Tiva Boon: Royal Guardian (16 page)

“Did you sense it?” D’laja said.

“No…” Without warning Tiva jumped up from the ground and pulled her sword out of its sheath. “Someone who does not belong here is near, call for reinforcements, Mother.” She ran toward the king’s garden.

“Tiva wait!”

Her mother called again, but she was half the distance to the garden. Out of nowhere, a wave of familiarity struck her. Tiva stealthily maneuvered into the garden, opening her senses to the intruder. He was nervous yet pleased, excited and angry. The culprit moved again, she kept her distance, but knew she was closing in. She had to hurry; if her mother entered the garden and called her name, all hope of catching the intruder would be lost.

Tiva ran to the edge of a tall square of flowers and with a small hop off the ground flipped over the shrubbery and landed behind the intruder. She placed the tip of her blade at the base of his neck. “Drop your weapon, turn slowly, and you will not be harmed.”

He spun around quickly, a long lance with a moon-shaped blade in his hand clashed against her weapon. Tiva thrust her sword down blocking the strike and took a step back seeing the boy in front of her.

“Bumo?”

“Tiva! Has Solun sent you as reinforcement for my mission?”

“No, he did not. Why have you done this?”

“We were given orders, shortly after you left,” he said.

“What other orders did you receive?”

“None, just to rattle the Royal Guardians, put fear in the palace, and return…”

“Where is Solun?”

“He has gone to see Pethor. Why are you here?”

“Do you not know?”

“No,” he said and noticed her clothing. His gaze narrowed, his markings turned black. “You are a guardian?” Bumo growled and raised the moon lance above his head. “You have betrayed us!” He lunged at her, swinging his weapon expertly with ease. Tiva dodged the first few hits then countered with her own.

“Stay this madness and you will live.”

“I would rather die than be a prisoner of a traitorous leech or her corrupt king.”

“You are deceived, Bumo, King Delos is not corrupt.” Tiva jumped back, blocking another blow.

“Liar!”

“Tiva!” D’laja said from the opposite side of the path. Bumo turned hearing the second voice and in a swift motion threw a dagger in her direction. Her mother fell to the ground. Rage filled Tiva and instinct took over.

“Then you shall die!” She spun the sword in her hand and in one powerful strike lacerated Bumo from gut to gullet.

Immobile, she stood with her blade high above her head. The first drop of blood slid down her sword, into the fuller and, like a droplet of rain falling from the sky, landed on her cheek. The warm maroon tears painted her face with blood from the boy who was once enamored and in awe of her. Bumo fell to the ground. He gurgled her name as his mouth filled with the red death then he lay motionless at her feet.

She felt detached from her own body. The weapon slipped from her hand and she dropped to her knees. If he had stabbed her in the heart, the pain could not have been worse than that which coursed through her body as she looked into his dead eyes. She had robbed him of his life. Her hand struck him down and sent his spirit to the Eternal Lands. Trying to comprehend having the power to destroy a life ripped at her mind.

What have I done?

It seemed the world stopped. No sound, no movement, not even a breath escaped her lips. Staring at the lifeless body, everything around her went black.

Warmth.

The bitter cold retreated, she felt warm again. When she opened her eyes, beams of sunslight shimmered through the nearby window and danced on the blankets that covered her. The setting was unfamiliar. She was not home. Slowly she sat up and searched her surroundings. The pale yellow walls held no decoration; next to her was a medical monitor, both arms and her chest were attached to the device by wires.

Panic filled her. The monitor beeped loudly causing two healers to rush into the room.

“What happened? Why am I here? Where are my mother and father?” Tiva asked, grabbing one of the monitoring wires and pulling it from her arm.

“Relax, Guardian Boon…” One of the healers came to her side, gently trying to push her back.

“Your family is fine; they are speaking with the king in the lobby. I can send Healer Ket to get them.”

“I need to see them, now.” She struggled under the healer’s hands.

“You must calm down,” the first healer said then nodded to Ket who then ran out of the room.

Tiva fidgeted, trying to take the remaining wires from her body. “I am fine. Take these off of me.”

“Guardian Boon you must stop…”

“No!”

“Tiva?” Kevler appeared in the doorway, D’laja right at his side.

She glanced up and froze. The healer stepped aside. Her parents looked weary and concerned. Tears streamed down Tiva’s face as they hurried to her side. She reached for her father and took comfort in his arms. As she choked back sobs, D’laja stroked her hair softly. She cried until her body was devoid of all energy, and fell back asleep with her parents near, but even they could not keep away the nightmares that haunted her.

