by Candy Crum
"Who are you?" one of the Hunters demanded. "Why are you after her?"
Amelia could see magitech lights flickering to life as the spectacle on the street began to draw attention.
"Get the hell off me!" Caydon ordered. "Do you have any idea who I am?"
Maddie took a defiant step forward. "I sure as hell do! You threatened me at the Academy today. You told me to watch my back. I didn't think you were actually serious, or I would have reported you then. But then again, who would I've reported you to? It sure as hell couldn't be the Dean!"
"You leave Talia out of this!" Jackson cried.
Everything was going even better than Amelia had expected.
"Is that true? Did you threaten her earlier today?" the Hunter asked. "I'll know if you’re lying. I'm an excellent judge of character."
"Wait just a minute," the other Hunter said. He had Jackson pinned in his arms, but the boy knew better than to fight. Caydon wasn't quite as smart. "I know who the two of you are."
"Who the hell are they?" Caydon's Hunter asked.
"This is Jackson. He's the one who got the shit beat out of him by some Boulevard students not long ago. We investigated the situation when those two students were attacked and one of them was killed."
"Yeah, by Arryn," Caydon snapped. "We've done nothing wrong. Let us go."
Caydon‘s Hunter yanked his wrists together, snapping magitech cuffs on them. "The only reason you didn’t do anything was because we interrupted you."
Maddie took a step forward and leaned down, picking something up. "This looks exactly like the knife that killed the other students. Why do you have it?"
Jackson's Hunter laughed. "That's a good damned question. You know, I'm starting to find it kind of odd. Those Boulevard students kicked your ass, and not long after, they were attacked using a knife exactly like that one right there. Now here you are, chasing down an innocent girl—"
"She's not innocent!" Caydon interjected. "She supports the murderer Arryn. That makes her a traitor."
"Is that so?" Caydon's Hunter asked. "See, you shouldn't have said anything, because now this looks a whole hell of a lot more suspicious."
"That's what I'm thinking, too," Jackson's Hunter said. "You were caught wielding a knife exactly like the one used in the murders Arryn was accused of committing, but you were using it to attempt to murder someone else, someone who supports Arryn and believes in her innocence. Maybe we didn't look at Arryn hard enough. I'm starting to think it's possible that two noble assholes had a grudge and needed a scapegoat."
Yes! Amelia thought to herself. The Hunters were doing great. They had to deviate from the script a bit, but they still knew how to make all the details obvious to get anyone listening thinking about the possibilities that it wasn’t Arryn that had killed those students.
"Like someone new to the city who no one knew very well, for instance?" Caydon's Hunter asked. "The two of you are going nowhere. There are now many things we need to discuss."
The boys and their big mouths had made things far easier for Amelia than she'd imagined, though she'd hoped it would turn out the way it had.
People were starting to come out their front doors now, curious about what they'd seen from their windows and heard behind closed doors. A quick look into a mind or two told Amelia her plan had worked. Doubt about Arryn's guilt had been planted, and no one had any idea Amelia had anything to do with it. The seeds just needed time to grow.
Leaving Cella on the remnant’s errand was the hardest thing the governor had ever done, but it was necessary for survival of his people. He'd made large threats, and he'd been lucky the remnant had believed him. If the remnant leader was correct, Talia had been behind the whole thing.
He wondered if the Chancellor knew of the woman’s guilt. If she didn't, he planned to tell her, and if she had suspected Talia, he’d validate her theory for her.
As the governor of Cella approached the Arcadian gate, he was met by several guards. "Hello there," one of them said, stepping forward. "What can we do for you today?"
The governor smiled, having no idea what to say or how to react. He decided to be as vague as possible, in hopes the guard would lead the conversation for him. "I'm the governor of Cella, and this is my son Nathaniel. We received an invitation, and we have come to discuss the terms."
The guard smiled. "Governor, welcome to the city. Talia is expecting you."
