Tori Transmigrated

Chapter 171: Don't Worry, Mommy

She nearly whipped her head back to look at her brother. Tori’s mouth opened just a bit as Kasen slid a single sheet of paper across the table.

He just straight up went and ordered him to do it. Kasey...you are amazing.

She mentally praised her brother as Montan’s face paled. His wide eyes looked across at Kasen with a mixture of panic and surprise.

“How did you know...?” He turned his head towards Tori.

“My sister was curious about the charms you made for His Highness Prince Gideon and sought counsel with me,” Kasen replied smoothly. He was well prepared for this. “She mentioned that you’d made such charms for others, and the day the ovens for the baking club broke during the Spring Festival, there was a faint trace of your energy signature coming from her. At first, she wasn’t using it, then the senior admonished her, and the charm was activated.”

Montan’s wide eyes couldn’t be taken from Kasen. His mouth dropped and he gaped. “You felt my charm?”

Kasen raised a brow. “Did you think that the only thing a master charm user can do is write complex charms?” He looked at Tori. “Tori, do crystal users feel crystal energy?”

Tori nodded. “If you are familiar enough with another user, you can also single out and trace the energy of that other user.” She looked at Montan and her eyes narrowed a bit. “That was how we found you and the others last summer.”

Kasen looked back at Montan with a serious expression. He extended his hand and quietly tapped the paper between them. “Make the charm exactly as you made it for the Baroness.”

Montan hesitated, but he reached out for some ink and a brush. Tori took a step closer and craned her neck to watch him write.

There was a general method that charms users followed when making a charm. It was almost a ritual to prepare the paper and write. Montan was quick with light, but meticulous brushwork. Tori could see a thin sheen of sweat across his forehead and considering that the operations tent had air conditioning, it wasn’t because he was hot.

Kasen watched him carefully. When Kasen wrote a charm, it was also written quickly, but it reminded Tori of a doctor writing a prescription.

After a few minutes, Montan lifted his brush of the paper and studied the charm, as if looking for any mistakes. Then he put the brush down and pushed the paper forward.

Kasen reached for it and turned it towards him. Tori watched Montan watch her brother and seemed to grip the table with is fingers in anticipation of what Kasen would say.

“Do you write reusable charms often? The ones with the condition to charge when not in use?” Kasen asked without looking up from the charm.

Montan shook his head. “No, this was the first time I wrote it.” Kasen’s blue eyes lifted and looked over the paper. Montan sat up straight and leaned forward. “It’s true! My mother said never to use conditionals to recharge and reuse the charm because then the customer won’t buy more!”

Tori squinted as Montan blurted it out. Kasen lowered the paper on to the table. “So, you’ve never used it on any other charms?”

Montan shook his head. “No.”

“Then why did you use it for this one?”

Montan lowered his eyes and flushed. “I wanted to help Alessa, and this made the most sense. Alessa isn’t from Horizon. What if she needs to use it if I’m not there? She doesn’t know anyone else who can make charms. And if she did, she cannot afford more.”

Kasen’s unsettling gaze never left him. “Charms that have conditions to recharge and be reused are extremely rare for the main reason that they are illegal.”

Montan’s head snapped up. The color seemed to drain from his face. Even Tori’s eyes widened a bit. She’d never considered it because it was drilled into her head that charms were one time use.

“Why are they illegal?” she asked, looking at her brother.

“Charms deteriorate over time, even if they were never used. A new charm that is exactly the same as an older one will work smoother than the older one. Just like anything that is reused, it can get worn and when a charm is worn, it eventually breaks down and malfunctions. Charms that are recharged for reuse can eventually either stop recharging, burn itself out, or become unable to stop uncontrolled charging.”

Kasen’s words made Tori’s blood cold. “Charms that recharge regain their energy from the person using it.” Kasen nodded. “Then...if it’s not controlled and the charm is constantly taking out energy from the user, is it possible to weaken the user?”

“It very much weakens the user. Their body is unable to create enough energy fast enough and so, it starts to cannibalize itself.”

Tori’s arms fell to her sides, and she stared at her brother. “It...starves?”

A scraping sound filled the tent room as Montan shot up from his seat and scraped the chair legs against the ground. His shaken body took a step back. “Alessa still wears-”

“Sit down,” Kasen told him in a firm voice. His eyes were a bit narrow and the playful look in them that Tori was familiar with was gone.

