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Anatomy of a state [PRE PROFESSIONAL EDIT]

  I ran, ran faster than I had so many other times before. Where there was usually no escape, a single crack of brightness shimmered in the far distance. Light, bleeding through like the last rays of the setting sun over a hilltop, and I wanted to be there with it. But as the distance was covered, the hallway grew longer and the darkness encroached ever closer. Even though I tried so hard to reach it, the light began to fade. No, maybe the light was never there to begin with. I came face-to-face once more with the ending, nothing had changed.

  As I began to appraise myself, I saw the shadows lurk behind my back, dancing along to unsung songs. But as I turned; nothing. Nothing but the faint glow of the cigarette from a far off distance, mocking me maybe, or observing. And with a single snap of a lighter, it all went away.

  Woke up, exhausted. As I sat there in the darkness for a few minutes, I tried to figure out what time it was. Was it morning? Sun’s not up, so it must be early dawn at most. Regardless of the time I thought, it was best to get an early start. I needed to gather my bearings, gather Gregori, and go do what had to be done; like always. But getting up, I noticed a few things. Some objects around the room were moved, some were … missing. Shit. I sprang to my feet and immediately began searching for it. Didn't know what to do at that moment, usually I did. So I decided the best I could do was to prepare myself for the journey, though my missing holster was pretty much at the forefront of my mind the entire time. It was important, I really couldn't go on a long trek without it. I had known a lot of people who lost shit over the years, but had yet to meet another person who misplaced his own gun as often as myself. Twice in a few years? Sure I could see that. Twice in a week? Sloppy, unprofessional.

  “Unprofessional” I thought, “unprofessional…rookie mistake.”

  I snapped out of it and started getting dressed. It was only after I had put my socks on that I noticed that the white wool had been stained with red. Blood. My blood, I had been biting my lip as I got dressed without noticing. Then there were the cuts and the bruises from the night before across my body, a few lumps left some sore spots, but nothing I didn't usually deal with.

  “Probably should have bandaged up though,” I said to nobody, as I slipped on a boot. “Gonna get infected if I don't do it soon. Lais prob-” I stopped myself.

  Lais. The night's argument rolled back to me in spurts, I thought to myself at the time that it was a good idea to tell her the truth. I didn't want to, but for Kaloms sake at least it was probably the best call. Lais would probably stay away from Gregori, and away from me at the same time. It was better for her to not get consumed by her own flames. Rodriguez back in the Ventura conflict, he had his own revenge story. Too long to recall entirely, but in short he was a protestant, the Venturans were catholics or something like that, religions are too complicated for me to give a damn. He wanted religious vengeance on them for invading his hometown, some backwater in the Convergence. Kid was only eighteen when he joined the Territorial Militia, better than me though, I was twelve when I joined up. Getting back to it, I walked to the bedroom door after putting on the other boot, and opened it. Nothing. No noise, everyone was asleep. The darkness shrouded everything, a soot black where you couldn't see five feet in front of you. It was as good a time as any to leave, I hated awkward situations, and I didnt think it was wise to make them have to see me again. As I crept down the hallway, I stopped about halfway. The smell is what caught me. A burning, or no, the afterburn of a candle and the smell of freshly brewed coffee. The scent permitted the air, as I carefully walked down the hall, slowly, intentionally. I had my back to the wall, inching ever closer to the dining room. But as soon as I saw the figures in the room I froze. They were sitting in the dark, all gathered at the table. I said nothing, made no noise.

  Then, the candle was re-lit. Almost by an unseen force, a strike like a match. An old man's finger was hovering beside the candle, ablaze. Its owner blew on it, and out went the flame. No burns were visible in the glow.

  Sitting around the table was the family. Kalom, Lais and Malkolm. All watching me intently. It was such a bizarre thing that I briefly questioned my own sanity, was I still asleep?

  “Sit.” Malkolm said, his voice carried a seriousness that I hadn't heard up until that point.

