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she remembered of that night, she and Renet sneaking into the Compound, the
Vidnir, and Renet s murder by John. Gwen fully expected to be reprimanded or
punished herself, but felt that John had to be dealt with. Commander Lucien s
response surprised and frustrated her.
Have you told this to anyone else? the auburn-haired Soldier-Mage
inquired of her quietly. The two of them sat in the meeting room off of the dining
hall early one morning about a week after the incident.
Not all of it, Gwen replied, nervous but relieved to unburden herself to
someone whom she felt had the power to take action.
Good. Do not tell anyone else what you and Renet did or what
happened, Lucien told her firmly. I don t want you to be in any trouble for that
foolishness; you have too much potential to be held back by that.
And-and what about Renet s murder? Gwen pursued, sensing that
Lucien was avoiding that issue.
Ah& that& It was the first time that Gwen had seen the Soldier-Mage
truly uncomfortable; the woman looked down at the table, leaned back, rubbed
her neck with both hands as she grimaced. Commander John is& a special case.
If it were any other Soldier-Mage, perhaps there could be some disciplinary
action. With John, well, he has& protection from pretty high up.
Gwen stared at her, blinked once. So& nothing can& no, excuse
me& nothing will be done?
That s the politics of the situation, I m afraid, Lucien agreed, seeming
even more uncomfortable for a moment, and then her features hardened. Look, I
don t even have to explain it to you, soldier, but you know I like you, I think
you re a good worker, responsible& I don t want to see you ruin all that by
pushing this matter. Renet is gone, and I ll miss her too, but by trying to avenge
her you would only end up a servant, permanently, or you d end up a Vidnir,
even more permanently, right?
Gwen opened her mouth to say more, thought better of it, and forced
herself to say, Yes, Commander.
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B.A.McFadden
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Lucien let out a breath, seeming genuinely relieved. I m glad you see it
my way. If you keep up the good work, you may see the status of Unit Leader
coming your way.
A bribe to assure I don t cause any trouble? Gwen thought. But then she
realized that being in authority would serve her purposes quite nicely. Thank
you, Commander Lucien. I will keep that in mind.
*
From that point on, Gwen relentlessly pursued perfection in her life as a
soldier. She was the first one dressed and ready in the mornings, and the last one
to lie down at night. She studied strategies, policies, procedures, philosophies,
and histories. She studied the teachings of Elstän, her proposed vision for the
Valley, the army, and the world. She studied the prophecy that Elstän cited
concerning a savior that would arise in the Valley to lead the army. She sought to
study the Dweln prophecy of the Hope who would liberate the Valley but found
no written record of it. She knew where she would find that information, or rather
who could inform her, but that source was not easily accessible.
Gwen also pushed herself in her training, struggling to master the
techniques and the skills involved in hand-to-hand and swordplay. She and her
fellow squad members learned to fight as a unit, to predict one another s
movements and thoughts as one living organism.
She was no master warrior, she was sure, but her efforts were certainly
rewarded. In truth, it seemed that fate took part in the circumstances, helping
Gwen toward her goal when her unit s leader decided to transfer to another town
to be nearer her lover. Gwen was chosen by Lucien to take over as Unit Leader.
Gwen was active in other, more subtle ways as well. She did not openly
speak about the incident at the Compound, but she fed several versions of the
story into the rumor mill, along with a few other choice fictions that were sure to
stir up discontent. She also chose wisely from among her friends a few whom she
could trust with the truth, the truth of Renet s murder and the truth of her plans.
So were the seeds of rebellion planted among the soldiers of Braag.
Months passed as Gwen grew in knowledge, skill, and status. The season
changed to fall and moved on into winter. She saw nothing of John in that time,
and saw no evidence of his self-determined status as the hope and savior of the
Valley. But she was able to see Kris.
Gwen realized, a trifle guiltily, that she had been avoiding Kris. She had
been so uncertain of him, her feelings for him, and this was such a different
world than the tiny town of Frederick. And just as John had become someone she
did not know, someone she hated and feared, she was not at all sure what to
expect from Kris.
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She decided one day to approach him, to talk to him. If nothing else, she
realized that he was her link to the male half of the army. She would need to
confide in him, tell him of her plans, and gain his support. She had already
formed a sort of underground following, even though it yet lacked organization
and true focus; she was not ready to risk too much organization for fear of
drawing attention to her plans. One step that needed to be taken was to
incorporate the male soldiers.
One particularly sunny day in mid-winter, Gwen was off duty during the
afternoon hours. She knew that Kris was off duty this particular time as well, and
she also knew that it was his custom to take a walk around the town, stop by a
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