They had stopped. Because two of the women were going to have their babies. It wasn`t her mouchim but it reminded her that her mouchim`s time was close. The women had to make two small shelters while everyone settled down to wait.
Prika told her that they didn`t know how long until the babies would come but the women couldn`t be moved. Her fader had gone to help the women with her mouchim beside him. Prika was fixing her shawl while Yang sat in the back of the cart with his eyes closed. Jayl was on the ground feeding his horse and for some reason, he refused to take off his satchel.
Dev was in the middle of playing with her anklets on the grass when she heard someone call her name.
"Devina!" a man called out.
Dev stopped fiddling with her anklet and turned to look for who called for her. Everyone in the other carts weren`t looking at her. Her own siblings were busy doing their own things.
"Yes?!" She called out.
"I didn`t say anything," Jayl told her.
"Not you, the man," Dev said as she stood and craned her neck to see if someone was looking for her or calling for her.
"What man?" Prika asked from the cart.
"The man that called for me. I was answering him," Dev huffed.
"What man?" Yang asked again from the cart.
"No one was calling for you," Jayl said as he turned from his horse and frowned at his sister who shook her head, "I did hear someone."
"Maybe you`re hungry," Prika suggested as a way to show that maybe she was hungry and hearing things.
"I`m not," Dev insisted as she turned to her sister. Prika shrugged while Yang went back to napping. Dev pushed her hair back from her face and looked down for her anklet. She then froze and she realized that both her anklets were gone," Where did they go?!"
Yang groaned, "What now?"
"My anklets!" Dev yelled as she spun around and scanned the grass for her anklets. She then looked further around the cart until something in the distance caught her eye. Her anklets on a tree branch in one of the trees near the forest. The amber beads were shining as if they had been bathed in oil.
"My anklets!"
Dev then took off running towards the forest. The other tribespeople watched her run off and shook their heads.
"What- Devina!" Prika yelled as she stood on the cart and watched her sister run off.
"I have her!" Jayl yelled as he ran after the youngest girl in their family. She was already up head and running into the forest. She then stopped to pick up a fallen branch and began to jump up. Jayl reached her in time to see the anklets which made him frown.
"Weren`t they in your hands?" He asked his little sister.
"Don`t ask me, just help me, please," Dev pleaded.
"I will, "Jayl turned and saw that they were hidden from the camps view but if they looked closer, they would see the anklets glittering under the sun. When his sister`s whining got worse, he took her branch and used it to get her anklets. In about five seconds they dropped down and he caught them with one hand. Dev laugh and clapped as he threw the branch away.
He then handed over her anklets before a scream tore through the camp behind them. Turning they heard other screams as flying creatures came swooping down the camp and riders in blue came around the side.
"Other Landers!" Dev cried out. When she tried to run to the camp, Jayl stopped her and pulled her back. Her older brother turned and then they ran. Dev tried to turn but her brother wouldn`t let her.
"We have to run!" Jayl yelled.
Dev sobbed, "But mouchim, fader and -"
Jayl cut in as he pulled her in front of him and made her run faster, "They will want us to run! Now run, little sister!"
Sobbing, she turned and willed herself to run. To put one foot in front of the other and not to look back.
The Other Landers had found them.
They ran into the forest and kept running. She couldn`t jump as high as her brother but she tried. When she stumbled, Jayl moved to pick up her up and they kept running. They reached a mound inside the forest, Jayl had her duck around and they stopped to listen. If when Jayl said he could not hear the sound of the horses or screaming, he urged her to keep moving.
Dev tried to move but the sound of the screams finally got to her. Taking her hand, he got her to slowly move. Scanning the forest, Jayl`s dark eyes lit up when he spotted a cave. Moving slowly, they approached the cave entrance before Jayl took off his satchel and rumpled through it. He pulled out a set of boy breeches and tunic before giving it to his sister.
"Put these on," He said quietly.
Dev sniffed and rubbed her eyes, "But they are for boys?"
"They need to believe that you are a boy. Fader told me that boys at least live longer when they are captured, the girls…," He paused and winced. Whatever happened to the girls must have been so bad that her brother not speaking was enough for Dev to take the clothes. Jayl left her to change.
