Dralin (17 page)

He wondered again why the shadows were sad.
Were they sad only in Dralin, which was a city filled with pain and
suffering? Perhaps shadows in other cities were happy and danced
for joy. Frath wished he knew. Perhaps it was because Distra was
sad.

The thought of the goddess brought his
memory back to the incident at the church. She still touched his
mind and he knew she would never let go. Distra wasn’t there all
the time, but she could peek in whenever she wanted to. Frath
didn’t know if that fact should upset him.

He didn’t like priests, gods or churches.
They had tried to convert him when he was in the orphanages, often
by means of a whip. He still had thin white scars on his back from
some of the beatings received when he had refused to pray or
worship.

The lonely church in the Forlorn District
was the only place he had ever felt safe. As a boy, he would escape
to there whenever possible and curl up underneath the statue.
Judging by his current condition, Distra had accepted him as a
follower whether that was his intention or not.

Frath sighed as he considered his feelings.
It wouldn’t be fair to ask for a lifetime of comfort and solace,
only to reject the one who gave it. At that moment, he decided to
give his heart to Distra, especially since his mind was already
possessed anyway. Perhaps the goddess needed a friend too. So it
was settled that he would follow Distra, but the church wasn’t a
good place to raise Pelya if they couldn’t stay in the guard. He
worried about her fate. The world was a terrible place to raise a
child and Dralin was worst of all.

He had been unconscious for three nights
before waking up and staggering back to the barracks. The healers
had given him nourishment and healed his body as much as they
could. Even then, it had taken some time to recover enough to
speak. His voice was still hoarse.

“Frath?” Bava said from the doorway. “I’m
sorry, I didn’t hear her cry.” She wore the basic cotton leggings
and shirt that were standard issue for men and women in the Guard,
just as he was wearing. They were cool and comfortable.

“She didn’t. I was awake and she made noises
at me, so I changed her diaper and I’m feeding her.” He attempted a
smile at Bava and managed to turn his lips up a tiny bit.

She pushed her hair back over her ears to
keep it out of her face and then came over to sit down next to him,
her leg touching his as she leaned over and waved hi to Pelya. The
child stared at her solemnly as she tended to do. Frath felt Bava’s
left hand on his back and her right placed on his thigh. Then she
looked at him questioningly. “Would you like company to help ease
the stress?”

It wouldn’t be the first time they had lain
together, but it would be the first since Frath had met Sheela. The
City Guard had a very liberal policy of letting guardspeople share
each other’s beds as long as it was never forced. Life in the Guard
was hard and the chances of death were high. Casual relations were
encouraged to help keep everyone relaxed and morale high. They were
also very liberal about same-sex relationships.

Bava slid her hand a little higher up his
thigh. “I know the hearing tomorrow has you on edge, Frath. Some
relief might do you good.” He chewed on his lower lip and frowned
in thought. Bava took her hands away and moved to face him with her
left leg folded up so she could rest her chin on the knee. “They
won’t kick you out of the guard. Sarge will see to that.”

He shook his head and spoke quietly so as
not to disturb Pelya who was beginning to fall back to sleep. “He’s
done far too much for me already. At this point, I owe him a debt
I’ll never be able to repay. Now he’s going to stick his neck out
for me even more?”

“That’s his decision to make. Sarge does
what he wants and he has his reasons.” Her voice was mellow and
soothing when she wasn’t screaming at an enemy. It was one of the
reasons he liked talking to her about troubling things.

“But why is he doing so much for me?” Frath
asked, looking into her dusky green eyes. The dim light of the
lantern combined with the late hour gave them a smoky quality, an
effect increased by the desire that was coming through.

“Sarge sees something in you. We all do,
even if we don’t know what it is.”

“I’m not special,” Frath protested. “I’m
just trying to survive like everyone else and I’m in the guard
because I want to make the world a little easier for people to
survive, even if it seems like a lost cause.”

