Chapter Six

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Tabitha

Two down; four to go.

We are just about at the next location.

The most recent kill, Mullo of the Nightworth Clan, was a simple one.

We got to him when he was napping. Kozzanth and Theodas held him to the bed, while I held the knife to his throat, trying to get information. Like with Jarlen, he gave us nothing, and there was nothing in his home.

So, I killed him.

I expect this next one to be a bit more difficult.

Niles, also of the Nightworth Clan, is more paranoid than the other two, and always had guards with him, even around the Castle of Demtra. His ranking in the Nightworth Clan is higher than that of Mullo and Jarlen. He was always worried there was someone out to kill him, and I can only assume that's because he is a horrible man who does horrible things, and therefore isn't safe anywhere he goes. Well, this time, there is actually someone out to kill him, and those guards won't be enough to save him.

My Dravens will take out the guards before we go into the house. They will have to scout the area to ensure they've tracked each guard and there are no surprises.

I appreciate how well the three of them work together, and I'll have to remember to send a thank you note to Luparia for helping me choose such a wonderful group. Or, perhaps, when I am sitting on the throne, I will invite her to dinner. That will certainly be a surprise. I doubt she expected her well-bred Dravens to do something so important, like helping the queen take back the throne that is rightfully hers. It'll be a great way for her to increase business.

The four of us stop a good distance from Niles' home, and I sit on the ground by a tree while the three men talk out their plan. Raisi and I will stay here while the other two get familiar with the area. They will report back to us before taking out any of the guards, so we are aware of what is going on. Communication is key.

Raisi sits beside me, resting his back against the tree, his large thigh brushing mine. I pick at small weeds sprouting from the dirt and pick up tiny pebbles to toss.

"You will have a great following once you sit upon that throne," he says.

I turn to him with a smile. "I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing it for my people."

"And that is why what I said is true. You will be a good leader."

"I hope so."

"I can tell. You have all the best qualities of a leader. You are brave, selfless, and compassionate."

"Thank you, Raisi. I appreciate that. My mother always said I was very brave for a girl. I don't understand why that would matter. There are many men who aren't brave."

"This is very true."

"What's it like being a Draven? How did you grow up?" I turn toward him, and he looks up at the treetops while he thinks.

"I do not remember my awakening, but it happens around the age of four. We get schooling and combat training right away, though it starts simple. We are treated well, and I am proud to be a Draven."

"You don't care that you were made and not born like other beings in the realms?" I question. It's nice to get to know them on this level. I've read so much about them in general, but I still firmly believe not everything you read in a book is truth—even books labeled non-fiction.

"It matters not to me. Does it matter to you?"

"Of course not. If it had, you wouldn't be here."

He nods, picking up a fallen twig from the ground, and pulls the needles off, one by one, dropping them back to the dirt.

"What if you were born this way?" he then asks.

"I'm not sure," I answer honestly. "I'd be a much different person. Though you all are trained and taught the same way, you still have distinct personalities. I can tell you are kind and have an open sense of humor, while Theodas is more serious and book smart. Kozzanth is a fierce warrior and very protective. I'm not sure how I would be had I not grown up with parents, nor with the need for revenge over my father killing my mother."

"Do you want to know what I think?"

I smile at him. "I would love to always know what you think. Don't be afraid to speak your mind with me."

"I think you would be just as brave, selfless, and compassionate if you were a Draven. Perhaps even more because you wouldn't have been told you were only brave because you are female. Your bravery would have been embraced."

"But there are no female Dravens," I retort with a smile.

He chuckles. "Yes, this is true. Maybe one day there will be, and we will be allowed to reproduce on our own."

Well, that's a thought.

I frown, not only at the idea of him wanting to reproduce, having the urge to have a child, but the fact he wants it with his own kind. Does that mean if there were female Dravens, he would not consider having a child with someone else? Something like me?

"Is that something you'd like to see for your people?" I ask carefully.

"I'm not sure, but I think being raised by parents, as you mentioned, would give us qualities we don't otherwise gain so easily."

