"A traitor in our very midst!" he shouted. "By day he pretends to protect you, by night he tries to free from jail those who would do you harm!"

"Traitor!" the crowds roared.

"But my people, he will harm you no longer! The Lord will not tolerate those who want to hurt the good citizens of Trillagla!"

"The Lord will not tolerate anyone who wants to take away his riches." Ruth muttered, glaring from the safety of her upstairs apartment.

Father gave a half hearted chuckle. "He'll get his due."

"When?" she turned away from the scene. Watching Mir paraded through the streets hurt her deep inside. And she didn't want to think about what he would face at the end of his journey. Perhaps execution. At the very least, he would be imprisoned. That meant he wouldn't meet her at Gregor's home in the evenings anymore, to talk over dinner.

"When the Revolutionaries are ready."

"It seems to me that the Revolutionaries are just getting arrested all the time." Ruth complained. First Mother and now Mir... and what about the fates of Bella and Mridina? Bella who lived in hiding in the surrounding forests and Mridina who died at the Lord's hand?

"You haven't been involved with the Revolution long enough to know what's going on." Father scolded, but his tone was sympathetic.

"Next it'll be you. And then me. Or maybe Gregor and Venessa."

"We have to be patient." Father insisted.

"The girl does have a point, Colin." The door opened and a woman stood there, grinning.

"Shouldn't sneak up on people like that, Rachel." Father shook his head, amused and relieved.

"I just happened to be in town." Rachel chuckled. "Besides, someone had to shut you two up before you blabbed our plan everywhere."

"Ruth, this is Rachel." Father made the introductions. "She's a friend of your aunt Bella's."

"Nice to meet you." Ruth bobbed a quick curtsey. She hadn't sat through all those manners classes for nothing.

"She's beautiful." Rachel smiled. "She looks like her aunt. And she's got Mridina's eyes. Talks like Mridina too, this spitfire of yours."

"She hid in the back of the wagon to get here." Father reported, and for once he sounded proud.

"Just the kind of person we'll need when we storm the jail tonight." Rachel decided.

"When you what?" Ruth blurted out, startled.

Father frowned. "You're not taking my daughter near that prison."

"Oh, Colin." Rachel looked at him, disappointed. "You're just as stuffy as they described you."

"Say what you want, Rachel, but I'll not put my daughter at risk like that." Father insisted. "Have you forgotten that we already tried to get into the jail?"

"We'll do it better." Rachel met Ruth's father eye to eye and showed no signs of backing down.

"I've already lost my wife!"

"It's time to get her back."

They both turned to Ruth, who stared back, uncertain.

"Well, Ruthie, what'll it be?" Rachel asked, finally.

Ruth looked at her father, awaiting his approval.

"Do what you want." he said, gruffly.

She hesitated for a moment longer, torn between this new, exciting woman and the love for her father. Finally, Ruth ran to her father and gave him a tight hug. "I'm going to bring Mother back!"