The carriage wheels groaned, protesting every dip and jagged stone on the road leading away from the docks. Inside, the air was thick with the copper tang of blood and the bitter, herbal scent of the experimental potions Eon had forced down Valen's throat.
Eon's eyes fluttered open. His first sensation wasn't the pain, though that was certainly there, humming like a low-frequency vibration in his bones, but the rhythmic thud-thud of horses' hooves and the cool night air hitting his face was the most noticeable to him.
He groaned, trying to sit up.
"Stay down, Master Eon," Hans's voice came from the driver's seat, steady and calm despite the chaos they'd just escaped. "You've done enough for three lifetimes tonight."
Eon ignored him, pushing himself up until his back hit the wooden side of the carriage. He looked around. The carriage was crowded. Aside from himself, Valen lay on the opposite bench, his face still pale but his breathing became steady. A few of the rescued women who were too weak to walk were huddled in the corner, wrapped in spare Denares cloaks.
Behind the carriage, through the open back, he could see the shapes of Elsa, Verra, Martha, and the others walking in the moonlight.
They looked like a funeral procession, yet there was a strange energy to them. They were alive.
"Eon?"
Eon turned his head. Valen was looking at him. The captain's eyes were sharp, too sharp for a man who had a hole blown through his stomach just twenty minutes ago.
"You're awake," Eon rasped. His throat felt like he didn't drank water for days.
"Heh, Hard not to be with this rocking of the carriage," Valen grunted. He shifted, wincing as the new scar on his gut pulled against his skin. He looked down at his chest, where the ruined breastplate sat in a heap on the floorboards. "Those potions you used. I've seen royal healers use draughts that cost a year's wages of mine, but none of them work that fast. You're certainly a strange elf among the ones I have ever seen, Eon."
Eon lean back, closing his eyes for a second. Not responding to his words. He didn't feel like it.
The two sat in silence for a long moment, the only sound being the creaking of the wood and the distant footsteps of the women following behind them. The entire town and the slum became quiet,all of the residents having retreated into their homes after hearing the sound of blast, leaving the streets to the ghosts and the Edger carriage.
"So," Valen spoke up again, his voice dropping to a low tone. "Are you going to tell me now what you have on Alaric?"
Eon's heart skipped a beat al of a sudden hearing that. The exhaustion vanished, replaced by a cold, sharp alertness. He didn't move a muscle, but his hand instinctively twitched toward the dagger tucked into his belt.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Eon said, his voice flat.
Valen let out a short, dry laugh that turned into a wheeze. "Don't lie. I've been the captain of the Denares guard for years. I know Alaric and Darius too well than you might think. They aren't 'cooperative' types. They don't assign their best captain and a hundred soldiers to a 'fallen' house out of the goodness of their hearts. They don't have that kind of hearts."
Valen leaned forward, his gaze boring into Eon's. "I've seen the way Alaric looks at you. It's not respect. It's not even fear. It's the look of a man who's been cornered by a wolf and is trying to convince the wolf he's a friend. You've got a leash on him, don't you? Blackmail? Some secret about the Denares lineage? Or maybe you killed Darius yourself for Alaric to be afraid of you?"
Eon felt the mana in his body, what little was left, begin to stir. He looked at Valen. The captain was unarmed, wounded, and exhausted. Eon could kill him before he could shout for help. But as he looked into the soldier's eyes, he didn't feel a threat from him. He just saw a man who was tired of being lied to.
"Suppose I am," Eon said confidently, his voice became a low growl. "Suppose I'm leading him by the nose. What are you going to do about it, Captain? You're a Denares man. Your loyalty is bought and paid for by that house."
Valen looked out the back of the carriage at the women walking in the dirt. He looked at Martha, who was holding her son's hand, her face set in a mask of grim determination. Then he looked back at Eon.
