honor one’s heart? She had anguished over it every day.
Kendrick made his way over to her.
“I expect you will remain behind with your people?” he asked, a wariness in his voice.
She looked at him, torn, anguished, and did not know what to say. She did not know the answer herself. She felt frozen in space, in time, felt her feet rooted to the desert floor.
Suddenly, Darius came up beside her.
“My sister,” he said.
She turned and nodded to him, grateful for the distraction, as he draped an arm around her shoulder and looked at Kendrick.
“Kendrick,” he said.
Kendrick nodded back with respect.
“You know the love that I hold for you,” Darius continued. “Selfishly, I want you to stay.”
He took a deep breath.
“And yet, I implore you to go with Kendrick.”
Sandara looked at him, shocked.
“But why?” she asked.
“I see the love you hold for him, and he for you. A love like this does not come twice. You must follow your heart, regardless of what our people think, regardless of our laws. That is what matters most.”
Sandara looked at her younger brother, touched; she was impressed at his wisdom.
“You really have grown since I’ve left you,” she said.
“Don’t you dare abandon your people, and don’t you dare go with him,” came a stern voice.
Sandara turned to see Zirk, overhearing and stepping forward, joined by several of the elders.
“Your place is here with us. If you go with this man, you shall not be welcome back here.”
“And what business is it of yours?” Darius asked angrily, defending her.
“Careful, Darius,” Zirk said. “You may lead this army for now, but you don’t lead us. Don’t pretend to speak for our people.”
“I speak for my sister,” Darius said, “and I will speak for anyone I wish.”
Sandara noticed Darius clench his fist on the hilt of his sword as he stared down Zirk, and she quickly reached out and placed a reassuring hand on his wrist.
“The decision is mine to make,” she said to Zirk. “And I have already made it,” she said, feeling a rush of indignation and suddenly deciding. She would not let these people make a decision for her. She had been allowing the elders to dictate her life as long as she knew, and now, the time had come.
“Kendrick is my beloved,” she said, turning to Kendrick, who looked back at her with surprise. As she said the words, she knew them to be true, and felt such a rush of love for him, felt a wave of guilt for not embracing him sooner before the others. “His people are my people. He is mine and I am his. And nothing, no one, not you, not anyone, can tear us apart.”
She turned to Darius.
“Goodbye, my brother,” she said. “I will join Kendrick.”
Darius grinned wide, while Zirk scowled back.
“Never look upon our faces again,” he spat, then turned and walked away, the elders joining him.
Sandara returned to Kendrick and did what she had wanted to do ever since the two of them had arrived here. She kissed him openly, without fear, in front of everyone, finally able to express her love for him. To her great joy, he kissed her back, taking her in his arms.
“Be safe, my brother,” Sandara said.
“And you, my sister. We shall meet again.”
“In this world or the next,” she said.
With that, Sandara turned, took Kendrick’s arm, and together, they joined his people, heading out toward the Great Waste, to a sure death, but she was ready to go anywhere in the world, as long she was by Kendrick’s side.
Chapter Eight
Godfrey, Akorth, Fulton, Merek, and Ario, dressed in the Finians’ cloaks, walked down the shining streets of Volusia, all on guard, bunched together, and very tense. Godfrey’s buzz had long ago worn off, and he navigated the unknown streets, the gold sacks at his waist, cursing himself for volunteering for this mission and racking his brain for what to do next. He would give anything for a drink right now.
What a terrible, awful idea he had had to come here. Why on earth had he had such a stupid moment of chivalry? What was chivalry anyway? he wondered. A moment of passion, of selflessness, of craziness. It just made his throat run dry, his heart pound, his hands shake. He hated the feeling, hated every second of it. He wished he’d kept his big mouth shut. Chivalry wasn’t for him.
Or was it?
He was no longer sure of anything. All he knew right now was that he wanted to survive, to live, to drink, to be anywhere but here. What he wouldn’t give for a beer right now. He would trade the most heroic act in the world for a pint of ale.
“And who is it exactly we are going to pay off?” Merek asked, coming up beside him as they walked together through the streets.
Godfrey racked his brain.
“We need someone in their army,” he finally said. “A commander. Not too high up. Someone just high enough. Someone who cares more for gold than killing.”
“And where will we find such a person?” Ario asked. “We can’t exactly march into their barracks.”
“In my experience, there’s only one reliable place to find someone of imperfect morals,” Akorth said. “The taverns.”
“Now you’re talking,” Fulton said. “Now, finally, someone is talking sense.”
“That sounds like an awful idea,” Ario retorted. “It sounds like you just want a drink.”
“Well, I do,” Akorth said. “And what’s the shame in that?”
“What do you think?” Ario countered. “That you’re just going to march into a tavern, find a commander, and buy him off? That it’s that easy?”
“Well, the kid is finally right about something,” Merek chimed in. “It’s a bad idea. They’d take one look at our gold, kill us, and take it for themselves.”
“That’s why we’re not bringing our gold,” Godfrey said, deciding.
“Huh?” Merek asked, turning to him. “What are we going to do with it then?”
“Hide it,” Godfrey said.
“Hide all this gold?” Ario asked. “Are you mad? We brought too much as it is. It’s enough to buy half the city.”
“That’s precisely why we are going to hide it,” Godfrey said, warming to the idea. “We find the right person, for the right price, that we can trust, and we’ll lead him to it.”
Merek shrugged.
“This is a fool’s errand. It’s going from bad to worse. We followed you in, God knows why. You’re walking us to our graves.”
“You followed me in because you believe in honor, in courage,” Godfrey said. “You followed me in because, from the moment you did, we became brothers. Brothers in valor. And brothers do not abandon one another.”
The others fell silent as they walked, and Godfrey was surprised at himself. He did not fully understand this streak of himself that surfaced every now and again. Was it his father talking? Or he?
They turned a corner, and the city opened up, and Godfrey was overwhelmed once again by the beauty of it. Everything shining, streets lined with gold, interlaced with canals of sea water, light everywhere, reflecting off the gold, blinding him. The streets were bustling here, too, and Godfrey took in the thick throngs, amazed. His shoulder got bumped more than once, and he took care to keep his head lowered