Today was an important day, and special attention must be given to every detail.

  Thus, even as his skull pounded from the consequences of last night’s celebration, his mind bleary from lack of sleep, Aiur went to considerable lengths to make himself presentable. A full run around the sun district at dawn, followed by a bath in hot water accented with exotic oils, and a hearty breakfast of soft dough bread, spiced white meat and nutty biscuits; all prepared by his steward.

  When his praetorians failed to materialise at breakfast, as was the norm, he began to grow concerned.

  Thus, he found himself under the stone arch at the door of Khafra’s small abode off the main thoroughfare, secluded in a small square near the city wall. A fountain trickled nearby, and the few souls who were present wore ostentatious formalwear accented with feathers and crests.

  After waiting for uncomfortably long in the sun, tapping his clawed feet on the flagstones, the door was finally answered by Daiss. From the waist down he was dressed in pieces of his ceremonial bronze scale armour, jangling and clattering with the slightest movement.

  “Oh, ah. Good morning,” Daiss grunted, stretching his muscled torso and powerful arms while keeping the door propped open with his foot. He looked tired, sharing the slightly drawn look of too much drink and too little sleep with Aiur. Still, as ever, his smile was broad and genial.

  Aiur took a moment to scan up and down Daiss’ stripped form. “Had a good night?” he asked, leaning on one foot to try and casually peer beyond the door. He caught the impression of movement, though Daiss’ bulk obscured any definitive features.

  Colour rippled across the praetorian’s face, and his eyes quickly darted over his shoulder. “Yeah,” he said quickly.

  “Didn’t think we were paying you to answer doors,” Aiur teased with a wry grin. “Especially not dressed like that. Where’s the steward?”

  “Oh. Well, we sent her away,” Daiss muttered, quickly glancing over his shoulder again. Aiur’s smile widened. “With me here we… Khafra gave her the night off.”

  “Looks like it was a very long night. “

  “You’re not looking great yourself sir. It looks like it was a long night for you too,” Daiss said cautiously, though they were each implying very different things

  Aiur’s lips pursed and his face hardened. “Can I come in? Best I get the both of you up and ready. Stop you getting…distracted.”

  “I’ve already started. Khafra needed a lot of coaxing out of bed. Turns out that much drink hits him hard the next morning.”

  Aiur chuckled, rolling his eyes. “Well, I need you presentable before the ceremony at noon,” he said, motioning to the corridor behind him.

  Daiss paused, glanced over his shoulder one last time, then nodded his head. He lumbered away, leading Aiur with a series of thumping steps into a parlour adjoining the main hall. The room was scattered with furniture and lit with grand windows. the rest of Daiss’ ceremonial armour was laid out amongst the chaise loungers, silken divans and high-backed armchairs.

  “Take a seat,” he offered, whilst dragging on a white undershirt. “Khafra went to get water; he shouldn’t be long.”

  “And I hope decent,” Aiur added as he lowered himself gingerly onto a chaise lounge. He was already fully dressed in an exquisite suit of bronze scale from neck to foot and did his best not to damage the furniture.

  “Your visit seems more than just a friendly coaxing out of bed, sir,” Daiss ventured, grabbing a chain shirt laid over one of the armchairs and pulling it over his undershirt.

  “Am I so transparent?” Aiur groaned. “It must be worse than I thought…”

  Daiss paused for a moment, clearly choosing his words with care as he took a seat on the armchair opposite Aiur. “I simply know you too well. You…do look awful though.”

  Aiur leant back fully, letting out a heavy sigh. “I feel stretched. Pulled in too many directions at once.”

  “Well, that is understandable. We left early, but both Khafra and I saw Ezerkal was simply not letting you be.”

  “He’s been incessant. Has been for days,” Aiur growled, more anger bleeding into his tone than he felt. “Last night was the worst of it. He’s never been good at subtlety.”

  “Kind of ironic considering I always thought subtlety was how diplomacy worked,” Daiss said with a small laugh. “Do you think he knows that we know?”

