Part 10: Imagination

They were stopping at another hostel to get meet up with the rest of the guard before starting off their journey. Dev still had no idea where they were going or what they were looking for.

"All the trees are nearly gone or empty, the crystals all dung up and all my people are nearly extinct, what could the guard possibly want?" Dev whispered to Hunter who simply shrugged his shoulders, "I would not have an answer for that."

Dev huffed.

"We will know soon enough when we met with the rest of their company," Hunter assured her.

"As long as I am not expected to have words with them," Dev muttered," I do not like soldiers."

"You do not like anyone from the Other Land. Sometimes I do wonder if you like me or not as well, "Hunter mused.

"I live with you. You are protection and safety for me, that is all," Dev told him with a grin.

Hunter gave her a mock glare while Dev grinned. They strode on in silence until Hunter told her that he had a question for her. They were behind the soldiers and kept back at a respectable distance with them.

The solider had questioned Hunter how he had bought Dev when they realized that she was Zelowalli but he had simply said she came to him in her in her own ways. He did warn them that the knowledge of the land he has is with me and because of that, on one is to harm me.

The soldiers had nodded but one of them mentioned why did I look so feminine that one time my hood fell off. Hunter had simply said I inherited a lot of my looks from my mother and that it was natural for some Zelowalli men to look feminine.

"Dev?"

Dev blinked when she realized that Hunter was waiting for an answer to a question she did not hear.

"What do you know of the war?"

The Zelowalli girl shrugged," What I know is what I hear."

"It has occurred to me that your people would have had chances to survive if not for your vows to your God."

"That…is true. But Inka is the God of Kindness and nature."

"Did you know that your God was not original of this land? That he was a God of War?'

Dev looked up with alarm and turned to her Master, "Pardon?"

Hunter seeing the look on her face frowned, "I thought you knew this."

"No... he…our people…," She tried to deny but then stopped, "Why are you telling me this now? We have been travelling for countless summersand now you chose to tell me this?!"."

Hunter sighed, "I thought you knew. I thought your people knew of his origins."

"What I was told was that he made this land for us. And he blessed us with knowledge of healing as well as charging us to keep peace. Peace and kindness was what he valued above all else in the land."

"And your vows?"

"To keep peace," Dev hissed before taking deep breaths to calm herself down. She was not supposed to be anger but she was. Inka was a God of Peace. He would never fight. Would he?

"He understood your vows must have meant that should there be an invasion, you would not be protected."

"No one told you and your people to come here and bring your lies with you!" She hissed at him. Hunter`s eyes widened at her outburst and she shrank back. Taken back by the angry tone in her voice, she turned away and tugged her hood lower over her face.

 "Dev…," Hunter started but then hesitated before pushing forward, "If it comes down to protecting your land and if your vows were not an obstacle, now you be honest with me, would you, do it?"

Under her hood, Dev blinked at his question before titling her head slightly towards him, "Why would you ask me of that?"

"Would you?"

Dev stiffened slightly. The question had once come to her in her sleep these past few summers. It haunted her and after rejecting the thought so many times, she had come to a conclusion that, honestly, it scared her at first but she would.

If there was a chance for her to save her people, she would do it. Too many of them have suffered for so long.

Dev turned to him and asked if he wanted an answer he would want to hear or her real thoughts.

"Your real thoughts."

Nodding slowly, she focused her attention down at her reins as she answered, "If I could I would," She shook her head sadly, "Sometime I do wonder what would have happened if I did not take my Opala vows, and if I had met you earlier. Learned your lessons. Maybe I would be helping and rescuing my people. Maybe things would be different now."

"If the land needed not a God, but a monster, would you consider becoming one to protect your people?"

Dev looked up at her master, "Why are you asking me this?"

Hunter shrugged, "To get a sense of your imagination."

Dev bit her lower lips and whispered," Would my answer make you feel differently about me?"

"No. Because this is all a matter of imagination."

A moment of silence passed.

A monster to save her people.

Such as thought was unthinkable when she was just thirteen summers.

Now?

Straightening her shoulders, she answered quietly, "In the darkest part of my mind, I would not hesitate to become a monster just to save my people. We are bound by our vows but your people do not understand the word 'mercy' or 'kindness. But what if we didn`t have to conform to the vows. What if some of us didn`t take the vows and chose to defend ourselves? I sometimes wonder if violence may be the answer to end suffering."

