“They shove it down our throats if we ever refuse. I never left my house, I barely met these thugs in person, but… My husband, my son, my daughter. Barely living, lying in their beds like they're…” The woman choked up, but her statement was easy for Enyah to make out. “There's…There's so few of us left. Everyone's sick… We sent a letter to Orlent…” She spoke between sobs, her voice softening with fragility, as if it'd break with a single touch.

  “It's alright. Breathe. Take your time. Where are the thugs?” Enyah spoke calmly, her voice even and steady, offering the woman as much comfort as her words would supply.

  “I-I-I'm not sure. They're from out of town. The northern entrance, I think. Probably came in from Opsanertia.” She replied, curling her arms inwards and moving her gaze downwards.

  “Alright. Listen. We'll ride to Oprill, find a doctor and some knights, then send them your way. They'll be able to help you.” Enyah spoke calmly, staring directly at the woman, whose eyes fluttered upwards to look at the mercenary.

  “Oprill..? Knights..?” The woman mumbled those words as if in a trance, barely audible over the sound of her sniffling nose. “Are you leaving us to die?”

  “No, I wouldn't dream of it, miss..?”

  “Anne.”

  “Miss Anne. I'm only one mercenary, who's already undergoing a mission. A mission that must be followed through as soon as possible. I'll let the knights do their job, and let the doctor diagnose your wounded. I should be able to reach Oprill in two days.” Enyah explained calmly, noticing the woman's arms trembling at an increased volume.

  The woman clenched her fists and reared back, a hint of anger flashing upon her face, “You are leaving us to our fate! What if the doctor doesn't arrive? The knights? Is it because I'm not worth enough? An unchaste bitch? I can fight! I will fight! I'm not afraid!” Her anger peaked into a scream, a furious scowl aimed directly at Enyah. She sat quietly, unmoving as the woman ranted on, until her rant paused, replaced by a sullen whisper, as if she had lost hope, “No. It's not your fault, miss. I shouldn't have yelled at you. It's our problem to solve.” She took a moment to recollect herself, exhaling with a deep breath, “The matron at the inn ahead is still sane. She'll be able to offer you shelter for the night. I… Thank you for offering the help.” The woman left with those words, walking away with slow, uneven steps. Enyah watched her leave with wordless eyes before continuing their journey with a nudge to Zarts. The beast continued forwards with an excited chirp, unaware of the situation that just occurred.

  “We can help her! Home can wait!” Rinne spoke excitedly from behind her, the boy seeming to imagine himself a savior.

  “No, kid. We won't.” Enyah responded, her tone harsh. The last thing she needed was for Rinne to believe her to be some sort of problem solving knight. “We'll continue our journey til Orlent. No other stops. Finishing the task is my priority.”

  “Why? She's suffering right in front of you and you'll do nothing?” He responded, aghast.

  “And what can I do? Beat up the thugs and stop them from feeding the medicine? What about those who are already addicted? How can I help them?”

  “I don't know! But you could at least do something!” He raised his voice into an angry, berating tone as he held into Zarts and glared at her from behind.

  “And do what, make it worse? I'm one woman against a whole gang of men. If they realize that someone from the nearby villages filled me in, you think they'd leave them alive? Think smarter, kid.” Enyah growled out, focusing on the inn in the distance. “Let the knights do their job, and let me do mine. Which isn't dealing with kids who think they know better.”

  “At least I know that I'm a better person! If you won't help them, then I will! Let me off!” Rinne squirmed, struggling to the side and attempting to slide off Zarts.

  “You… ugh. Come back.” She groaned, massaging her head and grabbing the kid with her other hand. The boy twisted and turned within her grasp, his determination flared, but was unable to fight against her grasp. She wouldn't entertain him. Not for this.

  “Let me go! Stop!” Rinne whined, yet Enyah kept a firm hold over him.

  “Haah.” She exhaled, feeling the stress aching throughout her body. The flaming power within her seemed to react to her emotions, surging with excitement and offering itself to her, yet she ignored the sensation, turning back towards Rinne. “Let's say I release you right now. What's your plan?”

  “Go to the next village and threaten the thugs!” Rinne mumbled stubbornly, easing his squirms but staring defiantly at Enyah.

  “And how would you reach the next village?” She asked with a raised brow.

  “Hmm. borrow a horse.” Rinne responded After a moment of thought.

  “With what money? Or are you relying on human decency? Can you ride a horse? Are there even any horses here to borrow?” She asked, watching the bot stumbled through her questions. Still, he had to learn.

  “Well… then I'll walk.” Rinne snorted in disdain, turning his head from her.

  “Sure. You walk there. Now how would you threaten a gang of thugs? Don't say with your nobility. You'd get ransomed in a flash. Or perhaps they've heard of you from the bounty, and are planning on selling you to some cult. What're you going to do, boy?” Enyah asked, keeping her gaze trained on him. His eyes wavered as he struggled to respond, but his fists kept clenched. The boy was running on determination alone. Respectable, if it weren't so reckless.

