The Champion's Ruin

by Kristen Banet

  “I’ll tell all the priests and priestesses yes on principle,” he decided. “As long as they work as units. I don’t want them heading too deep into Anden, either, where supporting them would be difficult. The nobles…will require more care.”

  “Of course. Let me finish breakfast while you read.”

  Alchan reluctantly let Rain leave.

  “Oh, Mave asked for me to tell you hello, and she wants to spend time with you at some point,” he called to Rain as he left the room.

  “I’ll make sure to go see her,” Rain promised. “In the afternoon, after you’ve read through all of those.”

  Alchan groaned, but he started reading, knowing if Rain never left to see Mave, it would be his fault—an effective threat. He was more dominant than her, but he wasn’t the better swordsman. It wasn’t even his death that was the effective threat. It was the idea he would accidentally hurt her by keeping Rain from her. That didn’t play over well with his bedru nature, which sat firmly in the camp that Rain belonged to him romantically, Luykas and Mave belonged to him as his family, and it was his duty to keep all of them as happy as he could.

  Failure wasn’t an option.

  As he made his way through the letters and ate breakfast, when Rain put it in front of him, his mind wandered. He saw names he recognized, and many he didn’t. The nobles he knew. Every single one of them, he knew. He had spent much of his childhood near them, and even more of his early adulthood. Most of them were young or children when he had been introduced to them. Most of the adults he had seen ruling were long gone, just like his grandmother and aunts. Maybe some would escape slavery before this was through, but he couldn’t hope for that.

  The priests and priestesses were the ones he didn’t know and had no idea how to judge. One of the reasons he had been putting this off for so long was for Varon to help him. Varon was the only priest he had any sort of relationship with, and he trusted the male’s judgment.

  “Rain, do you think when you go see Mave, you could bring Varon to me?” he asked softly, feeling exhausted with only a few more letters to read.

  “I’ll go now,” he said, kissing Alchan before he left.

  Alchan kept his darker urges locked away as Rain left the room without him. Since they had declared their relationship to the public, and Rain gained the title of Consort, Alchan’s possessive feelings only grew. Now the world knew, which made Rain a commodity in his own right, even more so than just being the nemari, an assistant and young Andinna in training to be a noble. Now, if someone could get Rain to hear them out, it was a direct way to get to Alchan’s ear. Alchan didn’t want people taking his Consort’s time. The more time they stole, the less time he had. At the dinner table, in bed, the location didn’t matter—it was the time they stole to speak to Rain that pissed Alchan off. That was unacceptable.

  A short while later, Alchan put the last letter aside. Everyone who had written had made their feelings clear and their plans detailed and orderly. Alchan wrote down questions he had at the top of his mind, noting who he wanted to ask, then continued to wait in silence for Varon.

  Rain came back first, laughing as the mute priest and his husband followed.

  “Alchan, you need to hear this story about Kian and Mave. It’s fantastic.”

  “Give me the short version,” he said, leaning back in his seat with an indulgent smile.

  “Mave apparently attracted a few males on the road between battles. She kept turning them down, but they all thought she was open to more husbands because she didn’t have hers with her. Eventually, Kian started sleeping outside her tent to stop them from bothering her.” Rain was smiling as he spoke. “Can you believe that?”

  “Males being attracted to Mave, yes. Kian trying to do something about it…” Alchan chuckled as he considered his response. “Also, yes, but it is funny. It’ll give me something to tease her about next time I see her. I bet she was at a loss when they kept coming to her.”

  Varon’s hands moved fast.

  “They all wanted ‘to ease her needs.’ That’s directly from their mouths. We finally had to ban them from trying to go to her tent through the entire campaign.”

  “Yeah. We had to impress, especially on the younger ones, if she wanted any of them, she would let them know. It was all harmless. We would have shut it down differently if it wasn’t.” Nevyn sat down, stretching his legs. “Kian still slept right outside her tent, though, just in case. That besotted fool.” Nevyn rolled his eyes.

