beats per minute (11 page)

Eventually Bree took pity on the still-clueless Raegan.
‘The Fay that called itself Christian.
It’s no longer a
threat.’

‘No longer a threat.’

‘Correct. We disposed of it.’

Raegan felt slightly sick.

‘The Fay put up quite a fight,’ Max said gently. ‘Lady Bree
Clifton and Mr James Warwick, here, are two of our most senior cadets – level
  5s
. And it wasn’t easy for them to subdue this Fay,
even fighting two against one.’ He addressed Con. ‘Which means that Raegan is
either in possession of one remarkable latent talent or one helluva lucky
streak. Escaping Christian unscathed was certainly no mean feat.’

Raegan was getting a bit fed up of them talking about her
like she wasn’t here. She wanted to ask more questions about what exactly had
happened to Christian, and how they had overpowered him; and then Warwick
spoke, and Raegan was reminded that this was not an open forum.

‘He was a nasty son of a bitch. But we got him in the end.’
His voice was cocky with satisfaction; but the grin had not even fully formed
on Warwick’s face before Max weighed in.

‘That’s enough.’ Their leader’s tone was acidly crisp. ‘You
forget yourself. ‘

Suitably cowed, Warwick nodded wordlessly.

‘Leave us.’

The perfect soldier once more, with ramrod straight posture,
Warwick walked briskly to the lift. Bree made to follow but Max halted her.

‘Lady Clifton.’ Her lips twitched at the term of address,
and Raegan wondered if it was a private joke, or maybe even an insult.

‘Yes.’ Bree turned to face them, coolly. ‘Can I be of
service, sir?’

‘Indeed.’ Max’s eyes twinkled as if he was smiling, though
his face was outwardly unchanged. ‘Miss O’Roarke will be staying in Block 4,
room 12, for now. You can take her to her quarters.’ Max got to his feet and
gestured for Con and Raegan to do the same. ‘Though the temptation to chat with
your escort might be strong, I would highly recommend you go to sleep as soon
as possible, Raegan. The morning bells are rung each morning at 6am sharp.’ He
consulted his watch. ‘Excellent. That gives you at least four hours, which is
quite sufficient.’

Raegan stared at him dumbly.

‘Your things will be waiting for you in your quarters.’ When
Raegan failed to respond, Max’s eyes softened slightly. ‘There’s no need to be
alarmed. You’ll find everything you need in your room. All you need to
concentrate on now is saying goodbye to your grandfather, and then getting some
rest.’

Max nodded at Raegan to dismiss her. Briefly he glanced at
Con; then, with surprising tact, he crossed the large room as if singularly
fixated on the opposite window. Bree followed. With their other companions now
a distance apart, their backs to them, Raegan and Con finally had some privacy.

A few minutes ago she had been anxious to get going, bored
of sitting there, unnoticed, unable to follow the conversation; now, as she
turned to look at Con, it felt as if the moment had come too soon.

She couldn’t meet his eyes or she might burst into tears.
She focused on her scuffed trainers instead. ‘Thank you, Grandda.’ The words
wouldn’t come out easily; she was forced to mutter. ‘Give my love to Bridey.’

He covered the small distance between them in seconds, and
she was enfolded in his arms. Crushed against his greatcoat, she breathed in
his familiar outdoorsy smell and thought how unfair it was that she had only
just realised that she liked her grandfather, let alone loved him.

‘I wish we had more time,’ she mumbled into the material.

Con pulled back to comprehend her from his great height.
‘Soon any wishes you make about time you will be able to grant yourself.’ His
eyes sparkled. ‘I know you’ll do great things, child. I only wish I could stay
.‘

She clung to him. ‘I wish you could, too.’

‘Believe in yourself. This was meant to be, lass. You’ll
come right.’

Gently, he disengaged himself.

‘No goodbyes now. I’ll be seeing you.’

She watched him go from the window. The huge shoulders
seemed hunched; she even thought they might be shaking. He disappeared through
the dark veil at the back of the fort, and there was a moment of panic when she
did not see him emerge on the other side.

And then the distinctive, piercing cry of an eagle shattered
the night’s stillness, and suddenly the silhouette of his wings traced against
the moon. In the melancholy bird’s song she could hear the pain he had tried to
hide; but as it soared, pride seemed to resonate in the eagle’s voice. The
tears dried on her face and she laughed as the bird looped and darted in the
night sky, pirouetting amongst the stars, displaying the goofy elation that her
taciturn grandfather, in his human form, could not.

