Talon reacted with the speed of lightning as his foot rose into the air and kicked the knife wielding soldier hard in the face who in turn was sent crashing over three tables before falling limply to the ground.
“Take your friends and leave now!” Talon ordered the soldier before him in a tone of voice that showed he was in complete control of the situation.
Without saying a word the two soldiers picked up there unconscious friend and scurried out of the tavern.
Talons friends slowly gathered round him in disbelief at what they had just seen.
“What did you do to them Talon?” one said to him.
“I have never seen such terror in a man’s face before.” another commented.
“Three cheers for Talon.” another cadet shouted “and three cheers for the Chow military school!” another Added.
The next morning at the Chow military school began with unusual peculiarity as the schools corridors and halls, usually bustling with noise, remained silent and empty because it had long been tradition that the day that followed the Festival of Pass be known as a day of rest. A day that once a year the schools cadets could remain in there bunks and dormitories.
Last night’s celebrations had gone on well into the early hours of the morning and when General Chow walked along the quite corridors on his way to see General Krustov at first light he could not help himself feel pride at the schools marvellous design.
When Chow reached General Krustov’s room he knocked gently on the door.
“Come!” Answered Krustov who had long been awake and was already sitting at his desk in anticipation.
“Good morning General, I have the papers you requested.” Chow answered as he let himself in and joined him at the table. Krustov immediately began to read the papers and when he had read them he sat back and sighed out aloud.
“OUTSTANDING!, he remarked tapping his hand on the papers “ those are the finest scores I have ever seen, and not one discipline admonition in three years of tutelage amongst them, it is truly astonishing.” he added.
The old General Chow smiled proudly “I told you he was my finest cadet.” he responded proudly.
“Yes that he certainly is.” replied Krustov as he steered his eyes back onto the papers.
“Tell me Chow, what of his family? What we really know of them?” Krustov asked.
“He was born in Tallasian where his father is the teacher of our gladiator school there”
“Yes, yes Chow I know all of this, it’s in the report, what I want to know is what you know of them.” Krustov interrupted.
“Well we don’t know that much more, we know that he comes from a long line of Gladiators both his father and Grandfather fought many victories inside the arena.”
“What do you know of his Grandfather?”
“Not much really, we know that he lives in Tallasian with the family and I understand that he is a very quiet man who keeps his business to himself.”
“Has his family always lived in Tallasian?”
“Once again that is unknown, only his father has ever paid taxes, before him his family were just peasants.”
“Is there anything wrong General?” Chow inquisitively added.
General Krustov leaned back in his chair and hesitated slightly before giving his reply.
“There is nothing WRONG Chow it’s just I find it difficult to believe that Talon comes from peasant background, upon meeting him I sensed an air of significance about him, he has an ambience about him which one could almost call aristocratic.”
“Yes I have sensed that many times my friend, he radiates self-belief and assurance.” Chow replied.
The two General’s gathered their thoughts for a moment before Chow leaned across the table to get closer to General Krustov.
“Krustov we have known each other for many years now.” Chow’s voice then reduced to a whisper before continuing.
“I have come to think of you as a close and trusted friend Krustov, and it was I who asked specifically for yourself to be this year’s guest of honour, at the Festival of Pass, for I know you well enough as a man of fairness who acts upon what he sees for himself and not what he hears.”
“Go on.” Krustov said now keen to hear where this was going.
“What I ask of you is an act of humanity on behalf of Talon, I urge you to ensure that he is granted a fair chance. I have come to know him well and I feel incontestable that given an unbiased chance he would serve our Empire greatly, I ask you as a friend not to allow this exceptional boy’s civilian background to hinder his career.”
General Krustov breathed in deeply at his friends’ earnest plea.
“What you request is difficult Chow.” he said truthfully.
“His family’s civilian background cannot be blindly ignored, it is a highly unusual dilemma that we have before us. Even him being in the position he is in now is quite unique, his father was granted an almighty homage in allowing his son to enlist…true we have before us a young lad with exceptional abilities, but it is also valid that the law restricts him from certain positions, for example he may never be allowed to hold a station where the Emperor or high councils safety is in imperilment, nor shall he ever be promoted to a rank higher than Captain. These examples are regulations of the Empire and neither you nor I Chow can change them.”
A short silence fell between them as General Chow showed his obvious disgruntlement.
“Chow my dear friend.” Krustov said as he reached out to grab Chow’s arm “All I can give you is my assurance that Talon will be given every chance to succeed, I shall personally oversee his progress, beyond that there is nothing I can give.”
“Thank you General.” Chow warmly replied before rising to his feet.
After showing General Chow out of the room, General Krustov sat back down at his desk; his mind was still full of unanswered questions. Questions that he needed answers for, Talon had intrigued him and out of his own personal interest he wrote two letters to ambassadors at the Imperial embassies in Zanlia and Tallasian both asking for any history on Talon’s family. He then called in one of his personnel consuls and instructed him to take total charge that these letters arrived at their destinations.