Tiva woke up screaming. She studied her hand, expecting to see her blade covered in Bumo’s blood. Only she saw the wires in its place. D’laja came to her side an instant later.

“You are safe, precious one, I am here,” she said, taking her hand.

“Mother?” Tiva said.

“Yes, I am here,” D’laja said.

“You were not harmed?”

“I was struck by the dagger, but I am fine. How do you feel?”

“I, I…” She tried to form words to express the pain she felt; instead, she cried again. D’laja pulled her close and held her tight.

“I know, Tiva, I know.” She rocked her gently. “You must not hold it inside; it will only make the pain worse.”

“I killed him,” she said.

“Yes, he is dead.”

Tiva bawled as the reality of her actions hit her. She knew not if it was the guilt of taking a life, anger at her loss of control, or both that seared inside of her, but her spirit grew heavy and her heart ached.

“I prayed to the spirits this day would not come until you were older. You should not have this burden on your shoulders at such an age.” D’laja wept with her daughter. “You will be stronger, though, and time will heal the pain you feel.”

“But I will always carry it with me, Mother,” she sobbed.

“Yes, precious one, unfortunately you will.”

The healers released Tiva to her mother’s care after three nights in the medical ward. When they returned home, Tiva hid in her room not wishing to see anyone.

The king sent her father on an important assignment so she was without his comfort or guidance for days. She remained in her room, leaving only occasionally to wash up or eat. She sensed the concern from her mother and siblings, but was grateful for their understanding and distance. Several family members and other visitors, including her training mates, showed up to her home wishing to see how she was, but thankfully her mother kept them at bay and only said she was doing well.

Not until the king came to see her did she allow anyone into her room.

King Harer Delos stood in the doorway, awaiting an invitation. Tiva knew he was there, yet she continued to stare out her window lost in her own thoughts.

“The longer you dwell and refuse to move on, the more pain you will feel, Guardian Boon.”

“And what do you know of it, sire? At what age did you slaughter another?” she said without turning.

“Much older than you,” he said. “But I do know what you are feeling; I know it well, Tiva.”

“If I may speak freely, sire, you know nothing of how I feel. I took the life of someone I knew. Not in battle or threat of my own life, I struck him down without thinking, before deciding if it was the right course of action.”

“You thwarted an enemy, Guardian Boon,” the king said sternly. “An enemy who attacked you and your mother. The intruder killed two with his bomb in the hover storage facility.”

“Two?” Tiva turned and met eyes with the king. “Who?”

“Yoka Becha and former guardian Mali Jelev, your training mate Jex’s grandmother. What you did was part of your duty, Tiva. Granted all of us wanted you to be older before facing this, but your natural reflexes to protect overrode thought and you did what you had to do.”

“But did I? Would it not have been better if Bumo lived to give us information? Could we not have used the knowledge he possessed to learn more about the faction? We know not how he came here, or how he gained access beyond the gates. We are unsure if he followed me from Hentor. He was surprised to learn I was a guardian, but what of those who ordered him, do they know?”

“You make sound arguments, Tiva, but I am not here to speak of politics.”

“Then why are you here?” she said, confusion clouding her mind. Rage and terror filled her without warning. She balled her hands into fists and shook. “Has something else happened? Where is my father?”

“Nothing is wrong; your father is on his way home from Cenii province. I came here to see you. I am concerned, Tiva.”

She felt angry and was unsure of the reason. Delos was a compassionate king. He cared for his people, and those who protected him. She knew this, yet something inside her remained cold and unfeeling. “Why?”

The king sighed and leaned against the doorframe. “Do you blame me for sending you to Hentor, Tiva?”

She furrowed her brow then shook her head. “The blame is all upon my shoulders. I am the one who murdered Bumo.”

“Tiva Boon, you will not speak such harsh words!” Harer said, body tensing. “Murder is a malicious act of someone with no morals or feelings; an action of a coward with no honor. You are a protector to the people of Abennelp: keeper of peace and guardian of the throne. Your reaction to Bumo may have been rash and vengeful
, but you did not murder him. You did your duty. You will learn from this, Tiva, you will carry the pain with you and always remember, but never again will you kill another person in haste.”

She stared up at the king. A tear slid down her cheek. Harer entered her room and knelt down taking her face in his hand. With his thumb, he wiped away the tear. “I may be your king, Tiva, but I care for all my guardians. It pains me to know you hurt so. No one wished this upon you so early, and if I could, I would ensure you would never face such decisions again. You still have the choice to change your life path if you feel you are not made for guardianship.” He gently brushed her hair from her face. “There is such strength in you, Tiva. I knew it from the very first time I laid eyes upon you. Recover your mind and spirit; take as much time as you
need. When you are ready, return to us, if that is your desire…for you have time before you can change your path if that is your wish.”

