The Blood King - Chapter Twenty-Nine (Patreon)

Nymira

The fortress looks different during the day. It’s dredged in misery. The sky is covered in a thick gray cloud that won’t allow sunlight to pierce it. And why would it? This place is an evil place where Ancients turned against one another, spilling their blood in the soil, and destroying its surroundings in the process.

Namely, Dragonborn and Ikniri.

I pull in a sharp breath as the sound of clashing swords pulls me from my thoughts. Caius trains with Cassian’s men in the courtyard, their movements deadly as they spar against one another. I continue to study Caius, my curiosity about him growing. Though he is the closest thing I have to a friend, he is still a mystery to me. Most of our conversation consists of his speaking in riddles, attempting to mask some kind of guilt he lives with for some reason. Whatever the reason, anytime he comes close to revealing it to me, we are interrupted.

I look past him to Caderyn, who stands among the men that are watching the sparring session. I have yet to speak to him since we acquired him on the journey here. Though I can’t speak to him, seeing as we don’t speak the same language, adding to my shame and disconnect. I am curious about Cassian’s plans for him since saving him, but since the night we arrived, I haven’t seen him. And I am glad for it.

Ever since that night, my body has been reacting strangely when it comes to Cassian. He overruns my thoughts, he intimidation I felt near him shifting to adrenaline. Though I enjoy the cold, the heat that being near him brings, that throbs between my legs, isn’t unpleasant. And after seeing him shirtless, and being so close to him the other night, I can’t get him out of my head.

“Whose next?” Caius calls out to the men, pulling me from my thoughts. For the first time in a while, I see a smile on his face. He seems much less anxious. Even the men around him seem relaxed as they settle into this space. It is clear this place holds not just negative memories for them.

I jump down from where I was sitting on the banister, pulling everyone’s attention as I approach with my hand raised.

“I would like to try,” I say.

Caius’s expression shifts to shock, his brief moment of peace interrupted by me.

“Nymira…”

“What, did Cassian say I wasn’t allowed to spar with you? It’s not like I’d be using my power,” I say.

Caius continues to watch me, and Caderyn perks up behind him, his attention drawn by the exchange. I can see that Caius is still thinking about it, so I hold my hand out to Caderyn.

“Weapon,” I say. He eyes me in confusion, and I point to the wooden sword in his hand. Realization dawns on him, and he steps forward with a grin, saying something to Caius in the language of the Ancients.

He then moves past him, handing me the weapon. His grip remains briefly as he looks at me.

“Tsbola,” he says, gesturing to the sword.

I nod, murmuring the words I repeat, and he smiles.

“Auruna clote,” he says, stepping back. I recognize part of the phrase from Caius, Cassian, and even his greeting to me. “Auruna san.”

“He is saying Good luck,” Caius says, tapping his sword against mine to pull my attention.

“You’re going to need it,” Caius says, shifting into an offensive stance. I smile, my heart rate increasing in excitement.

“Don’t think that just because I grew up in the forests, I don’t know how to use one of these,” I say, raising my sword as well.

Caius rolls his eyes, and I hear some of Cassian’s men laughing and placing their bets just as Caius lunges for me. I counter his attack, using his momentum to sidestep him. But he is fast, turning when I expected him to keep moving as he brings his blade down, and I bring mine up to block him. Our blades collide, and we hold one another.

I hear Cassian’s men shouting words of encouragement to both of us. Some throw jests in Caius’s direction, and he smiles.

“Not too bad for someone raised in the forests,” he says.

He suddenly lifts his blade, knocking my grip loose as he brings the sword near my throat. But I dodge easily, arching my back. I quickly flip my grip on my blade so that it is flush with my forearm, holding it directly in front of me.

Caius’s amusement disappears for a moment, his eyes shifting quickly over the way that I hold my blade before he comes back to himself, attacking.

His strikes are quick and brief, making me wonder how fast I would be beaten if I wasn't an Ancient at this point. But my heart is beating much faster, and I am actually having fun for the first time in a very long time.

Caius launches at me from above, using both of his hands to hold his blade, and I counter, allowing him to hit my sword. The force he uses is too much for the wooden blade, and it cracks halfway through before I throw him. He’s as fast as when we began, his leg coming up, inches from kicking me in the chin. But it throws off my balance, and I stumble just as he pushes forward, knocking me off balance.

I cry out as I fall into the grass, and the cheers that erupt for both of us are both endearing and irritating. But as I look up, Caius holds his hand out for me, helping me to my feet. It’s refreshing to see him smiling.

“Not bad at all,” he says.

“Htat swenyeom shural!” Caderyn says behind me.

Caius raises a brow, laughing.

“He says you were amazing,” he says.

I look at Caderyn, smiling in thanks before looking back to Caius.

“He seems to be doing better,” I say.

Caius nods, gesturing for one of his men to take our wooden swords. He walks with me to the banister, just as Caderyn steps forward, ready to spar with one of Cassian’s men. I note that his movements are clumsy. He clearly has no idea how to hold a sword, let alone fight with one.

“Cassian has charged me with keeping an eye on him until we return. A few good meals and a warm bed seem to be doing wonders for him,” he says.

I smile at the mention of Cassian being kind to him even after he attacked him.

“Has he told you anything about his past?” I ask.

Caius shakes his head.

“Just because he is in a good mood doesn’t mean he trusts us. He doesn’t talk much,” Caius says.

“Oh,” I say, letting my disappointment shine through.

“Maybe I could try speaking with him,” I say.

Caius laughs, looking at me. “You can’t even understand him.”

I shrug.

“You could translate,” I say.

Caius’s expression shifts, and he looks away, shaking his head.

“Cassian would have to translate for you. I am not to mediate any conversations between you two,” he says.

I scoff.

“What?” I ask.

But then I remember what Caius said to me the other night about possibly being a threat to Cassian. It is clear that if I want to know anything, Cassian is my source. Though I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Or if I can even trust Cassian.

“Cassian doesn’t trust him either. Don’t forget, he attacked us. He attacked a king, and was already outlawed by his people before doing so,” Caius says.

“Cassian is doing him a great mercy by sparing his life.”

“Hm,” I murmur.

“Just another outlawed Ancient granted amnesty by the benevolent Dragonborn king,” I say sarcastically.

“You jest, but you saw what happened when you came into contact with another Dragonborn… even with humans for the first time,” Caius says, reminding me of my bitter past.

“Peyra would be cross if she knew I owed my life to a Dragonborn,” I say, smiling.

Caius looks at me.

“I take it she didn’t like Dragonborn,” he says.

I shake my head. “No. She always warned me against them, constantly using the Blood King as an example,” I say, looking to the top of the fortress, where Cassian and I spoke the other night. He confirmed that the Blood King is real, but he wasn’t sure if he still served him. He is different than what I was raised to believe about Dragonborns, making me wonder what happened to him during the war for him to be merciful now.

“But what choice do I have? Especially when she kept everything about myself from me. In the end, she died for nothing,” I say. “Now, I must wait for Cassian to decide whether or not he will turn me in.”

Caius lowers his head.

“Trust me… He’s not going to turn you in. You’re safe here,” he says.

I look away from the forest to Caius, but once again he won’t look at me.

“And Silas?” I ask.

Caius scoffs to himself. “Silas won’t be doing anything without Cassian’s permission.”

I look back to the sparring session. Caderyn is down, breathing hard as he concedes to Cassian’s man. I feel the need to protect him, I realize. Both of us have been outcasted by our kind. All we have is Cassian to protect us, which is a bitter realization.

I hope Caius is right for both of our sakes.