“I was almost seventeen. We started hearing rumors of people disappearing. Then the bodies started showing up. They were missing pieces and showed signs of what looked like animal attacks. Bones were chewed, the flesh was ripped, it was hideous. I saw a couple of them personally. Then the Wardens showed up at the scene where the latest body was discovered. There were two of them. They were mysterious and awe-inspiring. When they came on the scene in their expensive shuttle and flashy threads, people gave them a wide birth. For the first time in my life, I saw our local security teams step back and shut up.”
“They didn't share many details and ordered security to form a perimeter around the kill. They examined the body and went over to a sewer entrance, opened the lid and dropped in. They were in there for hours and came out covered in blood. One of them had a huge rip in the side of his head and the other was limping. They informed my dad the situation was handled, and a team would be arriving to clean up the mess.”
“They told security to keep the area clear, but I and my friends knew the area better than they did and were able to hide and watch the extraction team. I didn't know what it was then but now I know it was a minotaur. They have that natural love of mazes and catacombs and it was living in the sewers, using it to hunt the humans on the surface. What the Wardens didn't know was it had a mate.”
“They're not just animals. They're highly intelligent hunters. Its mate saw my dad, the local authority, as the reason for its mate's death. It stalked him and caught him and my mother on the way home one night and killed them. The Wardens returned and killed it but it was too late for my parents.”
“I'm sorry,” he said.
“It's okay. I've had a lot of years to get over it. I spent the next year living in a juvenile home and had a lot more therapy. I came to terms with the real world we live in, not the sugar-coated one that UniGov keeps on the nightly news. When I turned eighteen, I applied to the Wardens,” she told him.
“And the rest is history,” he said.
“Ha. If only it were that easy. I failed the entrance test miserably. I was scrawny. I wasn't very smart. My reflexes were crap. I had been in more than a few fights, but nothing prepared me for what they put me through. You've been through that test. You know how grueling it is,” she said laughing.
“You failed the test?” he asked.
“The first time. I failed every segment of the test. I bombed the mental aptitude. I couldn't even make it through some of the physical tests. I was easily bested in the combat testing. I was a zero-point candidate. I didn't let it get me down though. I worked my ass off doing any menial job I could to pay for training. I trained night and day. I gained some weight and turned it into muscle. I lifted weights. I exercised. I studied multiple disciplines of martial arts. I learned weapons. I pushed myself every day until I was physically unable to move and then while I rested, I studied. I studied the fey. I studied lore. I studied combat strategies and tactics. I read books on math, science, and history. I was teaching myself to be a Warden whether they accepted me or not. When I took the test a second time a few years later, I scored nearly perfect. The examiner said she'd never seen such a dramatic change in an individual in such a short time. They did multiple toxicity screens to make sure I wasn't dosing on eugenics drugs. My only hindrance was the psyche exam and they put me through it three times before they accepted that I really wanted to be a Warden, not just avenge my parents. I finished top of my class and was assigned to Facility 14 three years after I graduated,” she said, her face beaming with pride.
“So, you didn't want revenge?” he asked her.
“Revenge on what? The creatures that killed my parents were dead. I couldn't re-kill them. I wanted to do what I could so another child would never have to suffer through that. GloCom wasn't the way. Sure, they fight the ALF, but terrorists are always there. The ALF will someday be beaten, and another group will eventually rise in their place. There is always going to be that radical element to society that wants to subvert whatever group is in power and the fringe radicals willing to use indiscriminate violence to do so. That's not a war you can win it's just one you fight forever and try to keep the worst from spilling out. The Wardens though, we can win. We are winning. The fey are declining. Incidents are becoming less and less every year,” she said, sounding exuberant.
“What about the ALF? Do you ever want revenge on them?” he asked her.
“That's...that's a difficult subject. It's something I want to think about. Let's get back to us,” she said.
“I'm impressed and that's saying something. I was in the Elite Corps and I've seen the best of the best and few of them could make it through the Warden exams much less complete training. To turn yourself into Warden material in a few years on your own, that's insanely tough,” he told her. “The psyche exam and physical exams weren't the hard parts for me. My knowledge of fey was lacking. My dad helped me prepare, begrudgingly, once he realized he couldn't dissuade me, and I still barely passed that part. I barely knew an ogre from an elephant. You are a phenomenal woman to teach yourself everything,” he told her.
“What about you?” she asked. “I know you've been hiding something from me. I know you served in the military but the Elite Corps?”
“It was years ago. I served in the GloCom infantry and eventually moved into the Elite Corps. I was accepted into the officer's academy not long after and assigned to a base on the moon. There's not really much to tell,” he replied.
“I knew something was up with you. Your martial training was superior to any recruit coming from the academy. I knew you trained somewhere but I didn't think it was GloCom. Infantrymen just aren't that good, but the Elite Corps explains it,” she told him as she snuggled up against him.
“Not good enough. You still kicked my ass on a regular basis,” he replied.
“You pull your punches a lot. I think you're afraid you'll hurt me. I want to see you unchained. I want to see you not hold back but more than that, I want you to tell me about the moon,” she said with a smile.
