🔥 The Path of Fire (Path of Light and Fire Book #1)(Completed) 🔥

Chapter 2.5: A Brother's Sacrifice

Leena looked up as the kid tried to make amends. Sabin's face was red with embarrassment and he stuttered words of "I didn't mean to" and "I'm sorry" in several permutations. Some part of Leena felt bad for him. He probably led a sheltered life. One where questions like 'how's your day?' were usually met with something like, 'the cow's in the barn and the milk's in the bottle' or something else suitably wholesome. Leena kept those thoughts to herself.

"No, it's okay," Leena said. "I had...have a brother, Terrick. Our father died fighting the Ugar at the border when I was still in my mom's belly he told me.

"Our mom meets an Acadian merchant, who partnered the grieving widow and brought us back to the port of Seris. Mother dies in childbirth when I was four and my brother was nine. Our new-father didn't hesitate to kick us out. Never found out if it was a baby brother or sister."

The kid looked ready to run out and fight this man who he never met and couldn't pick out in a crowd of two. Leena shook her head and continued. "With no other family in Acadia, we had no one to turn to, so we lived on the streets." She thought back, reliving the moments more than telling him.

************

Terrick was always looking for work, odd jobs that barely kept them from starving. While trying to pinch some fruit off of a stand, they ran into their savior. Handsome, fatherly, caring Alaken.

She'd slit his throat one day.

He was a member of Estala, a thief's guild. He drafted Terrick, seeing as how he always needed small children to perform tasks. They were the only game in town, teaching the street kids the tricks of the trade in return for a cut.

He took them in because he cared about the street kids, but mostly because he couldn't bear to separate the siblings.

They'd bought it all.

When Leena was old enough, he trained her as a second apprentice. However, Terrick was a prodigy. By the time he turned fifteen, Terrick had stolen enough to pay both his and her exit fees, and to make a decent life for the two of them. Alaken had mouthed words of support and understanding the entire time, all while planning his betrayal.

Ten years and she still remembered every detail.

Terrick specifically asked her to stay at home. He never had to ask her. Maybe he felt the betrayal coming. But he'd told her 'this is the last job Leena. I can't focus without knowing you're safe at home.' Poor stupid, loving Leena thought she could help. So she'd lied and followed him through the back alleys of Seris. She was better than Terrick thought.

It was the clearly the manor of some minor noble or middling merchant. Minor, because while the building towered above the other houses, there was no gate surrounding it, no visible sentries on watch. It was dark, abandoned and likely occupied by some shady figure. She watched as Terrick whipped a grappling hook to the roof, tugged and climbed. He'd left the hook, so it was clearly a time sensitive grift. I might as well use it too.

When she landed in the building, she ducked into the shadows as she was taught, searching for the familiar signs of movement. There was no sign of Terrick so she kept to the shadows and started in, hoping to catch up. She didn't get far before there was a knife at her throat.

"Angel?" It was Terrick's voice at barely more than a whisper. He slipped the knife back into his sleeve. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to help," she told him, defiantly, matching his volume.

"Something feels wrong," Terrick said, eyes darting back and forth. "I told you to stay at home."

"I said I'm here to help," she said with pride. "This is the last thing that you have to do. I want it to be over."