Victor of Tucson-12.11 Discipline and Dreams

Victor of Tucson-12.11 Discipline and Dreams

11 – Discipline and Dreams
Victor sipped his tea, found it a little bitter, and drizzled some honey into the cup. While he did so, he was very aware of the three girls across the table from him and their nervous fidgeting. He’d been all smiles when they’d reunited in the garden. He’d hugged them, told them how amazed he was by their achievements, but then he’d purposefully closed himself off and become serious. As he led them into the house and then to the kitchen, asking the cook on duty to make them some lunch, he’d stopped smiling altogether.
The girls hadn’t touched their tea, and Victor took the opportunity to increase the tension a little by slowly continuing to sip his while he gave them all measuring looks. They were quite a disparate trio. Deyni was the tallest, and her facial features were sharper and leaner than the others. As he looked at her, he realized she was wearing makeup on her purple-hued face—sparkles dusted her sharp cheekbones, and her lips were stained a faintly red tone. When had that started? It wasn’t like she needed makeup to stand out—not with her bright teal eyes and braids.
Cora had grown, too, though she was still shorter than Deyni. A person wouldn’t know that from a distance, not with her wild, curly brown hair making up the difference. She’d clearly tried to pull it back into a tie, but the hair looked like it had a mind of its own. Her eyes, dark brown and stormy under her thick brows, watched him. Her stress was evident in the clenching and unclenching of her jaw.
And then there was Dalla. She’d grown into the slightest Shadeni that Victor had ever seen—small and thin, with fine, glossy black hair, and bright magenta eyes that stood out like gemstones in her dark red skin. She wasn’t smiling at the moment, but when she did, Victor knew he’d see a gap between her front teeth and dimples that would make him want to squeeze her into a hug. Of course, if he tried that these days, she’d protest, but mostly because she’d be putting on a show for her sister-like companions.
“You’re not drinking your tea,” he noted, setting his cup on the smooth wooden tabletop.
Cora was the only one who reached for her cup and hesitantly began to doctor it with honey and milk. Deyni just frowned at Victor, and Dalla said, “I’ll let it cool a bit.”
“Well,” Victor said, sighing as he leaned back in his chair. He let the word hang in the air for a moment while he looked past the girls into the kitchen. He could see Mr. Rundle—a new addition to his household staff—working on their lunch, mixing dough in a large copper bowl.
“Well,
what
, Victor!” Deyni finally asked, drawing his attention back toward her and the others.
“
Well
, I know you three are aware that I’ve been hearing certain s—”
“We’re only trying to improve!” Dalla said, looking sideways at Cora and Deyni for support.
“It’s not like you didn’t tell us we could use that dungeon as much as we needed!” Deyni added.
Victor focused on Cora, arching an eyebrow. “And you?”
She licked her lips, then glanced left and right at Deyni and Dalla, almost apologetically, as she replied, “Well, sir, I recognize that we were dismissive of our instructors’ demands on our time, and, also, we certainly could have shown more consideration for the schedule at Caldera Keep.” As she spoke, Deyni sighed explosively, and Dalla looked down, her shoulders slumping.
“Thank you for your honesty, Cora, but I think it goes further than that, doesn’t it, Deyni?” Victor sipped his tea a bit more noisily than was required, mainly because he knew the slurping sound would irritate her, and he enjoyed watching her fight to control her acerbic response.
“What? Yes, we were rude to Mistress ap’Levan, but she tried to tell us that we’d be better off memorizing alchemical definitions than fighting in dungeons. None of us wants to be an alchemist!”
Victor had to suppress a chuckle. He hadn’t been fishing for
that
. “I’m talking about your mother. I’m talking about Efanie. You three haven’t been respectful.” A squawking shriek from beyond the window drew all of their attention, and Victor snorted softly with amusement when he saw Pakrit splashing in the fountain, rinsing a freshly caught fish that was nearly as large as he. “Where’d he get
that
?”
“A river nearby. He brings his catches here to show off,” Deyni said, unable to keep the pride out of her words.
“Um, about our disrespect, Victor,” Dalla said, her voice small. “I’m very sorry, and I know Deyni and Cora feel that way, too.” She looked at Deyni, and Victor could see the message in her eyes:
Just agree so we’ll get out of trouble!
