I followed the young captain out of the hangar to the small seating area that had been set up for me. A group of twenty pilots in identical uniforms stood facing me, their hands pressed behind their backs and their feet hip-width apart at attention.
But as I got closer, I saw what my heart already knew. They were children, the lot of them. If this was their commissioning ceremony, they would've just completed their flight school after six months of training. Most of the heads barely came up to my shoulder as I passed them.
I wished I didn't have to see the fear in their eyes, the nervousness that came with commissioning. If they were lucky, they'd be assigned to bases in the south and west. Or even to protect Norose, which hadn't seen an attack in over a decade. If they were unlucky, they would be sent north, to a base like Vinolas.
I finished walking the length of the assembled group and turned, clicking my heels together as I'd been taught.
"Fellow Ravens, today marks the end of your training. The—" I swallowed, struggling to keep my brain on track. If I just spat out the words quickly, I could get through this. "There is no greater honor than defending Raven independence. You are..." Another hard swallow. "You are the lucky ones. You will be celebrated and honored for your sacrifice. On behalf of President Bayard, thank you for your...service." I forced my hand from my side to the top of my brow in salute.
The young pilots saluted me in return, then were dismissed by their captain to retrieve their planes. I had a small moment when their backs were turned to exhale my disgust at myself. I'd never been comfortable with the official speeches handed down from headquarters, but now that I was smarter, the sentiments made me even sicker.
Most of these children were from poor families, or orphans whose parents were killed in action, as mine probably had been. But now that I had some money and prestige, if I ever had a child, they would be exempt from the conscription that had sucked up these children. Just as Emilie had been.
The hum of the planes grew louder as they left the hangar then queued to take off. I sat next to Govine and slid my sunglasses over my eyes. The pilots were supposed to show that they could take off, perform basic aerial defensive and offensive measures, and land. It was a very low bar, but then again, we needed more pilots to help defend our country.
And yet, there were hundreds of children in Veres that—
No, I wouldn't think about that.
To my eyes, these pilots were untrained and sloppy, but what else could be expected after only six months? They would either get better or they would die. That was why I still lived.
I winced as two planes clipped each others wings, forcing myself to stare at the ground.
Twin whistles.
Boom.
"Oh...oh God," Govine whispered beside me. He stood and rushed to the wreckage, but I remained where I was.
I said a quick prayer for the two pilots who'd most assuredly lost their lives, and another for Govine. He was still young, and these were the first pilots he'd lost. They wouldn't be the last.
My leg twinged, and I remembered my own nearly fatal crash. I remembered waking up, seeing his face for the first time up close. How he'd saved my life, how I'd hated him for it, how much I missed him in that second—
I swallowed and forced myself to look up at the sky to keep my tears from falling.
I was doing nothing by following orders, and yet following orders would get me to my end goal: Bayard's office. It was endlessly frustrating—made more palpable by the two lives that I quietly added to my tab. If I'd been successful in finding a way to forge peace between Kylae and Rave, these two kids would've still been alive.
"Major." My driver was behind me. "If we don't leave now, we'll be late for the next ceremony."
I nodded and exhaled loudly. It would be a long day before I could reach the safety and privacy of my apartment and properly mourn the two children. And the however many others who would lose their lives today.
Galian
Now that I was getting paid a resident's meager salary by the hospital, I liked to do normal things with it. Today's excursion with Martin was to the corner grocery, because there was nothing left in our pantry but beer and molding apples.
I'd been to the store with him three times already, but the sheer amount of food that greeted me when I walked in the front door never ceased to amaze me. Fresh fruit imported from far-off countries, spices, breads, chocolates. If I'd known such a bounty existed whilst on the island, I might not have made it.
I spotted a girl giving me the side-eye from across the apples and I ignored her. Martin was three aisles over, probably filling our cart with the unhealthiest junk food he could find. It was usually up to me to pick out the real stuff.
