The New Guard (Crossroads Book 1) (29 page)

Before
David could continue or anyone else could interject, Yero spoke. He was not
wholly unknown to many of the councilors, and the angry burn marks on his face
lent gravity to his words.

“Avrant,
former liege lord of the Seventh Kingdom, has fled. He no doubt has plans to defy
the calling of the Lord of Hosts. I for one will not. I am going to escort Lady
Deborah to the castle, where the guards and I who are loyal to the bidding of
the Almighty will secure her and her family.

“Now is a
time of consideration. What will you do? Tomorrow, after we have all rested and
seen to the dead and wounded, the council will come to the castle and we will
discuss this further in the great hall where these affairs would be better
met.”

No one
spoke. David turned, patted Yero on the shoulder, and signaled for his band to
move out. Hogan led the way, his hand within Deborah’s, Rock held up the rear.
Just before she exited the tent, Deborah released Hogan’s hand and turned back.
Without consciously deciding, to her brothers, sisters, and the others moved so
the council could see her. When she spoke she did so softly, though her voice
carried through the gathering and rang with authority.

“This
tent will no longer be needed. Use the materials to aid in the laying of the
dead to rest.”

Then she
turned and walked out of the tent. Hogan was smiling as he caught up to her and
took her hand once more.

The night
had taken hold. Yero held true to his word and organized the remaining guards
to secure the castle. Once the news spread of the events within the council
tent, many of the troops who had followed General Kolk into battle surrendered
their loyalty to the new crown. Yero and Hogan set about reassigning those they
knew to be earnest in their protestations. For the others, different work was
found outside the castle. Only three-score of the troops decided to leave, some
siding with Avrant, others claiming no part in either camp.

Yero was
in favor of locking them up; David, however, rejected the idea. Deborah
proposed they be stripped of their armament and sent on their way. Yero
relented, though he did mark each man and warned them of their deaths should
they raise arms against the Koens.

Evangeline
and her son, Zilda and her niece, and many other household staff were found
hiding in the castle depths. Evangeline and Zilda were tasked with ensuring the
loyalty of the castle servants. There was not much work to be done in that
regard, as neither Avrant nor his wife had endeared themselves to their
employees. In the end, only two stewards left the castle. Evangeline did also
note that several of the lady’s maids were missing, each one a young daughter
from several well-to-do elven households.

With the
servants seen to, Evangeline organized the staff and set them to refurbishing
the castle to make room for all the Koens. Before she could go too far in this
task, David made sure she knew the children would be sharing rooms for safety
and a sense of stability. Evangeline agreed, although Deborah still ended up
with the royal suite all to herself. When confronted with this, she said that
due to Deborah’s new status she required a room of her own. David
rEleented
, seeing the inevitability of this anyway. Hogan
established a maiden guard and had them posted outside the room. When all was
said and done, the castle switchover had been completed by the end of the late
evening meal. Though David was pleased, he remained wary, as if still in enemy
territory.

David
stood in the doorway to the room which his youngest children were sharing. The
girls had barely been dressed for bed when they fell asleep. He gazed at Dinah
and Mary, who had chosen to share one of the large beds, as they slept. Looking
at these two, his mind began to drift and he thought about his wife. He
wondered if she had yet to receive his letter and hoped its words would help
her understand a little of what was going on. He realized he had a great deal
more to tell her, too. Before he could go too much further with this train of
thought, he closed his eyes and said a prayer over Mary and Dinah; then he
added a prayer of protection over Rebekah and their unborn child.

As he was
finishing his prayer he felt the presence of another body. He looked up and saw
a well-toned woman approaching. She was lightly armored and carried two long
daggers on her belt. He knew from meeting her shortly before supper that she
had pale green skin and hair to match. This didn’t stand out too much now,
though her cat-like eyes did. She bowed and spoke to David in a respectful
whisper.

“Greetings,
Truth Blade; my sisters and I have the honor of watching over your children
this evening. Rest assured we will keep them safe.”

David had
been surprised that the particular and snobbish Lady Liseea had let the three
weald sisters be part of her maiden guard. However, once he met the triplets
and saw a demonstration of their skill he could guess why. Though it suited
their nature and natural abilities, the sisters had always been on night watch
so as not to be seen by their former mistress. Hogan had politely asked that they
keep their nightly vigil, though he stretched their patrol to the guest wing as
well, where the rest of the Koens (save Deborah) would be sleeping.

“Thank
you,” David began, but started to fumble when he tried to place a name to the
woman.

The guard
smiled, flashing her sharp incisors. “E’lina, sir. Don’t worry about our names
overly much. My sisters and I encountered that enough in our lives as identical
triplets, let alone under the service of Lady Liseea.”

David
inclined his head in a bow. “Thank you E’lina,” he said, then returned to the
task of checking on his children.

Most of
the kids were already asleep, exhausted by the day's events. David himself was
sore and weary, yet as the only parent present he felt a sense of duty to see
to each of his children. A longing for his wife pierced his heart yet again. He
was still feeling the pain when he finally found Deborah, who had not been in
her quarters, but was still in the dining hall.

Deborah
was sitting catty-corner across from Hogan. They were leaning into each other,
hands intertwined, enjoying a close conversation. The two were so engaged they
failed to notice David’s arrival. As he watched, he saw Deborah smile and
laugh. A sad finality wrapped about David’s soul as he realized this was it,
this was the end. Deborah had had a trying and traumatic day. She had faced
demons, fire, government upheaval, and a renewed call from God on high, yet
here she sat able to laugh and smile, radiant as her mother had been when David
quartered her. David didn’t have the heart to disturb her and was about to
leave when Yero, not sharing any of David’s misgivings, entered through the
other door.

