Page 10 of Once the Skies Fade (Immortal Reveries #2)

Chapter 10

Matthias

T he autumn thunderstorms had wreaked havoc on the army’s training ground, leaving it a muddy mess as it did every year. My boots squelched sickeningly in the sticky slop as I paced down the line of soldiers practicing their sword drills. Not that I hated mud, but having it squishing and slipping beneath my feet brought back difficult memories of the carnage we’d endured—and inflicted—during the War of Hearts. So many battles fought. And so many warriors fallen. On both sides.

The real cruelty was how easily our minds could forget the good bits of our past—a friend’s laugh, a female’s touch, a parent’s embrace—while being tormented by all of the painful parts. Though some minds were better adept at handling this wicked dichotomy, others cracked under the weight of those memories, unable to escape the past and doomed to be haunted by their trauma. I had watched so many of our own walk away from service, and I had spent every year since the war ended trying to rebuild our numbers to their former glory.

We were finally—nearly—there.

“They’re looking good, general,” a deep voice rumbled behind me, and I wheeled around to find the last fae I expected to see here, standing in the muck twenty meters away—the king.

“Indeed, Your Majesty,” I said, tipping my chin down slightly. The king closed the distance between us, not seeming at all bothered by how his riding boots sank into the mud with each step. I couldn’t remember the last time he had ventured out here to visit his troops. Had it really been since the war ended?

“To what do we owe this honor?” I asked.

King Nevan didn’t answer, just pivoted so that we stood shoulder-to-shoulder to face the soldiers who, to their credit, had continued sparring despite his arrival. Focusing my attention on the pair training directly in front of us, I clasped my hands behind my back and waited patiently for his response.

“It gets boring in the palace,” he said.

I huffed out a laugh. “Retirement not suiting you, Your Majesty?”

The king waved away my words with a flick of his fingers. “Save that title for my son, Matthias.”

“All due respect, Your Majesty, you’re still the king.”

A smirk crept across the older fae’s lips. “Then do as I say and call me what I wish.”

“And what is that? Your Highness? Sir? Mr. Durand?”

I laughed again when the king’s nose wrinkled at that last suggestion.

“Sir will suffice,” he said, rolling his shoulders as he studied the line of troops.

“Yes, sir,” I obliged.

“You’ve done a great job rebuilding our force. How do you think…” he paused, lowering his gaze to the ground before starting again. “What are the chances our advantage from the Arenysen alliance has disappeared with…”

His words trailed off, and I wasn’t about to supply the end of that thought. It had only been two weeks since Brennan’s death. Between his grief over this loss and his guilt from the years of abuse he’d inflicted on his sons, it was understandable he’d have difficulty speaking about it. Both appeared to have taken a toll on the male. Though his health had already begun to decline with the death of his mate years ago, his eyes now seemed dimmer, as if his very spirit was fading away. Still, he was my king until he officially passed the title on to Connor, and my duties as his general required disclosing intelligence as I received it.

“My scouts have noted potential…difficulties on the horizon.”

“From Wrenwick?” the king asked, his eyes alight with what appeared like hope, which I regrettably had to douse quickly with the truth.

“No. King Olander appears to be distracted with personal matters within his own borders. Unfortunately, my concern is Arenysen itself.”

The king’s face fell. “Poor Calla. She lost her parents, her husband, and now these rumors. How anyone could think she killed him…” His voice tapered off.

“I’m keeping an eye on it though, Your—” The king’s brow shot up, and I corrected myself, saying, “Sir.”

The king nodded brusquely. For a long moment he was silent as he continued to watch our soldiers spar, though his attention appeared to be elsewhere. It wasn’t until Tanner, from the other side of the field, called out the end of training for the morning that the king seemed to snap back to the present.

“Will you be dining with us?” I asked, though as expected he shook his head, rubbing his hand behind his neck.

“I appreciate the invitation, but Connor and Lieke are expecting me.”

“Ah, the lovebirds,” I said as sweetly as I could. Not that I begrudged my friend finding his mate, but it was a lot of affection to handle as a bystander.

“Careful, general. Your cynicism is showing,” he said with a hollow laugh. His amusement didn’t reach his eyes.

I offered an apologetic smile. “I’ll work harder to keep it under wraps.”

The king studied me for an uncomfortably long time. “I fear we’ve asked too much of you, Matthias.”

Confusion swept over me. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve spent most of your life fighting for this family––leading our armies, supporting my son. All of your focus has been on our needs and not your own.”

I pulled my mouth into a frown. “I wouldn’t say all of my focus.”

“But you won’t find love on the battlefield or at the end of a sword.”

“I find plenty in taverns and?—”

The king scoffed loudly behind a half-hearted smile. “I said love , not lust.”

I shrugged a shoulder and looked off to where the palace lay beyond the trees. “It’s enough for me, sir.”

“It won’t always be,” he said, and I clenched my teeth hard to prevent myself from arguing further. Not all of us wanted romance. Not all of us cared to find our mate—if they even existed.

