The Bond - 24. Chapter 24

It was around midday when Alex heard the foreign war horn, a newcomer to the pandemonium that was at his every side. He had been back to back with Carl for almost a full hour, fighting through the hordes with the best frontline soldiers there were. General Orr had sent a second wave of cavalry towards the Tomacian and Rebel Nabian camp, and Alexandre and his husband were determined to demonstrate their willingness to fight for their cause, and their armies certainly took notice. Though it had been just three days since they had arrived to siege Orr’s Wallfort, the fighting had worn the two of them down to the core. Alex was exhausted, a feeling that was only amplified by the hot sun, the growing smell of bodies, and the steady arrival of bugs drawn to the decay.

“To your left!” Alex shouted, causing Carl to swing his massive broadsword in an arc over his head and into the neck of an enemy soldier to his left. Carl dislodged his sword, and bent over to make his back parallel to the ground. Alexandre rolled over it dodging the swing of an enemy and getting to the other side of his partner simultaneously. The momentum he had gained from Carl’s boost was channeled into a jump that spun him horizontally, in which he linked the two hook ends of his swords to create one longer weapon. His extended blade neatly severed an artery in the neck of a foe at a longer distance, and by the time he landed there were two more soldiers fast approaching. One was struck down by a friendly club wielder, whom Alex believed was Barclay, and the other was made short work of with a parry and downward slash.

“More horses,” he heard Carl call.

Damn, he’s right. There was another brigade of riders fast approaching from the wall, coming straight for him. Alex remained calm, knowing that these soldiers were probably riding to their doom by his hand, but felt weak and was annoyed at the thought of fighting them. It was then that the horn had sounded, causing Alex to pause and look for its source.

The tonal quality is off, he thought. He had never heard a horn that sounded quite like that. Apparently, neither had his enemies. Almost the entire battlefield began to move at a slower pace, everyone straining to look in the direction of the sound. Even the approaching riders seemed to lessen their pace, and lose focus for a moment. Alex turned to look behind him, ready to face this new threat. He saw an army in primitive dress, brandishing poorly made weapons and wearing pelts and feathers. This new threat heightened his senses and anxiety level, but he felt momentary relief when he looked to its head.

Mother…? Ysabel rode in the center of three figureheads, in full Nabian war regalia with the facial expression to match. To her right was Marcus, screaming out baritone chants while wearing a mix of Nabian armor and the dress of the people behind him. To Ysabel’s left was a man that Alex did not recognize, but who looked almost as terrifying as his mother. Who are these people? He didn’t have long to think about it, but was glad that they were there. Alex had been making good use of Ysabel’s army in her absence, but didn’t realize that she had been off recruiting others. She had told him to expect a delay in her arrival and take command of her forces in the meantime, but he felt better with her arrival. He didn’t know anything about the forces approaching from the flank, but felt it was safe to bet that they were friendly.

“Allies!” he cried out. “Stand strong!” By then, the incoming cavalry had made contact, and the first horse riders were cutting through the lines. Alex ducked a lance and used his hook to split open the belly of a horse as it ran past, causing it to tumble and crush the rider. Carl cut down two men in front of him, and Alex jumped as high as he could straight up into the air to stick a curved blade into the neck of a passing horsewoman and rip it out as she went past. When he turned to around to face an enemy that was looping, he saw that his mother and her reinforcements had almost shown up. They were riding fast, and Alex was shocked at how quickly they had gotten to the fight. He tried to make brief eye contact with General Clarion, but she had a focused and deliriously cruel look on her face as she sped past him. That’s not my mother right now, he thought. Everything in her body language pointed to the demon, and her eagerness to rush into the midst of the bloodshed confirmed his theory. He wasn’t disappointed to have her assistance, of course, but Alex was always uncomfortable when his mother lost control so entirely. He was able to pull the rider off of his horse by using one of his hooks around the ankle, and yanking hard in the opposite direction that the horse was moving. The rider was stunned for a moment after hitting the ground so hard, and Alex took the opportunity to finish him off. When that was done, he reassessed his positioning in the current fight, taking in the sight of battle around him.

