Savenek nodded and stood.
“We’ll talk about your punishment when I return home.”
“Excuse me?” Punishment? For what?
“You didn’t follow orders. You were not to step foot on that ship.”
“It’s a good thing I did.” Otherwise they wouldn’t know about the poison or the men from Russek.
“You’re lucky you didn’t walk into an ambush. The fact of the matter is, you didn’t follow orders. Period. You will be reprimanded for this.”
Savenek ground his teeth together in frustration. He understood what his father was saying, but he didn’t like it. He turned and exited the tavern. He started running west—the opposite direction of his house. He had no intention of going home tonight. If he did, he’d end up stewing over his father’s refusal to let him help sink the ship.
He couldn’t go to Hana’s house. If he showed up and her father caught him, he’d never be allowed within a mile of her ever again. Not that he couldn’t easily sneak into her house, but she shared a bedroom with her four sisters. The likelihood of Hana tripping over something as she got out of bed and rousing one of her siblings was too great to risk. There was only one other place he could go to.
He made his way to his aunt’s apartment. Aunt Tayek lived with her husband, a baker of some renown. Their children had all married and moved out, and she encouraged Savenek to come over whenever he wanted. He enjoyed visiting her because she was the only one who talked about his mother. Nathenek refused to say anything about her. The only thing his father had ever told him was that she died in childbirth. At least his aunt wasn’t afraid to say her name. Tayek was the closest person to a mother he had.
The apartment was located directly above the family’s bakery. The sun wouldn’t rise for another three hours. Not wanting to wake anyone, Savenek climbed the steps to the front door and picked the lock—as he’d done a hundred times throughout his childhood. He opened the door and went inside, feeling his way over to the sofa. He laid down, trying to relax so he could sleep for a couple of hours.
The comforting smell of baking bread filled the silent room. His uncle must be down in the bakery already working. Listening for his aunt, he didn’t hear her lightly breathing from the adjacent bedroom. Which meant she was already awake. “It’s just me,” he mumbled, not wanting to scare her.
“Figured,” Aunt Tayek replied. She exited her bedroom and came over to the sofa, sitting by Savenek’s feet.
“You don’t seem surprised to see me,” he commented as he fluffed one of the pillows below his head.
“Nathenek came by earlier tonight.”
“Cows tits,” he cursed.
His aunt whacked his head. “Don’t use that word.”
“Why?” he asked, rubbing his head. His aunt usually didn’t care if he cursed.
“You can use breast, bosom, or even chest, but not that vulgar T-word you used just now. I won’t have that in my house.”
Savenek chuckled. He loved his aunt. Besides being the kindest person he knew, she was also funny, always there for him, and she only saw the good in other people. Usually so laid back, he found her aversion to a specific word humorous. “Only for you, Aunt Tayek.” He shifted on the sofa, trying to get comfortable.
Why was she up at this hour? What had his father said to her? “Is everything okay?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied, patting his feet. “Get some sleep. We can talk tomorrow.”
“I have to go to the academy in the morning.”
“I’ll make sure you’re up in time.” She stood.
“Did my father mention anything about my assignment tonight?”
Tayek paused in the doorway. “No.” Her voice sounded mildly surprised indicating she told the truth. “We did talk about you, though. I hear you found yourself a young woman.” Her voice turned cautious, inquisitive.
“Is that what my dad’s upset about?” Nathenek claimed that he didn’t want Savenek distracted by a young woman when he was about to graduate and take the vows to enter the Brotherhood.
“No, not upset. He asked for my advice since I’ve been through this before with my own children.”
Whenever Savenek had a close friend or he became interested in a woman, Nathenek always turned into a prude insisting that Savenek stay focused on training. Just because Nathenek never remarried and didn’t have any friends, didn’t mean that was the life Savenek had to live. After he took his vows, he intended to marry Hana—regardless of what anyone had to say about it.
“Did you tell him you would talk to me? Try to convince me that I’m young and don’t need to marry yet?”
Aunt Tayek laughed, the sound soft and breathy, making Savenek instantly miss the mother he’d never known.
“Hardly,” she said. “I told him that you were old enough to make your own decisions and that perhaps he should take after you and find someone to settle down with.”
Savenek chuckled, trying to envision his aunt saying that to his father.
“As you can imagine,” she continued, “that didn’t go over well. He insisted he didn’t need a wife and could handle raising you on his own. Which, I must admit, he has done decently.”
“Decently?”
“You are a little stubborn at times.” She nudged him.
“Like my mother?”
“Oh, no,” Aunt Tayek said. “She was very easygoing.”
“I wish Dad would talk about her.”
“He has to have told you some stories about her,” she said, her voice etched with shock.
“He hasn’t.” Not a single word. Ever. “Do I at least look like her?” Because Savenek sure as heck didn’t look like Nathenek. Where his father was tall, lean, fair skinned, and had blond hair, Savenek was shorter, darker, more muscled, and had light brown hair.
“You don’t look a thing like her,” Aunt Tayek said, staring up at the ceiling, lost in memories of the past. “Your mother was tall, skinny, and she had long blonde hair.”
