Dahlia: A Novel of Dark Desire

by Viola Calvary

  As she dropped her hands from the final stance she felt as if she’d stepped fully back into her own body. Confident and sure she moved to prepare for the day.

  She swapped her wrap for loose black pants that gathered at the waist and ankles and a black shirt. Her captain’s jacket was still in the basin of water where she’d placed it earlier. She scrubbed at it until it was at least decent then hung it over the faucet of the tub to dry. She’d have to do without it for the rest of the day. As if members of either force could fail to recognized her after the events of of the past few days anyways. Fighting a trial in front of the gate had eliminated any hope of her going anywhere in the area unrecognized again.

  She bound her hair on top of her head, slipped on her soft soled boots, and fastened on the sheath with her axes before heading out to the main area of her barrack. Weapons were in evidence around their owners. The moods varied from bleak to hopeful. One member ran his thumb over the talismen of a friend who had fallen in the fight that night. He contrasted Fidelity, twirling a new flower between her fingers.

  Fidelity bounced to her feet, “Captain, I intercepted a messenger from Captain Borreal. Our enemy is leaving. We’ve won!”

  Dahlia blinked. Just like that, it was over. She wasn’t sure what she had expected. A quiet withdrawal, a silent admission of of defeat, wasn’t what she’d anticipated. The attack had started with a bang. She realized she’d thought it would end the same way.

  “That’s wonderful news, Fidelity. Any word on the guard postings? I assume we’ll still be monitoring during their withdrawal.”

  The woman shook her head, sending pink pigtails back and forth. “No, nothing yet from Captain Mazaran or Captain Ravin.”

  “Ok, let everyone know to sit tight until there’s official direction.”

  “Yes, Captain!”

  “Where are my lieutenants?”

  “I think Lieutenant Arreal is in his room and Lieutenant Sabir is in your office.”

  Of course Sabir would be in the office taking care of things she’d missed. She needed to make him take a break once things had settled back down.

  “Thank you Fidelity. I’m going to let Lieutenant Sabir know and then I’m going to the captain’s lounge to see if anyone else there has news.”

  Fidelity nodded and returned to her place under the tree as Dahlia went to find her first lieutenant. He was, as Fidelity had said, in the office reading messages.

  “Fidelity told me the enemy had been seen retreating,” she said as she closed the office door.

  Sabir nodded, “Yes, Captain, I’ve got a note here that says the same thing. Preliminary report, no action yet.”

  “I think I may go insane waiting to hear something, I’m going to the captain’s lounge to see if anyone else has more information. I imagine Captain Mazaran will call a meeting pretty shortly anyways if notes are flying about this.”

  “I don’t blame you. I’d considered going to see if any other lieutenants are around but I figured they wouldn’t know much more than me.”

  “Anything else I need to attend to immediately?”

  “No, nothing urgent. Rezzie and Nel are both doing well, given the large amount of casualties during the night they were placed on bed rest in their own rooms with alerts in case they need anything. I’ve been told to disturb them as little as possible. I haven’t got much more information about anyone else.”

  “Thank you Lieutenant, I appreciate you doing all of this for me.”

  “Of course,” he said without a second thought. “I’m always willing to do whatever I can to help.”

  She laughed lightly as she made her way back out, “You’re too good to me.”

  She didn’t catch his muttered response. Probably something along the lines of someone having to take care of paperwork. She closed the door behind her and walked down the path towards Mazaran’s barrack and the captains’ lounge.

  Chapter Forty

  As she entered the lounge she realized she hadn’t thought this through. She’d assumed the other captains would want to talk to her. Outside of Borreal and Ravin she didn’t have many captains that would consider her a friend. Or whatever she and Ravin were.

  She was the newest and youngest on the force and hadn’t gone out of her way to make relationships. Strike two, strong psychic abilities tended to make people uncomfortable and hers were known to be off the charts. You could tell if someone was hurting you physically but mental manipulation was harder to spot and even the idea that your private thoughts might be accessible to the person you were talking to was off-putting. Normally she would have tried for another captain who had psychic abilities but Lenoi was the best and she had been the one to call Dahlia into question in front of Mazaran. She would have been comfortable with Jenue but he was absent. She barely knew the few captains sitting in the lounge.

