The New Guard (Crossroads Book 1) (13 page)

Hogan
stopped and took a deep breath before he continuing. “Knowing you wouldn’t be
shown much
consideration,
I’ve tried to provide you
with some hospitality.”

“And a
fine job you’ve done,” Evangeline said as she walked over, holding a tray with
a dozen and a half small cakes on it. Each cake was decorated differently with
colored frosting, fresh fruits, and simple designs. Deborah stared at the cakes
for nearly a minute before tears began to cloud her eyes. When she spoke it was
softly, as she was straining to hold back her emotions.

“My
mother . . . every year . . . she makes cupcakes for our birthdays. We’ve never
had more than one present every other year, but always there were the
cupcakes.”

Evangeline
gave the tray to Hogan and embraced Deborah. Softly she stroked the curls in
Deborah’s hair and gently shushed her. After several minutes, when Deborah was
sure she had control of herself, she broke the embrace.

“Sorry,”
Deborah said still in a whisper. “Thank you, both of you. This is a wonderful
gift.”

“There,
there, you just stop your apologizing. There’s no shame in feeling sad,”
Evangeline said. Then she looked over at Hogan who was shifting in place,
feeling awkward for what he’d done. “You stop your fidgeting and escort this
young lady back to her family.”

Tray in
hand, Hogan led Deborah through yet another door, which opened into a hallway
lined with servants’ quarters. At the end of the hallway, the door there
brought the two to a courtyard with a large well. From there they simply went
past the well and through a small portcullis and were within sight of Way
House. Hogan guided Deborah to the front, where the young page that had led
Deborah and her father into the castle was dozing on a stool.

“Alexander!”
Hogan called out, startling the boy into wakefulness. It took a few seconds
more for his mind to focus on his task and the person who spoke his name,
finally, the young boy stood to attention.

“Sorry,
sir,” he said, and Deborah recognized that the boy had a British accent similar
to Evangeline’s.

Alexander
scrambled to open the door and made a bow when it was open wide. Deborah smiled
at him as she passed, and Alexander beamed and bowed deeper.

Way House
had two floors. There was a right and left wing on both floors, separated by a
central gathering area. The upper gathering area was half as small as the
lower, and overlooked the lower one via a balcony. Sitting on the edge of the
balcony were Jeremiah, Ruth, and Hannah. They all three looked up when they
heard Hogan’s and Deborah’s footsteps. Seeing Deborah, Ruth ran back and could
be heard calling that Deborah was back.

Hogan
followed Deborah up the stairs. They were greeted by all of Deborah’s siblings,
save Mary and Dinah, who were already asleep in one of the bedrooms in the
upper right portion of the house. The Coterie brothers all sat in a semicircle
of chairs around a small table. They had looked up when Deborah topped the
stairs, but now returned to their card game.

Rock
played a card, then quietly asked, “The Truth Blade is still with the king,
then?”

Hogan
nodded and said, “Yes; I doubt my cousin has the energy or desire to get into
much intrigue, so he should be along within the hour.”

Hogan looked
around and saw a small end table between two chairs. He stepped over to it and
set down the tray he’d still been holding. Most of the children’s eyes followed
him. Deborah smiled with a mixture of elation and sorrow. When she spoke,
however, only the joy was evident in her voice.

“Hogan
had some cakes made for my belated birthday. There are plenty for everyone.
Help yourself.”

As her
brothers and sisters gathered around the tray and selected cakes with much
debate, Deborah stepped up to Hogan and took his arm. She smiled at the oohs
and
aahs
of her siblings and squeezed his arm.

“Thank
you again,” she said. Then without thinking she leaned in and kissed Hogan’s
cheek. Instantly, they both blushed. However, before anything else could
happen, First Thunder cleared his throat.

“Young
man,” he said in a low rumbling voice, “you should probably take this moment to
say good-night before the Truth Blade returns.”

Both
Deborah and Hogan blushed deeper. Hogan gently disengaged his arm from
Deborah’s and quickly wished her good night. Still under the watchful eyes of
the Coterie brothers, he walked down the stairs and out of Way House.

David was
tired when he returned to Way House. After dinner, he’d been subjected to a room
full of the king’s relatives, all of whom had been given advisory positions or
had been made glorified overseers. Since the king did not choose to treat David
with anything but quiet disdain, Avrant’s relatives did likewise. Only General
Kolk took time to briefly exchange words with David, and these words were not
complimentary.

“I’ve
called together several reserve units after receiving news of the dramatic
events at council today. Luckily, I have a couple of days before the first of
the actual council members arrive. My current security contingent was adequate
in light of only having proxies present at council; however, due to your
exuberant demands, I’m to prepare for a more diverse presence at the council.”

General
Kolk took a quick drink and continued, “Did you know that council delegates
tend to travel with large security forces? I would not be surprised to find
them choosing to travel here with even larger forces than in prior years. It
seems the King’s call to resolve tax issues and crop depletion, coupled with
your sudden presence, has put them on the defensive.”

