At least no rain was pouring into the camp, now—unless you counted the empty barracks that I hadn't bothered to shield. I'd also adjusted my shield to allow air in and keep the rain out.
"Everything all right?" Kerok joined the three of us.
"I'm fine," I repeated. "It just—scared me for a minute."
"Can you detach from the shield and leave it standing?" Armon asked.
"I think so," I nodded.
"Then do it," he said.
Forcing my breaths to become even and steady, I disengaged from the shield while leaving it in place. It was advanced work, but not impossible.
The moment I nodded to Armon, letting him know it was done, I was lifted in his arms and hugged hard enough to crack ribs.
"Armon, what are you doing?" I asked, smacking his back.
"Hugging you," he set me down with a splash. We still had standing water, but it wasn't enough to worry about. The bulk of the flood was now flowing around the perimeter of my shield.
"Excellent effort," Kerok offered a brief nod. "I worried you wouldn't be able to pull it off the first time."
"I worried the same thing," I admitted.
"Come with me—you're probably thirsty and starved after that," Levi took my elbow.
"I am," I agreed. "It's been a long day."
K erok
I'm surprised she can stand, let alone walk after that. We should have been fried, Armon said as we walked toward the mess hall behind Levi and Sherra. Have you ever seen anyone do that?
No. I have no idea how she did it, either.
Well, that wasn't exactly true. I had a book in a desk drawer that might explain it, but for me to know for sure, I'd have to read it myself. If it was her book, how had she come by it? To my knowledge, all copies had been destroyed long ago.
"We haven't had a flood like this in fifteen years," Ana, Second's instructor, said as she joined our party inside the mess hall. "We had to replace almost everything back then, the water got so high."
"How high do you think it'll get this time?" I asked.
"I can't say—the more it rains, the worse it'll be."
"Sherra," I called out.
"Commander?" She stopped and turned toward me. She looked tired.
"Are you sure of your shield?" I asked.
"Yes, Commander. Even if I sleep, it should hold."
"Good. Armon, post extra guards inside the shield perimeter. Make sure they wake us if anything changes. If that happens, I want everyone ready to step the trainees away."
"I'll see to it, Commander."
Sherra nodded her understanding—this was a precaution, and she was just as concerned about the lives in the camp as I was.
"Levi, make sure she eats and gets to bed."
"I'll see to it, Commander."
"Good." I stepped away, then. I had an appointment with a book, and I didn't want to be late—or caught while reading it.
Sherra
They didn't wake me early the next morning. In fact, when my eyes blinked open when the others in the barracks began to stir, I jerked upright in bed, sure that I'd missed Armon's mindspeak to get me up before the others for early training.
Armon? I couldn't keep the bewilderment from my mental voice.
We let you sleep in—Commander's orders. Until the trials, you'll be working with your cohort only. Oh, and the rain has stopped. When we march to breakfast, you can bring down the shield. It isn't needed, now.
Thank you, Colonel.
You are welcome.
When Levi arrived to march us to the mess hall, it was to find that the rain from the night before—what had stayed inside my shield, anyway, had finally soaked into the ground.
In two days, dry grass would be greener—for a short time. During the early morning hours, drudges had set many things to rights, including the floor of the mess hall, which was dry and clean when we walked into it.
I'd released my shield the moment we walked out of the barracks, and the early morning sun shone down hotter immediately. Levi grinned at me, but didn't say anything.
Until last night, neither of us had guessed that my shield might hold up against lightning. I was grateful to be alive, actually, and imagined that the whole thing had to do with splintering the lightning as I'd done with Armon and Levi's blasts. It allowed the fractured bolt to slide down the sides of the shield before burying itself in the ground.
It was something to think about for the future, if it were ever needed again.
K erok
Why did someone ban this book? That question kept hammering at my brain as I worked kinks out of my muscles in the morning. If all the trainees had a copy, it would surely help them.
It did contain information about stepping and blast-work, but nothing that would compete with what the warrior trainees did.
I intended to hide it somewhere, so I could find it again. Had Sherra done the same thing? I still didn't know whether Drenn had the truth in this—he could have gotten the book from anywhere.
It troubled me, too, that he held information that could harm Sherra, should he level those accusations.
I wasn't lying when I threatened retaliation, either. He'd never gone this far before, and I'd never threatened him before.
A part of me wanted to tell Father. Another part of me worried that it would be a mistake. If Sherra had the book at one time, he could order her death and nothing I said could change his mind.
Why was the book banned to start with? That question returned to me. Why? There was nothing dangerous in its pages. In fact, in many explanations and writings within, it sounded as if the black roses were held as equals to the warriors, capable of living full lives.
When had that stopped?
When had things changed so drastically?
I didn't have answers, and I wanted them.
Perhaps if I went through Father's library, I could find missing information regarding the book. The laws were all recorded there; I'd merely have to read backward until I found the one concerning the book.
Meanwhile, I had to find a safe hiding place for it. Sherra—or someone—had buried it. Drenn told me they'd had to dig for the thing and I believed that much, at least.