Victor always struggled to play the “heavy” with the girls, and he was already nearly at the end of his endurance for it, but he tried to maintain his dour demeanor a little longer. “Listen, I know I haven’t been the best influence—”
Deyni seized the lifeline. “That’s
right
, Victor! We’re only trying to be like you!”
His words died on his tongue, and he narrowed his eyes, looking from Deyni to Cora to Dalla. “That’s not going to work on me. You
aren’t
me, and while you haven’t done anything terrible—trust me, I argued for you three to have the freedom that you enjoy so much—I have to consider not just your behavior, but your future. I must weigh my leniency against legitimate fears about how it will impact your opportunities.”
To his surprise, it was Cora who took up their cause. “What opportunities? We already have the best teachers and access to the best dungeon! We have Efanie and Rellia, and Miss Olivia. We have
you
, Victor.”
Victor sighed, shaking his head. “You three are very talented, but you’re very
spoiled
. You haven’t left this world…”—he paused, focusing on Dalla—“Well, you know what I mean. Anyway, you don’t know enough about what you
don’t
have. How can you claim to have the best of everything?
“You all have different strengths and different talents, and if you mean to be great at what you’re
good
at, then you’re going to need specialized teachers, experiences, and training. I can tell you right now that my former master, Ranish Dar, wouldn’t give
any
of you a second glance. You’re going to want to travel on your own someday, and if you want to be a part of some of the great, older societies, like those on Sojourn or Ruhn—”
“We
tried
to get you to take us to Iron Mountain last summer!” Deyni interjected.
“Right. You weren’t ready then, and you’re not ready now.” Victor folded his arms, starting to feel a little twinge of irritation. “The point is, you girls—”
“Young
women
,” Deyni growled.
Victor inhaled deeply through his nose and glanced out the window, contemplating the dappled sunlight on the garden walkway. After he’d ensured none of his Energies were bleeding into his pathways, he said, “My apologies. You’re right; you’re not little girls anymore. The point I was trying to make is that you’re skipping half your classes, you’re disappearing for days at a time—”
“But that’s not—” Cora started to object, but Victor glared at her and let a hint of irritation into the expression. She snapped her mouth shut.
“Efanie, Thayla, and I all agree that you’ve outgrown your circumstances here.”
“What does that even
mean
?” Deyni asked, looking at Victor with real worry in her eyes.
“It means that I’m taking matters into my own hands.” He made eye contact with each of them before continuing. “You’ll all be traveling with me to the city of Coloss, where I’ll introduce Deyni and Dalla to the King of the Degh, Ardek the Black. You’ll serve at his command, helping to train their newly awakened Spirit Casters. They’ll need your—”
“But
Victor!
” Deyni cried. “What do you mean? You’re going to
leave
us there?”
Victor ignored the question. “They’ll need your help to integrate the fragments of their Ancestor Stone with the whole, and when it’s complete, you’ll need to commune with the spirits within it, guiding them out of their slumber.”
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Dalla meekly raised a hand, and Victor nodded. “Questions?”
“Just Deyni and I?”
He nodded. “Cora doesn’t have a Spirit Core, and she lacks your training in such matters. Speaking of which, you’ve had far more training than I ever did—it’s cost me a fortune—so it’s time we put your talents to a productive use.”
“But…” Cora hesitated, glancing to Victor for permission. When he nodded, she asked, “Will I be alone here, then?”
“No, you’ll be traveling with me. Learning to manage the affairs of my many properties, about war, and about the many other challenges that you three have been sheltered from.”
“That’s not
fair
!” Deyni cried.
Cora nodded. “Why do they get to be together?”
Deyni locked eyes with her, surprised by her perspective, but it was Dalla who spoke next. “We’ll be unsupervised on Coloss?”
“Coloss is the city. The world is Zaafor. I know you’ve heard the story of my time there, right?”
“The
Warlord
!” Deyni cried as she connected the strange names to the pertinent memories.
Victor nodded. “That’s right. Anyway, yes, Dalla, you two will be alone but you’ll have each other. I’m treating you as adults in this matter, so I hope you’ll be able to play the part.” He could see from the corner of his eye that the cook was finished with their lunch and had been awaiting an opportunity to approach, so he waved him over. “Let’s eat now. I won’t answer any questions until we’re done, and I want you to really
think
about what you want to ask, because I’m only going to answer two from each of you.”
“Only
two
?” Cora whined.
