"They groom templars that young too?" Sintija asked with a soft smile. "It's not so different after all."
"In a way." Markos traced the junction of his right thumb and pointer finger with his left hand as he picked his words. "I was raised in the household of Knight General Marcius de Arand as one of his wards. To become one of the elite templars of the Order of the Holy Sword was an honor beyond that of normal knighthood. Becoming a templar is like becoming a landed knight much faster."
"A ward? Why did the Knight General raise you?" Sintija thoughtfully asked. Markos saw the curiosity in her expression, he got the impression that she was interested but wasn't trying to push him beyond what he was comfortable talking about. He thought of how long it'd been since he answered the question. He glanced beside him and saw curly auburn locks with blazing blue eyes. He blinked as the apparition of Iliana faded to reveal Sintija there instead. It had been Iliana that'd asked the question last, no one else had been interested.
"...because of my mother, Krista." Markos rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not what you think. Marcius isn't my father." He shook his head. "Krista was a knight that trained with the Knight General when he was just starting in the ranks. He and my mother were originally assigned as guards to the king's guard of the last emperor." He took a moment, deciding it was best to take another drink. "Emperor Dunstan was a difficult man to serve. He was fascinated by the particular color of my mother's eyes... gold is uncommon in Westfallion."
The liquor settled as a comfortable burn. His memory of the first and last time Marcius told him what came of his mother still let him in knots. "Marcius doesn't like to talk about what happened but... Emperor Petros de Alaverde is my older brother. It's been a secret that's burdened me my entire life. My best friends don't know."
Sintija's hands were warm on top of his. Her eyes shined with a threat of sympathetic tears. She didn't speak but she didn't need to.
Markos smiled, shaking his head. "It's... she got her justice and fled north past the Teeth. I don't know what she was looking for out there in the wastes but Petros assumed the throne and left me in Marcius's care."
Her expression was gentle before she spoke again. "You're in line for the throne then?"
"It doesn't work that way in Westfallion. Our right to rule comes from the mark." Markos tapped his temples to draw attention to his eyes. "It's more like a particular eye color than a birthmark, the mark of divine rule is mismatched colored eyes, one eye will always be blue and the other brown. The emperor loses the right to rule the country when the person bearing this mark comes of age." He pursed his lips together. "It doesn't always appear in the ruling family's blood line. It sometimes occurs within the noble houses."
Sintija's expression was perplexed, her hands lingered on his. Markos made no attempt to move her, her touch was reassuring that this moment was real. He was sharing his secret with the real woman rather than some phantasm.
Markos lowered his voice. He was certain that with the Maraium cave that no one was listening in but he still felt the need for caution. "There hasn't been a new heir born yet, despite the nobility breeding like rabbits. I think someone is killing the babes." His expression darkened. "My brother is behind it but I have no proof. My friend was close to discovery but..." His voice trailed off.
Sintija inched closer, almost on his lap. He swallowed to stave off his awkwardness. "But what? What happened?"
"Caelyn, my friend, Iliana our ember lover, and I were north of here in an old temple of Mara." Markos smiled for a moment as he said their names. "We found something there that the Order is desperate to learn the truth of. "
"Why haven't you told the Order? I thought you were proud to be a templar of the Order?" Sintija tilted her head to one side as she looked at him perplexed.
Markos pursed his lips together. The conspiracy that he shared with only two others was about to spill from his lips. If he told Sintija, it would make it more real. The Order already wanted her dead and he was close to being marked their enemy as well. It was only the knowledge he was keeping from them that kept them from making his next mission his last. "Shortly after we met, I was inducted into the Order. I learned the truth of it all. The Church of the Holy Sword has been lying to us all for centuries."
Sintija's eyes were large. "What?"
"Templars are magic users who's abilities are suppressed by their equipment and their marks of honor." Markos saw the question in her expression over the marks. He removed his shirts to reveal the large, intricate black tattoo that covered his left arm from wrist to shoulder and spread over his chest and back to a band on his right bicep. He took her hand and placed it on his left bicep. "These."
Her gaze lingered over his exposed torso, blushing she stared at her hand and jerked away like something had burned her. "Maraium? It's made with maraium?"
"Maraium ink. They suppress templars to a lesser extent than they do embers. They implant maraium into the bodies of the sisters and brothers of the Order... it eventually kills them."
"Why would they do such a thing? I don't understand." Sintija's expression fell as she frowned. It grew more concerned as Markos decided what to say.
"Magic users are drawn to one another. We can sense each other. It takes training to do it consciously and wearing maraium. The fact that I know this is heresy... I..." Markus ran a hand through his hair, trying to recover his train of thought. "Caelyn told me the truth. I saw what they did to Iliana. Together we made a promise. Caelyn would become the next Dragonslayer to become the next Pillar." He hesitated, he was stalling for time but he wasn't sure why. Was he that scared of making it real in the recollection?
"Markos," Sintija's voice was soft, reassuring as she gently placed her hands on either side of his face. Markos felt a surge of emotions as her sky blue eyes bore in his. "What did you find in that temple?"