Jason

  "I didn't want to undermine you, but riding the Strada is a stupid idea," Alensar grumbled.

  "It's faster, though. And there's other, more tempting travelers, and we can always team up with someone. You don't want to get stuck on a lonely road with someone desperate," Darion countered. He flopped onto Alensar's bed. Jason should have gotten used to the liberties he took, but it still annoyed him. Perhaps that's why Darion did it.

  "Someone desperate is better than a carefully planned ambush." Alensar sat down next to him, leaning against the headboard. There was a relaxation in his shoulders that Jason only saw when he was near Darion.

  "As long as we don't stay in any towns, we won't have to worry about an ambush." Darion gestured to make his point, but still didn't sit up.

  "Well, then I'm riding as part of the guards," Alensar said.

  "You haven't been training, you think you remember how to fight?"

  Alensar fell into his Karangasz accent. "A dog does not forget how to bite."

  Darion laughed. "What do you think, Jason?"

  Jason had melted into the background, so he was startled to hear his name.

  "Uh, I think the speed of the Strada reduces the risk," he stammered, though he wasn't really sure. He didn't want to say he didn't know.

  Darion tilted his head to Alensar, and they exchanged glances. Jason was envious of their unspoken communication. He never had something like that with either of his siblings.

  "Looks like we'll be taking the Strada," Darion said, grinning.

  Alensar snorted. "Just because you're charming doesn't make you right....but if I can ride, I agree. We just need to convince Laude Elaine."

  Darion waved his hand. "You're a noble. You're supposed to have unreasonable whims."

  ***

  Before they left, Jason intended to stop by his house, but his feet led him to Mister Andrei's shop instead.

  Mister Andrei gave him a slight nod as he finished with another customer, and Jason browsed the bookshelf.

  After the customer left, he greeted Jason with, "So, have you made up with your mother yet?"

  Jason winced. "Hello to you too."

  "Well?" Mister Andrei doubled down.

  "How do you even know about that?"

  Mister Andrei poured two cups of tea from his eternally full teapot. "She came by to talk to me."

  Jason took the cup. "I…"

  "Hadn't known she and I talked? Well, she was nervous about you coming here when you were little. But when she saw that I meant you only kindness, she calmed down and came for a cup of tea on occasion. Hard to say if we're friends exactly." He took a sip from his own cup. "But when you got mixed up with some folks that she wasn't sure about, she came and talked to me about it."

  "She's pretty prejudiced… more than I realized."

  "There's a difference between her neighbor and a thug like Darion." Mister Andrei gestured with his cup to emphasize the point.

  Jason swallowed.

  "Now I know he's a thug with a good heart," Mister Andrei said. "But he's an outlaw just the same. Your mother was right to be cautious about letting him in her house."

  Jason swirled the liquid in his cup.

  Mister Andrei continued. "I knew his parents. I've known him since he was small. He's honorable, but he won't hold back from killing someone when he needs to. You should know that before you get too close."

  "I know that. And he works for Laude Granthor now," Jason said, not sure what point he was trying to make.

  Mister Andrei raised a brow. "I'm not sure what scheme those two are cooking up, but you be careful."

  "I don't think there's a scheme."

  "Yet. If there isn't one, there will be."

  Jason smiled. "Maybe."

  Mister Andrei gestured with his head. "Get back on good terms with your mother. I told her that I knew those boys and that they were the right sort. "

  "I will." Jason managed to sound only a little bit petulant. "I'm leaving soon. We're going to the countryside, with Laude Granthor."

  "Are you now? I'll have to supply you with some books for your journey." Mister Andrei went to the shelf to start grabbing some. "But it will be good for you to see new things and get out of the city."

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  The talk turned to travel and the mundane moments of their lives. As Jason left, Mister Andrei gave him a long hug goodbye.

  Jason couldn't think of anywhere else to go, so he went home. He had been by a few times for meals, but not as often as he should. He wasn't so cruel as to avoid his mom, but there was a tension in things left unsaid.

  He waited until after dinner to tell her about the trip.

  "How long will you be gone?"

  "I'm not sure. I'll send money home, though."

  "If you want to stay here, we'll find a different way to get money." She put her hand on his face. "But you want to go. I suppose all young people want adventure."

  "I'm not a soldier. I'll be safe."

  His mother stepped forward and hugged him. He hesitated for a moment before gripping her tightly.

  She pulled away, wiped her eyes, and then took a small golden medallion off her neck. "Take it.'

  Jason took it. "But this is from Papa–he gave it to you."

  He didn't dare give it back, but he didn't put it on either.

  "I want you to take it and go under Helion's blessing. It will mean more to me knowing that you have it. Your papa is always with me in my heart. I want to make sure I'm in yours." She sniffed.

  "Mom, of course you are," Jason said, bringing her in for another hug, and his own eyes pricking with tears.

  "Just the same, I want you to take it."

  He let her fasten the medallion on his neck, the metal still warm from when she wore it.

  He returned to Laude Granthor's house, both lighter and heavier.

  Alensar

  Instead of sitting down for the lesson, Professor Tannen stood by the doorway.

  "Let's go for a walk, shall we?"

