Fear and Blood

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

“Must you leave again, so soon?” Ly's mother said sadly to his father. They sat together in the early hours of daylight, whilst their children were meant to be sleeping. They did it often, Ly knew, to discuss things they didn't want their children to overhear.

“I have to,” Lycon replied, sighing deeply. Ly had never seen his father look so tired. There were dark shadows under his eyes and his skin was paler than usual. “There are still events in the south that need my personal attention. It will be all right Selena, returning as soon as possible will be my priority. If everything goes well this should not take me long.”

Ly shifted slightly, watching his parents from the tiny crack between the sliding doors that led to the sitting room. Tristan told him he shouldn't listen to conversations that didn't concern him, but he wanted to know what his parents talked about while he was meant to be asleep.

So his father was going away again, that was nothing new. Lycon spent most of his time away from home and even when he was there he never paid Ly much attention, preferring to spend his time with Dante or Tristan.

“I just find it hard to understand why you have to go,” Selena said as she pushed her long golden hair out of her eyes. Her voice was calm but Ly could tell she was frustrated. “You could just as easily send someone else. You only just returned, and the boys miss you so much.”

“Dante will come with me this time,” Lycon said, though he was looking unhappy with the situation as well. “And Tristan says he understands why I do what I do. He really is mature for his age.”

“What about Lyconides?” Ly backed away a little at the sound of his name, as if, by talking about him, they would know he was listening. “He is too young to understand why you are never around. He needs his father, Lycon.”

Lycon sighed again, running his fingers through his pitch black hair. “He might not understand now,” he replied slowly. “But, one day, he too will see why things are the way they are. He is not going to be a child forever.”

“Exactly,” Selena said, sounding angry now. Mother is never angry, Ly thought. “He is not going to be a child forever, does that mean he will spending most of his childhood without you? I have noticed, so you cannot pretend. I have noticed how much more time you spent with Dante and Tristan and how you ignore Ly. You act as if he is not your son.”

“Selena please,” Lycon groaned. “I know he is my son, but...there are just so many differences between him and his brothers. I find these differences hard to deal with. I saw him outside his room the other day, at ten in the morning, and when I asked him why he was awake he told me it was because he was afraid. Afraid, Selena, afraid of hunters! He is so scared of them he cannot even sleep.”

“You think that strange? For a seven years old?” Ly's mother said, looking at her husband in disbelief. “How can he not be afraid of hunters, with the stories Dante tells him, any child would be.”

“Tristan has never been,” Lycon retorted. “Not even when he was younger, but that is not the only issue. Yes he is my son and, yes, he is only seven, but he is difficult to understand and I find it impossible to relate to him. He is too quiet, too reserved. Only the other night I saw him sitting on the steps outside the house watching some of the household children. I asked him if he wanted to join in with their game and he gave me this look like my words made no sense. He told me that he would rather just wait for Tristan to get back from his lesson. That in itself is another problem, when Tristan is not here, Lyconides just sits up in his room waiting for him. He relies too much on his brothers and...”

Ly didn't want to listen any more. He knew his father didn't like him as much as he liked Dante or Tristan, but he didn't know why. He tried to be like them, he tried not to be afraid, he tried to fit in, but it was hard and he felt ashamed when he failed.