Guards Vestige

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Guards Vestige Page 21

by Alexander Adams


  Daniel started through the kitchen, sidestepping cooks and taking extra care not to knock anything off of the countless tables or stumble and fall against one of the boiling hot, brick ovens that lined the outer wall. The ceiling of the kitchen was twice as high as the rest of the first floor. Near the top were rows of windows letting in enough natural light to fill the whole room.

  “Daniel!”

  He scanned the faces to his right for a few moments until he saw Zachery standing next to a table of covered trays, waving frantically at him. Daniel made his way over to him as quickly as he dared in the chaos.

  “Hey, what are you doing in here?” Daniel said while glancing from tray to tray. He couldn’t tell what was in them but the smell was intoxicating.

  Zachery grinned. “Jonathan’s been teaching me to cook and asked for my help with some of the simpler stuff.”

  Daniel leaned away from the table, feigning fear. “Well,” he said, “if you’re cooking, then I might not want to eat tonight after all.”

  Zachery faked a hurt expression. “I’m not that bad.”

  “So what’s in these?” Daniel asked as he switched to a smile and pointed to a tray.

  Zachery removed one of the lids, letting the steam inside pour out. “Meat pies. Made them myself . . . mostly.”

  “What do you mean, mostly?”

  Ignoring the question, Zachery put the lid back on and turned back to face Daniel. “So where are you going, anyway?”

  “The west wall,” Daniel said. “Just for a little while.”

  Zachery pursed his lips and nodded. “Well, hurry back. There’ll be people pouring into the hall any minute now.”

  Daniel nodded before turning and walking to the narrow door in the kitchen’s corner that led outside. When he pushed it open, he had to cross his arms to ward off the cold air before stepping into knee-high, powdery snow and shuffling his way to the west wall. The evening sun was laid out before him. He soon reached an ornate iron fence that was only a little taller than he was. He pushed open the old, rusted gate and walked past the stone markers in the ground, some decorative and elegant, others simple and plain. A short way into the graveyard, he stopped before a simple marker of white stone with Mila Den carved at its peak.

  Since her funeral shortly after they’d arrived, Daniel had come here as often as he could. He would stand and talk to her about nothing in particular, things that happened that day or what he was looking forward to. He wasn’t sure why he did it. He didn’t know if she could hear him somehow from wherever she was, but Claudia had told him Mila had been as close to a Vigilant of Verhova as a Dragon Guard could be, so maybe she could.

  “Hey Mila, tonight’s the night,” he said. “I uh, I guess this will be the last time I talk to you before I’m an official recruit.” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Pretty nervous, I guess. I know I shouldn’t be. At least that’s what everyone tells me. You told me that once too . . . wish I would listen and stop freaking myself out so much.”

  Daniel felt a little ridiculous standing here talking to what was essentially a rock. Yet he felt obligated to at least make the effort. She had traded her life for his. She had done something incredible for him and he had to repay her somehow. This was the only way he could think of.

  He sighed and looked down at his feet. “I still wonder what would have happened if you hadn’t been there with Claudia, my brother, and me at the river. I don’t think the three of us would have lasted until Kenneth got there without you . . . and then down in the den.” He bit his lip and felt his eyes welling despite his best efforts. “You should be here instead of me.”

  He looked up at the sky. The evening light painted it dark orange. Streaks of purple cut across it in waves as the snow was fell in large, puffy flakes.

  A voice spoke behind him: “They say Verhova lets those who’ve passed paint the sky for the living.”

  Daniel turned to see Obadiah walking toward the grave. He wore his warden armor but lacked his great sword. He followed the tracks Daniel had cut in the snow before stopping next to him and looking down at the stone before them.

  Obadiah smiled briefly and crossed his arms. “I like to think she paints the sky every time I visit.”

  Daniel looked at the colors overhead again. “She’s a great artist.”

  “She was many things, but an artist was certainly not one of them. Although purple was her favorite color,” he said with a slight chuckle.

  Daniel looked back at the grave. He suddenly felt awkward. He knew Obadiah came here more often than Daniel did, but this was the first time they’d been here together. Daniel hadn’t really even spoken to Obadiah before. He always felt guilty whenever he saw him.

  The silence was agony, so Daniel felt he needed to say something” “So, uh . . . how long were you together?”

  “Eight years, I think? Or near enough it doesn’t matter. She was so quiet at first, but when I really got to know her she was hard to keep up with.”

  “How so?”

  “Believe it or not, she was quite the drinker, though she didn’t let many in on that little secret. She was slow to trust people, but if she ever revealed that about herself, it usually meant she liked you. She frequented a bar on the north side of the city in her off time. Could drink anybody under the table, and she always got a bit chatty after she had a few. Silvum Shade Ale was her drink of choice.”

  Daniel grinned. “I believe it.”

