The Child Guard

by Lorcan Montgomery

  “How long have you been… you know?”

  “Off it? Maybe a month.”

  “That’s how long we were… before we got caught.”

  “Do you love her?” Kane asked, in a low voice.

  “I do,” Caron’s voice cracked as he spoke. “I’ve tried not to, but gods help me, I’d do anything for her.”

  “Anything? Would you give all this up? Leave the garrison, the Child Guard, everything you’ve ever known, if you could take her with you and be together?” A wild idea was forming in Kane’s head, a desperate distraction from his frustration with Terrell, but it might work.

  “I would.”

  “Right,” Kane beckoned him. “Let’s do it.”

  “What are we doing?”

  “Look, Rayner isn’t going to believe Avila, not with both of your records, and even if Terrell turns out to be a liar as well he’s going to have to call in the priests for a trial by ordeal. Now do you want to stick around to find out which ordeal they choose or do you want to get out of here while you still can?”

  “We’re going to look guilty as hell if we run,” Caron said, as he stood up.

  “Would you rather have people think you’re guilty and not be around for the punishment or look innocent but take it anyway?”

  “Good point, but it’s not me you have to convince.”

  “I thought you were coming with me to get your girl out of her cell.”

  “If she doesn’t want to try this daring escape plan of yours we’re not going. Neither of us.”

  Kane rolled his eyes. “Very well, I’ll take you for a clandestine visit, but you’d better be a fast talker.”

  Caron slipped the bandage from his head, the better to hide in the shadows, and led Kane out of the Infirmary.

  “If it’s the same guard as before he’ll be fast asleep, he was half gone when I was in earlier,” Kane said.

  “That sounds like Petre, there’s not much to do in the brig usually so he takes the opportunity to nap,” Caron said. “He’s one of my best friends. Well, he used to be. I don’t want to have to hurt him.”

  “I’ll take care of it, just get us to the brig.”

  They crept through dimly-lit corridors, ducking into the shadows every time there was a sound ahead of them. Caron was more adept at finding his way through the garrison, but his eagerness to get to his destination was the death of his stealth, and he had to be pulled into the shadows several times as a door opened ahead or a person passed by.

  They reached the jail and Kane entered first. As he’d predicted, the guard was fast asleep, the keys on the desk before him where Kane had thrown them earlier. He picked them up, flinching at every clink, but Petre was a deep sleeper, and he continued to snore.

  “Which cell is Avila in?” Caron whispered.

  “Not that one,” Kane motioned to the left-hand cell which contained Terrell. That left two doors to try. Kane went for the right-hand one, fiddling with a number of useless keys until he found one that worked, darting glances back towards Petre every few moments. He opened the door, and Caron brought a lamp to illuminate the inside.

  Private Avila was huddled in the corner of the windowless pit, hugging her knees. The tear tracks on her face shone as she blinked in the light from the lantern. Caron rushed over to her. He set the lamp down on the floor, nearly upsetting it in his haste, and gathered her into his arms.

  Kane felt like an intruder. Caron kissed Avila like he was trying to inhale her, and she clung to him like she’d never let go. After what felt like an age, they broke apart, breathless and blushing.

  “Avila,” Caron said, taking her face in his hands. “Run away with me.”

  “What?”

  “I want to take you away from here, I want to be with you and not have to hide and sneak around. Come with me, we can start a new life somewhere. I’ll get work as a groom, I’m good with the horses here, and we can live in a little cottage in the countryside.”

  “What have you been filling his head with?” she turned a steely glare on Kane, who shrugged.

  “Avila, if both you and Terrell stick to your stories it’s going to trial by ordeal. I don’t want that to happen to you,” Caron continued.

  She glared at Kane, still, over Caron’s shoulder. “And why are you so determined to ‘help’ us? What are you getting out of this?”

  Kane cast about him for an answer. “I don’t know. Hope, maybe. If you two can get out and be together, then maybe me and-“ he paused, then revised the sentence. “Maybe I can too.”

