All he saw was blinding white. A harsh ringing was all he heard. And for the first time he could really remember, he felt hot. It was such a strange sensation, and he couldn’t decide whether or not it was unpleasant.

His fingers twitched. Dakko remembered his body then, but when had it ever been this heavy? He tried to take a breath and found that he couldn’t. Something hot and wet strangled him. He was drowning on dry land. Dakko bolted upright in sudden panic. Then he saw his blood fall onto the blank ground, an agonizing red against the white. The splatters shrank and then faded, taking all the light with them.

A moment later, everything was pitch black.

Sweat dripped down Dakko’s forehead. A sweltering wind blew over him as something immense breathed down his neck. He turned and his god looked back at him. Vraelen’s immense blue eyes looked confused to see him there.

You are not supposed to be here.

The Iron God’s words drove all other noise from Dakko’s mind. He tried to respond, but he choked on his own blood.

Haode claims himself my follower. The eyes burned with rage. Yet he has disrespected me in the vilest way.

Dakko coughed. “Please, I didn’t want…” He fell to his hands and knees in front of Vraelen. “I don’t want to die!”

This was not your fault, child, so I will lift you back up. A clawed finger tipped his chin upward. But I cannot heal you. That’s beyond me right now, Dakko. Whether you live or die is not for me to decide this time.

Dakko closed his eyes and then they froze shut. He could still see a soft blue through his eyelids. It warmed him deep inside, like a sunrise after a long cold night. Then the blue turned to red, red turned to violet, and then all was dark again.

He grew dimly aware of reality again. Someone was cradling him. His first thought was that it was Haode, but the hands were too large. Was it Vraelen? He tried to open his eyes and look, but there was a thick layer of ice over his eyelids. A sharp pain shot through his neck and clawed its way up his face. He whimpered.

An unfamiliar man’s voice soothed him. “Shhh, shhh. I know it hurts. Here.” A huge warm hand clasped the side of his head. With that touch, nothing hurt anymore. For perhaps the first time in his life, Dakko felt entirely calm and safe.

A slightly more familiar voice penetrated the haze. “How’s he doing, Master?”

“I don’t think he’s going to make it.” The man’s tone was oddly cold. “Channei, go to Qila. She’ll tend to your burns.”

Channei tried to protest. “But…”

“Now, please.”

Dakko heard her leave. He tried to make sense of what was happening. Why was Channei’s master here? Where had he come from? Where were Ido and Haode? Were they dead? No, they couldn’t be. They couldn’t be. The calm he had felt a moment ago turned to white-hot panic. He squirmed.

“Are you who I think you are, child?” As the man spoke, a tingling sensation crawled up Dakko’s spine. “If you are, then I’m sorry for what has to happen.”

Dakko tried to speak but couldn’t make much of a sound. He clawed the ice from his eyes. Everything was blurry. He blinked a few times. Gradually, Channei’s master swam into focus. He was not at all what Dakko had expected from hearing Haode’s warnings.

Calm but cold eyes looked back at him through goggles. Sleek black hair went down to the man’s shoulders. He somehow looked both young and ancient at the same time. Everything about him hinted at immense power. Why, then, was he so gentle?

“What?” Dakko’s own voice was suddenly so loud in his head that it made him jump. “What has to happen?”

“Ah, you’re awake.” His eyes darted up and then back down. Violet light flared through the lenses of his goggles. “Do I have your permission?”

The boy blinked. “For what?”

“Some reconstruction on your neck.” The master touched his wound. “It’s going to hurt, but if you want to live, it has to happen.”

Dakko nodded. What was this all about? Why would this supposed monster need permission? Permission to heal him, no less?

It was like the room exploded again. He yelped and nearly fainted. His voice came out much stronger with that scream. It was then Dakko realized he could now breathe unimpeded. He inhaled deeply, then sighed. His panic subsided somewhat.

“I still can’t guarantee you’ll survive.” The violet light faded from the master’s eyes. “I’ll be honest, it’s not likely, given all that’s happened.”

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Dakko closed his hand around the master’s arm and tried to pull himself up a little. “Where’s my brother? Where’s Haode?” He looked around and saw that he was on the floor of a room full of books, papers, and relics. The only light was a flickering lantern just out of arm’s reach. “And…who are you? Really?”

“My name is Xigon.” He put his hand on Dakko’s chest to keep him down. “Your name?”

“Dakko.” His heart sped up. He felt like he was in danger all of a sudden. “Where’s my brother? Where’s Haode?”

“Your brother is here, but not in this room. You’ll get to see him as soon as we understand your situation better.” Xigon’s tone stayed calm even though his grip tightened. “Is Haode your leader?”

The boy nodded. “He’s like our father.”

The master looked up toward the closed door, then back down. “Tell me about him.”

“Where is he?” Dakko clawed at Xigon’s sleeve. “He’s alive, isn’t he? Please, he has to be alive!”

“Dakko.” A slight firmness crept into Xigon’s voice. “You need to calm down.”

“You killed him, didn’t you?” The boy dug his nails into the master’s arm. Ice clamped his fingers shut tighter. “You murdered him!”

“I’ve done no such thing.” Xigon took a deep breath. “With that being said, I don’t currently know whether he’s alive or not. I would assume that he is.”

