by Owen Crane
you.”
Their optimism was short lived. The nervousness may have fallen from Felix
but he still couldn’t wield a sword. It was only desperation that fended off
Karlov’s first few blows and he was lucky in deflecting the next. Still Karlov
pressed his attack, raining down blow after blow until Felix was driven to his
knees trying to defend himself. Karlov sent a massive strike and Felix’s sword
was knocked to the floor.
To Ariella’s horror Karlov didn’t stop, he raised his sword over the
defenceless Felix.
She screamed as the blade came down. “No!”
But the blade never reached its target. A bright blue light flashed from
Felix"s hand. The brightness caused Ariella to close her eyes. When she opened
them again her mouth dropped open. Felix was still on his knees, but a foot from
his head was Karlov"s sword. Stopped dead in the middle of the shimmering
blue light.
Chapter 10
The Knot stood in stunned silence, eyes wide and mouths open. Karlov let
go of the hilt of his sword and it stayed where it was, suspended in mid air,
encased in the blue light emanating from Felix"s hands.
Jaron looked over at Indio as he swore loudly. “That answers your
question.” Indio’s face was blank. “About how he got here. He didn"t swing a
sword at a dummy, he can already use his light.”
“It shut those two up,” said Ariella looking over at Eugenie and Theia.
“Excellent,” said Indio “that’s made my day. Top job Felix you bloody
legend!”
Felix was still down on his knees with a stunned look on his face. Indio’s
shout startled him and the light faded away, the sword dropping to the stone
courtyard with a long clang.
“How is that possible?” Asked Ariella “It"s supposed to take at least a year of
training before you can pull off something like that.”
Jaron shrugged. “No idea. Maybe some people are gifted differently.”
Meanwhile, Felix had recovered from the shock of stopping Karlov"s sword
as it rushed towards his head. He jumped to his feet and backed away.
Felix was sweating. “You…you…you could"ve killed me!”
“But I didn"t.” Karlov replied, “You stopped me.”
“But you were trying to kill me!”
“I was trying to get a reaction”
Indio laughed at that. “He certainly got a reaction from you Felix.” Felix
glanced over and Indio spoke under his breath “He looks like a startled rabbit.”
“I nearly died!” Felix shouted, “You"re a lunatic!”
“Welcome to the Guardians. That’s not the first time that’s happened is it
Felix?” Karlov asked
Felix shook his head.
“In stressful situations?”
“Yes.” Felix responded. “I get in stressful situations quite a lot. It, sort of, just happens. I don’t make it happen, it does it by itself.”
Karlov laughed.
He turned to the rest of the Knot. “That"ll do for starters. Now hand in your
weapons, get back to your rooms, change into your new gear and then meet me
in the mess hall.”
The Knot dispersed. Theia and Eugenie went together, whispering and
exchanging muffled laughs. Ariella fell in next to Felix with Indio and Jaron
close behind.
“That was impressive, Felix.” said Ariella, smiling at the still trembling Felix.
“I"ll say.” chipped in Indio. “The way that sword stopped dead in the air, I
thought it was going to cave his head in. I was picturing splatters of brain and
blood all over the stones.”
Felix turned white as Jaron thumped Indio"s arm.
“Don"t worry.” said Jaron. “Karlov was only trying to get something out of
you, he must"ve known what you could do, or at least he"d heard what you
could do.”
Ariella nodded. “That"s right, Karlov is here to help us, not hurt us.”
“At least not this year anyway,” answered Indio “he"ll save that for year two
and three if we"re not making the grade.” Felix shot him a nervous look as Jaron
thumped him again.
They were the last to reach their tower; everyone else was already up in their
rooms. Ariella said goodbye to the boys as she arrived at her landing. The ever-
smiling Yvette was there to meet her.
“Hello my dear. I hear you"ve had an eventful afternoon.” Ariella nodded
without replying. “I never got a chance to show you around before you had to
rush off, so let me give you the quick tour.” She turned and indicated to the
three doors leading off the landing. „The door on the right is my room, the
middle door is the bathroom we all share and that door on the left is your room.”
Yvette paused, still smiling. “Like I said, it"s a quick tour.” And with that she
walked into her own room and closed the door behind her.
Quick tour? Who is this lady?
Ariella walked into her room and stopped. She could feel the tension
hanging in the air. Theia and Eugenie were each sat on a bed over to the left,
under a large window looking out towards the outer wall of Stonegard. They
were both smirking. Esther was sat on the middle bed, knees drawn up to her
chest. She looked angry. Over on the right was Phoebe changing into the gear
that the quartermaster had given her. The dark green uniform squeezed her
tight and not in a flattering way. She seemed absent, lost in her own world,
oblivious to the others in the room.
“Hello.” said Ariella
She was greeted by silence. Theia and Eugenie stood up and started to
change, ignoring the other three. Ariella tried to catch Esther"s gaze to see if she
could get any sign of what had just happened. Their eyes met momentarily and
Ariella tried to convey a silent question “What"s going on?” but Esther gave a
quick shake of her head and busied herself with her gear.
