Chapter Twenty Five

W A R : ROLL CALL

The King and Queen were at it again.

Osiris sat with his head thrown over the couch back, ready to die. He was bored to death. Darwin was reading, legs crossed, finger wet with saliva turning the page like the high school prep boy he is.

“Hey, other bastard.”

Darwin did not look up from his book.

“What do you want now?”

Osiris smiled.

“I want you to tell you Mother to shut the fuck up and just accept that us bastards have to stick together.”

“You will not-”

“Enough.”

Mikael let his ego drop, silencing all but one person.

“Finally. I’m starving and you two are getting on my last nerve.”

Mikael pinched his nose.

“Go.”

Osiris didn’t have to be told twice.

The wood made a solid click as he closed the door.

Drafting.

The Lux and Nox Kingdoms have a rule that, regardless of status, all last sons and daughters of a family must fight in a country's war. Osiris learned that it was recently changed due to many countries losing their first born and heirs to the throne from the last war.

It was finally here.

The war.

Even though the draft starts next week the King and Queen are still arguing over Darwin leaving. It seems the King will not cover for her bastard son.

Darwin was considered the last son of his line.

It was ironic to know that she had an affair and bore a child from it. The crazy bitch was the bane of his existence.

He was going to lavish the day he snuffs the life from that throat of hers. Everyone cleared the room as Osiris stepped into the kitchen.

He’s heard these days his ego was a little.. heavy.

Due to his leak he has to keep it on 24/7, leaving for a very rough presence to constantly stand. He can no longer hide his strength. Not that it was much. He lacked the fundamentals that make up strength. He was missing experience.

His manna purred at the hint of the war. It numbed his ankles.

Osiris smiled.

It was going to be so much fun.

KING’S OFFICE

They were finally alone.

“I will not cover for that bastard anymore.”

Mikael met his chest with the Queen’s. Their eyes met.

“You promised.”

Claudia sounded heartbroken.

“You never put it in the contract.”

Claudia grit her teeth. The bastard. Her tricks didn’t work anymore. Her eyes watered.

“You will not touch my son.”

Mikael grit his teeth.

“And you will not touch mine.”

Claudia looked away.

Mikael hated this marriage contract.

Kina never envied the crown, nor wished to have it. She refused to marry him. At that time he was heartbroken. Axel was born a year later.

Mikael turned to his desk.

There were a few simple rules in the contract. First was, that the marriage was superficial. Claudia would act as a stand in to please his parents. Mikael was allowed to start a family, to have children. But the rule that caused this entire mess was, if his first born was a son he had a right to the throne.

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If he wants it, he can have it.

Claudia thought, at the time, Kina was infertile when she signed that contract.

She had drugged her early on in their relationship when they were all in a party together. And they had yet to get pregnant after that one broth meal.

“When is the day?”

Claudia was aware that, when she signed that contract, she was getting nothing in return. She loved Mikael. He was her everything. Her light. He was there from the start, since they were children. When she saw a way in she took it.

“In eight days.”

Mikael rubbed his temples.

Another clause he regrets in the contract was that it cannot be voided unless he has concrete evidence she has sabotaged, tried to kill, or ruin said last rule. Mikael’s gut told him she was the cause of all these transgressions. But unless he finds valid evidence that cannot be denied, nor questioned, he cannot act on his will.

He will die if he breaks the contract, just as she will too, if caught. He was also not ready to leave the Kingdom to his children quite yet.

They were far too immature to handle all the bells and whistles that come with managing an entire city’s agriculture, architecture, road maintenance, taxes, scouting, sourcing, monster hunting, feeding- he lost himself there for a moment.

And he didn't even want to get started on Osiris.

He was past the point of being a candidate. Not that he wanted it. Since Lambert’s passing he has made no attempts to study or learn about the country's culture, their rules, nothing. He only trains, eats, sleeps, and terrorizes the kids. He’s a scrappy little fucker. Mikael smiled bitterly.

