The Royal Series 0 - A Royal Archive

Chapter 2

† Braddock †

The very next evening, as soon as the sun went down, Yalena rode off alone, with a single bag of supplies. She was gone before Braddock emerged from his tent; he did not even have the chance to say goodbye or offer guidance.

Braddock felt lost. He walked around the camp site feeling useless and worrying over something he could not control. Yalena was her own woman and there was no reason he should worry about her or concern himself with anything she did.

"Are you well, captain?" a voice asked from afar.

He smiled and nodded, choosing to sit by the camp fire, instead of pacing restlessly. "I am displeased with Yalena's absence. I cannot condone using her in such a manner. I would not ask such a thing of any other soldier," he explained. He could not bear to stand by and pretend that they were not putting a life at risk, by sending any soldier off alone.

The young soldier, whose name he could not recall, nodded and hovered for a moment, though he seemed uncomfortable.

"Are you well?" Braddock checked, in case he remained for a reason.

"Um...would you train with me?" he asked tentatively.

As he watched him worry at his bottom lip, nervous about his answer, Braddock recalled his name. "Eryk, how old are you?"

"Forty-four, captain."

"Before your turning," he clarified. Vampires often retained the mental maturity of their human age; seventy year old humans became wise vampires, with a knowledge of the word that aided them in many things. But a vampire turned before their thirties or any time in their early twenties, often kept a sense of innocence and immaturity that could hamper their ability to function as adults.

"Twenty-three," Eryk said, dipping his head in respect.

Braddock nodded and rose to his feet. "What is it you wish to learn?"

"I have trained in sword combat and archery, but I am not so familiar with hand-to-hand combat," he explained, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment. It only reaffirmed his belief that the boy was too young to be a vampire.

"Let us stretch our weary muscles and you may tell me how you were turned," he suggested, intrigued by the boy. He took up a stance a few feet from the fire, where they would have room to move.

When he took up a stretching position, Eryk copied him and began to speak. "I was a sick boy. My family often thought they would lose me, but I came through each time. When I was seventeen, I became so sick that I was moved to hospital permanently," he explained, rushing his words to get it over with.

"And you remained there, until your turning?" Braddock guessed, as that was how these things often happened.

Eryk nodded, then dipped to one side, to stretch his back. "I was only turned when we were told I would not recover. My father feared I was too young, but there was not much choice. My mother worked for a vampire house, so she begged them to turn me and save my life," he continued, while following his movements closely.

"They clearly agreed."

"Yes." Eryk stopped and stared at the ground. "In payment for saving my life, I was to serve the man who turned me, for the remainder of my life. But then he died at the start of the war and I had to find a new life for myself," he said, sounding rather lost and alone. "I realised that I could not live alone and my human family had also died in the war. The army was the only place where I felt I could put my life to good use."

Braddock smiled and finished their stretches. It was somewhat fitting that Eryk had found his place within the army, a place that had offered him stability and a home. "I have also found my home here," he admitted, to soothe his mind. "I was born to vampires, with a pure bloodline that extends back four generations. But it did not make us a happy family. I chose to leave home the moment I turned, to find my own future," he explained. "In the army, I have discovered who I am and what I wish to do with my future. I want to use my gifts for the good of others."

"As do I." Eryk nodded an enthusiastic agreement.

"Very well." Braddock cracked his knuckles and craned his neck to both sides. "We will begin with the most important hand-to-hand combat technique I have learned. I have travelled the world and sampled the fighting styles of various countries. The Chinese have taught me the greatest lesson, that I use in my fighting." He watched Eryk curiously, waiting for his words to sink in. "Do you know what that lesson may be?"

Eryk reached up and scratched the back of his ear. "Um...to only kill when necessary?"

Braddock pressed his lips together. "That is important, I agree. But it was something else," he hinted, sure that he did not disappoint the boy, after he had come out with such a reasonable answer. "Discipline. Without discipline, we are nothing more than rabid animals, without control. If we can learn to control our nature, then we may learn to control our actions and reactions, in the battlefield."

Eryk nodded, appearing eager to learn.

With a smile, Braddock took a basic fighting stance, his feet slightly apart, his arm loose by his side and his legs braced to hold his weight. "We shall begin with instinct. I will be your enemy. I am unarmed, but a superior physical force. Attack me and disabled me, without resorting to extremes," he suggested.

***

Two hours later, Braddock sank onto his bed inside his tent, smiling. He was pleased by how well his training with Eryk had gone and wished to reward him next evening. They would take the scouting mission, to test Eryk's observational skills. He had proven an adept learner, listening eagerly and copying every move; he had good fighting instincts. All he required was the right training to hone his discipline and stamina.

Braddock fell asleep quickly, drained from a full night of work and exercise. When the dream came, it was full of promise and light, with a hint of confusion thrown in for good measure. There was so much screaming that he could barely remember anything else when he woke. Just a woman's scream and a horrible stench of burning flesh. Braddock gasped for breath, as he sat up and glanced through the gap in the tent to see the sun dipping in the sky. It was time to wake and begin another night.

"Captain," Eryk's voice called through the gap, hesitant and unsure.

"Come in."

The flap opened and Eryk appeared, wringing his hands. "I am sorry to disturb you, so early in the evening. But Commander Lee is not here and Yalena has not reported back," he explained, reminding him of the carrier pigeon she had been sent with, so that she could reassure them to as to her safety. It was due to arrive before night fall, every evening she was alone.

"It is only her first night," he said, trying to convince himself that she may have simply slept in or be in the midst of sending her note.

But Eryk shuffled his feet and kept trying to avoid contact. "It is not only that. Her pigeon arrived, with no message and blood on its beak." He peeked up through his dishevelled hair, that suggested he had only roused recently and had not bothered to correct his appearance before reporting to him.

Braddock reluctantly rose to a sitting position, weary and unprepared for this dilemma. "Next time, lead with that news," he suggested.

Eryk bobbed his head in agreement.

"Saddle two horses. We will take the scouting position tonight and seek out Yalena," he decided, as he reached for his boots. "If she is well, we will have done no harm to her mission. If she is in trouble, we will help," he explained.

"Yes, captain." Eryk rushed to obey him, leaving him alone once again.

"Damn you, Yalena," Braddock muttered to himself, in frustration.

The woman could not go away for a few hours, alone, without causing chaos. If she was unharmed, he would put her over his knee and finally teach her a lesson. No soldier, male or female, could be excused for losing their pigeon and having it show up at camp, with blood on its beak.

If it really was a mistake, Braddock might finally get his way.