Yi Liang's hand reached out to take hold of my right shoulder, but both Nian Qu and Zheng unsheathed their swords, thrusting it at the General.
"Your subject has received His Majesty's Pass." Yi Liang didn't mince his words, taking the jade seal that had been tied to his belt.
All the soldiers, about forty of them, didn't move. They encircled us in, their torches flickering as the autumn wind threatened to extinguish their flames.
"I should - I should never have trusted you." Nian Qu's words didn't waver, sounding harsh in the quiet crackling of the air.
Yi Liang ignored her words, though I was sure... There was no way he was unfeeling about doing this.
Zheng, on the other hand, stared only at me. His eyes showed his anguish and panic.
But I had accepted it all.
I reached up to take the hands on my shoulders, squeezing them tight before pulling their protective grasps off me.
"Nian Qu," I whispered, leaning in to speak between the both of them as I pulled them in a hug.