The only remaining bed was between Esther and Phoebe so Ariella dumped
her bag on it and started pulling out the clothes.
“Hey” Theia nudged Eugenie “I don"t think making her sleep over there has
helped. I can still smell her.”
“Well there"s not much more we can do” Eugenie replied
“She could sleep on the landing.” Theia suggested with a shrug of her
shoulders.
Phoebe didn"t say anything. Ariella wasn"t even sure she had heard them.
She was in her own world. Esther was ignoring them as well, changing quickly
into her Guardian uniform. Ariella guessed what had caused the tension in the
room when she came in a moment ago.
“If you"ve got a problem Theia, why don"t you find somewhere else to stay?
I think we passed a pig farm on the outskirts of the city, you should feel right at
home there,” said Ariella, seething.
Theia and Eugenie turned towards Ariella and took a step forward, both
bristling. Esther darted between them and ran from the room, slamming the
door behind her.
“Who"s going to make me? You?” Theia sneered. “I saw you out there
today, all pretty and fancy with your tiny sword.”
“At least I didn"t squeal in fright as soon as a rock touched my shoulder.”
Theia"s jaw tightened. “Bet you"ve never even been a real fight.”
Ariella looked uncertai
n.
Crap, she’s right. Pillow fights with Osias and Calixto doesn’t really count. What am I doing here?
Eugenie spotted the look on her face and pointed. “You"re right Theia! She"s
a polished little princess with no idea about the real world. What a joke! I think
that you and the freak here” she nodded towards Phoebe “should both go and
sleep outside, the stench is unbearable.”
“Don"t call her that.” The word „freak" had set something off in Ariella, she
wasn"t sure what it was, but she knew that she could let anyone call one of her
Knot a „freak"
Eugenie laughed, “She is a freak!”
Ariella lost control. She was never quite sure what happened next but she
would always remember the feel of the bone of Eugenie"s nose breaking as she
slammed her fist into it. A thin arc of blood sprayed out from either side, some
of it finding Theia"s cheek.
Eugenie screamed. Theia stepped back, her hands raised, as Ariella turned
on her.
“I said „don"t call her that"” her fists were still clenched.
Eugenie was down on her knees sobbing loudly and trying to stem the flow
of blood. Ariella raised her fists again looking to take down Theia when her
arms were pinned to her sides and she was lifted from the floor. Phoebe carried
Ariella gently away from Theia and back to her own bed. She stood her down
but kept her arms pinned down, waiting for Ariella"s breathing to relax, all the
while saying nothing.
Just as Ariella had calmed down Yvette hurried into the room with a look of
concern of her face and Esther at her heels. She quickly assessed the situation.
“Esther, you and Phoebe are already changed, go downstairs and wait for
Karlov.” Phoebe hesitated looking between Yvette and Ariella. “It"s alright
dear,” said Yvette taking Phoebe’s hand and moving her from the room “I"ll take
care of everything.” She turned to the three remaining girls. “Theia, take your
clothes and get changed in the bathroom.” Theia went without arguing, giving
Ariella a nervous look.
When Theia had left, Yvette closed the door and knelt down besides
Eugenie.
“It"s broken!” she wailed, her voice nasal from the injury.
“Yes dear.” agreed Yvette without any emotion in her voice. As she
stretched out her hand a faint green glow spread from her fingers, barely
touching Eugenie"s face.
Ariella gasped. “You"re a Guardian.”
Yvette looked up and smiled “Why yes dear, who did you think I was?”
How do I say this without sounding like an idiot?
“You thought I was the housekeeper, a maid, someone to look after you?”
“Well, er, not exactly.” Ariella was embarrassed. “Actually, yes, that"s
exactly what I thought. It"s just that you don"t exactly fit the mould. I
mean… you don"t look like Karlov or Lalea or Elsa.”
“No dear, I don"t.” She smiled and returned her attention to Eugenie who
had stopped her sobbing. The green light faded away and Yvette stood up,
drawing up Eugenie with her.
“Let"s take a look at you” she smiled. “Perfect. You have such a pretty nose
my dear it would help you a lot to stop sticking it up in the air. I may not be
around next time to mend it.”
Eugenie"s eyes widened and she glanced at Ariella, backing away.
“Theia is changing in the bathroom, why don"t you join her?” Yvette picked
up Eugenie"s clothes and handed them to her, guiding her to the door, closing it
behind her.
The two were left alone in the room. Yvette was silently studying Ariella as
if deciding what to do.
Well that was a smart move Ari, really well done, you should be proud of yourself. I wonder if anyone has been kicked off The Journey on the first day? I bet that’s some kind of record.
Ariella shifted uneasily, desperate for the silence to be broken but not
wanting to say anything else dumb.