“I'm sorry, love, but I can't do that. It's classified,” he replied.
“You won't even tell me?” she asked.
“I swore an oath and what would it say about me, about my sense of honor, if I betrayed that oath? Just because I'm not a soldier anymore doesn't change the vows I made,” he said.
“What is like to fight the ALF? Under different circumstances, I might have been there myself. I'm curious to know,” she said.
“It's not like fighting they fey. In the Wardens, we handle small fights. It's one on one or a few on a few. It's not like that in combat. When we were fighting against a terrorist group, there were hundreds of men, heavy equipment, fighters, it's like organized chaos. In the military, everyone knows their role and their place. There isn't much room for creativity or individuality. You're one of many, a cog in the machine. It's not like in the Wardens where everyone is an individual,” she told her.
“You must have done something to stand out. From what I've heard, getting into the Elite Corp is hard enough but getting the chance to become an officer, that's supposed to be hard,” she told him.
“Sometimes it's just dumb luck. Sometimes it's just the right person being there at the right time,” he replied.
“That's bullshit. I've seen you what you're capable of doing and I bet your higher-ups saw it as well. You might think they don't see the ones who stand out, but I bet they do, and they saw you. The Wardens saw it, or you wouldn't be here,” she said.
“Maybe so but I think we were talking about you. I had the benefit of military training but you, you had only yourself. You're the phenomenal one here,” he said as he held her tightly.
“Thank you,” she said as she kissed him and rolled on top of him. “Let's settle a decades-old debate and see if this Warden can conquer a GloCom Elite soldier.”
He put his arms around her and rolled over, pinning her down. “You already conquered me the first time I looked in your eyes a
nd saw my future. There's no debate. I'm not a soldier anymore and tonight, I'm going to conquer you.”
He stared into her eyes as he held her down on the bed and smiled. “And I'm not holding back.”
#
He walked into the Dragon's Roost at seven. It was darker than usual. As he walked in several dim lights came on and robed figures could be seen lining a path to the bar. At the bar, another robed figure stood illuminated by a bright light, holding a box. In the box, something gold could be seen glinting. He started to walk in.
"STOP!" commanded a voice. "Squire Sebastian. You have been accepted into our fold and elevated to the position of Warden. I hold the mark of that position. Claim it if you can," said a voice that sounded like Coordinator Anna. He started to take a step and all the people in the robes turned to face him, each holding a weapon of some kind, be it clubs, swords, flails, all old-style medieval weapons.
She spoke again. "In days of old, a Knight had to prove his worth. We no longer joust so now you must walk the gauntlet to receive the mark of your station."
He hesitated a second then took a step. The figure on his right took a swing with a large heavy club and he reflexively put up his arm to block it and tightened his posture into an almost standing fetal position. He winced and expected the worse then what felt like foam bounced harmlessly off his arm. Laughter erupted around him and the flash of a few cameras went off.
"The new ones always fall for that," laughed William. The lights came on and he realized all the weapons were as fake as the first one that hit him. Everyone was laughing and hitting him with the foam weapons and he was realizing he was the butt of a joke. As everyone was laughing, he felt a strong electrical shock and it knocked him off his feet. He rolled over and saw Chelsea standing with a stun gun.
"Hey, that wasn't fake," said Anna.
"Oh, we were supposed to use fake weapons?" she replied innocently, and the two women laughed and he slowly stood up.
Coordinator Anna tapped a utensil on her glass. "May I have your attention everyone? I know you're having fun and I know you're wanting to keep drinking but we're here to celebrate a new member of our team. So, stop drinking for a moment and daydream aimlessly while you pretend to listen. Sir Sebastian, normally at these ceremonies, I present the gold emblem of your station. The heralded symbol of the Wardens, Solomon's Knot, metaphorically representing the binding of magic that was the reason for the creation of our order. We once wore these in secret but as the world changed we changed with it and now we walk in the light as we have for almost 200 years. However, tonight I have had a special request to give up that honor under unusual circumstances and I have agreed to do so. So, without further delay, I give you Director Abraham."
One of the robed men removed his hood, it was the one who first hit him, revealing his father. Abraham approached the front of the room and took the velvet box from Anna. He cleared his throat and started to speak. "Tonight, is a rare occasion. It is not often that Wardens have relatives in the Order and even rarer it's your son. I know I've been a right nasty bastard most of my life and I've never done right by my family." Sebastian started to speak but his father stopped him. "No son, let me have my say. I have done everything I can to discourage Sebastian from joining us even considering refusing his admission outright but chose not to for reasons I still don't fathom. Yes, that’s right. Any Director can reject any candidate and I almost rejected you. I'm glad I didn't because recently I realized something. I was listening in on a meeting where it was brought to my attention that I'm a self-centered jackass."
Sebastian started to speak again but was stopped once more. "Yes, son, I was listening and heard the entire conversation and son you were right. I wasn't there when your mother died. I wasn't there for your first steps and a hundred other things but god damn it, I'm going to be here tonight. Tonight, you achieve something that very few people will ever do. Many people enter the training academy and most fail hard. Many more drop out when they realize the danger. Some even make it all the way through but opt not to pursue field work even if they qualify for it. There are very few who do what you have done. You made it son and nothing in this world could ever make a father prouder. It is my extraordinary honor to oversee this ceremony."
