The man stared at me. “I don’t know how you stumbled your way in here, but when we want to recruit someone, we come to them.”

“You would never have found me, even if you had known I existed.”

He shook his head. “Sorry, kid. That’s just not how we work.”

“Kid? I’m twenty, and you can’t be more than twenty-five!”

He shrugged, looking bored.

I made it past his defenses and broke into his lair, and he doesn’t even consider me worth talking to? “Tell me to leave my weapon by the door, if you think I’m a threat,” I challenged him, annoyed. “I’ll leave my Dasing weapon by the Dasing door. But don’t tell me to leave. I spent too long finding this stupid hideout to leave.”

“You’re a security breach who cannot be trusted,” the man told me. “If we just let you in to take information as you please-“

“Whatever information you think you’re hiding, I already have it,” I said flatly. “I discovered your motives, found your hideout, and got in without a single alert from your ‘security’. I’m a breach, alright, but at this point you shouldn’t care if I learn more because, as I told you, I want to join your cause.”

“Oh? And what information do you think you’ve uncovered?”

What is this, some kind of pop quiz? “Raven Empire is an organization intent on overthrowing the monarchy. You find young, impressionable, ‘gifted’ individuals and train them into warriors. You discovered the secrets of Falcondar technology and imitated it, creating versatile weapons.”

I took a breath. “And I know how you started. Nine years ago, when Falcondar invaded the Shairiselan Kingdom and subjugated its people, there were many who weren’t content to remain under the new King’s rule. One of them was a Crown of Shairisel, the former heir. One of the last Guardians born to the royal line. Takaren Shairisel.”

I leaned closer, my face twisting subconsciously into a snarl. “My sister.”

He paused for a moment. Then he laughed, stepping back. “Right. Because the-“ he glanced me up and down- “brother? Sister?”

“Sibling,” I told him flatly.

“-of the legendary Takaren Shairisel would just come waltzing in here three years after her death.”

“Oh, she’s far from legendary,” I told him. “Even Guardian powers cannot compensate for sheer Dasing stupidity.”

He growled. “No matter who you claim to be, I will not have you insulting our founder.”

“I wasn’t referring to her decisions directly regarding Raven Empire’s tactics, so much as her choice in secondary leadership.”

His hand drifted to his spear as his face went red with anger. “If you think insulting me will get you anywhere, I urge you to reconsider.”

I shrugged, trying to hide my irritation. “The Kessiel Incident speaks for itself.”

His eyes widened. Yes, I know about that. “That was a single lapse,” he protested. “A single mistake.”

“A single mistake that resulted in a rogue storm god rampaging across the kingdom, smashing through your legions of mechanized soldiers like they’re made of paper.”

“He’s not a god.”

“Oh, so if he’s not a god, he’s not a problem?”

“We don’t know what he is yet, but we do know he shows attachment comparable to that of a human.” He sighed. “If he was a god, he wouldn’t be so attached to his sister. I almost wish that were the case.”

I stared at him. “You don’t even blame yourself for being one of the people to suggest sending a legion to kidnap his sister?”

He scowled at me. “We didn’t know he was there as well, and we certainly didn’t know how much of a threat-”

“Which makes it okay?” I exploded. “If Takaren was still here, she’d tear all your heads from your necks. Dasaria’s tail, I have half a mind to do that!”

He sneered. “With your so-called Guardian Powers?” He removed his hand from his spear and folded his arms. “I don’t know who you are or why you know so much, but you’re no Takaren Shairisel.”

“I agree. I’m Kiridan Shairisel.” I swung Asteri from my back. “And as short sighted as she was, Takaren’s vision is worth saving, so I’m going to save it, and I’ll fight you for it if I have to!”

The man swung his spear off of his back. I noticed him readying his finger over a button on the shaft. “Fine,” he growled.