“Ariella, that was foolish.” Her voice was kind but intense. “If you cannot
control your emotions you will not survive The Journey. The people that die
here are not the worst Sojourners, the least skilled or the least able. The ones that
die are the ones that make poor decisions in dangerous situations, like you did
today. If you do that out in the field you are a danger to yourself and to your
Knot.” She leaned in and gripped Ariella"s shoulders. “Do not let that happen,
Ariella. Learn to control your emotions, whatever it takes.” Yvette squeezed her
and let her go, her face relaxing. “Now, get changed, you"ve got to meet
Karlov.”
Yvette left the room, leaving Ariella alone.
Smart Ari, real smart. You can’t spend the next five years punching everyone who
hacks you off.
She sighed and began stripping off her clothes. Habitually she checked her
pockets, finding the Echo Orbs. She paused. An idea began to form.
Well, it’s not spying on your mother. I promised Hakeem I wouldn’t spy on her; he
didn’t say anything about spying on other people. Besides if I leave one of them with my gear and take one with me then technically it won’t be spying it would be an accident.
She quickly gathered the clothes the quartermaster had given her and got
dressed. The soft green leather felt comfortable and allowed her to move freely
without it getting in the way. She packed her old clothes in her pack and placed
one of the Echo Orbs on the top, pulling down the straps securely and stowing it
under her bed.
That should do it.
She closed the door behind her and went down the stairs into the mess hall.
She was the last to arrive, the others were seated around the table and Karlov
was no where to be seen. She sat in a spare chair beside Indio and Jaron.
“What"s been going on?” whispered Jaron. “The girls looked freaked out.”
Ariella looked around the room. Esther was sitting across from them
chewing nervously on the tips of her hair. Phoebe was next to her and had the
faraway look in her eyes again. Theia and Eugenie were sat close together at the
far end of the table, not talking, but looking uncomfortable. Every few minutes
Eugenie would check her nose, nudging it back and forth with her fingertips and
trying to avoid looking at Ariella.
“I got a bit carried away,” said Ariella
Indio joined in the conversation. “Carried away how?”
“I sort of hit Eugenie,”
“Excellent!” said Indio, too loudly.
Everyone in the room froze and looked at Indio. Before anyone could say
anything Karlov marched into the room and at his heels was Malum Asinum.
That got everyone"s attention. They sat bolt upright, every eye focused on the
Guardian"s Master of the Prism.
“What"s the hell is he doing here?” Indio whispered
Malum walked to the end of the table with Karlov.
“In case any of you don"t know, this is Malum Asinum. He has kindly
agreed to spend some time with us this afternoon to explain to you how the
Light will feature in your first year of The Journey.
Malum nodded to Karlov as he idly traced one of his facial tattoos with his
index finger. He focused on Indio.
“And that, young Indio, is ‘what the hell’ I am doing here.” H
e smiled at
Indio"s startled look. “Yes. My ears are that good.”
Malum began pacing around the table, swinging his wooden staff, the glass
prism catching the light and casting rainbows across the walls.
“The Light has always existed. As far back as the songs and legends of
Dawnhaven go there have always been tales of the Light. It was centred in the
Blazing Sceptre carried by the Kings and Queens of this Island. They used it to
battle great foes, to heal vast wounds. It was the symbol of all that was good
about our land. That was before Prince Diatus led the rebellion against his twin
brother, King Haldor. Diatus landed his armies on the coast of Trevena and
marched on Stonegard. His troops were a mix of Ghost Raiders and Faron
mercenaries from the Eastern Islands. They were ferocious and bloodthirsty,
burning and destroying everything in their path. But they were ill disciplined.
They were no match for our armies. We met them head on, broke their advance
and began driving them back to the sea. Then, at the moment of his defeat,
Diatus showed the extent of his power and his hatred. He unleashed the
Shadows.
He paused to watch the Sojourners, to study their faces.
“Where the beasts came from or how he controlled them we have no idea,
we only know that our blades had no effect on them. The Shadows took the
form of great lions, falling upon our warriors and engulfing them. In one move
Diatus had turned the tide of battle and hope seemed lost. Our armies were
driven back, unable to resist the Shadows as they began to surround us. They
came on relentlessly, seeking King Haldor, driven on by Diatus’ hatred of his
twin. In the final stand, when the Shadows threatened to overwhelm us, Queen
Lucia ran to the point of fiercest fighting and shattered the Blazing Sceptre. She
knew the power contained in the Sceptre would engulf the shadows. She also
knew it would cost her own life. She was the bravest person I ever knew.”
Ariella"s eyes widened.
He was there…he was actually there.
She had never heard anyone who was at the battle tell the story of her
grandmother.
Malum continued. “The breaking of the Sceptre unleashed a torrent of
blinding Light that overwhelmed every Shadow on the battle field. Diatus’
armies, knowing they were defeated, fled to their ships, leaving their beaten
