Second Guard (29 page)

The three friends sat looking at each other in astonishment, while the princess, seemingly pleased by their reaction, sat back again to sip her tea.

“We had no idea,” Tali said, still amazed by the tale. “He is so modest!”

“To a fault, I’m afraid,” the princess said with a wistful smile. “Will you wait while I pen a response to him?”

“Of course,” Zarif said, and they all rose and bowed as she withdrew to her desk. They did not speak while they waited, only sipped the tea, which Tali had decided was the best she
had ever tasted. Each sip scalded her tongue a bit, but it was worth it, like breathing in the heady scent of wildflowers in bloom.

After a few moments the princess returned and wrapped the letter with the Queen’s Key, which she had taken from her desk. “Please deliver this to Saavedra alone,” she said,
handing it back to Tali.

Tali felt the warmth of the wax seal under her thumb. “As you command,” she said, and bowed again.

“It has been my pleasure to meet you all this eve,” the princess answered, walking them to the flap of her tent. “May you have a safe journey back to the Alcazar.”

The three were released back into the cool breeze of the evening, where the stars had come out during their absence. Tali wondered if the long ride back to the Alcazar would be enough time to
discuss the events of the past several days, this evening included.

T
ali could not sleep. She turned on her small bedroll, trying to find a position that would not make her ribs ache more. The even breathing of the other pledges in the tent
only teased her with their rhythmic, restful sound. Scratching her scalp, Tali felt the grime from days on the road and the dusty arena. How she longed for a hot bath! Unable to push the urge from
her mind, Tali carefully stepped over the sleeping pledges and slipped out into the night. An hour before sunrise, Tali thought. Perfect. I’ll have the springs to myself. She followed the
well-worn trail up the mountain that loomed over Fugaza.

The woods were more alive than the camp itself. Crickets chirped tunes to each other as the breeze tumbled the leaves on the forest floor. An owl, silent and watchful, lifted off from a branch,
casting a shadow over Tali’s path. She paused as he landed on the highest limb of an evergreen, then called out to the night like a cleric to his followers.

Tali breathed deeply, relieved to be alone after so many days in the company of others. As a daughter of the Sun God, Tali had been raised to avoid the night, to wait until Intiq arose to bless
her moves. But she had always loved the night sky and its pale Goddess Elia, who shook her head each night to let fall star flowers from her hair. No, Tali had never been afraid of the blanket of
night as her twin had. Perhaps Nel feels more vulnerable in the dark because she can’t hear, Tali thought. She relies so much on sight instead.

How she missed Nel and the old tub they shared on the boat! The two of them would take turns heating river water on the stove and pouring it into the bath. The Alcazar’s bathing rooms only
provided each pledge a daily basin of hot water, which Tali would stand over each evening before bed, desperately trying to scrub off the day’s grime. Immersion in the hot springs would feel
like bliss in comparison.

Just then, low voices interrupted her peace. She was about to call out her presence, when she recognized the voices. There was no mistaking Commander Telendor’s authoritative tone, nor the
voice of his son, Jaden. For a brief moment, Tali stood still, wondering what to do. Reason told her she should leave immediately, but curiosity won out. Heart pounding, Tali followed the voices up
the winding path, tiptoeing carefully. The trees stopped along the edge of the hot springs, and Tali paused in their shadow to listen. The voices were louder now, but she still had trouble making
out their words. With shaky fingers, Tali quickly undressed and slipped into the water as soundlessly as possible. She’d be mortified if they happened upon her, but at least she’d have
an excuse for being there.

Scarcely daring to breathe, Tali made her way across the pool and tucked herself into a crevice, hoping the steam would keep her hidden. She steadied herself on the crumbling shale and dug
fingers and toes deep into the spaces between the rocks.

Their voices floated through the night air like disembodied murmurs from the world beyond. “You should not have slighted her,” Telendor said, his voice tight with anger.

“I did not
slight
the Queen, I merely chose to honor the Queen-in-Waiting instead,” Jaden said defiantly.

“Xiomara is not yet Queen-in-Waiting,” Telendor responded, his voice a low growl.

“Oh, that’s right, rumor has it that she and I are to be married,” Jaden said, with a wry laugh. “They’ll have to choose another pretty princess for the job. How
convenient.”

“These games you play are dangerous,” Telendor answered. “More dangerous than you know.”

“Are they?” Jaden asked. A silence followed and Tali heard the two move closer to her hiding spot. If she were discovered now, what would she say?
Intiq have mercy. I will never
survive the humiliation if I am caught naked by the greatest warriors of the realm.
Her heart pounded furiously. She held her breath as the conversation continued directly above her.

“Where were you the week before the Clash, Jaden?”

“I think you know,” Jaden answered, his voice now deadly serious.

“It is folly to think you will get away with this.”

“Folly, you say?” Jaden said. “Is that all it is?
Folly?
”

“Yes,” Telendor answered, his voice gruff with anger, “and it will lead to your destruction. Vipers surround Tequende, poised to swallow it like a field mouse. I will not
surrender the Blade of Tequende to those who would play a pawn instead of a king.”