  She took a deep breath and moved to the area with the teas. She started blending some together, pulling the best leaves out and leaving the ones she found wanting. Just because no one liked the tea she normally brewed didn’t mean she couldn’t make a tea people would kill for. She heated the water to the right temperature then sprinkled the leaves over it. A beautiful, delicate scent rose into the air and began to float through the lounge.

  Most soldiers scorched their poor tea leaves and threw in the good with the bad. She had been well taught how to brew and pair teas. Her parents had made their wealth as tea merchants and she’d been learning to take over before her abilities manifested. She grabbed a teapot and cups and then, once the leaves had steeped long enough, she strained the tea into the pot. One last item, she pulled out a spirit flavored with herbs and threw everything on a tray. Smiling like her mother had berated her to she walked over to a table of captains who she’d seen noticing the scent of the tea.

  “Mind if I join you? I was hoping to hear if anyone knew more about the emperor’s soldiers retreating.”

  One of them, Captain Dacaar gave her a charming smile, “We’d love to have you join, Captain DeMorra.” Two other captains, Garth and Kilee, nodded. The last captain, Narrah, didn’t bother acknowledging her.

  Dahlia sat down and placed her tray on the table and poured herself a cup. “Help yourselves, there’s honey if you want it and a spirit that’ll go well with it if you’re looking for that.”

  Dacaar, Garth, and Kilee took her up on the offer while Narrah stuck to his own drink. She saw Dacaar pour in a good measure of the spirit while Kilee ladled a bit of honey into her cup before sipping it cautiously. She smiled appreciatively, “I didn’t know we had tea this good stocked in here.”

  “Someone mixed good leaves with the bad leaves. I pulled out the good ones and blended them.” She laughed lightly, “My parents were tea merchants, could you see me trading teas?”

  Kilee laughed with her, “I bet that was a surprise when your abilities showed up. My parents were court scribes, the first thing I blew up was a shelf of historical documents. They couldn’t even hope to cover that one up.”

  Dacaar chimed in, “I paralyzed the town bully, my parents were proud until they realized I’d be taken for the force. They were just bakers. I can still make a mean cake.”

  “So,” Kilee asked, “what did you hear about the soldiers retreating?”

  “Not much,” Dahlia said as she sipped her tea, “a couple of my ranked members got messages saying they’d been seen retreating and more information would follow.”

  “Well Narrah was helping Symom with the gate when it started. He said they just started walking away, the entire lot of them, back down the path,” Dacaar told her.

  “We did outmatch them in every way,” Garth leaned in to add. “They’d have had to break through our defenses and we out gunned them on every trick. Glad Captain Mazaran’s team collected the rest of that poison though, that stuff was nasty. I saw some of the men get caught in it. Not a good way to die.”

  Dahlia shuddered, “Did any of you touch it? It stung my skin and eyes. I saw Captain Symom
’s barrack get some of the masks protecting the enemy soldiers and go into it. I hope they’re not badly affected. I was in it for just a moment and I don’t think I’ve got any lasting effects.”

  “No, thank gods, I was on the eastern side of the perimeter,” Kilee said.

  “I was lucky enough to be in the second group on site where they dug under so I got a warning from the first soldiers,” Garth told her.

  “You were at the gate?” Dacaar asked her.

  Dahlia nodded, “Yes, one of the first captains to arrive for reinforcements. I was woken by the announcement.”

  “You went with Ravin to take out the structure,” Narrah said accusingly. “The only one without enhanced strength. Why’d he take you?”

  “Easy to carry, I suppose,” Dahlia told him calmly. “Captain Ravin figured I was lightweight psychic protection.”

  Dacaar barked out a laugh and Kilee and Garth grinned. Dahlia sipped her tea primly. Narrah didn’t look amused.

