Page 75 of Swords of Soul and Shadow (Gate Chronicles #3)
MELODRAMATIC DRIVEL
Kase
ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER LETTER. MAYBE it was helping. Perhaps it wasn’t, but Kase persisted.
Hals,
I’ve written you a real letter and sent it off…
though I’ll admit, it isn’t quite as entertaining as the ones I’m never going to show you written in this here journal.
However, I did enjoy attempting a sketch of my newest hover.
Hopefully you could tell what it was. I had enough time to sit and perfect it, but I don’t have that kind of patience.
But I digress. Today is the final day of my punishment. Seems like my stunt both annoyed and endeared me to the Stradat Lord Kapitan. Well, endeared is way too strong a word, but I only got moderately scolded for going off in the hover and taking out the Cerl bombers.
‘Moderately’ meaning I was called reckless yet again, though it didn’t sting quite as much as usual.
He didn’t sound all that angry, anyway. It was more of a habit thing.
Besides, reckless would mean my actions were irrational and unhelpful, and clearly, he’s wrong.
Not to brag, but it was some of my best flying—especially being so new to the Cerl tech.
And most people thanked me when I passed them in the corridor instead of spitting on me.
A complete turnaround. Though I’ll admit, I’d rather be spit upon than sucker-punched.
That happened upon my arrival to the city—not sure if your father shared that with you or not. My stomach is still sore.
So in conclusion, the Stradat Lord Kapitan is incorrect as usual, and I’ll be glad to get out of this tent.
They brought me a chamber pot instead of allowing me to leave for the privy now, so all my lovely anecdotes from those invigorating outings won’t be appearing in any more letters, sadly.
You’ll have to find out the latest gossip for yourself.
Guess that’s on me, since I did technically violate my house arrest, but I didn’t use my little break to find Jove like I’d planned.
Got drunk and fought with another guy. Not my best moment.
It did allow me to take out the Cerl hovers when they attacked, though, and that ended with you in my arms. So it was worth it.
My brain is entirely too tired to go into the ethics and logic of it all.
Come rescue me before I lose my mind or this letter devolves into senseless melodramatic drivel about how happy I am you’re back.
Always,
Kase
Despite the lighter tone in his letter to Hallie, the only reason Kase allowed himself to be escorted back to his tent was that if he retaliated, he might end up worse off than he currently was.
While his father might have lessened his sentence slightly, he still wasn’t allowed full freedom after the final three days were done.
After that, if he went anywhere, it needed to be a necessity and in the presence of a guard.
“Necessity” really only referred to training the greenies.
Harlan said it was for his safety, but Kase wasn’t so sure.
Even with all he’d learned upon his return and the fact that his father had yet to even come close to hitting him, the monster still lurked beneath the surface.
It was just busy trying to keep the citizens under control.
When this was all over, it would reemerge, and Kase didn’t want to be anywhere close.
Granted, after all Kase had done, house arrest was the lightest sentence he could’ve expected. Maybe deep down, the Stradat Lord Kapitan knew the Cerls would return, and Kase was their only hope of surviving. It might have even been a step toward respect.
Except his father would never be able to take back the words he’d spoken in that final argument before Kase had run, that he’d wished it’d been Kase instead of Zeke that died.
His breath sounded loud even to his own ears.
He rubbed his hands down his face as he sat on the cot in his tent.
He needed Hallie. She was the only one who could talk him off this cliff.
No number of letters he’d never send would help.
She was the only one who could make sense of the guilt, confusion, and stress he was feeling.
And she was back here with Niels, who was unconscious in the hospital ward.
Jealousy reared its ugly head once more.
As if the man could make a move on her now. His presence still chafed at Kase.
Opening the tent flap, he met the eyes of his newest guard, a man who looked to be carved from the stone surrounding them. “I need you to escort me to the hospital ward.”
The man kept a hand on his sword. “We’ve been warned about your ruses, Pilot Shackley.”
“It’s a necessity.”
“You don’t appear injured.”
“I was in an airship battle. Surely that counts.”
“Not if it’s been three days since said battle.”
