Second Guard (4 page)

T
ali woke with a start. Alone in the small dark room, she felt disoriented, almost dizzy. Where was her father? And Nel? A sharp knock on the
wooden door cleared her thoughts. Of course. She was in her room at the Alcazar.

“Tali? Are you in there?” called a voice behind the door. Tali grinned, recognizing the stately accent.

She rose from her cot and opened the door. “However did you find me? I feel like I’m in the middle of a maze.”

Zarif laughed. “I like mazes. But I forgot that your room would be marked with a tagua tree. I had to knock on twelve other doors in the women’s tower before I found
yours.”

“Oh, how dreadful,” Tali said, with a mock look of horror. “Having to speak with all those young ladies. What a nuisance!”

“Indeed,” answered Zarif, taking a golden-colored candy from the tin box Tali offered him and popping it in his mouth. “Gods, this is delicious. Is that honey I
taste?”

Tali nodded. “My sister’s invention. She calls them sun babies. Go on, have another. She sent me off with enough sweets to feed the entire Guard.”

“Did you tell her you’re training to be a soldier, not a candy merchant?”

“If Nel were queen, she would have everyone put down their weapons and pick up soup spoons instead. There’s no problem she can’t solve with a hot meal or a tin of sun
babies.”

Zarif laughed again, then looked around the stark room. “No roommate?”

“I scared her off,” Tali said with a small frown, then settled back onto her cot and gestured for Zarif to sit on the other.

“How so?” he asked, taking a seat across from her.

“She was an Earth Guilder. I said something to offend her.”

“Ah,” said Zarif, nodding in sympathy. “My roommate, Chey, is of the Earth Guild as well. They have a different way of thinking.”

“So I discovered,” Tali said, picking up her sword and sliding her fingers across the leather sheath. “The girl, Brindl, had already requested placement in the kitchens. Why
would anyone
choose
to be a servant?”

“It is not as uncommon as you might think. A number of girls do the same, as do many Earth Guilders, male and female.”

“Why not even attempt it? They have a whole year to train, just like the rest of us.”

“But you and I have been training since we were children, yes? Think on it, Tali. You arrived on your own horse with a fine sword hanging from your belt, which I’m sure you already
know how to use. Most Earth Guilders spend their childhoods working on their family farms or down in the mines.”

Tali sighed. “But four years of the Guard versus six years of servitude? I would at least
try
to win the better of that deal, even if the chances were slim.”

Zarif nodded. “I confess, it’s hard for me to understand as well, Tali. If I were in their position I’d like to think I wouldn’t give up so easily.”

“And what of your roommate?” Tali asked. “Will he default to the kitchens, too, or perhaps the stables?”

Zarif stared at the wall a moment, then shrugged. “Chey is not happy to be here, but I think he will train.”

“Good for him,” Tali said, standing up and starting to unload her gear onto the cot. “At least he will try…and maybe you can help him.”

Zarif gave a rueful laugh and lifted his feet so Tali could shove a wooden case under the cot. “I doubt he wants any help from me. I too have managed to already offend my
roommate.”

Tali turned and lifted an eyebrow. “I thought you Moon Guilders were highly skilled in diplomacy.”

“Not this time, I’m afraid.”

“Don’t keep me in suspense! How did you manage it?” Tali asked, unbuttoning her bedroll and spreading the blanket across the straw-stuffed cot.

“I offered to share my books with him.”

“But that is generosity, not insult!”

“It is to one who cannot read,” replied Zarif, walking over to the window.

Tali could tell by the slump of his shoulders that he felt miserable about his error. “But how could you have known? It’s not your fault.”

Zarif frowned. “I should not have made the assumption.”

A peal of bells rang out, as if the bell tower was directly above them. Tali put her hands over her ears and made a face at Zarif. His serious expression turned to a grin. “I
believe,” he shouted over the noise, “we’re being summoned.”

Fifteen minutes later, Tali entered the Great Hall. She was amazed by the number of pledges milling about the cavernous space and looked around the crowded room, vowing to memorize
every detail to share with Nel. It felt so strange to be without her twin, as if she’d forgotten to pack her own left hand. For fifteen years they had spent their lives side by side. Who else
but Nel would share her astonishment at such an enormous hall, after a lifetime of cramped quarters aboard a tradeboat?

Like the other pledges, Tali had entered the hall through giant double doors, burnished with the insignia of Tequende: a triangle with the earth, sun, and moon at its points, connected by three
arms of river and vine. Triangular windows like those in the hallways, only bigger, punctuated the long room and a dozen massive chandeliers attached to a pulley provided additional light.

Most of the pledges spoke in hushed voices, but together the individual conversations created an almost rhythmic din that reverberated between the high stone walls. Tali scanned the crowd for
Zarif, who had promised to meet her there once they’d both quickly changed. She had no trouble picking out the Moon Guilders in the crowd. The sons of Elia were all dressed in white linen
robes, their hair neatly cropped like Zarif’s, while her daughters wore white silken gowns that flowed gracefully to the floor, their long hair laced with small white blossoms. So elegant,
Tali thought, and so unlike the rest of us.

Her fellow Sun Guilders, of course, had clad themselves in all manner of brightly colored pantaloons, vests, jackets, and scarves. The children of Intiq liked to dress up, the more extravagantly
the better, like mountain parrots showing off their plumage. The more fashionable among them wore embroidered leather boots up to their knees, their hair twisted in intricate braids and decorated
with beads, ribbons, and feathers.

