Bonds of Light and Fire

5. Gestures of Trust

Luciana moved in light and graceful steps, balancing on the tips of her toes as she did so. She was on her way to training, having said a short goodbye to Aeron and watching his patrol leave. They'd spent most of the night awake, talking about ways Luciana could improve her skills in two weeks, and what they would do if she was told to leave.

So far, they hadn't made a single plan that Luciana approved of. She couldn't let Aeron give up his place in the Bane. The income he earned was enough for him to afford the necessities and a few extra things on the side. He was looking at a possible promotion. He had a decent hut to call his own. He had friends and allies. He had respect. He couldn't give that up for her. Not after he'd worked so hard to earn it.

It had taken Luciana a while to persuade Aeron to tell her the full story of his past. Now that she knew, his ambitions were far more precious than her own. She would do anything to help him achieve them. Aeron had done so much for her already. This was the least she could do in return.

There were several reasons Aeron had been unwilling to talk about his past. The largest was that he was born of rape. His mother had been a Human cartographer under Brye's command during one of his crusades. He'd had his eye on her during the whole campaign, despite already being married to Dalise. When orders came for his forces to return to Wendlyn, he got Aeron's mother drunk and raped her.

When he learned of Aeron's conception, Brye demanded that everything possible be done to get rid of the child. Aeron's mother refused and Brye took matters into his own hands. He tried to have her killed, but she managed to escape to Terrasen and Brye lost track of her. She gave birth to Aeron and raised him until he was eight, before she died of sickness.

Aeron was taken in by a family in the village where they lived, but they weren't overly fond of him because of his Demi-Fae status. They were the ones who told him the truth of his birth, and what his father had tried to do. That was why, when he received his first letter from Luciana, he'd been unwilling to speak with her.

Aeron had explained that he'd been worried it was just a trick and their father had somehow found him. He'd been worried that, even if it wasn't a trick, Luciana would tell Brye something about him and he would face the consequences. She'd assured him that she kept their contact a secret and, as far as she knew, Brye had never learned about it.

From there, Aeron told of how he came to join the Bane and what he'd done to earn his place there. He hadn't struggled nearly as much as Luciana when it came to fighting, although being Demi-Fae made it difficult to earn respect from his companions. Somehow, Aeron had managed. Luciana hoped she could do the same. She would not allow her brother to give up the life he'd made for himself on her behalf.

"If being a soldier doesn't work out for you, I think I know another job you'd be good at," a gruff voice chuckled behind her.

Luciana faltered as she caught sight of Kron. Malik was at his side. "Yeah." Malik elbowed Kron with a sly grin. "I'd pay good money to watch her dance."

Kron skipped in front of Luciana. "I'd pay a little extra and let you dance right here." He patted his thigh.

Luciana pursed her lips and ducked around him. "I don't do those kinds of dances."

"You could learn."

"Unless you're as poor a learner in everything else as you are in fighting," Malik pointed out.

"Where's your bastard brother?" Kron asked.

Luciana refused to look at them. "Why? Do you miss him already?"

"No. I just want to know if he's around to stop me."

Her heart plummeted. "From doing what?"