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Chapter 24
Over her slender shoulder, Atalanta Silverton observed with judging, amber eyes. Keen sight was one among many dangerous qualities that lifted to her the position of Cardinal. There was only a single rung between her and the Grand Master of the Order, which compounded her already commanding presence.
She stood unbending by a window sill whose stonework left little space for her hand to rest. Many of them stretched the length of the passage and were detailed with intricate carvings. With flowing sunlight, they shone a splendid pattern of shadow against the opposite wall of the walkway.
None of them, however, could ever be as distinct as Atalanta. Even under the screen of a white and crimson cloak, the elegance of her reginal form stood foremost. An ensemble of red hugged her lean figure and was every bit as exemplary as the ripples of her dark, silken hair.
Two floors separated her from the tones of the sparring yard. Still, they crept up the walls of the keep to reach her.
“I understand that you’re in charge of the festivities this year..”, an old voice called out. “..but, I’ve never known you to be interested in new recruits.”
“If they look to be a headache, then my only interest is to see them gone.”, Atalanta answered indifferently. She never concerned herself with tempering her words. The voice was familiar to her and needed no proper acknowledgement. So, her gaze kept to the window.
“Cold as ever.”, an iron cane scraped subtly against the floor. “Leland Hart has returned to the Citadel. And, the captains you requested have been gathered in the north wing.”
The man beside her bowed his head as much as his frail bones would allow. There was power in his wide, stocky form. He may have been old, but he was a veteran whose size was attributed to his former strength and not the weathering of time. Like drapes, gray hair was parted perfectly down the middle of his head and fell along his cheeks.
“I’ve already been made aware of that. It seems your service has slowed as of late, Priam.” Atalanta turned and continued down the hall. She wasted no time by glancing his way.
“Age may finally be getting to me. My legs aren’t what they once were.”, Priam followed, albeit with a far more careful step. Despite his years, his gaze was not at all muddied. In fact, to those of an astute nature, there was always an inkling of shrewdness behind the rimless glasses he so often wore.
Priam had retired from field work many years ago, but at the behest of the High King, his service was maintained in the Citadel as a royal medium. Through his lips came the words of the king. As such, he bore an unorthodox position in the Order. He was neither captain nor Cardinal. Yet, he wielded as much influence as they.
Where most yielded trepidation in Priam’s presence, Atalanta gave none. He was nothing more than an eye for the king to see through, a voice from which he could participate, and a body he could offer as a scapegoat whenever needed. She saw his purpose from many lengths away, no matter how much politics had tired her. Still, he lingered at her side. And, Atalanta allowed it. To her, he was inconsequential.
She moved through the keep with poise, as she was always known to. Always around her was an air of unwavering purpose. Not even the staggering ruckus of the training yard could find a spare moment with her.
°°
Ezabel practically jumped when she realized that Gilford had taken her by surprise, only to have his swing blocked by a sudden prismatic barrier. It convulsed under his strike and emitted a booming drone. But, Leonora’s spell was strong and it absorbed the entirety of the omon’s power with ease.
Gilford had swung twice and the barrier stopped him each time. When his arms reeled back in preparation for a third, Leonora turned her wrist. The spell circle upon her glove flared.
Ezabel watched as the barrier collapsed into a single point in space, just at head level. It was a dazzling spot of light that then discharged a burst of concussive force in every direction. She had narrowly lifted her arms to cover her face when the wave pushed her out of the ring.
Everyone around immediately ducked out of the way, but Leonora was capable enough to see that her own spell never made it to the surrounding crowd. They covered their faces and knelt close to the ground. A fortunate decision for some as Gilford came crashing into the dirt at their feet.
“Leonora!”, Dani perked up and shouted.
“That’s enough!”. When Leonora’s voice lifted above the noise, a small handful of Attendants had appeared close to the ring. Whether they had always been there or not mattered little, as their presence was the finite end to the duel.
Even Gilford, who took to his feet in hopes of retaliating, could only glare with contempt. In his eyes, Ezabel and Hubert were lucky to have been saved. He could go no further now that Leonora had stepped in. So, with a disgruntled click of his tongue, he threw his axe onto the ground.
“Let’s not go overboard the day before the trials.”, Leonora stated. “Away with you lot!”
Chatter rose and all began to disperse. Their boots stepped all around Ezabel, who pushed herself up and sat on the grass. Hubert had been lifted and thrown beside her; he was also slow to shake off the rattling. She had half a mind to help him up, to offer him guidance to the infirmary. Even though she had no idea where it was.
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“Master Thornewell..”, Leonora soon stepped before them. “..I suggest that you refrain from participating in any more of this. You may not be a sponsored candidate, but your duty to your house can not be fulfilled if you are beaten to a pulp.”
Hubert parted his lips with the intention of pleading his case, but a sharp pain wrung his ribs that very moment. Both arms lifted to cradle his torso. He felt that he could walk, but could not speak to the pain that he assumed would come as soon as he rose.
“Escort Master Thornewell to the infirmary. See to it that his injuries are fixed by the evening.”. Upon Leonora’s command, another Attendant had propped Hubert up and walked him away. Despite the spectacle, the entire ordeal was brief.
Before Ezabel realized, Leonora had already offered a helping hand. She took it instinctively. Leonora’s appearance was a strange surprise. Ezabel knew she would have been in the Citadel, but to be helped onto her feet by the woman that supposedly failed her was something she could not quite process in the rush of the situation. But, there was comfort in her. A peculiar familiarity that she thought no one aside from her brother’s would have.
Perhaps, the reason was that Leonora called Xavier her captain. She was a member of his brigade, afterall. So then, what was Ezabel to call her? Her mind overthought it all and practically pushed a haze onto her.
