Kes stood there, feeling in shock. Had she really just done that to a young boy? She’d had to though, to save her son, hadn’t she? She stopped what she was doing and the boy fainted. She met Tresit’s wide, scared eyes, then looked over at the bed. A man was laying there, it had to be Tulk. He was bloody and dead. What had happened here?

”Father?” Kes heard a small voice call out.

Snapped out of her frozen state, Kes turned and went back into the hall and saw a young boy, younger than Lanam, in the hallway. A young girl hurried out of the room and gathered the boy up in her arms protectively. ”Please, he is only a child.” The woman pleaded. ”I’m just a girl… We can’t hurt you.” The girl pleaded.

”I… I won’t hurt you.” Kes told them.

Tresit came out into the hallway then and looked at the two. ”B… brother?” Tresit spoke. ”Cousin Thalla?”

”T… Tresit? Little Tresit?” The girl, Thalla, Tulk’s daughter apparently, questioned meekly. ”Is… is it really you? You… you killed father?”

Tresit’s voice hardened. ”He killed my father and our uncle, Ralka. I was right to do it.” He told her.

The words looked as a blow on the girl’s face. ”No, it’s not true…” Thalla whimpered, holding the little boy who must be Anara’s third child, Vastu, in her arms closer, though he was noticeably struggling to squirm free.

”It is true!” Tresit accused. ”Now give my brother to me. He belongs with me, not you.” He told her, advancing on her.

Kes heard a man’s shout from outside. Someone must have seen the man she’d left on the street. ”Tresit, no, we have to go – now!” She told him, tugging him back.

”But, my brother!” Tresit protested defiantly.

”If we try to take him with us, we’ll be caught and he’ll be killed too.” Kes told him. She didn’t know if that was true or not, but she wasn’t willing to risk that it might be, and saying it seemed to work.

”I…” Tresit nodded that he accepted her argument and let her take his hand and lead him away. ”I will be back for him, Thalla. Remember that I will!” Tresit called back to her.