A gasp of surprise echoed across the empty market, and a middle-aged woman pressed her hand to her mouth, blushed, then disappeared down an aisle. I chuckled and tossed citrus fruits of different sizes and shapes into my basket. The handwritten sign marked them as from Jervan. I let my mind wander to Theo, and wondered if Rave got imports from other countries, or if they only ate the food they grew.
I was being watched, and I spun around to find the source. A girl, who couldn't have been older than seventeen, sauntered over, swinging her hips.
"Do you need help with anything?" she asked, eyeing me from beneath her lashes.
"Er...do you work here?" I asked, feeling the heat rise on the back of my neck.
"I do if you want me to—"
"Ah, there you are, Jem," Martin's voice was a Godsend as he forced himself between the girl and myself. He looked at her and shook his head. "Did you confuse my idiot friend for the prince? Happens all the time. He gets laid three times a week with it."
The girl frowned then huffed away, throwing glares at me.
Once she was out of sight, I breathed a sigh of thanks to Martin, who seemed to find the whole thing funny.
"This is why I can't take you anywhere, Jem," Martin said, taking the empty basket from me and filling it with fruit. "But seriously, don't wander off."
I nodded my agreement and kept close to him while we continued filling our bags with food. I spotted a little dark-skinned boy hovering near a big pile of apples. He was maybe six or seven, barely tall enough to reach the first row. I watched in slow motion as he grabbed one from the top, sending the pile of apples tumbling to the ground.
He locked eyes with me then dashed away when the manager of the store came running in.
"Stop thief!"
"Thief?" I said, quirking my brow.
My question was answered when the little boy was dragged back in by one of the other store workers. The apple hung from his little fingers, and his eyes were wide and terrified.
"It'll be to the death camps for you, creature," the manager snarled, slapping the apple out of the boy's hand.
"Hey!" I barked, stepping forward. "Don't talk to him like that."
"And who are..." The manager spun on his heel, but recognition dawned on his face and his pale skin turned whiter. "O-oh, Your Majesty, I'm s-so sorry, please forgive me for my rudeness." And he dropped to the floor, probably ready to kiss my shoes if I hadn't stopped him.
"Stop," I said, my hand firmly on the black-haired boy. "I'll take him. You forget this happened."
"Y-yes sire. Right away, sire." On and on he went before he disappeared behind the aisle.
"P-please don't send me away," the boy whispered, shaking under my hand.
"I won't," I said, handing him the bag of food that I'd been gathering. "Here. Take it. And..." I fished out a bank note from my pocket. "Take this too."
His eyes grew wide, and he stepped back.
"I know what it's like to be hungry," I said, knowing he might not believe me. "Nobody in this kingdom should ever have to."
He clutched the note in his hand then his eyes widened as a shadow fell across his face.
"Big, bald guy?" I asked the boy. He nodded fervently, and I shook my head. "Just my shadow. Don't worry, he's harmless."
I put my hand over the boy's small one. "Get home. Make sure you give that money to your mom to buy food, okay?"
"She'll probably use it for drugs," Kader observed as the boy dashed out of the store.
"That's awfully presumptuous of you," I said, walking forward to start reassembling the apples onto their stand. I noticed that I'd gathered a crowd, and did my best to ignore them.
"It's awfully presumptuous to think he has a mother in the first place," Kader shot back. "More than likely, he's got a handler who sends him to be a distraction while he cleans up. You just made his month." He glanced at the manager, who had reappeared. "You might want to check your registers."
Despite my optimism, my face reddened slightly. There was truth in what Kader said, even if was only that I'd presumed the child had parents. My face grew warmer when I heard the manager cawing about empty registers.
"Would've been better to let the kid get caught. At least then he'd be out of the dealer's hands," Kader said, bending down to pick up an apple, then placing it atop the pile.
"Don't kid yourself. He'd be sent to Mael."
"You aren't going to get back to Theo by saving every half-Raven kid in Norose," Kader replied softly.
