“I’m glad you stayed, Castiel,” the young swordsman interjected. “Things would be much less fun without you.”
The captain chuckled and nodded. “I do have to admit, it’s been somewhat dull without you to chase around. So are you coming to visit?”
“I’m on a mission,” the boy revealed and glanced at his teammates who looked questioningly at him “Uh…we’re on a mission. But I want to say hi to my parents while we are here. Is Father on duty today?”
Castiel shook his head. “It’s a day off for him. Unless he had plans today, he should be home with your mother.”
“Good, then let’s go there now.” Devol beckoned excitedly to the others. “It was good to see you, Castiel.”
“Don’t be a stranger if you come through again, Devol,” the guard captain shouted and waved as the small group began to head to the Alouest abode. Castiel looked at Wulfsun. “It was an honor to meet you, sir.”
“Likewise, young Gale,” the Templar replied and nodded in the direction of the lantern. “She shines with you. Fyrehart can be picky and it’s not only genetics that can let one wield a majestic.”
“Thank you, sir.” The younger man fidgeted slightly. “Although there is one thing, sir—two, in fact.”
“Go ahead, lad.”
“Do look after Devol. He can be rambunctious and perhaps a little childish, but he has a good heart and strong sword arm.”
Wulfsun snickered. “Trust me, I’ve seen that.”
“And the other…” He looked around warily. “I’m sorry to bring this up but do be careful about the Templar signifier. Monleans has a better history with the order than most, but there are still those around who are…spiteful.” He looked a little worried and like he hoped he did not offend.
Wulfsun gave him an easy smile and a nod. “Don’t worry, lad, I know the score. But I appreciate the concern.”
“Come on, Wulfsun!” Devol shouted over the noise of the crowd.
“I’m coming!” he responded and nodded at the guard captain. “And don’t worry about the boy. I’ve seen what he can do and who he is,” he stated with confidence. “And between you and me, he may be one who helps to restore the order to a place of respect all over the realms.”
Chapter Fourteen
Devol’s home was rather quaint. It stood a couple of stories high on the outskirts of the city center. An effusion of flowers and simple paintings decorated the entrance and complemented the white, red, and pink cobblestone structure that had large windows on both floors. The aroma of something laced with honey cooking permeated the home and made the group all realize they were suddenly surprisingly hungry despite eating breakfast little more than an hour before.
The young swordsman walked up to the red front door and knocked loudly. “Mother!” he shouted and knocked again. “Mother, Father—are you home?”
“Well, if they were sleeping they aren’t now,” Jazai muttered. He paused to examine one of the paintings of a cat sleeping under starlight. Asla studied it with him over his shoulder.
“Devol?” A calm voice answered and caught the attention of the group. “Devol!” The voice grew more excited and footsteps ran to the entrance. The door was thrown open and a woman in a light blue dress stood in the aperture, relief and adoration on her face. “It is you.”
“It is indeed,” the boy replied cheerfully as they embraced. The spontaneous and genuine affection warmed the hearts of his companions. When they separated, he pointed to his team. “Mother, I would like to introduce you to some of the friends I’ve made in the Templars. This is Jazai, a scholar.”
The diviner stepped forward and bowed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”
“This is my friend Asla. She’s one of the fastest magi I’ve ever seen,” he announced and Asla’s ear twitched as she also bowed to her.
“It is nice to meet you. I hope we aren’t intruding.”
“Oh, not at all!” Devol’s mom assured her and extended a hand to the young wildkin so she would raise her head. “You are so adorable. Please feel welcome.”
“Thank you kindly,” Asla said and a small blush tinted her cheeks.
“And this”—Devol pointed to Wulfsun with a flourish—“is the man who has been helping me train, Captain Wulfsun.”
“A captain! It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Lilli Alouest.” She beamed and bowed to the elder Templar. “My husband is also a captain of the guard here in Monleans.”
