"Nyran?" said Tassi, her eyes widening in genuine surprise as she recognized the woman before her. A wide, open smile—one Nyran would never associate with that hardened warrior—lit up her face. "I can't believe it! I never thought I'd see you again! Come on, I have so much to tell you!"

  Tassi's warm and relaxed expression left Nyran even more confused. This was not the stoic sister she had known.

  "Yes," Nyran replied, keeping her voice restrained. "Let's talk."

  Tassi led her to a simple nearby bar, with rustic wooden tables and the pleasant smell of lime and cacha?a in the air. Without ceremony, she ordered two caipirinhas.

  "I imagine you don't have any money, but don't worry, I'll pay. After all, I'm a minister of the mocambo now, I earn very well," Tassi said with a wink.

  The waiter left the frosty glasses on the table. Nyran eyed the white, grainy drink with some suspicion, stirring it with the bamboo straw before bringing the glass to her lips. The first sip was an explosion of sensations: the strong burn of the cacha?a, the refreshing sourness of the lime, and the sweetness that followed. Her eyes widened slightly, and she took another, longer sip, already won over by the flavor.

  "Minister?" Nyran questioned, slightly furrowing her brow. "What is that?"

  Tassi took a sip of her drink, an air of pride on her face.

  "I'm the Minister of Agriculture. I take care of everything involving food in the mocambo. You know, I use the grass and earth gems, right? Well, I have a special staff that allows me to make plants grow fast and strong!"

  Tassi, away from the front lines? Impossible, thought Nyran, a pang of disdain rising in her chest.

  "And why aren't you on the front line, instead of... playing with plants?" Despite her face remaining a mask of impassivity, a thread of anger permeated her voice.

  Tassi seemed surprised by the accusatory tone, and for a moment, her smile wavered, as if a painful memory had touched her.

  "Nyran, calm down. We are no longer with the Mino Warriors. If you are here in the quilombo, it means you are free, just like me."

  "Yes, I am free," Nyran retorted, her voice a sharp whisper. "But you can't imagine how much I fought, and continue to fight, to get where I am!"

  I've suffered so much since I came to this cursed country, and you're out here, having fun as if there's no tomorrow!

  Tassi then raised her hand and calmly pointed to the letter "F" branded on her forehead.

  "I got this in the middle of last year. I suffered a lot too, Nyran. The difference is that here, we don't need to suffer. And I help the quilombo, yes, just not through war anymore. I help by other means. But when they need me in a battle, I'm there, no problem."

  She's right. No one who ended up here arrived without their share of pain. Why am I being so emotional? I have to focus on my mission. Tassi is not part of it.

  Nyran began to stand up, her back stiff, but Tassi reached out and held her wrist with a firm gentleness.

  "Easy. I understand why you're like this. I was like that too, remember? Always hiding everything so deep down, to the point where I thought I didn't feel anything anymore. But... just because I didn't show it, doesn't mean I didn't feel. I think it's the same with you. I imagine you saw me playing, didn't you?"

  Reluctantly, Nyran allowed Tassi to pull her back into the chair. She sat down, her eyes fixed on her comrade's.

  "You know something, Nyran? What's the point of living a life only fighting and working, if we can't enjoy it? I work hard for Carlos, but he himself scolds me when I work overtime or on holidays. He's always saying there has to be balance in everything in life..." She let out a small laugh. "Although he doesn't follow his own advice. But I don't blame him; he carries an immense weight on his shoulders."

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  If only I had such an easy life. Meanwhile, I have to do all the dirty work just to survive and maintain my comfort. I'd even like to have that life... but it's impossible. The mere fact that they're here, wasting time with games instead of preparing for the next attack, already shows they won't last long.

  "You've grown weak, Tassi Hangbé."

  Despite the insult, Tassi showed no anger, merely replying with calm and serenity.

  "How about you and I have a duel? I bet I can still beat you easily."

  Hmph, she thinks she can beat me living a life like that? I don't have time to waste on this... However... Tassi works for Carlos. She could be a valuable source of information.

  "Deal!"

  Tassi looked at her serenely and said:

  "Tomorrow, after sunset, at the same field where I was playing."

  Nyran nodded, downed the rest of her caipirinha in one gulp, and without a word, got up and left the bar.

  ***

  Later, alone in her house, Tassi looked towards an empty corner of the room, where shadows danced weakly in the light of an oil lamp.

  "You can show yourself, Shadow."

  As if materializing from the gloom, the man emerged from the darkness, silent as a sigh.

  "It seems I can't fool you after all," he whispered. "But, about your friend..."

  Tassi shook her head, a trace of sadness in her eyes.

  "No. She knew you were there. She's much more perceptive than I am. I don't think she believed in my new way of life." She sighed. "But she can change, Shadow. Just like I changed."

  Shadow watched her silently, processing every word, before answering.

  "You know, she told me that on the same day she was sold as a slave, she managed to escape the engenho and free everyone. She is strong, but I didn't imagine she would be able to identify me."

  Tassi frowned, a detail in the story sounding false.

  "She was enslaved recently? But that's impossible. It's been ten years since we were captured together. What was she doing before that? Did she tell you?"

  An immediate alert went off in Shadow's mind.

  "No. She only said she arrived in Brazil a long time ago and that it took a while for her to be sold as a slave in the city of White Sand." He paused, his voice growing more serious. "I highly doubt anyone would wait ten years in captivity to be sold."

  Moving closer to Tassi, his presence now more intense, he asked:

  "Do you think we can trust her?"

  Tassi's heart wanted to shout yes, yearning for the redemption of an old comrade. But the trained warrior, the strategist, spoke louder.

  "It depends," she said, her voice clear and lucid. "She only believes in one thing: strength. In the army, she thought it was right to capture innocent people to sell as slaves. Because according to her, we had to buy more weapons and become stronger. Basically, she only works for the strongest side, regardless of the methods they use."

  In a tone laden with worry, Shadow insisted:

  "And do you think she believes we are the strongest?"

  Tassi let out a low, humorless laugh.

  "That, my dear, is for you all to find out. She was always very, very good at hiding her feelings. However, as you can see, she thinks I'm weak, but there's no way to know if she thinks the quilombo is weak."

  Hearing this, Shadow said nothing more. He simply melted back into the shadows, going straight to report everything to Specter.

  ***

  The next morning, Nyran woke with the first ray of sun entering through a crack in her new house in the Mocambo do Tatu. The smell of damp earth filled the space. She got up to prepare something simple to eat but stopped abruptly. A familiar and unwanted presence hung in the air of her room. At the same instant, the ring on her finger began to grow warm, almost burning her skin.

  So that's it. Just because I was evading surveillance... Tassi, you said something about past me? You still know me well, my old comrade.

  Outside, hidden in the dim light of dawn, Shadow watched Nyran's every movement through a crack, looking for any sign that she had detected him. Suddenly, an invisible feminine hand pulled hard on his arm. It was his sister, Whisper.

  "We're under attack!" she whispered urgently, pulling him away from the house. "Specter is summoning everyone, now!"

  Inside the house, Nyran felt the two shadowy presences quickly retreat. She let out a deep sigh of relief, her shoulders relaxing for a fraction of a second.

  "It seems..." she whispered to herself, her eyes turning cold and determined. "...this must be the opening Caetano Velho prepared for all of us."

  Without wasting a second, she knelt and, with precise movements, retrieved a piece of paper hidden inside the straw of her mattress. Leaving the food untouched on the table, Nyran ran out the back door, disappearing into the morning mist with supernatural speed

  "Beyond Chains", the best way to do so is by leaving a Rating and, if possible, a Review here on Royal Road.