He would die of thirst and radiation sickness in a matter of days.
"On days like these," Barth admitted, "I desperately hate my talent."
"Truth is a hard thing to deal with, my friend," I told him. "Far better that, than the lies which began the End-War."
CHAPTER 6
Sherra
Execution and banishment. Two sides of the same coin. Ura died at the hands of the King's executioners, in a terrible blast that she had no defense against.
We were not forced to witness it; Armon and Levi told us afterward that it was done. Merrin had been banished to the poisoned lands after his power was removed, where he would die a horrible death.
Armon informed me in mindspeak that Merrin cursed the King's Diviner, the King and the Crown Prince before he was stepped away.
I had no idea how this affected Kerok; I felt empty and only wished to be left alone. Instead, Wend, Jae and the others crowded about me, feeling lost and confused.
We were two trainees down, now. How had Ura thought she might get away with bedding someone? It was forbidden by law, and the penalty was death. How would the Bulldog react to this news? Would she take her anger out on the rest of us?
"It'll be all right," I lied and wrapped my arms around Wend, who wept silent tears.
Armon had been named Kerok's second-in-command after Merrin's banishment—I had no argument with that. My argument was with the laws, the King, The Book of the Rose and the infernal, cursed enemy who forced these things upon us.
K erok
"Your command?" Armon ventured to ask after a protracted silence on my part. I sat in an empty office at the Command Center, attempting to force the day's events from my mind.
I'd stepped Merrin to the poisoned lands myself. He had no kind words for me before I left.
"Your brother hates you, you know," Merrin had barked a laugh. "Maybe you'll find my bones when he sends you here one day."
"Perhaps I will, but it won't be because I disobeyed the King's laws," I'd snapped before stepping back to the Command Center. Merrin was a dead man and he knew it—if I'd stayed longer, he may have bargained for his life.
I had no desire to listen. He and Drenn were responsible for a trainee's death, and I wouldn't forgive either of them for that.
"Order a night march," I said, rising from my chair. "They won't sleep unless they're exhausted. We'll remedy that."
"I'll see to it." Armon walked out of the office; I watched him go. I'll come with you, I mindspoke. It's only fair.
Sherra
"The Commander has ordered a night march," Armon entered our barracks, Levi right behind him. "You have ten minutes to dress properly. Meet Levi outside; he will lead you to the starting point."
"Are we being punished too?" Jae whispered.
"I don't think so," I mumbled. "Get your gear on. We'll get through this."
What followed was a grueling six-hour march, from dusk until the small hours of the following morning. By that time, we'd reached the first of many domed, southern farms outside the King's City.
If I hadn't been exhausted, I'd have asked many questions. As it was, I saw sheep for the first time in my life—while they were sleeping.
There, a truck waited to haul us back to our barracks. Most of us were asleep when we reached that destination.
Only Armon, Levi and Kerok were fully awake during the trip back; all thoughts of the previous day's events had left us, we were so tired.
"Clean up and get in bed," Levi barked at us when we stirred to climb out of the vehicle. "Breakfast will be served at the usual time. Be prepared for drills and exercises afterward."
I heard soft grumbling as we walked toward our barracks, shepherded by Levi and Armon. Kerok didn't follow; instead, he stepped away, perhaps to his own shower and bed.
K erok
We didn't call a halt until more than one had staggered in the march, which took longer than I imagined it would.
There'd been no complaints, either—Levi and Armon kept a close watch on their charges while I marched behind them.
More than once, my eyes strayed to—and stayed on—Sherra. Throughout the long march, her back had remained straight and she never stumbled. By the time Armon called a halt, we were all covered in sweat and dust. I didn't fail to notice that the trainees gathered around Sherra while we waited for our vehicle to arrive to take us back.
If we were lucky, we'd get four hours' sleep before breakfast. My exhaustion was the reason I considered firing a fireblast at my brother, who waited beside Hunter when I returned to my private quarters.
"Father says I have to apologize," Drenn refused to meet my eyes.
I'm not sure I'd ever exploded at Drenn—not like this, anyway.
"Apologize?" I hissed while he hung his head. "Apologize to me?" I thumped my chest. "You should be apologizing to every escort trainee who came here. You killed one of theirs. I don't give a fuck whether she was the worst of the lot—she was a shield for our warriors. A weapon against the enemy. A woman who could mean the difference in whether we stand or fall. Apologize to me? Go and apologize to every warrior and warrior trainee in this city, and on the battlefield, because they may have to wait to get a shield. You crippled us in a way you can never fix, brother. Apologize to me? Fuck you, Drenn. Get out of my quarters and out of my sight."
Hunter only lifted an eyebrow in my direction as he ushered Drenn from my quarters. At that moment, I didn't care if I ever saw my brother again. The laws should apply to him as much as they'd applied to Merrin.
Drenn found himself protected by the privilege of birth.
Fuck that.
Sherra
Our group was quiet at breakfast. Yes, we were still tired from our night march, but there was an empty space in our company—two actually.
