by Jenn Nixon
“Do you wish me to stay with you?” he said.
Tiva pulled her sword close to her chest, rolled to her side, and stared out the window.
“I know you are trying to make sense of this all. I cannot begin to know what you feel, Tiva. Litru loved you very much. He would not wish this grief upon you. You will be whole again, I promise, some day you will.” He sighed and stroked her hair for a while then kissed her cheek. He tucked the blankets tight around her to keep her warm.
“If you need me, I will be here, dearest one,” he said, and left.
She did not hear him leave, nor heard the sounds outside her window. When she knew her parents were sleeping, she crept out of her room and silently made her way through the house.
Tiva numbly walked to the pond, knowing no voice would sing to her tonight. He’d never sing again. Unable to think his name, she knelt on the bank, pulled the dagger from her hand and stared at the necklace clutched in her other fist.
She removed the pummel from the dagger and stuffed the necklace inside. She called to the spirits to take her pain, to help her forget. She never wanted to feel again. As she enclosed the dagger, Tiva wished this night erased from her memory. As she stared into the pond, she remained motionless, almost welcoming the numbness as it pulled her deeper, for she began to feel nothing.
Nothing at all.
Chapter Fifteen
“Guardian Boon, come quickly!” The legionnaire entered, jarring her from sleep.
Pulling her weapon out of its sheath, Tiva leapt over the sleep couch, through the door and stood on the balcony overlooking the province capital of Cenii. Down below, a group of legionnaires formed a barricade in front of the building. In the distance, a small, but obviously disgruntled group of haggard men approached in sloppy formation. She almost laughed aloud at the sight, but only let a small smile trace her lips.
“What orders, Lady Boon?”
“Find me Defor!” she said, sheathed her sword, and reentered the sleep chamber. She poured a glass of juice, and sipped it as she paced the room. Two months of amateur fighting wore down her last nerve. The king was adamant about not harming the crowds. These people were no match for the legionnaires, let alone them and a Royal Guardian.
Stepping back onto the balcony with juice in hand, Tiva peered over the railing to see Defor running through the crowd of protectors and into the building. The province hall wasn’t the largest building standing between the masses and the Embassy House where Province Keeper Chal’I resided, but it had the best view of the city. The legionnaires in Tiva’s charge had scouted the area for several days before she picked this location.
Defor rushed to her, his uniform disheveled, saturated with sweat and dirt, his heavy cloak torn. He bowed and smiled. “First Captain, Legionnaire Defor Weda, reporting.”
“I assume your expression means you have found what we’ve been searching for, Defor.”
“Yes, I believe we found their hideout, Guardian Boon,” he said, his smile going wider as he handed a small map to her.
Tiva nodded, collecting the information. “Well done, perhaps we will have time to go home and spar again before our next tour.”
“With the luck of the spirits!” He chuckled. “The regiment will have no problems with that crowd down there, and if our intelligence is correct, this is the last group they have. Still, something doesn’t sit well with me here, Tiva.”
“I know, my friend, I must contact Tespor, Darlew, and my father. I have a feeling this is just a diversion.”
“A diversion?”
“That is what my instincts tell me,” she said, waving him back inside. “It has been six months to the day these Rebels started their attacks. The first week they hit the palace three times. During those attacks, they used the time the Guardians and Legionnaires were occupied with protecting the people to move into each province capital and set up their operations. Cenii is the farthest south, the most loyal, and one of the strongest provinces, yet here we stand, guarding the Embassy House from a group of men and boys whom you and I could contain with ease.”
“I see your point.” Defor stroked his chin. “And last you heard from the palace?”
“King Delos has protectors in every province, the roads into Degort are guarded, the marketplace is closed, and for the first time in our history legionnaires are guarding the palace. Our forces are spread so thinly, we have no other choice. We are wasting the talent of hundreds of men and women here…” She walked to the doorway glancing out at the mob as they neared. “Look at them, Defor, they are pathetic and stand no chance. What reason do they have to charge to their death; for that is the look I’ve seen in their eyes.”
