Page 11 of A Ballad of Beasts and Brothers

Nyx stares at me for a few seconds, a seriousness washing over his face. "They won't."

I stand and make my way toward the front door, knowing it's time to go. "How can you be so sure? I'm the heir to the Midorian throne. I'm their enemy –"

"First of all," he grabs his keys and opens the door for me to walk through first, "despite what you may believe or what you've been told, we aren't taught to hate Midorians. No one will care who you are, with all due respect."

"Tronovians don't hate Midorians?" I ask once he locks the front door, and we hop into the awaiting carriage that's assigned to take me wherever I want to go in the city.

"I didn't say that." He shakes his head and reclines against the cushioned seat. "I said, we aren't taught to hate Midorians. There are some who despise your people, because they've lived through the Great War, when your father turned his back on our king. We've sent countless missives requesting an audience with your father, even inviting him to come here to discuss a truce, but none of our letters reaped a response and our peace talks have been unsuccessful."

I take a moment to glance out my window, taking in the beautiful sights I'd already seen yesterday. I start recognizing some of the shops and restaurants and make mental note of my immediate surroundings just in case I ever need to find my way home on my own.

But what Nyx just revealed about the Tronovian's attempts to contact my father sours my stomach. Surely my father hasn't denied them the opportunity to make peace or at bare minimum, allowed them the chance to speak to him?

"What's the second thing?" I ask, attempting to distract myself from the disheartening thought that my father might be an accessory to unrest between our nations.

"What?" His puzzled gaze meets mine.

"You said, first of all, implying there's a secondary reason the Tronovian fire wielders won't attempt to kill me."

"Oh!" He flashes an impish smile. "Secondly, they wouldn't dare try anything sinister with me by your side."

I chuckle and roll my eyes. "Because you'll kick their asses if they so much as breathe in my direction?"

"Because I won't stop you from kicking their asses if they so much as breathe in your direction."

I can't help but laugh at that. Me being able to kick someone's ass is ludicrous. The Tronovians won't touch me because of Nyx. We both know it. Even if I do possess Celestial magic, there might be a few students who might want to press their luck, but with the six-foot-four brother behind me, they won't stand a chance.

"So, do you know who my instructors will be?" I change the subject, stretching my legs out in front of me.

Nyx shakes his head and shrugs. "No idea. I was never interested in school to be honest. Mostly because my magic is different from everyone else's."

"You weren't interested in learning about the history of Dalerin or the politics of the six kingdoms?" As much as I hated Master Kaius, I enjoyed school. History was of particular interest to me, but I'm beginning to wonder how much of what I was taught was based on truth.

Nyx waves a hand up and down his chest with a scoff. "Kitarni, look at me. Do I look like the type of guy who is interested in history or politics?"

Fair point. "Ok, so if not history or politics, then what are you interested in?"

"Women mostly." He grins. "But the desire to be more powerful than my brothers gets me up in the morning."

He reaches into his chest pocket, pulls out a tiny silver case and opens it. There are a bunch of wooden toothpicks inside. Scooping one between his thumb and index finger, he seals the box and puts it back in its place before sliding the pick between his lips.

"Why do you chew on those?" I point at the tiny stick.

"I'm trying to quit smoking," he says, maneuvering the toothpick to the corner of his mouth with his tongue.

I glance up at his ear on the shorn part of his head and see a reefer tucked. Before I can say anything, he huffs, " I know, I know. I didn't say I quit smoking. I said, I'm trying to quit."

"I didn't say anything," I hold my hands up in surrender.

"I can see it in your eyes, Kitarni." He rolls his shoulders back and cracks his neck side-to-side. "If I manage to kick the habit, neither one of my brothers will stand a chance at hand-to-hand combat against me since I'll be able to breathe better."

"Competitive, I see."

"You have no idea. You'll get there one day, too. You'll realize the magic you possess is rare, coveted, and powerful, and you'll work your ass off to be the best you can be because you have to be. You're an anomaly. We're treated differently."

"How are anomalies treated differently?"

He leans forward, rooting his elbows on top of his knees. "Elementals are seen as ordinary, expendable. Anomalies are deemed as saviors, a step below Celestials. There is a lot of pressure to protect your countrymen and serve the crown. We go above and beyond and sacrifice more than a typical wielder would."

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