The girl, around six, sat in the center of the scant room with furniture of stranded palm trunk skins weaved over with rope cradling a wooden base.

Five’s sword was drawn and it hung over the head of Cin. The woman was assumed to be his wife. Those two hugged each other and shivered in fear in front of the small corner of the kitchen with its black cauldron and dirty pine wood cabinets.

We already know the girl was his daughter. Sandream and Janilla were looking in my direction. Though Sandream’s face was not visible, I felt the dead stare of those scrutinizing eyes, while Janilla held a side of her head as if it burned with lunacy.

Valor looked between me and Five’s back. In all honesty, Five would have killed Cin a long time ago. I knew my heart, my thoughts were preventing him whether I acknowledged it or not.

My hand scratched the back of my head. “Ah, so, any bright ideas?”

“I could have sworn you were the leader here?” Valor asked toyfully. I frowned at her arrogant grin. She waited to pull that one out.

I replied, “Can we not argue over semantics?”

“Okay, we don’t have to do this,” Valor said.

“We have to.”

“Why? So you live a little longer?”

“I actually like living.” I twirled. “Maybe, I should—hate it by now. I cannot even live!”

“Lower your voice,” Five replied.

I groaned aloud.

Janilla stepped forward. “Carmine.”

“What?” I asked.

“Miss.” We all looked at the man. He looked more determined as he raised his head straight. His wife’s hands wrapped with a fidgeting grasp around his collar, he said, “Whatever you were sent to do, I-I am not even sure. But please I ask you to let my family live.”

I opened my mouth and hesitated. My eyes drifted to Janilla's shaking body, who wagged her eyebrows at me and I sighed turning completely towards the man. “You are the one we came to kill. Artus sent his best wishes.”

Cin’s face dropped. The distress of the admission hit him hard and his wife cried out. We watched silently.

Cin drew his head level while sucking in through his nose. His eyelids were partially moist from reserved tears. He nodded with a twisted lip. “Sounds like something he would do. I will accept my fate, just all I as—”

“Silence,” I cut in.

My eyes drifted toward the daughter, she averted her eyes from my gaze. What did she see, fear? Was I so frightening? The things we did to survive, was it all worth it? My bones clattered in anticipation for what I was about to say.

I knew this would have wreaked me in uncertainty later, for the lack of control consumed me and jolted my serenity to the depths of hell. The hell that I tried in vain to escape from, yet a hell I thrived in like flowers growing on a bed of wet soil.

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Gods, the crux of my problems, for I squeezed the bridge of my nose and sighed. “Five, putteth the sword away.”

Five looked back and asked, “Are you sure, Mother?”

I frowned. “I am sure.”

Five sheathed the sword. Valor’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “We came all this way just to scare some people. We are quite adventurous aren’t we?”

I resisted the urge to rip into Valor. “Miss,” I said. The wife looked up. “Do you have any water?” She seemed in a daze. “Valor is thirsty, so am I.” The wife turned to her husband, Cin. He gave her an approving nod. She got up slowly watching Five in equal measure. “Janilla help her.”

Janilla nodded and went behind the wife. I motioned at Cin and wavered that open palm towards a chair.

Cin sat down on it and tried looking composed, regal almost. I grabbed my hips and shook my head measurably at him. “Why does Artus have a hard-on for you?”

“I sold the location of the village to Tiam.”

My eyes widened. Sandream jumped in. “In essence endangering the lives of those citizens. The army will come and soon institute them under the rule of the realm.”

“They already knew. Canus won’t send any armies. He respected their independence. They were not protected by the state, so they never felt like parasites. It was never a problem for him.”

Sandream turned to me. That was concerning.

I asked, “His brother is the King now?”

Sandream said, “Yes. They might have a general location, but because of the merciless terrain, they need Cin to ensure safe passage. Artus might be making sure.”

I said, “So it seems.” I looked at his daughter.

“He would not know,” Cin said.

I faced him again. Cin leaned forward, hands clasped. “It’s been years. I settled down and—I found life here.” My eyes connected with his. They expressed somberness and sadness. Part of me endured a dread that crept into my chest until a dark reddish brown earthenware cup was presented before me.

Janilla smiled. I smiled at her and took the water then I sipped some and quivered at the heavy taste so much, that I missed San Rosa’s water.

My throat cleared and said, “I—” This was annoying. Leaving was my best option really, there was nothing here for me. Still, how would I get what I wanted? Lying rested on the back of my mind, but I knew I would never go through with killing those people to construct a body.

I knew it now, for I never had a stomach for this evil world.

“Carmine is it?” Cin asked.

“Yes.”

He nodded his head with that cup in his hand. The grin he gave me warmed me up, yet I should be ashamed. I almost snuffed out a father’s life, while I lost a father. To a possible assassin, funny how life turned out, he spoke, “I am not sure what he paid you. I do not have muc—“

“It’s fine. I already decided I would leave empty-handed.” I looked at his daughter hanging onto her mother. “Take care of your daughter, your family, it is a dangerous, macabre world out there. Take my word for it.”

“Yes.” Cin stood, we shook hands. We left. The silence on our way back to the center of the town nibbled at my sanity.

Lights shone brighter as I came to the top of the pecking order, for my eyes squinted in response. Five and Janilla came in front of me, while Sandream and Valor stood behind me. We stood there for a short period.

Whether it had been frustration holding my feet to the surface, I needed to move forward. The question rooted in my head asked, where existed the future that called out to me?

“Carmine?” I turned to Valor on receipt of her voice. “You did the right thing. Seriously.” She finished with a pert nod.

Had I?

“Valor, we will go to the encoder now, is that okay?” I said.

Valor sighed. “Yes, what are you planning? I mean Art—“

I shook my head. “Not going back there, yet. I need to get better acquainted with my equipment.” My eyes cycled through everyone. “We have to stick together and have each other’s back.”

Valor smiled. “Sounds good.”