To Break A Curse

Chapter 15

After reviewing the events of the past week, Handor leans back in his chair and crosses his arms. "So, it's all gone then?" he asks somberly. "Everyone's gone?"

"Yes... has no one told you?" I ask quietly.

"Who would have told him, everyone's dead," Fale responds sympathetically.

Looking down at my hands clasped in my lap, my fingernails squeeze into my palms as I relive that day. "Where were you?" I whisper. "Where were the Vandari when we needed them?"

"I am truly sorry," Handor says. "We should have been there. We received a message we thought was from Valas Miran saying several villages along the border were being attacked by Kiri, and that we were to send reinforcements immediately. What we did not know was that the message was a decoy from a mole in the Vandari to distract us from what they were actually doing— raiding villages deep within Tsvera while we thought they were near the border. I sent a warrior to every Askiran village after we realized what happened, but only five returned from the villages near the border. The mole escaped before we could question him." He looks at Fale. "Before we found out, I had a gut feeling something was wrong, and I thought it was foolish to leave the village completely defenseless, so I told you to meet me there. You were the only one I could trust, and I didn't want to raise suspicion or alarm by sending an entire army, or by going there myself. And besides, if they really were attacking, we'd need every man at the border. I thought I was just being paranoid and that you would come back after a few days, complaining about a wasted trip. I had no idea you wouldn't even make it there. I made a mistake in not trusting my senses. It will not happen again."

After a few moments of silence, Fale speaks up. "We need a plan, a fool-proof plan to stop them for good, and the only way to do that is to kill the Kirin King, Balek. He's the one behind the raids and grows more violent every day. Even his own people are turning against him."

"And how do you know this," Handor asks.

"Bo used to be Kiri," he says, nodding toward Bo.

"Aye, I was before they killed my family. Before he killed my family."

"I believe you," Handor says to him. "But I agree with Fale, we need a strategic plan for this to work, we can't just march into Turin... Turin is where the king resides, yes?"

"Mhm," Bo grunts in assurance. "I would be easily recognized and shot before I could even make it through the gate. We need a way to get into the city without drawing attention."

"Yes, and you are the only one who's been inside Turin, so we're counting on you to guide us," Fale directs at Bo.

"Aye," he says, thinking. "I reckon we'd need a small group. Maybe six or so. Besides the warriors, it's rare for a large group to enter the city. Everyone's tryin' to leave it."

"Good point," Fale says. "How do we enter? Are there any other entry points besides the main gate?"

"Unfortunately not. The gate is the only way in and out." Bo taps his fingers on the surface of the table. "There are still a fair number of Askirans living there because they never had a chance to escape after the invasion. Most of them are servants, well slaves 'cause they hardly get paid and often work in the fields outside of the city. If you were to dress up as servants, you could get past the gates with no problem. They probably wouldn't even spare you a second glance. Illya and I on the other hand might be a bit more tricky."

Handor turns to Bo. "How attached are you to your beard?"

"Uh," he chuckles, stroking through the tangles of red falling down to his stomach. "Well, I've had one since I could start growin' them, but I can see what you're tryin' to say. If I were to shave it all off, no one would recognize me. I could easily act as a servant's master takin' you lot in from the fields."

"Exactly. Do you think you can do that?"