“I have to tell her to take it off-”

“She’s not going to die. It’s likely to be caught and stopped by a healthy adult. The process will take longer as the body is healthy. All they’d need to do is rip the charm and recover like one would from any other temporary illness,” Kasen told them. “But for small children, the sick, and elderly, depending on the charm, it could take as little as a few days. Well, the reason it became illegal in the first place was that people were using them to kill elders for inheritance under the guise of a health charm.”

Tori shut her eyes and drew her lips inward to bite them. Montan’s trembling hand grasped the back of the seat to steady himself before slowly returning.

“I...I didn’t know that.”

“There are many laws regarding charms and while the production and sales do not seem heavily regulated, it is because they have long been forced into a specific format that has been approved for sales and use,” Kasen told them. He leaned back against his seat. “Soleil is a several thousand-year-old empire. Things have been shaped for its benefit and survival, but as a consequence, things have been lost that may have been useful.”josei

Tori lowered her eyes. The combination of crystals and charms, which she was so fascinated with and often teased about, was a lost art according to Master Ramos. If less and less people practiced it, of course it would die out one day.

“Why haven’t you gone over these laws on charms with me?” Tori asked her brother.

Kasen smiled softly at her. “You don’t need to worry about them.”

Tori’s eyes crinkled up. She wasn’t sure if he meant it was because she wouldn’t break any laws with what she was doing or if meant that even if she did break the law, it would be fine. She honestly couldn’t tell and was worried it was the latter. Kasey, I know you love me, but I, too, need boundaries.

Kasen reached up and squeezed her chin affectionately. “I am going to have a talk with young Mr. Alvere here. It may take some time.”

“You’re not hungry?” she asked. She was hesitant to leave despite her brother’s obvious hint. The talk just started, and she was already engaged in the topic.

“We will be done by lunch,” Kasen told her. He glanced towards the exit. “Go and check on Fifi. Robi is very measured, but Fifi....” His smile seemed to warm up. “Fifi was like you when you were little.”

The brief image of Fiona wildly swinging a dagger to hit pinecones flashed in her mind. It was cute when it was Fiona, but when she thought of little Victoria doing that, it was embarrassing. Her cheeks reddened and she gave him a nod.

“I’ll come get you for lunch if you’re not out by then,” she said as she turned around and slipped out.

She took two steps when a sharp pain sliced through her head. She grabbed on to the nearest table and leaned forward, pressing her lips together to keep from crying out. She recognized the quick pain immediately and it faded quickly, leaving her with a memory.

A tween Kasen was trying to calm her down as she held a stick in her hand. She swung it around at a target dummy, but it wasn’t a cut that she was used to. She was beating the target dummy like a piñata and in the background, teenage Sebastian was laughing with tears in his eyes as he proclaimed she was so cute.

“Victoria, calm down! You’re putting too much energy into it-ow! Be careful!” In the memory, Kasen had tried to grab her stick to stop her.

Sebastian had eventually walked out from under the tree and swiped her stick from her hands, almost lifting her off her feet if she didn’t let go. “Victoria, it’s okay to take it slowly. Not everyone is good at sword immediately.”

“No, I can do it!” Victoria’s childish little voice had piped.

But in the end, little Victoria had hated that she was not good immediately like she heard her brothers had been, grew impatient, and quit. She had run to her room, cried for two days, and announced that she didn’t want to learn any weapons.

So as not to embarrass herself, she had said she wanted to do ‘noble lady things’, like dancing, for which she actually had a slight gift. She then made a point to disdain anything related to the martial arts.

“Huh...” Tori said to herself as she left the operations tent. She learned something new. The game made her believe that Victoria just wanted to be a lady who was worthy of standing with her prince, but she simply gave up and pretended she didn’t want to learn the sword because she was bad at it. Her reason for wanting to learn was to be like her brothers. Wait, did Victoria have a sort of brother idolization thing going, as well? Then again, they are pretty great.

“Tori.” Piers was waiting for her outside the tent.

“I thought you went to rest?”

“I slept on the way here.”

“...to ignore your brother?” Piers’ eyes shifted to the side. Tori shook her head. “I’m going to the beach. Change into your swim outfit and come with me.”

Piers nodded and followed her to where their tents were located. When she came out in a custom made cover up robe and holding some towels, Piers stepped forward to carry them for her. She was a bit hesitant. Half-dressed Piers was always a treat, and she wasn’t ashamed to think it.

