A Tale of Traitors

Lost Memories: Rescue Mission

          "Is your source trustworthy?" Adresin's voice echoed doubtfully in her ear through the Bluetooth device they were using to communicate.
"Yes, of course," Willow rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't have brought you here if I wasn't absolutely sure there would be kids waiting."
"So far, no sign of anyone. What time is the deal going down?" He grunted.
"Probably within the next two hours."
"Why couldn't you come alone?" He chuckled. "You could beat up a couple guys by yourself."
"Yes, I could," Willow responded, with a slight smile that she knew he couldn't see from where he hid in the bushes across the clearing. "However, I have a feeling that this one is close to their home base. We're going to let the deal take place, and then you're going to free the kids in another mile or two."
"Sure. What will you be doing?"
"I'm going to follow the second vehicle. According to my source, there are no more shipments after this and the goons will be going straight back to where they came from. I'm thinking that if I can sneak in, I can report back to you what I'm seeing and all that."
"How are you getting out?" He responded skeptically.
"I'll hitch a ride with the morning shipment. Then, I'll already be there when you guys strike."
"Sounds like a plan. Be careful," Adresin responded.
"Always am." Willow examined the engravings on the bow she held in her hand.
         It had always bothered her how early kids needed to prepare for war. In the largest Elvish cities, Gwend and Mereleda, thousands of children disappeared annually. Every case was different. For those in the upper four tribes, the brightest and strongest children got "invited" to join a court of elites, where they would be brainwashed into living their lives as slaves to Tormod. However, some children were not lucky enough to be notified when their life was going to change. The children from tribes five through twelve were kidnapped when their parents weren't watching. The kidnappers were usually appointed by Tormod, and they lay in wait like lions stalking prey. These kids were forcibly removed from their families and then taken to one of Tormod's many underground bunkers, where they would be trained and brainwashed. They would do anything he said, no matter how ridiculous and cruel. As a girl, she had seen her brother get "invited" to this elite club, and watched her parents shower him with pride and partying in their excitement of his selection. She wondered what had become of him. Willow recalled another time when she had heard that two of her childhood friends, twin sisters who had both been selected, were ordered to fight until the death. The older sister ruthlessly slaughtered the other one, and was not rewarded for her actions. She simply lived to kill another day. The stories Willow heard made her heart roar and bubble over with raw emotions. There were too many feelings for her to keep track of, so she had decided long ago that she would learn to control them. There was no use in crying or despairing, for each day was filled to the brim with discoveries of sins new and old. She had realized that nothing is as it seems, and that even those who seem perfect are not. No one is completely innocent. No one is completely good. She had begun to believe the worst about her kind, and about all kinds of life. She couldn't trust anyone, and she knew this; she also knew that she desired a companion, someone to talk to when her days were filled with too many burdens. The rebellion rested on her slender shoulders, and any mistake from her would not be taken lightly. It was up to her to be the perfect role model and warrior, a defender of all in her realm. The war would soon begin between realms, she was sure, and she would probably be the leader of this, too. She sighed as she pondered the next step.
          She was getting tangled in her terrifying thoughts of the future, and she realized she needed to focus on the task at hand. There would be two armed vehicles, one of which would be carrying ten children and teenagers. Exterminators would shove the kids from one vehicle into the other, which would arrive from the opposite end of the trail. Then, the original car would go back to wherever it came from, and the new car, which held the kids, would head off to Tormod's nearest bunker. She could assume that a few of those teenagers did not desire saving, as they had been invited to the court of their beloved king. She did not wish to force these children into living with her, but she equally appalled the idea of them waltzing blindly into his control. She glared out at the open field from the tree she had climbed earlier. She was perfectly cloaked in the deep green leaves, which glittered and sparkled in the silky moonlight. The trail was clear and perfectly straight between the trees, and the clearing was coated in violet, gold, and maroon flowers which danced slowly in the gentle wind. The night was incredibly warm, but the breeze was just enough to relieve her for a moment or two until it disappeared. It was in the night that one could almost hear the realms opening to each other, as if Tormod's spell was broken for an instant and everything was back to how it was. Willow thought she could hear the rabid call of werewolves in the distance,  and the alluring call of Sirens perched upon their rocks. Mumbles of lost spells and songs of enchantresses seemed to penetrate the air and fill her imagination to the brim. She sighed and opened her eyes to the reality that what she was hearing was merely wild animals in the distance, and the sounds of late-night parties  whose attendants sang popular songs of love lost or hope restored--sometimes, the tunes of the two were indistinguishable. She longed to witness the freedom and unity she relentlessly fought for, but in her heart she recognized that the fight may never end. Perhaps hopeless peoples would always resist their tyrannical oppressors. Perhaps the struggle would never end. Freedom is always worth the fight, she reminded herself.
          Crouching within the bushes under the shade of the enormous trees, Adresin contemplated striking up another conversation with his companion. He wasn't concerned about her discovering his secret, as she would have no way of knowing that Tormod was his father. She would have no way of knowing that his purpose in infiltrating her weak group was to bring down her pathetic rebellion. Best of all, she had no idea that he was the most skilled assassin this universe had ever seen. He was an excellent actor, and he recognized how his facade of righteousness had caught her eye. She admired his courage and skill, and he made sure she noticed how noble of a man he was. Willow trusted no one, especially fools, and this was something he quickly discovered. He hoped she would have told him more about herself, really about anything, but she had made it known she would not open up to him. Not about the scars he had noticed while she cleaned her weapons, not about the abused children she attempted--but could not--save, not about her brother, whom Adresin knew Tormod had recruited. He understood it would be too risky to mention her brother, as he had no explanation for knowing this fragile detail about her family life. He figured it would be safe to ask about the kids who had died in her fight for their lives, but he was nervous to ruin whatever trust she had placed in him thus far. She had asked him to come along with her for a task she completed alone at least once a week, with the exception of the new plan she had evidently not disclosed to anyone else. She had really decided to track the vehicle back to where it had come from, and come to an enemy for aid. He almost chuckled out loud to himself at how neatly his plan was falling into place. A wide grin was strapped to his face, but then there was a pang of another emotion. Something that stifled his laugh. Something that caused him to worry and doubt in himself. Something that caused him to think again.
"Adresin," Willow said quietly, "the shipment has arrived."