-Maddox-

From the small oasis where Maddox revealed his true feelings, the pair moved onwards. By the second day, they had found a road, and on that road, they found a caravan of merchants traveling north west, which was the direction Maddox and Varia needed to go.

With the traveling merchants, they moved quicker. Merchants, though cautious of all, allowed any seeming traveler to journey with them. There was food aplenty, and protection in a larger group. It was a risky thing, to allow strangers to join the procession, but even so, they were well equipped to deal with any danger.

Maddox spent idle time watching Varia during the short trip. He did not speak to any of the Nihalians. In fact, he seemed to abhor them. Did he? Did he hate Nihalians? Did the Council plant a seed in his mind, where any and all men from anywhere beyond Arcturus were lesser than him?

Varia was arrogant. He felt himself better in battle, but that was to be expected from someone who was, by and large, better at battle than most of the rest of the world. He certainly respected Maddox, considered him worthy to be a rival, an equal, but he was vain still. How could he not be? He was the Demon of Arcturus. He was told that he was the greatest, so why wasn’t he greater than Nihalians? Than Er Rians? Than even other Arcturians?

Maddox was raised to think himself greater as well. But he was, wasn’t he? He had a greater purpose than most… all people. But he also understood the flaws in that manner of thought. It was a difficult thing to change about himself, being chosen by higher beings to become a king, a king who would save a dying country. He, like Varia, was told he was better than those around him. Unlike Varia, he was told this most of his life, by various figures including ancient demons. He also had people like Viansola, who taught modesty. She taught him to be humble, or to pretend to be humble.

Varia did not need to be taught how to be humble. He needed to learn how to let go of his anger, his rage, and to embrace the freedom Maddox promised. He wouldn’t learn though, not yet. Not until they won.

They continued on with the Nihalian merchants, despite the disdain Varia seemed to have for them. Before the next evening, a town was in view.

Ocath.

It was not quite as large as their destination, but it was the same sort of place. Sitting just south-east of Qruedon, many people traveled between the two, along the mostly safe merchant route. Qruedon was larger, had more amenities, inns, taverns and whores. It also had the safety of walls, though old and crumbling, and it had plenty of guards to patrol those walls. Ocath had nothing of the sort, and only a handful of guards who spent most of their days drinking opposed to actually guarding. Ocath was a town many avoided staying in for long periods of time, but there were supplies there, and many merchants stopped to rest up before continuing on their way to places with more coin, and kinder folk.

Ocath, like all of Nihal, was unconcerned with travelers who covered their faces. Nihal was hot, and the sun was relentless. No one thought twice at the sight of Maddox and Varia, both wrapped to hide them from the sun and prying eyes. Some of the merchants they rode with displayed some of their products, and other merchants who had not arrived with them also were set up. Most of the goods were what one might expect from a place like Ocath, weapons, wines, silks and pipes. Others had meats, vegetables and fruits.

Maddox poked around a fruit stand, brow creased in concern and disappointment. The merchant had a noticeably small spread and was lacking many of the fruits Maddox knew to be common in Nihal, and popular.

“Had a good day selling, yeah?” Maddox asked the man in low Nihalian. The man was old, tanned skin stretched too thin, with deep valleys of wrinkles made worse by the sun. He appeared to be tired and gazed at Maddox and Varia without interest. Both were wrapped and covered their faces, and Varia kept his eyes averted, and lingered a bit behind Maddox anyway. He seemed more concerned with their surroundings, and less concerned with whatever food he may get from the stands.

“No, lord. Many of the places I source from have been destroyed. This is all I have.” The man spoke, his voice gravely and hoarse.

It made sense to Maddox that the man did not have the products left to sell. He spoke in low Nihalian but had an accent that indicated he was high-born, or at least lingered in areas where high-born Nihalians were common. He likely once had sources from those places, sources that no longer existed. Even the silks the man wore, though dirty and torn now, certainly had been expensive once before. Many had been affected by the war, but it was not often Maddox met people who were not in the military. Arcturus destroyed this man’s livelihood, but not directly. They destroyed his harvest, cut off his supply, forced him north and stripped him of his coin. Maddox sighed, his eyes dropping briefly, before he tapped several of the remaining fruits, offering to purchase them.

