Chapter Twenty-seven

A few days later, I was back in the upper city, trying to not draw attention to myself as I walked through the crowds. I was wearing the blue cloak again, and my wrist was freshly bound by Kassia. My knife was attached to my belt, and I had even tied my hair back.

Baisan hadn't been happy when I told him what I would be doing, but he didn't try to stop me. He must have realized that it would be next to useless; I was going to Tannix's ceremony either way. Although I hated the thought, it was slowly occurring to me that Tannix leaving the Order also likely meant he would be leaving Zianna. Maybe he would go home to West Draulin, or move to East Draulin to get married. Either way, I couldn't imagine him staying in Zianna. I wasn't sure how quickly things would change after the ceremony, but they would change. I needed to spend as much time with him as possible before that happened.

I saw the brothers before they saw me, which wasn't surprising. They were standing by a building near the Order's gates, where we had planned to meet. Tandrin was leaning against the wall and Tannix was pacing. Their clothing was almost identical. Deep blue cloaks with gold embroidery around the neckline, dark pants and boots, light tunics. Each wore multiple rings and Tandrin had a thin gold chain around his neck, which was visibly hanging over his shirt. If they had been in the lower city, they would be surrounded by thieves.

I walked up while Tannix's back was turned and waited for him to notice me. He was complaining about something, but he stopped as soon as he saw me standing there. His eyes looked over me thoughtfully. A little uncomfortable by the attention, I crossed my arms and did the same to him. I wondered for the umpteenth time whether he realized how much like a prince he looked, of if he was too used to it to notice. It wasn't just the clothes or the rings or the sword, but the way he held himself, moved, and looked. Everything about him was perfect.

"You look good," he said after a moment. "You should have no problem blending in."

Tandrin stood up and moved closer to us. "Blue suits you. No bias, of course."

"Of course," Tannix said. "I need to go in before they start looking for me. Tandrin?"

"Hmm?"

"Take care of him."

"I will," Tandrin replied with a grin.

"I'm being serious," Tannix said. "Take care of him. Don't let him out of your sight, don't let him near any guards, and don't let anybody talk to him. The only way I'm letting him go in there is if you agree."

Tandrin regarded his brother for a moment, and then nodded solemnly. "Nothing will happen to him."

Tannix looked at me. "Don't leave Tandrin's side."

"I have no intention of leaving his side," I said. "I'm not out to get myself killed, remember? Stop worrying about me; you have a ceremony to worry about."

Tannix sighed. "I know. I'll be glad when it's over." He turned and walked briskly towards the doors, as if waiting any longer would make it harder. Tandrin motioned for me to follow and we started walking at a much more leisurely pace. It felt strange being alone with him.

"I have four guards with me," he said. "Have you noticed any of them yet?"

"Two," I admitted, wondering why he would ask. "There's a man across the street who was watching you both, and the other was around the corner."

Tandrin nodded. "I thought you might notice them. You're well aware of your surroundings."

"I have to be," I said. "I have to know whether it's safe to approach somebody or not. I wouldn't have gone near you or Tannix; it wouldn't be worth the risk. I'd have been tempted, though. Where are the other two?"

Tandrin shrugged and smiled. "On break. I never said they were with me at the moment." He stopped talking when we reached the Order's gates. He didn't have to say anything to the guards in front of it; they opened it up without question, allowing us, and his two personal guards, to walk in.

As soon as we walked past the gates, I noticed the courtyard. It was filled with chairs, all facing a raised wooden platform across from us, near the main building. There seemed to be twice as many guards as usual, and servants milled about; some carrying drinks, some moving chairs, and some leading lords and ladies.

The nobles caught my attention, though I forced myself to not stare at them in awe. They were all dressed up like Tannix and Tandrin were, but there were many different colours—reds, greens, purples, a few other blues. Every colour and every shade I could imagine, aside for yellow or gold. Those were the king's colours.

Almost everyone we passed wore rings, and the ladies all had elaborate and expensive bracelets, necklaces and pins. I was nearly overwhelmed by the concentration of wealth and quickly realized I had to distract myself before I unconsciously reached out to take a lady's jewellery. I turned to Tandrin.

"Tannix has a personal guard too?"

The young lord nodded distractedly. I hadn't noticed, but many of the people we passed were trying to greet him, and he was greeting them in turn. He knew many of their names. "Six of the best men in our army. Father chose them for him when he was ten. There were various tests and competitions they had to go through. It was the same with my guard."

