A Knight's Path (The Path of Cinder Book 1) Read online

  When Warren stepped back into the room Alden was sitting at his desk sideways reading. The larger boy asked, “Are those our instructions?”

  Alden nodded his head and said, “We gotta be in the mess hall in them uniforms in an hour. Fox is gonna talk some more and then it says we gotta be up on top the wall tomorrow mornin’ at 7. Breakfast will be at 8. There a bathroom in this place?”

  Warren motioned over his shoulder, “The door is in the corner. We’ll have to find the showers later.”

  Alden rose to his feet and brushed past his partner and shut the door behind him. Warren moved towards the beds and stripped off his regular clothes and yanked on the uniform. He looked around the room and noticed there were two more uniforms under his bed. The husky youth rolled his neck and then stretched. The room was fairly sparse and they didn’t have a window. He turned as he heard the bathroom door click open and Alden stepped back out into the room.

  The smaller teen moved towards his bed and said, “The way I was reckonin’ it they’d have a big public bathroom for all of us along with the showers. It is nicer this way though.”

  Warren nodded his head, “I am going to take a look around outside. Try and find a few things”

  Alden waved his hand in acknowledgment as he went about dressing and Warren stepped out into the long hallway. He looked to his left, the direction they had come from, and to his right before setting off in the foreign direction. A short walk later and he found an unlabeled door. The youth shoved the door open and found a line of fifteen shower stalls looking back at him.

  The large boy stepped back out into the hall when he heard Reginald’s voice, “Faulkner. Its been a while.”

  Warren turned to face the shorter boy and nodded, “It has, Blackfeather.”

  Reginald stepped into Warren’s personal space and smirked, “Tell the idiot hick partner of yours to climb back under whatever rock he came from. People like him don’t deserve to stand in the presence of royalty let alone protect it.”

  The husky boy felt a cold settle over him and Warren suppressed a shiver. He stepped backwards and felt the chill dissipate and he replied, “You can tell him yourself. I am not your errand boy, Blackfeather.”

  Warren turned on his heel and strode away with all the confidence he could muster. He could swear he had seen the royal blue eyes of Reginald fade to black as the room had cooled. He shook the feeling off and went back towards his new room.

  Chapter 8 The Highest Honor

  Alden looked at himself in the mirror on the wall in the new bathroom. Warren still wasn’t back yet from his expedition but the young man wasn’t concerned for his new partner. They were in the Wall of the Castle in the heart of the Kingdom of Cinders. If this place wasn’t safe then nowhere was but something in Alden’s stomach told him that something was wrong. Maybe it was just the wealthy brat from earlier giving him the evil eye. Alden dismissed his feelings of trepidation and moved out into the main room just as the door clicked open.

  Warren stepped back into the room with a frown on his face and Alden asked, “Everything where it’s supposed to be?”

  The large boy nodded absentmindedly and Alden cocked an eyebrow, “Something you didn’t see comin’ then.”

  Warren snapped out of his brooding and looked up with a smile, “No, it was nothing. The showers are down by room sixteen.”

  The thin teen nodded his head, dismissing the subject since Warren wasn’t talking, and popped his knuckles, “We oughta get goin’ to the mess hall. Give us a little time to find the place.”

  Warren nodded in agreement as he reopened the door and stepped back out into the hall. Alden trailed behind him a moment later. The young man studied the lights on their way out. Most of the places he had been had natural lighting, even the Army relied on it. Lamps created by Light or Fire Wizards were expensive and hard to come by. The Army had a few but the Wall was lined with them. Their room had one that could be controlled with a dial by the doorway. The young man felt a certain sense of wonder at the technology but also a hint of anger at the King’s use of the common people’s taxes. They were the ones who funded the Crown so why did the Crown get all the say in everything?

  Alden shook his anger away and moved on. Having a bone to pick with the King of Cinders would only lead to trouble now that he was one of the people tasked with protecting him. Perhaps the Prince wouldn’t be as dismissive of the people’s needs when he was on the throne. One could always hope for the future.

