Chapter One
Costia’s vision spikes white as she feels a blow land on the back of her head. “Ouch!” she exclaims, looking to her First. “What was that for?”
“Focus,” Hop says. “The Nightbloods are not your concern.” Costia lets out a sigh as she turns away from the arena, moving into position behind him again. She is exhausted, having just returned to Polis from an assignment with Hop, and frankly she’s feeling pretty done with his grumpy attitude. He hadn’t let them stop to sleep last night, choosing instead to torture Costia ‘in the name of their mission.’ Which is absurd. The Commander could have waited for his report until the afternoon, their mission isn’t exactly time sensitive. The Yujleda gonakru were moving south, back to their territory. They weren’t posing a threat. But apparently that doesn’t matter to Hop.
They are greeted by two guards when they reach the tower who escort them to the lift. Once at the top, Hop and Costia make their way to Heda’s war chambers and find that he is already there. Good, she thinks. The sooner this is over the sooner she can sleep.
“Heda,” they say in unison, bowing their heads in respect.
“Hop, good. You bring news?”
“The gonakru are headed south, passing any villages they come across without confrontation. We left them here,” he adds, pointing to a spot on the war map. “After following them south for a day. It is as yet unclear what their purpose was, but they did not make contact with any others.
“I see,” he replies, looking down at the map. “Perhaps a reconnaissance mission?”
“They appeared to be ordinary warriors, Heda, not scouts. And they were not careful or quiet. I would be surprised if that was their assignment.”
Heda nods before looking back to Hop. “Thank you, Hop. That will be all.”
“Heda,” Hop bows, turning to leave with Costia on his tail. When they get to the bottom of the tower, he turns to Costia and studies her a moment. “You’re dismissed for the day. Rest up and report to the training fields by first light.”
“Thanks, Hop,” she replies with a smile. For a second there she thought he might not let her go. They part ways outside the tower, Hop heading to his barracks and Costia to her parent’s house. She wants to pay her father a visit as she hasn’t seen him in nearly a month. He and his company had been sent to reinforce the Boudalan army against Trishana a few weeks before she was sent on her own assignment. But she had heard that battle was won, and she expects he’ll be back by now. She passes a group of warriors as she makes her way to the house, and a thought occurs to her. Just a quick detour… Veering off down an alley, she heads in the direction of the arena once more, this time without Hop’s watchful eyes.
Costia likes to watch the training fights even though she isn’t that skilled a fighter herself. She particularly enjoys watching the Nightbloods train, but Hop rarely lets her. Whenever he catches her he makes Costia spar with him, saying she’ll never get better just by watching. But that isn’t why she does it…
As she rounds the corner of the Healer’s pavilion the arena comes into view, and she is glad to see that the Nightbloods are still there. She takes a seat near the top of the stands as a new fight begins. A smallish boy is paired with the girl she knows as Luna, who is at least a third taller than her opponent. But the boy is quick and Luna is reluctant, so the match is more even than Costia expected.
She scans the rest of the group, which is larger than usual. Apparently the whole class of Nightbloods are taking part in the Conclave’s sparring today, though they usually train separately. There must be close to forty of them. But after a moment Costia’s searching eyes find what they are looking for, and she locks her gaze on the petite and overly serious brunette novitiate. She is the most fun to watch. Lexa is quick and focused, and probably the best fighter of the group. But it is true that Costia has rarely seen her smile.
The fight doesn’t last very long. After just a few minutes Luna is able to disarm the boy, holding her dull dagger against his throat while pressing her knee into his chest. The Flamekeeper Titus calls an end to the fight, and Luna rises to her feet before reaching out to help the boy up too.
“Lexa, gon Luna op nau,” Titus calls out, and Lexa makes her way to the center of the arena. She clasps arms with Luna, who smiles at her, and Costia can almost make out an answering smile on the girl’s usually stoic features. But the next moment Lexa uses their clasped arms as leverage to pull Luna forward, sidestepping and kicking the back of Luna’s knee as the girl is thrust forward. Luna drops onto her knee, but kicks out her other leg and swipes Lexa’s feet. Lexa goes down, but breaks into a roll at the last second and hops up into a fighting stance, slowly circling with a recovered Luna.