Eight of the ten of us remained. I wondered if Kerok had known that some of us wouldn't be returning to North Camp when he made his selections. Neither he nor the others had warned us of that possibility, but then I'd finally realized that some information was deliberately withheld from us, as if the questions answered were by design and preapproved in some way.
I wanted to ask Kerok about that, but it was a question better kept to myself. He was just as capable at barking in mindspeak as he was aloud.
Everything came back to the why for me—the why of Merrin's actions, when he knew what the consequences would be.
As for Ura, she knew better, too. The Bulldog had shouted the rules to us on the first day, and on many days afterward, as if she were afraid we'd forget.
Had Merrin done this before? I wondered. Had he gotten away with it, so he decided to try it again?
You're thinking too much again, Armon warned in mindspeak. Finish your breakfast. We have drills to do.
Dipping my head in a silent nod, I went back to my food.
K erok
"I told Kage to come to the training camp in a few weeks if he wanted to see the shielding lessons," I told Armon, who stood beside me at the edge of the training field while Levi called drills for the trainees before the midday meal. "None of them are up for it right now."
"Hmmph," Armon snorted a laugh. "When we started this trip, I thought deaths were the remotest of possibilities."
"Merrin fucked up," I stated baldly.
"I heard from one of the warrior instructors that they're having a hard time stopping rumors among their trainees. They should never have been exposed to even the barest of hints about this sort of thing." Armon shook his head at the worrisome complexity of the situation.
He only had half the story, too. What would happen if they suspected my older brother was shoulder-deep in Merrin's duplicity? That Drenn was just as guilty as Merrin?
I think what bothered me most, however, were the lies they'd told—that they could protect Ura, when nothing was further from the truth.
She'd died for it, and Drenn's hands were just as bloody as Merrin's in the matter. "What will you tell the Bulldog when we get back the
re tomorrow?" Armon asked.
"I've given it some thought. I think a letter from the King ought to take care of some things, don't you?"
"That would certainly convince me. Do you think Merrin is dead?"
"Yes—if not now, then soon. He was dead the moment I left him there, and he knew it."
Armon's jaw worked for a moment, as if he wanted to say something else. "Speak your mind, Armon," I said. "It will go no further."
"Do you think he did it before, and thought he could get away with it again?"
"It's possible, and that troubles me a great deal." Armon would never know that I silently included my brother in that answer.
Sherra
My legs ached when we finished morning drills and marched toward the mess hall for the midday meal. It was a relief just to sit down for a while to eat.
Levi and Armon were showing signs of wear, too, but I didn't mention it. Armon would only say I was thinking too much again.
"Lieutenant, when will we leave tomorrow? To go back to camp?" Wend pointed her question to Levi, who sat at the end of our table.
"After midday meal," Levi replied. "Commander Kerok has appointments in the morning, so we'll leave afterward."
I hunched my shoulders at the news; I wasn't looking forward to seeing the Bulldog again, especially after one of her pets had committed a crime and died for it.
Yes, I thought it unfair. Only the King's black rose trainees and warrior troops were sentenced to death for this crime—civilians could have sex with anyone they wanted, although the usual issue of jealousy often cropped up and caused problems of its own.
My mixed feelings on Ura's death plagued me, too. Why did it matter so much that she be virgin when she chose a warrior to protect? As for Merrin, I couldn't think on him without seeing my darkest anger manifest.
He was an officer—a Captain in the King's army. He knew better. He knew what the consequences could be, yet he did it anyway.
He deserved his fate—or worse, in my opinion.
I was staring into space, not seeing anything when Armon rapped on the table next to my plate. It startled me and I let out an involuntary yelp.
Thinking too much, he reminded me. I nodded before scraping potatoes off the plate with my fork and shoving the food in my mouth.
K erok
Lilies were scarce this time of year; nevertheless, I'd gathered the few I could find to lay on Grae's resting place in Father's private garden. Only a tiny, blue-flecked lump of granite marked the spot where her ashes lay.
Lilies were Grae's favorite—I'd gifted them to her on her birthdays while she was with me. The rest of her belongings had been returned to her family after her death—I imagined they'd been sold or given to this one or that, as luxuries were hard to come by in most of the villages.
I thought about keeping a few things, but realized it was to assuage my guilt and pile unnecessary expectations onto the one who took Grae's place.
I'd seen all the trainees, and my only decision so far was that Sherra would go to someone else, because I couldn't bear to watch her die.
"Hunter tells me you spoke plainly to your brother," Father came to stand beside me. "I knew you'd come here before you left today."
"He deserves worse," I pointed out.
"Yes. I just couldn't bear the loss," Father admitted. "Those who know—besides Hunter and my trusted advisor, are standing in this garden. That information will stay where it is."
"Father, there is no need to worry," I sighed. "Drenn's life is safe." Although it shouldn't be, I mentally added. "Just don't ever tell me that the girl's life was less important," I snapped when Father opened his mouth to speak.
"I won't." He looked away, as if I'd pointed out a flaw in him. Perhaps I had. He'd never stood on the battlefield, either, or had to worry about protecting as many of our troops as possible.
We had bodies to fight with; the enemy had machines—and the tools and facilities to build more.
