Raelia (The Medoran Chronicles Book 2)

by Lynette Noni

  Wandering back to the front of the room, Doc finished by saying, “The curriculum at Akarnae may seem dated, but as we have just outlined, its traditions are timeless. It’s all a matter of perspective.”

  With plenty to think about, Alex listened as Doc completed the rest of his class by going over some of the points already raised and expanding on others. She felt better having had some of her questions answered, but there was still one thing she was curious about. Not knowing if it was the kind of enquiry she should make to a class full of students when it might be general knowledge to all Medorans, Alex decided to wait until the end of the day before she sought out the one person who she had a feeling would be able to answer her better than anyone else.

  “You’re a hard guy to track down,” Alex said to Kaiden, having finally found him in the stables after asking what felt like every single person on campus for his location.

  “Alex,” he said, looking at her in question over the back of the horse he was brushing down. “What’s up?”

  She bit her lip and looked away, wondering if she was making a mistake by coming to him. He already knew more about her than he should, but he didn’t know everything, and it had to stay that way. However, he had told her that she could come to him if she ever needed anything.

  “I want to ask you something, but you have to promise not to read into it—and you have to promise not to laugh if you think it’s a stupid question,” she said, reaching for a curry-comb just to have something to do with her hands while she talked. She began grooming the sleek black coat of the horse she knew was named Eclipse, waiting for Kaiden to agree.

  “That depends on what you ask,” he said, grinning roguishly. “But I must say, I’m intrigued.”

  Alex frowned. So far, their conversation wasn’t going to plan and it had barely begun. But she decided she might as well jump in and see what happened, so she said, “I want to know about the Soori Outpost.”

  Kaiden’s entire body jerked, and Alex looked at him in surprise.

  “What about it?” he asked, his brush strokes becoming visibly tense to the point that Eclipse pinned his ears back in irritation. Kaiden noticed and relaxed his grip, prompting the horse to relax again too.

  Confused by his strong reaction, Alex said, “I want to know why it’s there. Medora is a supercontinent currently run by a single monarchy, so why is there an active military force if there’s no one to go to war against? And do they use other weapons stronger than Stabilisers? Also, I always presumed Wardens were more like glorified guards, but now I’m not so sure. Who has more authority—them or the General?”

  Kaiden wasn’t tense anymore; that was for sure. But Alex almost wished he was, since he was now looking at her with a scrutinising expression.

  She swallowed and focused on moving her curry along the barrel of Eclipse’s stomach. “No reading into it, remember?”

  “Hey, at least I’m not laughing,” Kaiden said. “That’s one out of two. Take what you can get.”

  “I’d rather a judgement-free answer,” Alex responded. “With no follow-up questions.”

  “I’ll answer you, but I can’t promise there won’t be follow up,” Kaiden said, moving further along to brush the curve of Eclipse’s apple-shaped rump. “Let’s start with the Wardens. Don’t ever let them hear you calling them ‘glorified guards’ or it may be the last thing you ever say. And I mean that, Alex.”

  If his serious expression was anything to go by, he really did mean that.

  “Now, in a not-reading-into-this kind of way, am I right to guess that you don’t know much about what Akarnae students do after they graduate?”

  “Um…” Alex hesitated. “Hypothetically? Let’s go with that. From here on out, just act like I know nothing.”

  Kaiden’s lips twitched, drawing Alex’s attention to his mouth before she forced her gaze back up to his eyes. Judging by the humour she found in them, she had a feeling she wasn’t fooling him at all.

  “Well, then,” he said, looking down at what he was doing once more. “As you know, there are five years of schooling with an additional two years on top of that should any of the instructors invite you to stay on as an apprentice. Whether you graduate at eighteen or twenty, Akarnae alumni are always sought after for the top positions in any of Medora’s workplaces. It’s not so much that we have gifts—though that can definitely be a drawcard depending on your career choice—but it’s more that our education here has covered, well, everything.”

