The Champion's Ruin

by Kristen Banet

  “What type of favor?” Mave leaned on him. “You know I’d kill for you, brother.”

  “That is…very apparent every day. I don’t need the reminder.” He chuckled. “No, I wanted to ask you if you…could help me with something.”

  “What is it? I would say anything, but…that’s never a safe offer.”

  “No, it’s not,” he agreed. “Train with me.”

  She stopped walking now, frowning at him. “You train with Rain.”

  “Rain isn’t as good as you,” he said with a sigh. “No one is. I train mostly with Nevyn, but I want to train with you. We can set a time to meet. Live steel. You’re the best I have, and if this escalates, and Shadra gets soldiers in the mountains successfully and keeps them here by next spring, it’ll come time, I need to start leading troops.”

  “And potentially die on the battlefield,” she concluded.

  “So, I want my best training with me. Dying isn’t an option right now. Not for me. There’s only one circumstance in which my death would be acceptable, and that’s not possible and not an option I want to take. The honest truth? I’m afraid to die and fail my people by ending the line of rulers they’ve always known, but I can’t bring myself to do what I must, either.”

  “Have children,” Mave whispered. “No one is going to force you to do that.”

  “Yes, I’m a good warrior, but I’m a little out of practice, since Ellantia, since I fought our enemies, and that was two years ago. I want to train with you. The best and the one person I know who won’t take it easy on me.”

  “Can you beat Nevyn?” she asked, frowning at him.

  “Sometimes, when I try to kill him. He does his best not to put himself in that situation, and it’s normally when I’m with Rain. When I’m training with Nevyn, Rain isn’t around anymore. He can’t be. It’s too dangerous. When I train with Rain, he’s competent, as good as Mat or Zayden, but I can’t bring myself to fight him at my best. Plus, he turns into a wyvern, so…the sword is his secondary weapon, not his primary.”

  “I’ll train with you,” she promised, lowering her head respectfully. When she looked back up, she met his eyes, a reminder she could just because she wanted to. “And when we do go to war, I’ll make sure you come off the battlefield alive. I can’t promise to be intact, but alive.”

  “Thank you. How does sunset training sound?”

  “It works for me,” she agreed.

  “Good. Go home and get some rest. I’ll send Bryn along as well. I’ll need to keep Luykas. I won’t be heading back to sleep, and I’ll need him and Leshaun to reach out to our spies as soon as possible.”

  “Aw, you get to spend time with Leshaun?” she asked, feigning hurt. She got to see him once a week for dinner. It was always a quiet evening when he was in as they just tried to make him comfortable and give him company.

  Alchan rolled his eyes. “Go. I’ll handle everything from here. Thank you for waking me…and talking to me about this.”

  “Any time.” She didn’t jump off immediately, staring at him as he waited. A thought struck her that kept her feet planted to the ground. She didn’t know if it was appropriate to ask, but she did anyway.

  “Alchan, why don’t you have children yet? Or do you not want them at all?”

  “Because you’re my sister, I’ll answer that,” he said softly, looking away into the darkness. “I’m scared to be a father. I don’t know how much you know about my father, Luykas’ father, but he was a terrible male. He used people. He claimed them, then he used them. He was also bitter. He hated the way our culture worked. He thought as the firstborn son and dominant, he should be the heir. He hated how he was passed up. And…” Alchan’s eyes closed. “When he lost my mother, he tried to beat me to death. He blamed me for losing her. He only wanted to have me, so he could tie her to him for the rest of their lives. When he met Luykas, he blamed Luykas for his ruined life. He was living in disgrace. He was lucky not to be executed…I should have killed him when I had the chance, but that’s another story. Well, he tried to hurt Luykas, his son. He hated both of us. I guess…” Alchan began to rub his temples as he opened his eyes again. They were filled with a pain Mave could feel in her chest. “I guess I don’t want to be him, and not having children is the easiest way to do that.”

  “You aren’t him. I know I never knew him, but…I know a terrible male from a good one,” she said, reaching out to tap his chest. “I think you would be a good father.”

