So on and down we go…
Chapter 8
As they drift away from the border they start to realize what life is like in this region. Something is terribly wrong. The people are living at different ends of a vast spectrum of health and poverty and it shows in their actions. They’ve been told a number of lies about this region of the world and this is revealing those lies.
Note: I am not sure what I want to do with this, though I am basing my thoughts largely on and around the concept that news only sources the teller. This is kind of a Fox News thing writ large where the perception of truth is based on what everyone hears. And what our people continue to hear is that the Horde comes from this and other regions and is actually a band of freedom fighters and this particular region is closer to the disparity that created it. This reinforces Ikrivain’s theory that the brother is being held improperly. We will soon discover exactly how wrong he is.
We can tell now that people in this region are corrupted and corruptable. To him it is no different than how it was at home but here folks are more interested in being up front about it and he likes that better.
Some B-story developing here as Mafrek and his lady are together again. They have grown closer in the wake of the death of the child. Thea is off–she’s not right anymore and clearly needs support, but with the others all distracted she is not getting the help she needs. She takes to drinking in bars and one particular night as they are seeking answers from the lower castes she crosses a man and he strikes her. The others jump to her defense but they need not. She stabs the man in the leg and nearly kills him. The authorities arrive on scene quickly.
I have two directions here.
- That pull of magic kicks up and the adrenaline forces Ikrivain into action and they are about to have an altercation with the cops when the stabbed man goes after Thea and the cops pull him back only to be shocked at his wildness. He goes after them in a frenzied state and they are forced to put him down. others in the space react with shock except for one person who observes the group and once the action ends approaches them to suggest that he can help them in their quest.
- The cops take Thea and she is put in a cell for the night. Ikrivain tries to save her but is also arrested and the two of them wind up in opposite cells but still with the ability to talk to eachother. That conversation triggers emotions but also creates a scenario where someone overhears and agrees to help them reach their destination.