Everything Begins

Chapter 14

Phransa gazed at Jarda with pleading eyes, but Jarda gritted his teeth and shook his head once. “I am sorry, Captain. I cannot.”

“I know, sir,” the captain said, once again trying to pull the boy to his feet. “I understand.”

Juston had a strong grip on Jarda, and Phransa was unable to pry him loose. Tero came to help, and between the two of them, they pulled the boy free.

“No! No, please, no!” Juston struggled as they dragged him to the post and secured him to it. “No, please! Please, General, please let me go home!”

Phransa took a deep breath and picked up the scourge. He released the breath slowly, reared back, and struck. The shriek that came from the boy was heartrending, but the captain controlled his voice.

“One.”

Each lash produced another shriek, and by the sixth, the boy had started calling for his mama. Jarda looked out over the assembly and saw that most of the Chatra had either turned away or had dropped to the ground, covering their heads with their arms. A sour stench filled the air, and he knew that several had vomited. Many of the guardsmen looked as if they wanted to do the same now, but to their credit, they were all still watching. Finally, Captain Phransa swung the cat for the last time.

“Ten.”

He dropped the scourge and released the boy from the post. After securing him in the stocks, he faced his general and stood at attention. Jarda nodded to him once and then moved in front of his king. Just as he was about to kneel, lightning flashed, thunder boomed, and the skies opened up as if Yisu Himself was crying for what had just transpired.

Fitting, Jarda thought as he watched the rain briefly, and then he dropped to one knee.

“Rise, General Mistri. You and your men have fulfilled your duties admirably.” Tomas said loud enough for all to hear even over the din of the thunderstorm.

“Thank you, sire.” After he stood, Jarda looked at Ma’ikel. “Find my son and take him for a while, I beg you,” he said softly. “I do not want him at home when I get there.”

“Of course, Jarda. I will get him now.”

As Tomas and Ma’ikel left the platform, Jarda turned and spoke to the assembly. The platform had a roof, but the guardsmen and Chatra were getting drenched.

“The Guard is dismissed to return to their duties, and the Chatra are dismissed for the day. They are to have no training and no duties until tomorrow.”

The guardsmen snapped to attention and saluted before slowly filing out of the training grounds, but the Chatra simply melted away without looking at the platform. Jarda thought he saw tears on the faces of more than half of them, but he was not sure if it was that or the rain that was quickly turning the training grounds into a massive mud puddle. He had to swallow thickly to keep himself in control until the last of them disappeared. When they did, he walked off the platform, outwardly calm and severe, but as soon as he got out of earshot and eyesight of everyone, he bent over and emptied his stomach onto the ground. The rain almost immediately washed it away. He put his hands on his knees and breathed heavily as tears filled his eyes. He closed them tightly and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before tipping his head back, opening his mouth, and letting the rain rinse it for him. He stood for a long while until he was soaked to the skin. Then, straightening his body and his uniform, he clenched his jaw so hard it hurt and stormed back to the palace.

Every guardsman he passed snapped to attention and saluted him, but he saw none of it. He entered the palace and made his way to his quarters, Juston’s pleas tormenting him the entire way. He slammed the door to his office open and slammed it closed. He fisted his hands in his hair and paced the length of the room as he tried to rein in his emotions, leaving a trail of water in his wake. The screams and shrieks and cries of the past two hours filled his ears, and he collapsed in his chair, laid his head on his desk, and struggled not to give into the tears he felt burning behind his eyes.

He thought he had succeeded when he felt Elise’s hands on his shoulders as she gently massaged them. He let out a sob then, and she quickly knelt before him and drew his head to her breast.

“Let it go, Jarda. It is all right to cry.”

“No, it is not,” he gasped. “I am General of the Guard. I cannot give in to such weakness.”

“Look at me,” she said softly. He raised his head, and she cupped his cheek. “Tears do not make you weak, my love, they make you human.” She kissed him gently. “Let it go.”

At that, he slid off the chair onto his knees, wrapped his arms around her, and laid his head on her shoulder, but he refused to let the tears come although he was unable to keep in another sob. They stayed that way until he had calmed a little, and then he turned his face into her neck and kissed her.

