Rising from the Ashes (Andrew) novel Chapter 1848

Jerome gave a faint smile. "Of course, I went. I may be rough around the edges, but loyalty always comes first. Unfortunately, by the time I reached Chetvine, it was already too late. I never got to see him. The only thing I could do was protect his family and help hold off the enemies who were hunting them."

He sighed deeply. "In the end, I couldn't do much. I heard that the whole incident turned into a bloodbath. Many people died, and all of Chetvine was shaken. Even his only son didn't survive it.

"I searched the battlefield on the outskirts like a madman, over and over. If I'd managed to bring his child back that day, he would've been about Eric's age now."

As he spoke, pain flickered in Jerome's eyes.

He gave a self-deprecating laugh and shook his head slightly. "Forgive me, Dr. Lloyd. I've said too much. It's been a long time since I talked to anyone about that part of the past. I'm not even sure why, but something about seeing you reminded me of my friend, and the words just spilled out."

Andrew smiled. "No harm done. Just think of it as a friendly chat."

Jerome fell silent after that, and Andrew turned his full attention back to drawing out the poison. Still, his mind was anything but calm.

Ten years ago, he and Reginald had fled from Chetvine together.

Reginald had turned back at the last moment to cover Andrew's escape, launching a suicidal counterattack. He had been surrounded by three of the major families and was forced into a deathtrap.

To this day, Andrew did not know how he had escaped, and Reginald had never spoken of it. Just like that, both of them had been drifting in exile for ten years.

Throughout that time, they had never once reestablished contact, not directly, at least.

Andrew knew Reginald was still alive, maybe even living freely somewhere. However, both of them had instinctively chosen to stay distant, without ever saying it aloud.

The reason was simple: fear.

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