Interlude - A Conversation

“It’s been three days, and he’s still alive.”

“That may just be luck. They may have found him by now, killed him.”

“He has to survive on his own. We’ve too many others to protect. The Regulators are serious about this, every time we warn one of the Darks, another one of them we’ve not gotten to is dead.”

“Surely a boy on the streets deserves more protection than the others, he’s got less of a chance to survive than the rest, they’re grown!”

“It’s true we need him, that magician Krutt showed us the magnitude of power in the boy. There just aren’t enough resources! We can’t have one of ours babysit the kid. He’ll have to do it on his own. The Regulators won’t be worrying about a boy on the streets right away anyway; he’s got time to hide himself or run.”

“He’ll be in their sights eventually, and you know it. We need him.”

“Perhaps by then we’ll be able to protect him. It’s just not an option right now. I know how much he means to you.”

“To our struggle.”

“Of course.”

“Do you have anything else to report, Breyda?”

“No…well, just an oddity. A gang of boys was found dead in the Gord district. Spread out, impact fractures on every one. But no other wounds. Like they were just…thrown against the ground.”

“You think it was Regulators? Looking for our boy?”

“It’s possible, but…I think maybe it was our boy.”

“Erich? But that’d be impossible unless he was…and he’s not.”

“Why not? What if he were?”

“Then he’s even more vital to our struggle than we thought. Integral. He’d have to be kept safe, at all costs. You really think…?

“Nothing is impossible.”