FARHAYVEN: VENGEANCE (64 page)

     One whole month had passed since Clover ran away, and Serene and her classmates were at Fallsian Guards Academy, enlisting themselves into the Fallsian Military. Serene looked haggard and exhausted, which she claimed was due to her search for her cousin, but in fact, it was due to depression from the disappointment that she was feeling.

     Serene had always envisioned this day to be shared with Clover, when they would both proudly offer their services to king and kingdom. It was supposed to be the proudest moment of their lives. But it was not. It turned out to be a plain, meaningless affair without her cousin. The physical and academic tests that she took felt like a nuisance rather than a challenge, and her swearing in ceremony was more of a routine procedure rather than a turning point. And what was worse, some of the former Royal Fallseneers who had enlisted were beginning to make fun of her. She was called ‘The Coward’s Cousin’, ‘Miss Leftbehind’ and so on. She was also branded as one half of ‘The Coward and the Stupid’, with Clover being the coward and Serene being stupid for turning up when her whole family had been disgraced.

     It was unimaginable to any Fallsian that a former student of Fallsene Brightshield Educational would not enlist and even more unimaginable if that former student was a Genox. Throughout the 900 years of Fallsian history, there was never a Genox who did not serve. The Genox family was tied to the very foundation of Free Falls itself, an event known as The First Liberation War. Only a handful of families could claim such a history and standing in Fallsian society, and of these families, the Genoxes were the most prestigious, until, of course, when Clover Genox ran away
!

     It took three weeks for Clover to reach Monune Sapphire. The sun was three quarters of the way through the sky when Clover finally rode past the main gates of the monune. She did not know why she chose the Water Elementhars. She could have just as easily chosen the Wind Elementhars, but something about the water element that had always appealed to her. Perhaps it was due to the waterfalls that she used to visit when she was younger. As she rode past the main gate, a novice approached her and asked her of the nature of her visit. She told him she sought noviciate. He looked surprised. He recognised her as a Genox, judging by her facial features and the clothes that she wore. The Genoxes have always dressed in expensive clothes of a sturdy nature, unlike the soft and fine fabrics preferred by the other ‘reputable and financially comfortable’ families of Fallsene City. More so, his uncle served at Garrison Glitterpool, and the young novice had seen her there before. He gestured for her to follow him. He took her to meet the High Elementhar of the Order of Water Elementhars, Master Whisper Nurten.

     The ‘interview’ took hours. By the time Master Nurten was done, it was already close to midnight. Clover had told her of the incident at Timberstock when she was younger and how her fascination with Elementhars had developed. She had also told her that she had run away from home and was, most likely, no longer welcomed amongst her family.

     Clover had also told Master Nurten of her visit to Monune Ruby, and of the graves she saw there. This brought a few rolling tears to the High Elementhar’s eyes. When Clover asked if Master Nurten was close to the Fire Elementhars, she answered that all Ordered Elementhars were like brothers and sisters to each other and that the deaths of the Fire Elementhars was a great loss to them all. Beyond the deaths was a loss greater than anything else, which was the loss of knowledge. An entire line of discipline had vanished overnight. It was a line of discipline that could not be easily replaced. It was a line begun by Pioneer Elementhar Nova Vanguard herself.

     What was worse, according to Master Nurten, was that the Original Vanguard Manuscript, which was the original document that Pioneer Vanguard herself wrote her teachings in, went missing during the massacre. Suddenly, she stopped speaking. But Clover enquired no further. They just sat opposite each other in silence. Then the High Elementhar told Clover that her request for noviciate had been accepted and the both of them made their way to the mess hall for their long overdue dinner.

     Meanwhile, life was tough at Fallsian Guards Academy. But it felt far tougher for Serene than it was for the others. She had gotten used to the jeering and name calling from her fellow enlistees, but the cold, disgusted looks that some of her instructors gave her were downright unbearable. They felt that her cousin had shamed the Genox family and in turn, the Genox family had shamed their noble profession. So Clover’s running away incident was just as personal to them as it was to the Genoxes. There was one instructor, however, who did not treat her this way. He was Verallvian Thorn Sayvion.

     Verallvian Sayvion had consistently treated her fairly, but firmly. There was no animosity or cold stares from him, just the matter-of-factly instructions and teachings. She had found out from some of the other enlistees that he was a qualified shadow-archer, which was a highly respected qualification in the Fallsian Military, and that he had fought in many battles against Aridyte raiders in North-western Falls Province. He was a true battlefield-proven warrior and his teachings were practical rather than theoretical.

     Serene had also found out that Verallvian Sayvion was one of the fastest non-commissioned officers to be promoted through the ranks in the entire Provincial Guards and he was also one of the most demoted officers as well. There were many times that he was promoted from suvian, just after his shadow-archer course at Camp Misery, to exevian and then demoted again to suvian for refusing to follow orders. Then he would do something spectacularly brave and get himself promoted again. And then he would disobey orders yet again, and get demoted yet again. Then through some act of bravery, he was promoted to exevian again. Then he saved an entire village from an Aridyte raid by ‘shadow-arching’ the raiders one by one and killing the entire raiding party entirely on his own. This action got him promoted to the rank of Verallvian and a posting to Fallsian Guards Academy, where the commissioned officers were trained. He taught the subject of archery, of course, but Serene realised that he was just as good with the sword as the swordsmanship instructor, whom he had occasionally covered for.

     Serene approached Thorn one day, when they were both free of classes.

     “Sir, may I ask a question
?
” she said.