“Well maybe that’s part of what makes you
special.” She told him as she stood and took Pelya. “You truly care
about people and it shows.” Bava gently rested the baby on her
shoulder and patted her back while Frath rinsed out the bottle
using clean water out of a pitcher.

“There are others that care. I know you do,
Sarge does and most of the squad does. There are others.” Frath
wiped the bottle off and set it down.

“Yes, but you’re strong, fast and skilled,”
Bava said, smiling at the oversized burp Pelya let out. “You look
after the rest of us and you protect Sarge’s back. Don’t think he
hasn’t noticed.”

It was true that Frath had gone out of his
way to protect the sergeant. There had been a few battles where he
had turned away a sword aimed at Gorman’s back even though the
sergeant most likely would have been able to avoid them. In
addition, he had stood up for the man when others would cast
insults or disparaging remarks.

Bava put Pelya back in the crib and gently
caressed the thin black hair that was growing in nicely. “You also
go out of your way to defend every member of your squad and we all
know it. That’s why you’re so popular among the rest of us.”

Frath nodded silently, blushing a little at
the compliment.

“You’re also fast with your mind, well read
on law and policy, and a quick thinker in battle. That’s more
reason to keep you around.” She came over and put her arms on his
shoulders. She was five eleven, but still had to look up at him.
“You’re also very, very handsome, even with purple eyes.” Bava
grinned.

“I don’t think Sarge keeps me around for
that reason,” Frath replied wryly.

“No, but I do.” She tiptoed to kiss him.

Frath returned the kiss hesitantly and put
his hands on her waist, trying to decide how it felt.

The kiss lasted a few moments and she smiled
at him. “I’m not trying to replace her and I’m not asking for
commitment, just warmth and relief for both of us.” Bava studied
his face for a moment and then kissed him again. He returned it
sincerely, though not with the love he had felt for Sheela. He
would never kiss a woman like that again.

***

People filled the hearing chamber, waiting
to discover what would happen to Frath. Master Verbo and Healer
Irmin were there as was Frath’s entire squad. There were other
people from the guard who had heard of the God-Touched Private and
they had enough influence to join the audience. The committee of
three officers sitting behind a raised desk didn’t look at all
happy about the crowd though.

One individual was noticeably absent. Frath
leaned toward Sergeant Gorman’s ear. “Where is Captain Duuth?”

Gorman answered back into his ear. “I
convinced him not to be here. Don’t ask.” Frath looked at him
incredulously, but he just grinned.

“Why are there so many people in here?” The
individual sitting at the center of the desk asked in a powerful
voice. He was the Commander of Internal Justice, a man with a
strong face and mostly grey hair. A captain sat to his left and a
low ranking member of the High Council’s Office on his right.
Together they made the more important decisions of law and order
within the City Guard.

A lanky bailiff with long, straight brown
hair stepped toward the desk. “Everyone is fascinated with the case
because the private is God-Touched,” he said laconically. “It looks
like every member of his squad was given the day off too.” The man
obviously didn’t care what anyone in the room thought about
him.

“We don’t need this many people. It’s
distracting. Everyone not important to the matter is to leave,” the
commander ordered, banging his gavel. The audience started
protesting, making a loud racket. The commander pounded the gavel
on the desk in order to silence the room. It was ineffective until
the gavel broke with a loud crack. The head of it went flying
through the air only to be caught by the bailiff who dramatically
dusted it off and set it back on the desk, ignoring the commander’s
glare.

“That was my favorite gavel, a gift from my
wife!” the commander slowly stood while speaking his next sentence.
“Anyone not necessary to the matter at hand is to leave immediately
before I have you all arrested!” He shouted the last while leaning
forward over the desk, his face ruddy in anger.

Everyone rushed to get out, pushing and
shoving regardless of rank. Gorman dismissed all the squad except
Bava, who he kept to provide moral support for Frath. The squad
members left in an orderly fashion after everyone else had
exited.

Remaining were the healers, a couple of
priests and wizards, a few assorted members of the Guard who might
act as professional advisors, the bailiff, a recorder of minutes,
and legal students there to study. The latter looked nervous about
not having left.

