The New Guard (Crossroads Book 1) (22 page)

“I’m not
certain now would be the best time. I’m sure a father finding his daughter with
a man in the wee hours of the morning might inspire him to use the
aforementioned skills.”

“See,”
said the angel, “I knew you were a smart lad.”

Hogan
bowed slightly to all in the room as he reached behind himself for the door
handle. “Pardon the lateness; I got a little carried away. Yes, I think I shall
be back tomorrow; daylight does seem better for a meeting.”

“Yero,
your captain and ally, will give you an opportunity,” the angel stated with
such authority that Hogan and Deborah did not doubt the truth of his statement.

Hogan
turned to Deborah and smiled saying “Tomorrow then.” Then he went out the door.
For a minute Deborah watched the door; then she heard Eve’s laughter. She
turned to find her sister standing behind the Beagle. As she continued, to
laugh she warned, “You are so busted!”

The
Beagle turned to Eve and said, “Were you not on watch with her and supposed to
report anything unusual?” The Beagle left the room, as the mirth of the moment
drained away.

“What do
you think, Yero?”

David was
tense, but he was taking things more calmly than Deborah had thought he would.
Yero had come at breakfast to inform David that the council would not meet that
day either. As the rest of the group cleaned up and prepared to train or learn
for the day, the Beagle chose that moment to recount the early morning events.
Eve made herself scarce; Deborah stopped working and sat down. The Coterie
brothers quickly moved the other children from of the room. Yero stood the
entire time. After reporting the facts, the Beagle found a corner and curled up
in it. David turned to Deborah, intense questioning in his eyes.

For her
part, Deborah held herself straight and unflinching. “I’m sorry,” she said
before anything else could be said. “Not for the kiss, but tor the hour that it
happened. I’m sorry I didn’t have the courage to tell you sooner. I couldn’t
seem to find the proper time. I really like him, Dad. . .”

“A lot,”
the Beagle said from the corner. Both David and Deborah shot the angel a harsh
look. The Beagle merely closed its eyes and feigned sleep. Yero, still
standing, suppressed a smile.

“I know
you warned me about him,” Deborah continued, “and getting entangled with him
may create problems.” She paused to catch her breath. “I trust his intentions,
Dad. I believe he’s genuine and doesn’t intend harm.”

“I would
trust that statement more,” David said, “if it wasn’t for the hour of his
calling and the complications of his family connections.”

It was
then that David turned to Yero and asked what he thought of the situation.

“Hogan is
a fine young man,” Yero replied. “He has never been disloyal to his family.
However, the death of his mother, the subsequent abandonment he experienced
from his father, and the constant reminders of his status by the family around
here, have left him distant toward all of them. I highly doubt he would be
involved in a plot against your family. This does not mean that Lord Avrant
would not attempt to use such a situation to his advantage should he know of
it. Lord Avrant is a cunning man and not one to waste opportunities.”

David
nodded at this, though Yero raised his hand to forestall comment. “I would have
you address Hogan directly. I will arrange for him to come to you this
afternoon. Talk with him. I must also apologize for my part in this. It was I
who let the boy know when Deborah was on watch. I did not consider that
something like this might happen, though I should have. He has been brooding
these last two days and had become next to useless. He genuinely cares for your
daughter, and the thought of ruining what had begun between them was vexing
him.”

Deborah
blushed, trying hard to control her breathing and the goofy smile attempting to
take hold of her lips. Oblivious, David, not noticing this, nodded and thanked
Yero. After Yero bowed and left, David turned to his daughter, who had gained
some composure.

“I
appreciate your feelings,” he began. “However, I am upset at your lack of
caution. We are in dire times. I need you to go to your room; the Beagle will
accompany you. I am going to train with your brothers and sisters. Hopefully,
sparring with First Thunder or hitting a practice dummy will help me relieve
some frustration at the fact that my daughter was kissing a lieutenant in the
middle of the night.”

David
walked over and kissed Deborah on the head before he left. The Beagle padded
over to her and tugged on the hem of her skirt. “Come,” the angel spoke softly,
“let us seek counsel and peace from the Word.”

Deborah
quietly followed.

