Seraphina paced the length of the room, her boots echoing softly off the stone floor. Reaching one end of the room, she stared at the wall for a second or two and then swiveled quickly to face the door, hoping she could will it to open and end the interminable waiting. Instead the door remained solidly shut, leaving her staring at dark wood and bored faces. So she walked to the other side of the room and repeated the exercise.
“Sergeant, will you stop that!” Despite being hardly louder than a whisper, inside the quiet room Avery’s voice might as well have been a shout. “You’re making me anxious and I don’t even know why we’re here.
“Yes. Stop.”
Seraphina looked to her left and identified the condescending drawl’s source as coming from a boy she didn’t know leaning against the wall on the other side of the room. He punctuated each word with a bubble from his chewing gum making Seraphina dislike him instantly. Ignoring him, she turned back to Avery.
“I told you why we’re here.”
“No, you told me why you’re here. Why are the rest of us here too?”
There were 15 other people in the room standing around, all her age or younger. The prepared ones had brought playing cards or snacks, but for most of them, the idle chit chat had gone stale after the first 30 minutes had passed and Seraphina’s wasn’t the only temper fraying now that they had been waiting for more than two hours.
“Well somebody had to be here to stop Lady McIntyre from going crazy. Whoops…”
This voice Seraphina did know, and she felt the back of her neck go hot with annoyance. A couple other people laughed, including the bubblegum boy, but most of the others just fidgeted uncomfortably.
Aoi Sakamoto had been classmates with her and Avery all the way through school and they’d never gotten along well. Aoi was a talented soldier, very talented, and she knew it too. Her whole demeanor stank of arrogance – folded arms, unbuttoned uniform jacket, and contemptuous sneer as if she’d accomplished something impressive by just being there at that moment.
Avery took a couple steps over to Aoi and pointed a finger at her in challenge. Not even she liked Aoi and Avery liked everyone.
“You trying to have a fight in here to pass the time, Sakamoto? It’s been too long since I’ve had a shot at that punchy face of yours!”
“Oh please, I-”
“A fight?” Whatever Aoi was about to say was cut off when the boy sitting on the ground next to her cracked one eye open and shot a questioning look at Avery. “Here?”
“No, not you, Daisuke.”
Aoi sighed down at her twin brother who, in a study of opposites, had somehow been sleeping, legs sprawled out on the ground in front of him with his head resting against the wall. Aoi glared back at Avery and Seraphina, but Avery let out a small giggle and the tension broke. Shaking her head, Aoi knelt down beside her brother and started a whispered conversation with him while Seraphina dragged Avery to the other side of the room.
“Punchy face? Really?”
“What? Haven’t you always thought that?”
“Well, yes… but you’re not four…”
Avery shot her a look that said ‘sorry not sorry,’ and Seraphina was about to say something else when the door finally opened.
***
It was all Evie could do to keep her mouth from dropping to the floor as she followed the caravan across the bridge into Fort Washington. One second she was looking out at the dark blue waters of the Potomac River, the next, she was distracted by a merchant hawking wares, a child running a few steps ahead of his parents, a hunter returning from an expedition with a cart of bloody meat. Each new voice, even the numerous checkpoints and customs stops on the way in, brought new wonder with it and she couldn’t help grinning from ear to ear.
The nerves, the exhilaration, the terror – all of it mixed within her stomach in such a confusing mess that her mind felt like a canvas that had been washed out by so much color it might as well have been completely blank. So instead she just felt and reacted. And for now, that was enough. The terror and the anxiety? They could come later.
So as the caravan lumbered its way down the bridge she made sure to talk to all of the caravaneers and catch up on all the stories she had missed while she had been unconscious on the way up. She made them tell her about the monuments, the government, and even about the heroes like Martin Luther King Jr., George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln whose stories she only partially remembered from her classes. And of course, she asked about the food – she already had a list of five or six pubs, restaurants, and bakeries she was itching to try as soon as she enlisted and started earning a full salary.
{“Huh?”}
There was a slight tingle inside Evie’s head that she couldn’t explain. It felt like… like something was there that hadn’t been there before. One second, she was walking, enjoying the deluge of new sights and smells and then… She slowed, panning her eyes from left to right, but she couldn’t put a finger on what had distracted you.
{“What are you?”}
This time the voice was unmistakable. Like it had been spoken directly to her, but…
“Who said that?”
No one answered. She looked all around her, spinning in a slow circle and earning her a few strange looks from passersby.
{“You can hear me…”}
“Who are you?”
In her confusion, her voice had been quite loud and the people next to her shot her concerned looks.
“Is everything alright Evie?”
“Uh, yes… It’s nothing.”
“Right?”
The last word was spoken in her head and she waited, trepidation building inside her. She stood still for 30 long seconds, but there was nothing else.