  I saw that there were several cups of coffee on the table, one for each of the three and one for whoever was to sit across from them. The others said nothing, just watched me as I carefully sat down, eying each of them, and the door.

  “Nelson.” He began. “I realize last night, your presence caused a lot of problems for my family.”

  I said nothing, but kept his gaze.

  “I could have lost my daughter.” he pointed to Lais first, then to Kalom. “And I almost did lose my son.”

  Still, nothing. I knew what was coming. Same shit, different world. It was always like that for me. Memories of evictions poked up once or twice. The familiar corporate tone of termination and physical removal.

  “However, we agreed to help you.”

  “Hmm?” I wasn't expecting that…

  “Nelson, we as a family agreed after your status as an otherworlder was discovered. We said we would help you, all of us.”

  I couldn’t figure it out, the angle. After all I had put them through, they still gave a damn? I wouldn’t have done the same, even for myself. I would have just been content to walk out the door, and leave those people to their home and their own lives. Kalom tried to not fidget as he sat in his chair, it was an uncomfortable conversation to him. Lais was more stoic, but not looking directly at me, for obvious reasons.

  “Why though?” I asked.

  Malkolm sighed, placing his head in his palms from frustration.

  “It’s how our family does things, Nelson. We decide to do something and we do it, thick or thin.”

  “Hate to be rude Malkolm, but the suns coming up.” The light was beginning to pour from behind the trees outside, making the candle's presence slowly obsolete. “It’s time for me to leave.”

  As I got up, he snapped at me.

  “Sit. Back. Down.” His tone was cool, even, it carried authority.

  “Malkolm, I don’t wan-”

  “This is no longer just about what you want. This is personal to me now. Last night was an ordeal, I understand that. I can reason why you would want to leave us in peace. But I can't sit here, and watch another man waste his life, because he doesn't think he deserves a second chance at it! You need help, and we want to help you.”

  I couldn't decide what to do. On one hand he was correct, last night took a toll on all of us. Kalom more than Lais, but she had her own battles to fight besides. On the other hand, was what he said about me…

  “At least hear me out?” He asked.

  I turned to face him, even Kalom and Lais were disturbed by the temper the old man had radiated. As I sat back down, his intensity bored deep into my vision.

  “I will give you two choices. After that, you can decide which to choose.”

  “And what if I don't want to choose either?”

  “That's not one of the options.”

  “I’ll listen, Malkolm. Though I can’t say it’ll make much of a difference at this point. My mind is already set. I don’t belong here, we both know that. I got a few errands to run too.”

  “First. Option.” He ignored my remark entirely. “You walk out that door, and we never see you again.”

  “Alright. What's th-”

  “I didn’t finish.” he said, cutting me off.

  Lais and Kalom were still eerily silent. They had evidently had similar meetings like that before with the family, or perhaps Malkolm just wanted them as silent witnesses. Regardless they were saying nothing; but saying everything at the same time. Kalom was sweating bullets, not at his fathers outburst a moment ago, but because of something else, he was tense, you could see the bulge in his arms as he tried his best to not to move around so much. Lais just sat still as she could, also uncomfortable despite her previous demeanor.

  “Are you listening, Nelson?”

  I recovered, and hadn't realized I zoned out at all. “Sorry.”

  “I was saying, sure you may walk out that door, but without any guidance or knowledge of the landscape you would likely never find your way out of the forest.”

  “What about the road?”

  “Leads west, to the harbor. Not east, where Britona ends.”

  “Then why not just head east? What's stopping me from just walking?”

  “Sure, if you want to get eaten by trolls in the deep-wood, or perhaps mauled by more wolves?”

  I groaned. Malkolm made his point very clear. He didn't want me to leave on my own, at least not without some help or supplies. He was a stubborn man, but was also good hearted. He only knew what I had told him about my past, my work. Had he known more, would he have so eagerly helped me, even presented me with the choices?

