The Hardest Path

“Liam, I swear! You’re the most stubborn man in existence!”

Rhiana slammed her fists on her brother’s desktop, clearly fuming. Liam leaned away from her in his high-backed office chair, offering no comment. From years of experience, he knew that anything he might have said to defend himself would only make the situation worse. And that was the last thing Liam wanted to do. Though she was small in stature, Rhiana had a mean right hook, and she was only too eager to use it. Her personality offered a perfect counterpoint to his own, fire to his ice, spicy to his mild.

When it became obvious that Liam had nothing to say, Rhiana continued with her rant, pacing the length of the room. “Honestly, I ask you to do one simple thing. Just one! And, of course, you refuse!” She spun, reaching the desk in seconds, where she shoved a small stack of folders across the wooden surface, nearly spilling her brother’s tea. Liam carefully picked up his favorite mug, moving it to the far side of the desk, never taking his eyes from his sister. The corner of his mouth twitched up in amusement. With her short, wispy hair, and large brown eyes so like their father’s, Rhiana quite resembled an irritated earth pixie.

“You know very well how I feel, Rhiana. I do not wish to get married. Especially not to one of these, these-“ He gestured vaguely at the stack of folders. “Women,” he finished lamely, pushing the folders back at Rhiana.

Liam had glanced over the different folders at breakfast, inside each one a profile of a different eligible lady. The closer he looked, however, the more he began to see the glaring similarities from one woman to the next. All rich, cultured, quiet, and utterly boring. If this was the best his sister could come up with, Liam would much rather stay single, thank you very much.

“Ugh!” Rhiana was now beyond frustrated, absolutely disgusted with her brother’s lack of cooperation. “You don’t have an option, Liam, and you know that!” Every few words, the woman’s voice rose. “You have to get married, and you have to father children. Look through the profiles again, and pick out a few to meet. I’ll be back in a few hours.” With those words ringing in her brother’s ears, Rhiana stomped her small feet all the way to the office door, which was viciously slammed, highlighting her exit.

As soon as he was certain his temperamental sibling wasn’t coming back, Liam relaxed, resting his head on the cool wood of his desktop. A moment later, he was sitting upright once more, back in business mode. Slowly, as if it might bite, he pulled the top folder from the stack, opening it and rereading the profile inside. He hadn’t read three words before he huffed, pushing the folder away once more. “I need to get out of here.” Liam buzzed his secretary on the intercom.

“Yes, Mr. Kagailas?” Her voice crackled slightly, sounding metallic and unnatural.

“Have a car brought around for me. It doesn’t matter which one. I won’t need a driver.”

“Yes sir.”

He stood, making his way out of the office and heading straight toward the elevator. Upon reaching the ground floor of the main center of all Kagailas operations, Liam was pleased to see the car already waiting for him. It was black with dark tinted windows, as all of his family’s cars were. The Kagailas Clan crest shone on the side, roughly the size of a tennis ball. The black panther, red-eyed and snarling against a background of silver, was emblazoned on both sides of the car. It was something of an insurance policy; No one in their right mind would dare vandalize this vehicle, no matter where Liam left it. Neither would any officer ticket it, not if they wanted to keep their job.

The Kagailas’ were also in possession of several unmarked cars, in the interest of stealth and secrecy. Both of which were often required for dealings with the gangs. Liam himself had instituted the unmarked car policy, figuring that, although the public was aware of the Kagailas’ gang involvement, it wouldn’t serve anyone well to flaunt it. It was exactly that kind of thinking that made him so popular, both among his own employees and the general population of Theas. As he approached the vehicle, a young man, around twenty by Liam’s estimate, stepped forward, offering up the car key.

“You’re the regular driver of this car?” Liam asked skeptically. “I haven’t seen you before.”

The young man bowed, his long chestnut-tinted braid falling over his shoulder, nearly brushing the ground. “Miss Rhiana just hired me, sir. My name is Pinn.”

“Pinn.” Liam said the name slowly, testing it out. The kid must have been an impressive driver, Liam knew, for his sister to hire him on this young. “Stand straight, boy.” As the youth rose, Liam plucked the keys from his hand, and was inside the car in a flash. Rolling down the window as he pulled into the road, Liam called a simple, “Thank you!” to a very flustered Pinn.

Finally alone, driving to nowhere in particular, Liam couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped his lips. It wouldn’t take long for his sister to come looking for him, nor would it take long for her to find him. But then, in that moment he didn’t care about any of that. He was free. And that was enough.


A/N: Run Liam, run!! Go go go!! Hah. Ah. Ahem. I'm still taking guesses as to who the main character of the story will turn out to be. Here's a hint: It isn't Telin. Does that count as a hint? I just don't know. Oh well. Review this, with more guesses. Or whatever. Just review. Lazybones.