  “These wouldn't even be problems if you agreed to help.” Rinne whispered, looking down at his fists. “I thought you were brave. You told me to be brave. You taught me to be brave. Why are you so scared now?”

  “I'm not scared, kid.” Enyah denied his words, letting go of the boy. He sat still, only staring downwards without thoughts of escape. “We’ve got to get you to Orlent safely, and then I'll be rushing back to the Port to prepare for the coming storm. There's no time to spend weeks dismantling a gang in this town. There are knights taught to deal with this. They'll be cleaner and more efficient than I'd ever be for this sort of… cleansing.”

  “Is that reward even more important than your home’s safety?” He asked, turning away from her with hunched shoulders.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “...” Enyah refused to respond, moving back towards the inn. Their silence stretched onwards, creating an invisible gap between them that neither seemed keen to cross.

  With loud, thumping steps, Zarts trotted to the inn, where a stable sat nearby. Unmanned and left to rot, the stables weren't in the most stable condition. Still, there was an empty room big enough for Zarts to rest without interruption. After making sure the lizard had plenty of water, Enyah, accompanied by Rinne, stepped towards the inn, their shoes scrunching against the dirt path.

  Unlike the rest of the village, the inn seemed to be relatively maintained. The wood was polished and lanterns kept lit. The scent of warm stew mixed with the billowing fire assaulted her senses as she pushed through the heavy inn door. The inn was quiet, yet not completely empty. Another group sprawled around one of the tables within the main hall. From their gear and weapons, it seemed to be a band of mercenaries. From her entrance, the group gave her a few quick, tentative glances before turning back to speak amongst themselves, their lone voices echoing throughout the space. Along with them, a few of the still sane villagers seemed to take residence within, huddled amongst the corners and casting wary glances her way. Their wide eyed glances and shivering bodies only gave hints of the experiences they went through.

  Behind the counter near the far side of the room, a stout older woman rested, leaning her head upon her arms with dark circles underneath her eyes. Her apron was a mess, covered in dust, scrap, and soup stains and a wet cloth rested on the counter beside her, waiting to clean the nearby tables.

  “You here for room, food, or a fight?” The woman drawled lazily, her tone lowered with a threat when the duo approached. Enyah noticed her body tense, gripping on whatever weapon was hiding outside of her reach.

  “Here for a room. Just passing through on our way to Oprill.” Enyah confirmed, placing a few coins upon the countertop. Rinne stood silently next to her, making his unwillingness as obvious as possible as he distanced himself from her and looked in the opposite direction, casting tentative glances towards the huddled villagers.

  With her words, the matron‘s gaze turned warm as her demeanor brightened, “Oh, travellers. I apologize for the welcome, but our little village is… going through a spot of trouble, as you've probably seen from outside.”

  “We've seen, and heard from a woman named Anne.” Enyah confirmed, tapping her foot on the wooden planks below her.

  “Anne, what a dear. I hope she was faring alright? Poor girl, her husband and kids were all poisoned by those men.” The matron sighed, a wistful tone lathered over her voice. “No need for pay. What good is it anymore… I'll have your room in just a second.”

  “Keep it. For when this town's moving once again.” Enyah eyed the coins on the table, making no effort to claim the engraved golden tokens back.

  “Then I'll accept it with thanks.” The matron frowned, but similarly ignored the coins, coming back to her with a single key, “You'll have the room behind me. Two beds, for you and the boy, unless you want a single?”

  “It works for us. Thank you.” Enyah accepted the key with a nod of her head in thanks, holding the boy's hand and pacing towards their assigned room, the creaking wood following their every step.

  Their departure was met with silence, which Enyah found much more endearing compared to their treatment in Operite. No hounding mercenaries, no drawn swords, if it weren't for the situation, a smile might have sprouted on her face.

  With the open and close of the hardwood door, the two were isolated within their own world. A small room with a few beds and a few blue plants that littered the room. Though small, it gave a unique, homely feel. Rinne, still ignoring her, stumbled his way to the closest bed and dropped himself on the covers, sinking his head into the sheets.

  “Are you still ignoring me?” Enyah asked with a sigh. His subtle movements indicated that he wasn't asleep, rather laying in bed and moping.

  “No… I’m just… I don't understand.” Rinne turned around and faced the ceiling, spreading his arms out along the bed with a dissatisfied expression on his face. He seemed to have a storm of emotions turbulating through him. “Why can't we… you… help?”

  Enyah let out a long exhale. At least he wasn't yelling this time. “Kid, why do you think I'm a knight? You'll find crime everywhere you go and I can't save everyone in danger, nor do I plan to.”

  Rinne shifted, turning his face towards her with a frown, “Why not now? It's right here, in front of us. People are dying!”

  “People aren't dying, they're drugged. How would I help them, kid? You think stopping them from finding more drugs would help?” Enyah asked, stepping towards her bed and sitting down facing Rinne.

