Promise: The Scarred Girl Read online

  Her wrists are rubbed raw, and it burns, but she reaches out to the dog’s head and strokes it gently. The dog’s head is sun-warmed and enjoys it when Nea combs his fur behind its ear, with relish, it closes its eyes. The dog seems to see no danger in Nea and trusts her blindly, as in the first moment when they met each other. At that time, Nea thought the dog would be a hindrance, but compared to Zippi and Luica, the dog proved to be an honest companion. He sometimes growls and shows his teeth, but he seems to like the scratching. Maybe this dog has a better understanding of human nature than she does. Even if she tells herself otherwise, they both know that Nea would never have had the heart to kill this dog.

  After her disappointing encounter with the three, it would be better to travel alone. But she has not forgotten how lonely she felt when she saw how familiar Luica and her family were together. The dog would certainly not turn out to be a slave trader. The only thing the dog can do is steal their food. And even then, it would only be a small price to pay for her freedom. She cannot understand why the dog would follow her all this way, even after ignoring and trying to chase it away. But she will no longer try to chase this dog away. If the dog wishes to accompany her, she will not stop it. Its panting reminds her of her own burning and dry throat.

  “You’re probably thirsty, huh?”

  Carefully, Nea stands and tries to ignore the pain in her shoulders and neck. She adjusts the backpack over her shoulders. The dog wags its tail and runs ahead into the forest. As she did not know which way to turn, she follows the dog. The main thing is to get as far as possible from Luica and her family.

  Soon, she has the feeling that the dog is not wandering aimlessly because it keeps running and does not hesitate for a moment. Nea struggles to follow, but whenever the dog gets too far ahead, the dog stops and looks for her until she is back in its sight. The dog does not lead her deep into the forest, but remains at its edge. Even though it’s far away, Nea makes out the outlines of a village or small town. She fears that it’s the Carris and that they will see her, but at the same time, she hopes she will see them first so she will have time to hide.

  She soon realizes the dog’s goal as the dog cheerfully hops into a small stream and greedily guzzles the water. Nea settles in quickly and beings scooping the fresh cool water with her hands into her mouth. When her thirst is completely satisfied, she brings two empty bottles out of her backpack and fills them with water.

  Meanwhile, Nea realizes it must be afternoon, as the bright yellow sun slowly transforms into a warm orange. From the stream, there is a good view over the fields and meadows where no humans can be seen. In addition, there are a few relatively wide trees nearby, an ideal place to sleep.

  Nea puts her backpack with the sleeping bag next to a tree and takes off to gather wood for a small fire. The dog goes off on its own. Nea doesn’t worry about the dog, she is sure the dog will come back again at the smell of grilled fish. Once the fire has kindled, she removes her boots, cloak, pants, and beige top, so that she is only in her bra and panties, and jumps in the cool stream. The water is only abdomen deep. It is cold, but after the sweat she perspired in her morning escape, her skin feels dirty and sticky and so the fresh water is a blessing. She dips her whole body under and scrubs herself clean with her hands. When the fish is roasting in the fire, the dog does comes back as expected, but not empty-pawed. In its mouth is a thick rabbit, which the dog then drops at Nea’s feet. Astonished, Nea looks at the dog; she smiles and lovingly strokes the dog on its head. “Is that your contribution for dinner?”

  She pulls the coat from the rabbit with her knife and affixes it on a stick over the fire next to the fish. When the fish is done, she carefully halves it and gives the dog its share, which is quickly devoured. However it does not try to pilfer anything from Nea. It is the same with the rabbit. She even gives the dog a bigger piece, because she can see the dog’s ribs and that it is not as strong as she is, also, the dog earned this reward. Afterward, Nea douses the fire and climbs the tree to her sleeping bag. However, when she looks down and sees the dog left to look up at her from below, she descends again and helps the dog up the tree. Miro would be impressed with her climbing skills.

  The dog is not large so it does not take up much room in her sleeping bag, also it will be warmer than it would be on the ground. They cuddle up to each other in the sleeping bag. Its fur tickles on Nea’s bare skin; its body exudes a pleasant warmth.

