The Council

Rhane squeezed the letter inside his trouser pocket. Unlike his usual dead gaze, his eyes were filled with life, excitement, and something more. Jenna had been concerned enough to ask about him. They had an actual conversation.

It was something. Maybe too little, minor to others, but it was different for Rhane. Even after finding out who he was, she still spoke to him calmly.

"The council has gathered," Kali said, joining Rhane along the hallway. She glanced at the path Rhane had come from. "You were with her?"

Rhane's eyes brightened even more. "Which food do you think will be her best? I'm guessing the lamb or no... the rabbit. Maybe I should have killed a pig too." He halted, turned to look at the room, then nodded.

"I'll bring that later to her room," Rhane said, more to himself.

Kali opened her mouth. She wanted to tell her brother that there would be no later. She wanted to tell him to give up on everything. She had never seen Rhane act like this toward anyone before. Nobody. It made her wonder what he saw in the young woman.

"Rhane..." Kali began. "You'll really not listen to me and let her go? What about Gerald?"

Rhane's expression changed in a blink. "What about him?" His voice was steely and low.

"I mean... he's here, might be angry that you hit him... and now he knows Jenna is here too. What if he asks for something in return for using the family seal to protect us?" Kali remarked, narrowing her eyes.

"Don't tell me you're going to give up everything we worked for just because of her?"

Rhane turned to look at his sister. He knew what worried her. He could tell just by looking at her that the fear from what used to be her past still haunted her.

"Kali," Rhane began, halting in his tracks. "I want you to understand something. She isn't just her... she is me. Gave me hope to live and fight for what I never thought I'd have. She might not remember it, but she saved me from drowning, drowning in my own misery, in filth worse than fleas. Her hands gave me hope to make my own family."

Kali pressed her lips together. She had never seen Rhane this emotional.

"I was freezing, giving up. And her warmth came. Now she needs me to pull her out from that abyss. She didn't give up on me. I won't give up on her either. The innocence she once had might not return, but I'll try my best to bring back the smile, that carefree, beautiful side." Rhane's eyes grew distant. A flicker of emotion passed through them, and he sighed.

"A smile that saved me, a hand that kept me warm... is now freezing. Do you understand?"

Kali nodded slowly, feeling her heart ache, especially after listening to Rhane.

"So don't worry yourself, Kali. Everything will work just fine. I'll protect the three of us, as I've always done," he assured.

Kali exhaled softly. Before they got to the door, she hugged Rhane. "I'm sorry, brother."

"For?" Rhane asked, his hands still in his pocket.

Kali shook her head. "For always making you protect me. For being a burden."

Rhane chuckled softly. Out of character, he ruffled her hair. "Silly girl, who said you need protection? You're doing just fine."

Kali closed her eyes and sniffled. If she had known what the woman truly meant to her brother, she wouldn't have sent the woman to change Jenna's mind the way she did. She had thought Rhane was just distracted by fleeting matters of the heart, holding onto something from the past that no longer mattered.

"Let's go," Rhane said, pulling away from the hug and opening the door.

Kali glanced at the hallway again, biting her lower lip before she followed Rhane inside.

They stepped into the spacious room with a long table and chairs coated in a golden color. Men and women dressed in rich purple silk sat whispering amongst themselves.

Once the door opened and Rhane and Kali entered, the room fell completely silent. Even a soft exhale sounded loud.

"The Scourge has arrived to receive judgment from the council," someone announced from the corner.

Rhane stepped forward and stood at the center of the room where all eyes could see him. He wasn't dressed in wealth like them, but he still stood out.

Standing there with his expression stoic and his eyes lazily scanning the room without focusing on anyone in particular, Rhane's sharp features made him look angry even when his mind was blank.

"You haven't been supplying millet to some of the members of the council. Can we know the reason?" an older man asked, breaking the silence.

Rhane dropped his eyes, finally looking at the faces of the council members people he regarded as filthier than roadside petty thieves. The council.

A group of corrupt officials from different kingdoms, in charge of trade and slaves. As the rule of merchants has it: without a family name, one cannot have a trade guide of their own. And as such, likes of Rhane were considered as nobodies. And the council had taken the opportunity to extort from Rhane.

"Do you think you're now one of us? You don't have a king... nor a Duke who's registered your birth. A riffraff from the worst rumbles, allowed to feel what it is to be human," another council member said with disgust.

The woman beside him added, "If any king hears that someone like you has such power... they'll consider it treason and have you beheaded immediately."

"Morado is yet to receive the best goods from you... and I heard about Avon too."

Their voices grew louder, more degrading insults thrown at one man.

Rhane allowed them to talk. More than their greed, he had something more important on his mind. His thoughts drifted to Jenna's scared face when he had walked in on her. Something about her reaction didn't sit right.

"Are you even listening to us?"

Rhane cleared his throat and nodded, snapping back to the present. "Clear enough. And all I can say is... I have paid all I owe to the council leaders. To each kingdom, I have given what they deserve. And if you want more, you will pay for it. I run a trade business, not a charity," he replied coldly, watching their eyes widen in shock.

"Only a fragile king will be scared of a lowborn who used to fight animals. I have never interfered in any kingdom's politics. Also, I never traded without a name. As you know, Gera—" Rhane paused. He just realized Gerald wasn't in the room.

Rhane turned to look at his sister, then tilted his head. "Where is he?"

"He..." Kali began. "He's supposed to be here," she said, pointing at an empty seat.

Rhane followed her hand. "But he isn't," he muttered.

"It seems you're all talk. Gerald no longer represents this house, I guess?" The leader of the council grinned mischievously, shaking his head. "Give a dog a name and it thinks it's a master. Do you have something to say?"

Rhane narrowed his eyes. Something wasn't right. Gerald was missing, and the council was attacking him too directly. Someone had pushed them.

"Why is the council meeting me now? We only meet fortnightly upon my return from the sea." Rhane's mind spiraled into suspicion.

Kali swallowed hard. "The... um... the council wanted to—" she stammered, and that gave her away.

"Distract me?" Rhane completed, his jaw tightening. "Why?"

Kali felt sweat drip down her neck. She blinked.

Rhane studied her movements, mind racing backward. Had he missed something Rhane's breath hitched. The sound of councilmen faded, replaced by the hollow pounding in his chest.

Jenna

"Damn it!," he cursed under his breath, then dashed out with sudden speed.

"Rhane, wait!" Kali shouted, but it was too late.

The leader of the council stood in outrage. "He dares to insult us by walking away? I'll make sure he gets what he de—"

"Shut up, you old fa—" Kali closed her eyes, sucked in a breath, then opened them. "I'm sorry... now is not actually the time. I'll have you all taken to a good room. The girls will take care of you until the Scourge is ready to talk."

Without waiting for their response, Kali ran out of the room, chasing after Rhane.

She didn't know what the outcome would be, but if anything happened to Jenna, then there wasn't going to be another meeting with the council, just funerals of officials in different kingdoms.