The Chosen Read online

  Everyone’s eyes flew to her and while she didn’t shift or fidget under their gaze, he got the distinct impression that she was uncomfortable with the scrutiny.

  “How do you know that?” Lindsey asked.

  Kathryn was still for a moment, as if debating how much of her knowledge to reveal. “Lord Jasse told me,” she eventually.

  David blinked. He had once asked Lord Jasse for an explanation and the older man had just laughed and said “if you think about it you will figure it out”.

  “Lord Jasse?” Luke asked in surprise. “He’s one of the hardest instructors to get information like that out of.”

  Kathryn gave a brisk shrug. “Well, he told me.”

  David suspected that there was a lot more to what Kathryn had told them but decided that here and now was not the place to pursue it. “In any case,” he said quickly before Luke could add anything else. “We’ll finish the family histories later—

  He ignored the look that flashed in Kathryn’s eyes.

  “… Right now we need to get ready for the ceremony.”

  The group disbanded and each went to their own rooms to prepare for the ceremony.

  Kathryn went to her room, knowing it would be the last time she would spend radians reading in the privacy it promised her, knowing it would be the last time she would sleep peacefully for several months. She packed her few meager belongings and went in search of Jasse.

  She found him on the training mats, a ridiculous grin on his face.

  The courtyard was completely full as the sun began to sink behind the horizon. The moon Firea was at it its apex clothing the grounds in a purple hue. The shadowy edges cast by the battlements were more pronounced with the vibrant color giving a sense of regal importance to the ceremony. The trainees were eager to see their friends become Guardians and dream about the day when they would be up there instead of in the audience.

  A huge platform had been set up and on it sat the fourteen council members. The King and Queen were present. Off to the right stood a huge metal tree, fourteen torches burning beneath it. The tree had four roots, and eight branches.

  Off to the left were fourteen unoccupied chairs. The graduating trainees would take their places once the ceremony began.

  Finally the King stood. It was time to begin the ceremony. As he strode to the center of the platform the trainees quieted down, waiting for him to speak.

  “Good evening,” King Darin began, smiling at the audience before him. “As you know tonight is a special night.”

  He waved his arm around, gesturing towards them. “Tonight we honor those who have completed their training and stand ready to take their place as Guardians of this realm.”

  He paused as the trainees clapped and cheered. King Darin held up his hand for quiet. “As I am sure you are all quite aware, being chosen to actively serve is a huge responsibility.” He grinned at the crowd. “I am sure your teachers and mentors remind you of this constantly, but I will also take the time to remind you exactly what a Guardian is.

  “A Guardian faces life and death situations every day. I will not lie to you when I tell you this realm has had more than its fair share of Guardian deaths.” A murmur began to pass through the younger trainees and the King held up his hand once again for silence. “Yes,” he agreed, “It is dangerous work, but the rewards are immense. Not only does a Guardian serve as a warrior in times of war, but during the times of peace, they keep the order within this realm.”

  “A Guardian will willingly give his, or her, life to defend and protect this realm. And tonight we honor those who are entering into that commitment.”

  As he said this, the fourteen graduates, led by David and Kathryn walked down the center aisle of the chairs. They received a standing ovation by the trainees, even the council members stood and bowed as the group approached.

  David led his new family to the waiting chairs and took his place before the head chair. The others followed his example. They waited until the King told them to be seated.

  King Darin spent a few more minutes speaking of the honor a Guardian served, then relinquished the floor to Lord Geral.

  “Tonight,” Lord Geral began in a loud voice. “We have heard the honor it is to serve as Guardians. Now we honor those who have made that commitment.” He motioned with his hand and the council members stood.

  Starting with David, Lord Geral called the new Guardians up to receive their new uniforms. They were much different than the basic trainee tunic. These uniforms were black, rather than the tan color of a trainee, and embroidered with the emblem of the Guardians on the front. The uniform consisted of three parts, a bodysuit, a shirt, and an over-tunic.

  The bodysuit was made of a special material called Cirin, woven into a fabric that a sword could not easily cut. It would cover their entire body from just under their chins to the tops their feet. The shirt had a rigid neck to protect against sword-thrusts and its sleeves were slit at the elbow, to provide flexibility in sword fighting and archery. Both the bodysuit and the shirt were slit at the elbow but it had been done in such a way that the slits overlapped so that the Guardians would not be without protection. The lower arm was protected by vambraces or gauntlets, while the upper arm was protected by conforming strips of Cirin. The over-tunic was sleeveless and bore the embroidery of the Guardian emblem on its front. The tunic, unlike the ones Kathryn had seen Princess Jasmine and her companions wearing on the day she was rescued, which had different hem lines for men and women, reached to the knees for both sexes and were slit along the side up to the hip to allow freedom of movement when fighting. Its hem was weighted for battle. The boots were knee-high and also made of Cirin. Gloves for the hands reached to the elbow and could be laced to the sleeves of the shirt.