"But then you would be different. You wouldn't be such strong soldiers. There would be emotions that get in the way of your duty."

He chuckles. "This is also true, my queen. You are smart."

I huff out a laugh. "You are happy though? With what you do? Who you are?"

"I am. Theo and Koz too. I've always known them to be proud Dravens, happy to do their duty, and looking forward to having a master to protect. I do not think we ever expected one so beautiful though."

My cheeks burn. "You are just saying that." I straighten my legs to stretch them out. My muscles are tight from walking so much.

"I am not. Dravens do not lie."

I rub my thigh as I say, "You are not required to please me sexually."

"No, we are not. But we are happy to. We are taught how to please both men and women, as it's come to light that Dravens are used to do such things almost as often as we are used for protection."

"You were taught well," I say, smirking at him. "May I ask you something that is more personal?"

"You may." He shifts to take my leg and massages it for me, carefully kneading his fingers into the muscles. I rest my head back against the tree. It feels so good.

"Are you capable of love?"

He doesn't hesitate to answer me.

"Dravens are capable of all emotions; however, we only show those we are allowed."

"What does that mean?"

Raisi moves further down, taking my calf and massaging that next. It's tighter than my thigh, and his hands feel especially good.

"It means that if you allowed us to love you, we would. If you allowed us to show anger in front of you, never toward you, of course, but in front of you, we would. If we were allowed to be open with our feelings, then little by little, we would show them. Dravens are taught to act a certain way… like a starting point. Then as we get more familiar with our masters, we change and turn into what they want us to be. We are capable of feeling every emotion anyone else can, we are just taught to ignore them because not many want to see those emotions, especially love or sadness, or anything that comes across as weak. Down to our genetic makeup, we are soldiers."

"Loving someone is not weak. It is one of the bravest things you can do."

Raisi looks up at me with a smile. "I agree, my queen." He puts my leg down, then reaches for the other and starts with my calf.

"Is this something you need permission for?" I question carefully, wondering how exactly this works. I read a lot about how they are made and their capabilities. The laws they follow and what they do after being bought. But there was never anything about their emotions.

"Not exactly. Though, if it were told to us that we are free to feel however we feel, then it may happen sooner. Otherwise, it is more about testing waters if hints are dropped."

I nod, and say nothing further, watching as Raisi focuses on my thigh, massaging it like he is a professional. I note how he bites on his bottom lip as he watches what he is doing, and I take in the way his shoulders and arms move. He has a muscular body, and I've never seen anyone in such great shape as the three of them.

"You are very handsome, Raisi," I say to him after a long moment of silence.

He looks at me with a smirk, those grey eyes of his bright. They shine with such affection, loyalty, and even humor.

"I'm glad you think so, my queen. How awful would it be to stare at an ogre massaging your legs?"

I huff out a laugh, and he puts my leg down to move back beside me.

"Do the other two prefer to be called the nicknames you call them? Theo and Koz?"

"I am unsure. You will have to ask. It's what I've always called them, and they've never complained. If that's what you prefer to call them, I'm sure they will be happy to oblige."

I nod, resting my head back.

"I will ask them. I want the three of you to be as comfortable as possible, and even though it doesn't need to be said, you are allowed to feel anything you want to feel, as long as you continue your duty. I don't want to dictate your every move, but I do need your loyalty."

"Duty is our number one priority, and with that comes loyalty, my queen." He reaches over and places his hand on my thigh, just leaving it there. It's large and warm, and the touch gives me a sense of comfort. "And you may call me Rai, if you prefer it."

"As in the bread or the beer?" I ask playfully, noting his nickname is said the same way as the grain.

He chuckles. "I cannot choose which is better. A good beer after a long day is refreshing, but a hunk of bread is comforting."

"I must agree with you."

He moves his hand from my thigh and puts it around my shoulder, pulling me close to his side. "Take a rest. We will be here for a while."

I wrap my arm around his firm stomach, focus on the heat of his body and his rhythmic breathing, the way his heart beats in his chest, and before I know it, I'm sleeping.

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