"Present your left arm, please. This is going to hurt a lot. Do you want something to bite on?" said Abraham to his son.
Sebastian approached his father, said simply "no" and undid the cufflink on his left sleeve and rolled it up.
He held his arm out, wrist up. He and his father looked at the box and inside were a pair of pliers and two golden symbols in the shape of the ancient symbol called Solomon's Knot. Abraham took the pliers and lifted the golden symbol then placed it on Sebastian's wrist. Abraham positioned it, then tapped the center with the back of the pliers. The symbol immediately began to heat up and sizzle. Sebastian winced and gritted his teeth but made no sound as the gold burned in and bonded permanently to his skin.
"Now the right arm please," said the old man and they repeated the process on the other wrist. When they were finished, Sebastian left his sleeves up and was smiling.
Abraham spoke again. "Sebastian, you have completed the right of passage and in keeping with ancient traditions, you have been granted title. Kneel, Sebastian."
Sebastian kneeled on one knee and bent his head.
"Squire Sebastian,” said his father. "You have ascended to the rank of Warden of Earth and may now rise as Sir Sebastian."
Abraham tapped him on each shoulder with the foam club and Sebastian stood up as everyone cheered.
For the next while, people came by, congratulating him and shaking his hand.
Coordinator Anna again tapped her glass. "Okay, everyone. Now that the formality is over, let's get to the real reason we're here. As you all saw, he didn't make a peep so check with the bartender for your winnings or to cough up your losses and your losses better not come out of the Warden's budget."
"What is she talking about?" Sebastian asked Chelsea.
"You didn't scream, cry or otherwise make any noise. We always have a pool on when and how much people will scream when they get the Knots because we all know how much it hurts. You did well big boy," she told him and smacked him on the butt.
"Chelsea we are in public," he said.
"You are so cute when you're embarrassed. How is it you can do the things we do to each other in private, and there have been some wild things, and yet you still get embarrassed in public? I'm going to miss that innocence when you finally lose it," she said laughing.
"By the way Chelsea, about earlier, we should talk," he said.
"About what? About sex? We've already been doing it for months now we don’t have to hide,” she said.
“Are you really okay with people knowing? What about your privacy?” he asked.
She laughed at him. “We’re Wardens. We have no secrets,” she told him. “Your evaluation with command earlier should have reminded you of that.”
Director Abraham walked up to them. Sebastian told him "Dad, about what I said to Anna, I didn't mean it. I was just trying to make the team and it sounded good."
"That's utter bullshit. You meant every word of it because it's true. I can't say that's really going to change much. I am who I am and I'm old and set in my ways. I am proud of you though," said his father. He raised his glass. "To you son. May you have a long and successful career. And to the Wardens in general. May we all live long enough to retire. And to you Chelsea. May you be waiting in my hotel room when I leave here tonight, and may I be sober enough to take advantage of it," he said, his intoxication obvious. He looked at Sebastian. "But from what Coordinator Anna tells me her night is already spoken for unless you want to make it a family affair," he said laughing.
"Dad, I don't think that's appropriate conversation," said Sebastian.
Chelsea laughed at him. "Abraham, how did your son ever get so bashful? Earlier when we were in bed, he wanted to keep the covers on and the lights off. It's
gonna take some time to get him out of that shell," she said smiling.
"I don't know. He didn't get it from me or his mother for that matter. She was a wildcat. Take the night he was conceived, for example, we were stalking a fey in London known to frequent Big Ben. This particular fey didn't come out until dark and we had a few hours to burn so we climbed up on the clock's gearing and," Abraham was saying but Sebastian cut him off.
"I don't think we need to be having this conversation, dad,” said his son.
"See, I told you. Bashful as an altar boy," Chelsea said laughing at him.
Sebastian was about to walk away then stopped. "Wait. You mean mom was a Warden? She never told me."
"That she was, son, and a damn good one too, a real loss to the field when she retired. It's no surprise you ended up joining us. It's in your blood," said Abraham as he finished another drink. "She was a great loss to the Wardens when she left but she had a new priority. You've got big shoes to fill. Not only do you have your old man's reputation preceding you but before she retired, Lady Elana was one of the best. She tried to keep going after you were born but her heart was in the field not the office and she wouldn't risk her neck anymore with a baby. She tried various positions internally, but it didn't suit her, so she left the Wardens."
Sebastian was surprised. "I never knew any of that. Why didn't either of you ever tell me?"
"Well," said Abraham as he downed another shot, "That pretty much ended us. We tried to continue but our passion for each other was rooted in our passion for the job. Once we lost that, we drifted apart. After my incident," he stopped to illustrate the point by referencing his scars and downing another drink, "We realized how dangerous my life was and didn't want you to risk your neck, so we decided to keep as much from you as we could and ended up divorcing. I see now it was a waste and we should have been open with you, but you know what they say about hindsight."
The Seal of Solomon Page 9
