Vir wholeheartedly agreed.
Too bad it wouldn’t help him one whit.
Gatiman pushed open the secret door, leading his squad to storm into the room.
“What!” Gatiman gasped. “Where is this? Where are—”
The confused Kothi’s words died on the tip of his tongue as he stared at the armored Kothi Warriors that surrounded him.
“Tsk, tsk, Gatiman,” Asuman said, speaking from the midst of the thirty-odd soldiers who occupied the room. “What a foolish move, even for you.”
Gatiman whirled, his confusion turning to full-blown panic.
His eyes came to rest on Vir, who leaned with arms crossed against the now-closed, hidden door.
“You!” Gatiman shouted.
“Yes. Me,” Vir replied, looking at Gatiman through his featureless mask. “Did you truly think I believed one word of what you said? All your promises about fair treatment for the Gargans once you ascended to power? You are a fool, Gatiman. Worse—you are a blind fool.”
“Y-you were working with Asuman this entire time!” Gatiman said. “You—this… You think you’ll get away with this?”
“That I do,” Vir replied, smiling wryly from under his mask. It seemed the situation hadn’t quite sunk in yet.
Vir nodded to Asuman. “Why don’t I let the governor explain in my stead?”
“Let us discuss your crimes against the state,” Asuman said. “Leading a coordinated assault into the royal castle with the intent of murdering the head of state and those sympathetic to him. That is your crime, and the crime of those you have led. You understand, don’t you?”
Gatiman looked very much like he did understand. The color had drained from his face. His shoulders sagged and his talwar drooped.
“Now. Will you resist?” Asuman asked. There was a clanging of metal as his troops tensed. “Or will you come peaceably? Truthfully, I detest even giving you the option. You should thank our mutual friend for that.”
Gatiman’s eyes slowly turned to Vir. “You?” he asked in disbelief.
“I am no cold-blooded murderer. Which is, sadly, more than I can say for you.”
“You say the words,” Gatiman muttered, “but you do not mean them. You knew how we would react. You know that there is but one option for honorable Chitran warriors!”
Vir did his best not to snort. “If you’re honorable, then I dare not imagine what a scoundrel looks like.”
“Die!” Gatiman roared, lunging at Vir. Warlord’s Domain and Warlord’s Battlecry augmented his words, but the mighty Chitran Bloodline Arts broke and shattered on the wall that was Prana Armor.
Vir didn’t move. He didn’t have to.
A single supercharged Prana Dart shot out and pierced the Kothi’s head.
Gatiman collapsed, coming to rest in a crumpled heap in front of Vir’s shoes.
Vir gave the dead demon a cursory glance, then looked up at Gatiman’s Warriors.
“Anyone else?”
His query was answered by the sound of swords being flung onto the ground.
69
RETURN OF THE GUARDIAN (PART FOUR)
“Imust admit, the plan went off more easily than I’d hoped,” Asuman said, holding up a drink from a reclining chair in his bedchambers.
The only other occupant was a Warrior in a faceless mask.
“Greed is a powerful motivator. And a powerful blinder. Do keep that in mind,” Vir replied, leaning against a wall a few paces away.
“You needn’t worry. With Gatiman gone and his ilk behind bars, there will be no one to heckle your Gargans.”
Vir ground his teeth, but Asuman didn’t hear. “They are your Gargans, too.”
“Yes, yes,” Asuman replied offhandedly, irking Vir to no small degree. It served as a cold reminder that while the governor had cooperated thus far, he was not an ally. Nor would he ever be.
His deep-seated hatred of Garga was not something he’d soon forget, and Vir knew that one day, he’d have to make a tough decision.
Vir wasn’t averse to killing. It was why he hadn’t hesitated to end Gatiman. Yet, he wasn’t a cold-blooded murder either. That was why he’d spared the lives of Gatiman’s supporters.
He dreaded the day he’d have to kill Asuman, who was neither evil nor good, but that was a concern for another time. For now, he’d restored order in the city.
“Then our business is concluded,” Vir said, leaving through the hidden passageway to Asuman’s chambers.
He didn’t wait for a response.
“You are like a passing storm. Intense and ever-moving,” Janani said. “Can I not persuade you to linger a little longer? The children will be shattered to see you leave.”
“You know I’d like nothing more,” Vir said, idly smoothing Shan’s fur. They were outside the orphanage, watching the children play. It was much the same sight as before, except now, their clothes actually fit, and only some were barefoot.
“I thought footwear was no longer a problem?” Vir asked.
Janani sighed. “It isn’t. Still, some of the children were barefoot for so long, they say they find the shoes uncomfortable. If I force them to wear some, I’ll just find them discarded somewhere later.”
“I see…” Vir said, wondering what other effects a lifetime of poverty and malnutrition would have on them.
“You still blame yourself?” Janani asked softly.
“I… I’m unsure,” Vir said.
“Good,” Janani said. “You have grown, then. Is this why your eyes linger on Hiya and Ekta?”
“I suppose,” Vir replied.
“I’m afraid so,” Janani said with a sad smile. “I’ve done what I can to cheer them up, but I’m afraid they’ve only grown worse as the days pass. This is one wound I’m afraid to allow time to heal.”
“Would it help if I spoke to them?”
“In truth, I wanted to ask you myself,” Janani replied, visibly relieved. “I think it might. And, you may find that it may very well help you as well. Though you are in a rush, are you not? Can you spare the time?”
“For them? I have all the time in the realm.”
After thanking Vir, Janani left to attend to her duties, while Vir waited until the girls finished playing, though he didn’t wait long. It was clear from the beginning that their hearts weren’t in the game.
The girls moved away from the rest of the group, but Vir cornered them before they left the orphanage for wherever they were bound.
“Neel?” Hiya said, taking a half step back. “I, er…”
“My apologies,” Vir said. “I did not mean to scare you. I just thought… er…”
Vir found his pulse quickening, and his face growing hot. His palms grew sweaty, and the words simply refused to come.
He’d just blackmailed two of the most powerful groups in the city. He’d arrested a coup before it resulted in the annihilation of Samar Patag’s heads of state… And here he was, struggling to speak with a child.
At that moment, Vir understood something profound—he’d never been one for small talk. To get through to these frightened girls, he had to speak from the heart. And that is what he would do.
“Let’s take a walk. I’d like to talk about Bolin.”
Hiya froze mid-stride, causing Ekta to bump into her. “B-Bolin?” she squeaked in a voice a full octave higher than normal.
Behind her, Ekta had gone just as rigid. “I don’t want to,” Ekta said.
Vir knelt in front of the younger girl and took her hands in his. “These feelings you feel… These nasty feelings… I feel them, too. I feel them more strongly as one who could have saved him.”
“How could you?” Hiya huffed. “You weren’t even here.”
“True,” Vir replied. “I wasn’t. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for you two. But I do know powerful healers. Healers who might’ve saved him.”