by Nyssa Renay
“Oh, no, we won’t use be using the Great Ring of Ein anymore,” Raxis corrected.
“Why not?” I asked, slipping my right foot inside the other.
“My father thinks it’s too dangerous. From now on, we’ll be using a different route. Come with me. I’ll show you,” Raxis instructed and left the room.
I followed the prince down into the darkest depths of the Divine Mountain until we arrived at what looked like an abandoned, dusty door that hadn’t been opened in years. He paused silently for a moment, producing a ring of keys from his robes, and I watched in anticipation as he selected an old rusty one and unlocked the chamber door. When we stepped inside the narrow, dimly-lit room, the air was musty and stale. Before us was a dark stone archway containing a ball of silent light that churned softly inward upon itself.
“This will take us to the academy just as easily as the Great Ring of Ein will,” the prince boasted.
“Wait! Don’t we need a shepherd to give us Ein’s blessing to use an archway?” I asked, nervous that Raxis might have overlooked the obvious.
“Don’t worry about it, Vigil. Shepherd Machoji took care of all that while you were still asleep, not too long after your surgery.”
“He did?” I was a little surprised.
“Yup. This arch was specifically set up for us to use whenever we want,” he beamed. “Shall we?”
“I…uhh…of course, Your Highness.” I bowed awkwardly, not knowing if I was to go through first or not. I looked back and forth between the prince and the archway, hoping for a sign.
“What’s wrong, Vigil?”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but I don’t really know how any of this works…being a guardian, I mean. Do I go first, in case I need to protect you? Or, do I follow you?”
The prince smiled. “After you.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Sire.”
I escorted the prince into the realm of light. It brought us out through another ancient stone archway and into the Grove of Atonement—a small garden on the academy grounds where the shepherds grew plants and vegetables for personal use.
“My father used to bring me this way before I qualified to attend the academy. Come on. I know the way to the shepherds’ tower from here,” Raxis said as he walked away.
I did my best to stay slightly ahead of him, but I wasn’t sure the exact direction we needed to go. I’d never been in that area of the academy before, so I had no way to catch my bearings, making the entire walk extremely stressful. When we arrived, the prince led me up a narrow staircase that slithered around the walls like a snake.
“Once I’d finally convinced my father to let me stay at the academy full-time, he insisted that as long as I was kept separate from the other potentials for security reasons, it would be okay,” he said as we climbed higher.
“So, you actually want to be at the academy?” I asked skeptically, completely forgetting who I was asking.
Raxis stopped climbing and stared at me. “Of course, I do!”
I felt my face redden with embarrassment. “I’m so sorry, Your Highness. Please forgive me. I shouldn’t have questioned you.”
“Why?” he asked, puzzled.
“W-Why what, Sire?” I was certain I’d already screwed up my new job on the first day, just as I’d done on the night of his dinner.
“Why shouldn’t you have questioned me?”
“Because you’re the prince,” I offered respectfully. “I’m nobody.”
“But that still doesn’t answer my question,” Raxis argued. “Why can’t you question me?”
“I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking, Your Highness.”
“My whole life, I’ve watched people tell my father he’s right, even when it’s obvious he’s not. Why do people do that?”
“This is something you should be asking your fath—”
“I’m asking you!” he snapped
“Out of fear, Your Highness.”
“Are you afraid of me, too, Vigil?”
“Honestly?” I let out a nervous sigh. “Yes.”
“But, why?” His expression turned to one of sadness and shame. “I don’t get it. You risked your life to save me. Without you, I wouldn’t even be here right now. Why would you be afraid of me?”
“It’s not you personally, Your Highness. It’s just who you are. You’re the prince. One day, you’re going to be king, and then you’ll rule over everything and everyone. There’s only one of you, while there are thousands of us. The best I can hope for is to survive as long as I can once I go off to fight in the war.”
“Do you want to go fight in the war?”
“Not really, but it’s not like I have much of a choice.”
“Of course, you do.” He smiled. “You’re my guardian now.”
“I’m sorry, Your Highness, but no one has explained what that actually means.”
“It means…the only thing you have to worry about is watching over me until I become king. Even after that, you’ll never have to go fight in the war unless you truly want to.”
“Really?” I smiled, feeling a huge burden lift from my shoulders.
“Yes.”
“But what if I say or do something wrong? I mean, what if you get mad at me and change your mind? What if you decide I’m not good enough to be your guardian anymore? That’s what I meant about being scared. One word from you, and I’m right back where I started; just another potential heading off to war.”
“Being a guardian is basically for life. Once you’re chosen, it can’t be taken away. You’re considered part of the royal family now.”
“Seriously?” I was in awe.
Raxis laughed. “Your job is to protect me, even if it means protecting me from myself. I chose you because you were willing to give your own life to save mine. You cared about my safety over yours, which means you are looking out for my best interests. I know I’m still young, but I’m hoping you’ll help me become the best king I can be. I don’t want someone to tell me I’m right all the time, just because they fear who my father is. To do that, I need you to be able to talk to me about whatever is on your mind, no matter what. Can you do that for me, Vigil?”