He watched Ysabel stand squatted on her saddle, directing her horse between two oncoming riders with an impossibly tight gap. She jumped off of the moving animal with both arms out, pushing claws through the upper chests of riders to either side of her, moving in the opposite direction. All three fell to the ground, Ysabel on her knees and her two opponents on their backs. One of them hadn’t even finished spitting up blood and dying before General Clarion had removed her blades from their bodies, and engaged with another. The clansmen she had arrived with were similarly unleashing their rage upon Alexandre’s enemies, and he was for a moment encircled by allies with no one left to fight. He saw Carl catching his breath, and did the same.

“For Nymeria!” he heard Marcus’s booming voice shout. The enormous soldier was cutting through enemies with a two-headed axe, and men and women from his tribe surrounded him. They fought viciously, all moving in a rhythmic cycle that Alex felt was somehow familiar. He observed that though these soldiers didn’t have near the organization of a Nabian army, they certainly seemed to use the same body language and style of movements that their leaders did. The man that Alex assumed was head of the tribe fought alongside Ysabel with a club that seemed to be covered in broken bits of glass and teeth. When Alex saw him duck a sword, spin, and uppercut with his weapon in a move that Ysabel had once taught Talia, his discomfort grew.

They’re just like her… like the demon.

“Fall back!” Carl ordered. “Let them take care of this wave! Take your rest, but be prepared to reenter the fight if they need us!” Alex looked around and realized that Carl was right. The squadron he had been fighting with was just as exhausted as he was, and they needed a reprieve. Ysabel had shown at an opportune time, and Alex would be glad to fall back to camp and get some rest, even if just for a short few minutes.

Glad you caught up with us, mother.

***

Carl awoke from his sleep the instant a messenger set foot in his and Alexandre’s tent, knife drawn and at the ready. He saw that Alex had been alerted into wakefulness quickly too, ready to pounce upon the foot soldier that stood in the flap of canvas that formed the entrance to their shelter.

“General,” the man said with both hands up. “We have news.” Carl relaxed, sheathing the dagger that was kept under his pillow.

Not an enemy.

“Has there been any more fighting past nightfall?” he asked. The soldier looked at him respectfully, then back to Alex.

“A few skirmishes between scouts, but nothing serious to report.”

“I see.”

“What is your news?” Alex asked. His husband was already donning a shirt, but was naked from the waist down. In times of danger, Carl noticed that his husband was not bashful. The soldier didn’t bat an eye at seeing his commander unclothed either, and spoke dutifully.

“I’ve been asked to have you come with me. An enemy courier has been detained in our camp. He has a package with the Orr seal upon it, and has asked for you personally. He says he brings word from his General.” Carl looked towards Alex, who had slipped on a pair of linen trousers and already began walking out of the tent.

“What if it’s a trap?” he asked hurriedly. The question stopped Alex from running out of the tent without him, and Carl got dressed to go as well.

“Generals don’t send out their official spokespeople or emblems to trick people. It’s just dishonorable. Besides, I don’t think one assassin could do much in the middle of our camp, to me especially.”

“Nabians have tried riskier things.” They began walking with the soldier, who was leading them to a circle of soldiers on the night guard around a campfire.

“That’s true.”

“The package does not contain evidence of poisons or spores. We’ve had it checked already,” said the soldier.

Okay.

When they reached the circle of men, Carl saw the enemy that had encroached on their territory immediately. He was dressed in all white save the Orr emblem on a necklace that he wore, and a small brown paper package was in his hands. Carl knew from working treaties with Nabians on the border of Tomacia that the all white garb symbolized peace, and was customary for events like weddings or making pacts. The man was sweating profusely, and didn’t look at all like someone that a General would send to negotiate terms. He looked frightened to be in the circle of enemy soldiers, and Carl realized that he was probably expecting to die.

“What do you have for me?” asked Alex sternly.

“G-General,” stammered the man, “General Orr has s – sent me to –“

“Spit it out,” said Alexandre. The man flinched, and Carl felt bad for him.