  “I see. What about the second option then?”

  His face betrayed a sly grin, and Kalom as well. Lais still sat unmoving.

  “You drink that cup of coffee in front of you.”

  I looked down at the hot tar in the cup, unsavory as it was in texture as taste. I could already tell that I had fallen for some kind of trap, though I couldn't determine what the implications were.

  “I see.” I replied. “There really wasn’t a second option.”

  “If you drink that cup of coffee, you agree to stay here with us. And let us prepare you for the world ahead.”

  “Even after all I put you through, after everything I did. You still want me to stay?”

  “Yes.”

  I thought for just a moment, I remembered waking up in the field and feeling the breeze. And then that breeze led into the skirmish between an elf and a man. A family nearly killed because of my own faults.

  “Nelson.” Malkolm began, “When you told me about your origins, and your work as a mercenary; I thought about letting you leave then and there. I saw you as dangerous, even if you were polite. Those good manners were all for show wasn’t it?”

  “Yeah.” I replied.

  “Even if I saw you as dangerous before, when you told us of your actions last night, I even contemplated forcing you out of the house.”

  I said nothing, I refused to make eye contact with him anymore.

  “But what you said to Lais, to Kalom … to me,” he paused for a moment, the silence drifting for a bit. “Make your choice.”

  I looked at the coffee, and at the door at the corner of my eye. The candle further lost its purpose. That's when I chose.

  “I’m sorry Malkolm. I’m leaving.”

  He said nothing for a moment, but looked to both his children. “That’s sad to hear. But in reality, the choice was always going to be the same.”

  “I suppose so.” The trap sprung, I knew it was coming. But I didn't expect what happened next.

  As I began to rise to my feet, a sudden blur to my right caught my attention, Kalom had practically leaped from his seat and rushed me. He quickly managed to wrestle my arms behind the chair, though not without a struggle. As I wrestled with his wrists in an attempt to get him to slip, to lose his grip in any way, Lais followed suit but instead of helping restrain me, she picked up the cup of coffee. It was then I understood the man's words. The choice was always going to be the same. As Lais slowly poured the contents into my mouth, I contemplated just spitting it out in frustration rather than anger, but she was not to blame for this nor Kalom. Their father was the one who planned this. As the last few painful blobs of hot sludge slid down my throat, they released me.

  While Myself coughed and gasped for air, they both sat back down without a word. Acting almost like what they just did, hadn’t even registered, didn't happen.

  “There. The choice has been made for you.” Malkolm said.

  In between retches, I replied “It really wasn't your choice to make.”

  He nodded in agreement. “Maybe, but had we not done so, you would have left.”

  “I know that.” I growled.

  “Think of it like this then, Nelson.” He stood up. Snuffed the candle’s flame and leaned over the table. “I'm in charge of this household, for the last week you have been sleeping under my roof and have for the last few days at least, been eating our food. It's my job to protect everyone in this home, even guests. You-” He jabbed a finger my way, “-are a guest.”

  I said nothing, just looked him in the eye.

  “I’m glad you understand. I am sorry it had to be done this way Nelson, but if we let you leave here without teaching you how to survive, you will die.”

  “And that wouldn’t have been your problem.”

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  “Maybe not in your eyes, but to us, we don't play by those rules. Not these days. Letting you leave unprepared would be practically murder.” He took a sip of his own coffee. “You don't really believe in yourself do you?”

  I said nothing in reply, didn't need to.

  “I thought so. Remember our talk from last night, when I told you that we all carry our own burdens?”

  Still Nothing.

  “We can never let go of what we have done, never forget it. Me, you, Kalom. But I will not allow you to live like this anymore. I didn't let my own son when he came home, so neither will I let you.

  “And what's stopping me from walking out that door right now, after what you just pulled?”

  “Nothing. Nothing except this,” casually, Malkolm produced a familiar piece of steel from under the table, and laid it atop. The familiar words of ‘Poppy’ still etched into the damn thing.