"Why did he leave them behind?"

"There's no place for them at the Order—good afternoon, Lord Laynon—and there are so many guards here already that it seemed unnecessary. But they aren't really a guard so much as an elite fighting group, of which Tannix is a part. He's as much a soldier as they are, whereas I get to be a politician." Tandrin smiled at woman who called his name and stopped walking. "Lady Tilana, it's a pleasure to see you again." He took her gloved hand and lifted it to his lips, kissing the back of it and causing the lady to giggle.

"Ever the charmer, Lord Tandrin," she said, smiling. "Where is your brother?"

"I'm sure he's somewhere hidden from sight, being told exactly what to do during the ceremony. You'll be able to talk to him afterwards."

"It will hardly do him any good if I wish him luck afterwards," she replied lightly. She pulled her hand away and looked at something over his shoulder. "My husband is calling. I'll have to find Tandrix later." She walked off, the crowd swallowing her up.

"Who was that?" I asked, staring after her.

"Our cousin," Tandrin replied. "Married to one of the lesser lords on New Teltar. Do you bother Tannix with this many questions?"

I hesitated before replying, trying to decide whether he sounded annoyed with me or not. I decided on not. "I probably ask him more."

Tandrin laughed, and we continued our walk through the crowd. The next time he stopped, it was quite sudden. He motioned with his hand and suddenly one of the guards I had noticed earlier was standing at his side. He'd changed, though. He had been wearing a grey cloak in the city, probably to blend in. Now the cloak was gone, showing off a dark blue uniform and a large sword hanging from his belt. I noticed for the first time that Tandrin didn't carry a sword of his own like Tannix always did.

"My lord?" his guard asked.

"Do we know where my father is?" Tandrin asked.

The man was taller than Tandrin, and he used that to his advantage as he looked over the crowd. "I believe he's near the stage. Lord Tandrix isn't with him."

"No, I didn't expect him to be. Thank you." Tandrin changed course, heading through the chair-filled courtyard instead of around it in order to get to his father sooner. I followed him and the guard fell back again.

"So he was chosen for you when you were ten?" I asked.

"Sir Eppson? Yes. He's the captain of my guard, younger son of a lesser lord. That's where they usually come from. They aren't going to inherit so they join the army. Tannix's captain, Sir Atricen, has a similar background."

"Why don't you have a sword?"

"I'm a politician," Tandrin said. "But that is exactly the reason I must find my father. He and I wear ceremonial swords to important events, and he has mine. Father!" He waved his hand to get the attention of a man not far from us.

I hung back to let Tandrin approach his father alone, unsure if he was supposed to know about me. I could see the similarities in the two men as they greeted each other. Their father was the same height as Tandrin, and had the typical Teltish blond hair streaked with silvery grey. Despite being older, he looked fit and strong, and the sword at his side looked more practical than decorative, more than I'd expected from a ceremonial sword. Like his sons, he was wearing rings and a deep blue cloak, embroidered with swirling gold designs around the hem. Instead of ties at his neck, the cloak was held in place by a beautiful gold pin.

As I watched, he took a sword from a nearby guard and handed it to Tandrin. It too looked more useful than I'd have thought. It made sense; they wouldn't bother carrying swords they couldn't use. The weapons were a little fancier than the one Tannix had, the gold hilts and sheaths adorned with blue jewels. I moved a little closer to them, mostly because I wanted to get a better look. Tandrin took the sword and pulled the belt around his waist while saying something to his father. I moved a little closer.

"He'll be fine. He's nervous, but who can blame him? He's been taught to stand at the head of an army and taunt death, not stand in front of a group of lords who just want to praise him." Tandrin grinned. "Maybe I should take his place. I quite enjoy praise."

"I know you do," his father said. His voice was a little gruff, but sounded kind, and he was smiling. "That's a good line, 'taunt death.' I might need to use it in my speech."

"By all means, but give me credit," Tandrin said. "Actually don't. I don't want him knowing I'm jealous."

"He already knows," his father replied, sighing as if the fact was tragic. "I suppose I should go find him and give him some words of encouragement." He grasped Tandrin's shoulder briefly. "Don't forget your sword next time." He smiled before walking away.

Tandrin watched him go and I walked over to join him. "When you said ceremonial, I thought you meant it would be skinny and shiny." I reached out my hand tentatively, touching the hilt of the sword.

