By ;fernand jiro
With a deep breathe, Squill replied, “I thought you’d never ask.”
The crowd gasped and murmurs arose from all over. Daegan pulled his sword from the ground and assumed his opening stance. His face exuded the same collected calm as before while still holding a spark of childlike glee. The thrill of battle and adoration of those around him were the lifeblood that Daegan survived on.
Preparing for the intense battle that was about to happen, Squill closed his eyes and calmed his emotions. “Daegan knows what is best, I suppose.” He opened his eyes again and focused on his opponent. “After all, I can’t get better if he doesn’t push me.”
Daegan nodded to Squill when he assumed his opening stance. The crowd around them stepped back to be ready for whatever would happen. Suddenly, as fast as lightning, the two combatants came together with such ferocity that forced the crowd to move even further away. The blur that became the fight awed the onlookers, some of which even became frightened.
Without warning, before the battle could escalate to decidedly dangerous levels, an arrow swooshed through the air and struck the ground between Daegan and Squill, sending them flying apart and alert to any new dangers that may have arisen. The two warriors looked at the arrow and judged the direction of flight immediately. They swung around to face their would be attacker.
At the gate of the palace, coming in from the outside, stood Citro with his crossbow, already armed to fire a second shot. Behind him was a compliment of four guards and surrounding a young man. A moment of tension blanketed the courtyard as a standoff ensued. No one moved.
“What are you doing?” asked Citro.
Squill eased his stance slightly. “We were just sparring, sir. There was no harm intended.”
“Keep your guard up, Squill!” shouted Daegan. “Always keep your guard up!” Without thinking, Squill returned to his ready stance.
One of the servants ran over to Citro to explain what was happening. “They are telling the truth. They were only practicing.”
Citro narrowed his eyes then slowly lowered his crossbow. “There is a training ground for that sort of thing,” he commented before continuing on to the palace doors.
Both Daegan and Squill relaxed their stances and came together to watch the entourage that followed Citro.
“Why did you relax?” asked Daegan softly.
Squill continued to watch the guards and young man as he replied, “I saw it was Citro and thought it was safe.”
Daegan sighed with a hint of disgust. “That is all for today,” he said before he passed by Squill to head into the palace.
“I’m sorry Daegan,” Squill called out. “Daegan? Can we…”
“That is all!” shouted Daegan in a very deliberate tone.
Squill looked around to the crowd and then lowered his head. Slowly he started to walk to the doors of the palace himself. “Daegan knows best,” he thought to himself. “It could’ve been someone else I guess.” He looked up to see Daegan disappearing into the shadows just inside the doors. “I will work harder. I promise.”
Raleigh was again in awe at being inside of the palace. His pace kept falling behind the guards as he saw some new detail that interested him or a servant that he wanted to talk to about living there. The guards always asserted themselves onto him, moving him faster than he wanted. Citro had already left them to attend to other matters within the palace so Raleigh was at the mercy of the guards’ schedule.
Before leaving he gave one final order. “Escort the lad to his room then report to the barracks for your new assignments.”
The guards nodded with ramrod stiffness before pushing Raleigh further into the palace. “C’mon kid,” commanded one of them when Raleigh stopped to admire a particularly detailed painting of the late king. “You can have a tour later, we have things that we have to do other than baby sit you all day.”
“Oh, I…I’m sorry,” stuttered Raleigh. “I am just very excited to be here.”
“Uh huh,” replied the guard. “This way.” They lead Raleigh further down the hallway until they came to a room that looked familiar to him. He remembered it to be the room that Mornic had pointed out to him during their first trip through the palace to the ballroom. Raleigh wondered if his mentor was inside at that moment until a guard pushed him onward to one next to it. “This is your room,” he said. “Enjoy your stay but do not interfere with palace business.”
The guards turned and strode off in a hurry, discussing what the new assignment they were told about would be. Raleigh looked to them for a moment, unsure of what they were discussing and confused as to why they were in a hurry to begin with. He eventually shrugged and entered his room. With wide Raleigh gazes around his room in awe. Fine silk curtains hung around the windows, lightly tickling the ground with lace fringes. Exotic and colorful plants gave added life and wondrous color. The room was by far grander than his or any other room at the Academy.