  “You stole my gun?”

  “I couldn't risk you leaving before this meeting.”

  “You had no right…” I felt my teeth gritting against each other.

  “You're correct, I didn’t. And while I apologize for my actions, I still believe it was out of good intentions.”

  “Such as?”

  “That weapon means much more to you, says more about you , than you admit with words alone. I know and so do you, so you already have your answer.”

  I sighed, and unclenched my teeth. The pain from the grinding had begun to feel like sandpaper across my tongue. He had me, the old man had me cornered like a rat stuck in a cage. No way out unless I agreed to go forward his way. It was funny in a sort of way, like playing cards with an old friend, a few actually.

  “Alright, I’ll stay.” I finally huffed.

  “Good,” Malkolm began before I rudely interrupted him.

  “But on one condition.”

  He listened intently, as did the other. Kalom was eying the door, and back to me. He didn't expect me to make a break for the door, but he thought a lot like me. Lais still would not make eye contact despite the situation, which was understandable. She did just violate another man's free-will. But I assumed that would probably temper her vengeance a little. She needed an outlet, and I thought that if that outlet needed to be pouring hot coffee down my gullet, it's not the worst thing.

  “My condition is this. You never do that again. To me, or to anyone.”

  Malkolm, despite himself, cracked a slight grin. He knew what I meant, but he also knew how to handle situations like that. Made me realize just how much shit Kalom must have gone through.

  “The coffee or the ‘gun’ ?” he asked.

  “The gun.” I didn't notice it, but Malkolm swore he saw me smile a little when I said it.

  “Deal.” He sighed.

  He walked around the table, and slid my holster and my back to me. The familiar roughness of the fabric and the normalcy that came with replacing the gun eased my tensions. It was still fucked up what they did, but I couldnt really blame them for the event. I had brought an entire episode of their lives to a grinding halt by simply being there. Gregori was just a microcosm of the trouble I bring everywhere. The heat of the sun coming from the window felt nice, and despite myself and the whole affair, I decided that maybe feeling nice wasn't such a bad thing once in a while.

  “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I would prefer to be alone for a while. Kalom, Lais, it’s up to you now.” And with that, Malkolm opened the door, and left without a sound back to his side of the house.

  None of us said anything. We sat there, empty coffee cups still on the table and the aroma of a freshly burned candle intertwining with the spring breeze that now wafted from the open door. The distant song of birds was the only reprieve from the deathly silence.

  “You know,” I finally opined, looking at Kalom. “That coffee aint half bad once you get used to it.”

  Kalom did not respond at first, but slowly a chuckle started to build, and I couldn't help but join in.

  Lais still said nothing, she was deep in thought. She wanted to say something though, that was clear.

  “Lais?”

  As soon as I said her name, she looked at me, finally. Her expression was one of regret, or shame. Someone who had taken an emotional beating.

  “Nelson.” she replied.

  “About last night-”

  “Dont. Not yet. We have work to do today, first and foremost getting you ready.”

  She nodded to Kalom, who stood up, stretched and proceeded down the hallway.

  “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Me and Lais sat alone, not speaking. I looked out at the sunlight, and past the arches of the porch. The carving of the triumphant ruler was still as imposing as it had been the first time I saw it, and now more so as the sun bathed the pinkened trunk of the tree. I had just admired it from a distance, its lines clearly visible from even this distance.

  “Her name is Weyla.” Lais said, eyeing what I was looking at.

  “Who is she to your people?” I asked.

  “She was the queen of the Cird. That was long before I was born though, when fathers philosophy was still around.”

  “She looks like she was a brave woman. Your people must have really admired her, to carve her with such detail. But, who's the other woman then?”

  She closed her eyes. “That is her sister, the Queen of the Cith. Edme. We don't talk about her.”

  I nodded. “I won't pry.”

  “Thank you for understanding. You seem to respect cultural boundaries, at least sometimes.”