That was all he needed to know. The guard seemed overly excited to deliver him to Talia. It stood to reason that this man, and possibly many others, were loyal to her. He needed to step lightly.
"Thank you, thank you. It's been a long time since I've been to Arcadia. I'm excited to see it again. If you'll allow us passage, we’ll head to the Academy. Thank you for your assistance."
The guard shook his head. "Oh, no. No need for all that. I will escort you myself. It would be an honor."
The governor grew very nervous, but he did his best to play it off. He forced a laugh and waved his hand. "While it's been some time since I've been here, I know how to get there. Besides, with all that’s happened lately, you men are the only thing holding the city together. Our borders rely on strength, and you are our backbone. That's what I tell my men. They are the most important part of the city, even more than myself. I don't want to pull you away from the gate, knowing the city could be in danger simply because of my arrival."
He’d hoped flattery would get him somewhere, but it was doing no good.
"Talia insisted. Really, it's fine," the guard said, his expression still happy, though the governor could tell that at this point he was straining to keep it that way. The man was growing irritated.
"Talia is the Dean of the Academy, correct?" Nathaniel asked.
The guard nodded. "Yes, sir. She is."
Nathaniel briefly glanced at his father before looking back at the guard. "Shouldn't you be taking orders from the Chancellor, not the Dean of Students?"
The other guards stepped away from their post, coming closer to the two men and their horses.
The guard who had greeted them took a step forward, making sure his magitech rifle was in sight. "Things are a bit complicated in the city at the moment, given the situation. Talia has gone to great lengths to ensure that the city is well taken care of. We take our orders from her."
He looked at the other guards for a moment before returning his attention to the governor. The other guards moved forward again. Though their posture was relaxed, the governor was well aware of the threat. If they did not allow the guard to take them to Talia, they would be taken there by force.
"This can't happen," Nathaniel said to his father.
The governor turned back to the guards. "You would offer violence if I chose to see the Chancellor? The official you swore to obey?"
The guard smiled. "If that's what you choose, yes. We prefer peace, but you will not be seeing the Chancellor. No one is to see the Chancellor."
The governor sighed and looked at his son. He had taught Nathaniel some of the basics, including fireballs, but he didn't have much training. That had been the reason he’d wanted him to attend the Academy so badly. But behind his back, Nathaniel had taken it upon himself to train with the Guard, learning things the governor himself had never even learned.
When his son looked at him and nodded once, his expression deadly serious, he knew what it meant. More than that, he trusted his son with his life.
The governor turned back to the guard standing just in front of his horse and nodded. "If that is your wish."
The governor's hands thrust out in front of him, causing a large shield to burst forth. Before the guards could react, Nathaniel was off his horse and had grabbed his spear from his back.
He ran forward and slid just enough that he could reach under the barrier, stabbing a guard in the chest with his spear before rolling back behind it for safety.
The governor jumped off his horse once the guards were focused on Nathaniel and created a fireball in his left ha
nd while focusing on the barrier. He twisted around the barrier just far enough to allow him to throw the fireball, and it hit one of the men in the back, sending him to the ground screaming in pain. Nathaniel stabbed him in the chest, quieting him for good.
The guards lifted their magictech rifles and prepared to shoot through the shield.
"Now!" Nathaniel shouted, pulling a large dagger from his belt.
The governor dropped the barrier and Nathaniel threw his spear, hitting one of the guards in the stomach before ducking out of the way. The last guard fired relentlessly, but Nathaniel was fast, and the guard was too poor a shot. Had it been one of the Cella guards, Nathaniel would've been dead, and he knew it.
Tumbling to the side to avoid more shots, Nathaniel rose to his knees and threw the knife, striking the guard in the chest. They had taken all four guards down within a matter of moments, and the Cellans were safe.
"Do we still think we should bring our people here?" Nathaniel asked.
