Zachery and Griffon were on either side of Aaron. Out of the corner of his eye, Aaron caught sight of Griffon swinging her great sword at the back of his legs. He jumped back and over the swing, kicking up snow as he went and nearly slipping on the slick slush. Aaron raised his kite shield in front of him at just the right moment to block a swing from Zachery’s longsword. Then he caught the blur of steel as Zachery tried to bring the parrying dagger around to hit Aaron’s ribs while he was distracted with the sword. Aaron twisted his shield to direct Zachery’s sword to the side, allowing him to block both weapons before stepping back and safely out of range.
They had been in warden training for two weeks and Aaron had never been more exhausted in all his life. Every day, all day long, Obadiah pitted them against each other in uneven matches. He told them that the best way to gain experience and skill was to be in the thick of combat. They could practice forms and swings all day, but it would amount to nothing if they couldn’t perform them in the heat and pressure of a fight.
It was near the end of the day’s training and Aaron had been pitted against four of the other trainees. He wore his full set of warden leather plate, while his opponents were in only their black, giving them the edge in speed. While normally a fight this lopsided would last only seconds, for the purpose of practice Aaron was allowed to be hit a maximum of four times before being declared the loser, while the rest were removed from the fight with a single decisive blow.
As of yet, none of the lone fighters had won any of these matches. It didn’t look like Aaron was going to be the first. Though he had lasted longer than most, he had already been struck three times and managed to strike down only two of his opponents. The match had been going for roughly thirty seconds.
When the match started, Aaron decided the best way to make any progress was to forgo defense and try and knock them out as quickly as possible to even the numbers. He began with those he knew were the weakest fighters. Now, with two left, Zachery was his next target. Zachery preferred to fight with a longsword in one hand and a parrying dagger in the other. This dagger boasted a wider guard. Its ends rose in a curve that was meant to catch an opponent’s weapon so the wielder of the dagger could twist it in any direction to open an opportunity for an attack.
Aaron swung in a downward arc toward Zachery. The clash of their wooden swords sent vibrations along his arm. The heavier and wider broadsword that Aaron wielded in addition to Aaron’s strength caused Zachery’s arm to buckle when they connected. Aaron placed his shield in front of him and threw all his weight into it, slamming into Zachary with full force, sending him reeling back. At the same moment, Aaron lifted his sword and swung for his opponent’s shoulders. He nearly made contact, but Griffon intervened and managed to place her great sword in front of Aaron’s blade long before it reached Zachery. She used the larger and heavier sword like he had, forcing Aaron’s sword down to the ground until the tip buried in the slush.
Aaron didn’t have time to pry his sword away as Zachery recovered his balance and jabbed at Aaron’s gut. He barely managed to keep his shield in front of him and block the first strike. Then Zachery managed something Aaron hadn’t expected. He turned the parrying dagger in his hand around to hold it in the reverse grip that Daniel was accustomed to and got the blade around the back of Aaron’s shield. With the wide, curved guard gripping the rim of Zachery’s shield, he used it like a hook and pried Aaron’s protection to the side and out of the way.
Aaron tried with all his strength to keep the wall of iron-banded wood between them, but Zachery didn’t need to move his shield much, he only needed to hold him in place. With Aaron unable to back away with one arm gripping his sword and the other locked in place, Zachery easily brought his sword up into Aaron’s gut to bring the match to an end.
“Very good!” Obadiah said. “Excellent use of your dagger, Mr. Thorn, and Ms. Hart, I’m glad to see you’re finally learning to be more cooperative with your partners.” Griffon beamed at the compliment as Obadiah turned to Aaron, who had doubled over and was breathing heavily. “Mr. Cross, exceptional performance as always.”
Griffon and Zachery placed their sparring weapons onto the nearby racks before stepping back into line with the others. Aaron followed after he had caught his breath. They stood and waited for Obadiah’s next command. The instructor looked up and down the line, considering his next choices, before pointing to another five that included Robin. The other four headed into the ring while she started to don her set of armor. Aaron watched the fight with half interest.
He’d begun wondering how his family back in Dalisia was doing since the New Year had begun, especially after he’d received a letter from his father, which he still couldn’t bring himself to open. It sat on a shelf in his wardrobe. Every day, when he retrieved or put away his gear, he would glance at the letter, reach for it, and then pull back before closing the doors, leaving it unopened. He felt sure he knew what was written inside.
It would be a plea for him to come home, to stop what he was doing and to rethink his foolishness. But just like the days leading up to his departure, Aaron would ignore his father. His grandfather had been a Dragon Guard and Aaron had always greatly admired and respected him in spite of the whirl of rumors in Dalisia about the Order and the things they did or were doing. Aaron had loved the stories about his grandfather’s adventures, chasing what he had deemed “outlaws” through cities or forests. Only now was able to connect the dots that the outlaws were in fact Disciples.
The knowledge gave the stories a new light in his eyes, and only further cemented the idea that coming here had been the right thing to do. Aaron’s father, Ryan Cross, had never taken his own father seriously. In his Ryan’s eyes, Aaron’s grandfather was just an old man with a foggy memory who had never been around when he was a child. In the end, that was the real reason Ryan hated the Dragon Guard. It had nothing to do with the rumors and everything to do with a man he considered a poor excuse for a father.
