Life

by Rosie Scott

  “It's not,” Zephyr argued, before going on to repeat her concerns to Altan as she'd once done for us.

  As the Sentinels continued to talk, anxiety started to clutter my chest. Something wasn't right. The merry happy music of the festival surrounding us muted and faded away in my subconscious. My heart picked up its pace on its own terms, leaving me to sit back and wonder why. My mind sorted through possibilities of what could be going wrong.

  In the midst of the conversation between the Sentinels, I interrupted, “Find Kirek.”

  Zephyr paused from speaking, and the Sentinels all looked at me. My voice had been tight with panic. Cyrus and Uriel slowly seemed to understand my concern.

  “Okay,” Zephyr agreed softly, the tone of my voice concerning her. “I'll find her and ask her.”

  “You won't have to travel far,” Altan commented, crossing his bronzed arms over his chest and nodding down the main road to the inner city.

  Kirek was marching with a purpose down the street toward us, her gaze so angered and hostile that the partying dwarves took note and moved out of the way. Her two axes glimmered at her belt. Kirek was surrounded by both a shield and ward made out of life magic. Far behind her but hurrying to catch up through the crowds was Dax, panic alight in his eyes.

  Zwip. A clearish-white energy field surrounded me as Cerin gave me a shield, before doing the same for himself. Some of the dwarves nearby took notice, and the sounds of partying started to fade into a murmur.

  Altan stood up straighter and frowned as the other Sentinel neared us. A half-smile of uncertainty brightened his face before he asked, “What in the hell do you need shields for, Kirek? You planning on fighting somebody?”

  Kirek did not reply. Her green eyes were sharp and hostile on us, but we were all standing so close together I couldn't tell who she was staring at. She lifted up a hand, where one growing metal shard swirled over her palm. I heard Dax yelling, but none of the words were legible as Kirek's sudden scream of exertion overrode his cries.

  The metal blade shot toward us with such force that its shrill ringing echoed across the festival. The whirling metal noise only stopped to give way to the collapsing of sturdy bone and the squelch of a bursting organ. A splash of blood sprayed forth across my vision, spotted with chunks of broken bone and gray brain matter.

  The festival devolved into panic. The music stopped. There was nothing but screams.

  Forty-five

  My heart shattered my ribs, and a piercing ring was so loud in my head I could hear nothing else. The boots on my feet were in a growing puddle of blood. I took a step back, my eyes traveling over the gore and to the fallen body of a Sentinel. At first, I couldn't tell who it was. The metal shard had cracked straight through the front of his face, collapsing it with such pressure that little of his head was left attached. Blood was audibly gushing out of the open skull, filling in the cracks of stone and traveling outward. There were pieces of broken skull everywhere, and my eyes stuck on one part of it in particular. It had managed to keep its hold to the scalp, and a tuft of bloodied fiery hair was still attached. Close by was a single red eye, still connected to a string of muscle.

  Everyone was screaming. I fell abruptly to my knees, the heat of Altan's blood warming them through my armor. I laid a hand over his stomach before I turned to the side and vomited.

  “Altan Marcet is a traitor to Eteri! He has assassinated our queen! He and Kai Sera have conspired against us!”

  Kirek's screams were dull in my head. I felt woozy and sick. I was no stranger to gore, but to see a good friend in such a state just moments after he'd been talking and joking had done a number to my mind. Across Altan's body, Cyrus had fallen to his old friend's side. He was sobbing uncontrollably. His hands were covered in Altan's blood.

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” Uriel raged. I moved my blank gaze over to the others. Zephyr had dispelled Kirek's shield using life magic and had her held still with the weight of the chain-sickle around her left arm. Even so, Zephyr stared at Altan's body, her silver eyes moistened with unshed tears and her chest rising and falling with rapid breaths of horror and panic.

  “It's in her satchel!” Dax yelled vaguely, finally coming to a stop behind Kirek. His turquoise eyes were overwhelmed with panic as he pointed to Kirek's military satchel. As Uriel grabbed the satchel and ripped it so hard from Kirek the strap broke, Dax continued, “I'm so sorry! I didn't know! I swear to the gods, I didn't know!”

