After leaving Kotun so abruptly one morning, Sonam's camp avoided villages for awhile. As spring turned into summer, they went on the offensive, attacking the military bases and traveling Imperial troops. They began to earn more victories, which encouraged everyone. They made enough of an impact that construction on the central base was slowed enough so that little progress was made in a month.
Even if news could not be reported throughout Galahd, the rebels' success was spread through word of mouth. Whatever support Sonam had lost from the Elders was soon regained, as well as some more he hadn't had before. Of course, no one openly claimed to support rebel efforts; it was all in secret, shown through additional supplies or recruits given to them when they did stop at a village.
The Lucian newspaper was what Sonam sought out the most when they had to restock the camp. He presented the latest one to Klahan, Hira, and Andromeda after some combat training. He had it opened to the international news page, pointing to a specific article title: "Resistance perseveres, fervor for independence sparks in Galahd".
Sonam had a right to look pleased about it. The articles on Galahd had been getting longer than the occasional anecdote. The reporter had started to include more details and speculations about the unrest in the islands. Still, the rebellion was not featured on the front page.
"The Lucians are starting to pay more attention. It has the Imperials taking us more seriously," Sonam said. "With Lucian support, we could pose a serious threat to the Empire."
"That hadn't worked last time. You said Lucian aid dried up fast," Andromeda frowned. Why put faith in an ally who backed out so quickly before, to conserve themselves when they were not under fire?
"Even if they do give us aid now, they'll want to reconquer Galahd as soon as Niflheim is gone." Hira crossed her arms and shrugged. "To "protect" the islands."
"It's time Galahd stands for itself again, not part of Lucis or Niflheim," Klahan agreed, almost sagely.
Sonam looked between the three of them. Andromeda couldn't recall a time when she had heard Hira or Klahan disagree with him. It wasn't her place to do so. The other two looked up to Sonam for his experience and leadership. Maybe they agreed that they weren't doing enough.
"Well, you kids might not need me anymore," He said in good humor, closing up the paper. "You're all right, though. We're closer to independence now than we have been for hundreds of years."
"We already are a serious threat to the Empire, but they won't take us seriously until we do something more drastic," Andromeda pointed out. The Empire had taken the rebels seriously enough to send her to the islands about two years prior to wipe them out.
Sonam sighed at having to repeat himself. "We cannot start killing Imperials. They'll march into our towns and start killing Galahdians."
"They already did that," Hira countered bitterly. "They still do it to us out here. We'll run out of warriors before they run out of robots. It doesn't help that Lucis took a whole bunch of them!"
"What the Nifs are doing right now is just suppression," Andromeda added. She had spent enough time with the Imperial Army to understand their tactics. She knew the rebel attacks weren't felt by the Empire at all. "It's harder to replace humans. That's why the Empire uses MTs. It'll take them longer to recover without their generals."
"And when they do recover, it'll be another slaughter for all of Galahd," Sonam argued. "You might not remember what happened in Tenebrae, but we remember the night the Empire came to Galahd."
She was way out of line, but she couldn't stop now. "Tenebrae's rebellion failed so terribly because they chose to just give up when their homes and families were lost. Didn't you tell me once that giving up the fight and doing nothing meant that all of those who died before wasted their lives? All of your fighting won't make a difference until you start taking lives right back. Who wants to fight all their life for freedom?"
"I am," Hira spoke up. Klahan nodded.
Andromeda should have expected that from them. "Okay, you're willing to fight all your lives, but is that what you want your whole lives to be?"
She already knew the answer, because she was the same as them: fighting was all they had ever done, and all they had ever known. They practically had been born in combat zones. They wouldn't know what to do with themselves if there was peace and freedom.
No one answered her question. In the quiet moment, tension left Sonam's shoulders. "A lot of rebels are not going to see Galahd gain its independence. What'll keep us all going is thinking what that independence will be. We have to remember what we're fighting for. Not revenge, not retribution—freedom. The first rebellion was lost not just because Lucians stopped helping us, but because we focused too much on our anger and not enough on our hope."
