Drakkon

Chapter Twenty-Two

On the seventh day of my stay at the palace, Commander Bolin and General Hai made a visit to me. Nikator was with me at the time and we both were in the garden, talking about pointless stuff as we walked around. Nikator was my bodyguard until Vita got here and had to follow me everywhere I went, which included taking strolls in the garden.

"Lady Daiyu, a pleasure to finally meet you!" a booming, chipper voice called from behind me.

Startled, I spun around and saw a tall man in his mid-thirties walking over towards me. He had short black hair and deep brown eyes, laughter crinkles around his soft eyes as he smiled at me. There was a man trailing after him, looking bored and tired. He had short hair as well, and he was more slender than the other man. Younger and more agile looking, the man trailed after him and watched me carefully, looking mildly interested.

"General Hai, Commander Bolin," Nikator said in surprise.

The older man grinned and reached over to ruffle Nikator's hair. Nikator instantly drew back, causing the younger man to burst out laughing, breaking his serious visage. "The kid hates you, remember, Hai?"

General Hai frowned and shot a look at Bolin. "He doesn't hate me. Right, Nik?"

Nikator made a face. "Don't call me Nik."

"But—"

"The kid hates you," Bolin said with another laugh. "Priceless."

"Don't call me a kid either," Nikator said with an exasperated sigh. "You both are annoying. What do you want?"

"We didn't come for you," Hai said with a ridiculous huge smile as he patted Nikator's shoulder. "We came to meet the beautiful Lady Daiyu that we've heard so much about."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," I said carefully, giving them both a small bow to show my respect. General Hai was the respected leader of the rebel army from six years ago, before Meilin took over as the leader, and he was known to be tactful, kind, and amazing on the battlefield. Commander Bolin, on the other hand, was younger and more sullen, and had a dry sense of humor.

"The honor is ours," Hai said with a wide smile. They both were dressed in military attire and by the looks of it, they were ready of any sort of fight breaking out. Their weapons were kept close and I noticed that Bolin was keeping a steady eye around our surroundings.

Nikator's gaze swept around the garden before he rested a gentle hand on my forearm. "Don't move, Lady Daiyu," he murmured ever so softly, exchanging a knowing look with General Hai. "Someone's watching," he whispered so softly that I almost didn't hear him.

"There are so many spies around here that it's not that surprising," Bolin said with a sigh as he turned back to me. "You should always be careful, Lady Daiyu. It's a good thing you have Nikator by your side, but even then, you should take extra precaution with everything you do."

"Once Meilin crushes the rebellion, all the enemy spies will run away since he'll crush them so bad that they'll lose their fighting spirit," Hai said with a smirk, as if he knew that Meilin would beat everyone easily. "Still, you should always be on your toes, just in case."

"The war won't last soon," Nikator said as he pinpointed a location, his gaze narrowing. He touched the tip of his blade so discreetly and naturally that I wouldn't have known he was thinking about throwing it if I hadn't heard his words about someone watching us. "Master has called in Remus, Atreus, and Minos to fight. He told me that once Vita comes to protect the Empress, I am to report back immediately and participate—"