Chapter 56

Kedo's hair tickled his brow as the wind whispered through the woods. He was leaning against an old oak tree, watching his father from the hidden confines of the shadowy forest. Ariam was unaware of his son's presences as he waited for his guest.

It was late in the afternoon, as usual. Kedo tensed when he saw the shadowy figure appear from the opposite side of the clearing. He materialized out of the woods as if by magic...Just suddenly appearing in plain sight to an onlooking eye. The man wasn't alone. He was accompanied by three other men who flanked him. They purposefully walked a pace behind him, signifying who was in charge.

Kedo couldn't quite explain the emotion that wrenched at his heart. This wasn't the first time he had snuck out of home to spy on his father and his dark deeds. Those deeds which were supposed to remain hidden from Kedo, but little escaped the young boy's keen eyes and ears. The men brought up the unwanted emotions. Kedo, born in enemy lands had been warned of these men on dozens of occasions. Yet here, conversing with his father, they didn't appear as threatening as his parents had made them out to be.

They were Elites. The General's elected warriors. Their sole purpose was to hunt and kill any Rogue that they came upon. Kedo knew this because his older brother always took great care to tell tales of the evil Elite who would come to kill him in his sleep if they ever found him. His purpose for telling Kedo had never been to warn the younger brother of the danger, but rather to drive a fear into him that would haunt him when the darkest hour rose...

Now, standing at the edge of the woods, watching his father, a true Rogue, convers with the treacherous hunters, Kedo wondered why they didn't slay his father where he stood. Or why hadn't they raised a hand against him on all the previous meetings they've had.

Deep down he knew...Ariam was safe from these men because of what he did. What he would still do. This wasn't a unique occurrence. Kedo had watched the same event happen over and over again. He never had the guts to mention it to his mother or siblings. His sister would probably listen to him, the others wouldn't. But he couldn't speak up because he knew that he was different. Their deeds didn't haunt their dreams as they did him. However, Kedo couldn't let this go on. It wasn't right...

He watched in terror as Ariam signalled someone out of the woods behind him. Kedo's older brother, Zerret, came striding out, dragging a bound prisoner behind him.

At 18 years of age, Zerret was five years older than young Kedo. He seemed a giant against the juvenile Etreshian. Zerret had inherited their father's hard features. He was tall and too strong for his age. A true warrior in the making.

Kedo felt the color drain from his face as he watched Zerret roughly drop the prisoner in front of the Elite headman. Cart's evil smile was visible even over the distance. It sent a shiver through Kedo's bones. He watched fearfully as Cart ripped the bag off of the prisoner's head, revealing a tussle of black hair.

Kedo felt his stomach roil. It did each time he watched his father deliver another Rogue to the Elites. How many times had he seen the sick transaction take place? He had lost count...The Elites handed a pouch to Ariam who tested its weight with a satisfied grin. The men departed as quickly as they had come, escorting the struggling Rogue with them.

Kedo ducked behind a tree as his kin departed into the woods, returning to their large house. Kedo didn't want to go back...he didn't want to be a traitor like his father...Like his family. He didn't want to live with the shame...Not that it seemed to bother either Ariam or Zerret. They lived comfortably...All because Ariam sold Etreshians to the Elites.

It was there ticket to freedom. Keep providing the Elites with Rogues and they could continue to live in safety and freedom.

However, it was getting dark and Kedo knew his mother would start worrying if he stayed out late. The last thing he would want to do was have her worked up...She wasn't the type of mother who would cradle him asking where he had been. He would get the belt if he had her worried...He briskly jogged through the woods, weaving his way home. It didn't take long before the woods thinned and he saw their large double story house in the meadow.

That evening he excused himself early after dinner. He wanted to return to his room where he would be left alone with his thoughts. As he picked up his plate to take to the cleaning room, it slipped from his fingers and shattered on the floor, clay pieces littering the ground.

Kedo fearfully looked at Ariam only to be met with a furious glare form his father. All eyes at the table were turned to Kedo...His mother also seemed sourly displeased. "It seems your mind is occupied this evening, Kedo." Ariam spoke his name as if it was a vile curse. Kedo swallowed nervously, "No, sir." He replied softly as he bent down to pick up the broken shards.