When she came out, he told her that they also had to cut her hair. Long hair made her look too much like a girl.
She nodded and sat down as Jayl made quick work of shaving her hair. Luckily, she was still young and built like a twig, unlike the other girls in her village. With the cloths and shaved head, Jayl was certain that if anyone looked at her, all they would see was a small boy.
"Done," Jayl said as he stepped back. He then took her old clothes and moved to dig a hole so he could bury them. They had to leave no trace of her so the Other Landers would not suspect anything. He instructed Dev to collect her hair and bring them over to be buried. Dev sniffed and collected the fine dark strands.
Her hair. Mouchim had loved her hair. Fader had once said it made her look like a small version of her mouchim. Prika always liked to pull it when she was not happy with her and Yang like to tuck it behind her ear whenever he wanted to embarrass her.
Her hair was all gone.
Slowly, she shuffled over with her hands full, Jayl looked up and felt his heart break when he saw her tear-streaked face and shaved head. His little sister wasn`t an eye-catching beauty but she was still a girl. Her appearance was everything.
"We had to do it," He reminded her.
Dev nodded to show that she understood. Taking the fine strands, he put them in the shallow grave where her dress lay. He also took her anklets and put them into the hole. He then made quick work of covering it up before they covered it with a dead log.
"We cannot stay here, we must keep moving," Jayl told her as he stood and wiped his hands.
Dev scanned the forest, "But where will be go?"
She turned to her older brother and watched him scan the forest as well. They weren`t safe. Yet they needed to move.
"We must reach Ulsa," Jayl announced, "There, we will be safe."
Dev sniffed and rubbed her nose, "Okay, do you remember how to get there?"
Jayl nodded, "Thankfully, yes."
He then took his sister`s hand and led her out of the cave. They stumbled down and began running again. Running inside the forest was tricky. The path wasn`t smooth. Dips and high rises. Broken logs and the animals that roamed the land was also there.
They stayed in the cave. Dev cried quietly as her brother hugged her. The night was cold but they couldn`t light a fire or they would risk getting caught. Her fingers were cold and her face were beginning to ache. The next morning, she woke up to headache. They put out the fire, covered it and went back to tracking.
Jayl was worried about the crossing the grass fields. Such a journey before would have been fun but now they had to keep watch of the Other Landers. He heard his sister stumbled and turned to watch her raging her footing.
"Dev?"
"All is well," Dev replied softly.
He stopped and waited for her to catch up. Once she was beside him, he took her hand and keep his pace matched to hers. She was too young to be walking such a long distance on foot. She needed a horse or a cart. Her feet would soon bleed from the journey.
He was about to offer to carry her when they heard a shout and an arrow landed two feet in front of them.
Dev`s eye`s widened and she turned to see a large serpent creature flying towards them while teen horse riders galloped towards them, yelling in another language. Jayl grabbed her arm hurrying. Telling her to run faster. They ran but the large serpent creature landing in front of them stopped them in their tracks.
Dev shouted and hid behind her brother. Jayl stood protectively in front of his little sister and spun around. They had them surrounded. The serpent was roaring and staring at them intently.
The soldiers on horseback stopped and scanned the two runaways. One older boy and a young one. They were obviously siblings with the way the they shared similarities.
"And what do we have here?" One of the solders said. Jayl frowned. He couldn`t understand them but it seemed liked they were discussing them.
"Two little boys," Another solider replied.
"Stay behind me," Jayl whispered to Dev.
Dev nodded and clutched her brother`s shirt tightly. They were caught.
"Help us," she whispered in vain.
Someone threw a whip and it caught Jayl before it jerked him away from his sister.
"Jayl!" She yelled and tried to run to him when someone came from behind her and caught the back of her shirt. She gasped and turned to pry his hands away but nothing worked. They hit him and made his mouth bleed before they let him stand. One of them then tied rope over his hands.
One of holding her shirt did the same and she let him because her brother was pleading for her to do it.
They had dragged them both to stand behind horses as the serpent creature flew away.
