Praetorian Rising, стр. 51
Camille knew he was trying to make her see that the destruction she'd caused wasn't solely her fault, but it was hard to believe. "After LeMarc spread the word of this blood rage, what happened to the Praetorians?"
"We were exiled, deemed unworthy of protection and dangerous to all Asperians. It was a load of shiat; we'd been trained from day one to control our emotions. Most Praetorians fled to the western lands, the Kingdom of Olin, but some stayed to fight back. Chimera ran rampant in the villages, and LeMarc wasn't about to abandon his desire for continued growth throughout the kingdoms."
Camille glanced up, searching through the impenetrable façade plastered on Vesyon's face. It was evident he hadn't stayed solely to fight against the High King; he had ulterior motives. His eyes remained clouded, the truth hidden behind his many walls of protection. It was impossible not to feel intrigued by him despite the tremor of hesitancy regarding what she'd find if she dug deep enough.
His eyes cut back to her, aware that she was staring at him. "That's what started the rebellion," he said, his eyes seemingly unable to leave her face. "It's time we fight back. We've slowly been building a Rogue army to take back what's ours."
Her brows lifted quizzically. "And what is that?"
Vesyon smiled genuinely for the first time all night, his lips pulling apart with pure happiness. "Freedom for Aspera and those who want to live as we once did. Returning to the peaceful existence we had before LeMarc destroyed it. We're fighting for our right to live."
She couldn't help but return the smile; it was an infectious thought. "Sounds nice. Are we just going to walk out there and kill the High King?"
Vesyon laughed at this, a happy, bubbling sound. He was quite attractive when the light of humor touched the grey of his eyes Camille thought with absolute wonder. "No, no we can't do that. That's why we're building an army. We need numbers more than anything. We need strong fighters, and this compound has helped us build our strength over the years."
Camille eyed him with interest; something in his tone suggested he was about to tell her something she didn't want to hear. "I have a feeling I'm not going to like where you are going with this."
Vesyon kept going as though she hadn't said a word. "It's been made clear to us that LeMarc is sending his King Regent and an army of Equestrians our way. They will be here in twelve days. I need to make sure you understand the situation."
For a fraction of a second, Camille's body betrayed her with panic. She felt a swarming buzz fill her body, the terror of the Equestrian soldiers grabbing at her body so real in her mind that she could almost feel their rough hands against her skin.
"Camille?" Vesyon said, his eye filling with concern and dropping to his knees in front of her. "Are you ok?"
He didn't touch her, didn't move to hold her, and she at once felt the desire to be held and yet didn't want to be touched. Shaking her head to push the memories out, Camille grasped Vesyon's outstretched hand and pulled his palm flush against her cheek.
"What exactly is the situation?" Camille asked, finding her strength again in his touch.
Vesyon's other hand found purchase against her bare cheek, and he pulled her face closer to his. "LeMarc can't win this time, Camille. I won't let him take you from me. The King Regent will rip you away from me if he gets the chance."
Camille moved her chin imperceptibly, unable to pull her gaze away from the fire in Vesyon's stare. "I don't want to hide; I want to be by your side. If the King Regent is coming to collect me, he'll leave empty handed—if he can even walk after I'm done with him."
His eyes slipped away from hers toward the foggy mountain horizon as his hands fell back to his sides and he stood, putting distance between them again. "He won't hesitate to take you as a prisoner if the opportunity allows it, and I can't let him do that. You're far too valuable and important. You understand?"
Camille held her tongue for a moment, picking invisible lint off her white shirt. "You don't want me to stand and fight?"
"I want you to be safe," he replied without pause. "You aren't ready for a full-blown attack against the Equestrians. If they get a hold of you, the game's over."
Camille's eyebrows scrunched as she struggled to maintain control. She had almost failed herself in the forest when the Equestrians had attacked them. Vesyon had a right to worry. His doubt pulled at her emotions and adrenaline, but she was able to stem the flow, pushing it back down to a manageable level. He was testing her.
"I feel like I have something to offer. I can fight; you've seen me do it," Camille urged as her fists bunched at her sides.
Vesyon smirked, seemingly unaffected by the raw passion in her tone. "I know you can. But I'm not sure how you'll react once you see Metus."
"I'm not weak!"
"I never said you were. Right now, I need you to understand that there's a plan you must go along with, no questions asked," Vesyon said evenly.
Camille wanted to argue with his logic more than anything, but kept herself in check. "Why do I have the feeling I'll be sitting in my room twiddling my thumbs while the whole compound goes to battle?"
"You won't," he responded with a shrug.
"I won't?"
"No. I have full faith you'll do what I need you to do—even if it isn't using a sword."
"What exactly will that be?"
Vesyon went from jovial to serious in less than a second, his emotions flipping so quickly that she almost lost the balance of the conversation. "There's