  Besides being extremely light and flexible, Cirin had a unique and mysterious property that caused it to be one of the most closely guarded secrets of the realm. Cirin fabric was not merely just fabric, it was a living substance harvested from the thin bark layer that rested on the heart of the Sebacus tree, trees that only Guardians who had the gift to influence plant life could cultivate and only after years and years of intense training and dedicated practice.

  When Cirin fibers were woven together using a technique originally developed by the Elves it would repel all sword thrusts, except those made by a sword forged of the metal helcë, and when damaged it would repair itself. It would also provide protection from fire as it did not absorb heat or burn easily. Although extremely tough, Cirin was very soft to the touch and felt like a shirt made of the finest silk to its wearer.

  Cirin’s most fascinating property was that it was symbiotic. It drew minute amounts of life energy from the Guardian and forged an eternal bond after the Guardian wore the garment for two weeks. Cirin could sense the Guardian’s physical needs and would wipe away sweat and body heat to cool during periods of strenuous activity or return heat to ward off frostbite or hypothermia during the coldest of winters.

  If a Guardian were to be injured, Cirin would bind itself around the wound to prevent extreme blood loss and secrete a natural fluid-like sap to stave off infection. Cirin also naturally repelled most insects, although the nature of that particular ability was not fully understood.

  Because of the symbiotic bond between Cirin and Guardian, it would reject any other who attempted to wear it. On more than one occasion, young Guardians had failed to keep their uniforms segregated and mistakenly donned their roommate’s uniform resulting in a very ugly skin rash that the victims couldn’t stop scratching for weeks. To prevent reoccurrence an edict was issued from the Council of Tëlban nearly two centuries ago requiring separate rooms for each Guardian.

  Rumors and legends reported that Cirin had actually killed adversaries who had been brazen enough to remove the garment from a fallen Guardian and attempted to make it their own. The usurper suffered a slow and agonizing death as the Cirin constricted the victim as if surrounded by a large serpent. Together, these properties resulted in a
uniform that would last a Guardian’s lifetime.

  The uniform was to be worn while in battle or on patrol. It was designed to make it difficult for an aggressor to injure a Guardian, while giving the Guardian an edge. The only others in the realm to wear Cirin reinforced uniforms were the Royal Guards.

  The Guardian emblem consisted of two parts. Similar to the ceremonial torch tree, an eight branched tree stood on a hill surrounded by darkness, its four roots diving deep into the earth. The tree represented the intimacy of the families, each part doing its own, but needing the rest of the parts to do their own work for theirs to succeed. Fourteen stars surrounded the tree representing the number of guardians that made up a family, the stars representing their life-long dedication to justice and peace. It was all done in dark red cirin on a black backdrop. The Royal Guards wore the opposite color scheme, making them easy to spot in the palace. As well as differentiate them from the Guardians—never mind the fact that the Palace Guards never ventured outside the capitol city without the King, or royal family, in tow.

  Once the uniforms had been dispersed, David led his new family off the stage and into a low building off to the right, out of sight of the spectators. Quickly, each new Guardian found an empty classroom and changed into their uniforms.

  David struggled to squeeze his well-toned body into the uniform he had been given. Across the room, Luke appeared to be having similar difficulties.

  “I think they gave me the wrong size,” his roommate grunted as he struggled to pull the bodytunic up his torso. He gave David a wry grin. “Do you think I’d win any awards for being the first Guardian to break his armor on the first day?”

  “Probably not,” David said as he forced his arms into the sleeves that felt like they’d barely fit Kathryn or Leia. Digging two fingers beneath the neck, David adjusted the fabric so that it didn’t feel like it was strangling him. His motions severely hindered by the tightness of the bodytunic, David began to pull the shirt over his head. From across the room he could hear Luke’s muffled grunts and the occasional stomping sound that told him his friend was having as much fun with this as he was.And we’re supposed to do this every morning for the rest of our lives? The thought was unappealing.

  Finally, both boys had their overtunics on and belted. The gloves and boots were as tight as the bodytunic and David winced every time he took a step.

  Someone knocked on their door. “Come in,” David called.

  Tyler and Daniel entered the room followed by Matt. All three looked as miserable as David felt.

  “Is your armor—“ Daniel began.

  —Tighter than a snake’s embrace? Yep,” Luke grumbled as he took a step. “I think we got the girl’s uniforms.”

  “But think!” Matt interjected cheerfully. “Right now the tightness of our uniforms really enhances our toned muscles.”

  David couldn’t help it, the whole situation was so ridiculous he burst out laughing. “I guess that’s one way to look at it, Matt.”

  “You both are crazy,” Luke muttered.

  “Come on,” Daniel said moving to the door. “I think the speeches are winding down.

  The girls were already waiting. “There they are!” Amy exclaimed quietly as they approached. “What took you so long?”

  “We got your uniforms,” Luke replied sourly.

  Someone giggled. Cass, David guessed. Looking around, he could see that the girls’ uniforms were far too big for their frames.

  Natalie looked exceptionally unhappy. “There is no way in the kingdom that I’m going out there like this!” she said emphatically.

  “We have to, Natalie,” Lindsey told her quietly. “They’re getting ready to announce us again.”

