Frozen Prospects (The Guadel Chronicles Volume 1)

Chapter 13

Va'del slipped his feet into the hot spring once again and sighed as the familiar ritual finally made it feel like the day was coming to a close. The last couple of weeks had gone on much the same as the previous ones, but the few small changes that had occurred improved his outlook more than he would have believed possible.

I continue to put more muscle on, and at a rate that bears out the idea that Jasmin really did something to me. Probably more drastic than she made it sound at the time too, Goddess bless her. For making the change and bless her for minimizing it to me. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm now so much stronger than I was, there isn't any way I'd be able to continue weapons training.

Fi'lin, the Guadel weapons instructor, had gruffly handed Va'del a practice dagger one day and told him to use it before turning back to the Guadel candidates who were his real responsibility. Alir hadn't liked it of course. He'd even stopped providing Va'del the minimal instruction he'd been giving previously. Instead he simply continued to pit the boys against Va'del one at a time. Alir provided each of them with critiques of their skills at the end of each bout, but remained conspicuously silent regarding Va'del's weakness and strengths other than to point out how the other students could use them to their advantage.

It should have bothered Va'del more than it did, but Fi'lin occasionally mentioned a particular thing 'that young students often need to improve on' in passing. With the Guadel's occasional, subtle guidance, Va'del was steadily improving, and he treasured the fact he was once again practicing with two weapons.

None of the dedicated guardsmen used two weapons, and the citizen guards who made up the bulk of the cadre were likewise trained only in the use of a single weapon. Va'del's training with sword and dagger, informal as it was, was a sign that he still had a chance to be sponsored.

Va'del's increased strength also meant that it no longer took him as long to perform his duties at the stable. Callan had started shifting additional duties Va'del's way until he realized that doing so was encouraging sloth among the 'real' apprentices. That had promptly stopped, and now that the shearing was done Va'del found he was able to absent himself for a cycle or two in the middle of the day to study law or perform his mental exercises.

Those spare minutes were prized both because they freed up Va'del's evenings slightly, and because they got him away from the stable apprentices who'd responded to his unique status by becoming even more relentless in their tricks and harassment.

Things had come to a head when one of them got a little too violent and Va'del had dropped him gasping to the ground with a kick to the stomach. For a second it had looked as if the other three boys who'd been watching would all jump him simultaneously, but Callan was hell on brawlers. In the end, they'd simply picked up their retching comrade and retreated, having finally determined that they could only push him so far. That didn't, of course, stop them from pushing him right up to that line.

When it came to the candidates and Jain's fellow Daughters, things hadn't changed much, but there were a few who no longer participated in the teasing. I wonder why they stopped. Maybe they saw that Jain wasn't doing it and that was enough?

Va'del wondered what time it was and then tried to relax. Jain would either manage to sneak out or she wouldn't. Fretting about it wouldn't change things in the slightest. He'd worried a little about a large group of candidates or apprentices arriving at his secluded pool the first few nights. In the absence of any adults there was no telling what might have happened, but they'd never shown up. Instead, Jain had started sneaking out and coming to the pool several times a week.

Something had changed between the first time they'd talked and the second. Much of the awkwardness was gone now. Jain had even found another copy of the law book she was studying and given it to Va'del so they could discuss the things she was learning.

The light sound of footsteps approaching made Va'del smile.

"Va'del, are you here?" Jain had stopped bringing a glow sphere, trusting in the darkness to help keep them hidden.

"I am. How was your day?"

Va'del slid over on the ledge as Jain's footsteps reached him.

The next cycle or so was even more enjoyable than Va'del had hoped. He could talk to Jain almost as easily as he could have Pa'chi, and they had the added benefit of both sharing an interest in law.

As they finished up discussing the reading on Council tradition, Jain sighed. "I agree with you, but I think maybe that you may hold too much of a belief in the infallibility of the various members of the Council."

Va'del considered her point and then shrugged, even though he knew the gesture was invisible in the inky darkness. "You're right, but there are already an incredible number of safeguards in place that should hopefully make sure we get the best the Guadel have to offer for those seats. What else could the Goddess have put in place?"

"I don't know, but what if the best some of the bloodlines have isn't good enough?"

There wasn't an easy answer, so Va'del didn't try to provide one, instead sitting in silence as he wondered what Jain knew that made her ask the question.

Jain reached out and placed a hand on Va'del's arm. "Thanks for going over this stuff with me. My scores have gone up a lot since you started helping."

Trying to ignore the way his heart had sped up at the touch, Va'del cleared his throat uncomfortably. "There isn't any reason to thank me. I enjoy it, and it gives me a chance to keep learning the kinds of things a candidate would be learning."

"Why do you want to be one of them so badly? All they've ever been is mean to you."

The question was more personal than the kinds of things they normally talked about. Va'del wasn't sure he wanted to answer, afraid it would somehow change their newly forming friendship.

"Some of them aren't as bad now. Others are worse, but some of them are getting a little better for some reason."

Jain shifted uneasily, and Va'del turned towards her. "You know what changed, don't you?"

"I said a couple of things. Not to everyone. Definitely not to Be'ter, but a lot of the boys follow us girls around whenever they get the chance, trying to win our interest. It gets pretty bad because you're never sure if they like you for you, or if they just are hoping to catch a wife so that they can become a full-fledged Guadel. I told a couple of them that I didn't consider it manly or funny to gang up on someone who hadn't done anything to them. I'm sorry I can't do more."

It was Va'del's turn to squeeze Jain's arm as he felt tears start to burn in his eyes. "Thanks. There aren't many people who've ever taken a stand to try and help me. It means more than you know."

The reluctance to answer Jain's first question suddenly evaporated as he finally became sure she wasn't just fishing for information to use against him later. "I guess that there are a few reasons why I want to be a candidate. The most important is that I want to be able to help people who aren't able to protect themselves, and the Guadel do that more than anyone else. They protect them from unethical village headmen, they protect them from snow cats and bag'ligs, they even protect them from bandits."

Va'del felt his throat closing off with sorrow as he thought about Jasmin, Betreec and I'rone. "I don't think I've ever wanted anything as badly as I want to become a Guadel, but that probably won't happen now. I didn't really have a reason to believe it would, but somehow I kept hoping all of this time. It's been so long now though I don't think it will happen."

The earnestness in Jain's voice caught Va'del off guard. "No, don't say that. Something one of the Guadel told me indicated that they thought the head of the Stephens bloodline is just waiting for a Guadel pair to return to the Capital. Once that happens, you're sure to be sponsored again."

The mix of emotions that washed over Va'del was too intense and varied to be fully described. Unable to speak, he sat in the darkness next to Jain and tried to gain control of himself. As the strength of the emotions started to fade slightly he realized that foremost among them was something he hadn't felt since I'rone and his wives died. Hope.