"It still doesn't make up for all of the deaths we've suffered," Hira muttered. "It's why we almost lost two years ago."
Andromeda pursed her lips, knowing that she had almost been the downfall for the rebellion. The other woman reminded her just how much she had to make up for. A lifetime's worth.
"We can't risk killing an Imperial," Klahan spoke up. "No matter how much they've wronged us."
The conversation reached a stalemate. Hira and Andromeda might have been frustrated with the lack of an impact, but Klahan remained firmly on Sonam's side. Their leader had groomed him well as his right hand.
Sonam folded the paper up and held it at his side, no longer pleased. "The watch will switch out soon."
That was all he needed to say to let them know what to do next, now that the conversation was over. It was almost like a punishment, the way he told them to stand at the edge of camp for a few hours after a tense discussion. Yet Sonam did not punish anyone for disagreeing with him—only when they disobeyed his orders. Although due to the oath, he had ever right to do worse to Andromeda.
She took the hint as he walked back to his command center. She walked the other direction to relieve one of the two people posted to take watch at the southern end of camp. She had been trusted to participate in watch for awhile now. Even now, after arguing, Sonam still trusted her enough to not run away. No matter how much they might disagree, Andromeda never would.
She stood watch until night fell and someone came to take over. She didn't have to help prepare dinner, and that was completely voluntary for her by now. She didn't mind it so much now, especially that it didn't feel so forced and she wasn't scolded so much.
Andromeda went to bed sometime after dinner. She was already asleep by the time Hira came into their shared tent. It didn't feel long after they were both asleep that there was shouting in Galahdian outside their tent. Even in a groggy state, she understood the word for "Imperial".
Both women hastily got out of bed at the uproar of noise outside. Andromeda gathered her bag and kukri quickly before Hira dragged her out of the tent.
An MT was just outside, presumably about to come in. Before Andromeda got over the surprise, Hira stabbed it in its neck with her own curved blade. The android still grabbed at Andromeda. She got over her stupor and stabbed its wrist, forcing its claw to let go of her. Hira then pulled the core out of the MT's chest while it was distracted, and both women ran further into the camp.
There was chaos, and none of it was Andromeda's doing. It was brighter than normal at this hour, and oppressively warm; some tents had caught on fire. MTs were scattered through the camp. The humans were caught unaware, scrambling to fight them off. A couple of rebels that were overtaken were dragged off into the dark.
Hira and Andromeda hesitated to join the fray. Did they stay and fight, or run off into the daemon-infested dark to escape? Sonam had so many scouts—they usually had more warning than this, and more time to prepare. The Imperials had never moved against them at night, but he still had plenty of people on night watch.
As they considered what to do, another MT approached them from the side. Andromeda slashed at its outstretched claw, knocking it away. Hira stabbed into its neck, as if trying to take the head off. Andromeda yanked its core out while it grasped at Hira's arm. Before they could run off again, the MT was picked up from behind and thrown into the nearest burning tent. Sonam stood in its place and ushered them away from the fire. The exploding MT only added fuel to it.
"What happened to the watch?" Hira asked over the din around them. She had the same thoughts Andromeda had: the watch should have given them advanced warning of an approaching Imperial troop.
"I don't know. I haven't been able to get to them yet," Sonam looked around, then at Andromeda. "Don't use that power here. Not at this hour. We're at a disadvantage. Run southeast of here with the others."
"They're taking people away," Hira said.
"I know, but we can't take on a troop and daemons at the same time," Sonam told her.
A group of five MTs noticed the three humans lingering, unmolested. They circled them. Sonam must have had time to grab a gun from their weapon supply; he raised it and fired at the group. Hira and Andromeda stabbed and slashed at the MTs, focusing on the weak joints.
They were outnumbered, making it difficult to focus on each MT equally. In the scuffle, Hira was overpowered by two. They began to drag her away. Sonam and Andromeda noticed and pursued. They hacked at the MTs until they released Hira and engaged them instead. Sonam and Andromeda both managed to pull their cores out. All three of them ran, the loud explosion staggering the MTs behind them.
