Trial And Glory (Book 3)

by Joshua P. Simon

  Kaz swore. “We don’t need to do this.”

  “We do. Say what you want about peace and us getting along, but the fact is that with you here everything has changed. You’ll rule our clan regardless of what you’ve said, and Lucia will never be mine so long as you’re alive. That leaves me with nothing.” He paused. “Which of us do you think is the better swordsman?”

  “I don’t want to kill you.”

  “Then just die.”

  * * *

  Tobin circled his brother, head swimming with rage and despair. On a night when his world seemed to be crashing around him, Kaz’s return added a level of confusion Tobin had never expected. Nothing could have prepared him for their conversation or the gambit of emotions that followed.

  Why couldn’t he have stayed dead? My life is complicated enough.

  Weeks had passed since learning the truth of his mother’s death and yet he still struggled to cope with the knowledge.

  But in a matter of moments, Kaz just accepts it.

  Tobin actually admired his brother’s sincerity on the matter. If that had been the only barrier between them making amends he might have joined Kaz in burying the past.

  But it isn’t. Kaz will never accept what happened between me and Lucia. He may forgive her for what happened, but never me. Then what? Banish me to some far corner of Hesh? Or will he kill me then when I have no means to defend myself?

  He spun the sword in his hand, shuffling backward, staring into his brother’s eyes.

  Who is the more deserving brother of Lucia’s love?

  At one point, Tobin had felt certain he had been the one based on Kaz’s decisions as warleader. But in their two years apart, he no longer was sure. Both he and Kaz had changed and his mind could not reach a decision on the matter.

  A long breath passed through his lips as he gripped his sword tighter.

  We’ll just have to decide another way.

  * * *

  Kaz tensed as Tobin closed the distance in a blur, sword slashing upward. Kaz stepped back, avoiding the attack. He brought his sword up to deflect his brother’s follow-up. The steel crashed together with such force it shook his arms. Their blades scraped against each other, sending sparks across their gauntlets. Kaz pushed against his brother for position, but Tobin pushed back with a force to match his. They grunted, twisting their arms about in order to free their weapons.

  Tobin shifted his stance and knocked him backward. Rather than fight against the blow, Kaz allowed himself to fall, rolling away from his brother as he did. Metal sang against the cobbled path where he had been a moment before.

  Any compassion or understanding Kaz had for his brother faded as he climbed to his knees. His sword came up, deflecting Tobin’s strike, then another. He countered the move, sweeping his blade out at Tobin’s leg. His brother leaped over the attack, but by doing so allowed Kaz to rise.

  The two paused, eyeing each other intensely.

  He’s so much faster. And more sure of himself.

  “Do you need a rest already?” Tobin taunted.

  Kaz said nothing. He charged, taking the offensive, attacking with large sweeping slashes and short, efficient thrusts. He swung both one and two-handed, mostly feints, as he probed Tobin’s defenses. He could not fight his brother as he once had. Tobin had grown, changed too much in their time apart. Tobin stood his ground at first, but the calm look he wore changed as Kaz drove him slowly backward. Kaz dipped in and out of several patterns. He seized the smallest of openings that presented itself and struck.

  As expected, Tobin had feinted the opening at his throat, and Kaz quickly spun away from his brother’s counter. Too close to use his sword, Kaz’s fist slammed into Tobin’s jaw. The move left Kaz open for a kick to the gut, and the air left him. The two separated once again after the blows, each dazed.

  Tobin nodded in what seemed like an acknowledgement of respect. Kaz clenched his teeth against the pain in his stomach.

  Unlike the first two times they met, both took the offensive, as if there had been a signal to sound the attack. Clashing steel rang in Kaz’s ears as they hacked and stabbed. Boots scraped and shuffled on the street. They countered each other’s strikes, blades parrying the blows like one knew what the other would do.

  Tobin’s foot slipped, and Kaz barreled forward, his blade arcing toward a true opening in his brother’s guard at the neck.

  At the last second, Kaz angled the strike, slicing into Tobin’s arm. Tobin growled. His blade blurred up, connecting with Kaz’s gauntleted wrist, knocking the sword from his hand. Kaz tried to recover, but a boot slammed into his ankle. Lancing pain raced up his leg. He fell.

