He’s missing an ear. And a tip of his other pointy ear. He places a copper cup in front of me. A thumb, too.Gods, has this man been to war?
I don’t get a chance to ask. The moment I toss a couple of frade on the bar, he swoops it into his palm and turns his back on me with a grunt.
Almost a year I’ve been in Ekios, and yet it’s still as unfriendly to me as on day one.
I shouldn’t be surprised at that. I was attacked by a group of thugs in the middle of the street in broad daylight in my first couple of hours here in Jaakii. That was the sign from the gods that this path I’m about to walk will be thrice as hard as I could have ever imagined.
I roll the copper cup between my fingers, amber liquid swishing around. The color of whiskey reminds me of Daegel’s eyes. They’re so striking, like the rest of his handsome face.
Ah, Daegel…I don’t know how we got where we are in a matter of weeks. After graduation from Ezkai Academy, I was riding the high of us being together, openly. We dodged the bullet with Kata. I was certain there was nothing that could come between us.
You shouldn’t have let him in, a dark voice says at the back of my head. Part of me knows the voice is right. I swore to myself after Vasquez I would not open up my heart again precisely because of this reason. So I wouldn’t have to choose between love and vengeance.
The backs of my eyes burn. I grip the cup hard and down the whiskey in two gulps.
My parents loved so beautifully. So tenderly, and sweetly. They were a team, an inseparable unit. The way Dad would look at Mom, with hearts in his eyes, when they’d cuddle on the sofa at the end of a long day and she’d tell him how her day went. Who can blame me for wanting to experience love like that?
I thought I could have it with Daegel. But now…I’m not so sure.
The way he looked at me, all betrayed, and said nothing haunts me.
I set my empty cup on the bar top and rise to leave. This place is not helping me feel better. It’s depressing.
Fresh air outside does little to help me either. As I wander the streets, all the people I pass greet me, as is the custom to greet Ezkai everywhere in Ekios. With a pressed fist over their heart and a dip of their chin.
I don’t miss the way they eye my round ears with suspicion. But the moment people notice the black Ezkai leathers, all of the disapproval disappears. With Ezkai leathers, I’m untouchable as I walk these streets. Not even thugs dare threaten an Ezkai.
Despite my sour mood, it gives me satisfaction. I may not have enough power to conquer, but what little power I have managed to amass feels thrilling.
Somehow, my feet take me to the bar that many Ezkai frequent. The same one where I met Daegel for the second time.
That night changed my life forever.
I don’t go inside. I linger next to a building across the street and watch the Ezkai gathering in groups to drink and play cards.
Daegel accepted me for who I am from the moment our lives crossed.
Isn’t that the definition of love? Being accepted wholly by another person, despite your flaws?
Daegel swore my enemies are his, and he’d do everything in his power to destroy them. Maybe I should allow him do that? He’s got resources and connections, and I have him.
Maybe instead of fighting this on my own, I should surrender my trust and stand by Daegel’s side as he rises to the top so he can slay my enemies for me.
That’s what loving another person is, isn’t it? Uplifting them when they need it, and supporting their dreams and goals? Sacrificing for them when you must?
I turn my back to the bar where I first had a taste of Daegel, and walk away. Ezkai Castle looms above the city roofs, dark and sinister. As if the castle itself is grieving the leader we all lost.
If Daegel becomes the next Ezkai General, will he let the Caligos rule? My steps halt right next to the large iron gate at the entrance to the castle grounds.
I don’t know much about Caligos, but from what I have surveyed so far, there’s nothing but evil in those people. We may share the hunger for power, but our reasons are different.
I desire power to get justice. To end the reign of a man who does little good for his people. Caligos, on the other hand…their hunger for power is out of greed. It breeds destruction.
King Francis deserves to die. I will be the one to deliver his sentence, or die trying.
Does Ekios and its people deserve to be ruined by Caligos if they seize the ultimate power?
I’m not so sure.
