‘What is it, General?’
‘I have only just now seen Kobin. He seemed more interested in degrading our men than his own safety.’
‘You think him a traitor?’ asked Liet.
‘He betrayed his people, why would he not betray us?’
Liet was thoughtful. ‘Perhaps the question is why he would betray his people, only to betray us a day later.’
After a moment’s contemplation, Alkon gave a final wave of his hand. ‘You’re right,’ he said. ‘There is no sense in it, but I still do not trust him. Have him put under continual surveillance. I want to know his every move.’
‘Yes, General.’
‘You may go, Lieutenant.’
Liet bowed and exited. As the door closed behind him, Alkon sat forward and leaned on the desk, burying his face in his hands where he remained for the rest of the night, dreading the coming weeks and the next report he would give to the High Council.
Chapter Eleven
The journey is long only until seen from the end.
January 17, 997 R.E.
Jaden’s heart sank as he watched the last of the blue-flamed jets disappear over the mountains, his hopes of the force being sent by his father vanishing with it. It had flown east, the opposite direction to the way his father would have gone. They must have been of the Resistance, too far from Callibra to send any troops by land.
The jets had brought him some peace with their attack, at least. The Alliance had been punished for their crimes. But now he realised no punishment would ever seem enough in his eyes. They had taken everything from him. All that he had left now was the desire to fight, to wage war against the Alliance until his own death.
He took a final look back over his shoulder at what was once his home, and then made his way down the hill and up toward the mountain. He took the path slowly, in no hurry to get where he was going. The other survivors had been captured. There was nothing left for him here anymore. He could only have managed a little damage without help, not nearly enough for the revenge for which he had yearned. It seemed there was only one option remaining; make his way to Corsec and join the fight against the Alliance. With their military might, he could have a chance at the victory he could not achieve alone. The journey would be long, but he had no other choice.
Like him, his father had failed in his mission, too.
After two hours, he reached the cave high on the mountain, but he would not stay. He had come this way only so that he could say goodbye to the last remaining piece of his childhood. Lowering his eyes from staring into the darkness, he turned and walked around the mountainside and then made it to the top. Here he sat in contemplation, looking toward the horizon that the jets would have disappeared over. There lay his destiny, far beyond where his eyes could see. To his right, he could see the coastline. To his left, he could see vast mountain ranges. Each seemed as devoid of human life as the other. It did not matter which route he took, they would both lead him to where he needed to be most—away from this place, away from the memories—but only through the mountains could he find the Resistance.
In the faint light of the rings peering through the clouds, he began to plot his path. There was dense wilderness, entire forests standing in his path. If he did not take care, he would get lost easily. The first destination point was a clearing in which a large rock protruded just over the trees. He decided he could perhaps climb it when he got there and use it to better see the way he needed to go. After that, there was nothing more than the thicket of green he would have to push his way through to get to the mountains ahead, to the two highest peaks he could see straight ahead of the clearing.
The two highest peaks…
If he followed the path directly toward the two highest peaks and tracked the stream north, he would reach a mountain. That was where his grandfather had wanted him to go. Vennoss had said he would be safe there.
Jaden thought hard for a moment. He was not sure if safety was what he wanted anymore. He had felt a burn inside him ever since the attack, an energy that needed to be released somehow, by fighting—seeking revenge against the Alliance. But he didn’t like to disobey his grandfather's advice, and now that all were gone, it was the last bit of direction he had left. He would not stay where his grandfather had told him to go, nor would he explore too far for the cure to his illness. He would go only so that he had not disobeyed his grandfather, and then he would leave.
Hours passed. Jaden remained seated on the mountainside until first light before laying the rifle down next to him and then taking off the backpack. He needed to shed any excess weight before he went any further. Anything that he couldn’t use on the way he would discard. Opening the top, he found that the grenades he had taken were no longer there. He had thought he had felt them roll out when the soldier had hit him, but at the time he hadn’t been sure. Underneath were the rolls and clips of ammunition and various tools he didn’t recognise. He tossed most of these aside, keeping only some ammunition for the rifle. He would need a means of defence for his travels.