Using what
subtle technology that still worked in the Crossroads, Lord Avrant was in
direct talks with his family in the Third, Fourth, and Ninth Kingdoms, they
were the closest to him and shared similar goals. Already the kings and queens
of these realms were preparing for the eventual arrival of the new twelve.
Small, discreet tactical forces were dispatched from these kingdoms to aid
their kin in his struggle. The forces were highly mobile: thus, in the span of
the week since David’s and Avrant’s confrontation, they were nearing the
borders of the Seventh Kingdom.

To his
other family members, he sent swift messengers bearing letters detailing the
words of the Truth Blade and the precautions he was taking to combat a usurping
force. He did not give the full details of what was happening in his kingdom
for various reasons; amongst them, he didn’t trust them to not take advantage
of his perceived weakness, and he also knew some would heed the “call of God”
to step aside. Avrant and his like-minded kin would deal with them in time.

While
Avrant saw to the preparations of war, he wondered at the various reactions of
his family as they read his letters. Writing was not the standard form of
communication between the thrones. He knew Insur would be furious that Avrant
had not used the mist to communicate directly with him, but the king of the
Seventh Kingdom did not have time for dealing with the high king. He would deal
with the head of the family royal once all this business was done.

For now,
Avrant spent his days holding council with General Kolk, securing the castle
proper, and preparing to abolish the council. Lord Avrant had come to realize
that council politics weakened the Seventh Kingdom. What he needed were loyal
landlords who would maintain the kingdom’s resources and follow orders given to
them by the crown. To the several council members he could trust, he sent
secret communiques that didn’t divulge details, but made promises of greater
power for their fealty. When the forces from the other kingdoms arrived, he
would change the look of this kingdom and hopefully begin to eliminate the
threat of the Koens.

What was
known and who knew it was being orchestrated by the various groups throughout
the Way World. Chief amongst these were the spies of the Void. The spies of the
Devil are craftier than those mortal born. The Manipulator used the best of
these to monitor his sphere of influence. He knew nearly all that was worth
knowing. He knew of the developments that transpired within Way House even if
he could not get a spy directly to the house, due to the angel presiding there.
He knew of and prompted Lord Avrant’s manic plans against his own council and
the Koens. He also knew of and participated in the scheming of the various
council members, though there were limits as to what he could put into motion.

The
Fallen One had communicated to all those in his power and given them very
specific instructions. These were to be followed without fail. Each of the
demons and Void forces would be given one chance to prove their worth to the
Lord of Darkness. Within the next few days they were to rain chaos upon the
Seventh Kingdom and use that as a cloak to dispatch the new twelve. If they
failed in this endeavor, they would be punished and new plans would be made in
order to corrupt and waylay the ascension of the Koens to the Hub World
thrones.

Caliban
was not pleased with his new position as leader of the Dark Riders. He was left
with a tattered band that was forced to operate outside the confines of their
normal modus operandi. Nevertheless, he obeyed orders and kept his growing
resentment to himself. He gathered his band of Dark Riders to his banner. They
retreated to the outskirts of Ven with a small band of thralls and waited.

Though
the riders quickly grew restless with the forced waiting, it was good that
Caliban had time to reorganize his riders, for they were severely depleted and
had new issued to contend with. When Ferreter returned from his failed attempt
to capture the last Koen child, within him was placed a Hell Fire that now
burned through his veins. Though eventually this could be turned to his
advantage, it was mainly a torture that would eventually burn him up from the
inside out. Vex too had become strangely quiet since his direct encounter with
the King of the Fiery Lake. Caliban was unsure what had transpired after
communication was broken with the whole group, but he knew Vex had been dealt
an unpleasant punishment. Now he was often found training at night, trying to
access the full potential of the Void power within him. Only time would tell if
these challenges would make Caliban’s force stronger or lead to their downfall.

Yero
stood with Hogan outside the back door of the Way House. Hogan eyed it
nervously, unwilling to proceed. Yero looked at the young lieutenant and
grinned.

“I’m not
going to go in there with you,” he said flatly.

Hogan
balked and stared at his captain. “What?” his voice broke in fear. “Why not?”

