Promise: The Flaming Girl

By Maya Shepherd

Nea has narrowly escaped death by fire. Ironically, Miro, her friend who was long thought dead, saved her. But he is no longer the same. He is also Ereb, the God of Chaos worshipped by the Carris. Nea does not know if he can still be trusted. In addition, Carris supporters behave like mindless zombies under the orders of Urelitas. Can Nea, along with ther friends, develop a plan to regain their freedom? Is Miro on her side? Can she continue to count on Arras' support?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Maya Shepherd
• Release date: Aug 11, 2016
• ISBN: 9781507121467

Book preview

Translated by Bradley Hall

Copyright ©2014 Maya Shepherd

Coverdesign: Ines Caranaubahx

All rights, including full or partial reprinting in any form is reserved.

Facebook: Maya Shepherd

Blog: www.mayashepherd.blogspot.de

Twitter: MayaShepherd

For Lisa Czieslik,

who always ensures

that I never have doubts

––––––––

What happened before...

A plague has wiped out more than half of humanity. The press called it Polyora. Poly means a lot and stands for the countless lives that have been wiped out. Ora is the end. There is no electricity. No food supply. There is neither a government, nor rules or laws. Nea has lost her parents and her beloved friend Miro.

Alone, she makes her way to Promise, where there will be a better life. To get there she must travel through Carris territory. The Carris is a sect that spreads fear and terror. They worship a god who calls himself Ereb and is known for his cruelty.

Shortly after her trip began, Nea found herself caught in a snowstorm, but finds refuge with Luica, Zippi, and Harold who lovingly take care of her, initially. A short time later they show their true colors. They want to sell Nea to the Carris as a slave. With the help of a small dog Nea manages to escape.

Disguised as a follower of Carris, she meets the twins Faith and Hope. While Nea is suspicious of them, she quickly gains their friendship. Nea manages to convince a senior priest named Urelitas that she is in full agreement with Ereb and his philosophy of destruction who allows her to go to Fortania, the capital of Carris in the company of the twins. During their journey, Nea fights a bear to save Faith’s life. While she was severely wounded by the animal, she managed to defeat it and earn the title The Bear Killer.

When the trio reaches a convent, they help a pregnant girl escape. Nea and the stranger take refuge in a rowboat on a lake, while the twins and the dog remain behind on the shore.

The girl’s name is Kasia and from the beginning she and Nea do not get along. They bombard each other with accusations and allegations. Nea would like to leave her behind, but cannot. She promises Kasia that she will return her to her friends who live in a small nearby town. But when they reach it, they find only burned ruins. Kasia’s friends had fallen victim to the Carris. They are soon joined by Arras, a great man whose face is disfigured by a scar. Nea becomes annoyed with not being able to continue on her journey to Promise and wants to move on, but Kasia’s confession that she is expecting Ereb’s child holds her back. She decides that once the baby is in the world to trade Kasia and the baby to the Carris in order to secure her route to Promise.

Kasia’s pregnancy advanced to the point where it would be unsafe for her to travel, so the three seek shelter in the burned down village. Slowly calm is restored and Nea and Arras get to know and understand each other better. While out hunting, a Carris raid captures them, but manages to miss Kasia. Nea reveals that Kasia is hiding in an abandoned house and is the wife of Ereb they have been searching for in order to buy her freedom. Her plan fails and she is convicted of treason by Urelitas and sentenced to death. On the stake with fire rising around her, she is rescued by Ereb. The supposed god of Carris turns out to be none other than Miro, Nea’s friend, long thought dead.

One

Nea’s hands are wrapped in thick bandages. Her skin shines from the gel which a Carris healer dabbed on her burns. Every touch makes her cringe. After the dust had settled and the unbridled anger had blazed a path through Nea’s veins, the pain came. Her skin is burned, how bad cannot yet be estimated. Maybe it will heal, but scars will remain. Every movement hurts. Even if she could lie still, she would still cry. The healer offered her a sleeping pill, but she distrusts Carris now more than ever and has therefore denied this offering.

Miro has let the guards bring her in a room in the city hall. It’s a nice room with brightly colored fabric wallpaper on the walls and soft carpet on the floor. But Nea hates to be here. She would rather run, to flee from here, no matter how much it hurts. To have to once again look into his eyes would be worse than any physical pain. Miro is Ereb, the terrible god of Carris who oppresses many and who has tortured and sentenced many to death. But not only that, he started a new life without her. How could he do this to her? How could he let her believe he was dead? For the last two years of her life she has suffered from self-blame and guilt. That was all his fault!

When she thinks of Miro, her whole body tenses and her breathing accelerates. She wants to smash her fists against the wall, but her thick bandages prevent the movement.

