Upon arrival at Breno’s, he quickly commanded Alissa and Freyah to pack their belongings. The plan to steal horses was still forming in his mind, not yet solid, but he would figure it out. He had to.
“Have you seen my notebook, Freyah?” Alissa frantically turned everything over in her search for her precious little notes.
“I already put it in your satchel, Lissa.”
Alissa cupped her friend’s face to give her a loud kiss on the cheek. “What would I do without you?”
“You certainly would not have a collection of notebooks. That I can tell you,” Freyah answered in sarcasm, but her dimpled smile was there.
As Alissa packed her things, she saw her friends, both moving exasperatedly to set everything in order for their departure. Despite the urgency, she was overcome by a brief sense of certainty that they would make it back in time. Though challenges still lie ahead, things could finally be working out forthem. She felt a flicker of optimism. After all, there was no point in worrying or overthinking when she had finally found what she had been searching for, right?
Alissa picked up her bag. Her dagger was stowed in her boots, her bow and quiver of arrows hung by the door, along with her possessions, as she prepared to leave. She glanced down at herself, her nose crinkling at the sight of the uniform she was sick of wearing, hoping soon she could be back to wearing her own clothes.
Her arms encircled Breno in a farewell hug. “Thank you so much for having us. I am so grateful for your kindness.”
The man who had been so hesitant to welcome them felt a tinge of emotion as they left.
Alissa approached Olga next, intending to offer a hug, but the strong woman extended her hand instead. It was no surprise—Olga didn’t seem the affectionate type. Alissa clasped her hand firmly. “I am forever in your family’s debt. If you ever need me, call for me, and I’ll be there,” she promised.
A moment later, an unexpected guest walked through the door. Desi’s face was etched with a tension they had never seen in her. Alissa, caught up in her own enthusiasm, spoke before fully grasping the situation. “Desi! You’re just in time. We’re about to leave, and I wanted to say goodbye?—”
Her words were interrupted by the heavy stomps of armored men. Five Iron Claws followed Desi inside, swords in hand as they surrounded the group.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Alissa Kriegen, Freyah Weller, and Eldric Van Myr,” a blue-eyed man with a rugged beard declared, his gaze locking onto them with recognition.
Alissa’s fear surged at the sight of him. The way he said their names as if they had been long-time enemies made the situation even more ominous, especially when Alissa had no idea who he was.
“Let me tell you, I’ve been searching for you everywhere.”
His smile might have seemed like amusement, but Keilan recognized it all too well. It was the same twisted grin Ranier wore when his sadistic side emerged, before he made people suffer and took pleasure in it. The general’s anticipation was palpable; he could barely stand still.
“Not everyone gets under my skin like that, but you three were really starting to irritate me.”
“Desi, what is this?” Freyah asked, her brows twitching.
“You need to surrender.” Desi’s answer was firm, but her hands trembled slightly.
“Why are you doing this?” Alissa cried. The betrayal felt like a stab in the chest.
“I’m insulted,” Ranier continued, his voice dripping with disdain as his hand moved to his chest, faking a wound. “All this time I’ve been chasing you like a cat on a hunt, and you don’t even have the decency to acknowledge me?” He snorted. “You’re only concerned about your healer friend, I see. She’s not the good ally you thought she was, is she?” His palm rested on top of Desi’s head, patting her condescendingly, as he would do to a dog.
Ranier was not accustomed to this sort of reaction from the people around him. He was used to drawing all eyes to him, his presence filling the entire room, to people bending at his will, shattering before his influence. But in this room, the healer was the center of attention. Apparently, a friend’s betrayal held more sway over these people’s attention than the power he so often boasted about.
“It’s nothing personal. I just… had no other choice.” Desi continued repeating those words more to herself than to the others, until she was fully convinced that what she had done was acceptable. Her head tilted, purposely avoiding meeting their gaze.
“That’s bullshit!” Eldric called. He had been opposed to Desi’s journeying with them to the capital from the beginning. Alissa should have listened to him.
“Did you plan this all along?” Freyah was tearful.
Of the three of them, she had been the one to grow more attached to Desi. To her, this was a soul-breaking event.
“No! It was never my intention. But the bounty on your heads is my only way out of this. It will pay off my debt and clear my name.” Her posture displayed no signs of remorse, although her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her shirt.
Alissa had invited Desi to join them because she felt sympathy for her being away from her family, and that was the exact same reason she stabbed them in the back. She had been so worried about threats from the outside that she had overlooked those from the inside, within her inner circle of trust.
The irony was marvelous.
Alissa chuckled. Desi, like herself, was a desperate mother. Alissa wondered if she would have had the guts to do the same given the chance.