“I believe you mean ‘queen,’ Father,” replied Jaden, “or did you forget you’re only second in command?”

Though Tali couldn’t see him, she could feel the fury roll off Telendor in angry waves.

“Beware, Jaden. For the last thing I’ll do is see this realm brought to its knees by my own son,” the commander said, turning on his heel to march back down the mountain.

Jaden waited for his father to disappear, then kicked a stone into the springs. Tali slipped beneath the water and held her breath for as long as her lungs would keep her below the surface. When
she could stand it no more, she peeked her head above water and let the air out in a slow, nearly silent breath. Her heart hammered inside the cage of her ribs, but Jaden had walked away, his
shadow snaking back down the mountain path. Pulling herself from the water, Tali quickly dried herself on the rag she had brought with her, dressed, and headed back to camp.

The makeshift city was bursting with activity in the pale light of first morn. Tents were being struck, horses saddled, llamas loaded with goods. The Sun Guild merchants now roamed through the
crowd, enticing people to buy their discounted wares, eager to sell as much as they could before the camp emptied. Tali felt like she had suddenly woken from a dream.

Both Zarif and Chey greeted her cheerfully, and she tried to smile back in return. Though she longed to tell them what she’d overheard, she knew she must wait. If only she had paper and
ink to write down the exact words of the conversation so she would not forget them! Instead, she repeated the scene over and over in her head as she gathered her bedroll and belongings from her
corner of the tent.

In truth, she felt utterly conflicted, crushed that the suspicions about Jaden had proved to be warranted. After his victory the day before, she had so badly wanted to believe that he truly
was
the hero he appeared to be. But even his father knew it was not so.
For the last thing I’ll do is see this realm brought to its knees by my own son,
Telendor had
said.

Tali threw her pack across her shoulders and headed to the corral to find her horse. Saavedra will know what to do, she consoled herself. And now that Telendor knows his son is up to no good,
he’ll certainly put a stop to it. She was so lost in her own thoughts that the voice beside her startled her.

“Daydreaming of your Alcazar cot after five nights on the ground?” asked Jaden.

“Good morning, sir,” she said, trying to keep her face from flushing.
Great Gods, where did he come from?
“Sorry, I did not see you.”

“Apology accepted,” he said, falling in step beside her. “Congratulations on your exhibition battle. You did quite well for a pledge.”

“I…thank you,” she answered, cursing herself for her fumbled words. “I did not expect you to be there.”

“I try to see as many pledge matches as possible, especially when I’ve had a hand in their training,” he said, smiling at her now.

Tali nodded, her mind still racing.
Calm yourself. He does not know you overheard him last night.
“But it is I who should be congratulating
you
,” she finally said.
“Quite impressive, winning all three medals.”

Jaden shrugged. “Just a small wager I made with my father,” he said, dismissing the accomplishment with a wave.

Tali bit her tongue, afraid she might say the wrong thing or give away her own suspicions.
Concentrate!
she scolded herself.
Sound as impressed as you should be.

“I’m sure he was proud to see you win,” she said lightly, “as were we all.”

They walked together in silence for a moment, but when they reached the corral Jaden wrapped a hand around Tali’s elbow. The pressure of his fingers took her by surprise, and she tried not
to look frightened, though her heart raced.

“Xiomara has told me that you and your friends spend your evenings with Saavedra.”

“Well, yes…” Tali stuttered, looking over his shoulder, as if to find words there. “He—Saavedra kindly shares his tea and books with us.”

Jaden tightened his grip on her elbow until she was forced to meet his eyes. “Knowledge can be dangerous, Tali,” he said, his voice now low and serious. “Keep your focus on
your training, nothing else.”

Tali swallowed the lump in her throat and looked down at her boots, unable to meet his gaze any longer.
He couldn’t have made his message clearer. Step away from the truth, or
else.
She took a quick breath and forced herself to look at him again. “Yes, sir,” she said, her voice little more than a whisper.

The centurio nodded once, then headed off into the dusty light. Tali felt as though she’d been slapped. It took her a few moments to regain her senses and remember what she was doing in
the corral. Then she began to ready her horse for the long journey back to the Alcazar.

The stars had long been winking at Tali by the time she and the other pledges crested the last hill to the Alcazar two days later. She exhaled and breathed a sigh of relief.
Almost home.
She closed her eyes for a moment, imagining the heavy door to her room opening, the welcome bed waiting. And soon enough, she was there.

By the time she had unsaddled her horse and handed her over to the sleepy stable hands, Tali realized it was much too late to deliver Xiomara’s message. Saavedra would surely be sleeping
at this hour. She lugged her pack directly to her room, stepping on a note that had been slipped under the door in her absence. As she bent to pick it up, her leather bag slid off her arm, and Tali
gave it a gentle kick under the bed. The letter’s green wax seal had cracked under her boot, and she picked it off hastily to unfold the letter. Stepping into a small patch of moonlight by
the window, she was just able to make out the words.