Yotto – Summer – Zet – Fin (4th Month, 52nd Day, 6th Week) Year 827 GE
Byren had felt his hope die four weeks ago, when the image of a “Zira Kander” was shown to the council. The order to eliminate her had been issued, due to reports claiming she had attacked Dagallan’s nephew unprovoked in a coffee shop. When Dameen returned to the Council Hall that afternoon, claiming he had gone against his orders, pronouncing he had found his target, “Zira Kander” not guilty of starting an unprovoked fight. But in turn finding out she had simply been trying to defuse the situation Dagallan’s nephew had started. Dameen had refused to kill her, deciding a change in their processes was in order. Byren’s heart had lifted, hope once again kindled.
It was over eighteen years ago now, that he and his family had suffered the effects of the Goren and his need to take all those who were born with the ability to cast. He had not been home; the day the Goren’s Kander came to take his little girl, she was only 3 years old and a happy natured little one. His wife and three sons had been home. The oldest, Buthar, had been killed trying to fight against the Kander taking his only girl child. When Byren had arrived home, he found his wife Zimari cradling her dead son to her chest. His other two sons, Zuthen and Burren, were nowhere to be found.
At first Byren had assumed the worst, he had thought he had lost all his children, his wife refusing to speak, drowning in her loss. It wasn’t until that evening, the younger two sons returned.
“Sorry Da,” Zuthen the older of the two hung his head, “We couldn’t get Zira back.” It had been days until they started to move again, the funeral pyre for their eldest son had been a beacon, lighting a fire in their small families' hearts.
It would be another two years before Byren finally found word of the Resistance and pushed to join. His wife Zimari had remained a shell of the woman she had been, not really recovering from the loss of two of her children.
Zuthen and Burren thrust themselves into their studies. Zuthen studied the blacksmith's trade, becoming an excellent swordsman as well as a Master blacksmith. Burren focused on book learning and swordsmanship. He learned how armies move, hunting any book he could on ancient wars and the effects they made on the world around them. Byren also changed his path in life, deciding to learn more about strategy and warfare. When they were finally recruited by the rebellion, they all three moved up in the ranks with their hard work showing. Byren had been recruited into the Council as the voice of the Hisanni. He took his role seriously, putting out an effort to learn what his people felt or needed.
He walked into the house assigned to his family. Burren was still out on a mission, but Zuthen and his wife Zimari were both home. “I have word,” he spoke softly as he entered the dining room. Zuthen stopped what he was doing, papers spread out on the table before him. His mother looked lost; her light pink hair had been cropped close around her head. To Byren even that could not diminish the beauty of the woman he loved.
Weeks prior when “Zira Kander” had been labeled as a target, Byren had kept the news to himself, not wanting to get the hopes up of those he loved. He understood the girl calling herself Zira was not the same little girl who had been taken from her home, but that did not change his determination to give her the choice to return to her family. Dameen was a good-natured man; Byren could not see him killing someone without first checking the whole situation before moving.
“What is it?” Zuthen did not have to ask about whom the news would be, they had all joined the rebellion with the sole purpose of finding their youngest child and bringing her back. They also intended to make sure the Goren no longer took the children who could cast. Burren, the middle child, was on a mission just then, recovering two children who had shown signs of casting before the Goren could get his hands on them.
“Zira, she was in Suthen City.” Byren looked at his second son, “Dameen has been sent to deal with her again.”
“Again?”
“Right, I didn’t tell you. Back at the beginning of Yotto-Summer she appeared in Geidor city. Allegedly, she started a fight with Dagallan’s nephew and his friend. Dameen found out that wasn’t the case when he met her and let her live,” Zimari, his wife, came to the table, taking a seat, unusually quiet. “I was worried we were about to lose our youngest, I didn’t want anyone else to worry about it. She went to Suthen where she was issued a kill request and complied, now the Council is after her throat again.”
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“So, you’re saying you have had word of her since the beginning of the month?” His wife’s voice was calm, yet Byren could feel her frail grasp on her temper start to slip. When he said nothing, she lashed out, “You didn’t tell us!” Byren held his tongue, knowing she was not done. Launching up from the table, she shouted, “We could have protected her!”
