The room grows quiet. Topaz, Martha and I stare at Amethyst. Is she talking about running off?
“Where would you go?” Topaz asks.
“I don’t know,” Amy answers. “Maybe to Bastion. I heard it’s a large city in the north where they don’t have slavery. I also heard Bastion and Central Settlement are some sort of enemies.”
“Yeah, I heard that too,” Topaz says. “But you’ll have to cross the Dark Land where the roamers live.”
“So what?” Amy shrugs. “Roamers are just escaped servants, aren’t they?”
“No,” Topaz says, shaking her head. “They’re demons. They sold their souls to become invincible and gain the ability to turn into wolves at night. They kill strangers on sight and bite off their heads.”
Amy gives her a blank stare. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
“It’s true,” Martha whispers, wide-eyed. “Roamers killed the previous high master of Central Settlement six years ago. His name was Christopher. They cut off his head and chopped his body into small pieces. They also murdered his wife and children, four princesses and a little prince.”
“Everybody in Central Settlement is afraid of them,” Topaz adds in a haunted voice. “They lurk out there in the darkness, waiting patiently for their victims.”
“Oh come on,” Amy groans, chuckling. “That’s just a silly tale parents tell to scare their kids.”
They continue arguing about the roamers. I close my eyes, thinking about evil strangers lurking in the darkness. I suppose I wouldn’t mind becoming a werewolf.
***
I knock lightly on the door of Trent’s room.
“What are you doing here?” He frowns upon seeing me.
I mumble that I need to speak with him privately. His three roommates smirk, sizing me up, which makes me uncomfortable.
Outside, I tell Trent about Amy’s suspicions concerning the Terror Race.
“Stop it,” he interrupts in a harsh voice. “I know what you’ve got on your mind, Kora. Please, get rid of any such bad ideas.”
“But Trent…” I mutter.
“Would you like to know what your problem is?” he asks. “You don’t seem to be able to make up your mind about what you want. You were dreaming about living in Central Settlement. And now you’re complaining about having to train too hard. You’re thinking of running off, aren’t you?”
I nod, becoming mute.
“You have to accept yourself and your new life,” he continues. “Can’t you see how you’re just trying to run away from yourself? That’s why you’re never happy.”
He pauses, looking at me. I still don’t speak. We stand very close and I envision Trent throwing his arms around me and giving me a kiss.
“Kora,” he says softly. “Look at me. I’m just worried about you. Your thoughts could get you killed someday, understand? You know what happens to runaway servants, don’t you?” He touches my face gently, sighing. “Stop dreaming so much,” he suggests.
Maybe Trent is right and I should just stop thinking and dreaming. But how can I? My dreams are all that I really have. Take them away and I’ll have nothing left.
He returns to his room and I head back toward mine. I convince myself that Amethyst must be mistaken. I tell myself that any ideas about running off are stupid. Trent wouldn’t join me in an escape attempt anyway, would he? I force myself to believe that everything here will be just fine.
By the end of the week, Joan and Brutus have us running from a pack of vicious dogs.
CHAPTER 7
I’m breathless. Running so hard that water from the puddles splashes up behind me, spraying the back of my legs. It’s raining. And a huge snarling dog is chasing me down.
No matter how fast you run, you can’t outrun a dog. I had a head start, but the distance between us is quickly closing. I can already sense its hot breath on my calves.
Zigzagging between obstacles, I come to a rope hanging from a wooden plank. I jump as high as I possibly can, grabbing the rope with both hands just in time to avoid being bitten. Its jaws snap angrily closed mere inches beneath my feet. I groan, pulling my legs up higher. I can’t climb further yet, being exhausted. My arms are shaking. I suck in gulps of air, but can’t get near enough oxygen.
The dog leaps, growling furiously. Looking down, I can distinctly see two rows of sharp yellow teeth inside its enormous mouth. If the dog gets hold of my leg, I’ll be done for.
I finally manage to climb a few feet higher, pulling my weight using only my arms. My legs dangle freely beneath me now. The dog continues raging below. I’ve never seen this breed before. It’s hairless, sand-colored and probably twice my weight. Under different circumstances, I might try to make friends with a dog like this. At the moment though, I truly wish I could smash in its head.
Half an hour ago, Brutus and Joan led us into a large fenced area of the training field filled with tires, barrels and hanging ropes. The guards then proceeded to release a pack of large dogs to attack us. There are no rules here protecting the fallen. No mercy or second chances. To avoid being attacked, we have to sprint between obstacles, climb ropes and work as a team to divert the dogs’ attention from one another. Joan and Brutus walk along the fence line, observing our performance and shouting orders. They don’t allow us to remain off the ground longer than a couple of minutes. As soon as a dog diverts its attention to another target, you have to jump down and continue running.
The dog underneath me finally gets bored. It lets out a last threatening growl and scurries off in search of
