Chapter 2
Seda
Being safe this Wyrd was a huge relief, as if she had found a beacon of light in the darkness. Seda had to fight the urge to smile as she walked beside Cahir.
“Are you okay, Sed?” Cahir asked as they joined the crowd that was heading toward the east exit of the stadium.
“Oh, Cahir! Yes! I’m so happy we have another chance!
” she exclaimed, her smile slipping free.
“We’ll be successful and conceive this time, I know it.
” She longed for the deep connection that comes with being a mom, wanting someone to love and care for, and someone who would love her back just as much.
She also desperately wanted them to be safe from the Wyrd.
Cahir hummed thoughtfully, his gaze shifting from the birds soaring above to Seda’s shoulder. “I meant your scratches. Did something happen when she scratched you?”
She looked down at her shoulder, the sharp pain overshadowed by the happiness in her heart.
“No, it just came out of nowhere,” she replied. She hadn’t done anything to deserve the scratches, and it wasn’t the first time a bird had come too close. The birds were always around, watching them, watching her. At least it felt that way, anyway. Until today, they had always been harmless.
She considered them annoying, similar to the meat bees that sometimes tried to steal her lunch when she ate outside.
“Was Lord Mordred watching me?” she wondered out loud, the rocks crunching under her leather shoes with every step. She recalled the way his eyes seemed to penetrate her, and the memory sent a chill down her spine.
Cahir’s face was unreadable. “It seemed that way. Have you ever met him in person before?” he asked as they both paused, letting others pass.
Throughout her life, she had only ever seen Lord Mordred at the Wyrds or in the numerous portraits of him around Joro.
The only reason he would have stared at her like that is if he knew she registered. What other reason could there be?
“No—ow!” A woman bumped into her, and her shoulder flared in pain. The woman apologized and quickly moved around them to the exit.
“We need to get you to the medical wing to check that out,” Cahir suggested.
“Maybe later,” she said, figuring she could get another insemination if they went, but exhaustion gripped her nerves, and she was eager to head home first.
The crowd led them to a long line, where people were gathering their food tokens from the Rozzers.
“Maybe we can actually get some decent food this time. I’m tired of chicken and rice,” she mumbled as she walked in front of Cahir in line.
The air was thick and heavy as they made their way to the exit. The Rozzers were watching people, making sure they stayed in an orderly, single-file line at the door. As people got closer to the exit, they became quieter.
Seda and Cahir moved to the front of the line, and the Rozzers shifted their attention to them.
“What about some fermented eggs this time?” Cahir whispered into her ear from behind, tickling it with his breath. She grimaced. He knew how much she hated those, something often handed out at the food dispensaries.
“Shhh,” she silently scolded. “We have to remain quiet.”
Cahir tickled her side, and she shot him a warning look over her uninjured shoulder, struggling to hide her smile. Cahir chuckled and made a hand gesture signaling he was sealing his lips and keeping his hands to himself.
“No child, I see?” the Rozzer at the counter asked Seda as she stepped forward, his eyes suggestively roaming over her from head to toe. “What’s your name, darling?”
“S-Seda Arbor.” Her heart pounded fiercely at his leering gaze, but she felt a surge of gratitude and pride that her voice mostly stayed steady, something she often struggled with.
The Rozzer looked through the files, checked off her name, and handed her three copper food tokens, giving her a slight smirk and a wink.
As Seda stepped out, she grabbed the tokens and slipped them into her pocket, alongside her apartment key and ID, before pausing to wait for Cahir on the other side, nervously biting her nails.
The Rozzer watched her walk out and then looked back at Cahir.
“Name?” the Rozzer asked sternly, as if disgusted he was there.
“Cahir Cutlass.” His voice showed no hint of fear or hesitation. He stood tall, reaching out to take the tokens, but not before giving the Rozzer a sharp glare.
As they left the stadium, the eastern and southern parts of the city came into view. Joro consisted of three main sections, with the Palatium located in the center.
To the south was Barrio, where lower-class residents and most of Joro’s population lived. Barrio consisted of dilapidated, shared homes, with doors that barely held on to their hinges. Falling rooftops, peeling paint, and dirty streets defined the area: the slums.
The people of Barrio were usually the laborers in the Murkway, their clothing stained with a map of the city’s filth.
