Morning brought Eldan with a green cloak and sword belt with a short blade over her old clothes and her hair wet and bound up. Jaened was on his side, facing the wall, so she spoke to Kalen.
"It's time to go. They'll be tracking us, and my people can't afford to be found. Thalla and Skaev are still out confusing the trail, but I have a feeling that witch will burn the whole forest down to find us if she needs to."
"Let her." Jaened's voice had a bitter edge. "She has Erissa. We failed."
"Then you are in good company," Aevin put in softly. "We are the Tassin. All of us have failed, but we have redeemed ourselves."
Kalen started. "Tassin? But the Tassin are traitors!"
Eldan turned on him sharply. "What do you know of us? Fellyre fears us more than your petty city-states with their feeble armies." She shook her head. "Get up. We're leaving." She turned on her heel and exited the cave.
Kalen stumbled to his feet while Aevin quietly coaxed Jaened up. As they left the cave, Aevin whispered to Kalen, "Some of us have redeemed ourselves. Eldan has in all eyes but her own. Do not judge her harshly."
Outside the cave, the morning light was still faint, revealing little of their surroundings. Kalen looked back only to find that Aevin had vanished, leaving them to Eldn's charge. She led them quickly by unseen paths--so quickly they nearly lost her at every turn. Either she was in a desperate hurry or still angry. The evidence was strongly in favor of the latter.
"Where are we going?" Jaened gasped as they hauled themselves out of a waist-deep stream.
"East." Eldan pointed with her sword, not pausing her stride.
"What's east?" Kalen asked.
"Nothing that I know of. Clearly, you have never been tracked before." She glanced around, then added, "We'll stop here. Sleep if you can. There'll be no rest tonight."
Kalen lay down against a tree, only to be ordered up and informed that they would rest under the embankment on the side of the stream. It was damp and earthy, but Kalen was too tired to care.
The cold woke him. The sky had turned grey with a coming storm and the damp in the ground had soaked through his clothing. Sitting up, he saw Eldan crouched a few feet away, her sword resting in a loose grip. She turned sharply at the sound of his movement. She relaxed when she saw it only him.
"Is your bandage wet?" Kalen's hand went to his shoulder and he shook his head. "Good. Infection is a miserable way to die." She resumed her silent vigil. Kalen came over to sit beside her, but she paid him no attention.
"So, what brought you to join the Tassin?"
"That is none of your concern." Eldan replied flatly without looking at him.
"Look, I'm sorry about what I said back in the cave. You saved my life. I owe you respect for that. I'm just wondering."
"Well, you can keep wondering. I'll help you get back to Elni, then we need never cross paths again."
"No--I can't go back to Elni. The king wants me dead."
Eldan glanced at him curiously, then smirked. "That is how I became one of the Tassin. How can you hate us for what we are when you are the exact same thing?"
"I don't hate you--I only know what people say about the Tassin. You're the first one I ever met."
"And what do they say about us--that we are traitors?" Kalen's shrug was answer enough. "It's convenient for them. Calling us traitors when they are the ones who turned on us. Treachery is all about perspective. I betrayed no one. I took no lives. But they killed my friends and drove me from their city. All I ever did was write."
"What did you write?"
"I wrote against the draft. They called men and women alike to join the army, giving no regard to youth, young couples, nursing mothers, and elderly. They filled the city with orphans. They sent my brother to his death. So I wrote my protest and another took it and read it before the crowds. The Elders would have none of it, but when they struck, we struck back. They would not listen. They thought themselves stronger, so they fought their own people. I never called for it, but the people attempted revenge. The rebellion was crushed within a few hours. Survivors were publicly beheaded. I had no choice but to leave. The Tassin took me in. They are my family and my nation now."
Kalen was silent for a moment, imagining what Eldan bitterly described. "So," he began hesitantly, "do you think the Tassin would have a place for me?"
"You would have to change your opinion of us. And we have no use for idle hands. Once you join us, you can never leave. We have no tolerance for desertion. Our secrets would be too dangerous if they fell into enemy hands."
"I am as capable as any other man. And I'm not a deserter."
"Do you really think you could live like this--hunted, hiding, spending nights on the move, knowing everyone to be your enemy? It is not an easy or pleasant life, and none would choose it if they had any other option."
"I don't think I have a choice. Syxel is destroyed and Elni is no longer home."
"Is there room for me too?" Jaened's voice broke in.
"This isn't a recruiting party. You have already demonstrated your uselessness. I am not taking you near my people until you prove yourself. All you want is to get your sister out of Terraphel. I have no doubt you would gladly sell our secrets for her freedom."
Jaened's silence was response enough. Eldan abruptly ordered them to their feet and led the way on, keeping to the edge of the stream. A light rain quickly grew to a drenching torrent, in which Eldan forced them across the stream. Their boots were heavy with mud and rocks as they dragged themselves up the bank on the other side. To their dismay, Eldan led them on a short dash into the woods, then made them walk backwards back to the stream to cross again.
Night fell quickly, but still they pressed on, keeping ankle-deep in the water after the rain died away, leaving no risk of tracks. Fatigue quickly combined with the chill to slow them down. It was hours before Eldan let them leave the stream and start into the woods again. The clouds slowly dispersed to reveal the brilliant night sky. Kalen fought to keep his eyes open as the white light blurred the trees with heavy shadows. Beside him, Jaened loudly collided with a tree, earning him a sharp rebuke from their self-appointed leader. With her fierce pace and confident stride, Kalen found himself forgetting who he was following. It felt like he was back with Taldyr on a night training exercise.
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