“I love you,” he whispered and kissed her again. He raised his head, took her head in his hands and kissed her passionately. His hands drifted down to her shoulders and then around to her back. He pulled her close as he deepened the kiss further. Then he pulled back slightly but kept his lips on hers. “So much,” he murmured against her mouth. “I love you so much.”

Elise gasped as he trailed kisses down her jaw back to her neck. “Show me how much,” she said, and he immediately stood, picked her up, and carried her to their room to do just that.

“Why did Baba not let me watch?” Frank was indignant. He had wanted to know what was happening in the training grounds, but his father had insisted that he stay with his mother, and he was not happy about it.

“Because Anmah or not, Sainika or not, no six-year-old should see that,” Ma’ikel said sternly. “It is bad enough that the Chatra had to watch, but it was necessary.”

“Why?”

“So that what happened to those boys never happens again. When people witness such severe consequences, they will think twice about doing anything that might put them in the same position.”

“What consequences? Baba would not tell me anything!”

Ma’ikel studied the boy before him. Through his research the day before, he had determined that the child was indeed Sainika, but he seemed to be much more than that. When Jarda had mentioned the day and time he had found Ga’briyel, something had stirred in Ma’ikel’s memory. He had skimmed through dozens of scrolls and books and personal notes before finding his answer.

At exactly one hour before full dark four moons before Jarda found the boy, Ma’ikel had been staring out his window. His eyes had gone wide when he saw a red comet streak across the night sky. His studies had confirmed that the comet was a sign of a Sainika loose in the world once again, but that was not all. Most Sainika were preceded by a white comet, but a red comet foretold of a special Sainika, one who would save the world from total annihilation. Either that or a Sainika who would destroy the world. The ancient texts were not exactly clear on that point.

Jarda had also told him about Frank knowing how many prisoners there were, but Ma’ikel had not had an answer as to how that was possible. He still had no answer. He did know that the boy did not act like any six-year-old he had ever known before.

“All I will tell you,” he said finally, “is that they were flogged and will spend time in the stocks.”

“Flogged? What is that?”

“Whipped. To the point that their backs were bloody.”

The boy frowned. “Why would my baba do that to someone?”

“As I said, to make sure no one else in the Guard or the Chatra commits the same atrocities or anything even remotely like them. Your baba had to put the fear of punishment back into the boys and men under his command so that things will run like they should without anyone straying from the rules again.”

“But, how could he order someone to be hurt? Is he a cruel man?”

“No, little one,” Ma’ikel said seriously. “He is a very good man. I am sure he is chastising himself right now because of the necessity of his actions. Having to do this has been tearing him up inside since he made up his mind about it yesterday. Did you not notice that he was not as cheerful or relaxed last night as he usually is?”

Frank nodded thoughtfully. “I told my mama that she should try to make him feel better because I do not like it when he is upset.”

“You did?” Ma’ikel tried not to smile. “And what did she say to that?”

“That she would do her best to do so.”

“Well,” the older Anmah cleared his throat to hide the laugh that escaped him, “I am sure she thought of something to take his mind off his troubles.”

“I hope so,” the little boy said decisively. “I really do not like him as he was yesterday or this morning.” He looked at his Siskaska. “Did you know he did not sleep last night?”

“Oh? How do you know that?”

“Because I heard him walking around. He kept me up, too.”

“I am sure he regrets that. Did you tell him?”

“No, he was so stern this morning that I did not want to make things worse.”

“Well, that was probably a smart decision. I know he was not at all looking forward to what he had to do this morning.”

“I am glad,” Frank said. “It is good to know that my baba is not a cruel man.”

“Yes, it is,” Ma’ikel answered. “Now, it is time to continue with your lessons. I will take you home afterward. I am sure your baba will be back by then.”

For the next two hours, Ma’ikel worked with the boy on reading, history, and mathLisatics. The rate at which the child was able to process new material amazed the Anmah, and he once again wondered who exactly Frank Johnson was.

When they were finished for the day, Ma’ikel walked the boy back to the family’s quarters. He knocked on Jarda’s office door, and when there was no answer, he opened it a crack and looked in to make sure he was not interrupting anything. Seeing the empty room, he led the boy inside and then knocked on the connecting door. Moments later, Elise opened it and smiled down at her son.