(Year 0)

Kallista watched the newcomer carefully as they entered the room. She could still picture Takaren’s silver-gold Guardian hair, tied back smoothly with two of the black streaks hanging down in front. But the newcomer’s hair, however similar in color, was cut short and left unkempt. There was a startlingly bright yellow-green scar that ran like a slash from their forehead down onto their cheek, crossing their left eye socket but not appearing in the eye itself. Where Takaren had regarded the world with confidence, the newcomer’s blood red eyes -- indicative of Shairisel royalty -- glanced around warily before landing on Kallista.

Even after being told about them, she found the resemblance to Takaren unnerving. The leader she’d looked up to was gone to be replaced by someone who obviously didn’t know what they were doing.

Kallista dropped to one knee. Takaren had carefully taught everyone the custom that would be implemented once Falcondar was overthrown, and a Guardian was to be respected above all but the dragons themselves.

The newcomer looked taken aback for a second, then nodded, permitting Kallista to rise. After a second of silence, they strode to the wall and set their shield against it.

“You’ll need that,” she told them, if just to break the silence. It felt weird to address them so informally after kneeling before them, but she ignored the discomfort. After the obligatory gesture of recognition, she didn’t have to respect anyone until they proved they deserved it.

“Why?” they challenged her. “I passed my ‘entrance exam’ two days ago. It’s not my fault they couldn’t find me a babysitter until today.”

Kallista crossed her arms. “You’ll definitely need it if you plan to keep calling me your babysitter.”

They rolled their eyes and picked the shield back up. “My name by the way, since you were so inclined to ask, is Kiridan Shairisel.”

Like I really wouldn’t know that. “Kallista,” she responded tersely. “It’s time for your entrance exam.” She choked back a snort as their face twisted into a scowl. “What, do you have something better to do? I’ve been waiting for your punctual arrival for half an hour. All I’m supposed to do is give you an orientation.” She’d wanted to duel a Guardian ever since she’d met Takaren. She was also highly bored.

“You’re extraordinarily rude for someone who just knelt before me,” Kiridan observed as they fastened their shield to their arm.

“I really do try.” She motioned to one of the packed dirt circles that covered the room’s floor. “If you step out, you lose. If I draw blood, you lose. If you get knocked out, you lose, and if you give up and run crying to your mother, you lose.”

They nodded. “And I assume I lose if you feel like it as well.”

“That’s more or less the gist of it. Come on, it’ll be entertaining.”

“For me, at least.”

Kallista glanced at them, raising her eyebrows at the new almost-playful tone in their voice. Despite their complaints, Kiridan actually did look intrigued by the notion of a fight.

Smiling, she stepped into the ring, deploying her wheels as she went. They would become less effective as the battle progressed and the dirt was torn loose -- such was the nature of that type of weapon -- but she had other ways to be effective. She tied her bushy brown hair back as she turned to face her new opponent.

Kiridan smiled slightly, then charged forward.

Kallista yelped, scrambling back and ducking their first swipe. What is wrong with me? She pushed off of the ground and flipped to her feet, then jumped high, kicking at the Guardian. The bladed wheels rang against the shield, but Kiridan held it steady as Kallista dropped to the ground.

I will not be caught off guard, she told herself forcefully. I can’t have them leave here thinking of me as an idiot!

What do I care if they think of me as an idiot? It’s not like-

She ducked just in time to avoid a pointed edge of the shield. Dammit! Staying in a crouch, she pushed forward, rolling in a tight circle around Kiridan’s legs. She forced herself to stay calm, alert. She forced herself to wait.

Now. She jumped, using a charge to clear Kiridan’s shield as they swung it down toward where she had been. Their eyes widened in surprise as her toe caught the edge of their shield, knocking it to the ground.

Kallista smirked. She skidded to a stop behind them, then rushed forward again.

A ball of bright orange fire appeared in Kiridan’s hand. “Can’t get to me now, can you?” they said crossly.

Kallista stopped. “Oh, for Dasaria’s sake,” she muttered, pulling a revolver from her hip. “May we consider this a draw and go again, without spells or guns?”

