She watched him walk away before turning to Jaren and asking, “How close are you two?”
He angled his head to the side. “Why?”
“I’m just wondering how you’d feel if something happened to him,” Kiva said. “Like an accident.” Quickly, she added, “Hypothetically, of course.”
“Of course,” Jaren repeated, lips twitching.
Kiva toed the dirt with her boot and mumbled, “Never mind.”
Jaren chuckled and began leading the way back toward the barracks. “Hypothetically, I’d say he probably deserves whatever misfortune comes his way.”
Nodding emphatically, Kiva said, “That’s my thinking.”
Jaren chuckled again, before sobering. “You don’t have to train with him, you know.”
“Why am I training with him?” Kiva asked. “Why not with you or Naari or . . . or . . . anyone else?”
“It’s always better to learn from the best,” Jaren answered, guiding her around a pair of guards, one male, the other female, locked in unarmed combat. “Cal’s one of the greatest warriors in the kingdom. His mother — my mother’s sister — was the general of our armies, his father was the commander of our armadas. His childhood was spent learning the art of fighting and strategic warfare. He’s been training since he came out of the womb, which makes him the most qualified to teach you. To teach anyone.”
Kiva frowned. “Are we talking about the same person?”
Jaren shook his head — not in the negative, but as if he found her amusing. “I know he comes across as, well . . .”
“An arrogant, self-absorbed reprobate?” Kiva supplied helpfully. “And then some,” Jaren said, grinning. “But there’s a lot more to my cousin than meets the eye.”
Kiva was beginning to realize as much. “Did you say his mother was the general? And his father was the commander?”
Jaren’s lingering humor vanished. “Three years ago, my aunt and uncle took a group of elite soldiers out on a ship to practice a training drill in open waters. Cal was meant to be with them, but he woke up violently ill that morning. His sister, Ashlyn, stayed behind to look after him.” Jaren’s throat bobbed. “That afternoon, a storm came up out of nowhere. It battered the city so badly that we needed months of repairs afterward, but even so, that was on dry land. My aunt and uncle and their soldiers were still out at sea when the storm hit.” He swallowed again. “They never made it back.”
Kiva came to a sudden stop at the edge of the training yard. “Are you saying —”
“Cal lost both his parents that day,” Jaren confirmed, his expression grim. “He’d been groomed since birth to take over as the general once his mother stepped down, with Ash intended to command the armadas once their father did the same, but neither expected the time to come so soon.”
“What happened?” Kiva asked quietly, the sparring noises fading into the background as she focused on Jaren’s sad tale.
“My uncle had a number of highly competent people under him, all of whom were capable of overseeing the armadas in his stead. But the armies . . . My aunt was so beloved that her lieutenants struggled to maintain order,” Jaren said, looking off into the distance. “Cal and Ash were both overwhelmed by grief, but we all knew one of them would have to take charge. It should have been Cal — that had been the plan all along, what he’d wanted all along. But not like that.”
Jaren blew out a breath and continued, “He wouldn’t do it. Couldn’t do it. So Ashlyn did. She’s only a few years older than him, which made her the youngest appointed general in Evalon’s history. But the respect our armies have for her — for both of them — is unparalleled. Men and women would not only fight for her, they’d die for her, knowing she’d give all of herself right there alongside them.” More quietly, Jaren admitted, “We would have been in real trouble back then without her.”
“Would your armies have disbanded?” Kiva asked, wondering how something so strong could break so easily.
“We never would have let it get that bad,” Jaren said. “It was more the timing that was problematic. Three years ago, when all this was happening, was around the time the rebels started to become a real nuisance.”
Nuisance — Kiva nearly snorted at the term, doubting Torell or Zuleeka would appreciate it.
“Their attacks grew bolder, to the point that they became openly hostile, causing damage to villages and loss of life to those who stood against them. They were always careful to avoid the larger cities — they still are — but the smaller townships were easy targets. It was . . .” Jaren shook his head. “Well, it was a real mess, honestly. And all the worse because our own forces were disorganized and waiting for a leader to step up. So that’s what Ashlyn did.”