I miss Kina so much. I’m sure she would have.…

Mikael’s smile dropped.

Since her suicide he’s had to battle with a lot of conflicting emotions. But with the approaching war he has finalized his resolve.

He will not allow them to hurt his son anymore.

Mikael almost laughed at himself for the irony.

The Queen’s hold was so deep that he had little say in much things, including military. She spent a lot of time getting comfortable as Osiris ran him ragged.

But he could still try. He had to try. He had to. How will he face Kina in the after.

Will she even be there waiting for him?

The Queen left the room.

Alone with his thoughts Mikael pulled out the referral from his coat. The edges were faded, worn from bumping and moving around with him. He did not want to chance someone getting ahold of it.

“I guess it’s time.”

Mikael let a few tears fall.

He never wanted his son to go through a war so young like he has before, but the Beastmen were fierce. They tore a line around Nox and straight through dragon territory, aiming straight for their land. He regrets not acting sooner.

But he was just one man.

The card felt warm.

Mikael pushed mana into it slowly, delicately, like was handling a fish bone off a grill. Kina loved to compare things to food. A smile tugged his lips. Osiris just eats like Kina talked about food. He wonders how much of it was genetics, and how much was his son.

“Hello?”

Mikael recognized the geezer’s voice.

“Duldan, good to hear your voice.”

Mikael sweat dropped. Gladimir gave his son a direct link to the Hillmaker’s Head. Their fucking King.

“Oh, if it isn’t the little rabbit king!”

Mikael sighed.

“Gladimir recommended you to my son.”

“What?! That bloody girl. She thinks this is repaying a favor.”

“Favor?”

“She promised that girl, the strawberry one, a weapon, and the strawberry one, instead, asked for her first born child to receive the gift. Gladimir did me a favor and in return I promised her a weapon of her choice. I’m guessing you are that choice.”

“Not me, my son.”

“Son? That lousy pup of a crown prince you raised?”

Axel hates the dwarves as much as he does, but Axel is not held back by prior agreements so he tends to pick fights with them quite often. It’s starting to affect their Kingdom’s relationship with the Dwarves.

“No, Kina’s son.”

“You two finally had a pup of your own? Ha! About time. How is she-”

“She’s dead.”

“And the boy, how is he?”

Mikael appreciated the topic change.

“Bad.” Mikael cringed. “He’s like Kina when we first met, only ten times worse and his power is growing triple the speed that it should be. He shouldn’t even be alive, but he is. The fact that Gladimir even offered this to him tells me just how strongly she cared for Kina.” Mikael’s voice quivered. “With the war happening I want him to have the best shot. If possible, I will pay what you ask to make it grow with the user.”

Duldan mulled it over.

“I will be there tomorrow.”

Mikael faulted.

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes, you said the war is soon. I need to repay my favor to Gladimir as well.”

“I can send him instead? He-”

“That will be breaking the treaty policy, you know that.”

No child chosen for war is allowed to leave their city or state. Participation was mandatory.

“But how can you come? As the Head-”

“Enough. I’ll be there tomorrow.”

The voice call ended.

The sword then disappeared, taking with it the Head’s direct line. Mikael was in a state of disbelief.

He wondered what Gladimir had to do to get the Head Creator of the Hillmaster’s House to make a weapon. Though he was the Dwarven King, he still made weapons for his house.

It was just what Dwarves did.

So the King leaving his city wasn’t abnormal, but what was, was that he was coming so easily. Mikael’s head cleared. He needed to set up a furnace hot enough to channel their flames.

As Mikael got to work Claudia summoned her shadows. She needed to get that boy sent to the front. He was growing too quickly. He will be dangerous if he makes it past this next year.

Claudia gripped her chest.

She also needed to make sure Darwin was as far from the front as possible.

She will never regret having him.

A Dwarf stepped through a portal three hours later.