Second Guard (37 page)

A
ny moment the bells would toll. Tali twisted a strand of hair around her finger, but Nel gently pushed her hand back down to her lap.

Ladies don’t fidget,
Nel signed. Tali rolled her eyes in mock exasperation, but she knew her twin would see the smile behind them. “I’m no lady, Nel.”

Tonight you are,
signed Nel with a stern look.
Now shut up. Need hands to finish hair.

Tali laughed, grateful to be in the company of her sister again. Nel had come early to the Alcazar to help Tali prepare for the night’s celebration, and truly, her twin had once again
outdone herself. Will anyone recognize me? Tali wondered, gazing at herself in a hand mirror. Nel braided a slim piece of Tali’s hair near her temple, then twisted it back to join the rest of
the elaborate hairstyle. A few strands spilled out and twisted in curls around the nape of her long neck. Tali’s lips were stained with a roseberry potion, her lids lined with dusky powder
Nel had taken from her bag of magic.

And her dress…oh, how her dress would make even a Porto Sol Sun Guilder burn with envy! Nel had mixed two fabrics to make it, a smooth teal satin that fit snugly over Tali’s arms
and torso, but then billowed out into a full skirt of orange, covered with hand-embroidered flowers in gold thread. The colors of our tradeboat, Tali thought with a stab of sorrow. While the dress
covered most of Tali’s battle scars, Nel insisted she also wear matching gloves to cover the callused, ragged sight her hands had become. The gloves made Tali’s hands sweat and she
longed to fling them off, but for one night she would obey her sister, on this point anyway.

Nel finally finished fussing with Tali’s hair, then surprised her by clasping their mother’s necklace, a gold sun charm, around her neck. When Tali tried to refuse it, Nel put a
finger over her lips to hush her.
Father’s idea,
she signed. Tali slid a gloved finger over the charm, which Alondro Sanchez had only ever allowed them to look at in its carved
wooden box, one of the few things saved from the
Cora’s Heart
before it was sent burning into battle.

It is small enough reward,
Nel signed,
for what you’ve suffered in my stead.

Tali stood up and faced her sister, placing her hands on Nel’s slim arms.

“We must not speak of it, Nel, never again. It would be trouble for Father, if anyone found out. And, besides, our births were only a few seconds apart,” Tali said, pulling Nel down
to sit on the cot beside her.

But I was second-born, not you,
Nel answered.
All this should not have happened to you.

Tali placed her hands over her sister’s. “I belong here, Nel.”

Nel nodded and brushed a tear from the corner of her eye.

“Now let’s get back to this dress,” Tali said. “I’m about to bust a seam.”

The sisters shared a smile, then stood so Nel could resume her fussing, examining the seams under Tali’s arms and around her waist. Nel had sewn the dress using her own measurements, which
had always been nearly identical to Tali’s. But after months of pledge training, Tali’s shoulders were now broader than Nel’s, her arms more defined, her waist slimmer. Nel
pinched the dress in at the waist and made a few stitches to show off Tali’s new figure, then quickly loosened the seams under her arms.

You are more beautiful than Queen,
Nel signed, stepping away to admire her sister.
She comes tonight?

Tali shook her head. “I’ve heard tell that Princess Xiomara arrived yesterday, but the Queen stayed behind. Some say she is too busy spending her new gold,” Tali said, as Nel
grinned at the gossip. Now that the secret gold vein in Tequende’s salt mines had come under the Queen’s custody, Fugaza was awash in new projects for sculptors, painters, and other
Moon Guild artists.

Queen paid for new tradeboat,
Nel reminded her twin.

True. The Queen had made it her first business to repay the traders who had sacrificed their boats in the battle. She had also rewarded the salter families who had risked their lives and
packhounds to save the realm. And save it they had, Tali thought. They would have lost the Alcazar that night if it hadn’t been for the Diosa, who had given the order for the salters to join
the battle. According to Ory, she had also hidden Princess Xiomara underground when the Queen was taken by Telendor’s men, and given Jaden passage through the mines to the Alcazar. Several
times Tali had quizzed Ory about how the Diosa had discovered that Xiomara and Jaden were in need of help, but Ory had just laughed at her. “She is the
Diosa
, silly Sun Girl!”
was all he would say.

Brindl had offered a more enlightening theory, which she had pieced together after the battle. A year and some months before, she surmised, a few salters had stumbled across a gold vein, deep in
the salt mines. They were tempted by greed, and rather than reporting their find to the Queen, they approached a merchant in Porto Sol, a man known to deal in smuggled goods. This merchant, in
league with Telendor, quickly set up a smuggling ring. Using the Queen’s mark to hide the gold in salt bags and transport it to a warehouse in Porto Sol, the gold was then sent on to Oest
Andoria, where it was used to fund the longboats. Telendor had sent his personal guards to bribe and threaten the salters and traders they needed to make the operation work. Anyone who betrayed
them ended up missing or dead.

“The Diosa knew something terrible was going on in the mines, and it wasn’t the Saqra,” Brindl had explained. “I’m sure once she heard that Telendor’s men had
taken the Queen, the last puzzle piece fell into place and she knew what must be done, no matter the cost.”

Tali shivered, remembering Brindl’s words, remembering the cost, the
exact
cost that had been paid to save the realm. Four hundred and twelve pledges, servants, and salters, plus
seventeen packhounds had been lost in the Battle for the Alcazar, as it was now lauded by storytellers around the realm. But to Tali the memory of that night haunted her dreams and clouded her
thoughts with grief for those who had been lost…Saraky, Rona, Bernat…Varah, the pretty Moon Guilder who had one day wanted children, felled from her perch next to Jessa by an arrow
through the chest. And Paulo. It was his body at the shore she hadn’t recognized during battle. Paulo who died for the realm he thought had betrayed him. She’d been forced to step over
him like garbage. Tali mourned even Drayvon, who had put aside his personal prejudices and fought like a hero to save his fellow Tequendians.