“Guess I’m imagining things…”
Shaking her head, Evie did her best to put a reassuring smile on her face and nodded at a woman who had stayed to wait with her.
“Stomach’s acting up, that’s all.”
“Well I saw you with Jonah’s oatmeal this morning… Big mistake.”
They both laughed and jogged to catch-up with the rest of the group. It didn’t take long for them to reach the big, iron gate at the end of the bridge where soldiers were checking their carts. Evie turned back to the woman beside her and whispered in her ear.
“Why are there so many guards out here? Those watchtowers could spot a Virus attack from miles away in the daytime.”
“It’s not for the Virus.” The woman grabbed Evie and dragged her a few yards further away from the guards before turning her face to Evie’s ear and whispering back. “It’s to stop smuggling.”
Catching her confused look, she explained further.
“The government taxes shipments, both those going into the fort and going past it to Annapolis, really heavily. Some people try to skirt on their way up north or sneak in some of their goods and these guys really don’t like that.”
Evie felt a surge of indignation rise within her for the caravaneers.
“But we risked our lives to get these goods here!”
“Quiet!” The woman’s face paled and she stuck a finger over Evie’s lips as a few guards looked their way.
“Sorry…”
“It definitely is a little unfair, but we still make loads of money from making this run. And the fort uses the taxes to make sure everyone is fed and the army is well equipped. You might hear Darius grumble about it from time to time, but I’m pretty sure both he and Reyna support it.”
“Oh.”
Evie felt a guilty lump rise within her as she thought of the food deliveries that had allowed her and her mother to survive. She had always taken it for granted, but she had never truly realized how much danger the people going out to hunt and farm the food were in until that moment. The woman continued, not noticing Evie’s consternation.
“Does make the other forts pretty angry though. It makes it too expensive for any trade to happen between Annapolis and the other two forts unless someone wants to skirt Washington which is suicide. Don’t go bringing that up with people living here though or especially not with the guards. They can be a prickly bunch.”
The woman gave one more apprehensive glance at the soldiers who had finished their inspection. They began waving the caravan through and Evie followed them into Fort Washington.
***
Seraphina knew who it was without even having to turn around by the way Avery suddenly stood up straight and started hurriedly trying to smooth her uniform and primp her hair. She noticed, for the first time, that her friend was far more tidily dressed than usual, and was even wearing something that smelled like perfume. It was all she could do to stop herself from rolling her eyes as she turned to face the door.
General Myers walked in, followed by his entire team, the Argonauts. Seraphina made full use of her height to look beyond them, expecting to see her mother or Steward Park beside them, but it was just the six of them standing there after the door closed behind them. The whole room seemed to reach a heightened state of alertness as the crowd of young people saluted the newcomers. Even the Sakamoto twins and bubblegum boy were standing smartly, spines straightened, uniforms buttoned, and gum swallowed.
While there were a few stronger fighters in the fort, no unit was more famous than the Argonauts. Although it was an obvious, and somewhat tired, moniker for a team led by a general named Jason, it did fit the group uncannily well. Jason’s transformation was, in fact, the hero Jason and there were other similarities too. From the Graves twins, to the single [Builder], to the other [Adventurers], you could easily assign a member of the Argo’s crew to each person in the unit and not go terribly wrong. When Steward Kalanick fought with them in the form of Hercules, they were just a member short of the classic octet in the stories.
But despite their collective strength, the unit’s true fame came down to Jason, their leader. He was eight years old when the rifts first started forming – just old enough to remember the time before the Virus, but young enough to have come of age during the war. He was the vanguard of the charging youth gathered in the room and was admired, and in some cases adored – if the faces of Avery and a few of the other girls and boys in the room were anything to go by – by every one of them. Every member of his team was someone he had hand-selected and the tales of their fights were legends Seraphina, Avery, and their other friends had told each other again and again.
“Ahem.”
As General Myers cleared his throat, Seraphina peered over at Avery, who looked like she was about to swoon, and gave her a sharp elbow in the ribs. Even with his experience in battle and leading troops, the general looked somewhat uncomfortable standing in front of the group of admiring youngsters. Graves whispered something Seraphina couldn’t hear behind him and she saw the general redden slightly.
“Some of you have probably guessed why we asked all of you to come here today.”
He looked straight at Seraphina, making a lump rise in her throat.
“Many of you, probably have no clue. Over the past week, our stewards, our generals, and our strategists have been in close discussion to try to find a way to deal with the increasingly vicious and deadly Virus attacks. To put it frankly, our fight to defend our walls has never been more desperate.”
This caused a gasp from a few of the people in the room, but Jason just talked over it with the same grim monotone.
“At the same time, we’ve found ourselves increasingly cut off from the other forts as the road between us gets more deadly every day. The caravans who arrive lately speak of deadly nighttime raids of hundreds of Virus, of multiple juggernauts joining battles, and even a Virus champion they call the [Destroyer]...
