Perfidious

by P. T. McKenzie

  The bathroom already had steam pouring out of the door. I stripped down and stepped into the tub, the water burning my skin. I quickly adjusted, letting it wash away my worries.

  I didn’t even wash my hair until the temperature cooled, the scent of vanilla and strawberries from the shampoo filling the air. I turned the nozzle off and stepped out into the steamed bathroom to dry.

  I grabbed the list sitting on my bed. Just my luck…only a couple things on it. I dressed and started on the chores, sweeping all the hardwood floors, taking out the garbage, and making my way to the backyard. My list said I had to rake the leaves, so I searched for the rake on the side of the house.

  Rustling leaves came from behind me.

  I spun around to face Kalvin running up to me.

  He was out of breath. “Elisia…” He stopped running and leaned over slightly. “He went to the Elders. You have to come quick.”

  My eyes widened as I took a step. “Who went where?”

  “Greyson.” Kalvin straightened. “The human said he found some sorta proof. He’s telling the Elders he’s the descendant of the old king.” His eyes sparkled, but I saw the concern hiding there.

  Greyson should have come to me first.

  My feet pounded into the earth almost as fast as my heart was racing. I weaved between the trees, through the gate, and went straight for Coalfell.

  What was he telling the Elders? What kind of proof did he have? Butterflies fluttered through my stomach, but I couldn’t let myself get too excited. I didn’t know if it was true. I needed to see what Greyson had before I believed it.

  The outskirts of the town came into view. Trying my best, I maneuvered through the townspeople. A crowd had assembled around the tent, but I shoved past them, making sure Kalvin was still behind me.

  Two ogre-looking guards stood outside with Noah. I placed my hand on his shoulder and spun him around.

  “What’s going on?” I demanded.

  Noah shrugged my hand off of his shoulder and pointed harshly at me. “This is your fault. Greyson’s been asking my parents a bunch of questions lately about his mom and grandma. Apparently, they had some box left for Greyson from his mom. It explained everything about him being some king’s descendent. He wouldn’t even talk to me. He just ran right here.”

  “He what?” I blinked several times and looked behind Noah at the ogres standing at the entrance.

  Noah continued talking, but I stopped listening. I sped past the guards, straight into the tent. Greyson was standing in the middle while the Elders whispered amongst themselves. He turned around and gave me a nervous smile. The butterflies in my stomach turned to bees.

  For a moment, I forgot I was in the Elders’ tent. I went to take a step towards him. He wasn’t supposed to be the one that made the rash decisions. What made him decide to go barging in there? What was he thinking? I needed to know what was going on. He should have told me.

  Two giant hands closed around my arms and lifted me from the ground.

  I snapped out of my internal debate and struggled against them as the ogre went to throw me out.

  “Wait!” one of the Elders called.

  The guards turned me around, and we faced the Elders.

  “She might have just solved our problems. Set her down,” Yima said.

  The ogre set me down, and I swallowed hard. I made my way next to Greyson, noticing a shoebox in his arms. He stood very still as he watched me, his green eyes beaming but also seeming unsure. Looking into them reminded me that I wasn’t there to yell at him. I was there to figure out what was going on and help him.

  I turned my attention to the Elders. They looked to one another before addressing the two of us.

  Drithro rubbed his temples. “Elisia, we are unsure how much you know, but what we say here is not to be repeated unless we give prior authorization. No one must know. That includes your father.” He paused, and I nodded my understanding. “It has been brought to our attention that Greyson is King Lawrence’s last living descendent. He has presented us with proof. We need someone to guide and train him if he is to take his rightful place as king someday.”

  “Wait.” Greyson took a step forward. “That’s not why I’m here! I wanted to know more about where I came from. Not overthrow—”

  Enmah raised her hand. Greyson stopped talking before she spoke. “We’re not asking you to do anything hasty, but you want to learn how to use your abilities, don’t you?” She didn’t give him time to answer. “We are just inquiring that you learn some combat as well. Elisia and Kalvin can teach you.”

