All of them shook their heads, some more slowly than others. The man waved for them to follow. Tayel waited until the other refugees moved forward so she could fall to the back of the procession with Shy. Neither of them said a word.
“As you all know, being called today guarantees training with recruits from all over the planet. As we progress, you will see a number of refugees from other camps arriving. Some of them have traveled for days from different time zones for this honor, so count yourself lucky that you’ll be alert for processing!” He laughed light-heartedly, and a number of recruits joined him.
Tayel and Shy stayed quiet.
Guards opened the gates. Tayel followed the group out of the campgrounds and into the wide open field stretched between the perimeter fence and Castle Aishan. Nightfall approached from the east, turning the sky lavender. Long strands of grass overcame the path underfoot, and forests stood like walls on each side of the field, surrounding the camp and valley in trees.
The representative said nothing further. Every step took them all deeper into an eerie quiet, the chatter of camp falling behind into a soft echo. A few of the refugees ahead started a jovial conversation. Something about killing raiders and flying a spectre-class fighter.
Shy pulled on Tayel’s arm, urging her to slow down. “This is too perfect.”
“For who?” Tayel asked.
“This had to be rigged. The guards probably saw our faces last night. This is the easiest way to deal with us — call us to the castle for training and then slaughter us when we fall into the trap.”
It wasn’t comforting to know Shy suspected something sinister. Tayel rubbed her arms. “If they saw our faces, they could have dealt with us at any time. That’s what they did with Jace. Which, about that—”
Shy waved a hand like she was trying to shoo away a bug. “Let me think.”
Tayel bit the inside of her cheek. Damn banshee still bossed her around, even now.
Castle Aishan stood larger than she imagined it to be from afar. It loomed a dozen stories above them as they entered the courtyard. Spires erupted from the top of the white stone structure, and blue-green stained glass windows as long as Deltic City trams decorated the front side. Recruits from other camps arrived on rovers. She had no idea so many others would be here. Hundreds of others. It would be much harder to escape unnoticed now.
Following dozens of recruits, Tayel started up the wide flight of stairs to the entrance. “We need to break away,” she whispered to Shy. The crowd pressed at them from all sides.
“I’m thinking,” Shy said.
Tayel grit her teeth. Shy’s thinking was taking too long. “I thought you said you’d know what to do when you got here.”
“I act in the moment, Tayel,” Shy whispered, “I didn’t have a detailed plan coming in here, so.”
“Well that’s just great.”
Shy nudged Tayel’s arm and nodded to the guards just ahead.
Tayel noted their bulky, white armor as she stepped through the doorway into the main hall. Recruits funneled through another, smaller door ahead.
Aside from those guarding the entrance outside, more guards followed the procession. Doors opened to unknown pathways at the far left and right of the hall, but Tayel didn’t know how she could reach them unseen. Her heart pounded. If Shy had been correct about this being a trap, then the Rokkir had caught them both.
“Excuse me, miss.” A person wearing a long, black robe approached from the left.
Tayel only just stopped her jaw from dropping. The man was a Varg. Even though she’d never seen a member of the race in person before, his tall stature, snout, paws, and trailing, furry tail were unmistakable features.
“I need to speak with you.” The Varg withdrew a council insignia from his robe.
Tayel’s heart iced over. Running wasn’t an option now. There were too many people. She exchanged a look with Shy and stepped out of the line of recruits.
Shy followed.
The Varg stiffened. “Erm, I’m sorry, but this is to be a private conversation.” His voice went down an octave from before, like he was trying to speak in an accent not his own. “O-on Council authority, I must ask that you join the rest of the recruits, miss.”
“She’s my best friend,” Shy said. “We’d like not to be separated by this process.”
“If possible. Um, sir,” Tayel added.
The rest of the procession disappeared into the next room. A booming voice indicated the start of a welcome speech. Tayel surveyed the rest of the hall behind them. Two guards in that bulky, honorific armor stood watch by the main door. They kept so still they could have been statues, and they may as well have been, in gear like that. If she and Shy made a break for it, surely they could escape.
The Varg huffed. “It’s an issue with your application to join the Elshan forces, Miss Evanarb. You and your friend will be reunited once we have a word.”
“Why her?” Shy asked. “What’s wrong with her application?”
He cleared his throat. He turned away from them and walked a few paces before putting his paw against the side of his hood. “There’s… Would it be acceptable if I brought another person along? I—”
Shy lurched forward. She landed a kick square in his lower back, and he planted face first into the tiled floor. He yelped, tail tucking between his legs.
Tayel gaped.
“Hey!” a guard shouted. He stepped off the wall with his fellow soldier and unsheathed his sword.
“Tayel!” Shy snapped.
Another pair of armored men ran out of the room the recruits had gone into, weapons drawn.
Tayel didn’t need another warning. She darted after Shy through the far left archway and into the labyrinth of halls beyond.
Chapter 15
Ruxbane sat in in his office, a quiet, comfy room near the top of the Floating Isle’s tallest spire. Its walls were bare, its desk drawers empty, its scent must and lingering cleaning fluid. He’d never considered this his workspace. The bright, white spaciousness of the labs were all he needed, but not today. Today, he would have a guest, and it was necessary to make a charming impression on her.
The labs would likely invite immediate suspicion, where this office might be more familiar. Avoiding a struggle would be easier if he presented himself first as a person and lastly as a scientist who, in worst of terms, needed her for his own ends.
At a hasty knock on the door, he took a deep breath. “Come in.”
Iselglith shuffled inside, his face wavering with dark wisps of aether which appeared whenever a Rokkir began to heal their shape.
Ruxbane’s fingers curled around the armrests of his chair. “Where is she?”
“I — I am so sorry, sir. I pulled the girl aside as you asked, but the raider princess stepped with her. I hadn’t thought to request a guard escort for a task so simple, and—”
“What do you mean ‘the raider princess stepped with her’?”
“The princess claimed the girl — Tayel — was her friend.” Iselglith winced as the aether cleared, leaving behind a normal Varg snout. “They refused to separate.”
Ruxbane sat forward, knitting his hands together. He leaned his elbows on the desk.
“I — I was calling for help, but she — she kicked me. The princess, I mean. I fell, and…” He rubbed his nose. “The girls took off toward the western wing of the castle. I — I sent the guards.”
The princess and the girl knew each other. Ruxbane squeezed his head.
Iselglith squirmed. “I’m sorry, sir. I’ve failed you.”
Two humans made to be called, each of some importance to the Rokkir, now working together to delve deeper into the council stronghold. Why had the two of them run off together? What were the odds of them even meeting in the camp?