Shotput of Power

by Drae Box

  Aldora grabbed his wrist, stopping him from rubbing his eyes. “Come on,” she urged him softly, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and leading him towards Algernon. The commander was slowly standing up, with a hand on the wall for support.

  “Commander Algernon, do you have a doctor here?” she asked, talking louder than normal.

  He nodded, then grimaced and raised a hand to the top of his head. “This way. What was that?”

  “My gift. It isn’t mastered yet,” stated Aldora.

  Algernon looked at her and then beckoned for her to follow him.

  Aldora

  The walk to the doctor was slower than Aldora would have liked. Algernon was resting a hand against the walls for support, and she had Raneth’s weight on her shoulders. A unit of Newer Royal Guards strolled down the corridor towards them and she called to them for help. Four of them relieved her of Raneth and helped to carry Algernon too; the other guards left, running off to another part of the palace. The guards peppered Aldora with questions, but she waved them away, watching Raneth and Algernon closely. Raneth doesn’t look good, and Algernon’s going green.

  Raneth jerked in their hold as he tried to look over his shoulder. “Aldora, watch out!” he cried.

  Aldora hurriedly looked around them. There’s nothing to watch out for, she thought. “We’re safe, Raneth,” she stated loudly.

  “Where are you, A?” he grumbled.

  Quickly, Aldora stepped to his side. “I’m here,” she said softly. She gently tapped his shoulder. “I’m here,” she repeated, speaking louder than before. She watched as his blue eyes swept over her and strayed down the corridor before he clenched them shut. When he opened them, he looked Aldora over, like he did whenever he was worried she was hurt.

  Algernon puked on one of the Newers helping him. Aldora grimaced and watched the Newer covered in the vomit heave before he swallowed and clenched his jaw. He lifted his chin and continued as if he didn’t have his commander’s puke steaming on him.

  “What’s wrong?” murmured Raneth, watching Aldora.

  “Nothing, darling,” she promised him.

  “Here we are – doctor’s office,” stated one of the Newers, studiously ignoring the commander’s vomit on his friend’s chest and legs.

  “What happened to these two?” asked the doctor, as the Newers set Raneth and Algernon onto two of the beds in the small room. Aldora followed them inside.

  “My gift hurt them. Algernon surprised me,” said Aldora, watching as Raneth stood up.

  The doctor pressed a hand against Raneth’s shoulder until he sat back down. He slapped the doctor’s hand away and stood again.

  “Sit down!” snapped the doctor, shoving against Raneth’s shoulder. The doctor’s superior muscle forced the Bayre to sit. “Don’t leave this bed!” To Aldora, he added, “Tell me what I need to know about your gift so I can treat them, then get out.”

  Aldora glanced at Raneth then frowned at the doctor. “I–”

  Queen Regina stepped into the room, and Pedibastet trailed along behind her. He tapped his tail against Aldora’s leg in silent greeting. “Tell them,” he said. “In case it’s more serious than it was on the Quest.”

  Aldora nodded. “It affects the head. It usually affects hearing, and sometimes creates wind.”

  “Just the human response,” stated Pedibastet gently.

  “There’s usually dizziness, some difficulty walking and ringing in the ears. Anything else is new. It affects by noise.”

  “Alright. Now everyone out!”

  “The commander threw up on me, and the Bayre told the Dagger Bearer to watch out for something,” stated one of the guards who had assisted Aldora.

  “And he’s agitated,” stated the doctor, shoving against Raneth’s shoulder again as he tried to stand. “Now, I really must insist you all get out.”

  “Come, Aldora,” said Queen Regina gently, resting a guiding hand on her shoulder and applying pressure so that Aldora turned to the doorway.

  Pedibastet pressed a paw to Aldora’s foot and led her, Regina and the others out into the corridor.

  When Regina’s hand fell from her shoulder, Aldora paced from one side of the thin corridor to the other, retracing her steps as she held her arms tightly to her torso and watched her feet against the blue carpet. What have I done? If I don’t get my gift mastered, I’m going to end up killing someone! Probably Raneth or Dad! Aldora ran a hand over her hair. I have to find a way to practise more often, and without help. I can’t keep putting people in danger because I might get surprised or angry.