  “You have someone too?” Avila asked.

  “It isn’t important.”

  “Who is it?”

  “Look, I’m trying to get you out of here, is this an escape or an interrogation?”

  Avila stood, and marched over to him, her hands on her hips. She was shorter than Kane, but as she stuck her chin in the air and stared him down, he didn’t fancy his chances in a fight.

  “You’re asking me to trust you, Brother-Corporal, much against my better judgement. The least you can do is trust me with something in return. Is it the blind girl?”

  “It’s Eder,” Kane admitted, in a voice even more hushed than before. Avila, however, had sharp ears.

  “The boy with the scar? Yes, I can see that being tricky for you, even we bumpkins out in Auris remember the Halls of Correction,” she said, uncharacteristically gently. “Very well, if we can get out of here without being caught you will have my gratitude.”

  Kane led them out of the cell, and quietly shut and locked the door. He placed the keys back on the desk with care, but there didn’t seem to be much that would wake Petre, save for a trumpet blast down the ear.

  They left the brig and Caron once more took the lead. Now he was with Avila, he seemed to be better at sneaking about, taking his time and playing it safe. She, by contrast, was utterly useless at remaining unseen. She strode along at a marching pace, with her head held high, as though she were garrison commander and not a recently-demoted escapee. Eventually, they reached the courtyard.

  “My belongings are all in the stables,” Caron said, and ducked into the horsy-smelling darkness. He returned only a minute later, with a small bag slung over his shoulder.

  “I’ve been saving my pay, I thought I might buy us both an early retirement one day,” he said, taking her hand and squeezing it. “We’ll see how far we can get with it.”

  There was movement by the gates, and the three of them fell still and silent, melting back into the shadows. It was the changing of the guard, and Kane’s heart leapt, unbidden, when he saw the tall, rangy Erhard in the pair due to go on watch. His partner was unfamiliar, nervous looking – obviously a last-minute replacement for Avila. The old guard came off watch with visible relief, and Erhard and the newbie took up their position outside the gates, locking them with a clang.

  “Can you climb?” Kane muttered back to the pair of them.

  “Does the Prince have a fat arse?” Caron replied. “It’s an Aurian thing, never mind. I’ve been climbing since you were in the nursery, I think I can manage.”

  “If you can get up onto the roof is there an easy descent outside anywhere?”

  “There’s the garbage heap,” Caron said. “They’re not supposed to dump stuff by the garrison but that’s pretty much Auris all over.”

  “The garbage,” Avila said flatly, then sighed. “I suppose the stink will wash off after a while.”

  “That’s my girl,” Caron said, and kissed her. “We’ve had messier adventures. Remember the camels?”

  “I don’t want to talk about the camels,” Avila rolled her eyes, but there was a small smile on her face as the excitement of the escape dawned on her. “You’ll need to keep the guards by the gate busy, if they get antsy and start checking the perimeter we’re all in for it,” she said to Kane, a trifle more gently than she had spoken to him thus far.

  “You concentrate on climbing, I’ll take care of the distraction,” he said.

 
After a doubtful look, she gave a wearied shrug. “If this works, I won’t forget this,” she said. “We’ll be in your debt.”

  “Look after each other,” Kane said, and motioned for them to go.

  They disappeared into the shadows and Kane counted to fifty under his breath before strolling out into the yard. He made sure not to sneak about this time, deliberately crunching his boots on the ground underfoot so attention would be drawn to him.

  Erhard had sharper ears than his comrade, as he turned within the first few steps to behold Kane meandering aimlessly across the yard.

  “Bit late for a stroll,” he called, and his companion’s head whipped around, as the boy half drew his sword. “Calm down, Ruban, it’s only our… esteemed visitor.”

  “The Sidhe-fighter? He doesn’t look as impressive as you-”

  There was a rustle, and a low ‘oof’, as Ruban was decisively elbowed in the ribs.

