The courtyard had quieted. The last of the training echoes had long faded, leaving behind only the whisper of wind and the faint clink of cooling metal from the armory nearby. A few lanterns flickered along the stone arches, casting golden threads of light across the slate floor, breaking the darkness into fractured shapes.
Seth stood where he'd been told to wait. His posture was composed—shoulders back, hands clasped behind him—but his eyes followed every movement of flame and shadow. He was alert, not anxious. Like a man raised on edge.
Footsteps approached.
Killan and Elex stepped into view from the corridor beyond the keep's eastern doors, cloaks trailing faintly behind them, boots quiet against the stone. The sight of them together—one cold-eyed, the other sharp-jawed and steady—was enough to unnerve even seasoned soldiers. But Seth didn't flinch. He only straightened.
They stopped a few paces from him, giving the air enough room to breathe.
Killan's voice was calm, unyielding. "Master Seth, seems like we all had an eventful day."
"Your Grace," Seth nodded to Killan and then raised his eyes to meet Elex's. "Commander Elex."
This must be her brother. Seth thought to himself.
Elex stepped forward. "I received word of your arrival from our General. You are Lady Sora's son?"
"Yes," Seth nodded.
"Did she send you here?"
"One might say that," Seth's eyes clouded for the briefest moment. "But she is no more, Commander Elex."
Elex seemed taken aback by this, as he had favored Lady Sora years ago. "Prayers be with your mother. We did not know."
Seth nodded at him. "Thank you, but I don't think this is the reason you came to speak with me tonight. You have more questions for me. I can feel it."
There was a pause. Killan and Elex exchanged a glance—an unspoken understanding passing between them.
"We heard what happened from Lady Aya's guards," Elex started. "We want to hear your side of the story."
Seth nodded once, the gesture small but deliberate. "Of course. The blame rests with me, and with my men."
He took a step forward, hands open at his sides. "We were running through a sparring sequence. Controlled, or so I thought. Lady Aya stepped in when Thorne broke form. He was reckless—too much so for training."
"I didn't exactly see what happened," Seth continued, touching a sore spot on his chest. "But I got thrown off as I tried to pull her away from danger."
"Thrown off?" Elex raised an eyebrow.
"Off my feet and onto the ground, Commander," Seth shook his head.
"And this Thorne...?"
"Out cold, Your Grace," Seth gestured to the barracks. "I suppose he'll be awake in the morning to receive a full reprimand."
Killan remained silent, watching. He trusted his brother-in-law enough to ask the right questions at this moment.
There was a pause, heavy with expectation.
Elex shifted forward, his stance looser but no less commanding. "I'm quite sure you are aware of what she is because you are also a Northerner, so I'm just going to ask you directly. Her power reacted to you when it had remained bound and dormant for many years. Do you know what's happening to my sister?"
Seth's mouth parted slightly, hesitating as if searching for words buried deep beneath years of silence. "I might have an idea," he said at last. "I wasn't sure until earlier."
Killan's arms crossed, but he said nothing. He was listening. Watching.
Seth stepped forward one pace, his gaze flicking toward the flickering lanterns. "This isn't something my House speaks of. Not anymore. We were told to forget, as it had been decades. But once… long ago… House Medea didn't just hold the borderlands. We served the Summoners of House Svedana."
He paused.
"Not as soldiers. Not as vassals. As guardians. Blood Guardians."
That drew the first visible reaction from Elex—a narrowing of the eyes, a brief flicker of recognition in his expression. Something ancient stirred behind the Commander's calm.
Seth continued, his voice low, reverent. "My family line carried old magic like yours, Commander. A blood-mark, born to bind. We have the ability to serve the will of a summoner, should their calling require it. Not spirits of beasts. Not wind or flame. But living warriors. Flesh made spirit—Blood Guardians we were called. The most powerful bond a summoner could make, as it is with the living."
"I thought Blood Guardians were no more," Elex said. "There hasn't been one seen in years. Even our books did not mention the name of the House they belong in."
"The need for our line faded as the years passed," Seth said quietly. "Not for generations. Not after the first and second Summoners who called for us died. Your House was feared even without us. So our bond faded. The need vanished. Or so we believed."
Killan's brow furrowed. "And you think Aya's power… recognized this in you?"
"I don't know if it was recognition," Seth said. "But something in her reached out even if she didn't meant to."
There was silence again. No accusation followed. Only thought.
Elex turned, his gaze lingering on the stars beyond the courtyard wall before he spoke.
"It's not that the need passed, Master Seth. There are different kinds of Summoners according to our history," he said softly, as if recalling something passed down in whispers. "Some call spirits of the wild. Others call on the earth, wind, or storm—spirits of nature. Then there are the rare ones. The ones who carry the old blood."
He looked to Killan.
"Blood Summoners."
Killan listened, jaw tight with the weight of worry he hadn't yet voiced.
"They're rare in our family. Feared, most times. Revered by some," Elex continued. "With the right bond—the right tether—they can call something stronger. A spirit with a body—a living, breathing being—be it beast or man, or other beings. These Summoners can burn entire kingdoms to the ground."
He let that settle. Then quietly:
"And Aya is only the third in our family to wake as a Blood Summoner."
Killan exhaled slowly, the weight of the night deepening in his chest. "Does she know about this?"
Elex nodded once. "She does. And that's one of the reasons she asked to be bound."
"Bound?" They looked back at Seth's surprised expression. "You mean...?"
"Yes, Master Seth," Elex said. "My sister chose to bind her powers years ago. Whatever happened to you and your hireling earlier, that's only a sliver of what her powers are."
Seth exhaled slowly, tension rippling through his frame in a barely visible wave.
The weight of the night seemed to press heavier on Killan's shoulders. The conversation had gone on long enough—answers had been given, and questions only multiplied in their wake. But none of it mattered more than the woman lying pale and silent in their chamber. Killan nodded slightly toward Elex and Seth.
"That's enough for tonight, I think," he said, voice low but firm. "I need to go back to the Queen."
No one argued. Elex gave a short nod of understanding. Seth stepped back without another word.
And without waiting for more, Killan turned, his stride already quickening—carrying him through the quiet corridors, back to the only place he needed to be.