  Aiur shrugged. “Don’t know. He’s not mentioned her since, so I don’t think so. Just all the pieces of what she wants, over and over.”

  “You never did tell me what you thought of it.”

  Aiur shook his head and snarled, though it wasn’t directed at Daiss. “It raises questions I don’t want to ask. Nor do I want the answers to.”

  “That bad?”

  “Things are the way they are for a reason. We, and Ra’ven, fought tooth and nail to get where we are now. I am not giving that up for a woman who may well want us all dead.”

  “I get the impression that’s only the surface of how it’s making you feel, sir.”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “The questions have been asked now. They won’t go away. Ever since he first mentioned it, I’ve had…. dreams. Dreams where everything I’ve built is gone. It feels like it’s all tearing me apart…in here,” Aiur said, tapping his chest with one clawed finger.

  “Your spirit? Well, I’m no expert but that sounds…concerning,” Daiss replied, face screwing up into a tight knot.

  Aiur nodded. “My thoughts drag me in one direction, I just can’t tell where it will be lead me.”

  Daiss shrugged as his features steadily relaxed again. “Well, I’d say go to a priestess. That, or find somewhere exceptionally quiet to feel out the tug on those heartstrings and start tugging back.”

  Aiur half-nodded and sat himself up again, flexing his hands. “Every time I close my eyes, I find myself falling in a cold void. I don’t sleep for long, and find my home exceptionally quiet in the small hours of the morning. Quiet doesn’t seem to have helped.”

  Daiss frowned and shook his head. “Why don’t you get out of the city so you can think properly. Y’see sir I’ve been thinking…”

  “Oh no,” Aiur interrupted with a light chuckle.

  “…I’ve been thinking that a place like this isn’t just loud in the conventional sense, but perhaps…spiritually as well,” Daiss finished, the suggestion of a smile at the corners of his mouth.

  “Spiritually loud?” Aiur laughed, looking quizzically at his praetorian. “I’ve not heard that one in any sermons before. Go on then, is there some phantasmal din we’re all not aware of?”

  Daiss rolled his eyes, but his smile grew. “I know I’m no expert sir, but you protect yourself so well these days I have more than enough time to think.”

  “Well, as long as this thinking doesn’t get you killed. You’ve started now, finish the thought.”

  Daiss nodded, shifting in his seat to squarely face his charge. “Well, the priesthood has spoken on how important where you are is for the soul. But I think who you are with is just as important. Nerkai is loud, exceptionally loud. It’s a city of what, a million now? That’s hard on the ears, but I think it’s hard on the soul too…so many souls, so varied souls all in the same place. So, if you need to do some soul-searching, you probably won’t get anything done here.”

  Aiur cocked his head for a moment. It wasn’t an unrealistic idea, and it wasn’t a bad one either. “Perhaps you should have been a priest.” He chuckled.

  Daiss snorted and grinned, flashing pearl-white teeth. “I enjoy what I already do far too much for that.”

  ***

  By the time Khafra arrived, both men had relaxed and their conversation was drifting amicably onwards to more pleasant topics. Daiss was fiddling with the latch on his bracers, securing the left in place while the right hung loosely from his wrist. Aiur had reclined, making himself as comfortable as one could be fully armoured as he was.

  Khafra was dressed in a plain white, open bathrobe, revealing much of his petite figure. He paused when he saw Aiur, but quickly entered to place a tray bearing water and small glasses on a low table in the centre of the room.

  With his hands free, he pulled his robe close around himself and tied it securely in place, eliciting a chuckle from Daiss. “Good morning sir,” the young Legate said.

  “Good morning Khafra,” Aiur replied, his gaze on the ceiling to avoid embarrassing the boy while he made himself decent. “Are we well this morning? Seems you both had a very busy evening.”

  “Better than I was when I woke up,” he admitted with flushed cheeks and a glance at Daiss. He relaxed as he sat down and poured himself a drink.

  “That’s good. I assume you’ll be ready for the ceremony at noon?” Aiur said, leaning over to take up a glass, holding it out for Khafra to fill.