  The pair ran into a new set of partners in the empty mess hall. One was a hulking brute with blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. He was taller then Warren and had enough muscle to punch a hole in a brick wall. He had the palest skin Alden had ever seen. The other was the hazel eyed young man Alden had met in Youngston.

  The large one’s face seemed to split in two with a grin when he saw Warren and he called out, “Finally, someone who can enjoy the weather up here with me.”

  The tall boy in question smiled, “I know the feeling. It seems like we always have to give reports. My name is Warren, this is Alden.”

  Skorri shook Alden’s hand with a crushing grip and then slapped a grip around Warren’s shoulders, “I think I will like you. And your young friend there seems to have a fire to him as well. Mine on the other hand, eh, he needs work but if a few years with me can’t turn him into a warrior my name isn’t Skorri Hafsson!”

  Alden smiled at the life in Skorri’s voice as he turned towards the future warrior and asked, “What do you have to say ‘bout you becomin’ a warrior?”

  The hazel eyes focused on green ones for a second before darting to Warren and then away, “I, well, I suppose it would be nice to be strong like all of you are.”

  Another sharper voice broke into the conversation, “No, you shouldn’t get stronger. Weaklings like you shouldn’t be permitted in the presence of these Knights let alone train under them.”

  Alden’s head snapped up as he grit his teeth and snarled, “And who the hell are you to decide who’s worthy, jackass!?”

  Reginald smirked at the conscripted soldier’s outburst and replied, “I volunteered for one. I wanted to protect my country and didn’t have to be bribed to come here. Secondly, I know how to use proper English. Third, my parents have the respect of the king while you were raised by a country bumpkin and his whore.”

  The enraged youth jerked toward Reginald and grabbed him by his shirt collar but Reginald made a clicking sound with his tongue before Alden could do anything else, “Physically assaulting another student on the first day. I don’t think the Guard could stand that at all. So, I suggest you let go of me before one of them arrive.”

  Alden released Reginald with a rough shove and snapped, “Leave my family outta this. You wanna pick a fight pick it with me.”

  Blackfeather chuckled as his partner chewed on his lip watching the scene. Alden continued to glare daggers at Reginald until the young man, smirk still on his face, said, “So much anger in you. Maybe you could do the King some good on the border. You’d probably kill a few of the munchkins before they managed to put you down. That’s if you make it through this, hick. Now then, we all understand you don’t belong here and I will be very upset if you’re still here tomorrow. Have a nice life, idiot.”

  Blackfeather turned and strode away with his partner following along behind him wearing an apologetic smile. Alden’s smoldering glare followed the dark haired teen as he moved to the next table and sat down. His partner taking the seat next to him. Alden felt a hand on his shoulder and snapped his head around to see Warren.

  Alden closed his eyes and Warren said, “You should not let him get to you. Reginald has always been a mean person and it seems like he has only become meaner with time. He only wants to get you riled up.”

  A pair of emerald eyes cracked open and fixed themselves on the dark gray of his new friend and he r
eplied, “If it was just against me I wouldn’t give a damn. But he brought my family into it and that’s somethin’ I can’t forgive. If he’s got a problem with me he can take it up with me.”

  Warren’s mouth formed a glum smile and he gestured with his head towards the nearby round table, “We should sit down and just forget about it.”

  Alden nodded his head after a moment and took a seat. Warren sat immediately to his left and Skorri sat to the left of Warren. John took the seat furthest from the furious trainee and the group waited in stony silence as Alden kept his eyes shut and tried to focus on calming down.

  He didn’t have long to meditate before his thoughts were broken by the voice of Elise Colbert, “That was quite the display.”

  Alden snapped his eyes up and the fire flashed back into them as he growled, “What about it?”

  She shook her head and smiled, “Nothing, about time someone put that creep in his place.”

  The young woman took the seat on Alden’s right while her twin sat down beside her and he started to speak, “I’m Enzo and this is Elise. I don’t think we caught your name.”

