Frozen Prospects

The invitation to join the secretive Guadel should have been the fulfillment of dreams Va'del didn't even realize he had. When his sponsors are killed in an ambush a short time later, he instead finds his probationary status revoked, and becomes a pawn between various factions inside the Guadel ruling body.

Jain's never known any life but that of a Guadel in training. She'd thought herself reconciled to the idea of a loveless marriage for the good of her people, but meeting Va'del changes everything. Their growing attraction flies against hundreds of years of precedent, but as wide-spread attacks threaten their world, the Guadel have no choice but to use even Jain and Va'del in their fight for survival.

Copyright 2011 by Dean Murray

Va'del
looked up at the tiny violet time sphere that provided the only
light to the room and then hunched further down on his sleeping mat.
The thin pad of woven gurra wool provided only minimal cushion
between him and the cold stone floor of the sleeping chamber.

The
chamber was barely three paces to a side, empty but for his one
change of clothes and the dim time sphere that almost chased the
shadows back to the far wall. There was barely room to stretch out
let alone hide.

Even
in the rambling caves where the People made their home, a private
chamber was usually a sign of status. In his case it was just
evidence that nobody was willing to spend any more time in his company
than absolutely required. He listened to the slow drip of water
somewhere out in the darkness and wished there was a way to
disappear. As much as he might desire otherwise, it was inevitable
that Pa'chi would eventually show up and try to drag him to weapons
practice.

She
claims she doesn't want me to get into trouble, but how do I really
know? Maybe she actually wants to see me humiliated. Just like
everyone else.

The
lanky teenager felt a twinge of guilt at the thought, which was very
nearly a betrayal of the closest thing he had to a friend in the
village. Even that guilt couldn't keep his thoughts from the
imminent beating though.

Muffled
footsteps echoed through the cold warren of tunnels, gradually
becoming distinctive enough to recognize. Va'del's heart sank a
little further as he realized it wasn't Pa'chi wh'd come to
collect him.

Va'del
scrambled to his feet just before Jas'per stepped into the dim
violet light. "Come on orphan. Everyone already suspects
you're a coward. You wouldn't want to miss weapons practice again
and give them proof would you?"

"I
practice just as hard as you do, Jas'per."

"And
yet you lose every time."

Jas'per
pushed Va'del along ahead of him. Any time Va'del slowed too much
for Jas'per's taste the older boy shoved him again. Several times
it was all Va'del could do to catch himself, shredding his hands on
the uneven walls. All too soon Va'del stumbled into the best lit
section of the entire village.

Jas'per
smiled at the flock of girls watching the boys warming up. They
giggled and smiled back. Va'del tried to look for Pa'chi without
being obvious, but Jas'per rolled his eyes.

"Your
little girlfriend won't be here, darkie. She can handle being
around you in the dark, but not even she likes to be reminded how
much of a freak you are."

Ignoring
the giggles and averted eyes, Va'del crossed over to the storage
racks on the wall where the practice equipment was kept. He winced
a little as he shed his outermost layer of clothing. Once he
actually started weapons practice he'd warm up in quick order, but
until then he'd have to deal with more giggles at the way his teeth
chattered in the cold.

As
Va'del struggled into one of the padded jackets and simple helmets
that would shield him from some of the fury of Jas'per's attacks, he
tried to shy away from the bubble of resentment over the legacy his
lowland mother had left him.

Before
Va'del managed to work himself up too much more, Jas'per's father,
the village Headman who also served as their weapons instructor,
finally arrived. A subtle grimace of distaste flickered across his
face and then he began pairing the students off. As usual Jas'per
and Va'del were matched against each other despite the fact that
Va'del lost six touches out of seven.

Hefting
his blunt practice sword with its elongated hilt designed to be
usable when the user was wearing heavy mittens, Va'del waited for
the command to attack, and then stabbed at Jas'per. The older boy
knocked his blade aside and Va'del had to duck away from a riposte
aimed at his head.

Feeling
his stomach sink at the force of the blow, Va'del tried to convince
himself that he'd be okay. A gasp of anticipation raced around the
cavern from the watching girls.

Jas'per
wasn't quite as tall as Va'del despite being older, but like most of
the People, he was more powerfully built. As always, he used that
advantage ruthlessly. Each attack landed with a shock that made
Va'del's palms tingle despite his efforts to parry so that the force
of each swing was simply redirected instead of countered.

Completely
on the defensive now, Va'del stepped back enough that a particularly
furious attack went whistling past him, and then without conscious
thought stepped forward and kicked Jas'per in the stomach before the
older boy could recover.

Jas'per
would have pressed the advantage ensuring that everyone was able to
see his dominance. Va'del knew that would just result in him being
hurt more seriously when they next squared off. He started to back
away and then gasped in pain as the weighted end of the Headman's
training cord snaked out and found the back of his unprotected legs.

"This
is weapons training you pagan monster. If you can't attack your
opponent with your blade, don't bother attacking at all. Do it
again."

