When I’m finished, I head back up to my dorm room and rush through a shower so I can make it for the progress meeting. The meetings have been closed off to anybody who will not be attending the battle.
I push through the doors of the great hall, pleased to actually be early for once. I make my way up the front to give myself a perfect view and take a seat, just left of the podium, leaving front and center for the council and Guard members. I watch silently as people begin to trickle in, filling the great room within minutes.
Rylan stands against the wall on the opposite side of the room watching me with his dark smouldering gaze and his perfect body wrapped up in his favorite leather jacket. He sends me a wink when he catches me checking him out that causes a wicked grin to creep across my face.
I break my gaze away from him, knowing if I continue to openly gawk like the moron I am, I will give away my feelings.
Five minutes later the room is busting at the seams and a short, skinny man in a suit makes his appearance on the podium. “Quiet please,” he awkwardly says then gives it another try, this time starting with a clearing of his voice. “Excuse me, can we all settle down,” he says.
I giggle to myself as this pretentious idiot continues to try to win the rooms attention. Rylan catches my reaction and shakes his head in exasperation then saunters up onto the stage and gives an ear shattering whistle. “Shut it,” he orders as the room instantly falls into silence. He smirks at me and leaves the stage, leaving the idiot to commence the meeting.
Thirty minutes later, the man reluctantly removes himself from the podium, not having told us a damn thing that we didn’t already know. Brett Norrington takes his place on the podium. He scans the room and stops when his eyes land on me. He gives me a curious look before he continues looking upon his people.
My eyes find Rylan across the room who’s watching his father with his eyebrows pulled together in suspicion. He finds my questioning gaze and shrugs his shoulders, unsure of his father’s intentions.
Brett commences his part of the meeting, going over all sorts of formalities. If this wasn’t such a life threatening situation, I probably would have been excited to be a part of this meeting with all the new things I’ve learned.
Brett keeps his part short and finishes up by inviting Rylan up to the podium to discuss strategy and tactics. Rylan glares at his father, but none the less, makes his way up to the podium for the second time and immediately launches into our strategy, putting an amazing plan of attack together. A plan which has the whole room nodding along in agreement. He glances down at me and I give him a smile to convey just how proud I am. A warm glow radiates from him as he takes in my smile. He finishes up quickly and makes his way down off the podium and back into his position against the wall.
And that’s when all hell breaks loose. A man dragging a nearly unconscious Kaylee comes in through a side door. Rylan stands up straighter taking in the sight of his sister as the room erupts into gasps and shouts. The man dumps her in the center of the stage where she collapses to the ground, and that’s when I notice she’s beaten and bloodied.
I’m on my feet and taking a step towards her when my progress is halted by Rylan, who’s suddenly standing right beside me with a hand grasping my elbow. “Let go,” I hiss. “I have to stop them.”
“No,” he insists, his voice extremely pained. “You cannot go against The Guard, it will not end well. We will get her another way,” he promises. I glance up into his eyes to find them locked heavily on his sister, his face the perfect mask of calmness, though, I see the horror behind his eyes.
I have to do something. He took my burdens away. I need to do the same for him.
The room is called to order and everyone calms down around me. Brett Norrington stands and approaches the podium. “What is the meaning of this?” he asks the man.
“She isn’t talking. I’ve tried everything,” he says. “I think it’s come the time to vote on her life. I say we take her out and capture a new fairy, one that’s more easily swayed,” he suggests.
The room breaks into low chatter, but my loud resounding, “No,” echoes off the walls, getting the rooms attention as I break Rylan’s hold and sprint forward. All eyes are on me as I realize what I’ve just done. Brett glance across to me, meeting my eyes with a curious look of his own as a handful of soldiers rush forward and grab my arms in restraint.
“Let the child through,” Brett demands of his men who immediately let go. I glance over to a shocked Rylan who has only just stopped himself from coming after me with worry written all over his face.
“No?” Brett asks, gaining my attention and raising an eyebrow in question.
“No,” I confirm. “You can’t kill her.”
“And why not?” he questions.
“Because she’s the answer to our problem,” I say as if it is the most obvious thing in the world. “Have you considered that she hasn’t said anything because the fey have not yet made their decision?”
“Of course, I have considered this, however it does not explain why she refuses to help us in any other way.”
I look him straight in the eyes. “May I be frank with you?” I ask. Hearing the nearly inaudible groan coming from Rylan, though little does he know, his groan is what spurs me on.
“Of course, my dear. Be my guest.”
I give him a slight nod. “Kaylee Neill was not brought here to give information about her race. She was asked to give us a warning the moment the fey made their decision. She is part fey and was removed from The Guard when she was still a child, taken from her family for a reason beyond her control. She has absolutely no loyalty to us. And why should she?” I add, getting a few shocked gasps from the crowd.
