Vlakas nodded.
“We have to fix it, Kat,” he looked up at me from his seat on the ground, an earnest look in his eyes. “We must fix our society. We shouldn’t be living like this. No one should.”
“No one should,” I agreed. “It’s just going to take a lot of effort to make the change, a lot of power and influence.”
“Power?” he asked. “Why power?”
“Think about it this way, V. How much did you notice the plight of Mageia when you were a kid? When you summoned a servant, did you wonder if anyone would show up? Or did you just assume they would do what you told them?”
“I… just assumed,” he answered honestly.
“Exactly. We would have to change the world view of a lot of people. Not just of the Elusians, but the humans, too. We’d have to change howeveryonelooked at and thought of Mageia. Hell, of everyone. This is bigger than just us. We need to make a society where there isnoslavery.”
His eyes grew round, and he sighed.
“That’s a tall order,” Vlakas said sadly. “Wave a magic wand and free all the slaves, but then, what do they eat? Where do they live? Who takes over the roles they played? It’s a tallorder, but you’ve obviously have been thinking about it for a while.”
“It is,” I agreed. “And I have.”
“How do we even start? Wouldn’t it be easier to just run? Why don’t we just… go? What’s to keep us from just leaving?” he asked.
I looked at him in surprise.
“This island, or escape Alexandria?” I asked.
“Either. Both.” He responded with a shrug.
“Well, typically the Machi Thanatos arena area is surrounded by the military to prevent Mageia from escaping,” I answered. “They are usually staffed with a lot of Elusians so they can keep our power under control.”
He hummed thoughtfully.
“What if we just… didn’t go back? Wouldn’t they assume we were just killed or something?” he asked. “Living here might not be bad.”
I tapped the metal collar.
“I’m sure they have some kind of tracking device in these things. They’ve never said as much, but they’d almost have to have something in them,” I said. “How else do they know if someone is dead or not?”
“And it takes a Fire Mageia to get one of these off,” he finished. “How do they keep them on Fire Mageia?”
“The Legion values Fire Mageia more than just about any other element because they are especially good at killing. Fire Mageia are considered the elite. They get better treatment, fewer chores, more perks. They even get a stipend, even as Hoplites. The Elusians make it so most Fire Mageia don’t want to leave.”
“Just another way to divide us,” Vlakas said finally.
I nodded sadly.
“Get some rest, I’ll take first watch,” I said.
Vlakas settled down on the plastic. I unfolded the thermal blanket and laid it over him. The temperature had stayed consistent, but I figured it would get a lot cooler in here once the sun set. I turned the light down to its lowest setting. I didn’t want to sit in complete darkness, but I didn’t want to announce our presence either.
The silence felt heavy around me, as though it had a physical weight. The room we were camped in was larger than I would have liked. I felt exposed. I had my Air alarms placed, but I was still nervous. Who knew what we would find in this place?
The adrenaline rush had long worn off, leaving behind weariness. I was struggling to stay awake as the night wore on, so I decided to take a walk around the room.
The room was large. I wasn’t sure what purpose it had served but banks of old machines made long aisles. It made it a bitch to see anything, but it also helped disguise our presence.
Just as I finished the first circuit of the room, I heard the barest whisper of a sound coming from the hallway. I eased my knife from my belt and crept toward the door.
I peered cautiously around the corner. I didn’t think any of the other Mageia knew how to make an alarm like mine, but sandbagging was common in the Legion. What your future enemy didn’t know they couldn’t use against you.
