Unfinished Agreements

**Angro’s POV**

The soft sound of a sigh put me on alert. Shaira was starting to wake up. I immediately got up, leaving Xandria and Zania behind, and approached her with a mixture of anxiety and relief. There she was, finally opening her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering as she struggled to shake off the effects of the anesthesia.

Seeing her up close, my heart skipped a beat. Shaira, though still weak and groggy, looked more beautiful than ever. Perhaps it was the soft light filtering through the jungle leaves, or perhaps it was simply the fact that, against all odds, she was alive and safe.

Her lips moved slowly, forming words I could barely hear. "Where... where am I?" she asked, her voice raspy and weak.

I gave her a calm smile, leaning in closer so she could hear me better. "You're safe, Shaira. We got out of the fortress. Zania and I got you out... but it wasn't easy."

Shaira’s eyes, still clouded with confusion, focused on me for a moment before she noticed Xandria standing a few meters away. Surprise spread across her face. "Xandria...? What are you doing here?"

I knelt beside her and gently took her hand, squeezing it lightly. "I’ll tell you everything that happened."

I took a deep breath, knowing I’d have to quickly sum up the most intense and risky hours of our lives. “It all started when Zania and I left your room. We knew they were taking you to the operating room to remove the device. Zania dressed in your uniform, and we pretended I was her prisoner. With that cover, we managed to move through part of the fortress without raising suspicion… until an officer stopped us."

The memory of the confrontation made me clench my fists for a second, but I continued. "I had to make it look like an attack. Zania hit me, and the officer let us go. Somehow, we made it to the medical area, but there were two guards. Zania suggested a distraction, so I pretended to escape, and the soldiers followed us. We ambushed them and got rid of them."

Shaira listened in silence, her eyes locked on mine, absorbing every word as if she was piecing together a lost part of her memory. "After that, we entered the room where they were operating on you. There were soldiers and officers everywhere, but we had no other option. I took an officer hostage, and Zania grabbed a sub-officer. That’s how we got you out."

Shaira let out a shaky sigh, but she didn’t interrupt. She knew there was more. She knew the risk had been far greater.

"That’s when Xandria appeared," I added, nodding toward her. "She offered herself as a hostage, instead of the ones we had taken, to help us escape. She said the only thing that mattered was that you were safe."

Shaira’s eyes filled with astonishment as she looked at her friend. "Is that true, Xandria?" she whispered, emotion evident in her voice.

Xandria, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward. "It’s true. When I found out what was happening to you, I couldn’t just stand by. I knew my superiors wouldn’t forgive you... but I couldn’t let anything happen to you. So I decided to help them."

Tears began to well up in Shaira’s eyes, though she tried to hold them back. She hadn’t expected this. She hadn’t expected her friend to risk so much for her, or that Zania and I would be willing to put our lives on the line for her freedom.

"Thank you... all of you," she said, her voice trembling, as her eyes moved from one to the other. "I don’t know how to thank you for what you’ve done. You risked your lives for me... I don’t deserve it."

I placed a hand on her shoulder, and Zania stepped closer, touching her arm in a gesture of support as well. "Shaira," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, though emotion was beginning to overwhelm me. "What we did, we did because you’re part of us now. We couldn’t leave you behind, any more than we could leave any of us."

Zania nodded, smiling slightly. "You’ve shown us more strength than many have, Shaira. We knew you were worth fighting for."

Xandria moved a little closer, her eyes fixed on Shaira’s. "And I... I couldn’t let you be condemned unjustly. I know there are many things I didn’t understand before, but now I do. You have a new life, and I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you."

Shaira closed her eyes for a moment, letting the tears fall softly down her cheeks. "Thank you... all of you. I don’t have words to express what I feel."

I stayed quiet, letting the moment speak for itself. I knew Shaira was moved, overwhelmed by everything we had done for her. But I also knew that the fight wasn’t over. We had won this battle, but the war for her freedom was still ongoing.

In the end, each of our sacrifices had been a step toward ensuring Shaira a new chance. And as long as I was by her side, I would make sure the freedom she had gained wouldn’t slip away from her grasp.