  Kaz did his best to ignore the pain as Tobin stood over him, seething, sword trained on his throat. Blood oozed down Tobin’s arm and over his elbow.

  “I suppose I deserved that,” said Kaz, gesturing to his ankle.

  “Why?” Tobin asked, voice quavering.

  “Because of what I did to you when we were boys.”

  “No. Why didn’t you kill me? I lost my footing. You had me.”

  “We’ve had each other several times, haven’t we?”

  “I suppose.” Tobin reluctantly admitted. He swore. “Life was simpler with you dead.”

  Tobin lowered his sword and surprised Kaz by offering a hand, helping him to his feet. The ankle felt weak, but Kaz didn’t think it broken.

  “So, now what?” Kaz asked.

  “I don’t know.” Tobin cleared his throat. “Lucia and I, we—” His eyes widened.

  Tobin dove at Kaz, shoving him back to the ground. Blue tendrils crackled through the air, striking Tobin where Kaz had been a moment before. Tobin dropped to his knees, staring dumbly at the sorcery coursing over his body.

  “No!” Kaz yelled. He rolled and snatched the throwing ax at his brother’s waist. He spun, following the direction the sorcery had originated, and threw. The throwing ax struck a Gray Clan shaman in the face. The shaman dropped, twitching.

  Kaz crawled over to his brother who lay on his back with head raised.

  Tobin stared at the shaman. Blood dripped from the corner of his lips. “Not bad, brother.”

  Kaz’s heart clenched at the word brother. After a lifetime of animosity, he and Tobin had finally begun to make amends.

  And now this. The armor would have protected me! But you didn’t know. I can’t believe you gave up your life for me.

  Kaz wanted to tell Tobin to hang on and that he would make it, but he knew his brother would recognize the lie. Kaz thought he might try to recall some fond memory from their youth to reminisce over, but he could think of none. So, he stayed silent at his brother’s side.

  Tobin’s breathing grew rapid. He grabbed Kaz’s arm. “Forgive her.”

  “Who? For what?”

  “Lucia. Promise me you’ll forgive her.”

  Kaz nodded, unsure what Tobin meant.

  Tobin closed his eyes. “She deserves it,” he whispered.

  Kaz watched the last breath pass through his brother’s lips with head bowed.

  * * *

  Pain seized Lucia’s body once again. Her back arced. Her jaw clenched. She squeezed her eyes so tight that bright colors flashed across them. After a time she never thought would end, the pain lessened. She collapsed onto the cushions under her. Her aunt wiped the sweat from her face with a wet rag.

  “Why can’t you make this stop?” asked her aunt.

  “Because this is a complicated process, and by the time I found you she was too far along. There is nothing I can safely do to stop the baby from coming without endangering both its life and that of Lucia’s,” said Wiqua.

  “I thought you were a healer,” snapped the aunt.

  “Stop,” said Lucia.

  “No. It’s true. I’ve been around many births before. She should not be in so much pain.”

  “She is experiencing . . . complications.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that they are both at ri
sk of dying. . . .” Wiqua trailed off. “It’s likely to be the child.”

  Lucia gasped. “No. Why?”

  “Because the child is not far enough along in its development survive the stress.”

  “Can’t you do anything?” she asked, crying once more. The thought of losing her baby hurt more than any contraction could.

  “Yes, but it’s a difficult procedure, one that will almost certainly mean your death because I’ll have to pull strength from you to save the baby.” He paused, and Lucia saw him crying too. “I likely won’t have enough power to heal you afterward.”

  Kaz, forgive me.

  “Do it,” she sobbed.

  Wiqua nodded solemnly as if he already knew her answer.

  * * *

  Drake’s strategy for finding Kaz had seemed like a sound idea as he always gravitated toward the worst of the fighting. Despite confrontations erupting all around him in the distance, he determined the worst sounds seemed to be coming from the direction of the main gate.

  An explosion of sorcery shortly after sprinting in that direction confirmed his initial feeling.

