The Lion Soul by Amy Sumida
Chapter Three
Although the fight was winding down, most of the camp was near the beach, driving the Farungals back to their ships. I suggested that we help them, but was told that they couldn't risk the Lion Lord getting taken. They had already lost two of his guards, men whose bodies were being carried back to the warlord's tent across the backs of their fellow Lions.
“There is much that needs to be done in the aftermath of an attack,” the Lion Lord said as he cast a look at the glowing lights shooting through the night sky. “My troops will finish the battle while I prepare.”
“What are those lights?” I asked in Varalish. I figured that I'd better start getting used to speaking it.
The Lion Lord's guards looked at me in shock, though he didn't seem in the least surprised to hear his language roll off my tongue.
“Rag balls soaked in death oil,” Kaelen said. “Death oil is an evil invention of the Farungal. Once lit, it will burn through anything, and if it hits something alive, something with a soul, it will consume that soul.”
“What?” I gaped at him.
“As I said, it's horrible stuff.” He prowled ahead of me into his tent.
As the Lion Lord went into a room in the back corner of the tent, his knights shifted into their other forms, laid out their fallen brothers gently, and got dressed from the piles of clothing awaiting them. Clothes that looked as if they'd been shed in a rush. They dressed their fallen, then carried the dead outside, leaving me alone in the tent. Well, not completely alone.
When the Lion Lord reappeared, he was in his Sidhe form and dressed, his hair brushed back from his stunning face and that great gem glinting on his chest. He looked down at it when it flashed, then smiled and murmured something too soft for me to hear.
“Please, sit down, Rieyu.” Kaelen motioned toward the table in the center of the room. “Would you like something to drink?”
“Water would be appreciated,” I said as I took a seat.
The Lion Lord poured me a glass of water from the pitcher in the center of the table, then one for himself before he sat down. “I need to discuss something with you while we have the time.”
I grunted my assent as I nodded.
“This will sound strange to you.” He paused. “I would try to explain it in your language but I'm afraid of losing something in the translation.”
I cocked my head at him, curious.
“Earlier, when we were meeting with your captain, did you hear us call one of the men a valorian?”
“Yes, but I'm unfamiliar with that title. Is it a military rank?”
“It is, but it's more than that.” Kaelen paused, appearing to consider his next words carefully. “This war with the Farungal has lasted nearly forty years, but we've finally had a prophecy that the end is near.”
“Will it be favorable for your people?”
“Yes, but only if every warlord finds his valorian and those valorians work together.”
I scowled again.
“Yes, I know, I haven't explained what a valorian is yet. But I wanted you to know first that it comes with great responsibility. The responsibility can be denied, of course, but it would hurt our efforts and probably lose us the war.”
I grunted again, my people's way of encouraging someone to continue.
“A valorian is a human who has shown such great valor that a warlord is inspired to award him or her with a piece of his soul,” Kaelen said.
I widened my eyes at him.
“Yes, you heard me right; soul,” he confirmed, accurately interpreting my look.
Kaelen must have studied my people as much as I had studied his and the Farungal. I'd be willing to bet there was no other Lion in that camp who not only knew my language but also understood my culture. It seemed more and more as if fate had brought me to him.
“Two things can happen when a faerie shares his soul,” the Lion Lord went on. “Either the human receives an extended lifespan or, if my Goddess and her Divine Consorts find that human worthy, they will take that piece of the warlord's soul and use it to transform the human into a faerie.”
I inhaled sharply and sat forward. In my mind, I saw the lion in my dream again, clawing open his chest. It wasn't his heart that he was giving me, it was a piece of his soul. This was my reward; a part of my lion. A part that would transform me. Great Gods!
“The favored human becomes immortal and is reshaped into a fae version of themselves. This new faerie is called a valorian, and valorians are trained in the art of magic. Those who have been chosen so far have shown themselves to be adept at magic and have advanced further than any other faerie. They have also been learning to work with their warlords to unite their magic and form an even greater power.”
I grunted, impressed, but mainly in shock. I kept seeing that glowing claw in my mind, reaching for my heart.
“The bond between a warlord and his valorian is not only a sacred one but also a strong and intimate one,” Kaelen's voice softened, as did his gaze. “Most have become lovers.”
I just stared at him, waiting, and, yes, hoping. My chest had a tingle inside it, destiny settling deeper, and within that tingle, my heart raced. His next words would either change my life forever or crush me.
“I'm greatly impressed by your skill but especially your valor, Rieyu,” Kaelen said. “I believe that you are meant to be my valorian. Will you do me the honor of accepting a piece of my soul? I can't promise that you will become fae, but I'd like to try. Whatever happens, I want you to have a little of the life you saved today.”
“Becoming fae, does it mean becoming a Lion?” I asked.
“Yes. You'd be able to shift and your magic would be descended from mine. You'd become of my line and take my name. A true Lion Faerie. Rieyu Brimara.”
I took a deep breath and let it out. There it was; proof that the Gods were guiding me. Rieyu Brimara—a dragon who was also a lion. I was meant to be there, meant to abandon my home and even my life in exchange for a new one. And I was meant to be with this man.
So, why did it hurt so badly?
“I won't push you. I know that immortality is both a gift and a burden and that I'm asking for a lot in return.” The Lion Lord sat back, as if to give me space. “But I will say that I have a great sense about you. From the moment I first saw you, I felt as if I knew you. I believe you're the reason why Nazaka has always interested me, why I learned the language and studied the culture. This feels like destiny, Rieyu. Will you take a chance on me?”
Well, that cinched it.
I nodded, a single movement of my head, and the Lion Lord's face split into a brilliant grin, bright enough to lighten some of the weight gathering upon my heart.
