Chapter Three

Aerilyn

The sun had finally begun to rise, coloring the field in a golden light that could only be found in the mornings or before the sun disappeared at night.

It made the place look like a painting.

Aerilyn had grown used to seeing the view, but it never failed to bring her warmth within her stomach.

She let the beams of light warm her cheeks, a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth as she basked in the sunlight.

She tried her best to ignore how the towering walls cast a shadow, seeming to split the world in two.

On the other side of the walls was darkness as far as the eye could see.

The sun didn’t touch the world beyond, leaving it in darkness.

The only thing that could be seen was the occasional outline of wings in the dark sky that belonged to one of the hounds.

She’d never seen one up close, but she heard that the creatures were vile.

Some crawled on four legs while others had wings and walked on two legs, but they all had black rotting flesh and glowing purple eyes. The number of people who have faced a hound and survived was very minimal.

There were a few figures that walked along the top of the wall, most of them carrying a bow and arrow.

It was hard to make out the details of each person from a distance, but she knew they were Forcers or Brutes.

They were the only people who had truly seen the hounds, usually able to shoot them down with their bows.

The Forcers were able to use their magic to keep up a forcefield that gave the kingdom of Orissia a second layer of protection from the hounds beyond.

She couldn’t imagine being born with either of the powers, afraid of what it would feel like to have everyone’s safety resting on her shoulders.

She preferred sticking to the fields and working a more simple job.

Sometimes she tried to imagine that there was life beyond the walls.

The plague hadn’t just killed people but also the animals.

There was nothing beyond the kingdom of Orissia.

The last of mankind was within the walls.

Only a few animals were alive within the walls.

The previous king had decided which ones were most important to keep bred for food.

She had grown up looking at old books full of drawings of the animals that used to be alive.

The old world had seemed more magical than the one she lived in.

So instead of facing reality, she dreamed of somewhere out there that the previous Chosen had found that had been safe.

It was better than the thought that they were all dead.

Aerilyn focused on the dirt below her, her knees already caked in it from kneeling.

She waved her hand over the spot where she had just planted seeds, feeling the power tingle within her fingertips.

She hummed to herself as she watched a small stem begin to sprout.

The stem continued to grow into a plant and strawberries began to form on the branches.

As a Floral, Aerilyn was assigned to the fields to keep the crops coming in for the kingdom.

She was unable to indulge in any of the fruits and vegetables she grew, only allowed a small ration at the end of each week as a payment for her hard work.

Even then, the ration wasn’t nearly enough for even a child to live off of.

Sometimes, when her stomach was empty enough, she gave in to the temptation to sneak a few bites to suppress the hunger.

She’d only been caught once and was severely reprimanded with ten lashings to her bare back.

It wasn’t uncommon for punishment to be given for small mistakes made by the citizens of Orissia.

It was the way they kept everyone under control and stayed obedient to the rules the king had in place.

Order had become an important thing in the kingdom of Orissia.

After the plague had overtaken the continent, there was only chaos.

Orissa had brought order and peace in the darkest time for humanity.

She lifted her gaze as she finished growing the current plant, examining the other Florals around her.

She was always the quickest to get done with her work compared to the others.

It worked in her favor, allowing her to have short work days.

She moved on to plant the next seeds, continuing the process all over again to grow another bush of strawberries.

The job was repetitive and quickly became boring.

Her back always ached from being bent over and her hands always caked in dirt that seemed to linger after bathing in the lake that resided on the outskirts of town.

She had no choice but to do the job assigned to her based on the magic she had been born with.

In Orissia, each person had a job that fit their specialty.

Select people were assigned to carry out simpler jobs, but the majority of the citizens had jobs based on their magical abilities.

Brutes who had extreme strength were assigned the role of being guards, they either wandered the kingdom watching for deviant activity or worked at the walls ensuring the hounds didn’t breach the wards.

Healers were placed in care units where they tended to any injuries that had occurred.

Forcers were put on the walls where they fueled the power of the forcefield that surrounded Orissia to keep out any of the flying hounds.

Neuros had varying jobs since they were able to control others and see into people’s minds.

Many of them carried out jobs like bakers or swordsmiths.

And finally, the Florals were put in the fields and expected to bring in the crops that fed the royals and were sold in markets at much too high of costs.

Everyone was expected to do their jobs without complaint to keep the kingdom properly functioning.

If everyone played their part, nothing ever seemed to go wrong.

Aerilyn examined her row of the field, taking note of the number of spaces remaining to place the plants.

From the distance she observed, she could place another ten plants before she was done for the day.

The warmth of the sun only worsened as the day continued, leaving her back covered in a layer of sweat.

By the end of her row, her magic was always drained.

Her body would ache and her well of magic would be damn near empty.

Growing a plant from seed to fruit took a lot to harness.

Not all Florals had that capability.

Some could only grow it halfway to a product, leaving the rest of the job to be done the following day.

She considered herself lucky to have the strength that she did.

The strawberries before her began to taunt her.

She imagined how the sweet juice would taste on her tongue.

How refreshing the fruit would be in the heat of the sun.

The scraps she’d taken from the palace the previous night did little to sate her.

Her stomach screamed at the thought of eating something else.

Her eyes lifted once more, scanning her surroundings for any guards watching her.

