Cracks in the Shell

Chapter 19

Eyes had been on him for several days now, and Riyal knew it. He comforted himself in the knowledge that hope did not rest on his shoulders alone. Others were on his side now, and momentum was growing. Ginen would not be destroyed because of the corrupt laziness of a few. The seeds of hope had been planted. He stopped and broke away from his thoughts.

Where the hell am I?

Riyal didn’t recognize the alley he’d been wandering down. He realized then how rarely he left the council ward, how little he interacted with the people he governed anymore. The night air had a chill to it, and the last thing he wanted was to get lost, so he stopped to orient himself. In the quiet of the alley, he heard footsteps on the cobblestones. They had been waiting for this moment.

Riyal brandished the walking staff he kept hidden beneath his cloak. He gestured towards the shadows.

“Come out. I know you’re there.”  

The figures emerged slowly, men and women with cold, emotionless faces. 

“You betray this city,” he said to the gathering crowd. A dozen figures in dark robes now surrounded him. They blocked off any escape.

“Don’t lecture us,” one of them said. Riyal recognized the voice as that of the bald teacher who had served him breakfast that morning in Jell’s study. “You’ve spoken enough,” the teacher said. 

But Riyal would not be so easily silenced. He stared the teacher down. “Do you think you’re saving Ginen? Sacrificing the elderly, children —”

“We did what had to be done,” one of them cryptically.

“You betray all of Ginen,“ Riyal yelled, his fist shaking in anger. “You betray your ancestors, you betray the lwa.”

“It has nothing to do with the any of that,” came a familiar voice. Riyal spun around, in shock. He was so stunned by who he saw that he couldn’t speak. “This is about survival, Riyal. That’s all. I’m sorry you can’t see that.”

Riyal recognized this man but couldn’t believe it was really him. “You?…it can’t be.”

But the voice continued, “That expedition you sent could have started a war. It could have killed us all. But you’re fortunate; we’ve taken measures against them.”

Riyal finally found his voice and his eyes narrowed. “You can’t cut a deal with the baka. The devil never keeps his promises.”

“What choice do we have?”

Unexpectedly, Riyal smiled. “The lwa shall show us the way.”

“After all this, you still believe?”

“Yes, I have hope,” Riyal said.

“Hope is a dangerous thing.”

“Only for the baka —” A swift blow to the back of the head interrupted his speech. Riyal collapsed to his knees as the attacker moved in for the kill. 

“No, also for you, hope is a very dangerous thing,” the man said.

The club came down with a sickening crunch.