  “Why us? Why not someone with more experience to train the next king?” I looked around for anyone else that could do it.

  Yima smiled. “You and Kalvin were trained by Aaron, am I wrong?” I nodded my head, and he continued speaking. “He was the last member of the Guard that we know of, and they were the very best. You and Kalvin will train him.”

  Greyson and I opened our mouths to speak but were cut off.

  Drithro spoke clearly and forcefully. “You and Kalvin have been working on ways to improve our safety and security in the village, none of which we have been able to accept as of yet. This is your chance to make a change that we can stand behind.”

  I sighed. If I refused after he worded it like that, it wouldn’t have looked good on my part. “Fine. We’ll train him.”

  Enmah frowned. “No, you will train both of them. The human outside is loyal and protective of his friend. He will make for a great ally in a rebellion.”

  I took a step forward, but they didn’t let me speak.

  “It’s decided, Elisia! We have nothing else to add. When we have more, we will summon you. Dismissed!” Drithro waved his hand.

  The guards shoved us out of the tent.

  “Well, that was pointless,” Greyson muttered, kicking rocks.

  I grabbed his hand. “Let’s talk about this somewhere more private.”

  Kalvin and Noah walked towards us.

  “We’re going to my cellar.”

  I didn’t want any nosy villagers eavesdropping. We exited the outskirts of the village. Out of hearing distance of prying ears, Greyson whispered to Noah what the Elders said. I tried not to listen. I had enough to think about.

  Noah ran in front of all of us and threw his arms into the air. “Stop! This isn’t happening. Greyson’s not doing this.”

  “I am, Noah.” Greyson spoke definitively. “They just want me to learn how to handle myself. That’s all for right now.”

  Greyson walked past Noah, and we followed him back to the cellar. He didn’t say anything else. His shoulders were tense, and his fists were clenched.

  As soon as we got inside, Greyson opened the shoebox to reveal its continents. There was a book called King’s Legacy: Complete History of Perfidious, a painting of King Lawrence and Miranda, and a letter.

  “Noah’s mom gave me this. She said my mom gave it to her after I was born. My mom told her that if anything happened to my mom or grandmother, she wanted Mrs. Erikson to adopt me. She put it in her will and everything.” Greyson pulled out the letter and handed it to me. “My mom told her to give me the shoebox if I ever started asking a lot of weird questions.”

  I opened the letter to find multiple pages written in curly handwriting.

  * * *

  Greyson,

  My dearest son. I’m sorry I can’t be there with you. The fairies believe that when one passes away, they pass their strength to the next in the bloodline. I believe wholeheartedly that I’m with you, some way or another. Your birth wasn’t planned, and your father quickly ran away after he found out our secret. That coward.

  But there is something you need to know. Something that the Eriksons don’t know. You’re not entirely human. The birthmark on your shoulder proves that.

  * * *

  I skimmed past the stuff I already explained to Greyson about his Anchor, Perfidious, and what he was. I flipped through to the last page.

  * * *

/>   My father, your grandfather, was the last king of Perfidious, which means you have a blood right to the throne. The Council will stop at nothing to see you dead. I have heard rumors that they had turned the peaceful civilization your grandfather worked so hard to build into a grim land tainted with power struggles and death.

  On the off chance that you have already learned of this land, your grandmother, Miranda, wanted you to know two things. First, it’s your choice to take up the responsibilities of being the heir. You don’t have to go for the throne. Second, if you choose to fight, give them hell. Either way, from death we support any decision you make.

  Remember, nothing is impossible,

  Mom

  * * *

  I looked up from the paper. Greyson’s eyes seemed to shine. My mind was swirling to the point I couldn’t even form words. It was really happening. Kalvin took the letter from my hands.

  Greyson stiffened as he spoke, “So, you two are really gonna train us because Aaron trained you?”

  Sadness pinched my heart. I looked to Kalvin who went pale.

  “The Elders,” Kalvin swallowed, “want us to teach ya ‘cause of my dad?”

