Sui Writes

Tag: Books

  • A Thousand years of Hope Ch 17

    Warning: There is NSFW content coming up ^_^

    At the Inter Clan Court in Anit’s Taesi, Amu led Cale and Eren through intricate hallways filled with ministry officials and peacekeepers. Cale held his aura tight, aware of the members of the Five Sentinels lurking in the shadows. They watched him with wary intentions. Cale understood their concerns. He was not an easy guest to have in such an independent place.

    Anit was cautious with his kind. He was sure the sentinels who watched him were from the most powerful of the Five Sentinel Houses. With a soft sigh, Cale stopped in the busy hallway. The scent of deception filled his nostrils in a delicious cloud. He closed his eyes and frowned.

    Deception, greed, and malicious intent. The combined scent was so rich, that it fed him almost as much as Tani’s century-old pain did.

    “Lord Cale,” Eren said, not daring to touch him.

    “What is it?” Amu asked, having noticed his pause. Amu walked back to stand next to Cale, studying him with interest.

    “Anit’s court is infected with an interesting calamity,” Cale said, opening his dark, dark eyes with a small smile. “The source is well hidden. I would need time to unravel the intricate web it has woven.”

    “How damaging is it?” Amu asked, looking around the busy hallways.

    Cale frowned, there were too many people, too many intentions, from city dwellers visiting the courts to complete legal processes to ministry officers going about their jobs. He truly needed time to unravel any hidden plot here.

    “This is not an easy blight. Meaning—”

    “The result of your search will lead to significant damage,” Eren said, concluding for Cale.

    Cale smiled at her and nodded.

    “We don’t have time for this right now,” Amu said. “The Inter Clan Court session is about to start. Perhaps we’ll glimpse what you sense among those who help govern the fox clan. Work on it from there.”

    “Mm,” Cale said, following Amu when he started walking forward.

    The stench of malice was high, filling the court halls, corrupting anything it touched.

    Cale wondered how such a deep calamity had slipped his notice. Then he frowned. This was his first entry into the Inter Clan Court in centuries. He had spent most of his time accompanying Tani Ryuzo in the mortal realm and managing his domain. He visited Sunu sometimes, but never Anit because she was estranged from Sunu.

    Otherwise, Cale would have visited her and discovered such a delicious development sooner. Fascinating!

    *****

    Kinon studied the wild vines growing in a wild riot in the Zona Forest. He took in the thickness of the vines crawling on massive tall trees, the vines as large as tree trunks. The leaves on the thick vines were a vibrant green, creating an intricate canopy.

    Sunu’s good fortune had sustained the wild vines, given them life, and turned them fruitful. Large yellow passion fruits hang on the lower branches. Kinon dared not pick any for a taste. It would be folly to eat fruit from a branch once touched by malice.

    A soft crunch of leaves alerted him to the presence of a second visitor.

    “I will not harm you,” Kinon said. “Reveal yourself.”

    Kinon waited for a heartbeat, and then a young beautiful woman with thick dark hair falling down her back emerged from behind a large tree. Her green eyes were enough to tell him she was from the fox clan.

    “Why are you here?” Kinon asked.

    “Lord Kinon,” she said. “I am Nela Bao from the Five Sentinels of the Fox Clan. My Lady has sent me to this forest to investigate why she faced a misfortune.”

    “Oh,” Kinon smiled.

    Anit and Sunu were truly of the same mind. Interesting.

    “May I ask Lord Kinon why you are here?”

    “Following similar instructions from my Lord,” Kinon answered.

    There was no need to conceal the task.

    “Then we are on the same quest, My Lord,” Nela said.

    “Lord Sunu has blessed these vibrant vines,” Kinon said. “They grow unfettered. Their fruit is abundant but dangerous. It is indeed a great thing to receive from Lord Sunu.”

    “Yes,” Nela agreed.

    “But what turned them so wild they needed the blessing?” Kinon asked.

    “My Lord,” Nela said. “My search started on the other side of the forest. I have found something you should see. Please come with me.”

    Nela turned and disappeared behind the large tree where she had emerged.

    Kinon gave the thriving vines one last glance, then he followed the young fox. He found Nela standing on top of a flat smooth boulder. The rock was large enough to support five, so Kinon joined her.

    The ground beyond the smooth boulder seemed to split into the earth. Rough slopes dotted with rocks led down to a rocky ravine. Scarce vegetation dotted the slopes, but the bottom was filled with jagged rocks.

    Nela stood staring at the bottom of the rocky ravine. Her gaze so intent, Kinon grew curious.

    “What do you want me to see, child?” Kinon asked.

    Nela pointed her finger to the bottom center of the rocky ravine.

    “The black rock growing in the middle of the ravine,” she said. “I am sure it is pulsing.”

    Kinon’s eyes turned gold as he assessed the large black rock in the middle of the ravine. The fox was right. The rock was unusual because it was no rock.

    “That is a black crystal. Quite an unusual occurrence in a forest filled with healthy soil,” Kinon said, frowning as he watched several sharp crystals multiply on the surface of the large black crystal. “It pulses because it is growing. How did you find it?”

    “I entered the Zona Forest from our Fox Clan lands. I followed the coordinates Lady Izuna gave me and found the rocky ravine first. There is a path leading along the edge of the slopes. Then, I noticed a powerful pull as I searched for the vines My Lady mentioned. I walked to this spot and noticed the rock.”

    “What does the pull feel like?”

    “Like a web that is reaching for my power,” Nela said, rubbing her right arm. “It gives me the same feeling Kara ot does when we are close to it or when it touches us. The web feels like it could drain everything I have inside me.”

    Kinon frowned.

    Perhaps Anit had encountered the same feeling then. The ravine might not have been as deep then, time-ravaged landscapes even in forests. She might have touched the black crystal in curiosity, and it would have weakened her enough to allow the branches on the other side to take control of her body.

    Kinon’s frown deepened as he watched the black crystal. The crystals on the top were multiplying at a rapid pace. Kinon’s eyes widened as one of them grew into a long thick crystal racing straight for the young fox. Kinon gripped her left arm and dragged her back, out of the searching crystal’s reach.

    He willed his firepower into a thick red barrier. The black crystal touched the barrier once and then returned to its mother.

    Kinon turned to study the young fox behind him.

    “Your fox blood triggers the black crystal,” Kinon said with a small smile. “It reacted to your presence here.”

    “I agree,” Nela said, shaking her head. “If the crystal touched Lady Anit, it is no wonder she was at a disadvantage.”

    “Looks like we have found the source,” Kinon said. “Now, we must manage the black crystal. You have done well, Nela Bao. The only ekho who can nullify such a strange occurrence is Lord Sunu. I will ask for his audience. His power may blind you if you’re not prepared. Shield your eyes when I call him.”

    “Yes, Lord Kinon,” Nela said, closing her eyes, and making Kinon smile at the trust she gave him.

    “Lord Sunu,” Kinon said, knowing the Immortal Lord would hear him and grant an audience.

    Sunu did not disappoint him. Blinding white light flooded the ravine on Kinon’s left side. Kinon placed his right palm over the fox’s eyes until Sunu solidified next to him.

    Sunu turned down the force of his power when he saw the trembling fox standing on Kinon’s right.

    “What did you find?” Sunu asked when the fox stopped shaking.

    “A black crystal that responds to fox blood grows in the middle of the ravine. It stinks of kara ot. The little fox says she found it because it calls to the power in her blood,” Kinon explained.

    “Fox blood,” Sunu frowned and looked at the pulsing black crystal embedded in the ground. He took one whiff and sighed.

    “Someone is breeding the destructive force of kara ot in a crystal for malicious intent. It seeks fox blood here because it has been trained to do so,” Sunu said. “Sahdrina’s suspicions have gained proof. How insidious. We need to discover more about the black crystal’s origin. Young lady, would you mind helping?”

    “Not at all,” Nela said with confidence, impressing Kinon. “Lady Izuna sent me for this purpose.”

    Sunu paused at the mention of his beloved. He gave Nela a profound look then turned away with a small smile that made Kinon grin.

    “We are certainly of the same mind,” Sunu said with a pleased nod.

    ****

    Tani and Dante stood under the shower as warm water cascaded down in a soothing force.

    Tani sunk his fingers into Dante’s hair, watching the long strands soak in the water, brown shades turned dark.

    Dante stood with his hands braced on the shower wall on each side of Tani.

    The water turned Dante’s skin slick but the most fascinating part was the steam that formed around Dante. The steam turned to a delicious mist that grew the more water fell on Dante’s body.

    Tani moved his hands to Dante’s shoulders. His lips curved into a smile when he felt the heat on Dante’s skin. He kneaded tense muscles on Dante’s shoulders and looked up to find Dante watching him.

    “You’re burning up,” Tani said, as he smoothed his fingers over Dante’s arms, the taut muscles enticing and so very beautiful.

    “It’s because of you,” Dante said with a smile. “You keep teasing me, tracing my skin and body with your hands. You’re heating my core.”

    Tani returned his smile and moved his hands to Dante’s chest. His right palm pressed against Dante’s heart. He closed his eyes when he felt Dante’s steady heartbeat. The pace was slightly elevated, excited, probably the reason why Dante’s skin felt so hot.

    Tani smiled wider and moved closer to Dante so that he could wrap his arms around Dante’s waist.

    “You, stop holding back. I want everything you are willing to give,” Tani said, pressing his chest to Dante’s hot skin. He loved the feel of Dante’s heat on his skin.

    Water continued to cascade around them.

    Then, Dante cupped Tani’s face with his hands and pushed him back against the wall. He captured Tani’s lips in a passionate kiss. Tani tightened his arms around Dante and sank into the pleasure of Dante’s kisses.

    Their kiss turned wild and deep. Tani shifted his hands, bringing both hands up to sink into Dante’s hair. He held on to him, moaning with delight and arousal. Tani loved Dante’s kisses so much. They were so sweet, a blend of teasing and promise and possession. Dante kissed like the fire warlock he was, filled with passion, raging with delicious carnal delight.

    Dante turned off the water in the shower. They stepped out of the shower, and Dante carried Tani to the bed and placed him on it, then joined in, his broad shoulders blotting out the light in the room as he came up over Tani.

    Panting, Tani opened his legs and took Dante between them, gripping Dante’s hips with his thighs even as he pushed on Dante’s shoulders. Dante rolled onto his back and Tani sat astride him, feeling obsessive and needy he ran his palms down Dante’s stomach, then took Dante’s penis in both hands and lowered himself onto it. The penetration was shocking, full and so hot. Fates, a deep hunger yawned inside him. A hunger he shoved deep inside every time he went without his beloved, but now he felt frenzied with want, unable to get enough of Dante’s length inside. He had waited so long, so long, he was filled with desperation to have, to feel Dante’s heat in him.

    Tani braced his hands on Dante’s chest and pressed his hips down, taking all of him. His breath shuddered between his lips. His body felt starved for Dante and now that hunger was released in an ungovernable flood. He rode Dante’s thick penis hard, moaning when Dante cupped his buttocks and squeezed. Tani rode him hard, Dante’s powerful hands shifted to grip his hips, grinding him down on him. Then Dante came hard inside him, his powerful body arching between Tani’s thighs, his seed filling him. The heat of it made Tani cry out in an intense climax.

    They dozed for a while, with Tani lying on top of Dante, one of Dante’s hands sinking into Tani’s damp hair. Tani woke to find their bedroom filled with darkness, night had fallen beyond the cottage. The afternoon was gone. Dante slept on, his penis soft.

    Tani waved his hand and the lamps in the corners turned on. He slithered down Dante’s body and conjured a warm washcloth from the bathroom. He cleaned Dante’s penis with care, wiping him down. Then he dropped the cloth on the floor and took Dante’s length into his mouth bathing Dante’s soft penis with the heat of his tongue. He smiled when he felt Dante wake, feeling him grow hard, so hard and hot, it was intoxicating. Tani kissed Dante’s hard length with delight and straddled him again. He mounted Dante’s length with a relieved sigh. The hours blurred.

    Dante gave his body generously, letting Tani take as he wanted, letting him chase his climaxes as he wished. Tireless, consuming, and so delicious, Tani let out a relieved cry when he came again. Dante gritted his teeth and fought his climax, not letting himself reach pleasure, remaining hard until Tani felt sated.

    Then, Tani gave in to the intoxicating enjoyment of Dante’s body. He stroked and caressed every inch of Dante’s body, his hands shaking with delight at the feel of Dante’s heated skin. He kissed Dante’s beard, his eyes, his ears, and his beautiful wonderful mouth. Then when he grew exhausted of taking Dante’s length, needing a few minutes rest, he trailed kisses all over Dante’s body, smiling because Dante was doing his best to keep his erection, fighting to control his climax despite Tani’s maddening kisses and caresses. Tani swirled lazily licked up and down his cock. Then he patted his tongue along the underside of Dante’s shaft before moving to the top and swallowing him down with ease.

