shelter from the pouring rain, and collapsed under it. A healer came by and cleaned up my eye. He said I was lucky to still have use of it, but there would be a scar underneath.
After the healer had left, I thought first of how excited I’d been when we had set off this morning, all the way to the realization that I’d been set up. I was a fool to have believed that conniving little sewer rat. I thought of the men who’d gone with me, who despite their lack of respect for me, had still stuck with me, because they’d been ordered to. One minute, they were alive, and the next, they were dead.
Norvin may have set it all in motion, but in some strange way, the deaths of those men were on my head.
And in that vein, I remembered what Garridan had told me about death — that it was all I’ve ever known in life.
I couldn’t help it. I started crying.
CHAPTER 8
Not long after we were roused from our sleep the following morning, Derrick found me.
‘Are you alright?’ he asked, concerned.
After a night of sleep broken by bad dreams and more tears, I was in a mood. ‘No.’
‘He’ll get what’s coming to him, Aidan,’ Derrick said reassuringly.
‘That’s not it,’ I responded, turning to look at him. ‘I —’ My inner turmoil was making things much more difficult. ‘I should have seen it coming, Derrick. Why did I trust him?’ My arms were outstretched. ‘Why did I believe that he was willing to give me a chance that, quite frankly —’ I struggled to admit this ‘— I wasn’t ready for?’
Derrick took a moment before he answered. ‘You’re not the first to be duped, Aidan. Norvin is devious, selfish, and he’ll do whatever it takes to get what he wants. How do you think he got to where he is? It certainly wasn’t because he’s a hard worker.’
‘But the problem is, I knew that,’ I responded, shaking my head at my own stupidity. ‘I knew all of that. And yet… I believed him. Now, ten good men are dead.’
Now that I had finally revealed what was truly bothering me more than anything else, Derrick’s face sank into sorrow. He took three bold steps forward, standing right in front of me.
‘That’s not your fault, Aidan, there was nothing you could have done. That’s his fault. It’s on his shoulders, not yours.’
My head sank, and I stared at the ground — through it, to the other side of the world. At least, that’s what it felt like.
‘It sure doesn’t feel that way.’
There was a short silence. ‘Norvin’s going to march on the Boulton army today,’ Derrick said finally. ‘Are you going to fight?’
There was little question in my mind — regardless of what I had been through, we were still fighting for our country. ‘Yes, of course.’
Derrick nodded, his face relaxing into relief. ‘You’re a good man, Aidan.’
I sighed. ‘Again, doesn’t feel that way.’
‘You’re a better man than me,’ Derrick said brightly. ‘I would have thrown Norvin against a tree by now.’
I glanced at him, and then I chuckled in spite of myself.
‘He’ll be dealt with when we get back to Delmar, Aidan,’ Derrick continued. ‘Right now, we have to do what we came here to do.’
I responded with a nod. ‘That’s how I feel. Norvin can try all he wants to keep me out of this fight, but it’s not going to happen.’
‘You know, there’s a lot of rumors going around about your eye,’ Derrick mentioned casually.
‘Oh?’ I replied, barely interested.
‘Yeah… some of the men are saying that since you are the only survivor of yesterday, that you must be indestructible. Others are saying you cried so hard over the loss of your men that your eye started to bleed.’
I looked at him in disbelief. ‘None of that makes any sense.’
Derrick smiled. ‘But that’s how legends get started — nonsense.’
I chuckled. Only Derrick could have come up with something like that.
‘So how did it happen?’ Derrick asked. I told him the whole story.
‘Hmm,’
After the healer had left, I thought first of how excited I’d been when we had set off this morning, all the way to the realization that I’d been set up. I was a fool to have believed that conniving little sewer rat. I thought of the men who’d gone with me, who despite their lack of respect for me, had still stuck with me, because they’d been ordered to. One minute, they were alive, and the next, they were dead.
Norvin may have set it all in motion, but in some strange way, the deaths of those men were on my head.
And in that vein, I remembered what Garridan had told me about death — that it was all I’ve ever known in life.
I couldn’t help it. I started crying.
CHAPTER 8
Not long after we were roused from our sleep the following morning, Derrick found me.
‘Are you alright?’ he asked, concerned.
After a night of sleep broken by bad dreams and more tears, I was in a mood. ‘No.’
‘He’ll get what’s coming to him, Aidan,’ Derrick said reassuringly.
‘That’s not it,’ I responded, turning to look at him. ‘I —’ My inner turmoil was making things much more difficult. ‘I should have seen it coming, Derrick. Why did I trust him?’ My arms were outstretched. ‘Why did I believe that he was willing to give me a chance that, quite frankly —’ I struggled to admit this ‘— I wasn’t ready for?’
Derrick took a moment before he answered. ‘You’re not the first to be duped, Aidan. Norvin is devious, selfish, and he’ll do whatever it takes to get what he wants. How do you think he got to where he is? It certainly wasn’t because he’s a hard worker.’
‘But the problem is, I knew that,’ I responded, shaking my head at my own stupidity. ‘I knew all of that. And yet… I believed him. Now, ten good men are dead.’
Now that I had finally revealed what was truly bothering me more than anything else, Derrick’s face sank into sorrow. He took three bold steps forward, standing right in front of me.
‘That’s not your fault, Aidan, there was nothing you could have done. That’s his fault. It’s on his shoulders, not yours.’
My head sank, and I stared at the ground — through it, to the other side of the world. At least, that’s what it felt like.
‘It sure doesn’t feel that way.’
There was a short silence. ‘Norvin’s going to march on the Boulton army today,’ Derrick said finally. ‘Are you going to fight?’
There was little question in my mind — regardless of what I had been through, we were still fighting for our country. ‘Yes, of course.’
Derrick nodded, his face relaxing into relief. ‘You’re a good man, Aidan.’
I sighed. ‘Again, doesn’t feel that way.’
‘You’re a better man than me,’ Derrick said brightly. ‘I would have thrown Norvin against a tree by now.’
I glanced at him, and then I chuckled in spite of myself.
‘He’ll be dealt with when we get back to Delmar, Aidan,’ Derrick continued. ‘Right now, we have to do what we came here to do.’
I responded with a nod. ‘That’s how I feel. Norvin can try all he wants to keep me out of this fight, but it’s not going to happen.’
‘You know, there’s a lot of rumors going around about your eye,’ Derrick mentioned casually.
‘Oh?’ I replied, barely interested.
‘Yeah… some of the men are saying that since you are the only survivor of yesterday, that you must be indestructible. Others are saying you cried so hard over the loss of your men that your eye started to bleed.’
I looked at him in disbelief. ‘None of that makes any sense.’
Derrick smiled. ‘But that’s how legends get started — nonsense.’
I chuckled. Only Derrick could have come up with something like that.
‘So how did it happen?’ Derrick asked. I told him the whole story.
‘Hmm,’
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