Chapter Eleven
KYELLA
“You should sit down,” Kolvar suggested in a soft tone, concern coating his expression. My lips pressed into a barely-there smile, not completely surprised by his words. I had wondered how long it would take him to say something.
The man had been commenting on little things like this all day, obviously still concerned about the state I’d been in yesterday.
I didn’t blame him. I was certain if he came back severely injured from such an intense situation, I would feel the same.
Which was why I wasn’t frustrated with his words at all. Instead, I found them endearing.
“I’m fine.” I promised, moving my attention from the scene in front of me to the man in question. I leaned into him, trying to offer as much reassurance as possible. “Seriously, I feel great.”
Especially since I had fed from him before coming out here.
“You’ve been on your feet all day. After what you went through, you should be taking it easy.
Maybe relax in bed?” He hedged hopefully, his gaze darting down to my feet as his hand twitched at his side.
I had a feeling he wanted to pick me up, but I was glad he didn’t.
As sweet as I found it, he had no reason to be concerned. I had been on the move all day, but…
I felt re-energized. I felt determined. The very last thing I felt was tired.
“Plus,” Dakath stated, approaching us from where he’d been talking to a young man holding several pieces of what appeared to be new weaponry, “recruit processing isn’t the most interesting thing to watch. Are you sure you don’t want one of us to go back to the room with you?”
“Recruit processing may not be fascinating to you guys,” I pointed out as I offered him a small shrug, “but I’m really enjoying this.”
That wasn’t a lie either. After the meeting today, I was not only more focused than ever, but I had a keen interest to understand how this entire process worked. A process that Elijah had explained to me in-depth before stepping out here.
Apparently, because this was an overseas military attack, the castle used the recruit process to gather information from the new members of the military.
Important elements included things such as where they lived and the family they had here, as well as giving them military markers with their names on them.
They received uniforms, equipment, and weapons as well.
Elijah did note that he was a bit concerned about not having a ton available for training but that they still planned on doing as much as possible to protect the citizens of the Tridian Empire.
So yes, I wanted to be part of this. I had been locked away and removed from society for so long by Malakai that even simple things like this were new experiences that I was happy to be a part of.
Plus, Elijah was now standing about ten feet away from me being all commanding. Watching him directing individuals where to go? I found it oddly sexy. Then again, I found pretty much everything these men did attractive, so that wasn’t entirely surprising.
Kolvar shook his head at my words, a smile playing on his lips.
I took the opportunity to distract him, asking both of them a question that had popped into my head a few minutes ago.
“So when Malakai’s ship first arrived and the warning sounded, what did that mean to everyone?
That they needed to come do recruit processing like this to prepare to fight?
I know it was a signal to prepare for a possible invasion from an enemy ship, right? ”
“Yes, it was a signal for the arrival of an enemy ship and for the people to prepare for a possible invasion.” Kolvar nodded. “Recruit processing wouldn’t have been part of those preparations, however. This is a bit new for everyone because of the scale of the war we are launching.”
“So what would they have done?” I asked in confusion.
“Our ruler,” Kolvar paused as a smile grew on my lips slightly.
I could see how easily it would be to slip up and say Empress or Myrin, but there were far too many people around.
He glanced to his left at a gaggle of recruits before continuing, “Our ruler has ensured that every household in our empire is equipped to defend themselves in some way. There hasn’t been much concern or need for it in the past, but training and basic weaponry is available to our citizens. ”
“Seriously?” I asked incredulously. Malakai would never give the people of his empire weapons—the idea was nearly laughable.
“Yes,” Dakath answered for him. “It gives the citizens confidence in their ability to keep themselves safe, but it also allows them to be independent from the monarchy instead of reliant upon it for their safety.” Yeah, that would never happen under Malakai’s rule, but I could see the appeal of it. My respect for Myrin increased tenfold.
“So the warning bells,” Kolvar continued with a sharp nod at Dakath’s words, “were a signal for everyone to prepare their homes. The castle guard and standing military would act as a first defense to the invasion, but it gives citizens the ability to not only know what’s going on, but to take defensive measures of their own as well. ”
I nodded in understanding before tilting my head, a question burning in my mind. “And we are recruiting for this because it’s a large-scale attack? We need more than just the normal castle guard and military?”
I didn’t want to sound dense with all of my questions, but I wanted to understand my new home and all of its inner-workings. And to my surprise, I was captivated by how this empire was run. It seemed worlds apart from the Thaician Empire.
“Oh, yes,” Dakath said with a succinct nod.
“Our empire isn’t militaristic in nature, so the standing army, while strong, isn’t one of our main focuses.
However, in this case, our ruler has sent word throughout the entire empire that we will be launching a full-scale attack on the Thaician Empire and that we are officially at war, which means that normal citizens become part of the standing army. ”
My gaze ran over the many young men, and even some women, who were in line to be processed. The line ran from the castle doors all the way out of the castle gates and onto the streets. “Do they have a choice in whether they want to go to war?”
“Of course,” Kolvar answered with a confidence that rang with truth.
I looked at him before my gaze swung toward Dakath, my brow furrowing. “They can decide not to serve? Even if the empire is at war?”