Whatever he was trying to show, she had never felt more like
his granddaughter.

But then the slight pressure of a hand on her shoulder
reminded her. To all intents and purposes, after this moment, she was no longer
his granddaughter. She was not only saying goodbye to her grandfather; she was
saying goodbye to everything.

It was time.

Yali Nureyev was a patient man. After several years’ absence
from the Regency, in which he studied with Tibetan monks in the Dzogchen
monastery, he had learned not to sweat the small stuff. He was the perfect
second-in-command to the erratic, hot-tempered Max Savage, as he was largely
unperturbed by Max’s frequent unpredictability. This being so, he did not bat
an eyelid when the Praetor demanded that he return from his supervision of the
exercises in the Russian mountains, where the majority of the Unit were
currently stationed. He did not complain when Max explained that he would be
teaching two new recruits, who needed to be brought up to a Level One status by
the end of the first week. Certainly, it was a gargantuan task, not to mention
most disruptive to his schedule – but Yali took it in his stride.

He was, however, a creature of habit; and he had a
particular fondness for taking a meal alone each day and quietening his mind.
The whirlwind progression of events that had taken place since his arrival back
at Unit Prime had not provided him with much opportunity. It was therefore with
a sense of quiet anticipation that Yali worked through the morning’s exercise
on the fifth, gruelling day of training. He had finally been able to allot
himself fifteen minutes for a peaceful lunch in Centurion House, deliberately
choosing a time when all other teachers would be busy. The silence was a
lullaby to his ears when he finally sat down at the kitchen table. He would
savour every bite.

Such was his supreme self will that he did not even flinch
when, at that very moment, the door flew open, and a cacophony of noise burst
in with it.

It was a disappointment but not entirely unexpected.
Interruptions were frequent at Centurion House - not least because of it its
central position. Unit Prime was organised like a traditional Roman encampment
and Centurion House was therefore one of the focal points, situated directly
behind the Praetor’s house on the main street or
via principalis
.

The Sentinel was extremely proud of its ancient roots and
had based its ranking system on the Roman military. All the teachers from all
three departments (Brain, Body and Heart) lived in Centurion House. One
centurion (the department leader) presided over two optiones (the deputies) and
also a tesserarius, who was the leading candidate from the Regent
cadets
. Each teacher was a specialist in his own right;
Yali, the centurion of the Brain cohort, was a master of meditation and core
strength, as a well as a teacher of philosophy.  As one might expect, the
teachers from the three disciplines were all vastly different in character –
and though Yali adhered to the system and respected his peers, he did sometimes
wonder whether enforced co-habitation was an optimum state.

Particularly when he was trying to have his lunch and two
brawny, over-excited optiones seemed determined to destroy the peace.

Rico Shadrach, the Body optio in charge of drills and
circuit training, was the first to arrive. He came barrelling in, carrying a
small television set and hollering over his shoulder at Robert Oaksey, his
fellow optio, who was presumably not far behind. Without a thought for Yali he
slammed the device down on the table.

‘They’ll be starting soon, so move your butt!’

 Really, Yali wondered as he examined his cuticles, was
there any need to shout in such a confined space?

Robert entered and closed the door gently. He started to
speak and then caught sight of Yali.
‘Sir.
I hope
we’re not interrupting.’

Finally Rico noticed the centurion.
‘Didn’t
see you there.
How’s it going?’ Without giving him a moment to answer,
and with customary arrogance, he started to fiddle with the television set.
‘Are you done? Only we’re going to need this table to take notes.
Got the new pair out there on the obstacle course.
The
weather’s a real pisser! It’s going to be a doozy.’

Yali nodded at Robert, who was waiting for a response from
his senior officer. As well he should.
‘At ease.’
Was
that a flicker of guilt he spotted in Rico’s eyes as he looked up at him,
shiftily, recognising his faux pas? Yali was a fair man. He decided to give the
optio a break. ‘So, Rico, how are our little ones getting along? Are you not
running behind schedule? It seems rather late in the day for Body training.’

