i want to know your ______

Now Zane leaned on Lucian’s shoulder, blood loss on top of exhaustion sapping his will. Shay stayed behind the pair, as if eager to get away from his father, while Barry and his compatriots led the group out of the caves. They traveled upward, a dim light hanging over their heads, spreading bit by bit the closer they came.

“It was my idea,” Lucian said. “I really didn’t mean anything bad by it, I just… it’s hard to explain, and I’m not sure if you want to hear it from me, or—”

Barry turned around.

“Stop talking.”

Lucian bit his lip. Barry huffed, as if satisfied, then continued. Zane nudged Lucian’s shoulder.

“Just let us talk,” he whispered. “We’ll get through this.”

“…Okay.”

A melody, faint as could be, reached Zane. Lucian sang a hymn of Calm to slow the flow of blood and clot the other man’s wound. Lucian told the truth earlier when he said his healing magic was good. Resourceful, effective, and gentle.

But a gentle heart could only accomplish so much.

Barry led them into Udrefaust proper. Past loads of archers seconds away from shooting the first outsider they saw, wooden shacks and barrels and the scent of smoke, salt and sweat from workers cooking loads of deer meat, the sun hung high above; Zane’s eyes ached terribly. He squinted, rubbed them, did everything to ease the pain.

Dwim watched from afar. Curious, scared, many hid their children behind them while others picked up tools nearby in case one of them decided to start killing people for some reason. Zane didn’t complain—if it’d been the other way around, Barry waltzing through Belva, it’d be much the same.

Kind of a sad thought, really.

“Something smells good,” Shay said. “The hunt’s back?”

Barry stopped. “They came back yesterday; around the same time I realized you vanished.”

Shay fell silent. His hands curled to fists, and he spent the rest of the walk refusing to look at anyone else. Barry led them through town and to a structure built into the side of a cliff—many places in this town that weren’t wooden shakes made use of the cliff sides.

It led into a ‘town hall’ of sorts. Past the main receptionist room they proceeded into a meeting room, a long table with various chairs, where the Dwims pushed Zane and Lucian into seats before tying their hands down. Because of course. Shay took a seat next to Zane while the others sat on the opposite side, Barry taking the head of the meeting.

“What are you doing here?”

Barry’s weary gaze met Zane’s. “Tell me.”

“It started when I escaped from the planet’s core,” Zane began. After all the fighting, a chance to be honest seemed better than knocking out more faceless foes. “Lucian freed me. I know you’ve got your thoughts on this, but we’re going to do something that’ll take down the main church of Vitam. But before we went to Belva, Lucian wanted to go through this town.”

“Why?”

“Dunno. Lucian?”

“Um—because—you know, since we’re… I wanted to know… I—to see…”

Lucian fell silent. “I wanted to see your story. But I still don’t understand.”

…

Was that it?

“That was it!?” Shay shot out of his seat, shaking Lucian’s shoulder as he wobbled uselessly. “You came here ‘cause you were curious!?”

“No, not just that! And even so, I still didn’t—”

Zane groaned. “Guys, be quiet. Putting it simply, think of us as trying to solve a mystery. Neither of us mind what you believe in, and we don’t wanna bring you guys any trouble. Your son helped us out too, y’know, so we’d be grateful if you’d let us move through.”

The politeness rolled off of Zane’s tongue like sand, but through Barry’s annoyance, a spot of relief shone through. “I see…

“…Thank you for making this easier.”

Barry stood up. Shay froze, but the man only whispered to the archer at his side. After a quick exchange he sat back down.

Folded his arms over one another. Leaned forward, watched.

Considered something deeply, truly important.

“Bringing in dredges of the false god is heresy. No matter the circumstances, exile’s the best option I can offer. For you two, you’ll leave by morning.”

Barry looked down at Shay. Shay backed away, but the silent father knelt and laid a hand on Shay’s shoulder.

“Why’d you do this?”

A simple question. But Shay didn’t answer. He seemed afraid to even twitch without explicit permission, an abnormal surge of meekness.

Zane met eyes with Shay.

Maybe he didn’t understand what a father was like. But he knew that Shay’d be better off telling the truth. Maybe in some way, Barry already knew the truth. Maybe it’d make everything worse, withholding. But to a father like this—

A father who, at the end of the day, was looking for something better…

Man, I wish Shay was more like this guy.

“I went down the tunnel you told me not to,” Shay said, “’cause I wanted to make a quick buck. But now knights and Vitam’s Guardians are in town, a big monster’s dead, and these kids’re—not all bad. Not bad at all.”

Barry betrayed no surprise. He patted his son’s shoulder, and moved back to his seat. Eyes closed, everyone held their breath in anticipation of his answer.

Shay stood up. “Dad, I—”

“You’ve made a grave mistake. Your choices hurt innocent lives and invited disgrace on Xital, mistakes I wished I taught you not to make earlier. I understand that—and by Xital’s grace, I want to do better for you here and now.”

Barry’s shoulders dropped. Despite the heavy armor and weapon alike, a weight pressed down on him that even the strongest warriors struggled to endure.

“Which is why I’ll be exiling you—on the condition my son helps these two on their journey. If you’re going to make up for what you’ve done, you have to start by seeing a world beyond the one I’ve kept you in.”

Shay’s eyes widened.

But despite it all.

Despite everything.

At Barry’s words—Shay smiled, something small, precious, genuine.

“Whatever has to be done out there—do it. And by Xital’s will, if you’re lying to me, I’ll be your undoing.”

“Hah—ah, and you… you really mean it, don’t you?”

Shay grabbed his father and hugged him. For whatever it was worth, Barry put an arm around Shay’s shoulder, in an almost-hug. Into something good enough.

…

A pain lingered in Zane’s chest. He scratched it, but it wouldn’t go away, not until the pair separated, the moment passed, and that little reminder left his brain for good.