Chapter 49

"We can't trust him! He has to go!" Malrick exclaimed as his harsh eyes bored into Emeric. The young rogue was standing in front of the council, similar to the way Nedes had stood before them the previous day.

Emeric lowered his eyes, so far things weren't looking good for him. Most of the council agreed that he should leave, but there were others who were taking Rayhan into consideration. They knew that he would take a toll if he lost his son once more.

Rayhan stayed quiet while the council members discussed all the possible repercussions that Emeric could face. He knew that they all respected him enough to do whatever he told them to do. So if he told them that Emeric was staying, none of them would argue with him, but before he did such a thing, he wanted to hear everyone's opinions. His hope was growing dimmer as he heard that most of the men were against Emeric staying.

He watched Emeric through his peripheral vision, however, his son hid any emotion that he could have been feeling. His face was an emotionless mask as he listened to what the councilmen thought of him.

"I'm with Malrick." said another councilmember. Three others nodded agreement. Radclyf shook his head, "No, I agree that what he did was unacceptable, but we can't let him go either. Who knows, he might decide to turn against us completely and give the Elites all the information they need to take us down." Rayhan looked at Radclyf in mild disbelief. Did he really think that lowly of Emeric? Radclyf met Rayhan's eyes. He winked. The meaning was all to clear. Everything he was saying was to make sure that Emeric would stay...For Rayhan's behalf.

Malrick frowned at Radclyf, "So what are you saying? Are we supposed to just keep him as a prisoner?" After a few seconds of silence, Hunter spoke. "We could always just kill him. Just like that, problem solved." His words sounded bored. Every eye in the room turned to him in shock. Both Rayhan and Emeric's eyes reflected total horror and disbelief. "What?" Rayhan asked as a controlled rage came over him. He had expected the words to be uttered at some point, but not for a second had he thought Hunter would be the one to say them.

Hunter grinned gleefully as he held up his hands in surrender, "I was just joking. I mean come on. Since when do we kick someone out after they make one mistake?" He ended on a more serious tone of voice. Some of the other members nodded agreement.

"Well, no one else who we've kicked out has ever threatened the safety of the entire settlement." Malrick added. Once more grunts of agreement spread through the room. "True," Hunter said, "But, has he really put us all in jeopardy, I mean, he claims to know that Nedes fellow. If Emeric says he won't spill the word, don't you guys think we should at least give him the benefit of the doubt?"

The council members considered Hunter's words. Although he was the youngest among the members, his insight had been valuable on many previous cases. They listened when he spoke.

When Hunter didn't get a reply he took it as a sign to continue. "Have any of you considered that Emeric has more experience about life in captivity than any of us? He spent years in the Dome. Needless to say, with the escaped prisoner. So, neither of them would risk doing something that could put them back in that predicament. If Emeric saw Nedes as a risk of being caught again, he wouldn't have let him go. And Nedes will also avoid being recaptured, so he wouldn't risk going anywhere near the authorities..." The council members understood Hunter's reasoning.

Emeric felt an immense appreciation towards his cousin. Hunter had every reason to be as mad at Emeric as the rest of the councilmen, yet here he was, seeking every last bit of information to try and clear Emeric's name.

The members turned to Rayhan. They had all spoken their minds, now it was up to him to make the final decision. Rayhan steepled his fingers on the table as he considered his options. "I think he should take a timed leave." Rayhan announced. Emeric frowned slightly at his father's words. He wasn't sure what Rayhan meant. The others also seemed confused.

"I received information on another destination of an Etreshian in Scoalgeoc. I'll be leaving in a few says on a rescue mission. Emeric will be coming with. That way I'll be able to get a chance to judge his character and decide if he's a risk or not." The council members nodded understanding. If they had complaints about Rayhan's decision, none of them voiced them.

Emeric turned a surprised look towards his father. He couldn't help the smile that spread out over his face. A rescue mission with his father didn't sound bad at all.

"Alright then, if we're done here, I have to start preparations for the mission. If anyone has something to say, now's your chance." The council shared looks between each other and one by one they all shook their heads. Rayhan nodded, "Good."

With that said, everyone left the council room, leaving Emeric alone. He sighed with relief and also made his way to the door. He let out a whelp of surprise when he walked into Hunter. The young Etreshian laughed good humoredly at Emeric's moment of clumsiness. "Careful, or someone might just charge you with assault." Hunter commented playfully. Emeric grinned. "Wouldn't that just be great. It would fit it perfectly with my rap sheet."

Emeric met Hunter's gaze, "Thanks for what you did in there. I really appreciate it." Hunter grinned, "Well, that's what family does."

"Though," Emeric added, "You gave me a mild heart attack when you mentioned execution." Hunter laughed wholeheartedly at this, "You should have seen your father's face." He commented. "You know I was simply trying to ease the mood. Everybody looked as if they were discussing the rituals of a funeral."

Emeric laughed at that, "Well, at moments it felt as it Malrick was secretly planning mine." Hunter grinned as he headed down the cabin's steps, "Nah, he's always like that. He actually went quite easy on you in there. I think they were all scared to say too much considering who your father is." Emeric followed Hunter.