“I am a Royal Guardian of Abennelp, King Delos. I will never turn my back on you,” she vowed, through teary eyes.

“And I shall never turn my back on you,” he said then kissed her forehead. “Rest well, Tiva.”

The king rose and exited her room. She waited for him to descend the stairs before returning to her window. More than anything, she wanted to see her father. Both her mother and the king offered sage advice, but she believed Kevler understood how she truly felt. Her father was born a guardian, just as she was. He had killed, maybe not at such a young age, but he had taken many lives over time.

Tiva stayed in her room, alone with her thoughts. She waited. No visits from friends, no nighttime journey to see Te, no playtime with her siblings. She waited for her father’s return, and before the suns set on the day after the king’s visit, Kevler arrived home.

She spent the night curled up in his lap, talking, crying, and listening. Replaying the night in her mind was hard; she strained to gather the words. Kevler comforted her, told stories of the scars he still carried in his heart from battle. He advised her how to deal with the guilt and anger. The night passed into morning, D’laja interrupted to bring them food and drink, then left them to their healing.

Finally, after all her tears were spent, and she could think of nothing more to say, Tiva hugged her father and thanked him. She asked for one more day of rest before returning to the palace, knowing many would wish to speak with her. She had many loose ends yet untied. Kevler agreed, and left her to collect her thoughts for the remainder of the day.

When the family gathered for evening meal, things seemed more normal within the house. Everyone was together, and somewhat relaxed. Remock and Bintu spoke of their training in the palace. Kevler offered a few details of his tour in Cenii, and D’laja mentioned the mourning for Becha and Jelev. The sinking feeling returned within Tiva’s chest, but she put on a brave face and asked if she could attend. Her parents agreed then changed the subject.

The rest of the evening was quiet. Tiva ventured out, after sunset, to visit Te. She told him every detail of her mission thankful that Te could ask her no questions nor press for details; it
afforded her the chance to speak her mind freely. Eventually, she fell asleep in the comfort of Te’s roots, enjoyed a dreamless sleep, and woke in the morning refreshed and ready to return to duty.

There was still much to do. The faction, now more powerful and dangerous than believed, needed to be uncovered. The king had sent her father to Cenii for a purpose, and she wanted to find out the reason. Tespor mentioned news he wished to share as well.

She still had to deal with Tespor on a personal level. Telling him she was not interested in courting would be difficult, but she had plenty of time alone to think about what to say to him. She hoped for the best.

Tiva rode into Degort with her entire family. Remock and Bintu had training. Her mother was on duty inside the palace, and her father was meeting with the king for council. When the family parted, Tiva went into the palace searching for Zenid. This would be her first day on patrol as a level two guardian, it seemed as if it were yesterday she passed the test, however it had been almost two weeks; first her mission to Hentor, then her time away to heal.

She walked through the courtyard, averting her eyes from the incinerated hover storage facility. She overheard her mother talking with the king when he visited about a timed bomb in one of the hovers inside the deck. It didn’t sound sophisticated, not heavy on damage, but the amount of fuel in the facility caused the destruction to be far greater than the device meant to do.

Once inside the palace, she breathed in, trying to stay composed. The memories were still vivid in her mind.

Slowly she walked the corridor, through the Great Hall to the lift, and rode up to Zenid’s training room. She was busy with five trainees, one was Jenon with a new hairstyle, two other, the children of Lety Ispek’s eldest son, and the last were her cousins Hanall and Riyn.

“Welcome, Guardian Boon.” Zenid waved her inside.

“Spirited greetings.” Tiva saluted and acknowledged the children. “I am here for my assignment. I have returned and recovered from my mission.”

“Ah, yes.” Zenid smiled and picked up a data recorder. She scrolled through it for a moment then nodded. “Here we are…I have assigned you the ground through fifth floors of the palace. Your partner will be my son, Yark, he usually starts the day on floor five; you can find him there.”

“I may have to meet with the king today, shall I inform you if it comes to pass?”

“No need, just ensure Yark knows your whereabouts.”

“I understand.”

“Well wishes, Tiva. I will see you at the end of the day.”

Tiva bowed before exiting the room. She didn’t know her patrol partner, Yark Finto, well. He was older than Rae and Rux, but Tespor knew him for they were adopted brothers. It would be nice to become familiar with someone new.