by S King
“What’s wrong?”
Shaking the pills in my closed fist, I considered my options. I could tell Eikko now, knowing that Orrie was never wrong when he gave me information, and watch his heart turn ice cold. Or, the more plausible thing, I could protect him with a pretty little lie.
“Nothing, I slept too much, and I have a meeting to head to. Listen,” I pushed my light blonde hair out of my face as I looked into his worried rose-pink eyes, “I have to go to Xerminara's pogreb and it’s going to be done with all the stops. You can go or you can stay here, but I need to know now.”
He smirked in that way that told me he was going to choose the most convenient route.
“I’ll go with you,” taking a step closer to me, he tucked my hair behind my ear without saying anything else and left the bathroom.
I could never read his mind or guess where his thoughts were when he did simple gestures like that. They were sweet and held an intimacy that I’d never known, so what did it mean?
I knew from conversations and observations that Eikko was a terrible flirt, wrapping anyone around his finger with just a look from those heartbreak eyes of his, but maybe there was something behind his handsome exterior.
Either way, I was wasting time and needed to refocus on what I needed to do and that didn’t include trying to figure out the inner workings of Eikko’s mind.
Snatching my warrior tags from the counter, I shut off the drone lights before leaving my domicile to go to the military base offices.
Like the meeting before the battle, all of the top-ranking officials of the military were seated around the large table. Army General Lèas Fauve was seated at the head of the table and motioned for me to sit at the foot of the table.
I did, nodding to the other officials in respect before devoting my attention to Fauve.
“Today’s meeting is in regard to Xerminara Sif’s podreg. The family has requested that she be sent off with top honors and merits. To be specific, the family has asked that the military allow Mrs. Sif to be inducted into the lieutenants district as a second ranked lieutenant.”
“Her actions while she was alive—” started second Colonel Lafuz Donald.
“Were understandable,” I interjected, pinning my superior officer with a hard stare. “She was rightfully upset, given the circumstances. In turn, she sacrificed herself in order to save her squadron. Her debt to the military has been paid.”
He narrowed his bright sandstone eyes on me and leaned forward on the table, “Major, weren’t you the one that requested that we strip her of her merits and rank, due to the evidence that you yourself produced?”
“Yes, however, second Colonel, with all due respect.” I crossed my arms over my chest, “you were not on that battlefield when Mrs. Sif repaid her faults.”
A tic in his jaw told me that we were on opposite sides of the decision and next to nothing was going to change his mind. In truth, it was unheard of for someone that died on the battlefield to be posthumously granted a higher title than when they were alive. I understood why Donald was opposed to giving Xerminara what she rightfully deserved, but the past couldn’t and shouldn’t be held against someone that had done double to rectify the issue.
“Major Shaye, are you insinuating that Mrs. Sif should be granted the higher title and pay for her contributions for the sacrifice she made?” Kendrick didn’t look up from his handheld as he took notes for the meeting.
“I’m not insinuating anything,” all eyes turned to me as I defiantly looked at Fauve, “I’m telling you, Xerminara Sif earned her title and pay through everything she did on the battlefield. Therefore, she deserves to have the full funeral red carpet rolled out for her.” Everyone frowned at me for my use of funeral and forced me to clear my throat. “I mean, her podreg should be nothing short of the best.”
The room fell silent as they looked at me in confusion; I had allowed Eikko to come through at an official meeting with my superior officers and I could tell that if I wasn’t careful then I was going to come under more scrutiny than I needed to.
“We’ll take the vote now,” Fauve looked at me, his amber eyes warning me to keep my mouth shut of anymore Parlan language.
When the vote was over with, I wasn’t surprised by the outcome. Six to one. Xerminara would be sent off with full military honors, a new title and a nice mjesečni payment to Claud for his suffering.
“Dismissed,” Fauve held back from leaving the room and stopped me from leaving. “A word, Major?” He motioned for me to take my seat again.
Raising a curious brow at him, I sat back down, “what is it, sir?”
He adjusted himself in his seat and rubbed his chin as he considered me, “funeral?”
I knew that using the word was going to put me in hot water, but I expected it from Kendrick, not Fauve.
“I misspoke.”
He titled his head at me, “I don’t think you did. I’ve been observing you and your ward, Ostana Shaye and I must admit that I’m worried.”
“About?” It was best if I just limited everything, I said to nothing more than five words or less and hope that it was enough to smother any suspicions of defecting from my society.
“You and Mr. Kangho seem a little too close, given the circumstances and I don’t know if it’s all for the best. He’s from the blue sun society, Shaye and you know the rules regarding relationships of this nature.”
