THE FINAL TEST
“
G
ood luck,” smiled Leandra,
as she leaned into Darius with a quick rise onto her toes and kissed him. He
was about to leave for his last field test to become the first full commander
of the Elite Army. It had been four months since arriving in camp and almost
three since becoming a team leader. Others had become team leaders since then,
but no one else was being invited to take the final field test.
Darius rubbed his head from hitting it into a tree when he
moved away from her. “What did you do that for?” She had been planting surprise
kisses on him for the past few weeks. Ever since he had saved her from the men
that Cray sent to test him.
They had enjoyed additional walks together since then, which
were in fact relaxing and far less exciting than the first one. Darius had
begun to like having Leandra around. She praised him and smiled at him, and was
quite alluring with the looks she offered him. Above all, it seemed to make the
other men envious of him.
“Why do you think?” giggled Leandra, her soft brown eyes
sparkled with her usual mischievousness. “Why do you think people kiss,
Darius?”
“I uh . . .” Darius watched some of the other young men from
afar. Some were jealous of him, with all that he had accomplished at the camp
in the few short months, but having Leandra on his arm really seemed to irk
them. What would they say if they knew how nervous he actually was around her?
Some of the men looked over towards the pair to see what was happening.
With an unexpected move, Darius grabbed Leandra around the
waist and pulled her back towards him with force. Letting her feel a trickle of
his power, he returned her kiss, letting his lips linger just a brief moment
longer than hers had.
Leandra's face turned a few shades of pink as Darius turned
and walked towards Cray, who waited with men and horses to begin their ascent
into the Superstition Mountains.
The other men behind him snickered and whooped and hollered.
Maybe kissing her had shown them he was more like them than they thought.
“Don't say anything,” he said to Cray as he jumped on his
horse.
“Who, me? What would I say to a young man who just about
made a girl melt to her knees?” laughed Cray.
“I did not.” Darius looked a little embarrassed.
“Look back there.” Cray pointed towards Leandra, who still
stood in the same place Darius had left her. She had a dreamy look on her face
and smiled at Darius as if nothing else in the world mattered.
“Girls . . .” was all Darius said as he kicked his horse and
headed up the mountain and out of the camp. Cray and two others followed
shortly behind.
As Cray had promised, they stayed on the horses for two days
as they climbed higher into the mountains. The ground and branches were covered
in snow, but the days were clear. As they climbed to a higher altitude, the
temperature dropped and Darius wrapped a double cloak of skins around himself.
He could see his warm breath in the frigid air. Towards the end of the second
day they stopped.
Cray took out a thick piece of wool fabric and moved closer
to Darius. “You will now go blindfolded the rest of the way.”
“What?” Darius was surprised at the direction. “What will
that accomplish?”
“It will make it more of a chore to get back to camp.” Cray
smiled.
Darius looked around for the other men that accompanied him.
They were off to the side, feeding the other horses. “You do know that I have
other abilities that will help me get back?”
Cray smirked at him and hopped off his horse. “Don’t let
everything hinge on that, Darius. You are here at the training camp for a
purpose. To be trained in the King’s Elite Army, and then to follow the King’s
direction in where he wants to send you and what he wants you to do. This final
test of getting back to camp on your own, in the mountains in the middle of
winter, will convince me and the other leaders you are really ready to have a
full command of men under you.”
“I don’t need a lecture, Cray.” Darius furrowed his eyes at
his trainer and tried to relax his clenched fists as he dropped to the ground.
His legs still felt like he was riding the horse.
Cray walked closer to him. “I don’t pretend to understand
what goes on in your mind.” He put a friendly hand on Darius’s shoulder. “I
know this was not your choice to be here, but you have done well and I am proud
of you.”
Darius took a deep breath and let it go, wisps of warm fog
escaping into the cold air. “I am not mad at you. I just want to control my own
life without others pulling the strings.”
The other man came over towards Cray. “Sir,” one of them
said. “We need to keep moving before it gets dark.”
Darius reached over and took the blindfold from his trainer.
With a smirk he said, “Lead me on, men. Let’s hope you don’t dump me off a
cliff somewhere.”
A few hours later they stopped, removed the blindfold, and
gave Darius a small knife and a day’s worth of water.
“You are on your own now, son.” Cray shook his hand. “Make a
camp here for the night and then return to us at the base camp as soon as you
can.”
Looking around himself, Darius saw he was next to a small
creek with a large rock face behind it. Large pines surrounded a small field of
snow. “Looks inviting.”
Cray smiled. “Use the knowledge of your training. There is
plenty of food and shelter here; just be smart about it.”
