Chapter Eleven: Initiation


    Yue waited in the hospital the entire night. The Vanguard had a hospital near the cafeteria. It was rarely used, but now it had one occupant. Xander. Yue didn’t want to lose another friend. She’d been awake all night, waiting for him to wake up.


    He hadn’t yet. He was still alive, though. The doctor said there was nothing wrong with him psychically. Yue didn’t trust the doctor, though. What if he had been affected magically? The doctor wouldn’t be able to tell if anything happened. Yue’s leg was trembling. It had been for hours. She’d been trying to stay strong. But she was scared of losing Xander. She’d already lost a friend and one acquaintance. No more.


    She made a mental checklist of what she had to do today. First, Xander would wake up. He had to. Then, she would train with the other members who would fight in the Vanguard. Afterwards, she would talk to the Wolf about Eva. Lastly, she would talk to Xander about his time with the Cult. She didn’t know what she would do the rest of the day. She would probably just improvise.


    Her eyes kept closing, threatening to force her to sleep, but she kept them open. She would stay here awake until Xander was better. She knew realistically it didn’t make a difference if she fell asleep or not, but she didn’t care. She would be there for her friend even if he didn’t know it.


    She could see the sun rising, and she was getting a headache. Her eyes were definitely bloodshot by now. She looked over at Xander sleeping peacefully on his bed. Was it weird that she felt a little envious that he was sleeping?


    Her eyes closed. She tried to open them, but it was just too hard. She could feel herself falling asleep. But she needed to stay awake.


    She had too.


    She…


    “Did you stay here all this time waiting for me to wake up?” A familiar voice said amusingly.


    Yue opened her eyes immediately. Xander was awake and looking at her, smiling.! She hugged him, and he laughed, and patted her back.


    “You’re awake. Oh God, You’re alive.” Tears of joy fell from her eyes.


    “Of course I’m alive. But I won’t be for long if you don’t stop crushing me.”


    Yue abruptly let go of him. “Sorry.” Then she laughed.


    Xander was alive and well.


    — — —


    “To the right!” The Wolf shouted as Yue dodged Kol’s blade. She was practicing her defense, while Kolw as practicing his attack, so, while Yue did have a sword, all she could do was parry. Kol lunged hard, and she stuck her sword in the way. When he knocked it down, she cursed. Her hand stung from both swords clashing. She ducked as he swung again, and stepped back. He circled around her, and she moved too. He feinted forward and she adjusted accordingly.


    “Go, Yue!” Neena shouted, as Yue parried a thrust. Yue ignored her, sweat beading on her forehead. Even in practice, Kol was vicious. He stepped back and lunged, and she tried to parry. But he put too much strength into his thrust. She shrieked in alarm at the spike of pain and her sword flew out of her hand, Kol laid his sword at the base of her neck and smiled. He offered her his hand.


    “Good job,” He said. She took his hand and grimaced. Her hand would definitely be sore for a while.


    “Thanks. I’ll get you next time.”


    “Of course you will.”


    The Wolf came onto the circle and congratulated Kol on his success. As Yue walked off, she nodded to Neena, and cradled her hand. She should probably put ice on it. It would leave a bruise for sure.


    “You ok?” Neena asked.


    “I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt that much,” Yue lied.


    “I heard Xander woke up.”


    “Yeah. Doctor won’t let him out yet.”


    “Has he told you what happened with the Cult?”


    Yue shook her head. “Not yet. I didn’t have too much time to speak with him. He’ll tell us soon, probably. He did say one thing that worries me.”


    “What was that?” Neena asked.


    “He said we were in trouble right before he fainted.”


    “What does that mean?”


    “I don’t know,” Yue said, pursing her lips. “I’m not sure. It could mean anything really.” Neena nodded sadly.


    “Sad?”


    “Yeah,” Neena responded. “Diamond always used to have answers.”


    Yue nodded. “Always was the wisest one here. Now we’ve got to figure it out ourselves. We can do it, Neena.” The petite girl hugged Yue.


    “Oh, the Wolf’s calling me. Gotta go," Neena said, and rushed off, grabbing her sword in the process. Yue went with her since she needed to speak with the Wolf.


