The Defiance of Vim (Catalyst Book 4) by C.J. Aaron (graded readers txt) 📕

left arm held gingerly across his stomach. His complexion waxed pale. The tone of his skin was more ghostly than human, yet his conscious appearance added a touch of warmth to Andr’s dour mood. A sword hung comfortably from his belt. Andr smiled at the survivor, following him with his eyes as he rounded Cray’s body.

“What is he to you?” Cavlin knelt with effort at the opposite side of the makeshift cot. His eyes traveled from Andr to the face of the sleeping boy. Cray wrinkled his brow in momentary distress. Andr dabbed the wet cloth in his hand across the ailing tribute’s forehead. He frowned at the guard as he met his gaze.

Cavlin grinned as he looked at Andr, a gleam of mischief alight in his eyes.

“Your scowl bears an uncanny similarity,” the guard added. “I’ve yet to thank you for saving me in the East Ward that night. I was careless.”

“Make nothing of it,” Andr accepted, pleased the conversation had strayed.

Against all odds, he’d aided in rescuing his son. Now that they had saved him and his surrogate tribute family, though their freedom was far from assured, the abhorrent fear was crippling. He felt crushed by the weight of revealing to his own flesh and blood the truth.

“It was Ryl who recognized you. Who recognized the danger,” Andr related. “That one has a penchant for disruption, as I’m sure you’ve come to know better than most.”

Calvin chuckled, though the effort clearly caused a great deal of pain. He gingerly dabbed at the bloodstained wrap around his torso, occasionally wincing at the touch.

“Don’t negate the effect you’ve had upon him. I doubt your hand was completely free from some of it,” Cavlin stated cryptically. “In certain circles, this kingdom is small. Far too familiar for a professional soldier, who is well versed in living by the sword, to not be well informed of those who’ve outlived their tragically short life expectancy. Think of the surprise when one resurfaces from the dead.”

Andr’s hand stopped his careful blotting on Cray’s head. The fever seemed to have passed, for the moment. The heat radiating from his body was palpable. The air around him had cooled noticeably.

“You worked long and hard to fight. Managed just enough disobedience to ensure your posting in The Stocks,” Calvin continued. “There are likely few alive who still recognize your face. Your papers were forged well, but they would have failed you in time.”

Andr balled his hands into fists. Though the time to worry over his discovery was long past, he still found himself fighting the reaction to defend himself. Physically if necessary.

“Easy, my friend.” Cavlin sighed. “You no longer need to fear discovery or the repercussions. You already have a kingdom after your head. There were but a few of us who understood, and all remained silent.”

Andr looked into the eyes of the guard kneeling on the opposite side of Cray. There was no malice in his gaze. Cavlin was somewhat of an anomaly among the guards who knew of him. He was subservient to the captain, yet acted with almost belligerent impunity. Whether it was through order or not, the guard went where he wanted and when. Andr realized he knew little of the man or his history.

“I see a great deal of him in you,” Cavlin admitted.

Andr felt his heartbeat race with the statement. It was a secret he’d trusted few with, protected for far too many cycles. He looked protectively down at the unconscious young man slumbering on the cot.

He noted a change in Cavlin’s expression. The grin nearly split his passive face in two. Though brief and retracted with a wince of pain, the look was telling.

Andr chided himself for the unintentional admission.

“Ryl does too, you know,” the guard added. “Whether you see it or not, you’ve done well by them.”

Andr sighed as he stared back at Cavlin. The injury, the wound he suppressed, stitched closed with apathy and self-restraint, threatened to tear apart.

“I see a lot of him in Ryl.” Andr spoke softly, his words laden with emotion. “I should have been there for him. Should have taken him, ran, and never looked back. He’s lived so long with the hatred of me and of his mother, the one who truly betrayed him. I needed to be close. If I needed to die for him, just to know he wasn’t alone in this world, I would.”

“The truth is a powerful thing, Andr. Your devotion to your son, to Ryl has been irrefutable. One could find faults in any decision if given the time,” Cavlin argued. “Deception, though it might have a righteous cause, is still deception, nonetheless. Either he’ll understand or he won’t.”

Cavlin gritted his teeth as he worked himself to his feet. His left arm remained draped protectively over his chest. His right rested leisurely on the pommel of his sword. His gaze made contact with Andr’s once more.

“He needs to know,” the guard added.

He grinned again, looking down at Cray before turning toward the door.

Andr watched as the man moved stealthily through the recovering tributes and guards. Even in his weakened state, Andr knew the Cavlin could still fend for himself. He would be judged and underestimated for his weakness. They would likely not live to regret the error.

Andr watched the retreating warrior for a moment more. He returned his vision to the patient before him.

His breath caught in his throat.

Cray’s eyes were wide, locked on to his face. Moisture welled in the corners of each. The salty track of a single tear streaked down his dusty cheek.

Chapter 31

The ringing of the horseshoes on the stone street echoed as it bounced off the buildings that loomed on both sides. Ryl had followed Breila to a wide street that ran in a lazy arc from the avenue leading to the gate down to the market and the docks far in the distance.

Ryl was unfamiliar with this area of the city. He hadn’t ventured this far while he