There
may have been a collective gasp as Jas'per regained control of his
breathing and moved forward, but if so Va'del was too scared
to notice. Jas'per's fury was a cold thing that always made him
more dangerous rather than less. The last time he'd been made
to look foolish he'd put Va'del in the healer's care for a week.

Jas'per
once again took the offensive, using his superior skill and strength
to control the tempo of the fight. His blows had been marginally
controlled before, more than a little sloppy actually. Now instead
of going wide, they came at Va'del in short, brutal arcs that
pressed his ability to defend to its absolute edge.

Even
Va'del's slightly longer reach couldn't keep him out of range
indefinitely, and finally a blow got through, a blow that wasn't
pulled at the last second as it should have been. A dull crunch
accompanied the sharp pain shooting up Va'del's left arm. He found
himself falling to the ground as his weapon dropped from hands no
longer strong enough to hold it.

##

Va'del
woke to welcome darkness in a bed that was softer than his normal
mat. The dull yellow light from the glow sphere was partially
covered in respect to his preference for darkness.

A
ginger attempt to move his arm sent shooting pain down it despite
the fact it'd been bound to his side. Va'del tried to pull
himself into a sitting position, and nearly fell out of bed as a
sudden burst of vertigo and nausea wrenched a moan from him.

"There
now youngster, don't be trying to move. Foolish thing for people to
do, just shows they're still ill."

Sara,
the enclave's healer, bustled in with an energy that belied her
wispy gray hair, and uncovered the room's small glow sphere as she
looked her patient over. "The arm will hurt for a while, but
it should heal just fine. I'm more concerned about the knock you
took on the head. The nausea and dizziness will probably last for a
couple of days. I've already told your teachers and the kitchens
that you'll be staying with me until you're better."

When
Va'del didn't say anything the healer sighed in irritation. "Boy,
I know exactly what happened, so there's no use remaining
silent. That insufferable Jas'per can claim it was an accident all
he wants, but you've been in here more than any other three boys
from 'training accidents'."

She'll
start badgering me about going to the Capital again unless I can
distract her.

"I
suppose I'm just clumsier than the other boys."

Sara
gave Va'del a hard look, but for once didn't argue. "You have
a visitor, I'll send her in."

A
useless protest died on Va'del's lips as Pa'chi shyly slipped around
the divider that screened the sickbed from the rest of the room.

"It
was so terrible, you were just lying there unconscious while Jas'per
preened as if he'd brought down a snow leopard. Are you okay?"

From
behind the divider Sara's voice drifted over. "It was Pa'chi
who came and got me. Those motherless ruffians would have just left
you there until weapons class was over."

Va'del
wanted to stay mad at Pa'chi, at the whole world really, but he knew
that wasn't fair.

"Thanks,
Pa'chi. Nobody else would have gone and gotten Healer Sara. I hope
your dad won't be angry with you."

The
smile that lit up Pa'chi's face transformed it from something plain
and unremarkable to a thing of beauty, and Va'del found himself
smiling in response as he cleared his throat.

"I'm
sorry I've been so difficult lately."

"It's
okay. I know you've been worried about the crafting decision for a
while now."

Va'del's
mind tried to twist away from thinking about the nearing deadline
for the young men of the village to find a master who would teach
them a trade.

"It's
not as though worrying will change anything. After being passed up
two years in a row I wasn't likely to be chosen this year. Now that I'm
injured I probably won't even be allowed to stay and shovel gurra
manure down in the mushroom farms."

Pa'chi
shook her head, no doubt responding to his darkening mood. Her
smile was an obvious effort to cheer him up. "You were too
busy to notice, but some of the adults had arrived by the end of
your fight. They didn't seem too impressed by Jas'per's beating on
you. I think some of the masters may take that into account when
they consider who to take on as apprentices."

Va'del
found himself once more fighting to not snap at his friend. "I
guess I'll just have to hope someone takes pity on me. I obviously
can't make it on my own merits."

"It's
not like that. People are good. You just have to give them a
chance to do the right thing."

"Maybe.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Va'del wasn't sure
how his smile could convince anyone it was genuine, but Pa'chi
actually looked like she believed him.

Jas'per
found Va'del within a few cycles of his being cleared by Sara to
begin walking short distances through some of the dark, unused
corridors near her suite of rooms. "Oh, look. The orphan
finally stopped hiding behind the old lady."

Va'del
fingered the knife he'd concealed in the sling binding his left arm
to his side. His victim's silence seemed to unsettle Jas'per for a
second, but looking back at the two friends who'd come to see him
torment Va'del, the bully quickly recovered his balance.

"Maybe
if you'd bothered to leave the healer's, you would've had a chance
at getting a decent apprenticeship. Now I'll bet they don't even
let you stay and carry waste rock up to the surface. You'll be just
like a human gurra."

Va'del
felt his anger spike at being compared to one of the gentle but
stupid creatures that the People used to carry burdens both inside
their caves, and also on the infrequent occasions when they traveled
the mountain slopes to visit one of the other villages. Jas'per
seemed to bask in the younger boy's fury, secure in the knowledge
that Va'del would never dare attack him.

"At
least whatever position I get will be earned on my own merits."