Kaine Ashford's Arc

Chapter 7 of 7

Kaine found the warrant two hours later, tucked beneath a stone at the forge entrance. The soldier had left it behind—whether by accident or design, he couldn't tell. He unfolded the paper and read it twice, his chest tightening with each line. Jane's name appeared at the top in heavy black ink, but halfway down the page, a second name caught his eye. His own. He walked to the boarding house and stopped at the small oak table near the door, spreading the warrant flat across its surface. The charges against Jane were clear—unlawful occupation, falsifying bloodline claims. But his name appeared lower, added in fresher ink. Harboring a fugitive. Misrepresenting credentials to elven authorities. The penalty was seizure of property and criminal prosecution. He stared at the words until they blurred. The clinic he'd risked everything to build was now evidence against him. Jane was in the crawlspace when he found her, organizing the last of their medical supplies in her worn leather satchel. He handed her the warrant without speaking. She read it once, then looked up at him with something close to anger. She said this was her fault, that he should have let the soldier take her. Kaine knelt beside her and took the paper back. He told her the choice was already made when he claimed the boarding house in her name. The authorities weren't coming for her alone anymore—they were coming for both of them, and running wouldn't change that. He folded the warrant and tucked it into his pocket. Then he stood and walked to the overgrown garden beds behind the boarding house, where rotting fence posts marked the edge of the property. The ground was hard and cold, but he pulled up dead weeds and cleared a small patch of soil near the corner post. If the elven authorities were going to seize the property, they'd find it actively maintained. If they wanted to call his claim fraudulent, he'd make it real. Jane came out and stood beside him, her arms crossed against the wind. She asked what he was doing. He said he was planting evidence—proof that someone lived here, worked here, intended to stay. She picked up a spade and started clearing the next bed over. Neither of them spoke again until the sun dropped below the trees.