They sat on Kamille’s couch as she made phone calls. Ayela rested her elbows on her knees and let her thoughts wander. She tried to find a reason that would justify framing them, and the only thing that came to mind was the ancient hidden war between the Towl?lites and the Uri’Kai, but she wasn’t so sure that it was the culprit. This was a tactic… This was a set up. Organizations don’t make moves like this unless they were intent on justifying something much bigger than a secretive conflict.

  She mindlessly turned on the TV and changed the channel to the news, and watched as the events from earlier that day filled the background of the reporter’s backdrop. She seemed to have changed the channel just in time, too, as the scrawling text revealed that the emperor had a statement he was preparing to release to the public. “Wow. National television already. This was a pretty big deal,” Kamille spat. She had no love for cops, that was certain. It didn’t mean that she wanted to watch one killed so brutally, though. And that particular officer had a good relationship with the dark elf that she couldn’t say she had with any other. “Guess I shoulda seen that one coming.”

  “It’s the cops. Of course they’ll make a big deal,” Ayela chimed in sarcastically.

  Their attention was stolen, however, as the emperor’s face appeared on the screen. “It’s starting,” Ayela hushed, waving Kamille over to the couch. \

  The dark-haired, crimson-eyed ivory elf cleared his throat before he began to speak. “A tragedy has struck this day. Across the nation, in all major holds, attacks were made in the halls of Korist chapels against local police officers and religious Congregant Masters. An equal fifty officers and fifty masters were brutally killed, as many of you have seen on your local channels at this point.” The girls looked at each other, shook at the revelation that theirs wasn’t the only chapel that experienced this horrific tragedy. “It’s for the safety of this nation’s fine men and women in uniform, as well as the safety of Korists everywhere that I am outlawing the public worship and practice of the Korist religion, effective immediately. Chapels will be reclaimed by Hold-Governments, and those congregants who attended will be generously compensated. Any Alldweii’s being sold in book stores are to be discontinued and discarded, and any public possession will be fully punishable according to the law. Keep your texts indoors. Keep your worship hidden. Whoever is behind these attacks; they will be sought out to the fullest extent, and they will be sentenced to a traitor’s death. Only then will we have peace.”

  “What?!” Ayela said with an exacerbated tone. “Korism is outlawed?! He can’t do that!” She yelled. Kamille gently caressed her back as she sank her face into her hands and let out a bitter wail.

  “As for the extremists responsible for this uprising; you have yourselves to blame for the outlawing of your faith. You hid under the banner of a peaceful people, and chose to shock its members with acts of brutal, barbaric violence. Those who got away will not be hidden for long. Those who claimed that the return of the tyrannical divine logicians was at hand… Your words will be silenced, and the nightmares you wreak on my peaceful people will be at an end,” the emperor finished. His image disappeared from the screen, but before the anchor could continue her thoughts, loud cries and angry screams filled the air outside. Kamille and Ayela rushed to the window to see people rushing out into the streets to form a riot. Within seconds, things were being thrown into windows, cars were being smashed in my bats and rods, and people started to raise their fists at the police who frantically tried to keep the peace.

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  “What the Hell is going on?!” Kamille stammered, confused at the sudden chaos.

  “We have to do something,” Ayela urged.

  “No. There’s nothing we can do.”

  “You and I both know that’s bullshit, Kamille!”

  Gently, she placed her hands on Ayela’s shoulders. “On the contrary, love, you know what I’m saying is true. What are you going to do? Use your powers, signal the return of the Uri’Kai, and make this situation even more dangerous for those civilians? You know they won’t hesitate to destroy homes and gun people down-”

  As she spoke, the sounds of machine-guns ripped through the rest of the noise outside, and panicked screams erupted louder than the angry shouts. Ayela’s heart sank. “What are we going to do?” She pleaded.

  “We need to get out of this city. I’ve arranged for us to stay in Shamol where Thillan is. Asher will meet us there, too. Together with them, we’ll figure out a plan and discover the truth behind all this,” Kamille explained. Ayela took a deep breath and tucked the loose strands of her crimson hair behind her pointed ear, and her violet eyes drifted to the window as she stared at the outside world. So much escalated in a single day. So much had gone so wrong, she didn’t even know how to mentally organize the events that transpired.

  “How many days?” She asked. She couldn’t think clearly, she was so distraught.

  “Well, we have to make it to the path on K?r’s cliff. Asher’s arranged for another darkling cell to leave a vehicle for us to take. So, it’s going to be three days on foot. The wilds up here aren’t as dangerous in the mainland. Hell, there’s even motels at the waypoints along the freeways – which is what we’ll be heading towards. After that, it’s a five-day drive. We’ll stop at a few towns along the way.”

  Ayela took a deep breath and stood to her feet. They were going to be fine. She had to believe it. She shuddered at her last venture in the wilds of Enthedrill, when a giant creature tried to eat her after she’d wandered from the destruction of Sümol… She shuddered at the thought of it happening again.

  “Alright,” she sighed as Kamille slung a backpack over her shoulder. She pulled a pistol out from under the cushion and handed it to Ayela. “What’s this for?”

  “Just because we don’t kill doesn’t mean we can’t incapacitate. If we’re attacked, take out their knees or something. Avoid anything vital.”

  She took a deep breath. So, the darklings aren’t above guns and rifles… I guess in some circumstances, it makes sense. She justified in her thoughts. She threw a white hoodie on and slung a backpack over her shoulder as well, and they took one last look at the apartment and sighed.

  Despite her wishes, she knew things were going to get much, much harder…