Memoirs of a Guardian (Original Story)

Chapter Nine: Part Three

There's a certain science to lying, but ironically the most effective liars build trust with the person they're lying to first. The quickest way to do this is to first prove your credibility in areas where you won't need to lie, and then mix in some half-truths with the lies you tell afterwards. Always maintain direct eye contact, and throw in a few casual gestures with your hands. Speak calmly and rationally.

I know some people reading this are going to recoil. How morally wrong! they'll say. Lying is never acceptable!

Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not advising that people lie to cover up wrongs they've done or to take advantage of others. In my line of work (I don't really have a specific one, but I do know it's dangerous, whatever it is) a lie can save your life or someone else's. In cases like that, lying is an acceptable thing to do- at least it is in my book (which this is).

I mention these tips because throughout the course of this series of memoirs, I will document times I was taken advantage of by people I trusted significantly, and knowing how to lie also means you can sometimes tellwhen someone is lying.

By the way, I'm not in the best mood today, because Ten rigged a bucket of Riavach Cleaning Elixir over my door last night and I didn't see it until, well...

Alright, change of subject. Read on!

After the first couple days of training in Combat- the "pick up your sword and don't drop it!" part- kids at the Talent Trials moved on to learning how to use weapons. In my opinion, putting a bunch of adolescents in a room and letting them use pointy objects to whack at each other isn't the best idea. But I wasn't in charge.

So far I had managed not to die during the few classes I'd attended, but I hadn't been able to get better than mediocre at fighting anyone. Commander Greenclan, though usually in a bland sort of mood, had decided that I was hopeless, and more than once informed me that the only reason I was still in the Trials was because Instructor Ferraldi stuck up for me.

I privately blessed Instructor Ferraldi.

"I hate Combat," I grumbled as Jara, Ten, Usir, and I walked through the doors of the Combat area the next day.

Ten grinned. "You might say it has no porpoise."

I glanced over at him with sleep-deprived eyes. "Enough with the dolphin jokes, Ten, please? I'm not up to them right now."

"That's fine, Pay."

Commander Supercilian's sharp voice came from the end of the room. "Mr. Ravika, Mr. Tyler, Ms. Waverlyn, and Orphan 3 are late for class. Students, is there anything you want to say, or will you come and sit down with the rest of your classmates?"

Ten smiled winningly. "Aw, Supercilian, we're only a few seconds late."

We were forty seconds late, actually, and we would have been on time, but Ten had insisted that we use the secret passages to get to class so we wouldn't have so far to go, and for that we'd had to wake Willow up. Willow hates being woken up before at least nine o'clock AM, and since she was irritated, it had taken us awhile to get her to take us.

Instructor Supercilian didn't seem amused. "Mr. Tyler, you may act as though all Ilhasanien is yours in other classes, but in mine you will conduct yourself with respect."

Ten didn't seem bothered by this. "Where's Greenclan?"

"Commander Greenclan has been summoned by the Warrior League to assist with a problem none of you need know about," Instructor Supercilian said haughtily, his eyes cold. "Sit, please." He waved a hand at the stiff wooden chairs our other classmates were already in. "And Dragon Dung Duty with Buzz for you, Mr. Tyler."