I nodded happily. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“When we’re in private, you can call me Raxis, okay? Save all that formality for when we’re around my parents.”
“Okay,” I replied, relieved. “But what about around the other shepherds?”
“Why should that matter?” he said dismissively. “You outrank them all now.”
My mouth dropped in utter surprise at this new revelation. In one fell swoop, I’d managed to go from lowly kitchen duty potential to being the right hand to the prince of Telshakra. All the pain and torment I’d suffered through the years had led me to this moment, and I couldn’t have been more grateful to Ein for all he’d blessed me with.
Raxis instantly noticed my expression of bewilderment and joy. “If you think that’s good, wait until you see your living quarters!” he said excitedly and marched up the stairs with me in tow.
-67-
When we reached the top of the tower, the prince pointed to a set of white double doors adorned with spiraling gold and blue scrollwork. “This is where you’ll stay from now on,” Raxis beamed, taking out the same set of keys he’d used for the secret archway. He removed one and unlocked the door, ushering me inside.
“Wow,” was all I could manage as I entered the grand room and got my first glimpse of the luxury that came along with the position of guardian. “This is incredible.”
“Isn’t it?” Raxis said excitedly. “My room is just down the hall. We have the whole top floor to ourselves. Take a look around!”
No matter where I looked, everything was ridiculously opulent. The cathedral ceilings rose high above us. The alabaster white walls had that same blue and gold scrollwork weaving and winding all around them. Pictures of Telshakran landscapes at s
unset in gold frames hung in tasteful groupings. There were pillows, vases, and the most amazing regal decorations I had ever seen. The room had a well-polished wooden floor, which thrilled me, because I’d no longer have to listen to the constant electrified hum of the dorm floor at night.
In the corner, a lit fireplace stacked with fragrant ninespine tree wood filled the room with a beautiful aroma as it burned. Near the warmth of the fire sat a beautiful dark redwood desk. The desktop was so shiny that I wondered if it was crystal instead of lacquer. On the desk, there was a gold pen with a single blue feather alongside a stack of smooth white paper. The window in front of the desk overlooked a sweeping view of the Shepherd Academy below.
But the crowning glory of this place was the bed. It was three times the size of my narrow little cot and was made up with clean white sheets that looked soft and comfortable, unlike my plain scratchy bed linens in the dorm. I couldn’t resist the temptation. I ran to the side of the bed and jumped on it, my arms and legs flailing in the air.
“Do you like it?” Raxis asked hopefully.
“Are you kidding? Of course, I do!” I nodded, smiling hugely. Then I noticed something at the foot of the bed and I moved back to my feet to get a better look.
“Those are for you. They denote your new position with me,” the prince said as he pointed to the neatly folded set of robes. Unlike the dull gray ones I usually wore, these robes were the dark regal blue of a deep night sky and had a gold satin inner lining. I’d never seen anything like them.
“Why don’t these have a crest on them like the tabards?” I asked, holding the garment up against my chest. I caught sight of myself in the gilded mirror across the room. I looked noble and important, as if I were royalty myself.
“There doesn’t need to be. Blue robes are exclusively used for the position of guardian, and so is this,” he explained as he held out his hand. There was something wrapped in his fingers, but I couldn’t see what it was. I held out my right hand, and the prince let a long blackbrass chain set with a large blue stone fall into my palm. The stone of the pendant caught the light in the room, casting a soft, bluish hue onto my hand. “It’s called the Guardian Signet. It’s been worn by every guardian to my family for generations, and now it’s yours.”
I put the signet on and felt its weight against my neck. “Thank you, Raxis…for all of this.” I was enjoying this quick elevation of my status.
“It’s my pleasure,” he nodded. “But if you don’t like the setup of the room, we can always have the servants move things around for you.” The prince smiled.
“Servants? From where?” I asked, puzzled. “I thought it was too difficult to have anyone who wasn’t a potential or shepherd use the archways to go back and forth from the academy?”
“They’re not from the Divine Mountain. My father had Shepherd Marnola from Idol sect assign several of her older students to tend to us whenever we want. Look at this!” Raxis shouted happily, rushing over to a small gold plate mounted on the wall by the door.
When I got a closer look at the plate, I noticed a small blackbrass-rimmed glass bubble filled with pink crystals protruding from the plate. “Are those raw Idol crystals from the Sanctified Mines?”
“Yup! My own idea!” Raxis boasted joyfully. “And I had matching rings made for the potentials assigned to us, too. That way, whenever you need them, you just place your hand over the bubble and say, “Claristo tonalla,” and the spell activates the crystals in their rings, too. Isn’t that great?” The prince’s face beamed with delight.
While I wasn’t sure if he’d been honest in declaring that I could ask or say anything to him without fear of repercussion, I felt this invention offered me a perfect way to test how he’d react to my actual criticism.
“Amazing, but I do have one question,” I said, looking closer at the gold plate surrounding the bubble.
“Sure,” he replied in a surprised and somewhat dejected tone. I watched his expression fall to one of worry and concern, but thankfully it hadn’t turned to anger or frustration, which meant I could carry on with my experiment.
