Atikus didn’t understand half of what the fairy had just said. Who was the Jasper Emperor? What was this Seventh Heaven and why had they made a mistake? However, he understood the main point — the fairy was going to help him. He asked her what she wanted in return. Fairies always wanted something in return. They were like the Gods they served in that regard.
“One of the women who follow the brother Kings should stay behind. She has to delay the demons. Then I can get you and them to safety. Don’t ask me why it has to be one of them. That is how magic works, and how this entire world functions. ”
Atikus said they wouldn’t believe him.
“I’ll make it so that they do believe you. But you must know, poor General, that if you make this decision, you’ll be even more miserable. If you don’t, then you will all die, but the world will be a little better in the end. What will you choose, poor General? Short-term happiness or a better world?”
What would any practitioner choose? What use did he have for peace if all his life he’d strived to gain only one thing — power? The fairy disappeared. Atikus made his choice and everyone believed him.
“Leonora, don’t you dare!” Primus shouted, but it was too late.
He saw only the warm, sweet smile of his beloved, and then he was struck in the temple by Haver’s sword hilt.
“Thank you, Haver,” Leonora nodded. “He would’ve stayed with me.”
Leonora went over to her friend Elizabeth. They embraced. No one but Atikus and Primus knew that Leonora had given birth to a child just a month ago. But they were all aware that Elizabeth had gotten pregnant a couple of days ago. Leonora had chosen to save the life of her unborn nephew or niece.
“Goodbye,” she said, and turned toward the oncoming horde of demons.
Atikus fainted a second later.
When he woke up, he saw a half-naked Primus in front of him. Black tattoos covered the King’s brother’s mighty back, and bloody bandages had been wrapped around his numerous wounds. In his arms, he held the lifeless body of his beloved. Slowly, he carried her to a funeral pyre. The sparks that reached for the starry sky that night reminded Atikus of fairies. And that’s how one brother had unwillingly betrayed the other. That was the beginning of the end.
Atikus’ guilt stemmed from the fact that Primus had saved his life and then his honor hadn’t allowed him to give up the burden of repaying his debt to save them all.
***
Atikus and Hadjar were sitting at the table. Both of them looked lost in introspection. Atikus drank some wine from a jug and continued his story.
Chapter 239
Atikus was at a war council. All the members of the council, including the King, were huddled around the map and discussing their plan to strengthen the southern border. Recently, the neighboring countries, having learned how badly the nomads had battered Lidus, were doing their best to take advantage of the situation. Haver insisted on building a new defensive line, while the Generals were in favor of a new offensive. Atikus had to admit that he agreed with their reasoning.
The construction of forts and fortresses would only confirm their neighbors’ suspicions that Lidus had taken heavy losses. Such actions would end up being counterproductive. Even if they used all their forces and reserves and somehow finished constructing the defenses by the time the snow melted, it wouldn’t stop their potential enemies to the south. As soon as their southern borders ‘weakened’, Balium would immediately begin its attack. Lidus would simply be torn apart. However, Haver didn’t want to admit this. After the events of the past month, the once brave King seemed to have lost his nerve. He saw only danger at every turn, and feared for the life of his wife and the child she carried with an almost obsessive intensity.
Atikus couldn’t remember the last time the King had spent a whole month in his palace before or had received foreign ambassadors with such cordiality. Haver had concluded more peace treaties, trade deals, and non-aggression pacts in the past few weeks than during his entire previous time as ruler. The common folk liked it, as it meant they finally had a respite from the endless wars. Nevertheless, Atikus knew it was only temporary. In the world of practitioners, in the midst of that endless struggle for resources, one could either grow stronger or die. Lidus hadn’t gotten any stronger through these deals, maybe more secure, but definitely not stronger.
Haver was preoccupied with worrying about Elizabeth while Atikus had his own concerns. Over the past month, he’d tried with all his might to tell his friends about what had happened on the riverbank. Alas, once he opened his mouth, something would click in his head. The world would plunge into a sort of fog, and after five minutes, Atikus would realize that he’d been talking about everything under the sun, but had never mentioned the fairy or the demons. It seemed like an odd sort of curse wasn’t letting him talk about what had happened.
Worst of all, this was all happening while relations between Primus and Haver continued to break down. While the brothers’ quarrels had affected only them in the past, right then... The court had basically been divided into three parts. It was a cold war of sorts, but undeniably happening. The sides were: those who supported Haver and his new, peaceful policies, those who were ready to do everything in their power to help Primus, and those who had remained neutral.
Atikus had a hard
