The next few weeks were a blur.

After Farlog had suggested Oracus may be the difference in the war, Oracus began to train with more focus and desire than ever. If Tallarin needed him to be their weapon, he would ensure he had complete control over his power, and he would train until he was as prolific with a sword as he could be. If he could prove his commitment to the rebellion, then maybe the likes of Wilos, Dyma, Croij and Quent would be more accepting of him too, and less likely to believe he would stab them in the back.

So all his time was spent either practising his power, wielding his sword, or shooting his bow at targets in the training area, while he relentlessly exercised his connection with Bandor’s mind. Kivali and Shio were the perfect partner and tutor during sparring sessions, and Oracus learned more in a few weeks than he had throughout the rest of his life.

And because of their endless time spent together, Oracus and Kivali’s relationship reached new heights. Oracus had never felt so comfortable with someone, not even Garrin, and he woke up each morning with an eagerness to get to the training area and see her.

On a day when the rain fell and the training area under the palace was heaving with civilians who had nothing better to do, Oracus found Kivali’s hip with a particularly quick strike of his sword. She cried out in pain, but hit back with a thrust of her own that nearly found Oracus’s gut. Oracus teleported away and Kivali followed him, and they traded more blows that echoed off the high ceiling.

“Know when to retreat and when to hold your ground!” Shio’s shout came loud and clear, and Oracus took several steps backwards.

As Kivali advanced towards him, Oracus asked her a question he had been meaning to for some time. “Would you like to take a walk with me tonight?” he suggested.

“A walk?” she asked, not hesitating and aiming a fast attack at his shoulder.

Oracus blocked the strike and then evaded the next. “It doesn’t matter,” he said nervously. “Forget I said anything.”

“Where to?” she probed with interest, stepping forwards again.

“I don’t know. Around the city maybe.”

“You-mean-like-as-a-date?” She thrust at him with each word she spoke.

“Well, I mean, I guess so,” Oracus said sheepishly as he offered his own attack.

Kivali squatted low beneath Oracus’s sword and swiped his legs from under him. He landed hard on his back, and she planted her foot on his chest. A gentle smile crossed her face. “I would really like to go for a walk with you,” she said happily.

Later that day, Oracus knocked on the door to Kivali’s room in the palace. For the first time in a while, he had tried to comb his hair.

“Hold on,” came her voice from the other side.

When the door opened, Oracus’s mouth dropped open. Kivali was wearing a blue dress that matched her eyes, and it embraced her body perfectly. Her sparkling blue shoes helped her stand a few inches taller and her dark hair was full of curls.

Oracus kissed her on the cheek. “You look amazing,” he said.

“That’s very kind of you to say,” she replied. “You look pretty good yourself.”

“I thought we could go to the workshop before our walk,” Oracus suggested. “I know you’re probably used to it, but I quite enjoy watching the Sashtrams at work.”

Kivali agreed and they strolled together along the corridor until they reached the staircase. When Kivali linked her arm in Oracus’s, goosepimples rose on his skin.

“You’ve never really told me much about your life in Thessley,” she said in a voice that was as soft as her warm skin.

“I don’t really have much to say about it,” Oracus said truthfully. “It was peaceful. And the people there were friendly.”

“What did you do there?” Kivali went on. “I mean, what did you like to do to pass the time?”

“I used to go hunting in the forest,” Oracus said. “My father hated the forest so I’d always go in alone. It was nice to get away sometimes and think about what might be out there.”

“Out there? Beyond the forest, you mean?”

“I had a book at home called ‘Beasts of Legend’, and I used to pretend I was searching for the beasts when I was in the forest,” Oracus said with a laugh. “It was difficult to imagine what was beyond the trees though, because I’d never seen cities or mountains or desert. My father always told me I was too curious when I asked him if the beasts in the book were real.”

“What was your father like?”

Oracus smiled sadly. Just being asked the question brought back memories of him rocking in his chair by the fire. There was a scent of tobacco that came with it too, like his father was right behind them, listening in on their conversation. “He was a really great man,” Oracus said. “He made me who I am today.”

