“Look, I protect you. You are a little girl. I am a big girl. I have a gun! I escape you! Stop being the idiot. Stop and stay alive!”

  What began as a reasonable discussion had turned into a heated fight between the two. It did not help that Erisa’s English was poor, which only made her more frustrated with Hanna than she already was. Regilon stood on the porch and listened, knowing full well that Erisa was wasting her time. Hanna had made up her mind and would not move.

  Erisa gave up and stormed outside. She let out steam once the evening breeze hit her, resigning herself against the porch railing as Regilon had done.

  “I will never have children,” Erisa said.

  “It’s her stubbornness that brought her this far.”

  “It’s what’s going to get her killed.”

  “Why do you care so much, if I may ask?”

  “Do you need reasons to do the right thing?” she asked in return. “I have put my life on the line for the sake of this country. People like Schemel are not worthy of power, but men like you sit by and watch her do whatever she wants.”

  “You’re calling me out,” Regilon said in a flat tone. “I would not be so quick to judge, Ms Zeal. It’s all right for you to put your life on the line, but why the girl’s? She did not know what she was getting herself into when you made her do that interview.”

  “Jacqolin was meant to protect her.” Erisa’s teeth clamped shut. “How could I have known?” She cooled off and feigned aloofness. “The only thing that can save us now is Schemel’s curse. Shaphet’s Law should keep her toothless.”

  “Shaphet’s Law has holes in it,” he pointed out. “Schemel may not be very bright, but she’s surrounded by people who are. I guarantee she’s more than capable of casting spells right now.”

  “I think it’s best if we save ourselves for now.”

  “And who saves Hanna?”

  “Hanna has made her choice.”

  “So, you do need reasons to do the right thing after all. The earthen no longer serves a purpose, so she is to be discarded.”

  Erisa went down the short set of stairs. His words bit into her back, yet her demeanour remained steady. She did not answer. The Gaverian climbed onto a motorcycle parked under a nearby tree, made a turnaround, and rode off. Good for her to leave before the army arrived.

  His sigh was long and deep. Regilon could no longer stand for long hours. He sat on the stairs and watched the swaying reeds. The family indoors were preparing soup and yams for their evening meal. As always, they would invite him to join them for dinner as if he were a part of their family. He refused every time because he did not deserve it.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “Ren Regal.” Hanna. She had stepped outside, rubbing one arm sheepishly. She wore a large t-shirt and a pair of borrowed shorts. The flames she had spat into Erisa’s face no longer burned in her mouth, doused by the fear of what was to come.

  “Can I sit with you, Sir?”

  He consented, and she sat, her thumb digging into her open palm. It started with her knees, then her back, and finally her head, trembling all around. Regilon had no comforting words to share. He tried to get her to run, but she had refused. People had their own reasons for what they did. Perhaps it was for the best. Maybe the earthen ascender would show up, and they would run away together.

  “Dying for a cause is not as noble as the stories want you to think,” he said. “I battled your grandparents, men who thought they were heroes. They defecated on themselves when I broke their knees. Some begged for mercy and swore they were fools for being so courageous. Your father and mother remember. They were children, but they remember how bloody those days were. Your parents do not remember the names of the soldiers who fought for them.”

  “If more people had sacrificed—if our fathers had joined their fathers to fight—maybe we would have won the war.”

  Regilon thought about that for a while. “No, you had no chance at all,” he concluded. “The fight was always going to end one way.”

  “I won’t beg Renna Sorel to spare my life. I know what I’ve done, and I’m prepared to face the consequences. There is a lot I regret in my life, but calling Renna out is not one of them.”

  Those soldiers he had faced had eyes like hers. Those men who thought they were brave did not suffer in silence. Many would have run, but it had been too late—just as it was now for Hanna.

  “Thank you, Ren Regal,” she said. “For staying with me.”

  A fleet of cars rumbled down the road, surrounding the safe house. Goldies stepped out. The lights inside the house went dark. The door locked shut. Every window clicked. The TV went silent. Hanna and Regilon rose to their feet as a young man approached them. He had slick black hair without a strand out of place, violet eyes brimming with life.

  “My name is Flint Archer, captain of the First Alangre. I am here in search of Hanna Shepherd.”

  “She’s not here,” Regilon said, and the soldier started. He looked over his shoulder, but the men behind him only shrugged.

  “We will interrogate all the earthens in this house,” Archer said. “Once we find her, we shall be on our way.”

  “It’s her.” Leonard. Regilon had spent too many nights at the hospital not to recognise his voice immediately. The door of one of the parked vehicles opened for the doctor to step out. He put on his glasses and squinted, moving closer to the safe house. He turned to Hanna, who was clinging to Regilon’s side, and peered at her. “I think it’s her.”

  “Do you have a picture?” Archer asked Leonard. Then he turned to the soldiers behind him. “Did anybody watch the interview?”

  “Earthen. They all look the same,” Leonard said. “What’s your name, dear?”

  Hanna did not answer. Leonard smacked his lips. “Are you wondering why I am in the army? Well, it’s to ensure you don’t get hurt. Renna Sorel wants you to come with me to the Third, where you’ll stay at the I.A.A. facility while we wait for your friend Jeromy. He should’ve come with me, but Renna Sorel has one last job she wants him to do for her.” Leonard lifted a hand. “I swear in Rheina’s name, it is true.”

  Hanna kept her lips sealed for good reason. Regilon wondered why they would bother to convince her when they could easily grab the girl and leave. Perhaps they considered him a threat, unsure whether he had lost his abilities. Leonard would know that. Or it was simpler: they were not convinced she was the one they were looking for.

  Leonard placed his phone to his ear. After a few seconds he spoke into it; then he handed the phone to Hanna. She broke character, unable to maintain her ignorant act. Though she did not speak, her creasing face gave her away. Jenne promised to get to the Farm as soon as possible, apologising for the delay. Once the call ended, she stepped away from Regilon and followed Leonard into the car.

  They were going to kill her, and if he got in their way, they would kill him too.