Dahlia: A Novel of Dark Desire

by Viola Calvary

  Sabir was sitting protectively close to Fidelity as she wolfed down large quantities of fried venison and eggs. Her face had filled back out and regained it’s color. She’d place a beautiful white rose in full bloom at the base of one of her pigtails.

  Dahlia made herself a large cup of strong tea, collected some eggs for herself, and sat down with them.

  “Welcome back to life, Fidelity.”

  Fidelity stopped eating long enough to get out a cheerful, “Good morning, Captain!”

  “That’s a beautiful rose.”

  “Someone left it when Sabir nodded off.”

  Dahlia arched an eyebrow at Sabir. “Really?”

  Sabir grinned, “Don’t look at me. I wish I was that smooth.”

  Fidelity looked thoughtful then shook her head. “The lieutenant from Barrack Thirteen is pretty cute and I think he was flirting with me the other day when I was out for a run.”

  Dahlia laughed, “Lieutenant Kiran doesn’t strike me as the stealthy type. Maybe it was one of the doctors.”

  “I’m just absolutely bewitching when I’m snoring,” Fidelity joked. “Could have been anyone who fell under my spell, really.”

  “Forgive my interruption,” Borreal’s soft voice held a hint of amusement. Fidelity blushed the same color as her hair.

  “Not at all, Captain Borreal, will you join us?” Dahlia said, looking up at him in mild surprise. “Can I get you some tea?”

  “I’d like that, thank you.”

  Dahlia pushed a cup over to him as he sat and poured some of the tea she’d made. He took a sip and coughed. “I forgot how strong you brew it.”

  “We have milk and honey if that would help.” Fidelity offered, recovering from her momentary embarrassment.

  Borreal took a smaller sip, “I think I’ll be fine now that I’m prepared for it, thank you.” He smiled at her, “I’m glad to see you’re in much better shape this morning.”

  Fidelity smiled shyly, “Thank you, Captain. Just a bit of food and sleep and I’m right as rain.”

  Borreal glanced at the enormous amount of venison and eggs still in front of the petite woman and seemed mildly lost for words.

  Dahlia rescued him from the contradiction that was her fourth officer, “It is always a pleasure to see you, what brings you to my table so early this morning?”

  “Looking for you, Captain DeMorra. Captains are requested for a meeting. I offered to stop by and deliver the message myself so I could see how you and your barrack were recovering. I suspect they’ll start an attack today.”

  Fidelity dug into her eggs again at this news. Dahlia inwardly sighed. The woman wasn’t exaggerating when she said she just needed sleep and food and she’d be alright. The woman’s berserk abilities made her extremely difficult to kill and accelerated healing but that was only if she made it back alive. To fuel her abilities her body would consume itself from the inside out if she lost control as she had outside the gate.

  “Thank you, Captain,” Dahlia replied, “when are we gathering?”

  “In about an hour,” Borreal sipped at the tea again as Genji wandered in and snatched a piece of venison off Fidelity’s plate. She snarled at him as he shot out of reach.

  “Glad to see you’re feeling better,” Genji grinned at her. “Getting ready to take out another company singlehanded? Imagine their humiliation at being pounded into the ground by a little girl with a flower in her hair.”

  “Be polite you heathen,” Fidelity huffed. “We have a guest.”

  Genji’s eyes shot over to Borreal and he bowed, “Excuse me, Captain, I was overwhelmed with relief that my fellow member had recovered and missed observing anything else.”

  Borreal nodded at him and Dahlia waved him away, “Enough, Genji, your sense of where the line between appropriate and too much is seems to be off this morning.”

  Genji arranged his face in a serious expression and bowed. “Yes, Captain DeMorra,” he said then walked away with a spring in his step. She suspected her rebuke had been met with more amusement than humility but Genji was an excellent actor when he chose to be. He had a talent for toeing the line without ever crossing into disrespect that Dahlia wouldn’t have tolerated.