  He seemed to be in his own thoughts, growing quiet. Kalvin suddenly blinked and shook his head.

  “Wait.” Kalvin looked at me. “Did he just say ‘us’? As in him and the human?”

  I nodded.

  Noah butted in before Kalvin could argue. “Wait, Aaron was your dad? But that would mean he was human, right?”

  We all looked at him. Kalvin nodded slightly.

  I mentally kicked myself. It wasn’t the time to be silent.

  “Yes, one of the best fighters,” I said. My voice cracked, and I cleared my throat. “The Elders were clear. Training starts tomorrow.”

  “The Elders are annoying,” Greyson mumbled, looking down.

  “What?” I asked.

  “The Elders expect me to be this king’s heir. I don’t even know if that’s the path I want. I just wanted to learn about my heritage, something about my past.” He pushed the shoebox from his lap. “But no. They’re too worried about me not being their problem. That’s why they made me your responsibility. It wasn’t because they actually wanted me to learn to fight, but you showed up. You were convenient. Passing off the responsibility to you was too good of an opportunity for them.”

  I took a step back. My chest ached.

  “Hey!” Kalvin got in Greyson’s face.

  Greyson seemed to want to stand his ground, but his eyes were wide looking up at Kalvin. I held my breath. Kalvin was mad, like actually mad. He usually tried to keep calm and think rationally, but that’s not what he looked to be doing.

  “That’s not the way you talk about someone who has done everything she can to help ya.” Kalvin’s fists were clenched, but I could tell he was holding himself back. “Now, ya obviously don’t realize this, but Elisia and I are the only ones in this village that know what we’re doing when it comes to offensive fighting styles. We were the only choice unless ya wanted to get shipped out to some boot camp. So, shut up and be grateful.”

  The tension released from Greyson’s shoulders. He lowered his eyes and nodded at Kalvin, who backed away and stood next to me.

  The air filled with awkward silence.

  “How about we all head home?” I almost whispered to break the silence. “We can figure out the rest tomorrow. Tonight, we need a good night’s sleep.”

  Everyone nodded and we walked to the gate. From there, Greyson and Noah went to their house, and Kalvin started following me to mine.

  “You don’t have to walk me home,” I said.

  Kalvin looked over at me for the first time since we started walking. “I think I need the walk. That guy got on my nerves.”

  I stayed silent, not sure if I wanted to say what was on my mind. Apparently, my mouth didn’t agree.

  “You know, you don’t have to defend me. I kinda can take care of myself.” I made sure my tone was completely joking. I didn’t want Kalvin to think I was mad at him.

  He threw his head back. “Pff. I know that. I just…I don’t know…wanted to make sure he knew that he couldn’t talk to ya that way.” He turned his head away from me and mumbled. “And I didn’t like him calling ya convenient.”

  I smiled and nudged him, but I had to look away before he could tease me about the color changing on my cheeks. It was nice that Kalvin had my back like that.

  We entered the clearing of the woods to my backyard. Mom was sitting in her comfy outdoor chair, reading a book. She looked up at us and grinned.

  “Kalvin!” Mom put her book down and walked down the stairs to meet us in the yard. “It's been too long.”

  Mom hugged Kalvin, but he looked like a trapped animal. His eyes pleaded for me to help him. I just giggled.

  “Hi, Mrs. Meyer. I was just walking Elisia home,” Kalvin said.

  “Nonsense! Do you want some dinner? I made plenty. I thought my daughter would be home.” Mom turned her attention to me.

  I shrugged. “I thought I would be too, but the Elders needed me.”

  “Mhm.” Mom didn’t believe me but turned back to Kalvin, dragging him inside the house.

  Kalvin didn’t come over much and that was why. My mom wasn’t like Tamara—strong, bold, or outspoken. My mom was overly motherly. She always tried to feed Kalvin and ask about his personal life. He didn’t hate it, but it did make him uncomfortable. I wished Kalvin was able to come over more, but he didn’t like being outside of Perfidious. Coming to my house was the furthest he’d go.

