Page 67 of Daman
I was surprised he’d told me as much as he had. Little by little, he was opening up to me.
We exited the forest and stepped into the clearing where the army gathered. Various arenas were placed throughout, some for archery practice, others for sword fighting and hand-to-hand combat. Under Nikolai’s new orders as king, the army recently began training with firearms too. Times had changed, and we needed to change with them—even if I despised the usage of guns.
How cowardly it was to kill an enemy from a distance.
“Morning, Commander,” Lev said. His pale cheeks darkened as he looked at Daman. He was still ashamed of holding a sword to my husband’s throat before the wedding. “Sir Daman.”
“Just Daman. I’m not a sir.”
“Apologies.” Lev tipped his head to him before addressing me, “What are your orders for today, Commander?”
Lev was the closest thing I had to a best friend. He’d been by my side ever since we were boys. While in front of the army, he obeyed my every command and showed the utmost respect to me as their leader. But when it was just me and him? He talked shit, shoved me around, and used me as a wingman to pick up women.
We didn’t hang out much outside of training these days. My father’s death months ago, plus crowning Nikolai as the new king and strengthening the army took up a majority of our time.
“Gather the captains so I can speak to them.”
“Yes, sir.” Lev bowed his head and excused himself.
“How different is it to fight demons?” I asked Daman. “Can they be killed by ordinary weapons?”
“Most can, yes. Shades and other low to mid-level demons can be killed with basically anything. Upper-level demons like Phoenix aren’t as easy. A celestial blade can kill everything. Demons, us, angels. Well, except for Lucifer.”
“Celestial blades couldn’t kill him?”
How did they defeat him then?
“Nope. Wound him? Yeah. But he was too strong. Anyway. Silver can take a demon down.”
My lips twitched. “Silver? That myth is true? I thought it only worked for werewolves.”
Daman snorted, and it was probably the most adorable sound I’d ever heard. “Silver has antimicrobial properties that make it a pure metal. Demons are also flesh and bone. If they bleed, they can be killed. You just have to know how to do it. Adding gems to a silver weapon can make it more powerful too for the strongest demons. Jasper, hematite, diamond, garnet. All increase the potency of the silver.”
“Like Castor’s dagger?” I asked, recalling the blade he kept close to his side. Numerous gems adorned the hilt. “It’s gold, not silver.”
“It was forged with metal from a melted-down celestial blade,” Daman said. “His father had it made for Cas as a gift.”
I blinked in surprise. “His father forged Castor a weapon that could later be used to kill him?”
“Yep. I think maybe he hoped Cas would join him once he got older and use it against the angelic army. But I don’t know. Caim, his father, seems like a decent guy based on Castor’s memories of him. Maybe he knew all along that Cas would grow up to protect the world, not see to its destruction.”
The captains arrived, one for each unit in the army. Their hair held little variety. Silver, blue, blond, and white. The exception was when dragons mated outside of our clan. Armen’s strawberry blond hair was proof of that.
“Demons have been sighted outside the barrier,” I told them. “They know we’ve chosen a side in the upcoming war, and future attacks are expected. Our kingdom defenses are too strong for them to breach, but the people in the neighboring villages and towns will need our protection when things escalate. We need to discuss strategy going forward. Daman has experience fighting them and will instruct each of you, so you can better prepare your units.”
“Yes, Commander,” they said in unison.
A slow smile spread across Daman’s face. When he stepped forward to address them, it took all my willpower not to yank him back beside me. Being so possessive over someone was another new shift in my behavior.
Was it like this for everyone when they became smitten over a lover?
Daman told the captains everything he’d shared with me: what type of weapons they needed, how to kill demons, and he broke down the different species of demons and the best method to use when fighting them.
“Upper-level demons have the ability to vanish and reappear at will,” he said in an authoritative tone. Damn if it didn’t make my cock twitch. “If you’re not careful, these bastards can appear behind you and slit your throat before you even know they’re there.”
I was mesmerized when he unsheathed his sword and showed examples of striking patterns and combination moves. The falx sword reminded me of a reaper’s scythe, though shorter and not as sharply curved at the end.
“I’ll visit Sasha’s shop and place an order for more silver weapons,” Lev said once Daman finished his demonstration. Sasha was the blacksmith, and a damn good one at that. He was also a magic wielder, so the turnaround time for large orders was insanely fast. The blades were stronger because of the magic too. “Natasha can provide us with any needed gems.” She was the jeweler.