I winced at her name, but continued stacking the apples. "What choice do I have? I can't just... I can't do anything else."
"You could try forgetting her."
I clenched my jaw and glared at him.
"I don't doubt that you both felt something, and I don't doubt when we took her from Mael, her intentions were pure. But it's been four months, and she's..." I looked up at him; his face was stony and severe as usual. "She's Bayard's new puppet."
I hated every single person who called her that. "Theo's no puppet. Trust me, she's capable of making her own decisions."
"Exactly. And once this Mael story dies down, she's going to be shopped around to marry whomever Bayard thinks would make the most sense from a public relations standpoint, if she doesn't already have someone in mind herself. That fool who was there before her, I forget his name already, but he'd make a good candidate."
The idea of Theo with anyone else churned my stomach.
"But most importantly, there's no way you could ever actually be together," Kader said with a gentle tone that surprised me. He actually sounded concerned for my emotional wellbeing. "Not now, anyway. Not with her face nearly as well-known as yours. Not with the story they told."
"I told her I'd figure it out."
"You've done nothing but go back to the hospital and avoid your father," Kader said. "And now, you've made an ass of yourself by getting involved in a petty dispute with a shop owner, who'll most likely talk to the press."
I clenched my jaw. "What's your point?"
"If you're so hell-bent on getting back to her, stop half-assing it and do it. Otherwise, quit making a complete fool out of yourself."
I was about to respond when I saw the shop owner making his way over to me. I could already tell I would have to pay a lot of money to make up for what I'd allowed to happen. A flash caught my eye, and I groaned. The crowd of photographers had assembled on the perimeter of the store, unwilling to come inside, but waiting for the moment I stepped out.
With all the ruckus at the market, Martin and I came back to our apartment empty-handed. To boot, I was now half a month's salary lighter to repay the money the man had lost. As Prince Galian, I could've taken it from my family's coffers. But since I was now just Galian, the money had to come from me. But I was glad to do it; I felt responsible for his losses.
Lucky for Martin and myself, when we arrived back at our apartment, Rosie was waiting for us with a bright smile on her face.
Where Kader was tall and lanky, Rosie was short and shapely, with light brown curls that accented her round, rosy cheeks and a smile that could make me forget whatever troubles weighed me down. What she saw in Elijah Kader, I had no idea, because she was as kind and gracious as he was rude and gruff.
"You boys hungry?" she asked, wiping her hands on her apron. "I just made a big pot of stew, and Eli and I won't be able to eat it all."
Martin and I exchanged happy smiles.
"C'mon in." She held the door open for the two of us, and we filed into her apartment. If I hadn't seen her and Kader's wedding photo on the mantle, and seen the man himself come in and out of the door, I would never have guessed that he lived in such a warm and inviting place. Reds and yellows accented the small living room and a squishy, dark brown couch sat in front of the television, where Martin made himself comfortable. I followed Rosie into the kitchen, hoping for a bit of guidance and to avoid hearing about what was being said about the day's events.
As if she'd read my mind, Rosie nodded to the fridge. "Have a beer, honey."
"Is Kader coming?" I asked, realizing that he hadn't come in the door yet after driving Martin and me back to our apartment.
"No, sweetheart, he had some business to take care of at the castle," she said, taking the second beer from me. "Sit down and keep me company while I finish dinner."
I sat on the small kitchen table and watched Rosie bounce between the stove and the fridge. "I can't drink too much. I'm working in the morning."
"Poor baby," Rosie replied. "Is that attending still giving you off and on schedules?"
"I think it's my father's doing."
"Oh, honey, not everything that happens to you is the king's fault," Rosie said, walking up to me with a spoon. "Taste." I did so and nodded appreciatively. "Sometimes, life's just unfair."
I thought of that little boy in the grocery store, just as I heard Martin calling my name. When I leaned out of the kitchen, I saw a photo of myself talking with the grocery manager. The headline read, "Prince Galian helps local merchant, defeats five thieves."
