Grateful to a level words couldn’t even begin to convey, he inclined his head to them. “Thank you.”
The woman whose name he had yet to learn joined them and handed Bastien what appeared to be some kind of prayer book. “I know you probably don’t read Andarion, but I want you to have this anyway, for the gods to watch over you and keep you safe.”
It was only then that he realized the necklace she wore marked her as a religious leader. Though how Jullien had come to travel with her, he couldn’t imagine.
Not that it mattered to Bastien. Only their kindness did. “I will treasure it, High Mother.” He paused to meet Jullien’s gaze. “Peace be with you, cousin.”
“And you.”
Suddenly, an alarm sounded.
Jullien scowled as he heard it. “It’s Jup. He’s under fire.”
With no idea who that was, Bastien inclined his head to them. “Go. Help whoever. Thanks again, all of you.”
Not wanting to keep them after everything they’d done for him, he sprinted down the ramp and returned to the shadows that had become his home.
From there, he watched as they departed, and whispered a prayer for their protection. While the gods had abandoned him, he hoped they’d stay with Jullien, and it meant a lot to him that he still had one family member who hadn’t completely rejected him.
Jullien’s presence today had given him something he hadn’t had in a while.
Hope.
At least he had one person in the universe who still calledhimfamily and didn’t believe the lies others had spread about him. Sad that his life had come down to this. That something so very little meant so very much.
Yet it did.
Bastien carefully put away his supplies, then thumbed through the prayer book. Thanks to Jullien, he recognized a few words, and through it, he learned the name of the woman, as it was embossed on the cover.
Unira Samari.
She’d also put her digits inside the book, along with a prayer card and a blessed necklace. And a small note for him that she’d written in Universal.
The gods have not abandoned you, my son. Though it may seem dark today, there will be a brighter tomorrow. Sometimes it takes a bitter storm to clear the land for a better, more abundant harvest. Should you need anything, even if it’s nothing more than a mere friendly voice to keep you company, call me anytime. I promise not to preach, only to listen.
May the gods keep you wrapped in their eternal love and protect you always.
Unira.
Bastien clutched her card and pressed it to his chest. Then he tucked it so that it’d stay over his heart and put her necklace on. Such trivial things, really, yet the comfort they gave him were beyond measure.
But they weren’t the only gifts that’d been left behind. He didn’t discover the rest until he went to shut down his electronics.
Thraix had been generous, too, and left him a note of his own.
Tweaked your system a bit. No one should be without at least one good porn channel, sports feed, and a news feed. And it’s locked tight so that no one and nothing will ever detect you. Stay safe, brother. You need anything, call.
T.
Man, Jullien had managed to find himself some decent companions. Far better than the bastards who’d fled from him like rats off a sinking ship.
But that wasn’t all. Thraix had also included tactical scans and intel on Bastien’s uncle and his new Kirovarian regime.
“You beautiful Trisani bastard… if you were here I’d kiss you.”
Because with this he could plan his attack on Barnabas and how he’d take them all down.
Hell’s coming, Barnabas. And I’m delivering it personally.