    Dante let out a low sound of pleasure. Tani’s tongue slid around and over his cock with every stroke of his lips. He could feel the buildup in his balls growing. Tani was too good at what he was doing and he had been holding back too long. With a strained hoarse groan, Dante bolted upright, lifting Tani away and tumbling him onto his back. Dante mounted him, pushing his thighs wide.

    “You have had your way with me to your heart’s content,” Dante whispered, sliding his hard length into Tani. “My turn now, beloved.”

    Dante’s use of him was as thorough and consuming as Tani’s use of him. His thrusts hammered deep into him, over and over, until he came, his seed hot and molten inside Tani.

    Tani shifted, resting his heels on the curve of Dante’s buttocks. His arms wrapped around Dante’s shoulders, holding him as he shuddered and convulsed in pleasure.

    Dante pressed his length inside him, holding himself deep inside. His lips took Tani’s mouth, kissing him with passion. Tani’s hands slid over Dante’s back, caressing sweat-coated skin down to the small of Dante’s back. Dante broke their kiss with a moan as Tani cupped his palms over Dante’s buttocks.

    Tani let out a soft panting breath when Dante flexed his buttocks under his touch and started a slow thrust into him, driving them into another session of passion.

    Hours faded, and time stilled. Tani and Dante stayed locked in their passion. In a lucid moment, Dante felt something soft touch his shoulders, and he looked up to see fine gold dust on their bed.

    “Baby, we have gold dust raining down on us,” Dante said with a grin, holding out his hand to catch the beautiful shimmer of gold falling around them.

    “I-it is b-because of me,” Tani murmured, hiding his face in Dante’s chest. “I— mm—”

    Tani shivered and pressed closer to Dante.

    “It’s not gold dust,” Tani said.

    “What is it?” Dante asked, watching the gold specks sink into his skin and disappear.

    “Let’s call them good vibes,” Tani said, his tone shy as though he was expecting judgment. “It happens when I’m happy. I can’t help it.”

    Dante grinned and wrapped his arms around Tani tighter.

    “I hope I make you feel this happy often,” Dante murmured into his ear, making Tani chuckle with a hot blush coloring his cheeks. “I could use a good dose of good vibes every morning.”

    Tani smacked his shoulder, and Dante rolled them both over so that they could get up and clean up the mess they had made.

    After a long shower, they returned to the bed, changed the sheets, and slept wrapped in each other’s arms.

    ****

    Their passion had not faded two nights later. Dante loved how obsessed Tani was with his body. He loved it because there was nothing as mind-blowing as watching Tani come apart in orgasm at his touch, his kisses, and the thrust of his hard penis into him. Tani’s body felt primed for his touch, so sensitive to his caresses that Dante could not get enough.

    The third night came at the cabin in the apple orchard. Two dim lamps in the corners of the bedroom pushed back the shadows. The bed was neat again, the sheets fresh after Dante helped Tani change them an hour ago. They lay naked, skin to skin, limbs tangled, sharing caresses with lazy abandon. A white sheet tangled at their feet.

    Dante rested his head on Tani’s chest, eyes closed as Tani finger-combed his hair. It felt like heaven having reached this point, having this moment with Tani. The relief racing through his veins felt earned, needed, as though he had waited a thousand years to feel Tani’s comfort.

    Dante’s thoughts suddenly filled with the dream that woke him up minutes ago.

    Dante dreamt of Dane, the janissary, dressed in a full janissary uniform, which included the mask covering his face. Dane ran through a forest, his pace fast enough to stop anyone following him.

    Dante had been sure Dane was searching for the castle at the Elderwood Conservancy.

    When Dane did find the old castle, a sense of loss filled him when he saw the burnt tower at the entrance. Broken wood and soot covered the walls at the front tower, obviously caused by a fierce fire.

    Dane’s heart ached at the sight of the damage. The castle was empty when Dane made his way in, but what was even more disappointing was discovering the gutted bedroom Dane and Tani had used. Dane’s disappointment stabbed Dante so deep in his heart that it felt like a knife twisting his flesh.

    In the dream, Dane mourned that Tani was gone, and the women he protected were nowhere to be found to give him answers. The castle stood empty with no life, the old weavers who worked in the courtyard long gone, their looms broken to pieces.

    Dane stood in the middle of the overgrown courtyard and looked at the dark sky, tears filling his eyes. Then a noise distracted his sorrow, pulling him out of his misery, and when he turned around to see the source-

    Dante woke up with a gasp, his heart beating too fast at the experience. He had worried about not knowing what happened next.

    Dante shifted on the bed, his hands caressing Tani’s bare stomach, smiling when he caught the hitch of Tani’s breath at the caress.

    “Tani, will you tell me more about you?” Dante asked, needing to know.

    He suddenly wanted to know more about where Tani spent his time after they broke apart. This cottage was one place, but after the pain simmered and Tani could function, where else did he go?

    Did he ever consider returning to the Ekho Realm?

    Dante extended his right hand out and in pure marvel, stared at the strange gold mist that clung to his skin. He had noticed the gold mist when they took a shower a second time and Tani was wiping a towel down his stomach.

    “What do you want to know?” Tani asked, his voice soft, relaxed.

    “What is this gold mist attached to my aura?” Dante asked. “I’ve never seen it before. My aura has always been a fiery mix depending on my current temper. Pale white when it simmers low and snapping blue when I’m with rage. I have never seen this gold mist.”

    “You can see the gold mist?” Tani asked, his tone turning hopeful.

    “Yes, it’s hard not to when it appeared after we had insanely great sex,” Dante said, amused. “I think you forget I’m a warlock, Tani.

    “I—,” Tani started then stopped.

    “Tani,” Dante said, noting the hesitation in Tani’s tone. “I have read about us. I have heard from Great Gram’s diaries about us. I saw the many portraits in your hidden study. The dreams have been excruciating of late, but they are all from my perspective. So, please, tell me more about you. Why do I now wear a golden mist and what do you suffer while wearing these cuffs? I want to know everything. I will listen.”

    Tani let out a soft sigh, and then his fingers tightened in Dante’s hair for a moment, before he smoothed the strands in a gentle soothing caress.

    “Okay,” Tani said. “First, time moves slower in our Ekho Realm. A month in the Ekho Realm is a whole year in the mortal realm. Time in the mortal realm moves faster. We mark our achievements with unforgettable events in the Ekho Realm.”

    “So, you can say my life started as an unprecedented event, remarkable enough to mark a time for my relatives. Dante, I tell you this so you don’t shiver when I tell you my age,” Tani said with a small chuckle.

    “I’m not afraid to know, baby,” Dante said, his tone soothing.

    “Alright. My father is Sunu, Lord of the Immortal Clan,” Tani said. “My mother is Anit, Fox Goddess. These two powerful heads of clans created me some three thousand years ago in mortal years. They turned me into a hybrid and made me unique. When I was five hundred, a calamity befell my parents. My mother left my father’s citadel in the immortal clan’s lands and returned to the fox clan’s lands. She was heartbroken by the choice.”

    “Why did she return?” Dante asked. “Why did she take you away from your father?”

    “Clan politics,” Tani said. “I don’t fully understand how it started. All I know is that my mother had to return to take control of the fox clan lands, and the Septum pushed for it to keep the realm in balance. Uncle Amu, whom you met in your kitchen, would tell you more. It involves my family unit breaking. I’ve never wanted to know.”

    “Okay,” Dante said. “So, what happened when you moved to the fox clan lands?”

    “Anit took me to her family home and decided to raise me as the next fox lord,” Tani said. “The only problem was that my eyes were my father’s eyes. I had yet to learn how to hide my features. So, Anit saw Sunu every time she looked at me and could not handle the heartache. One day, I ran into the log house after playing outside eager to share my adventures with her and she screamed me out of her study.”

    “Anit’s raw power is earth-shattering, nature responds to her anger. I was young and had never seen her so angry. I did not expect her reaction,” Tani said. “Her anger scared me so much I cried myself to sleep for days wondering why she hated me.”

    Dante closed his eyes at the pain coloring Tani’s voice. The shock of a parent’s anger and pain would have been difficult to understand for a child. The rejection alone would have scarred Tani.

    “Uncle Amu decided our situation could only be fixed if we lived apart. He gained Anit’s permission and brought me to live here in the mortal realm,” Tani said with a smile in his voice.

    “I was excited about the change. I was only five hundred, which is like being a teenager here in the mortal realm. I lived in the wild forests on Aretias Island before it separated from the mainland. I played as hard as I wanted, oblivious to Anit’s grief and Sunu’s power in the immortal clan. I grew up wild with the wolves and the foxes in the forests. It was a quiet solitary life until I saved you from the pack of wild wolves.”

    “Why me?” Dante asked.

    Tani’s fingers stilled in Dante’s hair.

    “Your soul sang to mine,” Tani answered. “The more time we spent together, the more I received your care, attention, and love, the more I wanted to see you, feel you touch me, hold me. I fell in love with you. I wanted to take in your scent and taste you. You were my obsession. I loved you, Dante. Always have. I bound my soul to yours because it is what our kind do with those they love. We bond with each other.”

    “If you bond with each other, how does your mother live apart from your father?” Dante asked.

    “I don’t know,” Tani said, with a slight tremble. “I have stayed in this mortal realm for you because I could not leave you. How they manage to keep apart, I don’t know. I cannot pretend to know or understand their choices. I can only explain mine.”

    Dante reached for Tani’s right wrist and touched the heavy cuffs on his wrist. He studied the cuffs for a moment then asked the question they had both been ignoring for days.

    “What do you need from me to escape these cuffs?” Dante asked.

    “I—,”

    Tani stopped.

    “Are you afraid I won’t give it to you?” Dante asked, shifting so that he could lift his head and meet Tani’s wary gaze. “Is that why you haven’t told me what you want from me?”

    Tani closed his eyes to escape his questioning gaze.

    “Tell me, my love,” Dante said, leaning in to kiss Tani’s lips. He didn’t stop until Tani kissed him back. Dante sighed when he ended the kiss and found tears filling Tani’s beautiful eyes. “How will I know if you don’t tell me?”

    His heart squeezed tight when Tani’s tears slid into his hair.

    Dante waited for the answer he desperately needed. Painful relief flooded him when Tani gave him a small nod.

    Dante shifted higher on the bed, and got comfortable, facing Tani.

    “An ekho’s love bond is complicated,” Tani said, swallowing hard as he met Dante’s gaze. “Love between two ekhos is considered sacred because we share parts of our souls. It’s not done easily. When it happens, the ekho community is involved because it takes courage to do it.”

    “They call me a deviant because I chose to make such a bond with a human without telling anyone. Without preparation, or consent. I gave you half my soul. The gold mist you see in your aura is the proof.”

    “So, your punishment,” Dante said, finally understanding the family grimoire’s warning. “If I loved you in the same way you love me, I would give you half my soul too, making us whole. It would release you from your sentence.”

    “That is the theory,” Tani said with a slow nod, closing his eyes.

    “What happens to you when we break apart?” Dante asked, freezing when Tani opened his eyes in a panic. Dante stared into amber eyes.

    Tani studied him for a minute before he spoke.

    “Each cycle, you have started sharing a part of you with me,” Tani said. “Like you have since we met in the olive grove in your family’s vineyard. You healed me and filled me up with a sliver of your soul. You kissed me here in this cabin and gave me another. And just now when we made love…”

    Dante waited with bated breath at the revelation.

    “You fill me with hope,” Tani said, shaking his head. “And when you turn away from me to choose Viola, you take them back. You take them from me and leave me empty again. It breaks me apart, Dante. Each time, it breaks me. I could barely get through the last cycle after you left me so empty. So, this cycle, I tried to stay away because I wanted to escape that pain. The pain of losing hope again. I figured if it was over anyway, then I might as well get used to it—”

    “I’m sorry,” Dante said, pulling Tani into his arms. He buried his face into Tani’s shoulder, held him tight, and closed his eyes. “Tani, I’m sorry you had to live through that loss.”

    “I’m not telling you my experiences to hear you apologize to me,” Tani said, shaking his head. “My love is selfish. It has tied your soul to mine for centuries. I am not…good. Simply selfish in love.”

    Tani chuckled and reached up to caress Dante’s right cheek, pressing his right hand to Dante’s cheek.

    “Let’s say I’ve loved every minute of indulging in my love for you. I don’t regret any minute spent with you, then and now, Dante. I love you. I have loved you for a long time. I always will love you.”

