"You were young," his father countered. "Memories of youth are always softer and full of hope."
"I am older now," Mannily said. "And my hope is stronger still." Perhaps a little more potent than the fear.
"I do not want to lose you," his father admitted.
"I do not want to live and do nothing," Mannily said. "Mayhap I am chasing rabbits again, but I will be on that line. I know enough to be a nuisance to the enemy and give my betters the room to act." He swallowed hard, knowing it would take all he had to run forward in such a battle. Death was not an easy thing to run toward.
His father nodded slowly, with surrender evident. "Then you must go. I will not have you on this wagon when there is sword training to be had." He added a weak smile and embraced Mannily. "My pride will be with you, so do your best to bring it back to me."
~~~~~
Kelton sat in a chair next to Queen Margarey, still bound and sitting upright upon the ground. He sipped a fine tea - not South Alyandar but fresh leaves nonetheless. Luran had sourced it from somewhere, an attempt to gain more favor with her son. Kelton could find no way to tell her that it was unnecessary, that her nearness was all that was needed. He wondered if his half-brothers felt the same toward their treacherous mother.
"They will give you eternity," the Queen whispered when they were mostly alone. She had been docile as of late, so the guards were content to be outside the tent.
"Aye," Kelton said and sipped his tea. "They promise much to many. I have done sums in my head and know their growth alone will defeat them." The Queen seemed surprised by the statement.
"Death is death," the Queen continued. "I know Magna'est. I can bring you to him and forever will be yours."
"I hardly know what I will do on the morrow," Kelton said. "Forever seems a tiresome place where this day and the next become the same. Nay, I only desire to grow old with the one who curls my toes." He chuckled, for he enjoyed toying with the Queen. Her mind was warped, and she could not understand that without death, life held little meaning.
"Your woman is cursed," the Queen said, her whisper turning cruel.
"And you are not?" Kelton said, sipping the tea casually as he looked down at the Queen. "You birthed my brothers but sold them for a profit that will never be. How does that not scar your mind?" He was curious about the true answer to that question.
"How is yours not scarred," the Queen countered. "At the cost of a few, there has been peace in this land for winters beyond memory. You have brought war, and it will cost far more. If you were to succeed, would you not open this land to conquest. Who is the true horror?"
"You choose Lord Brandishe's argument," Kelton said, nodding. "It is a valid one I have long thought on. I ask: If this peace is so valuable to the land, why do the Brethren hide behind lies to keep it? Nay, peace is only a tool they use to care for their herd. They are but wolves keeping sheep. Tell the sheep the truth, and they grow fangs as you have seen. Peace is valuable, but so is choice. Many, including I, find the Choosings and cursings too steep a cost and choose not to pay. You do not believe the same; thus, I am brotherless."
"I have been Promised," the Queen said as if it explained it all. It did not have the vigor it should have. Perhaps she was beginning to see her misplaced trust. Kelton wondered if it will surprise her when the Brethren renege. He pondered if it was natural for a corrupted soul to trust other corrupted blindly.
"You have made dreadful miscalculations," Kelton said. "What is forever for a mother who claims her own sons' lives - it is but a short thing of misery." He stood with his mug, deciding he had chosen the wrong seat. Toying with her had lost its luster. "Know that there is a steep cost to granting you the Promise and no profit in it. None of the honor you rely upon is left among the Brethren, for your precious forever has sucked it from their souls. You have given more than most and will receive nothing in return."
Chapter 171
Start from the beginning