Zimari started pacing the dining room, muttering under her breath. Byren finally approached her, gently gripping her shoulders, turning her to face him, “Love, I didn’t dare interfere. Lilac the Kander we converted; I knew she would speak for our Zira’s character.” When she glared at him, her mouth set in a stubborn line, he continued, “Dameen is a good sort, he would never attack someone if he found them to be decent enough to save instead.” He looked down into his wife’s eyes, she stared at him, starting to waver in her anger, “I was hoping he would bring her here.”
He released her shoulders, letting her turn away from him. Spinning back around, she jabbed her husband in the chest, “You risked everything on a hope!” Her voice cut through the air in the room.
Zuthen stood and walked over to his parents, putting a gentle hand on his mother's shoulder, he advised, “Mother, please calm down. If she completed a mission in Suthen after Dameen failed to kill her in Geidor than what is going to happen next?”
Byren stepped back from his wife; he would be sleeping in the guest room again tonight if the anger in her eyes was any indication. “Dameen is going to observe her for a time before a decision is made.” He looked down at his hands, “Lilac, the Kander working with us, explained…” He paused, swallowing hard, the vague image of Dimmin, a Kander he had known from before he was on the Council, flashed through his mind. “She explained why Kander never go against the Goren’s orders.” Byren did not dare repeat all that he had heard during that meeting. If his wife knew the consequences of her daughter abandoning her post with the Goren, she would choose to leave her under his direction.
“Let’s just say, it was an unpleasant image she created,” He looked down at his hands, “If we can avoid it, I would rather not have to put our Zira in that situation.” When he looked up again, he could feel the holes his wife was burning into him, “Please don’t make me tell you more than that.”
She brushed her son’s hand from her shoulder and stepped toward her husband, “Then tell me why I can’t approach this Lilac you keep mentioning here in the Fortress? I would like to learn more of my daughter. And if she truly knows her, then I would like to know everything she does.”
“You can’t…” Both Byren and Zuthen said together. She looked between her husband and her son, tears welling up in her eyes.
“You know we don’t want anyone to know our connection to her, that way it can’t be said we are using the rebellion for our personal revenge.” Zuthen was the one who answered, Byren stared at his son, he had nearly said the same thing as Dameen. It was the reason he had volunteered nothing when the first order to kill Zira Kander had been issued. They had all worked hard to get where they were within the rebellion. It would not do for others to think they would use the connections within the rebellion for their agenda.
“He’s right, Love, it’s important we keep this to ourselves.”
“If we could,” his son started, “Would it be possible to follow Dameen, to find out more about her situation, maybe even see for ourselves what kind of person she is?” Zuthen looked hopeful, holding his father’s eyes.
Byren thought for a time. If they didn’t use the resources or the connections from the fortress, could they? He turned it over, it would be nice to check up on the girl, find out if she really was his lost daughter. With a quick glance at his wife, he knew there was no doubt. The child in the picture, shown all those weeks before, resembled his wife so much the only difference he could see was in her eye color she had gotten that from him. His two sons also had the light-pink hair of their mother and the purple eyes of their father. Burren resembled Byren with his sharp nose, pock marked skin and deep-set eyes. Zuthen was nearly a perfect example of marrying Byren’s and his wife’s features into one being. He had the deep-set eyes from Byren, but the small nose, high cheekbones, and perfect skin from his wife. Zira resembled her mother with a small nose, high cheekbones and flawless skin.
“I’ll make sure to stay out of sight,” Zuthen offered, he was clearly getting excited about the prospect of going on this mission. “We could say I’m just checking to make sure Dameen does his job correctly. It wouldn’t be the first time two hunters were assigned to the same job.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Byren was pacing the length of the dining room now, his hand running through his light blue hair. “We can’t use the rebellion for personal reasons.”
“I understand that.” Zuthen offered, “And we won't really, we’ll just be checking on the potential target, and see that Dameen is doing what he said he would.”
Byren’s head hurt; they both understood the consequences. With a few more passes across the dining room, he turned to look at his wife and son. Still wavering in his choice, he said, “Do it,” Zimari lit up turning toward their son who had a look of excitement, stifled by his sense of duty.
END