Chapter 47: Maëlle and the Eslarian – Crossroads
On the border between Deran and Baynard, the Eslarian stopped walking and wiped the sweat from his brow.
‘You’re not strong enough to travel alone,’ said Maëlle.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
‘Let me come with you.’
‘No. If Thaila is in Debur, I need you to find her. Please, save my daughter. It’s my fault. I should have... I should have...’
Maëlle put a hand on his shoulder.
‘We have both lost our children,’ she said, ‘but we can’t blame ourselves.’
‘You don’t understand. It is my fault. I was selfish. I’m no different from Olivier.’
‘That’s not possible. He stole your daughter.’
‘So did I,’ said the Eslarian.
Maëlle felt his forehead, but there was no fever.
‘I’m not delirious,’ he said. ‘In Eslarina, a child can’t grow up without the influence of at least one adult its own gender. By law, a boy has to be raised by at least one man and a girl must have at least one woman in her family.’
The Eslarian wiped the sweat from his brow again.
‘My wife died and I have no sisters. They were going to take Thaila away from me. I kidnapped my own daughter and ran away. I had no money to get us to Anjário, so I chose to bring my daughter to this broken Franária. To this War.’
His mouth stayed open as though he wanted to say more, but he began to cry instead.
What kind of world is this that we have to steal our own children to raise them? Maëlle wondered.
‘We will find Thaila,’ she said. They had both lost too many people already. Enough.
They said goodbye. Maëlle went east to Debur, the Eslarian went south to Tuen.