Chapter 26 - Relaxation Time
Insegniferro hadn’t been kidding when he told Medoferro that. They worked endlessly on paperwork and on learning how things worked in the empire. Aside from a little time with Marina at night, Medoferro worked almost constantly with the older Mullinix. During the week Simon had been busy with classes, but when the off day came he went straight over to the palace to go and see how Medo was holding up.
"You look like hell, Medo," Simon said as he walked in to Medo’s suite, "They letting you sleep at all?"
"I’m sleeping well," Medo said, "Just not getting much exercise and learning enough to make my brain burst."
"You at least getting to see Marina a bit?" Simon asked him, taking some of the food that had been laid out, "You look like you could use the relaxation."
"Some," Medo said, "But they are working me hard enough that I’m always tired. It’s like they want to get me up to speed for something quick."
"I need to come up here more often," Simon grunted, looking at his friend, "Man, they’re wearing you out. When is the last time you left the palace?"
"It’s been over a week," Medo admitted, "Not since the ceremony I think."
"Ok," Simon said, standing up, "I’m getting you out of here for a while."
"But…" Medo said, "I’ve got a meeting."
"Screw that meeting," Simon said, "Get up. We’re picking up Miranda and Stacy and going out. It’s the off day, man. Just because you have the empire on your shoulders doesn’t mean you don’t deserve any fun."
Medo wasn’t about to argue with him cause he was sick of it as well. There was a lot to learn and he was learning it quickly. He wondered what the urgency was, because both Massimaferro and Insegniferro were relatively young and both were pretty healthy. He did want to let them know he was leaving for a bit.
Simon and Medoferro walked out the door and started heading down the hallway when they ran into Marina. Marina smiled at them and stopped them for a moment. Simon looked impatient, knowing that he was on shaky ground as it was.
"Iggy is looking for you," Marina told Medo, "Where are you heading?"
"They’ve been working him to the bone, Marina," Simon said, "I’m kidnapping him for a bit. Want to come along?"
"Sure," Marina chuckled, "Where are you going?"
"I don’t know," Medo said, "I’m following Simon."
"If he’s doing the leading it is bound to be interesting," Marina said, "Let me go in and give Iggy an excuse for you. If you go in there he’ll have to give you something to do, but if I go in he’ll probably accept it."
"I like that plan," Medo agreed, "Time off could be a good thing."
Medo and Simon waited in the kitchen with the cook, who passed on some very tasty corn cakes to them. Medo ate one or two, as his body was accustomed to decent food again. Simon started woofing them down as he’d been living on the slop fed to the service center students. Marina went into the common area to talk to Iggy and Massy, who were sharing morning coffee.
"Were you planning on working Medo on the off day?" Marina asked them.
"We’ve been so far behind…" Iggy said, then stopped when he saw the look on her face.
"Why do I get the feeling we’re about to get a lecture?" Massy said, chuckling.
"Because we deserve one?" Iggy said, realizing what they’d been doing.
"You’re right," Marina told them, "You picked that boy out of the service center last week and have been force feeding information to him like there was no tomorrow. I’ve been sharing his bed to help make him more comfortable and he’s often times not coming in until really late. Then he wakes up and you start again."
"But we need to get him ready…" Iggy protested weakly.
"Yes you do," Marina agreed, "But you keep doing it like that and you’ll burn him out. You have time to get him ready. Simon hasn’t seen him in a week, so he came over. Medo is beginning to look like death warmed over, enough so Simon is threatening to kidnap him for a while to give him a break."
"I didn’t realize…" Iggy said.
"She’s got you there, Iggy," Massy chuckled.
"You’re no better," Marina told him, "All three of you have been wearing yourself out due to that mess down in Cirrus. You need a break as bad as Medo does."
"Any suggestions, Marina?" Iggy asked her, "I’m betting you do…"
"Today is the off day," Marina said, "Use it. Simon is taking Medo and I’m going to go along to make sure that everything is ok. I’m sure you two could use the relaxation as well."
"There was this book I wanted to read," Iggy said thoughtfully, "Cirrus is still a problem, but nothing LaPorte and Paulus can’t handle."
"I’ve cleared most of the backlog of cases," Massy said, "I think I’ll go down to the lake for a bit. I want to see some sunshine and water."
Marina smiled and left them to their plans. Simon was still stuffing his face when she walked back into the kitchen. Medo and Simon looked over at her and waited.
"I gave them a little talking to," Marina said, "I swear, if it weren’t for us you guys would work yourselves into nothing."
"So where are we going?" Medo asked them, "I guess I’m in your hands for now."
"Have you got swimsuits?" Simon asked them.
"I have one somewhere," Marina said, "We probably have something for Medo somewhere."
