by Devon Vesper
“What is the meaning of this? Are you mad, boy?”
Tilting his head, Valis furrowed his brows. “What do you mean? What have I done?”
“You know full well what you have done!” Brother Bachris began pacing the width of the hall, from one wall to the other, his head shaking as if he couldn’t believe Valis’s gall to be so foolish in whatever he’d done wrong. “How dare you?” he went on. “How dare you start recruiting troops for this foolish mission? It’s suicide, Valis. I will not allow it. And you know this. Yet you go behind my back, subverting me, ignoring my order.”
He glared at Valis, stopping his pacing and advanced on him, pointing a finger at his chest. “You know I could have you tossed into prison for this.”
No, Valis didn’t. But he wasn’t about to tell Brother Bachris that. He wasn’t about to open his mouth for anything until the Patron Priest finished his tirade.
“You will cease this nonsense, Valis, and continue with your studies, training, and await official orders. Do you understand?”
Finally, Valis had had enough. He advanced on his friend, got up in his face. “Nonsense? Nonsense?” He balled his fists at his side. “Do you really believe that my desire to rescue my father is foolish nonsense? Because if you do, I really need to rethink our friendship.”
The Patron Priest didn’t back down. He was as tall as Valis even though he was thin as a reed. That bony finger wagged under Valis’s chin as Brother Bachris went on. “You will stop this! You cannot just go around in secrecy and recruit this monastery’s elite forces to your will! That is not how this institution is run, young man. That is not how you get a mission sanctioned. And, that is not how you rescue your father. Because, he is gone, Valis. You must accept that. He will be dead before you even get halfway to where he is being kept. There is no way that man will survive long enough for any sort of rescue attempt. It isn’t possible. So, yes. It is a foolish endeavor!”
The only reason Valis hadn’t interrupted him in that speech was because each word felt like they stabbed through him, rendering his heart and guts to shredded meat. How could he be so crass? How could he be so heartless? Trembling with the surge of betrayal and rage, Valis had to keep reminding himself that Brother Bachris was his friend, a mentor, and not his enemy. Because with every beat of his heart that red tinge he thought he had outgrown threatened to encroach on his vision.
“How dare you?” He hissed through his clenched teeth and advanced another step, making the Patron Priest back up. “Would you say that if it was Sister Qisryn who had been captured? Or you son? Maybe your grandchildren? Would you be so heartless then? Would you throw their lives away as foolish or impossible when you had assurances from Phaerith that it was possible?”
Brother Bachris paled but still didn’t back down. “How do you know you have such assurances? That isn’t possible.”
“Isn’t it, though? Or have you closed your ears when I told you I spoke directly to Sovras when I was knocked out of my body on our way back from rescuing the caravan? Are you calling me a liar now? Do you dare?” Valis perked a brow. “Thyran believes me, and he knew Sovras in life. But, you? You hadn’t even been born yet.”
He pressed in again, making Brother Bachris take another step back. “You can keep your disbelief all you wish, Brother. But I know it’s possible because that’s the only way Kerac could have ridden from that far in the state he was in. Slumped over the back of his horse the way he was, it wasn’t just Cadoras’s pull that brought him home. And—”
“That was just sheer luck, my boy. And Phaerith’s blessing upon Kerac that he be spared!”
“Bullshit,” Valis spat. “It’s well known that mates don’t survive long after they’re separated from their partners. It’s documented. How long would Kerac survive after Darolen dies in that prison? We’d save him, rehabilitate him, and for what? Fatten him up and get him moving for him to die, anyway? Are you really that dense?”
“See here, young man! That’s—”
“It makes sense!” Valis roared. “You’re ignoring the obvious!”
“Your father would be ashamed of you.” Brother Bachris tilted his chin up with a condescending sneer. “He would never approve of you talking to anyone in such a manner.”