     “Go ahead, Caydian Convian Genox,” replied Thorn.

     “Sir, I am the cousin of a traitor, a coward, and a deserter to the warrior’s tradition. The other instructors look at me in disgust, but you do not. Why so
?
” asked Serene.

     “Why should I, Caydian Convian Genox
?
I do not care who your cousin is or what she has done. I do not even care who you are, whether you are a Genox or not. I only care that you are my student and that I have to teach you how to survive, fight and kill the enemy. This is all that matters to me. This should be all that matters to you
!
” explained Thorn.

     Serene’s respect for Thorn grew. She was impressed by his professionalism.

     “Another question, sir
!
” she said.

     “Go ahead,” he permitted.

     “Why do you disobey orders and get yourself demoted
?
” Serene asked, praying that she had not exceeded any boundaries of respect.

     “I fight to save Fallsian lives, not for rank or glory. My loyalties lie with my fellow Fallsians, not with the king or the government. I fight based on what my conscience tells me, not on what my superiors command of me. I am a bad example of a soldier, but as true a warrior as any. A soldier fights for his king and his government. A warrior fights for his beliefs. I hope you can tell the difference, Caydian Convian Genox,” Thorn explained.

     Thorn’s answer confused Serene.

     “But this is different from what I had been taught all my life,” she said.

     “You were brought up in a soldiers’ family with a soldiers’ tradition. Therefore as a soldier, you are trained to follow orders and work as a team. Following orders is important in teamwork for it ensures co-ordination and prevents chaos in a confusing environment, such as the battlefield. But I am a warrior, not truly a soldier. I fight to keep Free Falls safe and secured. I fight so that I can send Serpentians and Aridytes to hell, where they belong. Every enemy I kill is a victory. Every Fallsian life I save is a grand victory
!
In short, I fight for the people of Free Falls, not for kings, governments or recavians. Therefore I am a different entity from you,” elaborated Thorn.

     “What should I be, then; a soldier or a warrior
?
” Serene asked.

     “That is for you to decide. Either choice, you will pay for it with your life
!
So, to die as a soldier or to die as a warrior, that is entirely up to you
!
” Thorn answered.

     Serene went silent. She had never thought of it that way before. So what is more worth dying for
?
This was what Thorn had wanted to teach her. But she did not know the answer to this question. Nothing in her upbringing or her life had ever addressed this issue.

     Six months to the day Clover ran away from Mansion Genox, Hammer received a despatch at his office in Fort Fallsene, which was located on the northern fringes of Fallsene City. Fort Fallsene was as big and as well built as Palace Liberty itself, and was meant to defend Fallsene City’s northern perimeter from attacks of a northerly origin. Hammer had been promoted to the rank of Recavian three years prior and was given command of the entire 4
th
Ocean, which had the fort as their headquarters. The 4
th
Ocean, of course, was tasked with the defence of the entire Southern Falls Province, including the outer perimeter of Fallsene City itself. The security and peace-keeping within the limits of Fallsene City, was, however, strictly under the jurisdiction of the Royal Guards.

     Hammer broke the wax seal on the despatch and read its contents. It came from Garrison Forestspring, a town garrison in the northern part of North-western Falls Province. The garrison commander reported that his soldiers had sighted Clover living amongst the Water Elementhars there. Hammer had no doubts about the accuracy of the report. He knew of Clover’s obsession with the Elementhars.

     Hammer immediately sent five despatches. The first despatch was to Castle at Palace Liberty and the second was to Arrow at Fort Southguard, informing both his brothers that his daughter had been sighted at Monune Sapphire and that he would be heading there immediately. The third despatch was sent to the commander of 1
st
Lake, 1
st
Ocean asking leave for Chrys, who was serving as a Convian under that command. The fourth despatch was for Chrys herself, instructing her that if her leave was granted, she was to head to Fallsene Brightshield, pick Pike up and head home immediately. The fifth despatch was sent to Prince Patrum, asking for leave for himself, along with the appropriate explanations. Then he stormed out of his office, went into the next office where his second-in-command was, handed temporary command of 4
th
Ocean to him along with a set of instructions and then headed home.

     Castle’s reaction was no less radical. He sent despatches to Fallsian Guards Academy which were meant for Serene and also to ask her headmaster for her leave. He also sent despatches to Fallsene Brightshield to instruct Halberd and Axe to
not
go in search of Clover. In other words, they were told to stay home with their grandfather, Boulder, attend school and not cause any more trouble. Arrow, in the meanwhile, was not aware of what was going on, since the despatch would take about five days to reach him at Fort Southguard. In a matter of three hours, Hammer, his wife and his two children; and together with Castle and Serene were galloping north-westwards out of Fallsene City.

     Ten days later, the Genoxes rode past the main gate of Monune Sapphire. The morning sun was radiant this day without a single cloud in the sky. Despite his anxiety and anger, Hammer managed to ask politely for Clover, keeping in mind to respect the Elementhars and not to trespass on their property or their welcome. Then they waited, and waited, and waited…

     For the first time in six months, the Genoxes laid their eyes on Clover. They could hardly recognise her. She walked with her eyes staring downwards instead of up in front. Her expression was neutral, not the cheery smile that she always wore. Her hair was long and tied in a bun, not the shoulder length hair that she usually kept. Gone were her usual clothes. She was garbed in a black Elementhar robe, signifying her status as a novice. And when she spoke greetings to them, she spoke in the strange way that only Elementhars spoke. What have they done to her
!?
What has she done to herself
!?