He was ripped off, he knew. The merchant had not wished to sell the cluster of berries for the three silvers Maddox offered to him, but he accepted it after resisting for what felt like the polite amount. The berries were fresh, surprisingly, and quite delicious. He and Varia resumed their exploration of the small town. The first thing Maddox had done when they arrived was purchase a room at the inn for the night, but the sun was still lingering in the sky, and neither felt like locking themselves in the room.

Maddox slid his mask from his nose, exposing his mouth so that he could toss the berries into it as they walked. Varia shot a scowl across to him, and though his mask remained on, the silk wrapped around his shoulders, neck and hair, Maddox could practically see him twisting his mouth in annoyance at him. He smiled to him, offering the cluster of berries to him.

“Is this not dangerous? It is the middle of town, Maddox.” Varia asked, even though he plucked several berries from the twigs, rolling them in his palm.

Maddox shrugged, glancing around at the few people in the streets. No one was looking to them, they were speaking among themselves, bartering over goods. “I don’t think anyone would recognize us even if they noticed us.”

Varia snorted, slipping his mask down briefly to take a berry into his mouth, returning the mask to its proper place once he had. “They might.” He said simply, but his tone indicated that he was willing to drop it. Maddox allowed him to.

Maddox smiled, glancing to Varia as they walked. It was an odd feeling. They walked together, like a proper couple, casually… invisible. No one knew who they were here, they were safe. He was simply existing with Varia, and Varia with him. Was this how it felt to be normal? A comfortable silence overcame them, and they walked in that tranquility. Every so often, Maddox would allow his hand to brush against Varia’s, though neither took the other’s.

It was nice, it felt right. He wondered if… in months, years, they could do this together in Arcturus. Without their faces hidden, where people did know who they were, yet did not care. It was such a small, silly thing to wish for… just time. Time to spend together without fighting, without that sea of blood rising to drown them again. Without the anger he could still see lurking just behind Varia’s icy gaze.

The sun began to lower quicker than he wished it too. By then, they had explored most of the town, and were well on their way back towards the inn. He wished to keep this moment a bit longer, to allow it to drag out. If he could simply stop the sun from moving, he would.

“Is there anything that you are interested in?” He asked Varia softly, turning his gaze to the man walking beside him.

Varia hummed, his eyes flickering towards the merchant stands, which many were being taken down for the evening. “No. And even if there were, you should not flaunt your coin. Three silvers for some fruit that you have already eaten?” Varia chided softly.

Maddox laughed at the scolding, shrugging a shoulder. “I felt bad for the old man. But you’re right. There are unsavory folk around these parts. We could be targeted and robbed.”

Varia snorted that little laugh he did and looked to Maddox once more. Though his face was mostly covered, his gaze was narrowed in amusement. “If we are targeted and robbed, that is terrible luck for the would-be thieves.”

“Aye, it would be terrible luck for them.” Maddox agreed with a laugh. “We should get off the streets. I would like to see this room I purchased.”

The inn was located above a tavern, as most were in Nihal, and despite the state of the town, the room was not in terrible shape. The wood was unpainted, and the window creaked against the breeze, but the bed was soft, and the sheets were clean. The candles in their room were only half melted and provided plenty of light. The privy was attached, and the chamber-pot was clean. Water was provided in several buckets, and the fireplace was large enough that when Maddox decided that a bath was in order, he was able to heat the water before filling the large, metal tub with it. Maddox made a comment that the bath seemed large enough for the both of them, and Varia did join him. It was a tight fit, but there was very little bathing involved once Varia had crawled over him in the water.

The sands were veiled in darkness once Maddox settled for the night. Both were still wet from their bath, and both were only partly dressed. Maddox wore only his small clothes, and Varia wore a pair of trousers. Varia sat cross legged on the bed, weapons spread out before him as he tinkered with the worn strap for his sword scabbard.