"Keep running!" Sonam ordered behind Hira and Andromeda. He hollered to all they passed to retreat and follow them southeast.
Most everyone followed his order and gave up the fight, running out into the darkness before the MTs could drag them away. The troop still pursued, of course.
They were nearly out of the camp when the spotted Klahan, refusing to give up the fight while fending off three MTs. Just as they saw him, he was knocked down and overtaken by the three MTs. Two of them began to drag his crumpled form away.
Hira and Andromeda stopped in their tracks. Sonam couldn't help but stop and watch as well. As Hira took a step back towards camp, he grabbed her arm.
"We have to help!" She turned back to him.
"They've taken too many people tonight." He shook his head. "We have to keep running."
So that was what they did. As they ran from their burning camp, MTs continued to pursue them into the jungle. They were running headlong into daemons. It was too much for even the strongest to fight off. The best they could do was to keep running as fast as they could.
"Keep running! We ought to find a haven soon," Sonam bellowed to the surviving band. He turned to Andromeda, who stayed at his side as they fled. "Don't summon that power. It'll kill all of us."
That he had to tell her twice revealed his fear. As useful as her chaos was to him, he had the same reason to fear it as everyone else did. He was right: it would kill them all while they were surrounded by daemons and Magitek soldiers.
They could hear the cries of the stragglers in the back as they were snatched by MTs, but they all kept running. Some throughout the group faced even worse: daemons. Sometimes they couldn't flee, and a few had to stop and fight the daemons off from their comrade. Getting snatched by a daemon was probably worse than an MT.
"I see the haven!" Someone at the front yelled.
Sonam, Hira, and Andromeda were far enough behind that they could not see those leading their group, but they could see two people just in front of them. It seemed to be that way for everyone throughout the group. Following one another's lead, they all veered towards the right, changing direction. As they all soon caught sight of the glowing runes, it gave them all a second wind, pushing them to run even faster towards the haven.
The rebels scrambled onto the haven as they reached it. The daemons and MTs that had harried them along the way suddenly stopped in their pursuit, scattering through the area as they had suddenly lost their quarry. Everyone on top of the haven was breathless, but a couple of them managed to throw insults out at them. Several of them simply collapsed onto the stone.
Now able to see everyone, Sonam frantically looked around as he did a headcount. He didn't have to say it: several people were missing.
Andromeda looked at everyone to see who had made it out with them. Tshering approached her, smiling.
"I'm glad you made it out," He said.
She smiled in return. "Still wasn't the worst wake-up call I've had."
She approached Sonam. He seemed to be finished with his headcount, looking out into the jungle, as if he might spot the stragglers out there, fighting off MTs and daemons.
"How did the Imperials gets so close without the watch alerting us?" Andromeda asked Hira's earlier question.
Sonam shook his head again. "I don't know, but no one from watch is here. They were taken. The troop wasn't killing anyone. They were taking them away."
Hira approached them, joining in. "What will we do now?"
He didn't answer right away, falling deep in thought as he continued to watch the jungle. He glanced at Andromeda. "You and Tshering should see to everyone."
It was one of her regular duties; she should have done it first before approaching Sonam, but they were all looking to him for answers. Andromeda had some of their medical supplies in the same bag with her crystals. Tshering seemed to have nabbed some things from the medical tent as well. Together they tended to injuries throughout their surviving camp. They were plenty of claw marks among them, and some bullet wounds as well. If anyone had contracted Scourge while in contact with daemons, it would take awhile before the infection would become apparent. At least, that's what Andromeda assumed. She didn't say anything about it, to keep everyone else from worrying about it. They had enough to deal with.
As they finished patching everyone up, Sonam had finished thinking. He raised his voice so they could all hear him, "Once the sun comes up, we'll go north and find another camp. We've lost too many numbers to be on our own. We'll take refuge with Dewi and regroup there. We'll find out where the others were taken, and get them back. Get some rest. There's only a few hours left before sunrise."
