Illius spaced out, looking around at the lunchroom. These last two days had been a lot to process.

“Already looking for a way out?” Eric plunked his plate down beside Illius and sat down.

“No.” Illius took a bite.

Eric gave him a sideways look. “You don’t seem to be enjoying it here.”

Illius sighed and looked over at Eric’s food. “Trade you my meat for your beans.”

“Why?”

Illius instantly regretted it. “I… uh… don’t eat meat.”

“Oh.” Eric gave him a surprised look and scraped his beans onto Illius’ plate. “Sure.”

Illius handed him his ribs, then hesitated. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking—I touched them.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Eric said in his easygoing way. “I don’t mind. Lovers touch each other’s food all the time.”

“What?” Illius’ hand froze mid-way to his mouth.

“Lovers touch each other’s food all the time. They don’t think it’s weird—so, you know, don’t worry about it?” His eyes held Illius’ gaze, searching for something.

Illius’ face felt hot, his mind running through the possible scenarios where the guy across from him could get away with brazenly hitting on another man in the middle of a training facility for religious nutcases who could execute him for much less. Was he overthinking things? He must be overthinking things—clearly this man had a reputation, considering his interactions with the guards earlier, and it didn’t garner near the attention it probably should have. This was a joke, right?

“Good Allfather’s nuts.” A man with ebony skin who easily towered a head above Illius sat down with them. “You’re gonna give the kid a complex. And while you might be able to lie faster than a dog can clean this plate, I don’t think shy-boy over here can.”

Eric stared dully at the newcomer. “You take the fun out of everything.”

“And you’re an idiot.” The other man turned to Illius and nodded politely. “Name’s Sam.”

“Illius.” He barely registered the greeting, focused so intently on everything that just happened.

“Take my advice,” Sam continued, “and don’t believe a word this guy says to you. You’ll live longer that way.”

“Eat my ass.” Eric bit the meat from the rib bone.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Sam shot him a look.

Eric flipped him off.

They finished their meal, and then Illius trailed behind Eric and Sam to a giant training room. One section had flooring covered in padded mats where pairs of people practiced martial arts, while the other section was a dirt arena with an obstacle course.

“Pick your poison.” Eric gestured.

“Obstacle course,” Illius said, staring at the people on the mats beating the snot out of each other.

“We got a rookie!” a voice bellowed from behind him—he turned to see a guard twice Sam’s size striding straight for him.

He shrank back and found Eric bouncing past him to face the man. “Derk! What a pleasure.”

The guard didn’t look near as pleased. “Piss off, Vagamon.”

“Now, why would I do that?” Eric put his hand on the man’s shoulder. “You wanted to spar?”

“With him.” The guard pointed at Illius.

“Oh, that’s a shame.” Eric gave a predatory smile. “He just hurt his wrist. Guess I’ll have to do.”

“I said fuck off, Vagamon.”

Illius looked around and noticed everyone else watching them.

“I said he was hurt,” Eric insisted.

Illius wondered if he should do something, but he was terrified. He couldn’t get in a fight. He felt like a coward, but he couldn’t risk it. One hit to his head, one tackle to the floor—if his hat fell off… that would be it.

“Get out of my way!” the guard bellowed.

“Make me.” Eric smirked, cocking his head to the side.

The guard swung. Eric ducked, landed a punch in the man’s gut, and popped back up, kicking his opponent’s left foot from underneath him. The man fell, and Eric kicked at his shoulder, rolling him onto his stomach. He grabbed the guard’s arm and yanked it backwards with an audible crack. More guards swarmed forward and pulled Eric off the man. In an instant, Eric’s form started to glow blue, and the guards let him go, while two materialized spears.

“Eric!” A guard, dressed in a dark green commander’s uniform trimmed with red, ran forward. “Deep breaths, like we practiced. Calm down.”

Eric’s fist clenched. “I’ll calm down once I’ve kicked his ass.”

“He’s down. You won.” The commander held his hands out peacefully. He turned to look at the guard on the floor, still holding his arm and whining. He motioned to the soldiers. “Get him out of here.”

The guards lifted Eric’s opponent up and helped him out of the room.

“Everyone out.” The commander motioned, and most people ran for the door. Illius hesitated, and Eric’s form stopped glowing. Eric gasped and fell to one knee.

“Take it easy.” The leader put his hand on Eric’s shoulder. “You should go back to your bunk.”

Eric’s eyes went to Illius behind him.

“Illius, was it?” the guard leader asked.

“Yes, sir,” Illius spouted.

“Go with him and get him anything he needs.”

“Yes, sir.” Illius sprang forward and helped Eric up.

“Thanks, Captain.” Eric draped his arm around Illius’ shoulders, leaning on him heavily.

Was Eric seriously injured or was this on purpose? Whatever the case, he silently thanked his newfound guardian. He helped Eric out of the training room and back to their bunk.