  “Aldora!”

  Aldora jerked to a stop. She looked at Pedibastet, who was staring up at her, the tip of his tail twitching.

  “Sorry,” she uttered.

  “Don’t apologise,” stated Pedibastet, a purr rumbling under his words. “But please do not walk back and forth. It makes it difficult to talk with you. I do not enjoy running after you or watching you like a dog does a ping-pong ball.”

  Aldora glanced at the guards and Regina, then knelt down in front of Pedibastet and held out her arms. The Prince of the Cats strolled into them, and waited patiently as she picked him up. He snuggled his head against her left cheek with a purr, his paws going to either side of her neck and his back legs resting on her right forearm as her left arm held him to her chest.

  “I could have seriously hurt them, Pedi,” she whispered.

  His purr rumbled louder. “They’re not dead. They’ll recover.” Pedibastet paused. “And it was an accident. Make sure you stress that. We don’t want an incident involving two kingdoms.” He rubbed his cheek against hers. “Besides, it’s not like you harmed Regina or me. It’s completely forgivable.”

  “Pedi!” said Aldora in a rushed whisper. “It’s just as bad, no matter who I hurt. I need to find a safe way to train so this won’t happen again.”

  “Have you been visiting a giftologist?”

  “No,” admitted Aldora. “They’re too expensive.”

  “Cray could organise for you to work with the royal giftologist when you get home, expenses paid by him. I will ensure it too.”

  “I don’t think that’s appropri–”

  The doctor’s door opened and he inspected everyone in the corridor. “Commander Algernon and Captain Bayre will be fine,” he stated. “Both have concussion and will need to be observed closely.”

  “Can we see them?” asked Queen Regina, stepping nearer the door and Aldora.

  The doctor shook his head. “The Giften is a little too agitated to have guests in the room right now. Perhaps later, when his symptoms lessen and he stops thinking he’s been captured by Eastern Barbarians. Miss Leoma, I suggest you dry yourself before you get a cold.”

  Aldora looked down at her damp body and blushed. Just as well I’m holding Pedi, she realised, though she knew the guards would have gotten a good view of everything. At least Raneth and Algernon will be OK. That’s the important thing.

  “Aldora, we should talk,” stated Queen Regina, before ordering one of the guards to bring Aldora a towel to the mission room. “Follow me.”

  “I need to know what happened,” stated the queen once she, Aldora and Pedibastet were in the mission room and by themselves. The queen sat down in a corner on an armchair, near a small bookcase. She crossed her legs and looked at Aldora expectantly. The Dagger Bearer knelt down in front of the Newer queen and Pedibastet poured himself from her arms. He waited until Aldora had crossed her legs before curling up at her side.

  “It was an accident,” said Aldora.

  She told the queen everything, pausing only when a guard knocked and entered to give her a warmed towel. When Aldora had finished explaining how she had hurt Raneth and the commander, she waited quietly for Regina’s response.

  “Well,” uttered Regina, frowning at Aldora. “I suppose it was Algernon’s fault then. Your gift concerns me though. I may not be as familiar with gifts as you Giftens are, but I know a dangerous one when I hear about what
it can do. And yours is clearly dangerous.”

  Oh heck. She’s going to have me arrested or something! Aldora glanced at Pedibastet.

  The Prince of the Cats looked back at her before turning his green eyes on the Newer. “Regina, it was an accident, remember.”

  “Be that as it may, I cannot have someone that dangerous near Algernon or myself. One of us dying could affect the kingdom. Both of us dying would definitely be the last nail in the coffin. I need you to leave, Aldora. Until you have mastered your gift.”

  “What?” Aldora glanced down at Pedibastet, who was being unusually still now. You don’t want me to fight this then, she realised. “I can’t leave without Raneth. It’s my fault he’s with your doctor, but this is his assignment.”

  “I will be able to make sure he wastes no time finding his way back to you. Perhaps you could impress him – find the Shotput in the time he is under the doctor’s care.”