  “Didn't know what?” Cerin pleaded.

  “Kirek asked me to give her a shield,” Dax explained, before falling to the ground just outside the growing puddle of blood. “I didn't know what it was for. I just saw her with the letter. I don't—she was my trainer.” He devolved into regretful sobs. “I've never said no to her.”

  “Read Tilda's correspondence,” Kirek spat at Uriel, pointing one finger of her free hand to me. “It explains everything. Altan has been manipulating all of us for years.”

  Uriel pulled out an open envelope from Kirek's satchel, before throwing the rest of her bag into the puddle of Altan's blood. The sobs of two different Sentinels rattled through my subconscious.

  Cyrus finally looked up at Azazel. When he spoke, his words were barely discernible. “Azazel. Please.” Cyrus pointed to an abandoned shop stall on the harbor, where a tarp had been set up over many goods. A once energetic festival was now over. Everyone had fled the area in anticipation of a fight. “The tarp.” Cyrus's eyes overflowed with tears again as he motioned to Altan's broken skull. “I don't want him seen like this. I don't want to remember him like this.”

  My nostrils flared at the desperation on his voice. As Azazel hurried to get the tarp, I stood and walked around Altan's body, kneeling back down beside Cyrus and grabbing him into a hug. The Sentinel leaned into me, giving into mourning. As he devolved into tears, I joined him.

  “'My dearest Kirek,'” Uriel began, reading from the letter. It shook in his hands as he continued, “'As you know, I have long suspected Altan of conspiring with the Seran Renegades against me for all of the reasons I have relayed to you in the past. I thank you for your last correspondence. In Altan's letter, not only did he refuse to acknowledge that this string of assassination attempts was connected to the god or to her underground allies, but he tried to deflect the blame onto Hammerton and Chairel. Your letter informed me about his direct refusal to follow my orders when it came to the dwarven civilians, and I thank you for that. He mentioned no such thing in his. If Altan had followed my very clear directions, the defense of Olympia would have incited no rebellion. By leaving the populace alive and allowing such things to happen, Altan has not only disobeyed my orders but risked the entire campaign.

  “'I have heard your concerns about the loyalties of Cyrus and Uriel. I do not share them. To be frank, my dear, I believe both of these men are far too weak and submissive to try to have me assassinated. Even before the god and her companions arrived in Eteri, Altan has always shown resistance to parts of my rule.

  “'Assassins continue to crawl around like roaches. A number of my guards have been killed in these attempts, and a few civilians have reported seeing flying beasts that are not native to Eteri. The assassins are using methods I've never heard of before to try to get to me, which is why I am writing this letter to you. By the time you receive it, you may not be finished with the Hammerton campaign, and I may or may not be dead. Regardless, the following are my orders to you.

  “'I want Altan alive until the campaign is complete. He may have worked with the god against me, but he is also a useful tool. You and Altan are the best offensive generals in my arsenal, and with you both, Hammerton will soon be ours. As soon as Hallmar is taken, I want him dead. I don't care how you do it. I would suggest getting ahold of Alderi poisons since you mentioned they are rampant, or even dwarven poisons if you believe framing the locals is a viable option. After all, Altan has left many of them alive. I foresee many years ahead cleaning up after the mess he's made of this cam
paign. I understand you are partial to direct combat more than other methods so I will leave this up to you. If you kill him in direct combat and the other Sentinels question you, be sure to tell them of his treachery.

  “'Lastly, as I have previously expressed, I fear that my demise may be imminent. Thus, I have written two letters to you and have advised my messengers to bring you the right one for the situation. If this letter in particular makes it to you, I am dead. Know for sure that Altan and the Seran Renegades are the cause of this and act accordingly. I will leave the fate of the god and her Renegades up to you. As you know, I intended to pull out of this war at the border and focus on developing Hammerton. I personally planned on leaving the god alive. Whether or not she takes Chairel, it will be weakened by her rebellion. With Hammerton taken, Chairel will be surrounded on two sides by our growing armies and may easily fall. Then again, the last thing this world needs is an arrogant god in possession of a country. Because this letter has reached your hands, I leave these decisions up to you, for I can no longer make them.