  “Well, I have been across the globe where I’m from. Dealing with other cultures is a basic requirement so you don't have locals killing you while your back is turned.” I leaned back in my chair, relaxing just a little.

  “Globe?” She asked, curiously.

  “The world.”

  Lais looked puzzled. Which immediately made me think of something I learned about when I was a kid. There was some guy who sailed across the world to prove it wasn't flat, a Columbo … Columbus perhaps? That's when I was able to put the pieces together why she was confused.

  “You don't know the planet is round?”

  “Huh? That's absurd, why would it be round?”

  I couldn't help but suppress a little laugh. Elves were supposed to be wise and all knowing, at least in fiction. Wasn’t expecting them to not know how planets work.

  “What’s so funny?” She demanded.

  That's when Kalom re-entered the room, carrying a small crate of rolled up papers and a stack of books. The thing must have been heavy, since even he was struggling to carry it all, despite his build. As he set it down with a loud thud onto the table, he took a few deep breaths to recover.

  “Seems like a lot of paperwork.” I remarked.

  “It is. But not for me.” He looked straight at me when he said that.

  I knew I was in for the brunt of it. It was going to be a long day, and I likely wouldn't have time to see if Gregori was still around at all. The dust coming off the crate was not that dissimilar to the bunkers me and my men would sometimes find in the Balkans. blackened ancient cobwebs lining the walls, floating dust filling the rancid air. Well, I say dust, sometimes it was expired chemicals. But we always wore masks for those explorations, so it wasn't really that bothersome. Caleb once found a few mummies from back when the UN still existed. Poor peacekeeper bastards gassed themselves with chlorine by accident instead of the Romani insurgents. Rookie mistake. I still remember their bodies contorted express-

  I had heard a sudden noise, and realized it was Kalom tapping the table in front of me.

  “Hello, you still with us?” He said casually.

  “Shit. Sorry, what were you saying?”

  He handed me a book, a big one. It was written in their local script so I couldn't read the title at the time. The cover was surprisingly smooth, like a coated hardcover from books shops back in New York. The dust fell away easily, but the dust felt annoying on my fingers, reminding me of coarse sand. I tried best not to grit my teeth at the texture, it was a pet peeve of mine.

  “What’s it about?” I asked him.

  “Can’t you read?” He didn't say it condescendingly, he was genuine. He didn't bother taking into account my lack of understanding of the local verbiage.

  “I can, but not your language. I can write and read a few different ones, just not yours.”

  “Damn, sorry I didn't think about that. Let me look around in the box a little more.”

  He rummaged through it for a few minutes as Lais got up. She casually walked to the door and looked out at the village in the distance. Her hair, still braided, blew gently in the breeze as the warm air flowed into the house. She had acted differently since the night before, more distant than when I first arrived. I understood her wishes to keep away after what I had told her. I didn't deserve her trust, and I had shown that with my actions. It would make her more cautious of people in the future, I told myself. It was better for her to experience such things then, rather than later when it might have been a detriment.

  “Found it!” Kalom declared in triumph.

  I turned back to see that he had pulled out a large scroll. How he managed to not ‘find’ it sooner was something I didn't bother to ask. He unrolled it to reveal a massive table-sized map of the continent. It was incredibly detailed: mountains, rivers and tributaries, even forests with waterway maps. And all of it was labeled for the most part in languages I had no earthly idea how to read. All except the western most part of the map; which was written in plain English. The thing was tattered in places, showing extreme wear and considerable age, ink had faded on some regions, showing only phantoms of letters and trees long since vanishing into obscurity. There were many places on the map, and Kalom was all too excited to start off by explaining it to me.

  “Ok,” he said, putting a finger on the western edge of the continent. “We are here.”

