Bryn wasn't feeling too cheerful either. He was lying on his front looking miserable. Liala tried to cheer him up.
'How do you feel?'
'I'm fine.'
He looked anything but fine.
'Does it hurt badly?'
That was not a good question. Bryn looked embarrassed. She tried talking about how he had saved her and how grateful she was. That merely added to his woes.
'They are evacuating the village,' he said.
'The village?'
'You can't kidnap a princess and expect nothing to happen. The commander has ordered the evacuation. Allain is sending out messages on his radio. Everyone will have to leave and go into hiding. The guardians will use one of their air bombs.'
'You mean they will destroy your village?'
'That's what they do to people who stand up to them.'
Tears flooded into Liala's eyes.
'Bryn. I should never have done it.'
'Done what?'
'Sent the dolphins to fetch you.'
'You didn't know.'
'I should have guessed,' she sobbed. 'I didn't think. It's different when you've spent all your life locked up in the palace. You don't know what's going on outside. The only time I went out was in the boat with my brother and the other marine scientists. I should have known what the guardians would do. It's just terrible for all of you. Your poor mother. I saw her crying when you left.'
'I'm the only one she has,' Bryn said.
Liala watched, speechless, as he choked back tears.
'The trolls captured my father when he was planting explosives for Plaid Koerno. They killed him and brought his body to the village so people would see what they did to him before he died. They do that. It's their way of telling you what happens to people who resist the guardians.'
Tears streamed down his face. He looked into Liala's eyes and tried to speak but the words would not come. She took his hand and held it tight. The tension eased and he was able to continue.
'They took my sister. They do that to the families of resistance fighters. If you fight for Plaid Koerno it's not just you who will be hurt. If you are caught all your family will suffer.'
'Where is she now ... do you know?'
'They took her to the palace. She was only eighteen. They'll use her in their sex parties. It's awful. They implant things in their brains and take control of them. Girls leave as innocent virgins and come back destroyed. They are so out of their minds you don't know what to believe. You can only listen to the doctors when they say terrible things were done to their minds and bodies.'