    Dante stared at Tani, feeling the remnants of the ice around his heart melt away. His heart trembled, squeezing tight as he realized he would not be able to live without Tani. He suddenly understood Dane’s panic in the dream. The thought of entering Tani’s Elderwood and finding it empty scared him.

    So, he spoke his promise too.

    “I love you too,” Dante said making a solemn promise, knowing it was truth in his heart because he had not loved another all his life. Not even Viola who had tried her best to mine love out of him. “Do you believe me?”

    Tani tried to move out of his embrace, but Dante held him tighter.

    Dante pressed his forehead into Tani’s shoulder and kissed the soft skin on the curve of his neck and shoulder.

    “Yüreğimde sonsuz bir ateş yaktın. Sen ihtiyacım olan her şeysin,” Dante murmured, honoring the intense desire inside him to connect with Tani, to protect him, to keep him for the rest of his life. You have ignited an eternal fire in my heart. You are everything I need.

    Dante’s words rang in Tani’s head, a spell sparking to life. Fire exploded in his body, racing through Tani’s veins using the conduits Dante once used to heal him. Tani wrapped his arms around Dante, lying skin to skin, Tani opened his eyes to find Dante watching him.

    “What are you doing?” Tani asked, his voice shaky as power flooded him in a steady beat.

    “What I feel I must,” Dante said with a wide smile then he kissed Tani with a desperation he could not define.

    He would not be Dane who ran back in a panic after making a bad decision. Only to find his love gone. No, he would fight for Tani with everything he had.

    Dante decided he would fight with everything fate had given him and that included what he had the power to give. He smiled as he felt the gold mist aura around him shift, wrapping tighter around him. A soft gasp escaped his lips when a soft ball of fire filled his heart, it burned hot, then left him and sank into Tani’s chest.

    Tani tightened his arms around him in response.

    Tani broke their kiss with a soft surprised cry. Worried, Dante looked at him and stared when he saw Tani’s amber eyes fill with the gold light he remembered from the olive grove. Tani’s fingers dug into his back and he smiled when Tani looked at him with shocked eyes.

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  • Bold Desire – Excerpts

    Chapter One

    Niran Shin
    Niran Shin was only fifteen when his world shattered.

    His father’s death hit like a storm, sudden and ruthless, tearing away the ground beneath his feet. The mourners offered empty condolences, muttering, “It happens,” as though losing a father was just another inconvenience.

    Niran refused to swallow their hollow words. The sadness that lodged itself in his chest refused to be tempered. Instead, it morphed into something darker, more volatile—a burning ambition laced with the bitter taste of revenge.

    This fire that ignited within him could not be extinguished.

    Niran embraced it, allowing the flames to consume every part of him until they left no room for anything else. Revenge became his only guiding star, a beacon he followed with unwavering resolve. His father had been taken from him, and Niran was determined to make the world answer for that loss.

    Dragon Shin was no saint. To the outside world, he was a feared gang boss—a man whose name was spoken in hushed whispers and whose hands were stained with the blood of countless sins. The world saw him as a violent criminal, a dirty gangster who deserved nothing more than the cold ground that now cradled his body.

    But to Niran, Dragon was more than the violent legend; he was his father, and that unbreakable bond demanded justice.

    Dragon’s life was a tale of survival. Born in the grimy depths of Camfield City, in the Kingdom of Aeras, he had clawed his way up from nothing. His mother, a sex worker, had no means to give him a future, so Dragon carved one out of the only thing he knew—violence.

    By fourteen, he had risen to the top of the thieving gang he joined, leading the street urchins who once mocked his ambition. His hunger for power grew alongside the number of mouths he fed, and by twenty-five, Dragon had a firm grip on Camfield’s vibrant black market. He ran a gang known as Shino and commanded respect through fear, and even the police, despite their disdain, were forced to disregard his operations.

    Wealth followed power, and with it came enemies. But Dragon, ever the fighter, met every threat with unmatched brutality. He became a figure of nightmares, a man no one dared to cross.

    Then, in a twist of fate, Dragon met a woman who would become his anchor. Stacy, an orphan who had known the same harsh streets, was everything Dragon was not—gentle, kind, and a beacon of calm in his stormy life. He fell in love with her quiet strength and married her to protect the life they created together.

    For Stacy, Dragon built a sanctuary, a sprawling twenty-acre estate in the serene hills of Camfield, far removed from the chaos of his world. Their marriage was a small, intimate affair, attended only by the most trusted members of Shino.

    In this sanctuary, the happy couple found a semblance of happiness that Dragon fiercely guarded from the darkness that clung to him.

    When Stacy bore him a son, Niran, Dragon’s love for his family became an obsession. He taught Niran everything—navigating their lives duality and understanding their world’s beauty and horror. Dragon drilled into Niran the importance of power and the need to protect those you love, even if it meant wielding an iron will.

    Stacy watched with quiet sorrow as Dragon molded their son into a reflection of himself, knowing that her husband’s legacy was both a blessing and a curse.

    The summer Niran turned fifteen, Dragon decided to take his family on a luxury cruise. They sailed along the Riviera, stopping at picturesque coastal towns, where Stacy and Niran would explore and indulge in simple pleasures. But Dragon, always the vigilant boss, stayed behind on the yacht, conducting his affairs from the safety of his floating fortress.

    Everything unraveled on a sunlit Sunday. Stacy and Niran had spent the day in Barcelona; their hearts light with the joy of discovery. But that joy turned to ice when they returned to the yacht to find Dragon and his entire security detail slaughtered.

    Stacy tried to shield Niran from the carnage, but the boy was too fast, too desperate to see for himself. He ran through the yacht, his breath catching in his throat, until he found his father’s lifeless body floating in the pool on the top deck. The scream that tore from Niran’s throat was one of pure anguish, the sound of a soul being ripped apart.

    The funeral was a blur of faces and whispers.

    Niran barely registered the pitying glances, the greedy looks of those who saw his father’s death as an opportunity. They spoke of Dragon with disdain, as though his death was deserved, as though his life had meant nothing. But to Niran, those words were knives in his heart. His father had been a giant, and now that giant was gone, leaving a void that threatened to swallow him whole.

    Stacy, broken by grief and the weight of Dragon’s legacy, crumbled under the pressure. She tried to protect what remained of their lives, but the enemies that circled them were relentless.

    Niran watched helplessly as trusted allies turned their backs, as the vultures closed in to pick apart the remains of his father’s empire. But Niran was not his mother. He would not bend or break.

    At seventeen, he sought out his father’s most loyal men, those who had risen from the dirt alongside Dragon. He made promises, deals that he knew would bind them to him, and he waited. He waited for the day he would take back what was rightfully his.

    On his eighteenth birthday, just after midnight, Niran took control of his father’s estate. With the help of Jaran, Dragon’s most trusted lawyer, Niran secured their family home and embarked on a path of vengeance that would leave no stone unturned.

    Niran began by dismantling the life of Mayor Christos, the corrupt official who had preyed on his mother’s vulnerability, forcing her to give up a considerable amount of Dragon’s wealth in the form of corrupt charges of unpaid taxes.

    Niran exposed Christos’s misdeeds to the public, ensuring his swift downfall. But that was only the beginning. Niran turned his attention to those who had betrayed his father, systematically destroying their businesses, reducing their lives to rubble without spilling a single drop of blood.

    The fear of Niran’s wrath spread like wildfire through the ranks of the Shino Gang. In their desperation to save themselves, the disloyal members turned on each other, igniting a bloody gang war that ravaged Camfield City for a year and a half. The police, powerless to stop the violence, could only watch as the streets ran red with the consequences of corruption.

    In the aftermath of the carnage, Niran emerged as the undisputed leader of what remained of his father’s empire. But he did not seek to rebuild the Shino Gang.

    Instead, he dismantled the gang’s strongholds brick by brick until nothing was left. Then, with Jaran’s guidance, Niran transformed the remnants of Dragon’s legacy into a legitimate business empire.

    Niran founded Keta Group, turning his father’s fifteen remaining clubs into thriving enterprises. He used the profits to expand his business into owning hotels, residential real estate, and selling construction materials, slowly building up a flourishing empire of his own.

    Despite his success, Niran’s heart remained cold, his soul scarred by the loss of his father. He ruled Keta Group with an iron fist, his gaze always focused on the goal that had driven him since he was a boy—protecting what was his, no matter the cost.

    Niran had no room for love, not even when a scheming woman drugged him, seduced him, and bore him a son. He took in the child but cast the woman aside without a second thought.

    His fifteen-year-old son, Doryu, grew up in the shadow of a father as distant as he was formidable, believing that Niran was more dragon than man.

    As the years passed, Niran became a man shaped by fire and loss, a force to be reckoned with in Camfield City.

    At thirty-seven, Niran regained his father’s wealth, protected his mother, son, and family home with an iron will, and built a business empire that even the most powerful dared not challenge.

    However, beneath the surface, the flames of his revenge still burned, refusing to be extinguished until the day he could finally lay his father’s ghost to rest. Niran Shin still hoped to solve his father’s murder. His search for the truth continued, even as he had cleaned up his father’s old gang. He still wanted to know who murdered Dragon Shin.

    Who had taken the initiative to slay a dragon in his lair?

    This question kept Niran awake most nights.

    The investigator in charge of the murder case lost hope after five years went by with no new clues.

    Niran worked at keeping his hope burning. He managed all the evidence of his father’s case with utmost care through his family lawyer, Jaran Wilde.

    Jaran managed the investigation and updated any new findings as they were discovered.

    Twenty-two years was a long time to wait for an answer, but Niran did not grow tired. He continued to hope that he would meet the villain who set his life on such a tailspin.

    On a sunny Tuesday morning in May, Niran made a rare morning visit to the exclusive club he owned in Camfield’s most affluent neighborhood.

    Komorebi was his pride and joy.

    Niran conducted his discrete projects within Komorebi’s walls, ensuring the club was as private as possible.

    The club’s members, a mix of aristocrats and business moguls, were carefully chosen from the elite across the Kingdom of Aeras, and they often provided unprecedented entertainment and infinite use.

    Everything within Komorebi was useful to Niran Shin, who genuinely enjoyed spending time in the club.

    Sitting in a private dining room, Niran enjoyed a late breakfast and leisurely sipped coffee when his business managers walked in.

    “Morning, Niran,” Tyler Parker said, leading the way to the dining table for six.

    Niran invited them to join him with his left hand.

    “It’s rare to meet here on a Tuesday,” Rune Samran said as he sat at the table and accepted the menu from the butler. “May I ask what the occasion is?”

    “Jaran called,” Niran said, sitting back to look out the windows.

    The backyard was free of guests today. The green grass shone in the bright spring atmosphere, the landscape cascading in a sea of green and trimmed bushes to a distant forest. The grounds were often used for scenic grand occasions.

    Komorebi’s grounds were a secret, sought-after venue for elite weddings. The grand occasions brought in good money, but Niran was grateful for the peace on a Tuesday morning.

    A knock on the door came, and Niran gave up the scenery in time to see Jaran Wilde walk into the dining room, followed by his son, Dylan.

    Jaran was turning seventy-five in three months, and he wanted his son to take over the private law firm he had grown through the years.

    Niran took in Jaran’s white hair and wondered if his father would have the same shade if he had lived long enough.

    “Niran, sorry we are late,” Jaran said, pausing to shake hands with Rune and Tyler before he came around the table to Niran. “We stopped to collect the necessary documents from the committee at Camfield City Hall.”

    Niran pushed his chair back and stood.

    Jaran was the only man Niran ever made concessions for. The man was old enough to be his father and had guided Niran often as a father would.

    Niran pulled out a chair to his right for Jaran and only sat when the older man settled.

    “Dylan,” Niran said, acknowledging Jaran’s son, as he pushed his empty coffee to the side, ready for the meeting.

    “Mr. Shin,” Dylan said, sitting next to his father.

    The butler was already coordinating meals for Niran’s guests. His staff moved silently around the dining table, pouring coffee and bringing plates of hot food and water for Jaran.

    “What documents?” Tyler asked as he stirred sugar into his coffee.

    “The Camfield Project approval and bidding guidelines,” Jaran said, making Tyler and Rune shout happily.

    “That’s good news,” Niran smiled. “I’m glad the mayor’s committee has finally approved the project.”

    The Camfield Project was a proposal to build an Olympic-sized stadium with a shopping mall in the city of Camfield. The stadium would encourage commerce in the region, as the town was already a significant business hub for the Kingdom of Aeras.

    “Unfortunately, the project is a political development,” Jaran said, folding his arms against his chest, as Dylan distributed the folders to Niran, Tyler, and Rune.

