Page 145 of Seasons of War
The captain wouldn’t leave witnesses, not unless they were useful to him.
As soon as this part with Bale was over, Zayne and Ashantae would help Lance get out of here.
The Territories
The True Follower's Villa, Caspador
The old junker chugged away the moment Miya and Lance climbed out of it. They stood on a gravel road filled with potholes that ran through town. The houses scattered throughout the villages were built by the people who lived here, the lumber taken from the surrounding woods. Her mother had told her abouthow difficult trade was for the villages, and that they crafted everything they could for themselves.
Farmers worked incredibly hard, and that was especially true in these villages. Lance must have been used to long hours and exhausting labor. Those smoke breaks out by the shed probably felt like a vacation to him.
As she walked along the homes and the yards where children played or adults hung laundry, she caught pieces of conversations, murmurings of a stranger with Lance.
A boy and a girl dashed out the front of a nearby house, the boy a head taller than the girl. He sprinted to Lance and jumped in front of him.
“I scared you!” the boy said.
“Whoa,” Lance stepped back. “You really did.”
The girl caught up, looked at Miya, and stopped dead in her tracks. Then, she darted past her and skidded to a stop behind Lance.
“Charlotte,” Lance said. “I’ve brought a new friend for you to meet.”
“Hi,” Miya said. “Can we go now?”
“Give me one minute.” He knelt and glanced between the siblings. “I have something important to do. I promise I’ll say hello when I’m done. Run along now.”
The boy sprinted away, but his sister remained, her stare unwavering.
“Why is she watching me?” Miya asked. “You shouldn’t have told her I’d be her friend.”
The little girl tugged Lance's pant leg.
“What is it, Charlotte?”
Standing on her tiptoes, she cupped her hands around Lance’s ear and whispered something to him. He chuckled when he pulled back and said, “Okay. I’ll tell her.” Lance gave Miya a serious look. “She says you’re pretty.”
Miya shifted. “Tell the child… I say she’s pretty too.”
He motioned between Miya and the girl. “The messenger thing doesn’t go both ways. You just tell her. Haven’t you ever talked to a kid before?” He spoke to Charlotte now. “She says you’re pretty. It's her first time meeting a kid, so you’ll have to be patient with her. All right?”
Charlotte squealed with laughter.
When Lance stood back to face Miya, he whispered, “She also said we look good together.”
“Don’t get carried away, big guy.”
“I can’t help what she says.” He gave that half-grin of his. “She’s usually right. Smart kid.”
Charlotte crossed her arms. “I didn’t even say that.”
These were just more people for the captain to hurt when he tied up his loose ends. Miya needed to get the kids out too. Whoever else Lance loved.
“Go find your brother.” He nudged Charlotte until she skipped down the road with her skirt balled up in her hands. “Follow me.” Lance walked ahead of Miya and cut across the center of town for the stone cathedral.
Apart from a few brick houses and a large building that Miya knew functioned for a variety of needs, from medicine to storage, nothing in the village compared to the cathedral. It screamed its importance, promising itself and Bale's power as a priority above the people.
Lance stopped at a side door to the only two-story structure in town. “Bale will call on us when he’s ready. And believe me, it won’t take too long.”