“I don’t know, Tiva, perhaps they are being misled.”
“Exactly,” she said, slamming her mug against her palm. “Either way, the threat here is far from over, but we do not need to guard Cenii. Our skills are best suited somewhere there is a threat. Continue with your investigation, confirm their hideout, and secure whatever information is there. Return as soon as you can. With a prayer to the spirits, we will have new orders by the time you return.”
“Your methods of persuasion have never been lacking, I’m confident you will make a sound case. Well wishes.”
“Keep safe.”
Tiva waited on the balcony until Defor slipped through the protectors and out of the capital. Satisfied he was on his way, safely, she returned to the sleep chamber and searched for her personal communications device. Formulating what she would say, she contacted Darlew first, as he was still in charge of her section.
“Spirited greetings, Guardian Boon,” a more chipper than usual reply echoed through the PCD.
“And to you,” she said.
“You are not due to report until tomorrow, what news do you have?”
She confessed to him her feelings as well as observations and information the legionnaires had gathered. After her speech, she requested a lower ranking guardian replace her. “And I feel only one quarter of the protectors need to remain in Cenii with guardsmen. I wish to return to the palace for reassignment.” The PCD was silent for several long moments, so she said nothing more and waited.
“I will seek council with the king and send word shortly,” Darlew said.
“Understood, Boon out.”
Tapping quickly on the device, she called to Tespor only to hear he was engaged in a skirmish in Obadan. He too said the numbers of Rebel factions seemed small, but his altercation sounded fiercer through the PCD. Lastly, she contacted her father in Degort. Inwardly, she missed her home and the palace. She’d been gone the longest ever on this mission, leaving only a few days after her return from Quintor.
“How are you faring, dearest one?”
“All is well here, Father, too well perhaps. I spoke with Darlew. I feel our forces here are not needed in full, and could better serve elsewhere. I am waiting for his reply.”
“Have you found any information about the faction?”
“Defor uncovered one of their meetings areas, though with the small group of Rebels here, I doubt much will be revealed.”
“Are you ready to return home, Tiva?”
“I am ready to go where needed, Father,” she answered without hesitation. “Though I would enjoy seeing you, Mother and the rest, these times do not allow much relaxation and socializing.”
“On the contrary, many of the incidents have calmed among the provinces—”
“That only means the Rebel factions are regrouping, or are finally ready to show their true forces,” she said.
“Speak what you mean?”
“Many of these men who have been attacking the province capitals are barely capable of defending themselves. The children I met in Hentor had more strength and drive than those here. Tespor has found the same situation in Obadan. Something is not right.”
“You make a valid statement, Tiva, some of the other regiments have reported the same news. I will speak to Darlew and Harer, you will hear from one
of us shortly.”
Sighing, she slipped the PCD in her belt and leaned against the wall. The commotion outside did little to worry her; these people knew they stood no chance, yet here they were still willing to fight. On the balcony once again, she noticed the Rebels were closer, but still not a threat. Cenii had well over a thousand well-trained guardsmen. The regiment of legionnaires under Tiva’s command was just shy of seven hundred, half of whom were with her now. That meant one protector per forty people; she felt the threat here didn’t warrant such security.
Legionnaire Jarn, the young man who woke her, breezed into her room. Sensing, he was nervous; Tiva smirked slightly and kept her back to him.
“Guardian Boon,” he said in a raised voice.
“Yes?” she said without moving.
“Requesting permission to leave the premises with a small group, I believe that we have an issue on the border of Stimli province.”
“Explain.”
“A scout reported high activity in the region. His team has surrounded the area to observe, but I have not heard word from him in quite some time. The PCD does not seem to be operable.”
“Very well, take division one.”
“Understood,” he said.
