“Alran, you seem distracted.”

The voice of Kade Desdain, the current leader of the Paladai Order, broke Alran Valar from his thoughts. He was supposed to be giving a report on his latest patrol outside the Avarian capital city Haran, which he had done, though it was hardly a riveting tale. Sitting idly for several hours in a tree near the main road while his drak roamed about in the woods was not his idea of time well spent. While Alran rattled off the pertinent details, of which there were few, he couldn’t help but be distracted by the bustling city surrounding their stone fortress; specifically, the sight of a husband and wife with their two young children roaming the market had caught his attention.

When Alran joined the prestigious Order, the Paladai had been in occupation for seventy five years. Abandoned as a child, the Order trained him to be one of their most elite warriors. Skilled in knife, sword, bow, and rhetoric, Alran was no one to be trifled with. Despite the cold exterior the Order tried to force upon him, he remained a gentle soul, though his enemies would never know his kindness. Marrying at the late age of thirty five he sired a daughter whom he doted upon, even more so since her mother had passed away.

He had hoped for a docile creature, but like her mother Ashea was wild in spirit, strong willed, and innately skilled with weaponry. At seven years old she shot a bow almost as well as he did, maybe better. Now at eleven years old, her knife and sword skills were nearly on par with the lesser Paladai warriors. Her love of such things worried him. He believed in what the Order did, but he did not want his daughter to grow up as a killer, even a killer of wicked men. If she wanted to continue his work, she could do it under the Avarian or Dacian king as a diplomat or advisor. Not having been raised in the corruption of the Avarian or Dacian government, she would have the ideals of a Paladai, which would make her a great asset. Thus far, no Paladai had ever had a child refuse the Order. If she truly wanted to join him, he would not stop her. He hoped she would not make that choice.

“Do you ever wonder what your life might have been if you hadn’t been born a Paladai?” Alran asked.

Kade was young, barely eighteen years old, and had the tendency to go shirtless to better show off the Paladai tattoo that consumed his back. Today was a rare exception, though the sleeveless sheer material of his tunic could hardly be considered a shirt.

“No, I don’t,” he replied blandly. “I’m sure it would have been something dull like a pig herder or a farmer. Why do you ask?”

Alran stared on at the market and watched as a clever street urchin managed to pilfer several pieces of fruit from a vendor without being spotted. Then the family he’d spotted before moved by the same vendor to purchase their own bit of food. All it would have taken was one choice and either the life of the urchin or the little family could have been the life he had.

“As a child, I was glad to give anything to join the Order. As a man, I wonder if I might have been better suited to something simpler.”

Kade regarded him quietly. “You wish your daughter to grow up as a simple peasant, to spin yarn and mend clothes for the rest of her life? She shows great potential, Alran. You would deny the world her talents?”

“I didn’t say that,” Alran clarified. “But I will not force it on her.”

“As it was forced upon me?” Kade challenged with a cocked brow.

Despite his youth, Kade was not unproven. While the average Paladai warrior would not be allowed a command until the age of eighteen, Kade was the exception. He had been born into the Order. Unlike most who only had one Paladai parent, both his mother and father were Paladai, and they had decided he would follow in their path. While he still had the option to leave the Order by his twentieth birthday, as they all did, Kade had made it clear he had no intention of doing so. At age ten he had proven to be almost as skilled a warrior as Alran was now. By age fourteen, he had surpassed every warrior in the Order, even besting Alran in battle. He was fast, decisive, a master tactician in words and actions. He had earned his position well.

Alran knew his next words would need to be chosen carefully. While he was the boy’s elder, Kade was still the leader and commander for all the Paladai. Plenty of their Order had been executed over the years for insubordination. Leadership was earned only one of two ways: defeat the current leader in battle or be lucky enough to be named the successor. Alran was there the day Kade had won his victory only a few months before and had no desire to incur the boy’s wrath. Being the longest surviving member of their Order had garnered Alran some respect, but it didn’t change that he was still below Kade in rank.

“Parents make certain choices for their children. Respectfully, this is mine for my daughter.”

