Jian? Now that's a name I remember. The oldest brother of Ralyn, and the one who started that internal cycle of self-loathing in Ralyn.
"Jian, huh," I whisper, my eyes still narrowed, my gaze piercing the ground.
"Forget about that. Today, I brought the 'equipment' that I told you about." Dinan says, striding away from me, his hands tucked inside his pocket.
"But before, that.." I utter, and he halts, turning back to stare at me with one eyebrow raised, "I have to ask. You're going somewhere tomorrow, right?"
He nods once, and as he does, his black eyes shimmer brightly under the sun. "Yes?"
"That place you're going to.. Hanu province, he called it. Where is it? No, what is a province in the first place?" I ask, my tone high, dosed with an eager edge. My eyes are clear because, strangely enough, the sweat dripping from my forehead does not pour into them.
