The Dreaming Land

Chapter 22: Trust

High above the city, at the very peak of Fort Zalain, Orius found Imara sitting on the rooftop. It had grown dark out, and bellow them the city was illuminated by thousands of lanterns and torches. The streets still bustling with people, the clamour reaching them from all the way down bellow. Getting up to where she was with only one good arm wasn't easy, but he'd found a way.

To the west, on the edge of the Scarred Lands, the rippling, sandy landscape of the Shattered Dunes reached out to the lip of the horizon. Orius could swear that he could see the reddish glow of the Molten Plateau's magma pools beyond them. Past those were the dreaming mountains. They were so close, yet so far. Looking east, he could see all the way back to the Benitian Mountain range, just barely peaking above the horizon line.

Somewhere beyond that, Gigas City sat nestled in its little bay, overlooking the sea. King Harrier the eighth would be sitting at his dinner table, dreaming of whatever it was kings dreamed of, wondering when his headhunters would return with his shard. He'd never have it, though. The shard belong to a new king, now. Him. Imara had hoped to steal it from him, and while he couldn't let her do that, he understood why she wanted it so badly.

She must have known he was there, standing behind her, but she didn't say anything. He sat down beside her, and she still didn't move or look at him. The trails of tears on her cheeks, still wet, gleamed in the lantern light from the city below. Sighing, Orius looked up at the star speckled sky above them.

"I get it." He said.

"No you don't..." She whispered.

"Yes." He said sternly, "I do. Your family means everything to you, and you'd do anything to save them. To free your family and rid them of their debt, that's your dream, and to make that come true is your goal. That's your mission."

She said nothing.

"Still," He shook his head, "I was confused about something. If you're really willing to kill me, why not do it sooner? I mean, you'd lose the help of Quintir and Misha in the process, but realizing that made me realize something about this. You're growing attached to us, we're your friends now."

She said nothing, still.

"I think that's why you didn't kill Reiner, too." Orius said, "You don't want to kill anyone. You didn't even want to kill Kazimir, and even though you did, it's still eating at you. I think that's why you've been sleeping so poorly since we left Belle Fonte."

"You noticed...?" She murmured, glancing at him.

"A thief learns to sleep lightly." Orius said, "My point is, a human life means more than anything to you. You only killed Kazimir out of rage, not for your mission. When Reiner got the upper hand, your only option was to hill him, or trust that I could. You were willing to sacrifice yourself if it meant that it might save your friends. We mean something to you, something you feel the need to protect.

Orius laugh for a moment, then sighed, "I don't think you could kill me if y-"

Within the blink of an eye, Imara's dagger was poised next to Orius' throat. Silently, he held himself as still as possible. He could feel Imara's gaze burning holes into the side of his head, as a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. She was breathing heavily, but her hand didn't tremble. One quick movement was all it would take, and the shard was hers, but she didn't move.

"You don't think I could?" Imara asked, her voice barely a whisper, "You don't think I'd do whatever it takes to save my family? For too long, my clan has been bullied, oppressed, and deprived of basic human rights because of that monster of an emperor, and you don't think I'd kill you to end that? You don't know how wrong you are."