  The table went around and introduced themselves as Alden tried to relax again. Elise spoke the most and Enzo just leaned back in his chair with crossed arms and a tired expression on his face. Alden noted that Reginald sat alone with his partner ranting about something. The young man scanned the five other faces around his own table. Something in the young man’s gut told him that Blackfeather’s partner couldn’t be trusted either. The scars Skorri wore marked him as the son of a warrior. Not to mention the dangerous balance he moved with his physical fitness. Shaw was hard to ping. He wasn’t wealthy, Alden could tell that much from how he studied the lights and technology in awe. But his weight pegged him as someone who didn’t move much but still had a decent income. A tailor was the best guess Alden could make.

  If it weren’t for her brother Alden wouldn’t be able to guess what Elise’s father was. The large arms and solid chest of her brother and the small white burns on his forearms made Alden label him as working in a smithy. The other thing that made him believe that was the way he cocked his head to listen to people like his hearing had been ruined.

  Warren was the odd man out of the group. The child of a wealthy family who was out of shape but gifted with a massive frame made for power. He would be a force to be reckoned with as soon as he was in shape and trained and that was one thing the Guard and Army had probably wanted out of him. They could whip him into shape but it was hard to have someone grow an extra six inches.

  Sergeant Hunter entered the room in the white uniform of a Guard. He had a gold crown and scepter design on each of his shoulders. He had a silver sword design set in the heart of the crown and he jumped on top of a nearby bench and crossed his arms surveying them. The man cleared his throat and Alden looked up and studied the Sergeant for the first time. He was slightly taller then average, with dark hair buzzed short and dark brown eyes that had a hard edge but there were laugh lines around them.

  The Knight Sergeant started to speak, “The first thing you will find here is that the Royal Guard is much more informal then the other branches of the military. You won’t have to yes, sir and no, sir us but you are expected to do as you are ordered. You will pass or fail with your partner so support each other. As Cadets you will answer to every other Knight here and the Royal Family. However, you are ranked above most Army personnel, the Nobility, and the Special Forces. For the time being if someone gives an order do it. There are three ways out of the Royal Guard: dismissal, death and retirement. None of you will be dismissed if I have any say in the matter. Discipline will be taught in the classroom and I’m not going to waste time going over it now. Just remember we do not take these things lightly. Any questions?”

  Elise spoke up, “How many different Knight ranks are there?”

  Sergeant Hunter nodded, “Most of that will be gone over in the class room as well but I’ll give the basics since you asked. A Knight Commander ranks above everyone within his command but the Captain. A Commander within his own unit ranks above the Commander of another unit. A Paladin, Sergeant, Medic, and off-duty Bastion are all equals with different duties. A Corporal is above a Cadet while a Cadet is the lowest. The only person higher then the Captain is an on-duty Bastion when a member of the Royal Family is in danger. Understood?”

  There was a long silence until Alden said, “I’m assumin’ that the Bastions actually protect the Royals. Sergeants are trainers, Medics are healers but what about Paladins?”

  Reginald rolled his eyes at the young man’s accent and the Sergeant responded, “They venture out into the Kingdom to solve various problems for the King. Anything else?”

  A second silence filled the room and this time Sergeant Hunter nodded, “Good, be up on the wall at 7. Don’t make me come find you. Stay in the Wall until you are given permission to leave. Dismissed.”

  Chapter 9 Rude Awakening

  Warren snapped awake as his uniform was tossed onto his head and he shot upright, startled, “What’s happening?”

  Alden was pulling on his uniform as fast as he could, “We’re runnin’ late. Get dressed and let’s get rollin’.”

  The large youth jumped out of bed and scrambled to get dressed as Alden finished and looked out the door in either direction. A minute later Warren was ready and the pair rushed out the door and to the nearest flight of stairs. It took a few minutes to reach the surface but they found it….and Sergeant Hunter waiting on them.