“Relax, Alran. There are enough in the Order who pander to me. Personally, I would rather have your candidness right now. There is an urgent matter that needs tending, and you are the only man I trust with this,” he said as he led Alran to the Great Hall of the compound, a stone fortress situated in the heart of Haran.

Normally, the Paladai would never have built such a permanent space for themselves. They were meant to be a temporary measure, or so Alran had been taught. The war, however, between Dacia and Avar was always one small step away from reverting back to the blood bath it had been. A typical Paladai occupation would only last for about a decade, long enough to get the opposing sides to make peace and slowly pull their forces out for a seamless transition. Circumstances being what they were, the Paladai had to enact more invasive measures. A similar fortress was built in the capital of Dacia as well as several others throughout the territory between the two nations, constant reminders that the Paladai weren’t going anywhere.

They walked in silence down the stone corridors from the outer wall, which only added to the uneasiness Alran felt. Had any other young Paladai said a matter was urgent, he might have dismissed it; they thought everything was urgent or life threatening. Kade knew better.

After making their way through the busy halls filled with various staff members tending to their chores and fellow Paladai coming and going from missions or training, entered the Great Hall, though most might not have termed it such. It was a large enough room to hold maybe forty men comfortably, but considering the Great Hall in the Avarian palace could hold well over one thousand, the room was paltry in comparison. Tables lined either side of the hall with maps and reports outlining various Paladai movements as well as suspected army movements for both Avar and Dacia. Oil lamps lined the walls to provide light since there were no windows built into any of the walls. At the other end of the room from the door was a simple stone seat representing a place of power and importance. Some might have called it a throne, but the prosaic square blocks making up the seat left much to be desired for the purposes of a throne.

After entering the room, Alran shut the doors behind them and waited for Kade to take his seat before asking. “What is it?”

“A messenger from the Dacian faction arrived yesterday bearing news that may potentially end our occupation. The Dacian king has prepared a letter containing what is said to be information exonerating both Avar and Dacia of the tragedies that started this conflict.”

The first tragedy being the kidnapping of the Dacian crown prince, an infant at the time, who was then found murdered on Avarian land. The second tragedy was the subsequent assassination of ten of the twelve members of the Avarian royal family, supposedly ordered by Dacia. Both sides claimed they had nothing to do with either travesty. Or so the stories told.

“They have evidence?” Alran asked disbelievingly. “Is it reliable?”

“That’s the problem. King Ari is being secretive about this. There’s no way for us to get our hands on the information to verify the truth in the claims. A rider has already been dispatched with the letter and will be here in the capital in two days. The letter bears the king’s seal and cannot be opened by anyone except King Alazane.”

“You sound skeptical. Maybe they’ve finally pulled their heads out of the hole they’ve had it shoved in for two hundred years,” Alran said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Truthfully, he was just as skeptical, but he would be glad for this fight to be over. Thus far, no Paladai had ever actually retired during their occupation. None had lived to be Alran’s age to consider doing such. All he wanted now was to grow old and watch his daughter become a woman, enjoy the simple things other people had the opportunity for.

“Wouldn’t we all like to believe that? However, this is too sudden. The Dacian faction never heard of any investigation. Someone managed to discover something about what happened, told King Ari, had the letter written and sent, and did it all without any of us knowing until now.”

“The Dacian faction has grown a bit complacent over the years. Perhaps it’s time for you to relocate. Having you there would give them a better incentive to do their job,” Alran suggested.

“I wish that were our only problem.”

“What do you mean?”

“What I am about to tell you does not leave this room,” he ordered. Alran nodded his compliance. Whatever Kade had to say was sounding worse by the moment. “Paladai have gone missing.”

Alran resisted the urge to scoff at the boy. This was hardly news. “It’s not uncommon for several not to check in or be killed on the road. It can take days to find them then.”

“I’m not talking about one or two over the span of several months. So far, twenty-two have been reported missing or dead from the Dacian region in the past week. The Avarian count is up to fifteen with reports still coming in.”

“What?” Alran exclaimed. It was impossible. There were few who could take on a Paladai in a fair fight and only rarely was there a group large enough to be able to overpower a skilled one if they met at random on the road. Even then, such a body count was unheard of, not in such a short span of time. “How did this happen? Why is this the first I’ve heard of it?”

