Chapter 230

Theodore’s POV

The next morning, everyone gathered at one of Violet’s cousin’s farms in town. It was the only place big enough to showcase what they’d been learning. Apparently, they were used to training on Uncle Caleb’s farm, but since everyone was already gathered here, we would make do.

Violet and I followed Uncle Caleb and Aunt Marissa to the group of Fairweathers and Braverns, our two families gathered to fight, to support us, to protect the people they loved. Uncle Caleb provided instructions for how they should divide themselves for sparring with swords.

I was admittedly a little horrified when they all drew real, steel swords. I wasn’t a stranger to swords, especially as the previous General to our country’s military.

The reason I was horrified was rather because those sharp weapons were pointed at my newly found family, at my mate’s family, all of whom I had come to care for.

I found Bennett in the crowd, and he winked at me as Uncle Caleb said, “Begin.”

Metal clashed as our families parried and slashed and deflected like a deathly dance. The sound of it reverberated in my bones, fraying my nerves like it had never done before.

Violet must have caught my discomfort because she reached out through our magical bond. They have all volunteered for this.

Is that supposed to make putting the people we care about in danger more palatable? I retorted, though I instantly regretted it as soon as I felt the way she balked, as I felt the pain she couldn’t conceal through our bond, even if she showed no sign of it outwardly.

This was heartbreaking for her, too. And this was just a demonstration.

My wife’s eyes narrowed as she assessed our families’ skills. Following her lead, I tapped into the General I had once been, remembering the improvements Rufio had shared with me over the years, and I examined their fighting with a critical eye.

“More bend in your knees, Kelsey!” I called across them. Violet’s cousin, the one who had lost his first wife to illness, bent his knees further as he processed my words, suddenly gaining an advantage over my cousin as he did. “Good!”

“Be aware of your surroundings, Trenton!” Violet yelled next, just as my uncle who was only eight years older than me almost ran into the sword of the pair fighting next to them. He spun out of the way rather gracefully at the last moment.

Violet began slowly walking around the group. “In a real battle, there will be fights happening all around you. You have to keep an eye on the one you’re engaged in as well as those surrounding you.”

I began walking in the other direction. We each did a slow circle around the group in opposite directions, commenting here and there, adjusting techniques and complimenting family members as we went. When we made it back to Uncle Caleb, he instructed everyone to stop.

“Again,” he instructed, “but this time, with magic.”

The parrying restarted, but it felt like chaos ensued as pairs splintered to other parts of the field, manifesting different weapons and shields as they went. Balls of fire flew through the air while the ground came up to lock opponents’ boots in place. My mouth dropped at the sight of it.

I hadn’t considered the magic of it all. Hadn’t considered the massive advantage it would yield, an advantage that suddenly made me feel better about sending our cousins and their children, some of whom were as young as eighteen, into a full-fledged war with only several weeks of training under their belts.

One of the younger cousins was hit with a blast of blunt wind and went flying across the field. She splintered out of the air only to appear safely on the ground.

“Enough,” Violet said, and Caleb called for them to stop. I looked at my mate, the same relief I was feeling mirrored in her eyes.

Out of curiosity, I looked behind us to Colby and Sinclair as well. They both looked wide-eyed, having probably never seen magic before – not like this. Sinclair in particular was having trouble masking the fear in his eyes.

“You alright?” I asked them both.

Colby blinked and gathered himself, nodding once. Sinclair’s gaze snapped to mine with something like rage in them. I wasn’t sure if it was for letting such young kids fight or from hiding this from them up until now.

He seemed to remember himself though, remember his role in all this as he glanced at Colby. Technically, Sinclair was the High Second, so if anyone was taking their cues from the other, it would be Colby following Sinclair’s lead. It didn’t matter to me though, as Sinclair straightened his shoulders to match Colby’s as he offered me a nod of his own.

As long as they were alright, as long as they protected Violet, I didn’t care who the leader was between the two of them.

Our families demonstrated their skills in archery next. Similarly to the sword fighting, they demonstrated a second time with magic. The results were astounding, with my cousin, Felicity, standing out as an expert marksman.

When Caleb called for a break, Bennett made his way over to us. He dropped his bow, the quiver still slung on his back as he wrapped me in a hug. “So, how was your super-secret dinner that I wasn’t invited to last night?”

“Delicious!” I told him. “We discussed the specifics of your insufferable nature all night.”

Bennett grinned at me as Violet joined us. “Sounds like a long night!”

He turned to my wife next, resting his arm across my shoulders. “So, cousin, do you think our ragtag team will do?”

She offered a sad smile, and I knew she wished we didn’t need their aid. “It’s more than I could have asked for.”

“It’s more than you would have asked for,” Aunt Marissa corrected as she and Uncle Caleb approached. “You could have asked for much more actually, but you never would have.”

My aunt and wife locked eyes, but Violet didn’t say anything. Because Aunt Marissa was right.

“What are your thoughts?” Uncle Caleb asked my High Queen.

Too many of them are too young, she answered into only my mind. And though their skills are remarkable for only weeks of training, it will not be enough in the midst of war.

But out loud, what she said was, “It will be different fighting enemies who wish to kill them than fighting friends and family who would always pull back at the last moment.”

“I know,” Uncle Caleb responded, and we knew he did.

Aunt Marissa took a solemn step forward. “They’ve all completed their wills,” she told us. “It was a requirement before they began training, to make sure they understood exactly what they were signing up for.”

Violet swallowed but otherwise kept her composure. I folded my hands behind my back to hide that they had begun shaking.

My High Queen looked my aunt and uncle squarely in the eye, one after the other. “Thank you. Their magic on the battlefield will likely turn the tide in our favor.”

“That would be thanks to Bennett,” Uncle Caleb nodded at my friend, whose arm was still draped across my shoulders. “If Costello is our finest swordsman and Felicity our best archer, then Bennett is the most skilled in offensive magic and blending it with manual fighting. He has been instrumental in teaching the others how to wield efficiently and creatively in a fight.”

I turned to catch Bennett’s gaze as he waggled his eyebrows at me, mouthing the word “instrumental”. I smiled even though I knew his arrogance was all a display to hide how uncomfortable he felt beneath the compliment.

Violet nodded, and I could tell, even if no one else could, that she was beginning to drown in guilt and despair. “I suppose we’ll all gather for lunch,” she said, trying to find an exit from this conversation, “before Theo and I leave tonight.”

“Tomorrow,” I corrected.

Violet stared at me, surprised that I wanted to stay another day. We had not discussed it, but as the idea grew within me, I was not willing to budge. Without a discussion either out loud or in our minds, she seemed to understand that.

“Tomorrow,” she repeated. And that was that.