Every day after lunch, the students were given instruction on various current topics. Geography, history, and political alliances were explained and discussed in great detail. And while most races spoke common, several also had their own language. The students were taught basic phrases and words from the languages of different races.
After another short break, weaponry was once again practiced for several hours. The day was finished by another period of intense physical training. The instructors would drill the students until the point of exhaustion, and release them only after darkness or collapse.
A large number of students dropped out quickly after the training began, being simply unable to handle the physical and mental stress that came with the training.
Flare simply had no other options, and so he simply endured the physical exhaustion. Over time, he became aware of the changes the training was making on his body. His muscle tone and flexibility developed quickly, and his stamina and durability gradually improved.
He was gradually accepted as a comrade by most of the other cadets, but he would not have considered many of them his friends. Because of the intensity of the guardian training, very little time was left for anything else. The recruits spent a year following this schedule.
At the beginning of the second year, the students were broken into teams of thirteen students called squads. While the first year had taught the students how to fight, the second year taught them how to fight in an organized group.
There was a small graduation ceremony, to mark the successful completion of the first year, and then they were each assigned to a squad at dusk, and told to report there immediately. Flare was caught by surprise, not knowing that they would be relocated so soon, but he gladly went to his new squad’s barrack. Each squad would spend the next year living together to learn companionship and trust.
The barrack was a one story building made of logs, and placed at the edge of the forest. It was made to be functional, nothing else. He was amazed that thirteen students were expected to live in such a small structure. There was a single door, with a window on either side.
It took Flare several minutes to find his assigned barrack. When he found the lodge, the rest of the squad members were already assembled.
The interior of the lodge was brightly lit by an oil lamp sitting in the middle of the room. There was an officer sitting on a stool beside the lamp. The students were sitting in a half circle, with their backs to Flare, and with the officer sitting in the middle of the students.
The officer spoke as Flare entered, “Sit in the chair at the end.” He pointed to a chair at the end of the semi-circle of students.
Flare sat down quickly in the chair, looking around as he did so. The barrack was a single large room, which had bunk beds along the walls, and a fireplace in the middle of the back wall. He sat next to a human woman, who appeared to be a soldier. He did not recognize her, but that wasn't all that unusual. There were still a large number of cadets in training.
The officer waited as Flare sat down, before speaking, “Now that the squad is completely assembled, let me introduce myself. I am Sergeant Danlion, and I will be in charge of your instruction.” He spoke quietly, but his voice had the ring of authority. “You come from many different backgrounds, and some of you are even foreigners, but you must become like brothers.” He paused, gauging the affect his words had on the young students. He made eye contact with each student, measuring each one. Flare felt uncomfortable under the piercing gaze of the sergeant, and slowly let his gaze drop.
“Now you know who I am, but you do not know your fellow soldiers. So, I want each of you to introduce yourself, and tell a little about yourselves. I think we will start at this end,” he said, pointing to his left.
The young man was a muscular warrior. He had short brown hair, and was clean shaven. “My name is Derek Aldanon,” he said slowly, seeming unsure of himself. “I have always lived in Telur, since my father is a merchant who deals in spices.” He stopped speaking, and looked expectantly at the sergeant.
“Good. Thank you Derek. Young lady, your next.” The sergeant said.
The woman had black hair that reached down past her shoulders, with dark eyes and high angular cheek bones. She was wearing brown trousers and a green tunic. “My name is Heather Elt, and I trained in the druid monastery of Garath Al-Denari. I am a good warrior, and an excellent woodsman.”
The sergeant merely nodded at the next soldier.
The next soldier had skin that was as black as night. Flare had seen several guardian soldiers with similarly colored skin, but he had not had a chance to get to know any of them. He was extremely muscular, and his hair hung down in long braids. “My name is Del-Atock A'bamani. I am the nineteenth son of King Del-Otin, who rules the kingdom of Entucca. Entucca and Telur have been allies for centuries, and as part of our treaty, each king must have one son train as a guardian. I consider it an honor to have been chosen to represent Entucca, and I will dedicate my life for you.” The warrior’s words were not extremely clear, but good enough.
Flare believed in the sincerity of Del-Atock’s words, and was glad that he had been placed in the same squad.
“Tell me,” the sergeant said, speaking to Del-Atock, “Do you mind being called Del, or do you prefer Del-Atock?”
“Please call me Atock. My people are not formal with their friends, or family.”
“Fine. You’re next,” Sergeant Danlion said to the next student.
Flare had not observed each student when he came in, and he was shocked when he realized that there was another elf in the room. He knew that elves sometimes joined the guardians, but he hadn't expected to have another elf in his squad.
“My name is Enstorion, and I am a mage,” was the short statement given by the male elf. He was tall, with shoulder length blond hair. He had a sharp hawkish nose, was rather thin, and had extremely white skin. He spoke quietly, and sounded like he was whispering.
Enstorion was apparently not interested in volunteering any information, so sergeant Danlion prompted him for some. “Enstorion, tell us why you have joined the guardians, and why you left the elven homeland.”