  Sounds like Krytien is busy.

  After the sorcerous pulse, the cacophony of battle subsided into a dull hum, meshing with the small pockets of fighting he heard from other directions.

  Drake rounded a corner warily as he closed in, worried that he might come across the random enemy looking to escape. He stopped in his tracks. Over a dozen bodies littered the street, mangled and eviscerated.

  In the middle of the carnage, Kaz kneeled over a body of a Kifzo warrior, tiny wisps of smoke rising from the torso. Kaz stared intently at the figure, shoulders hunched.

  Drake edged forward until he stood beside him. The man matched Kaz in size and appearance. “Is this Tobin?” he asked.

  “Yes. My brother.”

  Drake knew the two had not been close and that their meeting had been something Kaz had dreaded. However, he heard something deeper in Kaz’s simple words. They made amends on some level.

  He laid a hand on Kaz’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

  “Me too.”

  Drake pushed aside his feelings, clearing his throat. “We need to go. I found Lucia.”

  Kaz’s head shot up. “Why are you here then? I asked you to watch over, and protect her.”

  “Her condition wouldn’t allow her to be moved.”

  “Condition?” he asked, rising. “Is she hurt?”

  “I-I don’t know exactly. Wiqua is looking after her. Harq and his squad are protecting them. I left to find you. She needs to see you.”

  “Take me to her.”

  * * *

  Kaz entered the house in a daze. Drake warned him of what he’d be walking into. However, the faint whimpers of a newborn rattled him, penetrating to his very bones.

  Lucia is a mother. And the child isn’t mine. Who is the father?

  He moved past the Kifzo waiting in the living area. No one spoke to him.

  Drake descended hidden stairs. Kaz took a deep breath and followed.

  No warning would have been enough to prepare him for the reality of the situation. No amount of deep breathing could have steeled his racing heart.

  Lucia’s aunt, a woman he had met only a handful of times, wept as she stood rocking the baby. Her husband knelt next to Lucia, also in tears. Wiqua sat opposite the uncle, one hand on Lucia’s chest, the other on her brow, lips moving silently. His wife’s eyes were closed, her breathing ragged.

  The anxiety, dread, and worry he had felt at hearing the newborn’s cries were forgotten at the sight of Lucia’s poor condition. He rushed to her. Kneeling, he slipped his hand over hers, squeezing it slowly, trying not to recoil at the limp fingers in his. Her eyes fluttered open.

  “I never forgot that sensation,” she said. “Your skin against mine.”

  “And you’ll never have to remember it again,” said Kaz, surprised to hear the sobs in his voice, unsure when they began. “I’m here now, and I’m never letting you go.”

  Lucia blinked away tears. “Kaz, I’m so sorry. I waited. I really did. Even when everyone told me I was stupid for doing so. But you had been away for so long. I was weak and Tobin . . . he reminded me so much of you. I betrayed you.”

  Kaz shook his head, hearing his brother’s words that only now he fully understood. “Forgive her. She deserves it.”

  My wife and my brother.

  He bit his lip, trying to mask the clenching in his chest. He took a deep breath. “Everything will be fine. We’ll make it work.”

  She took her free hand and touched his face. “No. We won’t.”

  “What do you mean—”

  “She’s dying, Kaz,” said Lucia’s uncle, speaking for the first time. “Your friend is doing all he can to keep her alive, but they’re both barely holding on.”

  Kaz looked over at Wiqua and realized he hadn’t said a word. In the dark of the underground room, the man looked to have aged years since Kaz saw him hours before. Sweat poured down his face, head swaying with each passing moment.

  “I can’t lose you again,” Kaz said, turning back to Lucia. “You must fight it.”

  “I can’t,” she whispered. “I gave everything to save my son.” She paused. “Tobin he—”

  “He’s dead,” said Kaz, wishing he could take back the words. He saw the sorrow in Lucia’s face, and clarified. “He saved my life. We made amends before he died.”

  She smiled in relief. “He proved he was a good man.” A long breath passed through her lips. She looked in the direction of her baby. “I always imagined our first child would be a boy.”