“Fine,” they agreed with a roll of their eyes, waving their hand and extinguishing the fire.

Kallista put the gun back, then pushed away and rolled to the edge of the ring. Kiridan retrieved their shield and stepped in again.

They hadn’t been in the ring for half a second when she blasted forward. I can play like that too. She swerved to the side in a feint, then flipped up, aiming a kick for the now-exposed part of their shield arm.

“Dasing hell,” Kiridan grunted, stepping to the side. Kallista turned to pursue, but they bent around her strike again, catching her leg with their shield-less hand.

Kallista immediately bent forward, knuckles flying in their face. They raised the shield, forced to go on the defensive, and she jumped up with her other leg, retracting the wheels and kicking hard into their stomach.

They dropped her, and she rolled back across the floor, scrambling to her feet and deploying her wheels again. “You swore by the gods,” she observed. “Aren’t Old Shairiselans devoted to the dragons?”

“What? Of course we are!” they hissed. “I don’t believe in Falcondar’s precious gods as far as I can Dasi- as far as I can throw them.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“It is considered disrespectful to swear by the dragons,” they said. “Besides, it’s impractical for Guardians. So many of our advanced spells begin with ‘by the power of the dragons’ or some such, we could accidentally invoke one every time we got mad.”

“I… guess that makes sense,” she said as she rolled back to her starting position. “And for the record, I don’t believe in Falcondar’s gods either. The oaths are just an old habit that comes from being raised here.”

They nodded thoughtfully, then lunged again, ducking low and aiming a swipe at her legs. This time, she sensed it coming and rolled to the side, coming up with her fists raised. “Why did you come here?” she panted, ducking another swipe and lashing out with her fist.

“Takaren is gone,” they growled. “We need to accept that. Raven Empire needs a Guardian on their side.” They raised their off hand to block her fist, then drove their knee into her stomach, knocking the air from her lungs.

It sounds like you’re the one who still hasn’t accepted it, she mentally noted as she rolled back, wheezing. She stayed on her feet, though, circling around them as she tried to regain her breath. “I think they realize that she’s gone,” she said finally once she was able to talk. “But… they’re lost. Since Takaren’s death, they’ve started to lose their grip on the organization. More and more spies for King Falcondar have infiltrated their higher ranks.”

They clenched their fists, not pursuing her, as if they’d forgotten about the duel altogether. “Whatever Takaren did to prevent that, I can do it too.”

Kallista shook her head. “It had nothing to do with being a Guardian. Takaren would send some of the most trusted -- but lower-ranked -- members to weed out the spies without the knowledge of the council. A… friend… and I went on one such mission ourselves. But without Takaren’s influence and eye for traitors, we’re getting infiltrated more frequently, and it won’t be long before one piece of key information or another finds its way to the King.”

“But why won’t they let me help with that?” Kiridan seethed. “I’m obviously Takaren’s sibling; they can’t honestly expect me to undermine her mission!”

“Because they’re also losing members they thought were loyal. Takaren was brilliant. She had a way of talking to people, a way of showing us that she knew what she was doing. She was inspiring. She made us see through her eyes. The council doesn’t have that. Sure, they can write their speeches and preach their beliefs, but they don’t have what Takaren had. And-” she clenched her jaw, slowing to a halt as she spoke. “Some people here decided to leave. It got worse with the Kessiel Incident. When people saw the council’s mistakes, they started to lose faith, and the council got scared. They’ve tightened their grip on the organization. If someone knew anything important when they left, the council sends someone to kill them. It happens to all of them,” she said bitterly. “Even the best.”

“If they betrayed the mission, there is no best.”

Kallista clenched her fists. “Yeah, well… Let’s go again.”

Kiridan nodded, raising their shield.

Just then, an officer burst into the room. “Kallista. You are needed by the Council.”

She looked up, brow furrowed in confusion. “Did I do something wrong?”

“You are needed for an important mission,” he explained. “We just discovered that one of our old members -- a traitor -- is still alive.”

Kallista breathed in sharply. He can’t possibly mean-

“We believe that you would be uniquely suited to track her down,” the man continued, “and do what the last assassin could not.”