Chapter Twelve - The Gathering

31 Griev 10.075 Z.C., Afternoon

Four days later, Lilla and Nadine again sat in Nadine’s cadet’s quarters, each with a pile of torn tabards, clothing, and leathers to mend.

“I still can’t believe I haven’t caught Mav for a first aid lesson yet,” Nadine sulked for at least the tenth time. “I’ve been practicing mouth-to-mouth techniques all week, my lips are getting sore.”

If I had a zib for every time she mentioned Mav, Lilla thought, scowling at the torn trousers in her hands, I’d be a rich woman. She stabbed her needle through the fabric with a violent jab, then reviewed Nadine’s progress.

“Your stitches are uneven. And you forgot to knot the thread, you’re going to pull it through,” Lilla corrected, trying to sound like an impassive vedalken and failing. “You should practice this instead.”

Lilla didn’t anticipate enjoying the sewing lessons this much - excellent payback for all her friend’s snarky chainmail commentary. Nadine shot her a dirty look.

She found it hard to believe they’d only been in the Legion four days. The instructing sergeants and cadets made sure the squires worked or trained every hour of the day - the physical and mental demands started to mount as time slowed down. Or perhaps her perception sped up?

Lilla heard Nadine draw in a deep breath, and interrupted before she started talking about Mav again.

“It’s my birthday tomorrow,” she blurted out. Nadine paused, her jaw ajar. “Of course, I don’t know anyone in the city, and with training and everything I’m sure everyone will be too busy to celebrate...”

Nadine’s expression changed, guarded as she tried to figure out Lilla’s angle. She resumed mending after tying off her loose end, focusing on neat, even stitches.

“But I’m used to it. After all, an orphan like me doesn’t even have parents to visit on special days,” Lilla bemoaned, warming to this topic. “In the Gravel Hide we celebrated birthdays with ritual provings, one lash of the pain stick for every year. I still have the scars to prove it,” Lilla lied. She wanted to summon a lone, weeping violin to accompany her performance, but would need a hand free and didn’t want to overplay her act.

“I just wish someone would do something nice for me on my most special of days. That’s all...” she pleaded, earning an eye roll from Nadine. But then an impish smile flashed across the human’s face.

“Well, count yourself lucky to have a friend like me, Lilla!” Nadine beamed. “Why, the best part about birthdays is having a big party with friends and family, and I know just how to do it! It’s totally against the rules, and we could get in big trouble, but lucky for you I’m no green-belly. We can invite the other cool squires too!” Apprehension soured Lilla’s mood. She wanted the attention of a party; wanted to be celebrated for once. But Nadine took the bait so fast, what could she be planning?

“We’ll do it tomorrow night, that way we have time to get ready and let people know. I’ll find a location for the party, and you can get the food and booze. There has to be lots of alcohol,” Nadine concluded with a decisive nod.

“Why do we need ‘lots of alcohol?’” Lilla asked, mimicking her tone with a skeptic glance.

“Don’t you want it to be a fun party?” Nadine suggested after a weak cough, looking at Lilla like an innocent child.

Lilla’s eyes narrowed. “You just want to get Mav drunk, don’t you?” she accused, turning Nadine’s cheeks crimson.

“I knew it,” Lilla muttered, shaking her head. “You are so predictable.”

“Well I’m still throwing a party for you, aren’t I?” Nadine defended, sulking again. “I hate sewing,” she added, frowning at the large task at her feet.

“Hard work builds character,” Lilla buzzed, quoting Sergeant Chandana’s favorite line, then also frowned in realization. “Hey, if it’s my party, why am I getting the alcohol and the food?”

Nadine sighed. “Fine, you get the drinks and I’ll find a place and get some snacks, but only because it’s your birthday! That will be my present to you. Just make sure you get a lot of booze, the party’s over when we run out.”

Lilla rolled her eyes. “Okay, I got the message. I’ll get plenty. Where from though?”

Nadine laughed. “You’re so helpless without me, aren’t you?” Her eyes sparkled with a calculating gleam. “Just ask a goblin, they always know someone. Smuggling and stealing are like the only things they’re good at. What’s that one squire’s name? Squish? Ask him.”