Rico grunted, bringing his meaty arm down on the top of the
television set – presumably to improve the signal. ‘The girl was late. Spouting
some crap about how she got locked in the changing room.
Probably
her time of the month.’

The picture came slowly into focus, showing two small
figures on a track, stretching. Another person stood nearby, checking the
device in his/her hand and apparently shouting instructions.

‘I see.’ Yali was still pondering Rico’s reportage. ‘That
doesn’t sound like Miss O’Roarke as I have known her. She is always prompt.
Though, come to think of it, I did overhear her mentioning a similar mishap to
Mr Becker just yesterday.
Something about her uniform being
stolen.
I wondered if it was a prank. A –
what
is it you say – new girl’s tease?’

His subordinate shrugged. ‘If she’s pairing up with Sam, she
deserves what’s coming to her. Kid’s a sure target. He’s always been a wuss.’

The rain intensified from a drizzle to a downpour. Rico’s
attention, ever fragile, was immediately diverted back to the screen. ‘Oops!’
The exclamation was devoid of apology. ‘I guess they’re good and soaked now.
That’ll put hairs on their chest!
The more that’s against you
in the early days, the better, in my opinion.
Don’t you agree, Bobby?’

Robert shrugged good-naturedly. Yali looked at him for a
moment, noting his carefully groomed blonde hair and well pressed shirt, and
nodded approvingly to himself. Unlike his muscle-bound ape of a companion, the
boy had class. Yali liked him; he liked him even more when he heard the
measured, even tones of his response. ‘Well, it’ll certainly test their mettle.
I’m still not sure they were quite ready for the Lab, Rico – particularly not
in this weather. ’ Lab was short for Labyrinth: their nickname for the
complicated maze of obstacles that made up the practice course.

‘I don’t give a damn if they’re ready. They’ve been coddled
enough, and it’s time for them to earn their stripes.’ Rico’s eyes glinted
maliciously. ‘I always say that there’s no better way to put a newcomer in his
place than with a few broken
bones  –
and they
could both use knocking down a peg or two.’ He leaned into the small screen
almost hungrily.
‘Especially the boy.’

Yali’s eyes flicked sharply to Rico’s hunched form. ‘How
long have they been out there?’

‘We had them on manoeuvres since your class finished at 11,’
Rico said airily. ‘Good to get their muscles warm before tackling the Lab.’

‘Unsupervised?’ Yali asked quietly.

Rico looked up, catching the disapproval in his voice.
‘Bree’s with them. She’s our
tess
, after all; it’s
good for her to have some responsibility.’ His bravado failed slightly as Yali
continued to look at him. ‘Well, that’s what I thought – sir.’

‘And you have checked that the weather will not worsen? I
would think carefully about allowing this to go ahead.’

‘With all respect, sir, a bit of rain never hurt anyone.
Doesn’t look like a storm.’

Yali placed his hands under his chin. His eyes, which had
always reminded Rico of a tiger’s, were thoughtful. ‘Optio, I am unsure that
the Praetor would share your reasoning. Two green cadets out in perilous
weather conditions, with only a tesserarius – admittedly, an extremely fine
tesserarius, but still only that - watching over them?’

‘And Sam- I mean, Mr Becker,’ Rico muttered, no longer able
to meet Yali’s eyes. ‘He used to be of rank.’

‘But is no longer.
And if there
were
to be any broken bones, I am sure the Praetor would be rather
put out
to
hear that you were inside, warm and dry, for the duration.’ He continued to
stare at him over his fingers, a stare that was both unyielding and appraising.
‘Indeed, it is a most interesting situation that you find yourself in.’

Rico soon buckled under the weight of Yali’s gaze. With
studied nonchalance, he cleared his throat. ‘I’d like to watch from outside, I
think. Get a closer view. My report would surely benefit from it.’

‘Indubitably,’ Yali murmured, helping himself to a piece of
black bread and chewing it languidly as the door slammed to signal Rico’s hasty
retreat.

His ever-active amber gaze soon settled on Robert. ‘Has
Optio Ostergaard been updated? This exercise, running late, will surely cut
into his lesson.’

‘Yes, sir.
I informed him at once.’

