Other Tales of En

T&A: A Free Man

The Killex's second estate is large but surprisingly empty. There's one groundskeeper and after Adonis paid off the three guards, it's only us in the huge empty house. Adonis helps the groundskeeper unload the luggage and then offers his shoulder for me to limp beside him inside.

"First things first. This way." Adonis leads me along and I follow warily.

He unlocks a room with a large iron key the groundskeeper gave him, pushing it open to a library of sorts. He helps me into a chair, pulling the white sheet off it first. Then he fiddles about some drawers before pulling a small table and another chair over. On the table he lays out a stack of parchment, a quill, and ink.

"You said you were a messenger, right? That means they would have been very careful to make sure you couldn't read. Here." He scrawls something on the paper.

He's right. I can't read, it was one of the strictest rules. A messenger who can't read the message is always the safest bet. Adonis slides the paper over and offers me the quill. "Copy that."

It takes some blotting and encouragement from Adonis, but I figure the quill out and do my best to copy the words. Adonis points and reads them out, "Taff, a free man."

I freeze. Both relief and rage filling me. Relief that Adonis kept his promise—although until I can fly it could just be words—and rage that he makes it sound so simple, that he can just write the words and that makes it true. The quill snaps in my hand and I drop it.

"You think it's that easy," I say, my voice quiet and low. I reach down, crumpling the paper. "That my life is some sort of catch and release?"

"What? Of cour—"

"I can't be free!" I'm yelling now, standing quickly and knocking the small table over.

"My people are gone, my homeland a glorified zoo. I have flown all across this continent and there's nowhere else to go! That—" I point to the discarded paper, "—means nothing! Your people have taken every safe place and made this world a cage!"

Adonis stands up, his face is red, but his voice is calm. "That's why I want to get you to the rebellion, if—"

I punch him with my good hand. He falls back, tripping over his chair to the ground.

"What rebellion?" I laugh emptily. "You mean the one I watched get rooted out across En. Watched get publicly executed? The rebellion is a dying cause with no power to do anything."

Adonis rubs his jaw where I hit him. "But it exists!" he retorts. "Despite the empire's growth, despite the attempts to root it out, it survives. I understand your reservations but—"

"You don't understand anything," I growl and walk out, limping as fast as I can. I need to get outside, clear my head.

The groundskeeper notices me but just retreats back into the room he came out of. I burst outside. In front of the house is a large dirt patch, a training field. Following its edge, I reach the treeline, the leaves red and orange. I hit the tree with my fist and then gingerly slide to the ground. Leaning against the tree with my shoulder, I take a deep breath.

What was the point of coming here? It didn't matter where I was or who I was with, I'm an Avin in the Solis Empire. The time to fight for freedom has passed and all that was left for me is death. My eyes feel hot and I touch them, frustrated tears pour out. Through my blurred vision, I poke at the dirt ground and write 'Taff'. Or at least what Adonis said was my name.

I don't know when I fell asleep, but I wake up with a groan. I'm still against the tree, but someone's thrown a blanket over me. Despite it, I shiver. The air is cold, warning winter is coming. I wish I hadn't woken up. It would have been easier that way.