Guards Vestige

by Alexander Adams

  Hall raised a hand as if presenting the dragon to them. “This is Argera,” he said. “She is the oldest living Dragon Guard and a dear friend of mine.”

  None of them made a move or sound as the dragon stared at them.

  Argera glanced down at Commander Hall. “Rather unenthusiastic group this time around,” she said.

  The more she spoke, the less concerned Daniel felt, though it wasn’t by much.

  Robin was the first of them to speak, though it was only a whisper: “This was the last thing I expected to see.”

  Argera turned to her and squinted at her curiously. “I do hope you mean that in a positive sense.”

  “That depends . . . ” she answered.

  Commander Hall smiled. “Argera has been part of the Dragon Guard for over two hundred years. She’s one of our most vital members and she’s your newest instructor.”

  Robert took a tentative step forward. “What’s she going to teach us?”

  Argera lowered her head, which with the length of her neck brought her within inches of the group, and answered, “How to kill dragons.”

  “Is that all you do?” Robert asked.

  “No.”

  Obadiah spoke up for the first time: “She is also vital in the forging of our weaponry and tools.”

  “How so?” Robert said.

  Argera laughed again. “Take a wild guess.” With the last word, a short plume of fire left her lips before quickly dissipating.

  Clara too had found her voice. “Dragon fire . . . is that what makes Dragon Guard steel so strong?”

  “Partly,” Argera said. “At the very least, it gives it that oh-so-lovely orange etching.”

  Robert continued to press for information. “Is that all?” he asked. “Just dragon fire?”

  “Not exactly,” Argera said. “There are other steps.”

  A question came to Daniel’s mind. When he spoke, his voice cracked slightly: “So you’re not the first dragon to be part of the Guard, then?”

  “No, I’m not,” Argera said. “My lineage can be traced back to Forus, who fought in the war of the First Age. Each generation since has served the Dragon Guard.”

  Clara tilted her head. “Commander Hall said you’ve been around for over two hundred years. How long do dragons live?”

  Argera seemed to think on her answer for a moment. “If my brood mother was any indication, we live upwards of three hundred years.”

  “You don’t know for sure?” Clara sounded disappointed.

  “Every dragon that has been a part of the Dragon Guard has died of something other than old age. So at the moment, none of us really know.”

  Claudia chimed in with a hint of sorrow in her tone: “One of the many things we’ve simply lost to time.”

  “Are there other dragons in Edaren?” Robin asked.

  Commander Hall raised a hand to quiet them. “I believe that is enough questions for now,” he said. “You’ll have plenty of time with her over the next few years. Argera has some other matters to attend to before you’ll begin your training with her. Now I suggest you get some sleep before tomorrow.”

  Daniel stood in a long and wide room on the first floor of the keep along with the four other ranger trainees. It wasn’t the first time he had been in here but it was the first time that five straw target dummies were hung from the wooden rafters above them. To his left was a table covered by a heavy cloth alongside a much smaller table with two chairs at each end. On the floor were five circles across from the targets in a line. Daniel glanced at the four trainees. Lace and Jane were to his left. On the right were two boys who he did not know well, but at the very least knew their names, Eric and Bradly.

  They had all been woken at first light and told to wait here by Austin’s new assistant. It only took a few minutes before the door opened. Austin walked through and stood next to the covered table alongside his assistant, Tara, a tall girl with long, black hair tied into a tail. Austin motioned for the five to join them while Tara removed the cloth from the table, revealing an array of items hidden beneath. There were short swords, knives, daggers, and axes, as well as several small pouches and devices Daniel couldn’t identify at a glance. In addition, there were five sets of ranger armor.

  Austin sat on the corner of the table. “This armor will protect your vital areas,” he said, “while still allowing free movement. I suggest you put it on to get used to the feel.”

  They did as they were told. The vambraces and gloves were snug but not uncomfortable. The shin guards and chest plate were likewise form fitting. What seemed to throw Daniel off the most were the shoulder guards. They didn’t restrict his movement, but their presence was off-putting. He only hoped he would get used to them quickly.

  When they were finished, Austin continued. “Training from here on out will be as much a test of physical ability as it will be problem solving. I’ll be presenting you with a lot of scenarios. To solve some of them, you will be using these.” Austin reached for a small leather pouch and unclipped the top, revealing at least a dozen short and thin knives. “Throwing knives. Easy to hide if removed from the pouch and useful if there’s a target in range and you don’t have the time or space to use a bow.”

  He then gave them an overview of most of the weapons and tools on the table, asking them to place each on their belts when he finished explaining its use. When they had gone through every item, Austin instructed them to stand in one of the red circles on the floor.

  “Now listen closely,” he said. “Tara is going to come to each one of you and ask you to remove your weapons and hand them over to her.”

  Bradly looked and sounded annoyed: “You just gave them to us.”

  “Yes, I did.”

  Tara went to each of them in turn. They all complied by removing and handing over their weapons, which she placed back on the table.

  Austin clapped his hands together. “Good. Now, see the target in front of you? Your job is to kill it.”