She turned to him, and watched his markings brighten slightly. He was afraid. She raised an eyebrow in surprise at his reaction. Did he fear her or the situation? “Jarn, speak your mind.”
“Nothing, Lady Boon. I just wish to get underway.”
“Why do you hold fear?”
“The situation has made me anxious, Lady Boon.”
“Is that all?” she said.
“Yes, that is all.”
“Very well, dismissed.”
Legionnaire Jarn bowed and rushed out of the room as if his feet were ablaze. Her first stint at command was not going as well as she hoped. The regiment followed her orders well, and never gave her a problem, but as she settled down on the sleep couch, she realized many of them reacted to her the same way.
The normal subdued nature of the people around her was waning like the daylight and growing colder as the night. Not only was the Cooling approaching, everyone around her seemed different. Some were afraid, others kept their distance from her, and she had yet to understand why. Change in the weather did not usually bring about wary moods in people she knew, and still, all around her things felt unnatural.
Pushing the unsettling thoughts to the side, she unfastened her new weapon from her belt. The steel claw that she named Timbur glistened before her. As part of her final training as a level two guardian, she had fashioned a weapon. Most guardians made daggers, axes, lances, or swords, Tiva wanted to be different. The idea for her Timbur came to her in a dream. She slipped her hand in and gripped the handle. The four curved prongs of the weapon arched above her hand and extended passed her fingertips. Designed solely for close combat, her Timbur was one of the sharpest weapons she’d ever had. The blades of the claw, made from the same metal as her sword, were sturdy, thin, and deadly.
Every night since her arrival in Cenii, before the trouble started, she trained in the yard of the Embassy House. Balancing both sword and claw kept her from boredom. When she practiced, she gathered watchers and admirers, though no one challenged her. Glad to see a friendly face among the second wave of legionnaires, Defor sparred with her. Each time they sparred, they fought until they were both tired, beat, and injured. Maybe her actions during training made those around her uncomfortable. She was only seventeen, and many of the legionnaires in her charge were older, some double her age. At first, she sensed what the regiment projected toward her, mainly curiosity, anger, and skepticism. They were not the same protectors she knew and respected from Degort, here, they knew little about her and her service to the king, save rumors.
It was no use dwelling on it, so Tiva replaced her weapon and made for the stairs. Once outside, another legionnaire captain approached.
“Guardian Boon.”
“Captain Lo’mu.”
“We lost contact with Defor, we may have trouble.”
“Elaborate,” she said.
“He was attacked in the faction meeting room and contacted me for reinforcements; his comm cut off soon after. I sent the forth division, however, my men have yet to return and now it seems none of our communications equipment is working.”
“None?”
“Correct, I had the second division check our generators and portable devices, they do not work either.”
“I just spoke with another guardian a short time ago.”
“This just happened, Lady Boon.”
“Find me a map,” she said and walked back into the province hall. She stalked through groups of legionnaires standing about, and when she reached the large meeting rooms, she turned back. “Is there no patrolling that needs to be done?”
As quick as a Mitahi bird swooping down on its prey, the lazy legionnaires scurried around, bumping into walls and each other, as they left the hall. Amused slightly, she waited until the hall emptied before entering the meeting room. She paced back and forth, lost in thought.
Lo’mu returned with maps. “You did not specify which type, I brought all we had,” he said placing the hide-bound book on the table.
“Well done, it is nice to see someone using the sense the spirits gave them. I want the name of each man and woman who was lolling about in the hall while their comrades have been standing on their feet for the better part of the day protecting this province.”
“It shall be done,” he said.
Tiva opened the book and shuffled through the maps. Lo’mu asked what she was looking for and she told him a map of Cenii and Stimli. Together they flipped through several dozen maps. Some outdated and torn, some for regions even she would not venture to, and finally Lo’mu handed her what she was seeking.
