Browen worried that he hesitated too long as the false name was called. While the other new recruits dispersed to various parts of the yard to train, Browen hurried to stand before the Na’tyr Commander. He reminded him of Forrens as he looked Browen over and sized up his potential. His hair was black and kept short, while his orange horns curled twice around the sides of his head. His wings were a combination of red and orange and were kept pulled tight against his back. His long tail and arms started orange and faded into red, and his eyes were as black as his hair.
As Browen neared him, he tossed one of two wooden training swords to him and seemed impressed when Browen easily caught his.
“My name is Commander Althis. We didn’t have a chance to meet last night but know that I make a point of personally assessing all of the new recruits.” The Commander took a battle stance and smiled as Browen mirrored his movements. “Show me what you can do, and don’t hold back.”
Again, Browen could not help but smile. The moment felt all too familiar to the first time that he had sparred with Forrens, although this time he wouldn’t make a fool of himself. He took a second to assess his opponent. Commander Althis was tall and lean, but Browen knew from sparring with both Forrens and Ralis that Na’tyr were much stronger and faster than they appeared. The Commander stood with his sword lowered, he was clearly unconcerned with defense. Browen debated for a second whether the intentional opening was a test or if the Commander really had so little faith in him.
Then he lunged forward, feigning an attack at the clear opening. When the Commander lazily moved his sword to block, Browen pivoted and spun around to attack the other side. Commander Althis was too quick to be caught off guard, but the advanced maneuver brought a smile to his lips. He returned the attack and Browen easily countered, then moved himself around the Commander to get a better position for a follow up strike.
They moved around each other cautiously, testing the limits of each other’s reflexes and carefully pushed to knock the other off balance. The sound of wood on wood cracked loudly in the yard at each impact and Browen saw out of the corner of his eye that they had attracted a crowd.
“Impressive.” Commander Althis smiled as Browen nearly disarmed him with a trick he had learned from Forrens. “Who trained you?”
Browen felt his cheeks flush at the question. “I’m self-taught… I used to practice on the hay bales of my family’s farm.”
Commander Althis’s eyebrows perked skeptically. “Really? I had no idea that hay bales could be such challenging opponents.”
“My father and I would practice too… and my brothers… we would all train with each other.” Lying was not Browen’s strongest suit and the more he added to his web of lies the more nervous he became about remembering the details.
“Well, if they’re as good as you are, I should send a request that they all join the Queen’s army. Where is it that you said you were from again?”
Place names flashed across Browen’s mind and he debated internally too long in picking one. “Uh… Goldwyn. My brothers already joined, I’m the youngest so I’m the last one to join.”
Commander Althis tipped his head curiously at Browen’s nervous laugh. “Is that so? You’re from Madaria but came to Esper to join the Queen’s army?”
Browen swallowed hard. “We moved to Esper a few years ago.”
“Interesting.” Commander Althis stared hard at Browen.
He smiled anxiously even as beads of sweat, unrelated to his recent physical exertion, crept down the side of his head. His lies felt flimsy at best and the way that the Commander’s eyes lingered over his face made Browen fear the worst.
Commander Althis then smiled and resumed his battle stance. “No more games, I want to see what you’re really made of. Defend yourself for as long as you can.”
Browen blinked in surprise then nodded. He had no doubt that the Commander had been holding back the entire time and he was ready to face the full force of his attacks. It had been too long since Browen had a satisfying spar and he looked forward to the challenge.
Commander Althis lunged with such speed that Browen only barely managed to twist away from the attack. Before he could even recover, the wooden blade of Commander Althis had already moved to crack hard against his head. Browen brought up his sword to block and was nearly knocked back from the force of the attack. The fighters pulled away from each other and Browen took a moment to adjust his grip on the sword. Then Commander Althis pressed forward again with a flurry of attacks that Browen struggled to keep up with. Exhaustion had started to catch up to him and he desperately searched for an opening. For anything that would get the pair back on equal footing.
He blocked an aggressive overhead swing and saw an opportunity. It was risky but he decided to take it and spun his blade against Commander Althis’s. The action temporarily knocked Commander Althis’s sword back and Browen rolled around to the side of his opponent in an acrobatic maneuver that would have made Amri proud. Now behind the Commander he directed his sword at his back with a smirk.
“Yield.” He declared, as he caught his breath.
Commander Althis laughed for a moment then dropped his sword. “I yield.”
The audience that had gathered cheered and Browen’s cheeks flushed at the attention. He looked around the crowd, they were all Humans and all very young, most were much younger than him. The varied group of Na’tyr who had watched from a balcony were not clapping but whispered between each other.
Commander Althis stopped laughing and shouted to the watching recruits. “Get back to training.” They all silenced their cheers and returned to their work. The Commander then turned to face Browen with a curious smile on his face. “Well done... Percy. I haven’t been so pleasantly surprised in many years.”
“Thank you.” Browen’s smile lessened and he worried that his skills might have given him away.
