Second Guard (7 page)

The crowd dispersed as quickly as it had come together. Several pledges went straight to the railings to find a weapon, unable to resist the temptation of swords and spears.

“I have been told to put endurance behind you first each day,” Chey said.

“As have I,” Zarif agreed, nodding. “Best to accomplish it while fresh.”

“Fresh lambs to the slaughter?” asked Tali. Zarif and Chey both laughed, and Tali was pleased to see things easier between them. They headed toward Jaden’s training station on
the south end of the island and joined the small group of pledges already forming there. Centurio Jaden stood in front of a large boulder, arms crossed over his chest, examining each pledge as they
arrived. When the last few stragglers had joined the group, he turned around and scaled the boulder in one fluid movement, as if it was no more than a footstool.

As he had done the night before in the Great Hall, Jaden took a moment to scrutinize his audience. While his sharp gaze was elsewhere, Tali studied him, once again awed by the brazen confidence
and air of authority, especially in one so young. He was a man who knew his own worth, who knew that he had earned his high rank and deserved every accolade. He would be difficult to impress. Tali
wondered what would be required to win his regard, to own his attention. When his keen eyes finally locked on hers, she noticed their deep green hue, a telltale inheritance from a Far World
ancestor.

Although his audience numbered less than two dozen, Jaden addressed the group as if commanding a legion. “You have made a wise choice,” he said, nodding his approval to the pledges.
“Endurance will be the most important part of your training here at the Alcazar.”

Tali rubbed her hands together and tried to ignore the chill as she concentrated on Jaden’s words.

“A warrior,” he continued, “must be prepared to survive long battles in harsh conditions. You may be the best sword, the best rider, the best brawler in the realm…but if
you cannot endure the ceaseless days and nights of warfare, those skills will fail you. Do as I instruct, and you will learn to overcome the weaknesses of mind and body. You will become
warriors.”

Several pledges stood up straighter as Jaden spoke, already determined to rise to the challenge, while others leaned forward, eagerly awaiting his next words. “You will be running up and
down hills, and rowing boats until your arms feel they might break from their sockets,” he said, his voice growing loud and forceful. “You will bear heavy burdens until your backs
nearly snap. You will learn to navigate any terrain, in any weather. Today we start here on the shores of the Chibcha. A footrace around the island will show me much. Go!”

Zarif and Chey seemed shocked by the sudden instruction, but Tali pulled on their arms and they took off down the dirt footpath circling the island. As the rest of the pledges jostled for
position along the narrow path, Chey fell back into an easy pace, letting several people pass by him.

Tali looked back and raised her hands in question. “Come on, Chey!” she shouted. “Catch up and we’ll show him what our guilds are made of!”

Chey grinned and shook his head. “You two go on,” he called. “I’ll catch up later.”

“See you at the finish line!” Tali yelled, then turned back to Zarif, who was now several paces ahead of her. The footpath lit up like a gold necklace as the sun broke free of the
Condor Mountains and cast its sparkling light on land and water. Tali took a deep breath, enjoying the wide open space around her, no port city walls or tradeboat railings to fence her in. She kept
an eye on Zarif and increased her pace, determined to catch up to him. The tall Moon Guilder possessed the boon of a long stride, and the path seemed to fall behind him with ease. Tali worked her
legs harder, closing the distance between them with every persistent step. She wondered how Chey was faring, and whether he remained far behind, but she could not afford to wait for him. She was
there to impress Jaden and earn a place for herself in the Guard. She would not disappoint him in the first challenge.

As she finally caught up to Zarif, he turned his head to give her a pained smile, wiping at the rivulets of sweat trickling down his smooth face. Tali, too, felt burning hot, and she cursed the
heavy poncho she had been so grateful for only moments earlier. As they circled the second bend around the island, Tali caught a glimpse of Chey and a few other pledges far behind the rest of them:
Earth Guilders all, judging by their simple haircuts. For a brief second Tali felt guilty again, sorry for their lack of preparation, but she quickly pushed the thought away. She should thank Intiq
for her own advantage right now, an advantage she did not intend to lose. As they neared the final stretch, she turned to Zarif with a wicked grin. “Ready to show them who the real warriors
are?”

“Ready,” Zarif agreed, his golden eyes lighting up at the challenge.

Tali and Zarif pushed ahead, pumping their arms to increase their speed, unable to speak now that they had called forth their final reserves. Tali felt a growing burn under her rib cage and
wished she had put off breakfast until later that morning. Lesson learned. Tomorrow she would start the day with less porridge and leave the poncho behind.

As they rounded the final bend, they came upon the leading runners, a group of three pledges who looked near exhaustion from the ambitious pace they had set for themselves. Zarif veered into the
dewy grass to run around them while Tali passed them on the lake side, aching to throw herself into the cool water. A wave slid over her right boot, promptly causing it to make a squishing noise
with each step. Tali’s face burned with the effort of the final dash, but she focused on the methodical
squish squish squish
of her boot to distract her from the rest of her
overworked body. Finally, she and Zarif came in sight of the boulder where they had started. They sprinted the last few steps, then fell upon the huge rock, grateful to have reached the end.