    “Neena, you can step up,” the Wolf spoke. “Yue, do you need anything?”


    “Sir, I know who killed–”


    “Shh!” The Wolf spoke harshly. “Meet me at my house in an hour. We shouldn’t be seen together.”


    “Yes, sir.” Yue saluted and walked off. She watched as Neena sparred, and then discreetly walked off toward her barracks. Halfway there, she switched direction and walked off to the Wolf’s cabin to wait for her captain.


    — — —


    The Wolf tapped Yue on the shoulder and she woke up. She was lying against the side of the cabin. She had dozed off as soon as she’d got there.


    “You should’ve slept more,” The Wolf chastised her. She was beginning to agree with him. “Get inside quickly. If you know who it is, you’re in danger.” She walked in the cabin, and looking both ways, the Wolf did too. When they were seated, the Wolf spoke.


    “What do you have for me?” He said somewhat nervously.


    “It was Eva!” Yue exclaimed. The Wolf nodded and sighed.


    “How do you know?” Yue opened her mouth and spoke.


    “She keeps talking about how much she hates Diamond,” She said quickly, “Talking about how me and her deserve to die and how Diamond was a jerk. She hated Diamond and would do anything to hinder her. She won’t tell me what Diamond did but she hates her way too much. She did it, I know she did! He was telling her friend how she didn’t do it but I know she did, there''s no way she didn’t!”


    The Wolf looked at her calmly. “She doesn’t admit to doing it?”


    “No, sir. But I know she did it.”


    “Do you have any proof?”


    Yue shook her head. “Not yet. But she said some suspicious things.”


    “That’s not enough,” The Wolf responded, furrowing his eyebrows. “You have to either make her admit it, or find some other proof that indubitably proves she did it.”


    “But I know it was her!” Yue said indignantly.


    “I understand. But you ‘knowing’ is not enough evidence to arrest her.”


    Yue sighed. “Yes, sir!”


    “You’re letting your emotions decide. Calm down. Keep searching. But now keep a closer eye on Eva. What exactly did she say?”


    “She said that any friend of Diamond’s deserved her fate. And that she didn’t kill Diamond but she thought about it.”


    “Kinda seems like the opposite of a confession,” The Wolf said, cocking his eyebrow.


    “She was just saying that so her friend wouldn’t snitch. She did it.”


    The Wolf sighed. “Fine. Say she did it. Just get me proof. Until then, there’s not much I can do. But if she is the killer, you should know that you talking to her is probably the best way to save your friends.”


    “How?”


    “Not only will she be distracted by you, but you can’t possibly be the next victim. If she kills you, everyone will know, since you’re always with her.”


    Yue nodded. “Can I leave now, sir?”


    “Not yet. I have something else I need to tell you. I have to leave.”


    Yue broke in. “What? Why? You’re needed here!”


    “I know, but the Parliament has called me to speak as an ambassador to Arcadia and Galacia, even Aleumdaun Seom. I need to convince them to come to the tournament. I should be back within a month, depending on how fast I can travel and convince the monarchs there. I’ll announce it formally soon, but I needed to tell you this because you’ll be on your own for a while. Make sure to keep training with the others in the Tournament.


    “And be careful. Without me, it’s possible you become a bigger target. Be careful, but don’t give up. Keep searching for the killer. I know you can do it.”


    Yue shook her head. “You can’t leave.”


    “I don’t want to.”


    “I know. It’s not your fault. I just…”


    “I understand, Yue. That is all. You may leave now.”


    Yue stood up and saluted. She walked out of the cabin, wondering.


    She really needed to talk to Xander. Hopefully, he had some sort of answer.


    And Zade. The mage-in-training. She hoped he could help too, whoever he was. She hoped he wasn’t just lying to her.


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    If he was, she would kill him.


    — — —


    Yue arrived after everyone else. Lunch had passed, and Yue had passed it with Joanne, who was really taking a liking to Yue. If it was anyone else, Yue would’ve found it suspicious. With Joanne, it was endearing. Now, she was in the hospital with Aster, Neena, and the others. Xander had promised to tell them what happened, so obviously, they came as quickly as they could.


