The Cinders of Dezu

12th: The View From the Ashes (2)

"Yeah? You wanna know how I got here?"

Cairo's eyes widened.

"Uh, yeah, I mean yeah if you're offer-"

"I came here with my parents and my little brother," she said.

"Really? You're whole family?" he said, "Are they-"
"They're dead. Orion killed them."

Talia looked straight ahead again. Her expression looked like it was poisoned with anger. Not an ounce of sadness shown through. He stopped and she kept going without a glance in his direction. Julian kept walking and passed Cairo catching his gaze with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. He mouthed to him with a small salute.

"This is all you."

Cairo made his jaw crooked in thought. He caught up to their guide again, keeping pace with her.

"I'm... I'm sorry..."

"Did you kill them?"

"No I-"

"Then you can drop the 'sorry'."

Cairo frowned

"Do you... can I ask how it happened?"

Talia's expression softened. She still wouldn't look at him.

"We were on a road trip," she said, "and then suddenly we weren't on the road anymore. We were in a forest."

"Did you have one of the red... I mean the dilinium-"

"No, it didn't happen that way for us. Sometimes the walls between universes are thin and sometimes they make little holes that someone can enter accidentally. Harper says that's what happens sometimes to people who are reported missing on Earth. It's what happened to us."

"Whoa..." Julian whispered.

"We kinda just made a life here. My whole family had dilinium abilities related to fire. When he found us the king didn't like that. I was out collecting sweet craya fruit when he found them. In a night, I lost my family and he burned my home to the ground."

"Wow..." said Cairo.

His hands were in his pockets.

"I'm so- well... I'm still sorry."

"He's the one who needs to be sorry," she said, "And he will be. I'll make sure of it. In the meantime, I make it my business to make his life just a little bit harder."

Cairo smiled.

"You mean when you're not playing escort to people on quests that are doomed to fail?" he said.

That made her crack a smile. She nodded.

"So why hesitate to come with us?" he said, "We're going where the king lives. Why not march up to the door and give him 'what for'?"

"Because I'm not an idiot," she said, "He's just as much a master as he is a monster. Like any great king he has powerful forces lined up and ready to die for him. But even if you were up against just him alone, you'd need an army in your back pocket."

"Huh..." said Cairo, rubbing the back of his neck.

He then dug into his back pocket. He pulled out his fist and held it out to her before revealing his empty palm.

"Tsk, thats right! I left mine at home."

Talia's serious expression broke a moment to scoff and roll her eyes. It tried to harden up again but was softer now.

"When I finally get the chance to put him down," she said, "I'll make sure it's on my terms."

"How you gonna pull it off?" asked Julian.

She looked back at him. He was looking at his shoes when he asked the question. Talia didn't answer until her lack of response made him look up. She looked him in the eyes.

"If I knew, I promise you, he'd be dead already."

She looked back ahead and they walked in silence for a while.

"How old were you?" Cairo asked.