Ayra and Garnt led the way back to the cave. The air was thick with tension, the weight of their recent actions hanging over them like a heavy cloak.
"Garnt," Ayra began, her voice firm but gentle, "we can't afford to linger here. We need to get back to the cave before darkness falls completely. We can't leave Gundo all alone with my kids."
Garnt's jaw clenched as he glanced back at the woman they had captured, her eyes filled with defiance even in her bound state. "Can we go back? The sun is already going down. I asked Mother to light a fire near the entrance, so most of the wild animals won't get close to the cave."
"Are you sure about that? We can't regret our choices," Ayra questioned, because she was already determined to walk on Garnt's advice, and he nodded his head, showing his confidence.
"If I doubt my mother's skill, I will be a bad son. She protected me when that man left her, so I know she can do this." Ayra was surprised by how much faith Garnt had in Gundo, and she wondered whether she would be able to reach that level of trust someday.
Meanwhile, the woman on the ground stirred, her consciousness returning fully. Panic flashed in her eyes as she realized the predicament she was in. With a surge of adrenaline, she attempted to break free from the ropes that bound her. "Let me- let me go, I don't know anything. Please don't kill me."
"Shut up, woman," Ayra used the other end of her spear and hit her shoulder, but Garnt quickly asked her aunt not to kill her.
"Who are you? What is your relationship with these kids?" He asked a simple question.
But unlike what Garnt expected, she didn't answer, so Ayra used her spear and tried to hit her again. Garnt quickly intervened, grabbing Ayra's arm to stop her from using the spear again. He could see the fear in the woman's eyes and the puddle that formed beneath her.
"Damn it, don't pee yourself here, just answer me, and I won't harm you," Garnt said as he touched his wounds, feeling a little pain.
"Me... I am their mother," she muttered in a low voice, but Garnt could easily see through her lies because of how guilty she looked.
"Ayra, she is useless. We don't want lies, so just throw her out," Hearing Garnt's words, Ayra got ready to do that, but the woman quickly corrected her previous sentence.
"My name is Ganna. I... I was just following orders. I didn't have a choice," she stammered, tears welling up in her eyes. "That man killed my husband and said if I didn't do as he asked, he would... he would hurt me."
Garnt exchanged a concerned glance with Ayra. It seemed like there was more to this story than they initially thought.
"And why were you involved with those kids?" Garnt asked gently, trying to piece together the puzzle.
Ganna sniffled, wiping her tears with the back of her bound hands. "That man killed their parents and took them as slaves to do his tasks. I was there to help him and mate whenever he needed."
"And do you think you deserve to be forgiven after what you did? Because of your own misfortune, you decided to harm these two kids," Ayra questioned in anger, looking at this pitiful woman.
Ganna nodded, a mixture of shame and fear on her face. "Yes, but I never wanted any of this. I never wanted to hurt those kids. I had no other choice."
Garnt continued to gaze at her for a minute, then his eyes shifted back to the twins. They were seated right beside Garnt, yet they remained silent. While they could sense that something had changed, the concept of their freedom hadn't fully registered in their minds due to the extent of the mistreatment they had endured.
"You will be coming with us. And I will take care of these two from now on," Garnt said, showing his words were absolute with the charm of the leader that Eva wanted him to build. She wanted him to be confident and strong, so he could lead a big group without anyone having ideas of betrayal.
"But.. is it really a good idea to keep her close to us, Garnt?" Ayra questioned with doubts in her mind, but Garnt didn't think anything about her words, since they were true.
"Don't worry. Remember I told you about my power. I already put poison in her body, so if she ever betrays me, then it will explode, and she will die a painful death," He said, dangerously looking into Ganna's eyes, causing her to almost cry, knowing what he had done to her.
Ayra had so many questions, but Garnt just decided to finish the day since he wanted some rest before returning to his main cave. He waved his hand at Ayra, and she understood what his intentions were. It was a long night for them since the gigantic man's cave was dirty, but they were still able to survive.
Early in the morning of the next day, Ayra and Garnt quickly decided to go back since both of them were worried about Gundo and the two kids, even though they looked confident. They still dragged the woman without letting her go freely, but the two kids walked beside Garnt, accepting him as their new master after giving them some fruits.
[Looks like you will have to teach them everything from the beginning.]
"Well, it is a new challenge. Besides, they can be good friends with Kara and her brother. This is a chance,"
Ayra walked beside him, her broken spear aimed at Ganna, who was walking in front of them with her hands tied. However, she appeared as if she had a question she wanted to ask.
"Aunt, what do you want to know? You keep looking at me with a confused look."
Hearing Garnt's voice, Ayra quickly looked at him and then got close to him like she had a secret that she wanted to share.
"Did you always have the power to kill people with poison? Why didn't you tell me before?" She asked with her voice sounding a little disappointed. She thought her nephew was not trusting her enough to share his secrets with her.
"Of course not," He replied in the same tone, so Ganna wouldn't hear him. 'It was just a bluff, she will now think twice before betraying me, and even if she did, I won't hesitate to kill her. I value my family more than anything."
Ayra smiled at his words and felt like an idiot for doubting this boy in front of her.
"We also don't need human trash. In the place that we are going to build, it will be a safe place for me, my mother, and my aunt. All of us will feel like it is the place where we belong, and that's my dream," With Garnt's last words, they kept walking until they could reach the cave where Gundo was waiting for them to come back