Still, she handed over the towels and discussed what she’d just learned from Kasen with him. He also told her the same thing her brother did: she didn’t need to worry about the laws on charms.

When she got to the beach, she found that the children had congregated at the deck for snacks. They were wet and wrapped in towels with hoods that Tori had made for the children of guests. The canvas-colored poncho-like towels had the Lions Gate logo embroidered over the left chest.

After Tori joined them for a snack, she joined them in the water. As time passed, she began to notice that Axton hadn’t come out to join them. Gideon and Fabian had come out to swim to the cedar platform, but Axton remained missing.

Piers seemed to notice her constantly turning back to the beach and looking towards the path. “Are you looking for your brothers?” He was lying on a lounge chair under an umbrella. Sir Dobcheck was adjusting the crystals above him to cool him.

“Axton,” Tori said as she knelt beside Fiona, who was digging up sand and putting it into a bucket. “He’d usually follow you.”

“He wanted to wait for Montan,” Piers replied. Fiona dumped another small bucket of sand over her brother, who was making a sandcastle at one point, but then ended up becoming the sandcastle. “Fiona, the walls can’t be too sloped, or the enemies will be able to overtake them easily.”

“I’m still working on the bottom, Uncle Piers,” Fiona said with a hint of annoyance. “It’s not done.”

“When will it be done?” Her brother asked from under the pile of sand.

“How long does it take to make a castle?” Fiona looked at Tori.

“From a few years to a few hundred years.” Piers answered before Tori could. Robert made a face and Fiona looked at him with pity.

“Don’t worry, Robi. I will feed you.” Fiona then dumped another bucket of sand on her brother’s stomach.

“I’m hungry now....” Robert said with a frown. Tori glanced at the sky.

“It is almost lunch time,” Tori said. She put her hands on Fiona’s shoulders and brought her in a hug. “Come on. You should eat so you have energy to play more.”

“What about Robi?”

“Robi’s coming with us.”

“But my castle!”

“Do you want your castle, or do you want your brother?”

The child scrunched her face. Her head dropped and she spoke with some reluctance. “Brother.”

Tori heard Robert let out a relieved breath, as if he’d been worried that his sister wouldn’t say it. Tori helped dig him out as Nanny Rey wiped the sand from Fiona. Tori then picked Robi up and put him on the wheelchair she used when she was at the delta. He brushed off the sand as Tori called for everyone to eat at the restaurant.

She left the children with Ilyana and Nanny Rey before making a detour from the Promenade to go back to the encampment with Piers. Standing just outside the entrance to the side of the meeting room in the operations tent was Axton with his arms crossed.

Tori furrowed her brows and cocked her head a little to the side. “You’ve been waiting the whole time? Is everything all right?”

Axton looked towards them with a tired smile. “I can’t hear anything.”

“Then the silence crystals I’ve put up are working fantastically,” Tori said with a grin. She lifted her hand and patted his shoulder. She passed him and knocked on the wooden frame around the entrance. “I’m sure everything is fine.”

The flap swept open, and Kasen held it open for a puffy, red-eyed Montan who had clearly been crying. Tori pursed her lips and Axton’s eyes went wide as his arms dropped to his sides.

“What happened!?”

Dammit, Kasey. You had one job. Tori stepped to the side and looked at her brother.

“It’s fine,” Kasen said. “He had a lot to get off his chest.”

“Lord Kasen has provided guidance and will send some reference texts to me,” Montan said as he looked at Axton with some hope. “Lord Kasen is as you say he is, Your Grace. I’m glad to have spoken to him.”

Axton seemed to hold his breath a bit before looking from Montan to Kasen and nodding. “Then, if everything is settled, let’s go have lunch.”

“One moment,” Kasen said. He remained at the entrance of the meeting room. “I want to talk to you, too.”

Axton drew his head back, unable to hide his surprise. “Me, too?” Kasen gave him an affirmative nod and slipped back into the meeting room without another word. Axton looked towards Tori and Piers, then at Montan.

“Go out and get something to eat first. You didn’t have much for breakfast. I’ll come find you later,” Axton told him with some reassurance.

Piers walked towards the main entrance of the operations tent and lifted up the flap. “Dobchek, escort Montan to the Promenade. Let him see what food is offered there.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Do you have your snack card?” Tori asked as Montan passed her to exit. “It was with your welcome folio.”

