Serpent's Daughter (Four Kingdoms #1) ✓

37. Damning Weaknesses

"You can, and you will," Sephirah responded, her voice clearer. She shook her head, the wild mane of red hair swiping at the air. Aydin noticed the slight tremble of her lip and the sweat shining on her perky, scrunched up nose. "You might not be able to change the past, but you can change the future. Don't give up now, Aydin. You've come too far to just abandon all hope."

"The beautiful lady is right, you know," a voice spoke from ahead of the pair. Aydin's head snapped up, and his hazel eyes narrowed at the tall man standing near them. His silver eyes glowed with mischief while his mouth cloth covered the rest of his face.

"Who are you?" Aydin questioned after a long moment of silence. Sephirah rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Shuffling footsteps paused as the man stared at Aydin. Suddenly, the strange fellow burst out laughing, a deep rumbling sound that filled the entire space surrounding the group. Sephirah jumped, and Aydin winced as her firm grip on his hand tightened further.

He yanked his hand away, shooting her a dark glare. By the goddess's lovely bones, was she trying to crush his spear hand?

"I think you shall be the most entertaining," the man spoke between his fading chuckles. He gestured at the figure a couple of paces ahead of them who was glaring at him. "Don't you agree, lisanhos?"

"Stop fooling around, Kaleb." The second man waved his hand while shaking his covered head. "You will have your fun after they meet with the bura ouras."

Ren's scoffed from further ahead. "What's the word for fun in that strange language of yours?"

"Phom," Kaleb responded as his hands drummed on his trousers. Aydin focused on the anxious movement. Kaleb seemed like the type of man who disliked being motionless. Aydin's eyes drifted to the other man standing as still as a statue. Despite their similar characteristics, they were drastically different.

"Call it bullshit since that's what it is." Ren craned his neck, a slight grimace flashing across his face.

Aydin felt a pang of sympathy as he remembered what had happened. He'd gotten hit by Sephirah's boomerang multiple times in the past, and he knew the pain radiating through Ren's body fairly well. Even if the man was a healer, he doubted he had gotten rid of all of the injuries.

"I have to concur," Aydin spoke, drawing the attention of the two men. Their silver eyes burned into his, and an uncomfortable feeling surfaced in his gut. There was something about their eyes that bothered Aydin. When they looked at him, it was almost like they were seeing all of him. Every dark, dirty, and guilty thought raced through his mind, and the craving for liquor ravaged his body.

"We had to test you," the man said as he walked closer, stepping beside Kaleb, who stilled his fingers. Aydin struggled to recall the other man's name. He was never good with names. "We brought forth the fears and nightmares that have plagued you so that you can confront them. You cannot go into this war with your weaknesses destroying your will and motivation."

"All of you failed miserably, by the way," Kaleb jumped in, his voice filled with contradictory delight. His silver eyes latched onto Sephirah, curiosity filling them to the rim. "Except for you. You will be the one to—"

"That is enough," the man next to him interjected harshly, a sharp look in his eyes as he glared at Kaleb. "It is neither our place to tell them nor the time."

"Loosen up, Kai," Kaleb responded lightly. "The old warts can have their moment of wisdom anytime."

Aydin inhaled a deep breath as he struggled to push away his anguish to focus on the conversation. Kaleb was right. As a general, he knew that going into battle with distractions resulted in hesitation: the exact thing that could lead to an untimely death. It was one of the first lessons his father had taught him. At the memory of his father's teachings, nausea swirled unrestrained in his empty stomach.