  “Do his assignment without him, just to impress him?” grumbled Aldora. “I don’t need to impress him.”

  “No, of course not,” said Regina, smiling. “But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.”

  “Why?” asked Aldora, pulling the towel tighter around her.

  “Well, if you’re serious about sharing your life with him, he needs to know you can look after yourself when he’s not around. Otherwise his loyalty to his three family duties when he becomes the Master Bayre – kill the Master Frey, protect his heir and protect his wife – will cause a lot of upset and probably more injuries for the both of you.”

  “Aldora is more than capable of looking after herself,” stated Pedibastet, standing up. His tail’s tip twitched side to side. “She is, after all, the Dagger Bearer. If there is anything she cannot do, she will learn to. She is a formidable lady.” He purred and rubbed his brown cheek with its black tear track against the side of Aldora’s knee. “But we will go, to avoid upsetting our two kingdoms.”

  “I would recommend staying at that brothel you were seen in,” stated Regina. “Without the royal official safehouse, that is probably the safest place for Giftens right now in Oreg… I’m assuming you are going to Oreg?”

  “We agreed it should be our next stop,” admitted Pedibastet. “Please have your people arrange a carriage for us, Regina. Aldora, we should probably get you dressed and retrieve the Dagger of Protection.”

  Chapter Six

  Aldora

  The carriage stopped by the brothel, next to the large window Aldora, Pedibastet and Raneth had walked past when they had reached Oreg the first time. Aldora stepped out and held the door open for Pedibastet, who jumped down and sat at Aldora’s feet, and then grumbled as thick droplets of rain crashed onto them. “I will scout around for a while and hunt. You go inside and make sure Sasha is happy to take us in, and see what she knows about the fire.”

  Aldora nodded and watched as Pedibastet strolled in the direction of the royal official safehouse, then she looked through the window and spotted Sasha smiling at her. She smiled back before heading to the door and stepping inside.

  “Hey, Aldora,” greeted Sasha, taking her hand. “Let’s talk.”

  “Alright,” said Aldora.

  She allowed Sasha to take her up the stairs to the room they had used before. When the door was shut behind them, Aldora reclaimed her hand.

  “What happened to the royal official safehouse?”

  “I didn’t think you knew,” stated Sasha, settling onto the sofa. “Where’s Raneth?”

  Aldora joined her, folding one leg under her. I don’t want to admit I hurt Raneth again, thought Aldora as she contemplated what to say. She rubbed her collarbones as heat rose in her chest and cheeks. “We were with the Newer queen. She told us it was burned.”

  Sasha frowned. Aldora nipped the inside of her cheek so she wouldn’t say why Raneth wasn’t with her as Sasha continued to look at her. After an expectant moment, Sasha nodded. “I see,” she said. “From what my staff says, the inspectors didn’t appreciate you guys sneaking into their home and getting as far as you did.”

  “Yeah. It wasn’t the best idea to go in there. Do we know how they found it and if Adelard is OK?” admitted Aldora with a nod.

  “Adelard’s fine but I don’t know how they found it. They must have had somebody or a team follow you to it at some point. Royal officials are usually trained to spot people following them, but if it was a team that switched who was following you, Raneth might have missed it. Everyone makes mistakes. Anyway, I’ve continued to gather a bit of local gossip without issue and there’s a fence in the arena who may be of use to you three. If the Shotput has been through Oreg, it’s possible he would have heard about it. One of my boys has confirmed he knows of a fence in the arena too, so my intelligence gathering is working.”

  A fence… Raneth’s used that phrase before when talking about criminals. Which type? Aldora readjusted her ponytail as she racked her brains, trying to remember. Ah! They take and sell stolen goods! I suppose it would make more sense to see the fence than look at the dead body. The body won’t go anywhere and the fence can talk. Aloud, she asked, “Do you know if the fence is at the arena today? Raneth won’t be coming back for a while and I don’t want to wait.”

  “Did Commander Algernon do something to him? He didn’t force Raneth to sleep with the Newer queen, did he?”

