"Father, can you hear me?" she pleaded, her hands hovering over the smoking hole in his tunic, afraid to touch it.
Barou's eyes fluttered open. He coughed again, another trickle of blood appearing at the corner of his mouth. "Lila..." he rasped, his voice weak. "I'm... fine. Just a scratch."
He tried to push himself up, his face a mask of stubborn pride. "Get back... inside. It's not safe." He grunted with pain and fell back, his body refusing to obey.
Lord Falco laughed. It was a cold, cruel sound that held no humor. "That is what happens when insects speak to their betters."
He pointed a finger at the village. "I am Lord Falco of the Northern Empire. And you are harboring criminals."
His gaze fell on Riku and Sherry. He did not recognize them without their disguises, but his rage needed a target.
"The thieves who infiltrated my home! The cowards who made a fool of my house and kidnapped my attendant!"
