by Eric Vall
My heart ached for the kid. I knew he hadn’t meant to cause so many problems last night, but I had to know he wouldn’t try anything like this again.
“Why did you want to go home, though?” I questioned, but I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.
“You want to leave,” he murmured and dropped his eyes again, “and when people leave, they don’t come back.”
“Hey,” I stood from the couch and knelt in front of the kid, “I’ll come back. I won’t be gone forever, only a few months. I need to go talk to some of the other noble families in Rahma. The princess and I will be married one day soon, and I need to know people won’t attack us once that happens. I have to get them to like me.”
Ilya’s head snapped up to meet my eyes, and his mouth was open in surprise. “You want to come back?”
“Of course I do,” I laughed, “Hatra is my home. I’ll always come back. Why did you think I would be gone for good?”
The Asuran boy was quiet for a minute before he spoke again.
“My parents left me and Ilyushina in our house when we were attacked.” Ilya sniffed, and silver tears streamed down his pale face. “They said they’d be right back, but they never came back for us.”
Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Ravi silently wipe away a tear that had fallen down her own cheek, and she took a deep breath before she calmed her emotions.
“You and your sister are very brave,” the phoenix told Ilya, and his eyes locked onto her. “I know my situation was different, but I know how hard it is to leave behind everything you’ve ever known to live in a new city that is nothing like you’re used to.”
“It’s not the same,” Ilya bit out with uncharacteristic heat, and a sharp scowl twisted his small mouth. “Your people are still alive, you can go home if you want. My home is gone, and my people died.”
Ravi sat back on the couch and clamped her mouth shut, and hurt was plain on her face.
“Hey,” I reprimanded Ilya softly, “don’t talk to Ravi like that. She just wants to help, okay? I’m sure your parents raised you better than that. Apologize to her.”
More tears flooded Ilya’s amber eyes, and he looked ashamed as he looked back to the phoenix. “I’m sorry, Ravi.”
“Thank you,” she replied with a gentle smile, “but you’re right. My reason for being in Hatra is very different than yours. No one should be forced to leave their home and family. You and your people were, and that’s not fair. You have every right to be upset. I’m sorry you had to deal with all of that as a child. You are very strong and brave.”
Ilya stared at Ravi for a few seconds before he smiled. “You’re really nice.”
“I try to be as nice as I possibly can,” Ravi chuckled as a blush came to her cheeks.
Ilya looked back at me, and his eyes seemed a bit brighter than they’d been before. He wasn’t too much older now than he’d been when we first met a few months ago, but something in his eyes let me know he’d grown. He was still just a kid, but he’d seen things no kid should have to see in their lifetime. Nearly all of his people were slaughtered, his parents included, and last night he was taken by a wraith. His experiences had let him mature faster than a kid his age should have.
As I studied the boy, his face curved into a shy, nervous smile, and I was reminded of how good-natured and happy he could be.
Then an idea came to me.
“So, I’ve been thinking,” I started, and Ilya and Ravi both listened intently, “your village is almost rebuilt from the demon attack. The smithy seems to be in order again, and there hasn’t been any kind of attack in a while. When I get back from my campaign, how about we focus on moving you and your people back to the village? Natalya can work on weapons from there, and you can continue to learn how to lead your people. The village will still be under my protection, and I will consider it an extension of Hatra, but you can live at home with your sister and Natalya and Maksim. Other people would live there as well, and guards would be stationed there for protection, but you’d be home. How does that sound?”
Ilya was silent for a few seconds, he didn’t even take a breath, and then he launched his small body out of the chair and into my arms.
“You really mean it?” Ilya asked as he pressed his face into my neck, and I was reminded again of how very young he was.
“Of course.” I squeezed him tightly before I pulled back and ruffled his hair. “You were the son of a chief, you deserve to live in your village and follow in your father’s footsteps.”
“I need to tell Ilyushina!” Ilya grinned up at me, and all the sadness and darkness faded from his face. “She’ll be so excited!”
