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“We escaped because we didn’t want that lifestyle any longer. It wasn’t for us. We wanted so much more, and ever since we got here, we realized how right we were in thinking that. There is so much more to life than the woods. But, ever since we escaped, our lives have been in danger.”
“But, why?” Rene didn’t understand. “Can’t they just let you go?”
“No,” Hyde shook his head. “Because, there is one other thing I didn’t tell you.”
A cloud of foreboding descended upon them, and Rene waited patiently.
“What is that?”
“My father Haera, was the leader of our clan. He always ruled with a firm, but righteous hand. He was the kind of leader everyone wanted to be. And, that earned him the respect of not only our clan members, but all other clans around us, which was a big deal, in our world.”
“How many clans are there?” Rene asked, curious about this entirely different lifestyle, she couldn’t even imagine.
“There were five where we lived, but there are many more scattered all around the world. We hide in the mountains, in the deserts, where you people rarely travel. We keep a low profile, that’s why you never hear of us or see us. We don’t allow you to.”
“That makes sense,” she smiled. “I guess we’ve grown numb, us people of the modern world, and we stopped believing that magic exists. It’s so sad.”
It seemed that she was getting more and more immersed into this story, believing what this magical storyteller was telling her. Her little heart lit up, remembering all those fairy tales she used to love as a child. Could it be that some parts of them were true?
“When was the last time you saw your father?” she wondered.
“On the day that he was killed,” Hyde’s words filled the room with a sense of impending doom.
Those horrible words hung between them like daggers, and everyone was trying to avoid them, but they were still there, aimed straight at them. She decided to take the bullet.
“He was killed?” Rene repeated, frightened of what she might hear.
“Yes,” Hyde nodded, “by the leader of the opposing clan. His name is Culore. The most malicious man I’ve ever seen. His clan is pure evil and they respect no bounds. That was why no one said anything when he killed my father, and if I hadn’t acted quickly and escaped, I would probably be dead, too, by that same hand.”
“Why does he want you dead?”
“He wants to rule all the clans together,” Hyde explained. “But, he can only do this if there is no clan leader or any of his descendants left. That is why he has to kill me and show everyone my head. But, that’s not the worst thing.”
Rene suddenly realized why the man came looking for Hyde’s son. The realization crept up her back, like a little six legged spider, creeping and crawling.
“Parker is my son, so even if I’m dead, he is next one in line to be the clan leader, whether he’d like to be or not. That is why they’ll never let us be, as long as we’re alive, because that means that my father’s line still lives.”
“Would it be the same if Parker was a girl?” Rene suddenly remembered to ask, not that it mattered.
“No,” Hyde shook his head. “If she’s old enough, he’d marry her and become the clan leader that way. If she’s still under age, he could adopt her.”
“They would allow that?” Rene was horrified that someone could adopt a child whose parents he murdered.
“There would be no one to stop him, so he could do whatever he pleased.”
“Isn’t there anyone to stand up to him?”
“Whoever tried that is pushing up daisies right now. The best way I can protect my son is to just stay away and hope they don’t find us,” Hyde concluded, sounding defeated.
“But… you can’t spend your entire lives hiding from those people!” Rene almost shouted, and then realized she was doing it. “You just can’t.”
“There isn’t much we can do,” Hyde shrugged his shoulders.
“You forgot to tell her about the coins,” Jesse reminded him.
“What coins?” Rene looked at Jesse, then back at Hyde.
An air of mystery filled up the room. It smelled like adventure, like something Rene would love to be a part of.
