NOVEL NEXT 131. A Moment In Peace
The white clouds above Tucker's head drifted with the warm spring breeze, rolling across the vast blue like ships sailing on an ocean. A few days had passed since he had returned to the capital, and soon he would be well on his way back to the Order. Even though the past events had settled down and word had spread throughout the kingdom, there wasn't time for celebration.
The advisors of the Kingdom and the Order's administrators were busy at work, collecting whatever pieces of information they could gather to formulate new countermeasures. Meanwhile, the generals were organizing their ranks and preparing their troops for a counterattack. The nation was in a state of crisis after losing two of its bastions. A fortress city that was supposed to buy them time had fallen in the course of several days.
Tucker leaned back as his black coat pressed against the wooden bench, listening to the soft creak that entered his ears. He gazed at the tall oak trees that swayed gently with the wind, the lush green grass that danced in the breeze. The days he spent cornered at the bastion had torn away at his sense of reality. It felt unreal being surrounded by life when countless lives were dying beside him by the second.
He slowly closed his eyes for a moment while resting in the shade of the trees. For the first time in a while, he took a breath without urgency, to exist without raising a weapon. The battle was over, yet Tucker grabbed onto the fabric over his heart, remembering the faces of those he lost.
Luka didn't deserve to die, nor did the men who followed him.
They deserved to live long lives filled with happiness and joy. Yet, it wasn't possible. Not anymore. In the coming days, he would be sent back to carry out missions for the Order. He would see Adira, Charles, and Daniela again. But the thought of Adira shook his mind.
He had broken his promise.
As Tucker pulled the bloodstained letter from his pouch and stared at the worn parchment, sadness gripped onto him.
Dear Tucker,
I hope you aren't doing anything too crazy out there at Stafford. Charles said it's a nice place with beautiful towers that reach the skies. I would like to go there with you one day. I'm sure we'll have lots of fun, and you can show me all the cool places there.
Daniela has been teaching me how to bake, and the other watchmen who tried it say it's good, so I can't wait to share it with you. But whenever they eat it, they make these weird faces, and I don't know why. Maybe you can try one? I'll even make a fresh batch just for you.
Every day I go to the tele room and speak to Oliver while waiting for you. He says you're a decent guy and that he misses you a little bit, but he doesn't miss you as much as me. I just wish you would come back soon…
Please be careful out there. Charles and Daniela always tell me not to worry, but I know it's dangerous. My friends are still somewhere out there, and I'm scared for them. I want everyone back so we can be happy together. I like the Order. Everyone treats me well, and I just wish they could experience it too.
I drew a picture at the bottom of the letter with me, you, and a few others. This way, you'll know it's them if you ever find them.
From yours truly,
Adira
Tucker stared at the eight drawings. The tallest one was obviously him, but as his eyes moved from left to right, he saw a stick figure drawing of a person with crimson hair and eyes. Along with an arrow pointing to the name Mitch. He sat there in silence, as if drowning in his thoughts.
"The world really is such a cruel place," he mumbled.
Not only did he fail to save her friend, but he also killed the very child he sought to protect. Tucker gritted his teeth, fighting back the emotions swelling in his chest. He wanted to kick and scream at all the bullshit that was thrown at him, but couldn't. It wouldn't change anything. And to make matters worse, if he had read the letter before the battle with the Empire's war machine. He didn't know if he could have brought himself to end the child's suffering.
"Damn… you look like a fucking mess."
Tucker looked up at Ray, walking towards him with a half-empty bottle of whiskey. The amber liquid swirled, catching the sunlight. His fingers curled around the glass like it was the only steady thing he had left to hold. He lingered for a moment before plopping down on the other side of the bench, sagging his shoulders as if the weight had nowhere else to go. From the black garments he wore, Tucker could see that Ray was also in mourning, just like him.
"I see you're not handling it any better," Tucker said.
Ray scoffed as the corner of his lips slightly curled up. "I guess not, and can you blame me? Out of the three hundred and fifty militiamen that followed us, only a hundred and seventy survived. We also lost Luka and that old fart Benjamin."
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He gritted his teeth. "Those fuckers from the Emerald Tower caused this to happen, and it's crazy to me how we're not launching some sort of counterattack on them!"
"We're stretched thin; the administrators won't be able to gather enough watchmen to handle the task," Tucker pointed out with tired eyes. "They would need to gather multiple squads of Nightfall Rangers. We saw what happened when it was just the two of them."
"Right, but what if we didn't rely on the rangers?"
Tucker narrowed his eyes, examining Ray, who took a swig of his whiskey. "What are you saying?"
"I mean, I might be a tad bit drunk, but think about it. I hate the Emerald Tower. You hate the Emerald Tower. Those guys who volunteered with us hate the Emerald Tower. So, would it really be so crazy if all of us just beat the shit out of the Emerald Tower?"
It wasn't crazy, and the more Tucker thought about it, the more he liked the idea. He stared at the letter in his hands, with eyes filled with sorrow. The memory orbs were already distributed to the upper echelons of their kingdom. And the truth couldn't be hidden from Adira. He would have to tell her about what happened and how she could understand why he did it… But she was just a child. Was it even right to tell her?