When
David could no longer take any more of the General’s prattling, he cleared his
throat. He was aware that Kolk had been put up to confronting David and that
they had waited until they were secured away with only the king’s select few in
attendance. Thus, David was also aware that more than just the General would be
listening to his response. David let his voice carry across the study.

“General,
it seems to me that the Seventh Kingdom is suffering from apathy. The council
members have grown accustomed to operating with some level of enmity. The rule
of the land has become lax to the point that the council members felt
comfortable not overseeing crop yields or, worse, falsifying storage reports.
I’m sure the tax revenues are in similar straits.

“I am not
surprised to hear that your council members are gathering forces. The ruling
class has become accustomed to not being held accountable and is now taking
umbrage at being called out for their crimes or lackadaisical oversight. I’m
glad to hear that you are taking precautions for the true meeting of the
council. If I were you, I’d make sure my men had cool temperaments, for hot
heads will only make this situation worse.”

Lord
Avrant, like David, was a smart man. Lord Avrant knew David was not only
referring to the local lords when he talked about mismanagement of the
kingdom’s holdings. He also knew that when David spoke of holding people
accountable, he was referring to the people in this room as well as those now
coming to the true council meeting. So, though Lord Avrant was furious at David
for his words, he did not show it outwardly, save for the tightly clenched fist
that held his wine goblet.

Shortly
after David’s words, the occupants of the study slowly began to depart, with
General Kolk being the first to excuse himself. Once enough of the king’s
cabinet had departed, David bowed to the king and asked for leave to return to
his children. The king dismissed him with a wave of his hand. There would be no
further invitations from the king toward David or any of his family.

Once
outside the study, David found a page and sent a note to Hogan that he’d be
pleased to join him at Sabbath services. David then dismissed the page, wanting
to find his own way out of the castle. When he finally did thirty minutes
later, he had composed himself so as to not lay his frustrations upon his
children. When he finally arrived back at Way House he found Deborah back and
changed into a nightgown. Most of the girls were grouped around her talking in
hushed voices. The boys, except Jeremiah, were huddled around a small table
with the Coterie brothers learning a card game. David greeted them all briefly,
but asked them to wait until he got more comfortable before he would talk about
any details.

David
changed quickly and checked on Dinah, Mary, and Ruth, who were sound asleep in
their rooms. Jeremiah was alone in the boys’ room, his nose in a book. David
smiled at him and asked, “What did you find to read?”

Jeremiah
briefly looked up from the volume. “I couldn’t understand most of the books in
the library downstairs; they seem to be in other languages. The Beagle says the
gift of tongues only extends to hearing and speaking, and I’d have to actually
learn the other languages to know how to read them.”

“I don’t
doubt you will learn them. I am still amazed you learned to read so young.”
David then asked his question again. “What did you find to read?”

Jeremiah
stood up this time and brought the book to his father. “It’s a travel log the
Oswald boy gave me. He said it was left at Oswald Farm many years ago. It has
sketches and maps of the twelve kingdoms and the inhabitants of the
Crossroads.”

David
took the book, flipped a few pages of it, and then smiled. “You should share
this with your brothers and sisters. In fact, since we are probably going to be
here for a while, it might be ideal for me to arrange tutoring for you all.”

Jeremiah
looked up at his father in fear. “I think that would be great, but don’t tell
the others I had anything to do with that idea. Ruth thinks I’m an insufferable
know-it-all, and can’t stand that I skipped a grade and we shared a second
grade class. The others think I . . .”

David
stopped Jeremiah by hugging him. When he broke the embrace he knelt to be eye
to eye with Jeremiah.

“Don’t be
ashamed of the gifts God has given you. At the same time, be sure you’re not
flaunting them, either. Now, don’t worry; I’ll introduce the idea of schooling
to your brothers and sisters so as to not implicate you.”

David
ruffled Jeremiah’s hair and hugged him once more. He stood and turned to leave,
but Jeremiah stopped him with one more question.

“Dad,
there are so many things here we already know about, but didn’t think
were
real. In this book, the writer describes elves,
dwarves, fairies, giants, merpeople, and several creatures from the darker side
of fantasy. These things are real? Is this where all the stories on Earth come
from?”

 David
smiled at Jeremiah before answering. “Most of what we think of as fantasy on
Earth has its basis in reality. Some of those stories come from people who have
travelled here and found their way back. Some are stories of events that
happened because those from other planets found their way to ours. Still more
come from the nisse, those we would call fairies, for they are the only species
to have an active presence on all the varied worlds of the other races.
However, many of the stories you would find on Earth are fantastical creations
inspired by the original stories.

“There are
all sorts of connections from our world to the Crossroads. I’ve heard tell of
people who can partially cross over in their dreaming and people who can see
between the fabric that separates the outer worlds from this realm. People tell
their tales and either get published or locked away. Perhaps this is all a way
for God to prepare people for a time when all the races will be brought
together. I don’t know for certain though, I’ll leave that for you to ponder
and find an answer to.”

