They listened for a few more seconds, but the more they did, the clearer and more depressing the situation was.
“It sounds like the Yekara are taking control of the city,” grunted Tessandra. “I suggest we lay low for now...”
“What?” exclaimed Nana. “What about my family? The tribe? A-and everyone?”
“Let’s just g-go quietly,” said Cessilia, exchanging a glance with her brother.
Kassian nodded, and sure enough, Kian quietly let them off between two boats on the dock, but even there, the situation was tense. They could see the Yekara going from door to door, loudly banging on them and forcing the owners to open, arguing with people.
“Well, sounds like they are searching for someone,” Darsan said, tilting his head.
Four annoyed pairs of eyes on him made him grimace.
“Oh... Sorry. Got it.”
“...I think we can get home,” muttered Naptunie, glancing around.
“It might not be safe for your family, Nana,” Tessandra warned her. “We don’t know what the Yekara will do if they find us there.”
“Don’t worry! My house is big and I’m sure we can hide.”
Before they could protest, Naptunie went out first, tip-toeing to one of the large houses by the seashore. The docks were calm compared to the streets, but if anyone had looked up at the wrong moment from the street, they could easily be spotted. They put Ashen on Darsan’s back at the rear and quickly followed Nana to her house. There was a back door, and a porch under which they could finally get a bit of shelter from the rain, but before they even dared to knock, the loud voices coming from the inside had them all crouch down and hide.
“You’re acting like bandits!” shouted a loud voice. “Who do you think you are, to barge in and claim to check the houses? What does that mean?! You Yekara think you can do whatever you want! This is not an order from the King, and even if it was, this is my house and you will not be taking one step inside!”
“Move aside, or we will force our way in! The man you call King committed treason and tried to run away instead of stepping down and negotiating with the rightful heir!”
“Rightful heir, my ass! I’d rather eat all the rotten meat in the Kingdom than believe what comes out of your mouths! I will only obey the one King I acknowledge, the White King! As if I would trust a Yekara!”
“This is your last warning!”
“Fine!” a female voice shouted. “Search if you want, we’ve got nothing to hide! But you’d better not steal a thing, and I swear you will get payback for this, you dogs!”
Next to them, Naptunie looked on the verge of crying, with her little fists clenched. Tessandra put an arm around her shoulders and exchanged a glance with the siblings. Naptunie’s family was a no-go. They felt sorry for them, and they could hear the ruckus inside from the Yekara searching all over the place for them. Some of Naptunie’s younger siblings or cousins were crying, probably afraid.
Quickly, they walked away from the house’s rear porch, and went back out in the rain, to hide between the boats.
“I can’t believe this!” cried Nana. “Those... savages! I hope they eat rotten meat and die!”
“I’m sorry, Nana,” muttered Tessandra, “but now we know we can’t hide in the Capital. They’ll search all the clans we were allied with first, and I don’t think they will stop until they get what they want...”
“The outskirts,” said Cessilia. “We c-can try to go th-there, and it will b-be safer to reunite with K-Krai too. But we have t-to be quick...”
She was worried for Ashen. Darsan was big and doing his best not to move him, and they had covered him with the fur coat, but his situation was already critical, and now they couldn’t even find a safe and dry place to lay him. They all quickly got back on Kian’s back, already drenched, and Kassian tapped his dragon’s back.
“Wanna go find Daddy?”
The dragon emitted a little, high-pitched growl, suddenly speeding up against the stream. Soon enough, the bridge appeared far above them, seeming rather calm. When Kian used his wings to jump up and climb once on the pile, and then jump again to land on top of the bridge, Cessilia immediately realized why: the Yekara had closed the gates.
Luckily, they had probably focused their forces inside the Inner Capital, and focused on no one entering, because there was no one to stop them when Kassian easily opened the heavy doors into the Outer Capital. As soon as they stepped foot there, Krai’s large head appeared, and Kian jumped on the Black Dragon to play.
“Hey there!” smiled Darsan.
Krai answered him with an angry growl, suddenly turning its red eyes on him. Darsan jumped and immediately stepped back, cautious.
“If I were to bet,” Tessandra whispered to him. “I think Uncle is still upset with you...”
“Not funny, Tessa.”
She chuckled, but they quickly walked past the pair of dragons to follow Cessilia and Naptunie in the streets. There were still refugees from earlier, who raised their heads, curious to see them again, with the King lying on Darsan’s back. Thanks to that, though, the word quickly traveled to their allies still there. Bastat was the first to appear at one of the doors and quickly invited them inside.
“What’s going on? Is that... His Majesty?”
“A lot of bad stuff,” groaned Tessandra.
The brothers quickly cleared a table to lay Ashen down, and his state was immediately revealed to Bastat, so shocked she put a hand to cover her mouth.
“Are the d-doctors of the Hashat T-Tribe still here?” asked Cessilia.
“I-I believe they went back when they announced the doors were going to be closed... Lady Ishira thought something odd was happening, so she went to check. But they did leave plenty of medicine behind.”
“G-good. I will need it...”
“I’ll send someone to fetch it right away,” nodded Bastat, immediately gesturing to one of the servants present, “but... by the gods, what happened?”
“Actually, you can tell us that while we heal him,” added Kassian, walking to the other side of the table Ashen was lying on. “I think I have a lot to catch up on.”
However, Nana suddenly stood up, still looking upset.
