Dais distract her. "I was

Caught by way of the very man or woman I used to be picketing.

I will study from that mistake and thank the

Gods I was no longer caught."

"Gods be good" anybody mumbled this time.

"if it really is all, what say to the hunting crew?"

Mageia said.

Their family's predominant 5 hunters wearing

Camouflaged hues to combo with nature,

Handed over their small file e book to Dean.

Jaice, their sixteen-year-old leader stood with

A pleased smile. Mageia quickly remembered

The image of recognizing her at six-years-old

Getting a brutal beating from a slave master

Who had recently bought her from an

Orphanage. Mageia had been amassing in

The market that day and followed them to the

Master's domestic and knew some thing had to

Be done. She lower back home to get Dean and

They rescued Jaice that night. The bad girl

Had bloody and historic bruises on her bald head,

Unable to produce hair.

The young woman now stood strong and

Shameless of her defect and had deliberately

Drawn plants over the scales that highlighted

Her petite face. "We were in a position to catch two

Rabbits and two wild chickens," she said. "We

Also caught two massive fishes from the lake."

"Very good, Jaice. Our cooking crew will make

Sure we dine nicely tonight. Thank you," Mageia

Said. "By the sound of things, the whole thing is

Going well. All thanks to any of the exact gods

Above."

"Gods be good," all and sundry said happily.

"May I supply a suggestion?" Jaice stated before

Mageia may want to go on.

"Sure," Mageia said.

"Well, I used to be thinking. Because Liivel had

Taught us nicely with hunting and now that he

Found a job in Midlaan, is it viable we can

Stop collecting?"

Mageia bit down on her backside lip and felt

Speechless. She glanced at Dean and the

Other Elders who regarded to deeply ponder

The suggestion.

"Stealing has turn out to be pretty risky,"

Dean muttered giving Mageia a

You-know-what-l-mean look.

"How about we discuss it later?" Mageia said

And Jaice nodded and shrugged.

She had to admit, Jaice had a accurate point.

There have been certain people within Ardania

Who would not pry into the non-public existence of a

Willing Strange worker. The only hassle she

Had used to be the many years of thieving rooted

Into her bones screaming to never give it up.

The adrenaline and the thrill to steal from heartless Fairs regarded to give her purpose.

One component was once for sure. Dean will not let

Jaice's advice glide away with the wind.

So quickly, she modified the subject.

"As we all know, present day many executions

Will proceed towards tonight, bringing in

Ardania's Annual Fair Ceremony."

This introduced a few groans for this

Long-winded ceremony only reminded the

Strange about their misfortunes and forced

Fairs to deal with them with phony smiles and

Showers of useless kindness. Of all the

Holidays Ardania observed, this one revealed

The darkest aspect of Mageia's kingdom and sat

It excessive on a throne to be worshiped.

"I know. I know. Like the years before, we will

Get through this. What we've gathered and

Hunted will be rationed until subsequent week once

The fairs are over. To honor these being

Sacrificed, no one will leave the encampment

To enjoy the merciless festivities. No one will

Leave until it is for an vital reason,"

Mageia said then caught eyes with Dean and

Felt a lump in her throat. "We will honor the

Ordained instead..."

"Are yuh sure about that, Geia?" Dean said.

"We mustn't serve any known god."

"Well, then, we can honor the innocent souls

Of the Strange who have died this year. I want

Everyone to locate something they treasure or

Value the most and will sacrifice it into the

Flames of the pit at midnight."

A deathly silence fell upon the encampment.

The solely aspect Mageia should hear was once the

Breeze rustling the tree branches.

"May their souls relaxation in peace in the Serene,"

Jaice said, eyes watering with sorrow.

Mageia fumbled with her fingers, the knot

In her throat extending to her wet eyelids.

A mild hand touched her arm, and she

Looked up at Dean whose eyes were dark and

Determined.

Then as a saint he was, Dean took over the

Meeting. "We will double protection and keep

Our noise at a minimum to avoid attracting

Any wanderers for the next few days. If yuh

Have any questions little ones sense free to ask

Any Elder. If that would be all, the Elders will

Go through the series for these days and have

Our meeting."

"I have some thing to say," Faebrin said. The

Boy's sky-blue eyes glanced at them with

Sorrow and uncertainty upon his face.

"What is it, Faebrin?" Mageia said.

"I noticed youth being led into the Taefo."

Murmurings and gasps arose, and a new

Tension swarmed in and stiffened Mageia's

Spine.

Dean's eyes darkened, irritated at the boy. "This

Talk is no longer fer younger ears, Faebrin!"

Mageia's coronary heart fluttered and sunk into her gut,

Despite the boy's stupidity.

"Dean, they had stopped sacrificing children

Five years ago," Mageia said, remembering her

Joyous prayers to the gods for touching the

King's heart to alternate that law.

"I asked around and-,"

"Yuh what?" Dean scolded. Mageia grabbed

And squeezed her satisfactory friend's clenching fist.

"They said the High Priest had some damn

Dream from the gods dealing with a need

For children's pure blood or something evil of

The sort. They're going to sacrifice them at

Midnight to convey in the holy days."

Gasps and weeping erupted amongst the

Group. Mageia felt shortness of breath and

Soaked in the twenty-seven faces surrounding

Her. She noticed herself once more standing on the

Dais, but this time the executioner's dagger

Lured closer to her little wrists bound to a

Stake.

"Dean...," she said. "We have to retail them."

Once they had disregarded the youth to the

supervision of their nice sitters, the ten Elders

joined to proceed the darkish theme at the Pit.

"Fae, yuh should've came to Geia or me

instead of sayin' it in front of the children,"

Dean said, eyes furious.

"I know. I'm sorry, but it troubled me, and it

couldn't wait 'til after the meeting," Faebrin

said shoulders tensing up and almost

touching his earlobes.

"Dean, we have to do something," Mageia

said.

"What do you endorse we do, huh? Rescue

them?" he said, giving her the crazy-look she

hated.

"Yes," she said, palms clenched at her sides.

"Children are supposed to live and enjoy

life. Not be dehumanized and die in front of

reckless fools who revel in the sight of blood. I

know how that feels, remember?"

"Geia..." Dean stated transferring feet and giving an

irritated sigh.

"I agree with Geia," Jaice stated loud and quick.

"We have rescued many young people over the

years."

"Yes, but now not from the Taefo," Dean said. "We

managed to rescue three children- three from

there long ago," he said, jabbing three fingers in the air. "Eson, Esa, and Jayta, may she rest

in peace."

Mageia swallowed hard to restrain the grief

from losing ten-year-old Jayta to her blood

disease two years ago. She passed peacefully

into the Hall of Souls surrounded by using her

family.

"And we nonetheless cannot thank you each enough,"

16-year-old Eson said, rubbing his twin

sister's back. They each shared a similar

sunken face due to their heads mashing in the

womb. His left eye, too small with bad vision,

was protected with a black patch, while his

sister's right eye additionally very small constantly

blinked.

"Rescuing anybody from the Taefo - let

alone a group is risky," Dean said.

"But it is possible," Mageia said, ignoring him.

Dean approached her and grabbed her by

the fingers and peered into her face. "Geia.

Remember the infinite instances tryin' to

rescue teens from there? They all failed.

They all ended up being recaptured and facin'

the slice either way."

"But we had been teenagers then. We are nearly

grown," she said, breaking free from him

to appear at the teens. "We have trained our

entire lives to scout orphanages, slave

holds, temples, and infirmaries, getting to know and

studying how to maneuver with stealth. For

gods' sakes we've got picked too many crowds to maintain count.