  “Good night,” Nea whispers into its pointed ears, after which it licks her with its raspy tongue over her arm, as if to give her a good night kiss. The call of an owl is the last thing Nea perceives before she sinks into the realm of dreams.

  Five

  After a restless night, Nea now sits on the bank of the stream and splashes icy water on her face. It is not common for someone to sleep so close to her, so she woke up at every little movement the dog made. The dog, however, appears to feel right at home, because he jumps in the cold water and swims around as if it were summer and the sun was burning up the sky. It is still cold, even if it is much warmer than it has been for the past two days. She must be very close to Dementia, which is in the south.

  Nea stretches her body, her neck cracks uncomfortably. Her muscles and joints have not yet forgotten the rigors of the last few days.

  Luckily, her clothes dried overnight, so she can now put them on again. The sky shines in a cool pink color as Nea and her new partner move on. Years ago, her mother always told her that the Christ Child bakes cookies when the sky is pink. Nea has to smile at the thought. Even though the Christmas season officially ceased to exist a long time ago, perhaps there is still someone in the world celebrating Christmas somewhere. Maybe Luica celebrated with Harold and Zippi, they are a family after all. But as a loner, Nea, the dog, and many others, see Christmas as just another day, there is nothing special about it other than it is yet another day that you have to fight for your survival. The Carris do not celebrate Christmas because the birth of Jesus Christ does not fit in with their belief that Ereb is their God. But maybe they have other festivals. Nea does not envy them and does not care, for her, each of their devised festivals would be without meaning. Though, she can imagine that the children who were born into the Carris would love these festivals as much as she once loved Christmas.

  After they have traveled a short distance, they reach a field with several wooden huts. It is clear that someone was working the field not long before, the earth is freshly dug and green plants sprout from the soil. However, no one can be seen, but this does not mean anything for it is still very early in the morning. The workers will surely come soon.

  Therefore Nea decides to withdraw deeper into the woods and wait for their arrival. She needs one of the Carris’ red robes so that she can easily travel through Dementia. Even after the incident with Luica, her plan has not changed, although she does not know what to do with the dog. Nea leans on a tree trunk, which is obscured by a bush and slowly slinks down behind it. She takes the dog and sets its head in her lap. Although she previously resisted this dog, she is now happy he is there. Lost in thought, she caresses him over the head and looks out at the still deserted field. She finds it increasingly difficult to keep her eyes open and they soon close and she dozes off.

  As Nea awakes, she notices a change; she has slept through their arrival. Without moving, she opens her eyes and peeks through the bush to the field. There are now about twenty people in the field wearing dark red vests diligently working in the fields with their bare hands. There were also six other people wearing bright red robes. The six must be the overseers, while the twenty must be workers, or even slaves. The six were distributed around the entire field and were armed with swords. Rifles or pistols have little use since the last of the ammunition for such weapons was depleted in the first year after the onset of the disease.

  Nea only has the knife to protect herself with. It might be possible to ambush one of the guards and slit their throat, however she is not willing to kill for her drea
m. It is enough that she already has one man’s life on her conscience, and she can barely cope with that one death. In addition, she believes that a person who kills another human loses a part of their soul. After all, a person will never be the same again after they commit a murder.

  Therefore, Nea looks around on the forest floor for a stout stick that she could repurpose and use as a weapon. Not far away she sees a suitable tree branch lying on the ground. However, it is in a location where the Carris could easily see her. She turns to her companion. The dog perks up as she points out the stick.

  “Fetch the stick,” she whispers in his ear, hoping he understands the words. The dog does not have to be told twice and runs without hesitation to the stick. Heart pounding, she watches the Carris and breaths in relief when the dog brings the stick back to her. The dog puts it at her feet and excitedly jumps up and down. He thinks she wants to play with him. Nea quickly places her index finger on her lips and prays he understands the gesture. Disappointed, he turns his head to the side and looks at her with his big eyes. She tells herself she will play catch with him later, but now is not the right place or the right time for it. Somehow she must lure one of the Carris to her individually. A few feet away one of the guards stands with his back to her. Carefully and as quietly as possible, Nea moves further behind the tree so that she can no longer see the Carris.