  She looked from Genji to Fidelity. He’d mentioned the rose rather quickly. She paused to consider it before turning back to the conversation at the table.

  Borreal stayed a few minutes longer until he’d drank enough of her tea to be polite then nodded to them and left. A moment later Fidelity finished her plate and ran out to the yard to loosen up muscles stiff from repair and inactivity during the hours she’d slept. Dahlia and Sabir were left alone at the table as Genji opted to eat outside to enjoy the summer morning.

  “How is Nel?” she asked him.

  “Much better. He needs to stay under observation for a couple days but then he’ll be back and close to one hundred percent.”

  “Thank goodness. When I saw him charging after Fidelity like that I thought we were going to lose our newest member.”

  “I did too. I’m not sure where to place the blame; with him, Fidelity, or myself. I’ve taught them how to fight but not enough strategy. I understand why other barracks favor a regimented style, it prevents members from making mistakes like that. I need to work on strategy drills for large numbers like we faced.” Sabir looked like he’d been beating himself up over it.

  “It is a risk we take running the barrack like this but don’t be so hard on yourself. If any blame lands on you then it automatically lands at my door, too. I couldn’t ask for a better lieutenant. We’ll just be grateful that no permanent damage was done and learn our lesson. Melee has never been a strong point of mine so it’s likely I’m guilty of neglecting it. We’ll increase strategy drills and I’ll stop using my own drawbacks as excuses.” She smiled, “It’ll be fun to watch Fidelity get frustrated trying to take on uneven odds until she learns to think through what she’s doing anyways.”

  Sabir grinned. Dahlia was glad she’d been able to cheer him up. She’d chosen him as her first lieutenant as a good balance for her. He was rock solid, steady, and a concrete thinker while she excelled at abstract thinking, pushing offense, and multitasking under stress.

  She sat in silence with her lieutenant, enjoying the quiet companionship until she felt the time of her departure growing near. She took a final sip of her tea then grabbed the pot, her cup, and Borreal’s half-finished cup. She rinsed them before walking out into the beautiful summer morning.

  She allowed herself to become lost in the charm of the summer foliage while she walked down the familiar paths. There would be enough strife and stress soon enough. For now she wanted to appreciate the beauty.

  She felt someone approaching. Speaking of strife and stress she glanced over her shoulder to see Horan. She made an effort to keep her body relaxed as he caught up to her.

  “Good morning, Captain DeMorra.”

  “Good morning, Captain Horan.”

  “I wanted to congratulate you on your victory yesterday, it isn’t every day you get to witness a challenge between such skilled opponents.”

  He sounded sincere. He had made an effort to be polite to her after their one encounter in front of Nel. That didn’t mean she would lower her guard around him, however. She wouldn’t have been able to push him like that unless the feelings had already been there and he was already inclined to behave like a lout.

  She smiled blandly, “I was honored to have the gods on my side.”

  “Yes, I was quite shocked that the heathens would have risked the gods’ wrath to interfere with the trial. I suppose we can consider Captain Ravin’s quick response the instrument of their judgement in this case.”

  “The gods decree and men attend,” Dahlia mouthed the platitude as as neutral an agreement as possible. She wondered how far the circumstances of the first attack on her had spread. Was Horan probing to see if Ravin’s response might have been motivated by anything beyond defending a fellow captain? She shook it off. If rumors we
re going around then let him wonder. If anyone involved had told him then he wouldn’t have been looking for confirmation. Either it was an innocent observation or he wasn’t sure.

  “As well we can,” Horan responded with an appropriate platitude. “I hope you will not think me rude to observe that the appearance of your,” he fished for a word, “...doubles, may have added fuel to the fires of their beliefs.”

  “That is regrettable,” Dahlia focused on staying neutral without being obviously brusk.

  “I do trust that none of our soldiers or citizens will buy into their hysteria. Do you plan to make the extent of your abilities public knowledge?” Horan seemed to be fishing for something but she couldn’t quite identify what.