“Yes,” Kolvar offered me with a look of understanding.
“The best fighter is one who wants to be there—who wants to sacrifice his or her time, resources, and potentially their life for their empire. None of these individuals, human or vampyre, are required to put their lives on the line. If they are joining, it is out of their own desire to do so.”
I couldn’t explain how much better that made me feel.
“You said humans can join? How would it be safe for a human to be part of a war against an empire that likely only has vampyres fighting for it? Wouldn’t that be an automatic death sentence?” Even the strongest humans wouldn’t be able to fight against a vampyre in a one-on-one battle and win.
“They won’t be involved in combat or on the front lines,” Dakath explained, and the anxiety roiling through my stomach settled.
“Instead, they will be placed in speciality positions, serving in the armory or as medical staff. They will also be part of rescue and retrieve squadrons that will aid in breaking out prisoners from the Thaician Empire. I do not doubt that those soldiers will have more than enough work to keep them busy—Malakai’s dungeons are always full. ”
That was beyond an unfortunate truth.
“Kolvar,” Elijah called, and the man in question kissed the top of my head before striding toward the older vampyre. Dakath slid his arm around my waist, tucking me against his side.
“I love how interested you are in all of this,” Dakath admitted.
I met his gaze and answered his unspoken question of why this was so important to me. “This place has brought me so much. I won’t see it destroyed by Malakai. I want to help in any way that I can.”
“I’m sure we can make that happen,” he assured before looking over the long line of individuals that were being processed. “Although, right now, there isn’t much to do besides focus on all of the citizens who willingly come to aid us in our time of need. They’re very brave.”
“They are,” I echoed back to him.
There was no doubt in my mind that the citizens under Malakai’s rule would never willingly offer to serve in a war for him. It spoke volumes to how this society functioned and how much the people here loved their home. It made my heart clench at just how different the two empires were.
My gaze moved down the line and past the gates of the castle, observing the many who were signing up for the war.
Everyone standing in that line looked so young, which was what stood out to me the most. I knew all of them were adults, and some of them were no doubt vampyres who were older than they looked…
but still. When I reached the end of the line that I could see, I caught a glimpse of what I feared seeing.
Groupings of men, women, and children, all focused on a single family member or two, walking towards the recruit line.
Families. While no one expressed their concern outwardly, offering proud smiles to their family members lining up, I could see the concern and fear in their eyes.
My chest squeezed, not liking that at all.
“Kyella.”
I jolted, realizing that Dakath had stepped away to replace Elijah, who now stood in front of me. His hands gently wrapped around my biceps as he examined my face.
“Yeah?” I asked softly.
“What’s wrong?” His eyes darkened as he examined my face.
“So many families will be broken apart, even if it is just temporary,” I whispered.
“Yes,” Elijah admitted quietly, his brow furrowed, clearly bothered by the idea as well. “Yes, they will.”
“I hate this,” I hissed, my jaw tightening. “I hate that Malakai is causing this.”
“If Malakai comes here and attacks us first, families will be split apart by the attack on their homeland,” Elijah rationalized. “Even though this is hard, the soldiers have confidence in knowing that while they fight, their families are safe at home.”
I knew he was right, but I still didn’t like it.
“There is no winning when it comes to war. Not fully.”
Lives would always be at risk.
Elijah cupped my jaw as he nodded. His voice was solemn as he intoned, “Once Malakai is removed as a threat, our empire will heal and move past the moment. I promise you that.”
My eyes flicked back to the families outside the castle gates as a feeling in my chest expanded—going beyond simple determination when it came to this war.
We would be victorious. We had to be because I refused to lose any lives to Malakai.
***
As the afternoon turned into evening, I realized that something was wrong.
Call it a simple gut feeling, or even instinct, but I could sense that there was something off with Dakath.
While the man was normally quiet, he had grown progressively so as the day wore on.
His energy seemed to have a tired note to it that I didn’t care for.
I also didn’t like that he hadn’t touched the goblet of blood sitting in front of him.
We were currently at a small dinner—just us, the Empress, and her other three advisors—that had been called to discuss how recruit processing went today.
Since I wasn’t directly part of the conversation, my mind wandered a bit once they got into specifics about weapons.
I found myself reengaging when the conversation moved toward strategy for the war.
It was about more than the fact that they spoke of Malakai—I found that the logistics of the war forced my mind to work in a way I had never experienced before.
I think a part of me had worried that Myrin would try to convince me to not be part of the planning.
I had already given her every possible detail I could about Malakai, so what other helpful purpose could I actually serve?
But no one seemed to feel that way. In fact, it hadn’t even been called into question that I would be part of the conversation.
I felt respected in a way I would have never been in Malakai’s empire.
Dakath shifted in his seat, drawing me from my thoughts as I picked up my second goblet of blood and took a sip.
Dakath’s gaze was on one of the advisors currently speaking, but he appeared exhausted, even more so as the minutes ticked by.
My gaze darted to his goblet again, confused as to why he wasn’t drinking from it.
With a start, I realized that I hadn’t noticed just how intently I paid attention to these men until moments like this.
But I couldn’t look away, and I knew there was no way I would be able to ignore his unease.