“The Queen could use a good fighter like you on the southern front.” Commander Althis crossed his arms behind his back as he inspected Browen. “She has been pushing hard to take the Allorrin Desert but between the heat, the sands and the Skrahl, it’s been a losing battle.”
“I want to work in the castle.” Browen replied firmly. Even here he could see the tips of the towers peering over the orange rooftop of the barracks.
“The castle?” Commander Althis frowned. “That would be a waste of your abilities, why do you want to work there?”
“I…” Browen thought quickly, he had not been prepared for such a question. “I want to be one of the King-Regents guards, to protect and serve him as he has my country.”
“The King-Regent surrounds himself with Na’tyr soldiers. You fought impressively, but your skills are still weak compared to my kind.”
“It has been a dream of mine to serve at the castle.” Browen continued to lie. “At least let me do it for a few months, then I could go to the southern border.”
“Soldiers serving at the castle not only need skills in combat but skills in etiquette as well. You would need to be trained.”
“I can do it.” Browen insisted. “I… ah… served a noble house for a time. I know how to behave around nobility.”
“You do speak well. Dressed in something a little finer and someone might assume that you were a noble.” Commander Althis smirked and Browen’s breath froze in terror.
The Commander’s expression was vague enough that Browen couldn’t be certain if he had been caught or if the insinuation had only been a coincidence. He recalled Ezra’s doubts and debated if he should continue to lie or try to escape before the entire barracks was called down. He was all too aware that the fear was clear on his face and he struggled to mask it as he considered his options. Before he could make up his mind Commander Althis continued.
“The King-Regent’s annual masquerade is coming up and we’ll need all of the bodies we can
get serving at the castle. But I can’t send someone to the castle without vetting them myself. If you do well, I don’t see a reason to not let you serve at the castle during the masquerade. That is all I can promise however.”
Browen gave him a nervous smile. “Thank you, Sir.”
“Why don’t you show the other recruits some of those tricks of yours for now.” He picked up the wooden sword and returned it to the nearby weapon rack. “I have some paperwork I need to attend to.”
Browen stood frozen as Commander Althis left him alone in the center of the yard and entered the building. He wasn’t sure what to think of the strange interaction and worried that he was perhaps being paranoid. He looked up to the balcony where the other Na’tyr Commanders supervised the yard and nervously moved to join the other recruits who had continued to watch him curiously.
“Hey where did you learn to fight like that?” One of the boys asked Browen as he joined them.
All of the young recruits looked up to him in awe of his skills and he blushed nervously as he lied. “Practice with my father.”
“Your dad must be a big time soldier, right?” Another boy asked as he wildly swung his sword. “Or maybe a hero?”
“He’s…” Browen looked away, his stomach still tangled into knots whenever he thought about the mess he had left his father with. He hoped beyond anything that his family was alright. “He does what he can.”
“I haven’t even seen another Demon beat Commander Althis in a fight.” The first boy beamed at Browen. “That was amazing.”
“I got lucky.” Browen answered quickly.
He certainly had gotten lucky. Commander Althis had not expected him to have a year of training with another Na’tyr under his belt already. Browen knew that in a real fight he would undoubtedly lose to the master swordsman. Briefly curious, he wondered how well Forrens would do in such a fight.
For most of the morning Browen did as he was told and helped the new recruits with some basic stances and blocking techniques. Regardless, he remained ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble, not that he thought he would get very far. He could think of no other way to sneak into the castle and help Amri, but he was fast approaching the extent of his risk tolerance.
The recruits were harder to train than even Ralis had been and they were terrible at following instructions. Even still Browen had started to get into a rhythm with them and was already starting to see improvement after only a few hours of training.
Another horn sounded to announce lunch and as one the recruits moved towards the barracks hungrily. As Browen followed he wondered if he was in the clear, no one had come to arrest him and the watchful eyes of the other Na’tyr commanders had disappeared from the balcony not long after Commander Althis departed.
He entered the massive mess hall and was assaulted by the mundane smell of baked beans. Browen followed the new recruits he had been training towards a table when someone grabbed him by the shoulder and held him back. Browen turned to face an older Human soldier in full uniform. He was holding a familiar wanted poster in his hands and addressed the other soldiers who stood around him.
“Look at that resemblance, that’s him.” The soldier holding Browen’s arm said as he compared Browen’s face with the poster.
“You know what, I think you’re right.” Another soldier remarked as he scrutinized the paper and Browen. “What’s your name soldier?”
Browen’s heart pounded hard against his chest. There were too many of them to fight and the way out of the mess hall was through them. Internally he cursed, Ezra was right, this was an idiotic idea. The hand on his shoulder tightened as the soldier confirmed Browen’s identity.
“His name is Percy Brown.” A cool voice from behind Browen answered.
The soldier holding Browen’s shoulder let go and presented the wanted poster towards the voice. “He looks just like this Browen person.”