Montan reached into the pocket of his worn brown vest and took out the leather folio he’d been given when he arrived. He opened it up and saw the metal card with an embossed Lions Gate logo and a thumbnail sized embedded purple crystal that was almost flush with the card. There was a number stamped into it.

“The snack card is connected to a number. Just touch the amethyst embedded in it on to the crystal payment crystal at any of the food shops and restaurants on the promenade. It has a set amount,” Axton said, proud, as if he were the one who created it.

Montan looked at the card and then turned towards Axton. “How much is the set amount?”

“It’s enough for you to buy one of the most expensive thing at each food shop and restaurant on the Promenade every day for a week,” Tori told him. She watched his eyes widen as he looked back down at the card.

He swallowed hard and bowed his head. “Thank you, Countess. Thank you, Your Grace.”

He quickly left the tent and Tori caught a glimpse of Sir Dobchek motioning for him to follow. Tori turned back towards the meeting room. The flap was partially left open, and Axton went inside. Tori was about to reach for the flap to give them privacy, but Kasen shook his head.

“You can listen,” he said.

Tori lowered her arm. “Are you sure?”

“You’ll find out anyway,” Kasen told her. Axton took a seat across from him, and Tori and Piers slipped inside and stood by the door.

“Is he all right?” Axton’s voice was tense and unsure.

Kasen first nodded. “Yes...and no. He made some mistakes with some charms, but it isn’t anything major, and since it’s done and over with, I’m not going to punish him.” Axton closed his eyes and let out a relieved breath. “Except that I forced him to negate the charm he gave to Hart.”

Tori’s brows shot up. “You mean forced him to negate it the next time he sees her?”

Kasen nodded. “He’s wearing a charm right now. When he is within a few paces of Hart, even just passing in in the hall, it will react to any charm he created and charged in that vicinity and neutralize it. He’d need to take it back to recharge it.”

“What if she has someone else charge it?” Axton asked with a frown.

Tori and Kasen shook their heads. “Only the creator and the initial user can do any sort of charging,” Tori replied.

“Montan’s charms work is advanced, but unrefined. He follows the style he has learned from....” Kasen trailed off and seemed to try to find the words as he glanced at Axton. “What he learned from that woman.”

Tori looked towards Axton and saw his face darken. “I see....”

“They are complex Old Sulfae, but easy to break down. The format is mid-level at best. Tori has written more complex things on crystals,” Kasen said. “He’s not as sensitive to energies as myself or Robi, but then again, my son and I are quite talented and have natural gifts. I am fairly sure the gods sent him to me-”

“That’s true, but you’re getting off topic.” Tori gave her brother a look and Kasen smirked a bit.

“As I was saying, Montan is a good charms creator and user because he learned early, but lacks a solid foundation and a firm grasp of the art form. Not to mention, he knows nothing about the rules and regulations surrounding crystals,” Kasen told them. He leaned back against his seat. “If I’m being honest, Axton, he could’ve been reported and arrested at any time selling charms.” Axton sucked in a sharp breath and Kasen held up his hand to calm him. “Don’t panic. I’ve told him that he should continue practicing, but not give away or sell any until I approve such a thing.”

Axton sat up straight. “Then, you want him to continue? Can he?”

Kasen nodded. “Anyone can if they’re able to ground sufficiently and are willing to learn and practice.” He looked at Tori. “I’m going to send a few books to you to give to him. Two basic theory books that you have and two on laws and regulations. The first is simplified to give him a basic understanding, the other is a compilation of actual laws and codes as written.”

“Should I take a look at those, too?” she asked.

Kasen shook his head. “There is no need.” She pursed her lips. Kasen then looked back at Axton. “As far as charms go, there is no problem at all. What I am concerned about is his emotional and mental state. Axton,” Kasen began with a serious look as he clasped his hands together and leaned forward. “Montan really needs you right now. After the Duchess passed, he has been alone in Sun Garden with his lunatic, abusive father, and his birth mother, who not only is obsessed with his father, but lost even more of what remaining reason and sanity she had after the Duchess broke her grounding.”

Axton’s eyes reddened and lowered them. “I know I’m too late.”