    “Is everybody here?” Xander asked. They all nodded, and Xander kept talking. “So as you know, I went to join the Cult of Dautha. I can’t tell you everything that happened there, but it wasn’t pretty. At least I made it out.”


    “Please explain,” Aster demanded. Xander smiled.


    “Okay.”


    — — —


    “I told my parents,” Xander said, “That I wanted to join the cult. Obviously, they were very excited, but they seemed a little suspicious. Why now? I told them a convincing story of a fellow Vanguard soldier who converted me and they believed.


    “They brought me to a place in the Wilds, and there I saw two cult members wearing red attire. They had strange conical-shaped helmets on their heads. They blindfolded me, and one stabbed me with something, probably anesthesia, and I fell asleep there.


    “I woke up in a completely different place. When they took off the blindfold, I couldn’t see. And when I adjusted to the light, I saw the strangest room I’d ever been in.


    “There were strange markings in the room. I recognized the word ‘Dautha’ here and there. The place had a sort of strange aura around it, like it was evil. Just being there gave me goosebumps. There were several cult members around me in a circle. I was laying down, naked. My parents were gone.


    “I tried to stand up, but one pulled me down. He told me the process would start for me to enter the cult. They started to chant something. I’m not sure what they were saying, but it wasn’t anything good. Around me the ground started to glow and I felt an excruciating pain. I felt a bleeding around my chest. Even now I feel it. Eventually, the pain stopped.


    “One of the cult members gave me a red drink. I drank it, and it tasted like blood. It probably was. But I''m sure it was infused with magic, because it brought back the pain in my chest, and made me glow. My eyes turned red for a couple seconds, I was told. And it did something to my chest. I’ll show you what happened in a minute.


    “Afterwards, they forced me to sleep again. They told me that they would finish the process while I was asleep.


    “When I woke up once again, they did something to me. I’m not prepared to talk about it.” He teared up but kept going. “Then the process was done. They welcomed me as a brother, each hugging me. It was a strange experience.


    “Lastly, they made me swear some things. They made me swear to serve Dautha. They made me swear to put Dautha in front of everyone. Then they made me swear a third thing. One that I know will cause trouble.”


    He looked at them somberly. “They made me promise that when the time came, I would kill those in the Vanguard I needed to. Kill them so that Dautha’s will be made law.


    “I was forced to swear to kill you all. By name.”


    — — —


    Yue stared at Xander. Neena gasped. Alyx spoke up.


    “I’m sorry.”


    Xander nodded. “Thank you. It hurt to swear it, even knowing I would never do it. But I said I would. I’m the one who should be sorry.”


    “Hey,” Yue said, grabbing him. “You did nothing wrong. You did what we told you to. If anything, it’s our fault. Didn’t you say you would show us something?”


    Tears came out of his eyes and he nodded. Then he took off his shirt. He winced while he did so, as if it hurt. Soon, Yue saw why. She gasped.


    Scars everywhere. They looked like they were making a symbol, or maybe some words, but Yue couldn’t tell what they meant. They were recent and still bleeding. How did the doctor not tell Yue this? Most of Xander’s chest was marked. Even his back was scarred. Neena started to cry and hugged Xander.


    “Oh, Xander,” Neena cried, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to put you through this.”


    Xander winced when she touched his chest, but he still smiled and hugged her back. “It’s ok Neena. I chose this. This is for the greater good. I’ll be fine.”


    “Do they do this to every initiate?”


    Xander shook his head. “They decide it by chance. I guess I was one of the lucky ones.” He snorted.


    Yue couldn’t believe what he did. “I would’ve quit before they did any of this. Thank you.”


    Xander nodded once again. “I hope it does some sort of good. If not…”


    Poli looked straight-faced at him. “Good job.”


    Yue tried not to get angry with Poli. Good job? GOOD JOB? Xander risked his life and got several bruises and all Poli said was ‘Good Job’? Yue breathed slowly in and out to not explode.


    “Didn’t the Wolf call a Vanguard meeting in half an hour?” Xander asked.


    Yue nodded. “I don’t think you need to go, though. You need to rest.”


    “I''m fine.” He stood up and immediately winced. Yue forced him back into bed.


    “You need to recover. We’ll tell you what happens. Until then, try to get some rest. Please. You deserve it.” Xander nodded for a third time and lay back. After a minute, he opened them again.