The elf stared at sergeant Danlion for several moments before he answered, “I left because the elves are too restrictive in their teachings. They are afraid to learn and explore the magical arts. By joining the guardians, I can increase my chances of being apprenticed to a high level magician.”
Flare found the answer troubling. Enstorion had shown no concern or interest in the guardians, and was only interested in furthering his own ambitions.
The next student was the warrior that Flare had fought when he was taking the guardian entrance tests, and Flare was surprised that he had not recognized him sooner. He was simply huge. He was nearly seven feet tall, and easily two hundred and eighty pounds. He had brown hair that was braided and reached half way down his back. He had a wide nose, which looked like it had been broken several times. Flare remembered sheepishly that he may have broken it himself, when they wrestled in the entrance trials.
“I am called Enton Dale, and I am from the Yurkut tribe. We live to the northwest, where the mountains meet the forests. We are loyal subjects of Telur and have been for centuries. I was chosen for the guardians, because I am the best warrior of my people.” It was a claim that was easy enough to believe.
The next two warriors turned out to be twin brothers, and excellent bow-men. They were both clean shaven, but the younger had shoulder length brown hair and was called Callin Obiah. The older brother, whose name was Trestus Obiah, had short hair that was cut just below his ears. Both men were tall and slim, with a dark complexion. Trestus seemed quiet and reserved, but Callin was cocky and even joked with the group. They both seemed trustworthy.
A human female mage was next. She had long black hair, which stood out against her pale complexion. She was of average height, but appeared to have a muscular body. “My name is Mikela Shaltin, and I too am a mage. I have lived my entire l
ife in Telur.” She paused, “Uh. When I was a child, a mage from the Doe-Rushkin academy discovered that I had magical talent. I have trained there since I was eight, and in fact, it was my mentor who recommended that I join the guardians. He said I was talented, and that my physical prowess would make me stand out.”
‘Do all mages think only of themselves?’ Flare wondered. Enstorion said he joined the guardians so that he could find a good mentor, and now Mikela said she wanted to stand out amongst the guardians. He hoped that he was mistaken about the two, but he shrugged and let it go. Only time would tell.
The next member of the unit to speak was a human female. She had dirty blond hair, and a fair complexion. Her nose was slightly too large for her face, and she had rather rough skin. Flare thought her pleasant looking, but not beautiful. “My name is Murleen Plurin, and I too grew up in Telur. My father is a weapon smith.” She said.
A human male warrior named Aaron Imes followed Murleen. He was about six feet tall, and had a muscular build. He was clean shaven, with brown short hair. “I joined the guardians, as my father did before me. My father died tracking a goblin raiding party in the mountains to the west. I hope to honor his memory with my service.”
The next soldier was a handsome warrior. He was tall, about six foot four, and white-blond shoulder length hair. “My name is Phillip Connell, and my father is the Duke of Atwell. I am an excellent fighter, and a natural leader.” He seemed arrogant, and reminded Flare of his own cousin.
The young lady sitting immediately to Flare’s right was next. She had blond hair that was pulled up on the top of her head. She had a pale complexion, as well as blue eyes and a small nose. Her mouth seemed small for her face, but many men would find her attractive. She was wearing a grey tunic and faded blue leggings. “My name is Kara Elba, and I’m a priestess of Adel. My role in this squad is to act as a spiritual guide to all of you, and as a priestess, I have been trained in the healing arts.” She paused briefly, thinking about what else to say. “I’m not a great fighter, but I can handle myself.”
Flare was comforted to know that a priestess would be assigned to their squad. Should one of them be seriously wounded, Kara should be able to help them and ease their suffering.
The sergeant nodded at Flare, and he felt his stomach tighten as the other students turned his way. “My name is Flaranthlas. I am the grandson of the elven King, Feilolas. I’m a fighter, and I joined the guardians because I was hoping to find acceptance in the guardians.” There was compassion, respect, and even doubt on the faces of the others. There was contempt on the face of Phillip, and Flare made a mental note to keep his eye on him.
Sergeant Danlion leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms across his chest. “Good. I think each of you has a better understanding of your fellow soldiers.” He nodded his head before continuing, “I will begin your instruction as a team tomorrow. There are many things for you to learn still. Over the next couple of months, there will be competitions among some of you, for positions of leadership in this squad. Ultimately, I will make the decision, but I will be testing you to determine who is the best man or woman to lead. Custom dictates that the leader be a warrior, but that is the only restriction on my choice. Man or woman, foreigner or native, it doesn’t matter. I can choose whomever I believe to be the best choice. Do you have any questions?” He waited patiently for several moments, before continuing, “For the next six months you will eat, sleep, and live with each other. After six months, your training will be scaled back, and you will assume some guard duties in and around the castle. Your squad training will continue, but it will just be reduced. At the end of this year, your squad will be assigned regular duties with the army of Telur. This training is of utmost importance to you. I suggest you heed my words and those of the other instructors. We know what we're talking about. Are there any questions?”
There was dead silence, so the sergeant continued, “Well then, I suggest that you get some sleep. We are getting up before dawn for a ten mile run.”
The sergeant retired to a small room at the far end of the lodge, and each of the students picked a bed. There wasn’t much talking.