Then he saw the view outside of his window. “By the High Father,” he whispered to himself, almost unable to breath. The whole countryside extending to the ocean was before him in a grand expanse of rolling fields and the distant sparkling water. It was a view common to those that lived in or near the palace but for Raleigh, who spent most of his days inside the Academy, it was a sight of pure grandeur and beauty.
He immediately dropped all of his belongings except for his staff and ran out of the door to try to find a better view somewhere outside. The excitement he beamed amused the servants he asked directions from. They had not seen such enthusiasm since the princess had been a young child. Raleigh dashed through the halls as fast as he could to try to find a way outside and see the majestic view of the nature and beauty first hand. The architecture and artwork that had intrigued him so intently before hand were now mere trifle indulgences of human work. His sights were now set on the greatness of the High Father’s design.
Soon he burst through two glass doors onto a large terrace facing the same direction as the window of his room. The view was beautiful and uplifting as the golden light of the sun glistened off the ocean’s water and highlighted the plains between it and Raleigh. Slowly he moved to the railing at the edge of the terrace and gazed at the pure beauty before him. His mouth could not form the words to describe what was before him. Gently his legs gave way and he fell to the ground, his head lowered with a prayer to the High Father echoing in his mind and touching his lips.
The air was cool against Raleigh’s skin, causing him to shudder slightly. Filling his sense of smell was the salty aroma of sea mixed with the soothing scent of the plains before him. He looked up again to see the tall grass on the plains dancing slowly to the invisible music that only it could hear in the breeze. A little laugh escaped as he smiled. “I never realized just how beautiful the world could be,” he said softly.
“Why?” asked a little voice behind him.
Raleigh spun around, landing on his rear, to see a young girl with bright red curly hair. “Why what?” he asked with a quizzical look on his face.
The little girl giggled. “Why haven’t you ever realized that the world could be so beautiful?” she asked.
Raleigh composed himself a little as he answered. “I…well…I just…I have never really seen much of it outside the Academy.”
The little girl tilted her head. “Academy? What’s that?” she asked.
“It is a school,” replied Raleigh. “One of the best in the kingdom.”
“Oh…so you learn things there?”
Raleigh chuckled a little to himself. “Yes…you do.”
“And you didn’t know that the world was beautiful? It doesn’t sound very good to me,” replied the girl with a giggle and grin.
Raleigh could not help but smile in response. “I suppose not,” he said in reflection. “My name is Raleigh, what is yours?”
“My name is Bria,” she said, smiling brightly.
“Have you seen this sight before? Do you live here?” asked Raleigh.
“No, I don’t live here, but I have seen things like that before.”
Raleigh smiled and turned around to see the scenery again. “It is very beautiful, is it not?”
Bria walked closer to the railing and gazed out with Raleigh. “It’s very pretty,” she said with confidence.
“So young,” Raleigh thought to himself while looking at her, “yet she has experienced more than I have.” The thought amused him. He knew he was sheltered, most of it self-imposed. The world outside the Academy frightened him and for the longest time he did not want to have anything to do with it. It was not long before it was the norm for him to spend his time reading or studying his lessons while the other students went out into the town.
Those fears of danger were a faded memory now, something he had dealt with through years of prayer and meditation. It was not that he was afraid to leave but that he was comfortable inside and simply chose not to leave. Now, however, he was ready. Having had a taste of outside life at the palace Raleigh craved more, and now that he saw that a little girl knew more about the world outside than he did he knew that this was something he had to do. The faint sounds of the ocean’s waves called to him, whispering into his ears that his destiny lay past them, out there in the horizon.
A calm voice from behind them startled the two scenery gazers from their trance. “Bria, what are you doing here? I instructed you to wait in the room.”
Raleigh turned around to his feet, staring at a tall, attractive woman. Bria skipped over to her and said in a playful voice, “I’m sorry Imogene, but I wanted to see the sunset.”
Imogene looked down to her companion and replied, “I said that you should stay in your room no matter what. Do you understand?”
Bria began to pout. “But I haven’t seen the sunset in a long time!” she complained. “We used to always watch it and now you are always busy.”
