It felt strange. Oddly fortable, but it couldn’t be true. She k shouldn’t be true. How much time had passed? An hour, a day? She was no longer certain. The only thing she knew was that she wasn’t moving and that roblem.

  Opening her eyes, it felt nothing like where she remembered being st. ‘How’d I get here?’ Her memories were hazy, but she tried to retrace her steps. ‘I was on his trail, I know it…’ Rubbing her face, she pushed harder to recall. Most of it still came up empty.

  Movement snapped her head in the dire of the door. She had to rely more on her ears retly. It wasn’t something she was used to pletely, but missing her sight made every sound seem like someone walked on her grave. Her abilities could only pensate for so mubsp; “Who’s there?” The dire she looked was a little off.

  “Oh you’re awake!” a soft voiswered. Footsteps moved through the room, slowly getting nearer. She could get a better sense of the distahan dire. “Are you feeling alright?”

  She didn’t have time for such questions. More important things mattered to her. “Where am I? The vilge, which is it?”

  “This is the town of Eti.”

  ‘Eti, that’s a day’s walk at most,’ she thought, visualizing in her mind her position in Atntis. It was the right direostly, but it was still a detour she couldn’t afford. ‘How long have I’ve been out?’ She pulled back up trying to meet a gaze with the woman. “How long since you found me?”

  “We found you in the m, so I guess half a day.” The woma quiet for a moment, likely thinking before starting again without any prompting. “It’s not every day you see a soldier passed out in the middle of the field, especially one of you. I did a lot of ving with the mayor to eve you into the town. I ’t believe they’re shtened of an unscious woman.”

  None of it made it to her ears. Her mind was elsewhere. ‘I’ve wasted too much time already!’ She lifted herself out of the bed making for the edge, feeling it out with her hands. However, something blocked her. The woman tried to force her ba the bed. “I must leave!” she insisted.

  “If you’re worried about the other townspeople, I don’t think they’ll do anything. They’re more afraid than anything.”

  Shaking her head, she grabbed the woman’s arm, finding it the first time. “NO! I ’t stop! There’s something I must do!”

  The aused for a moment, but didn’t give up her position. “You o rest. You’re in no shape to travel.”

  “I’ve rested enough,” she replied. A ripple came out from uhe bed. She suddenly met the woman directly. “Nothing will stop me from what I must do.” She pushed the woman aside. The doorway outlined in her sehanks to her power. The road was long. Before she left, she paused for a moment. “Not you and not him.”

  Chapter 217 – spirators

  The possibility of Ayumi lying to them wasn’t something hard to accept. She regurly made it difficult to trust her. However, she seemed ear with her desire to save her try. They all looked around at each other with simir thoughts. It was the only reason that they felt she could be trusted. They knew she had her reasons, but she seemed to want to do something good.

  “What reason would she have to lie to us?” asked Seiji. It was the obvious question everyone had on their mind. The one question that no one had an answer for.

  Chiharu gnced up at him. “I think of a few, but specution won’t get us any closer to the truth.”

  They were faced with the painful fact that they didn’t know enough. Large pieces to the puzzle remained undiscovered. So many holes still existed that not even the shape of the picture could be guessed.

  A nod came from Simonides. He suspected the child had some of the same ideas as him. They already arrived at the same clusion as well. “There’s only oh the answers.”

  Yumi uood what he was getting at, much like the rest. “Ayumi.”

  “Right. We o locate her.” He looked past the teens into the distanbsp; Hidden behind the horizon was the Capital. “We o reach the Capital before she does.”

  “‘We’?” noted Chiharu, her arms crossed staring down Simonides. “You seem eager to ignore past flicts. We caused signifit damage and casualties the st time we crossed paths.” Her eyes narrowed reading into even the slightest twitches in his face.

  Seiji stretched out his hand to grab Chiharu, but she batted him away. “The hell’s the matter with you! Are y to ruin the peace?”

  “I want things to be clear between us. I’m not going into an unknown situation with someone whose motives could easily ge at the right opportunity.” The man was ing. They only won because of him being outsmarted. He must have pns within pns. “I want to know why you’re doing all of this.”

  “There’s more important things right now, brat!”

  The Atntean Captain lifted a hand to cease their fighting. It was certainly something he avoided for the moment, but never fot. They all caused him untold trouble. He preferred them arrested and under his trol, but as a backup pn it was a situation he had to accept. “She’s right.”

  Simoraightened himself out. He stared down at all of the childreed oruck bed. His eyes cast a heavy gaze to them all. “You have caused signifit damage to that which I oversee. Furthermore, you have killed my men as well. Even now I ’t five you for the chaos you’ve wrought upon my try.” He went silent.

  The silence left the air unpleasant. A stifling hot atmosphere built up. Yumi and the others refrained from a reply. They had o give. Nothing they said could repce what they have done or restore those lost.