“Terms,” was all he squeaked. Alex snatched the package from out of his hands, and opened the note that was attached to it. He read it quickly, that slowly once more. Carl could see his husband’s face grow angry. He opened the package, and pulled out two objects. The first was a knife, and the second was a finger.

“We’re done here,” Alex said, and began walking away.

“B-but sir”

“Don’t you dare have the gall to speak to me after presenting me this,” spat Alex. The man shrunk back, clearly terrified.

“What do you want us to do with this one?” asked one of the soldiers that was restraining the convoy. Carl noticed that the man who spoke up looked familiar, as if he was someone that he had met before.

He looks Ironian…. Like someone I know. Actually, he looks kind of like how the Monciet boys did, when they were younger. Huh. Inconsequential, I suppose. There are Ironians and Ironian descendants in just about every Nabian army now.

“Release him.” The soldier balked at that, and his counterpart spoke up.

“Why not just kill him?” Alex rolled his eyes at that, and looked even more annoyed.

“Because that’s no emissary, that’s a house slave. He was just sent in so that no actual soldiers had to die. They’re conserving every one of their men. This one has no value to me dead. Let him go.” The two soldiers did, and the man in white scrambled away.

Alex continued walking back to his own tent, still holding the finger, knife, and note. Carl jogged for a moment to catch up, and bumped him on the shoulder.

“What is that?” Alex handed him the note, and Carl read for himself.

Retreat and submit, or she dies. His heart dropped, and he knew that the note meant Talia.

Had she been captured? There’s no way, Talia is the best there is at this sort of thing…

“How can we be sure that that’s hers?” Carl asked, nodding his head towards the severed finger. Alex sighed, and lifted up the knife to show his husband.

“My father gave Talia a set of throwing knives that were custom made for her on the same day he gave me the hookswords. There are no others like them, and this is hers for sure.”

A pit formed in Carl’s stomach, which then sank with all the weight of the world. His anxiety then morphed in to terror for Talia, and then into panicked misunderstanding.

“Alex! Why would you not respond?! You didn’t give that convoy anything to give back to General Orr!”

“I gave him plenty.”

“That note says she’s going to die Alex! Are we pulling back? Surely you’re not just giving up on her?”

“Of course not,” Alex said calmly. “She knew the risk she was taking, and would put the mission first above all else. I need to do the same.” Carl wondered in shock about that for a second, thinking that his husband might be more heartless than he had previously believed.

“No…. no. I don’t accept that. We can’t abandon her. They’ll kill her. That’s your sister, Alex.”
“I know!” the younger commander snapped back. “I know. And she might get hurt, yes, but they’re not going to kill her.”

“You can’t be sure of that.”

“I am sure. I know it.” Alex paused at that, and looked to Carl like he might cry for a second.

“I appreciate the optimism, but – “

“This isn’t optimism,” Alex cut off. “I really do believe she’ll be alright. Talia might be subjected to torture and the like, but she’s not going to die. My uncle… remember, my uncle is aligned with Orr supposedly as well. And if the opposing generals of Nabius want to win this war, they’ll need the help of Yago Clarion. I don’t think they’ll kill off his niece and risk his wrath, at least not before she’s brought to him. She’s not as big of a bargaining chip as they’re trying to play her up to be. That’s part of the reason I was okay with her attempting an infiltration and internal coup.”

Carl nodded his head, slowly beginning to understand. “That still seems like a pretty big risk to take.”

“Not really,” Alex said. “My uncle isn’t exactly loving or warm, but he has always paid special attention to Talia. And you saw what my mother was like out on the field today, right?” Carl nodded with a grimace.

Yeah I did… that was terrifying. I’d never seen the demon in action truly until that moment… and I have to admit I was glad that it was on our side.

“My uncle is like that all of the time. He commands enough respect from the others that they’ll defer to him first. And besides…. They only removed a finger. Damaging to her abilities maybe a bit, but they didn’t send me a whole hand, or a foot, or her eyes. They’re keeping her usable and valuable.” Carl thought in silence once again, realizing that this was true.