  Kalvin gobbled down a plate of food before telling my mom he had to go. He used the excuse of having to work at the blacksmith shop early. I watched him walk into the woods, waving at me even though he didn’t see me at the window.

  16

  In the morning, I texted Greyson to bring the letter to school.

  I read it start to finish. Then, I read it again. It was happening! I couldn’t believe it. Greyson really was the heir. And I was going to train him.

  School felt surreal. Going to class after class felt too normal after all the events of the night before. I never imagined that I would be part of the revolution that changed Perfidious. It wasn’t something that had crossed my mind, but after being made part of it, I knew I was exactly where I was meant to be.

  I wrote down all the things that would need to be done. We’d need to train Greyson and Noah to fight. Kalvin knew most of his dad’s techniques and was a great fighter. I was probably getting in over my head, but I needed to get my excitement out and on paper so I would focus on the task at hand—training. Just training. Not overthrowing the Council. That wasn’t even on the table yet. But just in case, Greyson and Noah needed to be prepared for anything and everything.

  The bell rang, pulling me from my train of thought.

  I shoved the paper into my notebook and ran to gym class. By the time I changed, everyone was already ready, and the teacher was looking at a clipboard. I approached him.

  “Mr. Post, can I ask a favor? I noticed that we’re scheduled to play Team 6 today, but they haven’t won a game and my team hasn’t lost one.”

  “What’s your point, Elisia?” He lowered his clipboard.

  “I was wondering if, only for this game, I could switch teams so that they would have a chance of winning a game?”

  He stroked his chin but remained silent.

  I batted my eyes. “Please? Just one game?”

  “Sure.” He blew the whistle around his neck, and his voice echoed in the open gym. “Team 6 vs. Team 3.”

  Confusion spread across the room as I joined Team 6 instead of Team 3.

  Greyson and I met in the middle to shake hands. He opened his mouth to talk, but I whispered before he could speak.

  “It’s only for one game. Training starts now. Get it past me just once between you and Noah. If you don’t, I’ll make you pay for it in sprints after school.” I smirked.

  Greyson smiled, accepting the ch
allenge. His hand tightened around mine. “Deal, but what if we get it past you? What will we get?”

  I started walking away. “You’re already in line to become king. What else could you want?”

  I turned around to talk to my temporary team.

  Instead of coming in for a huddle, my new team stood around talking or just zoning out. I tried to get them to head to the other end of the makeshift court, but they barely moved over half court. I took my stance as the only defender.

  The puck dropped. Greyson reacted faster than the human across from him. He ran toward me.

  I took my hockey stick and hit it out from under him. Greyson's head snapped from side to side as he looked for the puck. I snickered.

  This will be fun.

  For me, at least.

  I increased my speed just past what was normal to humans. I tried it on Noah first. He blinked a few times, unable to really follow my movements.

  Put on To Teach list: teach Noah to track monsters.

  Kalvin was pretty good at predicting others' movements. I’d have him work on that with Noah.

  I tried the move on Greyson, who was able to mimic me. His speed was just as fast as mine, but I still outsmarted him to get the puck back on the other side of the court.

  Our teacher blew the whistle.

  I felt disappointed. I was actually having a lot of fun. Watching the next game, they joked about how they could have gotten it past me if they had more time, but I knew there was no way.

  Taking turns trying to get it around me was futile. Yet, if they actually teamed up and outnumbered me, they might have won. Once they learned how to fight, they’d make a great team. Maybe the Elders had the right idea to train them both.

  After school, Greyson and Noah told their coach they had important appointments, and they wouldn’t be at practices for the next few days. The coach didn’t seem happy, but he let them go.

  We walked straight to the root cellar to meet Kalvin.

  However, Kalvin wasn’t waiting outside for us. I motioned for the boys to stop talking as I listened to my surroundings. Birds chirped, but no critters rustled the underbrush. My instincts kicked in.