“Take it from my experience. Less than four days ago, I had a room full of Fairy Knights torturing me until I was begging for death, but do you think that worked? Do you think I caved and gave them what they wanted? No. If anything, it made me stronger, more determined to not give them what they wanted. Kaylee has already agreed that she will give us the warning when the decision is made. We now need to show our faith that she will follow through with this. However, if we follow the current path,” I say holding up a finger. “A. She’s never going to give us the warning, and B. She’ll most likely be too weak to sense when the decision has been made.”
He looks at me thoughtfully for a moment before asking. “Why do you believe that she will follow through with this?”
“Because she has already betrayed every person that means anything to her. She gave me up to the Fey, she lied to her family and abandoned them,” I say, purposefully not using Rylan’s name as to not draw any more unwanted attention to him. “And lastly, she has already been labelled a traitor by the Fey. She cannot return without being killed, and I can only imagine her punishment if she were to lie to us. I believe we should have faith in her because this is her only shot at finding redemption and her only chance at survival.”
Brett watches me as he makes up his mind, his eyes quickly flashing to Rylan. “Ok, child. We’ll take a chance on the part fey,” he says, then immediately dismisses the meeting. The room instantly leaves, but I remain standing in my position staring at Brett.
I sense Rylan come and stand behind me and attempt to draw me away, but I resist. “Can we clean her up and feed her?” I ask not breaking eye contact.
He takes in a deep breath and gives a slight nod then turns his attention on Rylan. “You’ve got yourself a good one, son,” he says low enough for only our ears. “She has a big heart,” he adds in approval.
Rylan grunts and turns away, taking the two steps up to the podium and scoops his sister off the floor.
“Thank you,” I say to Brett before I turn and follow Rylan out the door.
An hour later, I sit beside Rylan on the couch in his apartment after cleaning Kaylee up and forcing a bit of water and painkillers into her system before tucking her in bed for some well needed rest.
“I’m sorry I did that,” I
say, referring to jumping up in the middle of the meeting.
“You could have gotten yourself in a lot of trouble. But I just can’t find it in me to fault you,” he says. “Even though I desperately want to hate her for what she did to you, I can’t. She’s my sister, my family. And no matter what, I love her,” he adds taking a deep breath.
“I know,” I say, reaching for his hand and lacing our fingers. “That’s why I did it.”
“You know, as much of an ass my father is, he’s right about one thing. You, Bianca Moore, have one hell of a big heart,” he says.
----------
That afternoon, I head back to my dorm to fill Jacinta in on everything that happened today when a knock sounds at the door, physical and emotional exhaustion takes over as I groan on my way to answer the door.
I fling it open wide. “Yeah?” I ask rudely before I even look who’s there. I raise my eyes to meet the suit covered man before me. “Shit, I mean, sorry. Hi, how can I help you?” I ask as Brett Norrington stands in my doorway.
“Shit,” I hear Jacinta exclaim behind me as she takes in who stands at our door, though I expect it from her as she still has no idea this man is Rylan’s father.
“Bianca, may I request a private audience with you?” he asks, ever so formal. A million questions start flowing through my mind, what could this be about? Am I about to get an ass whopping for what I did during the meeting? Will I get questioned about Kaylee’s current state and if she said anything? Or am I going to be drilled on my relationship with Rylan?
“Oh, of course,” I say, turning around to grab my jacket and find Jacinta standing by her bed with her jaw to the ground. I pull my jacket on and head for the door, closing it behind me as I don’t trust Jacinta to try and tag along, well that is if she can get herself together.
“Thank you for meeting with me,” he says. I look up at him as he leads me across campus and stops at a table that’s far enough away from the main grounds that we’ll not be disturbed. Now that he stands right next to me, I begin to notice the similarities between the father and son, which is pretty much everything from the broad shoulders, to the height, hair colour and eyes. Though, Rylan must have gotten the gold specks from his mother.
“Sure, what can I help you with?” I ask as he indicates for me to take a seat.
“Honestly, nothing really. I just wanted to get to know the woman who my son has fallen in love with,” he says with an embarrassed smile.
“Oh,” I say taken off guard. “There’s really not much to know.”
“Bianca, I’ve known you for only a few short days and I can already tell you are an impeccable young woman,” he says. “Why don’t you start with what made you want to join the combat program?”
Ok. Great. He started with an easy one. We fall into conversation and I realize, that this guy is really not that bad. He isn’t the showy, tough luck leader that he makes himself out to be in public, but a caring father, just wanting to know what’s going on in his son's life.
“Do you mind if I ask a bit of a tricky question?” I ask.
“Sure,” he answers easily.
“Well, about a week ago, I received a letter from the Council saying that I will be required to leave the Academy and join a mentoring program for females across the world who may be interested in combat,” I explain. “And well, it’s pretty clear that this is a plan to raise our numbers in the front line to be better prepared for a war with the Fey, but I guess I was wondering, if we defeat the Fey now, wouldn’t that make the mentor program kind of pointless?”
“I’m not sure, Bianca,” he says. “I guess we will have to wait to see what the outcome of our battle will be.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I say glumly.
“Why do you not sound too happy about it?” he asks.