“So, as a group, we have decided on a course of action.”
Seraphina’s heart pounded as if a literal drumroll had started within her and she gripped her fingers into fists so tight that her knuckles turned white.
“We have decided that this unit, the Argonauts, will join with Steward Kalanick once he returns, and take the fight to the Virus with the goal of resecuring the route between Fort Washington and Fort Richmond.”
For a split second, Seraphina replayed the words in her mind to make sure she’d heard them correctly. Then she felt a wave of elation pass over her so strong that she almost fell to her knees and celebrated. They were really doing it. They were going along with at least part of her suggestion. She had played a role in making this happen. And they were going to need her for this. Why else would General Myers be telling them about their plans like this? She tuned back in on the general’s words, realizing she’d missed a few sentences.
“With some of our strongest fighters outside of the fort, we’re going to need more people to step up here. The 15 of you represent the best and the brightest of our next generation, the first generation to grow up with the Virus. Amongst you are talented [Healers], trained in both modern medicine and healing skills, [Adventurers], [Builders], and [Defenders], who know everything there is to know about surviving outside the forts, [Knights], [Assassins], and [Adjudicators] who are a match for soldiers 10 levels above you in the dueling pits, and even Tier 2s who have inspired all of us with your growth.”
“Did he say… Tier 2s… Plural??” Seraphinalooked around rapidly, but all of the others were watching the general and none of them caught her eye. “Who else?”
“Today we need more than just Argonauts. More even, then stewards and ancient heroes. We need something new. So we’re forming a new unit that will learn, and train, and be ready to fight when you are called upon.”
“When we are called upon?”
Seraphina’s mouth moved faster than her brain as it tried to process the smorgasbord of emotions cycling through it.
“You mean we’re not fighting with you?”
“No, Sergeant McIntyre.” The general’s voice was cool and his mouth was set in a grim line. “As I said, you will continue to train until you are ready to fight with us.”
“You can’t be serious, this whole thing was my-”
“As fun as it is watching McIntyre’s cheeks try to match her hair, I can’t help but agree with her.” Aoi, hand on her hip and a challenging look in her eyes, cut in before Seraphina could finish. “We have been fighting, we have been training all of our lives for this. Who are you to tell us that we’re not ready to fight? When you were ready, you got your chance.”
“I was most certainly not ready!” The surge of anger from the normally icy general caused both Seraphina and Aoi to take a step back in shock. “I have seen man after woman after man after woman die beside me, each one of them thinking they were ready. I have seen heroes in every meaning of the word sacrifice their lives, their families, everything that was dear to them to defend us, and even they were not ready.
“I saw your father fight, Sergeant McIntyre, mere months before he died.” The general’s voice softened as he continued and a hint of sadness crept into it. “He was brilliant, powerful, brave, but do you know what? I don’t think he was ready either. Daniel McIntyre didn’t have a choice, though. Ramon Martinez didn’t have a choice. Tirelle Edson, Fayed Alireza, Marie-Alice Hansdottir, Gavin Kalanick. None of them had a choice. But we do. So as long as I am a leader here, we will not throw away the lives of our best and brightest just because you’re tired of waiting and eager to prove themselves.”
To that, there was no response. Seraphina clenched her jaw so tightly she felt like her teeth would break and Aoi looked little different. Daisuke, on the other hand, looked like was ready for another nap and bubblegum boy seemed remorseful at the lack of gum in his mouth to blow another bubble. Avery, of course, was a step away from bursting into a cloud of hearts like a cartoon character.
General Myers cleared his throat again, looking slightly abashed, and scanned the room again before focusing on a blank spot on the wall.
“I expect all of you to report to the training yard tomorrow for your first day together as a unit.”
Just like that, his voice was back in his usual grim monotone like the outburst had never happened. Upon finishing, he turned abruptly and walked out the door, leaving the rest of them standing there.
***
“We’re here for you if you need us, Evie.”
Darius gave Evie another backbreaking hug goodbye before moving back and letting Reyna do the same. Several other members of the caravan slapped her on the back or traded parting waves as she began to look toward the center of the city. Finally inside the fort, she felt so strongly drawn to the end of her journey that it was impossible for her to keep her feet still. Not even the offer of a few notes and a meal to help the caravaneers unpack could stop her from trying to spot the fort’s keep in the distance. So with profuse gratitude and just a small twinge of regret, she bade goodbye to Darius and set off into the city.
The streets of Washington were wider than Evie had imagined, quite a bit wider than some of the narrow corridors in the center of Richmond. But where Richmond’s streets were eclectic and strange, the streets here were almost compulsively practical. Where sculptures and artwork remained from before, they had often been worked into newer, more defensible buildings. But it looked as though any refurbishments were done entirely for military purposes – little effort was spent on cleaning or beautification of any sort including clearing out or repairing ruined building. This led to an odd juxtaposition of sturdy, fortified shops sandwiched between buildings that were little more than rubble. She ran her fingers along the wall beside her and her fingers came away gray and dusty.