  “Then you don’t understand what a bedru is,” he whispered, a haunted expression coming over his face. “You don’t understand the monsters we are by our very nature.”

  “Well, if that’s what you want to believe, fine, be stubborn. I’m too tired to have an argument with you.” She shrugged, dismissing him, as he dismissed her, by turning away from him. It prompted a growl from him.

  “There’s something else.” That made her look his way again. “You know, I could have children,” he said, his voice edging on dangerous. There was a threat tucked into his tone that made Mave still. She even tried to stop her breathing. “I could order a female to get into my bed and spread her legs for the good of Anden, for the good of the Andinna, and have children like that.” He snapped his fingers. “Even if she hated me. And don’t think the thought never crossed my mind.” He took a deep breath, and she watched as the threatening tension left him, and his expression softened. “I hate myself for it. I hate having that power. I hate knowing I might need to use it one day and not having a way out of it. Why do you think I hate having Lilliana near me? In my house? She has no other safe place to go, but every day, I’m confronted with two things. One, she wouldn’t even fight back. It would be all too easy to get what I need out of her. Two…” He gave her a desperate look, one she’d seen before when he looked at Rain on any day, wishing they could be together away from the world.

  Mave heard the admission he didn’t want to speak.

  He wants her.

  “Does Rain know?” she asked softly.

  “No, and you won’t tell him,” Alchan growled. Mave only nodded, hoping that would subdue him. “Now, you understand. I am scared, not just of being a father but of the very act of procreating. That’s why I fight so hard. I don’t want to take away someone’s choice, the way mine was taken, the moment I realized I was the pure member of my family. And I don’t want to end up being him, a male who hated his children because of what they represented in his life, unable to love them. The idea of me becoming a father is…terrifying. In every way.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said gently, reaching out to touch his cheek. “I’m sorry I brought it up.”

  “I didn’t tell you anything Luykas or Rain doesn’t know,” he said, shrugging in a casual way that contradicted the sharpness of his gaze. “It’s not easy to talk about. Now, I should get back. They’ll come looking for us soon. Good night, Mave. I’ll send Bryn home.”

  “Thank you,” she called as he stomped away. She watched him make an effort to square his shoulders and look like a king again, head held high as if he had all the answers and could save the world. She headed home, sighing as she sat down at her table, alone. Moments later, Bryn walked in.

  “What did you and Alchan talk about?” he asked, sitting across from her.

  “He wants me to train him,” she whispered, looking at her hands. “There was other stuff, but it was between us.”

  “Of course, love.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Would you like some tea before bed?”

  “That would be wonderful,” she said, smiling gratefully at him.

  It wasn’t long before they found themselves in bed, hoping to get some sleep before dawn. Mave tried her best to sleep quickly, but the events of the night weighed on her. She stared at the ceiling of her bedroom, trying to process the last day and night until her exhaustion caught up with her.

  19

  Matesh

  “Why did we pick the furthest Elvasi camp from home again?” Zayden asked, groani
ng as he rubbed his lower back.

  “Because we’re the most experienced at these types of missions. Most Andinna don’t ride horses as much as we do,” Mat reminded his friend, knowing it was a rhetorical question, and Zayden was just bitching to bitch. Zayden’s glare was brilliant, though.

  Just like old times.

  They had been on the road for a month, moving slowly to keep from any stupid injuries over the treacherous terrain they had to cross. They had been allowed to set the pace, given no proper timetable for the mission because of the inexperience of the other warriors. These strike missions were precarious and dangerous. With large campaigns, one slip up didn’t have to lead to death, but with smaller missions, a single, small mistake could kill everyone in the unit.

  “We’re almost there,” another warrior said, riding up beside him. His name was Tekyv, and Mat wasn’t too fond of him after the month they’d spent together. A climber—Mat saw them a lot during the first war. They didn’t just want to do their job. They wanted to do their job and make it seem like they did more than their job and had to cover for others. Mat and Zayden had plenty of experience with the type. They were go-getters, tried to know everything, and never had any fun. They inserted themselves into everything, which was the most telltale sign of their intentions. They wanted to be seen, wanted to be a part of everything, so they were noticed.

