Chapter 5.

"You will not execute my son!" Resza was being held back by the guards in the throne room.

Cichol stood from his throne. "He's the offspring of you and a Champion with a dash of Fomor in him. He's on the enemy's side. Tell me why I should not execute him."

"He's my son!"

"Why does that make a difference? You're going to have another child. You can train that one."

"Riuyuki died at Morrighan's hands!"

The God of Fomors sounded exasperated. "He still fought for her, Resza. He cannot give us any useful information about the Paladins and Morrighan."

"Cichol, if you lay a finger on him-"

"Do not threaten me, whelp. It was I who raised you when your parents gave you to me. I was the one to take you back when you had run off with that Champion and again when you came back from that Royal Alchemist. You cannot threaten me."

Resza struggled harder, screaming incoherent words. Her pain was the reason Cichol refused Trentis in here. It would have made it harder to control both of them. He looked down upon the shackled half incubus boy. "Riuyuki," the God said. "What do you have to say as your last words?"

"My lord," Riuyuki looked up at him with the same defiant look as his mother. "While I have the side of Light within me, do not forget I also have two sides of Darkness. I can be useful to you, I swear."

Intrigued, the God nodded for him to proceed. "I know who the higher commanders of the Paladin army are, I can lead you to their hidden training camps, they're planning a rush towards Shadow Tara since you have acquired Goibne. The Paladins want him back to strengthen their weapons."

Cichol was silent as he pondered this for what seemed a long time. Even Resza kept silent. "You may live for now. You will be placed under Lebbeaus's command instead of your mother's."

"Cichol, you can't-"

"Resza, if you say one more word I will kill him right here and now."

She went limp against the guards holding her back, bowing her head as Riuyuki was unshackled and led from the throne room to meet with the Fomor General. "You may leave." Cichol said.

Resza shook off the guards, glaring at them before exiting and gathering her weapons from the door guards. She was silent until relief flooded her, causing her to fall to her hands and knees. He's alive for now. You wanted to have him with you, that's true, but at least he's alive… she thought. Ah, but what if Lebbeaus turns him into someone unrecognizable? You don't know how your son has grown. Is he a killer like you? The thoughts came unbidden.

Resza bit the inside of her mouth. She refused to acknowledge the darker thoughts snaking in her mind with images of her son killing others that made her stomach turn. What if...what if...what if…? They continued to bounce in her head when Resza came to her quarters. She threw open the door and slammed it shut behind her. I can't let it in. Riuyuki isn't a killer. He's too much like his father. Which father? The Champion or the incubus who raped you? Like Kyo. Kyo only fought if he had to. Riuyuki running away from us proves he's still like Kyo. He could have done that to fool you. Resza slowed her breathing and closed her eye. She focused on only her breathing, not the negative thoughts that tried to break her concentration. In and out. Breath deeply. Release the negative energy in every exhale. She opened her eye when Trentis came into the room. "Cichol let him live?"

"Yes. How'd you know?"

"If he didn't we'd have a dead God on our hands."

Resza gave a tight smile that disappeared quickly. "No one's killed a God. Don't be ridiculous."

Trentis sat next to her and pulled her close. "If there was anyone to do that, it would probably be you."

"What? How?"

"You just keep getting up out of refusal to lose when we spar. I'd hate to imagine what you'd be like against Morrighan."

Resza gave a hollow laugh. "It doesn't matter much anymore now that my son is here. For now, he's safe. I'm worried Lebbeaus will form him into something he doesn't want to be. Riuyuki isn't a killer. He didn't take after me."

Trentis played with her hair and gently pushed her back so they could lay together. "What would you have done if Cichol put Riuyuki under you?"

"Kept him by me. I don't want him to grow up to become a killer. I'm...I'm getting tired of all these deaths…" Resza sighed.

"You're the General of Cichol's Human Dark Knights." Trentis kissed her gently. "I understand that you're tired of it all."

Resza turned away from him. "Please let me sleep, honey. I just want to sleep."

Her eye looked for him during the meeting. She felt joy when he came in following Lebbeaus and took a seat across from her. Riuyuki looked so small sitting in the chair, he was almost like a child again. His face looked so worn...Resza didn't hear anything of the meeting. She was too focused on her son. "Riuyuki," she caught up to him when the meeting came to a close. "You know you can find me if anything's wrong."

He smiled a little. "I'll be okay, Mother."

The boy turned to Trentis and bowed slightly. "I'm sorry we couldn't have met under better circumstances, Trentis. But I take it you're my stepfather now?"

"Yes. Did Lebbeaus update you?"

"Well," Riuyuki glanced toward the incubus General. "With plenty of colorful descriptions and quite a lot of bashing."

Trentis smirked. "Don't take anything he says about us seriously."

Resza wanted to hold Riuyuki again, but Lebbeaus called the boy away. "Resza," Trentis's hand was on her shoulder.

She glanced down. Her hand was on her rapier without even thinking about it. "We can get him back."

"I hope we can before it's too late." Resza turned away as Riuyuki left the room.