“Splatz,” Lilla corrected, making a face for Nadine’s benefit as she thought of Mav’s goblin friend. He seemed nice enough when they met, but would he risk punishment just for her?

The following morning, during the cadets’ first class, Lilla snuck out of Sunhome. As it happened, Splatz could send a message and payment through a middleman, to purchase a case of alcohol. When she asked him to smuggle it in, however, he put his foot down. He gave guff fast, even for a goblin; she got the impression he hid his true intelligence. So she used her disguise magics to slip away unnoticed to collect the alcohol herself.

Getting back into Sunhome with the crate turned out to be the greater challenge, and cost her a bottle to bribe the guards after they caught on to her scheme, letting her by with a subtle warning and a wink. She breathed a sigh of relief when she neared the cadet’s barracks. She and Nadine agreed this would be the best interim place to store it while Nadine finalized the location for the party.

She dismissed her disguise after the guards saw through it, presuming a determined squire with a package wouldn’t be too suspicious as long as she stayed near her assigned barracks. Rounding the last corner in a hurry, she saw Allura and stopped short, stepping backwards around the corner too late.

“Squire, present yourself,” the elf demanded. She and another cadet, a short and round human woman, approached Allura’s door from the far side of the hallway.

Boar’s breath, why aren’t they in class where they should be? Lilla thought, cursing the unfortunate timing.

With no other choice, Lilla marched forward, holding her tongue. Allura inspected her before examining the crate.

“Let me guess, this fell off a cart?” she drawled, running a fingertip across bottlenecks. “Why don’t you wait in my chamber,” Allura hummed to her companion. “I’ll join you shortly.” The two exchanged knowing smiles and the human nodded, ignoring Lilla and retreating to Allura’s room.

Lilla watched her go, then swiveled her eyes back to Allura. She stood with arms crossed, one fine brow arched, searching Lilla like a knife thrower looking for a volunteer in the crowd. Shadows fell in clean lines on her angular, elvish features.

“I- That is… Another squire asked me to bring this to their cadet’s quarters,” Lilla fibbed, wincing at her own unconvincing bluster.

“That so?” Allura’s eyes weighed on Lilla, sweat beading on her blue forehead. Her heart raced, pounding against her chest. Allura’s muscled arms flexed as she shifted, and Lilla remembered her cadet’s physical strength. The vedalken didn’t favor her odds of running away from those sculpted legs, much less in a fight against them.

Lilla swallowed hard, and Allura smirked then chortled, “Fine, but I’m taking this. Cadet’s privilege,” she claimed, helping herself to a bottle.

“Don’t get caught. And don’t keep anything in my room!” she commanded, turning on a heel and sauntering to her room.

“Yes ma’am,” Lilla called back, waiting for the door to close before moving.

“That was too close,” she muttered, then hurried to meet Nadine, counting breaths to calm her frayed nerves. Only twelve hours until the party.

By the time Lilla arrived at the old storeroom Nadine discovered, two dozen squires already crowded between the dusty shelves. An easy feat in this compact room, but even so Lilla appreciated the festive atmosphere. A cheer rang out as Lilla walked in, and she couldn’t stop herself from smiling. She could get used to this.

After five ceaseless days of training, it seemed many squires wanted to relax and unwind, even at the risk of some trouble. Lilla spotted a few familiar faces. She squeezed through the swarm when she found Nadine, pushing past a large minotaur. She interpreted his snort as indignance.

“Hey birthday girl!” Nadine squealed, pulling Lilla into a hug. “This is awesome, so glad I had the idea!”

“Whatever! It’s my birthday, so I should get the credit,” Lilla declared. Nadine rolled her eyes, releasing her from the embrace and handing her a drink.

After a dubious sniff, Lilla took a sip. Not bad! Outclassed the fermented grok of the clan by a long shot. From the looks of the small feast arrayed on crates at the back of the room, Nadine managed to round up some leftover food and juice from the kitchen. A small mob formed around the punch bowl, which Lilla assumed her friend already spiked.

