The Cor Chronicles: Volume 02 - Fire and Steel by Martin V. Parece II

Cor.”
    “Sounds like talk of destiny,” Cor said, and he spat to one side. “I will no longer accept that the death of people I love is necessary or unavoidable. Not anymore.”
    “How grand,” Thyss said, and her words were weighted with the greatest sarcasm. Cor ignored them.
    When they returned to the palace in Byrverus, Cor and Thyss received a hearty welcome from the Dahken. One boy wrapped himself around Thyss’ left leg, and she shot Cor a pleading, pained look at which Cor laughed quietly. Thyss did not seem to know what to do with children; clearly a mothering instinct was not innate to all women. The younger children received Rael warily, and the older boys clasped arms with him as men might. Rael was only the second adult Dahken any of them had ever seen, and Cor hoped that the knowledge that they were not aberrations would help bind them together.
    Cor awaited Queen Erella’s summons impatiently, pacing to the far corners of the chambers he shared with Thyss, and he walked the palace halls, no doubt under the watchful eye of the queen’s guards, just to keep himself busy. He had no desire to wait around any longer. Thyss also seemed anxious and impatient like a caged tiger looking for any opportunity to escape. She learned quickly to avoid Rael, as he seemed disinclined to engage her in conversation. It was a response she was not used to, and she did not like it.
    Rael, for his part, began to train the Dahken within hours of arriving at Byrverus. He divided the children into two groups based on age. At times, he would bring the groups together and lecture them on the history of the world and the Dahken. When their attention wavered, he would separate them again. The older children, including the four teenagers, began combat training in one of the palace courtyards. The guards would not provide Rael with real weapons, but instead made available padded wooden practice swords. Rael grimaced at these, but accepted them as the best that could be done for now. During the training periods, he would allow the younger children to watch or simply play as children might. Cor observed and noticed that death and rebirth had not changed the man one bit; he was always precise and to the point.
    It was nearly a month before the queen again summoned Cor to her chambers, and Cor sighed with relief when the summons came. This time, he did not go alone, choosing to bring Thyss and Rael with him; the two would play important parts in his future, and from here on he would include them both in all of his decisions. They entered her chambers, finding Queen Erella looking tired and seated at her desk, stacks of administrative work strewn about. Rael and Thyss stayed slightly behind Cor on either side of him, and behind the queen stood Thom. Cor smiled slightly, nodding his head to the older man who had very recently saved his life and those of the other Dahken.
    It was then Cor realized that Queen Erella stared at Rael, her gaze like a surgeon’s knife. She seemed to look deep inside the man, directly into every fiber of his being. Cor found it most unnerving, but Rael merely stood and allowed the queen her long examination. Eventually her gaze softened, though it lingered on the older Dahken’s face for several long moments.
    “Dahken Cor, I was told that you had brought another with you, a Dahken named Rael who now trains your people,” she said.
    “Majesty, this is my friend Dahken Rael,” Cor said, turning his head to indicate the man. “He seems to have returned to help me.”
    “Indeed,” the queen said quietly. “Dahken Cor, I’m not sure what your friend is, but I don’t think he is a Dahken. I see him, but it is as if he is not there.”
    Cor turned and clasped his friend’s shoulder. “I assure you Majesty that he is real enough.”
    “Very well,” she very nearly whispered. She paused before speaking again, this time with more strength. “Everything is prepared Dahken Cor. Your jeweler in Worh was