  “As did I.”

  She shook her head. “I never thought of a name. He needs one he can be proud of. One that will inspire him to be better.” She sobbed. “I’m going to miss so much of his life. He won’t ever know me.”

  Filled with so much anguish and resentment at how his life had turned out, Kaz wanted to scream.

  Not now. Not ever. It’s not fair to Lucia with everything she’s gone through.

  The last thing Kaz wanted was another burden to bear, yet he would bear the weight of the world on his shoulders if it might bring Lucia joy.

  “He will know you. I swear it,” Kaz whispered.

  Lucia squeezed Kaz’s hand with her last bit of strength. “I love you,” she whispered.

  “I love you.”

  Her gaze never wavered as her hand went limp in his.

  Chapter 36

  Jober had tried to hang himself with a makeshift noose he made from his clothes. However, the material ripped, sending his bulky frame to the ground, skinning arms, legs, and hips. He hadn’t moved since, content to wallow in yet another failure as the cool stone pressed against his skin.

  Staring at the ceiling, he busied himself with counting the small cracks in the stone, hoping that since the fighting had stopped, someone, he didn’t care who, might put him out of his misery.

  Hielle won’t marry again so long as I’m alive. She deserves someone better, as do the children. Let them look up to someone stronger, smarter. Someone with more integrity.

  A door creaked open down the hall. Jober didn’t move. He closed his eyes and waited, listening to the rhythm of the approaching footsteps. They didn’t match those of the normal guards. He wondered if Tobin had lost Juanoq and someone from the new regime came to greet the lowlifes that occupied the dungeon.

  The footsteps stopped. A key entered the lock and turned. After a click, the door squealed open.

  Let them make it quick.

  The guard breathed a heavy sigh. “You picked an odd place to sleep.”

  I know that voice.

  Jober’s eyes opened. A huge man stared down at him, a familiar goatee framing his mouth.

  “Kaz!”

  “Jober.”

  Jober sprung to his feet, limbs shaking. “Is it really you?”

  Kaz nodded.

  “What happened to your hair?” he asked, noticing Kaz had shaved hi
s scalp.

  Kaz tried to smile, but the expression rang false. “A long story.”

  Jober laughed, embracing his friend. “I thought you were dead. I . . .” He pulled away. “I—”

  Kaz raised a hand. “I’ve already talked to Hielle about what she learned from you and Lucia. I understand. You did what you had to for your family because you didn’t feel like you had any other option. And you protected Lucia while I was gone.” His voice cracked at his wife’s name. “For that, I’m grateful.”

  “But you don’t understand. I should have tried to stop Nachun once I saw it was you.”

  “No, you would have died. Things would have been worse for me.” He paused. “Do you remember the last thing you told me before I disappeared?”

  “Forgive me, Kaz,” Jober whispered.

  “Those words did more for me than you’ll ever know. They gave me a starting point as I tried to piece my life back together. Who knows where I would be without them.”

  “Perhaps Lucia will . . .” he stopped himself. He wanted to say that maybe Lucia would forgive him for what he had done. But then he recalled Lucia’s condition and her mistake with Tobin. “Lucia and Tobin . . .”

  “I know,” Kaz said solemnly.

  “Please, don’t hold it against her. I promise you that she never stopped thinking about you. She always loved you.”

  Kaz hung his head. “I know she did.”

  Jober breathed a sigh of relief.

  Then everything has worked out.

  “You’ll have to fill me in on your adventures,” Jober said, trying to change subjects.

  “Later.” Kaz rubbed his eyes. “What do you say we get out of here first? It’s been a long night.” He gestured to the makeshift noose. “For both of us.”

  * * *

  Mawkuk’s army had been routed and decimated by the returning Kifzo forces. Captured and taken prisoner along with his surviving captains by some pale-skinned, black-robed mage, he had not expected to live through the first day.

  Two later, air still passed through his lips. Food waited for him at dawn, midday, and dusk. He slept not on a hard floor in some dank cell, but rather on a soft bed in a guarded room of the palace. He knew he had failed in seeking retribution for his children. However, he lived like a victor.