The men took his horse and left Darius to head down the
mountain, trying to get a head start to camp before darkness forced them to
settle in for the night.
“And no cheating!” Cray yelled from around a corner.
Darius looked towards him with surprise, but he couldn’t see
the men anymore. He could now instinctively bring up the power within himself
.
It isn’t cheating to use something that belongs to me.
The power flared
again. He pushed it back inside. He knew what Cray meant. He had been trained
and had passed all the tests up until now; he could do it without using his
power. It wouldn’t be hard, except for the fact that it was now a part of him,
and he hardly had to think to draw on it in a time of need.
Darius looked in more detail at his surroundings. He could
tell he was much higher than the base camp. The trees were not as dense. At
this height and time of year, all but the evergreens had lost their leaves. He
walked around with some difficulty in the snow and found himself on a large plateau,
looking east. As far as he could see, the jagged mountains filled his vision,
growing smaller and smaller in the distance, eventually disappearing into the
fading purplish mists. He knew Anikari was in that direction.
Down by the stream a dozen yards away was an overhang of
rock. With a few branches from the pine trees, he was able to make a small
shelter for the night. Soon, with his flint and steel, he built a small fire
and felt more comfortable. He didn’t worry about getting back too soon. He could
survive out in the mountains. This was what he had trained for.
Darius had, in fact, already decided to stay out a little
longer than would be expected. It would make Cray and the others worry for him
a little longer. That would make them appreciate him more when he did arrive
back in the camp. The men would admire him and he would now be their leader—the
youngest of them all. He would be ready to march!
He thought of Kelln. This was the kind of adventure they had
dreamed of as young children, and into their teen years. Maybe he would find a
lost cabin or hidden cave. He felt better than he had in months. He wondered
where Kelln was. The last he had heard of his friend was before he’d left to
Belor to find out about his family and the troubles there. Darius smiled at the
thought of the trouble Kelln could always find, no matter where he went.
He breathed in the cold air, relaxing, and his power pulsed.
It gave him clarity of thought. The pine needles seemed clearer, his memory
sharper, and the possibilities of what he could do started to open up to him.
This was the first time that he had felt free since leaving
his home. He grabbed a dead branch and started to whittle as he pondered what
to do to find some food.
He was finally in control.
SECRETS SHARED
C
hristine, sitting atop her
large Cremelino, raced through the trees. She weaved her head back and forth,
trying to keep pine needles from slapping her face. She was glad it was winter,
or the oaks, maples, and smaller brush would have made her ride more dangerous.
Lightning kicked up dirt from the soft ground, spraying mud around about her
and dirtying her white coat.
Taking advantage of a warmer than usual winter day, she had
ridden Lightning out to the Field of Diamonds earlier that morning. Being there
always brought solace to her soul.
The field reminded her of Darius. She missed him horribly
and wondered when she would see him again. The year was coming to an end and it
had been five months since he had left.
The petition had earned nothing from King Edward and trouble
grew daily between the farmers of Anikari and those inside the city. Taunting
and beatings had become more dangerous and frequent. The talk of retaliation on
the part of the farmers continued to grow. Christine grew more and more unsure
of a peaceful solution.
Sitting at the edge of the Lake of Reflection she had seen
what she’d first thought were clouds. But on second glance she had recognized
them as smoke. Dark, thick clouds of it coming from the direction of the
farmlands.
With a silent thought to her horse to ride quickly, she had
jumped up onto Lightning, and now they rode quickly through the forest between
the lake and the farmlands.
Emerging out onto the road once again she sucked in a deep
breath and clutched her chest with one hand. The smoke was thicker and
billowing over the thinning trees and closest fields. It was in the direction
of her family’s farm.
Lightning rode faster than what Christine had thought
possible. Green and brown blurred around her as she streaked frantically down
the road. Before turning around a bend she heard the voices of others and the
loud crackle of the fire. The air seemed to warm and thicken.
The sight sickened her and she almost fell from her horse.
“Stop,” Christine voiced to Lightning.
In front of her blazed a fire, spreading across fields where
spring vegetables would have been planted in a few months. Others were running
around, trying to keep animals safe. What grabbed her attention, however, was
the bright inferno at the back of their property, which used to be their family
barn. The orange and yellow flames licked high into the sky with billowing
smoke pouring from it, burning wood, hay, and food.
Their own house, at the far end of the property, looked safe
for the time being. The wind seemed to be carrying the fire away from any homes
at the moment.
Christine didn’t know what to do. Her eyes were burning from
the smoky air and she wiped the tears from them with the sleeve of her coat.