Tali glanced down at her own simple gown of red and gold, and suddenly felt plain by comparison. Life on the Magda River demanded more practical attire of the trade-boaters, and Alondro Sanchez
had never given much weight to fancy accessories. “It’s the goods that matter, not the packaging,” he’d always said, whenever she or Nel admired another girl’s dress
or bauble.
Let’s hope I’ve got the goods then, Father, and that my training will prove more impressive than my frock
.

The Earth Guilders in the room saved Tali from feeling any shame in her appearance, however, as all of them, male and female alike, wore sand-colored tunics and long pants, completely devoid of
decoration or color. Their hair was cut in the same simple style, chin-length, with no adornment save a few leather cords here and there. The only concession the sons and daughters of Mother Earth
made to the formality of the occasion was the green, ivylike ink designs that spiraled their forearms like bracelets. Tali found them quite beautiful, and wondered if the pledges painted their own
arms or if someone else did it for them. She would have to ask Zarif. Maybe he would know.

Tali stood on her toes and searched through the field of pledges, one thousand strong at least, to find her new friend. It wasn’t long before she spied his tall, lean form near the
opposite wall, his dark face contrasting sharply against his white robe. As she made her way over, a host of servants in gray entered and began to assemble a raised platform at the far end of the
hall. Some of the pledges began to move toward the platform, and Tali hurried to reach Zarif amid the stirring crowd. When she was but a few paces away, his golden eyes met hers, and he waved her
over, clearly relieved by her arrival.

“There you are, Tali,” he said, with a small bow. “I’ve someone for you to meet.”

Tali bowed at Zarif in return, then turned to the Earth Guild pledge next to him. “You must be Chey,” she said with a smile. “Zarif has told me about you.”

The young man nodded politely in return, though at the same time cast an inquisitive look at Zarif, as if wondering what Tali had been told. Zarif opened his mouth to say something, then just as
quickly closed it. Tali cursed herself for creating more tension between the two roommates.

“I am Tali of the Magda River Traders,” she said hurriedly, holding out her left palm to Chey.

“Chey Maconde,” he replied, “of the Batenza Farmers.”

As he placed his palm upon hers and bowed, Tali took a deep breath to compose herself. Chey made her feel nervous, as Brindl had, with his serious, intense expression. He was only slightly
taller than Tali, though he seemed much larger. His shoulders were strong and wide, and he had the rugged, muscular build of a farmhand. His straight brown hair was pulled back from his face with a
leather string, letting a few rogue strands fall into brown eyes that matched his hair. A heavy brow made his face seem even more brooding. The tan, solid hand he placed on top of hers felt like
the trunk of a tree, its green-inked leaves circling his wrist all the way to his elbow.

“I’ve heard the Batenza hills are very beautiful,” Tali finally said, gently withdrawing her hand. “I hope to see them someday.”

Chey’s expression softened and a small smile spread across his lips. “Some say the hills are sleeping giants, covered in green blankets.”

“I would hate to be there when they wake up,” Tali said, returning the smile. “Have you ever traveled that far north, Zarif?” she asked, trying to draw him back into the
conversation.

“No, I haven’t,” Zarif replied, then proceeded to ask Chey a question about potato farming. Chey answered agreeably, as if glad to find a topic of mutual interest. Tali
listened to them speak, adding a few words here and there to encourage the conversation between the two. She knew little about farming, but Zarif seemed quite educated on the subject, and Tali
noticed that Chey’s expression brightened as they spoke. Perhaps Zarif’s earlier misstep would be forgotten, and the two roommates would become friends. She hoped so. A roommate would
be a comfort this next year.

A loud chime sounded, halting the conversation between them and quieting the room. As the great double doors opened, the crowd pulled apart to create a path down the center of the hall to the
platform. Tali knelt in reverence along with the other pledges as a man entered the hall. Commander Jorge Telendor strode imposingly through the crowd, the legendary Blade of Tequende hanging from
his side, his blue uniform emblazoned with the Queen’s mark above his heart.

For the past twenty years, Telendor had served as the Queen’s Sword, a title that ranked him above all but the Queen herself and gave him command of the Second Guard. Four helmeted
centurios in red sashes followed him into the hall and onto the platform, where they stood in perfect formation behind their commander. The excited whispers of a thousand pledges turned into uneasy
silence. Telendor swept a scrutinizing gaze across their ranks and motioned them to rise.

“Second-born sons and daughters of Tequende,” he finally boomed, his deep voice echoing throughout the hall. “You are here to serve the Queen of Tequende, as commanded by the
Oath of Guilds. At year’s end, two hundred of you will be chosen to join the Second Guard, bringing honor and glory to your family and realm until your nineteenth birthday and beyond, if you
so desire.”

Tali swallowed and looked around at the crowd. Only one in five of us will make it, she thought. Not the best odds, especially for those without training. She glanced quickly at Chey, but his
face was carved in stone.

“Those released from the Guard at any time during training,” Telendor continued, “will be assigned servant placement within the realm until their twenty-first birthday. Anyone
here who believes himself physically impaired or otherwise ill-equipped for military training may request immediate placement in the servant ranks of the Alcazar until further assignment from the
Queen’s Steward.”

Again, Tali looked around at her fellow pledges. Several of them exchanged glances, and Tali wondered how many would make the same decision as Brindl. Now that they were standing before the
stern-looking commander and his centurios, reality had begun to sink in. The year ahead would be no game.

“Tequende has enjoyed centuries of peace due to the strength and renown of our army,” continued Telendor. “Though none has yet dared wage war against us, we must not take ease
from this, but stand stronger instead. Outside our borders, the Far World continues its conquest of neighboring realms. We must not be one of them.”