"Speak up child!" Ariam shouted. Kedo flinched, but straightened up and met his father's storm gray eyes, "No sir." he repeated, louder than before.

Ariam held Kedo's gaze, the anger evident in his eyes. "Yes Sir." Ariam said mockingly, "What's on you're mind, child?" The words were slow and deliberate.

Kedo lowered his eyes...Mind twirling as he contemplated his actions. He wanted to challenge his father about what he had seen, to ask why they were selling the Etreshians, but Kedo knew that it would be nothing more than an act of rebellion. His duty as Son of Ariam Kalinore was to do as he had been told and keep quiet. The best coarse of action would be to apologize for his clumsiness and retire to his room.

"I saw you, in the woods." Kedo said, his gaze on the ground. "I saw you with the Elite..."

Kedo lifted his fearful gaze as his father remained silent. There was something similar to a smirk on the older Etreshian's face.

"What did you think when we brought them the gift?" Zerret asked mockingly, drawing a smile from Ariam's lips...The smile was void of any emotions and sent terror through Kedo...

"They are our people..." Kedo stated, hating how feeble his voice sounded..."How can you betray them like that?" The question wasn't directed at a certain person in the room, rather to each member of his family who sat watching him like a dear who just walked into the den of hungry wolves.

"You see Kedo. When you are trapped in the heart of the enemy, you do what you must to survive. We haven't only done that, but we've become respected business partners with the Elite. As long as you are part of this family, no harm will come to you." Ariam spoke with an orderly voice. "And being in this family means you do as your told without complaining. And your job, child, is to keep you tongue."

"So you sacrifice the lives of fellow Etreshians just so that you can live comfortably?" Kedo challenged him, but instantly regretted it when he saw the anger rise in his father's eyes.

"We do what we must to survive."

Kedo shook his head, disagreeing. He felt like an outsider in the midst of his family. "It's not right." He said softly.

Ariam rose from his chair, looming over Kedo. "You've always been a disgrace to this family." His words hit Kedo hard enough to force him to step away from his father.

"Not only do you look different, but you also think like a true Rogue. You're loyalty the their kind is sickening."

Where Ariam's hair was closer to dark brown than black and his eyes gray, Kedo was blessed with hair darker than the midnight sky and eyes as blue as the ocean. He oddly stood out among his family.

'Their kind?' Kedo frowned. His father was Etreshian after all.

"Do you disagree with our methods of survival?" Ariam asked after a stretch of silence. Kedo hesitated, knowing that his answer would have consequences. He just wasn't sure in what form the punishment would come. However, he had to stay true to what he believed and he knew that what his family was doing was wrong.

Kedo spared a quick gaze at his sister, Harpe. He could see the worry in her eyes. Her longing gaze seemed to beg him to say no...That he was fine with what they did...Kedo slowly nodded his head. "It's wrong, Sir...Sacrificing the lives of others just to live more comfortably."

Ariam laughs...It's a cold, heart chilling sound.

"He calls me Sir yet he spits in my face." There's no amusement in his voice. Harpe lowered her gaze, a sadness coming over her. Kedo knew he had messed up. He bit the inside of his cheek, almost expecting a blow to hit his head, but Ariam merely gazed down at him with hate...

"Go to your room." Ariam said with finality.

When night came, Kedo struggled to sleep. His mind was running wild...Wondering if Ariam would punish him for his words. It seemed almost inevitable. He'd been punished for far less. Simply for the fact that his parents disliked him. They wanted him to be more like Zerret, but Kedo was small for his age, he didn't like training with weapons, he disagreed with most of the decisions his parents made and then there was also the fact that he looked like an Etreshian when they didn't.

Kedo let out a sad sigh. He wanted things to go back to the way they were when he had been younger and more oblivious to the evil all around him. But that was a time long forgotten. He'd never get it back...

Gradually, sleep took Kedo as the evening drew on. His dreams were haunted by the vile face of his father. He shivered in his dream...Fear was all too real in the realm of the unconscious...

Kedo woke with a start when he felt a hand clasp over his mouth, silencing him. He gazed into the hateful eyes of Zerret who stood over him.

"Morning Skunk." He mocked, purposefully using the nickname that Kedo hated. Kedo struggled under Zerret's stone like grip. "Dad has quite the surprise planned for you."

