"Keara..." His voice came out as barely more than a whisper.

"You killed my brother." The pain on her face was nothing compared to the anger in her voice.

"No! No, it's not like that..."

"You started this war. It's your fault he's dead!" she shouted through gritted teeth, her voice cracking. Her hands were balled by her side, as if she could lash out any minute.

"Destan!"

His eyes tore away from the only friend he'd ever had, to meet his grandfather's.

"Come here."

Remus' voice was calm, but he radiated discontent, just like Keara. Destan wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers as he lowered his gaze. As much as he wanted to talk to Keara, to explain, he couldn't ignore a command from his Chief. He knew that following this command meant it was over. All of it. All his dreams for the future. Being part of the tribe was once again an unreachable goal. He should never have gotten his hopes up like that.

Slowly, step by step, Destan made his way through the crowd. They didn't even grant him the respect of keeping their voices down as they taunted and insulted him. He was an outcast already, and now he was believed to have started a war – the first war between tribe and Inops in a long, long time. They had no reason to keep their voices down.

His breathing scraped his throat as he stood in front of the Chief, his head down in shame. The crowd suddenly quieted, likely in response to a gesture from Remus. Still, the Chief stayed silent.

"Destan..."

He flinched at the sound of his own name. When he finally managed to look up, he was met with the most disappointed look he'd ever seen on his grandfather's face.

"Follow me."

The Chief turned around and opened the door to his home, stepping aside to let Destan pass. His legs trembled as he entered the door at the far end. A soft, burgundy carpet covered the floor. A chandelier lit up the entire living room, while portraits and paintings graced the walls. The room looked warm and welcoming, a sharp contrast to how Destan currently felt.

After the door shut behind him, Remus stayed silent, staring at his grandson. Destan hardly dared to breathe, afraid it would set his Chief off. He glanced at uncle Lys, who had positioned himself in a corner of the room. Close, but out of the way.

"I am your grandfather," said Remus gravely. "I take no pleasure in doing something that will hurt you. You're my family, Destan. Despite all the things you've done." He closed his eyes. Destan knew what he was thinking; first his son, now his tribe. "But first and foremost, I am the Chief of this tribe. I have to do what's best for the tribe, not what's best for my family."

Destan opened his mouth to say he understood, but couldn't get the words to come out. He nodded instead, but Remus still had his eyes shut. When he opened them, Destan was too terrified to move. He knew what was coming.

Remus let out a deep sigh. "Tell me what happened."

What happened? He couldn't possibly tell his Chief all that had happened! He shuddered even thinking about it. All that had happened with Julia... He'd be in even more trouble than he already was. He'd be doomed for sure.

Destan glanced over at uncle Lys, standing in the corner with his arms crossed. He nodded.

He nodded? Did uncle Lys want him to tell Remus everything? He glanced back at Lys once more, who gave him an encouraging look. Was that for the best then? Lys had always been a good advisor to the Chief... If he said it was the right thing to do, that must be true.

But everything? Even about Julia? Destan didn't think he could bring himself to tell anyone that. Uncle Lys didn't know the whole story either. Would he still recommend being honest if he knew about Julia?

"Tell me what happened," said Remus again, more sternly now.

The Chief's tone took the decision out of his hands. No triber could refuse their Chief.

"Nero attacked me, in the forest last week. I didn't want to kill him, so I scared him off and let him go. But he came back and started attacking another triber. He just keeps coming back."

"He said it was you who started this war. Why?"

Julia.

Destan swallowed hard, avoiding his grandfather's gaze. "I-I don't know," he stuttered. "He's got it out for me for some reason. I'm not sure why."

Remus sat down in a large leather chair, peering up at his grandson. "You're not a very good liar, Destan. It would do you well not to lie to me again. Ever. Is that understood?"

The Chief's grave voice sent a chill down his spine. He nodded quickly.

"Good. Now tell me, why is this Nero boy targeting you? What did you do?"

Wringing his hands, his heart pounding, Destan dared another glance up. Remus looked just as grave as he sounded, his eyebrows knotted and his lips pressed together so tightly they'd almost disappeared. His face showed the consequences Destan knew were coming.

Uncle Lys, in the corner, twitched his lips when Destan looked up. Was he dreading what was to come, just as much as his nephew?

"I... I ran into him before. In Grimsby... W-when we did our task." His fingers twitched and he had to stop himself from swallowing. Another lie. How long could he keep this up? "He spotted me when we did our task. I thought I'd gotten rid of him, but he must've followed us into the forest."

Holding his breath, Destan waited for a response. Would Remus believe him this time?