  It was decorated with massive trees, obviously referencing the real ones outside. And with large lettering, marking it as ‘Realm of Britona’. But Kaloms large finger also was placed atop a tiny village, and I could see the faint outline of long since smudged ink which looked unmistakably like the two carvings. The village, as it turned out we were in, was named ‘Kathbury’. I nodded, as Kalom then pointed out that to the west was indeed, as Malkolm had told me, a large port harbor belonging to something called the Imperial Coven. But to the east, the east was what I was interested in.

  “What’s that?” I asked, pointing to it on the map. I could read it just fine, but since Kalom was more knowledgeable on the area, it seemed better to just ask him.

  “That’s the Marshlands, the …” he hesitated, “that’s where the Daeg live.”

  “I’ve heard that word before,” I thought back, parsing my thoughts. When Lais interrupted.

  “They are a tragedy,” She said.

  Kalom grumbled, but said nothing.

  “Why’s that?”

  She shook her head, and refused to say anything either. They were hiding something from me, but I didn't pursue it. Much like that ‘Edme’ woman, I assumed it was a sore spot for the people there.

  “Alright, enough of the cryptic stuff. Where’s that king Eli’s place?”

  Kalom tapped his finger on a spot just east of the Marshes. There, on an artificial island, was a massive castle and city. Surrounded by water, and connected to the outside world by twelve strips of land, The shape was familiar as well.

  “Can these people be any less full of themselves?” My comment was blunt, and annoyed.

  “What do you mean?” Kalom inquired, interested by my sudden hostility.

  “They built an island in the shape of the black sun?”

  Kalom was taken aback, “You know of the black sun?”

  “Yeah, it’s a symbol that Parker’s group liked to graffiti everywhere they went.

  “The ‘bunker’ guy?” Kalom asked.

  He said it innocently, not meaning anything by it. But Lais, at the mention of the bunker, tensed up a bit. A brief moment of anger flashed across her gaze, as she looked over to me. I ignored it, more pressing things to deal with. I wanted to keep my mind off of the bunker, but I also knew that I couldn’t ignore Lais’ concern or her disgust forever.

  “Yes Kalom, that guy. But back to the map.” I pointed to a road past the village forest to the immediate east. “Why doesn't this connect to the village itself?” I asked him bluntly.

  Kalom sighed. “It used to, about seventy years ago.”

  “What happened, I doubt the road made it through the forest itself given the trees.”

  Kalom silently nodded, indicating that I was on the right track.

  “So, in seventy years the forest, what, grew over the road?”

  “Yep.”

  I was dumbstruck. For such a quaint and beautiful village, it seemed uncharacteristic for them to just let an entire road vanish into disrepair. What was more concerning though was the time-scaling. Those trees, literally hundreds of feet talls and at least twenty feet ‘round, were all planted only seventy years ago? Something didnt add up. I remembered my chat with Malkolm about magick, and since they were elves I thought about it for a second. It had to be some kind of spell or special breed of tree perhaps? Only one way to find out was to ask.

  “Are these trees magick by any chance?”

  Kalom was surprised, genuinely surprised that I managed to piece that together. His wide eyed startlement was amusing. Reminded me briefly of that time I beat ‘Cook’ in a ten-rounder of blackjack in one sitting, back in Maputo. He just stared at me, stunned before his rage built up. Could still hear the old Arabs furious shouting.

  “I’m going to strangle whichever sonofabitch taught you to play cards. Damnit! Fine, take the cash and let me get back to drinking. Fucking black-back.”

  ‘Good times’, I thought to myself. But those were the past, now it was necessary to focus, not reminisce.

  “ Well?” I asked again, a little more forcefully though still keeping a more or less cordial tone.

  “Oh, right.” Kalom snapped back to it. “They are affected by magick, though they aren’t themselves ‘magick trees’ or anything like that. ‘Terramancy’, that's what the old man calls it.”

  “Sounds useful, how does it work?”

  “No idea, ask her, ‘pa teaches her more about the craft than me.” He nodded over to Lais who was now looking back and forth between us.

