Frank stared down at the report in his hands. The tea was cooling already. “Is Apotheosis moving on this yet?” His lieutenant shook his head. “As far as we know, they’re waiting until the Council finishes deliberation on the exact meaning, sir. They want a clear picture before they start throwing spears.” Frank sighed. “Of course they are. If there’s anything the Council does well, it’s talk. Well, let’s give them something to talk about. We need to send a contingent to meet whatever crawls out of Twin Bells. Be it hero or demon, we can’t be blindsided by this.” The lieutenant looked up at him. “ Only Twin Bells, sir? Wouldn’t Valley Forge make more sense from the prophecy’s wording?” Frank flinched. “Right, you’re right of course.”

No one else had witnessed the hero born in Twin Bells all those years ago. He knew exactly where the Hero was, and even who he was, but he couldn’t openly say that, or he’d be on tribunal before he could say ‘treason.’ “Send a full regiment of Paladins to Valley forge. If it’s a hero, we’ll welcome him with style. If it’s a demon, well… I suppose we’ll have to be prepared.” The lieutenant stood and headed for the door with a ‘Sir.’ But as his foot was in the doorway, Frank stopped him. “Just in case, Lieutenant, send a Paladin to Twin Bells, too.” Then, thinking back to the Lord Mayor, he added, “Maybe one with… tact. Just a hunch.”

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“Well, looks like you’re free to go, kid.” Angelica took the last of his bandages to the waste basket. His wounds had finally closed up. He sat up. “Listen, Angelica. Do you mind if I come up with an excuse to come back here again?” She didn’t turn to look at him as she said, “If you end up with another life-threatening wound just because you’ve got a crush on me, I’m sending you to a healer in the capital.” “NO!” He exclaimed. “No, that’s not what I meant. I mean that you seem to know something that most people don’t. Something about demons. And I want to know too. And I was hoping… I was hoping you’d be willing to teach me, if I was willing to learn. Which I am.” Sinxiath pricked his ears up from across the room but otherwise made no move to get up from his nap.

“Kid, knowing about demons is a dangerous thing in this kingdom,” Said Angelica. “It’s not just that summoning is illegal. Knowing too much can make you a suspect, and being a suspect is all some paladins need to kill you in cold blood. After all, to a member of the clergy, the only good demon ‘cultist’ is a dead demon ‘cultist’.”

“I… I know. But I’d rather have all the information there is to have when making decisions. That’s what a good scout does, after all. Gather information, make decisions based on that information, and only then does he take action.”

“If that’s your decision, then okay. We’ll tell your dad you’re learning… battlefield medicine or something. And I’ll give you all I’ve got to give on the subject. Now in the meantime, I believe you’re expected.”

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Lucien got up and hurried into a shirt. As he walked out the door, he looked over his shoulder. “See you soon,” he said. He smiled a mischievous grin to himself as he walked away. When he got to the manor, he was greeted with a tackle from Reynald.

“Lucien! I heard you were coming back today! I’m so glad you’re okay! I’m so sorry for what I did! The healer lady said you risked your life to save me!” Lucien had to fight to remove the boy without hurting him. He didn’t know what to do with this image of the young master. He wasn’t sure he’d ever felt… ‘gratitude’. From anyone, now that he thought about it. But here lay the lad, blubbering and still talking, somehow. This picture was making him uncomfortable. “I just did my job as your Hand, young master.” “I know, I know. That’s what- *hic*- my mom said when I got back. She scolded me for days. She said that your injuries were- *hic*- my fault. That you didn’t- *hic*- have a choice but to help me because of what I did. That if I had been a half-decent leader, you would never have been in danger in the first- *hic*- place. I’m so sorryyyyyyy.”

Lucien wanted to stop him, to reassure him. Wanted to tell him he was wrong, that he was fine. But that was a lie. They had been in that situation only because of the young master’s selfishness. It was, in fact, entirely the young master’s fault. And he wasn’t ready to forgive him yet. But he didn’t hate the boy, either. He was two years younger than Lucien. He was practically still a child. He could hardly be expected to be responsible for both of their lives. Lucien patted his head. “I’m not mad, kid.” “Kid?” Lucien realized what he’d just said. It was what Angelica had called him. “I don’t know,” he said. “It just felt appropriate.”

The rest of his day was spent doing the rounds and greeting everyone he hadn’t seen since he ran off. When he made it back to his own family’s hut, he was greeted by his mother, furiously fanning a pie in an attempt to cool it quicker. He smiled to himself. He couldn’t see his father anywhere, but Dmitri couldn’t fool him anymore. Lucien knew full well that his mother couldn’t bake desserts to save her life. If there was a pie, it wasn’t her work. From the smell of it, it was… yep, blueberry. His father’s specialty. He might not be the most affectionate father on earth, but Lucien knew how his father showed that he cared. He walked into the hut with a “Mom, I’m home.”

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Angelica was finishing the cleanup from Lucien’s stay when Sinxiath sat up and hissed. Hissed, not cussed or whined. Someone was here, and not a known friend. The fact that they didn’t announce themselves was not a good indicator either. “You can come out now, you know,” she said. She gripped her surgical shears near the table, just in case.

From the shadows near the doorway, a large, thin man appeared. He seemed to materialize, as though the shadow was a waterfall he’d been standing behind. But there wasn’t anything behind the shadow. It was just a wall, as far as Angelica was aware. Ah, She thought. “Shadowwalker”. That’s what that term was referring to. “Lucien’s father, I presume? Dmitri? Your boy holds you in high esteem.” He stared at her. His gaze was… unnerving. It was merciless. Like he wasn’t looking at the same species as him. It felt like he’d made a habit of killing in his life, for a very long time indeed. Angelica went cold all over. Finally, he spoke. “If you’re going to teach him, do me a favor and also teach him actual battlefield medicine. He’s going to need it, if my theory is correct.” Angelica gaped at him. Then she nodded. And back into the shadows he faded.