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“My warriors and I thank you for your help last night. There would’ve been a lot more deaths if you hadn’t fought by our side. We owe you a debt.”

Brock didn’t respond, just nodded tersely, crossing his arms.

The Chief then shifted her focus to Khalani and Takeshi.

“And we know you killed two Sinners in the house as well. Their tattoos indicated they were part of the Sinners elite forces. Had they survived, they would’ve wreaked more havoc on our town. You should be commended as well.” The Chief lowered her head in recognition.

Both Khalani and Takeshi nodded, though it was Takeshi whodeserved most of the credit.

The quiet was tense, but the Chief’s next question stole the air from the room.

“How long will it take you to get to Hermes?”

Everyone, including her warriors, whipped their heads to the Chief, as if they hadn’t heard correctly.

“A few more days,” Brock answered.

The Chief nodded slowly, her steely gaze fixed on them with fierce resolve

“You once told me that you could bring us back weapons from Hermes. Are you still willing to do that?” The Chief set her hands on the table as she stared at Khalani.

Her pulse quickened as she realized what the Chief was offering.

A way out.

“We are,” Khalani answered. “If you let us go to Hermes, we’ll bring back whatever we can to help you fight off the Sinners and protect your people.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, an uproar erupted among the other men and women.

“We can’t trust them, Chief. They are Under-Dwellers!” one girl exclaimed, her voice dripping with disdain.

“Do you honestly believe they’ll return?” another man scoffed.

“We should eliminate them before they have a chance to end us!” a deep voice spat from the crowd.

“STOP!” The Chief slammed her fist on the table, silencing the chaos, commanding everyone’s attention. “Have you all forgottenwhywe are here?” She surveyed the warriors, disappointment etched deeply on her face. “What our purpose is?”

Several gazes dropped to the ground, while others continued to glare at Khalani and her group.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Adan interjected, frowning,“whatisyour purpose here?”

Khalani noticed the blood draining from Patreus’ face, but the Chief replied smoothly,

“Peace. That has always been our goal. But we have learned that in order to achieve peace, some...violence may be necessary.” She turned back to Khalani. “That’s why we need more weapons to stand up to the Sinners. But my people do have a point. There’s no way to know if you’ll come back.”

“On my life, you have my word that we’ll return,” Khalani declared, stepping forward.

The Chief tapped a finger against her chin, her green eyes intense and probing, but Khalani met her gaze head on, letting the Chief judge the weight of her sincerity.

The people of Desert Spring had fed, clothed, and sheltered them. More importantly, they saved Winnie’s life. If Khalani didn’t return, death would be the only reason.

The Chief’s gaze flickered over their group before settling on one individual in particular. “We will allow you to leave for Hermes under one condition.Hemust remain behind.”

Khalani turned in shock as the Chief pointed at Derek.

“Me?” Derek held a hand to his chest, his eyes wide.

“Yes. You’re our collateral in case the rest of your group thinks about going back on our deal.”