Chapter 27: Entering through the city gates

Leaving the village, Rye was terrified at the distance she had to walk to get to another one.

It didn't help that the second she heard any kind of noise, she instantly dashed off the road and behind nearby trees if she had to.

'Of all the places I could find myself in, why does it have to be such a backward place?' Rye thought to herself.

Glad that her arm no longer hurt as fiercely as before, which made her conclude that it was merely a sprain and not a broken bone. Something she couldn't afford, with all the troubles she had.

It wasn't until nightfall that Rye finally spotted a town in the distance.

The only worrisome thing about it was the huge walls that seemed to surround it as Rye tried to understand how she was going to get in without getting caught.

'I'll just pretend to be a Santor. I should be fine!' Rye tried to convince herself even though she didn't feel confident about not having a plan.

Regardless she waited behind a tree she found watching carriage after carriage pass and enter through the city gates.

Time passed painfully slow as Rye crouched there unable to figure out what to do to get in when she heard a light cracking sound from behind her, like the snapping of twigs.

Rye instinctively jerked back to see who was beyond worried to see a young woman standing behind her.

"Hi there!" The woman smiled at her waving gently but Rye was terrified and didn't bother hiding her paranoia. It didn't help that the woman in front of her had red eyes.

"Don't-don't come any closer—" Rye fearly told her in a low voice trying not to draw anyone else's attention to herself.

"You're a halfling Santor. It's not like I'm going to bite you,"

"Red—but you guys drink our blood. I'm sure of it," Rye responded, feeling a little relieved to be called a halfling before she opened her mouth to say it.

"So you're from one of the lower villages. You don't look travel-worn so it can't be from the other cities or territories," The woman analyzed the intensity of her gaze bearing down on Rye.

"A slave? No, I don't see a slave mark moreover, you don't look like one. You still look very spirited," Rye heard her continue to speak, not knowing what to make of it until she heard the young woman make a surprising proposition.

"You can come and work for me! You look average but your red hair is quite an unnatural colour. It was the main reason It was so easy to fine you,"

"Wha--"

"Before you refuse, keep in mind that the guards have also noticed you and simply haven't moved in because they're probably wondering what you're up to or waiting for you to make a move,"

"Leaving with me would be the best option for you," Rye heard the woman in front of her say in a light tone one that sounded more threatening than she would have liked.

"What kind of work? How much will I get paid?"

"You can discuss that with the other girls in the carriage. As you can see, the queue is rapidly moving and we have to return.

Rye knew it wasn't safe and as much as every bone in her body was screaming not to trust the Red in front of her, she couldn't think of a way to get through the city walls with no money or pass.

Something Misha had informed her that she needed at almost every entrance into the city especially if you weren't a Red and you were a woman traveling alone.

"All they have to do is call you a runaway slave and brand you. They'll arrest you and keep you until they're tired before selling you to the highest bidder and no one can stop them," Recalling Misha's exact words.

With a light nod, Rye followed silently behind her getting into the carriage the woman also got into.

"You can call me Ma'am Visma. What's your name?"

"Mi-Misha," Rye responded, remembering that she couldn't be Shiya' considering she had no wings.

"We'll call you Mishalla. There's already a Misha in the Glory house," Ma'am Visma responded before nodding at Rye and getting out of the carriage and hoping to see the much bigger one behind.

"Of course, she's not going to stay with us. All we can be is average entertainers. All the girls in that carriage are most likely purebloods. Oh, my name is Dehray by the way. Mishalla right?"

From the chirpy voice of the girl beside her with cascading black hair to her back, Rye could tell that she was talkative, something Rye didn't abhor considering how much information she needed to know.

"It's nice to meet you Dehray! Have you been to the Glory house or is this your first time too?"

"First time, but I've worked at other houses. I'm a great entertainer but I don't serve even though I'm not against it. Ma'am Visma came to House MIU in Old city San and asked me to work for her and I agreed,"

Dehray gave a lot of information most of which Rye didn't really understand but couldn't also ask many questions about.

"Did you also come from Old City San considering you're a santor and it's the home city of all Santors? It's changed a lot hasn't it?"

Rye had no idea and not wanting to say something wrong simply did her best to look extremely sad as she replied, "I'm sorry but can we not talk about it? I'd rather we talk about something else!"

"Ohhhh! I'm sorry. I forgot how sensitive such a topic can be for santors!"

"She's a halfling Dehray! How sensitive can it be for her!" A girl sitting opposite them with light blue eyes and blond hair suddenly snapped, drawing both Rye and Dehray's attention to her.

With her pointed ears, it was obvious that she was a Santor, one that would have looked extremely lovely without the jarring scar that cut across her nose and her lips, which gave her a slightly alarming appearance.

Instead of complaining Dehray simply nodded, quiet for a couple of seconds before she continued speaking.

"I'm a Drun if you're wondering," she said so suddenly that Rye couldn't hide her confusion fast enough.

"Oh, it's simply a general name for when you have no outstanding features. It means whatever bloodline I belonged to, had mixed so badly that I inherited no features. I almost look like a human, don't I? I guess our only saving grace is that for people like me, our blood is still just as bitter to Reds,"

The journey was long as they continued talking and the more Rye found out about the entirely new world she was in, the more amazed and horrified she was.

There was a food chain and humans like her were at the very bottom of it, especially after listening to how powerful the Reds were and how they had easily conquered the cities one after the other until everyone had no choice but to submit.

Rye was surprised to find herself laughing with Dehray for most of their journey until they arrived, which was probably why she was so unprepared for what happened next.

(A lost Santorian saying-- Right on the edge of too much happiness, is grief.)