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was no burden, despite the exhaustion
creeping over him, to thank them for their
courage, their swords.
But it did take time. The sun had fully set,
the muddy camp cast in deep shadows amid
the fires, by the time he neared Kyllian’s tent.
Elgan, one of the Bane captains, clapped
him on the shoulder as he passed, the man’s
grizzled face set in a grim smile. “Not a bad
first day, whelp,” Elgan grumbled. He’d
called Aedion that since those initial days in
the Bane’s ranks, had been one of the first
men here to treat him not as a prince who had
lost his kingdom, but as a warrior fighting to
defend it. Much of his battlefield training, he
owed to Elgan. Along with his life,
considering the countless times the man’s
wisdom and quick sword had saved him.
Aedion grinned at the aging captain. “You
fought well, for a grandfather.” The man’s