  “A squad of ten for the compact weight of one,” Dacaar continued to laugh out. This time Kilee and Garth joined in. Dahlia grinned and felt herself relaxing around the other three captains. She didn’t bother telling him he had the count wrong. With her twelve puppets it was a squad of thirteen.

  “Did he really carry you?” Kilee asked.

  “I think I’d have broken my legs taking that fall myself. My lieutenant had to carry my fourth officer, too,” Dahlia said chuckling with them.

  “Is that the cute one with the pink hair and the hammer?” Dacaar asked.

  “Yes, Fidelity took out the first part of the structure. Captain Ravin borrowed her hammer to knock out the second.”

  “He didn’t!” Garth said surprised. “‘Excuse me miss, may I borrow your hammer?’ Heck of an opening with a girl.”

  “She has been getting a lot of flowers lately,” Dahlia joked.

  “Ravin wouldn’t send flowers, he’d send heads,” Dacaar said, pouring more tea and spirit. “Wish I’d thought to send her flowers, does she like them?”

  “She seems to. Can’t say who you’d be competing with though.”

  “What? You think I can’t compete? I’ve got everything going for me,” Dacaar said. “Put in a good word for me.”

  Dahlia laughed, genuinely enjoying herself. Narrah gave her a sour look and left.

  “Sorry about Narrah, he’s in a bad mood, bit of a post-battle let down,” Dacaar excused his friend.

  Dahlia turned as she saw the door to the lounge open and Borreal entered. She waved for him to join them.

  The slight man took Narrah’s vacated chair and eyed Dahlia’s tea suspiciously. Dahlia looked innocently at him, “Tea, Captain Borreal? I made it myself,” she offered, knowing he would think it impolite to refuse.

  He nodded resolutely, “Just a touch. I just spoke to Captain Mazaran and he’ll be announcing the enemy’s withdrawal to the captains in a few minutes. We’ll have to join him in the meeting hall.”

  Dahlia poured him a healthy amount of tea.

  “That’s excellent!” Kilee beamed as Borreal took a hesitant sip of tea. Dahlia kept a straight face as mild relief swept over his expression.

  “Yes,” Borreal told her, “we’ll be posting a guard, of course, but it seems we’ve beaten them back for now and gained two interesting constructs. Three if the tool they used to dig can be recovered.”

  Mazaran’s lieutenant ducked in and waved everyone into the meeting hall.

  “Thanks for the tea, Captain DeMorra,” Dacaar said, rising. Garth and Kilee smiled and followed after him.

  “Shall we?” Borreal stood, still holding his tea, and offered her his arm.

  “Thank you,” she said and allowed him to help her up.

  “I’m glad to see you’re making friends,” he said in a low voice, “Ravin and I aren’t enough.” His face turned bright red as he realized what he’d just said.

  Dahlia held him back. “Since we’re opening awkward subjects,” she said smiling, “I had someone tell me they saw reality bending around you. I wanted to ask what that meant but I didn’t want to be invasive.”

  Borreal looked hard at her then glanced around. They were the last ones left in the lounge. “That’s an interesting description. Very well, I suppose I owe you that anyways.”

  “You were my captain,” Dahlia said, “you owe me nothing.”

  “I was your captain, now I’m your friend. I can return the trust you place in me.” He gave her a sharp look. He suspected she had something she hadn’t told him.

  “Thank you,” she said. She wanted to talk to her mentor about everything that had happened but there wasn’t time now. Later, she promised him in her head.

  “It’s like you were told, I can bend minor aspects of reality.”

  “What…”

  “Call it being impossibly lucky to the point where any time I roll a die it comes up in my favor. In the tunnel I used it to cause the structure they were using to fail and then again to make sure that if our soldiers with earth abilities were evenly match with theirs then we’d outlast them. When I use it it makes me extremely hard to hit. Opponents stumble, arrows miss, enemy blades find their way past me and into each other.”

  “Gods…” Dahlia’s breath caught. With power like that she could see why he’d made Mayuera nervous. The ability to push any event in your favor, it was unreal.