“In Richmond they would have never allowed this…”
But maybe that’s what came with trying to house and protect a fort, no a city, of hundreds of thousands of people.
There was still a beauty to it, though. The early morning light cast long shadows, bathing the city in a golden hue that made even the patched-up buildings seem almost majestic. People bustled about, primarily apprentices running errands for armorers or blacksmiths or soldiers coming to buy equipment, and many carried a look that Evie recognized from the people of Richmond – a mix of determination and weariness from unending strife and challenge.
The closer she got to the keep, the more the signs of militarization became apparent. Barriers intermittently blocked entire streets, funneling traffic away from certain areas where guards in uniform kept vigilant watch. These soldiers gave her curious, assessing looks as if they dared her to challenge them or try to discover whatever secret they were protecting.
Finally, the keep loomed above her. High, thick walls of reinforced concrete and steel encircled the keep, stretching for what had to be several miles in circumference based on the size of the self-contained city enclosed within. These walls were less well-defended than the outer ones, but still held the watchtowers and siege equipment needed to support a last stand if the Virus ever pushed them to here.
There were many small gates cut into the walls, and these, thankfully, had no guards or checkpoints. Uniformed soldiers and officials strolled or jogged through, some in casual conversations, others at a brisk pace looking like they had important business to get to. Evie knew she didn’t look her best after five days out in the wilderness, but she’d done her best to tame her oily and snarled hair and had replaced her coat and trousers with her school uniform. Although it wasn’t technically a proper militia uniform, she hoped it reflected slightly better on her than if she tried to enter the keep looking like she had just walked out of the woods. Which she had…
She found a group of soldiers, noisily chatting as they walked through the open gates, breakfast in hand, and followed them into the keep grounds. Despite the momentum continually driving her forward, she couldn’t help but take a few minutes to explore the keep grounds. It was like she had somehow shrunk herself and walked into an ant colony. People bustled around in every direction, looking like they might bump into each other at any moment, yet there was an order and organization to it that kept it all running smoothly.
A huge dirt path led from the gates to the keep itself, at least half a mile’s walk from where she currently stood. The path was lined with permanent buildings and temporary tents that provided everything from armor and weapons, to food, to medical care. To the side, pre-Virus buildings had been converted into arsenals and workshops, and blacksmiths, armorers, and quartermasters worked feverishly to forge equipment and supply soldiers. Grunts and clashes of weapons called to her and she saw several racks of weaponry stacked with training weapons mounted alongside massive fighting pits dug into the ground. For an instant she longed to grab a sword and jump into one of the pits to test herself against the many training soldiers.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“Eye on the prize. There will be time enough for that later…”
As she walked closer to the keep, she saw more than just military buildings. There were schools set up in smaller, portable buildings, training kids as young as six and as old as she was. The grounds themselves were meticulously maintained. Gravel paths split off from the main aisle she was walking along, connecting different sectors and buildings. Some were even lined with benches and newly planted trees, although none of the benches were currently occupied.
The keep's main building retained much of its original architectural grandeur, with high vaulted ceilings and expansive windows, although the windows were now fitted with metal shutters and arrow slits were cut into the walls. There was a smaller wall in front of the keep, more fence than rampart, that looked like it was placed more to filter the flow of traffic rather than to defend against a possible invasion. There was a single gate on this side, leading up to the keep’s main entrance. It was manned by a single bored looking soldier who leaned against the fence post staring longingly out at the other soldiers moving about the grounds. Gripping the sack that contained her mother’s letter and all her belongings, Evie took a deep breath and walked over to the door.
***
“Well look at it this way. At least it’s something new. Even I was getting bored with the constant drills and sparring bouts so I can’t imagine how you felt. We have a new unit now and I’m sure we’ll learn a ton…”
Avery’s voice was consoling as she put a soft hand on Seraphina’s shoulder, trying to cheer her up. Seraphina did her best to give a glum nod, but she couldn’t force a smile onto her face.
“Yeah, I guess.”
She had been so hopeful that today was finally the day, which made it so much worse that they were going on her mission without her. The disappointment and anger together with the long wait in the briefing room had exhausted her patience, so the second she heard the mocking voice behind her she found herself almost ready to snap.
“Wow… two years apart and now we’re all back together again. I was worried I was going to get sent into real battle, but there’s no risk of that now that Lady McIntyre is in my unit.”
“Shut. Up. Sakamoto.” Seraphina’s growl was almost animalistic and she knew that if she turned around, it would be hard to stop herself from running at Aoi. She did have a punchy face. “I am not in the mood.”
“I am wondering, though, how do I get them to let me have my own handmaiden? None of the rest of us got to take staff onto the unit.”
