Page 3 of The Pacifist
“A bet is a bet, and now you must honor it.”
Staring at my tall dad, I swallowed hard. He was serious.
A loud sound of pain made me turn to see Mason taking punches to his stomach and when he bent over protecting his core, it felt eerily like a visualization of how I felt myself. Why had I spoken so lightly about something so important?
“Are you okay, buddy?” Magni moved to the ring.
Mason was in obvious pain, but managed a groan and a low “Uh-huh.”
Laura kneeled down in front of him and caressed his hair. “Do you want to stop?”
“No. Just give me a minute.” A second later he shook it off and continued sparring with Laura, who gave him a proud smile.
Magni’s stance eased in front of me. In a fluid movement, he turned and placed his large hands on my shoulders. “Mila Vanilla. Every woman deserves a great lethal warrior as her protector. Don’t worry, dear. One day you’ll come to thank me for having a tournament. You’ll see. And don’t go worrying about your husband being a stranger at first. You love everybody. Even big brutes like me. If anyone can do it, it’s you.”
CHAPTER 1
Falling
The Gray Manor – February 2449
Mila
“Mila… wake up, sweetie. You’re dreaming.”
The distant sound of my mother’s voice brought me back from a violent nightmare and I sat up in my bed. “Dad – where is Dad?”
“Shhh, Mila, relax. Breathe.”
The light was dimmed in my room but the door was open and bright light shone in from the hallway.
“You had that dream again, didn’t you?” My mother brushed my hair back with sadness on her face.
“It’s the same one over and over.” I pulled my knees to my chest and felt my heart rate slow down. “I see the drone explode with Dad in it.”
“You see him die?”
“Yes. Every night.”
Laura sighed and took my hand. “I have nightmares too. So does your dad.”
“But why do I keep dreaming that he died?”
My mother brushed her long red braid back over her shoulder and gave me a worried look. “I don’t know. Did you talk to Athena about it like I suggested?”
“Yes.” I looked down. “She thinks it’s my way of processing that the father I knew died that day.”
Laura leaned back. “I see.”
“Athena says I’ll probably keep having that dream until I accept that the old Magni is never coming back.”
My mother’s eyes showed signs of moisture and she quickly looked away. “He’s still here. We just have to be patient.” Releasing my hands, she petted two of my dogs that lay stretched out on the foot-end of my bed. “You spoil them.”
I answered in a yawn. “I’m their mom. I spoil them just like you spoil me.”
Laura gave me a small smile and rolled off the bed. “I don’t spoil you. You’re just very easy to love while your father is challenging my patience.”
I rubbed my eyes. “Did you have another fight with him?”