"I can fight," Tandrin said. "I've been trained, just not nearly to the same extent as Tannix. So it's ceremonial, but also useful. Just in case. When you're in power, you always have to be a little concerned about someone trying to kill you. Hence my personal guard." He gestured towards the two men, who were still following us but never getting too close.

"So you're concerned while surrounded by all these lords and the other guards?"

Tandrin shrugged. "Formality." His eyes wandered over the crowd and suddenly he started walking again. I caught up as he waved down a servant who was precariously balancing a large tray of glass bottles and metal chalices. Tandrin grabbed a chalice and a bottle, which he handed to me. "I've got to have some reason for keeping you near me, and here it is. You're to make sure my glass is never empty."

"Soyou want to be drunk during your brother's ceremony?"

"I have a little more self-control than that." Tandrin glanced over the seats in the front row, looking thoughtful. He picked the one right in the middle of the row, and sat down. "One would think I deserve a better chair than this," he muttered under his breath, but I got the impression he didn't really mind. He held his glass out to me. "Sit down for now, but once the ceremony starts you'll have to move off to the side of the courtyard."

I poured some of the dark red liquid into his glass before sitting down on the chair beside his. They were nice chairs, and had padding on both the seat and the back. It was something I wasn't used to. The temporary stage was right in front of us. Across the back of the stage there was a row of chairs, where I assumed the people most important to the ceremony would sit. In the centre of the stage stood a wooden podium.

"How many people are going to be speaking?"

Tandrin took a sip of his wine. "Oh, I don't know. Father, the king, the director... What?"

I had flinched involuntarily at the mention of the director, and shook my head, trying to play it off as nothing. Tandrin kept looking at me quizzically.

"Oh, of course. He's the one who tortured you, isn't he? Tannix told me all about it. You know, we're not all like that. I'll admit I never particularly cared about Natives, but I never disliked them. People like me and Tannix just don't think about it much. We're not exposed to you. There aren't many Natives on New Teltar."

"I know that," I said.

"You do?" he sounded surprised.

I sighed. "You and Tannix are always so shocked when I know something. Of course there aren't many Natives on New Teltar. That's where the gods live. Lived. Before you came." I paused for a moment to collect my thoughts and started over. "Before the Telts came the island was called Jandor. We believed that our gods and goddesses lived on it, where they were safe and could watch over us. Then the Telts came and you 'discovered' it and called it New Teltar. The gods either left then or were never there in the first place. We don't think you're gods," I added, as if it hadn't already been clarified.

Tandrin nodded slowly. "So you don't think Tannix and I look like gods?"

It was an unexpected question and I faltered slightly over my answer. "No. Well, maybe, but looking like one and being one are not the same thing."

"Of course not," he said. "I find that interesting, though. I knew you were polytheistic, but I didn't know the island had anything to do with it."

"We're what?"

"Polytheistic. You worship more than one god. Some Teltans find it terrible, an insult to the Goddess." He shrugged. "I don't know. I find it all fascinating. And who's to say we're the ones who are right?" Tandrin shrugged again, but this time it was more of a nervous gesture. "I could get in trouble for saying that, but I can't help but be curious."

He was starting to sound like Tannix. Watching Tandrin interact with the other nobles with confidence and ease had shown me how different he and Tannix were. His admission made me realize how similar they were. "You think like that?"

"I suppose it partially comes from having Native blood. My mother's father was a Native. Disregarding your beliefs would mean disregarding hers, which would be disrespecting some of my ancestors."

"You and Tannix are strange," I said after a moment of silence had passed. "You're supposed to hate me because of who I am and you're supposed to think you're better than everyone else in the entire kingdom. You're supposed to show off your wealth and power, and scoff at everyone who has less than you do. But neither of you are like that."

"You're meant to hate Teltans because of who we are. You should be greedy and take everything you see even if you don't need it. You should be sneaky but easy to catch. You're supposed to be dangerous and violent when trying to take something. Luckily, you aren't like that."

"Some of us are," I said, thinking of Arow.

"And some of us are cruel and corrupt, but not all of us. We Tandrans have a bit of a reputation. You were lucky to meet Tannix instead of one of the other young lords."

"I know." I noticed that his glass was almost empty, and reached out my hand to touch his lightly, steadying the chalice. Though I wouldn't normally have touched him, I didn't want to risk spilling wine all over his legs.

"You're much more comfortable around me than I would have expected."