"Oh, but why so. He arranged the meet after all." Hunter lowered his gaze as he thought of past times, "You should have seen Rayhan when he first started this rebellion. He couldn't stop talking about you. He kept going on about how his time was running out, that he had to rescue you soon because you wouldn't last in there." Emeric knew what Hunter as referring to. He stayed quiet, allowing Hunter to continue.

"When he went to Deepdale on the rescue mission and it ended up that you weren't there..." He let the sentence hang as more memories came to mind, "Rayhan thought you were dead and he nearly gave up on his own life. He totally changed. He became grim and almost...uncaring. He was just about ready to give up on everything. He told us that without you he didn't have a reason to live, to continue building the rebellion." Hunter sighed, "That's why no one really wanted to speak their minds in the council room. They all know that Rayhan wouldn't make it if they decided to kick you out. Rayhan would most likely leave with you...and this rebellion is nothing without him as our Chief."

Emeric lowered his eyes at the news. He was hit with a truckload of guilt for putting his father in such a situation. "Does he really care that much about me?" he asked, half shocked. Since he had been reunited with his father, Rayhan hadn't shown his emotions to Emeric like in the past. He had thought that their relationship had died when they had been separated.

Hunter met Emeric's eyes, "I know he doesn't show his emotions easily, but when he recognised you that day when we got back, something changed in him. He became his old self again. He's been joking with me none stop, just like old times." Hunter smiled almost sadly, " When we're on missions he can't stop talking about all the good times with you before you were captured. You're the only thing he finds pride in. You're his son Emeric. He doesn't care about anything in the world more than you."

Emeric lowered his head. He felt ashamed for thinking that his father didn't care about him. She swore to himself that he'd make up for the trouble he had caused his father.

Hunter left Emeric with his thoughts as he went to prepare for the mission. Emeric slowly paced to his cabin to start packing for the trip that lay ahead. Emeric smiled when he spotted Kedo, still sound asleep in his bed. It was already midmorning. Emeric wondered how the kid had slept through all the commotion earlier.

Emeric lightly put a hand on Kedo's shoulder. The young Etreshian groaned and pulled the blanket over his head. This drew a grin from Emeric. "Get up Squirt, the day's almost over." Kedo grumpily pulled the blanket off of his head. His black hair was a tousled mess and hang over his eyes in a way that announced that he just woke up.

Emeric grinned at him. As he took out a rucksack and started packing for the rescue mission. Kedo frowned, "Where are you going?" He asked curiously. "It's a long story, but to put things bluntly, I'm going on a rescue mission with my father."

Kedo frowned in thought, "And if you put it less bluntly?" Kedo had a curious nature and always wanted to know exactly what was going on. Emeric sighed reluctantly, "I'm getting kicked out of the camp for a while because I helped Nedes escape...That's why I have to go on the rescue mission." Kedo looked at Emeric in shock. "Getting kicked out!" He exclaimed after a while. "Only while I'm on the rescue mission, so technically I'm not getting kicked out. I'm just taking leave of absence...On a mission."

"I knew you were going to do something wrong." Kedo commented. Emeric watched him with a level eye, "Then why didn't you try and stop me, or tell someone that I was planning something?" Kedo smiled kindly, "Because I would never do something against you, considering everything you've done to protect me."

Emeric ruffled Kedo's messy hair, "At least I know I can always count on you Squirt." Kedo grinned. He remembered everything Emeric had ever done for him. He felt guilty when he remembered all the pain Emeric had suffered just to protect him. The least he could do was stay by Emeric's side.

Emeric raised a knuckle to the door of his father's cabin. He hesitated a second before knocking. He remembered everything Hunter had told him earlier. He rapped his knuckles against the door three times then waited for a reply. Rayhan's voice came swiftly, "Come in." It called invitingly.

Emeric entered the spacious cabin and silently closed the door. Rayhan smiled faintly when he saw that it was his son. "I have to say, I expected the council meeting to go much worse, don't you think?"

Emeric grinned in reply, "Going on a rescue mission with you wasn't quite what I was expecting, but I'm not going to complain." Emeric spoke softly, as if he was treading on thin ice. Rayhan noticed his son's demeanor. However, before he could question Emeric about it, the young Rogue spoke.

"I just wanted to come and say...thank you." Emeric's eyes reflected with all the emotions he felt and Rayhan was touched by what he saw in his son's eyes. "What for?" Rayhan asked as he stuffed flint and steel into his rucksack.

Emeric walked closer, "For...Everything. For all the hours of training, all the jokes, for always protecting me and for trying to rescue me at the Dome even of it put your life at risk." As Emeric spoke he felt his throat close. He realized that this was the first time he had ever thanked his father. He wanted to kick himself for it, considering what effort Rayhan had put into his training and the length he had gone to, to rescue Emeric.

"You don't need to thank me Emeric." Rayhan said as he placed a hand on Emeric's shoulder. "I did all of that because it was my greatest desire. It was never a burden. It's the greatest privilege as a father to have been able to spend all that time with you." Emeric smiled softly as he tried controlling his emotions.