Dev sniffed as they made her start walking behind their horses. In-front of her, her brother stumbled along in a similar fashion. She looked to him for answers but all he did was urge her to walk. Dev squared her shoulders and looked ahead. They walked and soon she felt her legs were beginning to cry out again. She couldn`t take another step and she was going to fall.
Luckily, they stopped and made them sit under the trees with their hands and legs bounded. She kept crying softly but Jayl urged her to stop. If she kept crying, she would tire easily and won`t be able to walk.
"I want mouchim," Dev said to her brother.
"I know," Jayl told her softly.
"What-what will they do to us?"
"I do not know," Jayl told her.
Dev was startled as a solider kneed in front of her, cutting of her conversation with her brother. He studied her face and Jayl held his breath as he wanted the soldier to not guess that his sibling was in fact a girl.
The solider then turned his gaze to Jayl who meet his gaze unflinchingly. The solider then went back to Dev before huffing and standing. He shook his head before walking off.
"If they find out…," Dev let her question trailed off.
"They won`t,"Jayl insisted.
They kept walking until night fall and then resting. The next morning, they walked again and did the same thing for two more nights. Dev was always cold and thirsty. They were feed little pieces of bread but that was it.
A few hours later on their third day, they met up with another two groups of horsemen who had other people from other tribes tied by their hands and being forced to walk behind. The women were all in one group and the other in another.
Soon they saw a large mountain and Jayl gasped. Mt Fujou. One of the largest crystal mountains of their people. No one was allowed to go near there as the crystals were a blessing from Inka and such, a crime to touch. But the Other Landers had built a structure around it and made it their place.
He glanced at the other tribes and saw that they had a similar reaction. Anger and sorrow. They had desecrated one of their land`s most sacred treasures.
Once they entered the structure, they could see people digging the ground. Cages for some people and animals. The women were again separated from the men. People were screaming and crying while some were being whipped and forced to dig the crystals.
"Dear Inka," Dev muttered in horror.
They kept walking until they reached a large shelter that was built against the summit of the mountain. Inside the shelter were several cages. Jayl and Dev suddenly gasped when they saw Yang. He was bruised in the face and had scratches on his knees.
His eyes lit up when he saw his siblings. One of the soldiers urged them into the cage that housed Yang and six others.
As soon as the soldiers walked away and no one was looking at them, Dev turned to Yang and moved to hug him. Yang pressed his lips against her forehead and she leaned closer as tears ran down her face.
"Do not cry, little boys do not cry," Jayl whispered to her as he looked around the cage. Everyone was busy comforting their own friends and family so they didn't seem to notice them.
"I cannot stop," Dev whispered as she leaned back and wiped her tears away.
"You must," Yang urged as he scanned her appearance. Gone was her hair and her clothes. She was dressed to look like a little boy and it had worked. It fooled the Other Landers.
"From now on, we will use Dev. Not Devi nor Devina," Jayl told their brother who nodded. He then put a hand on Dev's little shoulder, "You will not and must respond to the other names."
"I understand," Dev told her brothers with a nod. Yang then rumbled through his shirt and pulled something form the lining of his shirt. It was heart shaped red leaf. He then held it out to his little sister, "Eat this.'"
Dev frowned at the herb, "Makena."
Jayl pulled the herb away from his sister and glared at his brother, "Are you mad?"
"It will delay the changes and keep her safe," Yang told him," Fader told me to have some on me in case we had gotten captured along with our sisters."
"She may not be able to have children if she takes it, none will want to mate with her," Jayl hissed back in agony. His sister would never be able to bear any children. It was an herb they gave to the women in their tribes who wishes to be maidens to serve Inka.
They would take the herbs and join the all-female tribe who went around land building shrines to the God and praying.
"None of that matters now!"
"Still, no," Jayle said.
"It is her choice!"
Dev took the herb from Jayl and chewed it as fast as she could before she swallowed. Jayl watched her in horror while Yang with sadness.
She then looked at Jayl with resignation, "I am supposed to be a boy. I cannot have others thinking otherwise when I start to grow."