Lavender & Fire

33. An Old Acquaintance

"Where is Kietnan?" Ashima asked as soon as she woke up.

"We're hoping they have the brothers in a room, just like us." Halan answered. She had just woken up five minutes prior.

"And if they don't?" Ashima searched until she found Rahn's eyes. "What do you think is happening to them?"

"They took each of us out to question individually." Rahn motioned between her and Biechta. "We can only assume they're doing the same with the males."

Ashima pressed her lips into a thin line and took in a deep breath through her nose. "This has to be the same group that tried to poison The Premier a mere few months ago. We can't assume they're doing anything friendly with the princes." She placed her head in her hands and took in another deep breath, attempting to calm herself.

"If they wanted to kill them, or anyone, they wouldn't have bothered going through all the effort of fighting and sedating them and dragging them out of there for transport. They would have just done it there."

"You're right. We have to think positively." Halan nodded in agreement.

"So what do you think they want with them?" Biechta asked at barely more than a whisper.

"I honestly don't know." Rahn offered.

"Secrets? Ransom? Bargaining tools?" Halan guessed.

"And if they have the princes, why take us?" Biechta questioned again.

When no one spoke or met her eyes, she questioned again. "What is it?"

Ashima sniffled and drew in a shaky breath. "We're insurance."

"What's insurance?" Biechta and Halan asked at the same time.

"If the guys don't cooperate, what's the most likely way to make them cooperate? What's their biggest weakness?" Ashima continued.

Biechta cocked her head to the side and scrunched her brows up in confusion.

"Oh my dear, innocent, friend." Ashima sniffled again and wiped tears from her face.

"Oh no." Halan stood suddenly and ran to the locked door and began banging on it frantically. When no one answered it, she began screaming. "Answer me! Someone come speak to me!"

"Halan." Rahn tried to pry her away from the door. "Calm down."

"If they want to keep us to threaten the males with, who's to say they won't use... Do they have him too?!" Halan turned and grasped both of Rahn's arms tightly.

"Who?"

"Oh my God..." Ashima gasped and then ran to comfort Halan. "I'm sure he's safe, Halan. He was spending the evening with your parents and they had guards at their door, right?"

Halan nodded her head as she attempted to calm herself.

"Who are you talking about?" Biechta asked, still speaking barely above a whisper.

"My beautiful baby boy. Surely they wouldn't harm a child?!" She began shaking, so Ashima and Rahn helped her to return to the cot on the floor she had been laying in earlier.

"We'll just cooperate all we can and they won't need him." Rahn offered her. "I'm sure once we were taken, they put everyone else under strict lockdown. No one will be able to get to him."

Halan began crying and Ashima brought the much taller Qarthan woman's head into her lap and began rubbing circles on her back to console her.

Rahn looked away. Qarthan's didn't show strong personal emotions in public often, and even then Rahn had never been particularly good at comforting anyone. She'd never been shown how. She was taught to tough it out and keep moving. Show no weakness. Ever. Even in front of your family.