"A few months ago, there was a group of people who believed they had healed," he said. "They snuck aboard a supply boat returning to Keldan and went ashore. Within a month, every one of them was turned in, most of them by their own families. They were brought back here along with many of the people who had helped to hide them. Everyone who claimed to have been healed was tested again, and they still had the Scourge. Then each escapee was sent straight to the infirmary. None of them have been seen since that day."
"What happened to them?" Weevil asked.
"I don't know." Jonas's eyes darkened. "But I will never go to the infirmary. Sending them there was an obvious punishment for escaping. The wardens told the people here that even if we think we are healed, the Scourge can still be passed to others."
"So it's true," I mumbled. "There is no cure." My heart sank at the thought of it.
"Even if there is, you will never be healed enough for anyone in Keldan to accept it," Jonas said. "We don't dare go back now. Maybe you'll feel better for a while, but you can always start feeling sick again, especially if you push yourself too hard before you've fully recovered. And even when you're sure it's over for you, after seeing how awful this place is, would you return to your family if there were even the slightest risk of them being forced to come here next?"
I shook my head and so did Weevil. At least we now had a place to stay that was a thousand times better than the old prison. And I felt reasonably healthy and had every hope of continuing to feel better. Yet all of that was not enough. We would never get any farther away from the Colony than in these caves. This time we were prisoners of our own choosing.
Although the mattresses were far more comfortable than even my mattress at home and the cave felt warm and safe, I didn't sleep well that night.
I hadn't told Weevil of the warden's plans for me the next day, nor would I tell him. There was no point in it. If he knew, he would likely try to convince me to remain in hiding, like Jonas. But if I failed to show up for work duty, the wardens would surely come looking for me. I could not be the reason they found the caves.
We were awakened early and told to thread ourselves back into the Colony slowly, and from various directions so that we did not stand out to the wardens.
Weevil was close beside me as we walked toward the Colony. "Are you feeling sick?" he asked.
"No."
"Then what's wrong? I can always tell, you know."
"You can't always tell," I lied. "I'm only ... nervous. They're assigning me to a different job today, and I wonder what it might be."
He smiled, always the optimist. "Maybe you'll get to gather herbs with me."
That was hardly dangerous enough for the wardens. Not unless the requested herbs were only found on the thinnest outer limb of a brittle tree branch overlooking the deepest part of the sea, and could only be gathered during a violent storm. If that were the case, then yes, I might be assigned to gather herbs.
Weevil shrugged. "You're strong, Ani. You can do any of the jobs here. Just remember to do exactly what they say and you'll be fine."
No, the very opposite was true. Whatever they told me to do would be designed to end my life. I would only survive the day if I did my job without obeying their instructions. Which, ironically, would get me into even greater trouble with the wardens. There was no way to win.
The morning after his father had been taken away last year, Weevil had described their situation with a similar conclusion. "What was he supposed to do?" Weevil had said. "If my father refused to go on the governor's exploration, she would have him imprisoned for denying service to his country. So we'd lose him. If he is successful on the governor's exploration, she will demand even more explorations from him. So we'll lose him. And if he is not successful, then he'll die. And we'll lose him. There is no choice for my father that ends with him back at home with my family. No way for him to win."
Only weeks after his father's ship left for the northern seas, word came of the storm they'd encountered. That news had opened up a wound inside Weevil's heart that I doubted would ever fully heal. I would not deepen the wound by telling him about today, when the wardens would make things nearly as impossible for me. Except I intended to survive the day's challenge.
We easily blended in with the other Colonists, and for the first time, I got to go through the food lines. I took as much food as I was allowed, hard-boiled eggs, and bread, and a small sugar apple. Weevil took a lot too. Of course he did. He had shared half of everything with me since coming here, and had missed his supper last night to follow me to the barracks. He was already looking thinner, which worried me. I was finally beginning to feel better. Maybe he was starting to feel sick, and hadn't told me yet. When that time came, I would do everything I could for him.
If I was still around in another week or two. If I was still around at the end of this day.
When I was nearly finished with the breakfast, Warden Gossel put his hand on my shoulder. "You'll come with me now for work duty."
I faked a smile at Weevil, and then stood. "Yes, sir."
Weevil's brow furrowed. He knew something serious was happening. For that reason, I didn't dare glance back at him. Every time he looked at me, he saw more than I wished he could.
We didn't have far to go, and once we rounded the fence, it quickly became obvious what they had planned for me: the treadmill.
Although I had intended not to make any argument today, I immediately stopped cold on the ground. "Only grown men work the treadmill," I said.
"Grown men and one young girl who thinks the rules do not apply to her."
"My legs are shorter. I can't climb fast enough to keep up with the others."
He cocked his head, as if that admission was some sort of victory for him. "Get on your knees, then. Get on your knees and beg me for mercy. Tell me you will do whatever is asked of you. Then tell me how I can make all of you proud River People fall to their knees when they start coming here. Tell me all of that, Ani, and you will avoid the treadmill."
Silence fell between us while he waited to see what I would do next. I wasn't sure what it'd be, but I knew for a fact that I wouldn't get on my knees and beg for mercy from him.