Never Yours ✔️

Ch. 45

 "You've come up with some interesting proposals." Arysa murmured.

She rested her elbow on the table made of barrels and a single wooden board, her hand cupping her chin.

"I'm just not sure it's enough."

Around her sat a mismatched group of ragged townsfolk, from a merchant barely scraping by to a former high-class mother, class did not matter anymore. These were the people who stepped up when the city needed them. These were the peoples' leaders.

Avar Greenriver exhaled in frustration. "We're running out of ideas, Lady. But we're not going to sacrifice some for the 'greater good'."

Her head lifted, sharp eyes landing on his. "Do you want your children to survive, Greenriver? Or would you rather they die out with the rest of us? Because that's what's going to happen if this famine lasts much longer."

Avar looked away.

Cara Rainstone paced back and forth across the room, her self-sown gown of patched fabric sweeping across the dusty floors.

"There has to be some other way." She always spoke with soft, melodic tones, one of the only remnants of her upper class former life.

"There isn't." Arysa said. "If there was, I would have done it."

Javys Feathercloud ran his dirt-stained fingers through his hair. "What if we send someone to Saura to collect replantables from their dry season crops?"

"Hoping there's even any crops left after the enemy razed them all." Hana Greysun scoffed.

"It's too dangerous anyway." Arysa murmured. "Only a large, armed group could hope to survive such a journey and we cannot spare any soldiers with the enemy so close."

"Spare the soldiers." Avar snapped. "I'd rather be cut down than starve."

Arysa pressed her lips together.

"I agree with Avar." Cara settled down at the table, placing her hands delicately atop it.

Arysa rubbed at her forehead. "You realize this could ensure all of our deaths? If we lose those soldiers and the enemy reaches this city, we will not hold out long. And the crops will have no way of getting back to us."

"How much longer can we hold them off?" Javys lifted his head, heavy but hard eyes piercing through hers.

"Five weeks, probably less."

"That's enough time to get to Saura and back." Javys concluded. "If we move fast and don't stop."

"And if it's not?" Hana lowered her head into her hands.

"Then we die." Avar pressed his lips tight together. "But if we don't do this, we're all going to die anyway."

"Not if you all agree to this proclamation–"

"That's not an option, Lady Arysa." Cara shook her head as she tucked her frizzy curls back into the pin holding them out of her eyes.

Arysa sighed. "Then we vote." She locked eyes with each of them. "All in favor of going to Saura?"

Avar's hand lifted, and after a moment, so did Cara's. Rames Coldfern, who'd been sitting silently in the corner, content to merely listen, raised his hand. Javys followed. Hana's stayed down.

"Hana," Javys murmured. "We need full agreement."

"I'm just not sure." She exhaled. "What if Lady Arysa's right? What if this will guarantee our fall? We can still save the children–"