  “Me?” She asked.

  Lais wasn’t expecting to be asked for input so soon I figured by her reaction. Would have guessed she was more or less of a woman who preferred to apply praxis rather than discuss theory. However, after a moment she cleared her throat, and belted out a long winded explanation of the magick. I won't recount the entire details. But the gist of it was, that by using some kind of special ritual which involved the imbuing of special black soil with the ashes of the dead, charcoal and chanting; things planted in the soil would grow taller, faster and stronger with help of the earth spirits. I understood what that was. I also understood that it wasn't ‘magick’ either, in the fantasy sense. This was science; actual, genuine science. If my unorthodox company schooling was worth a damn, it came in particularly handy that day.

  “Terra preta?” I interrupted her as she neared the end.

  She looked perplexed when asked. “Yes? That's what we call it, but I thought you didn't know what ‘terramancy’ was?”

  I nodded in agreement with her. “I didn’t, but where I’m from we have similar things. Entire jungles where the soil is made of the stuff. So I can at least understand what you’re talking about.”

  Lais took on a curious or perhaps inquisitive look. She wanted to learn more about my world, it was clear. I thought that perhaps her thirst for knowledge could actually help me repair at least ‘some’ of the damage of last night. Not in any meaningful sense, I wasn’t delusional, but it would take her mind off of my reprehensible actions for a little while.

  “Ok,” I continued. “So now that I understand how the trees got there, ‘why’ did you put them there in the first place? Seems a little short-sighted to destroy a perfectly good road without cause.”

  Kalom pointed back to the capital of the Imperium, ‘Agartha’. Again I couldn't help but shake my head at the uncreative nature. But I understood the silent gesture; clearly there was some bad blood between Britona and the Imperium.

  “I see. Let me guess,” I began.

  “Go on.” Kalom smirked, he was glad I was catching on quickly. Like a father flattering himself after his son learns the family trade.

  “The Imperium was a threat and thus your people made an artificial boundary to prevent heavy troop or siege weapon movements?”

  Kaloms smirk turned into a full smile. “Nice deduction, kid.”

  I couldn't help myself, gave in and his joy elicited a little chuckle from me.

  “You two seem to be enjoying yourselves.” Lais sounded a little dejected.

  “Well, did you want to add anything important I should know about?” I asked.

  She leaned over the map, pointing out a large river going through the marshes, and extending down into a mountain range to the south east. The river had two bridges which were crossable, each labeled with a symbol of a coin; telling any reader that the bridge was tolled.

  “This river is massive, and only two ways across it are either to use the Joranos or Keeleng bridges. Which makes this the biggest obstacle to get to the capital by far.”

  I scratched my chin, noticing it was not smooth. I haven't shaved in a week, and I was growing facial hair back. My first instinct was to grimace, as it was bad conduct in the S.C.F. to have ill-discipline. Then I reminded myself where I was. Put it in the back of my mind. As I opened my mouth to speak, my hand instinctively went to my holster. As the wind from outdoors aired through the room, the map sputtered slightly and I remember pointing the gun at a cloaked figure standing in the doorway. He was wearing his hood, despite it being both daylight and clear skies. I recognized the cloak and his bearded face, I knew who his boss was.

  “Gregori wants to see me?” I asked the stranger, as Lais and Kalom jumped in surprise from my quick reaction and the thugs' sudden appearance.

  The man wasn't startled in the slightest, he was either well trained, or a complete fool. He nodded in a silent gesture, saying both ‘yes’ and almost certainly ‘your move’. The man's eyes were a piercing bright blue, and by his blonde and braided beard, could tell he was probably a citizen of the Imperium. Didn’t take a tank engineer to figure out that if parkers sort were in charge, their citizens would be of a certain ‘fair’ persuasion.

  “The master of the shadow, wishes to see you indeed.” The voice was deep, heavy as lead.His cold, steely tone was not meant to be menacing, merely professional.