    Niran placed his folder to the side. He would read it with care when he got home.

    “There will be a massive backlash if things go wrong,” Jaran said. “The most important part of building this project is sourcing the materials used for construction. Each item needs to be authentic and sourced fairly and without dispute. Otherwise, controversies will ruin progress.”

    “Keta Group has a strong construction background with our steel company,” Rune said. “We can source materials with minimal issues. With the company’s reputation, no one will dare to dispute—”

    “There is an obstacle,” Dylan said. “The Camfield Project Committee insists on a selective tendering process. They are targeting companies that have completed similar projects before. They have invited four companies to the tendering process.”

    “Fair enough,” Rune said, meeting Niran’s gaze. “It is true we have not completed such a major project before. However, we can attach Keta Steel to the winning bid. Who is on the list?”

    “Two foreign firms,” Jaran said. “One local to Camfield City, Rivenrose Construction, which the Millenrose family owns. The list finishes with Apico Industries. This is a recent addition. Apico is based in the minor city of Delbury. All four companies have one month to submit their bids.”

    “Why Apico? Delbury is not a large city. Why would the Camfield Project include them?” Tyler asked.

    “Apico is a construction and restoration company. They might have their headquarters in Delbury, but they competed and won the tender to complete the Capital Palace renovations three years ago,” Dylan said, reading from the tablet before him.

    “Apico Industries has an impressive list of architects and construction professionals. Their work is impeccable. Thanks to their work on the Capital Palace, the company is pulling in billions in sales worldwide. The man at the helm is Kaleo Rana,” Dylan said. “Mr. Rana is a structural engineer turned businessman.”

    “Interesting,” Rune said. “Do you have more information about him?”

    “His company profile shows a diversified portfolio. Apico is not his only company. He founded MinErrands at eighteen, the profits allowed him to enter the real estate industry. Mr. Rana started Apico Industries at twenty-two and has worked as Apico’s CEO for eight years. The company has propelled him into billionaire status. The company’s numbers are quite strong,” Dylan said, reaching for a glass of water to take a sip.

    “Kaleo Rana,” Niran murmured.

    The name sparked a sense of recognition, though he could not quite place the source. It was on the fringe of his memory.

    “We hope Millenrose wins the bid,” Rune said, pulling Niran’s attention away from the mystery.

    “Why?” Niran asked.

    “Rivenrose is a Camfield City company, which gives us easy access,” Rune said. “We know Brandon Millenrose. I believe he is a member of Komorebi.”

    “Hm.” Niran nodded.

    Rune was right.

    Club members would offer Keta Steel business, and business from the Camfield City Project would mean millions in contracts.

    Niran could not see any problem with the decision.

    “Still,” Niran said, meeting Jaran’s warning gaze. “Keep your ears on the ground. In case there is a problem. We don’t want to expose ourselves to trouble.”

    “Dylan,” Jaran said, looking at his son. “Work with Rune and Tyler as you navigate this deal. Whoever wins the bid should be able to provide a supply contract to Keta Steel.”

    “We’ll work on it,” Dylan said with a nod.

    Niran nodded in approval and listened as the four gentlemen worked through a few more decisions managing Keta Group businesses across the kingdom. When business ended, the breakfast meal concluded.

    “I need a few minutes alone,” Jaran told Niran.

    Tyler, Rune, and Dylan got up, pushing their chairs back.

    “Call me when you need me,” Niran told Tyler and Rune.

    They both nodded and headed out.

    “Dylan, stay,” Niran ordered when Jaran’s son started to leave, too. “If you’re taking over your father’s law firm, there is no need to keep this from you.”

    “Yes, Sir,” Dylan said, closing the door.

    The action was interrupted when a tall man with dark hair entered the dining room.

    Dylan glanced at Niran.

    “It’s okay,” Niran said as he smiled at his bodyguard. “Close the door, Rasul.”

    Kaleo Rana drank the expensive liquor the wait staff had delivered hours ago with relish. His brain filled with thoughts of his ex-boyfriend.

    “Ex-boyfriend,” Kaleo scoffed as he tipped the bottle and drank deep. “Dares to make me call him my ex.”

    He shook his head and looked around the beautiful suite of rooms at Komorebi. They were leased to Brandon Millenrose.

    Kaleo was here because he had come out to meet Brandon for the week. Only to discover that his so-called boyfriend was cheating on him with a legitimate fiancé.

    A beautiful brunette doctor whose family supported Brandon’s family in the corporate world. Their families had planned a wedding and wanted the cute couple to make babies for the next generation.

    Kaleo tipped the liquor bottle and drank deeper, hoping to drown the sting of betrayal crawling through his veins. He could not believe Brandon Millenrose had dared tell him to keep their relationship secret for the sake of his fiancé.

    Kaleo was to hide away their so-called relationship and stop coming to Komorebi and Camfield City.

    “Like a dirty secret,” Kaleo slurred, dropping the empty bottle.

    The loud crash on the marble floors felt satisfying. He wanted more of the sound, so he looked around the room and grinned when he saw a silver baseball bat tucked into the corner of the sitting area. Brandon liked playing and kept a bat for convenience.

    Kaleo crossed the room on bare feet, his shirt disheveled and stumbling from drinking too much. He took up the baseball bat and chuckled.

    The bastard waited to have sex with him last night and this morning before he broke off their relationship after a shared breakfast.

    Shaking his head at the disgust rising, he swung the baseball bat and hit a ceramic vase on a tall stool. The resulting crash made him giggle with satisfaction, so he turned to the glass coffee table closest to him and let his rage loose.

    Rasul closed the door and joined Niran, Jaran, and Dylan at the dining table. The butler and his staff had retreated. The dining room was secure.

    “Go ahead,” Niran said, meeting Jaran’s weary gaze. “What have you found?”

    “As you know, we have reconstructed your father’s last day down to the meals he ordered for his staff,” Jaran said. “While you were on land with your mother, he conducted numerous business meetings. Most people who talked to him have given us information on his business dealings.”

    “Yes,” Niran nodded, getting up to pace to the windows. “We have never had a problem finding out what he was selling or buying during those hours. I need to know which of these business associates decided to take my father’s life.”

    “Well,” Jaran said with a soft sigh. “One of our investigators may have uncovered a rivalry between Shin and an English business jackal. Someone who wanted control of the Camfield City docks to gain a foothold in the kingdom. Shin stood in the way.”

    “Who?” Niran asked, turning to look at Jaran. “Why would they need to fight my father when all they needed was to make a good offer, and he would have taken the deal?”

    “I’m handing you speculation,” Jaran said, shaking his head, his shoulders slumped with exhaustion. This search had not been easy on him.

    “What makes you think there is a rival we don’t know?” Rasul asked, leaning his hands on the table as he studied Jaran.

    “Have you heard of Shawick?” Jaran asked

    “Shawick,” Dylan said, his tone thoughtful. “It is a new shipping company bringing in goods from the East.”

    “Yes,” Jaran said with a nod. “Shawick is an old company. They are new to the kingdom. The investigator claims they reached out to your father before he died. Dragon refused to partner with them because they were unknown. Your father did not want to deal with someone he could not control. Shawick is rumored to be owned by an Englishman named Gordon. Our investigator says there are rumors that Gordon is looking to enter Camfield city again.”

    “Oh?” Niran scoffed and folded his arms against his chest. “A rat is looking for a way into the city without my permission.”

    “Perhaps,” Jaran said. “Perhaps not, this is all speculation. Rumors are not as good as proof. Still, if Shawick did reach out to Shin and failed, then…it’s the first solid starting point we have had for a while.”

    The Camfield docks had long fallen into Niran’s control.

    Niran had built strong alliances with the shipping businesses at the docks, invested in some, and owned others. If someone wanted in, he would have heard about it.

    If he had not heard about it and it was happening anyway, this presented a delicious challenge. It was rare to face a challenge these days.

    “Focus all our resources on Shawick,” Niran said. “I want to know everything about them and Gordon. If something is hidden between Gordon and my father, I want to know what it is. Rasul, investigate why the docks have not reported a problem.”

    “Yes, boss,” Rasul said, pushing off the table, winking at a wary Dylan. He reached the door and stepped out but returned minutes later.

    “Oh, I forgot to mention. Boss, there is an issue on the second level.”

    “What kind of issue?” Niran asked with a frown.

    “One of the guests has taken a bat to the furniture. The butler is wondering what should be done,” Rasul said.

    Niran scoffed.

    “Who dares to damage my property?”

    Chapter 2

    Kaleo Rana

    When Kaleo Rana hired Liam Rivers eight years ago, Kaleo called him an administrator at Apico Industries.

    Liam always thought that being an administrator meant helping manage the largest construction company in Delbury. The job came with a substantial paycheck, more than enough to manage his life expenses and invest in a healthy nest egg for his retirement years.

    Liam especially loved the perks of being Apico’s Administrator. He got to travel with Kaleo, Kaleo Rana’s personal dresser managed his wardrobe, and he got exclusive soccer season box tickets to watch the Delbury City Eagles. The tickets were hard to come by, so Liam loved that he could get them because of his job.

    However.

    There were times when even his love for soccer and season box tickets could not win over how crazy his job description had gotten. One would think an administrator was meant to spend his time behind a desk at Apico Industries managing the company affairs.

    But no, that would be too easy a requirement.

    Apico had grown into a monstrosity in the minor city of Delbury. Much of this growth was thanks to the company’s CEO and largest shareholder, Kaleo Rana.

    Kaleo was both smart and unhinged. Crazy and sane at the same time. Though Kaleo hid his insanity quite well when he met clients, and investors, only his closest family knew he could turn crazy in a second.

    Liam shivered at the thought of Kaleo’s strange personality and sighed when his phone buzzed. He reached for it from his pocket and checked the message from Kaleo’s lawyer.

    ‘We have a problem. Someone has placed two of the properties owned by Blue Dahlia on the market. Is your boss trying to liquidate the little company he uses to manage his family’s finances?’

    Liam frowned and glanced at the driver who was speeding along the busy streets of the Kingdom of Aeras’s second busiest city, Camfield.

    They were in search of Kaleo who had left his office at three in the afternoon yesterday. It was now almost ten in the morning and Kaleo had yet to resurface.

    Apico Industries was presenting an important business proposal in seventy-two hours. The proposal’s project manager needed Kaleo’s input and approval but the boss was missing. When the boss was missing, it was Liam’s responsibility to find Kaleo and save the day.

    The only clue to Kaleo’s disappearance was his on-and-off relationship with a businessman in Camfield City. Kaleo’s security team insisted he should check out their lovers’ hideaway first before panicking.

    Liam hoped the security team was right and he would find Kaleo.

    Liam frowned as he reread the message from Kaleo’s lawyer again.

    “Who would dare to sell Blue Dahlia properties?” Liam asked, and dialed Kaleo’s lawyer.

    “You read my message.”

    “Are you saying someone has listed Blue Dahlia properties?” Liam asked.

    “Where are you?”

    “I can’t tell you, Yaya,” Liam said, glancing out the tinted windows of the black Mercedes.

    The driver was pulling up to a grand white building in an upscale neighborhood. The valet waiting at the entrance opened the car door for Liam and he got off, still on the phone.

    “When you find your boss, tell him the properties on sale service Dahlia’s finances,” Yaya said. “He will want to know.”

    “Damn it, must be about the divorce,” Liam said, as he entered the exclusive club only open to members. He paused at the lobby, his gaze on the receptionist waiting to receive him. “Kaleo has not authorized the sale of any properties owned by the little company. You manage this until I get back to you.”

    “Alright,” Yaya said. “Call me if you need help.”

    “I always do,” Liam said, and ended the call. He met the expectant receptionist’s gaze. “I’m here for Mr. Rana.”

    Liam retrieved his business card from his wallet and gave it to the receptionist. She moved around the receptionist desk made of fine wood and swiped his card over a scanner. He waited a moment, then the card machine beeped and the door behind the desk opened.

    “Welcome to Komorebi,” the receptionist said, handing Liam his card. “You’ll find Mr. Rana in his usual place.”

    “Thank you,” Liam said, breathing out in relief.

    He had taken the flight to Camfield after searching for Kaleo all over Delbury City. The security team seemed sure Kaleo would be here, but Liam had been unsure.

    Komorebi was an exclusive club owned by a powerful Camfield City businessman. Membership was by invite only. Kaleo had gained an invite through his on and off boyfriend, Brandon Millenrose. Their relationship was tedious and toxic.

    Liam could not define the reasons why Kaleo insisted on holding on to Brandon, but it was not his place to judge his boss. He could only manage the consequences of Kaleo’s encounters with Brandon.

