Ryas left with the mid-morning sun, and by the time her shadow moved sideways, she waited long enough. Yuliah got up from the ground where their bedroll had been. He wasn't coming back for her. It was time to go.
She had to do this alone now. Most of her life had been spent alone anyways. This would be the same just a bigger place.
Yuliah wondered through the forest until she stumbled onto a small path, not wide enough for anything larger than a horse. With no idea where to head or if this path would be safe. She took it regardless. Life was about choices, and she had made too many bad ones. What's one more to the list. If anything maybe this path would guide her south.
The day turned to night, and she kept walking, no longer caring what happened next. His touch, his smell, everything about him was gone. She spent her nights crying and the days in a mindless stupor. Yuliah always feared the night, but now she welcomed it. The darkness wrapped like a blanket around her broken heart.
Her stomach cried for food, and her throat grew drier by the hour. The sun had risen and fallen how many times now. She didn't care to keep track. Death would come for her soon, and she would accept it. After walking for hours, Yuliah's body gave up. Her eyes stung, but no tears came. She would never see his face again. He left her — everything he said or did was conditional. Conditional love could not be real love at all. She slumped under a tree watching the sunset, the perfect place to rest. Then closed her eyes and let death take her.
------------------
Two men stalked down a narrow dirt path, surrounded on both sides by grass that stood above their heads. The sun sank lower by the minute in front of them — one shoved the other forward.
"I swear it. I saw something glowing red over there." It was so bright he could see it from the road. He wondered how everyone else missed it. "What do you think it is?" he asked.
"I don't know. I hope it's not one of those dead things from the Forest."
"What dead things are you talking about."
"Don't you fucken listen to Ward when he talks. He says some of those monsters from the Dark Forest made their way up North. That's why he gave us swords."
Irk must have missed that. He'd been with Ward for only a year and was considered a fresh meat, which meant they forced him to run all the shit errands. He came from the Capital with his sister and a large group of soldiers. They'd promised to keep them safe but sold his sister regardless. That's how he ended up with Ward and his bandits.
"Stop." Ox pulled on Irk's shirt and yanked him back. "I see it. Up there."
His beady eyes quickly scanned ahead before adjusting enough to make out a twisted corpse. Oh shit. A dead thing like Ox had mentioned. His legs buckled as he tried to hold onto Ox. He tore Ox's shirt along the way.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Ox whisked him back on his feet. "Sometimes I wonder if your even a man." He launched Irk forward towards the corpse. "Get over there and find out what it is."
Irk stumbled over his feet and landed a few paces away from the corpse. His entire body stiff. If he didn't go Ox would beat him anyways. So he forced himself closer inch by inch. Long black hair, white dress, and hips. "It's a woman," he called to Ox. It's a woman. Irk sighed.
"Well... Is she dead Irk?" Ox asked when he came up behind him.
Both Men looked at Yuliah curled against the trunk of a tree. Her hair knotted in chunks shielding her face.
"I'm not sure, but I ain't gonna touch her. What if she's rotted and diseased. I'm not trying to die over these girls."
"Nudge her with your foot. We can check if she's dead or not."
"No, her disease is gonna get on my boot, and later on I'll forget and remove my boot then forget to wash my hands. All suddenly, I'm infected too," Irk said.
"You don't even wash your hands." Ox smacked him across the head.
"Don't touch me you fat shit. I'll fight you right now." Irk shoved Ox's husky body backward, but he barely moved.
The two started swatting at one another circling around.
"Would you two ladies shut the fuck up before I come over there and give you something to whine about." Ward their leader chucked a handful of rocks at the two. "Check the fucken wench to see if she's dead. If not throw her ass with the other girls and let's be on our way."
"You do it," Ox shoved Irk forward.
Irk's hand shook as he leaned over Yuliah. She didn't smell rotten, so that was a good sign.
"Here take this you pussy." Ox threw a stick at him.
He picked up the stick and poked her with it. She didn't move. "Her body's not stiff. I think she's still alive," he called back to Ox.
Ox charged forward. "Get out of the way pussy," and he kicked Irk's feet out from underneath him. Ox flipped Yuliah right over exposing her face and features. "Woohoo..." He hollered. "Look at this one! Ward get your ass over here! Good fucken Gods!"
"What are you fucken screaming about now?" Ward walked over and looked down at Yuliah. "I'll be damned. We got us a good one this time. Better than the whole lot put together."
"You think she's a Noble?" Ox turned to Ward. "She looks too clean to be a peasant."
"Yup," Ward answered. "Too pretty and clean to be a nobody. Sucks for her though."
Irk glanced over at Yuliah. He had a sister who was pretty like her. He loved her more than anything, and then they sold her to the Nomens too.
"Grab her and let's go." Ox shoved past Irk, making his way back towards the bigger road.
-----------------
This must be death. Yuliah looked around shrouded in darkness. It was quite peaceful.
"No! You're in the Ethereal Flow. You stupid girl!"
"Finally." She gazed up into the night sky. Was it mad at her? She should be angry with the Ethereal Flow for not helping her when she needed it the most! How many times did it ignore her?
"You're going to kill us all with your stupidity. Didn't I tell you to learn how to harness the Ethereal Spirit? Instead, you go and complicate your life with worldly emotions and abandon your entire purpose. I might as well transport you right to Aleric's front doorstep."
"I don't need this from you." Yuliah screamed out. "Yes, go ahead and do that. I'm tired of this world anyway. I'm tired of disappointing everyone. I'm tired of never being good enough, and I'm mostly tired of being fucken hunted! I never wanted any of this. I just wanted a life. I want to be free."
"Fine go back then and be free. Let's see how long it'll last.". The Ethereal Flow faded away.
Yuliah opened her honey eyes to a darken sky and wooden bars, followed by the creaking of wheels beneath her. What now...