Suddenly, the door opens wide and a through a narrow slit a man in a crisp white uniform flits into the room. He closes the door behind him in a hurry and sits next to Nea on the bed. She turns her head; she does not want to see him. His presence hurts more than all her wounds. His shadow falls on the white sheets and she can smell it. He still smells like oranges. The smell is painfully familiar, although foreign. The Miro she knew would never torture others.

I did not think I would ever see you again, Miro said in a low, but reverent voice.

Every word is like a stab in her heart. It’s still his voice. It’s the voice she has followed in her dreams. Nea can hardly breathe. His presence tortures her so. Her skin burns and she is not even able to cry. You did not see me again, Nea replied coolly. It feels as though there is a fire in her mouth.

That’s not true, Miro says as he touches her on the shoulder. Nea is too injured to evade it. She lets out a muffled whimper. It’s not just the physical wounds, but also the emotional. She feels so damn helpless in his presence.

Miro takes back his hand, but bends down toward her so that his hair nearly touches her face. No matter how great your pain or your craving may be, you must not accept anything the Carris offers. No medicine, no water, and no food. Do you understand me?

His words surprise her so much she turns her head to him reflexively. Why would he warn her about his own people?

I’ll be back as soon as I can, but until then, you have to deny everything they offer you, he says again urgently.

Why? Nea asks blankly. Will Urelitas now try to poison her after Miro saved her from death by fire?

Miro shakes his head. I do not have enough time to explain it. You have to trust me!

Nea stares at him in disbelief. How can he expect her to believe even a single word? He let her live in the belief that he was dead. As head of Carris, it would have been easy to have her brought to him. She does not like the Carris, but with him, she would have gone anywhere. Miro walks toward the exit, but stops and looks back at her. A smile spreads across his face, the same smile he would flash when he was on the run. Who would he be running from? If he does not have the final say as the god of Carris, then who does? What is he afraid of?

Her sleep is restless and full of dark dreams. She hears Arras scream, sees the trembling bodies of the twins, and feels Kasia’s tears on her skin. Urelitas’ merciless face keeps popping up in front of her and she hears Carris followers laughing from far away. Every time she wakes up, she is not sure whether she is dreaming or not. Miro looks down to her dressed in his white uniform. Sometimes he is concerned, sometimes he points an accusing finger at her. She smells the fire. Smoke billows around her from nowhere. Bats fly from nowhere and she ducks to hide, but cannot. Nea screams and cries. She feels helpless and weak.

Sometime after the dreams she falls into a deep black nothing. When she opens her eyes, she breathes heavily. Her heart hammers against her chest and cold sweat beads on her forehead. She hears a rustling and looks toward the door. At first she believes Miro has come to see her in his white uniform, but it is Kasia wearing a long white dress. Shyly she looks in Nea’s direction. She does not have her child with her.

Carefully she steps into the room. How are you? she asks softly.

Nea stares at her in disbelief. Is she serious? How would she feel after being whipped and burned? But that’s not even the worst: The realization that her great love Miro is finished with her, makes her feel as though she is burning up inside.

As Nea did not answer directly, Kasia speaks on, I know you’re seriously injured and are certainly in a lot of pain, but at least Ereb saved you. It was incredible, almost like a real god.

Nea looks at her incredulously. Did she not run away from him because he treated her badly? How can she now be raving about him? Ereb and Miro... they share a body, but otherwise have nothing in common. It’s almost as though they are two different people. Perhaps there is not much of Miro left. Nea clears her throat. It was Ereb who condemned me to the lashes and the fiery death.

Kasia shakes her head sadly. That was Urelitas. He probably did not even ask Ereb for advice. The times in which Urelitas discussed anything with Ereb are long gone.

Nea angrily remarks, I realize someone like you would not understand!

Kasia speaks her piece before Nea can continue. That was very brave! She looks to Nea apologetically. You are very brave.

Her words sooth Nea somehow. How is Arras?

When he saw that you were saved, he calmed down a bit. As for what he’s doing right now, I do not know.

Nea lets her gaze wander over Kasia’s new dress. It is made of fine silk and lace. She looks like a princess in it. How is it that neither you nor Miro seem to know anything. Aren’t you the heads of this loony bin? Why all of this craziness? Why not just end it?

Kasia looks toward her, hurt. We are just puppets! Do you not see? Urelitas holds the reins. Despair reflected in her eyes. Now that the baby is here, I cannot escape. I cannot even see my child without supervision.

Nea overcomes her feelings of guilt. If she had not betrayed Kasia, she might have escaped the Carris. Who knows, maybe she would have somehow managed to survive childbirth and raise a healthy child. But now the child is in the hands of Carris. Where is your baby? Is it a boy or girl?