“Does the bubble have to stay in this gold plate for the summoning spell to work properly?”
“No.”
“So, if I wanted to summon them, I could keep the bubble close to me…at my desk…in my bed…anywhere I was, right?” I offered.
“That’s a good point!” Raxis eyes widened. I could almost see the thoughts churning in his head. “But why stop there? What if there was a way to make it work from wherever we were at the academy?”
I think he was talking more to himself than to me, but I smiled and nodded anyway. I was happy to know that Raxis not only took my criticism, but he used it to come up with a new idea in the process. Unlike his father, the prince seemed to want to hear what people thought, and that bode well for my future and the future for all Telshakrans.
Raxis clapped his hands excitedly before pointing at me. “I need to go work on this before I head to class.”
“Okay, do you need me to—”
“You take the day and get settled in,” he said rapidly. “I’ll have a few of the servants escort me around today. Let’s just plan on you joining me for dinner at the shepherds’ banquet hall tonight, okay?”
“Sounds good,” I replied, letting out a small sigh of relief to have a moment to collect myself after the whirlwind of a morning I’d had.
The prince rushed out of the room, but it wasn’t long before I heard a soft knock on my door. It was Shepherd Diabelle.
-68-
“May I come in, sir?” Diabelle said, respectfully. There was something less severe about the way she spoke to me now, and I could almost hear the intimidation in her voice.
“Of course,” I answered, forcing a smile. It was nearly impossible to hide my awkwardness at our sudden role reversal.
“This is nice,” Diabelle said as she gazed around the room.
“It’s a bit much, if you ask me.”
“You’re always more than welcome to stay in the dorms if you’d like,” she joked.
I laughed. “No, this is fine.”
“I thought as much,” Diabelle smiled. “Well then, I just wanted to stop by and congratulate you on your new position. I hope you won’t forget us all back in Necra sect as you—”
“Wait,” I interrupted, a slightly panicked thought running through my mind. “You’re making it sound like you’re no longer going to train me.”
Her expression turned somber and serious. “I’m not.”
“Why?” I snapped. “I’ve come all this way! Don’t tell me I’m not getting to graduate now, too.”
“You’ll graduate next year; the same as you would have, had you not become a guardian to the prince. You just won’t need to train or study or perform any of the duties an ordinary potential must do.”
“So, that’s it? Just like that…I’ve learned all I need to know to be a shepherd?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of bullshit is that?”
Diabelle forced a smile. “Permission to speak freely, sir?”
“That’s another thing!” I snapped. “I’m not even a shepherd yet. How the hell can I be everyone’s superior? It doesn’t make any sense.”
I stared at Shepherd Diabelle, upset with confusion and rage at the sudden realization of having such a large burden dropped on my shoulders. She looked at me, patient and silent, waiting for me to follow protocol. I gave in.
“Granted,” I grumbled reluctantly.
Her expression softened. “Vigil, I will always consider you one of the best potentials I’ve ever had the pleasure of training, but you’re a guardian now, which means you are the highest-ranking person next to the royal family. That’s just the way it works. What you do with that authority will be what defines you as a shepherd, not countless hours of Wraith training, or what score you get on a test.”
“Then why make any of us do it in the first p
lace? It seems so pointless.”
“The Shepherd Academy was designed to prepare potentials for war without them knowing. Yes, it’s barbaric and cruel, but it’s the only way to help them survive out there. You’ve seen the truth, Vigil. You know what we’re up against, and it’s only going to get worse.”
“So, what do you think I should do?”
“Do your job,” she replied sternly.
“As what? A glorified babysitter?” I scoffed.
“Yes!” she snapped, stepping toward me. “Just like what the rest of us are stuck here doing. You don’t think there are times when I want to get out there and fight, too? Many of the shepherds at the academy would give anything to get back out there, but Ein decides what path we’re made to walk, not you. All we can do is have faith that everything happens for a reason, no matter how hard it is for us to understand why.”
Suddenly, I remembered what Machoji had said about the sacrifices my mother and sister had made for me to be where I was, and everything she said made perfect sense.
I flashed a tired smile. “I understand, but it’s easier said than done.”
“I know,” she returned the smile. “But you have the opportunity to make a difference that none of us here can make. You’re the right hand to the prince now. You can show him what it means to be a shepherd instead of just a king…maybe help him further his inventive nature to help us create new ways to win the war…who knows?”
I cracked a smile. “How long were you standing outside my door?”
“Long enough to know an opportunity when I hear one. The prince is not like his father, and in my opinion, that’s a good thing. He’s open to change. That’s very rare in a monarch. You need to try to keep him that way.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
“He trusts you. He’ll listen to you.”
“I’m just his guardian,” I argued. “There’s no way I’m going against the king—”
Diabelle held up her hand, motioning for me to lower my voice. “I’m not asking you to, Vigil. All I’m saying is that as he grows up, try to do what you can to influence him in the right direction. Do what you can to gain as much of Lexani’s favor as possible, so when the time is right, you’ll be allowed to voice your opinions without the king just immediately dismissing them.”