She saw Nadine scanning the room for someone. Lilla could guess who. “Do you know all these people?” she asked.

“Huh?” Nadine fumbled, standing on tip-toes to sneak a look at the doorway over the minotaur’s shoulder. Lilla recognized the minotaur as one Mav sparred with at breakfast their first day.

Lilla sighed and took another big drink, then tugged on Nadine’s sleeve until the other girl looked at her.

“What?” Nadine groused.

You can’t ignore me, it’s my birthday, Lilla thought, raising her eyebrows and staring at Nadine, willing her to understand. Nadine sighed.

“Sorry, I guess I’m getting carried away. I’m sure he’ll be here soon.” She paused. “Did you have any trouble finding the place?” Lilla shook her head; Nadine’s directions steered her right here.

They chatted to themselves for a few minutes, and Lilla watched over Nadine’s shoulder when Mav and Splatz entered the room together. He spotted her right away and smiled from across the room, squires parting as he cut a path through the crowd with his broad frame. Her heart fluttered at the casual warmth of Mav’s crooked smile, and for a moment she felt as smitten as Nadine. Horrified at herself, she batted the thought away like a rubblefly.

Several other squires stopped Mav to greet him, including the large minotaur, who shook his hand. Nadine mentioned something about her cadet, but Lilla tuned it out.

“Brogmir, an unexpected honor! I didn’t think the Ordruun were capable of breaking the rules,” Mav quipped with a playful squint. Brogmir laughed long and loud before shaking his horns.

“The greatest legionnaires in history hail from the Ordruun line; we are exemplars of both battle and revel!” He clasped a meaty hand on Mav’s shoulder and led him toward the drinks. “Come, let me show you how it’s done!”

Mav slipped Brogmir’s grip, gesturing towards Lilla. “Hang on, let me wish the birthday girl well,” he excused, checking for Splatz before moving on. “Just take it easy big guy, we need every firefist we can get!” Brogmir gave Mav a dismissive wave.

Nadine’s face filled with betrayed anger when she heard Mav call out, glaring daggers into Lilla for not telling her when he entered the room. Then she schooled her expression and turned to face the approaching Mav with a saccharine smile.

“Lilla,” he greeted, once close enough to speak without shouting over the escalating hubbub.

“Hey Mav,” Lilla cooed, giggling at the scowl Nadine shot her way.

“Got you this,” Mav announced, holding out a closed fist. Curious, Lilla opened her hand under his and he dropped something into her palm. “Happy birthday,” he congratulated, before delivering another heartstopping smile.

“Yeah, and you’re welcome for the drinks, too,” piped up a voice from the floor. Lilla looked down; she forgot Splatz was even there. He looked worn down, and a dark bruise shined over his left eye.

“Thank you!” she managed, and they both nodded before gravitating toward the food and drinks at the back of the room.

Looking over, Lilla saw Nadine about to melt into a hot puddle, twisting a curl of hair around her finger, mouth agape and eyes downcast. Lilla poked her arm, and she snapped out of the trance. Hopeless.

“Well he’s here now, and getting a drink. Relax,” Lilla prodded her friend again. “Have some fun.” Nadine glanced back at Mav and lost herself in a fantasy. Lilla cast her gaze upon his gift, turning it over in her hands. A small bone whistle, carved like a bird. Lilla examined the curves and apertures. A pipe of some kind? What an odd gift.

“He’s not drinking,” Nadine hissed, prodding Lilla with an unnecessary elbow. “What do we do?”

Lilla rolled her eyes and led the way over to the crate of refreshments in the corner.

“What’d you think of the punch?” Lilla quizzed when Mav could hear her without shouting. Nadine didn’t lie, he shook his head and tilted his cup down, revealing water.

“I have scout deliveries before breakfast tomorrow. I doubt Scoutmaster Equei would take kindly to me showing up blitzed.”

“That’s fine,” Splatz cut in, giving Nadine a contented look. “More for us, right Nadine?”