The governor sighed, looking at the bodies and then at his son. He shook his head. "If we stay in Cella, we risk the remnant breaking the deal. We’d be safe here from the remnant, but then there’s Talia. Son, I don't think we're safe anywhere we go. We must simply choose the lesser of the two evils. "
Nathaniel stood. "To do that, we need to talk to Amelia and find out just how bad this is, but first we need to get rid of these bodies."
They’d began dragging one of the bodies away when another guard walked around the corner.
"Shit," Nathaniel yelled.
The governor prepared to throw a fireball as Nathaniel grabbed his spear.
"Whoa!" the guard said, raising his magitech rifle. "Calm down there. You look familiar."
The governor paused, his body tense with fear and adrenaline. "I'm the governor of Cella."
Recognition struck the guard. "The governor of Cella? What the hell are you doing here?"
The governor momentarily looked at his son, who also seemed to catch the possibility behind those words. If the guard didn't realize he was supposed to be there, that he might not be on Talia's radar.
"I was invited here by Talia, but I would like to see the Chancellor first." It was a risk, but he needed to see who this man was with.
The guard looked at the other four lying on the ground. "And these men? They refused you the opportunity to see the Chancellor?"
The governor nodded. "They demanded we see Talia and forbade us the opportunity to see the Chancellor. Is that normal practice?"
The guard lowered his magitech rifle. "No, sir, but I'm sure you're aware there are a lot of things happening. Get on your horses and follow me. There are only a few of us truly loyal to Amelia. I’m sure she’ll explain everything. I'll inform the next guards their shift is beginning early. They’ll take care of this mess. We'll close the gate until they do."
As promised, the guard safely delivered the governor and his son to the Capitol building and the Chancellor. He hurried them inside and quickly closed the doors behind them. A beautiful woman at the front desk waved them through, and the guard did not bother knocking. He walked straight into the Chancellor's office, bringing the governor and his son with him.
"Amelia, this is the governor of Cella. The guards at the front gate tried to stop him from seeing you. They wanted to take him to Talia."
The governor stepped forward. "I'm sorry to say this, but I felt that our lives were threatened. My son and I have had disturbing news, and we came here to speak to you directly. When we were told we were being taken to her, we feared the worst. The four guards at the gate are dead by our hands."
Amelia nodded. "While I hate to hear that, I know you did what you felt necessary. At any other point in time, I could guarantee your safety in our city, but unfortunately, now is not the time. Those men are under the control of a mystic, a mystic that’s in Talia’s employ. If your disturbing news concerns her, you and I have a lot to talk about."
The governor laughed, but he was unamused. "Chancellor, I'm here not because of the invitation extended by Talia herself, but because I just made a deal with the remnant. A deal stating that if I delivered her, or at least got information on her whereabouts, they wouldn’t rip my city apart again. I think we have quite a lot to discuss."
14
Spending time in the Dark Forest was far more intriguing than Celine could ever have imagined. Part of her wanted to abandon Arcadia entirely and live amid the beauty of the trees and wildlife. Cathillian had been right when he said it was quite a dangerous place, but most of those dangers lay outside the druids’ barrier.
Inside, the animals, even the largest of them, had mild temperaments. The druids didn't have the power to permanently tame every animal within their borders, but they had made the predatory animals aware that they were not to be attacked. It was a mutual relationship—neither bothered the other.
Celine's newest and most favorite hobby was combat training. Nika had been hesitant at first, but she quickly realized that Celine had been correct. She really was a fast learner. Though her body ached more than she’d ever thought possible, Celine had awoken first thing in the morning every day since she'd been here and gone straight to daily training with the other recruits.
It had been a painful experience, though she had received mild treatment in comparison to the others. Even so, she'd learned more than she'd hoped to in such a short timeframe.
Nika was the hardest trainer, other than Elysia, and that was why Celine had been paired off with her. Whatever she hoped to learn would be learned much quicker with someone as brutal and as skilled as the warrior Nika.
Cathillian wandered up just in time to see Nika sweep Celine's feet out from underneath her as she planted her hand in the older woman's chest and slammed her to the ground. She landed with a hard oof, but it didn't seem like any real damage had been done.