A loud yell turned her attention to the side of the barn. It
was a horrific scream that tore her soul. Squinting through the smoke, she saw
her father running from the fire. A horrid sob escaped her as she urged
Lightning forward and over a fence.
Keeping the edge of the spreading flames to her left, she
spurred her Cremelino faster. Her father had fallen to the ground and the
flames were quickly turning towards him. The back of his clothes looked singed.
The dry winter grass was instant fuel for the raging fire. A
loud cracking sound followed by a crash alerted Christine to the fact that the
barn was about to topple over. Nearing her father, she called his name.
He rose up on his elbows and looked at her. His face was
streaked with soot and tears, with a large gash on the side of his head. “Go
back,” his weakened voice yelled towards her.
“No, Daddy. Get up. Get up.”
Christine jumped from her Cremelino before she had even
stopped. She fell down and reached an arm over her father’s body. “We will take
you back to the house, but I don’t think I can lift you up.”
The barn creaked louder and the wall furthest from them fell
with a loud crash to the ground. Only about thirty yards separated them from
the building, and the heat was becoming unbearable. The grass nearest them was
starting to smolder and the fire moved towards them at a quicker pace.
Stefen got on his hands and knees and tried to stand. “I
can’t do it, Christine. Leave me and save yourself. You need to get away.” He
coughed and almost choked as he tried to get a clean breath but couldn’t.
Christine bent down to him and Lightning moved over next to
Stefen. The Cremelino then lay down on her stomach.
Roll him over on top of me.
Christine felt infused with hope as she helped her father
back up on his knees. As she pushed him over, he fell across the horse. A loud
groan escaped his lips. Portions of his clothes were burned away, revealing
multiple burns along his back and legs.
Lightning stood up, with Christine’s father draped across
her neck. Christine jumped onto the horse, sitting behind her father.
The rest of the barn rumbled and fell, collapsing to the
ground, sending sparks of burning wood out into the air. Christine batted them
away, with a few sparks burning quick holes through her jacket. Turning around,
they raced back across the field, away from the fire and towards their home.
Her father hung lifeless in front of her. She held one hand to steady his body.
Turning back around as they rode, tears filled Christine’s
eyes. Their entire farm was burnt. The fire now raced across their neighbors’
farm and would continue, she presumed, until it reached the river a few farms
away. She could see others running around, trying to save what they could. She
wondered how it could have started.
As they stopped suddenly at their back door, her mother and
Emily came running outside. Upon seeing her husband’s condition she covered her
mouth and silent tears ran down her face.
“I will ride to get a doctor,” Christine told her mom.
“City doctors won’t help.” The voice of her younger brother,
Jain, came around the corner of the house. “They are the ones who set the fire
in the first place.”
“What?” Christine couldn’t believe it. “You don’t know
that.”
“Yes I do. I saw two of them running across our back fence
just before the fire broke out.” Jain raised his voice. “I tried to chase them,
but they were too fast.”
“It could be anyone!” Christine retorted.
“Enough arguing.” Their mother stepped between them. “This
solves nothing. If Jain said it was men from the city, then I believe him. Why
would he make it up?”
Christine was about to argue when a groan from their father
interrupted them. Christine turned around. “I will get you to a doctor shortly.
Lightning is fast.”
“No.” Her father groaned. “No. It is time I speak to you of
things. Jain, help me down.”
“What things?” Christine jumped down and moved to his side.
Stefen lifted his face and coughed again. “I will be leaving
you soon. My wounds are too great. You must know the truth before I go.”
Jain moved to his side, next to Christine, and helped his
father sit up. “What truth?”
“Get me into the house. Are we safe here?”
Christine looked back towards the fire. A slight breeze
seemed to be blowing the smoke and flames away from their home. “For the time
being.”
They helped their father into the house, laying him down on
an old cloth couch. He winced as his back hit the cushions.
“I love you, Dad,” Jain knelt down next to his dad. “I am
sorry for how I have been.”
“I know that you do, son . . . I know . . .” He trailed off
in a weak whisper. “You are just trying to protect us.”
Caroline brought water down to his lips in an old ceramic
mug. He sipped a few swallows, then laid his head back down. Emily leaned down
to him also and just held his hand. She was the youngest, and most of her work
and chores were done in the home. Since their dad had been indoors for the past
months, in weaker health, they had developed a closer relationship.
“It is time,” whispered Stefen. “My children, it’s time that
you know.”
“Know what?” asked Jain.
“Of my boyhood and my family.”
An excitement grew inside of Christine to finally hear her
father’s secrets, but she could hardly stand to see him in this condition. He
had never spoken much of his growing-up years.