  Simonides cut his tact with them. “However, there’s something that is worse. The chaos you’ve caused would simply be like a flower smashed under foot to the wastends of ruin possible.” His eyes drew back down to them. ‘It is also better that I let you move freely and follow, watg your as than trying to fight. Sadly, I don’t think there would be anything I could do to stop any of you wheermined enough even with all of the MPs at my disposal. In fact, you may be the ohing standiween Atntis aru.’

  “There’s something you fear more than us,” interpreted Chiharu. It had her intrigued. Something made him willing to give up everything, even revenge. “What is it that you’re afraid of?”

  “Before our st battle, I received information that the cil is sidering the deployment of the Omega Division.”

  Nerine immediately turo her Captain, pani her eyes. Brief fshes of as ran through her mind. “Sir?! The cil wouldn’t.”

  “They would, worse, they have execution orders out on all of you, especially Eudokia. They’ll stop at nothing to plete their orders, including aanding in their path. They have little regard for the sequences, only the results.” He could tell his words left the desired weight on them, but some skepticism still filled in their eyes.

  “That’s crazy,” piped up Seiji, carrying more disbelief thahers. “They wouldn’t hurt their own just to find us.”

  Simonides shook his head. “The loss of a siown would mean nothing.” His mind thought back to the rebellion. “The social climate in Atntis is nothing like you’re probably used to in the world you e from. There are old scars still healing for everyone. An order and the scars are all some need. A little colteral damage just happens. They are simply overly enthusiastibsp; The number of inces was on the dee, but he khey were far too on. The normal citizenry had good reason for fear of the appearance of any MP, even the military uniform was enough at times.

  Yumi covered her hand over her mouth. “That’s horrible.”

  “It expins a lot about why the vilgers were so afraid,” ented Yori. He thought back to his capture by the frightened vilgers. “However, you’re not the same are you?”

  “No, I ’t do anything about the fear, but I keep my men in chebsp; It’s not a perfect system, but I do what I .” Time was against them. His mi back to the cil. “So you uand noe must hurry to find Eudokia. We ’t allow the Omega Division to make their move.”

  “It might be too te for that,” Yumi said in a pensive look. “We did ruin your pns to capture us and your men think you’re dead. They’ll know soon.”

  “I have someone I trust with my men. He should buy us sometime.” The human factor was an uable one, especially without the facts. He khat they would want to act to avenge his death. It was why he left Abeiron with them. He only hoped it was enough time. However, Simonides had to accept pragmatism as well. “Even if it is too te, the sooner we get to Eudokia the faster we bring this to an end ahem to call off their search.”

  Inside a closed meeting hall, old men sat around a rge circur table. A rounded wedge cut into the shape broke up the perfe. The surface polished to a shine reflected the carved stone expression of those gathered.

  The cil gathered for their deliberations oter of the threat to rebellion. Demosthenes sat in on the proceedings as the military voibsp; Any major as they wished to take had to gh him. The army in the Capital didn’t move without his orders, even if they could order him. He uood much of it was merely formality, than y. They didn’t even aowledge his presence.

  For now, the decision held at a split. They had no i in full mobilization. The threat Eudokia presented was real, however she and her group remained small. They didn’t feel pressured for any rge a. ‘The stalemate should tinue for a while. Iability will win out in time, but they won’t make any rge moves. Not so long as the situation remains the same.’

  “We already voted ten minutes ago! It’s just going to be the same again!”

  “That’s why I said we o absp; Call for a vote!”

  “The Omega Division is excessive. Eudokia may be powerful, but she is only one woman.”

  “Correbsp; We beat the rebellion st time and that woman owerful.”

  “Has your old age made your memo? We didn’t win, she just disappeared into the night.”

  “It was the Omega Division that put down that rebellion ohey lost their leader!”

  “That’s why we hem now!”

  “Yes, they’ve already broken through the outer rim. How many times has Captain Simonides beeed already? The longer we sit aroualking the closer she gets to the Capital.”

  “I agree we o keep her away from the Capital, but Captain Simonides is enough. He hasn’t let ahrough. We’ll be safe.”

  “I demae again!”

  “Voting is—“

  A heavy knock came from the marble doors. It interrupted all of the bickering. They should have bee undisturbed while in session. The only reason would be something important they had to know about. Such a reason ied them. One of them motioo the guard on the inside. Slowly, he opehe door, making no sound in the process.

  Waiting in the hall, a young man stood needing permission to enter. Once granted, he hurried along to one of the cil members. He ersonal aide. The versatioween them went quid hushed. ion came from the cil member leaving the rest in suspense. He waited until the aide left aurhe room to isotion.

  The elderly mahe paper on the marble table firmly held in pder his hands. “I’ve just received a report from one of our Omega agents in the field. Captain Simonides was killed in battle with Eudokia’s spirators. The South Gate defenses were smashed and they have peed into the heart of Atntis.” The news sent shod surprise around the table. Whispers went about. “I call for a vote.” He met with ance.

  The vote went quickly and unanimously. The head of the cil stood up with the vote cluded. “We’re all in agreement. rove full wartime sans to the Omega Division in routing Eudokia and her spirators. All Omega agents are to be deployed. Eudokia’s rebellion will be crushed swiftly.”