Instead I dipped my chin, saying, “You sound just like your son.”

The sharp thwack of wooden blades echoed off the high ceiling as Lieke parried my strike and quickly countered it with one of her own. Even years later, I marveled at how she’d improved. Her mortality still slowed her movements, but being bonded to a fae—and thereby lengthening her life—had brought unexpected benefits, like heightened agility and speed.

“I miss these sessions of ours while you’re gone,” Lieke said, trying to hide how breathless she was becoming as she backed away from me, though still continuing to circle. I didn’t bother pursuing her as I would if we were seriously training. Instead, I slowly pivoted around with her as she moved.

“Oh, is Wolfie not satisfying your needs?” I asked. My smirk slipped into a triumphant smile at the sight of pink rising in her face. “The fact that you still blush over these things amuses me.”

“Not my fault that your inappropriate comments conjure certain memories that I probably shouldn’t be reliving in the company of my husband’s best friend.”

“Fair, fair,” I said. “We done for the afternoon? I’d hate to send you back to your husband too worn out to reenact those certain memories .”

“Oh, I can always find the energy for that,” she said with a quiet giggle. “Still, I’m sorely out of practice— sparring practice—with how long you’ve been gone recently, so…”

“No shame in knowing your limits,” I said, accepting her practice sword so I could return them to the table against the wall.

“Is that what you tell your soldiers? Seems limits would need to be pushed, in certain circumstances.”

“Of course, but with training, it’s all about balance, and knowing when to press on and when to rest.”

Lieke poured two cups of water and handed me one, scrutinizing me over the rim of hers as she took a long gulp.

“What?” I asked. “I always get so nervous when you get that look in your eye. I never know whether to expect a lecture, a compliment, or some random question.”

“Would you prefer I warn you first?”

I lifted a brow, curious.

“I have a random question,” she said, mischief twinkling in her deep blue eyes—the source of Connor’s nickname for her.

I released an exaggerated groan, throwing my eyes up toward the ceiling in mock annoyance. “What now?”

“Why is your sister—Sera?—a secret?”

With a casual frown to hide my flinch, I turned away from her and shrugged.

“Connor hasn’t told you already?”

“Said it’s your story to tell…if you’re willing. I won’t pressure you if not. I’m just curious.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “When are you not curious?”

Lieke merely shrugged, but shot me a wide-eyed look of anticipation. I needed to sit down for this conversation, though. I didn’t know how much of it I truly wanted to divulge. Sliding down the wooden wall—my ass hitting the dirt a bit harder than I’d intended—I tossed my head at the spot beside me, then laid it back against the wall as she joined me.

“She’s actually my half-sister. My father—a fae—had married Sera’s mother—a human—first, but she fell ill when Sera was still young, well before the war, and he married my mother—a fae. Sera didn’t inherit our father’s fae ears, which wasn’t really an issue?—”

“Until after the war,” Lieke chimed in quietly. I nodded.

“She lives in the woods outside of Holsham with her two children, relying on fae friends to bring her supplies during the most tumultuous times between our kinds.”

“What about her husband? Is he human?”

A faded memory of Gabriel and Sera—smiling over their newborn daughter—came to mind, making it hard to swallow as my throat constricted.

“He was fae,” I explained. “Fought with Connor and me during the war. Died in battle. Connor ensures she and the kids are looked after, though she has repeatedly refused his invitations to come live at the palace where she could be protected. She just couldn’t bear to leave the home she’d built with him.”

“Oh, Matthias,” Lieke whispered behind fingers splayed before her lips.

“It’s okay,” I said, shrugging. “It was a long time?—”

“Don’t,” she commanded. Dropping her hand into her lap, she stared out at the training ring. “Time doesn’t actually heal our wounds. It just covers them up with all of life’s other shit, keeping us distracted until something randomly reveals them and catches us off guard, reminding us they’re still gone and we’re still hurt.”

“You’re right. But some of us heal faster than others,” I explained, but I couldn’t tell if she really believed me. She was quiet for several breaths, and I let my eyes close while I tried to lock the unearthed memories back up in my mind.

“Is Gabriel why you refuse to love?” Lieke asked gently, but having the topic of my love life brought up twice in one day made it irk me more than it probably should have.

“No,” I said, perhaps a little too curtly. “And I’ll have you know, I don’t refuse to love. I simply don’t see the use for it.”

Lieke swung her head around, her eyes as wide as the practice shields hanging on the wall above our heads. “Don’t see the use…what in the stars…seriously?”

Offering her a tight smile, I nodded. “Believe it or not, some of us are perfectly content without…all that.” I waved my hand at her and then swung it back toward the palace––and my best friend.

“One of these days, Matthias...” she said, flashing me a sweet smile beneath raised brows—a look my sister used to don when she was confident she was right about something I disagreed with. “Someone’s going to come along and shake up this perfectly content life of yours, and I hope I’m there?—”

“To say you told me so?”

She shook her head. “To see you truly happy .”