The memory came to mind while I listened to two of the girls, Camille and Luna, share stories about the places their parents took them on other summer trips.
In the years they didn’t participate in The Quest, their lives sounded like a constant vacation. I tuned them out when I heard words likeprivate jetandisland resort.
I was just here for the food.
After stuffing myself, I went out to the lawn for my first session with Landon. We talked through my weird run-in with Morty while he tried to keep me focused.
He took my suggestion,again, for how we hone my endurance skills—duly noted, by his cock hardening in his pants—but, ever the steadfast Knight, he didn’t take the bait.
“Fine,” I agreed sullenly. “No making out until after our run. I hear you!”
He laughed, shaking his head as he stretched. “Now, I want to hear you tell me how it went yesterday.”
With only a slight pout, I accepted his offer. I told him about my first lessons:Strategywith Peter,Sublimationwith Dax, andElementswith Ben before I paused. I pulled the small pocketknife out of the side pocket in my leggings.
He took the blade, a frown on his face as he stared at it.
“Should I give it to Kingston? Should I keep it?”
After considering it, he slipped it back into my pocket. “Hold onto it for now, but…maybe don’t let anyone know you have it. It’ll be good for protection if anything comes up.”
My eyebrows rose. “Even Kingston?”
He shifted in place, shuffling his feet as his brow creased.
On anyone else, it wouldn’t have been out of place, but it caught my attention after the way Landon had been holding himself together. When he reached up and scratched behind his ear, I grew concerned.
Something was up.
But before I jumped to conclusions, Landon picked up on my laser-focused gaze and dropped his hand.“Because of his father, I want to say yes, but I don’t want to tell you to hide anything from him, either.”
“Is everything okay? Has anything happened?”
Landon shook his head. “It was just a lot. All of them being here for the Camelot Society Quorum. Seeing my father…”
“You don’t really talk about him.”
He swallowed deeply, nodding. “We haven’t been close since my mother died. Since I?—”
I tilted my head to assess his reaction.
He dropped his head, the crease in his brow deepening. “With boarding school at Camelot Academy and then coming here, I rarely have to see him. He makes himself scarce when I go home, and that—It’s better that way.”
“It is?”
Taking my hand, Landon stared into my eyes.
“You’ve noticed, by now, that our parents aren’t the best people. My father is no exception. Being the left hand of Drake D’Arthur comes with responsibility.” He sighed, rubbing his temple. “A lot of which I can’t share with you, but the left hand of the King is typically more brutal than the right.”
I squeezed his hand. “Was he that way with you?”
“I don’t remember. What’s come back in pieces suggests he wasn’t the most loving father, but that’s not new.” He shrugged. “So, I want you to be protected. I’m not sure why Morty gave you the knife. I plan to look into that, but since you have it…”
“I’ll hold onto it.” I hesitated, but his honest answer made up my mind. “And for now, it’ll be my little secret. But when I see him, I will tell Kingston.”
With both of us satisfied by that, I ran through the events of both mySparringsessions,Succession, Escape,andSabotage. Finally, I filled him in on what happened with Max, needing perspective before my next session with the surly brute.
“At this rate, I won’t have a clue whatSubterfugetraining is supposed to be about since, after he stormed out of the room, he avoided me the rest of our session.”