**Shaira’s POV**

My mind was foggy as I listened to Angro and Xandria talk. I still felt dazed from the anesthesia, but something in their words shook me to the core. Had they agreed to say that I was... dead? My body tensed, and I slowly sat up on the blanket they had laid out on the ground in the hideout. The headache was mild, but confusion was overwhelming me.

"Wait... What did you say?" My voice came out weak but firm. My eyes locked on Angro, then on Xandria. "Are you going to say I’m dead?"

Angro was the first to respond, his tone gentle but determined. "Shaira, it’s the only way for you to be free. If Xandria goes back to the fort and announces that you were executed for being a spy, they won’t look for you anymore. You’ll be safe."

"No!" I exclaimed, feeling the weight of that lie settle heavily on my shoulders. "That’s not right. Xandria... you can’t do that. You can’t lie like that, you can’t compromise your honesty for me!"

Xandria, who stood nearby, looked at me calmly, but her expression was serious. "Shaira, Angro is right. If we don’t say you’re dead, they’ll keep searching for you. Any day, at any moment, they could find you. You wouldn’t be able to live in peace."

My mind was spinning, unable to accept that reality. They were asking my friend to betray everything honor and truth meant to her. I couldn’t ask her to do that, not after everything she had already done for me. "I can’t ask you to do that, Xandria. It’s not fair to you."

"Shaira," Angro interrupted, stepping toward me, his voice now more firm. "What Xandria is doing isn’t a betrayal, it’s a sacrifice for your freedom. If you go back to the fort, they’ll condemn you to death. There’s no justice for you among the eteri. This is the only way you can live in peace."

My hands trembled as I processed what Angro was saying. My heart raced, as if I were trapped between two worlds, unsure of where I truly belonged. I looked at Xandria, who watched me with compassion but also with determination.

"Is this what you want, Shaira?" Xandria asked, her tone direct but not unkind. "Do you plan to stay here, among the opranchi?"

Her words echoed in my mind, and suddenly, everything I had been suppressing came to light. I knew the answer, though I had tried to avoid it. "Yes," I responded softly, feeling the truth finally find its place. "This is what I want. I decided before you arrived... before you 'rescued' me in Sagoria."

Xandria stared at me, but without surprise. "You decided then? And what about that man? Your... husband."

A knot formed in my throat, but there was no sense in hiding anything anymore. "He’s my husband, yes, but we were going to break our bond the next day. I was no longer the same person he had met. And although he never stopped being kind to me, I knew our relationship had come to an end."

Silence fell between us for a moment as Xandria processed my words. Finally, she nodded slowly, understanding. "So you want to stay here, with the opranchi. But you know that’s dangerous, right? Any military personnel could recognize you at any time. If you really want to live with them, you’ll have to go far away from the fortress."

The reality of her words hit me like a storm. She was right. I couldn’t stay near the fortress, I couldn’t live with the constant threat of being discovered. "I know," I admitted, my voice barely a whisper. "I’ll have to go far away. Very far."

Xandria stepped toward me, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "If this is what you want, Shaira, I’ll support you. But you have to be aware of what you’re choosing. There’s no turning back."

I nodded, knowing that I had already crossed the threshold into a new life, even though I didn’t yet fully understand what that meant. But before I could respond, the air in the hideout filled with a sound that froze my blood.

The roar of a ship was approaching.

The four of us remained motionless, listening closely. It was unmistakable: a ship was flying over the jungle, getting closer and closer. My hands tightened on the blankets, and I saw Zania immediately raise her weapon, her eyes fixed on the entrance of the hideout.

"Do you think they’re looking for us?" I whispered, my heart racing.

Angro frowned, quickly calculating. "It’s likely... It can’t have been many hours without someone noticing what happened."

Xandria moved to the entrance and looked toward the sky. "If they find us here, it’s over."

The sound of the ship grew louder, passing right over our heads. We all remained silent, the fear palpable in the air. We didn’t know if they had located us, but one thing was certain: we couldn’t stay here much longer.

I looked at Angro, feeling the weight of the situation. "What do we do now?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer. We had been on the run from the moment we met, and now was no different.

Angro looked at me calmly, though I could see the concern in his eyes. "We leave," he said simply. "There’s no other choice."

And with that sentence, I knew the escape wasn’t over yet.