Lexa is the first to throw a jab, and Luna is quick to parry, but neither girl draws a weapon. Lexa throws out a few more jabs, feeling out the distance between them. She feigns the next jab and spins around, kicking her leg around and into Luna’s gut. Luna stumbles back a few steps but recovers quickly, dodging Lexa’s next strike to her head and grabbing her around the middle, driving her to the ground and landing on top of her. She presses her forearm into her opponent’s throat and uses the other hand to draw her dagger, but before she reaches it Lexa thrusts her hips abruptly and Luna jolts forward, knocked off balance. Lexa uses this to her advantage, rolling out from beneath Luna who lands on her hands and knees. Lexa launches her next attack, latching onto her opponent from behind. But before she can tighten her arms into a choke hold, Luna rises off her hands and spins, slamming Lexa’s back into the ground. As Lexa’s arms release their hold Luna thrusts an elbow into her side a few times, then jumps to her feet before Lexa can grab ahold of her again. This gives Lexa the opportunity to recover, and after a moment she rises to her feet as well, resuming her fight stance.
This time it is Luna who initiates an attack, throwing a string of punches but none of them landing with much force. On the final strike Lexa catches her arm, dodging her other fist and reaching for the back of her head. She pulls Luna’s head down and thrusts her own knee up, letting go as Luna staggers backward from the blow.
“Use your weapons,” Titus commands as a stream of dark blood flows from Luna’s nose. She draws her sword and moves into a fight stance, but Lexa makes no move for a weapon. Instead she charges Luna, ducking as her opponent swings the dull sword toward her head. In one swift movement Lexa turns her back to Luna and plants her hands on the ground, spinning into a kind of cartwheel, kicking her legs up one after the other. The first makes contact with Luna’s wrist, knocking the sword from her grip, and the second juts straight backward into Luna’s stomach. The girl is knocked back once more, struggling to suck in a breath as Lexa rises and turns to face her. Lexa finally draws her sword and slashes down, stopping just short of Luna’s throat.
“Good,” Titus says. “You both did well.” Costia smiles as Lexa helps Luna up and squeezes her shoulder, Luna shoving her away playfully. She had seen these two together often, and assumes they must be good friends if they can be so lighthearted after such a fight. Titus inspects Luna’s face briefly, then nods in the direction of the tower. “Visit the Healer,” he tells her, and the two make their way up the stands as Titus turns back to the group, waving his hand in dismissal. “That’s enough for now. Return to the tower for your lessons.”
The group begins to disperse, breaking into chatter as they follow Lexa and Luna out of the arena. Costia rises just before the two girls pass and Luna looks up at her. Reaching in her pocket, Costia pulls out a small cloth and hands it to the bloodied girl. “That looks like it hurts,” she says with a grin, and Luna smiles back.
“Thanks,” she says as she takes the cloth. “It’s not too bad.” Costia nods. She can feel Lexa’s eyes on her but she doesn’t meet her gaze, choosing instead to take her leave. She walks past the two girls and up the stairs without looking back.
*****
“Heya, Nontu.”
“Costia,” her father greets, turning to look at her. Costia sucks in a breath when she takes in his features. Dark bruises cover his face, as well as several cuts that have yet to scab over. One eye is almost swollen shut and a Healer’s wrap covers his right bicep. He brings her in for a hug, ignoring her shocked expression, and she hugs back carefully.
“What has happened to you, Father?” He pulls out of their embrace but keeps his hands on her shoulders, studying her face for a moment.
“War, Costia,” he says solemnly. “We were ambushed. Yujleda gonakru took us by surprise just as we were gaining on the Trishana.”
“Yujleda… Are you sure? Hop and I were assigned to follow a group of them and they seemed peaceful enough.”
That seems to surprise Maxom, and he furrows his brow a moment in thought. “How big was this group?”
“There were nine of them, why?”
“Where did you find them?”
“We picked up their trail just south of Tondc, but they were heading home.”
Maxom nods slowly, still deep in thought. Costia rises and starts toward the food pantry in search of an easy meal. She knows it’s best not to interrupt her father when he’s like this, but she can’t understand why he is so interested in this group of Yujleda. Sure, their behavior was a bit unusual, and it is concerning to hear that they are helping the Trishana all of a sudden when they have always kept to themselves in the past… But everyone seems to be overlooking the fact that they were peaceful, and clearly not trying to be covert. Then it hits her. “Father!” she exclaims, rushing into the other room. “Do you think they were testing our defenses? Heda said there was more than one group of Yujleda. Hop and I followed one, but he sent out several other scout groups… And he ordered us not to engage them. But if they’re helping the Trishana now…” She lets this wash over her father, and after a moment he begins to nod slowly.
“Then they just learned that they can get away with sending small groups of gona into Trikru territory without raising suspicion. They have always kept their peace in the past, so of course Heda Sam wouldn’t suspect much of them.” He looks up at Costia and his expression suddenly changes. A brightness touches his features, washing away the concern. “Well done, Costia,” he says with a smile. “You are becoming an excellent scout, and a fine strategist.” His voice turns stern as he adds, “Listen to Hop, keep learning from him.”