  “Of course!” Khafra said with a courteous nod as he filled Aiur’s glass. He sipped briefly on his own water before looking askance around the room. “Where is Cleonar?”

  “Gathering the other legates, I assume. I had a feeling the pair of you might be up late. Figured I would come for a chat,” Aiur said casually, draining his own glass and placing it neatly on the table.

  “Ezerkal’s been proving himself a problem, hasn’t he?” Khafra sighed. He had always bore a sharper mind than Daiss.

  “Yes.” Aiur sighed, shoulders dropping as his mood soured. “You were inducted into the house in the same year as him, maybe you could talk some sense into him.”

  Khafra shook his head with a small, empty smile. “We both know he doesn’t have much respect for military men.”

  “Clearly.”

  “Regardless of what we think of him, or what a nuisance he’s making of himself, Ezerkal has bought us time. Use that to get well, sir,” Khafra said, toying with the water in his hand. “Daiss and I had a reason to be up so late.”

  “I know.” Aiur mumbled. He was uncertain Ezerkal’s treaty would even last the year that had been agreed.

  Khafra and Daiss exchanged brief glances, colour flushing across their faces, but said nothing. After a few moments of awkward quiet, Khafra gulped down his water and rose to his feet. “I’ll get my ceremonial attire,” he said, before quickly retreating from the room.

  Daiss turned and watched him go with a smile.

  “So, big day. Mavan’s going home,” Daiss commented offhandedly, returning to fastening his bracers in place. “I’ll almost miss the arrogant prick.”

  “I’m sure you will.” Aiur chuckled. “Though I have a feeling he’ll be back soon enough.”

  Daiss grunted in agreement as the bracer finally submitted and locked in place with a satisfying click. “There we go,” he muttered, flexing his hand to ensure it wasn’t too tight, before reclining in his seat. “Apologies for dragging the topic back to it, sir. But does Khafra know?” he asked.

  “No. Not unless you’ve told him. Nothing specific at least, I want to keep him out of this.”

  Daiss nodded. “And how long have you known?”

  “Longer than you think,” Aiur rumbled with a smile.

  “And does anyone else?...”

  “Cleonar... She doesn’t care; it hasn’t affected your skills, your performance, or your health. If anything, he’s got you in better shape than ever. Outside of that, nobody. It’s not their business.”

  “Thank you…” Daiss breathed a long sigh of relief. “...Aiur, can you keep Khafra out of this? You asked him earlier to get involved, I’d like to avoid it. It seems bad.””

  “And getting worse every day. I’ll do my best.” Aiur groaned. “Combined with everything else, it makes me want to disappear off into the desert for a few weeks, so I don’t have to deal with it. Just for a little while at least.”

  “Why don’t you?” Daiss said, with a tone suggesting such a thing would create no problems. To abandon his duties for a time would infuriate people like Ra’ven, but he truthfully wasn’t needed for anything. Not until the campaigning days came around again and that was now a year away.

  “Never one for the responsible answer, are you.” Aiur chuckled.

  “You want responsible, ask Cleonar,” he replied with an amused half-smile.

  “Regardless,” Aiur began, straightening himself in his seat. “Where would I go, what would I do? There’s no campaign, not with this truce. So, I can’t go marching off with a purpose. I doubt anyone would approve of me digging around in the desert for some band of miscreants just to entertain myself either. I need something that fits within my realm of command.”

  “So?” Daiss shrugged. “Go out with a patrol instead.”

  Aiur laughed, leaning back in his seat. The idea did certainly have its charm. “What? Attach myself to some raw recruits?”

  “Sure. Your domain is all House Zerkash military matters, you have the right to observe discipline, enforce training.”

  Aiur brought one hand up to his face, considering for a moment. He puffed out a long breath between pursed lips. Even if it was just for a week, a week without Ezerkal sounded delightful. “That’s not actually a terrible idea. It gives me a few of my own, even.”

  Daiss clapped his hands and grinned. “Well, wasn’t that easy?”