by Devon Vesper
“Did you want to have dinner with Kerac?” Tavros asked.
Valis tilted his head. “Probably not. It might upset him that he only gets a liquid diet for now, and we’re eating solid foods in front of him. It wouldn’t be fair, and it would make us all feel bad. Instead, let’s eat with our friends, and then spend time with Papa before we go to Brother Bachris.”
“You’re worried about that meeting, aren’t you?”
Valis made a face and groaned. “A little. I want it to go well, and I want to get underway as soon as possible. But I’m not going to dwell on it until we get there.”
“Wise choice.”
After dinner with their friends, they all split up again and Valis let Tavros lead the way to his fathers’ suite. Valis’s overfull belly felt so distended that he rubbed it and let out a soft belch trying to make more room. It made him drowsy and ready for a nap. Tavros glanced back at him with a soft chuckle. “One of these days, you’re going to eat a normal serving and not nod off after.”
“Maybe. Can’t help it that physical training turns my stomach into a bottomless pit.”
His husband snorted and opened the door to Kerac’s suite. They thanked and dismissed the guard on duty who sat in Kerac’s sitting room, and Valis led the way into the bedroom with hope in his heart that soared when Kerac opened his eyes and smiled at them.
“You look like you need a nap, Valis. You must have just eaten.”
Tavros snorted again and laughed. “Some things never change, Kerac. He put away more than he weighs and went back for dessert.”
Smirking, Valis patted his bloated stomach. “Hey. I’m still growing!”
“You’d better not be,” Tavros growled. “You’re already an inch taller than me, and you need to stop bothering the armorsmith with augmentations.”
His smirk turned into a shit-eating grin. “Might not be growing taller, but I’m bulking up from training. Growth is growth.”
Tavros’s eyes roamed over Valis appreciatively. “Fair enough.”
“Just be careful that you don’t grow horizontally now that you’ve stopped growing vertically,” Kerac teased.
Dropping the banter, Tavros pulled a chair up to the side of the bed while Valis sat on the edge and took Kerac’s hand. His eyes roamed over Kerac’s face before he murmured, “How are you feeling, Papa?”
Kerac’s smile was bright but strained. “Much better than yesterday. Firil is rather astonished. He said that while my infections are not gone, my lungs are much stronger, and I seem to be stronger overall. When I told him of your attempt to rid me of the infections, he smiled and assured me that while you were valiant for trying and failed, your work was not in vain, and indeed helped me overall with my recovery. He asked me to thank you for your assistance and said that if you could perform a similar task daily, it could give my body the strength to help my immune system fight off the infections naturally. He also asked for a report on what exactly you did so he can add this technique to his repertoire of healing spells.”
Valis grinned and ducked his head. “I’ll be sure to visit him with a report sometime today or tomorrow when I have time. Or better yet, I’ll spend some time training him so he can, in turn, train his assistants.”
“Where did you learn how to perform such magic?” Kerac asked. “It is a wonder.”
“Yes. It really is.” Valis sighed and decided now was probably a good time to tell him the truth about another “adventure” he’d had since Kerac and Darolen left.
“Your face just drained of all color,” Kerac whispered. “What is it?”
Valis took a deep breath and met Kerac’s gaze. “Roba’s dead, but he’s still with me.”
Kerac’s face grew red with rage. “What?”
Rubbing Kerac’s chest, Valis leaned in and kissed his forehead. “Calm down and listen, okay? It’s not as bad as it sounds.”
His papa didn’t look happy, but he nodded and Valis went on. “On my twenty-first birth anniversary—and that’s another story for later—Roba killed himself, shoving all his power, magic, and life force into me, expanding my power pool exponentially. In essence, he made me as powerful as a High Priest of Qos.”