The exotic lady leaned down, her long black hair swaying gently in the breeze, and caressed Bria’s cheek. “I have been called to do something important here, young one. As soon as it is finished we shall see the sunset from the ship together.”
“Ship?” Raleigh asked himself. “Are they…?”
“Okay,” replied Bria grudgingly. Imogene stood and gently pushed her little companion on into the palace.
Once Bria passed through the doors into the hallway Imogene turned to face Raleigh. She studied him intently for what seemed like forever to Raleigh, analyzing every detail. Finally her eyes looked past him to the scenery.
“There are no words, are there?” she asked.
Raleigh looked behind him then back to the Imogene. “I…suppose not. Nothing adequate at least.” The markings on her face caught his attention. The forest green lines curved and accented her facial features just enough to notice but not to draw undue attention. Raleigh pondered for a moment at what purpose they served.
She gracefully strode past him to the railing and took hold of it. “The grace and beauty of this world is something we have to cherish.” She turned to look at Raleigh. “Do you agree?”
“Yes, ma’am…m’lady…I mean…” Raleigh’s face flustered as his etiquette suddenly left him and he struggled to find the appropriate words.
A subtle indication of a smile grew from Imogene’s lips. “My name is Imogene, nothing more.”
“Yes ma’am…Imogene.” He relaxed a little as she let another small smile slip through her lips. “You mentioned that you and Bria would watch the sunset on the ship soon. If I may ask…are you going on the expedition as well?”
Imogene arched her eyebrow and approached the young man. Raleigh tensed for a moment, not expecting for her to move so suddenly. When she was within a breath’s distance she whispered, “A subject of that nature is not something to be spoken about lightly young one.” Her eyes searched his face intently, breathing slowly.
Raleigh felt his stomach drop at her closeness. “I…I did not mean to…”
“I know,” Imogene replied softly, backing away a little. “We live in dangerous times. One must be careful about what is said and with whom.”
Raleigh nodded. “I…understand.” He lowered his head, feeling like he had already betrayed the trust put in him on the journey ahead.
Imogene spoke softly to ease his troubled mind. “Do not concern yourself anymore about it. You have learned your lesson, correct?” Raleigh nodded in response. “Then all is as it should.” Imogene began to walk back into the palace hallway, stopping just before the door to say, “Yes…Bria and I will be journeying with you, young one.”
Raleigh smiled slightly and whispered, “Thank you,” as Imogene entered the hallway. He turned to gaze out into the vast expanse one more time to see the sun slowly drawing closer to the horizon. “She did not want to see it set,” he thought to himself. It eased his mind that she was a person of her word and made sure she would not watch the sun set without Bria. He decided that he would follow that promise as well and not watch it until they were on the ship, setting sail for adventure.
With a deep breath Raleigh turned and walked back into the Palace, content and excited at the same time. As he entered the hallway he almost collided with Pallan whose was making her way to the throne room.
“My apologies,” muttered Pallan. “Oh! Balien, right?” she asked.
Raleigh blushed slightly. “No…ma’am. My name is Raleigh.”
“Oh, again my sincerest apologies. I have been very busy these past few days as you could imagine,” replied Pallan with a smile. “Please, come with me.” She took Raleigh by the shoulder and all but dragged him along as she took long strides. “I hear you are to come with us on the expedition, correct? You will want to come and to hear the plans.”
“Plans?” asked Raleigh.
“The plans for what will be happening before and after we launch. Sir Kaliste will be there as well.”
Raleigh’s eye lit up. “I have not seen him in days. Ever since he returned to the Academy to tell me about the journey.”
“Well now is your chance,” smiled Pallan, stopping before the doors of the throne room. “Here we are.” She opened the doors to a room with small crowd people inside, most wearing official looking clothes and uniforms. The torchlight flickered and danced about the room as it slowly replaced the fading light from outside.
Raleigh suddenly felt out of place. He looked down to his meager robe and tugged lightly on it. “Maybe…I should not attend this meeting. It seems very…formal.”
Pallan lightly patted Raleigh on his back. “There is no need to worry. Some of these people are advisors and have to look like this.” She leaned down to whisper into his ear, “They think that their looks may gain them extra favor but the queen is not nearly so superficial.”
