Chapter IV

“Wake up, Michael!” The sleepless night made it even more difficult to wake up.

“Michael!” It was the caregiver. “Get up! Now!” Michael found it difficult until he was woken up. “There is much to do, but you have done nothing for two days.”

Michael got up slowly, stretched, and jumped out of the bed. He put on his sleeveless jerkin and threw on a piece of cloth once referred to as a cape over his shoulders. The cold made him realize he had forgotten to put on his shoes, so he went back into the room.

The corridor was full of newly awakened boys. The girls’ dorms were on the upper floor. They were following the boys down the stairs to the garden. Still yawning, Michael also mingled with kids and joined in the line.

Several kids were being herded to the academy by some of their caregivers, others remained in their lines to sing the anthem and then go to work.

After the children sang the anthem written to glorify the Arc De Lugdar family, the watchman unlocked the rusty lock of the gate, and the children, encircled by the caregivers, left the premises one by one. The shelter was on the top of the hill and looked down on Mondelay. Both the slope and the top of the hill were covered with forest and the kids were expected to collect twigs there.

Michael had difficulty finding Lucius among other boys while he was collecting the branches on his own. Afterward, all the collected branches had to be taken to the shelter. This part of the forest was quite light as the sunshine could easily escape through scattered-around trees and colored up the rough tree barks.

“Why do they make us sing in the morning?” Lucius had silently approached him.

“That’s how it has always been like, as far as I remember. I wouldn’t ask the caregivers though if I were you,” answered Michael.

“Does your head hurt much?” Lucius had taken the bandage off his head.

“Not really,” he answered briefly.

Michael took a long breath and threw the twigs he was carrying on the pile, then he turned to Lucius, who was gazing at something near the tree roots. From afar, Derek and Jamey were in view, but he wasn't scared of them now.

“Work, or if the caregivers see you standing idly, they will beat you up”, Michael warned Lucius and continued collecting the twigs and branches.

The Sun was not warm, but it generously poured its light all over the people in the forest. The cold of the morning had lessened while working hard. Michael didn't need the cape-like cloth anymore, but he wanted to keep it from getting soiled, so he left it on. Following Michael's advice, Lucius gathered some branches and added them to the vast pile. Michael found it hard to explain Lucius and his peculiarities, yet he could tell just by looking at him he was nothing like the other shelter kids. He was unlike any other orphan.

“Break time!” announced the caregiver, opened up a huge sack, and started distributing some dark bread. Each would get one piece, so there seemed no reason why Michael should squeeze into the queue. It took him five to ten minutes to finally get his share of bread. The caregiver provided him with his piece of baked dough and Michael headed towards the tree log nearby. Lucius was the last to get his share and, munching his bread away, he headed toward Michael. Lucius had eyes of different colors. One of them was golden like the reflection of the Sun, whereas the other eye was greenish. It seemed he could look deep into people’s souls and this deep look created the illusion of calmness, although you might find anything but peace in them.

Michael ate his slice of bread reluctantly. The early spring chill felt more bitter during the break, so Michael stood up to warm up a bit. There was no one else nearby.

“But why did you save me, or where did you find that medicine?”

“My parents were village healers,” Lucius only answered the second part of the question.

“What’s the name of your village?” Asked Michael. He sounded false as if he was searching for a topic to talk about.

“Ardiel,” answered Lucius, but it is no longer my village, or maybe it has never been mine."

“Why? What happened?”

“I might tell you one day, but not now,” a strange smile flashed on Lucius’ face, a painful smile.

The caregiver's voice called out, "Everyone, up!" signaling the end of the break. Michael shook off the dust and dirt from his clothes and was about to gather more twigs when he heard the voice from behind him: “Laily was given away for adoption.”

“Who is Laily?” - He asked in a cracked voice.

“My sister, she is two years old.”

“Who took her?”

“I don’t know. One strange couple. The Head of the shelter did not even tell me their names.”

“Did they look rich?”

“They had nice clothes on, but you can’t really tell if they were noble.”

“People in the Noble Neighborhood are mostly well-born. Have you noticed any kind of symbol or a sign on their clothes?”

It took Lucius some time to process the above-said.

“Yes, they had a raven with open wings on their rings,” he whispered in the end.

“Hey! Why aren’t you working?” The caregiver, armed with a stick, had crept up to them.

“Starting right now,” Michael tried to keep away from trouble, but in vain. Later, he continued gathering the twigs with aching, caned hands together with Lucius.

