Though training his men was going well, politics up top were not. Cedrick's clash with Rackrith was causing more trouble. Cedrick felt it was the leaders' inability to get along that caused the resistance to be such a mess.
Cedrick, Arylana, and Roxorim made it a point to meet up for a bit each day to discuss the issues and 'train', though it was a lot more like playing.
"I couldn't agree more." Arylana groaned when Cedrick confessed his thoughts. Roxorim was running late. "It's like they need someone to slap them back into place. It's Mercutio's job, but he's too afraid of making the wrong move and losing the trust of the men. I've told him a million times; it's his job. It won't lose him any respect. If it does anything, it will gain him respect."
"When did you tell him that?" Cedrick asked as he tossed her the ball that they were using to practice.
Arylana caught it as she said uneasily, "Well, I... let's just say I sometimes talk with him."
"On your own?" Cedrick asked, surprised as he watched Arylana throw the ball into the air and easily cut it in half with a well-aimed hit of her blade.
"Well yeah," Arylana admitted as Cedrick picked up the halves and used magic to put it back together. Then he threw it up.
"Well," he said, hitting the ball and breaking it in half just as easily as Arylana had. "at least you have his ear."
"Well, we try not to advise each other much, only if the other asks. It's kind of our agreement." Arylana said.
"Ah," Cedrick said as he tossed Arylana the repaired ball. "I see, so you're the one he goes to when he wants to kill." He smiled at Arylana.
She flushed. "It's not like that. Not like you and Elphacena."
"If you say so." Cedrick shrugged as Arylana hit the ball so hard the pieces went flying. Cedrick had to bend back quickly to avoid it. "Hey," he said.
"Sorry," Arylana said. Then she sighed, "but you're right. We need an outside force to get the council back to its feet."
"Yeah, well good luck with that." Cedrick sighed, putting the ball back together.
"Why do you need an outside force?" Roxorim had shown up.
"Took you long enough, where have you been?" Arylana asked, hitting the ball again.
"Sorry," Roxorim shrugged.
"I was just saying how I feel we need an outside force to get the commanders to start working together; you know, a threat or something to balance them out." Cedrick explained, tossing Arylana the ball.
"Well, when you figure that out, let me know." Roxorim smiled, taking the ball Arylana offered him and taking a swing at it with his own sword.
"I think you'll know if we figure it out." Cedrick said as he again repaired the ball. "We'll start doing something worth doing." Cedrick watched the ball go up into the light. "We'll do something worth remembering."
***
And it wasn't long before that opportunity came. Cedrick was walking to a meeting when...Crash! Cedrick toppled to the ground. A body flew over the top of him. Cedrick shook himself and turned around. It was a messenger; Cedrick could tell by the patch on his arm. He seemed to be in a state of advanced panic. He apologized so rapidly Cedrick couldn't hear it.
As Cedrick helped the messenger up, the messenger kept stuttering about something. "Large... th-th-thousands... got to warn...got to run."
"Wait; slow down. What's the matter?" Cedrick asked.
YOU ARE READING
The Custodian Chronicles: The Rising (Finished)
FantasyHeklis is insane, so Cedrick has to be crazier. Cedrick Custod is the youngest line of the world's God empowered protectors. He is their best hope to defeat Heklis, but his father won't allow it and no one knows why. Cedrick is sure it's because of...
