Chapter 141

It looked as if a traveling arms and potion merchant had gone out of business in their billeted quarters.

Each Ranger had claimed their own quarter, and all but Tobias had rucksacks. All were dutifully checking their gear; only Cid was missing, seeing to his prep in his own space.

After hours of debriefing and deliberation, the Generals had not just come to a decision but rendered judgment.

"Riley," Tobias looked up from sharpening his blade, "Are you ill? You haven't touched your fruit."

Riley looked up from the plate of cut tenganut she was having a staring contest with, "It's hard to think of food at a time like this."

"We just have to get it done," Tobias said with gritted teeth.

Riley didn't have to share a bond with him to smell the bullshit.

"There's a phrase for this back on earth, extra-judicial killing. It's a fancy way for the governments to say murder so that it sounds official. It doesn't have the same taste as assassination, but that could also fit," she grumbled bitterly.

"That doesn't change our mission, and it's not like the prick doesn't deserve it. We're Rangers. We do what we must to protect the Ashenrealm," Tobias replied, acting as if his mind was made up when, deep down, she knew he was anything but resolved.

"I don't like it either, lass, but there's no doubt he's guilty, and if we can flush the rest out before more innocents die, well, bad monster, dead monster, bad man, dead man. Sometimes you have to do the hard thing," Eastmund said, sheathing his blade home.

"You say that, but if we get burned, it's not just going to fall on us. What's the King of Ashes going to have to say if we get known by killing his nephew?" Caedmon replied, adding to the argument.

"The Generals did say they would be sending Sylvanus to brief the King after the fact," Tobias retorted.

"And a fat lot of good that would do! Yes, we killed your nephew. Yes, everyone and old Bessie saw it, but it was for the good of your throne. We're still just as dead," Caedmon complained.

"As fate allows, I suppose, so we're doing this?" Eastmund said, falling from assured to rattled, staring down as if peering into an abyssal pit.

"It just feels wrong. I know he's a prick. Mavora's been there for almost all of it, too, so he's clearly involved, but just ganking his ass?" Riley shook her head, wrestling with her morality.

"Ganking?" Caedmon asked.

"Slang for killing. Murdering the shit out of someone," Riley replied.

"Your world has many names for murder," Eastmund observed.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"That's because it's one of the things humans on my world are best at, sadly. This kind of stuff happens all the time between governments; in the poor areas, that's where the criminals rule, and any authority meant to stop it is normally corrupt," Riley explained, her stomach turning sour.

With trembling paws, she pushed the plate of food away before moving toward the door.

"Sounds a lot like here, then," Caedmon replied.

"When I first came to this world, the magic filled me with wonder and terror, but the more I stay here, the more I realize it's not really that different. People are the same everywhere you go. Pricks like Chadrick are a dime a dozen on my world, and they're a dime a dozen here. Now, would one of you let me out?" she asked.

"Where are you going? We're out on the first dragon in the morning for the Ashenvale," Tobias reminded.

"I want to go for a walk, wander where it's safe for a while, and try to clear my head. There are some things I want to work out," Riley replied.

"Suit yourself. I'll walk you down, then you're on your own," Tobias replied, going for humor with a weak smile, rising to escort her.

As he shut the door and they moved toward the stairs, Riley felt it coming.

"What's this really about?" he asked.

"Remember the library we found, full of records from the Fae Kingdom? I want to peruse the books, see what I can find," she explained.

"Even if there was an answer in them, I doubt we'd find it in so short a time," he replied as they slowly made their way down the stairs.

"But I have to try. Everything from my bracelet to the enemies we've fought seems to have ties back to the Fae, Tobias. You're too smart to think that's a coincidence," Riley almost tripped as she fluttered her left hind paw for emphasis.

"It always seems to have a mind of its own when my emotions go nuts," she observed, briefly switching topics.

"I'm not saying it's a bad track, just an untimely one. This has already gone on long enough, too long by my estimation. Still, you need to remember their society was in chaos at the end of the war. I doubt they'd have time to make their fancy books at the very end. It was a slaughter until it was a suicide, and it was all a long time ago," Tobias replied.

"That's what I'm looking for, not just any books. I'm not going to start at shelf one or whatever and work my way back; I'm looking for the last ones they made. If there's something in there that could help, a suicide note or some kind of lead, that's better than just killing a person."

They came to the bottom of the stairs. Tobias sat his hand on the doorknob and then paused.

"It seems a change of tone from you. You always saw him as guilty," Tobias replied, his voice strangely distant.

"I think he's guilty of a lot of things, but he's a person, not a monster, demon, or a zombie. That doesn't mean he hasn't made monstrous choices, but he wasn't even in that room to defend himself. A secret group got together and decided he should die, and so now he dies. How can you be comfortable with that? How can you be certain they wouldn't do that to us if they had cause? Don't you see the questions it raises?" Riley's projected voice grew high and shrill.

"Those things happen all the time, Riley. We live and we die for the Ashenrealm," Tobias parroted.

"And if it was Darius, or your parents, or me, would you be so quick to just accept?" She snapped, her anger rising.

"No, no, I would not, but none of you would ever do anything to warrant such treatment," Tobias replied, his voice pained.

"It always starts with a reasonable exception. It always ends with you becoming the monster you fought if you aren't careful," Riley replied.

"And that's why you want to look," Tobias' eyes lit up as he was putting things together.

"I agree he's guilty. I know we have to do this, but that's me now. The day after it's done, I want to be able to look back on this moment and be able to say that I fought against that to the last, that I tried every way out before I took the easiest one because that's the only way I see that I come out of this with my soul intact.

I am of the life confluence, right? Light and dark meeting in the middle? I don't want to lose that balance, and I don't want to lose my soul; I've already had too many try to take it from me," Riley felt her heart rate speed up in her ears, bringing with them a heat that radiated down as her passion gripped her.

"I think I'll go with you," Tobias said as they both stepped out into the night.