Fine. I lunged forward. He smiled and pressed the button on his spear. A charge of orange light blasted out toward me, but I’d anticipated that and was already jumping to the side. As he fired again, I moved sideways again, continuing my rush forward. When I closed into melee range, he spun the spear and swung at me, but I ducked beneath it and swung my shield at his chest. He danced back, then stepped in and slammed the butt of his spear into my shield, causing me to take a step back. I ducked away from his next swipe, keeping my stance closed and tight.

The pace of the fight increased, and I forced it to stay in close range. Every time he stepped forward, I danced back, then pressed forward before he could retreat. I mostly lashed out with small swipes of the points of my shield, keeping on the defensive.

When his next swing came in, I reversed tactics. I bent just to the side of the point like a leaf bowing before a breeze and swung my shield out, catching him hard under the chin. He fell back, raising his spear defensively as he rubbed at his jaw.

“So Takaren taught you her fighting style,” he remarked.

“My fighting style has nothing to do with Takaren!” I hissed, closing on him. Nothing has anything to do with Takaren! I ducked under his next swipe and spun, aiming a hard kick at his side.

That was a mistake. He took advantage of my outstretched position, swiping me off my feet before I could land a hit. “Maybe you could stand to fight a little more like Takaren, then,” he taunted.

Growling, I rolled back out of his range. When I stopped in a crouch, I reached up and tore the cloth from my face. The man paused as he took in my black skin, marred by a bright yellow-green scar across my left eye, and the blood red eyes and wavy silver-gold hair that marked my heritage and power.

“By Dasemring’s thousand seas, you really are a Guardian.”

“No. Dasing. Kidding.”

He scowled. “No matter if you are a Crown of Shairisel, you can’t come in here unannounced and jeopardize our mission! How am I supposed to know that you haven’t been compromised?”

I stared at him. “How are you still convincing yourself that fighting me is a good idea?” I asked, incredulous.

He raised his spear, shooting at me again, but I raised my shield and deflected the charge. I raised my open hand. A ball of fire formed in my hand, and I hurled it at him. As soon as it left my hand, a new fireball formed. I continued my barrage, and he whirled his spear, struggling to deflect or dodge each attack.

My arm began to shake from the power I had drawn from it, and I cut the spell off, breathing hard. I had to jump back as he ran at me again.

“We will save Falcondar from the tyrant who rules it!” he cried, attacking again. “And we will take out any spy he sends to find us. The number of traitors has gone up since Takaren’s death… and now I realize how it must go down. We will tighten our hold, kill anyone who leaves.”

As his next swing came in, I caught it against my shield, and as it paused there for a second, I grabbed it beneath the point. Then I jumped up, swinging both feet into his chest and knocking him back. As he lost his balance, I took a second to catch my breath. “How paranoid are you?” I heaved aloud, almost sickened by his ideas. There was nothing wrong with killing traitors, but from the look in his eyes, I knew he’d be driven to kill honest followers as well, as his fear took control. I’d seen it happen with Falcondar’s king, when he’d invaded Shairisel and killed my parents. This isn’t what Takaren wanted.

This isn’t what I want.

I ran forward again. As his spear swept toward my head, I ducked in, charging into him. I spun over him on my shield, then landed my feet and kicked, but he’d already rolled out of the way and jumped back to his feet.

I cast my fireball spell again and hurled a series of the flaming projectiles at him. This time, he took one in the shoulder, and as soon as he stumbled back I was running forward again. I knocked him to the ground with a swipe of my foot, then knelt and held my shield point at his neck.

“I’ll let you stay in Raven Empire,” I growled. “I’ll let you prove that your loyalties still lie with Old Shairisel. But you will not attack me again. We’re working together to overthrow a greater evil.”

He nodded shakily. “One thing I want to know,” he wheezed. “If you really are the sibling of Takaren Shairisel, why did you say you had to find all of your information for yourself? Didn’t she just tell you?”

I shook my head. “We were the first Guardians born in close to a hundred years. We were trained to doubt everything, to trust nothing, to always remain on guard. Naturally, she didn’t trust me, not with something big like Raven Empire.”

I poked the point of my shield up into his chin, causing him to cringe. “And I didn’t trust her. So I think there’s still something this organization is hiding.”