This time, I had a better idea. Stepping away was the first thing on my agenda. It wouldn't take long to find a resting place for the book. I'd be back in plenty of time for breakfast, too.
I was eating breakfast at my desk when Hunter and Barth arrived in my office. "Sorry I didn't stop to see you last night—we had an emergency," I said.
"We saw that when we got here," Hunter lifted an eyebrow. "Can you explain the narrow ditch that's running around the camp?"
"It'll fill in," I shrugged.
"What caused it?" Barth's smile told me he already knew.
"Most of it was caused by Sherra and a bolt of lightning," I admitted. "To keep the camp from flooding, you understand."
"A guard told us that the silt and water line was more than half his height this morning before the shield was dropped," Hunter said.
"Nice. I didn't even think to measure it."
Hunter cleared his throat, then.
"What is it, Hunter?"
"Why did Drenn ask to see you? Your father is curious, too."
"He thought to be helpful in making my selection from the lists," I said.
"How so?" Barth asked. I pointed him and Hunter toward chairs on the opposite side of my desk while I searched for a suitable answer.
"He pointed out ways to get what I said I wanted."
"And what did you tell him?"
"I told him to mind his own business."
Barth and Hunter turned toward one another and exchanged a glance.
"Let me guess—you have spies, too."
"Well, ah," Hunter sounded uncomfortable.
"Don't worry—I'm not completely naive," I held up a hand. "Just because I spend a lot of time on the battlefield doesn't mean I've let my mind rot."
"Then perhaps we can begin th
is conversation again?" Barth asked. "What did you do with the book?"
"It's where it will never be found."
I hadn't realized that Hunter was holding his breath until he released it in an audible sigh.
"Do you believe that it was hers?"
"I don't know. I only have Drenn's word on this, and frankly, I have no idea whether to believe him."
"Ah. Good," Barth nodded.
"You don't think it's hers?" I asked him. He was the Diviner—he'd be the one to know for sure.
"I care not," he said, shocking me. "In my knowledge, no other book has ever been banned in this land, and I have my own doubts as to the reasons in this case. However, your father's job is to uphold the law, and I worry that Drenn will cause you trouble, somehow."
"He's one to cause trouble, when he should be," I didn't finish, but waved a hand in the direction of the poisoned lands.
"That may have ramped up his—less than rational behavior of late," Hunter told me. "He knows he got caught, and he knows he owes his life to the King's love and generosity where he's concerned."
"We understand that much," Barth agreed. "But he's still the Crown Prince, and can still cause trouble, big or small, in the long term."
"What kind of trouble, do you think?"
"I believe he knows you have sympathy for Sherra. Therefore, he's doing his best to keep you two apart, when she's the one who can keep you alive."
"You think he's aiming for my death?" Neither answered. Hunter dipped his chin and refused to look at me. After a moment's reflection, I realized that Drenn wouldn't shed a tear if I fell.
He'd have all of Father's attention and love, then. Why he thought he didn't have his share now befuddled me. "This bears thinking about," I held up a hand.
"Think quickly, then. The trials are in two days, Thorn. I will protect the girl from whatever I read in her, but you have to make the right choice, too." Barth's eyes bored into mine.
That's when I saw that he was afraid. Afraid of what the future held—not just for me, but for Father and the country as a whole, when Drenn took Father's place. Drenn had a penchant for pettiness, and it hadn't abated—rather, it had grown with the years.
"I'll do what I can," I said, flexing my hands as if they were cramped.
"Good. Are we sure about the girl?" Hunter asked. "Will she make the right choice in this?"
"I have a feeling she'll have three names in mind," I admitted. "Mine, Armon's and Levi's. I can't predict which one of us she'd choose."
"There is Prince's privilege," Barth suggested.
"I've never exercised that option," I growled. "It's not fair," I added.
"What's fair about Drenn making everyone in the palace fearful and uncomfortable?" Hunter asked. "What's fair about his attempts to get rid of Sherra so you'll not have the protection you may need?"
"She'll have rank immediately if you declare Prince's privilege," Barth pointed out. "Lieutenant or Captain, whichever you choose. Don't you think it's deserved? She's already saved lives—and the camp, too."
"Stop pressuring me," I held up a hand. "Let me think about this, all right?" I turned my gaze away from them and stared, unseeing, out the single window in my office.
"Thorn, don't think too long—too much is at stake, here," Hunter breathed softly. I heard them get to their feet, followed by silence. Barth had stepped them away.
I couldn't shake the feeling that things were happening in the King's City that I wasn't aware of, and Hunter and Barth were attempting to deliver whatever blow it was as gently as possible, because I had enough worries on my plate.
Never had the enemy hammered us as relentlessly during the heat of summer as they had this year, and fall was coming quickly. If they stepped up the attacks, we needed as many able bodies on the battlefield as we could place there.
Father, in his usual way, could be ignoring what I'd recognized months ago. Somehow, the enemy knew we were in a weakened state, and were determined to exterminate us as quickly as they could.