  “Later,” Borreal cautioned her, echoing her own thoughts. “We should get into the meeting hall.”

  Chapter Forty One

  Dahlia and Borreal weren’t the last captains into the hall. Others who had been contacted at their barracks or on the perimeter had had farther to come. A few were still missing but she spotted Belakris entering shortly after her. At least that was a good sign; the infirmary had been able to treat him after the exposure to the poison.

  Ravin entered after them as well. Dahlia pointedly looked at neither him nor Borreal, instead focusing on Mazaran. The commander was placidly waiting for everyone to arrive. But she wondered what was going on behind that carefully cultivated expression.

  As the last available captains entered Mazaran rose. “Captains, I know you are all waiting for good news so I will leave the formalities for now and simply tell you that we have confirmed that the self-proclaimed emperor’s forces are retreating. We have won.”

  As befitting the formality of the meeting, no one broke out into cheers but Dahlia saw plenty of smiles and heads nodding.

  “I ask that everyone remain alert. We will return to having our guards doubled but I see no need to continue with the division shifts. I know that our barracks are worn thin and our numbers down. Many of you bear wounds that could not be treated in the infirmary and I imagine your soldiers bear even more. Once we are assured this threat is over we will return to normal guard shifts and I advise you all to rest and recuperate your barracks.”

  “It goes without saying that every one of you has shown immense strength and fortitude against overwhelming numbers. I believe this is a testament to your skill and the skill of our soldiers over our enemy’s willingness to sacrifice large numbers in battle. It will be some time before the next force chooses to smash themselves upon our walls.”

  “And when they do, let them come. Their bones will break and their bodies will burn with those who have come before. I thank you, captains, on behalf of myself, the ones we protect, and our God-King for your service in this fight.”

  And that was it. Mazaran waved his hand in dismissal. No invitation for questions as normal. It occurred to her that perhaps he, too, was tired. Just as likely, he didn’t want any negative questions to quash the intended effect of his words.

  Dahlia heard and felt a lighter tone from the men and women than when she’d entered as they began to depart back to their barracks with the news. Borreal bowed to her and left as well. She saw an unusual eagerness behind his calm eyes. Perhaps this fight had dragged him down more than she’d realized. Out of all the captains, he had been the most invo
lved from the very beginning when the two guards had been killed. She quietly watched him go, wondering why she didn’t share her fellow captains’ sense of elation.

  Too much had changed for her, she realized. The other captains had lost soldiers but they had done so before. Dahlia had been publicly declared a monster and forced to reveal abilities she had kept quiet before. No matter that she won the trial, these things would linger in the minds of those around her.

  She had found and fought against darkness in her soul only to turn around and surrender. It would take time to fully find a new balance. She could now feel the political wheels turning around her. She had been recognized as a strong player and, in Mazaran’s eyes, allied herself with Ravin. Lone wolf in the captains’ circle, he was no one’s pawn. Unpredictable and headstrong, Mazaran would suspect he would push Dahlia in the same direction. Separate they made Mazaran uneasy, together they could make him quite nervous. She could only imagine the consequences if Mazaran were to discover Ravin’s full abilities.

  She left the meeting hall still in thought. So be it, the die had already been cast. Fall where it may she would deal with it.

  That left Traedon. Her heart leapt to her throat. They’d never made promises, never committed to anything beyond the surface of their affair but Dahlia couldn’t hide behind that. She could easily see he’d started to see it developing into something more. Kenny had as good as told her he wasn’t interested in sharing her attention anymore and she couldn’t do that to Traedon anyways. She could use the excuse that her sanity seemed to vanish around Kenny but that was skirting responsibility. Truthfully she would be hurting him and there was nothing to blame but herself.

  “Damn,” she muttered.

  But at least for this moment she had her captain’s duties to attend to.

  She arrived back at the barracks to find every available member waiting for her in the noon sun. Word must have traveled quickly. Since she knew what they were waiting for, she got straight to the point. “I won’t make you wait for it. The reports of the enemy retreating have been confirmed.”