  Alensar stood and steadied himself as the edges of his vision went black. A part of him wanted to refuse, but he nodded and followed Professor Tannen through the gardens.

  Alensar paused before following him out the back gate. They waved and nodded to the guard, Orion.

  They walked in companionable silence in the empty alleyway behind the house. Professor Tannen's steps clacked much louder than Alensar's on the paving stones.

  They stayed in the back alley between the high white plaster walls surrounding the noble houses.

  "You know," Professor Tannen said. "I always wondered how my faith would suffer if I went through what you did."

  Alensar took a moment to consider his words. "Some people can hold tight to the gods when in times of great difficulty. I would imagine that would be the case for you."

  "But not for you."

  Alensar shrugged. "I never had much faith to begin with."

  "Even though you were an acolyte?"

  "How–"

  "I saw your tattoos. And I'm familiar with the symbols of the sibling god."

  "You acknowledge the blasphemer?" Alensar said with a half-smile.

  "I have some heretical ideas, which is why they have me tending to the condemned." Professor Tannen smiled as well.

  "Not your choice of work?"

  "It's good work. I've come to appreciate it."

  They turned onto the main street, the shops, cafes, and restaurants announcing their offerings with elegant signs. The colors were all in tasteful pastels, complementing each other, and striped awnings shielded those stopped to look through their windows.

  Alensar waited until they were out of earshot of a strolling couple before replying. "I felt that way too. The strange-eyed, adopted son of a clan leader was destined to be an acolyte. But with time, I saw it as a calling."

  "And now?"

  "Now I'm a nobleman. I'm allowed to be skeptical but not blasphemous."

  The Tannen led him through the main gate.

  "We shouldn't leave the noble quarter." Alensar cringed at his caution.

  "We're almost there."

  The streets were immediately a little dirtier, though the wealth of the noble quarter rubbed off on the nearby shops. Tanned led them down a back alley and knocked rhythmically on a plain door.

  A woman opened a slit, saw him, and let them inside.

  "Welcome, welcome," she said, her smile creasing the edges of her blue eyes.

  They descended a staircase to a basement as she locked the door behind them. Years of daily incense clung to the air.

  Alensar took hold of the bench and slid into it. Polished steel stars hung from the ceiling in a sky of black curtains. There were small, judiciously placed mirrors throughout the room to catch the light from the candles and small windows.

  An altar with a circular sculpture showing the phases of the moon was at the front of the room. A black circle represented the darkness of the new moon, on top and prominent.

  "You're more heretical than I thought, priest."

  Tannen sat next to him. "Is that so? I just like to come here for a break. A quiet place to rest."

  Alensar scoffed.

  The peace of the space settled over him like a good night's sleep.

  He let it, closing his eyes. He didn't know what he believed anymore, but he still belonged here. And he always would.

  Near an hour passed when the woman priest spoke. At some point, she sat next to him, but he hadn't noticed. Strange.

  "You've been touched by Nekthor."

  She said the name with the Karangasz pronunciation.

  "Because of my eyes?"

  She scoffed. "My own life showed me that the eyes are a superstition. But they led me to the work. No, in your case, there are a lot of other marks."

  Perhaps she had a gift and could see the scars on his soul.

  His gift had been killing, not comforting. Both were needed by the children of Nekthor.

  "Would you like me to pray with you?"

  Had he been praying? Sitting in the formless peace of a holy space. Perhaps it was close enough.

  "Yes."

  She put a hand on his shoulder. She said nothing out loud. Her prayers, too, might be formless.

  And yet, something shifted in him.

  She said the traditional blessing in Anglish. "May the peace of the gods find you. May the spirits of the dead comfort you. In this life and the next."

  "Thank you."

  He looked around. Professor Tannen was no longer in the room.

  "He said he would wait outside."

  "Perhaps not so heretical after all."

  She laughed. "If only we could all be as heretical as Gorge."

  "If only," He got up, pulled a coin from his pocket, and gave it to her. "Thank you."

  She took it and bowed to him.

  Alensar did an inferior bow to her, then another to the symbol of the god he once served, and left.

  ***

  Darion was standing outside with the Professor. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

  For a moment, he searched Alensar's face, worry at the corners of his eyes. But he hid it with an easy grin. Darion could fool most people, but not Alensar.

  "Guarding you is more exciting if you just wander off."

  "Glad I could make your life interesting."

  "I've been in the mood for boring lately." A joke that was not a joke.

  "I'll let you know next time." Alensar tried not to sound annoyed. Darion always had a protective streak, but he hadn't directed it at Alensar since they were kids.

  Professor Tannen broke the tension. "The fault is all mine. How about we get some pastries to make up for it?"

  Alensar shook his head. "I'm not hungry, but thank you. I'm a bit tired, so let's head back."

  He ignored the glance the two of them exchanged.

  But when they walked past the bakery, he paused. Darion and Tannen said nothing, as if afraid they would spook him. Bread glowed golden in the window, and frosted pastries sat perfect and plump in neat rows. His pride wanted to keep going, but his stomach overruled it.

  "You know, Darion has quite the sweet tooth. It would be a shame not to get some."

  Darion grinned at that. "You're so kind, Val."

  Alensar snorted and followed Professor Tannen inside.