The Asuran boy squirmed and jumped out of my arms, and then he darted toward the door.
“Wait!” I called before he could run to the smithy next door. “I have something else I need to talk to you about.”
Ilya turned his head and frowned in confusion, but he returned to his chair.
“What is it?” he asked with a tilt of his head, and his pale blue hair fell into his eyes.
“When I leave for my campaign, I’ll need someone to watch over Hatra,” I explained in a serious tone, and I saw Ravi smirk out of the corner of my eye. “Valerra, the crimson dragon who lives in the canyons, said she can help, but she’s kind of mean and doesn’t like people too much. So, I need someone to help me keep an eye on things and make sure Valerra does a good job.”
“I can help!” Ilya volunteered, and his hand shot up into the air so fast, I was surprised he didn’t dislocate his shoulder. “Valerra doesn’t scare me, she’s a dragon, just like you!”
“Well, you might want to be a little scared of her,” I chuckled. “She has a nasty temper, and I don’t want you to get hurt. What I need you to do is make sure everyone is happy and that nothing too serious happens. If something like that does happen, or if something happens to Valerra, I need you to send me a message. Find Ruslan or someone with magic, and tell them I need to return home. If the message comes from you, I’ll know it’s serious.”
Ilya nodded solemnly. “Don’t worry, Lord Evan. You can count on me.”
“I know I can,” I smiled before I held up a finger seriously, “but you can’t tell Valerra I told you any of this. She won’t like it, and it might make her a little mad.”
“Okay, I won’t,” Ilya promised. “It will be a secret.”
“Thanks,” I ruffled his hair with my hand, “and no more running away, okay? That was scary for everyone, especially for your sister, Natalya, and Maksim. You need to make sure you are extra respectful. They were really worried about you.”
“I know,” the young Asuran sighed and ducked his head meekly, “I really am sorry, Lord Evan. I won’t run away ever again. I don’t want the scary lady to find me.”
“She won’t,” I assured him. “The scary lady is gone, I promise, but there could be more creatures in the forest, creatures even more dangerous than that lady.”
Ilya’s amber eyes widened in fear, and he nodded vigorously. “I won’t go into the woods without you, Lord Evan. I swear it.”
“Good,” I chuckled, but then Ilya held out his hand to me. “Um … what’s this?”
The boy just continued to hold his hand out, so I grabbed it, unsure of what he wanted, and he shook it vigorously. Then he whispered a few quiet words under his breath before he dropped my hand and pulled away.
“There,” he said with a satisfied nod, “I made a sacred promise. I can’t break it now or the gods will punish me.”
I looked at my hand and stifled a laugh. Did I just perform the Asuran version of a pinky swear?
Ravi watched us with amusement bright in her blue eyes and a soft smile clear on her face.
“Thank you,” I replied to Ilya stoically. “Make sure you don’t break it. I don’t know what the gods would do to you, but I don’t want to find out.”
Ilya tapped his chin and seemed to think for a moment.
“They’d probably take my horns,
” he finally said, and then his small hands grabbed at the set of horns that protruded from his forehead.
Ravi and I both coughed to hide our laughs.
“I’m sure they would,” Ravi agreed as she schooled her face into a neutral expression. “They know how important they are to you, and the gods would want something special to punish you with. The gods are just, but they do not take kindly to those who break holy vows.”
Ilya just nodded, and his eyes were as wide as dinner plates.
“Okay,” I told the boy as I stood to my feet, “Ravi and I are going to go now. You should go ask Natalya or Maksim if there is anything you can do for them today to help make up for worrying them.”
“Yes, Lord Evan.” Ilya nodded his head respectfully, like a picture perfect little lord. “I can help Ilyushina help clean out the fire pit in the smithy. Natalya said she needs to do it, but she’s been too busy.”
“That’s a great idea, Ilya,” I praised him with a grin “and I bet that would really help out. Good job. Let me know how it goes, alright?”