“You can take my bunk for now, so you don’t have to climb up,” Illius offered.

“Do you always invite men to your bed so casually?” Eric asked.

“I—” He was at a loss with this man.

Eric’s shoulders rocked with mirth, and Illius suddenly felt dumb he hadn’t recognized the teasing. “Allfather, you’re easy. I’m kidding. I’m guessing you don’t have any siblings?”

Illius shook his head.

“Sounds lonely.” Eric remarked. “Tell me if I get to be too much, hmm? My aunt yells at me all the time for being an ass.”

Illius nodded.

Eric snuggled into the bunk. “And now… nap time.”

Did this guy ever do anything but nap? “Should I… um… go?” Illius asked, shuffling in place.

“Oh, I would not go out there without me.” Eric glanced toward the door. “Unless you’ve got some serious magical power I don’t know about.”

Illius tugged his hat down farther. “Was that magic? What you did earlier?”

“Yeah. What’d you think?”

Illius shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Hmm.” Eric frowned. “What’s it take to impress you?”

His cheeks burned again. “Um… I did want to say thank you.”

“No problem… Illius.” He smiled as he said the name. Then, he rolled over.

Illius climbed up to the top bunk and laid there. It smelled like Eric, and he felt a bit awkward sleeping in his bed, but he couldn’t climb down again, or Eric might say something. So, he lay there, staring at the ceiling. He’d made it through the first day. How long could he do this, though? Eric seemed nice, but he’d also snapped a guard’s arm like a dry twig. And he could wield magic. Magic… No. It wasn’t for Illius.

“Illius,” Eric said from below. “I’m booooored. Tell me about yourself.”

Illius, grateful for a reason to abandon the bunk, climbed down and sat on the mattress opposite Eric. “Not a lot to tell. I just came from Ravenmist—was born there and just, uh, wanted a change of pace.” Actually, he’d wanted his mother to be safe in case something happened—something exactly like this.

“That’s it?” Eric asked. “And no siblings or friends?”

“No,” Illius said. “You?”

“An older brother.”

Illius hesitated a moment, but his curiosity got the better of him. “I’m surprised they just let you go.”

“Yeah, well, I’m kinda a big deal around here.” The smirk even came out in his voice. “I can somewhat naturally control magic, so of course they’re interested. It doesn’t hurt that I’m supposed to have some kind of rare energy manipulation abilities.”

“What’s that?” Illius asked.

“I don’t really know.” The other man laughed. “Means I don’t run out of magic very quickly or something.”

“Hmmm.”

“Still not impressed?”

Illius ignored the comment. “Could you always control your magic?”

“’Course not,” Eric snorted. “I couldn’t do anything until a few months ago when… a friend helped me. What about you? Can you control your magic?”

“No,” Illius said, hoping that shut the question down.

“Shame,” Eric said. A beat of silence passed. “Were you in Ravenmist during the war?”

“Yeah.” 

“What was that like?” Eric asked.

His mind drifted back to the day he had run through the Novidian army’s camp just outside the city. His mother had begged him to stay away from the camp. To stay inside. Stay safe. But he had to go—they’d brought their dragons. A gust of wind had swept his hat off his head. He still remembered the terror as it fell at a soldier’s feet just in time for the sharp breeze to blow his hair back and expose his horns. The soldier had stared at him, picked the hat up, and handed it back to him without a word. He’d been so scared that he snatched it back and ran, running smack into one of the back legs of the very creatures he’d come to see. He’d startled the dragon so much it had jumped out of the way, surprising its rider as well. Illius hadn’t stopped running until he got home and hid underneath his bed.

“I got to see a dragon.”

“The dragon corps was there?” Eric sat up in his bunk.

“I don’t know if it was the dragon corps,” Illius said. “But I remember running through their camp to see the dragons. They were huge and… terrifying.” Secretly, he’d returned many times, hoping that they would take him along when they left.

“I’m jealous,” Eric said. “You think you saw the Witch of Dotric or the Demon Lord?”

“Definitely not.” Illius shook his head. “I would have remembered that.”

“What do you think happened to them?” Eric mused quietly. “They were so close to the capital, and then they just… took a treaty?”

“I don’t know.” Illius shrugged. “They searched our house almost daily for months after that. My mom eventually started setting an extra plate for dinner.”

“It didn’t seem real,” Eric said. “Just, one day they said the war was over, and everyone went out in the streets celebrating.”

“I couldn’t believe it. It was just like that, you know? And after they all packed up, I looked for the dragons. But they were gone.”

“At least they got out of here alive,” Eric whispered.

“Yeah, it’d be a shame to kill a dragon.”

“Indeed.” Eric let out a big yawn. “Well then, I’m glad I met you… And now, I’m going to see if I can take a nap for real.”

Just a hint of a flush spread across Illius’ face as he yawned himself. It only took a few more minutes until Eric started to snore.