Divine Move

TWENTY NINE

"I am honoured for the trust you are giving me credit for," Tanya says at last. If her dreams can save a race, she will do her best.

"Any news on your brother and mother?" Tanya suddenly remembers. Ayame shakes her head. She lets her brother walk in the field, she sees Rottip stand and join the boy.

"Can you try to dream of them too?" Ayame asks softly. Tanya has never tried to manipulate her dream. Her yearning for Yangcha might have triggered it. Maybe it is possible.

"I will try. But I am not giving false hopes," she tells them all. The Neanthals nod. After some time everyone settled for the night.

"Goodnight Tanya," Yangcha looks at her. He wanted to stay with her but it was not the time to expose their relationship. She nods at him then goes inside the hut.

Inside Ayame's little brother walks toward Tanya and touches her dress, smoothing it with his palms in fascination.

"He really likes you," Ayame says amazed. "Come on Riku, Tanya Niruha is tired. Bedtime for you too," she says carrying him. He waves at Tanya. She smiles.

Tanya watches Ayame clean his face and arms then change his clothes and tuck him in bed. She hums a tune slowly tapping the child's side in regular rhythms. He falls fast asleep.

"You take such good care of him."

"It was my role as slave. We weren't allowed to choose our tasks. I was happy when they allowed me to take care of him. Yamato was cruel. His greed exceeds his love for family. He is willing to do anything," Ayame talks softly.

Tanya looks at Riku. What would he feel knowing his father's motives for having him? Or his father's cruelty to his mom and siblings. Life is not always a happy one. She thinks of all that has happened. Everybody has changed.

"What happened when we all got separated?" Tanya asks.

"Didn't Yangcha tell you?" Ayame replies surprised.

"I ah ... well ... we were uhm ... busy with other things," Tanya said looking elsewhere. Ayame laughs seeing Tanya's heated face.

"You don't have to hide it from me," she teases Tanya. She saw Tanya blush more.

"He was badly injured. Those assasins were relentless to catch you. They didn't even bother with us. Yamato's men were the one focused on me and Noonbyul." Noonbyul's sword skills were magnificent. She saved them from Yamato's men. Tanya's face paled at the news.

"Yangcha faced them and fought anyone trying to go past him. In the end they surrounded him to finish him off. We tried helping him, he took a lot of hits. Noonbyul took some of them but we were outnumbered. And Yangcha was trying to protect us too, so he was really busy. If Rottip and Yiseuroobeu didn't come, we would have been dead bodies," Ayame recalls. Tanya blinks as her eyes tear up.

"Any survivors?"

Ayame shakes her head. If the assasins were relentless so were the two Nenathals. They moved like the wind tearing bodies apart as they ran around. It was a sight to see such cold fury," Ayame shivers at the gory scene. If Noonbyul didn't tell her that they are allies she would have ran for safety. She wouldn't want to be on their bad side.

Tanya nods in understanding. The first time she saw the Nenathal in the arena was chilling. Tanya assumed they cleaned up to make sure no evidence of such scene happened.

"Yangcha lost a lot of blood. We had to hide him to recover before we start searching for you and Chaeeun. Noonbyul patched him up with some herbs. He was unconscious most of the time. When he was fully awake, Yiseuroobeu had to force him to eat liver for a good number of days," Ayame laughs at that.