Raleigh felt relief flow through his body. From into the crowd a familiar voice called out. “Raleigh, my boy!” shouted Mornic. “Come here!” His cheerful face eased and reassured Raleigh even more. They met in a tight embrace and greeted each other warmly.
“It is good to see you, sir,” said Raleigh.
“Aye, it is good to see you too, my boy,” replied Mornic. “Follow me, I know someone who wants to meet you.”
With a puzzled look Raleigh followed his mentor through the small crowd. Thoughts of who wanted to see him and why floated through his mind. Slowly they waded by person after person, the soft murmur of whispers, quiet conversations, and polite talk flooding Raleigh’s ears.
Suddenly they broke free from the crowd to stand before the queen sitting on her throne. Mornic knelt down immediately out of habit then saw Raleigh standing still, frozen with disbelief of whose presence he was in. A light tug from Mornic on his robe brought Raleigh back to his senses and immediately dropped to his knees. The queen smiled and motioned for them to rise as she stood to approach them.
“So you are the young gentleman who I owe my daughter’s rescue too?” she said gently, taking Raleigh’s hand in hers and patting it softly.
“Aye, your Highness,” answered Mornic. “He demanded that I bring him to see you so that he could collect his reward,” he continued, adding a wink and large grin. “I believe he mentioned half of the northwestern coastlands, if I am not mistaken.”
Raleigh’s muscles tensed while his stomach turned inside out. With a suddenly dry mouth he blurted out, “No! I mean…no, your Highness. I did not say that. I…that is to say…my mentor must be confused…”
“My boy!” shouted Mornic in a fit of laughter. “It was said in jest!” He clasped Raleigh’s shoulders quickly and pulled him close.
Queen Laye smiled and chuckled lightly. “Yes, I know your mentor too well to believe an outlandish and fanciful tale such as that. He has said many wonderful things about you and I know that such a statement could never be true.” She curtsied low to Raleigh, touching her forehead to his hand and said, “I owe you more than the whole of Jalstiria, a debt that can never be repaid. Whatever you ask will be yours.”
Raleigh stood motionless, unable to form the words to respond to such a gesture. The queen of Jalstiria performed the purest act of humility, the touching of forehead to hand. For any other person it would have meant an eternal debt, often repaid as servitude, and is unprecedented for the royal family. Those in the room gazed in shock, waiting to see what Raleigh would do.
In a soft, humble voice he said, “Your Highness…I am unworthy of such praise.”
The queen rose and stood motionless for a moment, studying Raleigh. She smiled gently and embraced the young man, adding a soft kiss to his forehead and cheeks. “You are truly special,” she whispered. “Do not let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Raleigh dropped to his knees again, unsure of what else to do. He felt Mornic’s hand on his shoulder and stood, stepping back with his mentor to let the meeting proceed. The lead Minister of Science, Qualshen Orbid, stepped forward to talk about the plans the Ministry proposed.
Orbid coughed softly to clear his throat and began his summary. “A single ship will be sent out with a small compliment of diplomats, scientists, and Church officials. A small defense force will accompany them for protection. The diplomats will be in charge of opening lines of communication with whoever built the mystery ship, with the possibility of future talks towards cooperation. The scientists aboard will begin preliminary studies of the sciences these people understand with an emphasis on their shipbuilding techniques to improve our own if our journey proves troublesome.”
The room was silent as Orbid paused for a moment to cough again. “The Church officials will engage in religious affairs, speaking to these people about the High Father and learning about their views of the world in which we live. In order to protect those on the ship there were plans for a small military force to accompany the expedition but with recent issues regarding the allegiance of the entire military…it has been decided that Daegan Ralth, Squill Normat, and Imogene…err…Imogene?” He looked to the queen who nodded in return, affirming that was her only name. “And Imogene will serve as guardians. Though their initial roles were to support the military personnel it was decided that they alone should be able to defend the expedition adequately.”
Raleigh looked around to those in the room to see the reactions to this news. He himself was intrigued by the notion of only three people serving to protect a whole ship from unknown dangers. Mornic’s face, however, did not change. A smile even crossed his face as a sudden burst of murmurs filled the room when others realized what Orbid said.