  “I trust that they will see that the gods themselves have deemed me innocent and will place their faith there.” Dahlia answered only the first part of his statement.

  “It’s such an unusual ability. Of course the Puppet Master of legends called on shadows,” he paused. “Though I once heard it phrased as ‘shadows of himself’. Perhaps someone in the emperor’s forces stumbled on that version.”

  “But if they hadn’t seen my ability before I don’t see how that would matter.” Dahlia was starting to get annoyed. She didn’t see the point of this conversation and no amount of bland platitudes seemed to be putting him off.

  “Unless someone outside their force had and had then told a member of that force.”

  “I’m afraid I really don’t see what you’re getting at,” Dahlia was short now.

  “It would be rather unfortunate if anyone in this city had heard the same version I did and took it into their head to wonder if the mob had a valid case against you. After all, not everyone saw the trial end with a dagger throw. I would hate to see any ill-ease linger towards a fellow captain.”

  “If someone were to weigh a tale and a heathen’s word against that of the gods and their chosen commander then I would suppose they’d find very few allies.” Dahlia shot at him, trying to hide her annoyance. This man did not deserve the satisfaction of riling her up.

  “I suppose they would,” Horan nodded as they approached the meeting hall. He bowed politely to her and strode off.

  What the hell was the point of that, Dahlia thought to herself.

  As usual, Dahlia walked over to stand near Borreal who looked his normally serene self. He nodded to her and she returned the nod without breaking her train of thought. She turned the conversation over in her head. Surely Horan hadn’t risked provoking her--again--without a decent reason. He’d hinted that her power could make her allies nervous. Well she already knew that and though she didn’t hold much weight in the gods’ direct interference in trials by combat she knew the majority of the population was much more reverent of their deities. But he’d hinted that they may view the trial as invalidated. If that was the case then the assumption would be that Ravin violated it by attacking the trial’s administrator. Maybe he was still fishing around for her relationship with Ravin, trying to provoke something there. Or maybe he really was just trying to provoke her. ‘Jerk’ didn’t begin to cover him.

  She reviewed her answers. Nothing she had said could have given him any information he didn’t already possess so she dismissed Horan from her mind. Beside her Borreal turning towards the platform snapped her back to attention and she saw Mazaran mounting and preparing to speak.

  “Captains,” he addressed them all, scanning the room. “Please, bear with me, as I review some of what many of you already know. I want to ensure that we are all on the same page after yesterday’s attack.”

  “You all heard the accusations that were made against Captain DeMorra, Captain Ravin, and against all of us. Though she had no obligation to, Captain DeMorra faced these accusations in a trial by combat which Captain Borreal and Captain Ravin oversaw and I witnessed along with the council and the majority of the captains here. The result was undeniable and Captain Ravin acted in accordance with the laws of the gods to preserve the outcome. I will state again that these are the facts I and the council witnessed. In addition, the three captains were able to return with a valuable prisoner. They are to be commended for their actions.”

  He paused, giving the next question weight. “I ask you now, captains, does anyone here have another observation or interpretation? You will not be censored if you speak now, but once we leave I will have absolute consensus among my officers. We must be seen as a unified force.”

  Lenoi stood forward, “Captain Mazaran, if I may speak.”

  “Yes, Captain Lenoi.”

  “I have worked with Captain DeMorra in an effort to retain the mind of one of our captives from the enemy’s force. So I know full well that this attack on their minds does not come from her but from inside their own walls.”

  Mazaran nodded and Lenoi continued, “But, Captain Mazaran, we heard them call her by the title Puppet Master which I have not heard in many years. Now I hear that this is a title that has been given to her by our own council. They have accused her in her own name, known only to a select number of people. How did they know or recognize this if her own allies did not? I do not challenge the will of the gods for I agree the trial was absolute. I only ask if there is a trail that may lead back.”

  Dahlia could have hit the woman. If any captain had been unaware that her unwanted title was officially sanctioned then they certainly knew it now. Her question was oddly similar to what Horan had hinted at earlier. Had they been discussing this? Or was it an indication of a wider reaction to yesterday’s events?