  “Go see her,” Alchan said softly to his Consort. He would lose the afternoon with him, but he could tolerate it. He had to. At least he was going to Mave. She would keep him safe and free of the people who would try to manipulate him.

  Rain kissed him once, then left, giving Varon and Nevyn a wave.

  “Gah, I hate you two,” Nevyn said, crinkling his nose.

  Varon reached out and hit him.

  “Fine, I don’t hate them. They’re so fucking precious, and it’s gag-inducing.”

  Varon leaned down and claimed Nevyn’s mouth, drawing a growl out of the general.

  “You in a bad mood, my friend?” Alchan raised an eyebrow at Nevyn, who sighed as Varon pulled away, then sat down.

  “Woke up hungover, so yeah, a little bit.” Nevyn side-eyed Alchan. “Rain said you needed some help.”

  “Yup.” Alchan picked up the top letter from a priestess, looking to reopen a temple of Kristanya and held it out to Varon. He kept Nevyn from taking it.

  Varon’s eyes moved quickly as he read the letter, then set it on the table, tilting his head to the side, deep in thought. Alchan and Nevyn remained respectfully silent while the priest considered the information. Varon looked up, his grass-green eyes narrowing.

  “I have dozens more,” Alchan explained, lifting the entire stack. “They’re coming with Seanev.”

  “These are the priests and priestesses he’s been hiding, aren’t they?” Varon’s hands moved fast, faster than normal. He slowed down for people who were just beginning to learn his way of communicating. “The ones who decided they would rather hide in the temples during the War rather than help the Andinna go to Olost. The ones who didn’t even bother to show themselves to us until this past winter.”

  “Most of them, yes.” It had been a surprise when Alchan had gotten the first letter. They had kept a secret network all across Anden. When Seanev and Leria made themselves known, the priesthoods had decided to stay secret for another year, just to see what would happen. They didn’t know if they could trust the new rebellion and found protecting Andinna heritage almost more important than protecting the people.

  “Leave them to me,” Varon signed. “I’ll deal with them. I trust you’ll respect my decisions on this.”

  “I understand why you don’t like them, but treat them fairly.”

  “I outrank all of them. Leave this to the priesthood, Alchan. They’ll accept what I decide,” Varon signed, then reached out and grabbed the entire stack.

  “Let him go,” Nevyn said softly as Varon stomped out of the room.

  Alchan looked at the newly empty spot on his table, somewhat confused by what had just happened.

  “Why does Varon think he outranks them?” he asked, going to the most confusing part of the exchange. “He’s just a priest who left his temple because he fell in love. Common for the priests and priestesses of Amonora.”

  “Don’t be daft. He was touched by a goddess in a tangible way. They’ll defer to him, his age, and his experience. They’ll defer to him because while they were here hiding, even from their King, he was serving. Not in making sacrifices to our gods, but in the way that matters. He was keeping faith. He and only a handful of others have that claim, and only he could lead you to prayer. He outranks them through honor and wisdom. They’ll listen to him.” Nevyn reached for the second stack. “Are these the nobles?”

  “Yes.” Alchan groaned, pushing the letters closer to Nevyn. “I know what to do about them, I’ve just been putting it off.”<
br />
  “Ah. I wanted to ask you about something since we’re back about this…sort of thing,” Nevyn said softly, reading the letter on top. “You needing Varon was a good way for me to get in the door.”

  “Go ahead. You know my door is always open to you and everyone else in the Company.”

  “You should give Mave nobility. The Lorren house was never truly noble. It was a house of warriors who steadily climbed the ranks over generations until no one could ignore them. The males joined with strong females in other households, but the females were always great.”

  “But they were never noble. Why Mave? She doesn’t want more titles than she has.”

  “The title of Champion doesn’t carry weight after the war,” Nevyn said softly. “And I think she’ll need the weight behind her name. Make the last Lorren a noble.”

  “I’ll consider it,” he conceded. He wasn’t sure why Nevyn thought it was important, but if his general was mentioning it, he knew it was necessary to think on. “How was she? You said last night, she’s now the best warrior we have. She’s boasted the same today.”