"Go find ‘em and meet me down in the lobby," Simon said, "I know where to go."
It took a good thirty minutes for Marina and Medoferro to find their stuff and get back downstairs, by which point Simon had made it back with both Stacy and Miranda in tow. Medo smiled when he saw them, glad to see people who didn’t live in the same cloistered unreality that he was living in.
Miranda flashed him a smile, still relieved that he was the one chosen and not her. Both she and Stacy greeted Medo warmly, noticing how tired he looked. Miranda went over and gave him a big hug, something that surprised him.
"You looked like you needed it," Miranda explained, "So how are you holding up, Medo?"
"Not bad," Medo said, "Just a lot to learn in a short time."
"Enough work talk," Simon said, "Follow me. We’ve got a bit of walking to do."
Since electronics didn’t work engines tended to be more expensive and complex in the empire. This factor encouraged most people to either walk or ride bicycles to where they were going. Simon led them for a nearly two-mile walk to a section of the lake that seemed to be deserted, despite the beautiful day.
"Most people go to the easier to get to section nearer the city," Simon explained, "My older brother showed me this place a few years ago. It takes a bit longer to get here, but it tends to be quieter."
"There are no lifeguards either," Marina said, "Nice and cozy."
"I like it," Stacy agreed, "No gawkers."
"So who goes first?" Miranda wondered.
"Whoever can run fastest," Simon said, "Race you, Medo!"
Simon and Medo shed their shoes quickly and ran over the sandy lakeshore towards the jumping point. It was a neck and neck race, with Simon’s agility countering Medo’s longer legs. The girls giggled and watched as the boys flew into the water together.
"Shall we join them?" Miranda asked, "Or should we wait until it looks safe."
"I haven’t been swimming like this in years," Stacy chuckled, "How about you, Marina?"
"I never had much of a childhood, remember?" Marina asked her, "You should know…"
"We shouldn’t talk about that," Stacy said, much to Miranda’s surprise.
"You two know each other?" Miranda said, surprised, "How…"
"Best not to worry about it now," Stacy said, looking harshly at Marina.
Miranda looked at them a little cockeyed, but shrugged it off and decided to go over and join Simon and Medo in the water. Stacy chuckled and looked at Marina, shaking her head. Marina simply shrugged and hugged Stacy tightly once Miranda’s attention was more on Medo and
Simon.
"Sorry about that," Marina said, "I keep forgetting that you’re supposed to be incognito."
"If she hasn’t guessed by now…" Stacy sighed, "She’s a good kid too. I hate having to lie to them about this sort of thing."
"This will probably be your last one of these anyway, isn’t it?" Marina asked her, "You’ve done it several times now."
"I’m getting too old for it," Stacy agreed, "I hit twenty-four next month. I like this duty though, beats having to go to the border sections."
"I heard that Cirrus was getting bad," Marina said as they walked towards the beach, "Massy and Iggy are continually having conniption fits over it…"
Stacy and Marina caught up a bit while they walked over to the beach. They had grown up together in the remote regions, Stacy being one of Marina’s older cousins. She had gotten out early as well, being pulled in for the private guard units right after her first service center session. Stacy had also been instrumental in getting Marina into the palace house staff after all the problems she had had with her parents.
"They seem to know each other fairly well," Simon noted about Marina and Stacy, "I wonder if they’re from the same area."
"Marina started to say something while I was there, but Stacy hushed her," Miranda said, "Something strange going on there."
"Nothing really strange," Medo said as he did a little bit of a backstroke, "Stacy isn’t exactly what she seems."
"What does that mean?" Simon and Miranda asked him.
Medo stood up in the water, enjoying the cool feeling of it around him. He looked over and shrugged, smiling and making them wait for it. He wasn’t enamored with the way this had been handled and figured that Miranda had a right to know, especially since she already knew she’d narrowly missed being chosen.
"Stacy is a Mullinix Guard," Medo explained, "She was assigned to watch you, just like Suvorov was assigned to watch me."
"Say what?" Miranda exclaimed, "She was sent in to spy on me?"
"Not so much spy as observe," Medo explained, "She’s not doing it to get anything bad on you, just to watch and see if the tests were accurate. They evidently do that with most of the Mullinix candidates."
"I really did come close, didn’t I?" Miranda asked him.
"It was a tossup until I opened my big mouth," Medo said, "So be glad I don’t know when to keep my mouth shut."
"I am, don’t worry," Miranda chuckled and splashed him, "I’m still a little surprised at Stacy though."
"At least she’s nicer than Suvorov was," Simon chuckled, "Thank you for getting rid of him by the way."
"Where is he?" Miranda asked.
"I bet we reassigned him to Cirrus," Medo shrugged, "I don’t know for sure."