“Are you going to kill him?” Dakko’s half-frozen hand fell to the floor and cast a long shadow in the lantern’s light. “Please, whatever you do to us, just don’t kill him.”

“Why is that your main fear?” The man’s grip loosened. “That I’ll kill him?”

“You have to understand.” Tears welled in the boy’s eyes. “He’s so terrified to die that it’s making him sick. Sick in the head. That’s why he hurts us sometimes. It’s not because he’s a bad person, it’s because he’s suffering and we…”

“Dakko, listen to me.” Xigon’s calm words hit harder than Haode’s fists. “No one in good hands has this many broken bones.” He grabbed Dakko’s shoulder. “Your collarbones are held together with ice. Through my eyes, they look like glass dropped off a cliff.” He released his grip. “Your ribs are also cracked all over. He usually goes for chest hits on you, doesn’t he?”

Dakko couldn’t fathom how Xigon knew all of that immediately. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

“My point is, I don’t think this is acceptable.” Xigon wiped sweat off his forehead. “You shouldn’t either. Don’t you and your brother deserve better?”

“Do we?” Dakko was somehow afraid that Haode would hear him if he said something wrong. “I don’t know.”

A knock at the door interrupted them. “Master Xigon, I made bread!”

Dakko watched Xigon’s face light up in a warm smile. “Do I get to have some, Lalek?”

The door opened and a very large, muscular woman stepped in with a loaf of bread. Its aroma ensnared Dakko’s attention. He sat up a little, still leaning against Xigon.

Lalek looked down at the boy. “You look like you’re hungry. I was gonna have the other half of this loaf, but you need it more, kiddo.” She crouched to his level and tore the loaf in half. Its crust crackled. It smelled more delicious than anything he’d had in his life.

Dakko caught his mouth watering. Then his eyes watered. Haode had always warned him and Ido not to accept offerings from strangers. But when Lalek placed the still-warm bread in his trembling hands, he couldn’t heed that warning any longer. He tore off a bite. Tears spilled down his cheeks. He felt as if he might die right then and there, and he would have died happy.

Lalek patted his shoulder. “You’re welcome, kiddo. Have as much as you want.” Then she turned to her master. “Master Qila also told me to give you this. For him.” She handed Xigon a vial of dark liquid. “A little bit for pain relief, or the more if you need him asleep.”

“I know how to use it, Lalek.” He took the vial. “Remember, I take this all the time.”

“Right.” Lalek set the other half of the bread loaf in front of Xigon. “Also, I forgot to ask. Did you want any cheese?”

Xigon chuckled. “No, it makes me sick.”

“I know that, you silly old snake. I was asking him.” Lalek looked at Dakko.

“No thanks.” Dakko averted his eyes. “I…don’t like it.” Truth was, he’d never actually tried it. “Where’s my brother?”

“About that.” Lalek leaned toward Xigon and whispered something Dakko couldn’t quite discern.

Dakko swallowed. “What the hell are you whispering about?”

“You have to tell him, Master.” Lalek got up. “I’ll go check on the other kid.”

The “other kid” had to be Ido. Dakko sighed. A weight lifted off his shoulders. Once Lalek was gone, Xigon picked up his bread and took a bite.

They sat in awkward silence for a moment and watched each other eat. Dakko realized, for maybe the first time, that he genuinely could not read the person in front of him. That frightened him on a visceral level. He’d had to learn to read people in order to survive. Now, he was genuinely scared that he wouldn’t make it out alive.

Xigon held up the vial and squinted at the dark liquid. “You’re going to need some of this.” He took the cap off.

Dakko recoiled. “What’s that?”

“Pain medicine. It doesn’t take much to do the job.” Xigon held it out to him.

The boy wasn’t convinced. He shook his head.

“I need some too, actually.” Without taking his eyes off Dakko, Xigon downed half of the vial. “See? Not poison.”

Only then did Dakko accept the medicine. He took a small sip of it and nearly spat it out. Another bite of bread made it go down easier. “How long until it works?”

“Truth be told, it can feel like eternity sometimes.” Xigon wiped his mouth. “But it’s really only a few minutes. Now, Lalek is right. I do need to tell you something.”

Dakko cocked his head. “What?”

“When Channei dragged you two back here, I wanted you both put to rest.” Xigon looked down. “I told myself from the start that I wouldn’t tolerate anyone who threatened Kolo. However, because Channei is a such a persistent little brat, you’re both still alive.” He met the boy’s eyes again. “I would thank her next time you meet.”

Dakko didn’t feel as bothered hearing that as he might have a moment ago. Perhaps the medicine was already taking effect because he felt virtually nothing at all. Only one word in that confession caught his attention. “Kolo?”

“Of course, you won’t be allowed to meet Kolo until we’re entirely certain you aren’t a threat.” The master nodded. “Another thing that I should tell you is that I cannot guarantee your leader’s survival. I could tell you a comforting lie, but the truth is that at this moment, I have no reason to want him alive.”

That sparked Dakko’s anxiety again. “Please, Xigon. Have a heart, will you?” His voice was drowsy and weak. “Or maybe you really are a demon.”

“Make no mistake, child.” Xigon adjusted his goggles. “I am absolutely a demon.”