“You’re late, but you’re not too late,” Kasen said in a firm voice. “Axton, do you have any idea how much Montan admires you and wants your approval and affection? In nearly every sentence, he would mention you. Something you said, something he thinks you’d want him to do, and how much he doesn’t want to disappoint you. He’s terrified that you’ll hate him and abandon him. Especially now, after he’s had a taste of your attention and affection.”

Axton furrowed his brows and shook his head. “I’m not going to abandon him.”

“He isn’t confident of that,” Kasen said. “You need to talk to him more. Give him more reassurance. Listen to him and let him see that what he says matters. It’s not going to happen immediately. It is a long and tedious process. There may be a part of him that will never let go of the fear that you’ll despise him, but you must try.”

Axton clenched his hands on top of the table and nodded. “I know, Senior.”

Kasen’s expression softened. “Axton, you’ve always been a good man.”

Axton lifted his head, his damp eyes seemingly unable to contain his surprise. “That’s the first time I think you’ve complimented me.”

“And now it will be the last,” Kasen said in a dull voice. “Just keep working hard to have a relationship with your brother. Ask yourself: what would Kasen de Guevera do?”

Tori gave her brother a strange look. He had every right to be confident, but to this extent?

“I understand, Senior.”

“Good.” Kasen finally nodded with approval. He push his chair back and stood up. “Tori, you may need to be the one to be firm with Montan. He is too fragile and anything negative from Axton could break him.”

Tori nodded. “Okay.”

Kasen stood in front of Piers. “And you....”

“I will also show Axton how to be an older brother, Senior,” Piers said. Kasen sneered.

“No. Just give Axton time off every now and then for his brother.” Kasen took his sister’s hand and led her out of the meeting room. “I’ve seen you and the second prince. There is no need for a second version of that.”

Piers looked at Axton as Axton stood up. “Gideon is not Montan. Montan will be more measured.”

“Gideon used to watch you study in the library from outside a window,” Axton said with a pained expression. “I don’t want that, either.”

The four of them walked out of the operations tent and headed back to the Promenade. As they reached the restaurant, Tori noticed that Montan wasn’t amongst the many guests or their party in one corner. She was about to follow Kasen in, when she noticed Axton had lingered at the entrance and seemed to scan the crowd again.

Piers remained with him. “I told Dobchek to let him see what food was there. He is likely wandering the Promenade.” He looked at Axton for a second. “I will go with you to look for him.”

Axton looked at him with surprise, but Tori felt her heart warm up. No matter how much Piers dragged Axton, no one knew Axton better and would step in to help him immediately like Piers.

“Let’s go, then.” Axton didn’t reject him at all. There was no need; he knew Piers’ sincerity. The two turned around and headed across the plaza. Tori thought for a moment, then decided to follow. She trailed behind them a few steps and noticed they slowed to wait for her. As she found her space between them, Axton ruffled her head. “You don’t have to come. Go and eat with the others.”

“What are you talking about? I’m here for market research. I just want to see what newcomers to my village like to eat,” Tori said in as arrogant a voice as she could manage. Axton smiled softly.

“Thank you, Tori.”

They headed down one side of the Promenade, as a row in the center, past the plaza divided the walkway. One side faced the shops, the other faced the water. They walked closest to the shops first and would turn around at the end to walk back on the side facing the water.

There were plenty of guests there, as it was open to all for the Spring Festival. Once the festival was over, it was once more a closed settlement. Some guest had already extended their stays and got their reservations, as Tori found out when she arrived.

It was loud between the chattering people, the water against the embankment, and the sound of staff as they worked.

They neared the part of the Promenade that turned, and Tori caught a glimpse of a movement in one of the gaps between snack shops. She turned her head instinctively and caught a glimpse of blue.

“Wait.” She stopped and turned around, walking closer to the entrance of the alley. She heard the yelling almost at once.

She wasn’t paying attention to Piers.

Nor was she paying attention to Axton. Her mind barely had time to grasp the situation as she watched the grown man knock a small, paper plate of funnel cake from a young man’s hand, then raise his fist towards the young man as the young man lifted his arms to cover his head.

She felt a breeze sweep by her and heard a furious voice.

Axton filled her sights at once. “Don’t touch him, you bastard!”

Winter, 16 Years Earlier - Sun Garden, Alvere Duchy

“He’s so tiny....”

“That’s because he’s a baby.” The thin woman standing by the floor to ceiling window cradled the infant with the faint strands of dark hair on his head as she slowly walked back and forth.