“He would be proud of how you’ve handled all this.”

“I hope so.”

“Did he ever speak about your mother?” Kivali asked.

“Never openly,” Oracus said. “I asked him sometimes, but he would just say she was a wonderful woman and that her reason for leaving us had been a good one. And I believed him.”

They reached the door to the workshop and could hear the noise of the machines before they’d even entered. Kivali looked at Oracus and offered him a rueful smile. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Oracus assured. “I miss him but it’s over now. I can’t bring him back, so I just have to keep moving forwards.”

The Sashtrams were all busy doing one thing or another when they walked inside. Some were servicing the machines, while others scribbled results on paper. One even held his friend by the ankles and dangled him inside a huge vat of gloop in an attempt to retrieve his pencil. It was evening, but the tiny creatures with blue skin were all still hard at work.

“Do you find it tough having to live here in limbo?” Oracus asked as he looked around with interest. “We’re preparing for a day that may never come. Jowra may never attack.”

“I’ve lived my whole life like this, Oracus. I’m used to it,” Kivali answered.

“Have you ever tried to imagine what it would be like if we won the war?”

“You know, success frightens me more than the war itself,” Kivali said. “I get up in the morning now to train, and to prepare myself for the day he arrives with his army. But if we won, what would drive me forwards? What would be my purpose?”

The answer was quite a sad one, Oracus thought, but it held merit too. Ordinarily, he would have advocated peace, but he had been guilty of wishing for more when he’d had peace in Thessley. Maybe there was something boring about peace. “You could come hunting with me in the forest,” was all he could think to say.

They watched the Sashtrams quietly for a while longer. Thoughts of Jowra and his father briefly left Oracus’s mind as he chuckled at the Sashtrams and their strange ways. When a few minutes had passed, a serious-looking Sashtram with a bushy beard walked past and tripped over its own cloak. It fell heavily, but jumped up quickly and brushed itself down, hoping nobody had noticed. But when Oracus and Kivali laughed, it didn’t take too kindly to them, and it waved its fist threateningly in their direction.

“I think that’s our cue to leave,” Kivali said with a smirk.

With the Sashtram still glowering at them, they exited the workshop and walked through the entrance hall towards the door that led out into the city. When they appeared on the palace steps, the city seemed to come to a halt before them. It was eerily quiet, and the streets were desolate but for a cat that prowled in the shadows. The evening brought a thickening darkness, but there was a certain romance in the orange sun dropping beyond the wall in the distance. There was little romance, however, in the odour of sewage that rose from the drains.

Oracus and Kivali walked down the steps and began their stroll through the streets that would take them to the far side of the city.

“So what’s the deal with Catania and Alticon?” Oracus asked as they passed between towering buildings that blocked out what little sunlight remained. “They’re no longer Rider and Lavorian, right?”

“They haven’t been for a few years,” Kivali answered.

“Do you know what happened to them?”

“Jowra killed Catania and their bond was broken.”

“Jowra killed her? But that’s impossible!” Oracus said.

“Catania’s power was to revive the dead,” Kivali explained. “When he killed her, he inherited her power and then used it to bring her back to life.”

“He did what?”

“It’s abhorrent, isn’t it?” Kivali said with a shake of her head. “And that’s why Alticon has no armour too.”

“Do you think there’s anything Jowra wouldn’t do for power?”

“No, I don’t,” Kivali replied seriously. “Do you remember me telling you that Jowra used the armour of Lavorians to build a second Dragon?” She waited for Oracus to nod. “Well, rumour has it that Alticon’s armour was the final piece of that Dragon. Pseubas was created on the same day Catania was killed.”

Just the thought of it made Oracus feel sick. “In my latest dream of Catania, Jowra told her he wanted to kill me for my power,” he disclosed. “He also said he’d killed family before. I didn’t realise he meant her.”

Kivali nodded. “If Jowra killed you then we really wouldn’t stand a chance. If he could copy the power of any Rider fighting against him then he’d be unstoppable.”

Oracus relived that part of his dream in his mind. He wondered if Jowra would consider reviving him, or if he’d just leave him to rot.