His decision heartened the rebels. Andromeda was glad to hear he would not give up on their taken comrades, as his attitude earlier in the day had suggested. If the Imperials were going to start kidnapping them in the dead of night, the rebellion had to become just as serious.
Sonam sent scouts out in the surrounding area at dawn. Once they returned and confirmed nothing was out there, he ordered everyone to start marching north in search of the other camp.
The encouragement his solution had given them had quickly faded as everyone had tried to sleep, as the reality set in. No one had gotten much sleep after the attack; they were too shaken by it, to have been caught so unaware. For some, it was the first sort of offensive attack by the Imperials that they had witnessed. No one was in the mood for talking.
Soon after starting their trek north, they all realized that they were hungry. No one had grabbed food while they were fleeing the camp. They all had very few things with them. Andromeda was lucky to have her bag and kukri, which were almost always by her side.
She wondered what was happening to the captives. Imperials usually just killed off rebels that attacked them. Their recent attack was reminiscent of what they would have Andromeda do to rebel camps, but the Imperials didn't have her power to do it. They had never had her do it in the dead of night, either. They had always made her act alone, and had never taken a captive while she was there. It was her job to simply destroy the camp, and either kill rebels or scatter the survivors. Now she vaguely understood what it had been like for them, when she had been attacking them. It had been hell, confusing and terrifying as their home away from home was torn apart.
With these thoughts, Andromeda made her way to Sonam, who led the way at the head of their group. He seemed even more pensive in the daylight than he had been the night before. Thinking to themselves wasn't going to get them anywhere.
"Where do you think they were taken?" She asked.
"There's only two active military bases that they could be at, but they're on opposite ends of Galahd." Sonam frowned. They were nowhere near prepared enough to ambush a base.
"Why were they taken? Imperials usually just kill," Andromeda pointed out.
"My guess is that whichever general ordered it wants some answers, maybe some leverage," He reasoned. "They were probably after you."
"Most likely," She agreed. That was the only reason she could see that the MTs were ordered to take captives. The Empire definitely wanted her alive, which was worse than wanting her dead.
"They'll call for a surrender soon, with the promise of releasing the captives," Sonam continued. "They know that surrender isn't usually taken when people have been killed."
Maybe that was so on this side of the world; it still wasn't like the Empire to take hostages. Andromeda frowned at his theory. "Would you surrender?"
He considered his answer. "I haven't decided yet. We've never been so close before now."
Rejecting the Imperial terms of surrender would be certain death for the captives. Klahan would tell Sonam to keep fighting; hadn't they all just discussed the day before that a lot of rebels would never see Galahd free, having died in battle? Any one of them could end up as a fallen comrade, life suddenly cut short. They talked about freedom, but might not live to see it.
The Imperials certainly had leverage over Sonam now and they knew that. If he decided to surrender, there would be no third rebellion. Andromeda would either be killed or captured by Imperials. Surrender was not an option, but neither was the slaughter of comrades.
"There is one other power I haven't told you about yet," She admitted slowly.
Sonam frowned even moreso as he threw a sharp glance at her. "Why haven't you told me about it until now?"
"It hasn't come up until now. It didn't have much use to you before," She said. She never liked sharing this power with others—it was something she kept to herself, should she need to get out of a situation. With everyone around her using her for her power, she would like to keep one thing just for herself.
When he continued looking at her, Andromeda explained herself further. "When I'm asleep, I can find other sleeping people and put myself in their dreams. I can communicate with them that way."
At least, that was what Etro had explained of it long ago, and what she had first understood about it. Yet it seemed to have grown since then: she could observe places remotely, searching them.
Sonam still didn't look any happier. "You'd better not be dicking with me, because now is not the time for that."
"I'm not," She confirmed. He never seemed like the type to joke around with.
"That's a very useful power," Sonam stated, but did not reveal any more of his thoughts. "We'll get to the other camp and figure out our countermeasure from there."