It took a second for Seraphina to realize what Aoi meant – when she did, the fragile dam holding back her frustration and rage finally snapped. Before she knew what she was doing, she had spun and tossed her shoulder into Aoi’s chest, throwing her full height and weight behind the blow. The other girl went flying into the wall behind her, crashing hard into the stone before sliding down. Seraphina leapt at her, fist raised, but before she could follow up she felt arms behind her, yanking her back. She shrugged them off and kept moving towards Aoi, but several more people jumped in the way and grabbed onto her.
On the other side of the room, Aoi had leapt up, snarling. She was breathing heavily as if the wind had been knocked from her, but otherwise seemed little worse for wear. The air around her suddenly started to crackle and warp and Seraphina felt the hairs on her neck stand on end.
“Oh shit!”
She dove to the side, dragging the three people holding onto her along with her and covered her face.
“Sis, no!”
Seraphina heard another voice yell and looked up to see Daisuke grabbing onto her sister and holding her back. Unlike the people on her side, Daisuke was far larger than his sister and easily managed to hold her by himself until the power around her fizzled.
“You just wait, McIntyre!”
Aoi was spitting with rage, pointing a finger at Seraphina as her brother dragged her away. “You thought you were done with me, but now we’ve got plenty of time for a fair fight where I rip you to pieces!”
Daisuke finally managed to get her around the corner and her voice faded from earshot. Seraphina stood up and growled after her. She felt more like an animal than a person – it had been a long time since she had been this angry, and it wasn’t going away despite Aoi’s exit.
She looked down and saw the heap of people around her. Avery was lying there, tangled with several of their other classmates. There was hurt in her eyes, and Seraphina couldn’t be sure, but it felt like a lot of that was directed at heri. Full of disgust, with the military, with Aoi, with herself, Seraphina tore herself away from her friend’s gaze and left.
***
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Evie froze, one foot on the keep’s steps. For a second, Evie thought the man was just going to let her pass into the building and she considered walking like she didn’t think the guard was talking to her, but decided that would be a bad idea. With a sigh, she put on her brightest smile and turned back towards the guard.
“Hi there! I’m Eva Victoria, and you are..?”
“Private Riggs.”
The man was probably in his late thirties and he looked up at her with disdain. His tone matched his demeanor which said he’d rather be anywhere else than here right now.
“Private Riggs, good to meet you.”
Evie saluted, but he did not salute back so she continued, trying to keep the light tone in her voice.
“I’m hoping to make an appointment to talk to the stewards, do you know how I can do that?”
This did change his expression, adding a touch of dry amusement and contempt to his board mien.
“Make an appointment? To see the stewards?”
“Yes! I’d love to see them today if there’s time, but I could come back tomorrow if they’re busy.”
“And who did you say you were?”
“Eva Victoria Ivans. From Richmond.”
The smile on her face started to feel forced, but with effort she stopped it from dropping off her face entirely.
“From Richmond?”
It wasn’t really a question. The man sneered and tried to look down his nose at her, but she was taller than him which made that difficult. This seemed to further upset him.
“Yes, from Richmond, but I was hoping to enlist here. After talking to the stewards.”
“Girl, the enlistment office is right over there. Why don’t you walk over and talk to them, they might even be happy to have you. The stewards don’t have time to have chats with random girls from Richmond.”
“I’m sorry…”
Evie felt a hint of outrage rising within her. She tried to tamp down on it, but after traveling through the forest and surviving the Virus attack to get this close to her goal only to be stopped by a petty soldier who couldn’t have been higher than level 10 was beyond galling.
“I traveled 100 miles and put my life on the line just to get here, and you’re going to turn me away without even asking me what I want?”
She punctuated each word with a thrust from her finger. Too late, she realized she was looming over the guard and he was shying back from her. She tried to pull back and reclaim her calm demeanor, but another soldier had walked out the door just in time to see what must have looked like her threatening the guard. With a resigned sigh, she turned to face the other woman.
***
Seraphina frowned when she walked out the door and saw the gate guard in a fight with a girl she had never seen before. The girl looked on the edge of a full-blown temper tantrum and was towering over the guard, pointing a finger at his chest. She knew it was none of her business and the guard could handle himself, but she was itching for a fight and didn’t spurn the opportunity when she saw it.
The girl looked a year or two younger than Seraphina, evidenced by the school uniform she was wearing, although it wasn’t one she had seen before. She was pretty in a mundane sort of way: dark hair, dark eyes, pale skin that didn’t look like it would tan much, even if it wasn’t February. The uniform was a simple white shirt with black buttons and pants and a red insignia on its chest. As she got closer, she saw the Fort Richmond symbol on the chest and realized why she hadn’t recognized it. She also smelled the girl and had to force herself not to recoil. She stank.