Hands grabbed Valis as he launched toward the Patron Priest. If they hadn’t, he would have punched his friend and felt absolutely no remorse. The reliquary guards, Cassavin and Nevesar, held Valis at his sides, keeping him in place. “Easy Valis,” Cassavin said. “Not here. Not now.”
“You have gone too far, Brother Bachris,” Shyvus said. “That was completely uncalled for, and you should be ashamed of yourself for treating an Aesriphos in such a manner.”
Xetar growled from somewhere behind Valis, as if he were right behind him, looking over his shoulder. “Such complete disregard for the health and safety of one of us is a disgrace to our Order.”
A warm, familiar hand brushed Valis’s low ponytail over his shoulder and started massaging the back of his neck. Valis leaned into Tavros’s touch with a soft sigh, doing his best to let go of his anger, but not really succeeding. He needed to calm down before he did something he would regret—before he did anything everyone present would regret.
Brother Bachris raised his voice, his face going red. “He is disgracing the Aesriphos order by subverting the chain of command!”
Valis tensed again, balling his fists as he tried to launch himself at the Patron Priest again. Cassavin and Nevesar never let up on their grip, keeping him back. “I was garnering support in hopes that you would change your mind when I asked for a sanction again! Almost every Aesriphos who has pledged to my cause made it clear that they wanted this mission sanctioned before they would lend their full support. Next time, get all the facts before you start in on your crusades.”
“You insolent—”
“Enough!” Vohan’s shout echoed through the hall, making even those eating in the dining hall go stone silent. “Valis is correct. He did say he was trying to get it sanctioned. He demanded secrecy to prevent this.”
Valis strained against the women’s hold. “I haven’t ever felt this betrayed by one of my friends since Aryn, and he tried to kill his own brother, my mate.”
Brother Bachris paled, and his hand fluttered to his throat before clutching his tunic at his chest. Apparently, that finally reached him. He sputtered nonsense for a moment before Phalin, Shyvus’s husband, stepped between them. “I think it’s best if you stop talking, Brother. Please.”
Valis, still trembling with rage, shook off the women at his side and moved Phalin aside to stare at Brother Bachris. “I won’t stop. Not ever. I will get this sanctioned whether you like it or not. And if I don’t? I will go alone if I have to. No one has the right to keep me from saving one of the first two people who gave a single fuck about an abused, terrified little farm boy who didn’t believe in trust.”
He sneered at Brother Bachris. “And you know, it’s a good thing I have men and women here to remind me that that little farm boy was wrong, because you have seriously broken my trust, and I doubt you will earn it back anytime soon.”
With that, he stormed off, Tavros swiftly catching up to stay by his side. If he hadn’t left, he would have either punched the Patron Priest, or started crying from the intense emotions pummeling him.
Several footsteps followed, and Valis glanced back to see Cassavin, Nevesar, Vohan and Xetar following him. It seemed Phalin and Shyvus had remained behind to keep Brother Bachris from following and making Valis punch him. He vowed to thank them when he saw them next, figuring they wouldn’t be far behind.
When he made it to the suite, Tavros guided him into the sitting room and onto the loveseat. He massaged Valis’s fists until they relaxed, then held Valis’s hands while the others filed into the room and took seats.
“Are you okay, lad?” Cassavin asked. “That was… intense.”
“It was a clusterfuck,” Vohan growled. “Shit, I almost punched him. I’m su
rprised you had that much restraint, Valis. I’m proud of you.”
Valis snorted and shook his head. “If Cass and Nev hadn’t held me back, I’d have decked him twice. Thank you, ladies.”
“It was self-preservation,” Cassavin muttered. “We still need you to keep training us, damn it.”
“I wonder what his problem is,” Xetar said, almost as if to himself. “He’s not one to be this crass or this stubborn. He is normally a very easy-going man, jovial and kind, quiet and unassuming. This evening, he was a terror, and in the worst way. He usually would never behave in such a manner, let alone say some of the things that came out of his face tonight.”
Valis nodded. “I agree. That’s not what hurt the most, but it was a close runner.”
