Death Flag

by Richard Haygood

  Madison watched and listened without saying anything. Wait a minute . . . Was that sarcasm? From quiet little Erin? I don’t think I’ve heard her say that many words together the entire time I’ve been here, much less all at once, and now she’s throwing sarcasm into the mix? He shook his head incredulously. He almost couldn’t believe what was happening right in front of him.

  Burke shrugged as a means of answering her. “I’d rather have her awake for this if possible. There are some things I’m going to have to cover, and I don’t want to have to repeat myself if I can help it. Plus, the more people who hear me, the more likely someone is to pick up on what someone else didn’t.”

  Erin nodded once and then spread her hands out over Shayna’s prone body. There was a flash of light centered around her hands that quickly dimmed into a warm glow, and she slowly moved the palms of her hands up and down Shayna’s body. She spent a good bit of time around her midsection, pressing down on her skin and gingerly running her fingers over the bruises there before moving to her face. The entire treatment only took half a minute, and Madison was enraptured the entire time. He had never seen healing done before, and he had never had the time to appreciate magic when it was being worked at all. By the time she was finished, Shayna’s skin was no longer discolored by bruising, and the swelling had completely disappeared.

  “If you want to wake her up, it won’t take more than a drop of Rush to do it,” Erin said softly. “She’s going to be pretty hungry as well.”

  Burke nodded as he stood up. He lovingly stroked Shayna’s head one last time and then held up his other hand, and a small blue vial appeared there.

  Madison instantly recognized it from when he had consumed the fiery, cinnamon-flavored liquid. Rae had warned him then that a single sip would be enough to keep him awake for a full day. He hadn’t considered it until just now, but that might explain why he had woken up much sooner than everyone expected. Davion had commented that he was supposed to be out of it for a month or more, but he had been up and on his feet after just two days.

  Burke carefully pressed the small ampule to Shayna’s lips and judiciously poured out a small amount, dribbling it onto her lips as much as pouring it into her mouth. She unconsciously licked her lips in her sleep and then swallowed a moment later, taking the potion into her. Madison watched expectantly as color began to return to her face. It started with a small blush on her cheeks, and seconds later, her eyes fluttered open, and she sat upright in bed. Her eyes popped open wide, and she sucked in a deep breath. Madison was struck with the image of someone coming back from the dead that he had probably seen in an old B-flick at some point.

  “Let go! Get your hands—!”

  Burke’s hands shot out and caught her by the shoulders, cutting off her protest and stopping her before she could move any further or start to get up. “Calm down,” he said affectionately. “Your fight isn’t here.”

  It took her a moment as she searched over his face, but recognition slowly dawned in her eyes as she looked him over. She looked to her side and stared at Erin as if figuring out who the other girl was and then focused her gaze back on Burke when she was finished. A small tear welled up in the corner of her eye before tracing a line down her cheek.

  “I know . . .” Burke said consolingly. “I wasn’t here. I’ve been gone a long time. But you’ve grown so strong without me.”

  It was like a spell had been broken as he finished speaking. Shayna balled up her fists and started pounding against Burke’s chest. She looked every bit the image of an angry child taking out her frustration on a father, and she pounded him again and again. Burke took the beating for as long as she offered it without flinching or moving away, and when she was finished, he quietly slipped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. He held her for a long time before letting her go and pulling away, tenderly brushing away the hair that had fallen into her face during her fit.

  “Feel better now?” he asked without any hint of derision in his voice.

  Shayna nodded and then licked her lips. “You gave me Rush,” she said observantly, her voice filled with awe.

  “There are things that have to be taken care of. I’m going to be leaving again soon, and you’ll want to be a part of this.”

  Shayna looked crestfallen at his mention of leaving again, but the emotion was quickly covered up as she regained her composure. “What’s so important? What is it this time?” she asked, clearly dejected.

  “We’re going to wait until the others come back, and then I’ll explain,” Burke responded.

  “Others?” Shayna glanced around the room as if realizing she was somewhere strange for the first time. “Where are we?”

