Second Guard by J. D. Vaughn Page A

heart start to beat more rapidly, the vivid memories racing though her mind. Every few moments Zarif would ask a question, as was his
way, but Chey kept quiet, nodding at her in encouragement each time she faltered. She told them, too, about Paulo and his biting words about the Guard. When there was no more to say, a silence fell
around them like a cloak pulled tight, and Tali wondered if she had done the right thing by passing on such a heavy burden to her friends.
    She could see Zarif weighing everything she’d told him, though he was not yet prepared to conjecture. Chey chewed on his lower lip and stared into the distance, as if searching for an
answer among the clouds.
    “Chey, will you tell us what you know now?” Tali asked. “Maybe there is some kind of connection.”
    Chey nodded, then glanced around as if making sure no one might overhear them, though they were quite alone.
    “Your words are safe with us, Chey, you know that,” said Zarif. “So tell us…what do you know of Jaden that we do not?”
    “Rumors,” Chey said. “Ugly ones. You will not like them,” he said, looking pointedly at Tali.
    Tali felt a chill run through her, but she braced herself and lifted her chin. “It matters not. I need to know, Chey,” she persisted, the quaver in her voice betraying the intensity
of her emotions.
    Zarif nodded. “Yes. Sometimes rumors contain a kernel of truth. We cannot assess their worth, however, unless you share them with us.”
    Chey coughed once behind his hand and shuffled his feet. Finally, he began to speak in such a low voice that Tali and Zarif were forced to lean in. “It is said that Jaden was responsible
for many of the”—he paused, clearly searching for a word—“
things
that happened last year during Second Guard training.”
    Tali shook her head in exasperation. “What kind of
things
, Chey?” she asked, trying to keep her patience. “You’ve revealed nothing. Jaden is a centurio. He is
responsible for much of what happens at training.”
    “Please go on, Chey,” said Zarif with an encouraging nod.
    Chey looked down at his feet and gave a deep sigh, obviously uncomfortable with the words he was about to speak. “Some say Jaden was responsible for the pregnant pledges…and also
for the death at Batenza Falls.”
    “What?” asked Tali, her eyebrows raised as far as they would go. “Are you suggesting he
seduced and murdered
pledges?” The thought was absurd. Jaden was a Second
Guard centurio. No matter how tough he was on the pledges, he had sworn an oath to protect the realm. “That’s—”
    Zarif interrupted. “Chey, who or what is the source of such hearsay? These are no petty rumors, but serious accusations that could bring Jaden to ruin.”
    Chey’s face hardened. “I understand that, but what if they’re true? Two girls returned to their families in shame, and the boy returned in a
box
.” He shook his
head. “I’m sorry, I cannot reveal the names of the people who told me, but they have no reason to lie. They say Jaden was seen at the homes of all three families shortly after the
incidents.”
    Tali’s head spun. She could not, would not, believe a centurio had committed such dishonorable acts. Commander Telendor would never allow it, least of all from his own son. Chey must be
mistaken.
    Zarif rubbed his chin. “Could there be a legitimate reason for Jaden to visit those families?”
    “Might he not be paying his respects on his father’s behalf?” Tali asked.
    “There is no respect in a pregnant pledge, Tali,” Chey countered.
    “True enough,” Tali said. “Though the pledge’s death would certainly warrant such a courtesy.”
    Chey shrugged. “But that still doesn’t explain the girls who were dismissed. One of those girls comes from Maracay, near Batenza. Her family’s house is now twice the size it
once was, and her father pulls a brand-new dray through his fields.”
    “So you’re saying that Jaden paid them off?” Tali