  What? How many people know about Regina’s wanting Raneth to sire her heir? Aldora shook her head. I’d better tell her what happened. “No. Raneth would never let that happen. He’s recovering from an… accident with my gift at the Newer palace, and I was…” Aldora hesitated, viewing Sasha quietly.

  Sasha looked back at her, smiling softly. “Go on.”

  The Dagger Bearer tucked her hands under her thighs. “I was kicked out for being dangerous.”

  Sasha snorted in an attempt to quell a laugh, then gave up, letting it ripple through her. “You realise that has nothing to do with you?”

  Aldora frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, you’re an unknown entity to Regina and the Internal Kingdom Strategies Commander. There’s no way they were going to let you stay there for too long. The first visit anyone has to the palace is always short. Even King Cray’s was, from what I’ve heard, and you can’t get more trusted than him, although I’ve heard rumours that there’s something not right going on at home either.”

  What’s not right? I know the crime rate soared and Raneth’s being run ragged, but what does she know that I don’t. Hang on… “Wait,” said Aldora with a renewed frown. “You’re a Giften too?”

  “Of course. Why else would I happily help Giftens? It’s not for the informant money, although that does help with my royal official pension.”

  “But you don’t even look that much older than me.”

  “I’m twenty-eight. I served my first three mandatory years then did another three years before I retired. I set up shop here in Newer for a challenge and as a favour to a few friends who needed informants in Newer. I figured being the owner of a brothel meant a lot of secrets would come my way that would help my RO buddies. I was right. Anyway, the fence.”

  Aldora nodded.

  “You’re lucky – he’s working today. He’s the only Eastern Barbarian working the arena without being in the pit, and he doesn’t have the arena servant scar on his face – what all ex-fighters are branded with so everyone knows they belong to the arena. He’s called Teton, and he doesn’t dye his hair in keeping with his culture – the arena doesn’t let him – so don’t expect lots of colours there. Did you want some backup to talk to him? Adelard is around somewhere. He’s still collecting intelligence for Raneth.”

  “No thanks,” said Aldora, giving Sasha a smile. “I’m just going to talk to him. I should be able to do that without getting into any trouble.” She stood up. “Thanks, Sasha. Is it OK if we stay at yours until we’re finished in Oreg?”

  “Definitely. I already prepared a room for you in case you came back and needed somewhere to st
ay, considering the safehouse’s state.”

  Arriving at the arena, Aldora stepped into a queue of people waiting to enter. The arena was like the temporary Giften arenas that were built for sporting events outside their sponsoring settlements. Those were usually disassembled when the event was over and done with, but Aldora could tell this one was a permanent structure. The circular building was made of alternating grey, black and brown stones. The ground floor appeared not to have any windows, except for tiny slits a grown man would struggle to put his arm through. The entrance that she was queuing at was a large, gaping, pointed dome in the wall of the battle arena, watched over by a group of six scarred, muscular men and two women also sporting scars. Matching scars ran up the left side of the eight arena guards’ faces, starting at the bottom of each guard’s left earlobe and curling upwards, along the temple and down towards the outer edge of the eyebrow. The guards were watching those entering and leaving the arena carefully, but didn’t appear to be interfering. A ninth arena employee stood at the mouth of the entrance, speaking with each person before letting them through.

  Drawing close, Aldora inspected the faded red, almost orange flags either side of the entrance; they were long rectangular strips of fabric as tall as the arena and spotted with flecks of dried blood. The blood was now brown from age, and only present on the lower few metres of the flags, suggesting that sometimes people weren’t allowed in, or out, alive. Aldora gripped the pommel of the Dagger at her waist, trying not to worry. I won’t do anything that gives them reason to do that to me, she promised herself.

  “Ticket.”

  Aldora’s attention snapped to the skinny ninth man. He was looking at her, holding a hand out expectantly.

  “I don’t have one.”

  “You… Why in the heck not? Nobody lines up here without one.”

  “Can’t I buy one?” asked Aldora, before realising she didn’t have any Newer currency on her, or Giften glibs either. I should have looked at what Raneth had packed in his bag before I left the palace. He wouldn’t have minded if I borrowed a few supplies.