  Captain Mazaran addressed her, “I recognize that your concern comes from your support of the force as a whole, Captain Lenoi. I will address your point fairly and, I hope, to your satisfaction. Captain DeMorra’s abilities have never been a secret. As etiquette dictates, we do not brag or display them. Her abilities were identified early on by Master Ko as were the noted similarities to the Puppet Master of legend. She has been evaluated, as have you all, and been found worthy of the honor, as have all captains. I trust the word of your old master carries the same weight for you as it does for me. The title was given in accordance with an archaic formality.”

  Lenoi nodded, keeping her gaze fixed on Mazaran as he continued, “As for a trail leading back to her. As I said, her abilities were not kept a secret. If someone were determined enough they could discover much the same about any other captain here. As we’ve seen, some of their members have infiltrated our force. It would be safe to act on the assumption that they had the opportunity to discover an equal amount of information about your abilities.”

  Lenoi nodded again.

  “Now, I have revealed as much as I may. May I have your trust that I have full faith in Captain DeMorra’s innocence?”

  “Yes, Captain Mazaran,” Lenoi bowed and returned to where she’d been standing. Dahlia focused directly on Mazaran, looking neither left nor right as she felt the eyes of her fellow captains. She sensed curiosity barely tinged by a nervous energy. These men and women were fighters to their core and they knew her, had seen how she worked with them and with her barrack. They would be the last people she would expect to shake in their shoes from a story of a myth come back to walk among them. She hoped Mazaran’s words would ease any tension and that that would remain the case.

  Mazaran allowed the silence to stretch for a moment. “Then if that is all let’s turn to the defense of our city. We will replace the temporary measures I currently have stationed throughout. If any of your barrack members were part of these temporary placements they will be recalled and allowed to rest before they join the new defense initiatives.”

  “I’m sure you have all observed that the men outside our gates are greater in number but contain a large number of untrained fighters.” Heads around the room nodded as he continued, “We must assume they will attempt to invade and overwhelm us. That would involve getting a large amount of their force in all at once. If it was any less then we could hold them off indefinitely purely through skill alone. That li
mits their options and will require them to select a strategy for overcoming our walls that is less than subtle. While we will put in place basic protection against the possibility of a concentrated strike I will focus our efforts on mobilizing to repel a large-scale operation.”

  “This requires us to plan for a smaller set of likely attacks. They must go through our gate, collapse a portion of the wall, or find a way to transport a large amount of soldiers over our wall extremely quickly. The first is easy enough to counter. Barracks two through five will guard the gate through the night and barracks six through ten will be stationed during the day. Two barracks should be on guard at all times with the other nine in reserve. Watch for any veiled attack on the structure as well as an open attack. Captain Belakris and Captain Ravin, take command of your respective division.”

  “The last has a limited number of options for defense as well. Captain Horan and Captain Lenoi, you will construct traps above the perimeter and prepare defenses that are deployable in the case that a large number of soldiers begin amassing in one location outside of their camp. Yours is the most ill-defined initiative and I leave it to your combined expertise to protect against an attempt to come over the wall any way beyond scaling.”

  “The second, collapsing a wall, has the most requirements for defense. All captains will pull the members of their barracks with abilities related to sensing or manipulating the earth and send them to Captain Jenue. Captain Jenue, you will arrange to monitor the grounds for any activity near the wall. Captain Borreal will take the remaining eight barracks and arrange to monitor the perimeter, rotating to keep men in reserve to respond to any division that experiences an attack.”

  “Research will provide temporary constructs per each Captain’s request that will allow immediate communication over the announcement system. Get the minimum number you will need sent over in a request to Professor Engail. She has team members working on them already.”

  “My barrack will be preparing offensive maneuvers and will pull you in as needed. Ensure that both your lieutenants are prepared to take over for you at all times. That is all, please coordinate with your respective divisions.”