“So I’ve heard. Your son has told us all about you,” Wulfsun replied. “I’m sorry to drop in like this, but we’re on a mission that takes us through the city and we wanted to give Devol an opportunity to come and see you.”
“Of course! It’s no trouble. I am baking for the week so there’s more than enough food to go around. Come on in.” The group followed her inside. The floors were a warm brown wood and she ushered them to a large rectangular table, where each took a seat. “Victor, come down! We have company,” she called up the stairs before she walked to the kitchen.
“We do? Who has come?” a strong voice asked as footsteps descended the stairs. Devol’s father entered the room in a white shirt and black trousers. His head was shaved clean but he had a large brown beard and thick eyebrows. His green gaze darted to the table and settled on the young swordsman, who waved at him with a smile.
Victor returned the smile, walked closer, and clasped the boy’s hand to pull him into a hug. “It’s good to see you, son.” He ended the embrace as he looked at the others. “Are these all your Templar friends?”
“A few. I have more back at the order,” the boy told him and pointed at each one as he ran through the list. “Asla, Jazai, and Captain Wulfsun. That’s the abridged version. I’ve introduced them three times now.”
“Three?” his father inquired as his mother entered with a basket of honey-drizzled bread and an assortment of cheeses.
“We ran into Castiel in the market,” Devol explained as he broke one long loaf and passed it to the others. “We’re on a mission but I wanted to come and see you before we continue to Levirei.”
“A mission?” Victor asked as walked to a cabinet, selected a bottle of wine, and took a jug of fruit juice out of the cooling box. He placed these on the table, passed cups around, and uncorked the bottle before he offered some to Wulfsun, who accepted with an enthusiastic nod. Devol poured juice for Asla, Jazai, and himself.
“Yeah. We’re going to look into some disturbances in the area. It won’t be a problem,” he added reassuringly. Jazai noted that he seemed to skirt around the issue rather tactfully. “Hey, since I’m here, let me tell you more details of what we’ve been doing together for the last few months.”
The young swordsman began to tell his parents selected stories of his time in the order—the training, meeting new realmers, and snippets of missions and quests that wouldn’t alarm them too much. His companions began to feel more comfortable and added their recollections and tales. The table was now full of honeyed bread, fruits, cheeses, and slices of thin meats and they spent a couple of hours simply talking and getting to know one another.
Jazai delighted in telling odd stories and amusing mishaps in the Templar Order hall while Victor regaled them with similarly silly stories from the guardsmen. Lilli and Asla spoke of the mana arts and Asla told tales of wildkin lore and her people’s history. Wulfsun and Victor shared war stories and memorable battles and both quickly earned the respect of the other.
Devol used this time to tell his friends more stories of his youth and his father’s exploits as a guard captain and Jazai did the same of his father’s travels. It was not until he unfastened his sword and placed it against the table and the ethereal glow seeped through the covering cloth that there was a sudden shift in his father’s jovial demeanor.
“So, Devol,” he began cautiously, rested his arms on the table, and pointed at the sword, “were you able to find out much about that blade during your stay with the Templars?”
“Hmm?” The
boy swallowed a mouthful of cheese before he nodded. “Oh, right. I guess I never mentioned that in the letters.”
“Are you serious?” Jazai muttered as he was about to take a bite of an apple. “I would have thought that would be one of the first things you told them about.”
“I guess I was still getting used to it. It’s not like I could tell them more than what I knew, which wasn’t much,” Devol pointed out with a shrug and looked at his mother. “But your hunch was right, mother. It is a majestic.”
Lilli’s joyful face fell somewhat and he recognized the look from the day in the Emerald Forest when the sword had first appeared. She nodded. “That’s good to know, Devol, but…it was more than a hunch.”
“What?” He looked at her in confusion. Victor and Wulfsun shared a look of silent communication and the Templar nodded. Devon’s father returned the nod and sighed in response.
“So you didn’t tell him?” he asked the other man.
