Tiva Boon: Royal Guardian (5 page)

“I don’t want to hurt you, my weapon is sharper than yours,” she said, pushing down on her sword to force his to the ground.

“Stop!” Zenid raised her voice over the clang of the metal. Both stopped mid-swing and faced her. “Well done, the both of you. I can see you are able to handle a full sword, Tiva, now we will test your strength and speed.” She looked to the far end of the training field, her eyes focusing on a small chest near the entrance to the king’s garden. Tiva and Tespor followed her gaze. “Inside the chest are two practice swords. Retrieve them and return quickly.”

Tiva was off and running before Tespor moved. She heard Zenid chuckle behind her, but she kept her sights on the chest without look back. Her eyes searched the ground before her, making sure there were no ditches or unevenness in her path. She pumped her legs harder sensing Tespor gaining on her. A small smile crossed her lips when she spotted a boulder ahead of her. She hopped off the ground, landed on the boulder, pushed off with all her strength, and soared through the air. She flipped over the chest and landed behind it. Pulling open the top quickly, she reached in for one of the wooden swords. A shadow of movement crossed in her line of vision, and when she tilted her head up Tespor was a stride or two from the chest. She pushed the top down and jumped on top. She pushed off, flipped over Tespor, landing behind him, and ran back toward Zenid.

Zenid was making notes in the palm recorder when Tiva slowed her pace.

“Excellent.” Zenid smiled.

“Thank you.” Tiva took in a deep breath.

Zenid turned to Tespor when he arrived a few moments after, “Excellent job as well.”

“Thank you, Zenid,” he said, his expression betraying
the sentiment. Tiva knew he was upset; however, she kept her thoughts to herself. Tespor gripped the wooden sword and twisted it over once in his wrist and looked to the sparring field. Zenid’s lip curled into a smile and she nodded.

“Take your places,” she bellowed.

Tiva followed Tespor to the middle of the field. They bowed and took their stance, staring at each other and waiting.

“I will not hold back this time if you wish, Tespor,” Tiva said, meeting his eyes. She noticed his markings turn darker, then slightly pink, and felt as much confusion from him as the crescent moons displayed.

He nodded to her, raising the sword higher. “Fight with all your might, Tiva. I will do the same.”

“Begin!”

Tespor lunged, taking the first strike again. His blow, more powerful than anything he did earlier, took Tiva by surprise, and she stumbled back. Her mouth twisted to a small grin as she clutched the wooden hilt with both hands. She forced the faux blade toward him in an upward motion blocked his next strike, and the tip of her weapon struck his shoulder. Without hesitating, she spun around aiming for his other shoulder. Tespor’s sword collided with hers; he glared at her, grunted, and pushed against her weapon. She hopped back, steadied herself, and jumped toward him for another bout.

A few grunts and groans escaped their lips as they exchanged blows on the field. Tiva struck Tespor twice on the shoulder, once on his hand, and twice in the gut. Tespor hit Tiva once on the shoulder, twice on her forearm and once on her leg.

When Zenid finally stopped the fight, Tiva noticed a few guardians had made their way over to watch. She also knew that Tespor was very angry. They bowed to each other and exited the sparring field. Zenid thanked Tespor for his help and dismissed him. He stomped away without acknowledging either of them.

Dumbstruck, Tiva watched him leave and frowned. “I don’t understand. Why is he so angry? He asked me not to hold back.”

Zenid kneeled down. “Sometimes people can’t control what they feel when their emotions are so strong. I believe Tespor is angry because he thinks you have bested him.”

“My technique is lacking, and he is much stronger than I. Perhaps I am quicker and my reflexes sharper…why would that make him angry if I was better?”

“You will come to learn over time, some men do not like to be bested by women.” Zenid smiled as she spoke. “Others, however, like the challenge, and many of the guardians seemed to have enjoyed the training.”

Tiva sighed, her thoughts straying to her friend. She shook off the feelings and looked to her mentor. “Did I do well Zenid?”

“You did very well. You will not have to bother with the basics in your weapons training, I’ll send my report to your uncle, and he will work out your training exercises. But now, we can go to the meditation room and test your empathic abilities.”