    “You know,” Xander said, “It was cute and all when Yue waited for me to wake up, but now it just feels creepy that you’re all looking at me.” He chuckled. The group took the hint and decided to leave. It was time to see what the Wolf had to say.


    Yue hoped Xander would heal quickly. He’d sacrificed for them. It was a miracle he’d survived.


    Xander was a good friend. Yue was glad he hadn’t died. She just wished Diamond and Jos hadn’t died either.


    — — —


    The Wolf announcing his short departure sent shockwaves through Yue’s friend group. Even though they didn’t react until they returned to Xander, when they did, all hell broke loose.


    “He can’t leave!” Poli yelled angrily. “We’ll be sitting ducks.”


    “We already are,” Xander responded. “Or at least, I am.”


    “What are we going to do, Yue?” Neena asked, but her voice was drowned out.


    “The Wolf is supposed to protect us,” Alyx murmured. “How will he do that now? That bastard!”


    Aster covered her ears, and yelled. Everyone stopped and looked at her.


    “I heard what Neena said, and I wanted to ask the same thing too. What do we do, Yue?” Yue found everyone’s eyes on her, and she shook her head.


    “Why me? Who nominated me the leader?”


    “That’s a good point,” Poli spoke, and Aster glared at her.


    “She’s right,” Yue said. “I’m not the oldest here, or the one who''s been here longest. Why are you looking at me?”


    “Because you’re the strongest.” Neena’s voice was firm.


    “Swordsmanship has nothing to do with who should be a leader. That’s the whole reason the cult is wrong.”


    “We’re not talking about swordsmanship, Yue,” Aster replied. “We’re talking about inside. We were all broken up about Diamond. Who had the guts to try to find who did it?”


    “Jos did.” Yue choked.


    “But who talked with him about it? You did. We know you’re searching for the killer. We don’t know what to do. Meanwhile, you’re comforting us at every turn. Have you seen the effect you’ve had on Neena and Alyx after you talked to them?”


    Yue wanted to argue, but Aster was right. She had noticed Neena and Alyx were a little happier now. Alyx was still depressed usually, but she had been looking up recently.


    “Only a true friend would do all this. You’re keeping us together. Just like a leader should.”


    “What about Xander?” Yue asked. “He’s been more proactive. Or maybe even Poli.” Poli nodded. “She hasn’t shown any emotion over Diamond’s death.”


    “I’m wounded. Even if I could be a leader, it’s not the best time,” Xander said, smiling. “You deserve it more anyway. And Poli, no offense, but not showing any emotion isn’t a great thing. If even to your friends your emotions are unclear, something’s wrong.” Poli frowned a little, but didn’t respond. “Clearly, you’re the best choice.”


    Yue bit her lip. “Fine. Let’s vote on it. If I don’t get the majority, I refuse to become leader. If you want me to lead us, raise your hand.”


    “Look at her,” Alyx laughed. “She’s already leading.” Neena and Aster chucked, and Yue smiled. Xander chortled loudly, then doubled over in pain. Clearly, his chest still hurt.


    “Um…Nobody is raising their hand. I guess that means I’m not leader.” Yue shrugged, but inwardly sighed in relief.


    “Hey!” Neena shouted. “I vote for you.” She raised her hand, followed by Xander and Aster. Poli and Artemis shook their heads in clear defiance. Yue also didn’t raise her hand.


    That left Alyx. She looked at Yue.


    “I know you don’t want it. But we believe in you. We’re putting our trust in you. So reciprocate it. You have to believe we’re making the right choice.” She raised her hand.


    Yue slumped. “I don’t know what to do.”


    A hand grabbed her shoulder, and she looked up at Aster. “You don’t have to do everything. That’s why we’re here. We’ll all help each other. And don’t worry, if you’re no good at this job, we will fire you.” Yue rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless.


    “Okay, I accept. Not that I have a choice.”


    “Great. So what do we do?” Neena asked.


    Yue thought for a second.