"I see things are going well," Cathillian said with a smile.
Celine managed to stick her tongue out at him as she slowly climbed to her feet, stumbling back a bit as she did. "She's rough! What can I say? I've learned more with her than what you taught me."
Cathillian laughed. "Well, forgive me. I had no idea you were quite so serious. Anyone willing to take a punch in the face from Nika is clearly a real candidate. I won't underestimate you again."
Nika stepped forward. "Actually, she's doing quite well, certainly no worse than any of the other new recruits. In fact, she's better than a few of them. That’s saying a lot, considering most of these druids have been training in one form or another their whole lives. They've only recently opted into the truly brutal beatings."
Cathillian's expression turned amused. "Impressive! I'm sure that doesn't sound like a compliment, but it really is."
Nika nodded towards Cathillian while looking at Celine. "He's here asking about you, but I'm kinda curious to know about him. Have you gotten weak, Arcadian?"
Cathillian's eyes widened as he smiled. "Arcadian? Crossing a line now, aren't you?"
Nika laughed as she punched her fist into her flat palm. "I don't think so. I heard how much you like those hot showers. How much you didn't want to come back. Seems to me like you're well on your way to being their newest citizen. Of course, if I'm wrong, I'd love for you to prove it."
Celine watched in fascination as the two bickered playfully. It was obvious they were good friends, but Celine couldn't help but want to see them spar.
She hadn't really seen what Cathillian could do. In the fight they’d been involved in on the way to the Dark Forest, she had been so preoccupied that she hadn't seen a thing.
At that point in time, she hadn’t focused on anything other than staying alive. Watching these two spar—knowing what Cathillian could do and having seen Nika's skill—well, that would be very exciting.
"Let's see what you got," Cathillian said. "Celine, I’m going to borrow your sparring partner for a moment, if you don't mind."
Celine's eyes widened along with her smile, her eyes g
listening in anticipation. She nodded quickly. "Yes, of course! I'll just get out of the way. I can't wait to see this."
Cathillian stepped into the ring as Celine stepped out. He and Nika crossed their fists over their hearts, a devious smile playing on both their faces. "You ready for this?" Cathillian asked.
"Am I ready?" Nika laughed. "In all our fights, you’ve only beaten me once. Perhaps you should be a bit more concerned about your own ass."
Celine watched with excitement as they playfully insulted each other, circling and sizing one another up. Without warning, Cathillian quickly drew his dagger and threw it at Nika in one fluid movement. She stepped aside and caught it, having anticipated his attack somehow. Celine's eyes widened as she saw the dagger in Nika's hand.
"Is watchin’ ‘im get ‘is ass kicked part of yer trainin’?" Samuel asked as he wandered over to stand next to Celine.
Celine laughed. "It is right now. There's no way he's gonna beat her. I've watched her sparring with some of the more experienced recruits. She's terrifying!"
In a flash, Nika dove at Cathillian. He managed to dodge her first punch, but not the second. She caught him right across the jaw but he recovered quickly, punching her in the stomach before kneeing her in the face and sending her back several feet.
She steadied herself, reaching up and wiping the blood from her broken nose. Her smile spread as she looked at him. "Anyone ever tell you that you hit like a girl?"
Cathillian was a large man, but all druids were relatively tall. Nika was only a couple inches shy of six feet herself. She had the height, the slender frame, the reflexes, and the training to make her incredibly fast and dangerous.
"Wow, that really looks like it hurt." Celine grimaced. "She just brushes it off like nothing happened."
"If ye keep up yer training, ye'll be able ta do that too." Samuel glanced in Celine's direction and winked. "I think ye'll be quite the warrior, with how determined ye are."
Cathillian conjured a bit of nature magic, sending a gust of wind at Nika as she charged him. She was blown back several feet, but she quickly dropped to the ground and whipped her hand around, a vine springing from the ground and pulling Cathillian's feet out from under him.
