Blade West: Book 1

Chapter 16: The Celebration Pt. 2

"I've heard...many things about you." I managed to say. With a blank expression she said, "Oh yeah? Such as?" "Like that you are strong and are basically a force all by yourself." Her eyebrows went up and she said, "Well. I'm sure the people wouldn't lie." Ace rolled his eyes. "But I do have a question for you however. The question being – just how strong are you?" Her eyes were as solid as her expression was. Strong. Firm. Respected.

I took a bite of the roasted corn, looked back at her, and said, "I'm new here.  I've got more potential then I do power right now, I'admit, but I hope to get stronger. ." That answer didn't satisfy her. "Potential isn't what's going to lead this country. You'd better grow a backbone, or you'll get ran over." The statement shocked me, but I knew that. Everyone knew that. But to help her loosen up, I threw my hands up in a large gesture as I said, "Today's my first day! My potential will become reality. Now why don't you grab some food and introduce me to the people here?" Ace's mouth dropped and Ven's eyebrows went up. Hazel looked.... astonished? But then she grunted and said, "Servers? May I have some food here?" And suddenly 3 different plates of food were laid out on the table in front of her. She laid her shawl down on the bench and grabbed the utensils.  "Before I introduce you to people, we need to chat."

She took a few bites of food, and I continued to chow down myself. I looked over at Ace and he shrugged his shoulders in a I don't know what she wants kind of way.

Before long, glasses were placed in front of us filled with a red liquid. I reached for It, but hesitated. "Don't worry, it's not acholic if that's what you're wondering." Hazel said as she guzzled hers. I brought the glass to my lips, tilted it a little, and let the chilled liquid enter. It tasted like a grape/cranberry juice blend that was more acidic than it was refreshing. Maybe this was a "sparkling" kind of juice or something? Regardless, I did something that was probably not "princely" and tilted the glass all the way up and chugged it. I placed the glass down with the resounding Ahh and set my eyes on the lobster.

As I cracked open the tail, I said, "So what is it that you wanted to chat about Hazel?" "Kingdom politics. There are a few things that you need to be aware of here." She raised her empty glass in the air and one of the servers came and filled it. I did the same thing, and my glass was also filled. "The group that will give you the most headache here are the Juggernauts. They are exactly as they sound. They are a group that looks for danger and action and are determined to crush whatever is in their path. They are the type that would rather crush an enemy's camp immediately, rather than scout it out to see if any useful information could be found first. They are led by Crim, the captain of the group that was born and raised a juggernaut. His whole family has led the juggernauts for generations, and this time it is his turn. One thing to note is that juggernauts make up most of our military force.

You then have the Penumbra. They are our stealth force. As agents like darkness, they often move in the shadows. No one knows their tactics but their own members. They make up our intelligence unit and can find out even the most sinister plots and plans within a matter of days. Their methods are as effective as they are scary, and without their intel, many of our plans would fail. Though they serve His and Her Majesty, it is always in your favor to keep them in your graces. They are not the type you'd want to be an enemy against. They are the only squad led by dual leaders. One is Diane West and the other is –" 

"Keith West." I said interrupting as I took another swig of juice. 

Hazel's expression was blank. "How do you know that?" "Hasn't anyone told you my last name yet?" She frowned and then her eyes widened. "His last name is West." Ace said. I nodded. Her eyes went from surprise to amusement. "Oh really? So those are your parents huh?" "Indeed they are." "Well things just got interesting." She said as she took another bite of potatoes. "I've heard many things about my father Keith. I haven't seen him in almost a year, so I'm hoping to see him sometime." "He's currently deployed in the field. But he should be wrapping up within the next few days."