Yero let
out a small, quiet laugh. “You’ve helped me roust out goblins from hidey-holes.
Our troop has chased after Dark Riders and battled a colony of chiroptera. Let
us not forget the various bandits and killers it is our job to bring to
justice. Yet, going and talking to a father about his daughter frightens you?”

“Well,
yes; all those other things could do was kill me. This is dangerous.”

Yero lost
control and laughed outright. He took nearly a minute to get control of
himself. “You will do fine. Be honest and straightforward with him. He already
has a good opinion of you. All you have to do is express your feelings for his
daughter. However, as you apologize for kissing his daughter whilst he slept
upstairs, make sure he has the Sword of Truth on him.”

Hogan
paled and broke out into a sweat. “Whatever for?”

“Well he
is somebody who is very much mindful of the power and presence of the sword;
therefore, he will be mindful not to harm or kill you should he be wearing it.
Now, if he is wearing a different blade, you’d best run should he start at you.
If he has no visible weapon, you’ll have a fifty-fifty chance.”

Hogan
started to regain his color as he studied the whimsy on Yero’s face. “You
really are enjoying this far too much. Are you truly not coming in?”

“Look,” Yero
said sympathetically, “my job was to get you out of the castle and away from
your cousin’s spies. Yes, you now have to face a Truth Blade, but that is
probably a good thing. He has the Word, which will affirm that you don’t ally
yourself with Avrant and his plans to kill his family. He will know you speak
honestly when you tell him of your feelings for Deborah, and this will make him
less likely to maim or kill you.”

With a
nervous laugh, Hogan asked, “Only less likely?”

Yero
shrugged, “He is a father. All joking aside, you don’t have anything to be
nervous about. This isn’t your cousin’s court. You don’t have to worry about
the Truth Wielder judging you based on your family status; only your integrity.
Now, unless his daughter doesn’t mean that much to you, I’d get in there before
you're late.”

With
these final words Yero knocked on the back door. Nearly instantaneously, First
Thunder opened it. Seeing they were allies, he motioned for them to enter. Yero
declined and prodded Hogan forward. Yero took a step backward and then spoke
once more to Hogan.

“I’m
going to make a diversion for Avrant’s spies. Your way from here will be clear.
Meet me at the barracks when you’re done.”

Hogan
turned slightly as he continued into the house and nodded. Then he was gone,
and First Thunder secured the door. Yero turned with a smile on his lips and
departed.

After a
moment, in the shadows cast by the eaves of the house, something shifted. Deep
within the inkiest part of the shadows lay a creature. It was formless and indistinguishable
from the shadows in which it was wrapped. It barely even existed on the plain
of reality that corporeal life dwelt in. It showed no signs of life, no rhythm
of bodily functions, no sense of self. Its pitch black eyes recorded what it saw,
and its
lobeless
ears recorded the sounds around it.
When it had the opportunity, it would attach itself to the darkness of a
passing creature and make its way back to its handler, where all the stored
images and sounds would be revealed.

*

Deborah
ate little as she herself was nervous. To her left, Hogan was also picking at
his food. David, however, was eating just fine. Hogan noted that he was wearing
the Sword of Truth and did find this somewhat comforting. Though he was stuck,
as he often was, on how to speak up, he knew that once he could find his words
they would be judged fairly. How to begin, though? He had no pithy joke to
share, no trivial fact to bring up, and no observation of the weather that
would help him even begin talking. Then a pea hit him in the head.

Hogan
looked up from his plate in surprise. He saw David still eating away. Then he
looked over to Deborah and saw her imploring eyes. Without meaning to, he
loudly asked, “Did you just throw a pea at me?”

David
stopped eating, a smile growing at the corner of his lips. Deborah, blushing,
did not drop her eyes from Hogan. A little flame seemed to burn within them
now, and the same heat was heard in her quiet whispered reply to Hogan.

“Yes, I
wanted your attention and you seemed so deep into your thoughts or your plate.
I felt throwing food at you was the best way to get your attention.”

“I blame
myself,” David said with mock severity. “I’m afraid I’ve not done my best to
teacher my daughter subtlety.” Turning slightly, he gazed at Deborah with a
stern eye. “Dear, next time your dinner partner is not focused appropriately on
you or important matters at hand, lightly nudge him with a foot, so as not to
draw the entire table's attention.”