Tiva and Zenid returned to the palace. People rushed back and forth through the corridors. Tiva picked up a sense of urgency from many of them. When Zenid led her to the meditation room, she noticed it mirrored the earlier one, except billowy pillows covered the floor, and no other furniture was present. Zenid motioned for Tiva to sit, so she complied, picking a yellow pillow. Zenid sat next to her on a large blue one.

“First we will test your strengths, your projection abilities, and finally your ability to hide your own emotions,” Zenid said, creating the mood. She pressed her palms together, and Tiva followed suit. She then closed her eyes. “Clear your mind
, Tiva. I will project an emotion to you, tell me what you feel.”

Tiva closed her eyes and did as told. Her thoughts and feelings slipped away. She felt others around her more clearly. Zenid’s emotions were strong, but not the only ones she picked up.

She focused on Zenid only, and felt the wave she was sending, “Happiness.”

“Good,” Zenid said quietly. “Again…”

Tiva reached out to her mentor pushing aside the other emotions she felt nearby, “Amusement.”

“Again.”

“Fear.”

“Again.”

“Embarrassment.”

“Good, open your eyes Tiva.”

Tiva opened her eyes Zenid was smiling at her. “I did well?”

“Yes, you did very well,” she said and made another note in the palm recorder. “There was one emotion in the background I projected that you did not sense, but that was merely a secondary test to see just how strong your abilities are.”

“I felt it, but I wasn’t sure it came from you. There are many people in the corridors and I sense some of their stronger emotions as well.” Tiva frowned. “I’m having problems separating them all.”

Zenid’s eyes widened for a moment, and she made another note, “I see. Interesting. I have seen others with heightened abilities
, but rarely this young. Can you mind-speak, Tiva?”

“I do not believe so,” she said, “but I have inherited my mother’s Nature Sense.”

“Ah, yes. D’laja is very strong with the Nature Sense.” Zenid nodded and made another note in the recorder. “Now, I want you to project a few emotions to me. Think of things that make you happy and sad, perhaps something you are frightened of, or something that makes you angry.”

Tiva nodded and closed her eyes. She let her mind wander toward the different emotions Zenid had asked, felt each as they passed through her. Zenid touched her mind to sense the emotions, Tiva kept herself calm and relaxed. After a few more moments, Zenid said, “Good Tiva, your projections need some sharpening, but you did well.”

Tiva opened her eyes again expecting to see Zenid near, however she was at the opposite side of the room going through a hutch in the corner. She watched, curious, then smiled inwardly and cleared her mind to sense what Zenid was doing. She chuckled. Tiva’s markings turned pink. “I’m sorry. I thought perhaps it was a test.”

“It was, and you did as I thought you would.” She smiled and carried over a long wooden box placing it between them as she took a seat. “Concealing your emotions from others can be accomplished in two ways. I am sure your parents have taught you the easier of the two ways already.” Tiva nodded. “Good. Suppression is not the only way to block others from reading you. You will learn more about this during your training in the cycles to come. For now, however, we will test your basic suppression. Some of this may be uncomfortable, but you will not be harmed.” Zenid opened the box and pulled out a few items. She placed four things directly in front of Tiva: a feather, a dagger, a writing utensil, and a rock. “Now close your eyes again.”

Tiva breathed deep and closed her eyes. She rested her palms on her knees, waited. Several long quiet moments passed, then, she felt the soft feather on her face. Her first reaction was to laugh, but as the smile began to form on her lips, she froze. She cleared her mind of thought and pushed back on the feelings that were encroaching to the surface.
I am not happy, I am not being tickled, nothing is happening to me.
Repeatedly in her mind, she tried to convince herself, and suddenly she felt Zenid try to sense her. Tiva pushed the feelings deeper inside. She continued to concentrate on keeping the emotions hidden, but couldn’t hide the initial shock she felt when Zenid suddenly pierced her arm with the dagger. The pain was minimal, and easy to suppress. She pushed back, and went beyond suppressing her feelings; she began to force herself to feel nothing.

