Cartlidge: Rise of the Imperfect Flame (19 page)

Once again, I rose from my sleep. This time I was greeted by
a king who I recognized as one of the council members. With him, stood Brin and
the commander who trained
me.
I stood myself up and
looked around. I had been moved from a single room to a common one. The ward
was filled with injured survivors, who had all fled in lifeboats during the
attack.

“Good morning, sir.” I started.

“It’s… afternoon, and don’t call me ‘sir.’ I hate that
title.”

“Sorry. Are you here for my debriefing?”

The commander spoke up. “No. We’ve pieced together the
incident from the other survivors, and we’ve heard your side from your doctor.”

“Then why are you here?”

Brin interjected. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m missing a leg and I keep seeing the faces of the dead
when I sleep. Now why are you here?”

“We need you to make an official report to the council.
You’ll come with us to answer their questions. It’s more about protocol at this
point, so that the non-military officials don’t feel left out. Also, we need to
know what happened to the life gem.” I had not thought about the gem for some
time. Only now did I notice the necklace I wore. It was the golden chain that
my angel gave me. On it, hung a small, red, diamond shaped gem. The life gem
itself seemed to be missing.
Unless, perhaps it was still
here.

“It was destroyed in the attack. There’s nothing left of
it.” I lied. Silently the King turned away.

“We’re also going to give petitions to the council for your
advancement.” The commander continued.

“You mean like to commander?”

“No. You’re getting the special treatment. We’re going to
see if they’ll award you with angel’s wings.”

Receiving the rare award of angel’s wings was similar to the
historical “Medal of Honor” from the pre-war United States military. It was the
highest award I could receive at my rank. Most normally receive it for acts
such as overcoming impossible odds, or sacrificing one’s self for their squad’s
survival. Often the award follows with a large advancement in rank for those
who survive. If I were to receive it, I would be equal to soldiers like Brin in
rank.

“Why?”

“Well some of us take pride in seeing our students climb to
the top.” The commander joked.

“Also some of us believe you were the one to find the life
gem because the angels favor you.” The King interrupted. I thought of the angel
who visited me before. “Regardless, if a life gem has appeared, that means
something big is happening, and if you’re this era’s champion. I’d like to see
you ready as soon as possible. Access to better training will get you there.”

I was confused. How could I possibly advance this quickly?
“I don’t think I have the experience, and I can’t control my power at will.”

“Anyone who survives an encounter with Arivictus is more
than capable of holding their own. Besides, the extra training will make up for
whatever doubts you have.”

“How?
I don’t know how to lead. I’m
not really a good fighter, and the only mission I’ve ever been on failed!” I
sat up, causing the undone chain to slide off my neck onto my lap. I looked at
the small gem. Was it really the life gem? How could that be possible? I
sighed. The life gem was all I had left of Sapphire. I wondered if she would
want me to go through with this.

“Just leave it to us to convince the council.”

It took some time getting used to my new leg but once I did
we returned to the council room. The king did not accompany us, but rather
rejoined his fellow council members. Brin stood to my left, the commander to my
right. The memory of the last time I was here returned. This was the place that
everything started.

“Everyone has read the basic report, correct?” The Emperor
asked. The old Rovanekren sat down, covered head to toe in treasures and exotic
furs. He was the head of the council, but was rarely called to participate.
This however, was a special occasion. They all nodded in confirmation. “Then
let us begin. We would like you to give your side of the story, and answer any
questions we may have.”

I nodded,
then
told my story.
All of it.
From the time the Strategy launched to now. I
told them about the rogue quartermaster, and how fast the Clawtrodons were able
to destroy the ship. I told them about the strange uncharted planet, and how
they never found us. I told them what happened just after communications were
cut on the Shadow. I told them how Arivictus systematically killed all of us
with his ghastly axe, including an angel. I lied about how the life gem was
split in two, and disintegrated. I told them of the rescue, and finally the
visitation by my angel. They were particularly interested in the last topic.

“You saw … an angel?
Directly?”

“Yeah…” The woman looked skeptical. Another council member pulled
up something on his screen. “What did she look like?”

“Well, her skin was clear white, like the snow. She almost
seemed to glow like a star. Her wings were small and transparent, like glass. A
thin ring floated over her head. Her pupils were colorless, and her eyes seemed
to glow more than she did. She stood and walked with grace, as if gravity did
not burden her.”

They all looked at each other. Whispers flew through the
room.

“What did the angel tell you to do?”

“To continue on.”
I replied. The
whispers continued.

“I would like to nominate Jacob for angel’s wings!” Brin
interrupted. Again there was talk amongst them. “We believe recent events have
proven Jacob a capable warrior, and with the incident with Arivictus-”

“Luck does not make one a leader.”

“It doesn’t seem likely that anyone can survive this man’s
ordeal on simple luck.” Another councilmember countered. “He used his intuition
and survival skills to survive a year on an uncharted planet and remained with
the objective until the end.
And when Arivictus confronted
them.
He sought to sacrifice himself for the fleeing squads.”

“And yet many were still killed, and he survives. How do we
know his account is even true?”

“The man lost his leg for them. Not only
that,
but the surviving member of Ezekiel’s squad gave
an account that matches
Jacob’s.”

There was discussion amongst all but the Emperor, who was
silent during the whole session.
“All in favor of bestowing
this honor upon Jacob Cartlidge?”
He finally asked. They all pulled up
the question on their screens. Some pressed a green button. Others remained
still.

“Against?”
The second group pressed
the other button.

“And the score...” The Emperor pressed a few keys on his
screen.
Instantly two numbers appeared on everyone’s screen.
It was a count of votes for or against me. The numbers were close, with only
five votes more in my favor than against me. I sighed in relief.

“The council has voted in favor of Jacob’s award.” He
pressed a button, signaling someone to come in with the award. The Emperor
himself came down, took the award,
then
stood before
me. I stood at attention.

“Rifleman Jacob Cartlidge: for demonstrating the attributes
of a leader in the face of insurmountable odds, it is my honor to award you the
angel’s wings.” He handed me a small golden medal with two dove wings extending
from its center. “May you wear them
proudly.
”

“Thank you, sir.” He turned away and climbed back into his
seat. “You are now also entitled to advanced training and Kingship. Your
training starts next week. You are dismissed.” We all three bowed and left the
room.

It was late. I sat quietly on the roof of the apartment
complex, my temporary home. Next week I would start a month of rigorous
training to master my powers. After that, I would go through the King’s test. I
sighed. The stars of the night sky were hidden by the light of the city. The
sounds of nature were drowned out. I missed that hidden planet. I looked down
and picked up the gem in my necklace. Those words echoed through my mind.

“You will see her again.”

I held the gem tightly and rested my head against the pillow
I had stolen from my room so that I could sleep here, in the open air. I felt
something that night that I had never felt before.

I felt alone.

Thank You for reading Cartlidge - Rise of the Imperfect
Flame. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it for you.
This universe has been a part of my life for the many years I spent building
it, and now you are part of that universe too. So ready yourself for the second
book, because Jacob Cartlidge still has plenty of adventures ahead of him!

The flame is only beginning to burn.

Reviews are very important to authors. If you enjoyed Rise
of the Imperfect Flame, please consider submitting a review.
http://www.amazon.com/Cartlidge-Imperfect-Flame

As a special bonus, please provide an email address and be
among the first to receive a beta chapter of the second book in the Cartlidge series,
The Warlord’s Tomb, scheduled to be released in the spring of 2016. Send an
email to [email protected]
You
will receive
a link to Cartlidge – The Warlord’s Tomb, Chapter 1.

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