    Liam put away his card and entered the exclusive world only accessible to the kingdom’s elite.

    The owner of Komorebi had a deep love for Baroque Italian design. Marble statues and expensive art lined the walls, making the first floor of the club feel like an old-world museum. Cozy armchairs arranged in discrete spots in the space invited guests to sit for a drink, relax, and take in the artwork and statues on the walls. Companions could have intimate conversations without disturbance. A more dedicated bar space was situated to the far left of the building.

    Liam crossed to the grand staircase.

    Brandon Millenrose had a suite of rooms on the second level of the club. He liked spending time with Kaleo away from prying eyes. They had somehow kept their relationship private and out of the press. The only people who knew about Kaleo and Brandon were Liam and Kaleo’s security team boss.

    Liam doubted anyone on Brandon’s side knew about Kaleo. The bastard kept the relationship too secret, leaning on Kaleo to handle the secrecy.

    Liam rushed up the stairs with a sigh and found the door to the private suite easy enough.

    The door was slightly ajar.

    Liam paused, nervous about interrupting Kaleo’s time with Brandon. But then, he heard a harsh sob and the sound of glass breaking.

    Liam pushed the door open, his eyes widening with alarm. He stopped and stared in shock as Kaleo held a metallic baseball bat, swinging it over a glass shelf in the furthest corner of the suite.

    Kaleo hit the glass shelf multiple times with all the force he could muster.

    Kaleo’s five feet nine inches height shook with each swing. He looked disheveled. His white shirt unbuttoned, and his dark trousers had no belt. His dark hair was wet with sweat, and his cheeks were stained red.

    Liam started to step into the room when he noticed that Kaleo wore no shoes and there was glass debris all around him.

    “Don’t interrupt him.” An amused male voice stopped him.

    Liam turned to his right and frowned when he saw the tall man leaning on the wall right by the door. He wore a neat, tailored dark suit, his arms crossed against his chest as he watched Kaleo. His dark shoulder-length hair was combed back, away from his face, revealing an intense expression. His features sharp and well-defined, in a harsh masculine beauty.

    Liam’s frown deepened when the tall man glanced at him for a split second, and worry slammed into him at the intensity of blue eyes.

    “What is your name?”

    “Liam.”

    “Who are you to him?”

    “His business administrator,” Liam said, handing over his business card. “If you have any grievances against my boss, I’ll manage it. I promise he won’t mind fixing the damage.”

    The stranger studied his card with a small smile, then smiled wide.

    “Apico Industries?”

    Liam felt a trace of worry race down his spine.

    “Yes,” Liam said, taking back his card when the other man handed it back. “I hope we are still guaranteed privacy—”

    “Oh, yes. Komorebi guards all its patrons’ secrets.”

    Liam fought back his frustration as he realized the stranger had not introduced himself and had no intention to. Komorebi’s privacy policy was useful, but it was also very frustrating.

    “Your boss has impressed me. This is the first time someone has dared damage my property without a second thought and no sense of remorse.”

    “We are willing to compensate for the damage,” Liam said, his gaze straying to Kaleo who was now tiring himself as he smashed the last of the glass shelf.

    Kaleo’s bad habits were frightening. Frustration triggered the worst of it. Kaleo could break down a glass house in a fit of anger, if allowed.

    The first time Liam found him raging with a baseball bat, he had been in shock. Kaleo had broken several pieces of furniture with a baseball bat in his office until they turned into splintered wood.

    Liam often worried his boss would one day lose his mind and hit him with the baseball bat. He shuddered at the thought. Well, he had yet to find Kaleo beating up on someone, so he could judge himself as relatively safe. He could not speak for the furniture though.

    Liam bit back a sigh.

    It looked like Kaleo’s temper was about to get them banned from entering Komorebi.

    Niran smiled as he watched Kaleo Rana descend into unadulterated rage. He was beautiful to watch. Describing him did not do Kaleo justice—slim build, average height, black hair. But the way he swung the baseball bat in his hands, with the force of Thor taking down a forest, the rage inside him burbling hard and threatening to explode his body into tiny bits. It was like he was the strongest man in the world, and the most vulnerable.

    Niran wanted to walk over and pull him into his arms, soothe the rage with a deep kiss that would set them both on fire. He grinned at the thought and tightened his arms against his chest, unwilling to stop Kaleo until the fury burned out.

    Kaleo broke the glass shelf to pieces, exhausting all his energy and the anger boiling inside him. The pain was challenging to digest. No matter the form, it reeked of discomfort.

    Heartbreak and breakups were the most inane, self-inflicted types of pain in existence. It should be easy to avoid them, but…

    Kaleo lifted the silver baseball bat he held and smashed the last glass shelves with delight. The glass cracked and crunched, and he nodded with satisfaction. He broke the pieces on the floor with more force, using up strength and a fraction of his anger and annoyance.

    He still could not believe his newly minted ex-boyfriend had dared to cheat on him. He was the undisputed prince of casual dating, and an idiot had dared walk into his world and decided to cheat on him.

    “Fuck!” Kaleo threw the silver baseball bat on the ground and dug his fingers into his sweat-slicked hair. He stepped back and missed stepping on a shard of glass by an inch.

    A worried gasp filled the room, but he paid it no mind.

    Instead, Kaleo looked around at the distraction he had caused, and a sense of satisfaction filled him, erasing the hole Brandon Millenrose left inside him when he walked out earlier. He had no idea what he expected dating Millenrose, but heartbreak was not on his menu.

    Shaking his head, he took in the chaos of broken glass and let it soothe a small part of his anger.

    Taking a deep breath, Kaleo let it out and glanced toward the door.

    Kaleo paused when he saw the tall man in a neat dark suit leaning on the wall, arms crossed against his chest. He looked older, maybe at the tail-end of his thirties. The beard on his chiseled jaw was dusted with some gray. His gaze was thrilling, so intense and handsome, Kaleo stared.

    Damn, it is illegal to look that sexy, Daddy. So dangerous. Making me wish I could kiss you to forget fucking Brandon is so unfair right now.

    Kaleo met intense blue eyes and his heart squeezed tight in his chest.

    “What?”

    “You’ve ruined my shelves.”

    “Did I?” Kaleo stared at the broken glass around him and nodded in agreement. “I have. Sorry. I’ll replace them.”

    “Is that all you have to say?”

    “What else?” Kaleo asked and started to turn.

    “Stop.”

    The order came out in a deep, forbidding voice.

    Kaleo stopped. It was difficult to ignore the authority in the one word.

    Kaleo frowned. He liked the bossy tone that Sexy Daddy used. Glancing at the stranger, Kaleo placed his hands at his waist and smiled.

    “You like ordering people around, don’t you?” Kaleo asked, frowning when the stranger’s figure wavered.

    He cursed under his breath and blinked, shaking his head to clear his vision.

    “I may have drunk more than I planned,” Kaleo murmured. “The bourbon was delicious. This place always has the best liquor.”

    The stranger pushed off the wall, and the move was so seamless that it reminded Kaleo of a hunting jaguar. A trace of unease raced down his spine, and he started to step forward. He brought his right foot down on a piece of glass, but powerful arms lifted him before the shard could cut his foot.

    Kaleo sighed and closed his eyes as the motion made him dizzy.

    “You’re too dangerous,” Kaleo murmured as the stranger carried him to a comfortable couch on the opposite side of the room.

    “You’re unhinged,” the stranger said as he arranged a pillow under Kaleo’s head. “Your temper has caught my attention. I don’t know whether you’ll be happy about it.”

    Kaleo frowned and started to reach for the man’s gorgeous burgundy tie, but then the bourbon won. He closed his eyes, ready to sink into sleep.

    Then, the whisper of pain brought him back from the abyss.

    “Don’t let Brandon Millenrose in here,” Kaleo said, gripping the stranger’s shirt collar. “He broke a promise. I don’t want to see him again.”

    “Done,” the stranger said, and the decisive promise filled Kaleo with infinite comfort.

    Kaleo nodded and closed his eyes, sinking into sleep, feeling much lighter than he had a few hours before.

    Bold Desire by Suilan Lee

    Status: Coming Soon
    The first time Niran Shin meets him, Kaleo Rana is having a meltdown of epic proportions. Breaking glass shelves with a baseball bat after a terrible breakup. Niran Shin loves Kaleo’s vibrant personality, but their worlds seem too far apart. Niran is on a path of vengeance and has no desire to pull Kaleo into his world.

    Then, a villain asks Niran for a favor that places Kaleo’s life in danger, and Niran has no choice but to pull Kaleo into his world. A world full of dark secrets that threaten their future together. Will Kaleo ever choose him?

  • Blades of Ashes Ch 6

    Arc 2: The Case of the Belladonna Poisoned Palace Maid

    Ch. 6

    Good fortune and smart spending allowed Gesi Ajai to own a home on a quiet street near the palace. It was a neighborhood where most palace officials lived, allowing wives to form groups and children to keep the right company.

    Gesi appreciated the pretentiousness of Crystal Lane. It came in handy now, with his daughter’s marriage ceremony in preparation. Officials from various ministries sent gifts and stopped to talk, offering congratulations and seeking deeper connections.

    Gesi seized this goodwill to promote his thoughts on the finance ministry and seek support for his nomination by the Prime Minister’s men. So far, he had met fifteen palace court officials and felt confident about his nomination. But he intended to continue until no question would be the next minister of finance.

    Gesi smiled at the thought and settled into an armchair in his great room. He watched his wife talking to three ladies-in-waiting who would move into Draeya Commandery Prince’s manor with his daughter. A young woman with dark hair turned and glanced at him, giving a short nod. Gesi held her gaze and smiled when she focused back on his wife’s words.

    He had placed one of his assets in his daughter’s staff. The girl, Rassa, was tasked with spying on the Maenaer house and reporting back to him. If she managed to get any intel, it would be beneficial; if not, she would act as a protector for Naeri.

    He hated to admit it, but his daughter refused to understand his ambition. She held on to the ideals she learned in her schoolroom, clinging to the idea of love and recoiling at any mention of treason or murder. She was a noblewoman. Gesi chuckled. He probably deserved this retribution after years of plotting and deeds he dared not speak of.

    Shaking his head, he picked up the teacup from the stool on his right. Gesi sipped the warm tea and smiled. He watched his wife admonish the three young women.

    Sazama entered the great hall, walking at a hurried pace. He greeted Gesi’s wife before navigating the many chairs to reach Gesi.

    “How is it going?” Gesi asked as Sazama sat on a stool near his armchair.

    “I’ve been cleaning up our traces in the forged silver case. The magistrate at Naga Port claims the Draeya General received an order to capture the thieves stealing the Sura Clan Ore. We can’t find Hulan, who we placed at the port to track the Sura. Draeya General may have caught him.”

    Gesi Ajai frowned.

    “It doesn’t matter,” Gesi said, shaking his head. “The deal I made with Basileus Dio to get Naeri married into the Maenaer house gives us some protection. Basileus Dio will suppress any evidence brought to him by the Draeya General. Still, we should find Hulan. In case he has turned on us.”

    “I’ll keep looking for him,” Sazama said. “The Sura workshop leases have all reverted to the finance office. I have one of our men working to take them over with the magistrate’s help.”

    “That’s good news,” Gesi said with a satisfied nod. He sipped his tea again and smiled at the thought of the revenue the workshops would bring him. “The Sura?”

    “The Sura Chieftain is dead,” Sazama said. “His subordinates held a funeral in the Sura Manor before they left. We found burned pyres in the backyard. Most of the Sura have left the city. Should we let them be? What if they return? What if they discover what we did?”

    “Send a few mercenaries after them,” Gesi said. “Scare them from returning as they flee to the port. If possible, take care of any Sura Clan members who try to stay on the mainland.”

    “I’ll make sure,” Sazama nodded. His gaze strayed to Gesi’s wife and the three ladies-in-waiting who were now sipping tea. “Congratulations on Naeri’s wedding.”

    “It’s a good result,” Gesi said. “I had hoped she would become the Basilinna, but a Commandery Princess is also useful.”

    “Don’t you find it strange how Basileus Dio is marrying Soriel?” Sazama asked. “We managed to get the Dowager Basilinna to approve Naeri. Days after, Basileus Dio is engaged to Soriel Maenaer, and Naeri is entering the Maenaer house.”

    “It is suspect,” Gesi said. “But we all have our schemes. The Basileus would be an idiot not to have his own. I’m sure there are reasons he didn’t want to marry Naeri. What matters now is to grow Naeri’s power and gain a foothold in court. A Basilinna can always change. She must also follow her husband’s edicts. I’ll take it as my good fortune that Naeri fell in with the Draeya General. After all, a Commandery Princess has more freedom.”

