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She is telling me that she wants revenge, and that I still have time to back out of this plan.
I voice some of what I was thinking earlier.
“If you think you know Ocuri from when you were in love with him, trust me, you never did. If you think you know him from the violence he wreaked upon your life, you don’t. Ocuri is a curse on Protheka. And I say it again – if we don’t do this now, there will only be more violence, more deaths, more heartache.”
She nods. Then she walks to the kitchen. She brought back supplies when she went out.
I realize, as she takes a bottle of zhisk from the paper bag, that I haven’t had a drink in days.
And strangely, I do not crave alcohol at all.
She also takes bread and cheese out of the bag, along with a jar of tizret fruit jam.
We have no plates to eat off, and no cutlery to use, so Salina and I tear off pieces of bread and take bites of the cheese. We also dip the bread into the jam.
The meal, while plain, is the best meal I have had in years. It is salty and sweet and filling.
And I am eating it with the woman I love, so that makes it all the better.
We stay awake all night, discussing what we are going to do. We are still awake when the sun rises. And we have finally formulated a plan that we’re both happy with.
“So.” I yawn and stretch out on the bed. Salina also bought roasted ground kaffo and cream made from taura milk.
We sip the fragrant, slightly bitter kaffo as we stand at the loft windows and watch Vhoig wake up.
“We’ll lure Ocuri to the warehouse. And together we’ll take him out.”
I look over at the small table where Salina and I also spent part of the night writing a letter to my parents. A letter saying that I escaped, and I have also discovered a plot against my family. This letter will bring my parents and Ocuri to the warehouse
“It will work,” Salina tells me confidently. “I know it will.”
I lean against her, and she snakes an arm around my waist.
“So, this is happening tonight?” I ask her. “I’ll have to send the letter in a few hours, so that they get it on time,” I tell her.
She nods and lifts a hand to caress my cheek. “It’ll all work out.”
22
DENVE
The night is darker than I’ve ever seen it. A full moon hangs over the ebony blanket, surrounded on all sides by shining stars. The vapor of my breath fogs the window as I stare out of it.
Breaking away from the window, I begin pacing back and forth in the loft amidst the glow emanating from the lamp in its corner. I draw a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.
Anxiety is plaguing my body like an incurable disease. I can’t seem to ease my nerves, even with the constant reassurances that things will go according to plan.
I keep straying off course in my head, somehow stuck on the mentality that things will turn upside down, that we’re headed for certain doom.
Every aspect that I think about, there’s a way I imagine it can go wrong.
Sighing in frustration, I close my eyes and rub my temples.
Just relax… There’s no other way forward about this, you know that much. What else can be done?
I know this is the only method we can use that’ll reap the best outcome. After all, this isn’t just for me at the end of the day. The plan is also for the benefit of Salina.
Her line of work may not exactly be admirable, especially from my viewpoint as a noble. Alas, who would I be to judge someone else for their means of living? I never had to struggle to put food on the table or to keep a roof over my head.