  “She is,” Nevyn whispered. “Alchan, it’s otherworldly.” There was an undercurrent of fear in Nevyn’s words. When Nevyn and Alchan looked each other in the eye, Alchan didn’t miss the haunted shadows there.

  “What do you mean?” Alchan asked quietly. “Should I be worried?”

  “I don’t know. Last summer, she woke up with new tatua. No one gave them to her. She has…dreams or nightmares that wake her up gasping for air and reaching for a weapon, but she won’t tell anyone what they are. And her sword work…Alchan, she would end practice one day and come back the next even better. She’s leagues better and faster than me now. She’s the best warrior I think the Andinna have ever seen. There’s not a person in Anden I think can beat her.”

  “And it scares you,” Alchan said, leaning forward. “Nevyn, Mave would never turn on us.”

  “I know,” Nevyn said softly. “It’s just…” He shook his head, trailing off.

  “Let me see her spar one day. If I feel it’s time for her to give up her secrets, I’ll sit her down,” he said, hoping it would give his closest general some peace of mind.

  “Thank you,” Nevyn said, seeming relieved. “It’s just strange with her right now. It makes my skin itch, and I don’t like it.”

  “I understand. You and Kian have always been close, and now she’s his daughter. Have you tried talking to him?” Alchan didn’t like that Nevyn had anxiety about his Champion. The Company needed to fit together perfectly. Alchan didn’t have time to invest in the secrets around her, but obviously, Nevyn needed him to say something.

  “He always wanted a daughter, and they’ve fallen into the roles well. I’m really happy for them, but like any adult child, Mave isn’t telling him her secrets, and like any good father, he would never tell them to me. It doesn’t help at all, really. If anything, it scares me more. If something were to happen to her, it would break him. Kian wouldn’t survive losing another child.”

  “It wouldn’t just break him,” Alchan reminded Nevyn softly. “There’s a good many Andinna who would struggle to go on without her.” Me included. “Do you think she’s in danger?”

  “No,” Nevyn said, sighing. “I just…” He shook his head. “It’s hard to put into words, Alchan.” Nevyn hit the table and stood.

  “Let me see if she’s really gotten as good as you say she has,” Alchan said, drumming his fingers on the dining table. “Thank you for talking to me, Nevyn.”

  “Not a problem. Now, I’m going to go help my husband with the work you’ve dumped on him.”

  Alchan chuckled. “I didn’t dump anything on him. He took it without even asking.”

  “Sure,” Nevyn snorted.

  “He just did it! We watched him together.”

  “Okay.” Nevyn waved over his shoulder as he walked out.

  Alchan could only laugh softly at Nevyn’s small antics. He went back to making notes about the nobles and their letters, trying to make sure he was covering all his bases once they arrived. Many of them, he could make decisions about before they arrived, whether it be a yes or a no. He didn’t trust some of the younger ones to take their family’s positions without proving themselves. Others he could confirm without questioning it. It was the grey zone between them he got bogged down in, the ones he knew he needed to talk to before he gave them power once again.

  As the afternoon came, his stomach growled. He went into the kitchen to make lunch, using leftovers from dinner the night before. He was heating up meat over the kitchen fire when his brother walked in.

  “That smells good,” Luykas said, looking into the kitchen. “Brother, have you left your house at all today?”

  “No,” Alchan grumbled. “Dealing with the nobles. I handed the priests off to Varon. He seemed very keen on taking care of them himself.”

  “Ah. Do you want my help? I—”

  “No,” Alchan said quickly. “I don’t want them to think you influenced my decisions at all. The amount of trouble you could get into, especially since everyone knows who your mother is…” He growled softly, shaking his head. “I wish you and she didn’t just put it out there like that.”

  “She was going to try to use it against me. I had to make a decision. Everyone here has handled it really well.”

  Alchan stared at his brother for a long time.

  Of course they have, because they know Mave and I would kill them if they don’t.