I look up at him as I respond. “Look, I mean absolutely no disrespect, but I don’t want to do it. I was born to fight on the front lines, kicking ass, not being holed up in classrooms, teaching a bunch of kids about stuff that they probably don’t care about. I want to stay and graduate then get my assignment at the ceremony, just like everyone else,” I explain.
“I understand,” he says.
“I don’t mean to inflate my own ego, but you honestly won’t understand until you see me fight,” I say confidentially.
He smiles at me and nods. “Now, why don’t you ask me what you really want to know?”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to pry,” I say.
“Go ahead.”
“How did you know Rylan and I are together? I mean, I’ve been in love with him since the beginning of the year and no one has worked it out, but you’re here a few days and have got it crystal clear,” I ask.
“Well, I would like to say that I’m just that good, when really it was a few big red arrows pointing to the answer,” he starts. “You see, I have watched Rylan from afar and I like to think I know him pretty well, well enough to know that he would never go against The Guard and break procedures. However, the moment you went missing he stormed in here demanded a meeting with The Guard to launch a rescue mission, which, no offence, due to the severity of your case, it was denied before it even got too high up the ladder. Rylan went and performed an unauthorised rescue mission in the Fairy Kingdom of all places, practically a suicide mission, took underage students off the school grounds, and shot dead the Fairy Queen all to save your life,” he explains. “To me, that screams one thing. He is in love with you. He then confirmed it later during the initial meeting, the way he looks at you and you him, it’s as if you are the only two in the room. The people around you are blind for not seeing the truth.”
I nod in agreeance, that yes, the majority of this academy is blind.
“You clearly love him yourself. Why did you not stick around to be his father?” I ask, hoping I’m not digging too deep.
Brett takes a deep breath and gives me a sad smile. “As you would know, having a child out of wedlock in The Guard is extremely frowned upon. At the time, my father was the current leader and I would soon be taking over the leadership. A bastard baby would have taken my title away from me, as I have no brothers, it would have been the end of the Norrington line in leadership. You see, I was very in love with Rylan’s mother, in fact, I still am, though she was still very hung up on Kaylee’s father, a Fairy Knight of all people. Shelby refused my hand in marriage and wanted to keep the baby. From that moment, I knew I could never be in my child’s life, not the way in which is acceptable to The Guard, especially for its leader. I needed to be an example for my people so I removed myself from the picture. It’s my one and only regret in life, to not have my boy by my side.”
I reach out a hand and place it on top of his. “He’s an amazing man,” I say.
“Oh, I know, he’s remarkable. I am so proud of who he’s grown into.”
“Rylan mentioned you’ve recently been trying to get in contact,” I ask, hoping Rylan doesn’t kick my ass for this later.
“Yes,” he says bluntly, thinking over his answer. “I’m sure you would know how the leadership works, being passed on from father to son,” he says, leaving the answer hanging in the air. “I’m getting older and my time is nearly up.”
“You mean to tell me, Rylan is the next leader of The Guard?” I ask.
“Indeed,” he confirms with a tight smile.
“Rylan is like me, he was born to be in the front line. He’ll never accept that,” I say, realizing how The Guard now wants to screw both our lives and also why Rylan has done so much research on fighting it.
Brett lets out a low laugh. “That’s exactly what he said. Though, not in as many words,” he smirks and I imagine the harsh response Rylan would have given.
He’s quiet for a short while, then looks me dead in the eyes. “You know, what Rylan did to save you, launching an unauthorised rescue mission and taking underage students into battle is illegal in The Guards eyes,” he explains. “He would be looking at some harsh consequences.
The fact that he took out the Fairy Queen and has lead the battle of all battles could help his matter. But the truth about his lineage, while damaging to my reputation, would be his saving grace,” he says, letting that sink in. “You need to help him make the right decision.”
Chapter 23
I wake the next morning with dread floating high in my stomach and I just know today is the day.
I dress in loose clothes that can be changed in a heartbeat as I’ll most likely be given a uniform to match the rest of the front line. I make my way down to the cafeteria and eat a big breakfast, making sure I give myself enough food to give me energy all day. I notice the eerie feel of the cafeteria, as the other men on the front lines all sit quietly in their own thoughts, maybe it’s not just me who believes today is the day.
I pack a few things that I can munch on throughout the day and head for the exit. I pass Alex and Luke on my way out, who both wear glum and frightened looks on their faces and for once, I don’t get a snide comment as I pass.
I head straight over to the Great Hall for the morning Progress Meeting, even though it doesn’t start for another 45 minutes. I enter the great room to find a few people with the same thoughts as me, sitting around the podium, just waiting for the madness.
Twenty minutes later, Rylan enters the hall in his full uniform with Kaylee trailing behind and if I wasn’t so side tracked by how sexy he looks in uniform I would have noticed how Kaylee is looking a whole lot better than she had the day before. He makes his way over then takes a seat a few spaces down from me. He gets up and heads into a side door, leaving Kaylee to herself. I scoot over and take the empty seat next to her, noticing how ridged and fidgety she is, very unlike her.
Decimate: The Guard Trilogy Page 21