Eventually they came to a strait, which they crossed in a boat, and then continued northwards. Soon after, they spotted two armed people, standing on either side of a large warding pole. Sonam called to the two on watch, raising his arms to show he was friendly as he requested to speak with Dewi. One of the watchmen led his group into the camp, all the way to their command tent.
A commotion was stirred up as several people were led through the camp. By the time they stopped before the largest tent, the leader had stepped out to face them. Dewi was an older dark-skinned woman with many angles, a weathered face, and fierce eyes. She looked Sonam over, and glanced at his ragged followers, which Andromeda blended in among them.
"This isn't a social call," Even her voice was sharp, though it lacked malice.
"It isn't," Sonam confirmed. "My camp was ambushed in the night. We're all that's left. Everyone else was dragged away by Imperials."
Dewi observed them all again, finding truth in what he said. "I'll have extra tents set up. There's plenty of food in the mess tent."
"Get something to eat," Sonam told his camp behind him.
No one had to be told a second time. Andromeda followed along as everyone made their way to the mess tent. Dewi's people trailed alongside them, both to help them find the right tent and to get all of the details about the ambush. They were alarmed that Sonam's camp, of all the rebel camps in Galahd, was so injured in one attack, and that people were taken away.
As Sonam's rebels were given food to eat and even afterwards, the two camps mingled. If they weren't talking about the ambush, they were catching up with one another. Some had heard of Andromeda and knew some things about her, but the ambush was more pressing on their minds than a foreigner.
It was a few hours before the two leaders were seen together again. By then, it was the dinner hour. When most of the camp was conveniently gathered, Dewi and Sonam finally appeared. He looked much better, as if he had gotten some rest.
"By now, you all should have gotten acquainted with one another," Dewi spoke loudly. Everyone hushed. "As you already know, Sonam's camp was attacked last night. The few remaining will stay here in our camp. Once they find out where their comrades are being kept, we'll join them to attack the base and get them back."
Cheering followed her announcement. Despite Sonam's inclination to hope over aggression, most people found revenge more motivating.
That was all Dewi had to say to her people. Sonam left her side and mingled with everyone else as they dined. He had planned for his camp to stay with Dewi's, and thankfully managed to convince her to let them. The announcement was no surprise to his rebels.
Sonam soon appeared in front of Andromeda and Hira as they sat at a table. A chair was borrowed from another table so he had some place to sit.
"You both alright?" He asked as he sat down with them.
Neither woman had gotten injured and they had been fed twice now. They had nothing to complain about. They gave nods and small "yeah"s.
"Good. I want you both to go out at dawn and scout the base nearby," Sonam revealed, glancing at Andromeda. "Will you be able to get a look inside and see who's there?"
"I will," She assured, although she had no experience in doing so. Whenever she had used her dream walking in an Imperial base, she had never been able to look outside of its walls. She hoped that it was just due to the situation then, and not that she couldn't get through thick concrete. Even so, Andromeda was out of practice with dream walking. Still, she needed Sonam to believe that she could do it.
"What are you talking about?" Hira asked.
"I'll explain later," Andromeda told her.
"Don't engage with Imperials," Sonam stated. "If you see any, come right back here. And don't try to infiltrate the base on your own."
"We won't." Hira rolled her eyes. "If you're so worried about sending the two of us out together, why choose us?"
"Consider it a trust exercise," He answered grimly.
"If we're going out just to scout, won't it make it easier for the Nifs to pick me up?" Andromeda asked. That had been their original goal.
"They've figured out that you're in our camps. It might be better if you make yourself scarce for a little bit, in case they come after this one next," Sonam reasoned. "We were lucky Dewi hasn't moved yet, but it's too close to last night's attack. She can't stay here much longer. Once you're done eating, go stock up on supplies for tomorrow."
Though they were exhausted from all that had happened, neither Hira nor Andromeda complained to be sent off so soon. The sooner they acted was all the sooner they could get their comrades back and stick it to the Imperials. They finished eating quickly, then followed Sonam's order.