David
could have continued, but the mortified look on Deborah’s face was too
priceless and he laughed. She very quietly replied, “Thanks, Dad; I’ll take
that into consideration next time.”

Hogan
looked at the two of them and smiled. Then without a conscious thought he said,
“I love her.”

Deborah
blushed so brightly she nearly radiated light. David folded his hands in front
of him. “I’m grateful you aren’t just kissing her to see if it suits your
fancy.”

“Dad!”
Deborah yelled, but could say no more for the embarrassment taking hold of her.

Hogan
dropped his eyes back to his plate. After the briefest of moments, he spoke up
softly. “I can’t say I’ve ever really enjoyed being part of my family, but they
were family. I’m saddened and angered by my cousin’s actions and words, and
wish I was a stronger man to stand up against him.”

Hogan
took a deep breath and looked up at David. After a moment he shifted his gaze
back to Deborah. “As nervous as I am right now, there is a sense of peace deep
within me. I can’t quite express it or properly analyze the true depths of my
feelings, though I would say that being here with you, sir, and your daughter
feels right. It feels like. . . home.”

A
breath’s span, no longer, Hogan spent staring into Deborah’s eyes that were now
sparkling with happiness, before David sighed heavily and began to speak,
weariness in his voice.

“Hogan,
as much as I like you, I can’t in good consciousness just give you a blessing
to court my daughter. Though you may not have close ties with your family, you
are extremely aware of the politics therein. Now these politics are shifting.
There will be others in your family like Lord Avrant who will seek to destroy
the will of God. I don’t know how the ascension of my family and the retirement
of your family will proceed. I do, however, know that you two would never be
allowed to have a normal relationship. Furthermore, should you ally with us,
how would that look? My children’s battle for the twelve thrones could very
well be long and bloody. Where will you stand? At our side, journeying from
place to place, or holed up in a friendly region? Will you wait here, or act as
a spy and risk being used by your cousin and family and possibly put into a
political marriage? Would you prefer to be a courier between different camps
allied to us? Tell me, where do you think you fit in? How do you think a
relationship with my daughter will be possible?”

Hogan was
looking at David as he talked, but his hand had found its way into Deborah’s.
Deborah watched both men intently, feeling the dread and uncertainty of her
future as she had never imagined. She saw her father in a starker light as he
asked each question of Hogan. The man who had raised her had never seemed less
positive. She knew now, beneath all his trust in God and optimism lay a mind
that saw many opportunities for things to go wrong before he saw the
possibility of something going right. She then wondered about Hogan and how he
would react to her father, as well as how he would react should any of what her
father had proposed truly happen.

Hogan
squeezed Deborah’s hand and took a deep breath. “I will serve you and Deborah
to the best of my abilities and in whatever capacity you see fit or necessary.
I am aware that any relationship Deborah or I would have would be complicated
by current politics and I won’t have an opportunity to properly court her, but
I would very much still like to have the opportunity to be in her presence.”

Deborah
was holding tightly to Hogan’s hand with both of hers, and with Herculean
effort she resisted kissing the lips that spoke so fondly of her. David was
shaking his head as he stood from the table. He pushed in his chair and held
firm to the back.

“What
fools love does make. You will be counted amongst our allies and have my
permission to visit our current residence. Don’t make a habit of it though, for
as good as Yero is, there are spies for the Void that even angels have
difficulty finding and thwarting. Your allegiance to my house and love of my
daughter will not long be a secret. Watch out for yourself for my daughter’s
sake, if for no other. You two may have five minutes to say goodbye, then you
should be heading back. If at all possible, try to look distraught and angry
when you leave. You never know what watches these quarters.”

With
that, David left the room. When Hogan turned from the parting form of David he
was greeted by Deborah, who wrapped her arms about him and pulled him into a
deep kiss. When the two finally broke to take a breath Deborah whispered, “I
love you, too.”

Hogan
smiled. He had said he loved her and was marveling at the truth of his
confession. Also there welled up within him so much joy at hearing Deborah say
those words to him and knowing she meant them. He took his hands and held her
face between them. As typical, he could not find the words to properly express
himself which left him with one response. He kissed her again.