  After some hesitation, they all moved to step forward. The moment they were out of the circle, Tara spoke: “Do it without leaving your marked space.”

  For a moment, Daniel thought he’d misheard. He looked at the target, then at the floor between them. It had to be at least ten feet away. Without being able to approach it and with no weapons, he had no way to do this. Austin had said they would be confronted with problem scenarios, but Daniel didn’t expect one just yet, or one like this. Clearly there was a trick to this. He just had to find out what it was. Austin sat at the smaller table with Tara, who pulled out a deck of cards and began dealing them out while the trainees looked on in confusion.

  Jane crossed her arms in frustration. “Are you going to tell us what we’re supposed to be doing?”

  Austin answered without looking up. “We already did. Kill the target without leaving the circle. If you don’t have the means to do so, then you weren’t listening to me.”

  Daniel ran his hand through his hair. Clearly, Austin had given them a clue. He thought back on what little had been said, but nothing jumped out at him as odd or relevant. He started looking around the room, thinking maybe there was something he had missed.

  After several minutes, Lace started tapping her foot. “How long,” she said, “do we have to do this?”

  Austin shrugged. “That depends on how long it takes you. Let’s hope you’re all as good as I think you are. Feel free to sit down, just don’t leave the circle.”

  It was well after sunset when Austin finally let them leave for the barracks. It had been an entire day in that room with only a few breaks to eat and relieve themselves. During that whole time, they had no idea what they should be doing. Upon leaving, their weapons had been returned. Austin told them to keep them on at all times to get used to the feel of their weight before the more difficult training started. Daniel and the other boys went to their
side of the barracks. When they entered, Daniel saw that everyone else had already returned and were fast asleep and snoring.

  Daniel made his way to the back of the room, where his bed sat next to Aaron’s. When he glanced at his friend, he saw that his upper body was bare and covered with fresh bruises. Not really feeling tired enough to sleep after his uneventful first day of training, Daniel lit a candle and picked up his old storybook from home before sitting on his bed. Only he and Aaron were at this end of the room, so he knew the light wouldn’t disturb anyone else. He placed the light on the shelf above his bed before flipping through the pages aimlessly, reading a few lines here and there, until he finally drifted into sleep.

  He must have been sleeping for only a few hours before he heard a loud crash. He opened his eyes to see Aaron holding sitting on his cot and holding his foot, which was bent at an awkward angle.

  “Aaron? What happened?”

  “I can’t see, that’s what happened.” Aaron spoke in an irritated whisper.

  “What are you doing?” Daniel asked as he sat up straight.

  Aaron glanced at the other end of the room toward what Daniel hadn’t yet noticed. Daniel followed his gaze. The other warden trainees were also waking and dressing.

  He turned back to Daniel before speaking. “Obadiah told us to meet him at first light.” He paused and looked at Daniel. “How was the first day of ranger training?”

  Daniel thought for a moment before answering. “I’m not sure yet,” he said. “Still figuring out the first test.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t worry about it. You better get going.”

  Aaron shrugged and put on his gear before stepping out the door with the others. Daniel sat on the bed and mulled over the test until the sun started to rise. He sighed and made his way back with the others to the room they’d occupied the previous day. They entered to see Austin and Tara already inside.

  “Good morning, everyone,” Austin said with a wide smile. “Hope you’re ready for another exciting day.”

  None of them said anything as they went to their circles. They all knew what was coming and were clearly dreading it as none of them had a solution to the test yet.

  Austin nodded happily when they were all in place. “Good,” he said. “Now, listen closely. Tara is going to ask each one of you for your weapons. Afterwards, your task is the same as yesterday. Kill the target without leaving the circle.”

  Something clicked in his mind. Austin had said to listen closely. This time he took that to heart. Austin said that Tara was going to ask for their weapons. Could he refuse her? Surely it wouldn’t be that simple.

  As he finished this thought, Austin scolded Jane, who had done just that. “Nice try, Ms. Powell, but that’s not going to happen.”

  “Why not?” Jane crossed her arms.

  “Because we can see them.”

  Jane scowled and handed Tara her weapons. So refusing wouldn’t work, but Jane’s encounter gave Daniel another idea. He had only a moment before Tara was in front of him, so he moved quickly while trying to keep his motions slight and inconspicuous. When she was before him and asked for his weapons, he complied. When she placed them all on the table, Austin turned to them again and gestured to the targets. When no one moved right away, he shrugged and sat at the table with Tara, who again pulled out the deck of cards and began dealing.

  Daniel hesitated. He was having second thoughts about his idea. If he was wrong or in some way broke the rules, then this could end poorly for him. Then again, no rules had been stated aside from staying within the circle. Once Tara had finished dealing the cards and placed the deck between her and Austin, Daniel decided this was the only way to kill the target that made any sense to him. He slipped the throwing knife out of his sleeve and lifted his arm. He only hoped he wouldn’t miss. With an overhand throw, as he’d been taught months ago, he hurled it at the target hard enough to bury half the blade in its burlap and straw chest. Everyone turned to look at the source of the sound as it hit with a solid thump.