Aaron’s train of thought was broken when Obadiah shouted at Robin: “Ms. Woods, you better start taking this seriously! Fight back!”
Aaron’s attention was snapped back to the fight between Robin and the other fighters. None of them had been eliminated yet, which was odd for how long the fight had been going. Robin seemed to be avoiding every swing that the others threw at her while at the same time grabbing them and throwing them off balance and to the ground, without ever hitting them. She seemed to be treating the fight like nothing more than an annoyance, and treating her opponents as a cat would a mouse.
When Obadiah again shouted at Robin, his face turning red, she seemed to roll her eyes before going on the offensive. During their combat exercises, she had often seemed to be holding back. Out of all the wardens, she was the only one to go with a bladeless weapon, a quarterstaff to be exact. Its name derived from the process of cutting a chunk of hardwood into quarters, and then refining it into a staff. It was surprisingly durable and stood at a total of seven feet, a foot taller than Robin.
This was the first time Aaron had seen Robin actually use it. She struck out with the end of the staff, hitting one of her opponents in the gut with surprising speed, making him stumble back and gasp for air. She ducked below the swing of a girl’s sword and brought the staff around in a wide swing, making the others around her back away as she brought it all the way around. The staff hit the girl in the ribs, hard enough to send her off her feet and roll sideways.
Before her other two opponents could move in, Robin gripped the staff at its middle and brought it into an upward arc into another attacker’s chin with enough force to send his head snapping backwards. He fell onto his back, unconscious. Her final attacker swung her sword at Robin’s shoulders, but she easily dodged the blow by leaning back. The girl had panicked and swung too early and from too far away. Now Robin advanced on her. She gripped her staff with both hands and spun it quickly in front of her, making the girl back f
urther away. In a blur of motion so fast that Aaron wasn’t able to follow it, she whipped the staff around and smacked the end of it against the girl’s throat.
It all happened in the span of about fifteen seconds. The courtyard fell silent. It was the first time anyone had won one of the matches so quickly and with such ease. It was also the first time any of them had seen Robin actually take a fight seriously, if that was her taking it serious. Aaron wasn’t sure since the entire time she looked almost bored. Obadiah was the first to snap out of his stupor. He ran over to the fallen trainees and went about inspecting them one by one to see if they were severely injured. Without being asked, Aaron and Zachery did the same. After a moment, Obadiah instructed several of them to help the injured trainees to their feet and take them to the apothecary in the keep for aid. When they were gone, he turned to Robin, who simply stood with her staff resting on her shoulders and a look of indifference on her face.
Obadiah spoke in a tone that made Aaron fear the man more than he had ever thought possible: “What in Edaren were you thinking?”
Robin raised an eyebrow. “Taking it seriously,” she said. “Did you not want me to do that?”
Her question and calm tone seemed only to infuriate Obadiah further. “I will deal with you in private. Everyone else is dismissed!”
Aaron quickly left the courtyard with Griffon and Zachery in tow. They didn’t want to be anywhere near Obadiah when he scolded Robin. They headed toward the barracks to remove their gear and wait for the other sects to finish their training for the day.
“So.” Aaron was the first to break the rather tense silence. “That was unexpected.”
“I had no idea she could do that,” Griffon said, sounding awestruck. “She just moved . . . so fast.”
“She didn’t hesitate at all,” Aaron said. “She could kill someone, hitting them in the throat like that.”
“Can we talk about something less awful? Like how I’m getting better than Griffon?” Zachery said. He placed his hands behind his head and smiled at her.
She shoved him hard in the side, making him stumble. “Not even close.”
Aaron nudged him with his shield. “You are getting better, though. That was a new trick with the dagger.”
“Daniel showed me that, actually.”
Since their sect training had started, Aaron hadn’t seen much of Daniel. They left at different hours of the morning and were both gone all day. When they returned, more often than not one of them would already be asleep. Usually Aaron, as Daniel seemed to have more training during the night. Aaron couldn’t wait for the day when they were all finished with their training and could head out together on assignments. He couldn’t imagine fighting alongside anyone but his friends.
Griffon bit her lip. “So, is anyone else surprised at how well Robin can fight? I know we went over this, but she’s really good.”
Zachery crossed his arms and leaned on her. “Sounding a bit jealous, aren’t you Griffon?”
She was quiet for a moment before whispering to herself, “I want to beat her.”
Zachery was clearly disappointed she hadn’t taken his bait. “Well,” he said, “I can honestly say that she went a bit overboard.”
Aaron shook his head. “She seemed bored, like it wasn’t even a challenge for her.” The whole thing left a bad taste in Aaron’s mouth. To change the subject, he turned to Griffon and smiled. “How’s Clara been?”
She shrugged. “Couldn’t be happier,” she said. “She loves the political and history portions of her training. She’s so longwinded on some subjects; I can’t get her to shut up when I want to sleep.”
