She slid towards me and kissed my forehead. “I love you, too.” She turned to the bedside and snuffed out our lamp, then burrowed under the covers, holding a hand out towards me. I took it tightly in mine, smiling at her through the darkness. “Now, take a break from worrying about everyone for a second and get some sleep,” she laughed, squeezing my fingers. “We’re going to be busy for the next few days.”
“I’ll try,” I chuckled in return. The task turned out to be easier than I had imagined, and I was asleep before my worries could come back to me.
---
“I can’t believe it. I don’t want to.”
“It’s the truth, Elden,” Jarut answered glumly. “He lied to us, and we believed him without question. Now we have to deal with the consequences.”
“No,” Kel corrected sharply, “THEY have to deal with the consequences. It’s not our job to put the country back together; our job ended when the ‘war’ did.”
“The three of us have more blood on our hands than anybody, and we’re the only ones who can do anything about it,” he shot back. “We have to do something.”
“I am going to do something,” she answered sharply, poking her finger against his plated chest. “I’m going home to defend my people.”
“We still don’t know if that’s even necessary,” I cut in. “This could all be—”
Kel whirled on me in a sudden fury. “It could be what? A mistake? A misunderstanding?” She let out a cruel laugh. “You need to grow the fuck up, Elden. Just because it’s too hard for your fragile little heart to handle doesn’t make it less true.”
“That’s not fair!” I argued. “Just because I want to have a little faith in people, you’re calling me weak?”
“There’s a difference between faith and stupidity, and you—”
“ENOUGH!” Jarut roared. He slammed his fist down on the wooden table that stood between us and punched a hole straight through its center. I recoiled from the outburst in shock; even in battle, his voice had never risen above a mild shout. Kel stepped back and crossed her arms, sulking quietly. Jarut’s composure softened immediately after the outburst, and he pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed.
“Baasch has been leading the Disciples all along. He staged the conflict at the border, he petitioned King Janus to rally the banners of war, and he led us away from the capital to fight. I can’t say for certain if the King was involved in the plot from the start, but...it seems likely, given the information. While we were losing troops to the Disciples in our staged war, Baasch was recruiting more of them behind our backs in the capital.” He pointed to three curled scraps of parchment on the table. “Our intel arrived at the same time from three separate informants. There’s no misunderstanding here, Elden. We’ve been betrayed.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “So, all the fighting we’ve gone through, all the people we’ve killed...it was for nothing?”
“No,” he answered firmly, “not for nothing. Baasch is controlling the Disciples, which means he’s been playing both sides all along. This war was inevitable, and if we hadn’t fought, he would control all of Alderea by now.”
“He already controls Alderea,” Kel muttered.
“He controls the capital,” Jarut countered. “Given time, he’ll recruit enough Disciples to take over the country, too. Unless we stop him.”
I stood sullenly by the edge of the table, staring at the ground. “How could Baasch do this?” I looked between my two companions' faces for an answer, but I found only sadness. “He was leading the war effort. I stood shoulder to shoulder with him against the Disciples. I trusted him with my life.”
“We’ll have to ask him when we reach the capital,” Jarut replied.
I caught a flash of movement in the corner of my eye as Kel whipped her arm through the air, and three daggers impaled the scrolls before us. “That’s all I have to say to Baasch the Betrayer,” she spat. Without another word, she spun on her heel and walked out of the tent.
“I suppose that’s her answer, then,” Jarut said with a dark grin. “What about you, Elden?”
“I don’t know,” I answered, defeated. “After everything we’ve done, I don’t know where to go from here.”
“Forward,” he answered. “You have to keep moving forward, no matter what. We’re only truly defeated when we give up.” My eyes fell to the floor as I fought to suppress my immediate instinct, but he saw through me immediately. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
I bit my lip in a final moment of resistance, then let out a ragged sigh. “Part of me wants to go home to Amaya and run away with her...to just leave this all behind and forget what I’ve done.”
“If we don’t stop him now, Baasch will take Alderea. At that point, he’ll control the two largest countries in the world.” He spoke slowly and gently, as if to a young child. “Where will you run?”
“You’re right,” I admitted after exhausting all other possible options silently in my head. “It’s up to us.” I met his gaze, and his resolute eyes filled me with confidence. “You really think we can do this, don’t you?”
“Yes,” he answered immediately, “I do. With the three of us working together, nobody can stand in our way. Not even Baasch.”
“Baasch the Betrayer,” I murmured, shaking my head.
Jarut placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “Gather your things, Elden. We have a long ride ahead of us.”
***
8. OURS
The efficiency of the construction crew was a magnificent sight to behold. The main force of workers dug out a roped-off section of land that would eventually become the house, while others hauled off the excess dirt for use on other projects. Giant slabs of rock and mountains of bundled timbers sat beside the pit on large stone rollers, ready to be moved at a moment’s notice. In the time it took for us to arrive,
