"Wake up already, you lazybones," a cutting voice reached Lucian.
He blinked tiredly against the faint light. It was not very bright, yet to his pounding head it felt like a stab, which made him groan softly and shield his dazzled eyes with his forearm.
The air smelled strongly of iron, but there was also a faint hint of pinewood and leather.
He froze. Wait … pinewood and leather? He knew that scent. He was surrounded by it every day, and he liked it. And yet something was different… Something made his stomach tighten.
"Come on," the voice spoke again. This time, someone kicked his calf.
At first he had not been fully awake, but when Iska and then the Verdani appeared before his mind's eye, it became painfully clear what had happened. But why was he still alive? The Verdani had hit him full on with a vine. Considering what had happened with the first strike…
Oh no! Nova!
Lucian jerked upright and asked:
"Jarek, what happened? Did the people from Magura get in—"
But when he noticed that the wall in front of him was made of iron, he did not finish his sentence. Instead, he frowned as his pulse began to race.
"I'm not Jarek. Did they hit you too hard on the head?" the voice complained.
A voice Lucian knew very well. One that sounded almost indistinguishable from Jarek's.
Lucian's throat went instantly dry. Initially, he did not dare turn his head and look at the man he had wanted to see least of all. His hands clawed into whatever it was he was sitting on.
"What's this? No greeting? Show me a bit of respect, will you," the man scoffed mockingly.
What is he doing here?
At last, Lucian broke free of his paralysis and turned around. He was sitting on an iron cot, and the rest of the room was made entirely of metal as well.
With the slightest movement Lucian made, his muscles felt as if they were about to tear apart.
Lucian clenched his teeth and gave nothing away. With brows drawn low, he lifted his head.
The young man standing in front of him was the spitting image of Jarek. The same high cheekbones that gave his face a slightly angular look, the same narrow chin, the same deep dark eyes in which Lucian saw his own reflection. Only the ruby red hair and the slimmer, smaller build set him apart from Jarek. And there was also the fact that he was a few years younger. Even a year younger than Lucian.
"Shay," he growled.
"Get up already, or there'll be consequences," Shay said.
His tone was calm, but the underlying hardness carried with it made the hairs on Lucian's neck stand on end.
Shay had lifted his chin slightly, his hands planted on his hips, and regarded him coolly.
Lucian hesitated. Shay being here was not a good sign. Nor was it a good sign that Lucian himself was now sitting in an iron cell. He knew what that meant. He also knew what Shay's presence usually implied.
Then Shay sighed in exactly the same way Lucian had often seen Jarek do, his lower jaw pushing forward slightly, and said:
"I'm not standing here as a Leonis right now, but as Jarek's brother. So relax. You were both lucky that I happened to be nearby."
So that was why he had appeared in Truwenreuth so quickly. Did that mean he had come here solely because of Jarek?
"Jarek asked me to arrange your release, since he is currently…" Shay continued, then paused and briefly looked aside.
After that, he added:
"…having problems."
Problems?,Lucian thought as all the color drained from his face.
"Have I mentioned how dreadful the security measures in Truwenreuth are? If you hadn't been unconscious, they wouldn't have been able to hold you for even two breaths," Shay remarked, shaking his head.
Lucian was lost in thought and barely listening. He wondered how much time had passed and glanced at the small shaft above him that cast a faint light into the cell. Either the weather was bad or it was still early morning, as the light shimmered gray.
Shay, who had been watching him closely, continued under a false assumption:
"What's with that look? I spoke with Banner House Veylan. Your lineage will be swept under the rug for now. Only cost me a string of favors—"
Lucian cut him off abruptly:
"I didn't ask you to do that, so don't act so self-important."
Then he stood up and faced Shay, who was half a head shorter than him.
"Tell me instead what kind of problems Jarek has," Lucian demanded calmly.
Shay's dark eyes watched him without the slightest trace of emotion, prompting Lucian to clench his fists. But his nails, or rather his claws, immediately cut deep into his flesh and painfully reminded him that his very existence was enough to cause Jarek serious trouble. The fact that this had not yet come to pass was due solely to their caution. But what if this time they had not been so lucky? Was that why Jarek was in trouble?
"Watch your tongue, Drakanian. You forget who you are standing before," Shay replied and rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.
He may have used the correct designation for the people of the Drakanians, but somehow Shay managed to make it sound like a vile insult. Possibly because he did not merely speak the word, but almost spat it out, as if he found it repulsive.
"I am not a Drakanian," Lucian answered quietly.
For a moment they stared at each other. When a click from Shay's weapon finally sounded, Lucian reluctantly took a step back and, teeth grinding, turned his head away.
"Good to see you know your place," Shay remarked.