Drenn, in his usual way, would ignore it for a different reason. He didn't care about the army as long as we kept the enemy away from the King's City. That way, he could continue his palace intrigues, bullying, and the occasional breaking of the laws.
Was he now plotting my death, as Hunter and Barth believed?
It was possible, after taking recent events into consideration. What I'd said to him during our last meeting, I thought was an empty threat spoken in the heat of the moment. Now, I realized I was serious the entire time.
Sherra
"Two more days." Reena sounded worried.
"Hey," I said, causing her to lift her eyes from the plate in front of her for a moment. She sat across from me at our evening meal, Bela at her side.
"I have full confidence in you," I told her. "You've performed better on the training field than some who've been in training all along. Don't start doubting yourself now."
"I can't help but worry," she said in a small voice.
"We're all worried, because none of us has done this before," Wend said.
"You don't need to be worried," Bela snorted. "You're perfect at everything."
"I'm a second," Wend declared. Bela jerked her head up at Wend's admission.
"I'm a third," Jae said.
"But," Reena breathed. "You're one of the best—everybody says so. You went with the commander on his special mission."
"Sherra," Wend and Jae said at the same time, before laughing about it. "She wouldn't let us fall behind," Jae said. "She refused to let us wash out."
"And we're here for the same reason," Reena chewed her lower lip.
"Look, that's neither here nor there," I said. "Just do what you've done a hundred times—perform your duties. That's all this is, I think."
"With the King watching," Misten teased.
"I was hoping you'd leave that part out," I pointed my fork at her. "Look, I know this is a stressful time—I feel it myself. Just—don't lose confidence in your ability, that's all I'm saying. You've worked hard to get here, and you deserve to stand next to any other trainee in this camp."
"We're worried about the lists," Bela confessed. "That they'll only see us as washouts from the beginning, and pass us over because of that."
"Stop thinking about that, all right?" I attempted to comfort her, when my own gut knotted at the thought of it. The thought of going to a stranger, if I weren't given the choices I wanted, made me ill.
"What would you like to see in your warrior?" Caral asked Bela quietly.
"Somebody who cares about me," she sighed and dropped eyes. "That's all. Somebody who'll care at the end."
Silently I cursed the King and his laws, which forced women into these positions. Yes, we were needed on the battlefield, but there had to be a better way.
Had to be.
I wondered what would happen if I cursed the King's name aloud. Yes, it was considered treason, and depending upon the severity, the death penalty could be levied. I dreamed of a time when voices could be raised at what they saw as tyranny or unjust laws, in the hopes of making a change.
Especially regarding women, and specifically the black roses. I think I'd hated the King for a very long time; I'd just never voiced it aloud, or cursed his name to anyone other than myself.
Yes, I'd told Kerok that the King didn't care about us, but that wasn't the same as cursing his name. I'd been given permission to speak freely, too, and that should count for something.
"I think we all want that," Caral responded to Bela's statement. "Keep your chin up, trainee. You never know what the day will bring."
In my mind, Caral was a natural leader. I hoped whomever she chose recognized and encouraged that, rather than feeling intimidated by it. Once again, I wanted her to take Levi or Armon—that would be the best fit, and neither would try to hold her back.
Are you thinking again? Armon asked. He and Levi sat at a table nearby, pretending to ignore our conversation.
Always, Colon
el. It isn't like I can shut it off every time.
Understood, trainee. Finish your meal. You need to keep your strength up.
Yes, Colonel.
Call me Armon in mindspeak, Sherra. It's right—and fair.
Thank you.
Thank you—for keeping us from getting fried by lightning. Levi and I owe you a honey cake and a glass of wine.
I haven't had honey cake in a while. I'd take it, I replied.
T wo days can pass slowly or quickly, depending upon whether there's hope or dread at the end of them.
For me, it was mostly dread, although I did want to get all of it over with, so my future would be clearer.
That's how I found myself waiting in line with the other Fourths, to be called into an infirmary examination room to be seen by the King's Chief Diviner, Barth.
On the training field, Second and Third were going through their final testing while the King, a few guards and advisors looked on. Levi didn't remark on the process; he marched us directly from breakfast to the infirmary.
Outside, Fifth cohort waited their turn with the King's Diviner.
I worried that those in Second and Third would be so nervous they'd botch their efforts with the new method. I worried the King wouldn't be impressed, or decide that trying something new wasn't a good idea.
Worrying causes wearying, Armon informed me.
He'd joined us late—walking into the infirmary now, when we were halfway through the cohort. So far, there'd been no news as to what the Diviner saw in anyone.
I wondered if that came later.
Three stood in front of me; Wend, Misten and Caral. Jae had already gone through, as had the former washouts. I worried about them, too. Would the Diviner find them unsuitable?
If he did, they'd be stripped of their power and thrown back in with the other drudges.
They didn't want that. I didn't want it on their behalf. So many things could go wrong with this day, and it terrified me.
"Stop worrying." I was pulled into Caral's arms. "Just stop, all right?" she whispered against my ear. "We're here. Make the best of it."
"All right," I mumbled as she let me go.
The Rose Mark: Black Rose Sorceress, Book 1 Page 16