  Her plan is spontaneous and lacks thought. Her plan is to attract an overseer with a sound toward her, then pull him deeper into the forest. If she’s lucky, it will be a single Carris overseer. If she is unlucky, more than one overseer will be sent, or will otherwise be able to call or signal the rest with a call or a sign. This plan is careless and reckless, but the best thing she can do right now is to think on the fly.

  She stays behind the tree for protection. She still cannot see the reactions of the overseer and listens intently. The nearest overseer must have heard the noise she and the dog were making, as he is now slowly approaching the tree line of the forest. Nea hears his footsteps. She grasps the stick with both hands, ready to knock out the approaching overseer. She stands ready and soon believes that the overseer has simply mistaken her noise for that of a bird and is not worthy of his attention. But then a few tentative steps onto the forest floor can be heard. Nea’s heart beats wildly against her chest and her hands sweat as she holds onto her stick. The steps are coming from the right side of the tree. He cannot be far. She hears him coming, closer and closer. Just as she believes the overseer should be right next to her, the dog shoots off to the left and to the field, barking loudly. Frightened and thoughtless, Nea looks after him. The dog runs around the field as though it were a rabid dog, chasing off the remaining overseers and the workers. After the initial shock, the overseers attempt to capture the dog and reclaim all of the wayward workers.

  Only then does Nea realize her partner’s crafty plan and then looks to her right. There is only one arm’s length separating her and the overseer that had stepped into the forest. The overseer does not see Nea, as he is looking out to the field aghast with an open mouth. Nea does not dare breathe as she silently turns back behind the tree. Only a brief sound of surprise escapes the overseer’s mouth as Nea smacks him on the head and he falls to the ground. Nea casts a panicked look onto the field, but everyone is still busy chasing the dog. Neither she nor the missing overseer have been noticed. She quickly drags the motionless body of the overseer further into the woods and strips him of his habit The overseer appears to be a skinny boy, a few years younger than Nea. Nea is sure that this kid could not have that important of a role in the Carris. She does not put the habit on, but quickly places it into her backpack. Before tying him to a tree with a rope, she checks his pulse and is relieved when she perceives a regular throbbing in his neck.

  After the overseer is tied up, she looks back to the field. The guards have now rounded up all of the workers in the middle of the field, as some of them have apparently tried to flee. Nea’s companion is still running around barking in a circle, she has to smile. But she also sees how exhausted the dog is as his pace is slowing down steadily and his tongue is hanging out and is panting heavily. He is, after all, not the youngest dog. Nea runs fast from the spot where she has tied up the boy and stops at the edge of the forest. She lets out a loud whistle, which draws the attention of everyone. Her dog friend runs directly to her. The Carris are unsure of if they should follow her or stay with the workers.

  The amount of time it takes them to decide gives Nea a large head start. She runs as fast as she can along the forest edge. When she takes time to look, she sees that none of the Carris followers have come after her, but the dog is having trouble keeping up, so she stops.

  Completely spent, the dog gasps for air and falls to the ground. Quickly, Nea brings the water bottle out of her bag and pours some water into her palm, which the dog laps up quickly. Only after half the bottle is emptied, does the dog slowly calm down.

  Nea laughs and pats him behind the ears, “You’re a hero, you know that?” She praises him, and he seems to nod, panting.

  Meeting the dog was probably the best thing to happen to Nea in a long time. For the second time, the dog has saved her life, more or less. She would like to catch and cook a weasel for him, but they do not have the time. Now that she has the habit, she must flee the area as soon as possible and mix in with the Carris before it is known that one of their habits has been stolen. Nea brings the fiery red frock from her backpack and throws it over herself, for she is planning to leave the edge of the forest and go through the open field. She draws the backpack to herself because its contents are too valuable to leave behind. If any of the Carris should see her, she will claim that she is returning from a mission and is the only survivor.

