Tales of a Dead God

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Sunset are Better Above the Clouds

Several weeks had passed in the palace and battle preparations were in full swing. Erebus and his army were making their way along the mountain pass but it was slow. Lorcán wasn't too worried about them gaining any significant ground at the moment. Noah trained from dawn to dusk most days with Gabriel. He was improving each day and at a quick rate. Noah was finally in the mindset of feeling like he could do well with a bow.

While Noah was making strides with a bow, Theo had taken to another weapon. He still practiced with his bow but still found it difficult to fully pull the string back. So, he had taken to using a sword. He would show up early in the morning before anyone else and stay until late at night. He had grown a reputation among most of his peers as a deadly force, and it was true. He had become very proficient with a sword.

Ifera was soon overrun by an influx of boys and men coming to help fight. Since the last of the royal military would soon be setting off, Ciro agreed to help train them. Gabriel took up the position of training a small group of the top archers within Lorcán's army. He wasn't too sure given he had been on his own as an assassin for so many years, but he still figured it out.

On one particular morning, Theo decided to eat breakfast and catch up with Noah. They hadn't really talked let alone seen each other in weeks. Most times Gabriel and Noah were found in the dining hall for meals. Noah always brought plates of food to the room at night for when Theo would return. Theo walked down past many already existing in the dining hall getting ready for the day ahead. Entering he looked around at the still decent crowd. After a few minutes, he saw a hand waving in his direction, it was Noah smiling. He headed when he caught a glimpse of golden eyes. Theo smiled as he hadn't seen Ciro in some time.

"We had some leftovers here you could've just had." Noah pointed out. There was a muffin and some fruit left over.

Theo shrugged. "I wanted to see what they had given. I never come down here."

"Yeah alright." Noah nodded.

Gabriel turned to Theo and smiled. "You know you could come to visit every once in a while." Theo smiled and chuckled a bit.

"It's been a busy few weeks."

"I've heard you've gained quite the reputation." Ciro leaned forward to see around Gabriel. "I'm impressed."

Theo nodded. "Well, I learned from the best."

Ciro began to speak but a wave from the entrance caught his attention. He sighed and stood from his bent position talking to his brother and stretched. "Listen it was good seeing you Gabriel, but I've got to get down to the city." He glanced over at Theo with a silent apology. "I want to hear about everything later."

Gabriel's face fell a bit. "Come on man. Can't stay and catch up?"

"Got to whip those boys into shape," Ciro answered half joking. Gabriel gave a nod, but you could see the disappointment. Ciro patted his brother on the shoulder before turning to leave. As he did, he was met by Theo. Their eyes met and Theo could see just how exhausted Ciro was. Below the smiles and joking was an exhausted leader. Ciro squeezed Theo's shoulder before heading off.

Theo stood with his shoulders fell as he watched Ciro disappear out of the hall.

Noah and Gabriel exchanged sympathetic glances as Theo came back to join them at the table. He felt a hand squeeze his shoulder. "He's been like this for weeks now. Coming and going quickly."

"Yeah, from what I've heard, it's been a living hell down in the city with them trying to turn those idiots into anything resembling a soldier," Noah said. Gabriel raised a brow and folded his arms.