  “Can we help you, Brother-Corporal?” Erhard asked as Kane approached with a friendly wave.

  “I think I’ve got my bearings now,” Kane said. “I was called out of bed for that business with Terrell and I’ve been wandering about since, got a bit lost. All these hallways look the same in the dark and I keep thinking I’m back in the Citadel and making a wrong turn.”

  For a moment he thought Erhard wasn’t going to fall for it and could see right through his transparent lie, but then he received one of those easy-going grins and Erhard relaxed.

  “Usually someone wandering the garrison at these hours, I’d be reporting them to the old man in the morning once he’s had his beauty sleep. But since it’s you, I’ll make an exception.”

  There was a noise in the distance, the faintest of thuds, like someone falling into something soft. Ruban was instantly alert again, his sword halfway from its sheath as he turned and stared wildly into the Aurian streets.

  “What was that?”

  Erhard rolled his eyes and gave Kane a conspiratorial grin that made his heart flutter with panic. “Probably someone dumping garbage in the middle of the night again, you know what they’re like.”

  “They can’t do that! We should go and stop them.”

  “Fresh from the novitiate,” Erhard said under his breath to Kane, by way of explanation, then he turned to Ruban. “You want to go confront some big Aurian drovers, you be my guest,” he sighed. “Don’t blame me when they kick you to the Citadel and back and then bill the garrison for damage to their boots.”

  “But it’s- they shouldn’t-”

  “If the garbage bothers you that much I can recommend you for the cleanup duty at the end of the month.”

  “No… that’s all right…” Ruban stuttered and fell silent, awkwardly returning his sword to its sheath and turning away from their conversation.

  “If you go through that door there,” Erhard pointed across the yard, “and take two lefts, up the stairs and a right, you’ll be in pretty much the right place for the visitors’ quarters. Test some doors and the one that doesn’t drop a bunch of stuff on you when you open it is the right one.”

  “I’m not going to get arrested for causing a commotion if I open the wrong door?” Kane asked wryly, and Erhard laughed.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll keep Ruban here from getting too enthusiastic. Now clear off or I’ll be hauling you up to the old man for distracting the guard on duty.”

  Kane nodded, and set off through the shadows of the courtyard again. He glanced up towards the visitors’ quarters, and his heart fluttered as he saw Eder sitting in the window, idly playing with the pendant around his neck. He saw Kane and a faint smile crossed his face. Kane briefly wished he could climb in through the window, take Eder in his arms and kiss him the way Caron had kissed Avila, with naked need and abandon.

  His legs seemed to have learned the basics of the Aurian garrison, as he made his way back to the visitors’ quarters with only one or two wrong turns. By the time he got there, Eder was to all appearances fast asleep, so Kane climbed back into his own cold bed and tried to forget everything that had happened that night.

  22. The Golden Palace

  “The Academy of Auris shall operate and function independently of the Palace of the Golden Prince, to ensure the purity of study, unsullied by political machinations and the greed of unscholarly men. The Academy may receive bequests from any citizen of Auris, but these shall imply no favour or obligations of the Academy... ”

  Original Charter of the Aurian Academy

  The sound of the morning bells woke Kane, groggy and exhausted. He dragged himself unwillingly out of bed and fumbled for his clothes. As he glanced out of the window he saw a flurry of activity, with guards flitting about the yard on their way to various destinations.

  Commander Rayner was there, pacing the courtyard, occasionally stopping to listen to a report from one of his soldiers. None of the brief conversations he had were to his liking.

  “What in the name of the gods is going on?” Sampson asked, as soon as he was awake. “We heard screaming last night, then you hared out of here as though there was a fire, Terrell is gone and there seems to be some sort of search going on. I demand an explanation.”

  “There was an incident last night with one of the Guard,” Kane replied. “Terrell is currently in the brig as the Commander was unable to determine the truth of the matter. As for the search… I don’t know.”

  Sampson squinted at him, trying to determine which part of that was a lie. Kane went back to dressing, and after a few more suspicious glances Sampson let him alone.

