Chapter 76: BONDAGED FREEDOM

Her silky black hair flew along the breeze as she stood at the top of the hills, looking sharply at the overview of the Kingdom of Seiron with her deep black eyes. 

“It’s time.” She whispered in the air. “Your boat is about to sink.”

She wore her blak mask and tied her long hair, but her eyes never left the overview of the Kingdom with one goal in mind: Finding Edom’s exact location.

“Hey, who are you?” A man spoke from behind her, pointing a rifle at the back of her head. He spoke in Sei Language. She smirked and threw her hands in the air like a criminal surrendering.

“I’m Siel, one of the new recruits.”  Siel answered in Sei more aggressively than she had intended. “Sir,” She added, in an attempt to sound respectful. 

“Proof?” The man asked breezily, without any intention of lowering his guard. 

“Can’t my mask prove my words, sir?”

The man grinned. “Masks can be bought in this place easily, gal. But identities are not for sale. Hand it over.” He pushed the muzzle to her head harder as a warning. 

Siel hissed and lowered her hand to her pocket, but the man pushed her head again. “What the-”

“Keep your hands in the air!” He shouted with a hint of panic. Siel frowned.

“How can I take my ID if my hands are in the air?” She asked breezily. What an idiot. She muttered to herself. The man was taken aback.

“Fine. Take it.” He spat. 

Siel rolled her eyes and fished the ID inside her pocket and showed it to the doubtful man. 

“I think I am under Sir Luis or Sir Elias Atherton. Pardon me sir, but can you please help me verify it?” She asked slyly, playing the ID with her finger. The man did not respond. 

“You can’t, Sir?” Siel asked, fully aware of the answer. 

“N-No, I mean, it’s not that I can’t, uhm…” The man stuttered. 

“Just go to the base and ask the head yourself.” He spat and put his rifle down. “I am not assigned with that.” He added and started to walk away. 

“Tsk. Just say 'you can't.'” Siel spat back and rolled her eyes before hiding her ID and walking down the hill. As soon as she did, a taxi stopped in front of her with a woman driver. 

“Need a ride?” The driver asked with a smile. 

“To the base.” Siel answered casually, as if she was used to the place. The woman nodded and opened the lock. 

“Hop in.” 

Siel slid herself inside the taxi and closed the door. She can smell the leather from the seat and based on how smooth the driver drives, it indicates that the taxi was new. 

"Where is that so-called 'base'?" Siel asked, looking outside the window with her arms crossed above her chest. 

She was inside the Kingdom of Seiron, but the place looks far from being a Kingdom. Undeveloped highways, rocky roads, houses and establishments that can be easily tossed by a strong wind, weak production of foods since most money was allowed for weapons. These were the result of receiving no support from the main Empire. 

"After passing the small village of fear, we will enter the main city and the base is located beside the main palace of Seiron." 

"Hmm." Siel slowly nodded her head and twitched her lips. " So, it will be a long ride, huh?"

" You betcha." The driver laughed.

" Small village of fear? Quite witty." Siel whispered.

Thanks to the driver's mouth, Siel did not get bored and they reached the small village faster than she expected.

But as soon as they reached the border, two armed men stopped the taxi. They wore a sharp look, like a wild boar ready to attack.

The huge man tapped the driver's window then pointed the gun at her, but she did not fret at all. 

"Who are you?" The man asked sharply. His Sei accent was thick. "What's your business here?" He added. 

"Drop the gun, sir. I'm here since this is the only way to the main city and my passenger needs to go to the base."

Hearing the word "base," the man's eyes widened and exchanged looks with the man beside him. They quickly withdrew their guns and the peaked Siel from the driver's window. 

"Ma'am, do you have your ID? Please show it to the guard." The driver uttered carefully. 

Siel remained calm as she handed them her ID and the two guards shivered upon reading Siel's boss. 

"T-The Atherton twins?" One guard stutterd. "P-Pardon us from holding you long, Ma'am. Please don't tell it to sir Luis, we are begging you." 

Siel's eyebrow twitched. Just awhile ago, they look as if they are ready to kill but knowing who Siel was, they act as if they are about to get killed. 

"Luis, huh? Pfft. The doggo pretends to be a wolf eh? What a lame joke."

The guard's eyebrows lifted in shock and the driver tried her best not to laugh. Luis was greatly respected in this small city. No, scratch that. He was greatly feared since they knew that Donovan followed his words, making him the real second next to Edom. 

The driver shook her head and was about to drive away but Siel stopped her. 

"Hold it."

"Huh?"

"You two." She called and the two flinched. "Why are you too scared of the Atherton twins?" She asked sharply. 

The driver looked at her in the rearview mirror as the guards exchanged glances. 

" I don't want to wait long. Answer me." 

" Ma'am, are you a new recruit?" They asked, but Siel remained silent.

"One mistake and they kill people like an ant." The man blurted out. 

"No, it was sir Luis who killed. Sir Elias was kin-"

"You two!"

The guards flinched when a brawny man with a huge face scar shouted from the guard house. 

"What's taking you so long?!" He shouted again, causing the two to shiver. 

"Ma'am, look. If you are really needed, then refrain from disobeying them. You get us? Please think carefully. You still have a chance to back out, unlike us." The first guard whispered before pulling his head away from the window. 

" All clear, sir!" The man shouted and signaled the driver to quickly drive away, which she did. 

Siel wanted to ask the guard more but she couldn't. "Chance? Unlike them? What does the guard mean by his words?" She asked, biting the back of her index finger like she always does. 

"Can you give me an answer?" Siel asked, losing all hope to answer her own question. The driver chuckled. 

"As you've observed, the guards were brawny but full of terrors." The driver started and Siel silently listened. 

" Since this Kingdom is ruled by a Quisling, all men here were forced to be trained as militaries for war - which will happen soon, probably." She shrugged her shoulders. 

" They had no choice but to follow or their family members would be killed in front of them."

" Forced soldiers are weak soldiers. Don't they know that?" Siel mumbled. 

"That makes this place a small village of fear. Not fear to fight, but fear to lose their lives." Siel concluded, looking at the small houses and soon-to-be destroyed establishments. 

" And fear to lose their loved ones." The driver added. 

Calculating the distance of the Quisling's base, Siel leaned her back comfortably on the leather seat. 

Seiron and Sephtis… She still had a lot to learn from these Kingdoms to be able to conduct Ashriel's plan. 

~ What makes us confident is knowing our identity and knowing where we stand. ~