Maddox watched him and wondered how anyone could possibly fear such a man when he was like this. He simply wanted to live in peace, and when he was provided peace, he thrived. Maddox used to fear Varia as well, though less than others, and he wondered when he stopped seeing him as a demon and instead as a man. Longer than they had been together, long before Emeriss was destroyed.

Love him.

Those words echoed still in his mind. Sabre had said that when he noticed Maddox falling for Varia. He had said it as if he hoped it were a joke, a ploy of sorts. Maddox took it as a threat, in a way, that if he did not love Varia, Sabre would seek to do away with him, with them. He wondered how Sabre must kick himself in the ass, knowing that he could not stop this tidal wave from consuming Maddox.

As for himself, he had known for a while. Perhaps not explicitly, but he was not wholly surprised by his own revelation, by his own admission of love. He was surprised by Varia’s reaction to him. He did not expect Varia to return the words, but he had expected Varia to react in a worse way. As if Varia knew he was thinking of him, he lifted his head to glance up at Maddox. Varia’s gaze softened in that way that twisted Maddox’s stomach. It was painful, how much he felt for this man.

It wouldn’t matter if he never said it.

Varia’s lips twitched into a brief, soft smile, before he returned his attention to whatever he was doing.

It wouldn’t matter, because he cared. In his own way, in his own time, he did. Maddox, for his part, would accept and provide Varia with the patience and comfort he needed, and he would keep him alive. He would build an Arcturus Varia would wish to live in. He would help to soothe the raw, hot anger boiling in Varia. He would help show Varia that other people mattered. He would show Varia that he was worth more than his sword.

Varia snorted softly, his gaze flickering to Maddox once again, before he dropped the strap. “What? What do you want?” He asked.

Maddox blinked owlishly at Varia, then laughed. He realized that he had been wearing a big, stupid smile on his face, sitting in his underwear just staring at Varia. He shook his head, pulling on his trousers. “I was just wondering how I got so lucky.”

That earned him a mocking laugh. “You are the only person who would consider themselves lucky to have been my foe for so long.”

Maddox gestured between the two of them. “Aye, but though you are a terrifying and formidable foe, this is us now. This would not have happened if we were not enemies first.”

Maddox watched a shadow cross Varia’s face; one he had grown to know. “It wouldn’t have happened, no… but I still wish we could have met another way…”

Varia was tormented by the things he’d done, just as Maddox was tormented. It was part of that kinship they felt, that kinship that brought them together even further than Arcturus’ betrayal had. The anguish, the hopelessness that they both felt. The memories, or the darkness that blotted out certain events. They shared that, most warriors and soldiers did. There was always that affliction that brought soldiers, no matter their differences, together. They understood the ache and the hurt. They understood the suffering, the inability of some to weather the agony. Others could endure it, grin and bear it, just like Maddox did. But they all understood, and that understanding helped to build that small, derelict bridge to one another.

Maddox crossed the small room to where Varia sat and leant down, pressing his lips against the wild, yet clean, hair atop Varia’s head. It was wet and smelled of lemons. Nihalians favored citrus smells, and the smell of spices. Under the smell of lemon, the smell of pine and juniper was still there. That smell was of cold, Arcturian mountains. The smell of their destination. The smell of home.

He opened his mouth to speak, but something instead drew his attention.

Silence.

The rambunctious sounds outside of the tavern had vanished. The sounds inside had grown quiet as well. Even the wind outside seemed to whisper against the creaky window, which sounded much louder now that there was no sound at all to dull it. It was not a peaceful silence, it was anxious, tense. The air thrummed with barely contained violence, and Maddox instinctively grasped at the hilt of Cithrel, who lay against the wall near the bed.

Varia seemed to notice the hush that fell over the town, and he turned his head towards the door. Maddox was already looking at it. From beyond the heavy thing, there was a sound. The only sound beyond the brush of invisible fingers on the window. The sound of boots, attempting to be noiseless, lurking just beyond the door.

“The fruit was not fresh enough to deserve this…” Maddox grumbled lowly. Varia cast a scowl in his direction but did not respond. Instead, he rose to his feet, sliding his sword from the bed.

