I blink at him, unable to speak. I’ve said too much as it is.
My shoulders slump. It was stupid of me, to share this. The General will never take me seriously now that he knows my true motivation.
I’m resigned to be shamed, when the General surprises me. “Tell me, how do you plan to destroy King Francis?”
I look between him and the Taaslord. “Am…er—I don’t have a solid plan, sir. Yet.”
The General’s eyebrows hike all the way to his hairline. My cheeks burn with shame. I can’t keep his gaze any longer, so my eyes drop to my hands in my lap.
“What do you know about blood debt?” the General asks after a long silence.
My head snaps up. “It’s part of your culture here in Ekios. Kata Nightingale mentioned something about it when I was at the Ezkai Academy. She said I owed her a blood debt because of what my father had done to her brother, who was charged with treason or something like that.”
The Taaslord chuckles. “You’re lucky she disappeared under such mysterious circumstances before she could collect.”
I gape at him. “Sir, I already said I had nothing to do with that!”
The General throws the Taaslord a look over his shoulder, smirking. “He’s just messing with you, Ezkai Phoenix. That matter has been put to rest.”
I run my sweaty palms over my leather pants and clear my throat.
“I believe what Noire wanted to say is that a blood debt is a serious oath one takes on when they feel that they’ve been wronged and they must find justice. Only death can repay that debt, but we believe it must be honorable and clean. It’s the only way to satisfy the spirits of the gods.”
I frown. “Sir, I don’t understand where this conversation is going.”
The General grins. “You say you seek vengeance for your family’s death, which is completely understandable, yet you have no plan. Gaining power is not a plan, nor is it a means to an end. It’s just a way to fill your time, to delay the confrontation you say you seek.” His voice drops a couple of octaves. “You’ve had a chance an hour ago. And King Francis lives. Let me ask you, Ezkai Phoenix, are you certain vengeance is what you truly desire?”
I scoff. “Yes! It’s my life’s purpose, and I won’t rest until King Francis pays for what he has done. No matter what I must do. I’ll burn the whole of Wetra to ash if I must.”
“Ah, to be young again,” the Taaslord says, dreamily.
The General glances over his shoulder at him before returning his attention to me.
The tips of my ears burn. “Don’t patronize me, sir.”
“We aren’t, Ezkai Phoenix,” the General says, amused. “I’m trying to help.”
I frown again.
“If you’re so bent on making vengeance your purpose in life, then the right way forward is to take on the blood debt oath. The only way to fulfill it is with the clean death of King Francis. Notby sacrificing people of Wetra who have done nothing to you, or your family, who just tried to survive the rule of a greedy, corrupt king.”
My voice is dangerously low when I speak. “What if he doesn’t deserve clean death?”
“Maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t. It’s not for us to make such judgments. As Ezkai, we must carry ourselves with honor and our actions must be in accordance with our laws,” the General says kindly. After a beat of silence, he adds, “I wanted to speak with you in private, because I was going to offer you my mentorship. From time to time I like to take on prominent Ezkai as mentees to help them reach their true potential. I believe you are an exceptional Decarios, and there’s much you could accomplish.Wecould accomplish. Together.”
I’m stunned to silence for a moment. I can’t believe the Ezkai General offered to be my mentor.
Even after he learned of my true desire.
“You still want to mentor me, even after learning about my thirst for vengeance?”
The General smirks. “Decarios live a long life. It’s only natural that we encounter blood debt at least once. Ekions are not above it. We accept it and treat it with respect. As my mentee, you’ll train harder than anyone else. I’ll hone you into a lethal weapon with a sharp mind and keen senses to help you collect the debt you’re owed.”
This is the moment I’ve been waiting for, for three years.
It feels unreal.
I swallow. “I appreciate the generous offer, sir. But I have to ask, why? What’s in it for you to help me claim the blood debt I’m owed.”
