They never would.
“Whatever it takes,” he murmured, “we’ll end this.”
Peak grimaced, so quick and imperceptible that Domenic wouldn’t have caught it if the expression didn’t look so alien on him.
And just like that, Peak was smiling again. “So whaddya say, Dom, El? You up for hunting a couple monsters?”
As Domenic and Ellery exited the command center, Domenic squinted into the fluorescent lights of the facility hallways, the harsh cast of reality. He clasped his sweaty hands together so as not to reach for her. For however much he’d reassured himself, he needed fantasy. He needed distraction.
“Hey, Dom!” Peak called, jogging up behind them. Domenic halted, and Peak clapped him hard on the shoulder. “What would you say to the two of us having a little talk, man-to-man?”
Immediately, Domenic and Ellery exchanged a stricken look. Peak knew. He knew they’d crossed the line.
“Oh. Uh, yeah,” Domenic answered weakly. “Why not?”
Peak beamed. “Come on. I’ll give you the tour.”
Domenic followed him into an officer lounge, which proved little more than several couches, a pool table, and a bleak kitchenette with a poster of some presumably famous, scantily-clad woman duct taped to the fridge. Several magicians saluted as they entered.
“At ease, all of you,” Peak told them jovially. Then he procured two beers and steered Domenic toward a couch in the corner, beside a radio whose jazz music crackled over the long-distance airwaves. Peak stretched out wide, his arm draped over the back cushions. Domenic leaned his elbows on his knees.
Then a sudden warmth radiated against Domenic as Peak drew Targath. He flicked it, and his bottle cap popped off and plunked against the linoleum floor, slightly singed.
Why not?Domenic repeated to himself, training his own historical magical artifact on his beer. The cap crumpled and fell onto his lap.
“Well, cheers,” Peak said, and they clinked bottles. Peak took a hefty swig. Domenic tilted his bottle back but didn’t let anyliquid pass his lips. He could control Valmordion, but he still wasn’t about to drunkenly wave around a weapon that could raze mountains.
He did still have a few lines.
“I know Toddy Lite isn’t anything fancy,” Peak said, “but I’m fond of it. Me and a buddy used to sneak them into our dorm room. Got ourselves into some real trouble back in the day, if you can believe it.”
“Trouble?” Domenic echoed hoarsely, still bracing himself. “Yeah, I think I can see it.”
“I miss those days. Your whole time at the academy, all you’re told to think about is getting your Living Wand. They don’t tell you how your life changes”—he snapped his fingers—“just like that. The second I bonded with Targath, all of a sudden, I had a uniform. A rank higher than anyone in my class, even those who joined the NDC before me. People saluting when I walked into a room. I don’t think I ever got used to it, to be honest. I’m sure you know the feeling.”
Domenic laughed darkly. “Yeah. I do.” Then, tentatively, he relaxed. Though if Peak didn’t intend to scold him, Domenic had zero idea where this man-to-man talk was going. “But if you weren’t ready, why did you sign up for Targath’s vigil in the first place?”
“Oh, the same reason every student had their eyes on it from the moment my predecessor dropped dead. It guaranteed a future, glory. But after Hoover and Smith were killed before Calynia’s vigil—and Iseul just about—my roommate and I used up almost all our training wands enchanting our locks at night.”
Domenic shuddered to imagine what the academy must’ve been like before sabotaging competition was punishable by expulsion.
“Besides,” Peak went on, “I never doubted I could handle Targath’s power. But the responsibility? I had no idea what I was getting into.”
“What changed?”
“Well, a few months later, that buddy of mine followed me to the NDC. He bonded with Fellis, which—don’t get me wrong—it’s a respectable wand. But that first time we went into a scurge together, technically, I was his commanding officer. It’s the duty of Targath’s wielder to lead, their destiny to protect their men. And I didn’t grasp that.” Peak blew out a breath. “Fellis has passed through a few hands at this point. It’s with one of our cadets, now. I’ve never met her, but I’ve seen her from a distance. She’s real dependable, I’m told.”
Domenic winced. For however ridiculous Peak’s lopsided smiles were, carrying around a burden like that, it was impressive he could smile at all.
“Can I ask you something?” Domenic ventured.
Peak tipped his beer toward him. “Ask away.”
“Why were you so sure about me before you even knew me? Was it just destiny?”
Across the lounge, billiard balls smacked together. One of the officers whooped. Others laughed.
“I’ll admit,” Peak answered, “when Iseul first told me she was taking you and Hanna in, I was pretty surprised. Worried, even. Neither of us had ever wanted kids, and the pair of you, after what you’d been through… it seemed a daunting task. But Iseul’s a smart judge of character, and she saw something in you two. And watching Hanna grow up all these years, that something was obvious. That girl’s a force. Too stubborn and clever for her own good, mind you, but you gotta be, to make it to the Order from factory towns like Danmere—let alone to wield Syarthis. Nowthat’sa responsibility I never would’ve asked for.”