"You've got to be kidding me," I said, leaning back into the kitchen.
"Oh, I saw that earlier," Rosie said with a smile. "Elijah told me it was a little boy you were trying to help."
She placed a bowl of chunky meat and vegetables in front of me and patted my cheek. "Such a good boy." I didn't have the heart to remind her I was twenty-five. Martin appeared in the doorway to the tiny kitchen and made himself a plate, shoveling the stew into his mouth as he walked back into the living room, pausing only to offer a garbled "thank you" to Rosie.
I ate as much as I could, more than usual, so Rosie wouldn't fret over me.
"How are you doing, sweetheart?" she asked after a moment.
"I'm..." Fine would be the word I'd use with my mother, but today I couldn't bring myself to say it again. "I feel like I'm spinning my wheels. I haven't done anything but go to work and come home. Mael still burns. Bombs still drop. And Theo..." I closed my eyes. "I miss her."
"I know how you feel. Every time Eli left for another mission, I couldn't sleep until he was back home. I hated feeling helpless."
"But you knew he was coming back home," I said. "I don't know if I'll ever see Theo again."
"I didn't, though," Rosie replied, glancing at the front door for a moment before returning to me. "Eli never went into details, but I know... I could tell every time he came home and held me that he'd been close enough to not making it back."
I glanced out into the living room again, still wishing I knew more about my bodyguard's past. "So you asked him to quit?"
"He quit himself," Rosie said. "He said he was tired of...of the strain. Wanted a better job." She smiled sadly at me. "He was beside himself with worry when you disappeared."
"I find that hard to believe."
"Eli takes his job very seriously. And he knew you didn't want to be out there. He thought it a...." She trailed off and glanced around for a moment before dropping her voice. "He thought it a travesty that someone as good as you was forced to give up your medical career to fight in that stupid war."
"And here I thought he hated me."
"Eli's used to a different sort of cohort. All his old special ops buddies are a riot. I had to take care of them all. After a mission, t
hey'd all crowd around in here, drinking themselves silly and eating whatever I put in front of them."
"Does he still talk to them?" I asked, hoping I hadn't really ruined Kader's life.
"Heavens, yes!" Rosie said with a laugh. "They meet up once a week to get rip-roaring drunk." She added quickly, "On his off-duty nights, of course."
At that moment, I saw the man in question walk through the door. He took one look at Martin, then shook his head, barging into the kitchen.
"Hello, dear," he said, bending down to kiss Rosie on the forehead. He grunted in my general direction before helping himself to the food on the stove.
"How did it go?" Rosie asked.
"Fine." He sat down and dug into his meal.
"Fine? Elijah Kader, fine is not the answer I wanted to hear from you."
Kader paused mid-chew, then looked at me. "I'll tell you more once the boys are gone."
I would've bristled at the use of the "boy" but I was more curious. "Why? What's going on? What can you tell Rosie that you can't tell me? What's going on at the castle?"
Again, he glanced at Rosie, who looked awfully smug.
"Rositanna," he grunted. "You know I'm not allowed to talk about it with him."
"Why can you talk about it with her and not me?" I asked, nearly pulling the 'I-am-the-prince' card out of my pocket.
"Because unlike her," he nodded to Rosie, "I'm under express orders to keep you out of it. If you want to know, go talk to your mother."
"M-Mom?" I blinked. "What does she have to do with anything?"
Kader snorted and picked up his plate. "In case you didn't know, I work for her."
FOUR
Theo
The one bright spot in my otherwise dreary life was the weekly meetings with Bayard's public relations staff. It was arguably the biggest support staff in the Raven government, which made sense considering how much bullshit he had to peddle.
The meetings usually allowed me a glimpse into world beyond my own involvement. Walking around their office had netted me a wealth of information about ministers, officers, and other power players in Bayard's government. I stored the personality quirks, jobs, and passions away on the off-chance I'd be able to use it one day when I made it past commissioning pilots.
The Complete Madion War Trilogy Page 23