  “We’re in one of the private suites,” Burke answered. “Madison and Alyanna brought you here after those guys finished and let you go.”

  Shayna’s face scrunched up as if she were trying to remember something. “I . . .” Her gaze finally fell on Madison where he sat in the corner. “This doesn’t count!” she suddenly said rather loudly, pointing at him around Burke. “You still owe me!”

  Burke looked taken aback, a startled look crossing his face for a moment. “Sounds like you’re in for it,” he said, glancing around at Madison. “I definitely wouldn’t want to be in her debt.”

  “What?” she asked indignantly. “What’s wrong with being in my debt? What evil things are you thinking I would make him do?” She eyed him suspiciously and then harrumphed, crossing her arms over her chest and turning her nose up into the air.

  Erin sighed and hung her head, but Burke broke into a hearty laugh, and Madison knew that whatever sentimentality they had shared between them was gone. “Really?” Madison asked, finally speaking for the first time since she had been woken up and grinning devilishly. “I figured it would just be some small favor she would want. I can’t imagine she’d ever come up with something very big.”

  “What?! Why you—” Shayna acted like she was going to get up off the bed and cross the room to him, but a quick hand from Burke put her right back on her rear.

  “You might be awake, but you still need to rest,” he said.

  “And you need a bath, old man.” Shayna pinched her nose and turned her head up into the air again.

  “Hey!” Burke answered, acting hurt. “You try coming back after being gone for over a year and finding out that your daughter is laid up in bed on the cusp of death! See if you take time to bathe!”

  Shayna suddenly froze. Erin gasped out a small, high-pitched sound and sheepishly looked at Madison out of the corner of her eye.

  “What?” Burke asked. “What did I do now? Oh. That,” he said, realizing what he had given away. “Forget about it. He’s a smart kid. He was going to figure it out anyway.”

  Shayna growled and then started punching Burke’s chest again. “He was not! You’re not supposed to tell anyone! Don’t think he’s smart! He’s a total idiot! He couldn’t dig his way out of a muddy hole with a shovel!”

  “Hey!” Madison cried defensively. “Is that any way to talk about the guy who keeps saving your life?”

  “She has a point,” Burke said with a laugh. “It really would take an idiot to stick his nose into her business and expect a thank you for it. I mean, you brought a whole lot of trouble down on yourself for very little reward, right? And you keep doing it over and over?”

  Madison sighed in exasperation. “I give up,” he said finally. “Where did Alyanna have to go to find Warren?”

  Erin shrugged and moved to sit down on the bed next to her father and sister. Madison shook his head as he watched the three of them interact with one another. He never would have expected such a revelation. The two girls were about as different as could be. Shayna was loud, outgoing, and standoffish. She was constantly getting into fights to prove herself, and she didn’t seem to have any problems with breaking the rules to get whatever she wanted. And Erin was the exact opposite. She was quiet and caring, was openly sensitive about certain issues, and had been desc
ribed by everyone as a stickler for the rules. Of course, that did explain why Erin was always around whenever he went to visit Shayna in the infirmary. She had been looking after her sister. As far as he could tell, the only thing they had in common was their temper. They were both constantly mad at him for one reason or another.

  Madison grinned to himself at the realization, and he managed to earn Shayna’s ire for it. “What are you grinning about over there in the corner?” she asked suspiciously. “You shouldn’t be that happy about anything.”

  “Nothing,” Madison said, breaking into a full laugh. He held his hands up helplessly before letting them drop down. “I just never know what to expect anymore, that’s all. One day you’re getting off work and walking home so that you can go meet your friend, and the next you’re in some alien world where everyone wants to kill you for one reason or another and you never know who to trust. That’s all. Nothing unusual.” He knew he was referencing things that he shouldn’t be talking about with them, but he just didn’t care at the moment. He was beyond the point of worrying about whether or not they thought he was crazy for saying he came from another world and talking about things they didn’t understand for the time being

  The two girls looked at him strangely and slowly shook their heads, but Burke grew solemn again and studied him. For the first time since they met, Madison felt his skin crawl in that familiar way that it did whenever he was being scrutinized and weighed by a Guardian. After a long moment, he nodded slightly, a small and almost-imperceptible movement that was as much for himself as it was for Madison.

