Reese took us to a small room on the other side of the inn. It looked like it could have been some kind of closet. Two tall bookshelves leaned against the wall with random trinkets, jewels, and books. A round table with three chairs sat off to the right, and the room was lit by a singular gas lamp on the circular table. It smelled like old wood and mothballs. Silas plopped himself into the chair closest to the entrance and let out a deep sigh.
"Man, I hate those things," He said with a much more casual air than when he was addressing the group.
"C'mon, old man. You should be used to the meetings by now, not to mention you only spoke about three words back there." Reese responded, leaning against the wall.
"Old?" He raised an eyebrow, then rested his arm on the table. "You'll never lose that belligerence, will you, child?"
"I'm afraid not," She said, smiling at the man, he retained a more stoic expression. "What are you doing still standing over there, kid? Take a seat, stay a while." She pointed at the chair on the far side of the table with her chin. Kind of reminded me of Marin for a second. "Now's your chance to get your answers. Despite how he looks, he doesn't actually bite."
"Is that so?" Silas questioned, cocking a eyebrow and frowning slightly. I started to head towards the chair, but as I passed Silas, he grabbed hold of my wrist, causing me to startle slightly. "Let me have a look at you."
"A look?" I questioned on reflex.
"I can't see, I'm not blind." My brow raised, and my head fell to the side like a confused dog. A few moments passed as he observed me, or whatever he was doing. I could see his eyes tracking around behind his eyelids. It was a little off-putting.
"I thought you said he doesn't bite?" I said, with a nervous chuckle.
"There's no guarantees in life, kid," Reese said with a shrug. Silas released my arm, and I continued to the seat.
"So, tell me, exactly how much of all this has your father spoken to you about?" He asked, turning to face me.
"If by all this you mean the Grishan Liberation Front, then nothing at all really. He told me a little bit about the conflict before he disappeared." Is he suggesting Dean had some part to play in the GLF? I guess it could make sense considering his reaction to Melrez and the other prisoners, and the way he was talking about the meeting. "What I'll be up against." Were his words, if I remember correctly. The old man shook his head disapprovingly.
"Along with that unassuming youth you saw out there earlier, Phelin, your father and a few others formed a council that would later birth the GLF." So Dean was a double agent. I knew he wouldn't just sit idly by while kids were being trafficked. I wonder how Alestrios would react if they found out their great war hero was now trying to free Grishans.
"Your father believed you should have a childhood, or rather wished for you to retain your youth as long as possible, and because of that, hid important truths from you. I was of a different school of thought. But thanks to your father's more stubborn qualities, there's much we need to catch you up on."
"Like what?" I asked, adjusting myself in the chair. He speaks like wanting an eight-year-old to have a childhood is somehow controversial.
"For the better part of a decade, Grishans have been going missing all around Alestrios. At first, we weren't sure, but we found out some years ago, Nole has been forcing a number of imprisoned Grishans to work his factories despite the laws against it. Then we discovered something more sinister," He paused and took a breath. "He was experimenting on them as well." Those experiments must be what's turning them into those monsters.
"We were stuck for a while on how he could accomplish all this without being noticed by any leadership in Raam and the other countries, but it appears he has his own allies as well. We believe they've been using the military and its academy to churn out Grishan test subjects and slaves. Working with the people's disdain for the Grishans, and the blind eye they would turn to these injustices, they 'deployed' troops that never returned instead of scores of prisoners vanishing under the watch of the guard." Sort of sounds like a money laundering scheme, but with people.
I wonder if this is why Siva visited the King and killed the Queen, as punishment? But then why take Dean if he was trying to help? It feels naive to believe any deity would be that benevolent. Still, why does any of this mean I can't have a childhood?
"And that's where you come in. We need you to go to the military school and find out what's really going on and who's involved." The GLF is certainly playing the long game, theres still another four years until I'm old enough just to enter the academy. At least it makes sense now why Dean was steering me in that direction.
"This all sounds like something I could have been told back in Telenor," I said, my gaze turning towards Reese.
"Don't get too far ahead of yourself, kid. I suggest you let the man finish." She retorted. That wasn't everything?
"Unfortunately, she is right." His gaze, even behind his closed eyelids, was clearly set on something past the four walls of the room we were in. "From here on, the enemies you face will only get more dangerous and cunning, whether that be political or physical. You'll be up against the stricken, academy staff, and students alike, as well as even Lucan, maybe. We need to train both your body and mind. I'll be in Vista City for the next few months to oversee your training." Why do I feel like that's some sort of big deal? And another couple of months here? I guess it could be worse. Hopefully, everyone back home is alright.
"That's all?" I quipped. He cocked a discerning eyebrow but maintained that far away look.
"You're as long-winded as always, old man." Reese cut in. "Look, kid, try not to fly off the handle. But you'll be here for the next six years, training and preparing for your time at the academy." I shot out of my seat.
"N-no, I can't. Thanks, but no. I need to get back to my family, and in six years, I'll have already passed the age where I can join the academy."
"Marin will be alright, and she already knows."
"But for six years? And what about my father? You seem to have forgotten he's not dead. I need to focus on at least trying to get him back." My hand tightened into a fist.
"Are you sure he's a child? Such a strong sense of duty and purpose for one so young." Silas said as he sat back and rubbed his chin, grumbling slightly. Reese shrugged. "This was always the plan." He said with a sigh. "Your father always was my worst listener and student. This is why I instructed him to tell you earlier." Student? Dean? Don't tell me this old man is…
"You're my father's old teacher?" I asked, sinking back into my chair.