The commander motioned that the students
were alright where they were, causing most of them to sigh in
relief. He then looked at some papers in his hands. “The matter at
hand is the issue of whether or not to allow Private Frath Jornin
to remain in the Dralin City Guard due to the fact that he has been
God-Touched.”

Frath was surprised that nothing was said
about having a child in the barracks but decided to keep it to
himself. There was no sense in complicating things.

The commander flipped through his documents
a moment longer while the other two stared at Frath, examining his
eyes especially. “First of all, how do we know he’s God-Touched?”
the commander finally asked. He had an authoritative voice that
dominated the room even when he wasn’t screaming in anger.

Priestess Calla stood from the rows of
benches behind Frath. “I attest to the fact that Private Frath
Jornin is God-Touched. In examining him shortly after he was taken
into the healing hall, I discovered it to be true. It is not quite
as noticeable now that his eyes are no longer glowing, but it is
so.” She sat.

“Hmm,” the commander looked at Priestess
Calla for a moment before glancing at the other two members of the
committee. When they nodded in acceptance of the words, he did as
well. “Very well. He’s God-Touched. Why doesn’t somebody just fix
that?”

Frath turned back just in time to see
Priestess Calla roll her eyes. Another, even older priestess on the
other side of the room stood. She was the Head Priestess of the
City Guard and worshipped a completely different god than Calla.
The two women didn’t like each other at all. “Only a god or goddess
can cure the young man and that’s just not going to happen. I
wouldn’t waste your time following that direction, Commander.” She
sat down.

This time the commander didn’t even look at
the others before accepting the information. “Very well. So he’s
going to stay God-Touched. Why would that make him unable to
perform his duties?”

Nobody responded. All three members of the
committee looked around, waiting for an answer before Master Verbo
finally stood. “Every other person I’ve ever seen who was
God-Touched lost their minds and ability to function,” he
explained.

The council wizard frowned. “Being
God-Touched is extraordinarily rare,” he said in a high, formal
voice. “Precisely how many other God-Touched have you seen?”

“Oh . . . well . . . one,” Master Verbo
stammered, the last word lowering in volume to just above a mumble.
“But I’ve heard of others,” he pointed out with a finger in the
air.

“Of course,” the wizard agreed
condescendingly, drawing a narrowed look of irritation from the
master healer.

The captain on the other side asked, “You
had him in your healing hall. In your opinion, has he lost his mind
or ability to function?”

“Well . . .” Master Verbo looked at Frath
for a moment and then back at the committee. “I honestly have no
idea. He seems alright other than some weakness from being
unconscious for three days. He also doesn’t seem to be able to talk
about what happened.”

Priestess Calla stood and interrupted.
“Whatever god or goddess touched him put a geas on him that
prevents him from speaking of it. Nothing less than a divine being
would be able to remove that geas.”

“Where is his commanding officer?” the
captain asked suddenly.

Sergeant Gorman stood. “Captain Duuth is in
a meeting at the Estate of the Grand Assembly, Sir. I’m his squad
sergeant.”

“Duuth?” the commander said with an
expression of distaste that was shared by the others. “Just as well
then,” he said gratefully. “Well, Sergeant, do you think he’s able
to perform his duties properly?”

“Yes Sir,” Gorman answered.

The committee members stared at him. “That’s
all you have to say? Yes Sir? Would you like to clarify, Sergeant?”
the commander asked.

Gorman nodded. “He is physically able to
perform his duties. He’s been recovering this week so he could use
a day or two on the practice field, but I’ll be making sure that
happens,” he assured them. “His mind is strong even after whatever
happened to him. There’s no slurring to his speech and he remembers
everything I’ve asked him. His vision is fine even though his eyes
turned purple.”

“I’m curious as to what color they were
before,” the wizard said.

“They were blue, Sir,” Gorman answered. The
wizard nodded as though it meant something. Frath figured it was
just because the man wanted to look wise.