  Alex nodded, having just been over most of that in her History class. “What does that have to do with Wardens?”

  “There are two kinds of Wardens, did you know that?” Before she could respond, Kaiden said, “Never mind, don’t answer that. I forgot that you hypothetically know nothing.” He didn’t even try to hide his smile at that. “Wardens fall into one of two categories: Swords or Shields. The Shields are intelligence analysts—they come from all different backgrounds and are usually recruited later in life after having the experience of years behind them. They do most of the stuff outside of the public eye, keeping a finger on the pulse of the world and the people in it, so to speak. They are essentially a ‘shield’ against any threats made by humans and by… others… who have their own agendas. Wardens like Bear’s dad, William Ronnigan, are Shields, and they keep us safe mostly by the use of their collective intellect and intuition.”

  Alex raised her eyebrows, wondering how Kaiden knew about William. But he continued before she could ask.

  “Swords, on the other hand, are the field agents; the Wardens who deal directly with anything the Shields uncover. Swords actively seek out the threats to the kingdom and swiftly neutralise—or eradicate—them.”

  Alex couldn’t help automatically imagining the Medoran equivalent of James Bond. In place of a tux and a gun, her invented figure wore a cape and held a sword. Strangely—or not so strangely, considering—he looked an awful lot like Hunter.

  “Other than the obvious, the main difference between the two is that only Akarnae graduates can ever hold positions as Swords—and specifically those who have stayed on as apprentices in Combat or SAS.” Kaiden sent her a wry smile as he added, “I’m sure you can figure out how both of those classes are high up on selection criteria for Sword applicants.”

  Alex returned his expression, understanding completely.

  “So you can see how highly trained, combat-ready, stealthy Swords who all have gifts might not take too well to being referred to as ‘glorified guards’, right?” Kaiden said. “And while Shields might not mind as much, they both wear the same uniform, so it’s better to be safe than sorry since you may never know which one you’re talking to.”

  Alex quickly nodded her agreement. Then she asked, “Warden Jeera—you and Declan seemed to recognise her name when I mentioned her after the SAS trip. Is she a Sword or a Shield?”

  Kaiden laughed softly as he grabbed a new, softer brush and moved to stroke it down Eclipse’s face while Alex reached for a comb to untangle his mane.

  “Jeera’s a Sword,” Kaiden answered. “One of the best.”

  “And, um…” Alex wasn’t sure why—or if—she wanted to know, but she still pressed. “Do you know her well?”

  “You could say that.” Kaiden laughed again. At Alex’s questioning look, he said, “She’s my sister.”

  “Your sister?” Alex wasn’t able to mask her surprise. “But—but—”

  She thought back over the interactions she’d had with the Warden, from first seeing her while locked in the royal dungeon, to having Jeera follow her and D.C. on their day trip through Tryllin and then finally after the mess with General Drock and Alex’s Bubbledoor delivery to the palace. She tried to make sense of the events, but all she could do was tilt her head and stare at Kaiden’s face, trying to find some resemblance between them. True, they shared the same dark hair and bright blue eyes, and Jeera’s features were just as striking, but… Nope, there were no buts about it. Now that Alex was looking for it, she
couldn’t miss it. However, without having been told, she never would have picked it on her own.

  “That’s really cool,” she said, just for something to say—and as a means to not feel like such an idiot for staring at Kaiden longer than was appropriate. “I like your sister. She’s helped me out a few times now.”

  “I know she has,” Kaiden responded with an amused gleam in his eyes that told Alex he knew more than he was letting on.

  “What—”

  “To answer the rest of your questions,” he interrupted, “because of everything I just mentioned, Wardens do rank higher than military. They’re technically a separate entity but sometimes their assignments overlap, and when that happens, they outrank the General. Their word is law.”

  “Got it,” Alex said, having seen first-hand that Drock had afforded a level of deference to Jeera.