  “I know.” He eyed the male, wondering if there would be a response.

  Tekyv met his stare but backed down quickly. “Maybe we should stop, so you can check the maps again.”

  “I don’t need to check the maps again.” Mat pointed in the distance. “We will forge a path between those two mountains, off the beaten trail, and enter a small valley. That valley will put us a half day's flight from the Elvasi’s camp, which will be farther to the southeast, by a large river that cuts through a larger valley.”

  “Understood, sir. If we’re so close, should we speed up? We could make it there by nightfall—”

  “No.” Mat continued to ride at the same steady pace he’d kept for a month. “We stay on track. If we have to spend a day or two resting in the valley to make sure we hit at the right time at our best, that’s what we do.”

  “The importance of the mission—”

  “Is not so pressing we need to run in, weary from the trip,” he snapped. “The horses also need a break. We can’t give them a long one, but we’re going to give them what we can. The importance of the mission is to succeed with minimal casualties. We don’t have the warriors to spare if we start getting sloppy.”

  “Is that how missions like this were run during the first war?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. You would have to ask Nevyn or Kian when we make it back. I’m only going off of the thousand years I’ve spent with the Company.” He knew Tekyv’s intent and didn’t want to play into it.

  “Don’t get uppity with us,” Zayden growled.

  “I’m just trying to understand the precedence of the decision making. I fought in the first war, and I’ve worked with Seanev and Leria for the last thousand years. When we attacked the Elvasi, we did so quickly. We ambushed them in quick strikes, never letting them have the opportunity to find us.”

  I don’t really fucking care what they did.

  “We’re trying to play this smart,” Zayden countered. “If they were closer, we might be able to do that, but we’ve all been on the road for a month and don’t want to risk injuries that could lead to us losing warriors. By reports, we’ll be too far from the Elvasi camp for them to find us.”

  “They’ll have scouts,” Tekyv fired back, getting heated. “If their scouts stumble on us—”

  “Stop. You aren’t in charge of this mission. Zayden and I are,” Mat said, pulling his horse around to cut off the other warrior. Beyond him, Mat could see the rest of their team, silent as they slowed to a stop. One looked to be nearly asleep. He’d had night watch, so Mat didn’t call him out. He stayed focused on Tekyv. “Nevyn, Zayden, and I spoke about all of this before we left. His recommendation was to take a night of rest if we can. Zayden and I agreed with him, knowing how long this trip would be. Now, we have a war against the Elvasi to fight. This mission can go very simply. It’s not complicated. We go in under the cover of darkness slowly. We find their supply stores. We burn them to the ground. We get out. An extra day, making sure everyone is well-rested and ready to go is not going to be the end of this mission.”

  “Yeah, it’s not like we’re setting an ambush for the gryphon riders. They’ve been conveniently missing since we killed the prince last year.” Zayden snorted. “Watch, we’re going to find them at this camp.”

  “Don’t wish ill-luck on us, please.” Mat chuckled, shaking his head at his old friend. When Tekyv said nothing, Mat nodded to him once, then continued moving. They would be at the valley halfway through the night, which was perfect timing, regardless of what this warrior felt. It allowed them to rest for the majority of the day and be ready for an evening strike.

  The sun traveled over their head, moving east to west as they rode silently. Zayden pulled his horse right next to Mat again and smiled.

  “We get this done, then we get to go home,” he said almost wistfully.

  “You miss her?” Mat asked softly, not wanting to disrupt the peacefulness around them.

  “Damn right.” Zayden scoffed. “You don’t?”

  “With every part of me,” he stressed. “But this is what we do. I hate not being with her, but I firmly believe she values our independence and her own.”

  “That’s just one amazing thing about her,” Zayden said with a grin. “How did I get so damn lucky?”

  “You weren’t.” With a snort, he reached out and thumped the back of his friend’s head. “She was too stubborn for you to chase off.”

  Zayden reached out and hit him in the side. Mat resisted a laugh, knowing it would be loud. He didn’t want to draw too much attention to the area, even if there wasn’t likely any Elvasi around.

