Billa and Diyaka froze.

Stunned by what they had just heard.

They exchanged bewildered glances, then turned to Soayi.

“W-w-w-what?” Diyaka stammered.

Billa’s jaw hung.

What crazy kind of plot twist was this? An elder of Lord Dreck actually wanted to help them??!!

Soayi nodded, the expression on his face slowly turning tender. “I tell you no lies, young men. I can help you… help you defeat this evil lord.”

The shock on their faces was as clear as day. The moment he stepped in, what they expected was a cruel and swift dealing from him. Not this.

Silence hung in the air for a few seconds.

Then Billa, his voice quivering with skepticism, spoke first. “Seriously? How can we trust you? You’re part of Lord Dreck’s inner circle. There’s no way you mean what you’re saying!”

Diyaka nodded, his expression wary. “Absolutely not! We’ve seen the suffering your lord has inflicted upon our village. Why should we believe you?”

Soayi sighed deeply. The skepticism was not shocking in the slightest; even he would have strong doubts if he was in their shoes. “Look, I understand your doubts,” he began, his voice gentle and sincere. “I cannot erase my past actions, but here’s the truth; I’ve grown weary of the darkness that surrounds Lord Dreck. His madness clearly knows no bounds whatsoever, and I can no longer bear it.”

He took a step closer, his eyes locking onto theirs. “I’m weary of him; he’s nothing but a demented psychopath who cares about himself. That’s why I’m here to help you. I want to see Lord Dreck defeated just as much as you do. It’s not just your village that’s going to suffer once he’s done with it; many others will suffer as well. If we join forces, we can end his reign of terror.”

Billa and Diyaka exchanged uncertain glances. They couldn’t deny it, there was a tinge of sincerity in Soayi’s voice, and the weariness etched on his face looked authentic as well. It might not have been very bright in the room, but what they could see was a man exhausted of the evil one.

Yet, they couldn’t fully let go of their fear and doubt. Why in the world would he suddenly jump ship? Why would he want to help the villagers when he was part of the stronger team?

Was this a cruel prank or something?

Diyaka spoke cautiously, “How do we know this isn’t some kind of trap? Lord Dreck is cunning, and he could be using you to lure us into a false sense of security, for all we know.”

Soayi looked at him incredulously for a moment before shaking his head and looking up to the heavens. Then he looked straight at Diyaka. “Young man, I don’t know if you’ve not been paying attention, but let me inform you: Lord Dreck doesn’t do cunning or sly stuff. He’s not about tricking you; he’s all about destroying you instantly. If he had really sent me here, you think I’d be talking to you? Shouldn’t I be carrying you off to the palace by now? Or shouldn’t you both be dead by now?”

Diyaka was silent. Now that he thought about it, that was true. Lord Dreck and his men weren’t exactly the tricky type; they came straight for their victims.

A few more seconds of that silence, and Soayi nodded. “I thought so. Look, I don’t know why I was moved to walk in here, but whatever it is, I’m glad it brought me here. Because I’m extremely serious about this, I want to stop this man. I have a plan, and I need someone to help me out. We need to stop him before he destroys everyone and everything.”

Billa looked at him, the despair in his eyes slowly turning into hope. This was news beyond his wildest imaginations. To think that a chance for salvation had popped up at the lowest point of their lives. Surely this was what they needed!

Diyaka, however, still didn’t look entirely convinced.

Folding his arms, he enquired, “But… but why now? Why would you decide to do this now?”

Soayi shook his head again, not very impressed by his resistance. “Tell me, young man, what’s more important to you: the reason for my deciding to turn against Lord Dreck, or the saving of your village from this psychopath with the help of a man who has intimate access to that psychopath? Tell me! Which one is of major importance to you?”

Diyaka found himself mute once more. There would be no prize for guessing what option he preferred.

“I thought so. It’s obvious every attempt your people have made to free themselves of this madman has been unsuccessful. You need me! You need someone in his circle to take him down. That’s the only chance at victory you have. Now, are you in or not?”

Diyaka looked at his brother. The look on Billa’s face was more than obvious; he was sold.

Then he looked at Soayi.

He sighed, then nodded.

“I’m in.”

“Better! Now, the bandits will be moving around soon, so let’s make this as quick as possible, so you can get home safely…”

***

The sun was on its way down when Billa and Diyaka arrived at their home. The meeting with Soayi had been as quick as could be, with the elder sharing his plan with them. They couldn’t lie, it sounded solid enough. If it worked, they would be well and truly freed of this evil lordship.

As they entered the room, however, Diyaka’s skepticism still lingered as he folded his arms and sighed. “Billa,” he began, “I don’t know, but… I can’t shake this feeling of doubt. Can we really trust Soayi? He’s been part of Lord Dreck’s council, a part of the very system that’s destroyed our village. Is he really on our side?”