Two days quickly passed for Talon and his two chosen companions before they were summoned to the quarters of General Chow for a final briefing and well wishes before their journey onto the Palace land commenced.
The three cadets were welcomed by Chow and asked to sit down; the whole affair was kept on an informal basis. These three cadets were now men of status, men soon to be given the rank of captain and apart from Talon, men who were on the right path to one day becoming General’s themselves. Chow now showed this in the new respectful way that he addressed them.
“Gentlemen once again I must begin by congratulating you, I feel certain that the three of you will do well in your new posts, and once again I must comment on what a great honour you have all achieved with your hard work,
The Palace land is soon to be your home and you must remember that only the very highest merit of soldier is permitted beyond the great wall. This and many other prizes that you will soon be privy to are your rewards for three hard and gratifying years of study. Secondly I would like you all to know that you have all filled me with pride it has been a great honour for me personally, and this school to have been involved with three exceptional students as yourself, I wish you all the best of luck in your new positions.”
General Chow then asked the three men to stand.
“As from this moment you are all dismissed from the Royal guard. Tomorrow at dawn you shall leave this place and make journey for the Palace lands, once again I bid you good fortune on your new tomorrow’s ... Dismissed.”
The three men sharply about turned and left the General’s quarters, only Talon mouthed a silent thank you as they left.
Talon returned to his room, he lay down onto his bed and thought about his packing, his mind then began to drift onto tomorrow’s journey. H
e began to wonder what the Palace lands would look like, to him and every other cadet it was a place held in great mystique. Cadets were never tutored upon the subject, the Palace lands was a subject shrouded in secrecy. Talon had never seen a map of it or engaged in any conversation of substance about it.
Talon found himself smiling and he clapped his hands loudly together in excitement, three years of study had now paid off, Talon could not wait for his reward.
The next morning Talon woke just before the crack of dawn, he knew that the beginning of his journey was going to be the traditional farewell, where everyone in the school would be on parade to pay their respects to the three chosen cadets. Talon was barely awake when a first year cadet knocked on his door.
“It begins.” Talon thought excited as he opened the door.
“Sir I am here to present you with your Palace guards uniform, you are to wear this attire when you leave, your escort shall be here shortly.” replied the cadet rather sternly before he looked over both his shoulders to see if anyone was looking then he added “ Good luck Talon.” with a wink as passed Talon the uniform.
When Talon shut his door he laid out his new garments onto the bed where he gazed at them for a few moments.
It was like nothing he had ever seen before, the collar and the lapels were embroidered with gold leaf thread.
He enthusiastically pulled it over his head, the garment reached to just above his knees, he then pulled a thick black leather belt adorned with the emperors seal around his waist before reaching down to his boots, he pulled on the new leather boots also coloured black and fastened there binds.
He then rose to his feet standing tall and proud as he looked at himself. Instantly he felt more important, Talon then reached down onto the bed and picked up his new sword. He gasped wondrously at the beauty of it and admired its blade that was sharpened to a razor, its handle was long and made of gold with a fine leather twine twisted around it. Talon swiped the air a few times as he marvelled at its balance. He then carefully put it down and reached for his new shield that was shaped like a diamond with a golden Imperial emblem in its middle. He ran his hand over its finely sculptured finish and once again marvelled at its design.
When the escorts came for Talon they found him dressed, eager and waiting, his belongings had been packed and one of his escorts took hold of them while the other escort draped a large blue cape around Talons shoulders before ushering him out of the room.
Once Talon was outside and into the square he could not help himself fill with delight at what he saw.
Every one of the schools cadets were present in the square, all wearing their brightest uniforms and standing to attention, as Talon and his two colleagues passed they were saluted and cheered.
The three men marched over to General Chow who was standing beside eight Imperial Palace guard Captain’s, all dressed in the same uniform as Talon with their huge royal blue capes draped around them making each man look very splendid and regal, Talon also noted the air of importance that shone like a beacon from them, they stood tall and proud and radiated confidence and strength.
General Chow greeted them warmly before moving in front of each man and saluting them.
“Go with honour and Pride.”
Talon and his colleagues were then shown to their horses, which were also draped in Imperial colours. The three men rode off with the cheers off the crowd ringing in their ears.
Even as they left the compounds of the military school they were cheered and saluted by the soldiers who lined the streets, Talon could not help feel overwhelmed. This was a sight and feeling that only by experience could one understand how important and revered the Imperial Palace guard was. Talon felt joyful beyond belief,
His whole world was now fitting into place, as the promise of riches and substance engulfed him.
Chapter 5
It took Talon two days on horseback riding east to reach the spectacular great wall of Tash, the three men brought their horses to a stop and stood motionless as they sat in awe at the sheer size of the fabled wall; it stretched for as far as the eye could see, north to south. It stood a mammoth one hundred feet tall built from brick and mortar, and stretched into the sea to the north and reached across two provinces to the great lake in the south. It had taken centuries to build. One of the escorts boasted proudly of its magnificence as he noticed the fascination of the three cadets.
