Chapter 15

She walked out into the main room of the bunker to the smell of cooked eggs and hash browns. She even smelled coffee. Amaris sat down at the small folding table and picked up a fork. “Thank you. It smells good.” Lyle smiled back at her as he sat down at the table with his plate. HIs morning boyish messed hair had been combed to his usual neat coif, and He was wearing clean clothes.

Amaris looks him in the eye as he looks up at her in between bites, and asks him the first of a million questions that she needed answered. “Okay Lyle it is time for some answers. Gran started but kept dancing around the real answers. What is going on?”

Lyle stopped chewing and looked at her. “I was hoping we could talk after breakfast since we appear to have time. “

“Ok. As soon as we are done with breakfast.” And she began to shovel eggs and hash browns into her mouth as fast as she could. Lyle gave her a look and began eating as he was before, shaking his head.

Once they finished Lyle managed to drag it out into they needed to clean up, wash the breakfast dishes and make the beds. When they were finished Lyle finally had run out of excuses and sat down at the table across from Amaris.

“Gran told you a little bit about what happened when you were a baby. How your parents were run off the road and you were spared. You were hidden away from the very people who killed them. They would have come back to try again if they had known you were alive. “

Lyle runs his hands through his hair and looks down. “They recently found out that you were alive due to a spy that they had planted on the council here in my village. At the last meeting I had to disclose all that has been going on for the last 16 years and layout the plans for your return. “ Seeing the look of fear that crossed Amaris’ face, Lyle continued quickly “ We caught and punished the culprit, but I do believe there are others. I am concerned, because the people of this village have been faithful for centuries, and now that they have been without their true leader for almost 2 decades, they have become divided.” Lyle looked tired, and at that moment Amaris thought that she could almost watch him age from the worry of the troubles that his village faced.

“You see, You have, in a way, caused the divide in the village. I was quite happy to take over my father’s position, but once I became your guard, everything changed and I then became the leader.” Lyle looked very troubled.

Amaris felt bad for Lyle, but this political lesson about his town was not answering her questions.

She opened her mouth to ask Lyle what all this had to do with her, when she heard a loud click and the creaking of the door. It slowly began to move outward.

Both Lyle and Amaris stood up and watched as the door swung open to reveal a man standing in front of the opening.