“Great efforts were made to not let this information leak, Alran. If people heard we were being exterminated to this degree, it could mean disaster on a scale we have never faced before. There is no telling the panic such news could create.”

“We are being hunted, Kade,” Alran threw at him. “You don’t think the others deserve to know there is a serious threat against them? They should be ordered into groups for now to give them a chance of survival against whomever is picking them off.”

Kade seemed to ignore the impertinence Alran had shown, for which he was grateful. “Tell me, Alran,” Kade said as he leaned back in his seat. “How many common men are capable of defeating so many of our kind?”

His temper momentarily reigned in, Alran considered his question. “None,” he answered honestly. Realization dawned as he stared at Kade’s stoic expression. “You believe another Paladai is killing them? And not just one, considering the numbers on both sides. Are you sure?” Traitors were not unheard of. Paladai might have been trained to be held to a higher standard than common men, but they were still only human. There were plenty of examples in their history of Paladai killing fellow Paladai for any number of reasons. But mass murder on such a scale? It was unheard of.

“I’m sure of nothing, yet.” Kade stood and moved to the tables covered in maps. “Whoever is doing this has been well trained and has taken great care to conceal their efforts. The kills were spread out over large areas so the commanders of the different regions would never suspect something was amiss.”

“Whoever is doing this would have to know you would eventually see all the reports, put the pieces together. They would never be able to get away with it, not for long.”

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“It hardly matters. Even if we knew who was behind it and brought those responsible to justice, thirty seven men, if not more, are still dead.” Kade rested a fist on the table as he stared down at the maps, as if the answer would somehow reveal itself.

“This is why I have come to you,” he finally said, turning to Alran. “The Dacian rider must be met on the road and the letter entrusted to your keeping. If there is a traitor, or multiple traitors, they may try to intercept the letter and destroy it. Whoever the culprit is, they are not looking for peace.”

“Tell me when and where. I will ensure the letter is delivered.”

“There is a clearing half a day’s ride north from here. You will leave tomorrow and meet the messenger there. Tell no one. Anyone could be your enemy.”

Alran nodded curtly. “What of my daughter?”

With her mother gone, there was no one to care for the little girl. There was a woman from the city who would watch her for a few hours while Alran went on a patrol, but she couldn’t stay with the child for the amount of time this mission would take. And with his home located a little over a mile outside the city, finding anyone willing to go out and stay would prove difficult.

“She may stay here in the compound. She will be well looked after.”

It was hard to imagine Kade looking after an eleven year old for any length of time. He knew full well there were plenty of maids within the compound who could look after little Ashea, but the tone he heard in Kade’s voice told him she wouldn’t be far from his sight. He wasn’t sure whether to be comforted or disturbed by that thought.

He thanked Kade and made his way back home.

As he neared the edge of his property he pulled his steed Zeru to a halt. Like all Paladai he rode a drak, a large reptilian creature that terrified most people with their sheer size, never mind their talons capable of tearing through plate armor with little effort and teeth that could rip man or beast to shreds. While Kara, the young woman who looked after Ashea, knew what Alran was, she still wasn’t comfortable with Zeru’s presence, so he would wait until she was gone before allowing Zeru to approach the house.

In front of the house he could see Ashea on the pony he had trained for her charging toward a hay stuffed burlap bag attached to wooden pole which served as a makeshift human target. In her hands was her bow, an arrow ready to be loosed on the unsuspecting target. When she released, the arrow barely found its mark at the center of a circle drawn onto the bag. Ashea, however, lost her balance on the pony and tumbled out of the saddle.

Dismounting Zeru, Alran started toward Ashea who had already pulled herself up into a sitting position. When she had finally regained her senses enough to look for her pony, she spotted him and rushed to her feet so she could run toward him.

“Papa!” she cried with a smile as she jumped up into his waiting arms. “Papa, did you see? Did you see? I hit the target!”

“I did,” he said as he positioned her on his hip. “I also saw your graceful landing. Remember to grip with your legs so you stay in the saddle next time. You’re lucky the pony didn’t run off.”

“A drak never abandons its rider.”