They rode up to a large and heavily guarded gate where the escorts showed their passes and after a thorough examination they were allowed to proceed.
As Talon rode through the heavy gates he noted the density of the wall, it was immense, and he also observed stairways going up to its top he guessed.
Once on the other side he gasped in wonderment as his eyes were greeted with what appeared another world. The landscape was covered with the finest tendered dark green grass, the roads were finely pebbled, there were palm trees lining the roads and pines resting on the sloping hillsides, even the sky was different with not a cloud in sight.
He could smell the odours of the conifers as their freshness wafted down from the hills resting upon a gentle warm breeze. This truly must be a paradise Talon thought; never had his young eyes and senses witnessed such beauty.
They proceeded along one of the pebbled roads until they were met by a regal looking soldier dressed in the same attire as they were, the man introduced himself as their guide to their destination and dismissed their escort for the last two days.
“My name is Captain Weshk, I will be your guide to the Imperial military school.”
Once introductions were made the four men resumed their journey.
By noon they reached the first big town and military barracks, they had been travelling slowly up a large hill and when they reached the top they got there first sight of the valley below.
“The Palace land!” Captain Weshk proudly pointed out.
Below them sat a huge valley that was filled with buildings and dwellings. They began to descend the hill never once taking their eyes from the town; even captain Weshk who had rode these pebbled paths countless times before marvelled at the splendid sight below. Talon noticed a another valley to his right where he could see the most glorious Palace castle he could ever imagine, it rose high into the air and looked as if it was carved from solid marble.
“That is the Emperor’s Palace.” captain Weshk said noticing Talon’s attention to it.
“I have never seen nor dreamt of something so majestic.” Talon replied.
“Ha! You will come to discover many things of magnificence in this land comrade.”
After a long decline on the finely pebbled road that stretched around the sloping hills they finally reached the bottom of the valley and the entrance to the town. Then suddenly Talon heard the sound of stampeding horses, Captain Weshk hastily demanded Talon and his companions to pull their horses off the road.
“Make way! Make way!” Weshk pressingly cried.
Talon and his men only just pulled their horses from the road in time as over a hundred soldiers hurriedly rode by. Talon turned abruptly in slight anger towards the passing soldiers and to his astonishment he saw they were not men. They resembled men, but they had small horns in the centre of their foreheads and small tails on the backs of the heads. He also noticed how muscular these creatures were. Finally when all the horses had passed he turned with a puzzled look upon his face to captain Weshk.
“They are the Emperor’s personal guard, and they have absolute power here. If they order you to do something, then obey and obey quickly for they are not known for their patience.”
Talon once again turned to the direction of the soldiers who were now disappearing into the horizon “what kind of land has creatures such as these? This realm has many surprises for me, I must be at my best.” he silently thought as his short lived enthusiasm and wonder manifested to caution.
Upon their arrival at their new military school, they were routinely shown to their rooms; Talon’s first i
mpression of the school was how tense the atmosphere seemed. There was complete silence and one could almost taste its strictness.
Once inside their rooms they were told that they had one hour to wash and dress before they would be summoned before the school principle General Koolga.
Talon unpacked his belongings before he washed, he had just sat down upon his bed when the door of his quarters was forcefully pushed open and three Palace guards walked in “on your feet soldier! We are here to escort you to General Koolga.” bawled the stockier of the two.
Talon was made to march at full pace to the other side of the school, the stocky soldier led him while the other two marched at his side.
Talon was then directed into a dimly lit room, where he was made to stand facing away from the door in the centre.
“Stand there!” He was told as the soldiers left the room and loudly slammed the door. He was left alone for what seemed an eternity where he found himself wondering briefly if he had done something wrong. Suddenly the door behind him was opened and he heard the footsteps of three men enter before the door was once again slammed loudly behind them. Talons first thought was to turn to see who’s there but he composed himself and decided it best to do nothing unless ordered to.
One of the men walked forward and then in front of him. His uniform was that of a General, he was a man in his fifties with a strong athletic build and a face so stern and serious that Talon quickly wondered if it had ever smiled before.
The General pushed his face closely up to Talon’s and looked him deeply in the eyes
“You are now a soldier in the Imperial Palace guard, that right you have earned, your existence now is to obey study and serve DO YOU UNDERSTAND!” The General sternly said
“YES SIR.” Talon replied with equal sternness.
The General then quickly walked away and Talon heard the door behind him open and close, his instincts told him he was not alone. Then one of the soldiers, the stocky one whom had escorted him to this gloomy room walked round to the front of him “your miserable life now belongs to the Emperor!” He snarled in a voice that had tones of a growl more than language. Talon’s eyes fell to the soldier’s throat where he noticed a monstrous scar across it, an old wound that obviously bestows the grit and harshness in this man’s voice, he thought.
Zachania Page 7