have a few questions for me. That is, if you have learned a bit of respect over the night.”
Noir suppressed a scowl and said, “Yes. I am sorry for how I acted yesterday. I was angry about you not following the bandits to try to get Aimee and Steven back.” Noir grunted. “Quite honestly, I still am.” Grandel nodded apprehensively. Noir sighed, trying to put that behind him. “Can you tell me what you think will happen to them?”
The large man bent forward in his chair and rested his elbows on the table. “Well, people with their potential are highly desired. The test that we did to you, we did to your uncle and cousin as well. We did it in the time that we were walking shortly before we were attacked. We found that your uncle is attuned to sye, and your cousin is attuned to din.”
Noir filled in the rest, “So that means Steven is going to probably be sold to Chiron and Aimee to Tier.”
Grandel leaned back in his chair, and clasped his hands behind his head. “You catch on fast. Unfortunately, we cannot jeopardize our whereabouts or risk the men to go find them.” Again, Noir controlled a grimace. Grandel continued, “Bandits are people who need money desperately but do not kill needlessly. They will look for any way to make money off of them. Your family members will be all right as long as they aren’t sold to someone with more sinister plans.” He paused then said, “Do you have more questions for me?”
Noir responded, “Yes if that is alright.” Grandel nodded and put his hands down on the table again. “I want to know who all of you are. What do you do?”
“Ah yes. A good question that I am proud to answer.” Grandel stood up and began pacing the open part of the room while talking. He put his hand in his side pouch and rolled something rectangular around in his hand as he spoke. “We are a resistance of the two major kingdoms of this area, Chiron and Tier. While attempts have been made in the past to start new towns separate from the kingdoms, they were always fought over and eventually controlled by one of the two kingdoms. We strive to create a new, free lifestyle with powerful self defense to prevent takeover. Almost every man living in Talik is a trained warrior. If they aren't, they do some sort of job to aid the warriors. We have undercover people in each town and city in both kingdoms trying to recruit brave or wary souls to come join us.”
“What were you out doing when you found us at that shrine?”
“I think it is my turn to ask a question, Noir. What were you doing when we found you?”
Noir had to think fast. Ratt had said that place was a temple to the Lumin and that it was holy ground. He said this year was the year of the Lumin, whatever that meant. “I was looking for the Lumin. My family and I were travelers from a nearby village. We wanted to find him so he could cure a sick man from the village.” It seemed fairly convincing to himself.
Grandel grunted. “We shall see later if those are words of truth. Now, on to more important matters.”
“Sir, you never answered my question.”
“And I shall not as of now. Do not test my patience as you did yesterday.” Grandel stopped pacing and sat down in the chair across the table again. “About your lux abilities. They could be of great use to us. Our goals are only for the defense of ourselves and our people. When we are inevitably discovered, there will be battle. No military force survives without their share of Luxins. We have two Luxins in our group already. They both defected from Tier
Noir suppressed a scowl and said, “Yes. I am sorry for how I acted yesterday. I was angry about you not following the bandits to try to get Aimee and Steven back.” Noir grunted. “Quite honestly, I still am.” Grandel nodded apprehensively. Noir sighed, trying to put that behind him. “Can you tell me what you think will happen to them?”
The large man bent forward in his chair and rested his elbows on the table. “Well, people with their potential are highly desired. The test that we did to you, we did to your uncle and cousin as well. We did it in the time that we were walking shortly before we were attacked. We found that your uncle is attuned to sye, and your cousin is attuned to din.”
Noir filled in the rest, “So that means Steven is going to probably be sold to Chiron and Aimee to Tier.”
Grandel leaned back in his chair, and clasped his hands behind his head. “You catch on fast. Unfortunately, we cannot jeopardize our whereabouts or risk the men to go find them.” Again, Noir controlled a grimace. Grandel continued, “Bandits are people who need money desperately but do not kill needlessly. They will look for any way to make money off of them. Your family members will be all right as long as they aren’t sold to someone with more sinister plans.” He paused then said, “Do you have more questions for me?”
Noir responded, “Yes if that is alright.” Grandel nodded and put his hands down on the table again. “I want to know who all of you are. What do you do?”
“Ah yes. A good question that I am proud to answer.” Grandel stood up and began pacing the open part of the room while talking. He put his hand in his side pouch and rolled something rectangular around in his hand as he spoke. “We are a resistance of the two major kingdoms of this area, Chiron and Tier. While attempts have been made in the past to start new towns separate from the kingdoms, they were always fought over and eventually controlled by one of the two kingdoms. We strive to create a new, free lifestyle with powerful self defense to prevent takeover. Almost every man living in Talik is a trained warrior. If they aren't, they do some sort of job to aid the warriors. We have undercover people in each town and city in both kingdoms trying to recruit brave or wary souls to come join us.”
“What were you out doing when you found us at that shrine?”
“I think it is my turn to ask a question, Noir. What were you doing when we found you?”
Noir had to think fast. Ratt had said that place was a temple to the Lumin and that it was holy ground. He said this year was the year of the Lumin, whatever that meant. “I was looking for the Lumin. My family and I were travelers from a nearby village. We wanted to find him so he could cure a sick man from the village.” It seemed fairly convincing to himself.
Grandel grunted. “We shall see later if those are words of truth. Now, on to more important matters.”
“Sir, you never answered my question.”
“And I shall not as of now. Do not test my patience as you did yesterday.” Grandel stopped pacing and sat down in the chair across the table again. “About your lux abilities. They could be of great use to us. Our goals are only for the defense of ourselves and our people. When we are inevitably discovered, there will be battle. No military force survives without their share of Luxins. We have two Luxins in our group already. They both defected from Tier
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