"Then don't apologise."Astria nodded in response, though wasn’t quite sure as they continued to stare, as if they were waiting for something; waiting for her to make another mistake."Panett, leave us." Tarian ordered."I wish to make sure she is healthy first.""You can see she is quite alright, if there are any problems I will call for you.""Alright, as long as you do.""Of course."Panett stood up to leave, flashing a small smile at the girl as he exited the hut; leaving her alone with the tribe's leader.Tarian moved to sit beside her on the bed, a moment of silence stretching out between them before he finally spoke; his tone harsh. "I would not advise disobeying me again, you nearly lost your life."Astria scoffed, "It is your fault that I nearly died, if you hadn't have done what you did we wouldn’t be in this situation."He lashed out, striking her across the face. "Do not talk to me in such

Once they had emptied the contents of the tray, Tarian rose back to his feet, gently brushing the hair from her eyes as she yawned. “I think it is time we both got some sleep.”“Ok.” She whispered, wondering why he was being so nice all of a sudden.He had been so cruel to her only a few hours before, ordering his men to cut off the tips of her ears, even after she begged him for mercy. Yes, she burned him, but that was only because she was afraid of What he would do to her. How could she have foreseen the consequences, known that this would happen?Tarian held out his hand, pulling Astria to her feet as she yawned again, her eyes feeling heavy. She allowed him to guide her towards the small opening in the hut, her legs wobbly and unsteady as they walked through the camp, the silence stretching out as most of his people had retired to their beds. The day truly over. The half-breed was grateful for that, praying that tomorrow would be bett

Astria followed Panett from the hut in silence, pulling the hood of her cloak further over her face, ensuring that no one could tell who she was by a simple glimpse. They went over the plan of escape several times over the course of the night, dawn appearing over the horizon as they strolled through the masses of fabric homes, each one knowing that they would only get one chance at making it out of the camp alive. Though perhaps not even that as they walked past the bandits who arose early from their slumber, each one glancing in their direction. The half-breed became increasingly nervous as the men around them began to chatter, wondering where the medical man was taking their leaders captive. She prayed to the spirits that they would make it past them without incident, the less people she had to kill the better; she just wanted to see her mother again. She wished she would get the chance to meet her father, to spend more time with Gilmy and explore the world beyond what she

“That is different.”“Are you sure? Because to me they seem very similar, you hope to see your mother again, and yet you say that it is foolish to hope for something that may not come to pass.”Astria smiled down at the mare, knowing that he was right; she couldn’t help but hope to see her mother and Gilmy again, no matter how foolish it may seem she held onto it tightly, just as she did the mare. It was hard at times knowing that it may never happen, but she would keep it alive within her heart, no matter how tough things may seem, she can dream.“You are right.” Was all she said, watching as the sun began to descend behind the trees.The road through the forest became almost impassable, the narrow turns between the trees difficult to navigate for the young half-breed, though Panett seemed to manage quite easily. She pulled to a halt as the road split into two separate paths, not knowing which one she should choo

 He was a medical man and had little fighting experience, he would only get in her way; even if he was trying to help.The half-breed reached her mother in seconds, quickly spraying the rope that bound her with fire, and carelessly doing to the same with Gilmy. She didn’t have enough time to be cautious as the other Deus surrounded them, each one itching to force Astria and her mother into taking their final breath. The two men from before took a step towards the girl, their swords drawn, they would not show her an ounce of mercy; after all, she was a monstrous half-ling, one that needed to be disposed of. Though, she would not go down so easily, if she had learned anything since leaving Lacus, it was that one must fight in this world just survive. She couldn’t show weakness, not now. She had to save her mother.“Gilmy, get a weapon.” The girl shouted behind her, knowing that she couldn’t kill them all alone, not without the help of h