“This would be the second time you’ve confronted a foe far larger than yourself.”, Leonora interrupted with a smile. “That’s not a very good habit to have, Ezabel.”
°°
“Oh, it’s good to be back in the city.”, Leland stated aloud as he stretched his arms wide. He sat loose and carried a refreshed face. Before him was a low tea table, and above it sat an empty plate, full of amai berry pits. He could only ever get them in the capital, and his sweet tooth was sorely missing a spike of their addicting tang.
He was one of few that hung about this particular foyer. It was tucked away in the northern wing of the keep and was seldom used. It was more of a neglected lounge than anything else. It led nowhere aside from a few small windows that opened into the northern gardens. Perhaps, it was for such a reason that Atalanta called him here.
“You haven’t been gone that long. Calm down.”, a woman replied from the window sill. She sat there and swung her legs freely in the air, mainly because they could not reach the ground. She was of a tiny frame and most of it was blanketed by her cloak, which was completely standard in size. Such was the struggle of a female omon, or so she likes to say. Her name was Yuel Jenas, captain of the Zinnia Brigade. Twin, tight braids ran down the back of her neck and a pair of short, iron-hued horns jutted just above her ears.
“It was long enough.”, Leland waved her off and cupped the back of his head. “But you wouldn’t understand just how hard it is to be a busy guy like me.”
“The only thing you’re busy doing is killing yourself with all that sugar.”, Yuel answered with a lifted tone. Even her posture went up straight. She was a fiery one and made no attempt at hiding it.“Go ahead, keep on stuffing your face. It won’t be long now.”
Her voice was higher in pitch and had a small tendency to annoy the sanity out of one, Gareth Lemoir, captain of the Clover Brigade. The stone walls of the keep only made it worse.
“It’s been half a decade and you still have not learned to control your damned voice.”, Gareth mocked Yuel whilst he physically cringed. “You’re like a god awful banshee.”
There was a distinct sense of nobility about Gareth. He sat across from Leland with correct posture and a high held chin. The other two captains may have had their reservations about him, but he was certainly a closer representation of society’s classic Attendant than they ever were. Noble blood and noble attitude. Both coupled with a dangerous capacity for combat. Not to mention his reputation as a rising force in recent history.
This marked the third year in which Gareth came to Gracewind as a sponsor. The candidates he had previously backed were now full-fledged Attendants and have been incorporated into his Brigade. Now, many eyes fall his way with high expectations of another brilliant candidate.
“Banshee!?”, Yuel shouted. “Say that again and I’ll blow the ears off of your smug little head.”. She leaned forward and nearly came out of her seat on the window sill.
“There she goes again..”, Gareth muttered as he rolled his eyes. His attention shifted and sought to block Yuel’s presence out of his mind. “Regardless.. Leland, since we’re both here in the capital again, I’d like to settle the score.”
What is there to settle? That was as much as Leland could consider before the clicks of Atalanta’s arrival pulled their attention. Her eyes met Leland’s own frivolous gaze for a moment, then they shifted to the rest of the gathering.
She came to sit on a single armchair at the head of the table and made no other effort in situating herself. Business was at the forefront of her mind and most everyone in the Order was accustomed to it. It was efficient and left no potential for confusion. She was always direct.
“You’ve been called here because of one very simple reason.”, Atalanta crossed her legs. “Each of you have within your brigades, at least one person who has had an encounter with an illegal knightstone.”
The three captains listened in place, each of which paid attention in their own trademark way. Yuel continued to swing her legs. Gareth, crossed his arms and closed his eyes. Leland simply leaned back into his chair. And, that did not change when Priam took his place behind Atalanta.
“But, only one of us managed to lose.”, Yuel snickered. It was a clear reference to Leland, whose shoulders were still void of his cloak.
“Funny.”, Leland rolled his eyes and gave no other reaction. He was never one to waste time trying to validate himself. It was simply not his thing; he did not care to. Pride was never as satisfying as fun.
“Regardless, I am here to tell you that any discussion concerning your interactions with such contraband is now strictly prohibited. You are to tell no one.”
“Our encounters were all brief. I don’t expect much interest our way. - We took care of them discreetly.”, Gareth stated. “However, there is considerable talk about the events that occurred in Angoulet some days ago. I assume the creature responsible for that was similar to those that we faced.”
“The incident in Angoulet has been managed.”, Leland interjected with an uncharacterized level of depth to his voice. He had sat in the same position without so much as an itch.
Atalanta once again shifted her cold gaze onto Leland’s vexing posture. His presence was certainly a thorn in her side. Although, never once has a thorn been anything more than an inconvenience to her.
“You are to instruct the appropriate members of your brigades with the same command. - This matter will be handled in time. Should there be any further developments, you will be notified.”, Atalanta addressed the room. She nodded, but never quite lowered her chin to the ground. It was always her way of dismissing subordinates. - The captains nodded in kind.
Yuel and Gareth made no effort to question her command, curious or not. Atalanta’s words were final. So, they stood respectively and made for the door. Gareth, as per usual, walked out without any regard for his company. Yuel, on the other hand, hoped that he would stop. As if Gareth was ever going to offer her the luxury of a “Ladies first.” gesture. - She left through the doorway, disgruntled and mumbling.
“Well..”, Leland sighed into the ceiling. “..I guess I’ll go fetch my cloak now.”. His feet came off of the table top and his hands fell limp by his sides.
“Not you, Leland.”, Atalanta folded her arms. “I expect an explanation from you.”
“For what?”, Leland asked sarcastically.
“What business did you have in Angoulet?”, she glared at him; genuine disdain was marked in her eyes.
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