"Is that a letter from your lover or something?" Ray asked, brushing his messy scarlet hair to the side.
"No, not even close. It's a letter from a child I saved," Tucker replied.
"Huh, you really do have a golden heart."
"If that's what you want to call it." Tucker sighed. "That's part of the reason I got a scarlet seal on my record."
"Ah, right, a scarlet seal…" Ray's words slowly trailed off before darting to Tucker in shock. "Wait, what?! How?!"
"One of the senior watchmen I was working with at the time wanted to kill the child we found, claimed she could be a bomb and was too dangerous to leave alone," he replied. "At the time, we thought they were using children to power the barrier artifacts. Not for the Empire's war machine."
"Shit… so that means you won't get any achievements for what you did at the bastion."
"Not officially, but at least those who stayed with us will."
Ray lightly tapped the neck of the bottle with his fingertips, the soft clink breaking the silence between them. "Doesn't that bother you?"
"No, it doesn't matter." Tucker's hands dug into the fabric of his black pants. "What matters now is stopping the Emerald Tower and… figuring out what to tell Adira."
The other watchman glanced at the letter in his commander's hands. At the bottom, stick figures drawn in childish ink smiled up at him. He let out a slow breath and set the whiskey bottle down on the surface of the wooden bench. Everything was beyond fucked. The Emerald Tower, the Avalon Empire, their nation. Everything. The scarlet seal stamped on Tucker's record was enough to end a watchman's career. Few would trust him, let alone fight beside someone marked with such a stigma.
Leaning back against the wooden slats, Ray watched as Gale descended onto Tucker's shoulders. Spirits weren't loyal out of obligation—they only stayed with those they deemed worthy. After seeing the creature's quiet affection and knowing what Tucker had done, Ray was certain that Tucker didn't deserve the scarlet seal. It was a shitty situation that forced his hand.
"Adira… is that the name of the child you saved?" Ray asked softly.
"Yeah…" Tucker lowered his voice. "I promised her that I would save her friends."
"And that child in the mana canister…"
"He was one of her friends."
Ray fell silent once he heard this. Finally, he muttered, "It's just all so fucked up…"
"It is, and I don't know what to do." Tucker gazed at the citizens who were walking down the park's trails. "I just don't want to make a choice I'll regret."
"Well, I won't lie, I suck at giving advice when it comes to these things, but… as time goes on, she'll find out one way or another."
"Will she?"
"It's a possibility."
"So what are you saying? That I tell her even though she's just a child?"
Ray hesitated, then gave a small nod. "It's best she hears it from you rather than from anyone else."
Tucker's eyes dropped to the ground. "Would she even understand why I did it?"
"No, but I'll be honest with you, odds are we won't make it to the end of this war." Ray locked eyes with Tucker. "What happened at the bastion was only the beginning. There's no telling how much worse it's going to get and if I were in your situation, I would let her know. She wouldn't understand now, but in the future, she will."
Tucker sat there in silence. He knew Ray was right, no matter how much he wanted to deny it. The odds of them surviving to the end of the war were going to be slim. So many had died who were stronger and better than them. It was nothing short of a miracle that they made it back.
"Think about it, Tucker," Ray said.
Tucker faintly smirked. "I think that's the first time I heard you address me by my name."
"Well, we aren't at the bastion anymore, and it's just the two of us, so I figured… why not?"
"That's fair, now I don't suppose you came looking for me just to hear me ramble."
Ray shook his head. "The others wanted me to invite you to the Lousy Tavern tonight. They're throwing their own little celebration. It starts around six in the evening." Ray forced a crooked smile. "It'll probably be the last time we're all together. Most of them got new assignments—some are heading back to the front lines."
"The Lousy Tavern?" Tucker let out a small chuckle. "What kind of name is that?"
"No clue, but Jones and Liam said it was good. So what do you say? Are you going?"
"Yeah… I'll make it." Tucker sighed and leaned back before gazing at the sky. "Is there anything else?"
"Actually, yeah." Ray lifted the left side of his black coat, revealing another whiskey bottle and two glasses. He set the cups on the wooden bench with a light clink. "I thought maybe you'd share a drink with me. For those two troublemakers that we lost."
"In broad daylight?"
"C'mon. After everything we've been through, does that really matter?"
Tucker gave a quiet laugh. "I guess not."
Ray grinned, pouring the amber whiskey into their glasses, filling them halfway. He handed one to Tucker, keeping the other for himself.
Ray raised his glass. "To Benjamin."
Tucker did the same. "To Luka."
The soft chime of their glasses lingered in the still air. For a moment, memories of Luka surfaced. His friend's smug expressions and playful nature slipped away as quickly as they came. He tilted his head back, draining the whiskey in one swallow. The burning sensation settled in his chest, and with it, the sharp ache of what was lost. Both of his best friends were gone, and the silence they left behind reminded him that his life would now be a lot quieter without them around.