Wulfson shook his head as he leaned back in his chair. “It didn’t seem like our place to do so.”
The parents nodded and looked briefly at each other before they bowed to the Templar captain. “That was thoughtful, thank you,” Lilli said quietly and took the boy’s hand. “It should probably come from us.”
Everyone felt the mood shift immediately. Both of Devol’s parents seemed rather tense and Victor gathered himself before he sighed heavily and looked him in his eyes “Son, we should have been… We were aware of what the sword was. And we knew why it appeared to you.”
“You did?” he asked, not so much shocked as curious. “Then why didn’t you tell me right away?”
“We were hoping he would return to claim it since it…” Lilli began but her words faltered. “That majestic is tied to you because it is half of the majestic known as Achroma.”
“Achroma?” Devol looked at the sword. “So it does have a name.”
“It does, together with a long, many-storied history,” his father added. “One that is still being written. As your mother said, that blade is tied to you, Devol, because your father tied it to you.”
The young swordsman looked at him, his expression blank as he observed Victor, whose eyes misted slightly along with Lilli’s. “Devol…the man who holds the other half of that sword is your real father. We…we are your guardians, not your parents.”
Jazai and Asla shifted uncomfortably and glanced at their friend. His parents and Wulfsun kept their gazes fixed on him and awaited his reaction to the beginnings of the truth. Would it be sorrow, utter shock, or anger? None of these came, at least immediately.
Instead, Devol nodded, stretched with his other hand, and took a piece of white and orange cheese. He looked at it for a moment before he took a small bite as he simply nodded. “Yeah, I knew that.”
Chapter Fifteen
The shocked and confused reaction did eventually come but from everyone except Devol. “Wait—what?” Victor gasped, now out of his chair “You knew?”
“Well, I had a good idea anyway, probably around the…ow, Mom! Your nails are digging into my hand,” he cried. His mother was shaking with what seemed to be a mixture of sadness, relief, and a trace of terrifying anger.
“You knew?” she demanded. The shimmering magenta of her mana began to flare and the group noticed that several objects now hovered above the table. Most concerning were the pointy ones. “And you didn’t say anything?”
“For a while, it was only a theory,” Devol explained in hopes of calming her but it didn’t help much. “It was when we were cleaning the house a couple of years ago during the dawning moon, remember?”
“Calm yourself, Lilli,” Victor interjected. “Let the boy say his piece before you kill him.”
“More assistance, Father, more,” Devol demanded and finally wrenched his hand free. “I wasn’t trying to string you along but as I grew up, I began to notice things.”
“Like what?” Lilli asked and folded her arms as she stared at her son through long strands of hair.
“Well…first, we didn’t look that much alike,” he began and pointed at his face. “We share a couple of things like nose and face shape, but my auburn hair, my silver eyes…neither of you have either of those.”
“They could simply have been recessive traits,” Jazai pointed out and Devol looked at him with honest anger.
“Would you hold off for a while, please?” he asked and turned to the adults. “But that time when we cleaned and I was going through crates in the attic, I found an old book—a journal or something—and inside was a picture.”
“A picture?” his mother asked and her mana paused enough that the objects fell slowly onto the table. “What picture, Devol?”
He took a deep breath and relaxed slightly. “Here, I’ll go and find it.” He stood quickly and dashed up the stairs, leaving the rest to look awkwardly at one another.
“I am…sorry for that outburst,” Lilli apologized and straightened her hair. “I usually have better mana control than that.”
“Ah, no need to worry,” Wulfsun stated with a casual wave.
“You have impressive vello control, all things considered,” Jazai remarked and finally bit into the apple as Asla glared at him. A few thumps issued from above before Devol raced down the stairs holding a dusty red book and an old photograph.
“Here—it was this one.” He placed the photo in front of his parents. His father picked it up and stared at it with his mother. The photo was faded but the people in it could still be seen. One was a tall man with long auburn hair who wore a dark cloak and slacks with a weapon wrapped in a silk cloth on his back. The other was a woman with silver eyes and golden hair, who held a small child with a small patch of dark-red hair similar to the man’s.
