Leon
Relief roars through me the moment I have Ana in my arms again, pulling her deeper into the shadows, away from any prying eyes.
“Leon, get off me,” she whispers furiously. I release her only once my soldiers have surrounded her.
“What is this, an ambush?” she demands.
I ignore her question. Now that she’s in my sight again, the relief is quickly morphing into anger.
“Do you have any idea how much you’ve risked, coming here?” I snap. Of course, she can’t know exactly how much rests on her staying safe, but I expected her to value her own life a little more than this.
“Nothing I’m not willing to sacrifice for my family,” she throws back.
I pinch the bridge of my nose, praying to the gods for patience. I damn near tore the boat apart when I realized she was gone—of course I’d instantly worked out where she’d have headed, even if I still don’t know how she managed it. But now is not the time to let my feelings run away from me.
“We’re leaving,” I say, as calmly as I can.
“Er…captain…” Alastor is trying to draw my attention to what I’ve already noticed: the golden glow starting to emanate from Ana’s palms.
“Is that really how this is going to go, Ana? You’re going to attack us?”
“If that’s what I have to do. If you’re seriously telling me you came here just to drag me away again.”
I sigh. “What would you have us do?”
“Help me save them!” she looks at me like she can’t believe we’d do anything else. “Right now, there’s probably a dozen people in that sanctuary, young men and women, about to be slaughtered in a matter of hours. Because of me.”
“So you agree that this is a trap,” Phaia says, a curious note in her voice.
“I agree that it’s really fucking strange for a purge to come to a tiny, unknown place like Otscold. But I don’t care why—as long as no one dies come dawn.”
“You can’t save everyone, Ana,” I say.
“Then what’s the point of having all this magic?” she says, holding up her still-glowing hand. I can feel the heat of it from here. “What’s the point of all your strength and speed and sensic power, if you’re not willing to use it to help those less powerful than you? I’d rather have them execute me for being a solari alongside Tira and the others than know I turned my back on them when I could’ve made a difference.”
I don’t immediately respond, considering our options. She obviously isn’t going to be persuaded. And while we could knock her unconscious and bring her with us whether she wants to go or not, she wouldn’t go down without a fight. There’s no way we’d escape notice from the cleavers.
Ana takes my silence as an opportunity to keep pushing, looking around at the rest of the unit.
“What if it were one of you lined up for execution? Would you leave them behind?” I can hear the pain in her voice, and it stings at me. “That’s what you’re asking me to do.”
“Wearealready here, captain.”
The words come from Eryx, of all people. I stare at him, and he shrugs. He may be a grumpy bastard, but he’s practical, and to him it’s common sense to throw in a little heroism with our retrieval of wayward princesses.
It’s dangerous and risky—for Ana, for our mission—yet looking into her face now, my resolve falters. It was easier to think with my head on the boat, when we were far removed from the situation. But now we’re back in this village, I’m reminded of the last time we were here.
Back then, Ana asked for my help, and I turned my back on her.
True, I didn’t have all the facts. I didn’t even know her. But everything we’ve shared since, all the ways I’ve saved her and taught her to protect herself mean nothing if I make the same mistake now. You can’t undo the past by repeating it, and I’ve already spent too much time thinking about how I would take that decision back if I could.
I can’t do that to her again.
“Fine,” I say. “We’ll free them. Give them a chance to make a run for it before the execution tomorrow. But that’s all.”
Triumph shines on Ana’s face.
“Good. I was going to try that myself anyway. But with you guys helping, everyone’s much more likely to survive.”
