How do you sleep?

We're all siting in the ground around a campfire while Biel serves us supper. He is filling bowls with cassava and turtle meat for everybody. The dawn comes with a cold breeze and the birds are leaving the stage to the crickets and frogs.

Lily is gently leaning on my right shoulder. Sally is sitting around 90 degrees clockwise from us and Joy is in the opposite end of the campfire and Biel sits close to her.

There is a gloomy atmosphere that persists since we made our escape, yesterday. We're all eating quietly. 

Biel breaks the silence.

"Guys. I know it was a very hard couple of days. But we have to decide what to do. It is sad to leave the foundation of the house, but will we keep trading with Fracaleza under new management? We don't even know if they would be friendly towards us — Or anyone for that matter. What would happen if they discover that we're here?" He is trying to be a voice of reason, speaking softly while scanning for our reactions. "We have to decide before supplies start becoming scarce."

I'm sure we've been all thinking about it, but apparently not enough to have reached their conclusions. There is a bit of an awkward silence before Sally starts.

"I'm going to take down the Child. I don't know how yet, nor what to do in the meantime. But I'll end his career." 

Her words are rough — her elegant and almost detached tone from before is all but gone. There is a newborn fire in her eyes. She had a stable life and a family here. She didn't seem all that fond of Don, but it is clear she lost something and wasn't going to let it go that easily. 

"I don't think murder is the answer. We aren't much better than him if we're willing to go that way."

Joy is the one that seems detached from her answer. She has been taking care of Sally nonstop for at least 25 hours, on top of helping lily do the same for me, but that doesn't really explain. She seems a bit down herself. 

I wish I knew what it was, I can't tell simply tell her about José with her, it might be too much right now … Or maybe I just don't know how to say it. 

"I'm not in a soul competition with them. I don't care if I'm instantly sent to hell."

"Daniel is a curious case" Biel interjects, "He was recruited at a very early age to fight for the Demha regime. On the one hand, he is a victim of a ruthless warmonger. On the other hand, he has already committed his fair share of atrocities."

Neither of them seemed pleased by that comment. A heated argument seemed to be brewing. I put my arm in Lily's shoulder.

Joy doesn't seem too interested in discussing it and stands up slowly, "A distressed kid gets a second shot at life, and our instance is to take it away from him?"

Sally answers by aggressively standing up and pointing a finger in her face, "He screwed up in his second life too! What would you say if YOU had lost YOUR brother?!" 

"Actually …"

TSK 

What am I doing? Is this how I plan on telling her?

They're all looking at me. Joy's eyes seem particularly interested. A bit shaken. 

"Actually what? Did something happen to José?"

She is almost screaming. Her voice cracks.  

Well, I guess I can't delay it any longer.

"Joy … I'm sorry, but José was in the fight and was betrayed by one of his comrades. I couldn't help him."

What? What is this half-truth? What is it mouth? You won't say you were an essential part of the plan to take him down? Seems somebody is still a coward.

It was like looking at a demolition, he forces seemed to implode, and her body started crumbling down. 

She keeps completely still, hunched down with her head on the dirt ahead. Hands covering chest and a dead stare into the depths of the earth.

Even the insects and the fire seem to be mourning. Dead silence.

"I'm really sorry, Joy." I cannot console her. It feels wrong. But I can try to come up with a solution. "Maybe we can get them banned? Don was banned, did he do anything as bad as them? We just have to figure out how to send a report."

"We might be able to contact the creator." Lily speculates, "Don met with him when he needed powers to make the novel more interesting — According to himself. He went to Mar de Fevereiro's church and was able to meet with the author." 

"I went there to meet the creator too. In order to get my secret skill." Sally gives in. "However, the enemies are probably also heading to the capital too, we might be caught up in another confusion instead."

"That means we have to move as soon as possible. We're moving to talk to the creator. We're heading to Mar de Fevereiro tomorrow!"