“I guess you’re right. So… I guess the plan to get her back is just…”

“Win,” said Alex. “We just have to win.”

***

Luca lay in his quarters, sprawled out on the bed after a hard days work. Staring up into the folds of the canopy above him, he breathed a sigh of relief at concluding the day. It had been a long one, and he was ready to sleep. When Alfie came by personally with a plate for him, he had to be convinced to even take it. After the chef was gone, Luca only picked at his food, and felt relief at changing into more comfortable clothes. When a sharp rap on the door made him sit up, he sighed.

“Come in,” he called out politely. Into the room walked Eamon, with the confidence of someone that Luca wouldn’t have guessed was blind if he didn’t know, or see the pink burn marks around the eyes. His actual eyes were glassy, and their once blue-gray tone had now paled entirely to gray. The pupils had ceased contracting and expanding to take in light as a result of the acid, but Luca thought that they were still piercing.

“Good evening Luca. I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” Luca shook his head no, before realizing he needed to say it out loud.

“No, you’re fine. What can I help you with?”

“Oh,” said Eamon, “I don’t need any action on your part. I was just wondering how the Mullansburg trip went. I’m stopping by Mikhail and Willhelm’s before I head to bed, and wanted to know if you needed someone to send them your numbers for the morning. The smiths usually are up long before us, it wouldn’t hurt to give them a heads up.”

“That’s kind of you, but I think we’re actually okay. Everyone who asked for armor and weapons has received it by now, or can be covered by what’s in the back stock. I’d like to give the forge a break tomorrow; after all, they’ve done a lot for us in the past few days. And Mullansburg probably doesn’t need more weaponry than it has already at this point.” He took a pause, and almost laughed a little. “I had an 80 year old woman ask for a battle axe when I was visiting the market street earlier. She probably could barely lift herself out of a chair, let alone lift an axe.” Eamon smiled at that, nodding as if though unsurprised.

“Yeah, I’m sure people have taken advantage of your weapons program to get quite a few things that they don’t need… but the majority definitely appreciate it. And I don’t think it’s a bad idea for everyone to be armed… there aren’t any signs of troop movement this far north, but it never hurts to be prepared.” Luca knew all of this, but agreed anyway before Eamon continued on. “And the people in the commons… they seem to like you. You’re a good leader for them to look up to.”

“Thank you Eamon. That’s very kind of you. If they saw how much of a mess I really feel like we’re in, they might think differently, but –“

“But I can’t think of a single person better equipped to help them.” Eamon’s tone of voice had changed from light-hearted to serious quickly, and Luca appreciated the sincerity.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“I do. I’ve seen how you are with them, and I know that you actually care. People like Alex and Carl… they care – of course they do – but they don’t really understand what it’s like to be at the bottom of the food chain. You can relate to the common folk.”

“I can, but there are plenty of Nabian nobles that rose from poverty. You were a farmer before being accepted into the academy here, and now you’re the captain of my guard.”

“You’re missing the point,” Eamon said. “I know that the leaders of Nabius each have their own backstories and had to mount huge obstacles to get to where they are. I do. But nobody I know can survive pain and come out on top as well as you can. Nobody else has as much conviction and as clear a mission as you do in light of his or her suffering. That’s what makes you great.” Luca gazed for a long moment at Eamon, studying his face and body language. There was a resolve about him, but also sadness. Luca had been picking up on the resignation that seemed to undermine a façade of confidence for several days now, and eventually came to the conclusion that it might be time to bring it up.

“Are you in pain, Eamon?”

“Huh? Oh, no, there’s some occasional stinging in the skin around them, but my eyes… they’re fine.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Silence hung for a moment. “Are you suffering?”

Eamon gave a weak smile, and then hung his head. “I’ll be fine,” he said quietly. “I’m trying to lead by your example, but its hard. I just… I wish things were different.”

“Your blindness isn’t truly a disability. You just have to approach the world in a different way now.”

“I know that, it isn’t that.”