At this point Marina and Stacy had caught up enough so they decided to get into the swimsuits and hop into the water with the others. Marina dived in, going underwater a bit and catching Medo by the legs. Stacy did the same thing to Miranda, as she didn’t particularly want to touch Simon.
"Hello there," Medo laughed, "Have a nice talk?"
"Yeah," Marina chuckled, "What’s going on out here?"
"A veritable supply of nothing," Simon laughed, "Isn’t that what the off day is supposed to be about?"
"Amen to that," Miranda said, dunking Stacy really quick.
"What was that for?" Stacy asked her as she sputtered water, "I didn’t even get a good hold of you…"
"For being a sneak," Miranda chuckled, "Medo spilled your little secret."
"Thanks a lot," Stacy chuckled, "I guess that pretty much negates my job for the rest of the semester."
"Why?" Medo asked her, "I’m not going to say anything. She already knew she’d come within a hair of being chosen. This shouldn’t surprise her."
"I won’t say anything if you won't," Simon laughed, "Though I might make you be nice to me."
"Too high a price," Marina chuckled at Stacy, "Don’t believe him for a minute."
"I forgive you," Miranda said, "Especially since your reports probably helped tip it so that Medo got it instead of me."
"Maybe that means I should dunk you then," Medo grunted.
"All in good time, Medoferro," Stacy grinned, "I think Marina wants to get in the first shot."
"I may just take you up on that," Marina laughed, "Just like you used to do to me when we were kids."
"I guess there is no point in hiding it anymore," Stacy chuckled, "Marina is my cousin, in case you hadn’t guessed."
"And Stacy is my hero," Marina chided, "Growing up to be a guard like she did."
"Hmmm," Stacy said, thinking about it, "You know… I did so enjoy dunking you back then…"
Stacy launched herself up and at Marina, dunking her in the water. Simon joined into the fun, horsing around with both women. Miranda and Medo, tired from the first round, decided to go back up on the beach.
Medoferro was looking more relaxed than he had at any time since assuming the role of Mullinix-Apprentice. Getting out with people who weren’t asking him to remember anything was a part of that. Just being in the sunshine was another part. He flopped down on the beach, letting the warmth of the sand relax him.
Miranda sat down on the sand near him and watched the young man with whom she had been drinking just a week or so before. There was little physical change now that he’d actually been chosen, though his attitude was a bit calmer.
"So how is it really?" Miranda asked him.
"Being a Mullinix?" Medo asked her.
"Yeah," she nodded, "You’ve been there a week now. Is it as bad as we thought?"
"There are good and bad parts," Medoferro said, thinking about it a little, "The people are great. Iggy, Massy and the house staff are great people to work with. The food is good and the living quarters are nice."
"What’s the down side?" Miranda asked him, "There obviously is one."
"Too much responsibility," Medo told her, shaking his head a little, "Everything I learn about this job makes me want to run like hell and become a normal man again."
"Don’t do that," Miranda told him, "Then they’d grab me for it!"
"No worries," Medo chuckled, "I’m not going anywhere. I see why they chose me now. I just hope I can do it."
"I bet you can," Miranda told him, "It looks like they care enough not to burn you out."
"I hope so," Medo sighed, "There’s so much to learn though. I don’t know if I’ll ever get it all straight."
"I feel that way about things sometimes too," Miranda nodded, "I have some serious footsteps to follow too."
"What are you going to be doing?" Medo asked her, "We both know what I’m in for. What do you have planned?"
"My sister is the village medico," Miranda shrugged, "She said that if I could make it through the school she could use an assistant."
"Doesn’t sound like a bad gig," Medo nodded, "I bet you’ll be good at it."
"What about you?" Miranda asked him, "Did you have any plans that were interrupted when they chose you?"
"Not really," Medo sighed, "I was pretty well aimless before this. My father is a clerk who is minding time until he retires. I don’t think him and mum minded much when I went to service center."
"Do they know yet?" Miranda wondered.
"They were told," Medo said, "They’ll write eventually or I’ll go see them when we go to the Siraq border in a few months."
"That’s sad," Miranda said, "Well if you need a friend…"
"I’ve got you and Simon," Medo nodded, "And the nice thing about being Mullinix. I’ll have a family in the house staff."
"At least you’ve learned that much," Miranda grinned, "Why are we talking about this? It’s a beautiful day out here."
"You’re the one who brought it up," Medo chuckled, "So what are they going over in class for you?"
They spent a good long time talking about what she was learning in her service center classes. He was in a position to know why some of it was being taught, so
he told her a little bit about the history he’d from Insegniferro. The conversation kept going until Marina, Stacy and Simon crawled up onto the beach, worn out from the horseplay.