“Did she know what Dad did for a living?” And was she okay with him being an assassin? Would she want her son to follow in his father’s footsteps?
“She did. She was very proud of him.” Her voice sounded different, almost hesitant.
“What is it?”
“When your mother died, it was a very dark time for your father. Even though you’d just been born, none of us saw you. Nathenek left the city and didn’t return for almost a year. When he came back, he was a changed man. I think you saved him.”
It was hard for Savenek to picture his father grieving over his mother. It was hard for him to imagine his father being so…emotional.
“Go to sleep,” Aunt Tayek said. “I’ll wake you when it’s time to get up.” She left the room before he could ask another question.
Savenek neared the seemingly abandoned military compound situated a couple of miles outside Emperor’s City. If he hadn’t known where it was located, he would have walked right past it. The entire place was surrounded by a wall the same color as the sandy ground. With the low rolling hills and dunes that stretched for miles, the wall blended into the landscape, concealing the entire place. A portion of the compound served as the headquarters for the Brotherhood of the Crown, and another portion housed the Brotherhood’s secret academy where kids were trained to spy and young men became assassins. Savenek was one of the few students who didn’t live at the compound. Since Nathenek ran the school and his house was only a mile away, the two of them lived there instead.
There were only a couple of entrances, all of them hidden. Savenek went to the main one on the west side of the compound. Shoving aside the camouflaged exterior, he unlocked a door and pushed it open, feeling as if he’d stepped back in time. Walking along the dark corridor, it was hard not to imagine what had transpired here almost twenty years ago—when the false emperor sat on the throne. Back then, Emperion valued its military above all else. Cadets, young boys stolen from their families as property of the crown, came here to
live and train. When they were deemed worthy, they were sent into battle. It was just one of the many reasons Nathenek secretly worked to take down Emperor Hamen and put Rema, the rightful empress, in his place. By doing so, he saved his nephews from what he called a fate worse than death.
Nathenek insisted that the students walk along this corridor at least once a season to see the rooms where cadets had been tortured. It served as a reminder of why they trained relentlessly and fought so hard to protect the crown. Nathenek wanted to make sure no one ever lost sight of the purpose of the Brotherhood: to protect the royal family at all cost.
An odd tang permeated the air, reminding Savenek of the blood spilt in these rooms. Sometimes he swore he could hear kids screaming for mercy. He shivered and hurried to the other end of the corridor, pushing the door open and entering a large chamber which served as the training room. As usual, he was the first to arrive.
Savenek had started training here nine years ago at the young age of seven. His class started out with three dozen boys. Because of the incredible rigor and demands of the program, only twelve of them remained. In less than two months, they would graduate and take their vows, officially becoming a member of the Brotherhood of the Crown.
The only time the students had off was for the harvest season. During those few weeks, Nathenek usually took Savenek to one of the nearby kingdoms. These trips were never on missions per se, but they weren’t vacations either. Nathenek’s trips usually had a purpose: know the best way to reach Fia, how to exit Emperion undetected, how to get to the main capitals to seek asylum, how to commandeer a boat and sail around the continent. He was always teaching Savenek things of that nature.
Every day at the academy was relatively the same. Savenek started with physical training, usually hand-to-hand combat. Then he moved on to sword work, followed by conditioning. After a short break, the afternoon was filled with lessons on the history of Emperion and the other kingdoms on the mainland. All his teachers were members of the Brotherhood. Some were retired, others were on a break from active duty, and some were called upon because of their expertise in a particular skill set.
Swinging his arms, Savenek started loosening up, preparing for his training session. Torches hung on the walls lighting the windowless room. Various weapons were stored along the northern wall. There were four exits, each leading to a different section of the school. Other than that, the room was plain. More than once he’d wondered what it was used for twenty years ago. He probably didn’t want to know.
The high ceiling amplified any noise in the room so the moment one of the side doors swung open, Savenek heard it. He knew it wouldn’t be another trainee coming in since it was still relatively early.
“Where were you this morning?” Nathenek asked as he came into the room.
The two of them always woke early, exercised, and had a quick breakfast before coming here for the day. “Sleeping,” Savenek answered.
“Where?” Nathenek’s voice deepened, sending a chill through Savenek.
His father had made it clear on more than one occasion that he didn’t approve of Hana. “After I completed my assignment, I went to Aunt Tayek’s for a couple of hours.” He hadn’t been sleeping in a barn next to Hana as his father suspected.
“Next time, I want you to come home. Understood?”
Savenek nodded even though he didn’t fully understand why it was necessary for his whereabouts to be accounted for every minute of every day.
Nathenek grabbed a practice sword off the wall. “Want to spar?” he asked, changing the subject.
Most trainees focused on knife skills, not sword work. For some reason Nathenek insisted Savenek train with swords as well, and not only be proficient with the longsword, but exceptional. “I’d like that.” He went over and picked out a wooden sword.
They stood across from one another. Nathenek swung. Savenek parried the blow, knowing the first few hits would be easy. His father liked to start out slow and speed up as they progressed.
