Ashtium: City of Sun

GRETA

I wake up staring at the binding of the book Enoch gave me. My throat and face still hurt a little from my little panic attack last night.

I shouldn’t have screamed and cried over Enoch leaving. I’ve forgotten he has a life here too. It’s not right of me to feel so offended if he wishes to resume it. He has done enough for me and the god of the sun must be giving him his new task now. And it would be a terrible mistake for me to question my god’s decision over such a thing.

I’ve been blessed to be taken care of by Enoch and I know my god must be seeing what I will do next.

When I sit up, I pull my hair behind my ears and peer around my bush making sure it’s safe to walk around. Last night, I had eaten the last of my urkmink. Before the thought even registers, I find myself looking at the ledge of the fountain in search of the arrival of a new dark grey pile of dead bugs.

It’s almost become habit.

However, the ledge is empty like surroundings. I make my way over to the fountain. Sitting down on the smooth stone seating, I dip my feed in the water wondering what could have happened to the small creature inside it. It helps to wake me up more.

The urkmink actually have been dug up and brought here again by the creature. However, most of them rest at the bottom of the fountain now. A couple are smashed completely on the ground.

I certainly did not see so many urkmink around last night. What could have done this to them and made such waste of my food?

My stomach grumbles in agitated agreement.

The dirt on my hands from sleeping on the ground gets washed away as I rub my hands together underneath the fountain’s lukewarm water. The movement creates waves that pick up the dead urkmink at the bottom. I jump up with a squeal seeing the creature move out from under one of the circular plants floating on the water’s surface.

“Oh!” I gasp.

It must have been hiding this whole time. I wonder if it was eating the urkmink too? I lean over the edge and peer down squinting my eyes. I don’t think the creature ate any of them. All their shells look full. I reach down feeling around at the bottom and pick a few up.

They smell rotten so I toss them back in.

The rest of the day drags by without Enoch around. I spend most of it watching the flying creatures from under the safety of my bush. I already read through most of Enoch’s book. It was boring and most of the words in it I could not even interpret. I enjoyed looking at the pictures though. My stomach growls again and I tense up against the unnerving pang of hunger. It is dimmer out now and no more of the small flying creatures have traveled over me.

I nibble on a piece of bread, but quickly feel my stomach’s aversion to the taste and texture as the chewed food lands in its agitated depths. I cover my mouth while feeling my stomach tremor sharply. Getting up quickly, I abandon my hiding place to vomit far away enough where I won’t have to smell the stink of my stomach acid.

When I return to my bush, I hear a strange pattern of sounds and automatically look between the branches concealing me.

Crunch, crunch, snap

My mouth opens in shock. Sitting on the edge of the fountain is fresh delivery of the delicious morsels I crave so badly. A giant human sits beside it and plucks one of their generous bodies up. They bring it to their face and I hear the noises of eating again.

They are eating my food!

Yet, all I can do is sit here and watch. What are they doing eating my food? I can see the long shadow of their tunic falling over their torso and legs as they sit with their ankle on their knee. They are not like me and can eat Enoch’s type of diet.

I want to run out and scoop them all up so I can save my meals, but fear keeps me still as I watch them eat them one by one. Their numbers decrease rapidly. They are not even taking the time to enjoy the scarce bugs.

Enoch said he wouldn’t be back for a month. My stomach still does not agree with his food. Who is to say if the creature digging up the urkmink will keep bringing them here? Nothing is for certain. Enoch was revolted by my teeth and knowing my enjoyment of the insects. I suppose not all of the people here are so opposed to eating the bug. Although their food does taste much more better and easier to consume. If only I could it without getting sick.

I clutch my newly sharpened stone knife by my side.

It was a blessing from my god to find a newer thin rock to sharpen on the many strange stone structures here in my free time. Free time of which I will have more than enough of now that the messenger has left me.

I watch the human as their hand pauses above the last urkmink. Enoch will not be happy, but I need my food. Even if it is just one urkmink, I must take it now. It’s not worth the risk to let them eat all of them.

With my knife at the ready, I crawl out quickly from my bush exposing myself to the thief on my hands and knees. They will have trouble seeing me, but their lantern by their feet makes the ground around me less dim and they know they will be able to make out my shape in the shadow of the night.

I point my knife at them with threat when they stand up slowly. They pick up the urkmink in one hand while picking up the lantern with the other. However, they remain by the fountain not setting my food back down like I had hoped they would.

I crawl back when their silvery form starts walking toward me.

“Mine!” I whisper loudly, waving my knife at them. Their stride is faster than I anticipate as I hurry back behind my bush seeing the weapon of the false god’s on their waist.

This stranger is bigger than the false god though and quieter. They cannot be him.

The bush hits my back and I keep my weapon up pointed up at them while swiping the urkmink from their outstretched hand with a racing heart. I stuff it in my mouth before they change their mind and quickly cower back away from them.

When they kneel down near me I swipe at them, but they easily dodge my attack. The ground turns to sand and my throat closes as the sky envelopes into black. I can feel the grains of the earth stinging my face. Tears fall from my eyes as I hurry behind my bush hearing them mock my movements and crawl after me like an angry bug.

Aren’t I a bug too?

I didn’t want them to swipe my knife, but they stole it when I tried to ward them away. Defenseless, I start to stand up, but it slows my efforts of escape as I take the time too. My hand is grabbed by a large calloused one and I’m tugged to the ground roughly with the urkmink still sitting in my mouth.

The movement sends it out of my mouth and onto the ground somewhere lost in the courtyard around me. The stranger watches me quietly still on their hands and knees like me except they have out muscled me and now hove above my own trapped body beneath them.

Their breathing is heavy as they move away from me after a long moment, but I know my identity has been given away. My gaze remains glued on the outline of the weapon on their waist, but their hand has not gone to it yet. Instead, they observe me while changing to a sitting position.

Silently, they hand me my knife back. I flinch feeling the warmth of their calloused hand as it brushes against my own during the exchange.

“Who are you?” I demand with caution while gripping my weapon and keeping it on my lap.

I want to scream at them for hoarding all my food to themself when they get the privilege of leaving here and eating food wherever they please. They must be of the higher class while I am the filth, but their teeth are surely stained now too. They even crawled after me.

Their silvery hand goes to the dark cloth of their tunic. It touches the top half of their covered chest and dips into a dark fold where their hand goes invisible. I widen my eyes in confusion seeing their hand disappear, but they pull it back out of whatever made it vanish. Three urkmink lay in their outstretched palm and I hungrily take the offered bugs.

They still say nothing, but from the size of the way their tunic falls over them I think they may be a man.

Without saying anything, they stand up and I match their movement eyeing their whip again. Are they a slave master like the false god?

I back away slowly from them seeing them pick up their lantern. They walk over to the fountain while I remain behind the safety of my bush. When I see them heading beyond the fountain, I follow at a distance.

Eventually, they walk all the way over to the entrance where two people stand as if waiting for them. I watch from the shadows of the courtyard as the three of them leave together and then hurry back to my hiding place.