Costia rolls her eyes but smiles back. She is glad to make her father proud. When they had moved to Polis almost a year ago, Maxom had used his new high rank to secure her position as a scout’s Second, rather than transferring her to Polis’s army as a warrior. She is much more suited to this position, as her intellect far exceeds her combat skills. That, and she tended to be a bit defiant as a low ranking warrior. Hop is good for her because he doesn’t dismiss her opinion despite her age.
Maxom reaches out and squeezes Costia’s shoulder before heading to the door. “I must meet with Sam and report our theory. If we are right, it is possible Trikru will see another war very soon.” He opens the door, but just before he leaves he turns to face her once more. “Stay at your barracks for now, so Hop can find you easily. It is likely Heda will be sending out many more scouts in the coming days.” And then he is gone, shutting the door behind him.
Costia heaves a sigh. She hates sleeping in the barracks. She has a perfectly comfortable bed here, in a room that she doesn’t have to share, but she knows her father is right. Even if it does mean sleeping on an uncomfortable cot in a room with all the other scout’s Seconds. Costia goes back to the pantry and grabs some dried meat and fruit, then she follows her father out of the house. She is too amped up to be tired anymore, and since this afternoon is probably the last free time she will have in a while she doesn’t want to waste it sleeping anyways.
Costia walks out past the city limits and keeps going until she hits the river, following it a short distance to where it narrows. She takes a running leap over it, breaking into a sprint through the trees in the direction of her favorite meadow. In the year since moving to Polis Costia had spent nearly all her free time exploring the city and its surrounding forest. She had discovered tunnels in and out of the city, caves tucked into the cliffs near the lake, trees perfect for climbing, and untouched meadows full of flowers like the one she is headed for now. The trees begin to thin and Costia slows to a walk, just able to make out the clearing ahead of her.
She takes a deep breath as she emerges into the meadow, stretching her arms out and feeling the warm sun on her dark olive skin. The river is just far enough that she can no longer hear it, and the only noises she does hear are the birds singing and the breeze rushing over the grass. She lets the peaceful meadow ease her worry over war as she begins to pick a handful of flowers. When she has picked all that she can carry, Costia makes her way over to the big tree on the edge of the meadow and climbs up halfway, settling on the familiar wide branch she has spent many afternoons napping on. She gets to work on the flowers, carefully weaving each stem around the next bud, until she has a sizeable chain. Costia places it on her lap and takes another deep breath that turns into a yawn. The exhaustion has caught up to her in this calm meadow, so she chooses not to fight it as she closes her eyes, letting the warm sun and mellow breeze lull her to sleep.
*****
Costia wakes early the next morning; the sky is mostly dark but for the first signs of dawn. The rest of the Seconds are still sleeping so she dresses quietly, choosing not to dawn her noisy leather armor until she gets to the fields. Glancing back at her bedside table she notices the flower necklace she made yesterday, and she grabs it quickly before making her way out of the dark barracks. It’s too early for the vendors to be open, but a grumbling stomach has Costia heading in that direction regardless. She sets her sights on a tent at the far end of the market and breathes a sigh of relief. She approaches the stand quietly and finds the old merchant bent over a small fire, tending to some roasting meat. As the woman straightens up Costia loops the necklace around her neck from behind, causing her to jump in surprise. She whirls around to face Costia, bringing her hands to her chest to feel the necklace. Alarm turns to exasperation and the woman shakes her head, swatting at Costia. The girl just laughs and dodges the old woman’s blows.
“A beautiful necklace for a beautiful woman,” she says, bowing playfully. The woman looks down at the flowers and smiles up at Costia.
“Beautiful indeed,” she replies with a gravelly voice. “But I am afraid you mistake me for another. My beauty left me long ago.”
“Nonsense, Rona. You put the women of Polis to shame! As does your cooking,” she adds with a wink.
Rona rolls her eyes and shakes her head at the girl, but is clearly flattered. She grabs a small canvas from the counter and places some of the cooked meat in it, then hands it to Costia. “That charm of yours will serve you well one day,” she says with a smile.
Costia grins back at her. “It already has. Thank you, Rona.”
“Yes, yes, now go! I have work to do.” Rona shoos at Costia, and the girl takes her leave.
By the time she reaches the fields she has finished her breakfast, so she begins to dawn her armor. Hop has yet to arrive and the field is empty, so Costia begins her warm up routine, shifting slowly between the different offensive and defensive positions. She isn’t even through with her first set before she hears movement behind her and she sidesteps and ducks in anticipation of a strike. Turning quickly to face the newcomer she is just able to make out Hop’s features before he lands a kick to her gut, sending her back several feet and causing her full stomach to squirm uncomfortably.