"Loyalty is a funny thing," Valen said softly. "I followed Alaric and Darius because they were strong. In the North, strength is the only currency that doesn't devalue. I thought they were the ones who would keep the estatefrom being swallowed by the duke, who would keep him in check. And for a while he was it."
He pointed a finger at the scar on his stomach. "The mage who did this... he was a Viscount's son. A 'noble' from a neighboring estate. Alaric knows him. They probably drink together in the capital. While that mage was kidnapping our people, Alaric was likely worrying about his wine cellar."
Valen continued again, "He has gone soft. He isn't what he used to be. Hell he cant even keep some mercenaries in check nowadays as you saw. My loyalty wasn't to a name, Eon. It was to the idea of a leader, who can protect our estate from outsiders and he is failing to do that."
Valen sighed, leaning his head against the carriage frame. "I watched you tonight. I watched a man who used to be a slave, stand up against a monster that chould have killed him easily. I watched you throw your own life into a fire to save just a seamstress. You didn't do it because you had to. You did it because you chose to."
Eon relaxed his grip on his dagger, the tension leaving his shoulders. He felt valen wa getting to a point, "I just did what needed to be done."
"Exactly," Valen said. "Alaric just does what is convenient for him. You do what is necessary. That's the difference."
The captain took a deep breath, looking Eon straight in the eyes. "I'm not going to fight Alaric and I'm certainly not going to fight you.But, if you're looking to truly rebuild this place... if you're looking for a sword that won't break when the wind shifts... I think I'm done with Alaric."
Eon was stunned. "Haha, and you expect me to believe that crap? You're switching sides? Just like that? You're a Captain of the Guard, Valen. You have a position, a salary, a reputation to save. You are not switching side that easily."
"I have a hole in my stomach and a bitter taste in my mouth that says otherwise" Valen countered. "Reputation is for poets. I want to follow a man who can actually change things. You've turned a ruin of a mansion into a fortress in weeks. You've brought hope back to the Slums. I want to see where this road ends, Eon. Even if it ends with me in a prison for rebelion."
Eon looked at the man in front of him. He saw the sincerity in the rugged lines of his face. For the first time, Eon realized he wasn't just building a home for the elves; he might as well have been building a movement all this time. He was attracting people who were tired of the old world, the world of cruel nobles and corrupted mages.
"The road is going to be bloody, Valen," Eon warned. "The Hyra counties merchant Guild isn't going to let that mage's death go unpunished. The Viscount will also come. And Alaric... if he finds out I've 'stolen' his captain, he might snap."
Valen grinned, a sharp, predatory expression. "Let them come. I've always wanted to see what it's like to fight for something I actually believe in. Besides, you're going to need someone to command those soldiers outside the mansion. They're good men, but they've been sitting in camps for too long. They need a purpose."
Eon reached out his hands, which was shaking slightly from the leftover potion tremors. Valen took it, his grip firm and steady.
"Welcome to the team, Captain," Eon said.
"Glad to be here, Lord Eon," Valen replied.
"Uhh, you don't have add the lord part you know." Eon corrected him.
While they chatted away, The carriage continued its climb. Eon looked out at the line of people following them. Martha, Elsa, Verra, Alen... and several other woman they rescued.
The journey wasn't long, as the mansion's silhouette appeared quickly on the hill, illuminated by the dying moon, he realized he wasn't alone anymore.
"Hans," Eon called out to the front.
"Yes, Master Eon?"
"When we get back, make sure the guest wing is prepared. And... tell the kitchen to prepare every scrap of food we have. We have guests, and they've had a very long night."
"Already planned, sir," Hans chuckled. "I've already sent word ahead."
Eon leaned back and closed his eyes. The pain was still there, but he was getting relaxed as they reached closer to the mansion.
Author Note: This marks a major turning point, right? Or does it? Valen joining Eon isn't just about adding a strong fighter; it's about Eon's influence spreading to the humans of this region. The "Black-Haired Demon" is becoming a legend, and we all know, legends attract both followers and enemies.