“Soldier.” Seraphina’s voice was a brusque bark and both the soldier and the girl turned to face her. “What’s the problem here?”
“Sergeant McIntyre!”
The man smiled and clasped his hands in front of him like he had looked up the word ‘sycophant’ in a dictionary and was acting out the picture posted underneath it.
“I was merely watching my post, when this brat tried to walk right past me. Wants to meet with the stewards! Can you imagine… When I told her she couldn’t, she got angry and started pointing her finger at me. I just know she was going to attack me if you hadn’t come along. She should be jailed! Whipped!”
“Is that true?”
Seraphina turned to the girl and crossed her arms in front of her.
***
“N-no! O-of course not!”
Okay, it wasn’t the best way to start, not even close, but in her defense, this had not been what she’d prepared for at all! In Richmond it was easy to make appointments to see councilmen and women, even the mayor! She hadn’t entirely expected to be let in immediately to see the stewards, but she didn't expect to get stopped on literal step one by a stupid guard who had let his miniscule bit of power get to his head. In what felt like a couple of moments she had gone from excited, to nervous, to angry, to staring at this new, massive soldier who looked like she wanted nothing more than to imprison her as the guard had suggested.
It didn’t help her composure that the woman was impossibly beautiful. Her hair was dark red, and sat gently on her shoulders in slight, wavy curls. Her skin had the kind of porcelain fairness that seemed almost out of place in a military uniform, accentuating sharp, symmetrical features that were both strong and elegant. Dressed in a uniform that managed to look both utilitarian and tailored to perfection, she carried an air of authority that made her seem larger than her actual height, which was itself impressive. She towered over Evie who was not short, with long legs ending in military boots that tapped impatiently on the stone steps while Evie stammered.
“Look, Sergeant McIntyre, was it?”
“McIntyre?! Oh fuck… I missed that when he said it. But maybe this is a good thing?”
“I came here all the way from Richmond to do something really important to me, and I need to talk to the stewards.
“And you thought threatening the gate guard was the best way to make that happen?”
The Sergeant eyed her impassively, raising an eyebrow.
“I didn’t threaten him!” Evie nearly stamped her foot with frustration. “He told me that the stewards didn’t have time ‘for random girls from Richmond’ and I got a little upset, I admit, but that’s it.”
***
“So you thought you could just barge in here and demand a meeting with the people running the whole fort?”
On a different day, maybe Seraphina would have been sympathetic, helpful even, but her morning had been filled with tension, disappointment, and anger and it left little room inside her to go out of her way to help the vagrant girl on the keep’s doorstep.
“Well what was I supposed to do? Ask Private Riggs here to carry a letter in for me?”
Seraphina nearly snorted with laughter before stopping herself and schooling her face. She didn’t know the man personally, but he looked the sort to be obstinate just for the sake of it. Besides, for someone to be stuck guarding the gate at his age, he had to be exceptionally incompetent, lazy, or both. Perhaps sensing the softening in her demeanor, the girl continued speaking.
“Look, you’re Stewardess McIntyre’s daughter, right? Pretty crazy that I’m here talking to you… Can’t you help me out? It doesn’t need to be today, but this is really important to me.”
***
Evie knew she had said the wrong thing when she saw the woman stiffen. She had thought she was starting to get through to her, but something in her request had not landed well and now her face had started reddening and her eyes had sharpened to a painful level of intensity.
“You think that just because of my name, I can barge in on the people in charge of protecting the entire city, all of humanity really, and ask them to stop what they’re doing so they can talk to you?”
The woman’s voice was an almost venomous hiss now, and she leaned over Evie until it felt like there was a limited amount of oxygen available for the two of them and the sergeant was taking more than her fair share.
“Why exactly would I do that?”
“I don’t know, common decency?”
“Common decency? I don’t know who you are, I don’t know your story, and I don’t owe you anything. Get out of here and stop bothering the people who spend their lives protecting all of us.”
The sergeant turned to leave. Evie knew she could leave, come back with Darius, and try again. He would have commanded some respect here, probably… He even said he had fought with one of the stewards. But she didn’t want to go running back to him at the first sign of trouble. She didn’t want to come back as a failure on her very first attempt. So she grabbed the sergeant’s wrist as she walked by.
“Please-”
The aura blast that hit her was so sudden and so violent, that it threw her off her feet. She felt like a kicked ball, tumbling backward with air exploding from her lungs until there was none left. She landed on her side before rolling several times and coming to a stop.
***
Seraphina knew she had gone too far without having to scan the crowd to see the faces that were now looking at her. She hadn’t expected her aura to have such a strong effect on the girl, but she’d been touching her when she set it off and it had shoved her away with force. She had wanted a fight, but this wasn’t a fight. She just felt like a bully. With a sigh, she walked slowly over to the girl to help her up and send her on her way. She put a hand out to help her up and froze when she saw the look on the girl’s face.
