The Forsaken Arts

Chapter 5: Faxon

Upon their return, both men were emitted to the Recovery Center within the walls of Faxon under the care of Jasmine, the Lead Physician for the entire resistance.

She was young and always wore her dark hair wrapped neatly in a bun. Her thin, silver-framed, half-moon glasses sat perched on her tan button nose. Despite her young age, Jasmine's expertise in medicine helped many soldiers recover from near fatal injuries.

Meanwhile on the other side of the castle, a tall slender figure dressed in uniform of stature walked swiftly through a long and vast corridor.

Pillars of ivory and marble lined the hall on each side and thick maroon tapestries draped from the ceiling to the floor, interwoven between each pillar. Trying not to dash but still with urgency, he made his way to the door at the end.

He placed one hand on the handle while the other fixed his brown wavy hair. After taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door to reveal a beautiful ivory chamber which had chandeliers adorned with exquisite jewels that illuminated the room.

At the northern part of the room, above a platform sat a single large chair. It was made of gold and intricately designed with two lion's heads carved into the end of each arm rest.

The uniformed man approached the throne, halted then saluted, "Mikhail reporting your majesty, I have news of the Legion's mission."

On this magnificent throne sat Lord Kashif, a tall and toned man. He had brown cropped hair and eyes of silver that were passed from his father's side. Kashif was never a self-indulgent man; he didn't wear a lavish crown, but a simple one of gold which for a king was ironically the only jewelry he wore.

His subjects were loyal to him because they knew him to be a fair and just leader who'd give everything for the good of the kingdom. If need be he'd even offer the long coat off his back, made of arctic polar bear fur which he favored so much.

As Mikhail informed him of JinX's demise, the king shifted from one side of the chair to the other, clearly disturbed by the news.

"This is far worse than I thought possible, I honestly believed those three would stop Krinx and put an end to this war."

"Well Sir, I'm just glad that they made it back safely."

"Safely? You just said only two returned with their lives, if that's your idea of safely then why don't you join the rest and subdue to Krinx's will as well!" the king scolded.

"Sir, my humblest apologies, I was trying to stay positive. I meant only that things could have gone far worse, please forgive me."

"I'm not the one you should be asking forgiveness from; ask the one who willingly gave his life so that we might have a chance and allowed Dai and Osyrus to escape." he said angrily, rising from his throne.

"You're correct sir and for my negligence to the obvious, I truly am sorry. Please forgive me JinX and may the heroes of old welcome you unto their fold." he said while kneeling down before the king.

Before Kashif could say anymore on the topic, his messenger Sgt. Piper had entered the room and presented a traditional salute.

"Ah Sgt. Piper, What news do you have for me?"

Once spoken to, Sgt. Piper began lowering his salute and announced, "Sir, the Steel Guard has returned from their assignment. They're in route to your chambers."

"Excellent, with their report we can better prepare for our next assault on Krinx. Thank you Piper, you're dismissed." the king replied while motioning for him to leave.

"As you wish."

Sgt. Piper bowed then turned to exit through the dark mahogany doors from which he entered.

Intrigued and slightly puzzled Mikhail asked, "Sir, the Steel Guard?" I'm sorry but what is the Steel Guard, I've never heard of such a person?"

Kashif gestured for Mikhail to rise from kneeling, "The Steel Guard is a covert group consisting of the most skilled fighters we have left. Any information about them is highly classified and has been kept private from most of the resistance. Today I want you to meet them as you'll be briefing them soon on their next assignment."

Having knelt for a generous amount of time, Mikhail felt that his foot had fallen asleep. Trying to wake it from it's slumber while attempting to look professional, he didn't skip a beat.

"Sir I am honored to have the privilege to meet such people, however I must ask... I thought that Dai, Osyrus and JinX were the strongest fighters we had? On top of that, we just lost one of them when they confronted Krinx."

A grin emerged as the king went on to clarify, "There is much that's kept between only a select few in order to keep this information from the enemy, you never know who will give into his influence next..."

The sound of the throne doors opening interrupted the king mid-sentence. Five soldiers filed into the chamber, at the forefront of this group was a female soldier. Stepping forward, her auburn bob-cut hair swayed as she knelt before the king. The other soldiers followed her lead, showing the level of respect they held for both her and the king.

She quickly cut her rich green eyes over to see Mikhail, taken back she thought. Oh no... I didn't want him to find out this way. As she pulled her focus back to her majesty, she confidently exclaimed, "Sir, Steel Guard reporting upon mission completion as ordered, sir!"

The king spoke in a gentle tone while gesturing for them to rise.

"My friends, please - there's no need for the formalities. Cecilee, your unit has done far more for this war than the resistance put together. You have undergone classified missions that no ear shall ever hear of, it is I who is honored to be in your presence. Please tell me of your findings."

Just as the soldiers had followed her lead to kneel, they did the same while rising in unison. Having first waited for their leader return to her feet. Cecilee was mature in age but her adventurous nature kept her fit; she was like the mother figure to all who knew her, kind and nurturing yet stern.

Mikhail found himself stunned and fixated on her. Trying to maintain his composure, he redirected his attention back to the king while thinking to himself -What in the... my mother is a member of this elite unit?!