Brogg said to me, "I won't have to tie you up now, I hope. We'll go to see the physician. Maybe he can figure out why you're not showing symptoms."
"I'm not showing symptoms because I'm not sick. You told me that I could go home now."
"I can't release you without the physician's permission," Brogg reminded me. "Let's go to his examination room."
I figured it was better to follow him than to fight. After all, there was no longer any reason to hold me. I'd passed the test. If I cooperated for a few more minutes, I'd be free. Even I could manage to behave for that long. Besides that, my ankle was still a little sore. Attempting to outrun him would only inflame the injury again or create new injuries for at least one of us. Hopefully him.
We walked toward the large brick building at the far end of the courtyard. This was where the wardens had come from and where Della's father had entered to speak to the governor. As I got closer, I was surprised to see so much decay in the building's foundation. This place would surely collapse one day, and probably sooner rather than later.
I stole a glance at Brogg, who was walking me forward like I was sure he must've done hundreds of times before with others who were suspected of the Scourge. That family of nine had passed the test. How many others had too? And how many had failed and were taken away just like Della?
"Sir," I said, "Della told me the Colony is not what the governor describes it to be. How is it?"
His teeth were clenched as he replied. "She told you that, huh? Has she been to the Colony before?"
"I'm sure she hasn't. But her father seems well connected. Perhaps he's heard things and shared them with his family."
"Sir Willoughby is not to be trusted, nor any of his wild-eyed claims. Governor Nerysa Felling is saving our country from the Scourge, not him. Her decisions might not always be popular, but they are necessary. Besides that, our country has been doing much better in recent months--other than the disease, of course. But when Keldan flourishes again, like in the old days, it will be under Governor Felling's direction. She is saving us, not Sir Willoughby."
That all sounded very nice, but it wasn't an answer to my question. And perhaps the fact that he had used so many obviously rehearsed words to not answer me was the answer. The Colony was not as pleasant as the governor would have us believe.
He opened a door and directed me to walk down a dark and narrow hallway. Sconces were set into the wall, but few of them were lit, and the doors we passed as we walked were either closed or their rooms were bare. This could not be a government building, as I had suspected. If so, where was everyone?
"To your right," Brogg ordered, and we entered a small examination room. A single table stood in the center, but it looked too much like a slab for a dead body, so I refused to lie on it, as the warden clearly wanted me to do. Instead, I opted for a chair against the wall. Near me was another small table with a tray of tools on it. A magnifying glass. Something like scissors, only without sharp ends. A knife. I'd remember that item, if it became necessary. Brogg took up a post at the door, crossing his hands in front of him and watching me.
"Don't think your friend got away last night," he said. "We'll find him soon."
"If you haven't found him by now, then he got away," I said. "You and I both know he never should've been in that wagon in the first place. You only grabbed him because you had orders from the governor to take five grubs." My eyes narrowed. "For what kind of punishment? Whose uprising?"
Brogg's eyes widened. "You did hear us, then!" He started toward me, but stopped when another man entered the room. He was older, with graying hair and a stiff beard that came to a point below his chin. A pair of round glasses made his eyes look larger than they were, and he seemed to hum when he wasn't speaking.
"My name is Doctor Thomas Cresh," he said. "I am in charge of all Scourge patients inside Keldan. You were given a cup of my formula over an hour ago, correct?"
"Yes, sir. I don't have--"
"Hush." He grabbed my face and turned it side to side, then pressed his fingers into my stomach. "Does that hurt?"
"Well, you poke hard for an old man. Otherwise, I'm not hurting."
"Before last night, have you come into contact with any person who has the Scourge?"
"No, sir." Not as far as I knew. Was that good enough?
"And you have no pain?"
"None." Except for him. He was a big pain.
"Then I suppose I have to let you go."
"Wait a minute," a woman said, stepping into the room. "You're Ani Mells?"
The doctor turned, and I looked around him to see a woman with dark hair dressed into an elaborate bun. Her eyes were wide, deep set, and intellige
nt. Her long dress was elegant, yet designed to show her as someone to be taken seriously. In every way, she evoked power, which I'm sure was exactly how she wanted it. This was the governor, though I'd never seen her up close. I'd sometimes been singing in towns where she came to speak, though.
When I didn't answer her question, Governor Felling stepped toward me. "Ani, my name is--"
"I know who you are," I said as I stood for her. "I've just passed the Scourge test. My parents don't know where I am, and they must be terrified for me. Please, can I leave?"