Seraphina had been expecting anger, pain, maybe even tears. What she had not been expecting was the look of ferocious malice in the girl’s eyes as she slowly stood up and dusted herself off. One of her sleeves was ripped and her pants were covered with dirt, but she didn’t seem to notice. She only had eyes for Seraphina.
“I tried to be nice, I tried to be civil, but I guess that stuff just doesn’t work here. I guess it’s the other way then. Victoria! [Reign of the Conqueror]!”
The aura coming from the girl’s hero wiped out Seraphina’s own, archetype-driven, aura in moments. She felt it slam into her, surround her and suffocate her own aura, breaking it apart with an audible crack. As soon as her aura broke, she was tossed backward, just like the girl had been moments before, but with far more force as the energy left by her destroyed aura burst in all directions. She flew back at speed, crashing into the small wall surrounding the keep, breaking through it, and falling into the bushes behind it.
For a second, she just lay there, stunned, her head and both elbows ringing from the impact with the wall. She looked around and saw pieces of broken stone scattered all around her.
“Ouch… What was that?”
Slowly she forced herself onto one foot, then two, and limped back through the Seraphina-sized hole in the fence. Her first clue that something had happened was the utter silence around her. For a second, it seemed like the keep had emptied out, but that wasn’t right – it was still mid-morning and the grounds were full of soldiers, messengers, and other people about their business. Then she saw the open-mouthed private standing next to her. He stared in shock, not at her, but at where the girl had aura blasted her.
How had she… Seraphina followed his gaze to where the girl was standing and then she saw.
***
“Oops…”
As far as plans went for making her way into the keep, throwing the stewardess’ daughter through a wall probably hadn’t been Evie’s finest moment. In hindsight, none of this had been thought out too well – she had just expected it to all work out. Now she was standing there shining in her full Tier 2 form with hundreds of people staring at her and one irate sergeant making her way back towards her.
“Who knows… Maybe Tier 2s are an everyday thing here in Washington. Nothing to see here folks, nothing to see…”
“You know…” The sergeant’s voice was quiet, but simmering with rage, “I’m a little bit grateful you did that. I was starting to feel like an ass for sending you on your way, but it’s good to know you deserved it the whole time.”
She started walking slowly towards Evie, brushing off her uniform as she moved.
“You’re calling me an ass?” Evie yelled back at the sergeant, summoning her sword. “I asked you for help and you literally threw me out.”
“You lied. You wanted to come into the keep to see our stewards and didn’t say a word about… this.” McIntyre spat on the ground beside her, her saliva tinged with red, and gestured at Evie’s Tier 2 form. “I don’t know who you are, where you came from, or what you want, but I do know you’re at best a liar, and at worst an assassin or traitor. I am taking you to the stewards. In manacles.”
“Hmph, you can try.”
“With pleasure.” The sergeant gave one more snarl and a spear formed in her fists. “Joan of Arc!”
Evie was expecting it, but it was still impossible to prepare for what happened next. One second a simple, unarmed soldier was walking slowly towards her. The next, a steel-armored tank brandishing a glowing spear was charging at her. She had drawn back her aura, knowing she needed to be careful about which skill she used and when.
She still had no clue what [Imperial Edict] did so she nixed that one. [Cannonade]? That would probably put at least a dent in her armor. [Sun Never Sets] could also be useful and she could try her aura again, but which one would work best against Joan of Arc…
“Oh Captain Langford, if only you knew…”
In moments, the soldier was on top of her, spear flying at her chest and she had no more time to think. Moving on instinct, she twirled, knocking the spear to the side with her left hand before leaping away from the follow-up thrust. Then she leapt back at the soldier and swung hard at her side, hoping her summoned sword was enough to impact the armor without breaking. She never found out, though, because the spear swung around impossibly fast, catching her slash mid-haft. They paused there like that, staring at one another with eyes filled with both loathing and a small modicum of respect.
In a flash, McInintyre pivoted with speed that felt impossible given her size and armor and brought her spear around low at Evie’s legs. Evie leapt back, flipping into a handspring before returning to her feet several yards away. Before she had a chance to settle herself, the soldier was running at her again, spear held in both hands. A flurry of thrusts and slashes came at her, each one faster than the next and Evie found herself rapidly juking from side to side with no chance to counter. The spear whistled through the air, too fast to even see, and she didn’t even realize she’d been hit until she felt the sting of pain on her arm.
Gritting her teeth she leapt away, but her eyes widened with surprise as the soldier raised her spear and tossed it at her like a javelin. She dove to the side, barely missing the glowing projectile which vanished as soon as it passed. Leaping to her feet, she tried to press forward, but the woman was already there, waiting for her.
The gauntlet connecting with her cheek would have broken several teeth and maybe her jaw if not for the protection Victoria gave her. As it was, it slashed open her face and sent her to her knees, her world a vibrating staccato. She tried to rise to her feet, but the soldier grabbed her in a chokehold.
