Warrior

by Michelle Magly

  Nin looked like she might say something but Alina forged on. “It’s not only this city though. They haven’t been providing upkeep on any of the military outposts or towers. Did you know there was a perfectly good fortress that we rode past along the eastern border that is sitting empty?” She stopped and looked over at her young servant. “And what rumors have you been sifting through?” She had quickly discovered Nin was in tune with every bit of gossip in the palace.

  Nin shrugged as she worked the needle carefully into the cloth. “The scullery maids have heard from the kitchen boys who heard from the cooks who heard from the dining servants that the Council is bartering an alliance with a western kingdom.”

  “And why should I not be allowed to witness that?” Alina ran a hand through her hair, taming the loose strands. “That sounds like an important thing for me to be part of.”

  Nin paused in her sewing. She looked up. “There’s something not right about these people.” Alina stopped her fussing and listened to the maid. “They come from across the sea. They walk like us, sound like us when they talk, but something is out of place. The whole palace is talking about it. Nobody wants to serve on them. Even the Councilors avoid contact with them. Everyone say it’s…” She paused and seemed to be in search of the proper word. “unsettling to be around them.”

  “How so?” Alina asked.

  Nin shook her head and closed her eyes. “There’s something rotten inside them. They’re so different from any other nation across the western sea. The citizens of Noshon trade with us, and they’re the most pleasant people in court. I talked with one of the dignitaries from there the other day. He did not have kind things to say about this visiting kingdom.”

  “And…” Alina prompted.

  Nin only shook her head again. “That’s all I know right now. It’s just...a bad feeling. Regent Velora is outraged that they were brought in for negotiations so soon after the death of the monarchs. They arranged everything while he was out fetching you.”

  Alina sighed and rubbed her temple. “If they are so...terrifying, then why are we forging an alliance with them? Resources?”

  Nin shook her head once more and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “That is only a small part. I heard some soldiers talking. I think the only other alternative is war.”

  “So they swooped in to take us over in the midst of our own power struggle and we buckled?” The whole situation reeked of poor politics.

  “We are still a sovereign nation, though, or we will be when negotiations conclude,” Nin said.

  “This is ridiculous,” said Alina. Her jaw felt tight. “I need something to throw.”

  Nin looked up from the dress with a small smile. “Would you like me to send a boy to fetch some vases from the market, Highness?”

  Alina considered the option for several moments. “No,” she finally said. “I don’t want them to think I am stupid and crazy.”

  Someone knocked on the chamber door and Nin rose to answer. She opened the door. “What?” The pale doorman shrunk under her maid’s harsh gaze. Nin had gotten protective of her, to say the least. She scared the other servants into giving them complete privacy when they needed to talk. She understood the devastating effects of unchecked gossip.

  “Pardon me, ma’am, but more gifts have arrived for her Highness,” he said. Nin nodded and opened the door. Several maids walked in with boxes stacked high in their arms.

  “More bribery!” Alina declared as they dropped the gifts on her bed. She looked over at her maid who attempted to conceal her laughter. “Nin, send that boy to the market, but have the vases delivered to the archery range. I have a better idea in mind.”

  The maid nodded and curtseyed. “Yes, your Highness.”

  Alina shooed Nin and other servants away and shut the door. She dug through her things in the chest at the foot of her bed and pulled out the book that she had brought and the small drawstring pouch. Alina opened the pouch and tipped the contents into her hand. The runes clacked against one another in her palm. Powerful little stones, their surfaces had been worn smooth over time. These were one of the few physical items she inherited from her mother.

  She shook the leather pouch until a small white cloth fell out. She smoothed it out over the desk. She formed her thought carefully as she held the stones. Though she could rune cast, she was not nearly powerful enough to perform as many as she wanted with equal success. She finally tossed them, confident she had the right wording. The stones tumbled over the surface of the cloth and stopped, resting in a small cluster. She looked at the various symbols and flipped open her old book, skimming the pages. Finally, she closed the book, her reading less satisfying than she had hoped.

  Alina had consulted the runes once already hoping to learn more of the mysterious Council meetings, but the results had been vague. This casting, however, proved to have a more definitive answer. Alina sighed and scooped the runes and cloth back into her pouch. The first suggestions from the runes told her to trust in her archery skills. If the runes wanted her to shoot arrows at sand-filled pots, so be it. As Alina put things away, she wondered if she had wasted the question by muddling together too many thoughts. She had wanted to know what to trust in, and the runes had given her one very clear answer to that. Nin is loyal.

  “Your Highness.” Nin’s familiar voice sounded from the other side of the door. A knock followed. Alina crossed the room and opened it, seeing Nin smiling. “The boy is fetching the clay right now. Shall we prepare you an escort?”

  ***

  The Warriors moved through the crowded streets of the kingdom capital with ease, even with their horses in tow. “Senri, what do you think of a real city?” Lanan asked.

  “It’s loud.”

  Lanan laughed, adding to the cacophonous clatter of the market streets. People bowed their heads in respect when they walked by, or would mutter something about getting out of their way. Senri felt the weight of the falcon on her armor a little more each time a person glanced at her.