“This is…” Victor whispered and looked at the book on the desk. “This must have been left by Elijah before he left.”
“I didn’t realize this was here.” Lilli sighed, took the photo, and looked mournfully at the woman. “Joche.”
“When I saw those two in the photo, I realized I looked like both of them,” Devol said quietly and folded his arms. “I didn’t start out thinking they might be…the ones who bore me. Not until later.” He looked at the sword. “Then, when everything happened with the majestic—Achroma—and dad mentioned his Templar ‘friend,’ it put another piece into place. After that, when I was on the journey to the Templar Order and everyone freaked out when they saw me, the sword, and the insignia on the map—”
“Wait, boy, you knew?” Wulfsun asked and leaned forward.
“You don’t have the greatest poker faces,” he stated with a shrug. “Vaust and Nauru made me think they knew whoever had the map, but you and the others were a little too obvious.”
The Templar captain sighed in irritation and ran a hand through his hair. “You noticed that, eh? I thought you were a wee too wide-eyed to pay it much mind.”
Jazai leaned closer to Asla. “Between this and last night, I’m beginning to wonder if it is only a ruse on his part.”
She frowned but responded with a half-shrug. “I think you may not be completely wrong in this case.”
“Did you have to add that last part?” The diviner sighed and took another bite of the apple.
Victor looked at his son. “Devol, even if you were only suspicious, why did you never bring it up?”
Devol stared at him for a moment, honestly baffled by the question as if that had never occurred to him. “Does it matter?” he replied and all gazes settled on him again. “As far as the majestic is concerned, sure, but my ‘real’ father? He isn’t that to me.” He walked around to take a seat in front of Victor and Lilli. “Not to be ungrateful to them”—he gestured to the picture—“but even if I did know they were my birth parents, they aren’t the ones who raised me. You are.”
His father’s jaw clenched and his mother formed a smile, even with tears in her eyes. She wrapped him suddenly in her arms and he reciprocated after a moment of surprise. “Like I could thin
k otherwise.”
Jazai and Asla smiled and when they heard a sniffle behind them, they turned to see Wulfsun wiping his eye. “You are a softy under all that armor, eh?” the diviner teased.
“Can it,” the man ordered gruffly, folded his arms, and stuck his chest out.
Devol chuckled as he looked at the Templar and then at his parents. “With that out of the way, there was something I wanted to ask you.” His mother leaned back to look at him. “I’ve been training with Wulfsun and others in the order but he was rather insistent that I get permission from the two of you before he took me on as an apprentice. I wondered if we could talk about that now.”
Victor drew a deep breath and nodded. “I see you’ve made your choice then?” he asked.
The boy thought about it before he nodded softly. “I know it’s happened fast, but I do feel I can do more with the Templars and they have been good to me. I want to return that.”
Lilli shook her head and giggled between her tearful sniffs. “To think I was worried about you joining the guards,” she whispered and glanced at her husband. “What do you think?”
Victor looked at Wulfsun, then at Devol. “It’s not unheard of for magi as young as you to set off on your own, but I wish we’d had more warning,” he admitted and his gaze drifted to the picture. “Elijah did what he thought was best. He wanted you to have a real chance at a traditional life but you fell into this anyway. Even with Achroma bound to you, you had to call out to it first.” He nodded and grasped his son’s hand. “This is your call to answer, son. If you wish to walk this path, we will support you however we can.”
Devol nodded, tightened his grip around his father’s hand, and looked at Lilli. “Mother?”
She simply nodded and although her tears still fell, she gave him a silent blessing, the most she could give at that moment.
Wulfsun stood, walked closer, and placed a hand on the boy's back. “I promise to look after him and we have a portal near the city. He can visit any time he wishes to.”
Bloodflowers Bloom (The Astral Wanderer Book 2) Page 8