53 Epilogue (3)

"Here." The single word broke Neart Ironcrest's trance and man found a submachinegun being shoved in his hands. Without further ado, the girl turned towards the boy who nodded at her and took her hand.

"Let's go."

Neart Ironcrest froze at the words. The wrinkles on his face deepened. "Bollocks. Where do you think you're going?"

The boy returned to glaring at him with intensity. "Away from here."

"Load of shite." The Major General crossed his arms. "You look like the wind's gonna blow you over and yet you're saying you're going out?"

At that moment, Sergeant Hoffer walked into the tent. When he had arrived at the tent where their medic was, he couldn't find the child he was looking for and headed back to where Neart Ironcrest was. Instead of saying the words that were hanging on his tongue, the Sergeant watched in silence as the two men – one young and one old, were locked in a staring contest that was more intense than the desert heat.

The bearded man looked down an found a girl with black orbs staring up at him. Something clicked inside his head. He cleared his throat. "You're Aria?"

The girl nodded and promptly returned to spectating. When it seemed like the two males weren't stopping anytime soon, the girl took a deep breath, tugged on the blonde-haired boy's sleeve and spoke.

"We're not part of the mercenaries. We're not part of your group. We don't have a reason to stay," she said while facing the two adults clad in camouflage patterned military suits.

Neart Ironcrest was tongue-tied. She had a point.

The boy wore a triumphant smirk on his face. The Senior Military officer felt a migraine was coming on. He cleared his throat and looked at Sergeant Hoffer. "Do we have specific instructions with regards to something like this?"

"Follow SOP, Sir. We'll have to detain them." Sergeant Hoffer replied.

The older man coughed.

The two children standing in front of them didn't like the sound of that.

Neart Ironcrest's head throbbed. If he didn't let them go, the two kids would have to be detained indefinitely, undergo a military investigation, and be sent to either a reformatory institution or sent to a juvenile prison back in Myron. If he did let them go, the two wouldn't last a week in the dessert and that would be equivalent to leaving them out to die.

He muttered under his breath. "That's just feckin' cla."

The bearded soldier gave him a weird look. "What does that mean, Sir?"

Neart Ironcrest wasn't in the mood to explain. "Just shut up. You brats sit your arses down! You too, Hoffer. Sit down and let me think."

The boy with blue eyes looked like he was about to risk it all and escape from the tent when a small hand wrapped around his wrist and forced him to stay put. Two children and one adult sat down in the tent and stared at Neart Ironcrest who now had a red face that contrasted with his white hair.

The Major General took a deep breath, pulled a seat for himself and massaged his temples. His gaze fell on the two children who were exchanging looks while whispering in hushed tones. For some reason, he couldn't bear the thought of leaving them behind, nor could he accept leaving them in the hands of the military. A part of him was telling him not to leave them alone – that turning his back on the two children right in front of him was going to become his biggest regret.

Black orbs caught his observant gaze. The girl named Aria blinked yet chose to stare at him in silence. Beside her, the boy nudged her with his elbow and whispered in her ear.

"We should just steal their food and run away with it."

Unfortunately for him, his words were easily heard by the sensitive ears of the two adults in the room.

Sergeant Taylor Hoffer coughed his lungs out.

Neart Ironcrest's lips twitched.

The young girl seemed to have caught the minute movement and her lips formed a small smile. She leaned towards the blonde-haired male and spoke in a hushed yet audible voice. "Leon, didn't you say stealing was bad?"

Blue eyes widened. The boy began sweating buckets. He straightened his back, crossed his arms around his chest, and looked the other direction.

"Stealing? Who's stealing? I'm not stealing anything," he said. He didn't even bother lowering the volume of his voice.

"You just said so," she rebutted.

Leon stood up and hissed. "I DID NOT!"

The girl narrowed her eyes. "Did, too."

"Did not!"

"Did too."

"DID NOT!"

"Did...too."

Neart Ironcrest's laughter boomed in the tent. The two children fell into silence as the older man guffawed and almost rolled out of his seat. The boy named Leon and Sergeant Taylor Hoffer stared at him like he had grown another head. The girl merely watched like a curious bystander enjoying the show.

The laughter subsided. The man took a deep breath. Three pairs of eyes were glued to his head. He resisted the urge to sigh.

After this mission, whatever happened in Ara Desert was something he would eventually have nothing to do with him. He was going to be a free man with too much free time on his hands. Even though his life felt slightly empty, he had his wife he loved and a quiet little house. He needed to come to a decision, even if that meant leaving the children behind.

But did he really need to leave the children behind?

He enjoyed the laughter. He enjoyed the bickering. No one was stopping him from enjoying it again.

Neart Ironcrest spoke slowly, to make sure the other adult male understood what he was going to say. "I'm taking them back with me."

Sergeant Hoffer scratched the chin under his beard. "So, we're detaining them?"

Neart Ironcrest shook his head. "No. I'm taking them back with me. To Myron."

Sergeant Hoffer's eyes widened. "Sir, that's not legal."

The Major huffed. "Why? You gonna tell on me?"

The bearded man waved his hands in front of him. "No, Sir. But-"

"Then, will the boys outside tell on me?" Neart Ironcrest challenged.

"Of course not, Sir! They adore you so they won't-"

"If you won't tell, and they won't tell, then what's the problem?" The older man put his hands on his waist and stood up. "Stop acting the maggot. I know a few fellas who wouldn't mind pulling a few strings. If everyone keeps the secret, then all's well that ends well, yeah?"

He left Sergeant Hoffer with the other man's mouth hanging open and turned to the two children who seemed to be having problems following the conversation. Neart Ironcrest cleared his throat. "In other words, I'll be bringing you back home. What do you say?"

Black orbs left his gaze and stared at the boy beside her. The boy's eyebrows crunched. Neart Ironcrest remembered how the lad had mentioned something about stealing their food and added, "My wife's a good cook so there'll be a lot of food to go around the house."

Blue eyes blinked. A few seconds later, he nodded his head. The girl beside him simply smiled and said nothing more.

Neart Ironcrest's face sported a huge grin. He ignored Sergeant Hoffer's nagging and told his troops that they were heading out. Five days later, they were back in the desert sands and headed off to Myron. But this time, two little people were sleeping soundly in the military truck while the muscular men around them watched over them in silence like stalwart guardians watching over their charge.

Neart Ironcrest smiled.

It was time for him and for the two little fellas to go home.