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“Close your eyes,” Vas whispered and as soon as I did the ground fell out from underneath my feet. Seconds later rustling leaves and birdsong filled my ears again. I opened my eyes. We were in the forest, the place that brought me so much peace. Perhaps I didn’t need to travel the world. I could create a paradise right where I stood.
“What I wouldn’t give to read the thoughts swirling around in that head of yours,” Vas murmured as he watched me.
“If you could read my thoughts you’d only scoff at the impossibility of my dreams,” I replied.
He captured my chin in his hand. “Very little is impossible, merely improbable.”
I searched his eyes. “What if I told you I wanted to build a community here in the forest?”
Curiosity sparked. “To what end?”
“To make a place for the miners to live after I free them,” I said, lifting my chin. His hand fell away and he studied me for a long time.
“You’re never going to give up on this idea, are you?”
“I can’t. I’m supposed to do this. It feels right.”
“Very many things feel right until someone’s holding your life in their hands.”
“That won’t happen if we stick together, protect one another.”
Again, he studied me. Then his attention went about the forest, his gaze softening and for a second I thought he might be able to see what I envisioned. He brought his attention back to me. “Not all of them will want to come,” he said finally. “They’re too fearful, too mistrusting because of the lives they’ve had. Journeying to another dimension won’t be a chance they’re willing to take.”
“I know that. That’s why I don’t just want to free them. I want to lead them to march on the Opal Palace and overthrow the Dicteps. I want them to establish a new order and take the city for themselves.”
At this Vas stared at me like I was crazy. “That’s madness, Darya. It’s chaos. So many people will have to die and they’d need a new leader at the end of it all. Who would take up such a task? You? Me?” He shook his head. “No, it’s too big. Too ambitious.”
“It doesn’t have to be you or I. We just need to help them do it. They can choose their own leader when it comes to that. Someone like Jalio, perhaps.”
“The demons won’t just sit back and allow a coup to happen. They’ll fight back. So much blood would be spilled before any semblance of peace was found.”
“Yes, but isn’t that still better than leaving things as they are, allowing more and more generations of halflings to be captured and exploited?”
What I said sparked something in him. Vas didn’t speak for a long time. When he did I expected he’d try and talk me out of my plans, but he didn’t.
“If this is really what you want then I’ll help you,” he said and my hopes lifted. I couldn’t believe it. “But,” he went on and I frowned. Of course there was a but. “In order for this to work someone is going to have to kill the Dicteps.”
“Jalio seemed eager to do the honours.”
“Jalio might be dead for all we know. They kill people for trying to escape all the time.”
“Oh,” I said, some of my excitement deflating. Poor Jalio. I might’ve found him intimidating and a little scary but I hated the thought of him being dead.
“Besides,” Vas continued and I lifted my eyes to his. “It’s only right that I do it. An eye for an eye.”
I furrowed my brow. “What do you mean?”
Vas’ gaze glowed with vengeance. “He shunned my mother, abandoned her to a life of poverty that eventually led to the illness that killed her.”
I blinked in shock. “The rumours are true then?”
“They’re true,” he replied. “He is my grandfather, not that he’s ever given a care for my wellbeing. And besides, I must go and determine if Red Armand is truly dead. Might as well kill two chickens with one hammer.”
What he said caused an involuntary chuckle to sputter out of me. I loved when he messed up English sayings. Vas frowned. “What? Is that not how you say it?”
“No, but I think I like your version better,” I said, smiling as I pressed a hand to his chest, searching his eyes, my expression sobering. “You really want to do this?”
Vas’ gaze darkened. “Yes. It’s time someone put an end to the demons’ reign in Treyu once and for all.”
***
One day drifted into the next. I continued my walks in the forest and each day Vas continued to show up to watch over me. He didn’t whisk me away to his hotel room again, but instead we talked. We talked endlessly about all manner of things, but mostly we discussed how we would get back to Oreylia, infiltrate the mine and storm the Opal Palace. There was also the little problem of transporting the people who wanted to return with us to Tribane.