  One of the fruits of Sampson’s negotiations with the quartermaster seemed to be new uniforms for the squad, fresh and bright for their audience with the Prince. Kane wrestled with stiff buckles for much longer than he would usually have done, but eventually he was dressed in larger, unfamiliar clothes that didn’t feel quite right. Eder had a new uniform, too, and he looked at least as uncomfortable in it as Kane felt.

  Cahaya and Davena retreated to the officer’s quarters, regardless of the hazards posed by stray weaponry, to dress and ensure that Cahaya was ready to be presented to the Prince, as a specimen or gift, Kane couldn’t remember which. The process of making her presentable was a long one, and eventually Kane gave up and decided to leave to face Rayner.

  As he was about to go through the door, Sampson chose that moment to speak.

  “Your brand is hidden, Private Eder,” he said. “You know that is forbidden.”

  Eder’s hand flew to his neck, his expression panicked. During the two months they had been travelling, his hair had grown to the point where it would partially veil the scar, and having been freshly washed and combed, it was resting, slick and wet, about his shoulders, sticking to his neck and almost completely covering the mark.

  He pushed his hair back behind his ears but it still stuck partly over the brand, unwilling to be revealed. After a brief period of mounting alarm, Kane tied it back for him with a scrap of cord, and Sampson, satisfied Eder had been humiliated and worried enough, led them down to the courtyard.

  As they arrived, the hubbub seemed to be slowing, and Rayner’s expression had tipped from thunder into disappointment.

  “Caron and Avila are gone,” Rayner said, without waiting for Kane to ask. “This would appear to be clear evidence of their guilt, as soon as it is determined that they are definitely no longer in the compound your man will be released from detention. I hope you will accept my apologies for detaining one of your men unnecessarily, and I am heartily sorry to have doubted the character of a Citadel soldier.”

  “It was a tricky situation for all involved, Commander, I am sure I would have done the same in your place.”

  “They were such good soldiers, with bright futures ahead of them. It seems rather senseless to have thrown it all away,” Rayner said, almost to himself. Without waiting for a response, he pulled himself together and continued in a different vein. “So I believe a young lady requires escorting to the palace. You may have a dozen of my finest, see if
we can’t remind the Prince that the Aurian garrison exists. But first, you should break your fast in the mess hall. The Prince will not be available so early and it will not do to have your Immaculatii or your charge fainting in the throne room.”

  The mess hall was exactly the same as in the Citadel – noisy, boisterous, full of shouting children and harassed-looking Brother- and Sister-Prefects. Kane was struck by a wave of nostalgia, and felt a lump forming in his throat.

  As Commander Rayner entered, silence rippled out from where he stood until the entire room was silent, every guard on their feet, practically at attention even though it hadn’t been called for.

  “As you were,” Rayner said, and by degrees, the noise returned, although a trifle more subdued, acutely aware the garrison commander was present. Kane, Eder and Sampson followed in the wake left by Rayner, and found a spot right in the centre of the hubbub. A huge plate of flatbreads and eggs landed between them, followed by a strange, spicy sausage, grapes and dates. They tucked in hungrily with little chatter.

  Kane sensed Terrell coming before he saw him, somehow. His hackles rose as Terrell plonked himself down on the bench and grabbed for food.

  “Morning all,” he said, as though it was just a regular breakfast on a regular day.

  “Good morning, Terrell,” Sampson said. “I trust your brief incarceration has taught you the wisdom of not wandering about unfamiliar surroundings at night.”

  “Absolutely,” Terrell said with a mouthful of bread. “You never know what sort of crazy situations you might run into.”

  Kane’s appetite abruptly left him, and the half-eaten flatbread in his hand seemed dense and weighty. He cast about him for an excuse to leave, but found nothing to grasp onto.

  “Isn’t that your friend from yesterday?” Terrell said, and Kane almost spun in his seat, desperate for a way out of breaking his fast with his former friend.