 The sound of the soldiers shouting interrupted their words and Dev chose that moment to clear her throat, "But this is just all imagination."

"Yes, "Hunter agreed but something in his tone made her turn to him. Before she could assess his face, he urged his horse to ride faster to keep up with the solider who were now racing faster towards a hostel.

Dev sighed.

Whatever he thought of her was now up to him. He was the one that asked her to speak her mind to him. Dev then turned her attention to the building where the last of the solider was waiting at. It was a hostel but it wasn`t large nor was it small. It had two levels and a large stable. Horses were being led inside and the sound of laughing as well as talking could be heard from outside when they stopped in front of the building.

Dev scanned the place and looked up at the sky. It was already late at noon going towards the evening. The place was starting to get cold. One of the soldiers came out to greet the captain with a smile and welcomed him to Flav.

"It`s good to see you," the man said. He was tall and long yellow hair that was tied. He smiled at him and the other soldiers who were smiling at him.

"And you, you look well, "The captain returned. They all dismounted and Dev rotated her left leg slightly to get rid of the numb feeling she had. Hunter moved to stand behind the other soldiers so he could listen to what they were saying.

"Come inside for some drinks and food, you must all be tired, "The man announced as he and the captain led the way. The captain turned to them over his shoulder, "Rob and Levi, please put the horses into the stable then join us."

He then went head while two of the younger soldiers stayed back with the horses.

Hunter turned to her as well and instructed her to put away their horses. With a nod, he then left with the soldiers. She and the two soldiers led their horses into the stables and settled them in. They both left before she did as she was not looking forward to stepping into that particular hostel. The last time they were here, the Counter Master`s wife kept eyeing her and she was sure she wanted to bed her.

It would actually be really funny if she found out that her feminine looks were not just part of her heritage but that she really was a woman.

Shaking her head, she rubbed her horses' neck before leaving the stables. It was time to get this over with.

When she entered the building, she narrowly missed a flying cup and was shocked to see a woman looking apologetic at her," I am sorry, sir. That was meant for him."

She pointed to a man hiding behind a group of rowdy men who were laughing.

She nodded slightly before scanning the room to find Hunter. She found him having drinks with the soldiers.

Sighing, she turned to leave when Levi, the younger solider came up to her, "Sir, you`re most welcomed to have drinks with us.'

Startled, she tried to come up with an excuse, "Oh...I…I don`t really drink."

"Join us!" Levi exclaimed and actually went behind her to nudge her along.

Stiffening, she just let the man move her to another long table beside the window that had a few of the younger soldiers seated there. She stood awkwardly as Levi sat down and motioned to one of the new soldiers to give her a seat. When the solider turned, her heart stopped.

It was him.

The last time she saw him was when she escaped.

Eyes widening, she turned to leave when a hand on her stopped her, "Don't leave. Levi was just- "He then stopped. He had gone around to face the new comer when he noticed the hood completely covering his face, "You know, you don`t need to wear a hood inside here."

Swallowing harshly, she replied, "My master prefers that I stay hidden in crowds so as to not cause problems."

"Problems?" Kalen asked with a grimace. He then hunched slightly to see the hooded person`s face. Dev made a mistake when she lifted her face slightly.

Kalen stiffened but he stepped closer," Dev? Is that-"

"Please don`t tell anyone," Dev pleaded with him.

Kalen crouched down and scanned the young boy under the hood. His hair was longer and sort of gave him an even softer look. Why was it that every time he saw him, he looked more and more like a woman?

The longer part of his hair hid his face where Kalen remembered his tattoo was but now it was bare. His tattoo was gone. He then smiled gently and loosened his grip on Dev`s shoulder, "You`re alive. That is a relief. How did -"

"My Master took me in," Dev said. She turned in the direction of the other table where Hunter was seated before she scanned the table where the other guards were sitting. She prayed that no one remembered her form the old camp. Luckily, they all looked new. She didn`t see Jun among them.

"Sit with us," Kalen gestured to the seat he had emptied for her.

Dev turned to look at Hunter who caught her eye and gave her a curt nod.