A LAND OF FIRE AND DARKNESS

Chapter 19

The next morning, I met Laveen in the training ring at first light. Delcallon had still not returned but I tried to not let it bother me. I felt like it was too much of a coincidence that he decided to tour the continent after his weird behavior at the table.

I believed he was purposely trying to avoid me.

Laveen and I stretched out together inside the white painted ring as we began to warm up. His hair was braided into a bun, and on any other man I doubted it would work, but on him, it caused his strong jaw and cheekbones to become his main attraction.

He looked over at me with his auburn eyes, "I heard you pinned Tristan to the ground." His lips curved, "I have never been prouder."

My heart faintly swelled at his kindness that was delivered In a form of a joke. I swallowed it down and shoved his arm, "Shut up." I snarled before turning and stretching out my legs.

He chuckled out as began to do the same.

We were forming some sort of friendship, which was almost completely unknown territory for me. I could not remember ever having a friend. My brother and I were close up until our father died, and my ladies in waiting were not friends. It would be depressing to admit, but Lewis was probably the closest thing to a friend.

Yarris was also becoming what I would consider a friend, sure he openly enjoyed flirting with me, but he was kind and seemed to want to look out for me.

Brallon had always been kind to me, since day one. He had been the most considerate and gentle one while I went through my numb phase.

Dorica was probably not a friend, she seemed to still distrust me and I could not blame her. I doubted I would be kind to anyone who tried to kill my brother.

"What is going on between Dorica and Brallon?" The question just slipped out of my mouth as I thought about them fighting the evening before.

Laveen's eyes widened and his eyebrows rose. "I do not think even they know." He shrugged with an awkward smile, "Their history is... Long."

I folded my arms over my chest, "I think I have time." I smirked with a sarcastic tone in my words.

He shook his head and grinned, "Do not be nosey." He pointed at me while giving me a tsking sound.

I pursed my lips and sucked in a breath for the next part I wanted to try and get out.

"You all know everything about me." I started with an awkward voice, "You know who I am, how I came to be. You know my past, that Lewis trained me, what Eskar did to me." I surprised myself by saying the last part so easily.

I looked into Laveen's golden-auburn eyes. "But I do not know anything about you."

He looked at me in pure astonishment, like watching a Dragon take flight for the first time. His lips turned into the gentlest of smiles.

"I cannot answer for the others." He began with a kind voice, "But you are welcome to ask me anything you like."

Millions of questions ran through my mind as I looked at the General of Delcallon's armies.

"How did you meet Delcallon?" I asked as I began to stretch out some tight ligaments.

He bobbed his head and leaned it back while he began to recall, "I met him before he was declared a Highvarion." He began with a voice of memory.

He looked at me and his face deepened, this was not going to be a cute story.

"My parents were both Oblivions." He started, "My mother could fly, while my father could track down Elementals."