“What do you wish to be different then?” At that question, Eamon sighed, and then reached out to grab Luca’s hand. Luca didn’t pull away, and Eamon’s grip was gentle.

“I wish you cared for me the way that I care for you. You are the only person that stuck through my antics when I was sighted… you know me, and you understand what its like to claw your way to a better life. You understand my pain, and who I am.” Eamon’s voice had started to become emotional, and Luca felt his own emotions swelling from his stomach into his chest, and up into the back of his throat. “You mean the world to me, and I would do anything to protect you and have you… even if you don’t return my affections. I’ll follow you.” Eamon reached out and put one hand on the side of Luca’s neck, running his thumb gently down the jawline. Luca took a shaky breath in, and slowly breathed out.

“Eamon… of course I share your affections. You know me too. But please don’t think that because I have other… obligations… that you aren’t worth following as well. I would follow you too.” Eamon’s other hand had moved to the other side of Luca’s face, and they were just inches apart. Luca could feel Eamon’s nervous breathing and pulse through their contact and the air around them, and his own heart beat so much it hurt. “Eamon…”

“Just this once, and you don’t ever have to again. Please.” Luca barely began to move his head in a nod yes before Eamon’s lips were on his, and his arms had fully embraced him. Their kiss was passionate yet gentle, exploratory yet done with the confidence of a pair that had been together for years. The longing in Eamon was clear to Luca, and for the first time in his life, Luca felt that same longing back.

I’ve certainly enjoyed a couple of kisses before, but this… Luca’s whole heart and mind was invested, and he felt all of his thoughts fade to a carefree blur. When it was over, Luca pulled away just barely, so his nose was still brushing Eamon’s.

“I’m sorry, I don’t want you to – “ whispered Eamon, before Luca put one finger over the older boy’s lips, and gently replaced it with another kiss. Luca knew that his actions weren’t right or faithful to Adrian, but he couldn’t help it.

Denying things doesn’t help anyone out. Now what do I do… To his left, Luca heard the clearing of a throat. He looked in that direction, and saw Adrian standing in the doorway. The look on his face was certainly hurt, but it seemed more like disappointment than anything else. Shit.

“I um… I guess I’ll be going then.” Luca felt Eamon stiffen when Adrian spoke, and a rush of emotions and thoughts of politics and promises hit his mind like a wall.

“Oh gods, Adrian, I – “

“Save it,” said Adrian, though not unkindly. “I saw, and heard, all I think I needed to.”

“Adrian, it was never my intention to be disloyal.”

“I’m sorry,” blurted out Adrian. “I shouldn’t have – “

“Guys,” cut Adrian off again. “I’m not… offended. I just… I’ve seen you two together. It should have been obvious to me before, but I guess people see what they want to.” Luca nodded at that, feeling a bit dumb in the moment for having ignored his feelings for Eamon the entire length of time that Adrian had been at the Di Coteau estate. Adrian spoke again, choosing his words carefully, and annunciating them slowly as he thought. “I believe that you two have something special, and I don’t want to get in the way of that. I know you’ve been resisting me Luca. And that’s difficult for me, because I want things to work out. Not just for selfish reasons, but for the Illjard as well. And I hope that our arrangement is still on, but I’m not sure if I’m willing for it to be a sham. A political marriage is okay, but I would like things to move beyond that. My parents always told me that arranged marriages can be stronger than ones made out of love, as they take more work to build up a foundation. But still, I had hoped…”

“Adrian…” Luca said, but didn’t know how to follow it up.

I’ve never felt stupider than I do in this moment.

“Luca… I know that this might not be fair, but I’m going to have to ask you to choose. Its not personal, but if your feelings are for someone else… I’d rather know now, and have more time to search out a potential partner here in Nabius.” Luca felt his mouth hanging open, and closed it. Adrian turned on his heels, walking out of the room as if in a daze. When he was gone, Eamon reached out and squeezed Luca’s hand.

“I know this isn’t fair… but I’d like you to choose too. I care about you too much… I need to know.” Luca flopped backwards onto the bed, staring up at the canopy once more.

Oh gods. What do I do?