Eliuteria

Chapter 27

I stared at the emptiness for a beat longer before springing to my feet. Grabbing the device in my fist, I marched to where everyone else was bunched together sleeping. Keon, who had given Analiese the communicator to share with me, was still awake on his shift and got to his feet nearly as quickly as I had.

"You spoke to him?" Keon asked and I nodded quickly reaching out to return the device to him. "Ahren behaves foolishly when his pride is wounded."

"I was... out of line in my accusations."

Keon's brow furrowed as he studied me for a long, uncomfortable moment.

"You do not know any of us and from what I can tell, our dear friend has failed to share much with you. Trusting blindly in strangers is a good way to die. Morri are taught to always trust our instincts. When we get to our village in the Voara, you will have time to develop your instincts and your gifts." He grinned and before I could question him further, he asked, "What of Eliro and Tauzil?"

"I think you should wake them up."

I didn't want to have to repeat the news multiple times and it wasn't something that could be put off either. Keon didn't further question me, he just nodded and walked to where Mekhai and Xander slept, shaking them each awake and then to Ahren and, in a less kind manner, woke him as well.

Ro had downplayed it when we spoke, but Keon, Mehkhai, and Xander called themselves his proeliet, the title given to the winners of the battles in Aurael. But their role was more than warrior, under Tau's tutelage I knew that being given the title in an army was more of a rank. Only the most skilled and gifted Morri earned such a title and after our conversation I knew he'd hand chosen his strongest to run to my aid instead of his.

Ahren stood before me with the others, his face completely healed, but from the guarded look on his face, I knew he wasn't keen to have me summon them all.

"I spoke with Ro."

"You did what?" Ahren said slowly.

"Someone needed to make contact," Keon cut in. "Do not worry, she did not tell him the things you said." Keon looked to me. "I did not intend to overhear," he apologized and then added, "go on."

I told them what Eliro had told me and left nothing that may have been important out. As Ro guessed, they had heard of the attack launched by the resistance. That had begun before I was entirely healed and, Ahren explained is what convinced him it was time to act as well. Ahren had called them all to the safehouse we stopped at before leaving the city and none had any update since then. It was news to everyone that Juleen was rounding up every human, having sentenced them all to death.

I finished and took a breath. They seemed to all begin to speak at once, but I quickly cut them off.

"He sounded afraid," I admitted. After I had called him out on the lack of confidence, he had found some and eased some of the worry, but I couldn't get the fear I heard in his voice when we spoke. The forced chuckle and lack of conviction in his words...

"I have known Eliro since we were children. He does not fear," Xander said.

I found myself looking to Keon who nodded, encouraging me.

"He does not expect to make it back," I said and explained what he'd told me. It felt personal to share that part of our conversation, but it was necessary if I was going to convince them to ignore direct orders from their superior. So I told them what he said to me, how he'd promised to do everything in his power to make it back but that there wasn't a way out. His father wasn't speaking out against Juleen's intent to have both the Sieraul and Eoezelle laeres brought before him and killed for crimes against the zashar. "They have no one and you know that because all of you are here. We can make it on our own. If you leave us food and water and a map, we will get there."