The path to vice is when the immediate pleasure of a lord occupies him: food and drink, courtesans and jesters. This is precisely why a lord must focus his attention not on himself, but on his subjects. A true ruler must devote his life to learning how to improve the lives of those around him.
Passage Twelve, The Lost Precepts
Cego began to find a rhythm at the Lyceum; his hard training melded with classes and after-studies. He enjoyed the familiar feeling of being worn down, so tired that when his head hit the cot, he fell into a dreamless sleep.
It was when he dreamed that he saw their faces. Not only Murray-Ku and Joba but Thaloo and the many other nameless faces that the Strangler had visited over the past year. They called out to Cego, asking him what they’d done to deserve such a fate by his hand.
Sometimes, Cego opted to stay awake instead of facing the nightmares. He spent entire nights upstairs in the empty training room on level two, jabbing at the frayed heavy bags until the sun crested Kalabasas Hill and cast soft autumn light on the worn tatamis.
What kept Cego from despair was working alongside his team again. After the long separation from the Whelps, he was amazed to see how much they’d improved.
Cego yawned as he stood across from Abel in the training ring, eyeing the agile boy as he bobbed and weaved. Same as every day this month, each member of the team fought consecutive rounds until they couldn’t stand anymore. Though they weren’t going for the kill in sparring, the team trained hard in preparation for the mid-semester challenge against the Level Sixers.
Abel had said he wasn’t angry anymore, but he’d certainly gotten meaner in his fighting style, and it suited him. Abel had always been fast, but he used to pull his punches, as if he was worried about causing damage to his opponent. Now, though, the boy certainly wasn’t holding back.
Cego rubbed his jaw where Abel had caught him with a sharp jab.
“Maybe you need more sleep?” Abel smiled. The little Desovian had watched Cego in the darkness, treading from the dorm to the empty training room each night.
“Getting enough.” Cego breathed heavily after having already fought Dozer and Knees today.
Dozer was no longer simply a brute in the Circle. Cego saw Murray’s work at hand there: The big kid’s takedowns had a new finesse to them; he’d gained the uncanny ability to chain the techniques together.
And Knees had developed a brutal offensive game. Even in positions that normally weren’t considered for traditional attacks, Knees was able to do damage. Though the Venturian took many risks, he never stopped moving forward and threatening his opponent.
“We will see!” Abel came at Cego again, rapidly jumping in and firing a series of jabs that Cego barely evaded. Luckily, Cego knew Abel’s patterns. He bobbed his head out of the way and threw out an open-handed counter that caught the little fighter on the side of the head.
Abel’s neck jerked to the side. He turned back to Cego and touched a hand to his mouth.
“Sorry!” Cego said. He knew they needed to train hard for the upcoming match, but he didn’t want his teammates to sustain any injuries.
“It okay.” Abel smiled with blood between his teeth. “Woke me up a bit.”
Abel shot in for a low single and Cego sprawled, wrapping his arm around the boy’s neck. He weighed Abel down to his knees before dropping to his side and walking his legs back toward his friend. Cego tightened the anaconda choke until Abel tapped in submission.
“Good, Cego,” Abel said as they both sat panting. They turned to watch Brynn and Sol finish their match in the next training Circle over.
Brynn reminded Cego of one of his old training partners in Murray’s barracks—Masa. She shared not only the Jadean heritage but also Masa’s uncanny ability to entirely negate the effects of the Circle alloys. Whether she was training in rage-inducing rubellium or showy emeralyis, Brynn stuck to a consummate game plan and did not stray.
Unfortunately for the Jadean, she was up against Solara Halberd. After what had happened to Sol over the past year, she’d fast become one of the top fighters in the entire school. Though she’d always had near-perfect technique, Cego noticed Sol had added a ferocity to her movement.
Though neither girl seemed to be affected by the low-level auralite training Circle, Brynn was getting frustrated with her inability to get in range on Sol, who was peppering her with leg kicks to keep her on the outside. The Jadean finally took a risk and threw a leaping cross, only to get countered with a square knee that left her gasping for breath on the canvas.
“Nice work there, Firebird.” Brynn smiled through clenched teeth.
“You okay?” Sol asked, extending her hand to help the Jadean up.
“Spirits be praised, my ribs seem intact.” Brynn grimaced as she took a seat on the tatami.
“Good work, Sol,” Cego said. “That counter knee will put anyone in their place that moves in too fast.”
“Not Kōri Shimo, it won’t,” Sol said. Cego had only heard the story of the fight in Venturi, but from the way Knees and Dozer described Sol after she’d fallen, the girl was on a mission to figure out how to beat Shimo.
Cego understood how Sol felt. Since he’d started fighting, there had always been one opponent who bested him with ease: Silas. Whenever Cego stepped into the Circle, no matter whom he faced, Silas was always lurking in the recesses of his mind.
“You’ll catch him, Sol,” Cego said. “Just like Professor Dynari said today when we were playing Bythardi. The fist is a piece and is weak when played by an inexperienced player. But when wielded by a Bythardi master, the fist is far more than a piece. It is an unstoppable force.”
Sol shook her head as she sat and started to unwrap her hands. “It’s just Shimo seems like he has some advantage. I can’t tell what it is, but whenever I watch him fight, it’s like he knows what his opponent is going to do already.”
“Most say the same of you, Sol,” Dozer said, munching on a strip of jerky.
“It’s different…” Sol trailed off as three uniformed Citadel officials entered the training room.
High Commander Callen Albright stood at the entrance, flanked by two larger men.
