Disclaimer: I do not own Hawksong, Snakecharm, or any other books in the Kiesha'Ra series. I do not own any of the characters in the story. I don't really own anything. I forgot this in chapter 1, thank you, thank you, thank you to the reviewer who reminded me! I apologize for the short chapters. I know they drive some people (including me) crazy. The next chapter will be longer; I'm still revising it when I have time. With luck, it will be upin a few days. Thank you again for reviewing!
Fear, horror, and anger made Kel's head spin as she watched her partner pace around the room. Suddenly, Darien grabbed a vase of flowers and threw it into the wall. "Darien…" Kel began. Her partner interrupted. "How could they do that? How could they condemn thousands of people to death?" Kel had no answer. "I'm not going to keep this a secret," Darien said flatly. Kel stared at her in shock. "Darien, they'll try you for treason! Weren't you listening in there? Araceli wants us dead just for knowing! And what good will it do?"
"Justice," Darien replied, her voice flat and cold.
"Justice, or vengeance?" Kel questioned.
"Does it matter? My child's father is dead because of a war that they started! Why should I care about Araceli's pride?"
"At least wait until the baby is born, Darien, please!"
Kel looked at her partner pleadingly. Part of her agreed with Darien, but she didn't know what good it would do. She could only hope that she could convince Darien to change her mind. Finally, her partner sighed. "I'll wait until then." Kel nodded in relief.
Darien left abruptly, saying she needed time to think. Kel leaned against her bed, feeling cold inside. Darien was one of the most determined people Kel knew; she would never change her mind. Kel didn't know what to think about their discovery, but she knew that if Darien went ahead with her plan, Empress Cjarsa would call it treason. Kel would be ordered to execute her best friend, the person who mattered most to her. And that was one order Kel could never carry out, even though it would mean her death.