Dean raises a finger. "If Levi was born to a whore, what does that make his brothers?"
Bolsten shakes his head. "No way Levi and the other princes share a mum. Just no bloody way."
I can’t help but grin. "I believe you’re right, my friend. I believe you’re right more than you know." Bolsten smiles and steps to the side, and Dean and I take seats at the bar. My brother orders drinks.
The liquid is thick with blood and alcohol and something sweet. I don't usually partake in drink, but after today? To hell with it.
After a while, the alcohol begins to take effect, and I begin to mingle more than I usually would. This does not seem a trap, for a trap would have already sprung. I drink some more and listen to the others.
"I can’t believe they hanged the prince," says Mary, an elderly woman who was once human, but was turned many hundreds of years ago.
"No they didn’t," says Roke, a tall, spindly Shade who pours the drinks. "I’ve met the prince. He’s far taller than that bloke they beheaded."
"And where was his wolf?" says Veni, a Shade girl with bright green hair, smoking a pipe in the corner. "Everyone knows he never goes anywhere without his wolf."
"Trickery," says Bolsten, the giant vampire. "Tis magic trickery. Keeper was always loyal, he was. But if you walk close enough to Stonehill, you can still hear the screaming."
I clutch my mug harder, praying I can do something to ease Kal’s pain. Soon. Soon I will. I raise my drink. "Fenris Vane will return," I say. "And on that day, the very hounds of hell will ride at his heels."
Everyone at the inn throws back their heads and howls. "Aye," says Bolsten. "Fenris Vane be the greatest of all seven princes, you hear?" He reaches his mug out to my brother.
Dean speaks through gritted teeth, as if he were taking a vow of celibacy. "Yes… greatest of them all."
They toast, and I can’t help but grin.
Then Bolsten leans closer to us both and lowers his voice. "You two seem on the right side of things, I can tell. So, I’m letting you know, there are plans in the making. Me and other folks, we’re rallying. And not a small group either. I’m talking an army. We’re getting ready. And soon, we’re going to tear that bastard down from the castle, and string him up just as he done to the Shade."
I sip my drink, careful with my next words. "As much as I like drinking, I’d much rather be fighting. Tell us more, and we’ll stand at your side."
Bolsten seems to think it over, then smiles. "Stay around a while. We have an important member arriving later. He'll tell you more then, if he deems you be right and all."
I nod. "Thank you."
In time, day turns to night, and Dean and I slip away to a private booth as we wait for the important member to arrive. I feel heavy with drink, and say things I perhaps shouldn’t. "So why are you helping me, truly?"
Dean lowers his voice. He stares at the fireplace roaring across from us. "Believe it or not, I care about you, brother. I remember when mother brought you back home as a babe. The others, already cast out, already scarred by war, resented the idea of another sibling. But I, perhaps because of my own curse, was thrilled at the idea of a little brother. I could see the beauty in it, the potential. So I took you as my charge. You may think of me as your smaller brother, but I was bigger once. I remember teaching you how to cheat at cards. Sneaking you your first wine." He smiles and refills our cups from a bottle. "I care for you, Fenris. I always have. And I will fight for you to the end."
I try to remember the things he speaks of, but all I get are flashes. Flashes of a caring brother slipping me an ace under his sleeve. Tending to a wounded knee. I do not have words for what he has shared, so instead I raise a cup to Dean.
We toast.
I try to say something. Anything. "I—"
The door opens.
A gust of wind rushes in.
And I turn to see the two men who just arrived. The important guest we have awaited.
Asher.
Chapter 10
SHADOW AND FLAME
"There will be many pits of ash this night. Many new graves dotting the landscapes beyond, some marked, others not. Many empty homes and hearts that once were full. And in the end, there will be more war. This is what I have wrought. I am the Prince of War. I am the Prince of Death."
—Fenris Vane
My days are filled with helping Seri in the Healing Tree and my nights training with Varis. He teaches me spells to enhance my senses, and we track a rabbit in the forest. It takes me half a day, but eventually I begin to see prints where before I only saw mud. I smell fur where before I could only make out flowers. And by the time the sun sets, I find the bunny in a field, resting. We do the same exercise the next day. And the next.
Sometimes, when I have time, I visit Es and Pete.
Their first few days in the Moonlight Garden, they stayed to the palace, but as time went on I noticed them exploring further. Es found the training yard and started practicing the sword. Sometimes, when Varis or Seri can spare me, I help her with the basics, and she learns quickly. I notice the soldiers taking a liking to her, and they help out with more advanced techniques, especially when I’m not around. Soon, Es is close to surpassing my level, and we boast about who would win in a serious match.
Meanwhile, Varis takes an interest in Pete, and I see them meditating together at dawn. Other times, I catch Pete in the library with Baldar, reading books on herbs and brewing potions. He’s always had a sense about the magical, and now that he can experience it first hand, I see him happier than I have in a long time.