Kerac shuddered and gripped Valis’s hand as tight as he could. “Oh, Valis…”
Smiling, Valis shrugged. “In the fight before that, he had cast a spell on Tavros that was killing him. But I found out that Roba’s consciousness had been shoved into my mind along with his power and magic. He helped me save Tav. Since then, he’s… he’s become so much more, Papa. Somehow, his soul has become purified. We aren’t sure if it’s because he’s free of a corrupted body and his black magic, or if being linked to me has purified him, but… he’s become the father I always wished he had been.”
Kerac glanced away, and when Valis saw the sheen of tears, he urged Kerac to look at him with gentle fingers on his chin. “He’ll never replace you and Darolen. Never. But… now I have three fathers, Papa—you, Father, and now Dad. And, he’s said he’s glad that I’ve had you and Father in my life. He doesn’t want to replace you. He’s dead. He can’t even try. But… he’s helped me so much, taught me so much, and has done all he can to make up for the years of abuse he’d put me through. He’s the one who taught me that nothing is impossible and helped me become a more competent mage than the reliquary guards to the point that I now train them.”
Kerac’s eyes widened. “Truly? You train the reliquary guards?”
Valis nodded, his chest puffing up with pride. “Every morning before dawn. And before that class, I train other students in the art of translocation.”
“His scholastic proficiency is coming along nicely, as well,” Tavros added.
“And Dad has been teaching me other languages when I need something to re-route my mind from anxiety,” Valis admitted. “He taught me Urkorian on the way to and from rescuing the caravan, and he’s begun with Noldworian and Gessian lessons lately because of the mercenaries I’ve allied with. He considers it penance along with teaching me all he can about the Qos army and their tactics.”
“He’s expressed remorse, then?” Kerac asked, and Valis was glad to hear the curiosity in his voice instead of scorn.
“Yeah. Quite a bit. Now he does everything in his power to help me achieve anything that makes me struggle.”
Kerac nodded with a deep sigh that made Valis thrill with the lack of rattle in his chest. “I’ll endeavor to forgive him. It may take some time, however.”
“That’s all anyone can ever ask,” Valis said with a squeeze of Kerac’s hand.
“Now,” Kerac looked at Valis seriously, “tell me about you being older.”
Valis ducked his head. “Dad had me on paper as younger, but when he poured his power into me, he said that I was twenty-one instead of nineteen. He kept me younger than normal through magic and locked my magic away to more easily control me. That’s how I grew and advanced so quickly. My magic was working overtime to correct what Dad did so that I’m at the size and capacity I was meant to be.”
Kerac frowned and sighed. “At least that accounts for your emotional turmoil during that time, and your occasional lethargy.” He brushed the thought away. “Let’s speak more about your adventures. And I would like to hear more about Roba.”
Tavros took the chance to change the subject and said, “One time, we were in Lyvea or Urkori returning from rescuing the Kalutakeni caravan and were ambushed. Valis suffered a poisoned crossbow bolt through his thigh and fell unconscious. Roba somehow got control of Valis’s body and… while he was prickly and sarcastic as anything, he was, very obviously, doing his level best to be kind, and he took care of the arrow and poison, then showed Seza how to heal his leg. He didn’t think he could do it himself because he didn’t know if he could control Valis’s gold magic without catastrophe.”
Kerac shivered. He laced his fingers with Valis’s and closed his eyes as if he wanted to escape the vision of Valis in pain. “Thank you, Roba.”
He’s very
welcome, Roba said gently. Though, I admit, it was for selfish reasons at the time.
Valis chuckled and relayed the message. Kerac’s eyes went hard and glinted like gold disks. “Selfish reasons?”
Giving him a gentler smile, Valis said, “He didn’t want to die a second time. He doesn’t know what would happen to his consciousness or soul if or when I die.”
“I… can kind of understand that.” Kerac shivered again and this time when he closed his eyes, he seemed more sad than anything. “I can only imagine…”
They spoke for a while longer, mostly about Tavros’s progress and his trials leading up to his joining night with Valis. Then, when Seza and Zhasina came for the start of their watch shift, Valis kissed Kerac’s forehead and promised to see him again tomorrow.
