"Please," I mustered, hoping that speaking wouldn't do me in. "I’m sorry."

"Tika, Altua forbids the killing of sky people," the old man from before said. I could feel the guard, Tika's, presence shifting away from me.

"Chief Lieta, she has soiled Altua’s name. That is punishable by death," he said in an accusatory tone, as if their chief was trying to save me.

"She and all sky people are protected by Altua’s Curse. A devotee like yourself should know that," he said, walking even farther into the hut. His presence intimidates the guards, as they shift themselves away from him. Even though he was shorter than Tika and the other guard, he seemed to tower over Tika in confidence as he approached him inside the jail. "I see that you are not worthy to be a guard for the sky woman. Neither are you, Holan," he said, shifting his gaze at the other guard, who tried not to meet his gaze. He turns back over to Tika. "If you are blood thirsty, we’ll find a good fit for you in a hunting party, but you cannot let your rage out on her,"  With somewhat comforting eyes, he looked over to me. In that brief moment, I felt safe. "Leave immediately. Find the healer for the damages you have caused. I will watch over her until another guard is found. "

Tika, now dejected and irritated, takes one final glance at me, still balled up by the edge of the hut, snickers, and storms off, with the other guard, Holan, following. The chief looks at me briefly, almost pitying me, before he leaves the jail and approaches the entrance.

"Hey," I called out, stopping him before he made it completely towards the entrance. "Thank you for everything." He pauses for a moment before finally responding.

"You should thank Altua. He is the one that saved you tonight," he said, then made it to the entrance to keep guard.

I looked on beyond the entrance as the world slowly began to light up. People walked with their torches reaching the sky. I watched as those lights disappeared and showed tiny cracks in the walls and the roofing. This is my life now, I thought. There was no escaping this new reality. I can’t be killed by them at least, knowing that this strange curse will affect them. Altua’s curse, that’s what saved me. The same being that brought me into this world took some insurances to ensure that I remained safe with these people. But why am I here? What can I provide to these people that Altua deemed that I must come here? When will I get answers? Will I ever have them?

As soon as the old healer came back to look at my back, I gradually fought back slumber. From looking at the new guards, still as rocks standing by the door, to the calm wind whispering in my ear, I finally gave in. I slid back against the rough wall, shifted myself on the dirt floor, and quietly fell asleep, tied up in my prison cell.