Chapter 4
A month had passed since he and Kaila had found the strange flower. During that time, Kaila's parents had gone to sleep and failed to wake up, within days of one another. They were carried off by several guards, their sleeping figures reflected in the despondent eyes of the hundred or so people who had gathered to see them off. This happened quite often, but Alistar was still surprised that it was Kaila's parents this time around, and even more surprised at the attention they received. The usual crowd topped off at around fifteen, sometimes fewer, sometimes none.
"Where is he going?" Alistar asked his father, as Kaila's father, Kaisus, was being hauled away. "What's wrong with him?"
Kaila's father disappeared into one of the entrances to the Long Tunnel, along with the two guards that carried him. Their handling was so careless that Alistar was surprised that he didn't wake up. The same scene had unfolded two days earlier, when Kaila's mother had also remained within her dreams.
Alistar's mother and his uncle had just gone off to the food line to fetch their lunches, the usual bowl of tasteless porridge. They had both spoken soft words to Kaila and her grandpa before heading to wait in the lines by the large cauldrons set up in the middle of the massive cavern. Most people had to wait in line themselves in order to receive any food, but oftentimes his mother and uncle were permitted to fetch shares for him and his father. His family wasn't the sort to attempt to attain an extra serving, as others sometimes tried, so it was only natural that they were allowed this privilege.
It took a moment for his father to answer him. The guards had been bullying him more openly in recent weeks, making him work longer than the others. Between his parents and his uncle, Alistar gathered that they were now required to fill four crates with crystals before they were allowed to retire at the end of the day. He wondered why they had raised the amount.
His father looked thin and there were dark rings underneath his eyes. His hands were almost always bleeding from constantly gripping his pickaxe. Couldn't they find someone else to do the extra work? Even if he was one of the hardest workers in the mines, it seemed unfair to entrust him with so much. Alistar was worried for him.
"They went to sleep, Alistar," he said quietly. His voice, which was usually deep and stirring, was now as cold and brittle as the winters he often spoke of. "They won't be waking up. The guards are taking them to a place where they can sleep comfortably from now on."
His father's expression was pained, but not from the bloody blisters that covered his hands. Alistar wondered why. His father seemed to have known Kaila's parents for a long time, so maybe he was sad that he could no longer see them. Alistar would be sad if he couldn't see Kaila anymore. Speaking of Kaila, she was standing next to her grandpa a few paces away. Both seemed weighed down by sadness. Something wasn't right.
When Alistar tried to approach her, his father stopped him by grabbing his arm. She hadn't even looked at him as he approached. "It's best that you leave Kaila alone for a while."
"Why?" he asked unhappily. He didn't want to be separated from Kaila. Although she was two years older, she was the only other person his age in the mines that he talked to. She was an important friend. The days would pass by much slower if he couldn't speak to her.
"Just listen to my words, son."