Watching Azariel fly in his direction, the sun slowly setting behind him, Butler could not help but feel disgust towards the young wingman. He seemed to have fooled the rest of his kin and even his own master, claiming to the former that the mermaids killed his father, and to the latter that it had been Nathaniel. Butler knew better, though; he had come to know Azariel enough to guess what had really happened, and felt nothing but disdain for the wingman. Loyal as he was to the White Lord, he would have never gone that far.
Still, he had a job to do, and whatever he thought or felt were irrelevant. He would follow his orders as long as he was comfortable doing so. And when he no longer did, well, he would just have to find a way out of all this.
Azariel landed in front of him, his face dark, yet proud. He folded his beautiful wings back and gave Butler an arrogant look.
‘You, again. I thought I made it clear that I wanted to speak to your master.’
Butler bit his tongue to keep from cussing the impertinent wingman, and instead spoke in his usual flattery and humility.
‘My Lord Winter apologizes that he could not come, but he feels that we need to be prudent and lay low for a while longer. He also asked me to pass on his congratulations for inheriting your father’s position. This is an opportunity that greatly improves our own position in realizing our common goals.’
‘Yes, well, I still want to know what is being done to apprehend my father’s murderer. He left his nest six days ago and I have a pretty good idea as to where he’s headed. Tell your master that it is in both of our interest that he is caught before he manages to find the Sky-Prince. That would complicate things for all of us.’
‘My master would like to assure you that he shares your concern and that he is dealing with this matter as we speak. Your friend has been spotted and is being followed; he will be caught before he manages to find the Sky-Prince. The situation is still under control.’
‘I do not want him harmed; I want him brought before me, so I can deal with him myself. Is that understood?’
Butler could see that the new position had already boosted the wingman’s ego. He continued to reply with a humble demeanor, despite feeling like what he really wanted to do was to grab the boy by the neck and give him a piece of his own mind.
‘If it can be helped, it will be done as you wish; you have my word. However, my lord asks that you now concentrate on your part; you must push the queen to call for battle against the mermaids. Use the voice of your people, give it strength and force the queen to bow to her people’s cries. We are almost there.’
Azariel looked at Butler with a cold and empty gaze for a short moment, and then turned to leave him.
‘It’ll be done,’ he simply said, before spreading his wings and taking up in the evening sky.
Poor fool, Butler thought to himself as he watched him go, and then walked back to his horse to leave the place.
As Ari had said, it took Nemo a good while to recover completely and be strong enough to ride again. They stayed in New Sotira six days, during which they rested as much as they could and recuperated their strength. Ari used this time to teach Daniel much of what he knew about Dreamers, the Order of the Guardians and the dream world. Daniel for his part told him everything that had taken place at the Council and what their mission was, things which he had not shared the first night. He half expected Ari to laugh at them for going after legends and fantasies, but his great-grandfather’s face remained serious the whole time he spoke.
‘It does appear to be a fool’s mission, and I know it feels like you are seeking to find the impossible, but I believe you have made the right choice, Daniel. I wish there was some way I could help you, or even ease your fears regarding the time you have left back in your world. Alas, I’m afraid I can do neither. All I can do for now is pass on to you some of what was once given to me, and hope that in time it will serve you well.’
Daniel soon found out what that meant. Ari spent the following days crash-training him in the use of the bow and sword. Daniel had to learn better how to defend himself, on foot, or while riding Lightning. Hëna was also there, participating in the lessons and sparring with Daniel under the tutelage of Ari and the spectating eyes of Nemo and others from the village. She and Heli had both been trained in this very place not so long ago, and that explained at least a couple of things.
Being a beginner, Daniel could not help but feel mortified whenever Hëna bested him with her moves, especially since she wasn’t even trying. He felt that this would definitely not help his chances with her. Still, he did not give up; Ari was an excellent teacher, and Daniel was a quick learner. In the few days that he spent training, he learned all the basics and vowed to continue practicing with Hëna every day. Of course, he was more than happy for the extra time and exchange between the two of them, a fact that, like Sam, he also kept to himself.
While Nemo sat on the side, having nothing else to do but watch them spar, Séraphin always flew away for the most part of the day, without ever telling anyone where he was going, or what he was doing. Daniel and Nemo never confronted him about what happened in the woods. It was true that he had been arrogant and rude regarding the two of them, as well as refuse to help Nemo directly, but he had also saved their lives, fighting bravely and getting help from the villagers. So Daniel was confused and did not really know how to feel about the wingman. He only hoped that time would do what he couldn’t, mend things between them.
As for their werewolf friends, after thanking Daniel and Ari many times, they’d left New Sotira for their own homes on the second day, but not before pledging their lives and service to Daniel.