All was silent save for the rustling of leaves; the soft spring breeze made the trees around him shiver. Todd rose to his feet, shaking the orange dust off his gauntlet and looking around once more. His sword was lost, left behind in Erinlor. He rested his hands instead on the handles of the daggers belted on his hips.

“Which of the seventeen ways is this?” he called, carefully surveying the quiet forest. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest, but he took controlled, deep breaths, trying to calm it.

If he was going to find Matthew, he would have to keep a cool head and get the better of this creature somehow. He did not have Monty to aid him this time.

Or Bartholomew.

He was on his own.

“All of them start this way, actually,” said a voice behind him.

Todd turned around, but the creature was not there. His hands tightened around the handles of his daggers.

There was a whisper of a breeze to his left. He turned quickly, finding the Velniasol standing only feet away, cloak fluttering, eyeing him carefully. There was blood on the creature’s chin, a brilliantly bright red against the stark white of his skin. They stood in silence for a moment, sizing each other up, before the creature spoke again, “Whichever of the seventeen ways this goes depends on what you do, kid.”

Several years ago now, Todd had faced down a Velniasol for the first time and thought he had looked into the face of pure evil. But right now, locked in a silent standoff with another, he realized that their eyes were not the pitch black holes he had thought them to be. Across the short distance between them, Todd could see flecks of light in the black of his eyes, like a starry night. A midnight sky.

This being was not evil. Not the kind younger Todd had thought Velniasols to be. Younger Todd had differentiated the world and its inhabitants into two categories: good and evil.

But oh, the world was not kind enough to be that simple.

Slowly, Todd let go of the handles of his daggers, lifting his hands slightly to show he had not armed himself. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, “What is your name?”

The creature stared at Todd for a moment; he did not appear to have eyebrows, but his forehead wrinkled in what Todd took to be surprise. “Eighteen,” he said after a moment. “Eighteen ways. My name is Jaxtyn. Just the one name. It’s not confusing for people that way.” He folded his arms. “Why do you ask?”

“Your sister. Her name was Gina.”

Jaxtyn paused, staring at Todd with an unreadable look. “You remember her.”

“I remember them all,” Todd whispered. “Although… I did not learn the other’s name.”

Jaxtyn unfolded his arms and started toward Todd. “Nicholas. He was my mentor. He was like a father to me.” He stopped right in front of Todd, who had not stepped back at his approach. Jaxtyn was tall—it seemed to be an attribute of Velniasols—and he stared down at Todd with an unmasked hatred in his eyes. “You butchered my entire family.”

Todd kept his hands off his weapons. “Gina I did not kill. Nicholas gave me no choice. I gave him the opportunity to walk away and he did not.”

Jaxtyn’s mouth tipped into a humourless smile. “Don’t pretend you’re not responsible. You’re responsible for every single one of their deaths; don’t deny it. Are you going to tell me now to back off and maybe you’ll spare my life? As if you’re capable of staying your hand?”

“This does not have to be a fight. I only want Matthew returned.”

“And I want my family back.”

Before Todd could react, sudden pain exploded through him, and he found himself on the other side of the clearing, sliding down the side of the tree Jaxtyn had slammed him into. His armour had taken the brunt of the blow, but the air was still knocked clean out of Todd’s chest. He gasped, steadying himself with his hands as he sat down on the forest floor. His vision was a bit blurry, and he blinked his eyes rapidly to clear it. The Velniasol was crouching before him, a skeletal hand still pressed against Todd’s breastplate.

“Turns out,” Jaxtyn whispered, “we can’t always get what we want.”

He threw Todd this time, armour and all, sending Todd tumbling across the clearing. Todd rolled to his feet, drawing his daggers in unison as Jaxtyn approached. Jaxtyn did not appear to be armed, but Todd knew full well his enemy did not need a weapon to best him. Ignoring the way his body ached from Jaxtyn’s attack, Todd slowly backed away, holding his daggers defensively.

“We do not need to cause more bloodshed, Jaxtyn,” Todd said.

“Intriguing words coming from the mouth of a usurping king.”

“Do you think I wanted this?” He did not mean to yell it, but his words exploded in an unexpected outburst. He had thought he had maintained a necessary calm, but that had slipped away in an instant, replaced by that familiar, helpless fury. It burned in his chest. His daggers embered immediately, the intensity of his emotions flooding through him like fire.

Jaxtyn hesitated briefly at Todd’s yell, at the way his daggers suddenly bled red-hot. Todd took a step forward. He let the anger take over. “Do you think I wanted to be king? Do you think I wanted this role and all that has come with it? All of the blood on my hands for a destiny I never got a choice in? I did not want a war!”

“Then why didn’t you listen?” Jaxtyn shot back. “Aniea wanted so desperately to work peaceably with you, and you refused.”

“She was no peacemaker. She wanted the war just as much as my Father did.” Todd tightened his grip on his daggers, narrowing his eyes at the Velniasol. “There was never an option for peace. I was never given a choice. Before you condemn me for the blood on my hands, recognize the fact that I did not want it.” Lifting his daggers higher, he whispered, “Go ahead and kill me if the blood of a pawn is enough to sate your thirst for revenge—you would not be the only one. Vengeance is a bloody cycle that never ends. Kill me and someone will seek vengeance. It never ends.”

Jaxtyn gazed at him, a faraway look in his eyes. After Todd’s words had echoed into silence, the Velniasol spoke, and his voice was soft. “At least you have someone left to avenge you. I am all that’s left. Thanks to you.” He gave Todd a quirk of a smile, and it was sad. “I didn’t want to fight a war either, kid. Our good intentions mean nothing. What matters is what we did. We choose what we do. We do. You can pretend you had no choice, but you’re living a lie, kid.” Jaxtyn chuckled and stepped back. “I am not here to kill you. Death for you might just be a mercy.” He gathered his hood and pulled it back over his head as the sound of pounding hooves reached Todd’s ears. Jaxtyn turned away. “And you, god son, I do not pity.”