Sacrifice

Chapter 40 - The Father

Judan paced the halls of the North Gate command building. He was looking for Captain Adir or one of his friends. But the offices and training areas were empty, and in frustration, he kicked the wall, ignoring the echo of the sound his boot made. He had just seen the news that Lady Kallistrate, Adir's girl, was to be executed tomorrow, so where was Adir?

Probably with his friends, plotting the Lady's escape, which is where Judan wanted to be, helping. He'd searched from the grounds to the top floor and found nothing. Suddenly, he straightened. There were storerooms in the basements. He ran to check them.

Judan could hear voices coming from one of the storerooms and hesitated near the door. Should he knock? Then a hand grabbed him from behind and forced him into the wall, he tried to kick back but went still when he heard Wirin's voice behind him.

"What the hell are you doing down here?"

Judan glared over his shoulder as best as he could. "I'm looking for Captain Doran," he hissed back.

Wirin grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and shoved him through the door. Silence fell, and the occupants of the room all stood, their hands on their weapons.

Wirin addressed Adir. "Kid wants to see you."

Adir just watched Judan and waited for an explanation.

"I want to help you rescue your Lady," Judan blurted out. "I know that's what you're planning down here. You wouldn't just leave her to die."

The room watched him silently for a second. Then Adir spoke. "You get involved in what we're doing, and you could end up dead and disgraced. The smart thing would be to leave now and forget you ever saw us."

Judan was already shaking his head.

"If not, you should know that as soon as you start to hear our plans we can't have you leave. If you don't want to take part, we'll keep you confined until they're over. But we can't risk having our plan uncovered."

Judan nodded. "I'm in."

Adir shoved a barrel towards Judan with his foot and nodded for him to sit. Wirin left, closing the door, and the occupants of the room returned to their seats.

"Let's get you up to speed on the plan." Adir told Judan softly. "It's a lot bigger then you think."

# # #

At what Kalli assumed was evening, there was no way to tell in her windowless cell, she was brought a cup of water and a soggy roll with a slice of meat. She hadn't eaten all day and even the ill prepared offering was tempting. But the guard didn't remove the gag so she could only partake of the water.

Kalli lifted the cup cautiously with her chained hands and let the water seep slowly into her mouth around the cloth gag. As the water was absorbed by the cloth, it let the filth free, bringing a bitter taste to her mouth. She choked on it; heaving against the gag as she tried to spit it out. As she struggled, the cup slipped free of her hands and hit the cell floor, wasting what was left of the precious water. With her thirst and her hunger untouched, she crept back to her bench to wait out the long dark night.

# # #

Kalli looked up as the door swung open again. This time it was not the Emperor. Rather it was her father who stepped into the damp cool cell.

Lord dir Liran turned to the guard who had let him in. "I'm paying you a hefty sum in order to speak to her, I can hardly do that when she's gagged."

The guard shrugged and motioned for Kalli to come to the bars of her cell. She did, though moving while chained was difficult.

"You have 10 minutes," the guard told her father and left the two of them alone.

Kalli flinched as her father grabbed her. "Do you have any idea what you've done to me?"

She was about to answer, then saw the tears in her father's eyes and was struck mute. He released her, and she staggered back.

"I was close, so close to having the respect due to me. My father and cousin would have been on their knees before me after you had wed the Crown Prince."

He slammed his fist against the cell door. Tears trickled down his cheeks, and a drop of blood ran down his knuckles.

"How could you do this to me?"

Kalli hesitated. How was she supposed to explain the feelings that she herself did not understand? Unbidden words, spoken by Herrin in Not a Hero when he stepped into the woods, came to her.

"I could go away from this place." Kalli said to her father.

Ignoring the look of confusion on his face, she pressed on and recited the words that she had read so many times but had not truly understood until now.

"I could be safe, sound of mind and whole in body for many long years. Most of these people don't know my face and those who do would quickly forget it if I left. I could find someone to love and have children and grandchildren. I could have a long, happy and fruitful life."

She paused.

"But every time I closed my eyes, I would see the faces of the people who were kind to me. I would also see the faces of those who were cruel to me or whom I passed by without the slightest impression. And I would know every time that I shut my eyes, every night that I laid my head on my pillow that I had failed these people. People with strengths and weaknesses like my own. For them I must not leave, even though I can."

Kalli's father stared at her for a moment. "I haven't the faintest idea what it is that you mean," he told her.

Kalli felt her heart sink. Her father, the man who had helped to bring her into the world, couldn't fathom what was within her heart and soul. He turned and left, and she didn't call out for him.

Kalli realized that whatever she might have once been to her father, she was now just an impediment.

# # #