Chapter Text
Six Years Ago
The Boy of Mensah
“It’s my birthday tomorrow,” the Girl of Mensah said.
I looked up and smiled. “What do you want for a present?” Even though my stomach growled at just the thought, I’d steal a peach for her tomorrow if she’d like. We were always starving, and food was something I could give her.
“I think I’d like… a kiss.”
I felt myself blush as I looked at the mortar and pestle in my lap. We had been grinding herbs for the last few hours. We turned the herbs into medicines that the priests would give to the temple visitors. Some people came to the temple to ask the gods for forgiveness of sins. Others come because they want to ask for divine intervention for one ailment or another. For the right offering, they can leave with an herbal remedy of some sort. The Girl and I were grinding up herbs for one of our most popular remedies, which the priests call an aphrodisiac. I don’t know what it means, but the priests tell me it has something to do with grown-up issues.
Even though I was almost a grownup (I was turning twelve soon) the priests wouldn’t tell me what they meant. I guessed I’d find out later.
“Okay,” I finally agreed. “I’ll give you a kiss for your birthday present.”
She bit her lip and looked around. “We should leave. Tonight.” Her voice was hushed. Of course she wouldn’t want any of the priests to hear that.
“Really?” The Girl and I had talked about escaping for years, but we never attempted it. Neither of us had left the temple grounds since we arrived, years ago. My siblings brought me to the temple when I was seven and I don’t even remember what life was like before.
“Yeah. I overheard one of the visitors talking. There’s a little fishing village called Magiano near the Red River. It takes spices to the Ember Isles once a week. We could sneak aboard.”
“Okay. I’ll meet you outside the gates tonight. After midnight, right after the moon rises.” The night would be dim, as one full moon was about a week ago and the other two moons are new moons, but there would be enough light to see by. “When we get to the village, you’ll get your kiss.”
“Deal.” Her brown eyes sparkled.
For the rest of the day, we often snuck conspiratorial glances at one another. We were actually going to do it! No more going to bed hungry, sacrificing goats we couldn’t eat and looking at the offerings with longing, knowing that punishment awaited if the priests caught us stealing. No more wondering what the rest of the world was like. We would be free.
The day sped by, and I didn’t even mind when the priest asked me to muck out the barn, a task I normally dreaded. I pretended to be reluctant, however; I didn’t want things to seem any different than normal. The priests couldn’t find out our plans.
The last time my priest caught me disobeying, she sliced open the skin around my marking with a knife, trying to remove it. It didn’t work, but my back still hurt sometimes. That punishment happened years ago, and the only thing I did was steal food. I couldn’t imagine what she’d do to me and The Girl if she found out we were trying to escape.
Sneaking out of the temple wasn’t as difficult as I imagined it would be. The temple was closed, of course, and the priests were probably already in bed. They were absent as I left the temple, at least. I took my blanket, turned it into a makeshift basket, and stole all the peaches and dates that had been offered to the gods on my way out. I didn’t know if the girl would think about taking food, and we could always share.
Before I reached the gates, a scream pierced the night. The Girl. Something was wrong.
I set down my blanket of bundled fruit and went to go help her. Before I could reach her, I saw what was happening, and there was nothing I could do to change her fate.
The priest had tied her to the altar. She wore her ceremonial robe, and was straining against the bonds, desperate to escape. Did she know this would happen? Is this why she picked tonight to leave?
I watched as the priest slammed a knife into her chest. The blood and the screams made my heart seize. I had helped sacrifice plenty of goats in the five years I had lived here, but that did nothing to prepare me for watching my friend die.
It was after midnight. Her twelfth birthday. Now I realized why the priestess told us that we didn’t need a name. Not because we would be given them later. Because neither of us was meant to live past the age of twelve, the sacred number.
Although I would do anything for The Girl, I was helpless. There was nothing to do but run. I grabbed my blanket of fruit on the way out and ran as fast as I could, sticking to the shadows as much as possible. I prayed to the gods as I ran down the dirt road, while at the same time knowing that leaving the temple could anger them. The priests would look for me as soon as they discovered I was missing, and I had to be as far away as possible when they did.
I reached Magiano shortly before sunrise. Wooden boxes of spices were stacked in a little shed near the dock, smelling delicious and making my stomach rumble. I hid inside, waiting for the boat to arrive while I ate one of my peaches.
A large ship docked. It seemed enormous to me at the time, although now I know there are much larger ships, designed primarily for sailing on the ocean. The sailors began to carry the cargo aboard.
One of the men, tall with a scruffy beard, spotted me. “Boy! What are you doing here?”
I could barely breathe. There goes any hope of sneaking onto the boat. “I–I was hoping you could use help, in exchange for a ride. You won’t find a harder worker than me! I can sweep the decks, cook, whatever you need, and you don’t even need to feed me!” I lift my blanket with my food for emphasis.
He crossed his arm over his chest. “Fine. But you sleep on the deck.”
“Yes, sir!” I jump up and grab my blanket of food.
“What’s your name, boy?”
I didn’t know. Once, I must have had a name. My parents had named me; I was sure of that. When I went to the temple at age seven, the priest told me I didn’t need a name, and I had forgotten it.
“Magiano.”
The man snorted. “Really?”
“Yes. I was born here, and my parents weren’t very creative.” In a way, this was true. While I wasn’t physically born here, leaving this morning was like being reborn.
“Well, then—Magiano—your first task will be to swab the decks once we set sail. The men always leave muddy footprints when they unload the cargo.”
The boat sailed away as the sun rose. It was the most beautiful sunrise I had ever seen, with vivid reds and oranges welcoming the warm yellow orb into the sky. It sparkled upon the water. Surely, the red reflecting from the sky was why they called this the Red River.
Swabbing the deck, which I learned was another word for mopping, was a peaceful activity. It gave me time to think about my friend. I would never forget her. The Girl of Mensah had always been so joyful. She wouldn’t want me to cry, even though I wanted to weep for her. Right there, I vowed to always keep joy with me. If I remained joyous, then it would be like she never left me.