Seda and Cahir lived in the northeast region called Orience, which featured farmland and the Gardvord. Many apartment complexes were built in Orience to house both scientists and farmworkers.
Out of view to the northwest was Cascade.
Cascade’s population was small and consisted of the wealthiest and most influential members of Joro’s society.
People from Cascade worked inside the Palatium as advisors or were among the city’s top scientists and medical professionals.
Their homes were luxurious, and they received priority in food distribution due to the importance of their roles in society.
“I want to hurt that Rozzer for the way he looked at you,” Cahir seethed as they walked.
Cahir always responded that way when someone stared at her for too long.
“I hate all of them. They could have been something else in Joro and decided to go into the one field where they hurt people,” Seda replied.
It was true. Seda hated all of the Rozzers.
“While I would love to tear apart the ones who look at you like that, I don’t think that is always the case, Sed,” he sighed. “They can’t all be bad.”
“I doubt that,” Seda retorted snidely.
Cahir looked at her and furrowed his brows together. “Some people don’t have a choice in what they want to do to make a living. This society has its way of bestowing fortune on some while keeping others stuck in the lowest depths of despair.”
That was true. The laborers certainly didn’t have an advantage because of their limited education. If a child performed well in primary school and their test scores indicated they had the potential to move into a higher section than their parents, they had the opportunity to advance.
It was difficult, but not impossible; her father was a testament to that.
The Rozzers paid well and got to live within the Palatium. They also didn’t require high testing scores. As a result, many people from the Barrio chose to join.
She disagreed with their decision, though. Violence was violence in her eyes.
They traveled down the road in silence as Seda lost herself in thought. The streets of Orience were neat but dusty from the nearby fields, and the birds flying overhead stirred up dust in the air.
Seda coughed when one of them flew too close, and she narrowed her eyes at it. “You dang things are always causing chaos!”
She pointed her finger at it.
Cahir laughed and looked at the feathered troublemaker. The bird had landed in a nearby tree and watched, cawing loudly as they walked past.
“If I didn’t know any better, I would think she understood you,” he said.
“I don’t care,” Seda huffed and continued walking. “My shoulder hurts from one of them. Let’s get back home.”
“No can do,” said Cahir. “We have a date with the food dispenser and three solid copper coins to spend, each.” He flashed the coins in the sunlight and smiled brightly.
Her eyes landed on his dimples, and she couldn’t help but smile back.
“Here, take mine,” she said. “No fermented eggs! I would rather starve. Can you see if they have any bananas this time, please?” She handed her coins to him, and he placed them alongside the others in his palm, closing it tightly.
“Are you sure you’ll be alright? What if the Jotnar attack again?” he asked.
“They never attack so quickly after. I’m heading straight home—no other stops. I really need to shower.” She desperately needed to wash herself after how that Rozzer looked at her.
“Okay… no yummy eggs for you,” Cahir teased as they reached the split in the road. “I’ll be back home before you know it.”
They embraced and parted ways.
Seda carried on alone through a maze of apartment complexes to their building and ascended the winding stairs to the top floor, where she and Cahir lived.
She dug her key out of her pocket and unlocked the door.
The soft scent of cleaning supplies surrounded her, the familiar smell of safety.
She turned around and made sure to lock the door behind her.
She paused at the portrait of Lord Mordred in the entryway and pressed her palms together. “Thank you for your protection,” she said as she bowed at the waist.
It was customary to offer a prayer. All citizens kept a portrait of the lord in their homes and paid tribute when they left or returned.
The memory of his eyes watching her made the hair on her neck stand, and she shivered. She tried to recall if he might have been looking at her or someone nearby, but even Cahir admitted it seemed likely.
She walked through their tiny apartment into the bathroom and turned on the shower, watching as the cool water sputtered and trickled out.
Looks like a cold shower today.
She undressed, grabbed the slim bar of soap, and stepped into the chilled trickle.
Her shoulder flared in pain as she lathered up the soap and rubbed it into her scratches. The slow flow of water was a challenge, but she managed to lather enough shampoo into her hair and wash all the dust from her body.
She felt dirty and disgusting, thinking that perhaps if she cleaned herself more, she would finally feel truly clean.