Chapter 53: Do You Know?

’I don’t want to jump to conclusions.’

Ezra drew in a slow breath as they stepped out into the corridor.

Helios closed the bedroom door with careful precision, making sure it didn’t even click too loudly. The sound of it settling into place felt heavier than it should have.

They walked a little farther down the hall, past two arches and toward a quieter stretch of wall lit by a single lantern. Far enough that even raised voices wouldn’t reach the room.

Helios stopped first.

He looked down at Ezra, studying him closely. Not accusing. Not cold. Just searching.

And Ezra found himself doing the same.

’What are you thinking?’ he wondered. ’What did you notice?’

“If… you want to say something and you’re worried about how I’ll react,” Ezra said finally, glancing away because holding Helios’s gaze felt harder than it should, “just say it.”

Helios exhaled through his nose.

“It’s not that I’m afraid of your reaction,” he said quietly. “It’s… about Lior.”

There it was.

Ezra’s chest tightened.

’Don’t panic,’ he warned himself immediately. ’He could mean anything.’

Helios had a habit of sounding ominous when he was simply being practical. Ezra had learned that the hard way more than once.

Still, his mind began racing.

Does he suspect? Did he notice something in the way Ezra reacted? Did Lior say something strange while Ezra was distracted?

He forced his shoulders to remain relaxed.

Helios continued, voice steady. “Tomorrow we meet to finalize our strategy against the Dark Ones from Fleur De Lys.”

Ezra nodded. “Yes.”

“The day after, we leave at dawn. Immediately.” Helios’s brows drew together slightly. “Recent reports say the horde is moving faster than expected. If we don’t encounter disruptions, we should intercept them in time.”

He paused, eyes steady on Ezra.

“And we may be gone for several days,” Helios added. “You remember how these operations go.”

Oh.

Oh.

The tension in Ezra shifted into something entirely different.

Not suspicion.

Not exposure.

Reality.

“I would need to leave Lior here,” Ezra murmured, the words slipping out before he could stop them. “For days.”

His eyes widened slightly as the weight of it truly landed.

He hadn’t thought about it.

Not once.

In the chaos of returning. In the tension with the knights. In the news of the horde. He had forgotten the simplest part.

He would have to leave.

’Fuck,’ he thought, fingers curling into fists at his sides. ’What do I do?’

He couldn’t refuse. He had already agreed. And even if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t walk away from this. Not with villages in danger. Not with Helios leading.

But Lior.

Lior barely liked being apart from him for a few hours.

The first time Ezra had left him for half a day, the boy had cried himself hoarse. He still remembered the trembling hands gripping his tunic when he returned.

Days?

Ezra’s throat felt tight.

’How am I going to explain it to him?’ he thought, dread pooling in his stomach. ’How am I…How…’

And the worst part was not even his own pain.

It was imagining Lior waiting by a window. Asking when he would return. Growing quiet.

Ezra swallowed hard.

“I didn’t think about that,” he admitted under his breath.

Helios stepped closer before Ezra could retreat into his thoughts.

He placed his hands on both of Ezra’s shoulders, firm but not forceful.

Grounding.

Like he always does.

“I know you,” Helios said quietly. “You didn’t think about it because your knight instincts came first. And I knew when you finally did, you would started worrying.”

Ezra blinked.

Helios’s grip tightened just slightly. “That’s why I left earlier.”

“What?” Ezra asked, genuinely confused now. “Left to do what?”

A small smile tugged at Helios’s lips. Not teasing. Not smug. Just calm.

“To fix it.”

Ezra stared at him.

“To fix… what?”

“If you permit it,” Helios continued, voice steady, “we can bring Lior with us.”

For a moment, Ezra thought he had misheard.

“…What?”

“To the mission,” Helios clarified gently. “You can bring him, or well, I will act like I am the one bringing him..”

Ezra’s breath caught.

“Are you insane?” The words slipped out before he could stop them. “It’s dangerous. We’re intercepting a horde of Dark Ones.”

“I’m aware,” Helios replied evenly.

Ezra pulled back slightly, searching Helios’s face for any sign that this was a joke.

There was none.

“It won’t be reckless,” Helios continued. “We will establish headquarters in House Mirevale’s territory. Near the duke’s palace. There will be secured grounds. Guard rotations. Tents for the injured. For rest. For supplies.”

He met Ezra’s gaze directly. “Lior can stay there.”

Ezra stared at him.

“You’re serious.”

“Yes.”

“He would be near a battlefield.”

“He would be near soldiers,” Helios corrected. “Under protection. Under my protection.”

That did something strange to Ezra’s chest.

’Under my protection.’

Ezra swallowed. “Is that even allowed?”

Helios’s smile sharpened faintly. Not arrogant. Just assured.

“It is allowed,” he said, “as long as I allow it.”

Silence fell between them.

Ezra went still.

He looked at Helios properly now. Really looked at him. The calm certainty in his expression. The quiet determination. The fact that he had already thought this through.

“You planned this,” Ezra said slowly.

“I considered it,” Helios corrected. “The moment I realized you hadn’t.”

Ezra’s mind felt unsteady.

“You would… adjust military logistics… for a child?”

“For you.” Helios replied without hesitation.

The words landed harder than they should have.

Ezra’s throat tightened.

’Why?’ his mind demanded. ’Why would you do that?’

He stepped back, just enough to create space. To think.

“Why?” he asked aloud this time.

Helios didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he lowered his hands slowly from Ezra’s shoulders, though he didn’t look away.

“Because you won’t fight properly if you’re worrying about him,” Helios said simply. “You’ll hesitate. You’ll overextend. You’ll try to finish things faster than you should.”

Ezra’s jaw tightened.

Helios wasn’t wrong.

“And I got the chance to speak with him as you heard,” Helios continued. “I realized…he is a sweet child. The horrors of the world still haven’t gotten to him, and that’s because of you.”

“Well…” Ezra muttered.

“Think about it…and…”

Ezra studied him carefully.

“That’s not the only reason.”

Helios held his gaze.

“No,” he admitted quietly.

The lantern between them flickered softly.

“I also did it,” Helios continued, voice lower now, “because when I saw your face earlier… I understood.”

Ezra’s breath faltered.

“You pretend very well,” Helios said. “But I am not blind.”

’What?’

Wait…

“Do you know…?” Ezra asks quietly.

Something unexplainable blooming inside his chest.

“Yes. I do.”

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