Now, they both stood outside Brother Bachris’s office. Valis took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart.
“You okay?” Tavros asked. “You’re pale.”
“Just nervous.” Valis rolled his shoulders to release some of the tension and knocked. “Let’s get this done.”
Brother Bachris opened the door after only a few moments and looked from Valis to Tavros and back with his usual paternal smile. “Greetings Brothers Valis and Tavros. Are you both well? You seem… determined.”
Valis offered what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “We are. We just need to talk for a moment. Do you have time?”
“Of course.” The older Patron Priest smiled kindly at them, his blue eyes shining as he opened the door to his office wider. He adjusted his tunic on his lanky frame as if trying to look more presentable, combed fingers through his head full of thick chestnut curls with the white frost at his temples and motioned them to the seating arrangement near the fire. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I want to talk about possibly acquiring our first assignment as Aesriphos,” Valis said as he and Tavros took seats on the comfortable couch. “It’s important to me.”
Brother Bachris hesitated before taking his own seat in the well-worn chair across from them. He rubbed at the deep furrow between his brows but nodded. “I am listening.”
With Tavros’s steady presence by his side and their fingers linked, Valis felt steadier and met his friend’s eyes. “I want to set up a reconnaissance mission to rescue Darolen. I’ve scried after him and spoke to him. He is alive, and I—”
The Patron Priest’s jaw set and he sat up straighter. “Absolutely not.”
“But—”
“No, Valis,” Brother Bachris said adamantly. “You have not finished your Valiant training, and it would be a suicide mission. I cannot, in good conscience, send you out to such a place. Especially since we don’t know where it is! Have you managed to figure out the location?”
Valis’s stomach churned, and he frowned. “No. But it’s only a matter of time before I do. I do know the general area, however. It is east of Aspar’s center at the base of a mountain.”
“That is not good enough.” With a deep sigh, Brother Bachris rubbed his forehead. “It is not nearly good enough. How many men and women would you take across the country, searching for the compound where Darolen is held captive? How many men and women would you send to their deaths for a mission where you not only do not know an exact location, but aren’t yet ready to take on such a duty?”
Gritting his teeth, Valis fought to calm down. Getting into an argument, getting visibly upset wouldn’t do him any favors. If he wanted to get through protocol and do this right, he needed to keep a level head. But the sense of betrayal that rose in his chest hurt in a way that not even Aryn’s betrayal had.
Once he was certain he could speak without growling or raising his voice, Valis unclenched his jaw. “I’ve not only been training heavily for this, but I have been training others. My time every morning is spent training translocation students, followed by an intense class with the reliquary guards. Because I’m so advanced, Tav and I, as well as Seza and Zhasina have already finished our Valiant training, and we’re all extremely diligent when it comes to physical and magic training every day.”
He sighed and sat back in his chair, gripping Tavros’s hand tighter. “How are we not prepared? We’ve already been on an assignment, rescuing the Kalutakeni caravan. We didn’t know the exact location of that, either. Zhasina’s map was useless, and the caravan wasn’t where it was supposed to be. We just had a general direction that they would be traveling from Plorvas to go on. And during that mission, I’ve proven myself, capturing Qeraden and an entire nest of Qos adherents, who I killed single-handedly when they escaped their prison cells. I’ve made allies of the mercenary band who had attacked the caravan, earned the caravan’s loyalty, and have proven myself a capable leader. And, I have made allies of the entire town of Tigak by freeing them from the Qos adherents’ tyranny.”
He shrugged and stared at Brother Bachris defiantly. “Tell me again how I’m not ready.”
The Patron Priest let out a long-suffering sigh and stood to pace before the fire in stiff strides. “Before I even consider letting you go on any mission, you need a clear destination in mind, Valis. You need an army, and I’m not about to assign other Aesriphos to such a quest, knowing that no destination is forthcoming, because you cannot find such a thing via scry. It isn’t possible!”