Kase worked his jaw and looked around for something. The cavern was littered with rocks and other debris from the refugees. He just needed something sharp enough that wouldn’t involve him stealing the sword off his nursemaid.
That would probably end rather badly.
Just outside the wall of his neighbor’s tent, a long shard of brown glass caught his eye.
Probably a piece of the liquor bottle he’d heard the neighbor bragging about sneaking back from the city the previous night.
An hour or two ago, they’d returned from who knew where already planning on finding another.
Alcohol was one way to numb the pain.
“Pilot Shackley, I command—” the soldier started, but Kase didn’t listen.
Kase lunged and grabbed it with his right hand and sliced his palm on the edge. He scrunched his face in pain. Probably stupid.
He forced himself to relax and hold the guard’s gaze. “Take me to the hospital ward.”
His hand stung even more. Yes, very much a stupid idea.
The man sighed and looked at his partner, who hadn’t taken his eyes off the milling crowds. The partner said, “It’ll be our necks on the line if he bleeds out from his own stupidity.”
The first guard looked back at Kase. “Private Johns is right.” He smoothed a hand over his blond stubble. “If you give us the slip, I will make sure you lose any privileges you may have earned. We’re not like your guards from the other night.”
These men weren’t in Eravin’s pocket, it seemed. That, or they were remarkable actors.
Kase’s hand gave another twinge. Could one get any diseases from dirty glass?
I mean, he was pretty sure it’d been from the liquor bottle, and they used alcohol to sanitize medical instruments.
Cutting his hand with the stray bit of glass wasn’t close to the dumbest decisions he’d ever made.
He’d probably survive this little cut, though it would definitely be his luck to get some obscure incurable disease from it and die.
He smiled at the soldier. “I just need to go to the hospital ward, and I’ll be a good prisoner and stay in my tent without complaining until afternoon training.”
“I’ll flag down someone who can bring us a medical kit.”
“Please?” He sounded pathetic just then, but he was desperate—too desperate. Probably because he only wanted to talk to Hallie, but the longer he waited, the more anxious he got.
The man stared at him hard. “Then let’s make it quick.”
Kase scanned his little cell and grabbed a sock he’d thrown to the side while fishing around to see if he had an extra pencil somewhere at the bottom of his pack.
He wrapped the sock around his bleeding palm.
The blood had started to drip over the edge of his hand and down his fingers. “Lead on, soldier.”
“Regrettably, it’s Sergeant.”
Kase’s eyebrows rose.
“Got promoted three days ago.”
Oof, the implications of that statement hit Kase like a ton of bricks. How many people had they lost in the attacks?
Sergeant rested his hand on his sword. “We’re scant, and after the stunt you pulled the other night, I’m stuck here with you now.”
Kase muttered, “If it makes you feel any better, I regret it.”
“I don’t get paid enough to deal with the cheekiness of a boy barely out of his adolescent years.”
Kase bristled. The man must’ve been only five or six years Kase’s senior, though Jove had more gray at his temples. But his brother worried too much. And was probably dead.
Kase swallowed his retort at the sobering thought. Maybe he did deserve a curmudgeon of a guard.
Sergeant turned to his partner and ordered, “No one comes in or out, or the Stradat Lord Kapitan will deal with you. We will be back shortly.”
He put a lot of emphasis on that last word.
Whatever. Kase only needed a minute or two with Hallie.
The man saluted. Sergeant started off, leading the way.
Kase scurried after him, afraid that if he waited too long, he’d be forced back into his tent.
He tried not to be annoyed by his current predicament.
He rubbed his neck as he walked. He was alive, and Hallie had returned to him.
Most everything was better than he’d anticipated.
With the recent attack taking out a few of the larger upper corridors, the hospital ward had been moved even closer to Kase’s area of the Catacombs.
He caught a few bits of information as they walked down one corridor and through a cavern with carved out bunks and makeshift tents.
They’d be at the hospital ward in the next cavern that looked nearly identical to the last. Really, the rocky scenery was getting monotonous.
The addition of a few thousand skulls stacked along the walls might be an improvement, but alas, they were not on ancient First Earth, and using people’s bones as grotesque decor would probably throw what little morale the people had left in the gutter.