    “It’s time to be proactive,” She said. “We have to look for the killer. Start with subliminals. I’m pretty sure Eva killed Diamond but I’m not sure, so here’s what we need to do. Talk with other people. Give them hints about Dautha or Diamond. Anything that will bait the killer towards us. If possible, change what you say with every person, to make it more obvious if anything happens who it was. Does this make sense?” Everyone nodded. “Okay. Xander, you stay here. I have to spend a lot of time with Eva and Joanne because the Wolf told me to find the killer, and those were his suspects. Two of them, anyway.”


    “There was a third one?” Xander asked.


    “Yes. I hate to say this, but the Wolf suspects Poli of having done it.” Neena gasped, and Poli’s eyes narrowed.


    “How dare he,” She said threateningly. “How dare he assume I would kill my friend? And how dare you even mention it, Yue?”


    “I didn’t want to, I—”


    “No,” Xander yelled, getting up. “I don’t know about anyone else, but I, for one, am tired of this. Poli, you have to stop. I don’t know what happened to you since Diamond died, but your behavior is unacceptable. You’ve been a jerk to all of us. You’ve been distant. Cold, even. You act like nothing is happening until it’s about you. I’m sorry, but if you’re acting like this, then I don’t want you anywhere near me anymore. Not until you''ve fixed whatever you’re going through.” Poli gasped, and tears came into her eyes. Artemis pushed Xander roughly.


    “Don’t talk to my girl like that!”


    “No, he’s right,” Poli said clearly. “I’ve been a bad person to all of you. I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to talk. I felt horrible about Diamond’s death. I’m the one who brought up the cult. Diamond died because of that, and she was the one who disagreed with me. I felt guilty. That’s why I’ve been distant. I thought you all felt the same way. Like the Wolf does.”


    “We don’t feel like that,” Alyx responded. “We never did. I’m sorry you feel that way, but next time, you should talk to us about it.”


    “I will,” Poli sniffled. “I’m sorry.” Yue accepted the apology, but didn’t say anything. Artemis glared at everyone, and Yue wanted to say something about him too, but now wasn’t the time. Some other day then.


    “Okay,” Yue broke the silence. “We each know what we need to do. We should come back to Xander’s room every night to discuss any major issues or successes, and fill each other in. I, for one, am excited to see where this goes. Let’s make the Wolf’s trip profitable for all of us. Xander, we’ll leave you alone now. Get some rest.”


    “I will.”


    They departed, and Yue went off to get some more practice before dinner. Hopefully, Joanne and Eva were there. She needed to spend time with them, no matter how much she didn''t want to.


    Joanne was nice. But she still worshiped Dautha, so Yue had to step lightly around her. But Eva, Yue just wanted to step on her. That girl needed to learn her lesson. Hopefully, Yue would be the one to do it.


    — — —


    Yue was tired. She’d found Joanne at the green, and they’d been sparring for an hour. She’d eaten dinner with both Eva and Joanne, and tried to hint to both of them that she was interested in Dautha and Diamond’s death. Neither seemed to respond to it very much, both preferring to talk about the tournament and what it would bring. Yue had finished dinner long after the sun had set. She’d gone to Xander’s room in the hospital after that, and none of her friends had any interesting news. After that, she’d taken a short walk, just thinking. It was probably almost midnight now, and she was exhausted. It had been a busy day.


    She took off her shoes, and tried to get up. After a couple unsuccessful attempts she finally did. She walked over to the door to her barracks slowly, groggily. Her legs were spaghetti and she wobbled over. She opened the door.


    She strode over to her bed and sat down, looking at nothing. A lot of the girls who slept at this barrack were already here, most sleeping. She was pretty sure Eva had already come here. She entertained a thought of hurting her in some way, but quickly dismissed it. Eva might not be innocent, but maybe she didn’t kill Diamond.


    She grabbed her pillow, and as she did so, something fell out. A piece of paper. Her smile vanished. She quickly made sure nothing else was in her bed. Who had sent this? An admirer? A murderer? The Wolf to give her an extra job? She felt less secure now and looked around, expecting someone to be looking at her. Nobody was, obviously. She breathed a sigh of relief and grabbed the piece of paper. Her relief vanished and turned into horror as she read what was on the paper.


    You’re next.


    She didn’t sleep at all, eyes wide the entire night. She didn''t feel tired anymore.


    Just scared.