  “What were the other things you wanted to know?” Kaiden asked. “Why there’s a military and what weapons they have?”

  “Said like that, you make me sound like I’m gathering intel against them or something,” Alex murmured, untangling the final knot in Eclipse’s mane and dropping the comb back in with the other grooming tools.

  “I guess I’m just going to have to hope that you won’t use this information for evil,” Kaiden said with a smirk. “I’m trusting you here, Alex. Don’t make me regret it.”

  Before she could think of a response, he reached for Eclipse’s halter and untied the now gleaming horse, leading him into a stall and locking him in for the night.

  “Come on, I’ll tell you how to overthrow the monarchy on the walk back,” Kaiden said, pressing his hand gently to the curve of Alex’s spine and guiding her down the aisle past the other stalls of curious-looking equines. She tried to ignore the pleasant warmth she felt through her clothes where his hand was—and failed abysmally at doing so. Only when they were outside again did he drop his hand, allowing her to focus on his words rather than his presence beside her.

  “Weapons I can’t tell you much about,” Kaiden said as they headed up through the grassy fields towards the campus proper. “You have to admit, that’s a strange question for you to ask me.”

  Alex felt him looking at her but she kept her head forward, shrugging slightly. “You seemed to know a lot more about the Stabilisers than anyone else. I figured you were the best person to ask.”

  “And not your royal best friend?”

  Alex shrugged again, having no answer for that.

  “Well, as I said,” Kaiden picked up, letting Alex’s lack of answer slide, “I don’t know much, but from what I’ve… heard… Stabilisers are about as lethal as it gets. There’s been peace amongst humans in the kingdom for thousands of years so there hasn’t been a need to develop anything more than the basics, especially since a sword or arrow can kill just as easily— if not more so.”

  “No weapons of mass destruction, then?” Kaiden cocked his head at her terminology and she explained, “You know, bombs. Explosive devices that blow large areas up at a time, killing lots of people at once.”

  “Why would we have something like that?” he asked, looking appalled by the idea. “Who would we want to kill?”

  “No, no, it’s good you—we—don’t,” Alex assured him, reaching out to squeeze his arm before quickly dropping her fingers to her side again. “I was just making sure.”

  Shaking his head, Kaiden said, “The military isn’t for going to war against humans, Alex. That hasn’t happened for millennia—not since well before Akarnae opened, back when there were places in this world that people wanted enough to fight each other over.”

  Alex immediately thought of the Library, knowing that battles had been waged over it for hundreds of years until it disappeared. She nodded and asked, “Then why—”

  “Medora is populated with more than just humans.” Kaiden looked at her in a way that made her realise what he was saying was common knowledge, and yet, he was still humouring her ‘act like I know nothing’ request. “While we’ve never gone to war against any of the other races in recent years, that doesn’t mean we’re not prepared if such an event were to take place. Not that we’d stand much of a chance against them—any of them. Meyarins may be at the top of the food chain, but the others can hold their own. We humans are, by comparison, relatively powerless. But if something ever did require a defence on our part, we have an active military in place for that very reason.”

  Mulling over all the information he’d given her, Alex found that she had no questions remaining. At least, that was the case until—

  “There are, of course, the threats posed from beings in other worlds”—Alex literally stumbled at his words—“but as far as I know, we haven’t yet encountered anyone who means us harm. So again, it’s just a precaution.”

  Alex forced herself to regulate her breathing and fought the temptation to look at him to gauge his expression. With her eyes focused on the approaching Tower building bathed in gold from the setting sun, she grappled to bring her thoughts together. He couldn’t possibly know about her—surely he couldn’t. He would have said something, told someone, demanded answers. No, it was purely chance that his final words were so relevant to her personally. When she mustered the courage for a quick glance at his face, she was relieved to find him relaxed and at ease, with no evidence of him knowing more about her than he should.

  “Does that answer everything?” he asked as they walked past Gen-Sec and towards the food court. “You don’t want to know the blueprints for any secret bases or how to assemble an ITD in under five minutes?”