Maddox was hard pressed to allow Varia to confront the lurker, for that would surely end in bloodshed. So, he moved quicker, as quickly as he could while still respecting the heavy silence around them and stopped before the door. He listened for a moment, but could hear nothing except his own breath, leaving his clenched teeth heavily. He was anticipating a fight, his adrenaline was already spiking, and he knew that he was as prone to bloodshed as Varia.

Still, what choice did he have?

Maddox glanced back to Varia briefly, seeing how he stood out of sight of whomever may have been on the other side of the door, sword low in his hand, casual, but ready. Then he flung the door open, surging forward with his momentum, his hand slamming into the door frame.

But there was no one there.

Maddox raked his eyes across the door, down, up, side to side, and then he stepped from it, peering down the hallway on either side. No one. No one at all. As he stood, dumbfounded and unsettled in the hall, wondering where that mysterious being wandered off too, the tavern erupted in sound once again. Merry music, laughing, conversation, the clink and clang of mugs and glass filled the inn above once more.

Maddox frowned, and stepped backwards until he was inside once more, closing the door. He had the feeling that nothing would happen that night, but things would not stay so calm for long.

“Rest, Varia.” He murmured, moving back to the bed and placing Cithrel against the wall near it.

Varia did not seem unsettled, just annoyed. But he always seemed annoyed, and annoyance was better than outright rage. He clicked his tongue, and then stalked back to the bed, sheathing his sword and flopping onto the bed once more.

“I did not think we really would be at risk of being robbed.” Varia grumbled, gathering the daggers and knives he had lain out, putting them back in the places they belonged, like his boot, and places along his belt. He kept his sword on the bed, which was not uncommon for him to do, though a bit odd. When Maddox usually witnessed the action, it was when they were sleeping on the ground somewhere, never in a proper bed.

“I think being targeted by thieves is our best case. I’m not certain what happened, but it was odd.” Maddox said, laying next to Varia when the other wiggled to make room for him.

Varia hummed in response but did not speak again that night. Soon, his breath became deeper, and his body sunk into the bed with his slumber. Maddox was not so lucky. He felt like Varia suddenly, with his paranoia of being recognized. Is that what happened? Did someone see him? Did someone see both of them? Maddox kept his mask lowered for a good portion of their time walking through the town, and if someone were to recognize him, they had ample opportunity to do so. He lay awake that night, knowing that they would need to flee the city before the sun rose, but not certain what awaited them when they did.

When they rose, it was still dark, and the silence that enveloped the town was a natural one. They had very little supplies, and most had remained packed and ready to move, so their evacuation from the tavern was quick. They had not bought many rations the day prior, and it was too early for merchants to have begun setting up. They had enough food to last a straightforward trip to Qruedon so long as they took care of how much they were eating. They were well used to being hungry, but Maddox had hoped to get more than needed. They would be at war soon, and conserving their strength was necessary.

They approached the edge of town, with only a small streak of pink in the sky to the east. The sun had not yet risen, and the streets were silent except for a group of four men. Guards, who seemed to be waiting there. Maddox slowed his stride, and Varia slid back to walk behind Maddox. Both wore their masks, but Maddox did not think that would help them. They were about to be shaken down, if they were lucky. If they weren’t, which was likely, these men recognized them, and thought so highly of themselves that they assumed they could bring one, or both of them in to whomever would pay the highest price.

Maddox slowed to a stop, Varia at his back when the likely leader of the guard stepped forward. He had a noticeable limp and a scarred face. One of his eyes did not focus like the other, and even in the dim light of the early morning it seemed to be duller, milky. Even still, he was a large man, with a broad chest and thick arms. His beard was flecked with grey, and even his short, cropped hair had begun to lighten near his temples and at the very peak of his forehead. He stopped before them, keeping distance between himself and Maddox. He did not reach for the mace at his hip, though his hand flexed near it.