The Chief leaned back in his chair, staring at Destan, who flicked his gaze back and forth between the two men. Lys stared expectantly at Remus.

"Lys," said the Chief eventually.

"Yes, sir?"

"Tell me what the penalty is for lying to the Chief of your tribe."

Lys' mouth twitched once more. "Becoming an outcast, Chief."

"What if you're already an outcast?"

Destan felt his heart sink at the words, as Uncle Lys let them sink in with a pause. He stared at Destan as he answered his Chief's question. "In that case, the penalty would be banishment, Chief."

Destan lowered his head, tears burning behind his eyes.

"You're still not telling me everything. Your story doesn't add up. I want the truth, Destan. The whole truth."

Julia...

His shoulders slumped as he blinked rapidly to keep the tears in. Could he really tell them about Julia? Lying would lead to banishment, but telling the truth would have the same consequence. What was he supposed to do?

"He..." His voice cracked. "He is Julia's new brother."

A short silence filled the room. Destan expected to be berated immediately, but instead Remus said, "Who is Julia?"

Those three little words felt like a punch to the gut when he was already down. He looked up at his grandfather in disbelief.

She's your granddaughter, you... You heartless...

No. This is on me. He couldn't possibly know, unless he'd broken tribe rules himself.

"Julia is my sister. Born without atraments and sent away, ten years ago. I found her. She's been adopted by a family over in Grimsby. They named her Julia. Nero is her adoptive brother."

The silence was heavy in the air, broken only by the sounds of Remus breathing through his nose.

"You were made an outcast for losing control because of that girl. Has that punishment not taught you anything?" His voice trembled with withheld rage, making Destan cower in fear.

"She's my sister, I couldn't just leave her there. Those people are horrible to her, Granddad!"

"No!" Remus snapped. "Not Granddad. Right now, I am your Chief. What you have done goes against all our laws. Do you realise –" He broke off mid-sentence, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Explain to me how this led to Nero's attacks."

"Nero threatened her. Attacked her. I had no choice but to step in, he would've hurt her! That's how he knows me. That's how he found our camp. He's been following me ever since. I don't know why he attacked Tamren Andar though, I swear."

Remus bent over in his chair, rubbing his hands over his face. He had always been old, but now he looked ancient to Destan. It just confirmed yet again what was about to happen.

"Lys. He is family to both of us, but we cannot let that get in the way of our judgement. What is the usual punishment for breaking the law and staying in contact with a child without atraments – a child who lives among the Inops?"

Destan's eyes flicked towards his uncle, whose face didn't show any emotion. "Banishment, Chief. He is already an outcast. Banishment is the only worse punishment."

"Is there any way we could grant him leniency, considering the circumstances?"

The seconds ticked by, while uncle Lys thought this through. Destan stared at him, praying for him to think of something, anything that might help his case. He knew that if there was any way he could make things better for him, his uncle would find it. All his hopes lay with Lys.

Lys stood straighter as the two stared at him, waiting for an answer. He folded his hands behind his back and shot Remus his most grave look. "With what he's done... I can't think of anything, Chief."

Remus nodded solemnly, then stood up from his chair. He gestured for Destan to follow him and opened the door to find the crowd still waiting. The chatter immediately got louder as the trio stepped outside. With one hand gesture from their Chief, the tribe quietened.

Destan wiped his palms on his trousers, looking out over the crowd. He spotted Keara at the back, leaning into Elias' shoulder, who had his arm wrapped around her. Something invisible stabbed Destan's chest. Something he ignored.

"I have reached a decision!" Remus' voice carried over the audience. "Destan Kardos has broken several of our laws..."

As he went on to list all the things he'd done wrong, Destan stared at his feet, trying not to listen. He felt nauseous. In a few moments, his grandfather was going to say the words that would ruin everything. He'd already lost Julia, now that she was terrified of him. And now he'd lose everything else too: his hopes for a better future, what little friendship he'd built with Keara, his home, his mum...

Mum.

A jolt ran through him when he realised that his mum would be all alone if he was sent away. With no one to take care of her. She was finally getting better and now... this...

"Destan Kardos," came Remus' voice. "For your crimes against this tribe, I sentence you to banishment for life."

Shouts and cries of approval washed over him like a tidal wave, sending him stumbling back on the spot.

"You are no longer a part of this tribe. You will leave this place and we will never see you again."

"My mum," he uttered hoarsely to his grandfather. "What'll happen to my mum?"

"We'll take care of it," said uncle Lys behind him. "Goodbye, Destan."

His words, along with the hollers of the crowd, were the last thing he'd ever hear of the tribe. He would leave and never come back. With his head down, Destan made his way past the edge of the crowd to be swallowed up by the forest.