‘Good.’ Ingmar Ostergaard was not only a brilliant teacher
but a dear friend of Yali’s. Eccentric, intellectual, and rather wild of
appearance, his mild manners invited rough treatment from the more domineering
members of staff. ‘I always feel that though Regent History has less immediate
significance than our more visceral disciplines, it represents a vital element
of the cadets’ training programme – though I do not imagine Optio Shadrach
would share my sensibilities.’

Robert inclined his head in silent acquiescence. After a
respectful pause, he gestured to the chair next to the centurion. ‘May I join
you?’

‘Of course.’
He pushed the plate
toward him. ‘Please, help yourself if you are hungry. My eyes have certainly
been bigger than my stomach.’

Robert inclined his head gratefully. ‘Thank you. Will you
stay and watch? I’d like to hear your opinion on their progress. I think the
girl’s form has improved immeasurably since we have begun fencing; I’m curious
to see if this will translate to her movements over the course.’

The older man smiled. ‘I would be delighted. Though,’ he
pulled his woollen cardigan more tightly over his shoulders and shivered, ‘I
cannot pretend I am envious of their position. I would not like to be
attempting the Labyrinth in this weather.’

Their attention turned to the small figures on the screen,
who
were now moving into position near the starting line.

‘Ah, but remember how exciting it all was in the beginning?’
Robert smiled jovially. ‘I am sure they are having the time of their lives.’

***

Raegan was having an awful time. Not only had she been in
thrown in at the deep-end, with barely a second to even think about the crazy,
scary changes she was going through, not only had she been experiencing a run
of bad luck – which she suspected was not bad luck at all but someone’s idea of
a laugh, playing pranks on the new girl - but she was expected to settle in
faster than the regular cadets.
And then there was the training. The
average programme was rumoured to be gruelling; hers, designed to catch her up
with the rest of her year double quick, was something else.

As Max had touched on in their meeting, the programme
focused on three main disciplines, designed to maximise and hone all of the
Regent’s potential. Essentially these disciplines corresponded to the
epicentres of a Regent’s powers: brain, body, and heart. Every day was a triple
attack on the cadet’s endurance, strength and agility.

Five days in, Raegan didn’t think she was doing well in any
class, though she probably struggled most with Body. This was Bree’s speciality
and she was doing her best to help Raegan improve. Unfortunately, this meant
getting her out of bed even earlier than normal for a run before the morning’s
training began. Bree was tough but fair, and when she was in the right mood she
could be a real laugh - but she didn’t believe in sleep.

‘If you think this is bad,’ Bree had said on their first
morning, as Raegan puffed around the track alongside her, ‘Wait ‘til Yali
finishes with you!’

She hadn’t been exaggerating. A key component of Brain
training was the focusing of the mind through physical exertion. Raegan,
completely inflexible, was useless at this to begin with. She couldn’t even
manage a simple headstand. The strong, silent Yali was a kind and patient
mentor, but pretty imposing; his body seemed capable of anything. It was also
impossible to cover up your mistakes. Nothing evaded his notice. Still, she
liked him. Next to Ingmar, the hyperactive Regent History tutor, Yali was
probably her favourite teacher. She was less keen on Rico. The sadistic drill
instructor looked for any excuse to make his students run endless laps; but
here, at least, Raegan caught her stride. She might not be that strong or
graceful but her long, gangly limbs had always been good for cross-country
running.

 And then there was Liana. The centurion of Heart was
like no-one else. A diminutive black woman, with huge eyes and a calm, smooth
face, she radiated power. In a way, she was similar to Yali; but where Yali was
cool, unmoving, like an ancient stone, Liana was a coiled spring, held in place
by huge, fiery strength. There was something wild and almost primal about her;
and maybe this was to be expected, for she was the one in charge of the
Awakening – the name given to the process the Regents went through in learning
to open themselves up to their powers. The Awakening began within a few weeks
of every Regent’s sixteenth birthday. This was the only class in which Raegan
was completely alone, without any of the optiones or tesserarii. This was the
class in which Raegan was expected to plumb the depths of her soul.

It was long, stretching over hours; and afterwards Raegan
couldn’t remember exactly what had happened. She would enter the studio, warmly
lit by candles, aware of the crystals in each corner. Thanks to her discussion
with Max, she looked on these with friendly eyes; she even reckoned that she
could feel their power now, radiating through the compound like a protective
cocoon. The first time she met Liana she had said as much.