She ignored him. “You’re doing extra work with the scouts? That must be exhausting!” she fawned. Mav looked uncomfortable, glancing at the exit.

The silence in their small group stretched out, made obvious and uncomfortable by the chorus of cheerful banter around them. Lilla considered rescuing Nadine, but enjoyed watching the slow tide of panic creep over her face as she realized she might’ve insulted Mav’s stamina.

Behind Lilla, drunk voices raised in excitement and she turned to look.

“I’m tellin’ you man, I’m gonna be a skyknight! A king of the wing!” a tipsy squire insisted to his drinking mates. One snorted back a laugh.

“You serious? Everyone knows skyknights are just a bunch of Rocman wannabes.”

“That’s not true, you take that back!”

The two men exchanged shoves, neither doing any serious harm in their impaired states. Lilla shook her head, turning back toward her own posse. Mav stared into the distance with a faraway look, drumming his fingers on the cup of punch Nadine somehow slipped him.

“Hey, who’s Rocman?” Lilla wondered to Nadine, who in turn glanced up at Mav. When he pretended to ignore the question, Nadine answered in a perturbed voice.

“Rocman is a popular Serial Scroll character, a masked vigilante who brings justice to the Tenth District. It’s a story for kids, they shouldn’t compare our skyknights to some cartoon hero.” From the looks Nadine gave Mav, and the way he ignored the question, Lilla deduced he planned on becoming a skyknight.

She could use this to get rid of him - stupid flyboy hogging all the attention, at her party! The longer she kept Nadine and Mav apart, the longer Nadine would need her as an excuse to see Mav. Rocman wannabes, huh?

“Why not? The skyknights aren’t superheroes. Rocman sounds cooler if anything,” she tested, guessing from Mav’s mention of duties and earlier glance at the door he would probably leave soon. She just needed to keep Nadine distracted a little longer, or offend Mav somehow.

“Rocman is a vigilante, Lilla,” Nadine exhaled, a hint of drunken exasperation creeping into her voice. “He doesn’t fight for real justice, like the angels or the Guildpact. He fights for petty revenge and to punish the Rakdos, and that’s about it. So yeah, he can fly and everything, but there’s a lot more to skyknights than just flying.”

Her comment drew Mav’s attention, and he started when he glanced over and noticed her staring into his eyes. She blushed and turned away, while he dropped his cup upright on the nearest crate, shaking his head at Splatz and turning to go.

“Wait, but why does he fight the Rakdos?” Lilla pestered, grabbing Nadine’s arm to keep her in place. Splatz shook his head at the girls before following his friend out of the storeroom.

Nadine swung Lilla’s arm off, and looked mad enough to spit poison. “I know you’ve been living under a rock your whole life Lilla, but did you really have to say that in front of him?” Nadine demanded, whirling to face her friend. Lilla gave an innocent shrug, ignorant to the whole truth.

Nadine sighed, calming herself. “Lilla, his father was the Firebird, a famous skyknight. The famous skyknight. He was the face of the Legion for years. Even I’m old enough to remember him from the recruitment posters. Anyways, he died in a tragic training accident years ago, there was a big funeral and everything. Talking about skyknights like you did,” Nadine’s voice dripped with bitterness, “was probably not the best thing to say. Really, I thought you were friends with Mav, how could you not know this?”

Lilla bit her bottom lip, processing Mav’s history and the probable impact of their conversation. Wait, does this mean he’s an orphan, too?

A few quiet minutes passed before Nadine shook it off and refilled their cups.

“Whatever, we’re here to party, right?” She didn’t wait for Lilla to respond, just grabbed her free hand and pulled her toward the nearest group of chatting squires. As she did, the door burst open with a loud bang.

“Drop and give me fifty!” roared the minotaur instructing sergeant as he barged into the small storeroom. Nadine cursed and looked for somewhere to hide, letting go of Lilla’s hand.

Meanwhile, Lilla dropped her cup, jammed her hand into the component pouch on her belt, and formed an illusory sigil with her other hand. Nadine looked back, puzzled by Lilla’s sudden substitution with a crate.

They’ll never find me here.