  “'You are the only Sentinel under my current command who has followed every order impeccably. There were a few times you questioned me, but we all have our moments when we make errors in judgment. Therefore, by the powers granted to me by our elective monarchy, it is with sincere congratulations that I bequeath the throne of Eteri to you, Kirek Sjors. I trust you to lead this magnificent country in my stead using everything I've taught you. I have left everything you will need to prepare for your new role in my chambers of Mistral's castle. I recommend you promote new Sentinels right away, for I had planned on having seven in Eteri and seven in Hammerton. Hammerton needs to be expanded after it's taken, but Eteri cannot be left behind. Let Cyrus handle the development of Hammerton and come back to Eteri to prepare. Chairel's warships have once again attacked Makani in your absence, and this country needs leadership.

  “'If you are correct about the other Sentinels being untrustworthy, do not worry, my dear. I have taken precautions. This castle will not accept the return of any other Sentinel without you unless you fall in battle, in which case I have different correspondence for my messenger to hand out. My guards here have been instructed to remain hostile toward the other Sentinels if they come to claim this castle and its throne. I don't believe this will be necessary, particularly with Altan dead. That man has thirsted after this throne for centuries. I express my gratitude in advance for the things I've asked you to do. If Hammerton is taken when you receive this, you are now queen of the largest country in the world. I hope the pride you feel because of that overrides any difficulties you may come across in the coming years. Long live Eteri. Queen Tilda.'”

  Uriel stopped reading before his light eyes moved over to us. “It says on the envelope here Tilda was assassinated on the 32nd of High Star last year.”

  The air was eerily quiet. Kirek breathed hard within Zephyr's grasp. Her green eyes moved over to the other Sentinel, and she finally said, “Let go of me. I am now your queen.”

  Zephyr's nostrils flared, but she did not unravel the chain of her weapon from Kirek's arm.

  Cyrus was breathing so hard with mourning and these new revelations that I worried he'd pass out. The arm I still held around him rose and fell with his shaking. Azazel had long ago put the tarp over Altan's head, blocking out the gory and unrecognizable.

  “Why...” Uriel trailed off, his eyes distantly on Altan's boots in the midst of the puddle of blood. “Why did Tilda long suspect Altan? And why in the hell did she only confide in this with you?”

  “She confided in me because I was the only Sentinel she trusted, Uriel,” Kirek replied. Her normally monotone voice was elevated with stress. “As you read, Altan was always disobeying orders. Running around Eteri apologizing for the queen's decisions as if she had done something that required it. Tilda first suspected Altan in 421 after she found out he used funds from the royal treasury to pay for the Alderi's surgery in Tal.” Kirek glared over at Azazel.

  “Are you fucking serious?” Cerin blurted in anger. “Azazel nearly lost his eyes due to what she put us through. Altan was doing his best to make up for—”

  “There was nothing to make up for!” Kirek spat. “And as I said, he is Alderi. Altan knew all too well the ways of the Alderi, and yet he'd spent years befriending them. He was best of friends with Calder who is the king of the assassins, and I've heard him talking with Nyx. Not only do I know he'd slept with her, but she disappeared for some years in Eteri. Who knows where she went? What kinds of things she was planning? For all I know, Altan had Nyx deliver an assassination contract to the underground before she returned.”

  “Oh, dear gods,” Cyrus began, his voice trembling with sadness and anger. “You are one stupid, back-stabbing bitch.”

  Kirek's eyes widened. “Excuse me? Back-stabbing? I have done nothing—”

  “Yes! Back-stabbing!” Cyrus roared, whipping his face to stare back at her. “You had Uriel read that entire letter to all of us. Every Sentinel here has not only been insulted by our queen, but by you. You've been sending private correspondence back with our fleets without our knowledge? You know that was Altan's job!”

  “Altan was a traitor!” Kirek screamed. “Of course I sent Tilda my concerns! He wasn't going to! He had our queen assassinated, Cyrus!”

  “Altan was innocent!” Cyrus yelled back. “Not once in his life did he ever consider assassination as a viable option! You'd fucking know that if you took the gods damn time to get to know any of us!”

