The Iron Butterfly (21 page)

“I don’t care about who you were in the past; I care about who you are right now, in the present.” His voice was rising in frustration. “I don’t even think you’re giving our friendship a chance. And that’s all I’m asking for, is friendship. If anything else develops, so be it.”

Joss turned his back to me and leaned both arms on the top rung of the fence. He stared out over the mountains in the distance. “But you have to admit, it’s a fair question, and I have been really patient.”

I looked at the top of my scuffed boot in resignation, kicking at a stubborn pebble that refused to come loose from its home in the ground.

“Joss, I can’t make any promises to the future, especially if I don’t know if they are ones I can keep, but I can promise you friendship.” I looked at him warily as he turned his blonde head to me with his crooked grin.

“That’s all I ask for, a chance to be your friend.” Standing up he reached for me and pulled me into an embrace, his chin resting lightly on my head.

I selfishly let the comfort of his hug wash away all of my insecurities. Tears started to come to my eyes when I realized the last time I had been hugged was months ago, from Mara. Taking in one last deep breath of his earthy scent, I pulled away. I couldn’t help but notice his look of disappointment.

Turning away from him, I ran my fingers through Faraway’s mane. “So what was their decision?” I asked, almost dreading the thought of them changing their mind after I had gone through so much preparation.

“What?” Joss looked a little puzzled, as he was deep in his thoughts.

“The Adepts?”

Regaining his composure, his eyes darkened and he was visibly upset. Climbing the fence he swung his long legs over and jumped down. He made eye contact as he spat out the words.

“Don’t worry. You’re still the target.” And with that he left, his tall head walking proudly toward the training grounds.

Chapter 21

With only hours to spare before midnight, I ran around the training grounds gathering the supplies I thought I would need. I wasn’t about to go on with my daily routine when I felt as if there was a big target painted on my chest that yelled ‘HERE I AM’ to the world.

Earlier we were each given our specific instructions as to the rules of the game. When the bell tower rings out its twelfth toll at midnight, the training game will begin.

The game can only take place within the training grounds. Leaving the premises results in disqualification. If you are hit with a paint pack, you must report to the main hallif you are a student. There, you will be inspected to make sure it is a legal hit. Guards report back to the barracks.

Whoever can take out the most attackers will win a purse of gold. Anyone caught cheating and trying to wash off any dye will be punished. The Adepts would also be patrolling the grounds and halls to make sure that the game stays fair. Healer Prentiss would be ready in the Healer’s ward in case any students or soldiers get too carried away. It was made very clear that we were allowed to outfit ourselves with various paint-filled weapons, similar to what we’d been training with.

Upon my request the paint had been changed from blood red to blue for the SwordBrother, yellow for students, and soldiers were assigned a pale green. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the change, which was to make sure that the game stayed fair and the Denai wouldn’t mutiny against each other.

I had sent Avina to the market to pick up some special ordered items that I needed for tonight. I had spent almost all of the money that Adept Cirrus had given me, but it was worth it if I learned anything from this.

Handing me the sack of supplies, Avina asked me what I planned to do. I told her she would have to wait and see.

I watched her leave and gently latched the door before I opened the sack and began to work. I had arrows, paints, clothes and a large jar of a special blend of Ruzaa’s perfume. I broke the ends of the arrows off and padded them with balls filled with paint.

Putting a wooden clothespin on my nose, I transferred Ruzaa’s perfume into smaller clay vessels with a rubber stopper and put them in a thick leather pouch on my hip, being careful not to jostle them too much.

Garit agreed to furnish me with a small grappling hook and just grinned at my initiative. I wound the rope around my slim waist and used the hook to loop around the rope, holding it there. It wouldn’t hold much more than my own body weight, but that’s all I needed. I couldn’t afford to get a bigger one because I needed to carry my arrows and bow over my back.

Running to my mirror, I pulled my hair into a ponytail and rubbed the black grease paint all over my face, making it itch. I stared at myself and noted the changes in my face since I first arrived at the Citadel. I had gained weight in my face and body, my skin had tanned taking on a healthy glow instead of the pasty white it had been. My eyes were still huge and had softened with happiness and health, but tonight they looked dark with determination.

Shutting my window, I strung a piece of very fine thread around the window latch. The string would break if someone tried to enter my room through the window. Donning my cloak I let myself out of my room, and kneeling down I poured a fine powder of dust around my door that would only be discernible if you got down to the floor level with cheek pressed to the marble and looked. I took the quickest exit to outside knowing that midnight would be fast upon me.

Running toward the stables, I opened Faraway’s stall and attached the new set of reins I had specially made for him. They no longer had a bit, but went around his muzzle and ears.

Faraway as my guardian didn’t need a bit, and he had expressed his displeasure at them. I had gotten an amazed stare from Horse Master Grese when I had it commissioned. That’s where the rest of my gold had gone. Leading Faraway at a slow walk I took him out to the pasture and let him loose.

If he were not penned up in the stall, then he would be an extra set of eyes watching out for me. From this pasture he had a very good view of the training grounds and would be my eyes and ears.

Quickly I slipped into the shadows and watched the guards patrol around the keep’s grounds. If I were the SwordBrother, I thought to myself, I would probably already be on the grounds in hiding. Just because the game didn’t start until midnight didn’t mean that he couldn’t already be here. And I was about to do the same thing. Hide.

Waiting, I leaned my head against the outer wall of the stable and tried to calm my nerves as I silently went over everything that I had on me.

It’s clear, go now.

