When Hidden Lanterns Glow We Find Roads Toward Peace by Ryn Arlo Dane 141

Posted by ADMINMMADMIN, ? Views, Released on January 24, 2026

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Giving In Part I

Original composition by Tatienne Richard exclusively for My Fiction. If you’re reading this elsewhere it has been stolen from the platform.

“I have to agree with January, Gulliver.”

The quiet comment from Grandfather made them room turn to face him. He sat pensively in his chair, and he was staring towards the broken glass of the patio door. The room was silent as the group waited for him to elaborate.

“I know I’m old, too old apparently to make decent decisions concerning this family. I keep making mistakes and erring with my judgments but,” he swallowed audibly, “I believe Davis when he says if you don’t bring her with you to the meet, there will be bloodshed. I don’t believe he’s showing all his cards or letting you know the full details of what information he has. If he has a crooked judge on his payroll to get Ziogas out, there is more going on that what he says. January needs to go with you, if for nothing more than bait.”

“You expect me to put my wife in danger?” the quiet question was tinged with a fury Gulliver barely hid.

“I couldn’t do it.” Avner shook his head as he spoke for the first time. “No offense, January. I am sure you are capable and strong, and I know you are meant to rule at Gulliver’s side but in his shoes, if it was Bette, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t bring her into a situation where I knew she could get hurt or she’d be

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< Giving In Part I

forced to see me die.”

“That’s sexist, Dad.”

+4 Bonus

“Call it what you want, Thisbe,” Avner shrugged, “but there is a part of me which screams at me to protect my family, my woman. Leading her into the lion’s den with a bloody steak wrapped around her neck and nothing to protect herself with,” he sucked his teeth, “that’s a fuck no from me.”

“If Gulliver shows up without her, he’s dead.” Grandfather spoke resolutely. “Find a way to arm January whether it is with a something as simple as a ring on her finger that she can jab into his eyeball or the ankle knife as she suggested, but she needs to go.”

“Old man, you are trying my patience,” Gulliver said as he rubbed the frown lines between his hairline and his eyebrows.

“Consider this my last directive as vovoi before I retire and put my ring on your finger.” Grandfather didn’t back down. “You do this. You bring her with you. You take these fuckers down. You kill Duchess and her father and Davis, the little prick, and his army of crooked cops, and I will step down and I will obey every order you give me from now until the time I die.”

“I do not want your ring like this,” Gulliver growled. “You cannot coerce me to sacrifice my wife for a ring.”

“I have every confidence that January is strong enough to survive whatever it is Davis throws at her.”

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“And if he simply kills her because she won’t bow to his demands?” Gulliver clenched his fist furiously.

+4 Bonus

“He won’t kill her. He’s been pining after her, lusting for her, since she was a teenager. He doesn’t want her dead. He might hit her or hurt her, do something to render her unconscious or keep her from fighting him, but he won’t kill her.”

“That is not instilling any sense of confidence in me to bring her,” Gulliver looked worriedly at January. “Baby, I am begging you not to listen to this shit. Please.”

“What scares you most, Gulliver? You’re going to be there. You won’t let him kill me. I know you will keep me safe.”

“If I’m watching you, I won’t be focused on everything else.”

“You have to be. I’m going to be relying on you to keep me safe and keeping me safe means, you need to know our surroundings and deal with all the things I can’t.”

“Why can’t we just call the police or the FBI?” Thisbe said suddenly. “If we send the police then they arrest them,” her voice fell away, “sorry, I can see the look on all your faces. If we send the police he kills Ernst and innocent people.”

“Exactly.” Glenn patted her shoulder, “we appreciate the input though Thisbe. Don’t stop thinking aloud. We want to hear all the ideas.”

“Grandfather talking about a ring is giving me ideas,” January said seriously. “I need a sketchpad.” 3/5

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+4 Bonus

“It’s not the time to be doing jewelry design,” Gulliver frowned.

“Don’t be a dick, Gulliver. Get me something to draw with Thisbe.” She watched as Thisbe grabbed paper and a pencil and set it on the table. “They aren’t going to let you go in armed, Gulliver. Even if you have a gun on you, the chances are, they will take it. However, they aren’t likely to take your ring or a watch or a necklace and pendant off you.” She looked at him seriously, “how are you with sleight of hand?”

“Sleight of hand?”

“Can you make someone look left when they are looking right?” she questioned as she drew a cross on the paper. “If we make the top of a knife look like crucifix, it could be under your shirt.”

“Except we don’t have time to fashion such things.” Gulliver said simply. “There’s no time to make me a crucifix which doubles as a knife, my love. We actually need to move forward immediately.”

“I can work on it in the car.” She frowned at him. “It won’t take me long to put a …” she sighed, “you’re right. There’s no time.”

“No, however, and I mean this with all the sincerity in the world, you and I are going to sit down and discuss an entirely line of jewelry for the men and women in our family to use as protection. Crucifixes, rings, earrings.”