“Hello, students,” Albright said, pausing as if he was waiting for them to salute him.
Cego stayed put on the floor and Dozer continued to chomp at his food.
“What can we do for you, High Commander Albright?” Sol asked with her arms crossed.
The wiry man paced the training room, running his fingers along the tattered curtains on one of the windows.
“I know you don’t like me,” Callen said.
“Well, you be right there,” Knees answered quickly.
“You’re like little replicas of Pearson,” Callen seethed, turning to Knees. “And I know he’s the reason you don’t like me. Whatever that man told you before he went, it’s poison, like everything he did.”
The anger bubbled up in Cego’s chest, hearing this coward speak of his friend and mentor in such a way. But he didn’t need to be angry. He could see Dozer and Knees both staring at Callen with violent intent. Nothing could happen there, not if they wished to be Lyceum students when they rose the next morning.
“Murray-Ku was our coach,” Cego said. “It is in the Codes that we should respect our teachers, like a father or mother.”
“Yes, yes,” Callen said. “And of course, we all must still obey the Codes, as much as we hear of them being tossed to the trash heap around the world. They are the glue that holds our society together. Do you know this?”
“Yes,” Sol responded. “But we’ve already had our Codes discussion earlier today at Professor Farstead’s class. If that’s what you’ve come for, you’ve missed it.”
Albright stared Sol down. “This little crew here, the Whelps, has gotten quite a reputation of late. Not only within the Lyceum, but word has spread to the Ezonian citizenry on the outside.”
Dozer puffed his chest out in pride. “’Bout time.”
Callen continued. “Don’t think I condone any of what you have done for… extracurricular activities. You should know I see you all as a weakness. And most often, I’d take the straight path and obliterate any weakness in our administration that I discover.”
“But you be coming all the way down from the commanders’ quarters to see us,” Knees noted. “If you wanted to kick our asses to the streets, I’m guessing that’d be done through one of your runners.”
“True,” Callen said. “When a weakness cannot be removed outright, it should be leveraged. Has Professor Dynari not taught you that in Stratagems and Maneuvers yet?”
“What do you want from us?” Cego asked.
Callen Albright looked out the tall window, beyond the Citadel’s walls. “Apparently, you’ve gained some admirers on the outside for things that have happened over the past year. And these are not the sort of admirers we want associated with this school.”
“Flux supporters?” Brynn asked.
Callen put a finger to his mouth and glared at the Jadean. “We don’t use that word within these walls.”
“What word, Flux?” Dozer said. “Sounds like a fine word to me.”
“Did you insolent kids not hear what I said at the Dome about maintaining your status here as students?” Callen growled.
“We did hear that,” Knees said. “But like I said, you be wanting something from us. So, I don’t think you’ll be kicking us out anytime soon.”
Callen glared at the crew, his face reddening. “Don’t think that I won’t hesitate to put you out like the scrappy lacklight dogs you are. Not only to the streets, but one word and I’ll have you in the hands of the Enforcers.”
Brynn stepped in front of Knees as the Venturian clenched his fists. Cego caught one of Callen’s guards shifting weight onto the balls of his feet.
Callen straightened his collar and turned toward Cego. “I trust you did not have a pleasant time while in the care of the clerics at Arklight. You wouldn’t want to end up back there, now, would you?”
In the back of Cego’s mind, he’d wondered why those who had imprisoned him hadn’t shown up again the second he set foot back in the Citadel. Every day, he’d half expected to be dragged from class in chains.
“Ah, I can see your mind moving now.” Callen chuckled. “You thought Governance had simply forgotten about you? That you would saunter back to the Lyceum from your escapade in Kiroth, and all would be as you remembered?”
“I came back because I wanted to,” Cego said. “I came back to bury Murray-Ku.”
“How noble.” Callen smirked. “And how naïve. But like that Grievar in the ground you speak of, you don’t seem to see beyond your own nose. You have been allowed to be here for a single reason: I plan on being proactive in destroying this little rebellion they call the Flux.”
Red lightning flashed in Cego’s eyes. He was there on the storm-swept island, some gravity pulling him forward with violent intent.
The two Knights at Callen’s side wouldn’t be able to get to him in time; he was only a meter away. It would only take one second. After Cego disposed of the high commander, he could deal with the guards.
Cego felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and met Sol’s eyes, heard her unspoken words.
What are you thinking?
Making an attempt on the high commander’s life would mean death to all of his friends. Everyone he cared about that remained in this world.
“You are going to help me destroy the Flux.” Callen’s voice broke Cego’s violent reverie.
“Thought you said there’s no such thing as the Flux,” Dozer said.
Callen sneered. “We must adapt to our opponent’s movements. And now it is the time to be proactive, offensive.”
“Tell us what you want,” Cego breathed out, tired of listening to Callen. He sympathized with Murray-Ku for having to serve beneath such a man.
“You will do what you were meant to do,” Callen said. “Fight. Fight not for yourselves but for everyone else. Your next challenge matches will be integral.”
“Just fight?” Cego asked.
“Of course, I don’t expect much more from lacklights,” Callen said. “But there will be extra feeds at the challenges broadcast to the whole of Ezo to watch on SystemView. And alongside these feeds, we will have your faces and your words so that our nation might know the truth of the Flux.”
“What truth are you speaking of?” Brynn asked. “One second, you’re telling us to ignore the rebellion completely, and now you want us to speak of it?”
“You will tell our truth,” Callen answered. “You will reveal to the world the time you spent with the Flux. Working as spies for the Citadel, purposely planted in the midst of their operation. You will tell the world our truth.”