Chunk of Chapter 3

Will perhaps post the full chapter when I get around to it.



Alexius swore under his breath as he bumped into yet another person in the crowded city streets. His large frame made it impossible to move with any haste and for every minute wasted, another grueling task would be added to his relentless training. Further ahead he could see Rose weave her nimble form within the crowd, not being slowed at the slightest. Though they were both late for training, he would bear the brunt of their punishment. But as he left the market district the crowd thinned and the streets widened for passing caravans. With his way now clear, Alexius was able to catch up to Rose who had come to a stop for some reason.

“What’s the matter?” he asked before catching his breath.

“We have company,” the beautiful Losatra said calmly.

Alexius frowned as he realized his partner’s meaning. Two figures cloaked in ash clothing landed several paces before them. One was a Mazri like himself, his light clothing covering all of his caramel skin except for his face. The other more distinct figure was a Ba’eshra, with significantly less clothing over his lean scaly body. His front scales were smoky gray and his back were black. The reptilian flashed an arrogant grin as the two impeded their path.

“You better hurry,” the Ba’eshra said playfully. “You know how angry Nils gets when you are late.”

“Thanks for the advice Raptor,” Alexius stated dryly. He should have figured the duo would try and make their lives a little harder. They almost always did when they were training. Though the four of them fought as an excellent unit during special missions, the two pairs shared a large rivalry on their off time. “You know, just because we’re better than you, doesn’t mean you can make our tasks any harder.” Rose shot him a dangerous glare, warning him not to entice them to take action.

This time the Mazri, Ravel, spoke up. “Oh really? Well we were going to let you pass easy this time because you are almost an hour late as it is, but if you’re so much better than us then you can handle whatever punishment Nils gives you.” Watching his rival cringe at his threat brought an amused smile to his face.

“Alexius!” Rose snapped at her partner. “Do you even think before you speak? Or are you just focused on your pride?”

Alexius looked at his fair partner and tried to force a smile. “Well, I didn’t realize we were that late. If I would have known I wouldn’t have said anything.”

“Yeah right,” Rose said rolling her eyes. “You’re going to be taking my share of the punishment just to let you know.”

“That’s hardly fair,” before he could even finish Rose ran at the two blocking their path. Everything always turned out to be a rigorous sparring match whenever they had a confrontation. As the record stood now, they were up three matches. He moved to assist Rose, but to his great dismay, Rose did not attack the two, but run right by them. Neither gave chase and instead began to double team him. He furrowed his brow in frustration as he leapt over a sweeping kick and tossed himself to the side from a clawed attack. “Rose!” he shouted as he went completely on the defensive.

The Losatra looked back towards her struggling partner and stopped for a brief second. “I’ll make it up to you!” she shouted before taking off once again. She heard him call her a liar and couldn’t help but giggle slightly to herself. She would indeed not hear the end of it from him for a while.

Alexius slowly opened his eyes to see the grounded moving steadily in front of him. Occasionally an orange and black striped tail would blur across his face. He felt a pain on his stomach as he realized he was slung over a muscular shoulder. The tail crossed his vision again and he silently cursed himself.

“Ah so you are finally awake?” A gruff voice said. The tall broad tiger placed him back on his feet and crossed his arms. Alexius was not a small man for his kind, but the Ba’eshra easily stood a good two feet above him. “Today just isn’t your day, and it isn’t even noon.”

Alex swallowed as he looked up at his leader. “Yeah, well I might have actually stood a chance if Rose didn’t save her own skin. It’s a surprise that I’m still alive with all the missions we’ve been through.” His last comment made the large tiger laugh, reassuring him that he wouldn’t get completely chewed out.

“Tis all just fun and games Alexius. It is important that you train hard, but there is nothing wrong with having a little bit of fun. And you know very well that Rose wouldn’t abandon you if you were really in trouble. None of us would. I’ll tell Nils to let the two of you off easy for today.”

“How long was I out? Ravel and Raptor don’t mess around when they fight.”

“I found you unconscious about twenty minutes ago. You couldn’t have been out for too much longer.”

“Oh well thanks,” Alexius said now walking alongside his commander. They walked back to their headquarters in silence, which only lasted a few minutes. A few houses down was a large three story building with a large dragon emblem on its front. It was their headquarters, as well as their home. They were mercenaries to the people of Taoul, blades for hire to ward off any threats from the prosperous city and its neighbors. But beneath the surface, they were really agents of the Dragon King, and could be called on at any time to take service in the war efforts.

When Alexius entered their headquarters, he made his way towards a backroom from the lobby where he was sure he would find who he was looking for. Sure enough as he entered the lounge he saw Rose sitting by herself at a high table enjoying a hot cup of tea. He casually walked over to her table and took a seat across from her. Her emerald eyes gazed at him as she took a small sip from her cup. There was a playful spark in her eyes, as if she were truly enjoying his struggles, but he was intent on throwing as much guilt on her as he could. He simply remained silent and returned her gaze with his own glare.

They remained in silence for a few minutes, neither one breaking eye contact. Finally Rose was the first to break. “Oh get over yourself,” she taunted and finished the last remains of her cup.

“I could have been severely hurt.”

“Half of this unit can heal,” she narrowed her eyes at him. “And besides, you’ve been through much worse.”

“Nothing’s worse than being abandoned by your own partner. You said you’d make up for leaving me behind. I would think it fitting for you to fulfill that promise,” he said with a sly grin and crossing his arms. This was his ultimate payback and he would enjoy ever moment of it.

Rose eyed him wearily, wondering what was going on in his mind. “I made no such promise. It was just a statement. But I’ll humor you as my curiosity is getting the best of me. What do you want?”

Alex pretended to think, scratching the stubble under his chin and diverting his gaze to the ceiling. He then looked at his partner and smiled. “How about dinner? Just you and me?” It was a bold move, but it was the perfect segue into a date. However he didn’t begin to consider the consequences until now. She could always say no. That was a sure way to hurt a man’s pride. She could also attack him. It wasn’t the first time she had done so after he asked a stupid question. He came into this confident, but as her silence went on he began to grow nervous by the passing second.

Rose really had to think her answer over carefully before she decided. She truly did not mind Alex’s presence and they both knew the other was interested. The real problem was that Monroe had forbid it. At the time of his decree, they didn’t think much of it, for the interest was never really there. Now that it was, they were both forced keep put their feelings for each other aside. They were soldiers. They were at war. They could die at any time and attachment could have negative effects on their judgment. The idea of a dinner with just the two of them didn’t seem harmful. Most nights they would end up eating together due to everyone’s different training schedules. So what would be the difference between a formal evening and an informal evening?

“Very well,” she decided. “But you’re paying.”