Heliopath’s World: Ildieu: Falcon: Kestrel’s Kidnap (part 2)

[k_a_webb]

This entry is part 10 of 16 in the Heliopath's World collection

Part 1

This entry is part 10 of 16 in the Heliopath's World collection

“What happens if they don’t make it?”

Falcon looked at Lars. It was hard to believe they’d been close friends for nearly twenty years, but they had, and that was why Falcon had asked Lars to be his second in command, even though it would have made more sense to have someone older in that position to help him. That’s what his father had suggested he do, before leaving Ildieu. Maybe it would have helped more if he did have someone else in the position, he wouldn’t have made so many silly mistakes, and yet he couldn’t help thinking he’d have done things exactly the same way. His decisions were why his father had chosen him, instead of his brothers, to be in the position of the leader of the Black Hollow at such a difficult time, without training him beforehand. Without the training he made what his father called pure decisions, based on nothing more than what he knew, which, sometimes, wasn’t as much as he wished he knew.

“I go with Plan B,” Falcon replied, biting his lip. “By then I should have had time to talk to Kess and get her to understand why I made the choices I did, as well as talk to Ash, without having to be someone else, so he knows that I already know what’s happening and we’ve been planning for this for years. I wish I didn’t have to tell him that his father was a part of it all, but I do, so that he understands the position we’re all in. The leader of the Emerald Warren is already preparing to take in everyone who won’t be fighting.” He brushed a hand through his hair. “Now that Kess isn’t spending all of her time in the library I’ll send a letter to Calogero, so he knows what’s happening, because I know he thinks that the leaders of the Hollow are useless.” Shaking his head he tried not to wish that things had been different. It didn’t do any good. “Occasionally I think my grandfather did too good a job picking his heirs.”

Lars smiled. “No one out there knows that the true leader of the Hollow was still your grandfather then.”

“That was the plan and that was what happened, but…” Falcon sighed. “Now that I’m in this position I wish that I could be honest with people, instead of having to continue what my grandfather started, because I don’t agree with the choices that he made. If he hadn’t made them I could be working with Kess and Ash now to make Ildieu safe, instead of sitting here acting as though I have no idea what’s going on and that I don’t care if the mages outside the city are planning to destroy us.”

“You don’t have to keep pretending for much longer.”

“Any time is too long, Lars. I hate it. I’m not the person they all think I am – I’m not a bloody idiot, even though I seem it, because that’s what they’re all supposed to think of me as. That way if anyone outside finds out about me, the leader of the Black Hollow, grandson of someone they’ve all heard about, they won’t think I’m a threat until it’s too late.”

Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

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