The Imperial base was a day and half's journey north from Dewi's camp. Perhaps she had been plotting an attack on it before Sonam came to her for help. There was a chance that she still would attack it; yet if the troop had come from this base, they would have come across her camp before Sonam's. There was no way of knowing Imperial plans; it was important that Andromeda checked the base first before they either attacked it or moved on.
There were no havens along the way. Hira and Andromeda relied on warding charms to keep the daemons and other creatures away at night. They took watch shifts. Andromeda took a longer watch, knowing she would get some sleep during the following day. She felt more comfortable within the warding charms while she wasn't alone.
MTs had been able to get past the warding boundaries of their camp. That fact troubled Andromeda. Full-blooded daemons could not, nor could they see what was within the boundaries. She understood that the warding charms did not make people invisible to others outside of the boundaries, save daemons. The warding charms did not protect against other dangers; a wild animal could come through the boundary, and it had happened occasionally at camp. Was it that MTs did not contain enough daemonic energy for the warding charms to block out? Or did their armor protect them? Galahd's old magic was not very strong, then.
The night passed without incident, and the two women continued onward at dawn again. Once the base came into their sights, they took cover in the tree line. Andromeda sat against one trunk, facing where they had come from. Hira kept an eye on the fortress.
"What's the plan? How are we supposed to see what's going on without getting any closer?" She asked.
"Just take my word for this," Andromeda said. "I'm going to fall asleep. When I do, I can see who's in that base. I'll wake up when I'm done."
"What?" Of course Hira didn't believe her. She needed practical demonstration over someone's word.
"Just trust me," Andromeda sighed, closing her eyes. "We won't have to stay here long."
Hira thankfully kept quiet, letting her drift off. As Andromeda had guessed, she was out of practice: it was difficult to get herself to remain alert enough to focus her attention on the base. She managed it soon enough. Her mind wandered into the base, easily getting past the gate and thick walls.
Inside the base, locked doors and walls were no obstacle for her while in a dream. Andromeda continued to drift along, observing the surroundings without manifesting a dream state. She recognized the base: not only had Sonam led a few attacks against it, but it was the same base she had been held at for months, when the Imperial Army had been using her. She had thought Dalton, her handler, was the presiding general here, but she hadn't seen him since she came back to Galahd. She found another general in his place, along with his meager staff, but no captives.
She observed the general for awhile, but he did nothing noteworthy. Andromeda woke herself up, her mind returning to her body a quarter mile from the base. Hira looked at her as she stirred.
"They're not in there," Andromeda announced, disappointed.
That could only mean that the captives had been taken across Galahd to the other base. The troop had specifically targeted Sonam's camp, presumably to find her, as they had already guessed.
When Andromeda and Hira returned with the disappointing news, Sonam and Dewi had the camp pack up to make the long trek across the islands to the other Imperial base, on the opposite side of the large main island. If anyone was upset by this missed opportunity to disable a base, they did not voice it. They was another one they could attack, and for more reasons.
It was too dangerous and obvious to have the enlarged camp to travel as one across Galahd. Sonam and Dewi had it separate into clusters and spread out. They picked a rendezvous point for everyone to travel to. If one cluster was captured, the others might not be detected and pursued. They were both certain that Imperials were picking off rebel camps again, now that they had resurfaced.
It was a couple of days' travel before everyone reached the rendezvous point. By the time they had, a couple of the clusters had engaged Imperial troops, but they had been small and the groups had taken care of them. Once all of the clusters were reunited, they moved as one camp again southwards, then settled on a large area.
The camp was now another day and a half away from the nearest base. It seemed to be a safe distance where the Imperials wouldn't notice an encampment, and it was close enough that the rebels could march on the base.
Once the camp was established, Andromeda and Tshering were sent out the next morning to scout the base. She took the time to explain herself before they set out, and Tshering seemed to take it better than Hira had. Hira had her doubts, but thankfully kept them to herself since they had returned empty-handed.
