Chapter 32: Pure Rage
"Father, please—" Jaenor held back his tears, but they wouldn’t stop.
"Listen to me." Garrick’s grip tightened on his son’s hand. "I see something in you, boy. Something that scares me and makes me proud at the same time. You have a fire inside you that burns brighter than other men. Don’t let it consume you."
Jaenor didn’t understand what his father meant, but he nodded anyway. "I promise."
Garrick’s breathing got even weaker. His eyes started to close. "I love you both," he whispered. "I’ve been... so happy..."
Then his hand went limp in Jaenor’s grip.
Rosa’s sob echoed off the stone walls.
Jaenor felt like his heart was breaking. This man had been everything to him—father, teacher, friend. Now he was gone, and the world felt empty.
Rosa was crying, holding her dead husband. Just a while before they were laughing, shared a cup of ale and now he was lying dead before her. The reality of the situation fell hard on her.
Both of them were devastated, in the dark empty space.
But their grief was cut short by a new sound.