“Okay!” Ilya bowed quickly and darted out the door.
Then he sprinted back in a moment later and threw himself at my legs.
“Oof!” I laughed as I staggered back a step and set my hand on his head. “You’re definitely getting heavier. I think you’re even heavier than last night! What have you been eating?”
Ilya giggled as he pulled away and ran out the door again, and I smiled fondly after him.
“I told you he looks up to you,” Ravi teased as she nudged me with her hip.
“Yeah, I guess you were right,” I chuckled before I turned to the phoenix. “Sorry about him snapping at you, by the way.”
“You don’t have to apologize.” The phoenix waved away my concern. “He’s young, and he’s been through a lot. I could tell you much worse stories about stuff I said to my own father as a sullen chick.”
“I’m sure you were adorable, even when waging your teenage rebellion,” I snickered and pressed a kiss to the phoenix’s brow.
Ravi laughed, and then we left the house hand-in-hand. We walked past Natalya, who was busy in her forge, and waved goodbye to her as Ilya ran to Ilyushina, who sat in a patch of grass. The young Asuran girl plucked the blades of grass from the ground and tossed them into a pile, but she perked up when Ilya sat next to her and animatedly began to tell her his idea.
Ravi and I left them behind as we walked back to the Lunar Palace.
“You are good with children,” Ravi commented after a few minutes of silence, “and they really like you.”
“I like kids,” I shrugged, “I’ve always been able to get along with them. It was a useful skill for the job I had back in my home world.”
“Do you want a lot of them?” she asked. “Kids, I mean. Obviously not right this moment, that would be hard with your campaign and everything else going on right now, but someday.”
“I do,” I answered, “I grew up an only child, so I always pictured myself with a huge family one day. My aunt used to make fun of me for it and said I would make her poor with all the extra people she’d have to buy gifts for.”
“I’ve always wanted a big family, too,” Ravi said with a smile. “Growing up without my brothers was lonely. I’d never wish that on anyone. Plus, I need to help my species grow, so it was always expected of me to have a lot of children throughout my lifetime.”
“Well, maybe we can each have what we want,” I not so subtly suggested. “Once everything has calmed down a bit in my political life, we can make some babies. Would you like that?”
Could dragons and phoenixes mate? Hell if I knew.
“Yes!” Ravi agreed immediately, and a broad smile stretched across her face. “Once everything has returned to normal, we can have a talk about children. I would like to have children with you, even if it proves difficult due to our differences in species. We can still try, and if it fails, I’m sure someone would be able to help us.”
“That’s something to worry about later,” I replied as I pressed a soft kiss to her lips and felt her smile against me, “for now, let’s just enjoy what we have.”
“Until later then,” Ravi whispered before she closed the distance between us again.
I smiled against her mouth, and then we continued on toward the palace. When we reached Ravi’s room, I turned to her and winced apologetically.
“I have to go,” I sighed. “I want to talk to Alyona about our campaign.”
“Alright.” Ravi smiled. “Tell the princess hello for me?”
“Of course.” I gave the phoenix one last kiss. “Bye.”
Ravi slipped into her room, and I walked down the hall to Alyona’s room. I knocked, but no one answered, even though I could hear her at her desk. So, I silently opened the door, and when I slipped inside, I found Alyona sat at her desk, and the quill in her hand moved quickly over a piece of parchment. She didn’t notice me enter the room, so I slowly and silently snuck up next to her.
“Hi,” I whispered into her ear, and she jumped in her chair.
“Evan!” she gasped as she spun around and smacked me lightly on my chest. “You frightened me.”
“I”m sorry, I couldn’t resist,” I laughed before I wrapped her in a hug. Then I glanced down at the paper on her desk. “Who are you writing to?”
“My father,” she huffed, but she melted back against me. “I still need to tell him Hatra has been rebuilt and that we can begin our campaign.”
“Make sure you mention the necromancer,” I said as I tightened my arms around her. “He should know the Green Glass Sect still has a target on Hatra.”