  “I take it we’re important?” asked Senri, watching as a small child stopped and openly stared at them as they walked past.

  Yahn rested a supportive hand on her shoulder. “I know we are not a large presence in the southern end of the kingdom, but to the people here we are heroes. The Warriors lead the soldiers into battle and collaborate on the most dangerous assignments. We even fill in where the city guard falls short. We cover patrols through here all the time.”

  Senri nodded. The market stands surrounding her were bright and flashy. Everything from clothing and cooking supplies to enchanted jewelry sat on display proudly in the afternoon sun. She noticed a distinct lack of iron-made goods. “So, where are we going?”

  Lanan, whose gaze had trailed after some gypsies, looked over at Senri with unfocused eyes. “What? Did you say something?”

  “I asked where we were going.” Senri looked back at the gypsies to make sure she did not miss anything about them and noticed the low cut shirts on the men and women.

  “Well, first Valk is going to take us to the barracks so we can put our possessions away. Then he will instruct Yahn and I to give you two a tour of the training grounds and the palace so you know where to stay out of.” She winked when she said the last bit.

  “Sounds informative,” Senri replied.

  “And the best part is you get to experience all of it with me and not some uptight soldier,” Lanan teased.

  Senri smiled and with as much religious fervor as she could muster, “Bless the Almighty!”. Lanan laughed again. As they walked along Senri felt the end of her reins go taut and she turned to see Stomps stopped by a fruit stand. Her horse stared at the apples with pitiful eyes.

  “Come on Stomps,” she said, tugging at the reins. Her horse took this as a cue to lean forward and sniff the apples, his nostrils flaring with every breath. “Stomps!” she said, running over to the horse. She pushed his head to the side and apologized to the amused shopkeeper. “You know better,” she
told her horse. Senri glanced at the apples and then their price tag. She had no coins that would fit the purchase amount. A pamphlet nailed to the side of the stand caught her attention. The words, ‘In honor of the late King and Queen,’ caught her eye and she read on. Her heart skipped. The monarchs had died? “Excuse me, is this right?” Senri asked the apple vendor. She pointed at the pinned up parchment.

  The man nodded. “I am afraid so. Their Majesties passed on a little over a week ago. Have you been travelling?”

  Senri nodded. She read the pamphlet again, trying to decide what she should tell the others.

  “What’s holding you up?” asked Lanan. She was at her side, having walked through the crowd to get to her.

  Senri pointed at the paper. “Does Valk need to know about this?”

  Lanan’s eyes widened as she read the pamphlet over. “Yes, he does.” She grabbed the paper, tearing it from the stand and moved through the market streets after Valk. Senri tugged on her horse’s reins and followed. Lanan pushed and shoved through civilians, muttering, “Official business, excuse me.” Senri followed in her wake, easing Stomps through the small openings left behind. When she caught up to the others she saw Lanan had given Valk the pamphlet and he was busy reading it with Nat and Yahn crowding by his shoulder to get a look.

  Valk’s brows knitted together and his fingers slowly clenched the paper into a crinkled, ruined ball before he threw it onto the ground. “By the Almighty,” he growled. “Yahn, Lanan. You two lead them back to the barracks. Get them settled and ready for training. I have business in the palace.” Before they could affirm his orders he turned and forced his way through anyone in his path. He disappeared in the fold of people, leaving the four of them standing together in silence.

  Yahn stooped and picked up the crumpled paper. He smoothed it out on his pant leg and read the crinkled writing. “Well, that’s not good.”

  “I take it this is very recent news?” asked Nat, looking over the pamphlet. The four of them stood in the middle of the street. Senri rubbed the back of her neck. Lanan stood with her hands on her hips, head bowed, and Yahn stowed the paper into his trouser pocket.

  “I suppose we need to get your horses to the stables then,” said Yahn. “We wouldn’t want to pay for all the apples in the market.” The four of them laughed, but it was hollow. Senri patted her horse and they resumed walking, Yahn leading the way.

  “What happens now?” asked Nat. He made sure to keep pace with the two older Warriors. Senri trailed just behind them.

  “Well, the four of us will spend the day with a lack of proper instruction, which is nice,” said Lanan. “But as far as the Warriors as a whole go, we will have to see what the new monarch decides to do with us.” They moved beyond the markets and to the palace gates. The guard let them in. He looked frightened. Senri assumed that Valk had given him strict orders to let them through with elaborate consequences should he fail.

  “But who is the new ruler?” Yahn asked. “They didn’t have any children.” They turned down a walkway that ran along the palace walls.

  “They had a niece,” said Lanan. “I’ll bet she’s around here somewhere.”

  “Why, where else would she be?” asked Yahn.

  “I think they had her in hiding,” said Lanan. “Don’t you remember the big uproar about that assassination some turns ago?”

  Yahn grunted in response. They reached the open courtyard of the barracks. Warriors and palace guards walked in between stone buildings. The thatch roofs were not as appealing as the stone-tiled roof of the palace, but the structures seemed well-built enough.

  “You know who I feel sorry for?” asked Lanan suddenly. No one responded. “The Council. Valk is going to rage at them.” They loitered in the middle of the courtyard.

