Diable

Chapter 1

Chapter 1With a smile of contentment, Henri hammered at his forge. At the shout of his name, Henri looked up to see Sébastien in the doorway waving a scroll. Grumbling under his breath, Henri plunged the sword he was working on into water before laying it and his hammer aside.

Ambling toward Sébastien as he removed his apron, Henri came to a stop and folded his arms, ignoring the slipperiness of his skin and the sweat glistening on his forearms. This could not be good.

“Do I even want to know?” Henri rumbled the question, not really wanting to hear the answer.

“Let me think.” Sébastien tugged at his small dark goatee as if thinking carefully. “A choice between a quiet life here, with you working in your forge and me running around making sure there is food and that we train, or travelling to Paris because Cardinal Richelieu himself has demanded a Slayer? A hard decision, mon frère.”

Settling for a rude noise as a suitable retort, Henri then sighed heavily. “Do we need report to l’évêque?”

“I’m afraid so. You know l’évêque. Célestin worries every time one of his teams faces preternaturals. Now there’s a summons to Paris to add to his concerns. Not only will he fret about us dealing with a possible preter, but stepping on the toes of Richelieu, which is probably the more dangerous of the two.”

“Zut! As if we have the time to worry about court politics.” Henri hawked and spat to the side. Nothing angered him more than the wealth and privilege in which some of the clergy indulged. Their direct bishop, Célestin, was different; a venerable man, who eschewed the trappings of wealth. He was also a man of great learning and respected by all of his teams, and thus earned the disapproval of many of his peers and superiors.

“In Richelieu’s case, we have no choice. You know it’s said he’s the real power there. He has the king’s ear.” Sébastien shrugged.

“Oui. True enough. Do I have time to finish my sword? She’s almost ready.” Henri cast a longing glance at his forge.

“Of course. I’ll get some supplies and pack. Maybe a couple of hours?”

“Perfect.” Henri grinned delightedly. Sébastien was truly the best partner a man could have. Especially in such a dangerous role when you needed to know your partner had your back. “Take care, mon frère. This weapon will serve us well, I can feel it.”

“Then don’t rush her. I’ll be back soon.”

Henri waited until Sébastien disappeared from his sight, heading over to the stables, before he went back inside to fan the flames of his forge. He stared into the fire. I feel I’ve hardly had time to recoup from our last mission. Sébastien is a good few years younger, a little headstrong at times, but I thank God for him.

Raising his hammer, Henri began to shape the sword as he wished, but his thoughts remained on Sébastien. When I lost my first Intermediary I was distraught, yet Sébastien knew exactly how to get through to me. But if I feel too old to continue, what of him? We know each other so well, how would he fare with a new Slayer? I can’t just walk away from him. If nothing else, he will always have a home with me.

Focusing his thoughts away from his partner, Henri concentrated on his sword. Soon he was lost in the comforting rhythm.