After We Said Goodbye

MILITARY CAMP

Several kilometers away, Adrian was still awake.

The military camp had grown quiet for the night. Most of the barracks were dark, but the operations building remained lit.

Maps covered the walls.

The deployment route had been marked in black, while possible enemy positions were marked in red. Civilian settlements were marked in blue.

Adrian stood before the largest map with his arms folded.

He studied the terrain carefully.

The door opened behind him.

"Sir."

Lieutenant Reyes entered carrying a stack of documents.

"Reconnaissance reports."

Adrian held out his hand.

"Anything useful?"

"Two possible locations."

Reyes placed the photographs on the table.

"The first is an abandoned logging camp."

Adrian examined the image.

"Too exposed."

"That's what I thought."

"And the second?"

Reyes placed another photograph beside the first.

A dense section of forest appeared on the page.

"The old eastern trail."

Adrian's attention sharpened.

"Better."

"It hasn't been used officially in years."

"That's why they'll use it."

Reyes nodded.

Adrian marked the location on the map.

"Send a reconnaissance team at first light."

"Yes, sir."

Reyes gathered the remaining photographs.

Then he hesitated.

"Sir."

Adrian looked at him.

"The representative."

"What about her?"

"Should we assign someone to accompany her?"

Adrian was silent.

"Yes."

"Two men?"

"Three."

Reyes raised an eyebrow.

"Three?"

"One stays with the council. Two rotate with her."

Reyes considered that.

"Protective detail for your ex-wife."

Adrian looked at him.

"She's the tribal representative."

"I know."

Reyes's expression remained perfectly calm.

"That's what I said."

Adrian's jaw tightened.

Reyes continued.

"Strictly professional, of course."

Before Adrian could answer, the door opened again.

Cruz walked in carrying two cups of coffee.

"I brought coffee."

Reyes looked at the cups.

"For whom?"

"One for me."

"And the other?"

Cruz handed it to Adrian.

"For the man who looks like he hasn't slept since the divorce."

Adrian stared at him.

Cruz immediately lifted his hands.

"What? I said it respectfully."

Reyes took one of the photographs from the table.

"Your definition of respectful needs work."

"It's a work in progress."

Adrian ignored them.

"Three men."

Cruz looked at the map.

"For Maya?"

Adrian's eyes moved toward him.

"She's the representative."

"Yes, sir."

Cruz nodded slowly.

"The representative who also happens to be your ex-wife."

Reyes looked at Cruz.

"You enjoy living dangerously."

"I enjoy conversation."

"You enjoy surviving conversations you shouldn't be having."

Cruz grinned.

"Same thing."

Adrian pointed toward the map.

"Her safety is part of the operation."

Cruz's expression became more serious.

"Understood."

Reyes nodded.

"Three men should be enough."

"Make sure they know their orders."

"They do."

Adrian looked at him.

"No interference with the council. No unnecessary attention. They maintain communication and secure the representatives if there is an attack."

Reyes nodded.

"Understood."

Cruz took a sip of his coffee.

"And if the representative refuses to be protected?"

Adrian answered without hesitation.

"She won't be asked."

Cruz blinked.

"That's... surprisingly diplomatic."

Reyes gave him a dry look.

"He's talking about Maya."

"Exactly."

Cruz nodded thoughtfully.

"She'd probably tell the soldiers to protect someone else."

"She probably would," Reyes said.

Cruz looked at him.

"You're taking her side."

"I'm stating a fact."

"That's basically taking her side."

Reyes shrugged.

"Then perhaps you should stop talking."

Cruz smiled.

"Impossible."

Adrian finally looked at both men.

"Are you two finished?"

"No, sir," Cruz said immediately.

Reyes sighed.

"Unfortunately."

Cruz pointed at him.

"See? He admits it."

Adrian shook his head.

"Get some sleep."

"Yes, sir."

Cruz started toward the door, then stopped.

"Sir?"

Adrian looked up.

"One question."

"What?"

Cruz hesitated.

"Does she know we're coming?"

Adrian was silent for a moment.

"She knows the military is deploying."

"I meant us."

Adrian's expression hardened slightly.

"No."

Cruz nodded.

"That should be fun."

Reyes walked past him.

"For you, perhaps."

Cruz followed.

"I'll see you at five."

"You'll see me before five because you're incapable of being quiet."

"That's hurtful."

"It's accurate."

Their voices faded down the corridor.

Adrian returned his attention to the map.

His eyes moved over the mountain roads.

He knew how dangerous those roads could become once the weather changed. A unit could be separated within minutes, and people who knew the terrain could disappear without leaving a trace.

That was why Maya mattered to the operation.

She knew the communities.

She knew the routes.

She knew the people.

And she was now potentially walking directly into the center of the conflict.

Adrian looked at the folder on the table.

Maya Salinaw.

Five years had passed since he had last seen her.

He had wondered where she had gone, though he had never allowed himself to ask.

Now he knew.

She had returned to the mountains.

He didn't know what her life there looked like.

He didn't need to.

But knowing where she was made one thing certain.

If the faction wanted to destabilize the tribe, she would be in their way.

Adrian closed the folder.

"Make sure the men understand the priority."

Reyes had already left, but Adrian knew the orders would be passed down.

The council's safety came first.

Maya's safety came with it.

Not because she was someone from his past.

Because she was the representative of the people his unit was entering the mountains to protect.

At least, that was the reason Adrian gave himself.

---

Morning came with clear skies.

For the first time in several days, sunlight reached the mountain peaks.

Maya had barely finished breakfast when someone came running toward the council house.

"Maya!"

She stepped outside.

A young man stood at the bottom of the steps, breathing heavily.

"What happened?"

"I found something."

He held out a folded piece of cloth.

Maya looked at it.

A symbol had been stitched into the fabric.

Old.

Familiar.

She took it carefully.

"Where did you find this?"

"Near the eastern trail."

Maya's expression changed.

"How long ago?"

"This morning."

"Did anyone see you?"

"No."

She looked toward the trees.

The eastern trail.

The same route mentioned in the military report.

"Take me there."

The young man hesitated.

"Maya—"

"Now."

He nodded.

They started toward the forest.

Maya walked quickly, keeping the piece of cloth folded inside her hand.

The symbol was one she had not seen in years.

She had hoped never to see it again.

Behind them, the settlement continued its morning routine. People carried water from the nearby stream, children made their way toward the school, and smoke rose from cooking fires.

Life continued as though nothing had changed.

Maya looked back once.

Then she turned toward the forest.

The trail became narrower as they moved deeper into the trees.

After several minutes, the young man stopped.

"There."

Maya followed his gaze.

A second piece of cloth had been tied to a tree.

Then she saw another farther ahead.

And another.

A trail of symbols disappeared deeper into the forest.

The young man lowered his voice.

"Maya..."

She didn't answer.

She stared into the trees.

Someone had deliberately left these behind.

Someone wanted them found.

And whoever had done it knew exactly who would recognize them.

Maya slowly closed her hand around the old symbol.

She understood then that the faction had discovered more than the military's investigation.

They knew she was involved.

They knew she had spoken with the government.

And they wanted her to know that they knew.

She turned toward the settlement.

"Send word to the council."

"About what?"

Maya looked back toward the forest.

"Tell them the faction knows I'm involved."

The young man's face paled.

"And the soldiers?"

Maya remained silent for a moment.

Then she said, "Contact Captain Vale."

The mountains remained quiet around them, but the silence no longer felt peaceful.

Somewhere beyond the trees, someone had begun moving pieces across a board that Maya had never agreed to play on.

And now, whether she wanted it or not, she was one of them.