Victor ignored her, watching the cook approach with his tray. It looked like he’d baked some sort of pot pie, and it smelled amazing. Meanwhile, Deyni took Cora’s fingers in hers and whispered, “I’m sorry you won’t be with us, but I’m desperately jealous that you get to travel with Victor.”
Dalla leaned close, resting her chin on Cora’s other shoulder. “Me too, curly-sister,” she whispered.
Victor chuckled, already feeling pride swelling in his chest. He’d wondered if they’d fight about who would go where.
“We should coordinate our questions,” Deyni said, glancing at the food being placed on the table, but quickly looking back to her “sisters.”
“I want to know what the Ancestor Stone is,” Dalla whispered. “I remember it from the story, I think, but—” Her eyes widened, and she glanced at Victor, then back to Deyni and Cora. “Wasn’t it something to do with a spirit that Victor was carrying around?”
Deyni shook her head. “Don’t waste questions on things he
has
to tell us, silly.”
Victor smiled at the cook and asked, “What do we have here, Mr. Rundle?”
“A hearty meat pie, milord, featuring holbyis shoulder roast, beets, carrots, and my own master’s famous reduced bone broth as the magic that brings it all together.”
“Well, it smells amazing.”
“Thank you, milord.” Rundle gave a short bow and returned to the kitchen.
Victor sniffed the food again, then looked at the girls. “You see? That’s the sort of thing you all need to work on.”
They were huddled together, whispering their schemes, but at his words, they all looked up, and Deyni asked, “What?”
“You took Mr. Rundle for granted—didn’t even tell him how good the food looked.”
“I
told
you! I already ate!” Deyni scowled, but Cora put a hand on her arm, shaking her head.
“We should have said something.”
“Don’t be a lickspittle—” Deyni started to say, but caught herself, looking at Victor with horrified, wide eyes. “I didn’t mean—”
Dalla spoke over her. “She didn’t mean it in a mean-spirited way, Victor. We tease each other, that’s all…” Her words trailed off as she looked down, clearly fearing Victor’s reaction.
Victor sighed, taking the serving spoon and scooping out a hearty portion of the meat pie into his bowl. The aroma of rich gravy and herbs made his mouth water. “Teasing is fine, but you need to be aware of your company, and your tongue should never be quicker than your wits. Zaafor has a dueling culture, and if you offend the wrong person, you might find yourself fighting for your life long before I can come to rescue you. If you were killed, what do you think I’d do?”
“Kill whoever killed her!” Cora replied.
“Probably, but then I’d feel guilty, and it wouldn’t bring her back, would it? Thayla and Tellen would be beside themselves. What about Chala and Chandri? Think of all the lives ruined or at least
impacted
by your thoughtless words.”
Deyni looked down and then out the window at the garden. She stared at her drake, lying in the fountain beside the trophy-like carcass of his fish meal. Victor had hoped she’d apologize, but she didn’t speak, opting to stare out the window instead. She was a good person; he knew that much, but she
was
spoiled. Coloss would be good for her. He decided to lighten the mood with a story. “Speaking of duels, do you remember what happened to Valla when she and I went to Coloss?”
That got Deyni’s attention, and she looked away from the garden to listen while Dalla asked, “Miss Valla?” The girl had only met her a couple of times over the last few years, but Valla had a way of leaving an impression.
Victor nodded. “Before she advanced her bloodline, she used to have very blue skin—like some of your Ardeni teachers.”
“Oh!” Cora said, clapping her hands together. “I remember this one!”
“Don’t spoil it for Dalla, then,” Victor admonished. “While we were walking around the city… I think it was the first day we’d arrived, we ran into one of the Warlord’s
War Captains
. He had four of them, and they were each named for a color: blue, green, red, and black.”
Deyni turned back to the window. Victor wondered if, like Cora, he’d jogged her memory and she was bored with the story already. Had he told the whole thing, though? He decided to add some of the juicier details he might have left out in the past. “Well, the War Captain we ran into was Blue, and he was instantly enamored with Valla. He
had
to have her.”
Deyni turned back, eyes widening. “Weren’t you together?”
Victor grinned. He had her. “Nope, not yet. Still, Blue didn’t know that, did he? He was a cocky
pendejo
, that’s for sure…”
“Weren’t you
jealous
?” Cora asked, eyes wide.