It was time for dinner, which meant that the children had to take the collected branches to the shelter. Exhausted and battered, Michael did not even rest for even a minute to avoid getting whipped again. He went to the gate, crossed the garden, and emptied his hands in the storage room.

“I made medicine from the moss which I found in the storage room,” Lucius stood behind him with branches in his hands “Some plants have them on their roots, I thought I would find them among the twigs.”

“Can you make a lot of medicines?”

“Quite a bit,” answered Lucius simply.

Michael was sitting at the dining table and slowly munching a brown mass that was called food in the shelter. Having finished it, he moved on to eating bread. He usually ate food and bread separately to create a sense of diversity. However, his behavior was found quite odd by the people in the shelter. This was fine with him. The problem was that everything else was seen as normal there.

Only Lucius sat close to him. After the fight with Derek, nobody wished to sit next to him. Even in the room, nobody slept in the same bunk bed. Maybe everybody was afraid of Derek and his fellows, but Michael thought his own thoughts were more interesting than anybody else, so he was not really worried about being on his own all the time.

Michael slowly finished his bread, and he was about to stand up when a caregiver quickly appeared behind him, which made even Michael admire her skills.

“Headmistress wants to talk to you,” said the caregiver and let Michael lead so she could follow him easily. Michael left with no other option rather than obeying her, headed towards the exit, crossed the hall, went through the living room, walked up the creaking stairs, and went into Aunt Louisa’s working office. It was quite vague why this room was called “the working office.” As soon as he entered, he was greeted by Auntie Louisa’s bulging eyes staring from above her glasses.

“Sit down, Michael,” said Louisa in a sweetened voice, pointing at one of the empty chairs.

“Help yourself to some cookies,” the Head of the shelter pushed a plate of cakes toward Michael.

“I suppose we haven’t finished talking,” she continued, but the expression on Michael’s face made her stop.

“I think we no longer have to say anything to each other,” said Michael calmly.

Not expecting this reply, the headmistress raised her eyebrows, surprised.

“The whipping has taught you nothing,” she said coldly and slid the plate toward her. “This kind of behavior has brought none good to anybody, and neither will it to you. I thought you were cleverer, but, never mind, you will come back to your senses soon.” Michael was no longer listening to her. He was staring at the plate.

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The Head of the shelter turned to the caregiver: “Take him back to the garden and have him whipped in front of everybody again. That may help him.”

The caregiver grabbed Michael’s arm rudely and dragged him towards the door, but before they went out, the Head added, “This is for your own good.”

“Was that for Elaina’s own good too?” Michael turned around.

Aunt Louisa stared unblinkingly at Michael for some time, then took off her glasses, fogged them with her breath, polished them, put them back, and looked at the boy from above the glasses.

“There is no need to whip him anymore,” - Aunt Louise addressed the caregiver.

“Will send him to the colony for beating up a child. He will leave tomorrow.”

“But what about the other one who beat up the kid?” the caregiver muttered.

“We will send both of them there”, snarled Aunt Louise and the caregiver obeyed the order without a word.

They bounced downstairs. “Pack your belongings tonight”, said the caregiver before she left. She sounded slightly compassionate, almost sorry for Michael.

The wall around the shelter was almost three meters high and, being built with smooth stones, it could make the climb over it even more difficult. The twigs had already been collected, and the gate was securely locked. Out of the two keys, one was with Auntie Louisa, whereas the other was with the watchman. It would be very difficult to escape, especially without a thorough plan of action.

The colony. This word was associated with only unbearably negative things. Someone mysteriously spread the stories from the colony amongst the kids in the shelter and evoked only hatred and fear in Michael.

Michael noticed Derek among the kids scattered around the shelter yard. He was standing together with Simon and Jamey, with his foot at the shelter gate.

“Should I go up to him or not?” Michael hesitated for several minutes...

“I am planning to escape from the shelter,” Lucius was sitting on his bed alone. He did not seem to listen to Michael.

“I need your help, but if they catch me and realize you helped me, you will be in a mess. So, I won’t be surprised if you say no to me.”

“What do you want to escape from?”

“They are sending me to the colony and I prefer living in the streets to going there.”

“When are you planning to leave?”

“Tonight.”

“Alone?”

“Derek and I, some other guys, may join us too.”

“Why is he running away?”

“We are going to be sent to the colony together, and we have to escape.”