  “Tell him I will be with him, at my convenience.”

  With that, the stranger nodded once more, turned on his heel, and strolled down the hill back towards the village.

  Lais and Kalom said nothing, even when I replaced my gun after eying my surroundings, making sure there were no more surprises. When I finally turned to them, they just looked at me, concerned, perhaps shaken.

  “I need to go see him. It’s important.” I said.

  Kalom shook his head abruptly. “No. Not without a chaperone of sorts.”

  “You arguing with me or offering?”

  “Little of this and of that.” He was stone faced.

  “Alright, I accept. Lais, you might want to stay here.”

  She got angry at that one. “And why should I be taking orders from you?”

  “I wasn't ordering you, I was suggesting it. I don't want you to-”

  She slammed her fist on the table, sending the cup nearest to her crashing to the ground. Kalom closed his eyes, steadying himself for the coming storm.

  “Don’t want me to kill him, right?!” Her fury was much more contained than the night before, but it showed through that I had gotten to her. Which was good, meaning she wasn't looking to start fights with Gregori.

  “I still believe I'm in the right, but don't worry I wont hurt him. So yeah, go ahead, gloat, tell me that you ‘won’ the argument. But I’m still going, whether you like it or not.”

  I said nothing for a while, looking up at her. She was on the verge of tears again and it was painful to watch. Kalom eyed me, trying to see what I was going to say next.

  “Lais.” I began.“You stood up for me the other day, when everyone else doubted me. You looked the other way when you found out I had a weapon on me. So when I say this, you need to listen and listen closely.”

  She leaned closer to me, expecting me to do exactly what she predicted.

  “I am sorry for the way I acted last night. You have every right to hate me after that stunt I pulled. After what I told you about myself. But please, do not ever think I am as cruel as to ignore peoples feelings.”

  She paused, this was not what she was expecting, nor was it to Kalom. Her anger died, and was replaced with another emotion, one I could not decipher.

  “I may not show it to other people, but I do care about them. I won't stop you if you want to come with me and your brother to see Gregori. So now, it is time for me to put my faith in you.”

  She stood up straight, taken aback at my candidness. I was flustered by my own words as well, I was not sure why I said any of it. I wasn't even sure if I meant it or not. I was never good at sharing my feelings, but I usually refrained from saying things I didn't mean. She nodded, walked back towards the door and stopped. She just stood there for a moment, letting the breeze overtake her. She turned to face me and Kalom.

  “I won't betray your trust, at least.” She replied, her face straight and stoic once more.

  I said nothing. But my smile spoke louder than words anyway.

  Kalom got up and was rolling the map before putting it back in its place. I sat there just looking over at Lais, there was something about her that I couldn't shake. My heart rate increased for a few moments. I had felt like that before but chalked it up to my blood pressure putting up a fuss over the morning's events finally coming to an end. It was then I remembered the most important detail of the morning, and the old familiar sting of pain rolled back into the forefront of my mind.

  “Oh, that's right.” I casually remarked. “I almost forgot to ask you something, Lais.”

  “What?” she turned fully to me, probably expecting me to try and continue the previous conversation.

  “You have any bandages lying around that I can use?”

  Kalom stopped mid-placing the map. Lais, for all her justified irritation, went pale and wide-eyed.

  Kalom tapped me on the shoulder, and as I looked up at him, the man looked genuinely concerned. Like I had disappointed him in some way.

  “You,” Lais, rushing over to me, growled as she pulled up my shirt to see the cuts and scrapes I still had. Painful reminders.

  “You idiot, do you want these to get infected?”

  Kalom ‘mhm’d in agreement. “One thing you have to learn about my sister is that she takes medicine deathly serious.”

  Controlled yet swiftly, she made her way down the hall to fetch her medical supplies. As Kalom in either an act of reprimand or brotherhood, smacked me upside the head. All in all, it was an interesting morning.

  “Damn, I’ll remember that.”

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