The Scourge - Page 81

With sweat beading on her brow, the governor went on. "Unfortunately, the exploration was captured by Dulanian soldiers. Our crew's captain confessed the nature of the exploration. Once Dulan knew the truth about the Scourge, I was sure an invasion was coming." Then oddly, she smiled, as if she believed whatever she had to say next would please the crowd. "Instead, Dulan came to me with an offer. They had a snake with venom that they believed could work even better than spindlewill, if we could find a way to deliver the venom. We made a bargain, one that has kept us at peace for a year, repaid our debts, and that will prolong the peace for many more years." Governor Felling pointed to me. "But we don't need to give them townsfolk, not anymore. We'll give them the grubs."

She looked around as if expecting the audience to charge at me and Weevil, or at least to applaud her words. But nobody moved, and the crowd remained perfectly silent. Their anger rose in the air like a dark cloud.

"The grubs were responsible for the first outbreak of Scourge," she said, her voice rising eerily higher in pitch. "They should pay now for this outbreak!"

"But there is no outbreak," Weevil said. "Only one person is responsible for the Scourge this time, and that is you."

The governor blinked hard and swallowed something. Possibly her tongue.

"From now on, River People and townsfolk are one people," Della said, stepping forward. "Keldan belongs to us all!"

The audience didn't cheer, exactly, but many of them nodded and began talking with one another. Something had clearly changed.

"I almost feel like singing," I whispered to Weevil.

"Don't," Weevil said. "Not when we've just made peace with them."

Realizing that she had lost, Governor Felling lowered her head. Doctor Cresh

was already leaving the platform in the company of Brogg and Clement. It was over.

"We have to tell you our stories," Marjorie said to the crowd as she walked onto the platform. "And then we ask you to let us come home."

I didn't hear the stories, for someone had already released my father and Della's father as well, who each scooped us into their arms and carried us off the stage. Weevil went to find his father, and we retreated away from the town square, to our homes.

There would never be a way to know whose homecoming gave the most joy to their families.

I wasn't there when Weevil brought his father back to his family, but the next day, he described to me every detail of it. He had entered his home and merely told his family he had gotten lost for the past week.

"But," he'd added, "what is once lost can always be found again."

"What are you talking about?" Weevil's mother had asked.

"I left a surprise outside," he said.

His family flew to their door and flung it open, only to see their husband and father standing in the doorway, holding a handful of wildflowers he'd picked. I heard their joyful screams from my home.

My reunion with my mother was much quieter and filled with more tears. She had lost both me and my father that week, with no hope of ever seeing either of us again. We spent our first evening at home seated around the fire, sipping a warm tea as I told them the story of what had happened in the Colony.

I left out every detail I could, or at least, every detail that involved the risk of my life. I would eventually tell them everything, but not tonight. And likely not for another thirty years, maybe forty. My mother was better off not knowing too much about me too quickly. Based on the few questions he asked, my father probably guessed more of it than I wanted to admit.

I was told that Della's father threw her a large party that went on for nearly three days. We were invited to attend, but it was a long journey and one that neither Weevil nor I was in the mood to make. As far as we knew, we would never see her again.

We did see Sir Willoughby, though, who was soon named Governor Willoughby. He had acted swiftly to bring home all the Colonists from Attic Island and to expose the illegal treaty that Governor Felling had made with the rulers of Dulan. Public anger was such that for the first time, Keldan demanded war with Dulan. Dulan called for a response, but instead found its people ashamed and humiliated. Certainly, they would not fight to keep slaves they knew they never should have had. Within a few short weeks, many of those who had been forced into servitude were sent home, and more would follow. At least for the time being, our two countries would remain at peace.

By decree, the Scourge was over, though suspicion of those who had once been sick was slower to fade. Nobody meant harm upon former Colonists; they just had a hard time changing their understanding of how deep Governor Felling's betrayal of our people had been. In some ways, it was easier to believe that a deadly disease had spread across our land than to believe she would literally sell out her people in order to fill the treasury and maintain the peace.

Governor Felling, Doctor Cresh, and the wardens who had been involved were all given life sentences, this time in a prison here in Keldan. I didn't know exactly where it was and didn't much care. As far as I was concerned, they were no longer any part of my life.

The third act of Governor Willoughby's was to end all laws requiring my people to be sectioned off in the river country. From now on, it was legal for River People to live wherever we wanted. Most of us remained in the river country because it was still the finest home anyone might ever choose, but we gradually began to mix more and more with the townsfolk. The names "grubs" and "pinchworms" largely disappeared from use, only spoken by the coarsest of people, those without friends amongst either of our groups. The increasing trade between townsfolk and River People brought in more money to Keldan than Governor Felling's plot ever had. In the upcoming election, we'd have equal rights to vote.

For months after returning home, I found myself tracing the thin red line along my forearm, wondering what had happened to each of the Colonists I'd met, and whether all the slaves had returned from Dulan, and what their homecomings were like.

After a couple of years, the red line began to fade. I hoped it would never disappear entirely. It was too much a part of me.

Weevil said the line wasn't necessary, that the courage I'd discovered in the Colony was evident in my actions and in the strength of my voice. Maybe that was true, or maybe he was just saying those things because he loved me.

It took me that long to figure it out, and another couple of years to figure out I felt the same way too. When I was ready for him to propose marriage, I'd let him know.

Tags: Jennifer A. Nielsen Fantasy
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