  “I remember when there was a span of a few months during the last wave of trainees. The ranger instructor had been injured during an exercise and Mila was chosen to fill in until he recovered. She was so stressed that she made the mistake of going out drinking one night. The next day she was supposed to give six trainees a lesson.” Obadiah started to laugh as he spoke again. “She was so hungover; she had them sit quietly in the dark and told them it was stealth training.”

  Daniel grinned at the thought. “How well did that go over?”

  Obadiah laughed again. “In all honesty, I think they may be the best group of rangers we’ve had in a long while.”

  They stood in the quiet evening air for a while longer. The tension Daniel had felt was gone. He had been worried Obadiah would blame him for what happened. He was grateful he didn’t, though that didn’t change Daniel’s own thoughts on the matter. He knew if he had just been faster, if he had been more aware, then he and Mila’s husband wouldn’t be standing here now, staring at a marker bearing her name.

  The snow stopped falling before Obadiah placed a hand on Daniel’s shoulder and ushered him toward the keep. “Suppose it’s time for us to get in there,” he said.

  Daniel sighed as they made their way through the partially filled-in tracks back to the kitchen. They stepped inside and quickly made their way through the chaos and past the curtain into the dining hall. The room was filled with hundreds of conversations going at once as nearly every Dragon Guard was in attendance. It was a sea of black, though there were of also citizens from Vigil among the crowd, including members of the city watch and close friends of individual Dragon Guards. The light and cheerful tone of the conversations made Daniel smile the instant he stepped inside.

  At the center of the room was the towering form of Kenneth dancing with the much shorter Claudia. They were both laughing as he clumsily struggled to keep in step with the fast-paced music. Daniel looked from table to table, searching for a familiar face to sit next to. He was thankful when he spotted Zachery and Clara at a table near the stage. He could see that Alan, Robert, and Lace were also present. He hurried across the room and happily took a seat next to Clara and Zachery.

  Clara’s red hair was so dark it was almost black. It hung down in front, nearly covering amber eyes that darted across the pages of the book spread out on the table in front of her. Lace Woods had auburn hair and steel-grey eyes. Both features matched her sister, Rob
in, who at the moment was absent from the group. Though that’s how it always seemed to be. Lace was timid yet friendly, while Robin was stern and rarely said a word to anyone. Robert, meanwhile, had curly, coal-black hair and chocolate brown eyes. The fact he sat furthest from Daniel was a bonus. Robert was stubborn and arrogant. He seemed to thrive on conflict and arguments.

  Zachery nudged Daniel hard with his elbow as he sat. “About time you got here!”

  “Has the commander given them their bands yet?” Daniel asked.

  “Not yet, but he was just over at their table, so I think they’re starting.”

  No sooner had Zachery finished speaking than Commander Hall stepped onto the stage, followed by his captains: warden Samantha Coe, ranger Logan North, and scholar Martin Hawk. Each was fully adorned in armor and carried a wooden case under one arm as he or she went to stand to one side of the commander, who was at the center of the stage. When they were all in position, the room began to quiet.

  “Tonight,” Hall said, “we are proud and honored to present a wave of trained and eager Dragon Guards their bands.”

  The fifteen current trainees made their way onto the stage and lined up next to Hall, opposite the captains. They wore black and were also adorned with scarves.

  When they were in place, Hall continued: “Tonight we send another wave of youth into the world bearing our mark, the mark of a true Dragon Guard. It is our badge of honor. It also represents our burden, placed around our wrists to remind us of what we fight to prevent: a life in chains.”

  Hall motioned to Coe, who stepped forward and opened her case. She presented the first seven in line with a band engraved with the symbol of the wardens. Each of them slid the band onto their wrists. Many of them simply stared at it for a long moment when it was in place.

  They were snapped back to attention when Captain Coe began speaking: “We as wardens are the representatives of Belladux, the Right Hand. Wear this symbol to show that you will stand against the tides of darkness in defense of the innocent, and as judges of the corrupt.”

  Cheers rose from those gathered in the room and were quickly silenced when Hall raised his hands. He nodded toward Hawk, who quickly stepped forward and gave the next five in line their bands.

  “We as scholars are the representatives of Lestice, the Voice of Creation,” Hawk said. “This symbol represents our task to preserve and discover knowledge for the protection of mankind, and to use it for the destruction of those that would shadow the world in ignorance.”

  Again a cheer rose from the crowd that was silenced just as quickly when North stepped forward.

  “We as rangers are the representatives of Ocudai, the Seer,” North said. “This symbol shows that there is no place the darkness can hide from us. It shows that we will go and do what is necessary to end the fight before it begins.”

  Hall turned to face the room as the cheers faded. “We are the representatives of Verhova,” he said. “We stand against an ever-present danger to our world. But we will never stand alone.”

  The newly banded Dragon Guards saluted their captains and commander in unison, accompanied by a roaring wave of applause that seemed to only grow louder. In spite of Daniel’s apprehension over having to take the stage next, he found himself clapping and cheering along. Before he knew it, the room was signaled to be quiet again. Hall ushered the new Dragon Guards off the stage along with their respective captains, then motioned for the members of Daniel’s table to begin making their way up the stairs on the side of the stage.