The girl carefully plucked one of the strawberries from the stem, rubbing it off on the front of her shirt before she popped it into her mouth.

The taste of it was better than she had imagined.

Her eyes closed, enjoying the flavor before she felt a hand grasp her jaw.

Her eyes flew open to be met with the eyes of a man wearing a blue uniform. His thumb pulled her mouth open, examining the contents on her tongue.

She yanked at his grip, clamping her teeth down to bite his thumb. He swore, pulling his hand away from her quickly. “You little bitch,”

he grumbled before grabbing a fistful of her hair, pulling her to her feet.

“You’re coming with me,”

the anger in his tone was evident. She looked around them to see how he’d found her so quickly. The girl who had been planting seeds beside her held a guilty expression, her cheeks flushed pink. “Oh, you’re going to regret that,”

she laughed, watching the girl flinch in fear.

Aerilyn didn’t fight the guard as he dragged her away from the other Florals who tried their best not to look up from the tasks in front of them.

The man stopped when they were a good distance away from the others, forcing her to her knees before him.

“Take off your shirt,”

he hissed, his tone full of hatred.

She didn’t protest, slipping her top over her head.

She hugged the material to the front of her to cover her chest as he stared down at her.

He uncurled the whip that had been attached to his belt, cracking his knuckles. The sound made her cringe, tensing up everywhere. “Ten lashes for stealing food that does not belong to you,”

his deep voice grumbled from behind her.

She sucked in a deep breath, preparing herself for the pain that would soon come.

She felt the burn of the whip slicing into her back, a gasp escaping her throat.

She dug her nails into her palms, her eyes squeezing shut as she tried her best not to cry.

She didn’t move once as he continued to slash her back, the pain becoming worse with each lashing.

She could feel the blood wetting her skin, running down her back and onto the grass below her.

She mentally counted each blow until she hit ten, sagging onto the ground in relief.

She let out a small cry, her face pressing into the dirt.

Her entire frame shook as she tried to convince herself to stand and not give him the satisfaction of seeing her pain.

“You’re done for the day. Return to your quarters and remind yourself of what happens when you break rules here,”

he simply stated and walked away, leaving her crumbled on the ground. She slid her shirt back over her head carefully, wincing at the pain that pulsed through her.

The blood already soaked the material as she forced herself to her feet.

Aerilyn didn’t stop once as she headed back into town with a slight limp. She knew exactly where the care units were from previous lashings she’d received from being caught stealing from a baker or women selling from a cart in the town square.

When she pushed open the front door, the woman who’d grown to know her by name stood from behind the counter looking at her with wide eyes. “My dear, what did you do this time?”

She tried to joke, meeting Aerilyn halfway across the room and leading her toward one of the healing rooms.

The room contained a singular cot and a table with any tools the Healer might need.

She lay face down on the cot as the woman approached her from behind, carefully peeling her shirt from her body.

“I was hungry, Ann,”

she whispered, letting her head fall flat on the cot. “You poor angel,”

the woman cooed as she placed her hands on Aerilyn’s back causing her to let out a wince of pain.

She felt the magic working its way through the wounds, closing up each of them.

Even then, the scars all remained.

Aerilyn’s back was covered with scars from the number of times she’d spent in this position.

The woman had done this same routine for Aerilyn since she was only a child.

The pair stayed silent until the healing was complete.

The healer moved across the room to grab a rag soaked in water to clean her bloodied skin.

Aerilyn didn’t move, allowing the older woman’s delicate touch.

When everything was finally back to normal, Aerilyn truly began to process what had happened.

She’d made a stupid mistake today and was still unsure of why she had done it.

Even though the damage had been done and erased as if it had never happened, the panic still remained within the girl.

She silently thanked the healer with a nod of her head before finding her way out of the clinic.

The lack of a shirt to wear made her much more subconscious than before.

She hugged her arms around her slim frame to cover what she could as she started her walk towards her home.

Most people in passing minded their own business, but a few older men gave her looks fueled by lust.

One even began to step towards her and quickly regretted it when she barred her sharp canines towards the man.

“Don’t you even think about it, pig,”

she growled, holding her ground.

The man quickly held his hands up in defense and backed away without another word.

She’d learned quickly to have thick skin and a pair of balls in a town like this.

Women were always the easy prey so it was guaranteed that they were the ones who had to watch over their shoulders.

The shack that Aerilyn called home becomes within sight, allowing her to let out a sigh of relief.

The building was long abandoned after a fire had caused most of it to burn down.

It was on the outskirts of the town, so it was never worth renovating.

After her parents had passed away, it was the only option Aerilyn had since she couldn’t pay for their old home.

She didn’t have much energy left in her body when she finally entered the room that contained her makeshift bed.

She didn’t even try to take off her dirtied clothing before falling onto the blankets before her.

The next day was Choosing Day and that always brought some form of chaos.

Every single person in Orissia would be present which meant having to stand in a town square packed body to body.

She always dreaded the Choosing Days even if they only happened twice a year.

The day was made out to be a celebration, but in reality, it was a day where five young souls were chosen to walk to their deaths.

It’s quite dark and gloomy when the day is viewed from the perspective that Aerilyn did.

She tried to block out all the thoughts racing through her mind. Once she was able to clear her head, a deep sleep quickly took her.