“My name is Cawe. I’m captain of Ocath. I have a few questions for you.” The man spoke in the common tongue, though his Nihalian accent was thick. Sabre had spent many years speaking the common tongue, and along with the various other languages he spoke, his accent had all but vanished, except when he wished it to be present. Sometimes it helped soothe people they crossed in their travels. Other times it did not. It did not soothe Maddox right then.

“And when did Ocath get proper guards?” Maddox asked, voice polite and jovial as it usually was. Still, he could feel the tension behind him. He worried then, that Varia would simply choose violence, as he so often did. The guard gestured to his own face, and Maddox pulled his mask down as indicated.

“When the damned Demon of Arcturus pushed north. Someone needed to defend these small, forgettable places.” Cawe said, gesturing to the ramshackle buildings around them. It was amusing for this ragtag group of guards to think that they could have stopped Varia, or any motivated group of Legion. They wouldn’t have even been a bump in the road for him.

Maddox smiled, careful to keep his thoughts from appearing on his face. “I am glad to see men still defending the common folk of Nihal.” Cawe’s men were circling them, though they kept their distance. He could feel Varia pressing against his back, could feel that tension. It was thrumming around him; he could practically see it.

No, he couldn’t let Varia lash out. He had to stop him, he had to get them out of this, and keep these guards safe from him.

“You said you had questions for us.” Maddox said, his eyes on Cawe, though he paid closer attention to the men around them now.

“We were informed of an armed Arcturian in town.” Maddox inwardly sighed. It was not the worst news. Varia looked every bit like an Arcturian, it would have been difficult to hide that. What mattered most was that Cawe did not seem to know that Varia was… Varia. Nor did he seem to know who Maddox was, though Maddox did not look like the typical Arcturian, with his pale hair and tanned skin.

“Is there a law against Arcturian refugees?” Maddox held his hands out, mostly to show he was unarmed, but also in a manner that painted him confused.

“There is no such thing as an Arcturian refugee.” Cawe said. The manner he said it was perhaps not intentionally cruel, but his gruff, short tone made Maddox prickle more than he would have normally.

He clicked his tongue, knowing that his gaze was more hostile than it had been, but unable, and unwilling to change it. The man was implying that Arcturians chose to live how they did. They chose to be oppressed, to kill indiscriminately in a country that was not their own. That men like Varia enjoyed this life they were thrust into.

No. They just did not know any better. The oppressed will never know they are oppressed if they are never allowed to see their oppression from another’s view. That did not mean there were no such people in Arcturus, those who would flee willingly.

But that sort of thinking was the same as Varia’s, in a way. Varia saw Nihalians as less than himself, as scourge of the earth. Perverts, thieves, lesser beings than himself. Cawe saw Arcturians as willing participants in the war, in their own oppression. The war did that to men.

“Why are you no longer serving in the military, Cawe? You are still of fighting age.” Maddox did not need confirmation that Cawe was a soldier. It was clear in every movement of the man, and every word that had left his mouth.

Cawe’s expression did not shift from sternness, but he was an honest man. Maddox could see that on him, at the very least, and he could hardly blame him for his thoughts on Arcturians. Cawe gestured to his leg, the one he favored.

“I was wounded and forced to retire.” The man’s one good eye shifted back, to where Maddox assumed Varia was standing still. “I served until Daeryon.”

That was terrible news.

Daeryon no longer existed, and the battle that stole it from the lands was atrocious. It was once a respectful, lawful place, with tall walls and happy smallfolk. Then Varia and Legion came upon it suddenly and viciously. It was one of the first times that the Council simply ‘unchained’ Varia and set him upon something with no intention of it being used for anything other than sending a message. Varia had killed everyone that had not fled when they saw the march. Men, women, children. He tore down their walls with shadows, leaving smoldering streaks of dark on the stones that remained.

When the portion of the Nihalian military near Daeryon heard of the attack, they retaliated and met Legion just beyond the walls. They would have lost that battle if Maddox had not waded into the fray and pushed Varia into a tactical retreat. They had lost many men, even more civilians. It was a victory that no one celebrated, and many men were left mad from the battle and from what they found in the city after. Many were wounded, badly enough that hundreds were forced to retire. Cawe was one, it seemed.