    “Hm,” Sazama said, his tone quiet, though he did not voice more thoughts on the matter.

    “What’s next?” Sazama asked.

    “We need to solidify our business in the Sura workshops. Get people to forget that the Sura Clan ever existed in this capital. I need profit flowing,” Gesi said. “The next part of our plan requires a considerable amount of money. Get started.”

    “I’ll see to it,” Sazama said as he got up from the stool and headed out of the great room.

    Gesi watched him leave and smiled at the thought of having someone so energetic working for him. Things were flowing quite well.

    *****

    The Sura carriage stopped at two rest stops on its way to the Naga State Port.

    The first time it stopped, Alise, Azula’s big sister, was ill. A healer saw her at the inn and prescribed calming herbs to help her get through the journey.

    The second time, Azula exited the carriage and entered a busy inn. He stayed for an hour. Three passenger carriages followed him out when he exited the inn.

    Raithion could only assume the passengers in the carriages were Sura Clan members struggling to get to the port. He watched the carriages form a convoy, moving steadily to the port. His heart ached with guilt and pity. He grew angry with his father and hoped to change the case’s outcome in the capital, but there was no way now.

    The only thing he could do was quietly escort Azula’s people to the port and make sure nothing happened to Azula. He could not trust his father or Basileus Dio.

    The Sura Clan was inconvenient. The Forged Silver Case would only end when Azula’s people stayed quiet.

    Shaking his head, Raithion adjusted his hold on his horse’s reins. He led his horse through the thick trees, forging his path parallel to the main road. Behind him, fifteen legion officers followed. He had left Haedor in the capital to keep up appearances. He was supposed to be preparing for his wedding, not out here protecting a criminal clan.

    “Your Highness,” the acting lieutenant said, using his new title. “We have movement on the other side.”

    “Let the carriages pass and intercept,” Raithion ordered.

    Raithion stopped his horse, dismounted, and focused on beating back the mercenaries he had been sure would be sent to clean up the Sura Clan. He pulled out the daggers Azula had given him from the sheaths the Maenaer blacksmith had given him before he left. He looked at the carriage carrying Azula and his sister before he turned back to join his officers as they engaged the approaching fierce mercenaries.

    The fight was fast and bloody. Raithion cut down three of the men, all dressed in black. They could not keep any of them alive. They chased down anyone who tried to return to the capital. He could not have them report back to their master until Azula and his people were safe.

    The journey to the port was slow. The carriages following Azula were filled with women and children. Azula’s carriage led the way to the Sura Clan’s shipping dock when they reached the port city.

    Raithion made sure his soldiers remained hidden. It was difficult to forget Azula’s anger when they last met, and he was not sure Azula would like to see him now.

    ****

    Azula helped two children out of the carriage and watched them run up the gangplank, boarding the last Sura Clan ship headed to the island. The port city was eerily quiet beyond the docks. News had reached the merchants and the port city dwellers of the Sura Clan’s misfortunes.

    There was no easy way to discuss the matter.

    Azula had no idea where to begin to understand what had happened to his father.

    Why did his father die? Who dragged his father to the magistrate’s compound? Why did his family have to leave the capital?

    Alise was not talking. She could not provide the answers.

    The Sura Clan’s main council was already on the island. The only person who could provide answers was Juya or his mother, but they had no time to discuss. Between getting the women and children into the last ship and ensuring their warehouse was emptied and no Sura Clan member was left behind, there was no time for a good conversation.

    “What about the carriage?” Sennin asked Azula when everyone was onboard.

    “Um,” Azula stared at the carriage he had hoped to give to Alise for her wedding. It had carried his father’s ashes instead of a bride. “Let my father finish his journey on it. I’ll disassemble it when we reach the island.”

    “Alright,” Sennin called out to the men who had journeyed with them, and they worked on getting the carriage into the cargo hold.

    Azula stood on a path he had stood at days ago and stared at the Sura Clan’s warehouse. He remembered the happier days, arriving on this dock to deliver Magnus’s mangoes to the many merchants in the port city or delivering ore to the warehouse for transport to the capital. To meet Alise when she returned to the island after weeks of being away. Now, the warehouse doors were closed. The port city dwellers watched them warily; no one dared approach them to escape trouble.

    Shaking his head, Azula started to turn to board the ship, only to stop when a commanding shout rang out.

    “Halt! Azula Doriel, the port’s magistrate, wants us to confiscate your ship. Get everything off. That ship is not going anywhere.”

    Azula turned to find four lieutenants from the magistrate’s compound with dozens of port officers. They held big sticks, ready to beat Azula and his people into submission at the first sign of resistance.

    Azula chuckled and sneered as he turned to look at the lieutenants.

    “Catching thieves is too difficult, but stepping on those who have fallen is easy,” Azula said. “Let me see you try to get my people out.”

    “Don’t think we won’t beat you to death to get through,” one of the lieutenants said.

    “Try it,” Azula shouted, his fingers in tight fists. Rage built up so deep inside him he worried he would explode into tiny pieces. “Beat me to death if you can.”

    “Azula.”

    A scared voice called his name and pulled him out of the rage. He turned to find Alise hurrying down the gangplank, still dressed in the white mourning dress she had worn at their family’s manor in the capital city.

    “Be careful,” Alise said, gripping his left arm. “Nothing can happen to you. I’ll try talking to them.”

    Azula started to protest her gentle approach, but she never got a chance to speak. An arrow sunk into her left shoulder, dragging a scream from Azula. He wrapped his arm around Alise tight to keep her standing and turned to see one of the magistrate’s officers holding a bow. How dare they! How dare they!

    “Return…to the ship,” Alise managed, gripping the front of Azula’s shirt.

    Azula could not look away from the arrow lodged into her shoulder, holding Alise tight, frozen in place. Blood soaked Alise’s white dress, and he let out another cry as she gasped.

    “Azula,” Alise pulled on the front of his shirt with her free hand.

    Azula stared at the wound on his sister’s left shoulder with growing despair and anger. Alise tugged on his shirt another second, then pushed away from him. He reached for her, but she slapped his left cheek with unprecedented strength.

    “Azula Doriel, our Sura ship is strong enough to withstand the rigors of the sea. A few arrows will not bring it down. Let’s go, or we will die here,” Alise ordered. “Let’s go.”

    Azula ignored the magistrate’s officers behind them and lifted Alise into his arms. He raced up the gangplank.

    “Raise the gangplank. Cast off port bow line,” Azula yelled, carrying his sister to sit on a crate.

    He was glad when the ship’s crew got to work, calling out orders and scrambling to get the ship sailing.

    “Casting off port bow line,” One of the crew called out.

    “Women and children below deck,” Azula called. “Arrows inbound, prepare to defend. Standby to raise the main. Find Torak. I need his help.”

    “Bowline all clear!”

    Sennin led strong men to the rails, each holding arrows and bows. A wave of arrows lined the side of their ship, and Sennin’s men retaliated by releasing arrows to the line of attackers.

    Juya, one of the council members, hurried to Azula and Alise.

    “Torak is no longer with us,” Juya said when Azula gave him a confused glance. “He was with Chief Marius at the magistrate.”

    Torak was his father’s most trusted aide. He lived in the Doriel Manor in the capital and knew everything about their family. He was practically an uncle.

    Azula sighed as another loss hit him.

    “Help my sister to her quarters. Get a healer to remove the arrow. Tell the healer to ensure the arrow was not poisoned,” Azula said. “I have to get us away from this port.”

    “Don’t worry,” Juya said, lifting Alise with care. “Your mother and mine are with us. They will help. Don’t worry about anything below deck. I’ll handle it.”

    “Thank you,” Azula said, watching Juya hurry away as fast as he could with the chaos on deck.

    “Bow clear!”

    The confirmation pulled Azula out of his thoughts, and he decided to worry about Alise once they were in the middle of the sea.

    “Raise the main,” Azula called and hurried to join Sennin on the rail. He was surprised to find the magistrate’s legion officers fighting off men dressed in black.

    “What’s going on? Who are they?” Sennin asked as he watched the fiercest man in black fighting with two blades.

    The unknown fighter slashed at the magistrate’s officers down without mercy, turning the dock into a bloody scene. Then, the majestic fighter joined the daggers he held in a fast, efficient move and turned the daggers into a long blade.

    Azula breathed in as he recognized the blades he had crafted and gifted to Raithion Maenaer in a show of naïve trust. He remembered enjoying Raithion’s smile as they rode the carriage to the capital. Raithion thanked him for the blades.

    Azula closed his eyes when the image of his father lying on a palette in the city’s morgue filled his brain. Raithion’s promises were so easily defeated.

    “Why is he here?” Azula murmured and frowned when Raithion finished dealing with the magistrate’s legion officers and hurried to the end of the dock, watching him.

    “Should we stop our departure?” Sennin asked. “Whoever he is, he helped us. We should thank him.”

    “Alise is injured,” Azula said. “Our clan is hunted. We can’t stop. Whoever he is doesn’t matter anymore. Our Sura Clan has nothing to do with a master of ashes.”

    “Azula,” Sennin started, but Azula gave Raithion one last glance and turned away.

    “Azula hands over to the shipmaster,” he called out and nodded when their Ship’s Captain took command.

    Azula headed below deck in search of Alise and his mother.

    As for his crush on Raithion Maenaer, he would consider it a period of bad judgment.

    ****

    Raithion watched the last Sura Clan ship sail away with a heavy heart. He gripped the joined dagger handle tight and wished he could change the outcome of the Forged Silver Coins case. Shaking his head, he wished he and Azula had met under better circumstances.

    “What are your orders, Your Highness?” his lieutenant asked.

    “Clean up the magistrate’s office,” Raithion said. “Send a message to the Naga State King. Tell him the port’s magistrate has succumbed to injuries incurred in a training exercise. Appoint the number one scholar from our Draeya County to the magistrate’s position. Replace the legion officers with the forces from Draeya.”

    “You’re taking control of the port,” the lieutenant said.

    “Quietly,” Raithion said with a sigh. “Do it quietly. Don’t alert my father or Gesi Ajai. Use secret soldiers to get any Sura Clan stragglers to the Sura Island. No harm should come to them. Those are my orders.”

    “I will relay them. Do you think the young Chieftain’s son will ever return?” the lieutenant asked.

    Raithion felt his heart clench with disappointment.

    “I hope he returns,” Raithion said. “I hope I’m strong enough to protect him when he returns.”

    *****

    Azula sat on a chair beside his mother. They watched the healers work on Alise on her bed. Alise was pale. Her strawberry-blonde hair was scattered on the pillows, clean and free of the dark charcoal they had used to hide its color. Azula’s gaze lingered on the bloody bandages on a tray next to one of the healers.

    She ensured they did not fall on the floor, even as the second healer added more.

    “The wound is clean,” the healer said. “Lena, pass me the yarrow powder.”

    Lena stopped arranging the bloody bandages and handed over a bottle from a clean tray.

    “How is it, Evie?” Lasma asked, a frown creasing her brow as she gripped Azula’s right hand tight. Her worry for Alise was palpable.

    “She’s going to be in pain for a while,” Evie said as she worked. “The wound is deep. We’ll need to worry about the use of her shoulder later. For now, I’ve stopped the bleeding and cleaned out any debris left by the arrow. We’ll work to keep her comfortable and the wound clean until we arrive home.”

    “Thank goodness,” Lasma said with a nod.

    “There is something else you should know, Chief Lasma,” Evie said, pausing to look at Lasma and Azula.

    “Out with it, Evie,” Lasma said when she hesitated. “Is my daughter in danger?”

    “She is with child,” Evie said.

    Lasma gasped and stood up to hurry to the bed. Lena picked up the tray of dirty bandages and took it away. Lasma sat on the clean covers and reached for Alise’s left wrist.

    Azula froze in his chair and prayed Evie was wrong.

    Lasma was a healer’s daughter and had grown up learning to read pulses. Now, as the wife of a chieftain, she had spent most of her time helping women through their pregnancies. It took her no time to read her own daughter’s pulse. Her wide eyes filled with tears, and Azula nodded.

    “Do you know the father?” Evie asked, her voice soft and kind.

    “Yes,” Lasma said, shaking her head. “Yemin.”

    Evie let out a sad sigh, and they all stared at Alise.

    “Did father acknowledge him?” Azula asked.

    “He did,” Lasma said. “Alise invited him for a meal at home. Yemin came over and promised to protect Alise for the rest of his life. We waited for her to braid Yemin’s hair for the first time when you arrived. We should not have waited.”