Lucian's nails dug even deeper into his palms until something warm ran over his fingers.
Shay released the weapon again, turned around, and walked toward the door as he said:
"Drakanians may not be welcome in Grania, but if I were you, I would take it as a compliment, even if the term does not quite apply to you."
He stopped in front of the door and glanced back over his shoulder at Lucian, who stood rooted to the spot at the other end of the room.
"For what you truly are is far worse than belonging to an enemy people," Shay added coolly.
While Lucian remained silent, his gaze fell on the door. It was covered in countless dents and no longer fit properly in its frame. What on earth had happened here? Had all of this been Magura's doing?
"Wait, Shay, how long was I unconscious?" Lucian asked as he followed him.
Shay, who had just been about to knock on the locked door, paused and turned back toward Lucian once more.
"No idea. A night or so," he replied dryly. "But I assume you are far more interested in whether Magura took the Flame Hunter, whom you obviously know very well."
A faintly bitter note colored Shay's words as he spoke the term 'Flame Hunter'. Almost as if he knew Nova, which made Lucian knit his brows.
Shay laughed and then said:
"She is said to have escaped. Magura withdrew again empty-handed because of it."
Nova had escaped? How was that possible? And what about Kiyan?
"How did that happen…?" Lucian asked at once.
"According to the guards, the Elementaris somehow escaped from his cell, which apparently led to him fleeing together with the princess and the Flame Hunter," Shay informed him.
Lucian's mouth twitched upward for an instant. Both of them had escaped. Both of them.
"Yes, I figured it would please you, but if I were you, I would not show it quite so openly outside this cell," Shay remarked disdainfully and then sighed.
Lucian's joy vanished just as quickly as it had come when he realized what that escape meant.
"Magura will surely be searching for her now," Lucian murmured.
"It took you long enough to grasp that," Shay said.
That Grania was already searching for her had been bad enough, but if Magura was after her as well, Nova was in even greater danger than Lucian had assumed. With them on her heels, she would be safe nowhere in this world. Until they had her, it was only a matter of time. And when that happened… When Nova fell into Magura's hands …she would be lost.
Not long ago, Lucian had wished for nothing more than for Nova to somehow escape this predicament. He had wished the very same for Kiyan. But now he could not help wondering whether Nova might not be safer in Aurel's hands after all. At least, according to Jarek, Aurel seemed to want her alive.
As for Kiyan…
"So the Leonis are not even after Nova and Kiyan yet?" Lucian asked hesitantly while studying the battered door.
Shay looked at Lucian for a moment before answering:
"Of course they are after them. The Flame Hunter injured Jarek twice, even if he does not want the Leonis to deal with her for now, and the Elementaris recently killed several people outside his duty."
"Twice…?" Lucian repeated in disbelief.
When had Nova injured Jarek a second time?
Before Shay could reply, Lucian added:
"And why do you want to kill Kiyan? He is no threat!"
"No threat?" Shay scoffed and knocked on the door, "Tell that to the families of those he killed recently."
A scraping sound followed, then the door opened, and a guard nodded politely to Shay before stepping aside.
Just as Shay was about to step through the doorway, Lucian moved beside him and argued:
"What else was he supposed to do? You know perfectly well that they never intended to let him live! He had no choice but to try to escape. Would you not have done the same in his place?"
Lucian was certain he would have done exactly the same if their roles had been reversed. He knew Kiyan well enough to know that he was no murderer. Unfortunately, fights sometimes led to deaths. Regardless of whether one wanted it or not, and even if it had been intentional …in the past Kiyan had not killed a single time unless his own life had been in immediate danger. Sometimes not even then, which was why Reno had reprimanded him more than once.
Shay stopped dead in the doorway.
"The circumstances do not interest us," he stated coolly.
"Why not?! And do not tell me it is because your idiotic Codex demands it!" Lucian shot back.
"Idiotic?" Shay hissed and turned halfway toward Lucian, "That Codex, and thus the Leonis as well, is the only thing that has protected our people for two thousand years despite our physical inferiority to other races."
Shay lifted his chin slightly and let his left arm rest against his sword.
"I cannot understand what Jarek sees in you or why he constantly gets himself into trouble for someone like you … but if you ever stand in my way or in the way of another Leonis, that very Codex will end your life swiftly. Whether you have become a threat beforehand or not does not matter, and your connection to Jarek will not protect you either," he made clear with narrowed eyes.
The heat in Lucian's stomach flared up at once, but his desperation cooled it again just as quickly. What was he supposed to do? Was there really nothing he could do to help Nova and Kiyan?
Then it dawned on him that Shay had said 'me or another Leonis.' Did that mean…?