David’s
smile broadened at Jeremiah’s wondrous expression. Before turning once more to
leave, David spoke again. “Get to bed; I’ll be sending the other boys up
shortly. We can all rest without placing watches, tonight at least. Tomorrow
you get to see what elvish church is like.”

David
walked into the gathering room and found the girls still chatting away and the
boys still playing cards. From the looks on the Coterie brothers’ faces, the
boys were starting to get the hang of the game faster than they liked. He stood
watching for a moment and then called for everyone’s attention.

“It’s
getting late, kids. We may not be on the road for the next few days, but there
will still be plenty to do. No watches, so everybody rests.”

There was
some minor grumbling, but David let it slide. He motioned for Deborah, Mel, and
Nic to stay for a moment. Once everybody had filed out, David sat down. First
Thunder, Rock, and Fleet of Foot joined them.

“Now,
just because there is no watch tonight does not mean I don’t want you to be
mindful of our surroundings and the goings-on of our group. My main rule
stands: watch out for anyone smaller than you.

“After
tomorrow, I’m going to have a tutor come in. All of you need far more details
on our new situation than the Beagle, our travelling companions, or I can give
you. We will also continue our physical conditioning. In addition, I would like
one of you three to also accompany me during the afternoon sessions of the
council meetings. For the task that has been given us, one of the three of you
will most likely get picked first of all your siblings. You will need some
experience in dealing with governance.”

Here Nic
interrupted, “But Dad, I still don’t see how we are supposed to rule. Everybody
keeps saying the Lord will guide us, or where the Word leads He provides. We
are talking about taking over kingdoms, ruling populations, defending against
the forces of darkness. Let’s be honest; most of us haven’t had any more
experience at leading than being the captain of a kickball team.”

David
knew Nic’s frustration, as he felt it himself. He had felt it years ago when
he’d first crossed over, and he felt it even now as he thought about his
children having to put themselves in harm’s way.

“I know,”
David began. “I know how frightening and frustrating this is. Many years ago I
was brought here and thrown into one battle after another. My only combat
experience had been on the football field. However, I was protected and
trained, and so will you be. I don’t know when you are going to be called
forward; it could be tomorrow, the next day, next week, months or years from
now. What we need to do is focus on the now, what we can do, and the providence
of the Lord.

“Nic,
you’ve always been one to learn by doing. You’ve always had to be hip deep into
an activity before you truly knew what was expected of you and what you needed
to do. Once you grasp something, you own it, you master it, you add to it. The
same will prove true in this situation, in defending and ruling.

“Going to
council meetings, training, and learning the lay of the land will help you as
well. I will also let you know that the best way to lead is by example. I have
strived to raise you in this very way. I wanted you to be honest, faithful, and
caring people, so I lived that way. Finally, God will provide you with
opportunities and advisors that will help you. He has already given you the
greatest advisor in the books of the Bible. Even though we seem so far from the
places within the Bible, its truth and guidance are still most valuable. I
encourage you all to continue to make time to study it, even with everything
else going on.”

David
closed his eyes and rubbed his temples with one hand. “I doubt the transition
will be easy. Even now, forces gather to oppose the rule of the current king. I
have suspicions that the Dark Riders are not sitting around waiting for you to
be crowned. However, I have trust in God. There are twelve of you, and there
are twelve thrones. It is His will that you each sit upon one; therefore, He
will guide you, protect you, and prepare you. There will be trials sprung upon
you, some of your own creation, but He has the strength to help you through
them all. We must seek the Word and do as He wills. You will know when you are being
called forth. However, you must be brave enough to stand up and say, ‘Here I
am, Lord’.”

The
children remained silent, a host of emotions playing on their faces. David read
the doubt, the apprehension, and the hint of excitement laced with fear. He sighed
heavily, feeling the full force of the change that was going to happen. His
children were going to be taken from him and thrust into dire situations. He
looked at his oldest children, whom he suspected he’d have to abandon in order
that he may guard over the youngest. Even his youngest would grow up in a world
of intrigue and subterfuge. How would he raise them, let alone an unborn child
somewhere out there?

Nic
slumped in his chair and stared off, in no particular direction on at any
particular thing. Witnessing this, Rock shook his head. He spoke softly with
his deep, gravelly voice.

“Don’t
worry about being idle while you wait. Your father has already told you of his
plans to continue his training of you. We will help make your life challenging enough
so you won’t have any time to fret about the future. Then when the future
becomes the present, you will find yourself armed and armored. Maybe you won’t
be ready to accept the crown offered to you, but you will know you can do the
job God has put before you, and you will take it anyway.”

Nic
rolled his eyes at Rock, but he, like Deb and Mel, let a smile play momentarily
on his lips.

David
stood. “Well, now that is settled. I’ll see you boys in the morning. Deborah,
I’d like a private word with you.”

Deb
nodded as the boys said goodnight and left. First Thunder came up to David and
whispered in his ear. After only a few moments, David looked over at the two
remaining cakes on a side table. He nodded, and then First Thunder and his
brothers left, as well.