The signal from Faraway was what I was waiting for. I slid along the building, staying in shadows until I slipped into the stable. Climbing up the ladder into the loft I moved through the hay until I came to a small window. I had gotten the idea from Jury and Pim. I was impressed by their resourcefulness of living in attics and lofts. I pushed it opened and crouched in the window sill. It wasn’t very far to the roof so I swung the hook and rope and pulled myself to the very top and carefully, using my bow, I closed the door.

Since the stable was a fairly large building in the shape of an L and two stories high, it gave me enough of a vantage point to see the layout of the yard. Carefully moving to the far-facing roof, I laid down in the shadows facing the keep. Pulling my cloak over my body I rested my head on my hands and waited. It was an hour until the bell would toll and I could hear the guards talking excitedly amongst themselves.

“This is going to be so easy. Who would be stupid enough to take on a whole training facility of Denai and the Citadel’s guards? This game will be over in an hour,” a gruff voice commented.

“And that purse of gold will be mine,” another challenged.

“Ha, not if I have any say in it.”

“What does it matter about a purse of gold when there are promotions at stake? We have the chance to prove ourselves and make Captains.” A few grumbled agreements followed. I heard someone spit into the bushes, and then the men moved away.

Trying to wiggle my toes to keep them from falling asleep, I decided to count how many lighted windows I could see in the dorm rooms. There were a lot of people still awake when the bell rang out twelve times. A cheer of excitement rang out among the guards and a frenzied pace of patrolling began.

I scouted this spot out days ago. I knew for a fact that you couldn’t see onto the roof I was lying on unless you were in a far field outside of the grounds.

The stable backed right up to the edge of the grounds, so in order for anyone to see me they would have to be out of bounds or get a ladder. After about an hour and no commotion, many of the students that were celebrating or out hunting decided to go to bed.

It was almost two in the morning when I heard the first scream followed by a second. The sound sent chills down my back because they sounded so real, until I heard some cursing, name calling and laughter.

“He’s over here. Get him!” a male voice called.

“Hey, you are dead; you can’t call out for help. That’s not fair,” a loud chiding female voice retorted.

A unit of guards hurried over to where three students wearing cloaks covered in blue dye were emerging from the greenhouse. They were too far away to distinguish faces.

“Where did he go?” a guard yelled. I could see a female student glare at her fallen blue splattered comrade and shake her head stubbornly.

“Sorry, can’t talk. We’re dead and must report inside. It wouldn’t be fair to tell you.” She pulled her upset comrade by his cloak and he started walking, grumbling and complaining.

Her third companion was chuckling at their misfortune and just shrugged at the guards and followed behind. The guards took off running into the direction that they came from as the three students headed inside.

It wasn’t long before more yelling, shouts, screams and laughing were heard, as student after student was taken out.

“He’s in the Citadel! Go…go…go!” yelled a Captain, as a line of guards rushed inside, only to come back out covered in blue paint, cursing and swearing.

One short man threw his sword on the ground and kicked the dirt. They dejectedly made their way back toward the barracks in humiliation. I could hear the jeering as they went inside and waited. They didn’t wait long before they were joined by five more guards with bright blue spots on their back.

“He’s a sneaky turd, isn’t he!” one of the first killed, yelled at the newcomer. “He shot us one by one, when we came in the front, couldn’t even see where it came from.”

I watched as more lights came on as the students woke up during the commotion. My hands itched for action, but the last place I wanted to be right now was in the middle of that madhouse.

The one advantage I had was that I knew that he was eventually going to come after me, and I wasn’t going to be an easy target and wait quietly in my room. The next hour was similar to the first with more screams and laughter. My skin crawled in nervousness as I realized he was going for the students first. Students, who in all reality, really, were the biggest threat over the guards.

Now the guards weren’t treating this like a normal attack, because they knew that no one was actually going to get hurt. They were counting on ambushing the assailants and stealth.

Soon I saw Adept Pax and Lorna walk out of the main hall across the courtyard and head toward the barracks and Captain Meryl.

Captain Meryl wiped his sweaty bald head and asked, “How’s it going inside?”

“Unfortunately, good and bad,” Adept Pax remarked. His dark skin looked even darker under the moonlight. “The SwordBrother is very good and is teaching many of our uptight students a lesson; that you need more than just Denai power to defeat an opponent.”

Adept Lorna frowned, her body stiff. “Too bad, it’s somewhat humiliating to the students that are being hit, and to our training. It shows how unprepared we really were.”

“Ah, come now, Lorna,” Adept Pax patted her shoulder reassuringly. “How often in their life will they really be fighting against a SwordBrother? We agreed that this would be a good lesson for them. We believe two of the Captains, Rugen and Barstol have already been taken out by Joss.”

“Not to mention a few of the younger more eager students created elaborate traps with nets and despite all of their effort only managed to catch their fellow students.”

In my head I calculated how many attackers were left. There were a total of five people that we would have to contend with; four of Commander Meryl’s Captains and one crazy SwordBrother. If Joss took out two, then that meant that there were three left?

“What about the SwordBrother?” Commander Meryl asked, his face gleaming with wild anticipation.

Adept Lorna threw her head back and laughed. “That one walked right in the front door.”

“WHAT! Impossible! How…..the three students?”

“He walked in wearing a cloak splattered with his own blue paint. He followed the first two students he killed, right into the main hall. He’s also taken the highest number of students and guards out. He is one to be reckoned with.”

Commander Meryl clapped his hands in delight and laughed out loud. “Aha, that is one cocky son of a SwordBrother. I wouldn’t have expected that.” After wiping the tears from his eyes his face became serious. “Any word on Thalia?”