Victor thought about it, considered acting like he hadn’t been bothered, then thought better of it. The point of the story was to share a story that would make them feel like he was taking them seriously—like he believed they really
were
young ladies. “Yeah, you know what? I probably was pretty damn jealous back then. You all know Valla; she’s a beautiful woman and brave and smart and—hah, yeah, I’m sure I had a crush on her, even then.”
Before long, Victor had the girls gasping and laughing. When he told the part about Tes restraining him, and how he was on the very
verge
of leaping into battle in the middle of Blue’s banquet, Deyni interrupted him again, eyes wide, “You never told us that part! She held you back?”
Victor nodded. “She knew I’d be killed.”
“But you were going to do it, anyway?” Cora asked, and Victor saw she was twisting the little links of the magical bracelet Tes had given her.
He smiled, nodding. “If you think Deyni’s hot-headed, you should have met me a few years ago.” He tapped his fingers against his breastbone. “I
understand
what it’s like to be bored or angry or frustrated. I also understand what it takes to get those kinds of feelings under control—and why it’s important.”
“I wish I could meet her,” Dalla sighed. “Won’t she ever come to visit again, like she did back then?” She stared pointedly out the window at Deyni’s drake, and Victor felt a little sorry for her; he imagined the other girls had told the story of Tes’s visit a hundred times.
“She’ll surely visit again, and you’ll meet her. I speak to her now and then in my dreams, and…” He hesitated, unsure if he wanted to open that can of worms, but decided to forge ahead. “I think I’ll try to visit her world when I finish things up on Dark Ember. I think I’ll be strong enough to stand among the people there.”
Once again, he had their attention. Dalla’s voice was nearly a whisper as she asked, “What must that world be like if you’re worried about visiting?”
“It’s an ancient world, one where the System has been around for thousands of years.”
Deyni shook her head, confusion written plainly in her eyes. “I thought the dragons didn’t like the System.”
“Tes doesn’t live on her homeworld; she lives on a world-hub like Sojourn, only a hundred times bigger, with connections to other
ancient
worlds. She works for an order called the Celestial Envoys.”
Cora leaned so close she was practically lying on the table as she whispered, “What do
they
do?”
“Um, all kinds of things.” Victor tilted his head, contemplating. “Tes was investigating Zaafor, kind of exploring and filling out a guidebook on the place, when she met Valla and me. I mean, there was more to it than that; she was looking into the Warlord, and
he
was looking into
her
!” He chuckled softly, enjoying the wide-eyed attention of the trio. He paused to take a bite of his stew-like meat pie, and as he swallowed, he said, “I don’t think I ever told you about that, did I? Even you, Deyni.”
“No…” She shook her head, glancing at Cora and Dalla, who both enthusiastically joined in the head shaking.
“This is a good story.” Victor cleared his throat. He reached into his spirit space and pulled out a decanter of iced fruit juice—he had a table that was cluttered with all sorts of foods and beverages in there—and poured some into his empty teacup. “Anyone else thirsty?”
All three girls pushed their cups toward him, and Victor sighed, pouring their tea into the little kettle Mr. Rundle had left for them. When their cups were empty, he filled them with the chilled juice. It was purple and had a faint, apple-like flavor, but with a tangy, almost sour aftertaste. He had no idea what sort of fruit had produced it.
“Anyway, this is a good story for you all to hear, because it illustrates the importance of having the strength to back up your actions and words. Remember, Tes is a
dragon,
and she’s at
least
as strong as the veil walkers on Sojourn. Even so, the Warlord had a plan to steal some of her powers and, in the process,
kill
her. He almost succeeded, too, but, luckily, Tes was smarter and stronger than he thought, and there were people involved in his plan who didn’t exactly love the Warlord, either.”
“What about her order? Wouldn’t they have gone after the Warlord?” Cora asked when Victor paused to take a drink.
Victor settled back in his seat, smiling at his perceived victory. It might be fleeting, but for the moment, they were eager to hear more—eager to dream of walking in the footsteps of the powerful, mysterious Valla and Tes. He knew it might not last, but he’d take whatever victories he could claim. “I’ll get to that, Cora,” he said with a nod and a wink. “So anyway, it all goes back to the Warlord. You see, after centuries of trying to pierce the veil, he’d found himself steelbound. I don’t think he even
knew
about the veil back then, but he still craved power, so he’d resorted to stealing people’s bloodlines and affinities using ritual magic…”

12.11 Discipline and Dreams