Ender's Judge

Rune leaned against the wooden door, hearing it click shut from his weight. He constantly fought to keep himself steady as he tried not to trip on his feet as he went to his cot. 

Elsie and Nilu were nowhere to be seen. He was thankful his sister was not there to see the state he was in.

He slumped onto his sleeping space, his two hands on his head as the fortified wall within his mind crumbled. 

Doubling over, Rune retched, as his body tried to reject what was in his stomach. Having not eaten in the morning to avoid discomfort during the race, nothing came out. 

Dry heaving his guts, he braced his body on his knees as his body continued to reject something that was not there.

Sweat trickled down his nose as it dripped onto the stone floor, and he felt tears escape his eyes. His hands shook violently, his body no longer under his control. 

Just then, the sound of a lock turning signalled the arrival of his sister and Nilu. He got up from the position he was in, lying down on his side, pretending to sleep as the voices of the two girls filled the small home. 

The door creaked as Elsie's voice carried over.

Rune's pain flared from the noise, a sharp pierce to the side of his temple. His eyes shut close, the ringing bouncing in his head amplified by the sharp laughter from Nilu that followed.

He barely registered the muffled sounds of conversation between the girls. He couldn't continue in his state. He had to be there for the dinner ceremony, but he doubted whether he could even move given the state of his body.

The dampness of sweat that had accumulated at the sides of his cheeks felt cooling to the burning feeling that had started to spread throughout his body.

Rune didn't know it, but his eyes flashed open to Elsie on the floor, looking at him with worry. Bunched up was her black skirt, dirt smearing the shirt she wore. Her hair flyaways had escaped from the braid he had done for her three days back. She was looking at him with worry, her dark brown eyes wide and anxious. 

"Ru, Ru, can you hear me?" She shook him, placing a hand on his head, pulling it back quickly.

"He's burning. Nilu, something is wrong with Ru."

Rune's eyes lifted to the window behind Elsie, the evening light replaced by darkness.

"Time," he rasped, his throat parched, in need of water.

Nilu came around, giving Elsie a cloth. 

His sister used it to wipe his head, then the rest of his face.

"We tried waking you, but you were out of it. Then you started to burn up out of nowhere."

"Elsie tried to wake you, but you were out of it," Nilu smiled warily.

The pounding in his head had subsided, but Rune's vision was a blur. Pushing his sister's hand aside, he sat up. His body was no longer in pain, but the same ache he had experienced following his mother's death remained. 

His core muscles were screaming when he accidentally flexed them as he pushed himself to his feet. 

Rune almost stumbled, his thighs protesting his movement, sore from the time spent on the horse.

Elsie's hand lightly touched his leg. "Ru, you should lie back down. You're not feeling well."

Saying nothing, he walked to their only table, grabbed a pitcher of water, and poured himself some in a glass, gulping the liquid in one go. He poured himself two more glasses before he remembered the winner's feast.

In a quick haste, he put on his coat, wiping his face with the same shirt he had worn during the race. Then he went to get his boots, which had been taken off him while he was out, most likely by Elsie.

"How long was I out for?" He asked as he made his way to the front door.

Nilu walked up to him, her long red-brown hair glowing under the gas lamps from the table. She grabbed hold of his arm, preventing him from heading out, an iron grip that felt as if his bones were getting crushed.

"Rune, lie down for Terra's sake. You're in no condition to stand, let alone go anywhere," Nilu said, confronting him.

"You don't understand, I have to go. I have no choice."

Nilu didn't seem to like what he'd said, her grip tightening even more. "Everyone has a choice, Rune. If not for yourself, think of Elsie. She just watched your unconscious body, helpless to do anything, while here you are not even soothing her that you're okay."

"And what do you think will happen if the person who came in first doesn't show up?"

"Why do you care so much about what the Reapers say and do? You're not even a part of them. They're not family, Rune. You're family is here, not there."

"You are family? You live in Upper Alta for Terra's sake in one of those elegant homes with ample enough money to spend."

Hurt flared across Nilu's face, her lips slightly quivered, as she slowly let go of Rune's arm.

Maybe you were a little bit too harsh.

He sighed, turning back to Elsie. "Look, there have been recent murders--"

"Go, Ru. Just go," Elsie interrupted him, anger on her face.

He looked back at Nilu, who had a distant look on her face as her eyes appeared to have dulled in colour.

Not saying anything more to the two girls, Rune walked out the door, locking the door shut behind him.

He knew it was hard for Elsie to see him ill, but what he couldn't tell his sister or her friend was that there was a murderer on the loose; that he had to attend the feast to see if he could figure out anything more about the killer or the victims. 

He wasn't celebrating his wins, but observing other players who might one day threaten their livelihood. He couldn't say anything, bound to keep quiet about what he knew.

Walking in the direction of Upper Alta, Rune began fortifying his mind, building the same wall he had during the race to ignore the ache and headache, but it did nothing to help with his shivering that was associated with his abnormally high body temperature. He brought his arm to his chest to warm himself, beads of sweat aligning his forehead.

So much for winning.