  Alex didn’t know what an ITD was, but she figured she was already treading a dangerous line with Kaiden and it was best not to ask any further questions that could show just how naive to the ways of Medora she really was.

  “Nothing else. You were perfect,” she said. Then realising how that sounded, she fought the heat rising in her cheeks and amended, “I mean, you’ve been perfect.” She wanted to smack herself in the face. “As in, you’ve answered my questions perfectly. That’s what I meant.”

  Kaiden chuckled warmly. “Well, in that case, I’m glad I could help.”

  They came to a stop outside the food court, lingering near the entry.

  “I’m going to go clean up before dinner,” Kaiden said, nodding in the direction of the dorm building.

  “Right,” Alex said, her hands fidgeting by her sides. “I’ll just…” She gestured towards the food court, indicating that she was heading in there. “I’ll see you later, Kaiden. And thanks again for… uh…”

  “Being perfect?” His eyes sparked with mischief and she felt her still warm cheeks heat further in reaction to the smile he sent her.

  “Don’t make me regret coming to you,” she grumbled half-heartedly, knowing she deserved his teasing after her accidental gaffe.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” he replied, very clearly struggling not to laugh. But then his face turned serious and he stepped closer—almost intimately closer—and lowered his voice to say, “Remember what I told you, Alex. You can always come to me. For anything, anytime. Okay?”

  Swallowing around her suddenly emotion-clogged throat, Alex was unable to form a verbal response so she just nodded her agreement.

  “Good,” he said, reaching forward until his fingers tangled with hers for a fraction of a second before he squeezed gently and let her go. “You go eat, and I’ll catch you later.”

  Fingers tingling, she nodded mutely again. When it looked like he was waiting for her to enter the food court before he left, she spun around and walked through the doors.

  As she moved away, it took everything in her not to turn and look back over her shoulder to see if he was still watching.

  arin.

  Twenty-Two

  The next two months passed much faster than Alex would have liked. As November drew to a close, her classes became impossibly intense, with the teachers firing assignment after assignment at their students before the term ended for the Kaldo
ras holidays.

  While the theory-based classes were straining her mind to its limits, Alex’s practical classes also became more strenuous. PE was close to the top of the list and Finn seemed to take particular pleasure whenever one of them had to be carried off to the Medical Ward.

  But PE wasn’t the only class that resulted in one or more students having to visit the resident doctor. Alex found herself in the Medical Ward on an almost daily basis—for a variety of reasons—much to Fletcher’s displeasure.

  The first time was after she became wedged between her saddle and a tree trunk in one of her Equestrian Skills classes. In her defence, an odd-looking reptilian creature had spooked her horse and caught them both by surprise. She was relieved the torn ligament in her knee hadn’t led to her falling off to become the reptile’s next meal.

  Another tree landed her back in Fletcher’s domain when she sprained her wrist getting caught in one of Hunter’s traps during a SAS fake stake-out one night. It was still, clearly, her favourite class.

  Not.

  The following week she had to see Fletcher after having a violent allergic reaction to something in her Medical Science class. They were looking at the properties of different animal blood when Alex accidentally brushed her fingers against a murky-brown swab labelled with the scientific name, Daesmilo Folarctos. She was rushed to the Medical Ward when she began throwing up within seconds of the sample touching her skin. Fletcher kept Alex in the Ward for twelve hours, all of which she slept away after her energy was sapped from the sudden and debilitating sickness.

  Despite her illness, Alex recovered surprisingly quickly, which meant it was straight back to classes for her. And that, of course, led to her next trip to the Medical Ward, when she was knocked unconscious in Combat later that week. She maintained that Zain concussed her on purpose, since he’d deliberately chosen her to help demonstrate a new fighting technique. He’d apparently overestimated her fighting ability. Either that, or he must have expected her to fight like a Meyarin—which was something she was keeping a tight rein on.