“Is that really all you have?” The soldier held her neck tightly and spoke softly into her ear. “How did someone like you awaken a Tier 2?”
Evie wanted to snap something back, but she was struggling to stand, let alone breathe in enough air to bother with talking. She felt the slow trickle of blood falling down her cheek and a renewed sense of pain as her head recovered from the punch.
“Okay… Point 1 to Washington. For point 2… This was gonna suck.”
***
“I’m sorry, what was that?”
Seraphina thought she heard the girl trying to say something, but instead of relenting, she squeezed harder. In seconds, this would be over and she could say all she wanted on the other side of the thickest steel bars they could find.
“[Cannonade].”
It took Seraphina a precious second to process what she’d said, and by the time she saw the line of five cannons forming on the dirt around them, it was too late. She tried to spin the girl so she stood between her and the first cannon she saw, but the ear-shattering boom she heard came from behind her instead.
The massive force blasted into her back and exploded, sending the two of them flying. Before Seraphina had a chance to get her bearings, a second blast hit her from the side, cratering her armor, and then a third blast hit her straight in the chest.
***
If Evie had been a normal person, the flying shrapnel from the cannon blasts would have killed her despite not taking any of them head on. As it was, the array of exploding projectiles tossed her through the air and nearly eviscerated the blue naval cloak she donned every time she summoned Victoria. For several seconds, the world was nothing but booming explosions, blinding lights, and tearing pain.
When the sound of the cannons finally stopped ringing in her ears, she was pleasantly surprised to find all of her bones intact and only her sword arm and her still-stinging cheek completely covered with blood. Struggling to her feet, she resummoned her sword in her left arm and hobbled forward into the clearing smoke.
She was terrified she’d find either a dead or completely unscathed sergeant waiting for her. Instead, she found a kneeling knight breathing heavily and glaring at her from a dust-covered and bloody face. The sergeant spat, but judging by the color it was more blood than saliva.
“Did you just fire a cannon? At yourself?”
“No. I fired five.”
“You’re insane… You could have killed both of us.”
“I have good aim.” Evie held her sword loosely in front of her, eyes never leaving the kneeling sergeant. “And I figured that armor of yours had to be good for something.”
“Hmph.” To Evie’s surprise, the smile on McIntyre’s face was genuine as she stood. “Well if that’s how it’s going to be… [Prayer of Restoration]!”
“You’ve got to be kidding me…”
Evie muttered, not needing to wait to see what the skill did. [Healers] couldn’t heal themselves, but that rule clearly didn’t apply to [Paladins]. McIntyre’s armor slowly sealed up and the gashes on her face stitched themselves together as if they’d never been there. Surprisingly, Evie felt her own wounds start to heal as well. The throbbing in her cheek lessened considerably and her right arm felt strong enough for her to toss the sword back to her dominant hand.
McIntyre looked over at her and spat again, the saliva clear this time.
“Damn… I’ve never used that skill fighting another human.”
The two slowly circled each other again, each one more cautious than the time before, but neither showing any desire to end the fight.
Evie waited until the sun was right in her face, probably the exact moment the sergeant was waiting for and used her skill.
“[Sun Never Sets]!”
At the same time, the sergeant charged.
“[Wrath of Heaven]”!
The position of the morning sun immediately flipped, so instead of shining in Evie’s face, it shone at her back, straight at the charging soldier. As her own, sun-obstructed, vision returned to normal, she saw the man appear as if from nowhere, standing between them with arms raised in either direction. Evie saw him in time and aborted her attack, but the blinded sergeant charged forward and crashed straight into him. Evie gasped in horror, expecting the charge to flatten the unsuspecting bystander, but instead McIntyre simply bounced off, plate mail collapsing like crumpled paper around the man’s outstretched hand.
“Damn…”
Evie’ mouth dropped open with awe at seeing the massive Tier 2 soldier taken down in an instant by the newcomer. She moved slowly to her side, trying to get a better view to make sure the sergeant was truly down, but the man’s voice made her freeze in her tracks.
“Not a step further.”
His voice was calm, authoritative, and he looked perfectly at ease. The sergeant was slowly standing up, but even without the Aura pulsing from the man, making Evie literally quake in her boots, she knew she had no chance to get past him to continue her fight. The sergeant turned to the man and started to speak.
“General Myers, I-”
“Both of you, with me.”
Without another look, the man, General Myers, started walking toward the keep.
“But General!”
McIntyre spluttered as General Myers walked straight up the steps towards the keep, not even sparing a glance for the huge hole in the walls.
Evie couldn’t help shooting the sergeant a triumphant smile as she followed after the stranger, leaving the fuming soldier to bring up the rear.
“I guess this counts as a success. Probably…”