A girl, replies Kasia, smiling slightly, for the first time since she came into Nea’s room. Nea notices the dark shadows under her eyes. Kasia approaches Nea next to the bed. She lowers her voice. The Carris want to call her Chaos. That is completely crazy! I will never call her that!

"Chaos? Only the Carris could come up with such a stupid name! Then come up with a secret name, a unique name that only you know about. Whenever you feel that no one is listening to you or your daughter, a name you whisper into her ear."

What if the Carris decide that one day they do not want me near her? As long as I am quiet and can breastfeed the baby, they need me. After that, I would be useless to them.

You’re the first woman. They built their entire faith around you and Ereb. Urelitas cannot just remove you, that would betray his own religion.

Kasia does not believe this, but instead she changes the subject. How do you know Ereb anyway? Kasia asks curiously. It falls to Nea to tell Kasia the hard truth, but she still feels guilty. I know Ereb from before. We grew up together, but suddenly he disappeared. Do you know his real name? Her words do not describe how close she and Miro were.

Kasia shakes her head.

Miro. I thought he was dead.

Kasia hesitates with her answer. It does not surprise me that he could not remember you.

Nea blankly wrinkles her forehead. Why?

When Ereb... Miro was found, he had lost his memory. He knew nothing of his past and the memories that did come to him were fragmented. He had to completely trust what Urelitas told him. It was clear that Urelitas came up with one lie after another, but Miro has always trusted him. At the beginning, anyway.

Nea is shocked, but at the same time a small glimmer of hope germinates. Is that the statement she longed to hear the most? That Miro let her down because he could not remember that she even existed? How much does he remember about their time together? He trusted him at the beginning, but what about now?

Urelitas and Miro were of different opinions. The Carris got bigger and Miro wanted to use their power to build cities again. Urelitas on the other hand, wanted to raze civilization further to the ground. Miro started to stand up to him. Urelitas could not let this happen and drugged him.

What kind of drugs? Apparently Miro’s life was not nearly as great as she believed at first.

Urelitas calls it Memoria because it numbs the mind. He gives it to anyone whose fidelity he doubts. It is mixed with the food and drinking water. Most followers and slaves get it now. Fortunately Urelitas has spared me because of my pregnancy. I know that he is trying to give it to me now, but I do not eat anything set before me.

Nea froze in thought. Miro knows about it. So that’s why he told her not to accept anything from the Carris. Did they give it to Arras? Will he now forget her as Miro had forgotten her? Kasia continues: Under the influence of Memoria, people forget who they are. Miro was no longer the same. He did not care about me, not even our baby. He did not care when Urelitas sent me to the monastery. I wasn’t able to get through to him.Deep sadness and disappointment are in Kasia’s voice. Miro seems to really mean something to her.

Do you know if he is still being given Memoria?

At times he seems totally off, but mostly that’s when Urelitas is near. When we are alone, he is attentive and empathetic. He was even present at the birth of our child and held my hand. When he held his daughter in his arms for the first time, tears ran down his cheeks. At such moments, I wish that we could have a chance again.

Nea continues to find it difficult to believe that Miro is a father and has his own family. The image of him with his daughter crushed her heart. She never wanted children. Not in this world, because Miro was always her family. Now there is no more room for her in his life if he even really remembers her. She’s just a familiar face without a story.

Even if she would rather not hear it, she must ask a question: How did you and Miro actually meet?

Kasia smiles. The memory seems to make her happy. The Carris took me prisoner almost ten months ago and sent me to one of their labor camps. It was terrible. I took the first opportunity to escape, but as luck would have it, I ran straight into Ereb’s arms. I thought my last hour had struck, but he was surprisingly gentle. He comforted me and promised me that I would not have to return to the labor camp. If I had wanted to, he would have let me go. But where would I go? My boyfriend had cheated on me with my best friend. So I stayed with Ereb and became his first wife.

As Kasia talks about Miro, it seems to Nea that she is speaking of a stranger. She does not recognize her former best friend in her words.

Kasia gets up from the bed and looks down at Nea. Carefully she holds out her hand and lovingly strokes Nea’s hair. She seems to have forgiven her for betraying her. Although Kasia has every reason to collapse in despair, she is stronger than ever. I’m glad you saved Miro, she says with a smile. Do you know what I’m going to call our daughter?

Nea shakes her head and already suspects she will not like it.

Mia. A mixture of Miro and Kasia. Thank you for telling me about him. If you liked him, he must have been a good person and that gives me hope for our future.

Nea does not want to see Kasia with Miro. Even if he is not himself anymore, she compensates at least outwardly that he is still the man she