Chapter 11
"Hey, was it really worth it to jump into this duel when you're clearly hurt? And didn't you say you'd be at home today?" Callum asks, a bit sternly, as Lucian walks up to him.
Usually, Callum gets to the practice field early to work on his sword skills, but today he was late, thinking Lucian was taking it easy at home. So when he saw a crowd where Lucian usually trains, he figured Lucian had gone back on his word. That thought was confirmed when he saw Lucian grinning at him, clearly caught in a fib.
"Sorry, man! I'd just be bored at home. Plus, I only took on this duel to see where I stand, which, unfortunately, isn't very high," Lucian replies with a smile. He came out here because Effie mentioned she'd share some training tips, and of course, she wasn't going to come all the way back to his house just to tell him.
Callum's irritation fades as he hears his friend. "Hey, don't be down on yourself! I know you'll get better at swordsmanship in no time. How about we grab a drink? What do you think?" Even though he usually skips out on drinking, he feels it's the least he can do for his friend, who seems a bit off.
"Can I join you guys?" Suddenly, they hear a voice from behind and turn to see Dorian, the guy who dueled Lucian, standing there.
"What did you say?" Callum asks, a bit annoyed. Dorian quickly raises his hands and says, "Whoa, whoa! I'm not here to fight. Just so you know, I was kind of pushed into this duel too."
"Let him be," Lucian says, pulling Callum back to keep him from jumping at Dorian. It looked like Callum was ready to do just that. He then turns to Dorian and asks, "So, why do you want to hang out with us? You won the duel, right? Shouldn't you be with your group instead of chatting with us?"
"Yeah, I thought so too. But you might have heard him promise me that if I beat you, he'd talk to the battalion commander and get me a shot at joining the hunt," Dorian explains. Callum interrupts with a laugh, "I didn't think you'd fall for that!"
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Dorian replies, a bit grumpy. He feels a little embarrassed when he thinks about it. Abraham is only a level 2 swordsman, so how could he possibly convince the battalion commander to let him join the official hunt for the Crowfield family?
"So you're saying you were tricked into dueling me by that offer?" Lucian asks, realizing he might have done the same in Dorian's shoes.
"Yeah, but it's not like I dislike you or anything. If I hadn't taken Abraham's offer, I'd probably be his next target," Dorian admits honestly. He doesn't have a group to go back to since Abraham clearly shut him out, which means his dream of joining the hunt might just be a dream.
"Well, not the best character, but at least you're being honest," Callum says after hearing Dorian's story. He expected Dorian to try and sweet-talk his way into their group, but he didn't.
Feeling a bit like a bystander, Lucian shook his head as the two debated whether to team up. He hadn't even agreed to it yet, so it felt a bit silly. His main goal today was to find out where to train with Effie. After that, he was even up for taking Dorian out for a drink and having a good time.
There was no point in getting mad at someone who was just trying to make the best of their situation and use others' skills to help himself.
But since they were still bickering, Lucian stepped in to break it up. Just then, the sound of a conch shell echoed, making Callum and Dorian stop their argument.
Having regained most of his predecessor's memories, Lucian recognized the sound. He turned to Callum and asked, "Do you know what that's about?"
Callum shook his head, saying, "Looks like this hunt is going to be a bit tougher."
"What? What are you two talking about? Can someone fill me in on what that conch shell means?" Dorian asked, confused since it was his first time hearing it.
"Tch... Talk about clueless," Callum teased, then turned and started walking with Lucian toward the sound of the conch. Lucian glanced back at Dorian and said, "You'll find out if you come with us."
"Is it really necessary to treat him like that when he just wanted a chance?" Callum asked as he walked alongside Lucian.
"Wouldn't you jump at an opportunity like that too? Besides, if it had been anyone else dueling me instead of him, I probably wouldn't be able to talk to you like this. So I don't think I should be mad at him," Lucian said, picking up his pace. All he could think about was whether Effie had anything to do with the sound of the conch shell.