“I have not always lived in the farmlands,” he began as
surprised looks popped up on the children’s faces. “My mother was a farmer, and
my father came from . . . the . . . city. He was a teacher.”
Jain looked at Christine with surprise. She didn’t know what
to think.
“We lived in Anikari in a large house when I was young. My
father, although not a noble, was treated well, as he taught the children of
nobles. He was a nice man, and generous from what I can remember, and very
intelligent. He died when I was only a young boy. About eight years old.” He stopped,
his breaths slow and labored.
Stefen closed his eyes and winced again. Emily came in with
a cool cloth and put it on his forehead. He smiled weakly at her, his blue eyes
dull and pained.
“My father’s sister moved in with us to help my mother with
the children. I had a younger brother and sister. My aunt did not like my
mother, since she came from the farmlands, and somehow they kicked her back out
to the farms, and my aunt and uncle kept the three children with them. My
mother did it because she thought we would be better off that way . . .”
He paused again and asked for a drink.
“Let us get a doctor for you,” Christine pleaded. She
couldn’t stand to see her father like this. “You need to get the smoke out of
your lungs, and you need something for your burns.”
Her father weakly moved his arm and dropped it down onto her
hand. He rubbed his fingers across her smooth skin. “I am sorry, Christine. I
have been weak already, and now this. A doctor won’t help me. I . . .” A deep,
hacking cough brought pain to his face.
“Daddy,” voiced Emily, trying to hold back the sobs.
After a moment of silence their father continued, his voice
softer. They all leaned in to hear better. Christine’s mother stood behind
them. She had heard the story already.
“With my mother gone, my aunt and uncle started to treat us
badly. They made us do all of the work around the house and stables. They sent
us to school, but always insisted we would never be able to learn as much as
the other kids would. We were always treated differently because we didn’t have
a mother and father around, and because our mother was from the farmlands. I,
being the oldest, had to somehow try to console my younger brother and sister.”
Tears came to the big man’s eyes.
Stefen began to cry at the memory. “It was so humiliating.
We ran away a few times, but they always caught us, brought us back, and beat
us. We saw my mother at times and she would always assure us that she would
bring us to her someday, after we were done learning in the schools. My brother
ran off, never to be seen again, and a year later my sister died from a
childhood disease.”
“One day the house caught fire and some men pulled me out. I
was sixteen by this time. My aunt and uncle died in the house while sleeping.
To this day I don't know how the fire started, but I think it was from one of
my mother's friends. They killed my aunt and uncle to bring me back to the
farmlands.” He began to grow paler. He paused for a few minutes.
“I blamed myself for their deaths, though I was glad it
happened.”
Emily leaned in and wiped the tears from her father’s eyes
with the cool cloth. Jain stood still, not moving. Christine felt her chest
tighten, and anger began to rise as she thought about the years of useless
violence that had destroyed so much.
“Then why didn’t you want to fight?” Christine whispered.
“You were always the leader of peace. That is what you taught me. But now
another fire and more violence. When does it end?”
“There has to be a peaceful solution. Somewhere. Somehow.
Life can’t continue like this. If we go killing city people, we are killing a
part of me and a part of you. Even though I don't like to admit it, I am part
of the city of Anikari. I went to school there, I learned a lot, and some of
those people living in the city are my relatives . . . and yours.”
He stopped talking, and everyone sat in silence for a few
minutes, just soaking in what Stefen had revealed to them. Caroline already
knew, but for the children it was a new concept that they may have relatives in
the city.
Stefen started coughing hard again. Jain lifted him up
slightly, but still their father had trouble reaching for a full breath of air.
Caroline tried to give him more water but he just pushed the cup away. He
became more pale and weak. His lungs wheezed as he struggled for a breath.
“Dad, don't die. Please,” pleaded Jain.
“I love you.” Emily grabbed his hand.
Christine stood next to her mother, both with tears
streaming down their pale faces. They both knew the time had come. Stefen’s
life was fading out, and there wasn't anything else that they could do about
it.
“I'll take you to the doctor on Lightning. There is still
time,” offered Christine as she began to run out of the house. She had only
gotten a few steps into the next room when her mother softly called her back.
When she came back in, silence enveloped the room. Time
stood still. She looked at everyone’s faces. Emily covered her eyes. Jain
stared with a look of horror. Her mother, Caroline, was leaning over Stefen,
stroking his graying hair with one hand and holding his hand with the other. His
eyes were closed and his chest still.
“They killed him.” Christine wailed uncontrollably.
“It was his time,” whispered her mother.
She is right, Christine. We all have our time. Now it is
your time to take up the cause.