Eddie

I could think of a thousand things I could have done to avoid this situation. I couldn't think of one way out of it. The blindfold was tight around my eyes and no matter how much I twisted and fidgeted, the ropes around my ankles and wrists wouldn't loosen. A few minutes before I had been told to sit. I had; the knife being pressed to my neck didn't invite much dissent. Now I was sat tied against a tree, feeling the damp earth soak into my clothes and wondering if today was the day that I died.

I could hear the two talking in whispers. I couldn't make out what they were saying, only distant blurs of speech. I focused on the other noises around me. I knew that they had horses; I had seen them earlier and could now hear their soft breathing and the occasional murmured assurance from their rider. There was little wind but leaves still ran across my feet. They felt odd against the skin above my ankles and I chose to focus on that and not my growing dread as one of the two approached me and pulled off my blindfold.

The sudden bright autumn light hurt my eyes as the colors spun and shifted and I turned away from it, my eyes shut. When I opened them again and the world settled to normal, I saw a man crouched in front of me. He must have been in his mid-twenties, with black hair and green eyes that were blank, no emotion. He was looking at me closely. I saw another person behind him; a boy, around my age, with brown hair, brown eyes, tanned and freckled. He looked curious and excited. Their two horses weren't tied but instead roamed the glade, eating grass. I looked back at the two figures and saw their cloaks; a blend of greys, greens, and blues. Horses and cloaks: Rangers. The man pulled a sheet of parchment out of his pocket and started to read:

"Edeline Moon. Wanted for the following crimes against the King: theft, armed robbery, breaking and entering, conspiracy against the Kingdom-" he paused to look up at me. "On three separate occasions. As well as high treason, consorting with enemies of the state, and-"

He leaned forward, his eyes blazing with sudden anger.

"The killing of a Ranger. James Ridgemont."

I was shocked, not at how much they knew about me but what they didn't. Because it wasn't me. I hadn't killed James.

"I didn't," I said.

"Don't bother," he said, standing up. "I'll see you lose your head for what you did to my friend."

"But it wasn't me!" I said, louder now. "He tried to help me, they found out and killed him."

Both of us were tensely calm, the sort of calm that hides the desire to kill the other. I knew shouting my case wouldn't work and despite everything, I was still too proud to beg for my life. He walked over to the boy, who was watching with nervous interest.

"You will pay with your life for taking him," the man said before turning to tend to his horse.

This doesn't look good, I thought.

Dakota

We had been following her since morning. Cory had finally tracked her down; she was only a few hours ride away. She was already injured when we found her and we soon caught up. I had thought justice had finally been delivered. Now, though…

I looked at her again. Her bright blue eyes shone with quiet conviction as she told Cory she hadn't killed James. She had blond hair that hung in curls around her face. She was around sixteen, my age. I mean, I had known that before and hadn't thought much of it but now it struck me. How had she ended up where she was and I where I am?

Cory walked back to me. Edeline leaned back against the tree and closed her eyes.

"Do you believe her?" I asked him, cautiously. In most cases Cory is perfectly calm and collected; when it comes to James though, he snaps. I've never really had a best friend; I wonder if I'd be the same if I lost them.

"No," Cory replied coldly.

I think he must have seen my hesitation because his expression softened.

"How long have you been my apprentice, Dakota?" he asked.

I duck my head. "Almost a year."

"You'd been through a lot before and more since," he looked at me sadly. "But you're still naive. People don't want to die, Dakota. Survival almost always comes before morality. You can't trust people."

My forehead knitted. I don't like that. "I can trust you, right?" I asked, before wincing at how stupid and young that sounds.

Cory smiled. "Of course," he said. Edeline was watching us. As her eyes met mine, her expression darkened. My eyes opened in surprise at the raw pain I saw there. What had hurt her so badly?

"I'll send a pigeon saying that we've caught her," Cory told me. "Keep an eye on her."

He walked away from the glade slightly to the box holding the pigeons. He started writing and I turned back to Edeline. Her eyes were closed again. I walked over to her and sat on the grass.

"Hello," I said nervously. I don't know why I went over to her but I wanted to know why she looked so sad.

"Hi," she replied, eyes still closed.

"You're Edeline Moon," I said.

"No, Eddie," she opened her eyes. "And you are?"

"Dakota," I told her.

Silence. "Did you kill James?" I asked suddenly.

She looked at me for a long moment. "What makes you think I didn't?" she shot back.

"You look…" I trailed off. "Sad." I end, lamely. "Like, upset at his death."

"He tried to help me," she said, quietly. "And he got killed for trying to bring them down."

"Who?" I asked.

"The Organization," she replied, glaring off into the distance.

"I've heard of them," I told her. "They're against the King, right? And they attack places and want to start a revolution. They're considered one of the biggest current threats and have hundreds of members. What was James doing with them?"

"Trying to bring them down while rescuing anyone innocent who was caught up with them. Like me."

Silence again.

"He shouldn't have. I wasn't worth it."

She looked sad again.

"You didn't kill him, did you?" I repeated, gently.

"No," she said. "But he got killed for trying to help people like me, so in a way yes."

"That doesn't count."

"Doesn't it?" Her voice takes on a cold edge. "He's dead. He wouldn't be otherwise."

"Well, it doesn't count for the whole "crimes against the King" stuff," I said excitedly. "Come on, we have to tell Cory and he'll take down the Organization and, well, maybe, you could, like, help us, and then we can stop them and you might not get in as much, um, trouble with the law."

"You're very eloquent," Eddie said, sarcastically.

"Come on," I replied eagerly.

"Why do you believe in people, Dakota?" she asked.

"Because I've seen enough bad to know good," I told her. "And you aren't pure bad, just a bit… misguided?"

"Again, I commend your eloquence. But fine. I don't want to get killed for something I didn't do. How do we prove that it wasn't me? And how are we going to take down the Organization?"

I sigh. "First we have to tell… convince Cory." I grimace. "Should be fun."