"Are you sure you're okay now?"
"Yes, Your Highness, I am perfectly fine."
"Do you want–"
"If you ask me one more time, my sword will move of its own accord into your neck."
"You would risk being accused of treason?"
"At least I'll have a happy, final memory of your dead body. Also, when are you going to add twenty percent?"
Sebastian sighed and put his pen down, having completely given up on finishing the reports. "Stop trying to change the subject."
"I'm not changing the subject- it's simply moving of its own accord." Diya stood perfectly straight to the direct left side of Sebastian, her sword glinted by her side and stood out against her black uniform.
After being discharged from the hospital, along with Dr. Khasia's fervent praises and demands she return some day, Diya had been recovering well. Of course, her blood pressure rose to dangerous heights whenever she was near anything associated with the Imperials, but she was comforted by the fact that a thorough investigation was being conducted on the Elshers in preparation for the upcoming trial.
In order to fool the powerful Elshers, the Imperial monarchs suggested that Diya pretend that everything was normal, and that she was merely fulfilling her duties as an official bodyguard. Fortunately, the vain couple greedily accepted this news and abstained from torturing or contacting Diya.
But she also had another problem.
And that came in the form of an arrogant, blonde Mage with a nose so short he was unable to see anything beyond it.
True to his word, Caspian demanded the young Necromancer return to her duties in a very scathing, arduous meeting that most certainly could have been a letter. Just thinking about how he claimed her defeating the assassin at the banquet was a fluke made Diya's blood boil and a shadow to slither up her leg.
"By the way, shouldn't you be leaving for training?" Sebastian glanced at his pocketwatch- a gift from his mother on the day he was officially crowned as the Crown Prince.
Diya's jaw ticked as she saw the small, intricate jewels studded on the back of the gold cover. That alone could feed ten families for at least a year.
Although Sebastian was much kinder than the other Nobles, Diya could never forget that the two of them came from different worlds. There was no point in trying to get him to understand.
Her hands trembled and she curled them into tight fists, but managed to keep her voice calm. "Yes, it should be starting soon, Your Highness. An Imperial Knight should be here in a second to take over my shift, so I'll leave first."
One of the other conditions Caspian set- and the most humiliating, in Diya's opinion- was that should attend the Knight's Training that was hosted everyday. As she had to be guarding Sebastian most of the time, she would only be able to attend half the session.
It's really quite insulting. Diya thought with a murderous scowl as a maid lunged out of the way into the bushes to avoid crossing her path. I could beat all the guards here with nothing more than a wooden stick.
Nothing good would come from gaining attention. With a satisfied nod, she decided it would be best to hide her abilities for now and keep her head low–
"OI! You there!"
Just had to jinx it, huh?
Diya stopped and slowly turned, clasping her hands behind her back. "Are you talking to me?"
A man with a sneer like a rotten egg pointed an accusatory finger at her. "Who else would I be talking to, Reject?"
Diya let out a soft sigh. It seems some people don't mentally age a day once they've left school.
Deciding battling with such spoiled milk was not worthy of her time, she turned on her heels and continued her stretch down to the training grounds. She tied her long hair with a single strip of ribbon, brushing the stray curls away from her face and tucking them behind her ears.
However, Rotten Milk had other plans.
"Hey Reject! Are you ignoring me right now?"
In through one ear, out of the other.
"How dare you! Do you know who I am?"
His friends joined in, their words branded Diya with ugly marks that refused to go away. She clenched her jaw and tipped her head higher towards the flickering sun. In through one ear, out of the other. Don't let it reach your heart.
"Look at her, walking around as if she's one of us."
"Think she slept her way to the top?"
"Nah, no one's crazy enough to go near that thing."
"Apparently, she's got some sort of disease or somefink."
In through one ear, out of the other.
Their voices got louder and louder as she approached the site until they were a hum that flooded her ears and drowned her senses. Diya felt a wave of coldness as lost souls found her, their ghostly hands clawed at her skin and garbled for attention.
"I dunno why the Elshers chose that thing. No one who picks that ability is normal."