    “Then,” Azula swallowed down the lump in his throat. “Let’s take it that she did. Yemin is my brother-in-law. We shall give him this honor from now on. I’ll help him raise his son or daughter as a second father.”

    “It is the right thing, Azula,” Lasma said, holding Alise’s hand tight.

    “Well, then I’ll let everyone know. It is good to have something to celebrate after all the tragedy,” Evie said. “We’ll work to make sure Alise is in good health. She’s now two people.”

    “Thank you, Evie,” Lasma said and nodded when Evie started to right Alise’s clothes.

    Evie and Lena had helped her change into a fresh white dress. The color made Alise look too pale, but it was one they would all have to wear for the next three months as they mourned the dead.

    “Mom,” Azula said. “What happened in the capital? Why did Pa end up in the city morgue?”

    Lasma shook her head and shifted to help Evie arrange the covers around Alise. When Alise was comfortable, Evie left to brew medicinal herbs with Lena.

    “Someone set your father up,” Lasma sighed heavily.

    She wore a long white dress, and white strands stained her strawberry-blonde hair. A white band controlled her hair, keeping the braids she wore as the Chieftain’s wife down her back.

    Azula did not rush her, watching as Lasma rubbed Alise’s left hand to infuse her energy into Alise, who had passed out from the pain of removing the arrow earlier. She had not woken up since.

    “Your father worried the scarcity of ore in our workshops would anger our customers. Which was why he asked you to deliver the ore in person,” Lasma said. “Tensions in the capital were rising. Forged silver coins were flowing in the markets. Everyone suffered a deficit in the exchange bureaus. Losing too much and not making enough,” Lasma shook her head. “Thinking about it now, we had no chance.”

    “Why?”

    “Someone analyzed the forged silver and said the ore at the core of the forged coins was ours,” Lasma said. “The imperial court took over the matter, and the finance minister started an investigation. Worried there would be trouble, your father asked Yemin to make sure our workshops had no molds that could make coins in the workshops. He also asked the old General Maenaer for help. Something went wrong in between. The magistrate’s officers caught Yemin destroying molds in one of the workshops. They arrested him and everyone in the workshop.”

    Lasma started crying, and Azula closed his eyes.

    “The Inspector General in charge of the forged silver coin case dragged your father away to his offices,” Lasma said. “They said it was an inquiry, but he was worried. He asked Alise to move our assets and start clearing out our Doriel Manor in the city. I helped her where I could, getting the old clan matriarchs out of the city. We rushed everyone out, but it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough, and we could not save Marius.”

    Azula opened his eyes and stood. He hurried to hug his mother as she cried hard.

    “Marius did nothing wrong,” Lasma said, sobbing into his shoulder. “He cared for the clan and ensured our workshops were running well. He never stepped foot into the political world of the capital. Never. As we left the city, I was shocked to hear strangers accusing him of collaborating with the finance minister to forge silver coins. The rumors escalated. People started throwing stones at our clan members. Our hair is too distinct. It was so easy for them to turn against us. They lynched the Remming boy outside one of the exchange bureaus. That’s when we knew we had to get everyone out.”

    Azula swallowed down his anger and held his mother tight.

    “What are we going to do now?” Lasma asked, sobbing. “What will we do now.”

    “Don’t worry about that right now,” Azula soothed. “I’m here, and so is Alise. We still have Magnus on the island. Mom, don’t worry. We’ll get through it. I’ll see to it.”

    Azula held his mother tight as she cried for a while, then when she was stable, she took a deep breath and leaned on him.

    “When we get to the island, you’ll have to lead the funeral ceremony,” Lasma said. “So many of our people are dead. Complete the funeral ceremony well.”

    “I will arrange it,” Azula said.

    “Juya is reliable. He knows the procedures and does not mind helping,” Lasma said. “Alvas won’t mind managing the meals. You can also lean on Kalas and Sennin. Do you remember how to blow the mourning horn?”

    “I won’t forget how,” Azula said, staring at Alise’s pale face in the bed. “Our family has faced such a catastrophe at the hands of someone. The least I can do is send them to rest well and find a way to get our family justice.”

    “Don’t be vengeful,” Lasma said, gripping Azula’s right wrist tight. “Look at me, Azula Doriel.”

    Azula tried not to, but she tugged on his wrist.

    “Now!”

    Azula swallowed his anger down and met her green gaze.

    “You have your father’s eyes,” she said. “Marius was kind and took care of his clansmen first. He lived for his people. You are his son. Your priority is the clan and your sister’s well-being. You have already promised to be a father to her child. Do you know vengeance will destroy everything you hope to protect?”

    “Mom.”

    “Promise me now,” Lasma said. “You will not avenge your father.”

    Azula cursed inside and held his mother’s gaze, wondering if he could lie to her, but she narrowed her gaze at him.

    “You,” Lasma said. “The only vow I want to hear is that you will focus on protecting your people.”

    Azula sighed.

    “I vow to protect the Sura, my family, and the generations to come,” Azula said.

    “No vengeance,” Lasma said.

    “I will not seek vengeance,” Azula said, but he would discover the truth of his father’s death. Draw it out to the open and let others take vengeance.

    “You’re a good man,” Lasma said with a nod. “I’ll hold you to your promise.”

    Azula kissed his mother’s left cheek, then her right, and hugged her tight.

    *****

    The sun rose bright, and the Sura Clan’s wild forests were awash in vibrant greens, cheerful birds, and wild animals living their lives. Harmony filled the wild, but sorrow ruled the descendants of the Sura Clan.

    Azula Doriel, the second child of the fallen Chieftain, stepped down the steps outside the grand hall found in the village center. His feet were in flat sandals adorned with gold satin straps.

    White ash covered Azula’s feet. He wore a long white sarong with shorts underneath. The white sarong was tied fast around his hips with a thin gold belt. He also wore a wider gold belt embedded with carnelian stones, large and small, to protect the bearer of the dead. On his wrists were gold cuffs, also adorned with carnelian stones. His long strawberry blonde hair was combed out today, with no braids in sight. His hair was left to fall free down his back to symbolize profound loss.

    Azula wore nothing else. His bare chest was clean and free of jewelry or clothing. Azula looked up at the bright sky and wondered when some of the light would penetrate his grieving soul. Shaking his head, he walked down the stone path with deliberate steps. Ahead of him was a tight circle made by the people who had lost a relative in the capital’s massacre.

    The grieving made a path for him to enter the circle, and he held out his hands and closed his eyes. Each approached Azula and marked his bare chest with wood ash mixed with carnelian stone dust. He waited with patience as they marked his body.

    When they stopped, Magnus walked up to him with a torch drenched with sulfur and had a long gold handle to protect the bearer. The sulfur would keep the fire burning for an hour. The torch symbolized an eternal fire burning to light the way for the departed.

    “Azula Doriel, son of Chieftain Marius Doriel, we task you with leading the departed to the afterlife,” Magnus said, his voice booming as everyone stood quiet, listening. “Lead them so they may find their way to peace and forget the woes of this life. May your steps be steady so they may find the courage to follow. May your loss be eased when you reach your destination so that you may return to find us, the living, waiting for you.”

    “The message is heard,” Azula said, his voice laced with unshed tears. “I will lead the way.”

    Magnus took the torch from him with his left hand and held out his right to indicate the way to the mourning horn. Azula looked around the crowd of his people, giving each one a nod of reassurance, before he took the necessary steps to the massive coiled horn forged with bronze. It sat on a stone pedestal, its surface carved with the Sura clan tribal designs. An ancestor had forged it long before Azula was born.

    Azula climbed the broad steps to the blowing end of the horn and took several breaths to control his breathing. He made the first blow. It was thunderous, signaling the start of the final journey. He was to blow the horn three times to indicate the clan’s chief had died and left his seat vacant. Otherwise, one blow of the horn was enough for the clan members.

    Azula blew the second one, and tears filled his eyes when he spotted Alise coming out of the large hall with Juya helping to steady her steps. She was still in pain; her wound had not healed yet. Alise gripped Juya’s hand tight when Azula started blowing the last one, long and hard to share the brevity of the loss.

    Azula stopped and stepped down, tears streaming down his face. He took the torch from Magnus and would have started walking to the path leading to the mountain’s caves, but Alise shouted his name.

    “Wait,” Alise said. “Wait for me, Azu.”

    Azula stopped and turned to see Juya carrying and hurrying to his side. When she stood before him, she held out a thick gold necklace with a large carnelian stone hanging on the end. Azula bent his head and let her place the necklace around his neck. She ensured his hair was free and reached up to wipe his tears with her palms.

    “May your steps be steady so that they are not afraid. When you finish your task, return home, and I’ll make sure a bowl of soup waits for you,” Alise said.

    “Mm,” Azula said, not touching her. He did not want to make her white dress dirty with all the ashes on his body. He took in a deep breath and stepped away from Alise. He gave Juya a grateful glance, then headed out to lead the procession to the mountain caves.

    The stone path leading to the mountains was wide enough for a carriage. Four men led the way, hitting the drums to make way. The sound was more symbolic than practical, as everyone on the island was attending the procession.

    Azula followed the four men, his steps steady and deliberate. He carried the gold torch high, lighting the way for the carriage with four horses behind him. The carriage he forged for Alise now carried the ashes of his people to their final resting place.

    The walk took an hour. Everyone Azula met sprinkled him with carnelian stone dust, hoping to add to the stones he already carried on his jewelry. The path turned uneven at the mountain, and thirty-six volunteers retrieved the ash bags from the carriage.

    Azula was not surprised to see his mother carrying her husband’s ashes as she stopped right behind him. If Alise could, she would stand next to Lasma, holding Yemin’s ashes. Instead, Alvas stood next to Lasma in Alise’s stead.

    When everyone was ready, Azula led the procession deeper into the mountains to the sacred cave with the deepest tunnel. The tunnel led to a hot lava river in the depths of the Sura Clan. The lava river had long gone silent, but there were seasons when it turned active. The Sura ancestors believed the fire god would lead them to the afterlife, burning away their sins and bad luck, leaving only good fortune.

    Azula stopped at the most prominent spot, holding the torch above his head. His mother stood on his right, and Alvas stood on his left. They waited as the others came and dropped the bags of ashes down the tunnel. Thirty-one bags of ashes were released down the tunnel. Then, it was Alva’s turn. Azula pulled off the chain around his neck and handed it to Alva. She tied it around Yemin’s ashes and let him go to the afterlife.

    Then, there was Lasma.

    Azula held his left hand to her, and she took off the wide gold cuff with carnelian stones. Holding the torch with his left hand, he moved his right hand to her. She took off the second gold cuff. Smiling at her, he extended his hands and nodded to the gold belt around his waist. It was heavy with carnelian stones. Alvas helped him unclip the belt. She was careful to leave the thin gold belt around his waist as it held the long white sarong in place. Azula watched his mother wrap his father’s ashes in the gold belt, clipping the cuffs to the belt.

    Lasma held his gaze for a minute, and then she let out a soft breath as she let go of Marius’s ashes. As the ashes descended and left their sight, none of them cried, not wanting to burden him with their grief. Crying would be later.

    Azula nodded to Alvas. Alvas wrapped strong arms around Lasma and led her out of the cave.

    Looking at his fellow clan members, Azula lifted the torch and tossed it into the tunnel.

    “The fallen have found their way,” Azula said, raising his voice for all to hear. “May they rest in eternal peace. Now and forever.”

    “May they rest in peace,” the answer came.

    Azula stared at the disappearing torch down the tunnel and closed his eyes, fighting the urge to seek vengeance. He would work at protecting his people for now, for his sister and her unborn child. As for the truth that had led to this tragedy, it would wait, but he would get it out.

    Letting out a soft sigh, he turned when Kalas gripped his left elbow and pulled him away from the tunnel’s edge of the tunnel.

    “Let’s go,” Kalas said. “You still have to walk back to the village hall for everyone to be at ease. Don’t linger here.”

    Azula met Kalas’s gaze, nodded, and left the mountain cave.

    Outside, he spotted the gorgeous carriage he had built with love. Azula had doused the carriage with igniting fuel before it started its journey up the mountain. Kalas set the horses free and sent them on the path back to the village.

    Azula took the fire torch Kalas handed him and stood before the carriage. His thoughts filled with the memory of playing chess with Raithion, playing cards, and eating snacks as Raithion sat still on the bench. Then, the memory of Alise curled on one of the benches as she clutched Yemin’s ashes took precedence.

    Shaking his head, Azula stepped forward and set the carriage on fire. It was good to burn away bad luck and hope for good fortune in the future. When he had time, he would make a new one.

    “What about the ore hidden inside?” Sennin asked, coming to join them.