Zenid’s mind touched hers probing again. Tiva sensed the surprise from her mentor, but continued to focus on feeling nothing. Her concentration did not waver; she was void and emitted nothing to her mentor. “Open your eyes
, Tiva.”

As Tiva opened her eyes, a powerful wave of terror came from every direction. Her markings turned neon, and her face paled. Zenid grabbed her hand, “What’s wrong?”

“Panic, confusion, a large fight, or…I’m not quite…” Tiva gasped and bolted to her feet. She ran to the door without thinking.

“Tiva wait!” Zenid called out after her. “Where are you going?”

“I…there was…something has happened in the Hentor Province,” she stammered.

“How do you know this?” Zenid rushed to her side.

“I can feel it, I must go. I have to find my mother.” Tiva ran out of the room, down the corridor, and dashed straight for the tower lift. Zenid followed, and slowed her as they neared the lift.

“Tiva, you are just a guardian trainee, these matters do not concern you,” she said.

“My father is in the Hentor Province!”

Zenid’s markings turned neon, she nodded and pushed Tiva into the lift when the doors opened, “Go, find your mother. I will see what happened.” Zenid turned and ran out of sight. Tiva pressed the keypad in the lift and began her descent. She paced within the confined space, glancing to the ground below every so often. She exited the lift when it reached the bottom, and caught another round of strong emotions.

People rushed back and forth, paying little mind to her wandering alone through the corridors. A group of guardians and legionnaires congregated near the throne room entrance. Tiva brushed past them, searched for her mother. She ran down the corridor to the main study and darted out of the palace through to the guardian corridor. She expected to see her cousin Towt, instead Litru and Zaynus stood at the entrance.

“Guardians Truda! Have you seen my cousin Towt Narja?” she said breathlessly.

“We have not seen him,” Litru answered and Zaynus said, “You seem distressed, Guardian Boon, speak of your worries.”

“Something happened in the Hentor Province, my father is there,” she said with a hint of panic in her voice. “Please, I need to find my mother.”

Litru knelt down and took Tiva’s hand in his. “We will help you.”

Zaynus nodded and pulled out a portable communications device. “Do not worry, everything will be fine.”

Dazed, Tiva absently stared at the twins. Litru led her down the corridor gently holding her hand. Zaynus followed and spoke quietly into the PCD, requesting help contacting D’laja. The three entered the main study. Litru guided Tiva to one of the couches. He smiled, trying to allay her worries obviously sensing her emotions.

Zaynus pulled at his brother’s tunic and they walked to the far corner of the room. Though they were whispering, Tiva heard every word.

“Central Communications is trying to contact D’laja at home or in her hover. Stay with her, I will head back to the entrance. Keep sharp brother, something
has
happened.” Litru waited for his brother to leave, then returned to the couch and sat next to Tiva. She looked up at him, her eyes full of fear and sadness. Litru wrapped an arm around her shoulder and drew her against him.

“Such is the life we lead
, Guardian Boon. I would like to tell you it gets easier the older you become, but worry and concern for your loved ones never fade,” he said. “We will hear word shortly.”

“Thank you,” she said. She curled up and wrapped her arms around her legs. She pushed aside the feelings, not enjoying them in the slightest.

Litru projected hopeful emotions toward her inadvertently, though his general disposition seemed very lighthearted. She tried to find comfort in his arms, but she needed her parents. Tiva closed her eyes and leaned into Litru. Warmth and caring emanated from him. Surprisingly, she began to calm, Litru had an interesting effect on her. Suddenly another strong wave struck her. She leapt up from the couch. “No!”

Litru stood. “Guardian Boon?”

“The gates,” she said, bolting for the corridor.

“Tiva, wait!” he shouted from behind.

She forced the palace doors open and ran toward the main gates. Litru then Zaynus called out to her, but she continued speeding down the path. Seeing a short cut, she ran through the king’s garden, leaping over benches and shrubbery. She ran harder, digging into the ground increasing her speed.
Something terrible has happened.
She soared over the last of the flowerbeds, rounded the outer wall of the garden, and skidded to an abrupt stop.