Wrath of the Gods [Legacy, BK 3 - Hiatus]

5.2 - Ezra

We sat around one of the fires in the courtyard as the sunset, sharing the provisions we brought with us. Jett was focused on the little that he ate, exhaustion pulling at the features of his face. The afternoon had been long, but I thought he'd handled it well. Hell, it seemed like Jett was taking all of this better than I'd hoped. Maybe it had something to do with his memories of his parents. I couldn't be sure, but I was thankful for it. Since he hadn't answered the blood call as the others had, I'd been afraid that he would be resistant to joining us.

Jett also didn't seem to be having the same reaction to the initiation as I had. Hunter and the others hadn't either. Was it because I was the Head of the Family or because I traveled here through the Stanwood Vault? Or was it because I'd taken my first demon against his will instead of letting him come to me as the others had?

"What's the plan for tomorrow?" Hunter asked. He sat on the other side of Jett, finishing the last bites of a granola bar. He already had another small pile of food next to him, no doubt for John whenever he made his appearance.

"I figured we'd join the warriors for morning sparring, then we'll show Jett the basics and how to summon, and then head home."

Hunter finished the last bite of his bar, tossing the rapper into the bag we kept for trash. "Sounds like a plan. I should probably go check on John. He's either done or bored out of his mind." Hunter stood gathering the small pile that was next to him. "I'll see y'all in the morning."

Jett and I watched him walk off, heading for the stairs up the cliff face.

"I'm still just in awe. I've been here a day and I still feel like I'm dreaming." Jett took a sip from his water bottle.

"I guess it does have that sort of feeling."

"The sparring that you mentioned, with the warriors," Jett let his words trail off and I got the feeling he wasn't really thrilled with the idea. "Would you tell me more about it? What do you do?"

"Hunter and I, and others when they're here, we spar and learn to fight with the warriors."

"Not John?" Jett asked.

I hesitated, but only for a breath. "It's too dangerous for others to spar with him, but Hunter and I will spar with him if he wants to."

Jett looked surprised. "He's that good?"

"It's not really about how good at fighting he is, but about his magic. John isn't a Reinhardt like us by birth and his power is different from ours." I shook my head. "We're getting off-topic. What I was trying to say is that it's important to learn how to protect yourself. You'd be surprised at who would attack you."

"Like from that guy in New York? Does that happen a lot?"

I picked up my water bottle and twisted the lid open. "More than I would like."

True night had fallen around us. Our fire and the other fires of the tribe dotted the courtyard like a constellation, and I felt the pull of sleep. It had been a long day.

"That's it, though, right? It's just for defense?" Jett asked, looking unsure.

"What do you mean?"

"I was listening at the meeting last night, and I don't understand it all, there's a lot going on. How did this all start? What happened?"

I focused on the fire for a moment, gathering my thoughts. "It all started many years ago, back in my great-grandfather's time. There's always seemed to be a rift between Witches and Necromancers, but it wasn't until then that the fighting and the killings started. We Reinhardts were the fighters, we were the guard that stood between the Witches and the other Necromancers. And because of that, they hunted us like animals; there was even a point when we'd thought they'd killed all of us Reinhardts. That was before I'd found my powers and learned the truth about my past. I think at one point we gave as good as we got when it came to the attacks, but now? We can't even retaliate, because we just don't have the numbers to do so."

"Do you want to?"

Considering his question for a moment, I shook my head. "At one point, I did. But really, I just want the fighting to stop. I want to be able to live without looking over my shoulder. I want any children I have to be safe, but I'm still trying to figure that part out. It hasn't been easy and now that we know some Necromancers are working with the Witches and some Witches are willing to work with us? It's blurred the lines a bit."

Jett watched the fire for a long moment. "I don't want to fight. I've never felt good about fighting, even when friends of mine at school tried to get me to. I mean, protecting myself is one thing but actively going after someone is another. I just don't think I could ever do that."

I couldn't blame him for that, and honestly, if we weren't so desperately short on Summoners I'd probably wouldn't press the issue. But we needed every person we could, even if it was someone who could just stay and help protect those who can't fight.

"Learn to fight," I suggested. "To protect yourself at the very least. You'll have options then, and you can always choose not to fight later."

Jett looked relieved. "I appreciate that."

The last of his words were cut off by a yawn.

"Come on, I'll show you where you can sleep. "I stood and gathered my stuff and bag that had the food. We put the fire out together quietly, but it wasn't until we were walking towards the stairs that led up to the cliff face that Jett spoke again.

"There's not much keeping me in New York," he said suddenly. "If you don't mind me sticking around, I could help out with just about anything. Cooking, cleaning, or running errands even."

"Just not fighting," I added with a light voice.

He grinned at me. "Yeah."

"It's okay. I don't want to force you or anyone to do anything you're not comfortable with. Is there anything you want to get from your place?"

"I'm sort of between places, and jobs, at the moment. Kind of makes it easier to just drop everything and go. I was staying on a friend's couch, if I can just go get my stuff then I'd be set"

I couldn't see Jett's expression clearly in the shadows from the few lanterns that lit the stairs, but I didn't miss the hesitation and solemn notes in the tone of his voice. I didn't know what I was expecting but hearing that he was homeless wasn't it.

"Sure, we can go get your things once we're back on that side and get you set up with us. That isn't a problem."

"I really appreciate it," Jett said. "And please, let me know how I can pay you back."

"That's not needed. It's what family is for, right?" I looked back at Jett and paused on the first step as I caught the raw emotion on his face as he came into the light. It was a look of shock and gratitude as if what he was hearing was too good to be true.

"Yeah," Jett finally said. "Yeah, I guess it is."