Yero made
quick eye contact with David before he headed straight for Hogan and Deborah,
making a little more noise in his walk than necessary. Upon reaching them, he
spoke to them in a whisper that carried a great deal of authority even from
where David stood. The two young lovers stood, and Hogan gently kissed
Deborah’s hands before letting them go. Soft, brief words of parting were
spoken, and then Hogan left. In the absence of Hogan, a solitary maiden guard
appeared. David hadn’t even noticed the elf warrior standing by the tapestry,
so near the young couple yet seemingly not present at all.

Yero led
Deborah to David. She hugged her father, kissed him on the cheek, wished him
goodnight, and then glided off with the maiden guard in tow. David watched her
go, but his attention was brought back to Yero, who was now standing at his
shoulder.

“You are
sore and wounded.” It was a statement of fact, not a question. Yero continued
at David’s silence. “I have a good chamber for you. Near the children. I have
taken the liberty of ordering a medical soak.”

The two
men began walking, side-by-side, yet with Yero leading. “It seems my young lieutenant
is enamored with your daughter. . .”

“. . .
and vice versa,” David said, completing Yero’s thought. “I hate to be so
grandiose; however, if Hogan is not the one the angels talked about Deborah
marrying, then may there be a clear sign, along the lines of him being struck
dumb in the night.”

Yero
chuckled. “I hear the protective father's plea to God.”

David let
himself smile. Yero sighed. “I can only imagine how you feel; so much, so
quickly.”

“Her
mother isn’t even here,” David said, the bitterness unable to leave his voice,
“yet I have to give her away. What am I going to say to Rebekah when we finally
meet up? How many children...?” He couldn’t complete the horrifying thought out
loud.

Yero
guided David in silence around a corner and up a flight of stairs. There they
came to a door with a middle aged man standing in front of it. Yero stepped in
front of David. The sword wielder took a deep breath and tried to put his
self-pity aside. He looked up at his companion and for the first time realized
that the burn marks on his face were now merely reddened patches of skin. David
was on the verge of asking about his wounds when Yero interrupted his thought.

“Look,”
the captain said, “my people have a tradition, especially for young couples.
When they approach a stage where they are becoming serious, we separate them
and they spend three days in near isolation so they can think about their
future and pray for the will of God. Sometimes they realize they are not willing
to go through the ordeal for one another; other times their hearts are moved in
a new direction during the trial. However, they can also find out they truly
want to pursue the path they are on. Three days, starting tomorrow afternoon
after the council meets. It will give them time to contemplate the future, and
also help the rest of the kingdom prepare for the transition.”

David
nodded, though he was unsure three days were enough to prepare himself for the
inevitable. Yero motioned over to the other man. The elf bowed to David.

“Truth
Blade,” Yero began a little more formally, “This is Niles. He is a field medic,
my best. He’s prepared a healing bath for you and will help you recover from
today. Rest; we will deal with the children and the council tomorrow. Ah, yes;
by the way, your daughter has requested that I lead her home guard.”

David
smiled, “She’s already started taking to the task, I see. I still feel she is
too young for both ruling and marriage.”

Yero
nodded. “That may be; however, God can use our talents well enough. He shows
His power through our faith and uses us in spite of our faults. You and your
children have great gifts; even ones you don't perceive as of yet. Remember,
God didn’t call you because you were ready, but because He was. Trust in His
plan.”

“I know,
it isn't as if I don’t have access to His truth,” David responded patting the
Sword of Truth. “Just the enormity of the task. . .”

“Go,
refresh yourself and rest. Let the Lord put into place that which you will need
to be successful.”

David
shook his head and turned. Niles had the door to David’s room open and they
entered. Yero turned to leave, but David called after him.

“Yero, be
sure my daughter knows what she may be getting into by having you in her
service. I don’t doubt your loyalty or ability, though there are rumors and
truths about the anthope that she needs to hear about from you.

“I’ve
seen many things in my own time here, things that defy rational understanding
on my planet. She needs the truth in order to make a wise choice. For what it
is worth, I believe you are the best choice.”

“Thank
you; I will do as you wish.”

The two
men bowed to each other, then parted company.

It was a
long night as each of the Koens examined yet another change to their lives.
Would the pace of running and fighting ever stop? As each one came to feel they
understood the enormity of the task in front of them, something new developed.
Deborah was to be crowned queen and married. This information met with
different reactions from the various children.

The
youngest girls, still captivated by princess tales, were near giddy with
excitement. Jeremiah saw the first great step to a challenge he was not certain
all of them would survive unscathed or even with their mortal lives. Mel, the
second oldest, was looking at the situation another way: he was thinking of the
inevitability that he was next. He didn’t feel ready. He also knew his sister
wasn’t as confident as she seemed. He had thought they would have years to
prepare. Were any of them ready? Nic was puzzled over the events of the day and
was striving to make sense of it all. Silas brooded, hungry for a chance to
prove himself, to snatch a moment of glory. Eve tried to dismiss the whole
affair and retreat into nothingness, but became consumed with thoughts of what
never would be and what she still had to do. Exhaustion took them all, though,
and each found a measure of rest for the time being.

David
didn’t sleep at all. He was in turmoil. He knew he was following God’s path. He
felt the certainty of it in his soul and the vibration emanating from the Sword
of Truth. These were his children, though. So much was happening and he was now
filled with regrets. How many years had he not told his wife about his past,
about who he really was? Why hadn’t he divulged his knowledge about the
Crossroads? Yes, he was commanded not to and he understood the reasons why, but
now it seemed as if he should have tried. How, though? Now they were here,
separated. Rebekah was at risk, as were their children. Deborah was going to be
married, and he had no idea how he was going to tell his wife how miserable and
sorry he was.