"You have to tell him."
The group passed the checkpoint and were well on the way to returning home when Slavian leaned in close to Aelius and Senec. He briefly checked to be sure Kusatta wasn't listening in. Thankfully, she was too spooked by Aelius' little prank to notice and Nel wouldn't betray him with spilling it.
"Tell who what?" Aelius asked. The blind boy was being led by Slavian. A maneuver he orchestrated.
"Your father." Slavian looked at Senec as well. His gaze and tone left it unsaid exactly what he meant. "Both of you. You have to tell them everything."
The two boys paled in fright, understanding what he meant by 'everything'. Aelius may not have known about the weapon smuggling aspect, but they all knew 'who' Slavian was referring to.
"W-we can't do that!" Senec whispered. "Do you have any idea what will happen to us if dad knew what we did?"
"Do you know what will happen if we don't?" Slavian countered. "Because I don't! Its been barely a day and already the city is unrecognizable. I am new here, but is it normal for there to be checkpoints and security like this? We don't have anything like this in Ref!"
"No, its not normal. I've never seen this anywhere." Senec conceeded.
"And if its already done this, what is next?"
"Genocide." Aelius said darkly.
"You cannot be serious!" Senec exclaimed.
Kusatta looked back at them after Senec raised his voice, but Slavian pretended it was about a tall tale. She returned her attention ahead to the path they walked.
"Keep it down." Slavian hissed.
"Genocide? Are you kidding me?" Senec asked.
Aelius shook his head. "Remove the value of a people to no longer matter, then make them out to be the aggressors to those that do matter. I've heard the whispers. People want us all gone. People are afraid of us because of our numbers as much as we are afraid of them. Uncle Caius is making their fear real. How much will it take to make the whispers real?"
"Are you sure?" Slavian asked, skeptically.
"This wouldn't be the first time. I've seen it. The Kes did it first, after all." Aelius concluded. Slavian and Senec shared a worried glance.
"All the more reason you have to tell your father!" Slavian insisted. "He and Chicken-Scratch are working with Caius, and they have to know what they have gotten themselves into before its too late."
"I can't." Aelius replied, neutrally. "Neither will listen."
"You won't know unless you try!"
"What about your father?" Senec asked. "Aren't you a prince or something?"
"Prince?" Aelius asked, curious.
Slavian frowned at the thought. Senec pressed, "If anyone has the power to step in, its the Aeterna!"
"You're a prince of the Empire?" Aelius asked. "Truly?"
"I don't know how he will react." Slavian admitted. "Father was the one who made the decision for Kes to be conquered and enslaved to begin with. Caius may be operating under his orders."
Slavian was unsure how much to reveal or what to think. He knew too little about his own father to know how he would react. The only information he had to work from was abandonment, fighting, and recently unspoken promises as yet unfulfilled. While his newfound companions had lit hope and possibility in his heart, there had yet to be an established pattern to work from that could be considered positive. Slavian had no foundation under his feet.
YOU ARE READING
The Aeterna Empire
FantasiaIn the realm of Dyson, a Kes-Blood prince steps up to rally his people and allies against the incoming threat of the Aeterna Empire, forcing him to learn what it means to be king and what he must sacrifice to save his people and his world.