  “I look like a cow! I’m not going!”

  David resisted the urge to tug at fabric that seemed intent on choking the life out of him. “Yes, you are. We’re all going out, even though I’m sure we all feel uncomfortable.”

  Natalie opened her mouth to retort, but David’s attention was yanked away by a tingling sensation running across his entire body.

  “David?” Luke’s wary tone suggested that he was feeling the same thing David was.

  Glancing around, it looked like everyone was feeling it. The tingling changed to a brushing sensation as the cirin armor began to warp and bend around his body in minute waves. After a few seconds, David found himself wearing a comfortably form fitting uniform that fit so perfectly he could have been sewn into it.

  “That’s more like it,” Tyler grunted in satisfaction.

  “Are we going to have to go through that every morning?” Elizabeth asked, running a hand down the front of her tunic experimentally.

  “I hope not,” Cass said quietly. “I only need to experience that once.”

  “We ready?” David asked as applause began to sound.

  “I am now,” Natalie chirped happily.

  The spectators gave them a standing ovation while they retook their places on stage. The council members stepped forward, each bearing a large tray with the Guardian’s weapons carefully arranged on top.

  The weapons presentation was one of the most important parts of the ceremony. The weapons given to the graduates today would be their companions for life. Nowhere else in the kingdom could weapons such as the ones the Guardians wore be found. The metal used in forging the sword was helcë, its origins kept secret, but the fascinating phenomenon’s resulting from the mysterious metal were well known throughout the entire kingdom. The cold steel used in the heart of the sword slowly evolved into a crystalline blade that resembled frosted ice, even a faint blue tint at the blade’s edge was visible. Harder than any known substance the blade would never nick or crack and its blade was so sharp a court lady could drop a silk scarf onto it and it would be sliced in half. A special scabbard for each blade was required due to another wonder. When heated by fire the blade would glow like a torch, holding the light for radians.

  The bows were made out of a wood from an unidentified tree. The wood itself was white-gray in color and sturdy. A Guardian could leave his bow strung for weeks and it would not lose any of its power. An arrow shot from a Guardian bow by a Guardian archer could reach over four hundred yards, five hundred fifty yards if shot by a master bowman.

  Only the King knew who made the weapons and he would never reveal the secret, although many had tried to pull it from him. It was the King’s honor to hand out the weapons to the new Guardians. David went first. He was presented with two daggers, two throwing knives—

  to be worn either on the back or tucked into his boots, two fighting knives, a new bow and quiver, new arrows, and a new sword. Every guardian received the exact same supply of weapons. Finally after each guardian was armed with his new weapons it was time to be masked. Each council member stood behind a graduate and one by one masked them. Now the graduates stood fully armed, fully dressed, and fully masked before the audience.

  The king stood and faced them. “You have been assigned to serve in region of Rima, but who are the Guardians of Rima?”

  David unsheathed his sword and held it high, his team following suit. “The Dragons are the Guardians of Rima.”

  Chapter 7

  Welcome to your new home,” Lord Jasse announced. Behind him rode fourteen very tired teenagers who looked very much in need of some sleep. Jasse had once heard that growing teenagers needed at least nine radians of sleep to function. At the school they received between seven and eight. Since the ceremony a fortnight before the Dragons had spent all their time traveling to their new post, getting maybe five or six radians of sleep each day. Jasse had been chosen to guide the Dragons to their new home. They had been forced to travel during the darkness of night, using the forest routes by morning and evening, sleeping during the afternoon to avoid word spreading of a large party of traveling Guardians and sending villagers and their governors into an unnecessary panic. Now they had arrived. And the fourteen bedraggled teenagers looked immensely relieved.

  “I don’t se
e anything,” Natalie groused wearily as they all looked around. They stood at the edge of a meadow. A meadow with absolutely nothing in it.

  “You don’t see anything now, but you will,” Jasse assured her as he urged his horse forward and then completely disappeared.

  Before the Dragons could react he reappeared, but with only the front half of his horse. Just behind the cantle, the horse’s belly shimmered and appeared to be sheared off. “It’s perfectly safe,” he called as he disappeared again.

  Several of the Dragons shrugged their heads to one side, and blinked several times not trusting what their eyes had just seen. Natalie gasped and stared with her mouth open searching for words to express her astonishment.

  Matt eyes lit up and with a big grin he exclaimed, “Woo hoo! What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Slowly the Dragons moved their horses forward and tugged on the reins of their pack mules to prod them along. As if a veil was lifted a house, a barn, several out-buildings, and a garden materialized before their eyes.

  The house stood out from its surroundings simply for its sheer size. From their particular vantage point it appeared to be a perfect square with several stories rising above the first two stories in each of the corners. Windows dotted the exterior, covered with heavy wooden shutters that would no doubt weather the harshest storms. A multitude of chimneys also grew from the roof, lending credence to the theory that the house wouldn’t be icy in winter.

  “What in the world?” Tyler sputtered.

  Lord Jasse rode back to them. “It’s your camouflage,” He explained as he waved his hand around, “This entire meadow is protected by Elven Magic.”