  The Sergeant checked his watch and chuckled, “Flint, Faulkner. Good to see you. Another 13 seconds and you would’ve been late. As it is, congratulations on cutting it the closest I’ve seen in 9 years.”

  Warren let out a breath of relief and stood up straighter. Malcolm seemed more amused by how close they were to being tardy then anything but on time was on time. Reginald glared at the pair again and said something to Hawkes but Warren didn’t let it bother him. He was better then them.

  The Sergeant drew Warren’s attention back as he started to speak, “The first few weeks of your training are going to be rather dull. You may think you’re going to learn how to duel and battle strategy. And you will. Just not yet. For the first few weeks I am going to whip the lot of you into shape. You have to be stronger, faster, more capable, and have more endurance then anyone else out there. You have got to be the best of the best. And you will be if I have anything to say about the matter. Now, to start things off, if you look out across the Wall you’ll see a flag pole. Or maybe you won’t see it since it’s a half mile away and it is foggy, I don’t know how good your eyes are nor do I care. Go run down there and touch it and then run back. Have fun.”

  Warren squinted off along the grey stone of the Wall toward the point Hunter had indicated. The Sergeant snapped the young man away from his gazing with a bellow, “Get going!”

  The group started to move, Skorri racing out ahead of the others. Warren kept pace with the group as they moved the half mile toward the flag through the fog. Alden and Reginald stepped out ahead of the others as Skorri’s pace started to lag. Warren’s sides ached and his legs were burning. He started sucking in great gulps of air and dropped behind the others. He wasn’t a distance runner, big deal.

  Reginald bumped into him going the other direction and Warren looked up as he almost ran into the flag pole. He sucked in a deep breath and kept moving, his eyes on the back of John Shaw. His forehead was covered in sweat and he sucked in great breaths as fast as he could. Shaw pulled away from him leaving Warren alone with only the sound of his own heavy breathing for company. He had been left so far behind by the others. How was he this out of shape? Or maybe, just maybe he’d been wrong. Maybe he wasn’t the perfect man to be a soldier or Guard? He slowed to a stop and doubled over, falling to one knee.

  The husky youth studied his bulky frame for once and then thought about Ald
en. Reginald. They were both so much thinner then him but he had always attributed that to him being all around larger. Warren thought he was in as good of shape as them. Then he thought about Skorri, his equal in height, but not girth. It was in that moment Warren realized just how big he really was.

  A hand clapped down on Warren’s shoulder as the sound of heavy breathing found his ears. The husky youth looked up into a pair of emerald eyes. Alden smirked down at him and Warren asked, “Why are you back here?”

  Alden shrugged one shoulder and answered “We got told that we succeed and fail together. So, I thought I would come back here and make sure you weren’t slacking.”

  Warren pushed himself back onto his feet, “Sorry, I’m not in the best shape.”

  Alden chuckled, “Maybe not today or tomorrow. But you will be. Let’s get movin’. They’re probably waitin’ on us.”

  The husky youth started off at a jog again as Alden kept pace just behind him. The thinner youth seemed worn at this point and Warren kicked himself for it. He had made his partner run an extra half mile because he’d been weak. Weak and overweight. The husky youth jerked to a stop as the group came into view with Alden right beside him.

  The Sergeant studied the worn pair and asked, “Flint, Blackfeather told me you turned around halfway back. Why?”

  Alden made eye contact with their instructor and replied, “I was told my partner was my first priority behind the King. So I went back to find my partner.”

  Hunter stared into Alden’s green eyes and then nodded, “Fair enough. Take a breather all of you and then you can head down and get breakfast. Report to Room B13 at 10. Dismissed.”

  Warren moved to edge of the wall and flopped down. The action was repeated by most of the others. Reginald and his partner disappeared back down into the Wall. Alden sat down a few feet from Warren and closed his eyes and leaned his head back. The larger of the two tried to settle his racing heart and managed after a few minutes. After that, the pair went down to find breakfast.