  “Your trust in Altan blinds you!” Kirek shouted. “You don't think he was capable of such a thing because you are weak and give into your emotions. Tilda was right about you. You—”

  “Altan was innocent!” Cyrus repeated, his chest heaving with more rapid breaths as he continued, “You are a murderer, Kirek. Tilda was wrong. You are wrong. Tilda's line of thinking is so far off from the truth it's laughable.”

  Kirek's nostrils flared. “What would you know of the truth, Cyrus?”

  “A whole hell of a lot more than you do,” Cyrus retorted, finally standing up, the front of his armor drenched in his friend's blood. “Altan had nothing to do with that assassination contract. I would know because it was my contract.”

  There was silence. Uriel's eyes were wide with panic, but so were Kirek's for entirely different reasons. Zephyr and Dax were both quiet, in shock.

  “If it weren't for the fact that you just killed my oldest friend, and an innocent man who has faithfully served Eteri for four centuries, this would have been the happiest day of life.” Cyrus paused. “I love Eteri, but good gods, Tilda was the most insufferable sack of garbage I've ever had the misfortune of meeting.” His right arm moved out to the side to Altan's body. “This is a good example of why. Altan is dead. He was innocent. Tilda was biased and wrong in pointing the finger at him, as she usually was biased and wrong about everything. And here he is, with his head exploded open for all of us to see, after four fucking centuries of risking his life for her!”

  The last words were a scream. I nearly expected Kirek to request Cyrus's execution for his treason, but she said nothing, staring at Altan's body and beginning to devolve into a panic. Every bit of anger she'd held moments ago was turning into regret. Perhaps she finally realized that blindly following orders did not always end well.

  “Congratulations on your promotion,” Cyrus seethed sarcastically. “I regret to inform you that I am stepping down as a Sentinel of Eteri. I wanted no part in Tilda's tyranny, and I would rather suffer Altan's fate than to devote a day of service to his murderer.”

  Kirek continued to stare at Altan's corpse, looking faint. After swallowing hard, she said, “Cyrus...”

  “What?”

  “The Renegades—”

  “You leave them out of this,” Cyrus spat. “They had nothing to do with this. I was hiring assassins to kill Tilda years before Kai was even born.”

  Kirek continued to sway on her own feet, and her green eyes slowly moved up
to find my gaze. “I was wrong about one of my suspicions of you,” she said, her voice little more than a mumble. “I apologize.”

  I said nothing.

  Kirek continued, “I thank you for your aid in Hammerton, Kai.” She paused again, catching her breath. “But I cannot follow you into Chairel. Considering the turn of events...”

  “Don't waste your breath, Kirek,” I cut her off. “I've always figured Eteri would abandon me. Its reputation has been tarnished for centuries due to Tilda's reign. You will continue the tradition.”

  Kirek frowned at me, but she didn't seem to be in the mood to argue.

  “I'd also like to announce my resignation as Sentinel,” Uriel stated. “I don't wish to serve beneath you, Kirek. Unlike Eteri, I will abide by my promises and agreements. I will follow Kai into Chairel.”

  “Me as well,” Dax stood up, his eyes still puffy from mourning. “Training beneath you was trying enough. I don't want you as my ruler.”

  Kirek's eyes watered with stress, but she shed no tears. “How am I supposed to run this country as a queen if everyone abandons me? I apologize for my error in judgment. I was following orders. You do not understand the pain I feel for Altan now that I know I was wrong. If I could go back, I would.”

  Zephyr finally unraveled the weighted end of her chain-sickle from Kirek's arm. “No matter how much pain you feel, Altan's not coming back. It means nothing, Kirek. Your pain means nothing when our comrade has died an unnecessary death.”

  “You are my only Sentinel,” Kirek pleaded. “I need you to run Hammerton while I return to Eteri.”

  “Absolutely,” Zephyr agreed, hanging her chain-sickle from her belt. “I'll run Hammerton. But it sure as hell won't be yours.”

  Kirek's nostrils flared again. “Eteri has taken Hammerton. I am now queen. This land is mine just as much as it was Tilda's.”