“Give Kalvoxrencol a chance. I’ve never seen him like this. He cares about you.”
“You know him well?” I had no cousins or at least ones I knew.
“Though he’s younger than I am by several cycles, I know him well. I have no siblings, so Pest and his brothers became mine.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. “Thank you for teaching me, Commander.”
“Please call me Monqilcolnen. We’re family now.”
I swallowed. I hadn’t had a family for a very long time. “Can I give you a nickname?”
His head tilted to the side. “That word translated oddly.”
“Another name, like you call Kal ‘Pest.’”
“An endearment. Are you struggling with my name?”
“A bit,” I confessed.
He stared at me for a moment before replying, “You may.”
“Monty?” I suggested.
“That is acceptable. Now, I need to make sure you can protect yourself so Kalvoxrencol’s worries can lessen.”
“You are not paying attention, Prince,” Urgg said, easily blocking my punch.
They were right. I wasn’t focusing on Urgg in the slightest. My back was to Seth, but I kept my ears perked to catch every whisper of his voice and thump on the mat.
“I want to observe my Seth.”
“I dislike taking my eyes off Talvax too, and she struggles even more than I do. But Seth is different. Give him some space.”
“He talks to you.”
“I’m his oravirven, but no, he doesn’t, not truly. We’ve become friends, though,” they said before throwing themselves at me.
I evaded, switching places on the mat, so I faced Seth’s direction. He and Monqilcolnen stood opposite as my cousin spoke to him in a low voice. Eyes on Seth, I didn’t pay any mind to Urgg. I slammed into the ground, ribs protesting.
“Pitiful, Prince. If I’d been an enemy, you would be dead.”
“Then it’s fortunate you’re not.” I patted their shoulder, and Urgg gracefully got to their feet. I did the same, arm around my throbbing ribs.
“Let’s go again.”
“It’s no use,” I said. Seth was all I could pay attention to.
Urgg grunted, not forcing me into another session. Instead, they wandered over to Wyn’s mat. He was currently beating his opponent with ease, despite the other drakcol being significantly taller and broader.
Seth rushed toward Monqilcolnen, and time slowed. Monqilcolnen flipped Seth over his shoulder and onto the mat. I moved before I even had the thought of doing so. The next thing I knew, I stood in front of my cousin, between him and Seth, snarling.
“Peace, Pest.”
A pained moan came from behind me, which made my muscles tighten. Monqilcolnen shifted toward Seth, and something snapped inside my head. Without thought, I tackled Monqilcolnen.
Snarling. There was a lot of yelling and growls. I blinked, trying to remember how to breathe. Pins and needles poked my lungs as I attempted to inhale.
“Prince,” someone said in a scolding tone.