“Why are there only three defenders?” asked one of the leading scientists for the expedition. “I am sure they are skilled fighters but there is no telling what dangers lurk outside the safety borders.”
Queen Layed rose to speak. “As Orbid mentioned, they were initially to support the military that was to accompany but, alas, the military’s agenda is in question. Considering the nature of this journey and other…conditions that have become tied to it, expediency is urgent.” The flood of murmurs rose again as the members of the meeting pondered the queen’s last statement. “How far along are the preparations, Orbid?”
The head of the Ministry of Science touched his finger to his nose for a moment in thought before replying. “It could leave within two days, your Highness. By tomorrow if necessary.”
The queen nodded. “Prepare for that then. Tomorrow the expedition shall leave.”
“But your Highness!” called out a voice from the crowd. “Our safety is still an issue!”
“Yes,” said a cool voice from the back. “It is an issue that must be resolved.”
Raleigh turned to the direction of the voice. “Could it be?” he thought. “Is it her?”
Imogene made her way forward through the crowd, those around her falling away as soon as they saw her. A rift formed down the middle of the crowd to make way. She stopped just before the throne and knelt down to the queen before turning to address the fears of the crowd.
“I am Imogene, one of your guardians,” she stated with commanding presence and subtle forcefulness. “I, along with Daegan Ralth and Squill Normat, we be able to dispose of any threat that we encounter.” The murmurs raged again. Imogene narrowed her eyes and continued. “Should you have doubts,” she said, lifting her left hand out from her robe, “then I suggest you watch.”
She stretched her left arm out, opening her palm to the crowd. A slight breeze began to flow through the room causing the torches to dance fervently. Raleigh shuddered suddenly as a chill jolted up his spine. A small flash from the corner of his eye caught his attention and brought his focus back to Imogene. Small sparks began to jump from finger to finger. The markings on her face began to gently glow a dull green and her long black hair flowed with the wind swirling around her. Contrast to the glimmering markings, Imogene’s eyes became as black as obsidian.
Lightning flashed outside followed instantly by a loud, crashing thunder that gently shook the floor. The crowd began to panic slightly, unsure of what to think until the sparks jumping from finger to finger on Imogene’s hand burst forth into a blinding ball of lightning surrounding her hand. A pillar of wind formed around her body, causing her hair and robe to flail violently. Lightning began to thread from the ball into the wind, circling Imogene and jumping around her body in daring acrobatic feats that narrowly hit her several times.
Suddenly, tranquility blanketed the room. Imogene stood before the crowd with a closed fist held outstretched to the crowd, small remnants of the lightning crawling along her skin, slowly dying out. She closed her eyes for a moment, opening them to reveal the white returning. The crowd stood motionless, not sure what to think or do. Raleigh looked up to Mornic who stood with a large grin on his face, one that he always had when he was about to burst out into laughter but knew he should not.
“He knew,” Raleigh said to himself. “He…knew.” His gaze of shock and bewilderment turned back to Imogene who now stood motionless, her hand back by her side under the thick, brown robe that covered her body. The crowd of on lookers stared, amazed and frightened at once, at the mysterious figure. Raleigh could barely believe what had happened and shook his head to see if it did in fact happen.
“She has a gift,” Mornic whispered. “She is but one of a people whose powers are staggering.”
“Who…are they?” asked Raleigh.
“They are commonly called the cursed but I like to call them friends,” Mornic replied.
Raleigh’s eyes grew wide. “I…thought they were only part of legends,” he murmured.
Mornic chuckled. “No…they are very much real.”
“Will you tell me about them?” Raleigh asked.
“Later, my boy. Later,” replied Mornic. “Right now we have to prepare.” He leaned over and winked, “We shall be very safe. Do you agree?”
“I…I am not sure,” Raleigh said softly.
Imogene looked to Raleigh and nodded slowly as if to say, “Do not worry.”
Raleigh let loose a deep breath he had been holding ever since the lightning crash. “This will definitely be an interesting journey,” he said.
“Aye, my boy,” replied Mornic. “Aye.”
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