  After a moment, Austin stood and clapped his hands together excitedly. “Fantastic!” he said. “I was hoping one of you would figure it out before tomorrow. North said this might have been too difficult for a first test, but I had faith in all of you.” Austin walked over to the target and retrieved the knife. “Now, can anyone guess the reason for this type of exercise? I’m going to guess that you can’t.”

  No one answered right away as they all considered. Austin paced the line, looking at each of them in turn. When no one answered, he spoke again, flipping the knife as he did so. “The Dragon Guard tries to keep many secrets,” he said. “The existence of dragons and Disciples, forging techniques, and alchemical recipes. But there is one thing that many members even in the Order don’t know about rangers. Rangers are more than scouts, tacticians, and strategists. We’re the darker part of what the Dragon Guard has to do. We’re assassins.”

  They all stared at him in confusion. After a few moments, Austin frowned and said, “Not the reaction I was expecting.”

  Daniel shook his head. “Why,” he said, “would the Dragon Guard need assassins?”

  Austin started pacing. “I’m going to propose a scenario to you,” he said. “Let’s hypothetically say that a man in Dalisia, through bribery, blackmail, and assassinations of his own, as well simple politics, is able to find a seat on the Council. With this seat, he begins courting the daughter of the king. During this time, through strange circumstances, the son of the king is killed. A year later, after all possible suspicion of this man is absolved; he marries the daughter, putting him in line for the throne through marriage.”

  Austin continued pacing, watching their faces for any reaction. “Then,” he said, “several years later, the current king, who is well into his old age, passes naturally. Placing this particular man on the throne. Now, let’s say that this man is a Disciple of the Left Hand. With the throne under him, he has total control over Edaren. How does the Dragon Guard stop him?”

  None of them answered right away. As far as Daniel could think, there was really nothing that could be done.

  Austin kept going: “We can’t petition the Council for a bloodline investigation—he’s already known to be on the throne by marriage. We can’t accuse him of slaying the king—he was already well past the age most men die and clearly passed due to that. We can’t accuse him of killing the son to fall into succession—he married after the son’s death, making the motivation for that blurry and hard to prove.”

  Eric raised a hand. “Couldn’t the Dragon Guard gain favor among the Council and petition them to remove him from the throne?”

  “On what grounds?” Austin said. “He has shown no ill intention to the land of Edaren or any particular city as of yet. To add to that, as the king he has the right to veto a Council seat and force an election of a new member by the respective city prolonging any petition submitted by at least a year. The fact of the matter is that he had total control over Edaren, and there was almost nothing we could do about it. We do what we have to do, not because we enjoy it but because it is necessary. If Disciples are left alone long enough, the things they will do would make you physically sick.”

  Daniel’s thoughts drifted back to a year ago, when he and Mila were sitting in the bar in Grey Gate. She had told him she was drinking to forget the things she had done, the things she did in secret. Now he knew what she meant. He was even more unsure about how he felt about his placement in this sect. Why was he chosen to be an assassin for the Dragon Guard? He didn’t think he’d have the stomach for it, or the strength to do what would be asked of him.

  “This world is a darker place then you realize,” Austin said. “The king that took that throne through deception set into motion the battle that razed and erased Prect from the map. Had the Dragon Guard acted upon the knowledge we had at the moment we had it, Prect would still be her
e and thousands upon thousands of people wouldn’t have had to die. Grey Gate would not have turned into the cesspool of corruption it is now and the Disciples would have lost years of planning. As it is, we acted too late. The new king’s plan was in motion and there was no stopping it.”

  Jane stared at him as realization spread over all their faces. “You’re talking about the death of King Reynald,” she said. “The king of Dalisia, he was the one that stoked the fires for the war between Edaren and Prect.”

  Austin nodded. “Had we acted sooner, there wouldn’t have even been a spark. Rangers do what we do because if we don’t, people die. It is always our last resort and even then we hesitate to use it.”

  Bradly shook his head. “There’s no honor in assassination,” he said. “It’s not a fair fight. You’re killing someone in cold blood.”

  Austin glared daggers at him. “Killing is killing and it is never the preferred method. During the time leading up to the death of Reynald, the Dragon Guard petitioned the Council for both a bloodline check and to remove him from the throne on grounds of conspiracy and countless other accusations that even at the time seemed outlandish. We were trying everything to see him removed from the throne.”

  Austin walked over to Daniel and handed the knife back. Daniel took it and found his hands were shaking. The realization that rangers were what they were was unsettling. While he understood the purpose of it, it did not make the truth easier.

  “War is not fair,” Austin said. “Death is not fair. Someone scheming, killing, and bribing their way onto the throne is not fair. What you need to learn is that there is no such thing as a fair fight. Someone is always faster or stronger. Someone has always had more experience or training. Someone is always smarter or has the better weapon. The very concept of a fair fight is ludicrous. Someone always has the advantage. I’m here to make sure that someone is you.”

  Chapter Twenty-four

  14th of Eren, 28th year of the Fourth Age.

  “Keep the pressure on him!” Obadiah shouted.