The next three days passed with the monotony characteristic of life in the Drayvar mansion. Silent breakfasts where Kael was invisible. Lessons with Master Corvin where his mind wandered while Sareth obsessively took notes. Afternoons observing from the balcony how Rylan improved with each training session, his electric blue Aether shining ever brighter.
And nights in his cold room, listening to storms and building plans still too vague to be useful.
But on the fourth day, the routine broke.
Not dramatically. Not with explosions or revelations. But with something much more mundane: Kael saw something he shouldn't have seen.
And decided to use it.
He'd spent the afternoon in the secondary library---a small space compared to Varen's main library, but large enough to house several shelves of books nobody read---when he heard voices in the hallway. Voices kept at low volume, the kind of conversation people have when they don't want to be heard.
Kael moved silently toward the half-open door. Not because he was particularly stealthy, but because he was small and people rarely noticed small children when they were focused on other things.
---...you can't keep doing this ---a female voice was saying, trembling and desperate---. My husband started asking questions. If he finds out...
---Your husband is a half-deaf blacksmith who works twelve hours a day ---a deeper male voice responded, tinged with cruel amusement---. He won't find out anything unless you tell him.
---But...
---But nothing. You enjoy it as much as I do, Mira. Don't pretend otherwise.
There was a sound of fabric rubbing against stone, a muffled gasp, and then Kael peeked enough to see.
The hallway led to one of the mansion's storage wings, little trafficked except by servants. And there, half-hidden in a niche between two pillars, were two figures.
One was Mira, one of the kitchen servants. Kael had seen her before: common face, brown hair always gathered in a tight bun, hands constantly red from washing dishes. Married to Tomos, the blacksmith who maintained the training weapons in the mansion.
The other figure was Ser Aldric, one of the knights in charge of the mansion's guard. Young, maybe twenty-five years old, with the kind of chiseled face that made maidens sigh when he passed. Aether level: Knight second layer, competent enough to be respected but not powerful enough to be important.
And at that moment, he had Mira cornered against the wall, one hand on her waist, the other playing with the strings of her apron.
---Tonight ---Aldric murmured---. The stables. Midnight.
---I can't. Tomos will be...
---Tomos will be drunk and snoring as always. ---Aldric's hand rose, tracing the line of her jaw---. Unless you prefer I have a conversation with him about how his wife brings me extra wine every night. And how she always stays... a bit longer than necessary.
Mira paled.
---That's... you asked me to...
---I know. ---Aldric smiled---. But do you think he'll know the difference? He just needs the seed of doubt, Mira. Just a little conversation about how his wife is very... friendly with the knights.
It was blackmail. Pure and simple. And Mira knew it, her face crumbling into a mix of fear and resignation that made something in Kael's stomach twist.
Not from moral disgust. Kael was eight years old, but he'd already learned the world didn't function on morality. It twisted because it was... inefficient. Aldric was gaining something from momentary pleasure, yes, but he was creating an enemy. He was planting resentment that would eventually explode.
Stupid, Kael thought. If you're going to manipulate someone, do it right. Do it in a way they thank you for it.
Mira finally nodded, her eyes bright with contained tears.
---Midnight. The stables.
---Good girl. ---Aldric gave her a condescending pat on the cheek and walked away, whistling a cheerful melody.
Mira stayed there, leaning against the wall, her shoulders trembling as she tried not to cry. Then she straightened, wiped her eyes brusquely, and hurried back toward the kitchens.
And Kael remained in the library, with the door ajar, processing what he'd just seen.
Information. Power. Opportunity.
Not to be good. Not to help Mira, who was clearly a victim in this situation.
But to learn. To test. To see if knowledge could really become something useful.
There are other ways to be strong, he'd told Sareth three days ago.
Maybe it was time to find out if he was right.
That night, Kael waited until Sareth was asleep in the adjoining room before leaving his bed. The castle was silent except for the constant wind and occasional creaking of old wood settling. Guards patrolled the outer perimeter, but inside the mansion, after midnight, almost everyone slept.
He slid through the hallways on bare feet, avoiding the floorboards he knew creaked. It wasn't difficult to reach the stables; he'd walked this path dozens of times during the day. Only now, in the darkness, everything looked different. Bigger. More threatening.
Don't be afraid, he told himself. Fear is for those who don't have a plan. You have a plan.
More or less.
The stables smelled of straw and horse manure, a scent that normally would have been unpleasant but in the darkness became almost comforting. Familiar. Kael hid behind a pile of grain sacks, with a perfect view of the back storage area where saddles were kept.
And waited.
He didn't have to wait long.