Nel squeezed Tali’s shoulders, and the small gesture pulled Tali back to the present.
Friends surround you soon,
Nel signed.

Tali turned up her lips in a smile, though it wobbled, and blinked back tears. Nel was right. It was no night for sadness.

When Tali entered the Great Hall, she took a deep breath, determined to celebrate rather than mourn. For the past two months, the Great Hall had served as hospital to the many
wounded, but now the vast room had been emptied of its patients. Most, like Tali, had returned to their own quarters once sufficiently healed, though a dozen more serious cases had been moved to
the Alcazar infirmary.

Tali marveled at the pledges and servants who filled the hall, all dressed in their finest.
We haven’t seen each other in anything but training clothes and servant uniforms since our
first night here.
It seemed like so long ago now. Tali scanned the crowd for her friends and soon saw Chey waving her over, his strong right arm painted with vines to mark the special
occasion. His long hair had been shorn off by the doctors in order to stitch a nasty cut, which ran from the back of his scalp to the corner of his left eye. Tali thought it made him look fierce,
like the true warrior he’d become. Chey had also suffered a broken arm in the battle, though it seemed to be healing true and straight inside a heavy splint.

Across the room, Tali saw Zarif and Brindl enter together. Zarif still looked ashen and gaunt, leaning heavily on his crutches. As they made their way over to her and Chey, Tali smiled widely,
determined not to let Zarif see the sadness she felt each time she saw him. Pain washed over his face with each step as he propelled himself toward them, his left pant leg hemmed neatly above his
knee where the leg had been amputated. As Brindl helped him into the chair that Chey brought over, Tali bent down and kissed his cheek. “You are up and about,” she said.

“Slow as a tortoise, but yes, thrilled to be out of bed,” Zarif answered.

The room hushed as the Great Hall’s double doors opened and the crowd parted neatly down the middle. Centurios Jessa and Abelino entered first, striding through the hall to stand sentry on
either side of the dais at the far end. Six royal guards entered next, followed by Princess Xiomara, six guards more, and finally, Jaden himself. Though no one said a word, the crowd thrummed with
excitement. Tali tried to keep her face neutral, though her stomach clenched when she saw Jaden.

She had not seen him since the battle. She was told afterward that he had only spent a few hours in the Alcazar to get stitched up before heading to Fugaza. Later Brindl, who had served as one
of the many nurses in the battle’s aftermath, filled her in on the realm’s news. Jaden, after leading the Second Guard army to an encampment on the northern border, had secretly doubled
back to Fugaza with a few trusted guards. Suspecting that his father planned to take the Queen prisoner, Jaden led a surprise attack on Telendor’s men to secure the Queen’s safety.
After hearing of the Andorian threat from Xiomara, Jaden had miraculously made his way back to the Alcazar in time to join the battle. Only a few people, Tali included, knew that the
“miracle” had come in the form of six packhounds and a wild ride through the mines. She had nearly burst through the stitches in her ribs when Brindl had told her that part. Tali tried
to calm her nerves with the funny image now, but could not. She dared not even look Jaden in the eye.

Princess Xiomara climbed the stairs to the dais and raised her hands to gain the attention of the guests, though she already had it.

“Welcome, pledges and servants of the Second Guard,” she began, her hands palm up in front of her, as if she wished to greet them each individually. “I stand before you today
in gratitude. You served the realm with honor and bravery in your defense of the Alcazar. You saved not only this fortress, but the realm that relies on it.” The princess paused, folding her
hands in front of her. “On behalf of Queen Twenty-two, I now present to you the new Queen’s Sword and Commander of the Second Guard, Jaden Telendor.”

As Jaden stepped forward, the pledges in the Great Hall stood up even straighter, if that were possible, and made the Oath of Guilds in full military salute. The princess signaled two attending
guards, who stepped forward and presented Jaden with the Blade of Tequende.

If Jaden had been shaken by the events of the past few months, including his father’s death, it did not show on his face. He looks every bit as imposing as the old Commander Telendor, Tali
thought. The audience waited in respectful silence for him to speak.

“I am honored to be named the Queen’s Sword, a duty I intend to serve with loyalty and diligence, for the good of Tequende and all who dwell within her borders. I know that recent
troubles in our realm have demanded much of you. During the Battle for the Alcazar, your skills and resolve were tested, and many of your—
our
—friends paid the ultimate price
for us to stand in this room together. Every pledge here today fought bravely, proving yourselves not only to the centurios who trained you, but to your fellow citizens of Tequende. As such, the
Alcazar centurios and I have agreed that no Final Tournament will be held this year. You are all hereby promoted to the Second Guard.”

The pledges began to erupt in cheers, but Jaden raised his right hand and the crowd silenced instantly. He changed his gaze to the outside of the room, where the servants had gathered along the
walls. “In addition, any servant of the Alcazar who fought honorably during the battle may, if he or she so wishes, petition for placement in the Guard.”

Now the hall exploded with cheers, whistles, and chants of “Tequende! Tequende! Tequende!”

Chey leaned over and hugged Tali with his good arm so hard that he nearly lifted her off her feet. Tali laughed, though she bit her lip a second later when she saw Zarif’s struggle to hide
his disappointment. The best among us, Tali thought, will never be a guard.