‘Rescued’

**Shaira's POV**

Assu assured me that, by the next day, from the very first moment the sunlight hit the plaza of Sagoria, he would annul our marriage.
"It's too late now, and we'll only arrive in town by nightfall," he explained.
"And what's wrong with that? Can't you reject me at night?" I asked.
"Not according to our laws."
I looked to Angro, and he nodded, confirming Assu's words.
"Fine, but it will be first thing in the morning, Assu, without any further delays."
"I promise. It will be."
The look Angro gave me unsettled me a bit, as if he doubted Assu’s promise, but before I could stop him again to ask what was bothering him, he said he had to leave.
"I promised Amari I'd be back in Zuwua before nightfall, and I can already see I've been delayed."
I didn't want to cause Angro any more trouble, so I let him go without asking for further explanations. I watched him leave with Zania. They had a long journey ahead of them.
I walked back to Sagoria in silence, wondering if I had made the right decision by choosing not to return to the fortress of the eteri now that I knew I was one of them. Assu seemed to be thinking the same because he brought it up as we were nearing the village.
"If you want to return to your people, I will understand, Shaira. But let me at least dissolve this marriage first."
"I have no intention of going back to the ‘my people,’" I responded immediately. "I will be an opranchi from now on."
Assu's eyes gleamed at hearing that.
"Are you serious? Why would you choose this life when you could have a much easier one with your people?"
I asked myself the same question that troubled Assu.
Was I doing this because of Angro? Was I choosing to accept the life Assu had offered me as his business partner? Or was it because I had realized that I belonged to a people that oppressed others simply because they were weaker?
"I don’t know what awaits me if I go back," I said, opting for an answer that wouldn’t corner me. "I’ve been an accomplice in the death of those soldiers, so I could be considered a traitor."
My answer made sense, though I knew that with the right excuses and arguments, it would be easy to justify what had happened in the doctor’s house. If it was true that I was an exemplary officer and graduated with honors from a prestigious academy, anything I said would work in my favor. My return would even be celebrated.
"If that’s the case, I want you to know that my offer still stands, Shaira. You can choose not to dissolve our marriage tomorrow, or if you insist, become my business partner instead. What do you say?"
"I’ve already answered the first part," I said. "Tomorrow, I want us to end our marriage."
"I know, Shaira, but I had to try, didn’t I?"
I rolled my eyes.
"And as for the second part, give me a few days to think about it."
My answer seemed to plant a seed of hope in Assu, as he smiled with the same enthusiasm as if I had said yes to becoming his partner. He seemed to take it for granted, and although my ideal future wasn’t to become an opranchi trader, let alone a smuggler of weapons, it looked like it was my only option. Entertaining thoughts of a life with Angro was pointless. He was already engaged and would probably be married to his betrothed in just a few days, so my hopes with him were merely illusions I’d have to let go of soon to avoid heartache.
"Take as much time as you need, Shaira. I just want you to make the best decision."
I smiled.
I had to admit that a future with Assu was also promising, and considering the impossibility of my dreams with Angro, Assu was a good match, much more realistic. Although I was determined to have him annul our marriage, I didn’t entirely dismiss the idea that in the future, if our business partnership came to fruition, I might consider giving in to his advances and becoming his wife.
He seemed to think the same because he practically floated as we walked.
As we entered the village, the mix of emotions was clear on the faces of the people. Something had happened; everyone was walking quickly, looking worried, all heading in the same direction, the one Assu and I were going. As we neared Assu's house, I noticed that many of the onlookers were looking at me.
It didn’t take long for us to realize the source of the commotion.
In front of Assu’s hut stood a group of five eteri soldiers.
I immediately turned pale, and my heart stopped.
Did they already know I was behind the murder of their comrades?
Assu grabbed my hand, signaling that we should run away and blend in with the crowd gathering around his house. But as we tried to push through the crowd, I heard a voice unmistakably addressing me.
"Hey, you! Stop right there!" A female voice called out in the eteri language.
"We need to leave, Shaira. Nothing good can come from this," Assu said, squeezing my hand tighter.
I agreed with him. We had no other option but to run. Whatever the soldiers were there for, it couldn’t be good, as Assu confirmed right away.
"Eteri soldiers from the fortress don’t enter the village unless it’s something serious and they have permission from the chief."
We shoved our way through the growing crowd, much more rudely than before, and while people stared in surprise, it gave us some advantage. Night had already fallen, and if we could just get out of Sagoria, we’d be safe under the cover of darkness. The soldiers must have realized this too because they started pushing through the crowd more aggressively.
"Hurry, Shaira! We’re almost out of the village."
I could practically feel the soldiers’ breath behind me when a group of curious villagers got in their way, unintentionally helping us escape.
"We did it," Assu said triumphantly as we lost sight of our pursuers.
The edge of the village was right in front of us.
"I wouldn’t be so sure of that," I heard the same female voice from earlier, speaking in the opranchi language, but with no accent at all, just as naturally as I spoke it. My heart leaped. "Let go of the girl, or I’ll have to take you both to the fortress, and I won’t be gentle."
The woman, no older than me by more than a year or two, had her ion pistol pointed at Assu's forehead. Somehow, she had managed to get around the crowd and cut off our escape.
"She’s my wife," Assu said, raising his hands. We had no choice but to surrender. "This girl is my wife."
When I looked at the young woman, I had the strange feeling I’d seen her before, and I recognized her military rank. Like I had been, she was a lieutenant, though her uniform bore an extra star, indicating she was only one rank above me.
I recognized it.
She was a first lieutenant.
"Don’t try to fool me. I know who she is, and I’m taking her with me right now, so don’t try anything, or I’ll blow your head off." My eyes met those of the eteri officer, who surely had the same implant I did, allowing her to speak and understand the native language with ease. "Hello, Shaira. You’re safe now."