He must have reacted in a way that Cawe was accustomed to. The soldier lifted his mailed hand, to quell anything that Maddox may have said. Most people Maddox knew who survived Daeryon did not like to speak of it. Even invoking its name was enough to send some into hysterics. It had been many years by now, but Daeryon darkened the thoughts of southern Nihalians still.

“Where are the two of you coming from?” Cawe broke his train of thought.

Maddox stared at the man in wonder. How had this man fought in Daeryon, yet did not know the Demon of Arcturus, nor him, the Hero of Er Rai? Could they be this lucky, truly?

“We come from a small settlement near Morven. We are trying to escape Legion.” Maddox replied quickly, thankful for this way out.

“Why are you headed north, then? The damned Legion is marching south. They’re going back to Morven, from what I’ve been told.” Cawe asked, snorting, turning his head to the side to spit.

Moving south? To Morven? Why would Legion gather there? Morven was one of the first cities to fall to Legion, the first large one certainly. It had been under Arcturian control for most of the war. There were plenty of other places under Legion control, closer to the line of influence. Better places, more defendable, easier to launch attacks from. Morven was not a place Legion should be going.

“You are quite far from Morven.” Cawe said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Any further north will put you on the path to Klale.”

Maddox blinked slowly. That’s what this was about. From here, the path to Qruedon was clear, and from Qruedon, there was a straight path to Klale. To the queen. Cawe thought they were seeking her out to kill her, most likely. They were going to her, but for wholly different reasons.

He smiled, watching as Cawe’s suspicious gaze drifted back to Varia once more. He thought Varia an assassin, and Maddox his ignorant companion. He was charmed by that, charmed by Cawe and the loyalty he had to his beautiful queen. He decided then that he liked him, despite his suspicions. Besides, Varia was as subtle as a damn punch in the face. He was not made to be an assassin, though he was small.

“We are not going to the capital, ser. We are going to Qruedon. We were separated from our friends, and are hoping to find them there, drunk and buried in beautiful women.” Maddox said, smile returned, arms outstretched still.

Cawe stared at Maddox hard. For a moment, Maddox’s concern returned. He could feel his gaze on his face, and the sun had barely begun to brush the tops of the dunes. If he was going to recognize Maddox, it would be now. Then, his gaze lifted, and Maddox nearly breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, that beady gaze, with only one good eye, shifted once more to the presence behind Maddox. Cawe’s expression shifted from one of mistrust, to one of horror and recognition. Cawe opened his mouth, slack jawed, and then he reached for his sword.

Maddox’s hand dropped to Cithrel instinctively. Before he had a moment to consider what could have possibly changed, he heard the unmistakable sound of a man dying behind him.

Maddox whirled around, Cithrel singing as it left his sheathe, and faced Varia.

The three men who had circled them had closed in without Maddox realizing. He had been so focused on Cawe, and was confident enough in Varia he hadn’t felt the need to pay too close attention to them. Cawe had not seemed overly suspicious of them, and he did not think that they would move in so close. Out of the three, one was before Varia, and clutched tightly in his fist was the cloth that had been covering Varia’s face.

That explained the recognition.

Varia held the man before him against his blade. Blood spilled over his boots, over the cracked streets. His sword was embedded in the man’s chest, his dagger drawn and held in his left hand, pointed out towards the other two men, who were also armed then.

“Gods, help us all…” Cawe whispered in Nihalian.

No, this could not happen. This could not be an excuse for Varia to kill more Nihalians.

Maddox moved forward, lifting his hands in surrender, though he still gripped Cithrel in his right tightly. “Do not come closer! Do not attack!”

A plea. Varia would kill them. He wanted to kill them. The shadows on the buildings were stretching and darkening already. Varia would wipe this whole damned town from existence, just like he did to Daeryon if Maddox couldn’t stop him.

Cawe drew his sword, moving forward and lifted it, pointing it at Maddox’s chest. “Stand aside!” He ordered, ever the soldier.