They reached the barracks and split off to remove their gear. When they stepped through the door, Aaron noticed that Daniel hadn’t returned yet. He’d been vague about the nature of his training. No matter how much Aaron asked, he kept it to himself. On the few times Daniel had mentioned something relating to his training, it had never seemed to make sense. When asked for clarification, he always answered with “Don’t worry about it” before changing the subject. Shaking his head, Aaron opened his wardrobe and started to place his gear on the rack located inside. When he was finished and about to close the doors, his eyes drifted to the sealed letter. He debated once again if he should open it. Just as he was about to walk away, he heard the door open and Daniel stepped through.
Aaron glanced at the letter again. “Still haven’t opened it?” Daniel asked.
Aaron shook his head. “I don’t think I want to know what he has to say.”
“He might have changed his mind about you coming here,” Daniel said. “Either way, it’s been sitting there and it’s clearly bothering you. I think you should open it.”
Aaron bit his lip and considered it. Daniel was right. It was driving him crazy. After several seconds, he grabbed it before he could change his mind. He sat on the edge of his cot, broke the wax seal binding it closed, unfolded it, and started to read.
Aaron. My son, you must come home. The Dragon Guard is not what you think it is. As of late there have been an increasing number of murders in Dalisia, all linked to members of the Dragon Guard by eyewitnesses. Even those who have been assaulted and survived their ordeal aim their accusations at the leather-clad members of the Guard.
What reason could they have to kill a baker, a clothier, a beggar, and a member of my own guard? It does not bode well for our family to be associated with these rumors and I urge you to consider what we know about them and those that were once one of them. Use your judgment and come to the right conclusion.
I fear that if these incidents do not stop soon then there will be no choice but for the Edaren Council to intervene with the force of the Royal Army. My position on the matter has already been brought into question due to your most recent attempt to punish me for some unknown slight by fleeing the city to join those mercenaries and by sending that commoner to our home with a letter signed by you and sealed by our own family crest to demand payment.
I fear I cannot stall the proceedings for much longer. If you choose to stay with those people then I will have no choice but to officially revoke your status of nobility and as my son. For your own safety, you must come home.
—Representative of Dalisia and the 1st Seat of the Kings Council, Ryan Cross
Aaron read the letter over and over again. Regardless of whether or not the allegations were true—and Aaron was sure that they weren’t—if the Edaren Council intervened, it wouldn’t be peacefully. There had always been tension between the council and the Dragon Guard due to the fact that the council had no real authority over the workings of the Dragon Guard unless they flat out broke a law, which infuriated them to no end.
“Well?”
Aaron looked up from the letter and saw Daniel looking at him expectantly. “Uh, it’s nothing really. Just asking me to come home . . . like I figured.”
“I’m sorry, Aaron. I know it must have been hard to leave. But I’m sure they can handle the shop without you.”
He was confused for a moment before he remembered what he had told everyone. “Right,” he said, “I’m sure they can manage.”
Daniel looked at him with concern. “Are you okay, Aaron? Was there something else in the letter?”
He stood and shook his head, faking a smile. “Nothing else, and yeah, I’m fine. I just remembered I had something to ask Obadiah. I’ll be back.”
Aaron rushed out the door and into the snow before Daniel could reply. He went into the keep, through the kitchen, and up the staircase as quickly as he could. He hadn’t told anyone aside from the captains and the commander that his father was the Dalisia councilman, though he was positive Claudia knew. When people knew who he was, he didn’t like how it made them look at him. Like he was someone who inherently thought he was better than them. It instantly made them despise him, made them think they knew how he thought about them. When he was
younger, he’d had friends in the city, but the moment they or their parents found out who his father was, they suddenly didn’t want to be around him anymore. It was as if they were afraid that if they made Aaron angry, something bad would happen to them.
It really wasn’t an unfounded fear if he looked at the history of council members. Too often, when someone offended a council member or someone in the member’s family, the offender would be hurt by a decision of the council, whether by way of a home, land, or business eviction. Or even criminal charges. Having grown up on the side of manipulators, Aaron knew how backwards and corrupt they really were. Council members cared very little for the fate of the cities they were meant to represent. Since they rose to their positions by majority vote, they stayed in office by way of blackmail and buying those votes. The people who were expected to do everything they could to improve others’ lives instead turned around and abused their power simply because they had it and didn’t want to lose it.
Aaron’s father had been a fisherman who made his fortune in Quiver Lake. During his life he made many connections and lucrative trade agreements with merchants and dealers all over the city, not all of which were entirely legal. Then he used those connections to buy votes and blackmail his less-than-respectable partners into buying him yet more votes. When all was said and done and he was the newly elected councilman, he backed out of the deals he had made. Anyone who came forward to say as much was quickly sent to prison for one reason or another.
Aaron thought back to the letter and the wording his father had used. His position had been questioned. This meant that he might not be on the council much longer due to Aaron joining the Dragon Guard and the murders that had been happening. His father was now linked to the Order, which in turn would give his political enemies an excuse to accuse him of orchestrating the attacks and send him to prison. This would open a seat on the council. They would then be free to elect a new member for the seat that would benefit them more than Aaron’s father currently did.
Guards Vestige Page 31