“Thank you,” she said, taking it and smoothing it along the table. With her finger, she traced along the thin parchment moving from the Cenii capital toward Stimli. Near a small river just short of where Cenii, Whettland, and Stimli met, was a road leading to Defor’s location. “Take division three through this forest, across the field, and approach the river from the north. Work your way south along this road until you find Jarn, he ventured to the border earlier and might not know communications are down.” She moved to the side. “I will search for Defor; we will meet in the middle. Put your second captain in command here.”
“Very well, Guardian Boon,” he said, bowed, and hurried out.
Efficient, she thought. She only wished everyone were like that. Heading back outside, the legionnaires were changing guard. Slowly so not to attract attention, the line of men and women that created the barrier to the province hall, replenished itself with new bodies one by one. The tedious duty of standing guard with little movement was one she did not envy, and she always believed in praising them for a job well done.
The mob of locals seemed to dissipate some as the sweet mist of rain lingered in the air. Now was a perfect time to break away. Pulling her cloak tight around her body, she donned the hood and crept down the nearest alleyway, leaving the protection of the capital. First, she came upon a dumping site; the foul stench of rotten food surrounded her. Cringing, she rushed by and entered a small field. Once beyond the majority of the Rebel cells, she ran the remainder of the way toward Defor’s last known location.
Tiva checked the map, and adjusted her direction to a large rock hill in the distance. If Defor was correct with his assessment, this was the location of the Rebel faction’s meeting place. She quietly moved along the base of the hill, searching for the easiest route up and felt a presence near. Before she drew her weapon, an axe touched her throat.
“Speak your name if you wish to live,” the stranger said.
Thinking quickly she said, “I am friend to Pethor.”
“Pethor?”
“Yes, I have journeyed far with a message.”
“For Solun?”
She strained to see beyond her cloaks hood
, but remained motionless as the axe pressed on her skin. “Yes, for Solun Turi.” Her heart raced.
“You missed him, he’s on his way now.”
“Oh?” she said curiously. “Whom may I leave my message with?”
“Follow me.” He turned and began uphill.
Tiva kept the cloak tight as the air grew colder the higher they climbed. The man stopped for a moment, made a sound with his hands, and then continued up the hill. She lowered her shield slightly to her surroundings and felt the presences of several other people. Under her cloak, she slipped the Timbur claw onto her hand, and gripped her sword.
“This way.” He motioned to a large wooden door that seemed stuck in the middle of the hill. They entered, and Tiva quickly surveyed the frosty gray room. Inside there was a table, but no chairs, decorations on the walls, lights, candles, or any stitch of comfort.
A voice rose in the back of the room, she gripped her hilt tighter, and raised her mental shield. Someone familiar was near; she hoped it was Defor, ready to fight with her.
“I hear you have a message from Pethor.”
“I do,” she said, keeping her face hidden by a bow.
“As Tenk mentioned, our leader Solun is not here, but I am surprised your amazing legionnaires didn’t report that back to you, Guardian.”
Tiva tilted her head up and shock filled her. Solun’s other friend Unil stood before her. “And how do you know I am a guardian?”
“We have our spies, though I’d like to know whom I am going to kill. Legionnaire Defor wasn’t very difficult.”
Her stomach tightened. “You will not kill me, Unil.”
“Oh, I see you have spies of your own, impressive, but I am sure a delicate woman such as you will be an easy feat for the six of us, even if you are a guardian.”
Tiva pushed back her hood. Her gaze fixed upon Unil, her markings on the verge of black simply by the rage she felt. Unil gasped and stepped back, the other young men around her glanced between the two of them curiously.
“You. You killed Bumo!” he growled. “Murderer!”
She laughed and pushed her cloak back, a weapon in each hand. “You tread on the land of my king and do harm, you shall be stopped or killed. Bumo chose death, I merely dealt it.” Swinging her blade over to get a quick feel for it, she gripped her claw and met each of the young men’s eyes. “I will give you the same choice, surrender or I will not guarantee the safety of your life.”