Billa, his eyes filled with a newfound determination, moved closer to Diyaka and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I understand your concerns, Diyaka,” he began, his voice steady. “I mean, I had my doubts as well, considering who it is. But when Soayi spoke to us, I saw something in his eyes—sincerity. I believe he genuinely wants to make amends and help us.”

Diyaka frowned, his doubt still evident. “But what if it’s all a clever ruse, Billa? What if this is just another one of Lord Dreck’s schemes to manipulate us?”

Billa reached out and gently took Diyaka’s hand, his voice filled with conviction. “Diyaka, we can’t let fear hold us back. Soayi’s given us this information, and realistically, it’s our best chance to save Mandeland. If we doubt him now, we might miss our only opportunity to win.”

Diyaka hesitated, torn between his skepticism and Billa’s faith. His brother clearly believed that this was their way out. But he… he still wasn’t so sure.

He looked into Billa’s eyes and sighed. “But… but Billa, what if we’re wrong? What if our trust in Soayi leads to disaster?”

Billa squeezed Diyaka’s hand reassuringly. “Diyaka, trust is a risk, but it’s one we have to take. We’ve seen what Lord Dreck’s rule has done to our village, and we can’t let it continue. And Soayi is right, he’s our best chance at turning the tide in our favour. So please, let’s do it for Mandeland. We might have lost so much, but for this to come at a time like this… we need to take it.”

Diyaka’s resistance broke at that last statement. Billa was right.

Soayi had walked in at a period where they had given up hope and were ready to just let go. And he had offered a beacon of light and hope at that moment. It would be stupid to reject it and continue to wallow in despondency; it needed to be seized. The village would hopefully be the better for it.

His shoulders slumped as he sighed, finally giving. “You’re right, Billa. We have to believe in Soayi and in ourselves. Our village deserves a fighting chance.”

Billa grinned. “That’s the spirit, brother! Let’s trust Soayi and give our village the best chance it has ever had. Because we need it. We really do.”

***

A chill ran down Soayi’s spine as he entered the imposing palace of Lord Dreck, his steps echoing through the grand corridor as he made his way to the council chambers. He had given Billa and Diyaka the outline of his plan to deal with Dreck in a hurry, as he not only needed them to get home safely, but he had to join the other elders for a council meeting.

I don’t know what it is that made me enter that underground room, but I’m glad it led me there, he thought to himself as he walked on, approaching the chambers. His plan was now in place, and he could look forward to carrying it out.

What he wasn’t glad about, though, was this meeting. Mainly because he had to put up with those three who didn’t seem bothered that he was hurting over losing his dear boy.

As he entered the council chambers, he found himself face to face with the other elders: Bikama, Munito, and Sakisor. They all regarded him with stern expressions.

Bikama spoke first, his voice dripping with disdain. “Soayi, you seem to have been away for a while. We were starting to worry about you, since you need to be here for our meeting.”

Soayi forced a smile, though his heart seethed with annoyance at their indifference to his pain. “My apologies, Bikama. I just got back from my little walk. You know, the one I’ve been taking to clear my head.”

Munito raised an eyebrow. “Clear your head, you say? You’re still smarting over the issue of your cousin? Soayi, you do realize that loyalty to Lord Dreck is paramount, don’t you? You need to get over it quickly. Nothing should distract you from your duties.”

Sakisor, the most cold and unfeeling of the three, added, “We cannot afford distractions, Soayi. Your cousin’s fate is of no consequence in the grand scheme of things.”

Soayi’s chest heaved as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. Those insensitive comments had just sparked a fire of rage within him. How dare they dismiss his dear Oren as an inconsequential matter!

Yet, he knew he couldn’t reveal his true feelings. So he kept his composure, a mask of false contrition on his face as he lowered his gaze. “I apologize for my actions,” he said with feigned humility. “You’re right. Loyalty to Lord Dreck is paramount, and I will do better now.”

Bikama, Munito, and Sakisor exchanged satisfied glances, convinced that they had successfully put Soayi in his place and brought him back to his senses.

“Excellent! Let us begin our meeting, then,” Bikama stated as they took their seats.

As they began their discussion on how to unleash a new wave of violence against the villagers, Soayi played the role of the loyal council member, listening keenly and making contributions where necessary. To the other three, he was getting back to himself.

Inwardly, though, Soayi was seething with anger at their heartless apathy to his cousin’s death, and as far as his plans were concerned, he had no intention of allowing their mockery to go unanswered. He would surely deal with them for this cold treatment.

Oh, you’ll all pay for this, he inwardly swore to himself as he watched them all while they spoke. You’ll all pay. Just you wait.

Oh wow, is redemption coming to Mandeland’s doorstep? I sure hope so. Let’s hope Soayi’s plan actually does work out, whatever it is…