“Thanks, Devina.”
Hearing him say my name in his low baritone voice added to the strangeness of this situation. But then he left and it gave me almost ten minutes to calm my nerves and re-center myself before he returned with the girl I’d gotten to know through her letters. Wilma was easy to recognize from the picture she’d sent me, but I was surprised at how tall she was. I’d always been the tallest of me and my sisters, but Wilma had half a head on me.
“Devina?” She hurried toward me and sat down next to me. Her eyes were the same green color as her brother’s, only hers were kind and full of concern. “How did you get here?”
I reached out to hug her and when we met in an embrace, I whispered into her ear. “I’m here to save you.”
Wilma let go of me and gave me a puzzled look.
Why doesn’t she look relieved?
She should appreciate that I’m risking my life for her.
“Did you climb the wall?” she asked and squeezed my hand.
“No.”
With a soft smile on her face, she pushed up from the bale and reached out her hand to me. “Come. We’ll talk upstairs. Tyton’s apartment is much nicer than this hay barn.”
I hadn’t imagined us talking much. In my mind, I would have woken her up and she would have been eager to go with me. What I wanted was for her to escape with me, but she was already moving and gesturing for me to follow.
Tyton’s apartment was a little messy, with clothes lying around. A large bed stood in one corner and in the middle was a worn couch with throw-overs and pillows. I stared at the couch, feeling unsure if my eyes were betraying me.
Is that leather?
In the Motherlands we were all vegan by law and no one would dream of decorating a piece of furniture with another being’s skin.
Wilma seemed oblivious to the cruelty that couch symbolized and took a seat. “Come and join me,” she said and patted the seat next to her.
I preferred to stay close to her and so I swallowed my moral scruples, pretended it was imitation leather, and took a seat.
With Tyton in the open kitchen busy making tea, I leaned in and whispered. “Wilma, I can get you out of here. You’ll be safe in the Motherlands. We just have to shake off your brother.”
“But I can’t go anyway right now. My tournament is beginning this Thursday and I’m marrying on Saturday.”
With a tone of desperation, I whispered, “I know you’re scared of your brother, but if we work together, we can find a way to get away. No one should be auctioned off in an awful tournament. You’re still a child, Wilma. You have your whole life ahead of you.”
“A child?” She looked a bit offended. “I’m a woman.”
“But…” I blinked, feeling confused by her lack of gratitude that I’d come to save her. Twisting my neck, I looked at Tyton to make sure he wasn’t sending her threatening glares. He had his back to us.
“Wilma.” I focused all my energy on her, looking deep into her eyes. “Are you saying that youwantto get married?”
Pulling the black shawl that she was wearing closer around her shoulders, Wilma confirmed it in a voice that wasn’t shaking the least. “Yes, I want to get married. I’ve been waiting for this day for as long as I can remember.”
I shrunk back in the couch feeling like the biggest fool. “But your letters.”
She angled her head, as if silently asking,What about them?
“You wrote about being scared.”
“Yes, but it’s more like excitement.”
“But what about your hidden message when you wished me a good hike?”
“What hidden message? It’s you who always talks about paths and I thought it was how you finished your letters… you know, wishing each other safe travels or something.”
“So, you weren’t asking me to come and rescue you?”