Aldric arrived first, swaying slightly. He'd been drinking, Kael could smell it even from his hiding place. The knight leaned against a wooden post, checking something at his belt---probably making sure his sword was at hand, because even drunk, a warrior's instincts remained---and whistled that same irritating melody.
Five minutes later, Mira appeared. She moved like someone walking toward her own execution, with rigid shoulders and pale face in the dim light of her lantern.
---You're late ---Aldric said, though she'd arrived exactly on time.
---I'm sorry, Ser Aldric. Tomos took a while to fall asleep.
---Mmm. ---Aldric grabbed her by the waist, pulling her brusquely---. Well, you're here now.
What followed was... educational.
Not in the way most people would think. Kael was eight years old; he didn't fully understand the mechanics of what he was seeing, nor was he particularly interested. But he understood power. He understood dynamics. He understood that Aldric was taking something Mira didn't want to give, using threats disguised as seduction, and that she allowed it because she believed she had no other option.
But there's always another option, Kael thought as he watched. Only sometimes it requires someone else to show it to you.
He waited until they finished. Until Aldric fastened his belt with lazy movements and gave Mira a slap on the backside that made her flinch.
---Same time next week ---he said with slurred voice.
Mira nodded, picking up her lantern with trembling hands, and rushed out of the stables without looking back.
Aldric waited a minute, making sure she'd gone, and then headed toward the opposite exit, the one leading to the knights' barracks.
And Kael emerged from his hiding place.
---Ser Aldric ---he said with clear voice in the darkness.
The knight froze, his hand flying instinctively to his sword. He turned, squinting in the gloom, and then his expression shifted from alarm to confusion when he saw a small child standing among the grain sacks.
---What the hell? ---Aldric released his sword, relaxing slightly---. Young... Kael? What are you doing here at this hour?
---I saw something interesting ---Kael said, keeping his voice neutral, almost curious---. With you and Mira. Here. Now.
Aldric's face paled even in the darkness.
---You were... were you spying on us?
---Not on purpose. I woke up and couldn't sleep, so I came to see the horses. ---Kael shrugged, the perfect picture of childish innocence---. And then you arrived. I didn't want to interrupt, so I hid. But I saw everything.
---Little vermin ---Aldric advanced a step, his expression twisted now---. Do you know what happens to children who stick their noses where they don't belong?
---No ---Kael admitted---. But I know what happens to knights who are caught... ---he searched for the word--- intimating with other men's wives. Especially when they use threats to do it.
Aldric stopped dead.
---You're a brat. Nobody would believe you.
---Probably not ---Kael agreed---. But what if I tell Tomos? He's just a blacksmith, but he's big. Very big. And he has hammers. Many hammers.
---Tomos won't...
---Or I could tell Master Torin. He supervises the guard when father is busy. And he's very strict about discipline. He says a knight without honor is no better than a thief.
Kael saw genuine panic cross Aldric's face. Because it was true. Torin was inflexible about rules, and if there was one thing he despised more than incompetence, it was abuse of power.
---What do you want? ---Aldric finally asked, his voice hoarse---. Money? I don't have much, but I can...
---I don't want money ---Kael interrupted---. I want sweets.
There was a long, bewildered silence.
---What?
---Sweets. ---Kael kept his expression perfectly serious---. After dinner. Every night. Mira can bring them to me. She works in the kitchens, she knows where they keep them.
---That's all? ---Aldric sounded almost relieved---. Just... sweets?
---Just sweets ---Kael confirmed---. But every night. And if you forget, or if Mira forgets, then I'll have to remind people what I saw here.
Aldric looked at him for a long moment, his brain clearly struggling to process how an eight-year-old child was successfully blackmailing him.
---You're a little demon ---he said finally, but there was a note of... respect? in his voice---. Who the hell taught you to think like that?
Nobody, Kael thought. And everyone. Each person who ignored me. Each meal where I was invisible. Each day where I didn't matter. You taught me.
But aloud he only said:
---Do we have a deal, Ser Aldric?
The knight grunted, running a hand across his face.
---Yes. Damn it. Yes, we have a deal. Mira will bring you your damn sweets.
---Excellent. ---Kael smiled, and it was genuine this time, because it had worked. It had really worked---. Good night, Ser Aldric.
He slid back toward the mansion before the knight could respond, leaving him standing in the stables with an expression of total disbelief.
And Kael felt something warm and intoxicating expand in his chest.
Power.
Not the kind of power Rylan had, made of muscles and Aether. But something more subtle. More dangerous.
The power of knowing things. Of using those things. Of making people do what he wanted without even lifting a finger.
Other ways to be strong, he remembered telling Sareth.
He'd just found the first one.