  “So, it’s true,” Burke said under his breath. “That’s something we’ll have to talk about. And that.” He pointed to Madison’s left arm.

  Madison self-consciously put his hand over the tattoo there and rubbed at the bandages that covered it when Burke brought attention to it. “What about it?” he asked, suddenly feeling tired. He had been waiting for answers for so long, and he wasn’t going to hold out hope that someone was finally going to hand them to him.

  “When the others . . . Ah! She’s found them,” Burke remarked, looking at the door expectantly.

  The girls’ heads swiveled to look in the same direction, but Madison just leaned back and made himself comfortable. “K’yer Utane magic vision?” he asked dryly. “A Guardian’s best friend if he wants to monitor invading armies, spy on students, and see who’s at the front door all at the same time.”

  “Yeah, pretty much,” Burke answered without any trace of humor in his voice. “Remind me, and I’ll teach you how to do it one day.”

  Madison sat up and opened an eye at that comment. “Wha—”

  “Teach who to do what?” Alyanna asked as she entered the room, cutting off Madison before he could finish.

  Warren stepped in just behind her, wide-eyed and sheepish, as if he wasn’t certain what or who he was going to find once he passed through the doorway. They were both carrying two huge baskets, and Madison instantly smelled the food they contained. He had complained that he was hungry even before Alyanna left, and now it positively made him drool to know that food was being delivered.

  “We brought food!” she announced, hoisting up the oversized basket she was carrying with both hands as if no one would notice that fact. “When I explained to Warren what was going on, he suggested we stop and get food for Shayna so that she would have something to eat when she woke up. That sort of turned into getting some for everyone else as well. I hope you don’t mind, but I used your name to convince the cooks in the dining hall to let us have all this,” she said apologetically, looking at Burke.

  “You mean the princess wasn’t able to puppy-dog-eye her way into a free meal for six people on her own?” Madison asked, faking astonishment. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

  “If you want to make jokes, you don’t have to eat,” Alyanna threatened. “I’m going to start setting up everything in the main dining room. Is that okay with you guys?” She looked at Shayna questioningly, and when she received a nod, she said. “I’m glad to see that you’re awake and looking better. We were worried for a while.”

  “Thanks,” Shayna responded shyly. She apparently had no problem starting a fight in front of a hundred people but turned bashful when a roomful of people looked at her.

  Madison threw his head back and laughed and then stood up. He looked at Shayna on the bed and said, “I guess I owe you enough already, so I had better start working off some of this debt.” He crossed the room and held out his hand dramatically, offering it to her. “I don’t think you need it, but I guess I’ll help you into the other room. I’d feel a lot better knowing you were steady on your feet before trying to walk somewhere.”

  She stared at his hand and blinked. “Well, as long as it’s for you,” she said, reaching out and taking his hand. “But don’t think I couldn’t do this on my own!” she added hastily. “I’m only doing this so that you’ll feel better!”

  “Thanks,” Madison said as she swung her legs over the side of the bed, and he helped her to her feet. Erin watched him passively from where she sat at the head of the bed and then stood up and helped her from the other side. For her part, Shayna didn’t protest at the special treatment.

  Burke muttered something unintelligible from the foot of the bed, and Madison glanced over at him just in time to see him roll his eyes.

  “What?” Madison asked. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing,” Burke said, shaking his head and clearly suppressing a laugh. “Nothing at all.”

