Von closed his eyes. “Yavi, I am so sorry.”
She took his hand. “I know.”
He wasn’t foolish enough to believe she forgave him for all he put her through, but he would make it right.
He had to.
They walked hand in hand through the woods towards camp. He took his time so they could have this moment together before they had to return to their roles.
“What is Tarn planning now?” Yavi asked.
“We’re leaving tonight to track Dyna. She won’t get away from him this time.”
Yavi grimaced. “I was hoping he’d never catch her.”
“As was I. Keep her company while I’m gone.”
She glared at him. “So, it’s true. I hate it when Tarn sends you on missions to retrieve Sacred Scrolls.” Her wet lashes lowered. “I hope this time it’s nothing more than a rumor. I’ll not have you kill or force someone away from their family again for that evil man.”
Von stopped walking and pulled her into an embrace. Yavi suffered for a long time when he stole her away from her home in the middle of the night. Tarn had sent him to collect her along with her father’s Sacred Scrolls so she could translate for him. He hadn’t given her a chance to say goodbye to her family. She refused to eat and cried for days. At first, it angered him. He was so frustrated he didn’t know what to do with her misery. It took him a while to realize it bothered him because he went through the same when Tarn forced him to leave his home.
“I swear one day I’ll free you from this life. Even if it kills me.”
Yavi stiffened and stepped back. “We can leave anytime you want. We can flee now. Tarn is distracted and the camp moving. It’s our best chance.”
It wasn’t. If she ran, the spies would track her within hours.
“Please, Von,” she begged. “You’re free here. On this land, you can walk away from him.”
“I have lived my life by the God of Urn’s teachings. By his holy law—”
“I know the holy law!” Yavi beat on his chest. “I have read nothing about keeping slaves in the Sacred Scrolls.”
“Yavi—” He tried to take her hands, but she pushed him away.
“Why do you refuse to see?” she cried. “Why do you want to live this way?”
“I don’t want this life!”
She reared back from his shout, shock crossing her face.
“I don’t…” Von turned away with a heaving breath. He closed his eyes as the roar of trolls and the screams rang in his head. “I have no choice. I cannot turn my back on the holy law. Lest the God of Urn damn me.”
Again.
“What are you not telling me?”
None other than Tarn knew the truth. There was no one left from their past to know.
“I have seen what happens when you defy the God of Urn. Once was enough. I cannot do so again.”
“The life-debt isn’t real,” Yavi said, coming around to stand in front of him. “It was a lie a few bishops forged a hundred years ago to force orphans and vagrants into serving in the temples. Soon, everyone practiced it because it benefited them. You’re free, Von. You have always been free.”
Von didn’t know what to think. All his life, his parents taught him to regard the God of Urn and to live by his teachings. He had seen the gruesome results when he rebelled against it. How could it all be a lie?
He continued onward. They’d reached the edge of the forest, and the tents became visible through the trees.
“I’m not finished talking about this.” Yavi tugged him to a stop. “What do you think would happen if you deserted Tarn?”