In through one ear, out of the other.
"Maybe her family gave her away 'cuz they were so ashamed."
"I would die of humiliation if my kid was born without a soulmate- that's literally like being told from the Fates that you're not worthy to have someone."
In through one ear, out of the other.
Diya stood in the back of the Training Centre as the trainee soldiers slowly trickled from the edges to form roughly ordered rows. Three spots in front, behind and to either side of her were kept empty as glances and glares were thrown her way.
Her gaze flicked over the half-upturned collars, smudges of dirt streaked across arrogant faces and the swords that clearly hung by their waists for show. The numbers will decrease by half by the end of the week.
"Alright new recruits!" A lanky man with too much stubble for his boyish face boomed. "Silence! General Carnell will be taking your first training session today."
Diya's eyebrows shot up and shocked murmurs erupted in the courtyard. Why is a General helping? Shouldn't they be focusing on their duties as– wait, why do I care if the Imperials are being protected or not?
"Thank you, Lieutenant, that will be all," a powerful voice boomed. "Return to your duties at once."
A woman with honey-blonde hair stepped out, observing each recruit with quartz-coloured eyes that seemed as if they could pierce through to the soul. Her uniform was cleanly ironed and fit General Carnell as if it was specifically designed for her.
Diya had heard of the fearsome woman- she'd have to live under a rock to not. Being the youngest recruit- and a woman- to join the Imperial Army in history, General Carnell faced much prejudice from both her own comrades and those in higher positions. Nevertheless, she battled through and managed to carve a name for herself in history's unyielding stone as one of the greatest Generals.
Carnell's eyes zeroed in on Diya, and the younger girl resisted the temptation to avert her gaze. Carnell's eyebrows raised a fraction, and then dropped back into the familiar clear-as-mud expression.
"Lieutenant Lansia Is there some disease spreading within the Empire that I am unaware about?" she asked, turning to the lieutenant who snapped to attention at once.
"No, General, there is not."
"Then why is everyone avoiding that recruit like she's caught the plague?"
A heavy silence followed her words and the other recruits eyed Diya like she was something dirty peeled off the bottom of their shoes. She arched an eyebrow and allowed shadows to slither up her sleeves, which made those glaring turn away quite quickly.
"Um, General Carnell," Lieutenant Lansia said, a troubled smile flitted across his expression as if he was confronting a toddler who had drawn something disturbing in class. "That girl is the Reject Necromancer–"
"I do have a name that you can use." Diya gave a dazzling smile and formed a wreath of darkness to wrap around her hands. She flicked her hair over her shoulder and smirked at the nearest Noble recruit. "Please feel free to step closer. I don't bite."
If they view me as the villain, I might as well live up to their expectations.
"But do you stab?" General Carnell called, arms crossed. Amusement flickered across her expression, but she was quick to conceal it.
Diya grinned and crossed her arms. "I don't bite."
Lieutenant Lansia gasped, his face flushed purple and his body trembled like a leaf being tossed by the wind. "How impertinent!–"
"Stand down, Lieutenant." General Carnell waved a hand and stepped forwards. The crowd parted for her and formed a loose ring. "You, girl, what's your name?"
"Diya."
"Do you not have a last name?"
"I prefer not to use it."
Diya had learned about General Carnell's famous exploits in battle from the multitudinous books the academy forced her to cram. She remembered that the General was born a commoner, and so despised those who had bought their way to the top.
Glancing at the polished metal symbols on the General's shoulders, Diya lowered her head ever so slightly in respect. Most Noble children served their time in the army safely tucked away in cushy tents while common blood stained the soils of the battlefield and reaped the rewards later. But not Carnell- no, she'd earned her rank.
"I want to see your skills, Diya. Will you show them to me?"
Oh I am so screwed now.
************************
Qotc:
1. Thoughts on General Carnell?
2. I'm toying with the idea of creating a comic version of this novel sometime in the future. Would you guys be interested in reading that?
I hope you guys liked it!
Stay safe and thanks for reading :)