“Interesting. What do you want me to do?”

“Can you make the potion that can make the watchman fall asleep?”

“I can”, answered Lucius automatically, “but on one condition.”

“Go ahead.”

“I am coming too.”

Michael was sitting in the dining hall and stirring the grey mass with a spoon. Being agitated, he could not either swallow food properly or relax. Derek was sitting in front of him, twisting his fingers and looking at Michael anxiously. Caregivers were standing around the boys as if they were guarding them. Those children who were about to be sent to the colony were seated separately in a noticeable place so that others could learn from the example of the punished boys.

The watchman had not yet entered the hall. “Where the hell is he?” Michael heard Derek mumble. Lucius was sitting on his own in the corner, looking ahead with blank eyes, as if nothing was happening.

Michael suddenly noticed Derek's face becoming tense with fear, and he figured the watchman had come into the room. He sneaked a look behind him and he was certainly right. The watchman moved slowly towards the stall. The chubby cook filled his bowl with porridge without haste. He grabbed the bowl calmly and settled at a table close by. Simon pushed Lucius standing at the stall to get more food and pushed him towards the watchman, who nearly fell over him. Michael saw Jamey pass the table, but he could not tell whether he poured the medicine into the bowl of the watchman. Jamey was standing with his back to Michael, so he could not really see what was happening.

Simon helped Lucius up. “Sorry, it was an accident”, he said. Then both of them apologized to the watchman, who whispered something as a response (perhaps swore at the boys) and drank from his flask, then quickly sat at the table. Several minutes passed, but he did not touch the food. He only drank something from the flagon.

Michael was cold- sweating, asking himself why the man was not eating at all. He was sure that if he didn’t eat the food, everything would go south, which meant leaving for the colony.

The watchman started eating but soon stopped, took a shot from the flask, stood up, and reeled out of the room. Michael looked at Jamey, who nodded his head slightly. “That’s OK”, thought Michael, but he was not sure that the small amount would be enough to make the watchman sleep deeply.

Michael looked at Derek, and the latter nodded to confirm that the medicine would work. He then stood up, as could no longer eat out of anxiety and preferred to go up to his own room. The caregiver saw him in his bedroom and asked whether he had already packed his bag. “Yes, I’ve already prepared everything,” Michael tried to reply calmly, but he felt a tremor in his voice. The caregiver did not say a word. He might have thought it was the pre-colony nervousness or simply noticed nothing strange. It mattered no more.

As soon as Michael entered the room, he sat down on his bed and waited for the caregiver to leave the room and close the door. It was dusky outside, but not dark yet. Michael opened the wardrobe and looked at his clothes. If he wanted to escape from the shelter, he would need warm clothes, as it was still cold outside. He had no idea what would happen after the escape, but it did not seem to matter at all. The main thing was that he had to run away. He put on his warm clothes and packed others in his bag. Next, he lay on his bed and placed his bundle next to him. It was too hot in the clothes he was wearing, but he was too lazy to get changed.

Time was awfully slow, but in the end, the bell rang, which meant that the children had to go to bed. Jumping out of his bed, Michael looked through the window. It was already soot black. He could not open the window even in summer as the lock was rusty and did not work. He had to wait for a while until the bell rang for the second time. Michael found it impossible to stop; he tied the bedsheet around his hand and when the bell rang; he broke the window with his fist. Some pieces of the glass fell in the yard, whereas others remained stuck to the frame. He listened. Nothing was happening yet. He waited a while and picked the pieces of glass from the window. He quickly finished and went back to the door. “Where are they?” He thought angrily and went back to his bed.

Derek was the first to open the door. He was holding a twisted bedsheet and carrying a backpack. Not saying a single word, he looked seriously at Michael and sat on the lower berth of the bunk bed. Lucius followed Derek, and soon Jamey and Simon entered the room.

Everyone had their bundles ready, except Lucius. He was just carrying his cloak. The boys twisted their sheets and tied them to one another. The rope turned out to be quite long, but the main question was how strong it was. When Derek and Simon tried it, the rope seemed quite strong.

No one spoke again. Finally, Michael suggested he go down first. This turned out to be quite challenging, however, he still managed to slide down and jumped into the yard. Michael was followed by Lucius, then Jamey, Simon, and finally Derek, who was the largest among them. The process was quite difficult, although in the end the boys quietly tiptoed to the wall, looking around to check that nobody could see them.