Tavros wrapped his arm about Valis’s shoulders and pulled him into his side. His warmth helped Valis somewhat relax. Thank all the gods they had removed their armor and bathed before dinner. He shifted slightly, stuffing his face in the curve of Tavros’s neck and breathed him in, closing his eyes and letting himself just get lost in his lover for a moment. Right now, Tavros was the only thing keeping him grounded, and he desperately needed to calm down so he could think through things rationally, instead of through the lenses of hurt and betrayal. Those lenses would do more harm than they would any sort of good.
A few moments later, someone knocked on the door to their suite, and Cassavin got up to answer. When she returned, Phalin pushed a cart in and started handing out plates. “Since our dinner was rudely interrupted, I thought we could all use a little bite in polite, calm company.”
“That’s amazing,” Valis said. “Thank you. Now that I’m calming down, I am getting a little hungry.”
“I figured,” Shyvus said, a tease in his voice. “You always eat more than you weigh, and when I saw you in the serving line, you didn’t fill your plate nearly as high as usual, and then you didn’t eat more than a few bites of what you did have before Brother Bachris pulled you away and you both started shouting the place down.”
Valis sighed and rubbed his eyes before accepting the silverware to start in on his food. He smiled when Phalin set a steaming mug of the creamy spiced tea that he sometimes indulged in on the low table before him. “Thank you.”
“I noticed you drink it when you’re stressed,” Shyvus said. “I thought it might help.”
“It will. Thank you. And thank you for keeping Brother Bachris from following. I really needed to get away from him.”
“You are quite welcome, lad. Now eat up.”
They all went quiet as they tucked into their food. No one spoke until Valis’s plate was empty, and he’d stacked it back onto the cart. Even after he sat down again and cuddled into Tavros’s side carefully so his husband wouldn’t spill his food, the silence remained. But, it was mostly comfortable. Just the sounds of eating, and the crackling fire that Nevesar had stoked to life once she added a few more logs.
It was… peaceful, which felt strange after the tension of only a little while ago.
Then, his other friends, Seza and Zhasina, along with Maphias, Jedai and Aenali, filed through without a knock. Then again, they all knew they didn’t need to. They were family.
“Well, that was an epic clusterfuck if I’ve ever heard one,” Seza said. “Are you okay, Valis? That couldn’t have been easy for you.”
“Yeah. I’m getting there.” He gave her a soft smile, and she must have taken that as good enough, because she nodded and took the other loveseat with Zhasina by her side.
“The entire dining hall heard that mess,” Jedai muttered. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
“Shit, the entire floor probably heard it,” Vohan said around a mouthful of roll. “Neither of them were quiet.”
“But, let’s shelve that discussion for now,” Cassavin said. “We’re here to calm Valis down, not rile him up again.”
Murmured apologies went around the room, and Valis’s chest warmed. “Thank you.”
“At least you got some food into you,” Zhasina murmured. “You had barely even touched your plate. I was worried.”
“All thanks to Shyvus and Phalin,” Valis said. “They saved my stomach.”
Zhasina smiled at the two. “Thank you for your kindness.”
“Well,” Shyvus said, “it was either that, or the lad would eat us, so it was more like self-preservation.”
Laughing felt so good. When Valis glanced around at the faces in his sitting room, he sighed and leaned deeper into Tavros’s side.
Sovras… thank you for my family. I couldn’t have asked for better.
Chapter Sixteen
The next morning, when Valis was about to dismiss his translocation students, he called for them all to stop. “I’d like you all to stick around. If you have other plans for the next three hours, and they’re important, you may leave. But I’d like those of you who are not reliquary guards to observe the reliquary guard class. You will all be learning these things eventually unless this war suddenly comes to an end and the need has been negated.
“But since that is unlikely, I would like you all to be prepared. You have all started training—or should have, at least—on how to cast via intent and how to do other things. What I now train the reliquary guards in is defending against, what we think is, the power of the Sovereign Priest of Qos.”