Tali doubled over, bent from the pain stitched to her side. She felt sick to her stomach and fought to keep its contents where they belonged. As Jaden approached, she made herself stand upright
and tried to wipe the pain from her face.
Look confident and for Intiq’s sake, don’t lose your breakfast on his boots.

“Congratulations; you two are the first around the island.” Jaden’s smile, the first he’d bestowed in their presence, transformed his stern features and made the
intimidating centurio suddenly appear friendly. Tali warmed to him instantly, proud and excited to have gained his notice on the first day. She glanced happily at Zarif, who gave her a triumphant
wink.

“Lesson one, pledges,” Jaden said companionably, putting his arms around them both. “Learn to expect the unexpected. A battle could last for hours or for days. No one simply
calls a halt when the troops grow tired.”

Tali nodded at Jaden, trying to process the words he spoke. They suddenly seemed foreign to her, and she thought this was how Nel had to feel all the time, understanding pieces of what people
said but having to put those pieces together. She tucked two damp tendrils of hair behind her ears and tried to slow her breath. What was Jaden trying to tell them?

“The race today is
three
times around the island, not one,” Jaden said, answering her unspoken question. Tali and Zarif looked at each other in alarm. Jaden swatted them
both on the back. “You’d best get going.”

By the end of the third circuit, both Zarif and Tali had lost their breakfasts, and cramps knotted them on the grass. Every other pledge had finished before them. Chey, used to long hours of
work on the farm, had paced himself well and come in first. The other Earth Guilders in his group had come in close behind him. Tali buried her throbbing head inside hot, swollen hands and tried to
gain back a feeling of equilibrium.

“It seems we’ve been hoodwinked, Sun Girl,” Zarif mumbled next to her. “Mother Earth’s children are prepared after all.”

Tali let out a long sigh, then rolled over and lifted her head. Clearly she and Zarif were not the only ones impressed by the Earth Guilders. Surprise and even envy radiated from the miserable
Sun and Moon Guild pledges as they watched the humble children of the Earth stand casually around the water barrel and politely pass a ladle. In contrast, the children of Intiq and Elia looked
overheated and flushed, some doubled over and a few still retching in the weeds. It seemed to Tali that the advantage, the very power among them, had shifted in a physical way. There was nothing
anyone could assume at the training grounds about anyone else now. Only one in five pledges would make the Guard, and the competition would be fierce, even from the Earth Guild.

Jaden had watched each pledge cross the finish line, nodding to himself, his smug expression like a knife in Tali’s side. Her stomach clenched and she cursed herself for the giddy pride
she’d displayed earlier. How immature she must have seemed to the centurio as she basked in his smile! She vowed not to make the same mistake again.

Although she fared slightly better the rest of the day, Tali refused to allow herself any feelings of victory, nor did Zarif or Chey, who both remained serious and subdued. During weapons
instruction, Zarif showed his obvious skills in swordsmanship, easily winning his match against a fellow Moon Guilder. Tali held her own in a parley with an Earth Guilder, though at one point her
sword slipped through her sweaty fingers, landing at Centurio Jessa’s feet. As Tali bent to retrieve her sword, her opponent slapped her hard across the shoulders, bringing Tali to her
knees.

Tali opened her mouth to protest, but Jessa cut her off. “Never turn your back on your opponent,” the centurio remarked to the audience. “Never. This time it is only a
bruise—in battle it would be her life.”

Tali could do nothing but bite her tongue and nod curtly, chagrined to have her personal humiliation turned into a public lesson.

Later that day, Chey, though clearly inexperienced with weapons, managed to hit a sword out of a Sun Guilder’s hands by sheer force alone. Zarif outshone nearly everyone in horsemanship,
though Tali and Chey performed tolerably well despite their lack of training. Hand combat, however, provided further lessons in perseverance and humility for all three of them as they struggled to
defend themselves against the various kicks, strikes, and sweeps of their opponents.

When the supper bell finally tolled, the pledges trudged slowly into the Great Hall and found seats, too exhausted to do more than chew their overcooked food. Tali tried to imagine that the
tough meat and soggy vegetables before her had been made in Nel’s tender care, but it was impossible. Each bite demanded a strong swig of cider just to get it down.

Zarif and Chey looked equally unenthused by the second night’s meal. Chey had joined them at a corner table without discussion, and Tali was grateful that Drayvon was nowhere in sight. By
luck they had managed to avoid the arrogant Sun Guilder all day, though Tali had caught glimpses of him in the Hand Combat ring. She hoped an Earth Guilder had managed to get the best of him at
some point during training, but she supposed Drayvon was the type who would always have an excuse for losing.

Despite their weariness, they walked down to the stables after supper to visit Boulder, who did his best to reward their efforts with licks and nuzzles. Though Tali’s arm revolted in pain
each time she threw the stick for him, she continued to toss it, so gleeful was Boulder to retrieve it for her. They spoke little except to praise Boulder for his tireless stick-fetching, content
to let the lake’s rhythmic waves fill the silence. As the Sun God laid himself to rest behind the western range, they walked slowly back to the Alcazar and headed to bed under the pale light
of the Moon Goddess, guardian of dreams and slumber.