Chapter 366: Some Things Were Meant To Be
"No!" Logan protested, his voice sharp with urgency. "The rebels only recruit from here—I don’t know where their bases are!"
Agilus paused, his suspicions momentarily silenced. A slow and weary sigh escaped him. If this wasn’t a rebel hideout, at least they had a place to breathe, if only for a night.
They stepped into a clearing bathed in the fading glow of afternoon. At its center stood a humble thatched hut, no larger than twenty square meters, its walls made of woven bamboo and palm fronds weathered by years of sun and rain. A makeshift fence of crooked wooden stakes surrounded the property, their bases tangled with curling spinach vines whose broad green leaves shimmered in the soft light.
Behind the house, a small shed nestled beside a weathered pigpen. Clucking and soft quacks drifted through the air—chickens and ducks scratched in the dirt, unbothered by the sudden influx of strangers. A few papaya trees, heavy with ripening fruit, stretched their arms over patches of wild moringa. A simple open well stood off to one side, its stone rim moss-covered, and beside it was a bamboo pole with a pail attached to its end. It was used to draw water from the well.
Lara now understood how Logan developed those well-defined arm muscles. It must be from drawing water from the well.
Lara was taken aback by the thriving backyard. Wild vegetables grew in carefully tended rows, every inch of soil made useful. This wasn’t the home of rebels—it was the home of survivors. Industrious, humble people doing their best.
The bamboo door creaked open. A girl of about fifteen stepped out, her face full of youthful curiosity. Behind her came a woman, Logan’s mother, her long ebony hair streaked with a few silver strands. Once, she may have been a striking beauty, but life had carved deep lines into her forehead. She squinted into the light, her gaze resting on the ragged crowd gathered behind her son.
She saw everything in a heartbeat: four weary women, one cradling an infant in a swaddle, twelve children with dirt-smudged faces, and four men, limping and bruised. At the rear stood four tall figures who radiated silent danger. To the side, two elderly men with white hair stood quietly, while beside them, a copper-haired woman shimmered like fire in the twilight.
Logan called out, rushing forward. "Mother! Sis!"