“What?” Averni asked. “How?”
Valis shoved a ball of black magic into his left hand and raised it up. “From all the Qos adherents and Priests of Qos I have drained since my birth father gave me his magic and life force, essentially making me a High Priest of Qos in power, my power base has continued to grow exponentially with every bit of magic I draw in.”
“And you unleash it on a regular basis at our faces,” Netai muttered as she walked in. “One of these days, I’m going to best you, you little vermin.”
Valis chuckled. “I eagerly await that day, my friend. That’s what I’m training you for.”
She gave him a solemn, respectful nod. “Fair enough.”
Once all the reliquary guards entered, Valis straightened his spine and glanced around. “Translocation students, line up against that far wall for observation and erect a shield. I will also be shielding you just in case something catastrophic happens because mine are far stronger. Everyone else, into formation.”
“That isn’t giving me the warm and fuzzies,” Stavlen groused. “Catastrophic?”
Valis looked at him seriously and nodded. “There is always, always a chance that I will succumb to the darkness. During this training, Tavros is always by my side because he knows how to bring me back into the Light. And I’ve gotten better at avoiding that fate. But, I’m not about to risk your lives by having no safeguards in place when that chance still exists.”
Stavlen paled but nodded. “I appreciate that. Thanks.”
Chuckling, Valis grinned at him and headed to his usual spot in the corner closest to the entry so he could stop the attacks if anyone appeared there. Then he cast the golden shield wall around his translocation students, broke it off from himself after giving it permanence, and rolled his shoulders. “You all know the drill. Let’s begin.”
Several hours later, Valis was about to call an end to the class. Everyone looked exhausted, and truly, Valis did put them through trials greater than he had in the past weeks. But when he opened his mouth, several reliquary guards winced and shuddered. Cassavin shook her head as if trying to rid herself of a mental fog. “Thyran requests our presence. You, too, Valis.”
“Class dismissed,” Valis called. “Good work today. Go rest for a bit and get breakfast.”
Truthfully, Valis wanted to go straight to breakfast, but he’d never disobey direct orders from Thyran. He was one man Valis trusted with his life.
As he entered the reliquary with the eighteen reliquary guards who were telepathically summoned, Valis almost felt like he didn’t belong. It wasn’t a feeling he got from any of the people present, but something else.
He glanced at Thyran, and the historian smiled at him, his fierce blue eyes twinkling as merrily as usual, but there was a serious cast to his countenance.
“Am I here for scrying practice while you speak with these reliquary guards?”
Thyran shook his head. “No. You deserve and need to be here because you are the one who discovered the fact that there are anchors to Qos. These men and women are the anchor teams and will soon be dispatched on the mission to eradicate the three anchors remaining, so we can move ahead with our plans.”
Something in Valis’s chest eased, and he nodded. “Good idea.”
“But, sir?” Cassavin stepped forward, a frown on her face. “Some of us made promises…”
Valis laid a hand on her armored shoulder. “This is just as important, Cass.”
“No, Valis.” She turned to him, fire in her eyes and a hard set to her pouty mouth. “It may be important, but so is what we all pledged ourselves to.” Valis smiled at her as she tried so hard not to let on about the mission to rescue his father, doing her best to keep the secrecy.
“You can smile at me like that all you want, but I won’t budge.”
Thyran sighed and sat on the edge of the table. “I am well aware that you and many other Aesriphos have pledged to help Valis.” He shrugged negligently and gave Valis an apologetic look. “I have had a vision, and according to it, I cannot interfere with that quest. And Valis is well aware that I can be in his mind, seeing what he sees and hearing his thoughts at any given time.” He turned back to the reliquary guards and held his hands out to his sides. “I will do what I can with regard to the sanction, but for the rest of you, your pledges to help eradicate the threat to our world is more important. With Valis’s help, we have a clear direction to take, and as some of the best Aesriphos we have, I need the eighteen of you to take on these three missions.”