  “Valk scares me, you know?” said Nat.

  Yahn shrugged. “It’s because you’re new. Once you get into some training with him and he sees that you are competent he’ll start acting friendly.”

  “And if I’m incompetent?” asked Nat.

  “You die,” said Lanan. She nodded toward the stables located on the far wall of the barracks. “We have a task though. Get your horses moving.”

  Senri and Nat followed. “That’s it?” Nat asked. “We just...die?”

  “Well, killed in a mission is more like it,” said Yahn. “There’s an easy way to avoid that though.”

  “How?” asked Nat.

  “Train hard and don’t be a fool,” said Yahn. They stabled their horses in a pen that opened up to a grassy plain beyond the palace walls. The stone barrier extended around the plain and wrapped back to enclose them. “Our barracks rest on the outer wall next to the stables.” He pointed to their right. “The other two belong to the regular soldiers. I’ll show you the men’s quarters,” he said to Nat.

  “And I’ll show you ours,” said Lanan, looping and arm through Senri’s and pulling her close. The contact made Senri feel strange. Lanan’s blunt and sarcastic nature confused her, and she did not know what to make of their somewhat delicate acquaintance with each other. “And then we can see the sparring chambers and the archery range.”

  Senri wondered if the quickness in Lanan’s voice held excitement or suppression of the uncertainty of the day’s events.

  ***

  The release of the arrow and faint twang followed by the humming vibrations of her bowstring did little to calm Alina’s nerves. The shattering crack and tumbling of the broken vase was, however, extremely satisfying. She watched the sand run through the newly made crevices of the shattered pottery. She had briefly considered setting up the Council’s gifts on the distant targets, but that may have been a step too far.

  “Excellent shot, Highness,” said her guard. Despite Velora’s promise, all of her escorts had been composed of palace guards, not Warriors or soldiers. Alina stared down the field at the few remaining targets and stuck out her hand. Nin drew an arrow from the quiver and handed it to her. Alina settled the fletched end against her bowstring and drew back.

  “Pardon me, Highness,” said her guard. Her grip faltered for a second before she relaxed the tension, easing the bowstring forward and pointing her arrow down.

  “Yes?” she asked.

  “It appears we have visitors,” said Nin, nodding toward the end of the field.

  “I ordered the scheduled training closed,” said Alina. She squinted at the four approaching soldiers.

  “Shall I order them off the field, Highness?” asked her guard.

  “They appear to be Warriors. What if they have urgent news?” asked Nin. The four walked down to the targets rather than straight for them. “Or perhaps they’re simply ignoring orders,” Nin sighed. Alina covered her eyes from the sun. The metal plates glinted. They certainly looked like warriors. She considered ignoring them until she saw one of them was blonde.

  “Hold,” she said as her guard took a step forward. “Let them approach.”

  The Warriors were too far away for her to pick out eye color, but the blonde one looked female. Something about her felt familiar to Alina. The way she moved, the gait, the grip of her hand on the pommel of a sword, all known, and as the woman moved closer Alina recognized the general shape, the facial features. Alina’s breath catch as the woman caught her stare, just like in the markets.

  “You there! Warriors!” she called out. The rest looked over. They had stopped by one of the unused targets and seemed to be discussing something. “Come here!” she ordered. The four of them leaned in and whispered to one another before walking over to Alina and her party.

  Once they were in speaking distance Alina could plainly see that the blonde woman was indeed the one she had seen in the markets the other day. Her eyes were the same shade of green. She was young, close in age to Alina, and had a sharp jaw and trimmed body. Definitely a Warrior.

  “Is there anything we can assist you with, my Lady?” asked one of the other Warriors.

  “You will address her as Highness or Majesty or not a
t all,” ordered her guard.

  The four of them seemed genuinely shocked at this and one man whispered to the other, “Guess that’s her.”

  In other circumstances, Alina might have been amused. But the stare of that young woman still burned in her mind, much more intense the first time compared to now. Right now the eyes seemed soft, confused. “You there,” she said, nodding to the blonde woman. The girl straightened her posture. “Did I not see you in the market the other day?”

  The girl still stared back. “I’m sorry, your Highness, but it was not me you saw.”

  “Are you sure?” Alina asked, disappointed. “You were not in the markets at all the last few days?”

  The woman shook her head. “I apologize. I arrived at the market today. We were on the road before that.” Alina watched the woman’s gaze pass over her once before meeting her eyes again. “Are you alright, your Highness?”

  The earth seemed to tilt beneath her feet, but no one else showed signs of instability. “No, I’m fine, just fine. The four of you, return to whatever you were doing.” The Warriors all shared glances, but then bowed with hands over their hearts and walked away, whispering to one another.

  “Your Highness, you do not seem well,” said the guard.

  “I’m fine,” she repeated. She shook her head and blinked, but her eyes snapped back to the blonde woman walking down the field. “I was mistaken, that’s all.” A lie. She’s the woman from the market. She had suspected a vision had happened; she had hoped she was wrong. Damn those runes.

  “Shall I escort you to your chambers?” the guard asked.

  Alina watched the Warriors move off the field. She meant to answer her guard, but stood silently instead.