"I'm sorry." He said after a few seconds. Rayhan shook his head, "No Emeric, you're not going to apologize to me. I don't care what it's about, but you're not going to." Rayhan's words rang with finality. Emeric shook his head, "But I didn't try hard enough. I could have tried harder that day, we could have gotten away. All those years apart...the suffering...We could have avoided everything."

Rayhan frowned deeply. He strangely felt anger at Emeric's words. "Emeric, listen to me carefully, what you managed to do that day was more than anyone could have hoped for considering the situation. Those men were monsters to do what they did. You can't blame yourself for anything that happened." Emeric sighed audibly.

"Alright." He said after a while, and for the first time he accepted that there wasn't anything he could have done...He decided to move on.

"So," Rayhan spoke, "Are you ready to go on your first mission?" Emeric looked up at the change of topics. "I actually wanted to come speak to you about that."

Rayhan gazed at Emeric curiously, "Yes?"

"I was wondering if we can make another stop while we're in Scoalgeoc. There's another person who needs our help." Rayhan frowned curiously, "Is that so?"

Emeric nodded, "She's not really Etreshian, but most people claim that her father was a Rogue. Because of that she's a prisoner of the Dome...Almost just as much as I was."

Rayhan shot Emeric a sidelong glance, "A girl?" he said in a teasing manner. "Oh shut it." Emeric said and playfully punched Rayhan's shoulder. "She must have left quite the impression on you if you're willing to go back to the Dome for her."

Emeric smiled, "I got out once, I can do it again...Besides, I'm not planning on getting caught."

Rayhan raised an eyebrow, "Planning? Just be careful, as far as I know, planning takes quite a lot of thinking. I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

Emeric tried his best, but he couldn't hold back a chuckle. 'Just like old times.' he thought. He did his best to think of a come back, but he was out of practice and couldn't come up with any insult to through back at his father.

Rayhan smiled triumphantly, "No come back? Come on Emeric, you used to be better in this than I am." Emeric put on a stoic face, "I'll allow you to win this one time, but beware, next time I'll come at you with no mercy."

Rayhan nodded, but the amused grin was still plastered on his face, "Are you sure she'll want to come with us. The plan is to go back to Etresh after all."

Emeric lowered his gaze, "I'm not sure, but the least I can do is give her the option...You see, I owe her my life, on multiple occasions."

"How so? I thought that there weren't women in Domes." Rayhan voiced his thoughts.

"She's a medic. And as a Domer I had quite a lot of visits to her. She saved me after my chain was sabotaged once...It was brutal."

"What happened?" Rayhan asked, his concern for his son suddenly soaring sky high. Emeric pulled his shirt aside to reveal the large scar on his shoulder. Rayhan could only imagine what a horrid wound it had been.

"I also broke an arm," Emeric showed the bump on his lower arm where the bone had set in an awkward angle, "And I also had a wound on my back similar to my shoulder. Hyatt, the Dome keeper from Deepdale, my previous owner, had acted on his own will to ensure his Domer's victory. I hadn't been able to get off of the chain..." Emeric's voice trailed off as he remembered the pain of that day.

"Aire said that my heart stopped while she was treating my wounds. Somehow it started back up again, but no one can explain how or why," Emeric paused for a few seconds, "You saved me that day, Dad."

Rayhan frowned, "Me?" Emeric nodded, "Yeah, you cam to me in a dark void. I guess I was busy dying, but you convinced me to keep fighting. I believe that's what started my heart up again. Without you, I would have given up...I would have died."

Rayhan had turned pale. His son's suffering had become all to real all of a sudden. "So, Aire, is that her name, the girl you want to save?" Emeric nodded, "Yes. After the injury we got quite, close. I just want to repay her for everything she's done for me."

Rayhan could see that Emeric cared for Aire. He decided that he'd do anything to help Emeric save her.

Rayhan's curiosity was caught however. After Emeric's return, he hadn't opened up about events in the Dome. He'd given an over view, but never any details.

"I'd love to know more about this maiden of yours." Rayhan commented, trying to pry into Emeric's past.

Emeric sat down on Rayhan's bed. Now that he knew their bond was still there he found it easier to talk to his father. With a sigh, Emeric started telling Rayhan of his life in the Dome, from the second he got there till the moment of his escape. As Rayhan listened to the gruesome tale, he wondered how his son had survived through all of the trials he described.

The son Rayhan remembered had been too soft to kill for food. The person Emeric described now was a total stranger, yet Rayhan saw where Emeric's empathy came from. After all the horrors he had faced in the kill ring, Rayhan understood why Emeric would want to save anyone who needed it. It was his form of redemption for what he had been forced to do.

When they had been reunited, Rayhan had seen the difference in Emeric. He hadn't been sure how to treat Emeric anymore. He had been afraid that the distance between them would be permanent, however now he knew that they were as close as ever. And his pride in his son had grown tenfold.

Not just anyone could go through what Emeric had been through and come out sane. Emeric was surely a son to be proud of!