Internally, I was screaming but, on the outside, I kept my expression indifferent and clasped my fingers together under the table.
“I’m not sure what you mean sir. I have followed the code of conduct as well as made decisions that I felt were best for the situation at that time.” So much for my five words or less.
Fauve smirked, “I may be old, Shaye, but I do remember what it was like to be a part of a budding relationship and the beginning stages of a new life.” He held up his hand to stop me from interrupting him, “all that I’m saying is simple. Your secret is safe with me, but just be careful of the repercussions of being in this romance. Do you understand?”
The only thing that I could do was nod; Fauve was worried about the line that I was crossing and didn’t want to see me in the same position as Xerminara before she passed. I was going to do everything in my power not to be like my best friend but how was I going to manage the attraction between Eikko and I?
“That’s all, Major,” he nodded at me and opened the door.
“Thank you, sir.” I breezed past him, not wanting to stay in the military offices anymore.
I’d get ahold of Orrie later, right now I needed to figure out a way to smother any notion that Eikko and I were in the beginning stages of a relationship. How hard could that be?
When I closed the door to my domicile and turned, I realized that it was going to be harder than I thought. Standing in the living area with his back to me, dressed in a suit tailored to his exact measurements was Eikko.
His hair was combed away from his face and styled to look like one of the models that I had seen on a Parlan sign. The suit jacket hinted at the power in his back muscles, while his slacks showed off just how long and muscular his legs really were. The high polish of his dress shoes were a stark contrast to my mud and blood covered combat boots that I was currently sporting.
I shook myself, trying to reign in my hormones and looked around the living room. I didn’t know how he did it but covering the small table were three vases holding three different bunches of flowers.
“How did you get these?” I asked, more to myself than to him.
He turned, those rose-pink eyes fading to the beautiful dark iris that seemed to blend with the sky during the latest hour.
“Well thanks to Brandr, I was able to leave and come back. I didn’t know you guys had a botanical district.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at me for a moment.
Frowning, I looked at him, “we don’t? We have a research district…” I trailed off, putting two and two together. “You stole the flowers from th
e research district?”
“I wouldn’t use that exact phrase. Besides, I offered to pay them, but who knew that the scientists were so snobby.” He shrugged off my shocked look, “do you like them?”
Slowly, I laughed and closed my eyes. He stole from the one place in Padrieg that he should’ve never set foot in. the research district was worse than the military district when it came to protecting their belongings; the scientists, researchers, and experts risked their lives to gather samples more so than even some of the best officers stationed on the border. I had to give it to Eikko for having the balls to not only get into the district but walk out without so much as scratch to mar his perfect skin.
“Thank you,” I said, looking at him with a small smirk.
His own smile appeared while he crossed the room and held out his hand, “care to share a dance with me?”
I shook my head, backing away from him with my hands up, “I don’t dance or rather, I can’t dance.”
“Dancing is a lot like fighting,” he took my hand, pulling me close to him as music came to life through the room. His music.
“You can fight your butt off, Ostana. So, I know,” he spun me away from him only to pull me close again. “You can dance.”
I listened to the lyrics of the song, only understanding bits and pieces of the slow melody. “I feel like a vagabond dancing with you and looking like something out of a horror movie.” I grumbled, letting him lead me across the floor and back.
“You look beautiful, as you always do,” he kissed my temple before spinning me away from him again only for my back to meet his chest. “Don’t let anyone tell you any different.”
The song was cut short with the sound of the holographic Parlan woman appearing from her hidden panel at the door.
“Major Shaye, you have a visitor, would you like to speak with them?”
I stared up into Eikko’s perfectly shaded purple eyes and stalled in answering.
“Major Shaye you have a visitor, would you like to speak with them?” The woman prompted again.
Shaking myself and dropping my hand from Eikko’s, I smoothed my rumpled shirt and nodded to him before going to the front door and opening the thing.
“Claud?” I frowned, not knowing why he was standing on the runway looking at me like he’d just found a diamond mine.
Within the instant that he saw me, his beefy arms encircled my smaller frame with force and slammed me into his chest at a suffocating tightness.
I felt a chill run up my spine, sensing that Eikko didn’t care too much for Claud's arms being wrapped so tightly around me. I actually had to let a small amount of my heat radiate from within me to knock off the chill my Parlan…whatever he was, had settled into the room.
Finally, Claud released me and pulled himself together as he took notice of the coldness swirling around us.
“You didn’t have to, and you did,” he mumbled, shaking his head, “you gave her back her title.” He looked at me with tears shining in his eyes, “you gave her what she craved the most, Ana and I don’t know how I could ever begin to repay you for what you’ve done.”
