We rode without stopping until the horses were completely exhausted. Dismounting in the dense forest, we set upon the food we had managed to grab from the mayor's house. I sat by the fire, looking at the dancing tongues of fla, and couldn't shake off the gnawing feeling inside.
Only now, in this silence, did I begin to realize how insignificant and empty my original goal—"to make a na for myself"—seed compared to what drove my companions. I wanted fa, but they were seeking truth, revenge, or simply a way to survive in a world that had broken them.
"I will co with you," I said quietly, breaking the silence. "But on one condition only: we will not kill the innocent."
Rianna, who was chewing on a piece of dried at, froze and stared at
point-blank. "And what does 'innocent' an to you, Art?"
The question caught
off guard. I opened my mouth to answer, but the words stuck in my throat. "Well... it's those who haven't committed evil," I squeezed out uncertainly.
"Those people who frad you in the alley and threw you in a cell—are they innocent?" she continued, squinting. "Maybe they were just doing their duty? Or just wanted a beautiful life that they never had? Why aren't they worthy of it? Who decides where that line is drawn?"
Shren raised his eyebrows in surprise, looking at her: "Wow, listen to you talk." "Shocked myself," Rianna chuckled. "I've been thinking about this way too much lately. I can literally feel myself getting smarter."
Her words silenced . I had indeed never thought about such things. The world used to seem simple to : there is good, and there is evil. But here, beyond the borders, everything mixed into one gray mass.
"I will kill anyone who gets in my way," Kaus cut in coldly, interrupting our discussion. For him, moral dilemmas were long in the past.
Shish, who had been peacefully dozing on my shoulder until then, suddenly jumped down and walked over to Rianna. He rubbed against her powerful legs, and the woman, hesitating, touched his fur. "Wow," she awkwardly pet the cat. "What did you say his na is? Shish?" She cut off a small piece of at and offered it to the animal. Shish accepted the offering with dignity, as if that was exactly how it should be.
"Alright," I nodded to Kaus. "I will go with you. But if it seems to
that our path is leading the wrong way, I will leave. At any mont."
"Deal," the old man answered indidently. "You can leave whenever you wish. I'm not holding anyone by force."
"And how far is it to this city? To Hork?" I asked, trying to steer the topic to business.
Kaus, picking his teeth with a splinter, shrugged. "No idea. Our first task is to find out where it even is. To begin with, we will move strictly south."
He got to his feet and looked at
with his heavy gaze. "Do you know how to ride a horse and sleep at the sa ti?" "No," I was even taken aback by such a question. "Never tried it."
Kaus walked over to the horses and began tying their reins with a long rope, attaching them to the saddle of my horse.
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"Then today you will be our guide. You'll lead us south while we sleep in the saddles. Then we'll switch. If you sense sothing wrong or see sothing strange—wake us imdiately."
I rode while my companions slept peacefully in the saddles. That fifth person had left us a long ti ago: he simply helped us leave the city and silently walked away.
If that monster Kaus spoke of is really that strong, will I be able to defeat him? I could still probably beat Kaus or Shren in a fair fight, but Rianna... I'm not sure. She cracked the guards' skulls so easily. She didn't just hit; she knew exactly where to strike.
The sun had already begun to set, and the roofs of the first village appeared in the distance. My horse started getting tired. I decided to wake my comrades.
Rianna stretched in her saddle. I ran my eyes over her again. So huge and so deadly.
"What are you staring at?" she asked suddenly, catching my gaze. "Don't tell
you have a crush on ? I am confident in myself," she tossed her head proudly.
"No, it's just..." I began to justify myself.
But she imdiately continued to tease : "You're literally undressing
with your eyes like a predator. I know, you n only want one thing from us."
"NO, I'M NOT!" I protested.
She laughed loudly. Kaus and Shren, who had already woken up, imdiately joined in the laughter.
"You're probably still a virgin!" Rianna threw out through her laughter.
I blushed and stayed silent.
"HA-HA-HA, did she guess right?" Shren chid in.
"I would give myself to you, Art, if you weren't such a pretty boy. Once you beco a real man, then we'll see!" Rianna continued.
"No, really!" I tried to hide my embarrassnt.
"Handso guys like you probably have girls lining up. You probably dragged many into bed back on your Mountain!"
They all started laughing. Looking at them, I also began to smile quietly, and then laughed myself. I had really missed simple laughter.
Kaus only said that we would rest for about two hours away from the village, and wouldn't go into it. To the question "why?
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