    “Let it burn,” Azula said, his voice turning cold. “Let it serve as a reminder that someone dared use our ore to frame our clansmen. None of us should forget this painful lesson.”

    Kalas sighed, and Sennin squeezed Azula’s right shoulder tight. They watched the carriage burn to ashes, and once it crumbled, Azula threw the torch he used to ignite it into the broken mess and headed down the path.

    Someone sprayed him with cold water from a bottle, and he hissed but did not complain. There would be more as his clansmen worked to wash away the ashes from his body. He was drenched with water when he reached the village hall.

    Kalas and Sennin pulled Azula into a white tent, where he found a bath filled with warm water and a set of fresh clothes waiting on a stool.

    Azula bathed fast, washing away ash remnants from his hair and body. When he was clean, he dried himself and wore fresh clothes. They were white, too. White shorts, trousers, and a long white tunic adorned with gold embroidery on the hem. His hair was to stay unbraided for three months. He was unmarried and now without a father. The loss was his lot.

    Azula wore white socks and sank his feet into comfortable white boots. He stepped out of the tent, and Kalas placed a long, heavy wool coat on his shoulders.

    “Your sister worries you’ll catch a cold,” Kalas said.

    Azula wore the coat and freed his hair as he walked up the steps and entered the large village hall. It was alive with activity. Long tables and benches filled the large hall. Attendants served food, and everyone was tending to bereaved families. They all greeted Azula when they saw him, stopping to give him comforting words, promises for a better future, and kind words about Marius.

    It took him a long time to reach the bench at the dais where Alise, Lasma, and Magnus waited for him.

    “Sit, child,” Magnus said, leading him to the chair between Alise and Lasma. “Eat first. You might fall at this rate. Kalas, get him hot spiced teas. His hair is not dry yet.”

    Azula ate when they placed a bowl of vegetable soup before him. He drank the hot spiced tea when it came and listened when people walked up to the table to talk about Marius. He kept his thoughts carefully blank, dealing with only the immediate events in the hall. He was comfortable until Magnus’s voice broke in.

    “We need to name the next chieftain,” Magnus said.

    “There is no need to name the next chief,” Azula said. “Alise is the next one.”

    “No,” Alise said, shocking Azula.

    “What?” Azula turned to face her. “Alise—”

    Alise glanced at him, then smiled as she looked at their mother.

    “You should tell him,” Alise said. “It will be easier coming from you.”

    “Tell me what?” Azula asked, frowning at Alise. “If you are worried about the baby, don’t. I’ll help you raise the child. Yemin is my brother-in-law. You don’t have to worry—”

    “Her pregnancy is fragile,” Lasma said, cutting into Azula’s tirade. “Alise wants to keep Yemin’s baby. She needs to be taken care of with no stress and no chances of infection. Today was an exception. She could not miss her husband and her father’s funerals. But from now on…”

    Lasma trailed off.

    “Azula,” Alise said, reaching for Azula’s left hand. “Please help me find a way to save Yemin’s child. It is the last thing he left me. I can’t lose this baby. Please take over as Chieftain. We need someone who can help rebuild our strength. Everyone has lost so much. Our island is home, but we need supplies to keep going. We need commerce and education. Otherwise, we will stagnate and disappear.”

    “I-I-,” Azula started to protest, but then he caught Magnus’s gaze. “You too?”

    “There is no other choice,” Magnus said.

    “You can be—

    “Marius was Chieftain,” Magnus said. “His children shall take over the mantle. I’m too independent to care for a clan, Azu. You know that. You’ve been managing this island on my behalf for ages.”

    “But—”

    Azula stopped when Lasma slammed her fist on the table, upsetting her plate.

    “Step up,” Lasma said. “The clan is looking to us for a way forward. If you’re hesitating and unsure, what do you think will happen to all of us?”

    Azula gripped Alise’s hand tight and stared at the people talking and moving around the hall. They managed their grief and the loss of their livelihoods and lifestyles they had forged on the mainland. The island was going to change now, and it would take work.

    Azula met Alise’s expectant gaze and let out a sigh. He wanted Alise to take care of her unborn baby. She was injured now, and her baby was too small and defenseless. Yemin was gone, and she could not get another from him. If she lost this child, he shook his head, unable to imagine the loss.

    “Fine, I’ll do it,” Azula said. “But, Alise, we must agree. I’m stepping in for now because we are in a fragile state. Much later, if I come to you—”

    “I know,” Alise smiled and leaned in to kiss his right cheek. “I’ll listen when you come to me much later. I’ll take it on without protest by then.”

    “Good,” Azula nodded and hugged her with care. “I love you, Sis.”

    “I love you too. I’ll try to help out where I can, but it might not be much,” Alise said as she sat back, her hand over her stomach.

    Azula stared at her protective hand on her stomach and nodded in understanding.

    “Okay.” Azula nodded, meeting Magnus’s gaze. He gave him a decisive nod.

    “Glad we have cleared that,” Magnus said with a relieved sigh. “I’ll call the council now, and we can announce it. Rebuilding will start tomorrow. I received a message from the port master at Rewa Port. The Nerasa Kingdom in the northeast has been interested in our ore for some time. We have been relying on Lyria to keep us safe, but now the island is abandoned. We need to find protection.”

    “Nerasa has wanted to annex our island since they discovered we exist,” Lasma said. “Are you sure we can trust them now that Lyria Kingdom is against us?”

    “We’ll have to,” Magnus said.

    “Alternatively, we can also change our political structure,” Alise said, her tone thoughtful. She shook her head as she rubbed her stomach. “Our current standing makes us easy to discard. Sura Mountain is wanted when we provide goods the larger empire wants, but they discard us when they have no use for us. It is fracturing our people. We can’t go on like this.”

    “We belong to the Lyria Kingdom,” Azula reminded her. “Some of our clan members have married partners from the kingdom.”

    “And I don’t take it lightly, Azu,” Alise said. “Still, to be easily discarded, our people murdered like they are flies to swat away. No one should normalize it.”

    “What is your thought?” Lasma asked, looking at Alise.

    “We relied too hard on the kingdom for schooling, commerce, healers, and protection. The Sura Clan men are strong enough to make a good army. We should grow one. We can build our schools and forge products like your carriage to make a kingdom come looking for us. When they do, we shall trade by our rules and our circumstances. No one in the Sura Clan shall bow down to another kingdom again.”

    Silence filled the hall, and Azula lifted his head to see their people listening to Alise. She remained a leader, even though she had fallen for the moment.

    “Then,” Azula said with a nod. “Let’s build our Sura Island on our own.”

    “Hm,” Alise said, then turned to Magnus. “Then let’s do it now so that he can rest.”

    Azula watched Magnus hurry away, intent on convening the council. Azula gripped Alise’s right hand, afraid of never being able to let go of the yoke about to fall on his shoulders.

    “I’ll hold you to your promise,” Azula said, meeting Alise’s green eyes. “When you are stronger in the future, you will take back the mantle. It will always be yours.”

    “What are you afraid of?” Alise asked, reaching out to caress his right cheek. “I’m here with you. You’re not alone, Azula. Let’s get through this one. I’ll lean on you for now.”

    Azula nodded, then got up when Magnus returned, followed by the council members, including Juya. Two spiritual monks from the Sura Mountain temple near the deep caves followed.

    Azula let out a soft breath. It looked like he could not keep his clothes on today.

    Lasma stood, too, and urged him to remove his white wool coat. She handed it to Alise, who remained seated. Azula removed his tunic and dumped it on his chair. Clenching his hands tight, he paused when Lasma took his right hand and led him around their table to meet the council. The clan could not celebrate a chieftain named on a day of mourning, nor did he get braids in his hair.

    No, he got a prayer in the form of a tattoo on his back to give him strength and to protect him as he fought to protect the clan.

    Azula glanced at Alise before he stepped down. She gave him a slight smile and nodded. She looked confident in his ability to lead the clan, but Azula worried. He had grown up carefree, free to roam the Sura Mountain to his heart’s content, never once thinking of taking over care of a clan.

    Now, Lasma tugged on his right hand, and he looked away from Alise, thinking things were different.

    The clan was sensitive to important ceremonies, and the moment they saw Lasma lead her son to meet the council and the spiritual leaders of the temple, they got up and started arranging the hall. Lasma led Azula to the middle of the hall. The spiritual leaders stood on each side of them while the Sura Clan council, including Magnus, made a circle around them. From there, the clan members made circles around the council, round and round, weaving an intricate web around Azula and his mother until an intricate wide circle filled the hall.

    Lasma met Azula’s gaze, then spoke loud enough for all in the hall to hear.

    “Marius Doriel has taken a journey to the afterlife. He has left behind Alise, wife to Yemin, sister to Azula, and Azula, brother to Alise and Yemin,” Lasma said.

    “I, Marius Doriel’s wife, name Azula the next chieftain. He is the one to help the clan recover after a calamity. I ask the Sura Mountain temple leaders to bless this child, make him strong, and keep him safe as he faces the adversity that awaits him.”

    “Azula is named,” Magnus’s voice boomed. “Is there any protest?”

    Azula bit his bottom lip, sure there would be someone who would raise a concern, but the hall remained quiet. When no one protested, Magnus continued.

    “The Sura Clan Council accepts Lasma Doriel’s decision,” Magnus said.

    Azula breathed in as he turned to the temple leaders. The two men dressed in deep burgundy robes, their hair cut short, walked up to Azula Doriel.

    “Everyone, please sit,” one of them said, and Azula sank to the floor, his legs crossed.

    Azula was conscious of Magnus coming to sit on his left while Kalas took up position on Azula’s right. Azula let out a soft breath as Lasma gathered his hair and pulled it into a loose ponytail. She made sure the strands were falling over his shoulders before she moved away. The lead monk sat behind him, and Magnus handed him a triangle pillow to lean on.

    “Azula, Sura Clan Chieftain, prince of the clan, are you ready to receive your blessing?”

    “Yes,” Azula said, his voice sounding strong enough.

    “Then we shall start,” the lead monk said and started a prayer. As he did so, his assisting monk wiped Azula’s back with a blessed spirit.

    Magnus and Kalas gripped Azula’s arms tight as he leaned on the triangle cushion. The first sting of the monk’s long, sharp steel needle on his skin made him gasp.

    The pain was so deep that Azula bit his bottom lip hard to keep from screaming out in agony. The monk continued his chant as he dipped the needle into a mix of ink, palm oil, and snake venom.

    The monk continued tapping a protection tattoo on Azula’s back. He worked fast, and his hands were swift with the work.

    Pain made Azula’s head muddled. He lost count of the time he sat on the floor with Magnus and Kalas gripping his arms. Each tap on his skin was more painful than the next. Somehow, amidst all the pain, his mind cleared as he realized he was now responsible for the people his father had protected all his life. The thought both scared him and inspired him.

    Closing his eyes, he listened to the monk pray and inserted his quiet request for assistance from the almighty above. The jabs on his back could have been more than three thousand. Azula hoped the pain was enough to seek guidance from the one beyond.

    “Azula, chieftain of the Sura, shall not commit evil deeds, must protect his fellow clansmen, will not get intoxicated and lose his mind, shall not lie to others, and will always do good deeds to farther the clan’s good fortune,” the lead monk said as he completed the tattoo.

    “I have inked a prayer into your back, protecting you from evil deeds against you, filling you with protection, and asking the almighty to grant you strength to fight the battles you face. May good luck always find you and good health and courage embrace you. Guardian of the Sura Clan, may the path be wide and steady.”

    Azula stilled as the monk sprayed blessed spirits on his back, adding to the sting of the tattoo. He was grateful for Magnus and Kalas, who helped him sit up and turn to thank the monks for their prayers.

    Azula pressed his palms in prayer and bowed his head down. He waited for the monk to touch his head before he sat up with Magnus’s help. Fighting back the urge to give in to pain, he took a deep breath and stood with his strength.

    “I vow to protect and to bring prosperity to all the Sura,” Azula said as he looked at the people sitting around the large hall. “Rise, my people. Let’s walk into the future together.”

    Shouts of encouragement rose as everyone stood. Magnus gripped Azula’s right arm when he started to stagger from the pain in his back.

    Juya stepped forward to greet Azula on behalf of the council. Azula fought a frown when Juya placed a gold collar on his neck and locked it with a round carnelian stone that rested between his collarbone.

    Azula took Juya’s extended right arm in a warrior’s handshake, then looked around the room, taking in all the hopeful looks directed his way.

    ‘General Raith, look what your people have done to us. Are you happy in the capital? I hope my father’s death was worth it. Look, they now watch me with a burning hope. What should I do with it but make us stronger? What will you do when I come for answers, master of ashes?’

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