“Yet, I’ve shown this monastery that most of the things you all find ‘impossible’ are, in fact, very possible,” Valis countered. “Just today I surprised Firil with a new spell to help strengthen the body during an illness so it can more easily fight off infections. I’ve taught the reliquary guard force how to cut their reaction times in half or more by casting by intent rather than with prayers. And, I’ve shown that we can utilize shields in a whole new way, by blocking shots as they come, rather than keeping a dome shield up at all times. They now know how to make their shields into complete spheres, to turn their shields invisible, and to mold their shields to their body for better ease in fighting. There’s so much more, but… Brother Bachris, we are ready. I promise you.”
“But that does not answer the fact that you have no idea where the enemy compound resides!” The Patron Priest sighed, looking anywhere and everywhere but Valis’s eyes. “It would be useless!”
Valis lifted a brow. “How, exactly, would it be useless? All I would have to do is follow the trail the Aesriphos paved during their mission, which I can accurately do based on the courier marks on the letters they sent. Then head east. By word of mouth from the villages, towns, and cities we pass, we will be able to locate Qos nests, take them out, and search the holdings, question our prisoners until we find the compound.” He sat forward and clasped his hands between his knees. “It isn’t impossible. It’s actually very, very possible.”
“No, Valis,” Brother Bachris muttered. “It isn’t that simple. I forbid it.”
“You forbid it? Is there more you aren’t telling me? Because your objections aren’t making any sense.”
His friend and mentor grunted and shook his head. “No. There is nothing else. But, my point stands. Unless you have an exact location, I refuse to consider such a reckless request. If you somehow do find out where this compound is, we may revisit this discussion, but as it stands, I will not allow it. It is a foolish endeavor. I—”
Valis stood and balled his fists at his sides. “Are you telling me that rescuing my father is foolish? Are you telling me that his life means nothing to this monastery?”
Brother Bachris paled and raised his hands in a placating gesture. “Now, Valis, I—”
“No,” Valis growled. “I won’t accept that. All lives matter, Brother. All of them. The other Aesriphos who were with Papa and Father are dead, but they’re keeping Father alive for some reason. I will rescue him. I promised.”
The elderly priest let out a resigned grunt and sank back into his chair. “That was not your promise to make, my boy. You are not ready, you don’t have anywhere near enough experience for such a mission even if you did know the exact location, and I w
ill not budge from my stance on this. Please, return to your duties and put this out of your mind.”
“I refuse,” Valis spat. “You can’t ask me to put my family out of my mind.”
“No,” Brother Bachris conceded. “No, I cannot. Nor would I ever ask such a thing. But, you need to put the idea of a rescue mission out of your mind.” He gave Valis a pointed stare. “You are dismissed, my boys. Go back to your evening duties.”
“I—”
Tavros tugged on his hand and forcefully drew Valis toward the door. “That’s enough, love. Let’s go.”
Valis fumed as they left the office. He wanted to stay and argue, but Tavros’s grip on his hand was like iron, and Valis reluctantly let his lover drag him away. He knew the last thing he needed was to make Brother Bachris angry, but his instincts kept telling him to fight.
“It will be okay,” Tavros said, keeping his voice calm and reassuring. “We’ll try again in a few days when you’ve both had time to calm down and see reason.”
Valis struggled to swallow down the betrayal as it sent bile up into the back of his throat. He never thought Brother Bachris, who had always been so kind and helpful, would betray him in such a vile way. And that thought rankled the most. He knew how much Kerac and Darolen meant to Valis.
He groaned, unable to hold it in. Tavros frowned, releasing Valis’s hand to wrap his arm around his shoulders. “Breathe, love. Arguing with him more than you already did would have been pointless. We need to be smart about this.”
Now that they were a few hundred yards away from Brother Bachris’s door, Valis’s anger went from full fury to a simmer that threatened to burn him alive. Even Tavros’s steady presence did little to calm him down, and he could only feel his irritation rising.
And with that rising irritation and anger, Valis started forming a plan. He could raise his own army, Brother Bachris be damned.