It was only as they approached the base that Tshering brought it up. "So, you can spy on people in your sleep?"
"Not exactly spying," Andromeda hated what that implied. "Though I have used it like that before."
"You're just full of surprises," He smirked.
"It's the last one up my sleeve," She assured.
As they spotted the base ahead, they took cover in some brush. From afar, it was completely still, like all Imperial bases, as if nothing at all was going on behind those walls.
Andromeda sat and leaned against a tree. "Keep watch. I won't take too long."
She shut her eyes, settling down to focus and sleep. It didn't happen right away.
"Y'know, the Lucians might think it's sweet to watch someone sleep, but it's really just creepy," Tshering commented.
She grit her teeth. "You're supposed to be watching everything else. I need quiet."
He didn't speak up again. Hopefully that meant he kept an eye on their surroundings and not her. As far as Andromeda knew, nothing really happened to her body when she did this.
She focused enough while falling asleep that her mind could wander to the base with ease. She immediately recognized the layout—it was the base they had burned out months ago with another camp. The Imperials still hadn't managed to erase the scorch marks on some of the buildings. She knew which one served as offices and communications, and knew that would not have what she was looking for. Instead, she drifted to one of the smaller buildings off to the side. She knew it did not house offices.
Andromeda didn't have to go much further: once she was inside, she found one sleeping captive. Klahan was chained to a chair in an otherwise empty room. His head drooped as he dozed off. He was alone. She wasted no time in entering Klahan's dream, which was far more simple than remote viewing.
The setting of his dream was no different, except that there was a general standing over him. It was a recent memory that Klahan was playing back in his mind.
"Where did the rest of your camp go?" The general demanded.
Klahan responded with a colorful Galahdian insult used occasionally in their camp. He was struck across the face for it—clearly by his already swollen face, it wasn't the first time.
It was all Andromeda needed to see. He hadn't broke yet. "Klahan."
The dream wavered as the general and his underling disappeared.
"Focus," She warned.
Klahan finally looked up at her. The dream settled, stabilizing as he remained asleep.
"You shouldn't be here," He said. "They were looking for you."
"We know," It was old news by now. "Where are the others?"
"Downstairs, in cells. How did you get in here?"
"I'm not really here. I'll explain when we get you out," Andromeda clarified. "What are the general's plans?"
"You think he would have told me?" Klahan spat. It had been a stupid question. "He hasn't said. He's been asking us all the questions."
It sounded like an Imperial general alright. He had already approached the local Elders and ordered them to make the rebels surrender in return for the captives. Of course, the Elders had never openly supported any rebellion, so they insisted that they had no part in its activities nor did they condone it. The general had given them a week to decide, but he hadn't said what he would do with the captives when time was up. He might just kill them when he gave up on them.
Andromeda thought to tell Klahan what the camp was doing, but stopped herself. He hadn't broke yet, but he still could. Even if he was Sonam's right hand, he had his limits. They were no where near as highly trained as Imperials were. They knew ways to torture information out of people.
"We'll come for you," She assured. "When I come back, everyone will be with me."
"Whatever you say," His head dropped, as if it was too heavy to hold up even here in a dream.
"Sonam would never give up on you," Andromeda added, making a point. Klahan's capture was probably what bothered their leader so much about the ambush.
She had all she needed and more. She slipped out of Klahan's dream, flying all the way back to her body far off in the jungle. She took a moment to wake up, now alone with Tshering.
"They're in there," She confirmed.
"Great. Let's get back," He helped her to her feet. There wasn't time to lose.
They still had to pass the night in the jungle, but thankfully they had come across a haven between the base and camp. It was preferable to relying on warding charms. They started a fire in the pit, found something to eat, and then sat around for a bit, not quite tired yet.
"Do you think Klahan and the others will survive the next couple of days?" Tshering asked.
"They should," Andromeda shrugged. "We'll come back for them just in time."
"He's going to owe you big time after this, saving his ass like this."
