A Country Falls (Greatest Thief 3)

Bonus - Just Past Hoask

During Chapter Sixteen

It was midday, two days past the city of Hoask, when I had a moment alone with my brother. We were never truly alone, but it was as alone as we could be while surrounded by our own knights. Our horses kept pace with each other under the hot desert sun. The only thing that had made the desert tolerable were the winds that came off of the ocean. The winds were cool and kept the dust from thousands of feet and hooves down. And at night, when we set up camps and the wind blew over the shoreline, I could almost imagine I was home. The salty sea air smelled the same.

Today was not one of those nights. Instead, the air was still and the sky was cloudless. We had already accepted that we would need to halt our march much earlier in the day than originally planned. We couldn't have half the army weakened by dehydration and sunstroke.

But now wasn't the time to worry about when we would stop. It was time to enjoy Tandrin's proximity. Neither of us were wearing our best armour—it was far too heavy and hot. Our armour was being carried by pack mules not too far off. Still, Tandrin had managed to look regal. His tunic was as clean as possible given the dusty air. In Hoask, he had taken the time to have his hair and beard trimmed so that he looked presentable. Tandrin putting in effort to look good was comforting, in a way. I knew that part of it was for show, so the soldiers would see him as a pristine leader. A symbol they could rally behind. Someone worth their loyalty. It was all part of the infuriating game that was leadership and politics. But I found Tandrin's attempt comforting for a different reason. Simply because it was something he had always done. A habit that made him feel like my brother.

"Tandrin," I spoke up. "Do you—"

"—ever wonder what's going to happen after the war?" Tandrin gave me a tired smile. "Did I guess right?"

"More or less," I admitted.

"I'm finding it increasingly harder to think about what's going to happen after the war." Tandrin's answer was surprisingly honest. Not a hint of his typical diplomatic angle. "I'm not losing confidence in our people, mind you. It's just very painful to think about Meranda when she's so far away. And in her condition. I should be there with her, in case she needs me. Instead, I'm anxiously waiting for letters to know if she's all right. And even when I read one of those letters, I know they're weeks out of date."

"That's exactly how they all feel about letters from us."

Tandrin nodded. "I know. I suppose I wasn't prepared to be the one off fighting and simultaneously be the one waiting for letters. At least you know he's safe."

Knowing Finn was safe didn't stop me from thinking about him, or wanting him nearby. "He loves sunsets. He likes watching them from my window, or climbing onto the roof. Every evening, if I'm still awake to see it, I think about how much he would love watching the sun set over the sand."

"It is beautiful," Tandrin agreed. "Odd that he likes them so much, considering how terrible the view from Zianna is."

I smiled. "I think that's why he loves them so much. There was a day in Zianna, back when we first met, that he convinced me to climb on top of one of the buildings in the Order and watch one with him. It was pretty." I chuckled at the memory. "It was just another thing that made me realize something was off about him. He talked about how much he loved watching sunsets 'at home' and then he showed me what they're like in Zianna. It didn't make sense to be so enamoured by Zianna's sunset if he had seen proper ones."

"Is that when you knew?"

Tandrin's question was vague, but I knew exactly what he meant. "No. That part was more confusing. It wasn't until he reappeared after four years that I let myself even start to think about what I was feeling. And even then, it wasn't—"