"Old?" He paused, his eyebrow raising again. I started to formulate a response, but he quickly sat back in his chair and straightened himself. "I know what you mean, boy." He said, gesticulating with his hand. "Yes, what feels like a lifetime ago, I taught your bullheaded father how to wield a blade and this one over here." He leaned his head toward Reese, and she flashed a wry smile. "But I think this is quite enough for one day. Rest and think about everything we've spoken about. Of course, you have a choice, but life is a funny thing, and everyone has their part to play, you especially." He stood and brushed his shirt.
"And no one has forgotten about your father." He made his way to the door.
***
I was walking down the hallway towards the bar, replaying the conversation in my head over and over. It still feels like there's something they're not telling me. Is it because they think I'm not ready, or because they're not? I bit down on the nail of my thumb. If this guy really did teach Dean, this could be my best chance at gaining the strength I need to take down a deity. But being away from everyone for six whole years? I'll be a stranger to my new younger sibling.
When I arrived at the bar, no one was there except for Stefanos, who was sitting at a table in the corner, staring into a tankard. He looked like something was bothering him, sad, almost. The floor creaked and caught his attention. He looked up and quickly wiped the expression from his face and flashed a quick smile.
"Cane!" He waved me over. "Just the guy I was looking for," I lazily sauntered over with my hands in my pockets.
"Don't you think it's a little early?" I asked, looking at his mug.
"…Oh, this? I'm not going to drink it." He pushed the mug to the side and gestured at the bench across from him. I had recently been making attempts at being less cold to Stefanos. "Take a seat, please. And what's with the look on your face? You look like someone's poked a hole in your sail."
"I was going to ask you the same question," I responded, sliding onto the bench.
"Me? I…" He hesitated, then gave himself a shake. "How was that meeting? We all saw you go off with Captain Reese and the General." I was silent with an expectant eyebrow raised for a few seconds to see if he would break and finish explaining what was bothering him, but he turned to face the window. The mid-morning sun's rays seemed to be absorbed by his dark blue hair.
"As you can tell, it went amazingly," I flashed him a dry smile. "But seriously… Why are you pouting by a tankard in the middle of the morning? Not very…Stefanos."
"Pouting? I don't pout." He said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Right…" The muscles in his face tensed, and his jaw tightened.
"What's it like to have a sword saint as a father? I'm sure he's proud of you, considering how skilled you are without an affinity." So deflection it is.
"He's a pretty standard parent, I guess. If you discount all the people that practically fall over themselves when he's brought up or comes around."
"Oh…Uh… sorry about that." He said, shrinking a bit. "Standard, huh?" He questioned quietly, looking off towards the window again.
"What about your father or parents?"
"They're certainly not standard, I'll tell you that much," Stefanos chuckled to himself, grabbing the tankard and scratching the side with his thumb. "My family, or the Brimknights, are actually a pretty wealthy and powerful bloodline. We gained our status from the war, and my older sister and cousins' time at Aleara. In fact, we are kinda up there with the Captain's family."
"This sounds like the good side of not standard," I said, folding my arms over the table.
"That's because our status wasn't really the whole problem. Even though it did make us complicit in what's been happening to the Grishans."
"The Alestrio nobility know about what's going on?"
"Not really. I'm sure some do, I know mine did, or at least suspected something was happening, and what made us complicit was our silence." Sefanos' brows pinched together, and his lips curved downward into a frown. "From the time I was your age, I had heard all these stories about how great my family was, so I understand how you feel, but I wanted to be just like them, another noble Brimknight. But when I spoke out about the Grishans, they started to shut me out." He squeezed his hands around the mug and bit his lip. I could see the emotions building in him like slow rising magma, hot and volatile.
"Even after awakening as a fire mage and getting stronger, my father refused to acknowledge me. Every accomplishment met with a cold apathy, and the rest of my family was no better. When he saw that wasn't working, he said I'd never amount to anything. Not too long after that, I left."
"I wouldn't let it bother you too much. Even though that's probably easier said than done. People like that, when they gain power, greed tells them any threat to it, no matter how great or small, cannot be tolerated. You having a righteous heart might have lost your family its seat at the table, with all the war politics muddying morality." I spoke slowly, but my jaw tightened as well from building frustration. People will be people, I guess. Stefonos sat with wide, unblinking eyes for a few seconds.
"How old are you, again?" His question felt like someone dumping a bucket of ice water on my head. I quickly straightened up and scratched the back of my neck.
"My father used to go on about that sort of thing." It wasn't entirely a lie, but the moment was a good reminder of how I'm perceived in this world.
"Oh, well, he's right…you're both right. I made my peace with the kind of people my family are, and it's now my mission to make something of myself without them and to create real change that people can actually benefit from. So that when I pass my name onto my family, they can be as proud as I was." I know I never really gave him a chance, but I was surprised at how earnest he was. Maybe it was because he was just a teenager, though.
"Oh, is that why you go around firing magic at children?" I recalled our first encounter on the street.
"You sure do know how to ruin a moment, don't you?" His amber eyes narrowed into an unamused glare, and I chuckled. "If you were in my shoes and some deranged child was toppling your friends, I'm sure you'd step in too. Plus, you wouldn't have gotten injured…seriously."
"I'm just giving you a hard time. Let's work hard together, then. You, to show your family where they went wrong. And me? Maybe next time you'll leave some room in the conversation to find out." I said with a cheeky smile.
"Have you met you? Try getting yourself to talk. And great, my first rival, the eight-year-old." The tension on his face eased into a smile. "Yeah, let's."