A red hand reached passed Browen and inspected the wanted poster. Browen swallowed hard and turned to face Commander Althis. The Na’tyr looked over the paper and then shook his head with a laugh.
“An uncanny resemblance to be sure.” Then handed the poster back to the soldier, who now bore a confused expression. “But you don’t receive the reward for a look alike I’m afraid.”
“Commander Althis are you…” The soldier countered as he looked at the paper with a frown.
The Commander cut him off with a scowl. “Are you doubting your commanding officer? I confirmed his identity myself. Percy Brown is no one special, just like yourself.”
“Yes Sir.” The soldier answered, his face still wrinkled in doubt.
“I want this to be a lesson to all of you.” Commander Althis then addressed the room. “I will not tolerate suspicion among my soldiers. You are a team and need to trust one another. Is that clear?”
“Yes Sir!” The room called out in unison.
Commander Althis nodded then addressed the soldiers who stood before him again. “If that is all then I suggest you get some lunch before training starts again.”
With that he moved to take his seat at the Commander’s table at the head of the mess hall. The soldiers who had accused Browen, dejectedly turned to find a table. Browen’s heart still raced and he looked curiously to Commander Althis. He had no doubt that he knew exactly who he was. Now the question was, why was he protecting him?
Browen’s mind was buzzed as he took a seat with the other new recruits. They each laughed and teased him about the confrontation, but Browen wasn’t listening, instead he watched Commander Althis. He searched for some sort of hint, but the Commander did not look his way again and seemed thoroughly invested in a conversation with a Human Officer who sat beside him at the table.
While the Commanders motives were uncertain one thing was clear, Browen didn’t need to worry about being caught and he would soon be inside the castle.
Chapter Twenty Eight
Miri
Miri barely slept that night and woke groggy as the sun poured in through the small bedroom window. Her dreams had tormented her with thick crowds and leering faces of strangers. What sleep she did get on the firm mattress, had been fitful.
Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention and she turned to see Ralis. He had sat up from his own narrow twin bed and stretched his wings as wide as the space allowed. She blushed when she noticed that he was shirtless again.
“Good morning.” He smiled when he noticed that she was awake. “How did you sleep?”
“Not well.” She answered honestly and forced her attention to the window.
The morning light almost made the swamp appear beautiful in its own alien way. Every colour of green seemed represented. Black trees, heavily laden with dense greenery, stretched from the deep pools of shimmering black and green water. She could hear the noisy soundscape through the window and wondered if the swamp was ever silent.
Miri sighed as her concerns weighed heavily upon her. “I am worried about the others.”
Ralis bowed his head. “Me too. After we meet with this mysterious mistress, then we’ll go back and find them.”
“Ralis…” Miri hesitated and bit the edge of her lip before resuming. “Weeks ago, before we left Thia’s tree, I had a vision. I saw Ezra… She was… dragged off by some shadow. It was horrible.” She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her torso at the dreaded memory. “I also saw… Amri hanging from a noose... and Browen burned alive… I have been trying to prevent these visions from coming to pass and I fear that I will not be able to help them if I am here.”
“Oh.” Ralis’s face had gone pale. “You should have said something.”
“I feared that… to say it out loud... would only make it more real. It was foolish of me.”
“No, I don’t think that was foolish… I understand why you wouldn’t want
to talk about something so… grisly.” He looked away then stated quietly. “At the Carnival… Ezra told me that you saw me die there.”
Miri whispered. “I am sorry.”
Ralis closed his eyes and was clearly shaken. “I was wondering why you were so nervous there.”
There was a knock on the door and Merria called in to them, that breakfast was ready in the dining room. Ralis got up, eager to escape the grim mood, and Miri followed, not wanting to be alone. They could smell breakfast before they saw it. Fluffy pancakes drowned in sweet syrups with a side of fresh berries.
“Would you like some more tea Dia?” Merria said as she busied herself in the kitchen.
“No.” The voice of Dia was short and breathy like a whisper.
She was seated at the bench again and pushed her food anxiously around her plate with a fork. Dia’s eyes darted for the door the second she saw Miri and Ralis, and she shifted uncomfortably while Ralis politely introduced himself to her. Her whole body was like a spring ready to burst at the first sign of trouble and Miri wondered what had put her in such a state.
Miri took a seat on the opposite end of the long table and Ralis joined her with a look of defeat on his face. Merria brought the pair a hearty plate of breakfast and cups of warm dark tea.
“At least say hello Dia.” Merria sighed as she looked between guests.
“Hello.” She responded with a frown, the word a little more than a whisper on the wind.
“That’s better.” Merria beamed then looked to Miri and Ralis. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, thank you.” Ralis responded. “And thank you for breakfast, this tastes amazing!”
Miri looked down at her food and tried a few of the blueberries. Her stomach was too twisted up in knots to feel hungry. All she could think about was the missteps that she had taken, since accepting her role as the guide. That, and the dreaded concern that staying here was but another of them. She wished that she would have a vision to guide her and yet her mind was blank.
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