  Hall spoke as they lined up beside him: “While we are now fifteen stronger, we still pale in comparison to our old glory. But tonight we welcome another wave to bring us that much closer to what we were.”

  He turned and nodded at them. They had practiced this dozens of times before. To misspeak now would not only be embarrassing but in the eyes of many older Dragon Guards, a bad omen. So they all spoke together, letting their voices blend in perfect harmony as they swore their oath.

  From now until my hour

  I will not waver

  I will not fall

  I will not cower

  With the strength of my arm

  With the speed of my feet

  I shall guard the weak

  As long as my heart beats

  I am a safeguard

  I am the sword

  I am the shield

  I am a Dragon Guard

  The moment the last word was spoken, the room erupted in cheers that threatened to deafen Daniel. In spite of the auditory pain, he couldn’t help but smile at the sheer joy he felt in the room. Commander Hall let the celebration go on a few moments longer before lifting his hands to quiet the crowd.

  He clasped his hands together. “Tomorrow is when their journey truly beings,” he said. “To train the new wave, we need capable instructors”—he sighed and smiled—“and after many, many long discussions with my captains, I have selected the three that will take up the responsibility of making these young men and women the finest trainees we’ve seen yet. For our future wardens, we have selected Obadiah Den. For the rangers we have chosen Austin Pine. And finally, Claudia Wells will train our scholars.” Each of the new instructors stood and saluted as their names were called, accompanied by the applause of those gathered.

  “Now,” the commander said, “let us celebrate with our new and future brothers and sisters!”

  The hall erupted into cheers once more as Daniel and the others made their way off the stage and back to their table. They all walked with wide smiles and chatted excitedly amongst themselves. It was a dream come true. Daniel looked at the faces of his friends and could feel his own mirroring theirs. Yet his heart felt heavy. While he was excited about the opportunity he had now, he was also afraid. He didn’t know why. He wanted the feeling to go away, just for tonight at least, so he could enjoy the fact he’d made it even this far. But Connie’s words from the day he left echoed in his head, she had told him that things like this were supposed to be terrifying. That this feeling just let him know he was going the right way. Tomorrow would be the first true day for them as future Dragon Guards, the start of five long years of training.

  Daniel couldn’t remember the last time he had woken this early. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and tried his best not to collapse where he stood. The sun hadn’t even risen and yet here they stood, in line in the library, waiting for their instructors to arrive. They had been awakened by one of the Dragon Guards who had just received his band and told to dress quickly in the black attire they’d been provided. Then they had been led here to wait. It had been several minutes and none of them had spoken a word to each other. Daniel glanced around and noted where his friends stood. Aaron was directly at his side in the middle, while Griffon stood at the right end of the line with Zachery, Alan, and Clara.

  It took another five minutes of waiting before the door in front of them opened and Claudia entered. She was quickly followed by Obadiah and Austin. This was the first time Daniel had gotten a close look at the ranger instructor. His hair was ash black and cut short, while his face was dotted with patchwork stubble. His chestnut brown eyes were sharp. Austin scanned each recruit in turn, his gaze lingering on Griffon for a moment as a smirk crossed his features before quickly disappearing.

  The instructors also stood in a line and faced the recruits. Claudia was the first to speak: “Good morning, my name is Claudia Wells. I will be your general education instructor.”

  Austin bowed slightly and smiled. “I’m Austin Pine. I’ll teach you everything you need to know about the wilderness of Edaren and the beasts within it.”

  “I am Obadiah Den,” the big man said. He crossed his arms and didn’t seem at all pleased to be there. “I’ll be teaching you combat.”

  Claudia looked at each recruit in turn. “If anyone has any questions about their upcoming training,” she said, “ask now.�


  A dozen hands shot up before Claudia could finish her sentence, but Robin chose to simply voice her question first: “What did you mean by general education?”

  “History for the most part,” Claudia said, “as well as reading and writing if any of you should need it.”

  Clara spoke second: “When will we get placed in one of the sects?”

  “After a year, we’ll split you up and train you separately for whichever sect we deem you fit best, in addition to finishing your basics.”

  Clara tilted her head. “We don’t get a say in which sect we’ll belong to?”

  “No.”

  When the next three questions were about placement within the sects and training time, Claudia sighed. “To make it simple, your training will be broken down like this,” she said, counting off on her fingers. “First is general training, which will cover basic skills every Dragon Guard needs. That will take one year. Next is the start of your specialized training, where you learn the specific skills you will need in your sect, as well as some field tests with senior members. That will take three years. After that, it’s full field training, where you will be sent on missions with your fellow trainees and one senior member. That will be your last year.”

  “Your schedules,” Austin added with a cheerful chirp in his tone, “will be set in stone, with six days of training and one day off for the week. With a few exceptions, of course, once we get into the fun stuff.”

  Claudia nodded. “Right, anything else?” she said. “This will be your last chance to ask.”

 

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