The King's Guard

Chapter 38

The summons came early. Kael woke to the sound of the bell and the steady footsteps of Darius in the corridor. He dressed quickly, fastening his belt with hands that moved more from habit than awareness. When he stepped out, the others were already gathered. Reyna standing with her bow strapped across her back, Jared smirking like he’d been waiting all morning, and Kyna adjusting the folds of her cloak.

Darius gave them the details in the most straightforward way possible. “Escort duty. Stormhaven noble through the Arknell pass. Limited guard presence. You’re to keep him safe until he reaches the far end.”

Jared tilted his head. “A noble? That’s it? Not exactly thrilling.”

Reyna’s tone was sharp. “Thrilling isn’t the point. You want to pass exams, you learn to keep people alive.”

Kael kept his silence, though he noted the way Jared’s eyes gleamed, not with respect for the assignment, but with the excitement of being seen in public beside a nobleman.

The march to Arknell took most of the morning. The pass itself was narrow, cut deep into the cliffside, with sheer walls that blocked the wind but offered too many vantage points for an ambush. Their charge waited with a pair of attendants: Lord Alester, wrapped in a thick mantle of green and gold. His banners carried the Stormhaven crest, bright against the dull rock.

Jared stepped forward first, bowing with a flourish. “Lord Alester. House Varion sends its loyal greetings.”

Kael noted the flash of recognition in the noble’s eyes. Jared clearly wanted it noticed too.

Alester’s voice was thin but measured. “An escort squad. Young faces for such a road.”

Reyna answered before Jared could. “Young, but trained. You’ll arrive intact.”

They set off in a tight column. Lord Alester was in the centre, his attendants just behind, the squad spread around them. Kael walked close to Reyna, scanning the ridges above. The air was too still. No bird calls, no trickle of loose stone.

“Too quiet,” Reyna murmured.

Kael nodded. “They’ll wait until the middle. No cover there.”

Jared overheard and snorted. “Paranoia. This is a parade. He waves his banners, we look dangerous, no one dares to try anything.”

Kyna’s eyes flicked over to him. “Unless they see a noble with only four cadets for protection. Then it’s an opportunity.”

Jared rolled his eyes but didn’t argue further.

The first strike came where Kael expected: halfway through, where the path narrowed to a single lane hugging the cliff. Rocks tumbled from above, clattering onto the track. The attendants froze. Lord Alester’s mount reared, and Kael grabbed the reins before the noble could be thrown.

Figures appeared on the ridge, cloaks dark against stone. Arrows hissed down, striking sparks from the rock.

“Shields up!” Reyna barked, moving instinctively in front of the noble.

Kyna flung a knife, dropping one archer before he could notch again. Kael’s blade flashed as another rebel scrambled down the slope, lunging for the column.

Jared hesitated. His sword was drawn, but his body held stiff, eyes darting more toward the noble than the attackers. “We need to move him…get him out…”

Kael cut him off. “We hold here first!” He shoved the rebel aside and pressed into the gap, forcing the line to hold.

Arrows kept falling. Kael shouted over his shoulder. “Kyna, flank right! Reyna, cover his side!”

Reyna didn’t question. She moved, loosing a shaft that struck an archer mid-draw. Kyna disappeared into the rocks, her cloak melting into the shadows.

The noble’s attendants were cowering, doing nothing useful. Jared grabbed one of them, shouting. “Stay with me, stay close!”

Another rebel leapt down from above, blade aimed at Reyna. Kael stepped between them without thinking. Steel rang, the force rattling his arm. He drove his shoulder forward, knocking the man back, then cut him down in a single clean stroke.

Reyna gave him a brief look. Something like acknowledgment without words, and turned back to cover the noble.

Kyna reappeared moments later, pushing another rebel down the slope. “Clear on the right!”

Kael looked to Jared. “Left side’s open, push them back!”

But Jared froze again. His sword hovered at shoulder height, his boots unmoving. His gaze flicked to the noble, to the banners, to the eyes on him. Kael realised he wasn’t frozen in fear, he was calculating. Waiting for a moment to act that would make him shine.

Another arrow clattered near Kael’s head, snapping him back. He surged forward, cutting through two more attackers, then shoved Jared hard. “Move! Now!”

That broke the stalemate. Jared finally swung, catching a rebel across the chest. He yelled, loud enough for the noble to hear. “Varion steel holds!”

Kael didn’t correct him. He was too busy forcing another rebel down onto the stones, twisting his blade free.

Within minutes, the rebels broke. Half were down, the rest scattering back across the ridge. The path was littered with broken arrows, dirt, and blood. The noble’s banner still stood, bent slightly where a shaft had pierced its cloth.

Silence settled in sharp contrast to the chaos.

Kael wiped his blade, breathing heavy. Reyna checked the noble quickly, then signalled. “Alive, unhurt.”

Lord Alester nodded stiffly, adjusting his mantle. His eyes lingered on Jared, who stood with his chest heaving, sword still raised. “Your strike held the line.”

Jared lowered the blade with exaggerated calm. “It’s what we’re trained for, my lord.”

Reyna’s jaw tightened, but she said nothing.

The escort finished without further incident. By the time they reached the far checkpoint, the banners still intact, the noble dismissed them with a brief nod of thanks. Jared all but basked in it.

Back at the Academy, Darius waited. He listened to the report in silence, arms folded, eyes narrowing only when Kael mentioned the ridge ambush. When Reyna finished, he gestured sharply. “Out. All of you.”

They filed from the chamber, but his voice caught Kael as he moved past. “Stay.”

The door closed. Darius fixed him with a look that cut straight through. “You led that fight. Not Jared.”

Kael said nothing.

“You should have spoken up.”

“He would have argued. And the noble believed him.”

Darius leaned forward. “This isn’t about noble approval. It’s about the squad. If your own don’t know where the strength comes from, you’ll pay for it later.”

Kael’s grip on his hilt tightened. “I didn’t need credit.”

“Then maybe you don’t understand how dangerous lies are in this place,” Darius said, voice low. “Truth ignored is still truth. It just waits to strike when you’re weakest.”

Kael held his gaze, but said nothing more.

When he left, the others were waiting outside. Jared smirked, brushing invisible dust from his shoulder. “Darius give you a private lecture, Estaran?”

Kael didn’t answer.

Reyna did. “He should’ve given you one. You froze.”

Jared’s smile turned sharp. “I struck the killing blow. Ask the noble. He knows what he saw.”

Reyna stepped closer, eyes narrowing. “I saw who actually held the line. And it wasn’t you.”

Kyna glanced between them, expression unreadable. “Keep fighting over credit and next time the line won’t hold at all.”

Jared leaned against the wall, smirk returning. “Then maybe next time Estaran will step aside and let Varion steel lead from the start.”

Kael’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing. The words burned anyway.

Later, in the quiet of the barracks, Kael sat on his bunk, replaying the fight in his mind. Not the rebels. Not the arrows. Jared’s hesitation. Jared’s smirk after. And the noble’s thanks, given to the wrong man.

He opened his journal, the page already half-filled with notes.

> Escort mission – rebels ambush in Arknell pass. Jared froze until pushed. Noble credits him. Darius not fooled. Reyna furious.

He added another line beneath it, pressing harder with the charcoal stick.

> Lies spreading faster than truth.

The stick snapped in his hand. He set it aside, staring at the broken edge.

The dorm was quiet, the others asleep or pretending. Kael lay back, eyes fixed on the rafters. He could still hear Darius’s words. Truth ignored is still truth. It just waits.

Sleep didn’t come. Only the thought of the next fight, and who would claim it.