Genesis (Prophecy Rock Series, Book 1)

Chapter Thirty Nine

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“Lock the doors!” 

The guard quickly secured the entrance to the supply warehouse, double padding the handles with chain link steel. Titan watched impatiently as the guard fumbled the keys, slipping between his fingers and finally dropping them to the floor. Frustrated at such incompetence, Titan smacked him across the head and retrieved the keys himself.

“Stop being an idiot, boy!”

“I’m sorry, sir. Forgive my clumsiness.”

Titan struck him again across his helmet. “Get back to your post, boy!” The young soldier ran off as quickly as he could.

Xander leaned against the wall of the warehouse. “Titan, ease up on the new recruits. If you keep treating them like that, they’re bound to run away forever.”

“Xander, you have too much compassion for the young. He’s a stupid boy; he does stupid things. He needs to learn from his mistakes.”

Xander laughed boisterously at Titan’s comments, though Titan did not seem to share in his levity.

“You’re one of a kind, Titan. Truly. Which is why I need you to help me. We’re going to move all of the women, children, and elderly into Castle Raphia. It’s the safest place in the city and the easiest to guard. I need you to ensure that the transition goes smoothly.”

“You want me to babysit a bunch of weaklings? I should be back at base camp, not here. Why don’t you have your baby brother do it? Even he can handle this task.”

Xander initially did think of asking Aric to head up the move, but Aric had been missing the past couple of days. Instead of assisting with operations, Aric had taken off, disappearing into the city. Wandering the city streets, Xander assumed, unsure of what he was searching for. Xander had hoped the recent victory would push Aric to take on his responsibilities more seriously, but it seemed to have had the opposite effect.

Xander watched two young boys play with wooden swords down by the dock. It reminded him so much of when he was young. Aric always the adventurer, wanting to leap off the highest rock, or climb the tallest tree. His fearlessness was something Xander admired about his brother. He had met very few people who were so blindly willing to take risks as Aric did. There was something freeing about not having to consider the consequences of your actions. Whether Aric knew it or not, Xander envied him. Not having to live up to the expectations of their father. Not having to be the older and more responsible son, the role model not only for a little brother, but for the kingdom as well. Aric had always blamed Xander for creating too much of an expectation for him. It wasn’t Aric’s fault that he couldn’t reach the same heights as Xander did, but rather the fact that Xander had made it nigh impossible for him to do so. The sad consequence being that father viewed Aric as a complete failure. Aric had many faults, but somehow Xander couldn’t help but still feel responsible for him.

The two boys blocked and swung at another, landing blows just hard enough to hurt. The younger boy went for a full out attack and swung high. The older boy parried it, using the momentum to send the younger child crashing into the muddy ground, where he instantly began to cry. The older child lifted him out of the mud, wiped his face clean with the sleeve of his shirt, and said something to make them both laugh. Just like that, they were back to playing little warriors.

Xander always tried to be there for his little brother. If only Aric knew of the sacrifices Xander made to protect him. Unable to tell him so, knowing that Aric would react negatively, most likely blame Xander for pampering him and turning him into an embarrassment. To watch Aric throw away his responsibilities only increased the guilt Xander felt. But Aric was a grown man now, capable of making his own choices. Xander couldn’t be there for him the rest of his life, fixing his mistakes, picking him up out of the mud and wiping his face clean. At a certain point, Xander knew, he needed to back off completely.