Chapter Twelve
Back to the Daily Grind. Kind of.
The clang of swords rang out from the training field, joining the chorus of grunts and hard thuds of bodies slamming against each other.
I sat on a bench a short distance from the field, bundled up in the cloak Rowan had given me so long ago.
Traces of black cardamom lingered in the material, and I pressed my nose to it.
The morning air held a spring-like chill.
Not too cold but enough to cause goose bumps on those of us with little meat on our bones and sensitive to cooler temperatures.
“Again!” A demon sprang up from where he’d been knocked on his ass.
Black hair spiked around his head, the texture reminiscent of hawk feathers, and his skin glowed a rich amber.
He looked young, upper twenties at most. Then again, demons aged differently.
He could’ve been well over a hundred for all I knew. “I demand another go at you.”
“As you wish,” Callum responded, readjusting his grip on the sword. “You must enjoy spending time in the dirt.”
The demon spat on the ground before lunging toward him with a wild, battle cry of a roar.
Callum ducked beneath the swing and kicked the back of the demon’s shin once on the other side of him, causing him to stumble.
He hit the demon’s back with the hilt of his sword, sending him the rest of the way to the dirt.
“Impressive.” Seraphina stood near the fence and watched them, arms crossed. Supervising the match, as per the condition Lord Onyx had set. “Your reputation in combat is well-deserved, human. Tell me. Who taught you how to wield a sword?”
“My sister Sasha.” Callum lowered his weapon to his side. “She is several years older than I and used to train with me when I was a young lad, first with sticks, then with swords. She is now a smith and forges her own blades.”
“Another female who knows her way around a sword. Consider my interest piqued.” Seraphina then did what I thought to be impossible: she smiled. “She’s a human I wouldn’t mind crossing paths with someday.”
The black-haired demon lunged at Callum from behind, trying to take him off guard since his back was turned.
But my cinnamon roll had detected him and parried the intended blow before hitting the demon with the brunt end of his sword again.
Callum’s fluid and agile movements were mesmerizing to watch.
Swordplay was more than knowing how to deal and deflect blows; footwork was just as important.
“Attacking an opponent from behind?” Callum peered down at the demon. “Have you no honor?”
The demon smirked up at him from where he’d been knocked to the dirt for the fifth time, chest heaving with his quick breaths. “There is no honor in battle. Only victory or death.”
“Then I’d say you’ve died five times over, demon.” Callum offered him a hand. “Interested in making it six?”
As though earning his respect, or at least proving himself a worthy sparring partner, the demon clasped Callum’s forearm and allowed him to pull him to his feet. The two dove back into another match.
Duke, Baden, and Quincy sparred with demons on the other side of the field and seemed to be having a blast given their exhilarated whoops and grins.
Well, except for Baden. His expression was fixed into a permanent scowl.
I noticed he moved with more vigor though, an excitement not as obvious as the other two but present nonetheless.
My attention shifted to Maddox. He faced off with Borus in the center of the makeshift arena.
Had my soul threatened to shrivel up when seeing the massive demon lunging at my captain with a battle hammer bigger than my entire body?
Most definitely. But Maddox held his own, quick on his feet just like Callum and able to dodge those heavy blows.
Blows that left crater-sized holes in the dirt as the hammer slammed down, barely missing his head.
I shuddered into the cloak and decided it was best not to watch. My heart might give out otherwise.
“Good morning, lad,” a gruff voice said from my right. Varys approached me with hesitation, visible in the droop of his wolf ears. He wore a black kimono and sandals instead of the fitted vest and trousers he’d sported the other times I’d seen him. “May I join you?”
“Of course.” I scooted over to give him room on the bench. A flurry of excited nerves filled my chest. Ever since learning he’d known my dad, I had wanted to chat with him more but hadn’t found the chance. “Nice day, huh? I’m ready for spring.”
“As am I.” Varys sat beside me and peered up at the branches above us.
Sunlight bled through some of them, the rays finding us beneath the tree.
“Though, all seasons are beautiful in their own way. It’s important to enjoy each as they come instead of rushing them along.
If you’re always looking ahead, you may miss just how special the present can be. ”
“I guess you’re right,” I said, thinking of that one wintery morning at the cottage where my men and I had played in the snow. It felt like a lifetime ago. “Winter can be nice too. Perfect weather for snuggling by the fire and reading a good book.”