"You intend to go on the hunt yourself?" Lucian asked, eyes wide.
Because of his position, Shay usually remained close to the capital. The fact that he had appeared in Truwenreuth at all was already unusual. But that he would personally take up the hunt, even though it would keep him on the road for weeks or even months? Besides, Shay was not just any Leonis…
"Of course. I still have a personal score to settle with the Flame Hunter and Silvandar's Ashbringer, and while I am at it, I might as well take down the Elementaris too," he replied and stepped out into the corridor.
For several heartbeats, Lucian stood in the cell, stunned. Finally he pulled himself together and stepped through the door as well.
Shay waited impatiently beside the guards and sneered:
"I thought you planned to spend the night in there."
He turned and walked down the corridor. As Lucian passed the guards, he nodded to them as he usually did, but they did not return the gesture and instead looked away. Only the soldier who had helped him to his feet the previous evening and who, despite the bandage around his head, was one of the guards, smiled at him. Lucian returned the smile faintly and followed Shay into the damaged corridor.
As soon as he caught up to Shay, he pressed on:
"What kind of personal score? Have you ever even met Nova?"
"That is none of your concern," Shay replied curtly.
"Shay…!"
Shay glanced at Lucian from the corner of his eye and said:
"Just shut up and come along. Jarek is waiting for you."
Although countless questions burned on Lucian's tongue, he did as he was told.
After a while, they reached another part of the building. Four guards were standing in front of one of the doors. As soon as they saw Shay, they nodded to him respectfully and greeted him, while Lucian was ignored.
With the burning taste of bile in his mouth, Lucian muttered:
"Do not tell me they are guarding Jarek…"
Shay stopped in front of the guarded door.
"Unfortunately, they are," he replied.
"But why…?!" Lucian burst out indignantly.
"I do not like it either, but he is under honorable arrest. I am already doing everything I can to get him out, but it is not that simple," Shay said and stepped forward.
Honorable arrest? Slowly it dawned on Lucian why Shay was here. At first, he had assumed that Shay had appeared because of Jarek's health or because Jarek had asked him to divert the trouble from Lucian, but now it turned out to be far more serious.
Before Shay could knock, Lucian placed a hand on his shoulder:
"Wait."
Shay jerked his shoulder up to shake Lucian off. Then he shot him a glare and hissed:
"Hands off!"
I would much rather do without your company as well, Lucian thought and suppressed a sigh.
"What exactly happened? Why is Jarek under honorable arrest?" he asked.
Shay returned his gaze with an expressionless face. Lucian could not comprehend in the slightest what was going on in this man's mind, even though he had known him for years.
Finally, he pressed him again:
"Just spit it out."
Shay snorted and turned back toward the door.
"Last night, despite his condition, Jarek submitted a report to the capital. In it, he omitted the fact that you know the Flame Hunter very well," Shay explained.
Lucian ran a hand over his forehead, let it rest there for an instant, and stared at his feet.
Shay continued:
"What he did not know, however, was that the mercenaries had been instructed to submit their own report, which, of course, contradicts the one Jarek filed."
"What?" Lucian blurted out. "But why? The mercenaries said—"
"I have rarely heard such a stupid question. What did you expect from people like that? Jarek should have been more cautious from the start," Shay cut him off sharply before knocking.
"With bad luck, he is facing a conviction for high treason," he added quietly.
Lucian nearly bit his tongue. Jarek could be convicted of high treason? Because of a single mistake…? Where had those treacherous mercenary dogs gone?
Then Shay opened the door, and the two of them stepped inside. At once, the scent of iron and bitter herbs hit Lucian. Shay roughly ordered Lucian to close the door, and Lucian complied with a clenched jaw.
The room they had entered was not particularly large, but it was orderly and clean. A narrow bed stood in the right corner, in which Jarek lay and seemed to be sleeping. Beside it was a small wooden side table on which Jarek's crest and his bloodstained uniform had been laid out.
There was only a single window, through which dull light fell. Jarek appeared to Lucian almost paler than the sheets. Dark circles marked the skin beneath his eyes, his hair was disheveled, and his lips were cracked. Even as they entered, Lucian had noticed that Jarek's breathing was rattling and irregular. Jarek's heart, which was beating a little too fast, also worried him.
Lucian's own felt incredibly heavy in that moment. He had visited Jarek before when he had fared poorly after a fight, but he had never seen him this battered, except for that time seven years ago when he had been badly wounded.
Shay cleared his throat:
"Brought your pet, as requested."
Lucian shot him an irritated look, which Shay skillfully ignored.
"D-do not … call … him … that…," Jarek managed between breaths and opened his eyes. Every single word that left his mouth seemed to cost him great effort. The sight of him was hard for Lucian to bear, so he looked down at the floor.