This time I shrugged. "I guess I got used to Tannix, and the two of you are fairly similar."

"I suppose so." He raised the glass to his lips and took a drink, but by the way he was still looking at me, I suspected there was more to it.

It took some time for all of the lords and ladies to get settled. Tandrin had slowed down with the wine, and was lazily swirling it around in his glass, taking the occasional sip. Once the seats around us started to fill, he sent me to stand at the edge of crowd. I ended up beside his enormous bodyguard, who cast me a quick glance before his gaze went back to his lord.

It was boring standing there, but I distracted myself by watching the wealthy people around me. Finally, movement on the stage caught my eye, and I looked up to see that people were walking out onto it and taking the chairs. I recognized Tannix's father, and the director, but the others were unknown to me.

The director—Lord Meyat, I reminded myself—moved up to the podium just as a gong was rung somewhere in the courtyard. The lords and ladies fell silent. He looked out at the crowd for a moment before gesturing to the side of the stage. "His Majesty King Edarius III!" he announced with a flourish. The lords and ladies applauded as the king walked onto the stage, flanked by two guards. He had a long gold cloak draped over his shoulders and his crown glinted in the sunlight. I really wanted to touch it.

Even though my suspicions weren't exactly proven, I didn't like seeing the king so close to the director. At least the Order was filled with guards. The king had his own guards, and then there were countless personal guards for the lords and ladies, as well as the usual guards for the Order. It didn't seem like anything could possibly happen here.

The king sat down and his guards stood behind his chair. I tore my attention away from them to look at the director, who once again pointed off stage. "Lord Tandrix of West Draulin," he said, with less enthusiasm. The crowd applauded again. Tannix walked out, his eyes roaming across the crowd. He noticed his brother first, then glanced over at me quickly and smiled. He took the last empty seat, between the king and his father. He crossed his arms and looked a little uncomfortable, but he hid it well.

On stage, the director cleared his throat. "I welcome Lord Tandrael West Draulin to speak." He stepped back from the podium and Tannix's father stood.

He paused dramatically, looking over the crowd before starting to speak. "I have always known that my sons would be powerful and respected. Four years ago, I sent Tandrix here so that he could excel. He was already talented back then, an excellent swordsman who could even, on occasion, get the better of me in a duel. I knew that at the Order he would only improve, so it came as no surprise to me when I received his reports.

"As we all know, this Order is one of the oldest organizations in the kingdom. It was created by King Edarius I, our first king, to give the younger sons of his subjects a purpose. In Teltar, sons would often get into fights, even small wars, over who would inherit the family land. King Edarius I solved this problem. In fact, the Order is such a respected organization that many of us older sons are jealous of our brothers. I was certainly jealous of my two younger brothers when they came here, while I had to trail after my father and learn about how to run West Draulin. I know my son Tandrin feels the same."

Tandrin waved dismissively, to both acknowledge his father's words and, I thought, to grab the crowd's attention. There were a few chuckles, likely other lords who also knew the feeling of being jealous of their brothers.

Lord Tandrael smiled. "Yes, it often seems like our brothers come to Zianna to learn the exciting things; how to fight, how to control an army, how to be a spy. There was never any doubt in my mind that Tandrix would go into the army. The recent events have only proved this further. He single-handedly killed two assassins who attacked him while he was on guard. The news shocked and worried me at first, but I realized then that my son is more than capable of protecting himself.

"When he leads armies and taunts death, I will worry for him as a father always will. However, I know that he is prepared for the task at hand, and I will be confident in his ability to achieve victory."

There was a pause, then Tandrin stood up and clapped. I was surprised, because nobles were supposed to be more formal. Other men started cheering, and turning around, I saw that a good number of the lords and ladies had stood up and were clapping or cheering. It was mostly the younger ones. They settled down when Lord Tandrael motioned at Tannix, who got up to join his father at the podium. Once again, I could see Tannix's gaze dart in my direction. He took a deep breath.

"Father, unless 'on occasion' means 'more often than not,' I believe we are remembering our duels very differently. That said, talent can only get a person so far. Coming to the Order is what taught me how to use my skills, and I owe much of my future to this place and the lords who instructed me over the past four years.