Kedo's eyes grew wide with fear, knowing that whatever lay ahead wasn't going to be pleasant.

Zerret gave him a shark like grin before striking him over the head. Kedo grunted, but it took three blows to render the young Rogue unconscious...

When Kedo woke, a headache thundered in his scull. He groaned, trying to lift a hand to his aching head only to find that his hands were bound behind his back. His breath sped up as panic rose in him. He blinked his eyes, but his vision was blurry as a result of the blow that he had received.

He heard footsteps approach. An involuntary shiver crawled over his spine. He gazed up as a tall man stepped into his view. The man's face was a distorted blur, but as the newcomer leaned in closer, Kedo paled. The man was a Chayran...He was dressed in Elite uniform...

"Finally awake." The man commented in an amused tone of voice. "We've got something special planned for you..." The voice was venomous and held only the reassurance of a rough time ahead.

Kedo nearly fell back into unconsciousness when he realised what had happened...His father had sold him off to the Elites. Kedo had been too much of a burden and now he had become another scheme of his father. A sacrifice to ensure their safety and comfort...

"Let's get a move on." A deep voice spoke from Kedo's left. There were a few grunts of agreement, followed by a shuffle of movement all around. Kedo's vision was still clouded...If anything, it was getting worse...Black spots were dancing across his vision.

Hands gripped him and pulled him to his feet. Kedo nearly fell over...His vision swimming into black water. A groan left his chest as two men gripped his shoulders to stable him. He was certain that these weren't lasting effects of the blow to his head. He was fading further into a state of unconsciousness.

"Kedo?" A feminine voice asked...but it sounded miles off. Kedo turned a desperate eye to his surroundings, searching for his sister. But as gazed around with his clouded sight, he realised that the voice hadn't been Harpe's...It had been Aire's.

He said her name, but it came out as a pained groan...Kedo blinked desperately, not making sense of what was happening. He hadn't known Aire in the time with his parents...It had been years before...

"Kedo? Can you hear me?" It was a different voice...A voice that drove reassurance through Kedo. "Em" he muttered. His vision went completely black...Kedo blinked desperately. He glimpsed a face peering over him...

"He's waking up..." It was Aire's voice.

"Kedo?" Emeric asked desperately.

Kedo blinked through the dark cloud that swarmed is eye sight. Slowly...A few seconds at a time, Kedo's vision started swimming into focus.

He frowned...He wasn't in the woods with the Elites...His hands weren't bound...But the pain that reverberated across Kedo's body told him that he wasn't out of danger. A moan escaped his lips as he tried shifting his position. A terrible searing pain exploded in his side, drawing a gasp from him. He gazed down at his stomach.

A thick bandage was wrapped around his torso. A small red stain marked a bleeding wound.

Kedo gazed at the red stain and memories of the attack flooded back to him. His breaths started speeding up...Memories clouded his vision and he felt as hopeless as the day he had been sold off.

"Kedo!" A voice exclaimed...The urgency in the voice revealed that it wasn't the first time it had called Kedo.

The young Rogue turned his head. His eyes landed on Emeric who was kneeling over him, gripping his shoulder. Kedo blinked a few times, trying to reassure himself that Emeric wasn't just a illusion that his mind was creating to distract him from his pain...Emeric didn't disappear. Kedo sighed with relief...

Kedo forced a smile over his lips...The effort nearly drove him into unconsciousness. It looked more like a feeble grin, but it drove reassurance through his friends.

"Ca...Careful, Emeric...All that frowning is making...you look old..." Kedo rasped in a halted manner.

He barely heard Emeric and Aire's relieved laughs. The pain was hammering in his head and he felt his parents betrayal like a raw wound...Even though it had been years.

Them dying of illness had been his way of comforting himself. He had told himself that so that he wouldn't believe their words...That he was always a disappointment...A burden...But now, the dream had reawaken those emotions and it was hard to look his friend in the eyes.

Kedo sighed softly and let his eyes slide shut...There would be lots of time to heal forgotten wounds and mend scars once he was healed. For now, he had to focus on drawing the next breath into his sore lungs.

He felt Emeric's reassuring grip on his shoulder as he drifted into unconsciousness once more...The dark was comforting...Until the memories resurfaced and haunted him once more...