Despite warm clothes, the boys still felt cold after the warm room. They soon approached the wall. “Lift either me or Lucius, we are the lightest,” said Michael. “It should be you!” Answered Derek after a short pause and the boys immediately clasped their hands...

Four pairs of hands lifted Michael in the air until he finally stood on their shoulders, but it was still difficult to reach the edge of the wall.

“I can’t reach it,” he shouted tensely.

“Step on my head!” Cried back Derek angrily.

Michael stepped on Derek’s head and finally managed to reach the edge of the wall. After gripping it with both hands, he lifted himself up and finally crawled up on it.

The wall was about two feet wide. The boys threw the tied sheets and Michael swiftly caught them. He looked around, standing on the top of the wall. The shelter was built on the top of the cliff. Behind it there was a field followed by the forest and far away they could see the city stretched out in front of them. The beauty of the night city made Michael gasp. Mondelay was built on both banks of the river. Huge ships dazzled silver under the moonlight, turning fishermen’s huts near the river banks into a magical mystery. The rich neighborhood was wrapped in dreamy whiteness, with the squares glittering gold. The lanterns poured out bright yellow light and in the darkness, Mondelay streets looked like a meandering river.

The ocean looked like a gigantic mirror from the top of the wall. It seemed strangely calm at night. The ocean horizon blending with the sky made Michael wonder about the double nature of this duo. The moon in the sky colored the entire scene silver, whereas its twin was floating in the water.

“Hey! What’s happening?” The boys brought him back to reality, and he remembered he had to jump from the wall and tie the rope to the iron peg protruding from the wall. The wall only had one peg, and it was the closest to Michael’s room, too.

Michael looked down at the boys. The land was farther than it seemed from his bedroom window. He took a deep breath and was about to jump when the unexpected roar mingled with the hot wave threw him back...

Michael could not tell how he managed to stop at the edge of the wall and not fall back into the shelter yard. With the help of the boys, he finally crawled back up to the top. The entire city was in the blaze of fire. The ships were in flames, turning bright gold instead of pale silver. Huge black ships were entering the harbor.

The fishermen’s huts quickly caught on fire and twinkled like the lanterns of the rich neighborhood. The sea looked like it was on fire and its silver, the mirror-like surface reflected the fire dance. Michael could make out people like small fiery dots running in the night city. He could hear their screams even from the shelter wall.

Terrified, Michael stared down at the city and he could not believe that what he was seeing was happening indeed until the shouts brought him back to his senses. “Hold the sheets,” he heard the boys screaming.

Michael turned around instantly. The watchman was awake, and he was seen staggering toward the gate. It was obvious that the mixture had worked, as the night watchman could barely walk.

The shelter also woke up gradually. The rumble must have woken them up. Soon everybody would come out headed by the caregivers.

Derek threw the sheet up, and Michael managed to catch it. He pulled it up and was about to jump when the sheets split in half, making Michael almost fall from the wall. The remaining part of the rope was too short to reach the torn other part, so the only remaining way was to help the boys crawl up the wall. “Let Lucius be first. He is the lightest and will help me lift you,” shouted back Michael, throwing the remaining part of the rope down.

Lucius caught the sheets and started to crawl up, helping the boys and Michael, who were trying to pull Lucius up. It was not easy to lift Lucius, but the boys still managed.

At the bottom of the wall, three boys waited impatiently for their turn. These were the boys who had beaten Michael up on Sunday. Now Michael was in charge of their fate; he knew he could leave them in the shelter with Louisa if he did not let them crawl up. He knew the boys were also aware of this. However, Michael would not be able to behave in this way. He quickly threw the sheet back to them and lifted Simon, helped by Lucius.

The shelter door opened before they could lift Simon and Louisa appeared in her nightgown, surrounded by her caregivers. Michael pulled strongly, as he was determined to help the boys up the wall. He felt his body tense and held the end of the sheet with all his might when he suddenly noticed a man in a hood standing at the other end of the wall. The man had his left hand up in the sky whilst covering his face with the right hand. If not, his cape fluttering in the wind, one might think he had turned into stone.

The man’s left hand disappeared and reappeared in the night, and the light made Michael look up. He saw a meteor-like fireball circle up in the air and move swiftly toward the shelter.

“Booooom!” Michael heard a deafening blast and, thrown up by the wave, the stars of the moonlit night flew before his eyes until his unexpected fall ended with a bang on the ground...