"People often assume that when one is born into power, he will receive high rankings for solely that reason. I am proud to be considered capable. Whatever I achieve in the future, I have proven that I have the skills needed. My title will not be an empty one. Nor will it go to waste. Too often, we accept the way our kingdom is without striving to improve it, when all it would take is simply listening to a different point of view. I plan to listen, and to continue to learn from the people around me. I will serve our kingdom to the best of my abilities, I will serve King Edarius, and I will serve the people of Zianna, be them Teltan, Crelan or Native Zian."

There were more cheers, instigated once again by Tandrin. More people than last time joined in. I did too. Those were my words, said with Tannix's easy sincerity in front of a crowd of nobles. Tannix's gaze met mine, and he smiled. Behind him, the king got to his feet and approached the podium. Tannix stepped aside as the crowd went silent once again. King Edarius placed his hand on Tannix's shoulder.

"Truthfully, one of my favourite duties is that of welcoming young men into the Order. Of course, Lord Tandrix, you have been a valued member for four years now. Valued enough that I, too, have been receiving your progress reports, which is a very rare thing." He smiled at Tannix. "I have been keeping an eye on you since your first year, when your instructors noticed your potential. I am pleased now to greet you as a full member of the Order, the group to which I owe so much gratitude for the loyalty they have always shown myself and my ancestors, and their willingness to serve our kingdom. You said it well yourself."

King Edarius paused. He took Tannix's hand and clasped it with both of his, while Tannix dropped to one knee.

"Lord Tandrix of West Draulin," King Edarius said. "Do you pledge to dedicate your life to the wellbeing of this kingdom, its lands, and its people?"

Tannix nodded solemnly. "I do."

"Do you pledge to live by the Order's tenets: solidarity with your brotherhood, secrecy in the tasks you carry out, and sacrifice should it be necessary?"

"I do."

"Then, in this, the 422nd year since King Edarius I came to this land, I name you as a full member of the Order." The king let go of Tannix's hand.

He stood up. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

With those words, the lords and ladies stood up and clapped again. Tandrin got to his feet, climbed onto the stage and pulled a shocked Tannix into a hug. Their father joined them a moment later. When the hug broke up, the other lords who had been sitting on the platform all moved forward to shake Tannix's hand. The director also approached him for a handshake, and I thought I detected a hint of reluctance in Tannix before they grasped each other's hands.

People were moving around again. Not wanting to be separated from them, and remembering Tannix's order to stay near Tandrin, I moved closer to the stage. Tannix noticed me and waved me over. I looked for the director, but he had moved away and seemed to be talking to a servant girl who was wearing a veil. A little apprehensively, I hopped up onto the stage.

"Should I be here?"

"No one is going to notice," he said. "They're all too busy getting ready for the celebration."

"There's going to be a celebration?"

"Of course. Not to mention the meetings that will happen tomorrow, most of which are not related to me, but since the lords and ladies are all in the city anyway, it's the perfect opportunity."

"Oh. What was all that about sacrifice?"

"Solidarity, secrecy, sacrifice," Tannix said, holding up his hand to draw my attention to his Order ring. "It's the Order's motto. Says so on the rin—"

"What did I tell you, little brother?" Tandrin was suddenly there, an arm draped over Tannix's shoulders. "You did wonderfully, and that was a nice little speech. Well done teasing Father like that. Did you know that the 'taunting death' line was mine?"

Tannix eyed his brother. "How much did you give him to drink, Finn?"

I held up the bottle, which was still half full.

"I'm not drunk, Tannix. I'm excited for you," Tandrin said, rolling his eyes. "Try to have some fun sometimes. Now, before this celebration starts, I think I'm going to..."

"No," Tannix said. "You need to help me with Finn."

"What's going on with Finn?" Tandrin glanced at me.

"We need to get him out of here."

I shrugged. "You two can't just vanish. I don't mind following you around for a little longer."

"Well, all right, but stay close," Tannix said. "Tandrin, I guess you can go."

Tandrin grinned. "Looks like some people aren't sticking around for the celebration." He jerked his head towards the other side of the courtyard. It took me a moment to see what he'd noticed: the director walking with the servant girl. She reminded me of my conversation with Ninavi, about blending in with the nobles. I stared after the director suspiciously while Tandrin continued speaking. "Anyway, little brother, Lady Tilana was looking for you. I'm sure there are countless other lords and ladies who want to talk to such a hero. You'll need my support."

"Probably," Tannix agreed with a sigh.

"Good. Finn, hand off the wine to one of the servants. I don't need it anymore." Keeping his arm over Tannix's shoulders, Tandrin led him over to the stairs at the edge of the stage. I followed them.