“You should have heard me much earlier, Costia,” he scolds, but Costia doesn’t acknowledge him. Instead she charges, drawing her sword and swinging it down on his leg. Hop moves swiftly and fluidly, blocking the blow with his own sword and shoving Costia back. “Good, but your eyes gave you away. Keep your vision centered on my chest, don’t look directly at where you want to strike.” Costia nods and Hop settles into his stance. “Again,” he says, waving Costia on.
They continue sparring for an hour or so, until the sun shines brightly across the field. Hop keeps maneuvering around Costia in a way that puts the sun directly in her eyes, blinding her to his attacks. Every time she tries to switch their positions he manages to force her back, and she is quickly growing frustrated.
“I need a break,” she grumbles, but Hop doesn’t stop.
“You may take your break when you disarm me,” he replies, slashing his sword down. She parries and grabs his wrist, but he shakes her off easily. She begins circling and is surprised that Hop circles to, putting his own vision in the sun’s bright rays. He’s going easy on her, but she’ll take it. He charges Costia, sword swinging up, but the girl is able to move aside at the last moment. This wins her a favorable position as Hop is left unprotected, having put too much momentum in his strike. She lands an elbow in his back and grabs him from behind, placing her sword against his throat. But as she looks out past Hop something catches her eye, and she loosens her grip a little as she registers Lexa at the other end of the field, watching them. Costia pays dearly for her moment of distraction as Hop grips her wrists and doubles over, flipping Costia over his back and slamming her onto the ground. She rolls over a groans, pain shooting through her back and making her nauseous.
“Focus, Costia, you almost had me! What happened?”
“I don’t know,” she lies as she rises to her feet. Costia settles into her stance stiffly, trying not to show how much pain she’s in as she risks a glance across the field. Lexa is still there staring, expression unreadable, but Costia knows she must be laughing on the inside. She feels her cheeks grow hot but doesn’t have time to care, as Hop is charging her again. Her frustration and stiff back cause her to make quite a few mistakes as they continue to spar, and it’s not long before she finds herself back on the ground.
“Enough for today,” Hop says, sounding just as frustrated as Costia feels. They are alone in the field again and Costia can only hope that Lexa left before witnessing any of the last several minutes of embarrassment. She doesn’t know why Lexa’s opinion matters so much to her, but she chalks it up to not wanting the best Nightblood in the conclave to see her look so foolish.
The silence between Hop and Costia is so tense that she almost lets out a sigh of relief when a guard approaches them. “Heda sends for you,” he says, and he turns to lead them to the tower.
When they reach the war room Costia is surprised to see her father, as well as several other generals standing around the map table in addition to Heda Sam. All eyes shift to her and Hop when the doors are shut behind them and Costia starts to feel a little uneasy.
“Hop, Costia, good,” Sam greets. That’s strange, Heda rarely acknowledges Seconds… “Costia, your father has shared your theory with me. Good work.”
“Thank you, Heda,” she replies with a bow. She meets Hop’s questioning gaze but ignores him. She can explain later.
Heda turns to address the rest of the group. “Based on Maxom’s reports of an ambush led by Yujleda gona as well as my scout’s reports of other Yujleda gonakru entering Trikru territory, we have reason to believe Yujleda may be planning to mount an attack. By allying with an enemy of the Coalition, Yujleda has now deemed itself an enemy of the Coalition as well, and we will treat them accordingly. As such, I have sent several scouts to watch their borders, with orders to report any attempts to cross them.
“This scout’s Second came up with the theory that the Yujleda gonakru in Trikru territory were not there by mistake, that they crossed the border with the intention of testing our defenses. Because I ordered my scouts not to make contact, we may be at an advantage here, as they will expect us not to be prepared.
“Hop,” Sam continues, turning back to face him and Costia. “As it was your Second who figured this out, you and she will go to Tondc and alert Indra of these developments. Tell her to assemble her army, and assure her that I will be sending warriors in the coming days to reinforce them. I have already sent scouts to Arlton, as it lies much closer to Yujleda’s border. Remain in Tondc and patrol its perimeter, but do not engage in combat. Alert me of any developments. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Heda,” Hop replies. He bows and moves toward the door, Costia following him.
“And Hop?” Sam calls over, just as the guards open the doors for them.
“Heda?”
“You’ve done well with your Second.” Hop lets a split second of surprise touch his face at the compliment before steeling himself. Costia catches her father’s gaze and receives a wink, but she hides her grin.
“Mochof, Heda,” Hop replies, and the two take their leave, guards shutting the door behind them.