Page 27 of The Night Prince

“Oh?What?”

Baston let out a breath through his lips.“I think it is easy to believe what isbestis what iswantedand will solve all problems.But, sometimes, it will just cause more.”

“Meaning we should not reclaim the ruins?”Aquilan guessed.

But Baston shook his head, which surprised him.“They’re going to be reclaimed whether or not your magic hastens the progress.We can’t maintain them.We can’t live in them.To keep them is a waste of land and resources.And, as you so wisely pointed out, the Leviathan anchored many of their rifts in these locations so they are not safe either.”

“So what do you mean, General?”Rhalyf asked.

Baston smiled thinly.“It’s thebiggerissue that Emissary Vesslan has been missing.The anger and hurt over the ruins are but a symptom of what’s truly wrong. I believe some of the prejudice that humanity is seeing is another symptom of it. You see, you might have saved humanity from the Leviathan, but you haven’t yet made a place for us in this new world of yours.”

Aquilan frowned.“I do not understand.Are the stipends not sufficient for your people to live well?”

Then he remembered Elasha’s words about Baston wanting human soldiers to assist in fighting the Leviathan.But even if there were enough humans that he could in good conscience risk their lives, Leviathan could only be killed by magic, which humans could not wield or use in any way.

“Somehow I have a feeling that the General is going to tell you that the stipends are the problem, but not because they’re too much,” Rhalyf chuckled sadly.“The humans want to work for their money, right, General?”

“Humans want to be a part of society, Lord Neres. Anequalpart.That means being able to get a job and make sufficient funds to support themselves without a handout, which is not something many humans are able to do right now,” Baston explained.“My two boys are prime examples of humans having to fight and scrape in order to get even the most basic of positions.”

“You have two sons?”Aquilan asked.

Baston beamed, clearly proud of them.“They’re not mine by blood, but in every way that counts they are my children and I could not be prouder of them.”

“Ah, you adopted them after the war?”Aquilan guessed.

Such adoptions had been a common occurrence as many human parents had died.Many children had died too, but those who had survived had been placed with families like Baston’s.

“My wife and I did though they were already adults when the war broke out.But they saved our daughter’s life. Finley, Declan and Gemma were the only three survivors of the Battle of Lightwell, King Aquilan,” Baston explained.

Iefyr.

Aquilan’s heart skipped a beat.The Shadow was the General’s adopted son?!He would meet the young man again for certain.It would not be some chance encounter on the street, but something that would be planned.Baston was the leader of the humans.He and Aquilan would be thrust together many times.And the Shadow–was it Finley or Declan?--would be a part of that.He licked suddenly dry lips.

What will you say when we meet, Shadow?Aquilan thought, but then he answered his own question,He will say nothing.I am making more of that moment than he ever has.

“Ah, yes, I… I recall them.I saw them that day,” Aquilan finally got out.

“Yes, they saw you, too,” Baston chuckled, completely unaware of Aquilan’s surging heart rate, though Rhalyf gave him a strange glance.“Declan and Finley protected my dear Gemma against the Leviathan for twelve hours.”

He remembered that kitchen knife in the Shadow’s hand.How couldthathave protected them?Impossible!

“Forgive me, General, but the only thing that saved them that day was luck,” Rhalyf pointed out.“As I’m sure you’re well aware, none of your weapons can harm the Levithan.Not to take anything away from those young men’s actions–”

“Yet you would do that by assigning their survival toluck,” Baston’s voice was crisp.“But I know that they killed Leviathan.Declan did anyway.”

Declan?Declan is the Shadow, Aquilan thought, suddenly sure of it.

“How?”Rhalyf’s brow furrowed, clearly still perplexed.

“I don’t know,” Baston said after several long moments.

“But you said–”

“They haven’t told me and I haven’t asked.Iwon’task,” Baston cut in before Rhalyf could inquire further.“But Declan fought the Leviathan with Finley at his side and kept them all safe until King Aquilan arrived and his light vanquished the rest of them.”

Aquilan remembered Declan standing there, staring at him, with those eyes filled with awe and disdain.Despite what Rhalyf had said–despite what Aquilan, himself, knew about humans and magic–Aquilan was certain that Declanhadfought that night.Fought long and hard against an overwhelming enemy until they were all dead

Iefyr, the word echoed in his mind.

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