When War Calls(81)

‘How are you faring?’ he asked.

Jaden said nothing, his eyes locking onto his grandfather’s, as if he were asking the same question in return.

‘I’m alive,’ Jaden said coldly.

Vennoss nodded. ‘That is all I could have hoped,’ he said slowly, ‘after I failed you.’ He raised a hand so that Jaden wouldn’t speak. ‘I will not ask to be forgiven. What happened is unforgivable, it should never have been. The Alliance has found a way into these lands, and now they will move on to Corsec. If they manage a victory there, it will be the end of the Resistance.’

Vennoss sat down on one of the benches away from the wall. ‘I wanted you to come here for two reasons,’ he said. ‘First, to heal milayiss, the sickness that is not a sickness, but a change in one’s body and mind. I want to offer you a cure to it. If left untreated, it can lead to one’s death. If it is mastered, it can lead to prolonged life beyond ordinary years.’

‘I don’t understand,’ said Jaden.

‘All in time. All in time,’ said Vennoss. ‘For now, I want you to try to understand the Daijuar if you can. They are a race by ideal, not by blood, and they live for reasons neither you nor I can guess. However, they do share a common goal. They wish to protect the innocent with their power. For this reason, they have developed a code over the centuries, much of which is centred on the belief that they should never use their power to harm anyone. No soldier or civilian has ever been harmed by them. In battles, they have defended and nothing more.

‘I need not tell you their power is great. A single Daijuarn sentinel could have defeated the force that was sent to our home if they wished to kill. That is why it is so important that no matter how much hate they have, no matter how much they yearn to end another’s life, they will never use what they have for anything more than defence. Do you understand this?’

‘It is simple enough,’ said Jaden.

‘Good,’ said Vennoss. ‘I have talked it over with Adonis and Blair; they have agreed to take you in their care and help you master milayiss. In time; you will walk with them, go where they go, do as they do. You will be one of them. You will be Daijuarn.’





Although Jaden did not look at him, he could tell that his grandfather was smiling widely.

Jaden shook his head slowly. ‘I don’t want to be of the Daijuar anymore.’

He looked up to see the smile fade from his grandfather’s lips.

‘Has it not been your dream?’

‘When I was younger,’ said Jaden, walking to sit on the bench next to the one Vennoss sat upon, ‘but not anymore.’

‘You will have to enlighten me on your reasoning, child. This is the last thing I would have expected to hear from you.’

‘They failed me, Grandfather. They failed us. I can forgive you for your mistakes, you have always watched over us, but the Daijuar were not there when we needed them. I know you are a friend of theirs, but they are not friends of mine. There was only one shield, and it did nothing to help us. Our home is lost. I don’t know if I can ever accept that.’

‘I see,’ said Vennoss. ‘You have lost more than your heart could afford, and I know that it wishes to place blame, but the Daijuar are not at fault. The shield was in desperation, but you are right, it was too late.’

‘With their power, they should have brought the Alliance to justice.’

‘It is not in their code,’ corrected Vennoss.

‘Then the code needs to be changed.’ Jaden stood up and paced to the edge of the tiles. ‘I don’t want to be a part of a race that would let the innocent die as they did.’

‘The Daijuar did what they could,’ Vennoss defended. ‘You cannot blame them.’

‘They could have done more,’ said Jaden sharply, and he began to cough violently as the memories began to flash before his eyes. The coughing stopped and he managed to speak again. ‘I could ask them a thousand questions. Why didn’t they come earlier? Why didn’t they save us? Why didn’t the shield last for hours as they do in the stories?’ Jaden could see the shock and pain his words were causing his grandfather, but couldn’t hold back anymore. ‘Why were they weak when we needed their strength?’

Vennoss did his best to keep his voice calm. ‘No matter what they wish, they will never risk their own death. None of the Daijuar has ever been killed in battle.’

‘Then they are cowards! They will see hundreds die just to save themselves.’

‘Yes,’ said Vennoss, raising his voice with Jaden’s. ‘So that they may save thousands later! Do not hate them, child, they do what they must!’