“Imagine being betrayed like that by your own father,” Oracus said. “It’s no wonder she built an army to fight against him.”

“Yet if we assume your dreams are real, we know he’s blackmailing her now to get what he needs. He’s a man who should never be given power, so it makes sense we should take it away from him.”

When Oracus and Kivali reached the wall, night had truly fallen. The sun had vanished, and the stars were twinkling brightly on a clear sky. Still the streets were clear. They hadn’t seen a single soul except a few patrolling soldiers and a young lamp-lighter. That was until a shout split the silence and a familiar face came out of the darkness nearby.

“Morpac!” Oracus exclaimed with surprise. The man they had saved from the Grevlors and Lisors in the mountains looked much healthier than when they’d last seen him. He was clean for a start, and he no longer had bruising around his eye. And he also wore an expensive purple cloak with a high collar. “You look fantastic.”

“Yer very kind,” Morpac replied with a bow. He shook Oracus’s hand vigorously, and then kissed Kivali’s hand lightly. “A face tha’ could start another war,” he said to her. “An’ yer ‘av skills tha’ could probably end wars too!”

“Not this war though, unfortunately,” Kivali replied.

“Yer will in time,” Morpac assured. He then took a step back from them. “Yer mus’ come with me. Uswir would love ter see yer. An’ the shop too. It’s marvellous.”

Morpac was soon leading them through alleys and streets between the buildings of Tallarin. They stayed near to the wall, which remained huge and intimidating above them, and eventually reached a small square with a weapon stall at its heart. Standing alone at the stall was Uswir. Since returning to Tallarin, his hair and beard had been combed, and he’d gained a lot of weight.

As the three of them approached, he looked up and offered a gleaming smile. “Ahhh. Welcome, friends!”

The stall was stacked with daggers and knives, and a few swords and bows hung in the roof above Uswir’s head. Behind Uswir, the open doorway of a flat stone building offered a glance into what appeared to be their workshop.

“Business is thrivin’ ‘ere,” Uswir said proudly. “Since we came ‘ome, we’ve been makin’ weapons fer the soldiers.”

“Shio ‘imself came ‘ere to ask us on Princess Catania’s be’alf,” Morpac explained. “Apparently, the Sastrams couldn't keep up, so they needed our ‘elp.”

“It looks great,” Oracus said of the stall as he picked up a dagger with an elegant blade and a black handle.

“It’s yours if yer wan’ it,” Uswir offered. “Free o’ charge.”

“Oh no, I can’t do that,” Oracus refused.

“Yer saved our lives in the mountains. One dagger doesn’t come close ter ‘ow much we owe yer.” Morpac took the dagger and slotted it into Oracus’s belt. “Easy ter conceal, see. An’ good fer stabbin’ a Grevlor with if they try ter make yer their prisoner!”

“Thank you,” Oracus said gratefully.

“Ye’r very welcome.” Morpac shook Oracus’s hand again. “Now, let’s show yer the workshop. Yer’ll like it in there.”

Oracus and Kivali spent an hour with Morpac and Uswir before they made their excuses and left. Before long, their walk was over, and they were back inside the palace with the smell of waste thankfully behind them.

Oracus accompanied Kivali back to her quarters, where she slowly opened the door. “That was a very nice walk,” she said. “Thank you for asking me.”

“Thank you for saying yes,” Oracus replied. “It was much better with company than it would have been without.”

Kivali turned back to face Oracus. “Maybe we could do it again soon?”

“I’d like that,” Oracus said.

Kivali looked softly at him and he struggled to hold her gaze. He shuffled his feet awkwardly and glanced along the empty corridor.

“Aren’t you going to kiss me?” she asked.

Oracus felt his cheeks flush. When he looked back at Kivali, her eyes were like pools of water waiting for him to dive in. He still couldn’t hold her gaze, so he closed his eyes and took an anxious step forwards.

It felt like he was standing in that corridor for an eternity. But when Kivali’s lips finally met with his, every concern in his head seemed to exist no more.