  They entered their valley well after the sun went down and set up a small camp near a cliff and under a thick cover of trees.

  “No fires,” Mat ordered as everyone threw down their bedrolls. “We’ll do a simple, short rotation of guards while others sleep. Everyone should get enough to be ready for tonight.” He glanced at Tekyv, who happened to be staring back. “Do you want first watch?” He would give this guy a chance to step up if he really wanted it that much.

  “I’ll take it,” the warrior agreed. “What about meals?”

  “Everyone can eat their dry rations on their watch,” Mat answered, grabbing his bedroll from his horse. “Zayden?”

  “I’m working out the rotation for watch right now. You’ll be on last watch to wake everyone up,” the male said gruffly, looking over the group. “You lie down. I’ve got it.”

  “Thanks.” Mat settled in and closed his eyes, finding it easy to fall asleep. They were in a well-sheltered place, and he wasn’t concerned like Tekyv. He knew what he was doing.

  “You’re up,” someone whispered. Mat jerked at the touch on his shoulder, his eyes flying open. He was wide awake in seconds. Zayden stood over him, smirking.

  “Get some sleep,” he whispered back. “Thanks.”

  Zayden thumped his shoulder and headed for his own bedroll. Mat got up quickly and quietly, looking to see another warrior coming toward him. Everyone called him Kick. Mat didn’t know his real name.

  “Hey, Kick. It’s me and you?” Mat covered a yawn when he was done speaking.

  “Yeah.”

  “Cool.” He liked Kick, a quiet male who obviously crushed a few skulls in his day. He was a bit older, and Mat knew him to be another one of Seanev’s who didn’t go on the summer campaign. They found the watch spot the others had formed and settled in together.

  “So, why are you and Tekyv on my mission and not with Seanev?” Mat asked suddenly, looking for conversation. He was curious, and Kick was better to ask than Tekyv. “And why did he try
to throw Leria and Seanev into my face earlier?”

  Kick turned slowly toward him, narrowing his eyes.

  “Don’t be young and stupid,” the older male said softly. He was probably closing in on four thousand, and a gnarly scar covered his left eye, blinding him in it. Nevyn had known him, though, and put him on the team with Mat and Zayden.

  “Explain,” Mat pressed, wondering where that insult had come from.

  “Tekyv is testing the waters about the leadership of the rebellion, so he can put himself into a good place to earn points with Leria. He won’t do anything stupid, but he wants to go back up north and tell her how he was keeping all of you alive or something. There’s always one like him on a mission, right?” Kick smiled, but it looked angry. “I would have assumed you were like him when we met, but I guess you can’t be. You’re already at the top with that wife of yours.”

  Mat tried not to roll his eyes at that assumption.

  “I spent several centuries under Nevyn, Luykas, and more importantly, Alchan. They know I can do what they need me to. I didn’t need to marry her to get this position.”

  “You can’t deny it helps,” Kick countered.

  “I can. When I fell in love with her, she wasn’t Alchan’s Champion, she was the colosseum’s. Do you think that did me any good?”

  Kick’s eyebrows went up. “No, I don’t think it did,” he murmured.

  “It nearly got me, her, and Rain killed,” Mat explained softly.

  “Forgive my assumption.” Kick went quiet for a moment, then turned to Mat with another frown. “Do you really call His Majesty by his name?”

  “Yes,” Mat smirked. “When we were just a mercenary company, trying to make ends meet, he never wanted us to stand on formality. Also, it would have given away who he was to anyone who didn’t already know. We couldn’t contain the information entirely, but it saved us in more than a few situations when no one realized. Plus…” Mat wondered for only a couple of seconds if he could take this liberty. “He’s family. The Ivory Shadows are a family. A loose one with problems and fights, but we’ve fought by each other’s sides for too long not to be. He is Luykas’ brother and my wife’s adopted brother. Luykas is one of my wife’s husbands. Rain is Zayden’s son, Alchan’s Consort, and Mave’s little brother. We’re all tied together in ways that can’t be undone simply. So, we use names most of the time instead of trying to stand on title.”