Varsa's eyes widened as her mind struggled to take in what he just said. Her broken heart shattered even more as she thought what it would have been like if her mother didn't love her. She stared down at her lap. The air around them grew suffocating like an unwelcome blanket was placed over their heads.

"What do you mean? How does she not love you? She is your mother!" Her shock took over her anger and sadness.

"Don't be so naïve, mixed-blood. Some women never develop their motherly instinct."

"You're lying." She shook her head looking out the window. "Thaldon wouldn't bless a woman with a child if she wouldn't love that child. That is just cruel."

Cache chuckled, but there was no humor. "Your Gods have no power over that woman. And even if they did, she volunteered me, knowing I most likely wouldn't survive... This is a suicide mission and we both know it."

Varsa grew quiet as she took in the changing landscape. Hills gave way to large boulders and mountains. Trees grew so tall she couldn't see the tops of them. Strange furry beasts ran from their hiding spots to get away from the car.

"No. I will get freedom for me and my mom." She growled. "I can't... we can't fail. I-" She stopped herself, taking a deep breath instead. He didn't need to know about her promise to her brother.

"Don't be a fool. I wasn't talking about you. The second you can escape me and take your prize, you will do it for the sake of your family. Don't pretend otherwise." Cache slumped deeper into the seat, his eyes didn't leave the window.

Varsa rolled her eyes and turned back to the window. They hadn't been on the road for more than half a day and it was already going great. She hated every minute of it. The seat was uncomfortable and her companion was more of a bother than anything. The sky grew dark as they pushed onto nightfall. Varsa would peek at Cache, every now and then, trying to figure him out. He was like a locked box. She wanted to crack him open, but she was scared of what she would find. Varsa had never had a friend before.

"Get it together, Varsa, he will never be your friend." She sighed and glanced over at him. "Well, at least he isn't a total liar... he isn't making small talk." She thought to herself as she traced his sharp facial features with her eyes.

He had high cheekbones, a strong nose, and a square chin. He had every characteristic of a warrior. He was tall, muscular and strong, but the way he carried himself was more like a screaming infant wanting his bottle. She didn't understand it. He could be a fighter, but he seemed to like complaining more. The silence grew too uncomfortable and Varsa sighed.

"Why did you agree to your mother's request if you thought this was a fool's mission? In the throne room, you jumped at the opportunity to join. I don't understand it." She grumbled, hoping that she was quiet enough for him to not hear her.

Unfortunately for her, Cache had keen hearing. He laughed at her questioning. "I thought you didn't want to talk...?" He murmured. "I thought I could... prove myself somehow or another..." He shook his head. "Forget it. There would be no way for someone of your stature to understand."

"Would you see us free?" She turned her whole attention onto him, the question hung in the air like an arrow before hitting its target.

Cache cringed at such a forward question. "I want... No. That wouldn't be possible. Even if I wanted to, there would be too much red tape that couldn't be broken."

"Wanting and doing are two different things. You would be no better than any King who came before you. A King who builds his kingdom on the backs of slaves is weak." Varsa glared at him. She couldn't understand why Cache was being as civil as he was right now.

She didn't trust it. It was an act. She wasn't sure what he was hoping to get out of it, but she knew he was no better than Ivuni. Master Ivuni had only ever been this open when he wanted something she was unwilling to give. Cache had to be playing the same game. Varsa knew too well what happened to slaves who got suckered in with sweet talk and the promise of kind company.

"Believe what you want, mistoa. You know nothing about laws or regulations. We've had slaves for thousands of years. It is a crucial part of society... You get rid of that 'building block' then you will cause wars that could last hundreds, if not thousands of years. It's not that easy!" He snapped at her.

"See?" She waved her hand in front of him as if what he said proved her point. "Weak. A strong kingdom would not need slaves and would be able to stand on their own two feet without them. If all you had to do was remove the slaves to make a kingdom crumble, then it is weak."

"Look... I just said it wasn't that easy." Cache scratched his chin and looked back out the window, wanting the conversation to be over.

Varsa sighed and did the same. She rolled her eyes and looked back at him. "So... got a favorite color?" She raised an eyebrow, if she was going to be stuck with this boy then she might as well get to know him.

Cache pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're kidding."

"Big byli!" She chuckled. "Just answer the question. You were the one who said we should get to know each other."

"Etalin nuukl byli." He smirked. "Next question..." A pink rose on his cheeks.

"You know Tek'arcian!" She sat up and turned fully to face him. For the first time since they were in the car, she gave him her full attention. "That's my next question. How does a byli like you know Tek'arcian?" Her excitement overpowered her earlier anger. She had never seen a human speak any language other than English. To say she was impressed, was an understatement.

He chuckled at her commotion, delighted to see how her attitude made such a drastic turn at a simple phase. "Funny of you to be surprised. Being a Prince, I have to be well versed in many things. I took my studies seriously and pride myself on my expanding intelligence. Learning different languages... just happens to be a passion of mine." He picked at his fingernails with a smile playing on his lips. "Your language sounds like music." The last line must've been a slip of the tongue because his eyes became wide with horror. "You will never see the light of day if you tell anyone I said that, you hear me, mistoa?"

Varsa grinned, her cheeks deepened in their color, ignoring his embarrassed threat. Her mind paused, realizing this was the first time she had fully smiled in a very long time. Humans usually hated when she spoke in her native language around them. She opened her mouth to talk when the car came to a stop.

"We should make camp for the night." The guard called through the window. "The car needs to recharge."

"Camp? Like in a tent?" Cache sounded mortified.

"Like I said," Varsa laughed. "Big byli. Come on." She jumped out of the car as quickly as she could. She needed space. The prince had surprised her, and she was stupid enough to have let her guard down. Varsa needed to be careful. He was more cunning than he looked.

The crisp, forest air burned her lungs and filled her with new energy. The car had gotten stuffy to say the least. She never liked being inside small spaces. The forest stood tall, looming over them as she opened the trunk to get her bag.

"Mistoa! Get your thieving hands away from the prince's bag!" The guard yelled, powering up his baton as he rounded the back of the car.

Varsa held up her hands and glared at the man. "I was just getting my bag." She snapped.

"You do have a reputation," Cache laughed. He nodded once at the guard and said, "How else is she supposed to grab her belongings?" Cache slinked out of the car and wrapped his arms across his chest.

Varsa hid her chuckle with a cough. Cache's eyes darted in every direction. Any sound louder than a small chirp made him jump. The prince was definitely not an outdoorsy kind of person. Saying he looked uncomfortable was an understatement.

Varsa smirked at the guard as he mumbled something under his breath. She grabbed her bag and walked away from the cage on wheels, unphased by the darkening skies. The dark never scared her, even when she was little. Tek'arc had a type of night vision. Their large, black eyes allowed them to still make out the details of their surroundings as long as there was starlight out.

She walked away from the road and found a small clearing not too far out. Throwing her bag down she pulled out the tarp that she would fashion into a tent. The guard stormed up to her and threw the prince's and his bags down next to her.

"Go get firewood." He hissed at Varsa. "Make yourself useful, whore."

Varsa glared at him as she stood up. "Want to run that by me again?" She snapped. Her hands curled into fists. She was no longer under Master Ivuni's charge. Her freedom was being earned, she wasn't going to let these guys walk over her.

The guard tapped the dagger that was strapped to the black armor on his upper thigh. "Wouldn't want there to be an accident, now would we? The prince needs to stay warm tonight. Go. Get. Firewood." He hissed through his teeth.

"And they call me scum." She growled back before ducking further into the woods. If he was going to play that game she would have to be careful. She didn't have anything but her bare hands to protect her.