As Flare dropped off to sleep, he wondered what tomorrow would bring.
For the next several months, they drilled as a squad, and were instructed in military tactics. Sergeant Danlion took them on difficult marches, forcing the squad members to rely on each other. They also competed against the other squads, so that the students would have battle experience. Initially, mock battles were fought between squads to reinforce their lessons on military tactics. As time progressed, multiple squads were joined together to form a regiment to fight mock battles against other regiments.
Over time, Flare got to know the other squad members. Atock and Enton, the two foreign warriors were likable and trustworthy, and he quickly became friends with them. Callin the cocky, outgoing bow-man also was easy to become friends with, although his brazen personality made his seem less reliable, more foolish.
Mikela, the female mage, was shy and unused to close friends, but opened up as time passed by. She became a respected comrade, if not a good friend.
Derek, the human male fighter, was friendly but conservative. He appeared to be trustworthy and reliable, but was not very outgoing. Flare’s opinion of him was that he would make an excellent leader. He took orders well, and he was single-minded when it came to getting a job done. Plus, he wasn’t easily distracted by things that did not relate to the mission.
Heather, the female human fighter, and Kara, the female priestess, were reliable and trustworthy, but they were cold and distant. Kara was simply absorbed by her studies and meditations of her religion, and did not mean to be unfriendly. Heather, however, was guarded and appeared to be afraid to open up her inner self to her comrades. Flare trusted both of these ladies, but was afraid because of the problems the lack of communication might cause.
Trestus, the other bow-man, and the human fighter Aaron, were both friendly and honorable, but had quiet personalities. Flare trusted them, and slowly developed a firm friendship with them.
Murleen, the female fighter, also seemed honorable and reliable. She also was a relentless fighter, never giving up on a fight. The members quickly learned that she could be trusted not to make stupid mistakes under pressure.
Phillip and Enstorion worried Flare. Phillip, the human noble-born fighter, seemed to think only of himself, and was used to getting his way. In spite of his personality, he was an excellent warrior with a natural feel of how to lead. He had a disdain of foreigners, and Flare felt that it was bound to cause problems.
Enstorion, the elven mage, performed his job well, but had little communication with his comrades, unless his job demanded it. He kept to himself, and spoke only when he was spoken to, and then only in short abrupt comments.
The squad’s cohesiveness improved with each and every day, though. The fighters took turns leading the squad, so that Sergeant Danlion could judge the leadership capabilities of each. Over a two month period, fighter after fighter was eliminated from consideration for leadership of the squad.
Atock, Phillip, and Flare were the last three remaining fighters in consideration, when Sergeant Danlion addressed the squad one morning, in front of the barrack.
Even though he was still under consideration, Flare did not expect to be chosen as the leader. Phillip was the obvious choice, because of his excellent fighting skills and his unrelenting determination to get a job done. Supposedly the job was open to all regardless of where they were from, but if the choice was between an elven prince, and a Telurian nobleman, Flare expected the Telurian nobleman to win easily.
Fall was arriving, so the temperature was cool, but not yet cold. The students were wearing the green and brown uniforms that soldiers worked and traveled in, as they stood rigidly awaiting their orders.
Sergeant Danlion stood in front of the squad with his hands on his hips, as he looked up and down the line of soldiers. “The time has come for me to
choose the leader of this squad. Phillip, Flaranthlas, and Atock are the remaining soldiers from which I must choose. Atock, Stand forward.” Atock stepped forward, but remained silent. Sergeant Danlion came and stood in front him, “Atock, you are a good warrior, and you are an excellent addition to this squad. However, I have decided that you are not the one to lead. Your people highly favor honor, and in our exercises, you have demonstrated that you would rather fight to the death of the last man, rather than retreat. Now, honor is a noble trait, but you need to learn that sometimes you can win by retreating. I do not want you to take this as an insult, because you are an integral part of this team. Do you understand?”
“Yes sir!” was Atock’s curt response. He had shown no emotion as Sergeant Danlion had spoken to him, and Flare, who had seen Atock mad before, didn’t think he was angry now.
“Step back, Atock.” Sergeant Danlion said, walking back to where he was centered in front of the squad. “That’s leaves Phillip and Flare.” Sergeant Danlion slowly walked over to stand in front of Phillip. “Phillip, you have the ability to lead, and the single-mindedness to get the mission accomplished. However, in your single-mindedness, you have lost your compassion. You have shown your willingness to send soldier after soldier to their death. Granted, these were just exercises, but I can only assume that you will lead in battle the same way you lead in drill.”
Flare could see the muscles tighten in Phillip’s jaws as Sergeant Danlion spoke. From what Flare knew of the man, he was probably about ready to explode.
Sergeant Danlion slowly walked to a position directly in front of Flare, “Flare, you also have the ability to lead and you have the compassion to effectively guide those under your command, but you appear to lack the toughness to kill effectively. In our exercises, you have easily put your squad in a position to win, but you have hesitated once you reached this point. This hesitation could cost you your life. And if you are the leader, this hesitation could also cost every squad member their life.”
The Guardians: Book One of the Restoration Series Page 11