“I want you to promise me something,” Nathenek said.
“What?” He met his father strike for strike, holding his ground but not able to gain an advantage. Yet.
“I want you to stop seeing Hana.”
“Why?” Was he serious? Or was he using Savenek’s personal life—and someone he was emotionally connected to—to throw him off balance? It could go either way.
“I want you focused here, on training and taking your vows. The time for marriage can come later, after you’ve devoted a few years to the crown.”
Plenty of the other trainees had girlfriends. Several of the members in the Brotherhood were even married. It was possible to do this job and have a family at the same time. Instead of pointing that out, he replied, “Who said anything about marriage?”
Nathenek swung at Savenek’s legs. Savenek saw it coming and jumped backward, countering the strike with one of his own. He managed to hit his father’s left shoulder. A hit against Nathenek was always a feat, and he had to restrain himself from hooting or saying something snarky like he would have done with a fellow classmate.
His father acknowledged the hit and lowered his sword. “If you don’t plan on marrying Hana, then what do you intend to do with her?”
He shrugged. “Nothing.” Not true. He wanted to marry her but wasn’t sure her family would approve of the match. Even though Savenek tried keeping his face neutral, Nathenek probably sensed the lie. His father had an uncanny ability to know when someone was withholding information or being deceitful.
“If you’re not going to marry the young woman, then why do you continue to see her?” He put his practice sword away and turned to face Savenek, waiting for his answer.
“She’s fun to be around.” He hated to sound so blasé, but he didn’t want Nathenek to know how much he cared for her since his father discouraged such relationships. He decided to change the subject. “What happened after I left last night?”
Nathenek rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Your findings were accurate.”
“Did you sink the ship?”
“I set the ship on fire so no one could escape. I expected it to sink. However, it blew up. I’m guessing that, in addition to the poison being incredibly toxic based on your observations, it was also highly flammable. When the fire I’d set reached it, there was an explosion.”
Savenek would have liked to have seen that. “Any idea why the Russeks were here and what they intended to do with the poison?”
“No. I’ve reported my findings to the Brotherhood, and we’re looking into the matter.”
Four young men entered the room, laughing with one another. They were from Savenek’s class and would take their vows alongside him. When they noticed Nathenek’s presence in the room, they immediately quieted and jogged over.
“We won’t be training today,” Nathenek said.
They looked questioningly at Savenek, but he had no idea why they wouldn’t be training, either. This was the first he’d heard of it.
“Your class is going to the palace today, where you will meet with a select group of the Brotherhood,” Nathenek explained. “You will be questioned to determine whether you are mentally competent to begin your final testing. If you are deemed ready, you will be put through a series of trials starting next week. You must pass in order to take your vows. Any questions?”
“No, sir!” they said in unison.
“Complete five sets of fifty jumping jacks, push-ups, and sit-ups while we wait for the rest of your classmates to arrive. Then we will head over to the palace as a group. You may begin.”
Savenek started jumping. While he’d known they would be interviewed by members of the Brotherhood at some point, he hadn’t known it would take place at the palace. He had mistakenly assumed it would be here at the academy. The palace was one of the royal family’s homes. It seemed strange that the Brotherhood would conduct any business there. Maybe it was because the royal family rarely used the place. He got down on his hands and kne
es and started doing push-ups.
The rest of the trainees began filing into the room. Without speaking, they automatically joined in the exercises. Nathenek walked around the perimeter of the room, his arms folded across his chest, lost in thought. Now that Savenek was thinking about it, it seemed as if something was weighing heavily on his father’s mind. Something more than Savenek unofficially courting Hana and not coming home last night.
Once the last trainee in their age group arrived, Nathenek said, “You’re all here fifteen minutes before the required time. Excellent.”
They finished up the exercises and stood in a circle, facing inward.
Nathenek stepped into the center of the circle, turning to address each of them. “I am going to lead you through the tunnels to the palace. The moment you step foot inside the tunnels, you will not speak unless spoken to. Any questions?”
“No, sir!” everyone answered in unison.
“Line up at the western door. Savenek, a word alone.” Nathenek moved to the other side of the room, away from everyone as they eagerly lined up, talking quietly amongst themselves.
Wiping the sweat off his brow, Savenek walked over to his father knowing something was wrong. His father rarely singled him out. “What is it?”
“I’d planned on telling this to you earlier at home, but I didn’t get the chance. I need you to remain here today.”
“Why?” Wasn’t he going to be interviewed like everyone else? Or did his father think he wasn’t ready for the final trials? It didn’t make any sense. He had trained harder and longer than any of his fellow classmates. He was just as good—if not better—than all of them. He deserved to take his vows. If his father had concerns, he should have said something sooner.
Seeing the confusion on Savenek’s face, Nathenek assured him, “I will explain everything tonight. For now, you will remain here. Go through the training course five times, run ten laps, and then you may head home. I will meet you there when I’m done.” Nathenek turned and strode away, not giving Savenek a chance to respond or question him further.
Oath of Deception: Reign of Secrets, Book Four Page 2