“It’ll be some time yet before you’re riding a drak. Now, go put your pony away. I have some things to discuss with Kara.” He set Ashea down and went into the house to make the necessary arrangements with Kara.

When he told Ashea she would be spending time at the compound, he thought she’d be more excited, considering how often she talked about wanting to go with him. Her enthusiasm left something to be desired.

“Do I have to stay with Kade? He’s so boring.”

Alran couldn’t help but grin at Ashea. “Why do you say that?” he asked as he finished packing a saddlebag.

“He does nothing but sit and read or talk all day with boring people. There’ll be nothing fun to do,” she pouted.

“Someone has to do all that reading and talking with boring people,” he said, kneeling down to her level. “If he didn’t, nothing would ever get done. You’ll learn one day it’s the boring people who have to make all the decisions around here.”

“You make decisions and you’re not boring, Papa.”

He smiled at her. How he wished he could have been as naïve as her as a child.

“My decisions don’t tend to involve the lives of everyone in both kingdoms, Ashea. Kade’s do. Promise me you’ll stay out of his way and be a help if he needs it while I’m gone.”

“I promise,” she sighed.

“Good girl,” he said and kissed her forehead. He gathered up his saddlebag and carried it out to Zeru who was laying on the ground in front of the house.

“Will I be able to practice at the compound?” Ashea asked, following him outside.

Alran hesitated answering. He wasn’t sure if he wanted her near the training areas of the compound. There were no other children in training, which would leave her in the care of mostly inexperienced young adults. While none of them would probably injure her intentionally, he didn’t want to take the chance.

“Ashea, you’ll only be there for a day. You’ll be fine if you miss one day of practice,” he reasoned.

“You never miss a day. Why should I?”

It was times like this he wished his daughter was not so astute. She truly was her mother’s daughter. He let out a sigh as he leaned against Zeru. “I’m not going to win this, am I?”

“No,” she said matter-of-factly.

He gave a light hearted chuckle. “You may take your bow,” he ceded. “But I don’t want you trying to fight any of the others. They’re all too big for you, Ashea, and will hurt you. Am I clear?”

“I love you, Papa,” she answered as she hugged him before rushing off.

He shook his head after her. Any hopes he might have had of convincing her to not join the Paladai were quickly dwindling. With this new threat of possible traitors in the Order, he was more concerned than ever. He only prayed this letter contained the information everyone had always hoped for.

----------------------------------------

Ashea couldn’t help herself. When her father had left her at the compound, he should have known an offer from Kade to use the sparring ring was irresistible. Compared to the main training area out in the courtyard, the sparring room was less than half its size with a large square outlined for the ring. With no windows, the room was lit by lamps placed in the four corners of the room. The trainee Kade had paired her with was almost twice her age and size. Anyone might have made the assumption the young man could easily overpower her. Her father, though, had taught her plenty of maneuvers to easily disable such an unequaled opponent.

The young man fell with a resounding ‘thud’, the end of her practice staff pointed at his throat. Ashea smirked at the victory. She knew her Papa would be upset if he ever found out, but this would prove she was not as weak as he believed. She looked to Kade for final approval. With his nod she let the man up.

“Very good, Ashea,” Kade said stoically. “You still lower your defenses when you think you have the advantage. Correct it, or you will find yourself dead.” That was the closest thing to praise anyone received from him. Papa said he was only mean, because he cared. She didn’t really think that was true, but she trusted her Papa to tell her the truth.

“Thank you, Kade,” she said, resisting the urge to stick her tongue out at him when he turned his back.

He dismissed the trainee from the room then shut the doors. Ashea’s stomach began to churn as she watched Kade move to a rack of weapons and pull two swords. When he offered one to her, she hesitated. Papa was going to be upset enough if he ever found out she was sparring with other trainees. If he heard about her using a sword against Kade, he’d be furious.

“Why do you hesitate?” Kade demanded.

“Father won’t approve,” she answered timidly.

“I will worry about your father. Do as you’re told,” he ordered as he forced the sword into her hand.

The sword was similar to the practice blade she used at home, yet the idea of using it against Kade seemed to add a hundred pounds to it. Kade put several paces between them before standing ready. She glanced to the door wishing someone would barge in needing Kade’s help with something. None came.

