Chapter IV

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Chapter IV

Sencor was a city surrounded by high walls. Most of the residents had never been outside and none of them would ever really leave the city other than for work. Anyone you met in there was either a criminal or one's descendant. The law stated that some crimes were unforgivable and as a punishment the criminal would be sent to Sencor along with all of their relatives. Usually, they didn't live long enough to die of old age. Every child born in Sencor had criminal blood and thus wasn't allowed outside. The Emperor had never stopped to emphasize the impact of criminal blood on the person. They would become aggressive and dangerous. It was for the best to seclude them.

Behind the walls was water - three lakes and the sea. There were four gates. The main gate was mainly for the Emperor since the guards also lived in the city. And then there were three other gates, each named after the lake it was leading to: Glerb, Barren, and Darq.

Samuel was leaning on the fence and contemplating about life. Sometimes he felt like a prisoner himself although he had pure blood. He didn't want to be a guard but his father enjoyed the job, so they had stayed. When Sam was younger, he had dreamt of becoming an artist or maybe a writer but Sencor didn't really offer opportunities for those professions.

"Breakfast is ready!" his mother shouted from the window. Back in Carran, she had been a singer but now she worked in the kitchen. Samuel stood up straighter and stepped inside. The kitchen was full of delicious smells. Eggs and bacon and warm bread. His mouth was watering already. He sat at the table and saw a bowl with some weird soup which seemed to contain only green leaves.

"What is this?" he asked crinkling his nose.

"Don't eat that!" his mother pulled the bowl away. "It's for them."

"Looks delicious," he grinned and took a piece of bread instead.

His mother moved around the kitchen gracefully. Samuel couldn't help but think that her life was wasted here.

Suddenly his father stormed in. He was so tall he had to crouch in the doorway.

"Sanders and Mallen are sick. We need you to patrol at the Darq." His father didn't even wait for him to answer. It was more like a command than a request. Samuel frowned but followed his father. Darq was the smallest of the three lakes but in his opinion, it was the most beautiful one. There was something about the color that was different from the others.

The prisoners were already on their way to the lake when he reached the central square. They weren't in a line or any other orderly way. Their clothes were constantly dirty and smelled. Most of them looked the same to him - dull faces, brown hair, eyes red from lack of sleep and dark circles around them. But then there were also the Cirren ones. He had kept an eye on a blue-haired girl who constantly had a smirk on her face. When the others seemed dumb and tamed, she gave a completely different impression. Samuel knew that his interest in her was a bit inappropriate but he would've loved to paint her. He had to remind himself she had criminal blood otherwise he might have done something stupid and end up as a prisoner himself.

There wasn't really anything difficult about guard duty. All he had to do was keep an eye on the workers. Prisoners tried to reach the bottom with their nets. Some were bold enough to dive for it, others just walked around. They didn't seem motivated but why would they? Whatever they found, they couldn't keep. It just bought them a piece of bread or something equally small and insignificant while sencurium itself could buy houses and allegiances.

Samuel stood at the edge of the lake and his eyes started to look for the blue-haired girl. She was waist-deep in the water, her hair pulled up in a pony tail. What a contrast he thought. Next to her was a tall tanned young man with dark brown hair and muscular build while she was tiny and pale. The sun reflected from her skin which only made her shine brighter. The other guards were talking and no one seemed to be paying attention to him. So he took out his notepad and pencil. It had been a while since he drew but he felt like he couldn't miss this moment. He had no colors to describe her golden eyes but it was still better than no depiction of her at all. Such a graceful little thing.

And then their eyes met. She stood in the water like some mystical being. He couldn't read her expression but she didn't look away. Was it a good sign? The corners of her mouth were slightly curved. Samuel could feel his heart beating faster and louder.

"Hey, you! Get back to work!" shouted one of the other guards and she dived into the water. The moment was gone. He looked down at the paper and frowned. The picture looked nothing like her. He needed to get decent colors somewhere and try again. The thought made him smile. He could be an artist after all.