  CHAPTER 14

  The others moved ahead while Madison helped Shayna out of the room and down the short hallway that connected the bedrooms with the larger common room. She probably didn’t need his help in truth, but he was being a bit overprotective at the moment, and he was going to give her as much time to recover as he could. Despite whatever her relationship may have been with Burke, Madison felt like he was somehow responsible for what had happened to her since he had let himself and Alyanna be led away, leaving her open to attack. It wasn’t just that he wanted to make sure that nothing else happened to her while she was in his care, but he also wanted to give her every opportunity to rest while she could. He had a feeling that whatever it was Burke was about to ask from them wasn’t going to be pleasant. Despite what he had said, Madison wasn’t willing to believe that Burke was here just on a visit or to play doctor. If he had been, there wouldn’t have been any reason to wake Shayna up, and he wouldn’t have kept putting off whatever it was he had to tell them.

  Madison followed the aroma of food as they moved into the other room, and by the time they arrived, the others had already unloaded the two massive baskets that Warren and Alyanna had brought back with them. There was a veritable feast laid out on the table in front of them that included an assortment of meats and vegetables and potatoes. It was clear from the food that they served that every meal was intended to be calorie-heavy, likely to offset the intense training Madison had never seen and help supplement the healing process for those unfortunate enough to require it. He loaded his plate up with several pieces of what looked to be fried chicken, boiled potatoes, some type of cold pasta dish that had small green and red vegetables cut up into it, and a giant heel of rich brown bread.

  It seemed a bit ironic to him, since it was exactly what he would classify as classic picnic food coming from picnic baskets, but he didn’t bother saying anything. He very much doubted that anyone else would get the joke other than him, so he set to work loading his plate up with as much food as he could fit onto it. Somewhat ironically as well, he was left with the seat at the head of the table that had formerly been occupied by Lord Fox on the two times that Madison had visited. Burke took up position on the opposite side of the table, and the girls and Warren filled in several of the spaces in between. They had brought back enough food to cover the entire table, so nothing was outside of arm’s reach. Erin produced a water pitcher from somewhere and filled everyone’s glasses before sitting down and
helping herself to a small plate of salad, and then everyone tucked into the meal.

  Madison had forgotten how good food could taste. He couldn’t even remember when the last time he had fried chicken was, and he doubted that he had enjoyed it nearly this much. The skin was crispy, and the meat was moist, and each bite he took left juices running down his chin. He had been told once that only madmen and masochists would eat fried chicken with a fork and knife. He hadn’t understood the saying at the time, but he thought he was coming pretty close now.

  Everyone remained silent for a long while as they worked on the food in front of them. In fact, it wasn’t until Madison had cleared off his first plate and stood up to start taking a second helping that Burke finally broke the silence. He propped his elbows up on the table, breaking whatever small semblance of propriety there may have been, and started pulling apart small pieces of his bread as he spoke.

  “Alright,” he said in a clear and loud voice, instantly turning everyone’s attention to him. “There are a lot of things that I need to cover with you guys. Some of it is going to sound fantastical and hard to believe. I can’t prove everything that I’m going to tell you, but I can promise that it’s the absolute truth as best I know how to tell it.

  “I came to you first for a couple of different reasons. It’s highly unusual that I’d go to anyone for anything, and if I did, it would normally be one of the Sworn. As most of you probably know by now, I’ve been out with a group for quite a while now. Most of those who came back with me need to get some well-earned rest, and I don’t want to stress them out any more than I have to. Perhaps even more importantly, I’m not sure how much I can trust those members of the Sworn who remained here in K’yer Utane while I was in the field.”

  There was a widening of a few eyes, and the eating generally slowed at that comment. Burke looked from one face to the next, clearly measuring everyone and gauging how well they were listening to him before continuing. “Alyanna, this directly concerns you, so it’s something you were going to have to hear anyway. I’ve worked with Warren before, so I know I can trust him, and you’re all going to want a tracker for what I’m about to ask you to do. Shayna is rebellious enough that she’s going to jump at this chance, and from what I’ve heard, this one is as well.” He gestured toward Madison as if anyone in the room didn’t already know exactly who he meant. “You’ve done a good job turning heads while you’ve been here for a short time. I hate to say it, but it’s about time. This entire place definitely needs someone to breathe some life into it.”