“Your father enjoyed reading as well.” A wistful expression crossed his face.
“Adventure stories, mostly, of heroes of old and their valiant exploits across the realms. When he wasn’t reading or pretending to be a knight with a stick as his mighty weapon, he was stealing sweets from the kitchen and running off into the forest.”
I smiled. “Which is how he met Lord Onyx.”
Varys nodded. “Bremloc has a violent and bloody history with demons, yet Elias never saw him as the enemy. I once asked him why.”
“What did he say?”
My question brought a sad smile to his lips. “Your father looked me dead in the eye and said true peace could never exist if we remained stuck in that past.” He breathed out and fixated on a branch sprouting pale pink buds. “Elias was wise beyond his years. And taken from this life much too soon.”
Pressure squeezed my sternum. “I can’t believe King Eidolon really betrayed him.”
“Neither could I at first.” His hand curled into a fist in his lap.
“The two of them certainly had their opposing views, in both politics and war, but never did I get the impression that anything other than love and mutual respect existed between them. When I learned of what Eidolon did, it felt like a hot blade to my gut, fresh from the forge. Sometimes, I wake in the night still feeling that burning rage.”
A similar burn festered inside me. “Like father, like son. The king betrayed his own brother, then his son turned against him to steal the throne.”
An excited yap came from the grassy area to the left of the bench.
Oreo chased Lake through a field of wildflowers.
His little head could barely be seen above the colorful patches.
The ends of his black fur flashed bright blue before he caught up to Lake and pounced.
The two fell to the grass, my gentle wolf laughing as the puppy attacked him with playful nips and kisses.
The adorable sight eased some of the simmering anger in my belly. Made me feel lighter.
“Speaking of being like one’s father, you are more and more like yours with each passing day.
” Varys watched them play before his sandy-colored eyes shifted to me.
“Others in Bremloc looked at demons and saw only monsters. But not Elias. He loved them. A love they returned. Much like you and the pup.”
The compliment settled in my cheeks—and in my chest. Warm but achy too. “I wish I could’ve known him. He sounds like he was a great guy.”
“He was the very best.” Varys offered me a tight smile. “And he would’ve been quite proud to call you his son.”
Yep, there came the tears. I turned my face from him to wipe at my eyes.
“I hear your mother was just as lovely,” he softly added.
“Did you ever meet her?”
Varys shook his head. “I never had the privilege. When your father and the king journeyed to Exalos, I stayed in Bremloc to oversee the kingdom. Eidolon trusted me to ensure everything ran smoothly in his absence. When he returned months later without Elias, he said your father broke the treaty with Haran and went into hiding with a peasant woman. I thought it a jest until I saw the way he shook with anger.”
An anger that eventually resulted in the king betraying my dad. Why else would he do something so despicable?
“The guards who traveled with them to Exalos mentioned how your mother cooked for them.” Sadness laced in his voice. “They said she was like a drop of golden sunshine, not only radiant in her beauty but in her kindness as well.”
“Did it upset you?” I asked quietly. “Learning that my dad…”
“Fell in love with someone else?”
I nodded.
“Ah, your empathy for others is precious, lad.” Varys patted my leg before folding his hands back into his lap.
“Long before he met your mother, I had accepted that my love for Elias would never be returned. At least in a romantic sense. He often said he loved me as though I were a brother. That was… enough for me. Knowing I had part of his heart. When I learned of his feelings for Cynthia, I wished only for their happiness.”
The yearning in his tone reminded me of Xavier, the mage I’d met in Exalos.
Xavier had known my mom since they were kids and said she’d had feelings for him.
However, he’d been too focused on his studies to humor the idea of love.
It wasn’t until she’d met my dad that Xavier realized he loved her too.
But it’d been too late. A love lost before it’d even had time to blossom.
“I’m sorry, Varys,” I said, heart sinching.
My gaze moved to Lake, then to Callum and Maddox.
Rowan was napping in our room and Briar was in the clinic, but I felt them with me.
A soul-deep connection that couldn’t be broken with distance.
“I can’t imagine a life without my men. Losing one of them would break me. You’re a lot stronger than I am.”