Xerminara's rank. He’s talking about Xerminara's rank, I figured out as I stepped aside from the door to let him in.
He shook his head, smirking at Eikko and I, “I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I did want to thank you for what you did before the podreg. You will be there, right? Both of you?” Claud looked past my shoulder to Eikko, a hopeful glint in his fire eyes.
“Of course, we will,” Eikko had stepped up to press his chest to my back. I guess he decided that Claud wasn’t a threat to him after all.
Claud nodded, “thank you. Both of you,” he pointed over his shoulder, “I need to go.” He swallowed hard, not wanting to cry in the corridor of the domicile unit, “she had already planned out her service proceedings and…it’s a little overwhelming.” He started to turn away when he stopped and turned back to me, “Ana, I know that you’re high ranking now. But,” he swallowed hard, “do you think maybe, you could be the one to do the ceremonial battle?”
“I’d be honored, Claud,” I hugged him quickly.
“Thanks, I’ll see you guys there,” he gave Eikko and I a parting wave before he pulled himself together enough to walk through the domicile unit with his head held high and the unshed tears sitting in his eyes.
Closing the door, I sighed. The last thing that I wanted to do was enter into the ceremonial battle, but if the roles were reverse and Eikko were burying me. I stopped the train of thought, Eikko burying me. I couldn’t believe that I had just went there. Maybe Fauve was right. Maybe I was stepping in dangerous territory that would be one hell of a time getting out.
Eikko leaned against the door frame, “tell me something.”
“I’ve never eaten anything other than the chicken, rice and kale.” I smirked at his confusion before he got my joke.
“Because I said…” he nodded understanding. “That is good to know, but what exactly is a ceremonial battle?”
Following me into the bedroom, he sat on the soft mattress and watched me go to the closet.
Going to the back of the thing, I grabbed my official military uniform and tried to think of a simple way to explain the battle.
“You want the long version or the short?” I checked my timepiece, knowing that I had more than enough time to get to the training arena for my official weapons before glancing at Eikko over my shoulder.
“Which ever,” he laid back on my mattress, staring up at the swiveled ceiling design.
“A ceremonial battle is like a final send off,” I stepped out of my slacks, only to replace them with my royal purple slacks.
“A twenty-one-gun salute?”
“A what?”
He waved his hand, “in Parlan when a service member dies, no matter their rank, three to four soldiers shoot a total of twenty-one shots in the air as a sign of respect.”
I liked the idea of that but in Padrieg it’d be considered a waste of precious ammunition and call for time in the quarantine district for insubordination.
“Not exactly. Similar but extremely different,” I let out a relieved breath as my compression vest came off and my white, pressed long sleeve shirt replaced the tight material. “In the ceremonial battle, the commanding officer of the person that passed is required to go on a battlefield made up of how ever many Eynos the officials see fit.”
“What?” Eikko leaned up on his arms to look at me pulling on a protective black shirt before I grabbed my royal purple suit jacket.
“Meaning, Xerminara was twenty-nine when she died. In turn, there’ll be twenty-nine Eynos on the battlefield. All of them are to be slaughtered in respect to her life. If she had been my superior, an additional ten, or whatever her station was, would be added to that number.”
He started to rake his hand through his hair but stopped, obviously not wanting to mess up his locks. “You’re confusing, woman.”
When the last button was snapped into place, I turned to him, “what don’t you understand about that?”
“Well, let’s see,” he tilted his head, watching me put on my shoes, “everything.”
“It’s no different than being in the training arena, Eikko.” I held my hand out, “come on, we’re going to be late.”
He took the answer as suffice and took my hand. Together, we walked to the lieutenant’s districts; I wasn’t prepared to say my final goodbyes to Xerminara, nor was I ready to face her parents.
Whenever someone got demoted or promoted, word circled through the military district like a virus. Which meant, everyone who was anyone would know what myself and the other top officials had done before Xerminara passed.
The lieutenant’s district wasn’t too far from the military base. Designed with the utmost form of decorations, the district held only the most beautiful royal purple flowers and onyx headstones to mark the graves of other fallen lieutenants.
Xerminara would be laid to rest three graves past Claud’
s own grave. Her headstone was already settled in the lush grass while a hole big enough for her lijes was open and waiting to cradle the marble for the rest of eternity.
Turning my attention away from the grave, I stopped short, causing Eikko to stare at me. Everyone ranking above a warrant officer was dressed in their royal purple uniforms. While anyone below a warrant officer wore a lighter shade of purple; those those of whom that weren’t in the military wore standard black or pressed white. But it wasn’t the mass of people that forced me to stop, it wasn’t even the weird stares that I was getting because I was standing next to someone that stuck out like a sore thumb.