"He doesn't owe me anything. No one does," She said. If the roles had been reversed, though, she had the feeling Klahan wouldn't go out of his way for her. "I'm a foreigner. I owe everyone everything."
She didn't mind it, either. For the most part, everyone was kind now. She was fed, clothed, and sheltered no matter where she went in Galahd. That she joined the rebellion didn't seem quite enough to repay them—not when she just wanted to hurt the Empire.
"Don't bother with that foreigner talk. It doesn't matter to most of us anymore," Tshering told her. "You've been living here for almost a year now. You've been putting just as much into this fight as anyone else."
"Sonam has said that I might be allowed to stay after my oath is finished," Andromeda admitted. It was not something either of them talked about with anyone else. She still had a long time before she would be free of the oath.
"Will you?"
She poked at the fire with a stick. "I don't know. I think so."
She had had so much back in Lucis: the farm and the couple who had taken her in, and a college education. It was all gone now. Andromeda would love to see the people she had left behind again, but it could get them in trouble with the Empire. It couldn't happen. They were safe so long as she stayed away.
Tshering continued to smile. "Maybe when the fighting is all over here, you'll go back to Tenebrae and show them how it's done."
"I'm not going back there," She said with certainty. "They're content under Imperial rule."
"Are they? Or are they scared?"
Andromeda looked up at the stars. She didn't want to think about it. "I'm happy here, even with all of the fighting."
There was nothing left for her in Tenebrae. Her short visit there had shown her that all hope was lost, and made her loathe to be from there. Yet no amount of wishing would make her Lucian like she appeared to be. The only good thing about her Tenebraen heritage was the sway it seemed to give her with the rebellion.
Tshering left her alone with her thoughts for a moment. It was surprising to Andromeda that all he had ever known of the world was these islands; she had seen so much more than him. After having seen so much, one would think that a small uprising in some tiny country wasn't worth the effort and attention. She felt it was the only worthwhile thing in the world. She had never had so many friends before.
"Hey," He said quietly.
When he didn't say more, Andromeda looked to him. She thought perhaps he had spotted something in the distance, but he was still looking at her. Before she could utter a word, he pressed his lips to hers.
They stayed like that for another long moment. She was shocked by it, but didn't pull away. Perhaps the moment seemed long only because of her racing thoughts. No one had ever shown such a gesture to her before, and she had never really expected anyone to. The longer the moment went on only confirmed for her that Tshering was kissing her.
The moment seemed suddenly shorter than it had been when he pulled away. "I hope you'll stay."
Still in shock, words were difficult to form for Andromeda. Her face was uncomfortably warm. She finally managed to mumble something. "Me too."
"Was that okay?" He asked with a frown, moving a little further away.
"It was," She quickly assured. She didn't want to hurt his feelings. Tshering had been great to her since her very first day with them all. "Just unexpected."
He relaxed, and moved a little closer again. "This wasn't your first kiss, was it?"
"It was."
"Really? You never once—with all the places you've been? Insomnia and Gralea?" He stopped himself. "Wow."
"I'm offended you think I would dirty myself with a Nif," Andromeda teased, recovering from the shock. She wasn't offended by his surprise at her, though she thought it was rather obvious given her deformed skin.
Tshering laughed. "That's not what I meant."
"Now you're the one who's full of surprises," She pointed out.
"Sure, but you'll always be a mystery," He grinned.
She laid back on the ground, her gaze returning to the stars that peered through the canopy of leaves above. "It's all just part of my magic."
"It doesn't come from your magic," He said, laying down beside her. "Andromeda is the name of a star."
"My father named me after it," She admitted.
"Which one is it?"
"I don't know," Andromeda said. "Stars move. We're on the other side of the world. He had always been able to pick it out. I don't know anything about the stars over here. Tell me about them."
"I can't say I know much, either. I'm always looking down at the ground," Tshering shrugged.
He told her what he knew of the stars they saw anyway, and whether they were part of a constellation, which had stories attached to them. She listened attentively, finding more and more reasons to stay.