  “Sounds like excuses to me!” He snorted, balling his hand into a fist and hitting the bed, “It might not help much but it's still helping! How can you ignore suffering people right in front of you! Do you feel nothing?”

  “Don't accuse me of feeling nothing, Rinne.” Enyah closed her eyes, her tone harder than iron. She forced back the anger that threatened to take hold from his words. He didn't know anything about her. “That's not true.”

  “Doesn't seem like it.” He grumbled, his voice lowering to a whisper.

  “Look, I get it. You want to be a hero. You’ve read the tales. But real life isn’t like that. You can't just kill one big bad guy and fix the world. They’ll be replaced. They’ll leave scars that aren't easily healed. It isn’t simple.” Enyah shook her head, excuses she told herself a few moments prior spilling from her mind. Words she herself barely believed. “And what if I die? Who would warn the outside world of what's happening so the proper authorities could handle it? You’d die as well. Zarts too. I won’t risk it.”

  Rinne, still frustrated, turned away with slow yet aggressive movements, making his anger as noticeable as possible. “Still. You should’ve done something.”

  “I am, but not here and not now.” Enyah stared at him, gauging his reaction. The boy seemed to sense her stare boring into his back, as he squirmed in place, curling up and into a ball within the covers. The silence between them seemed to stretch time, making these few moments feel like days have gone by.

  “Oh my, what sort of drama have I come back to!” Drentack's voice, long missing, echoed within her head and dripped with twisted amusement. “A quarrel between two main characters? Cliche, but oh so satisfying. The betrayal and desperation always make me squeal and oh so desperate to read more.”

  “Just my luck. You're back.” Enyah groaned to herself. Seeing Rinne unmoving for the moment, she turned to lean her head against the pillow, already sensing the rising headache within her.

  “Like a leech, my dearest, I'll never leave you.” He murmured with a chuckle, his voice echoing with thinly veiled malice, “Still, what a delicious mess you've found yourself in. Revealing to the boy that you aren't what he believes you to be, why isn't that just a treat. Though, it truly was only a matter of time.”

  She closed her eyes, tightening her eyelids in an attempt to steady herself. She breathed in and out, shutting out the world as she attempted to steady her emotions. No matter what, she wouldn't let him twist her how he wanted to. “It was meant to be. The next few months will be easier to handle because of it.”

  “You don't truly believe that, do you? You can lie to the boy or to yourself, darling, but I know you. From the tip of your toes to the curve of your head, I know you inside and out. It must've hurt, didn't it. Seeing the boy lose his faith in you. Did you feel like crying? Running back to your home to weep to that man… What's his name..? Gurlin?”

  “Keep his name out of your mouth, else I'll rip it off.” Her face twisted in anger as she tightened her fists. If only he were physical, she would've assaulted him, barraging his form with as many punches as her fury would let her, yet her closed fists slunk back onto the bed, unclenching and laying powerlessly beside her. “Go away, Drentack.”

  “You wound me, girl. Once again, you know I'll never truly leave you. Why, I daresay I've become quite attached. Like… like a pet cockroach. How would a cockroach feel caged, I wonder? Oh dear, I've become quite distracted.” The voice paused for a moment, as if reorienting itself. When the speaking began anew, the tone was deeper and darker, as if the harrowing echoes of an endless crevasse, “What I meant to say, my little priestess, is that I know how you truly feel. Why do you shackle yourself? Use my power, burn these rats that dare to intrude upon your life. You know you want to. You wouldn't admit it, but I know you, darling. How you wanted to burn them alive for what they've done. To make them feel desperate, to beg for help. You wanted to ‘help’ get rid of them for good. Yet you didn't. You're furious, aren't you.”

  “Leave!” Enyah growled, slamming her fist against the wall and creating an echoed slam that rebounded around the room. Beside her, Rinne jumped in surprise, but kept up his fake sleeping act, not even attempting to turn and check on her.

  “How cruel. Why, I'm almost bursting in tears. That is, if I could even cry. Fine, fine, I'll give you your space, darling. For now. Though don't be mad at me, girl. I want you at your purest. Is that so wrong?” His voice erupted into a chorus of laughter that slowly tapered off into the silence of the room once more. Still, Enyah found no peace within the tranquil room. Nothing could stop the emotions that raged within hud, spurred by her earlier conversations. Anne's words, Rinne's arguing, and Drentack's lulling whispers mashed throughout her head, screaming at her to take action. Yet she shoved those words as far back within her mind as she could.

  The right choice. There was no right choice.

  She pushed herself to her feet, feeling the touch of the wood against her feet. It felt soothing, ailing the troubled emotions that threatened to explode, albeit not by too much. Within that scarce, miniscule moment of peace, a thought blossomed within her. “Why should I care at all?”

  “Hey kid. Let's go downstairs for dinner.” Enyah spoke up, holstering her sword for security and stretching her arms outwards. An earlier sleep was her usual modus, but her mind wouldn't allow her a simple rest. Not now.