  However, she still does not know what to tell them about her small friend. The dog is clever enough that it will probably occur to him that it is odd for them to leave the protection of the forest and head into the open field. She does not know where she is, and therefore hopes a city is nearby so they will not have to sleep in the open unprotected.

  In the field, the grass is so high that the little dog cannot look around and has to follow in Nea’s tracks. A breeze blows across the field, it smells deliciously of spring. Although Nea loves this smell, though not nearly as much as the salty smell of the beach and sea water, the smell still takes away part of her troubles for a brief moment. The world is not lost, on the contrary, nature is stronger than ever, and as long as there is nature, there will be life.

  A faint ringing pulls Nea out of her thoughts and she looks carefully around. To her left she recognizes a dirt track that leads through the fields. Again, the faint ringing of bells fills the air. Slowly and carefully, she embarks on the path. As they walk on the path, Nea notices that the grass on the other side is much shorter, as if had been mowed recently. There must be a town or other populated area nearby.

  Again, more ringing. Together they follow the trail a bit further. The ringing gets louder and louder. It becomes clearer and easier to hear, and then Nea sees for people wearing bright red robes ahead of her.

  However, they stand with their backs to Nea, so they cannot see her; this gives her a moment to think. Slowly she moves toward the squad. Around the four Carris members thirty goats graze on the grass, each goat carries a bell on their collar. Running between and around the goats are dogs that are much more attentive than their masters, for they have now noticed Nea and the dog and stand on guard, striking a threatening pose and growling. Now the four Carris turn around to face Nea and her companion. Nea’s companion also assumes a defensive position and begins growling back. The Carris begin eyeing Nea suspiciously. Her throat feels dry and she swallows hard. Now she needs acting talent.

  “Stop,” she orders her dog. The dog stops but looks at her questioningly. Nea smiles apologetically and walks toward them. She has always found it difficult to approach other people, but right now she’s trying to act as one of them would act. Her palms are dripping with sweat.


  “Hello,” she says as friendly as possible. The four stand a stride’s length from each other; there is no friendliness in their faces. Nea looks to each of them. She sees that there are two men and two women.

  “What are you doing here?” One of them says. They still eye her with a curious suspicion.

  “I was on a patrol south of here. We were attacked by savages, and in my escape I lost the others in my unit and lost my orientation. I honestly have no idea where I am.”

  She looks to the four, trying to see if they believe her story. One of them looks at her dog. “What’s with the dog?”

  “This is a beagle, without him I would be dead. He smelled the savages long before we could even see them.”

  “Where are the others in your unit?”

  “Unfortunately, I do not know. The savages far outnumbered us. Everyone ran as fast as they could. I lost sight of the others and have been alone for several days.

  A brief searching glance followed by a slight nod.

  “You can stay with us in the city tonight. You should speak to the High Priest to see what you should do next.”

  Nea nods to them with a grateful face. The rest of the day, the four barely notice her. While she pretends to rest, they either remain silent or talk together in muffled conversations, so Nea learns nothing from them. The Carris apparently do not trust her, she cannot blame them.

  They set off at sunset. Nea slowly overcomes her nervousness, next comes the real difficult part. She must convince the High Priest of her story and make sure it’s convincing, because only then will she be able to freely move amongst the Carris. If he does not believe her, she will probably end up in a cage to wait for the decision of another superior.

  The town is not as far away as she thought. From the vast and empty fields, it took several minutes to reach a paved road that led straight into a small village. The entire village consists of small, weathered timbered houses. Many roofs have collapsed due to storm damage. The pathways in the town are cobblestone. After walking through a narrow alley, they enter a kind of courtyard. Across the way is a small chapel. The color of the chapel stings the eye; it was freshly painted a dark red color not too long ago. In addition, the building appears to be completely intact. Neither the roof nor the facade has any damage. Next to the chapel is a large barn. The barn is also in good shape. The remaining half-timbered houses appear pale and seem as though they come from another time.