  “Alchan?”

  “You’re right. They’ve done well. It’s nice not to have that secret to keep any longer,” he said quickly, shuffling through the papers to keep his hands busy. “It doesn’t change the fact it makes things complicated. Until we’ve defeated Shadra, you need to stick with military duties, where the nobility can’t question me. Leave them to me. Once this is all over, it won’t matter anymore, either way.”

  “Win or lose,” Luykas agreed, nodding. “Because if we lose, we’ll all be dead. Well, what can I help with?”

  “Why are you here?” Alchan didn’t miss how his brother never explained his presence.

  “I wanted to give you the report from our spies,” Luykas said with a smile. “No Leshaun today. Just me.”

  Alchan waved him to start, and Luykas pulled out a small leather book, where he must have written down his notes from last week. Once a week, Leshaun came to tell Alchan if there were any updates, but the male was getting old. Alchan was glad to see him retire, and Luykas was a fine fit for the job.

  “Our contacts in the western half of the Empire are all reporting low Elvasi soldier presence. It’s made the trip easy for escaping slaves, especially if they run together. However, there are growing incidences of people taking shots at any Andinna they see, trying to kill them as they move.”

  “What do you mean?” Alchan frowned.

  “Shadra had a bounty quietly disseminated through the Empire. For every male head of an escaped Andinna slave, they get ten gold pieces. Fifty for females.”

  Alchan growled. “We knew it would happen.”

  “We didn’t know how the citizens of the Empire would respond. It’s mostly humans. They’re poor, desperate, and they don’t understand the scope. There’s not much we can do. They need money to buy food for their families because their crops are being hoarded by the Elvasi, who tax them to keep the noble houses and the armies fed.”

  “Of course,” Alchan agreed. “She’s backed too many people into a corner.

  “One Elvasi merchant and noble recently did a tour of the fields in the province where he lives. It’s only summer, and crops are rotting in the fields because there’re no slaves to tend the fields. Noble houses who own the land are hesitant to hire humans, and most humans don’t want to be subjected to ‘slave work.’” Luykas closed the book. “There’s nothing else important. There are probably a thousand Andinna across the Empire heading north. Hopefully, most of them make it.”

  “Hopefully.” Alch
an watched his brother, trying to gauge his mood. He had to ask a hard question. “Have you spoken to Nyria?”

  “No, not recently,” Luykas admitted. “You know, she used our attack and capture of Lothen as a chance to assassinate her father.”

  “Lord Fenoth deserved to die. We’ve had this discussion. I know Mave has said the same thing.”

  “Yes, but it makes Nyria the richest person in the Empire, richer than even Shadra. She’s funneling money to our people, but she can’t drain her accounts too quickly without drawing suspicion. It’s not any of that, though. It’s been hard to talk to her since she used that death spell. Spells like that, they change people. I’m just hoping she makes it through this and stays an ally. I don’t want to see her go off the deep end.”

  “Maybe she won’t go off the deep end if you talk to her more often. Remind her there’s someone who wants to be her family.” Alchan drew from personal experience with that advice. Luykas had once done it for him. Alchan had thought he lost everything, then suddenly there was this new half-brother, eyes innocent and fresh, waiting for him. A brother to keep him from falling further into the darkness at an age far too young to be dealing with the things he had gone through.

  “You’re right,” Luykas said softly. “Thanks…Hey, do you want to have a sparring session? It’s been a while since we’ve had a bit of fun, and you need to get out of the firelight and see the sun.”

  Alchan grinned. “Let’s go.” He got up and grabbed his swords, following his brother out. A bit of fun would be nice. They had the time.

  4

  Mave

  Mave was enjoying a glass of wine with some of her favorite females on a hot summer afternoon. The tradition had started over the winter, and Mave was glad to get back to it. Only back from the campaign for four days, she had been ambushed by Senri, Allaina, and Yenni. Dragged out of her home while her males laughed, she was taken to a quiet spot where a table had been set up next to a stream.