Alyona nodded and quickly finished her letter before she used magic to send it on its way.
“Have you talked to Valerra about the necromancer yet?” Alyona asked as she turned to face me.
“No,” I admitted with a wince, “I want to, but I haven’t had time. I can head over there later, though. I don’t have any plans for the rest of today.”
“Good.” Alyona nodded. “We haven’t heard anything from her for a few weeks. I want to make sure she’s still okay.”
“I’m sure she’s fine,” I assured the princess. “Valerra is tough, unless magic is involved, and I haven’t sensed anything out of the ordinary since we fought off the necromancer and the assassins.”
“I haven’t sensed anything out of the ordinary either, thank the gods,” Alyona sighed. “Hopefully, they’ve learned their lesson by now and will leave the city alone for good.
“I doubt it, unfortunately,” I muttered and crossed my arms over my chest “They don’t seem like they will give up, ever. I just hope they stay away while we’re gone. I don’t want the city to have to deal with an attack while I’m away.”
“I can’t imagine they will,” Alyona said after a moment. “They seem to only attack when they know you’re here. They want to irritate you. Olivier wants you to know when he is here. If you’re away, he doesn’t get the satisfaction.”
“I hope you’re right,” I grumbled as I pulled the princess up from her chair. “We just finished the restoration, I really don’t want to do it all again.”
“Nor do I,” Alyona laughed and hugged me around the waist. “I don’t think I ever want to do another construction project for the rest of my life. I don’t know how people do it without the help of a dragon with stone magic.”
“I am useful sometimes,” I told her with a grin.
“More than sometimes,” she purred as she looked up at me. “I don’t think Hatra would even exist anymore without you. I don’t think I would even be alive without you.”
My arms tensed around Alyona as I realized her words were true. If I’d never found that dragon mask in my aunt’s shop, Olivier would have been able to destroy Hatra with his army and take Alyona.
“Nothing will ever happen to you,” I promised as I ducked and pressed a hard kiss to Alyona’s white hair. “Not as long as I am here to protect you.”
“I
know,” Alyona whispered and curled up against my chest.
We sat in silence for a few minutes and just enjoyed each other’s company. Then Alyona pulled out a few of her books and began to read some spells while I watched her. She looked at peace as her eyes drifted across the pages, and at first my eyes skimmed the pages with her, but I quickly lost interest and continued to gaze at her as she worked.
I didn’t like to think about how close Hatra and Alyona had been to being lost to the world forever, but I had to. She could have been killed without me, and Hatra would have been blown off the map for good.
I wasn’t really needed on Earth, but I was needed here. Rahma needed me. Hatra and her people needed me.
I was the Guardian of Hatra now, and nothing and no one would ever be allowed to bring harm to this place again.
Chapter 4
The next morning, I flew slowly toward Valerra’s cave, and the wind whipped through my wings as I soared high above the earth. I could see the animals below scatter as my shadow was cast over them, and I realized I’d entered Valerra’s hunting territory. I knew she deserved to know about the necromancer, but I also knew she would be pissed when I told her he’d escaped. That man had orchestrated the slaughter of her family, and she needed him to be dead in order to find peace.
I was not eager to start this conversation, so I took my time. It typically only took a few minutes to reach her cave in my dragon form, but it took me nearly fifteen minutes from the time I left Hatra until I landed outside her cave.
“Valerra!” I called into the dark cave when she didn’t immediately come out to yell at me. “Get out here, I need to talk to you!”
I stepped inside her cave, but a vicious roar echoed through the tunnel around me. I took a step back just as Valerra came into view from the dark. She was in her dragon form, and her crimson scales flashed as the sun reached them.
“Leave, or else I will rip you apart.” Her face was twisted into a snarl, and her voice rippled icily through the air.
“I just came here to talk to you about something,” I replied with a roll of my eyes. “It’s important. I’m not here to bother you, so calm down. There was an attack a few days ago--”