A little boy trailed behind her, looking up eagerly to try to get a better look at the bundle. “Why is he peeling?”

His mother let out a low and warm chuckle. “He’s growing.”

“Oh...I thought he was hurt.” He barely saw the fleeting look of pain that crossed the lovely woman’s face. “Can I hold him?”

“Didn’t you just hold him?”

“I want to hold him again.”

“All right. Sit down.” The boy scrambled to the large, overstuffed plush green chair and moved the pillows around him the way his mother taught him. He tried not to jump with excitement as his mother bent down to put the baby in his chubby arms. “Careful...watch his head.”

His face flushed as he looked down at the baby with curled little fists. This was a good baby. He didn’t cry, like Piers’ brother. That baby was whiny. No wonder Piers didn’t want to hold him, even after he told him that babies were soft and warm.

“Hi, little baby....” he said in a soft voice. “It’s me again.”

“Do you like your brother?” his mother asked. He looked up and beamed.

“I like him.”

Despite his mother’s smile, there was some sadness in her face. “That’s good....” Her blue-gray eyes flickered to the closed double doors of her chambers. There were several big knights outside the door and thanks to them, it had been quiet recently.

He remembered when a woman arrived to deliver his brother and his father seemed to go mad. His mother sent him to his room and in the silence, he could only sit and play with his toys. Sometime that night, his mother came holding a little bundle and with tears in her eyes, and told him that he had a brother.

At first, he didn’t think it was a good thing, as his mother looked so sad. He remembered when they went to see Piers’ brother, she was incredibly happy. Babies were supposed to be a good thing. His mother had straightened up and the pain and sadness in her face was replaced with a hopeful smile.

In a dry, cracked voice, his mother had told him that he had a new brother and that they would be taking care of him.

The baby didn’t have a name, so as he and his mother had sat on the bed with the baby in her arms, they brainstormed names.

He had picked ‘Montan’ because the baby came from the mountains.

Now, he held Montan in his arms and tried to rock him the way he saw his mother doing. “I wonder if you will look like me when you get big. Mommy, will he look like me?”

Duchess Alvere’s face was paler than normal, and she seemed to force a smile. “Perhaps he will....”

There was a loud crash outside the doors and his mother tensed as she looked over. Muffled yelling could be heard, and the Duchess swept across the room to her desk, her hunter green robe almost flying behind her like a cape draped over her slim frame. She opened a gilded box and took out a piece of paper before slapping it against the wall. The muffled noises went silent.

He looked at her, a bit curious and worried. “Is Daddy angry?” His father had been raging for days and he’d never seen him like this. It was the first time he’d been scared to approach him.

The Duchess swallowed hard. “Your father...isn’t feeling well,” she said carefully. “Something happened and....” She paused and seemed to have trouble finding the right words. Her eyes reddened. “He’s sick.”

His eyes widened and he subconsciously tightened his grip around his new baby brother. “He’s sick? Is he going to get better?”

“I don’t know,” she said, helpless. “For the time being, you and Montan should stay away from him. Especially your brother.”

His small brows knit together. “Why? Is he going to get us sick?”

“He can’t control himself right now and he could accidentally hurt you and Montan,” his mother said as she knelt down beside him and stroked his curly hair. “He doesn’t mean to hurt you or Montan, but he can’t control himself.”

His eyes crinkled up. “What’s making him sick? Can you fix it?”

His mother’s lips trembled. “I....” A thud sounded against the door and his mother frowned as she looked past the chair and towards the door once more. A determined look filled her face. “Darling, you are still young, but you have to remember my words in case something happens.”

“In case what happens?”

“If I am...unable to act...as the Duchess,” his mother said with a forced smile. She looked down at the little boy in his arms. “Montan is your younger brother. You are a big brother now and that’s an important role, like being a duke.” He nodded his head, though didn’t fully comprehend. “You must grow up strong and study hard.”

He nodded his head. “I know, Mommy! I will be Duke Alvere one day. I have responsibles for our land. Protect Alvere!”

She nodded her head as her eyes watered. Her smile was pained, but her steady voice was still melodic and almost sounded as if she were blessing him. “Yes, you have responsibilities. To our land and our people...and your brother. He is small and innocent. Your father is sick, and you can’t depend on him.”

Axton smiled wide. “Don’t worry, Mommy. I will also protect Montan.”