My grandfather, when he was still alive, said it was shortsighted on our part to build only farms instead of manufacturing concerns more than six hundred years past. It didn't matter how many times you might wish for things to change in the past; they never would.
"What are you thinking about?" Father interrupted my silence.
"Past mistakes and irrational enemies," I replied. "I must go, Father. Do your best to keep Drenn out of future troubles." I stepped away before he could respond.
Sherra
We were stepped back to North Camp two hours after the midday meal, and found ourselves in the same place we'd met only a few days earlier for our impromptu mission.
Ura and one other were missing from our group; Captain Merrin and another warrior I didn't know were no longer with the warrior's group.
Across the field, I could see the low building that housed the classrooms. Somewhere inside, no doubt, the Bulldog was presenting her lessons as she usually did, with no idea that one of her pets would never return.
"Wend, Jae, Sherra," Armon joined the three of us. "I have a letter for the Bulldog, from the King. It explains recent events." He pulled the message from a wide, side pocket of his trousers. "I'll walk with you and deliver it personally."
My shoulders sagged in relief; I'd worried that he'd ask one of us to deliver it, which would draw the Bulldog's wrath upon any messenger Armon chose.
Instead, he'd chosen himself for this task, and I was more than grateful. We walked toward the classroom building with Armon, while Caral, Neka and the others followed. I hoped the others would be welcomed back; I held no such hope for myself.
"Wait," Kerok trotted up beside us. "I'll come with you."
I released a heavy sigh. The Bulldog's reaction was unpredictable in this, and even more so after Kerok and Armon left us with her.
K erok
The Bulldog's head jerked in our direction the moment Armon knocked on her classroom door.
"Yes?" She sounded short and impatient—until I stepped up beside Armon. Sherra and the others waited to the side of the door after Armon placed them there. There was no need to announce Ura's absence early to the class. Already, Veri, sitting at the front of the class, craned her neck to look around Armon and me.
"We lost two trainees on the mission," Armon stepped into the classroom. I followed, after motioning for the trainees to come in and take their seats. "One of them, unfortunately, was one of yours," Armon continued. "I have a letter from the King, explaining Ura's death."
Veri's gasp was audible throughout the room—others whispered to their neighbors until the Bulldog barked at them to stay silent.
Armon held out the letter; the Bulldog moved forward to snatch it from his fingers. I cleared my throat—there was no need to be rude to Armon, who'd had nothing to do with any of this.
The Bulldog only knew me as Commander Kerok. Few knew my real name and rank. My father gave her some leeway in his letter. I'd see her dismissed myself if she continued down the path she'd chosen.
I was filled to the brim with my disgust for favoritism, and that started at the top with my brother and fell down the lists, until it landed on Ura and the Bulldog.
"This can't be right," the Bulldog shook the letter at Armon after reading it.
"It is right—the King's Diviner discovered it, and the King enforced the laws in the matter," I answered before Armon could. I wasn't willing to listen to more whining. Not today—or any day in the future.
That's why I chose to address the Bulldog's class while she stood by, fuming in silent disagreement. "Ura will not return to this class—she was executed after it was discovered that she'd had sex with another—an officer among the warriors. He is also dead—left to die in the poisoned lands for his misdeeds."
Trainee's faces went pale as I spoke the truth to them. "It will behoove us all to obey the King's laws and work hard to protect our lands from the enemy. No trainee or warrior will be spared if they run afoul of the rules. The other trainee who did not return perished
during an engagement with the enemy. She died with honor beside one of my warriors. She is honored by the King and the death toll has been paid to her village."
Swift glances were exchanged at those words. There were two ways to die, once you were taken into the King's army—with honor, or without.
"See to the proper training of your students," I glared at the Bulldog before stalking from her classroom, Armon right on my heels.
Sherra
I don't know what else the King wrote in his letter to the Bulldog, but I think something broke in her that day. No, she didn't stop hissing and snarling at me; Wend, Jae and Tera became bigger targets for her malevolency afterward, as if she blamed us for Ura's indiscretion.
Veri certainly blamed us for Ura's death, and made that known to us after classes were over for the day. "This is your fault," she snapped as I strode through the classroom door. She'd waited there for me, instead of heading toward the mess hall to eat, as she should have done.
"Ura did this to herself," Wend hissed at Veri. Jae and I held her back; I imagined she wished to take a swing at Veri for her accusation.
Veri hadn't been there through any of this. She may have been in pain over a friend's death, but that remained to be seen. Ura had been a compatriot and a fellow pet for the Bulldog, and those two had armed themselves against the rest of us.
Now there was only one to make our lives miserable, and it appeared that she would cover for the loss of the other, by doing twice the damage she normally did.
"Do you know what it's like?" I said, causing Veri to stop as she turned to walk away from us.
"What?" she retorted, as I'd had the temerity—in her mind—to speak to her.
"What it's like to be under fire?" I asked. "To wonder whether you're going to live through the next few minutes, because the enemy's bombs are bursting against your shields and all around you?"
The Rose Mark: Black Rose Sorceress, Book 1 Page 8