“Begin.”

Her hands shook as she hefted the blade into the air for an attack. In one deft movement Kade parried her pathetic attack and knocked the sword from her hand before tripping her. She landed on her back, Kade’s sword at her throat before she could consider rising.

“What happed to the mighty warrior? I thought you were skilled with a blade?” His tone was mocking, which only added to her embarrassment.

“I am, but not with this one,” she lied.

“You will not always be afforded the luxury of the ideal weapon. You must learn to adapt or die. There is no excuse.”

“I’m sorry, Kade.”

“Never apologize. Get up and fix your mistake, Ashea.”

Gripping the hilt of the sword she stood and took her stance again, but instead of trying to lift the sword she kept it low, the point nearly touching the ground. This time when Kade brought his sword down she swung upward, deflecting his attack. She followed through with her swing to bring the blade back around and slashed down, barely parrying Kade’s next hit and pinned his sword to the ground. With his blade momentarily held in place she rotated her body and gave him a swift kick to the groin. His face twisted with pain as he briefly lost his footing. Seizing the moment she struck out with a right hook. He blocked it by grabbing her wrist. Still not satisfied, she dropped her sword and landed a blow to his jaw with a left cross. He released her and stumbled back, his hand going to his now bleeding lip.

She wanted to jump for joy at her victory, but the pain in her left hand wouldn’t let her. She had watched her father punch plenty of men before, but she had no idea it hurt so much. She stared back at Kade half expecting him to be angry. Instead, he smiled and chuckled as he wiped the blood from his mouth.

“Excellent, Ashea,” he groaned. “I must say, I did not expect you to hit so hard, or with such accuracy. Your father trained you well.”

All she could do was smile for fear that when she spoke it would reveal the agonizing pain she felt radiating through her hand. He motioned for her to come closer.

“Let me see your hand,” he said as he gingerly knelt down. She held it out for him, grimacing when he touched it. “The good thing is your father taught you to keep your thumb out of your fist when you punch. Unfortunately, your hand is still sprained. Have you never punched a man before?” She shook her head. “We shall have to remedy that later. Go to the Daktari, have Feron treat it, then no more training for you today.”

He led her towards the doors, and as he opened them, the trainee she had defeated earlier came running up to him. “Sir,” he huffed and paused for a moment when he noticed Ashea. He leaned in close and whispered something into Kade’s ear. Kade went rigid before kneeling down.

“Ashea, stay here. Do not move until I come back for you,” he ordered before rushing off with the trainee.

She couldn’t imagine what could have Kade so worried or why the trainee had been so secretive about it. She wanted to do as she had been told, but her hand was throbbing and she knew from training with her father that such injuries healed better when they were treated sooner than later. She also knew the Daktari would have something to help dull the pain. She figured if she moved quickly enough she might be able to see Feron and be back before Kade returned.

As she made her way through the stone halls of the compound it was hard not to notice the bustling of warriors as she had never seen before. They were gathering armor and weapons, and from several of them she heard whispers of going to war. What could have possibly happened? As she neared the doorway to the Daktari chambers, there were more warriors crowded around the entrance.

“Alran, what happened? Who did this?” she heard Kade say.

With a knot forming in her stomach she pushed her way through the crowd. Her father lay on the surgeon’s table, blood soaking through his tunic dripping to the floor as he gripped Kade’s hand. She stood frozen in place as she stared at the grizzly view before her.

He gasped several breaths before he was able to answer, “A trick…no letter.”

“What?” Kade hissed.

“Ashea…where is Ashea?” He was clawing desperately at him now.

“She’s safe, Alran. She’s safe. Tell me who did this.”

He pulled Kade closer and whispered something in his ear as he gasped for breath then suddenly went rigid before his hands fell limply from Kade’s arm. His grey eyes were still open and they stared dully off into the distance. Kade gently lowered his body down and laid his arms neatly across his chest.

“Papa?” Ashea squeaked as she finally found her voice.

All eyes turned to her as she took several steps toward her father’s body. Before she could reach him Kade scooped her up in his arms and carried her away. She kicked and swatted at him as she cried, “Papa! No! Papa, come back! Papa!”