“I will not! If I do, then he will kill all of you!” Maddox said, stepping closer to Cawe, allowing the point of his sword to press against his leather gambeson. “You stand aside, ser, and live to protect these people! We mean no harm!”

Cawe did hesitate, but he was not watching Maddox. He, and the others, were watching Varia. Worse, Varia was watching them in return. The shadows were beginning to pulse, though they did not spring from the ground to kill the guards… not yet. Varia was giving him a chance, a moment to speak to these men, to convince them to stand down. He could not let this chance slide.

“We do not wish to harm anyone. We are escaping Arcturus. I was not lying. Please. If you do not stand down, he will kill you and everyone else in this place.” Maddox said, his eyes on Cawe once more.

Though he had been given a moment’s chance from Varia, it would not last long, and he knew that. He would kill them all. They were trying to escape Arcturus, but the Council’s teachings of violence would linger still. This would not help; this would not show Varia that there was good in this world. This would not show him restraint or teach him to let go of that anger. This would make things worse; this would set them back. The Demon of Arcturus would kill these men, but he could no longer be that demon. He had to learn to be the Demon of their Arcturus, of the one Maddox would build with him.

Maddox turned then, from Cawe and to Varia.

“Varia.” He said, voice low.

Varia’s eyes flickered briefly, looking to him sidelong for a moment, but he did not respond. He kept where he was, the body of the man he killed below his feet now, sword freed from him and now held before him in a warning. He did not stand down.

“Varia… Varia, please.” Maddox pleaded again, and that drew Varia’s eye for a spell longer.

He saw him then, for what he was. He was angry, he wanted to kill these men. He did not want them to lower their weapons, he wanted them to move on them. He wanted to strike them down. He would do it, no matter what Maddox said.

From behind him, he heard Cawe draw a shuddered breath. He glanced back to him, watching as he lowered his weapon, and then raised his hands in surrender. The other two men watched Cawe, and then similarly threw their weapons in the sand, holding their hands up as well.

“I do not believe you, but I also do not wish to fight the Demon of Arcturus.” Cawe said, and Maddox sighed.

He looked back to Varia, who had stood a hair straighter and allowed his sword to lower just a fraction. The shadows on the walls seemed to settle, and Maddox realized that Varia was accepting the surrender. So easily.

Guilt hit him then. Had he really seen that hate? Had he seen Varia wishing to kill these men, when he only wanted to escape? Varia was not bloodthirsty; he did not simply kill people because he enjoyed it. He only killed people because he had too. Whether he was ordered to, or if he needed to do so in order to save himself. He did not wish to kill these men.

Maddox should be fucking ashamed to think that. Varia was not some rabid beast who needed to be watched and chained. He shook his head, looking back to Cawe. The guard did not know that Maddox and Varia were assumed dead. That was a bit problematic. If word had not traveled this far yet, that they should be dead, then people would perhaps be more alert to them.

“We will leave in peace, and I will give you coin for your dead guard. But Cawe, you must remain quiet about what you’ve seen today.” Maddox said, and Cawe scowled to him.

Maddox did not stop speaking. “If you tell someone of us, if we are delayed or inconvenienced from your actions, I will not stop him next time.” Wielding the fear Varia inspired as a weapon was not something Maddox enjoyed doing, but it was quite effective. Besides, it would keep this man, and his remaining guards, alive.

Cawe did seem unhappy by the notion, and Maddox did think he would not listen. But even if he summoned soldiers here, they would not arrive right away, and those soldiers could just as easily take his words as those of a rambling drunk. Cawe was a guard, a former soldier, ruined by war and stationed in a shithole place. He was not important. His words would not be believed. If he even spoke.

He stared at Maddox in a new way now, one that seemed… familiar. He would not speak. He could see his gaze brighten with recognition, and tears well in them. He would not give them away.

Cawe drew a shaky, his eyes glossy with mirth, before he nodded, his head dipping low, in a respectful bow. “Go then.” He whispered.

Maddox did not speak again to Cawe, nor did he say a word to Varia. The two of them gathered their things just as the first signs of life stirred in the town.

The pair left Ocath on foot, walking west, heralding the sun.