"I haven’t played like that since that summer at Cadillac Lake," Stacy said as she flopped down onto the sand, "How about you, Marina?"
"I’ve had some play time," Marina said, grinning at Medo, "But none in the water, that’s for sure."
"So what have you two been talking about?" Simon asked, flopping down on the sand, "You bowed out early."
"I needed to relax," Medoferro explained, "Breathing in the lake water isn’t relaxing."
"I can understand that," Marina nodded, "The warm sand is fun too."
While the lighthearted conversation went on there was a pair of people watching from the nearby woods. The taller one used a set of binoculars to watch the group on the beach. The smaller one bared his weapon, a shining thin sword that still had some flecks of blood on it from previous use. He looked with a smile in his eyes at the taller man.
"Is it him?" the small man grunted, "The new Mullinix?"
"Yes, Fredo" the tall man nodded, "No guards in sight either."
"Good," Fredo said, "How do you want to play it, Rosh?"
"I only have two bolts left," Rosh said, "There is too much clear land between here and there for me to get close enough with it. We’ll have to take out the whole group."
"They’re unarmed," Fredo shrugged, "It should be quick."
"Run and slash?" Rosh asked.
"I’ll get the young Mullinix and then disappear into the forest," Fredo agreed, "Keep the others off me."
"Right," Rosh nodded.
They rushed out of the trees, going full force. Stacy, being the trained Mullinix guard, noticed them first and let out a yell. Medo and Marina looked up and saw the rampaging men with swords out. Simon was up in a flash and ducked below Rosh’s sword, throwing himself at his legs. Fredo just barely missed Miranda, who was still closest to Medoferro, by a hair and she jumped backwards.
Medoferro stood up and dodged Fredo’s sword, sensing rightly that he was the main target. Once he had his footing he pushed Miranda down to the ground, getting her out of the sword’s swing path. Stacy, knowing as well that Medo would be the target let off a harsh sidekick to the sword arm of the small man, knocking his aim off guard. She then let off a full blow to Fredo’s arm, cracking it harder than he expected, actually breaking a bone.
Rosh tripped over Simon, falling flat on the sand but holding on to his sword. He tried to get a swing at Simon, but only caught a knick of his left arm. Before they could really do too much more three large men came out of the woods and ran towards the group. Medoferro thought his life was over, until they rushed in and used their own weapons on the two attackers, ending their lives quickly. It wasn’t until he recognized one of them as Rav Suvorov that he realized they were good guys.
"Am I glad to see you," Stacy said to Rav, "Who were they?"
"I don’t know," Suvorov said, "Are you guys all right?"
"Fine," Medo said, though he was still shaking a little, "Where did you come from though?"
"You think we’re going to let our new Mullinix out without some form of protection?" Rav chuckled as he went over and offered Simon a hand up, "Our orders were to watch from a distance, let you have your fun and only come up if needed. I’m guessing one of our men went down, because Jake wouldn’t have let them through otherwise."
"You’re on protective detail now, Rav?" Stacy asked, "Since when?"
"They don’t want me back on patrol yet," Suvorov grumbled, "So I get to watch your hides."
"I found Jake!" another man yelled from the bush, "They ambushed him and slit his throat to keep him from yelling for us."
"Damn," Medo said, shaking a little, "They did this to get to me?"
"It has been a while since there’s been an attempt," Suvorov said, "But there was a minor one at Massy about two years ago. It never made the papers because we clamped down on it."
Simon and Miranda bent over and looked at the bodies. Both were scared, but they were curious as well. They’d never seen anyone killed in front of them before. It was a frightening experience, especially since they knew it was aimed at their friend.
"These guys are from the Mavelans," Miranda said, looking closely at the skin coloring, "You don’t get skin coloring like that up here. It’s due to the heavier magnetic interferences in the southern end of that area."
"How did you get that?" Simon asked her.
"My sister is our village Medico," Miranda told him, "We got a vagabond from the South Mavelans once. She told me some reasons for it, but they escape me now."
"Makes me wonder how they made it up here," Marina said, "This is insane."
"I vote we head back to the palace now," Stacy said, "I think our fun here has ended for the day."
"I agree," Medo said, "Who takes care of this?"
"We will," Suvorov said, "I will, actually. Frank and Jeremy will accompany you back to the palace."
"Do you have a backup weapon, Rav?" Stacy asked him, "I can act a third."
"Umm…" Rav said, knowing she was supposed to be undercover.
"Give her one, Rav," Medo said, exercising a little authority he didn’t feel, "We know about her."
"Ok," Rav said, pulling a large knife out, "Just turn it back into the armory at the palace, Stacy. They’ll get it back to me."
"You got it," Stacy nodded, securing the knife in her waistband, "Let’s go."
The Mullinix Book 1: Ascension Page 27