When Jarek threw back the blanket and had to cough until he could barely breathe, Lucian looked up again. Jarek tried to sit up, but only managed to roll onto his side.
Lucian hurried a few steps toward him to help him up, but Jarek extended a hand toward Shay and demanded:
"H-help … me … for a moment."
Without a word, Shay took his hand and carefully helped him up. Then he fluffed the pillow and placed it between Jarek's back and the wall, making him more comfortable.
Lucian's eyebrows shot up. He had never before seen such a human side to Shay. Perhaps he had been mistaken, and there was still something good in this man after all. Even if it was not very much.
"What … is this … sudden … concern? It makes … me nervous," Jarek wheezed. Instead of his uniform, he was wearing a light linen shirt that did not fit him properly.
His younger brother laughed and leaned against the wooden table on the other side of the room with his arms crossed. On it stood a jug, a cup, and an oil lamp.
"You and nervous? That is not something you know at all," Shay replied.
Then Jarek turned to Lucian:
"How was … your nap?"
The stab that went through Lucian's heart when Jarek addressed him made him flinch slightly.
"Never slept better. But you look like absolute shit," he replied.
For an brief instant, the corners of Jarek's mouth twitched upward. Lucian almost missed it, but since he did notice, that small victory warmed his heavy heart just a little.
"Happy … to … return … the favor," Jarek replied.
Now a smile spread across Lucian's face.
"So what did the doctor say?" he asked carefully.
Jarek drew breath to answer. Then Shay raised a hand, whereupon Jarek spared himself the effort and nodded.
"Can't you see he can barely speak? Honestly. Don't ask unnecessary questions. But since it's already been asked … I'll answer it for once," Shay grumbled.
He turned his head toward Lucian, blocking Jarek from view. Jarek sighed soundlessly and exchanged an annoyed look with Lucian while managing a faint smile.
"In a backwater like this, there is unfortunately no real doctor. This isn't the court. The surgeon did take a look at him, though. As long as he takes it easy in the near future, he should more or less return to his old self," Shay explained.
Lucian immediately grew alert.
"More or less?" he asked, without taking his eyes off Jarek, who quickly looked away.
At the question, Shay pulled a face and replied:
"The court physician should have made this clear back then. Any crossing of his body's limits can cause his condition to worsen."
"I know that. That's why he has to stay in bed so long after fights like this, and the court physician also mentioned that he could die if he pushes himself too far. Fortunately that didn't happen, so everything should be fine again," Lucian said.
Jarek still avoided eye contact, which made Lucian furrow his brow. What was wrong with him? Was there something Lucian did not know?
Shay let out a short laugh, then sneered:
"'Everything should be fine again?' How sweet."
Lucian looked back and forth between the two brothers, unsettled.
"Either you didn't understand it back then when it was explained to you, or Jarek made sure you didn't hear everything," Shay said to Lucian and casually crossed one leg over the other.
"Shay … let … me—," Jarek tried to speak.
But Shay cut him off:
"Every single overexertion as severe as yesterday's will further damage his lung. Permanently. And if you are unable to grasp what that means: Here's the explanation…"
"Shay…!" Jarek wheezed, his fingers tightening in the bedcovers.
"His quality of life will deteriorate significantly," Shay continued, regardless of what Jarek had wanted to say, "Even walking just a few steps could become too exhausting for him — provided he is even able to manage it on his own anymore. What is worst of all, however, is that his life will be drastically shortened."
Lucian's breath caught. It was impossible to count how often Jarek had pushed himself too far over the past years. Lucian had never liked it and had always tried to persuade him to stop. But when had this man ever listened to him? Still, he could not help but reproach himself for not having done enough to keep this stubborn man from a folly like this.
Meanwhile, Jarek stared at Shay with a dark expression.
With flaring nostrils, Shay said:
"Since he would not survive transport, he will remain in Truwenreuth for the time being. Under strict guard, of course."
Lucian ran a hand through his hair and slowly paced a few steps across the room.
With luck, that meant there were still a few days left before they returned to Grania, where Jarek faced a possible conviction for high treason. Lucian did not have to think long to know what the punishment for such an offense would be.
"What are the chances that Jarek will be charged? A single incorrect report could have been a mistake," Lucian added.
He stood with his back to the two brothers, but when no one answered, he turned around.
Shay and Jarek were looking at each other in silence until Jarek finally spoke:
"It is … not just that."
"What? There's more they could hold against you?" Lucian asked him.
Both Shay and Jarek nodded. Lucian stood there with his mouth open, not knowing what to say.
Eventually, he murmured:
"Shit, Jarek. What did you do?"