Tiva Boon: Royal Guardian Read Online Free Page B

will not lament the day when she beats you to the ground, brother.”
    “That day comes swifter than he knows,” Tiva said, and grinned at her favorite cousins. “My trainer has told me I am the strongest and best to have crossed his path since our fathers.”
    “I see you still must learn humility.” Kevler’s voice echoed through the lounge. Everyone turned and greeted him. Tiva frowned. “Do not despair, my daughter, once you are unsure of yourself or bested by another you will understand the true meaning,” he said.
    “Yes, Father.” She nodded and saw Rux chuckle behind his hand.
    “How goes your training?” Kevler asked his niece and nephew.
    “We are ready for the level three guardianship tests, Uncle. I hope that we will be the new gatekeepers; it is more exciting than normal grounds patrolling,” Rux said.
    Rae nodded in agreement and added, “I only wish we had been ready earlier. I do hate to miss Tiva’s induction.”
    “Yes, well I am sure she will tell you all that happens, and I thank you for staying with the twins while we are away.”
    “It is our pleasure, Uncle.” Rae’s eyes sparkled as she spoke. “Mother and Father are waiting for you near the bridge.”
    “Thank you, Rae dear.” Kevler smiled, turned on his heels, and bolted up the stairs. His voice carried through the house when he yelled back, “Tiva meet us at the hovercraft; we will be there shortly.”
    “Yes, Father ,” Tiva said and approached her siblings. “You two behave for our cousins, otherwise you will not be allowed to attend the gathering when we return.”
    “We always behave,” Remock grumbled.
    “We are not troublemakers,” Bintu said.
    Tiva chuckled and walked to the door. Turning back, her hand firmly gripped the sword, she nodded to Rae and Rux; they both saluted her with their fists to their hearts.
    Tiva strolled to the docking deck where her father kept the hovers. She sat on the front frame of one of the vehicles. The suns had risen fully and before her was a beautiful, warm day. As she waited, she thought back on the last five cycles of her life. Everything she had experienced and learned was more fruitful than she ever imagined. She learned of honor and duty, patience and virtue. She studied the beginnings of her world and the history of her planet.
    She read of the Eternal Spirits that roamed the lands before all others, and became familiar with the duties of other noble positions of her people. The Healers, crafty with herbs and medicines, were considered the strongest empathic people on the planet. The Vicars, religious figures, preached the ways of the Yantar: the codex of Abennelp. The Mystics, foreseers of the future, were the spiritual guides to the people. Many did not actually see into the future, merely predicted what may happen in any given circumstance.
    She had memorized the appointed families of the provinces, the king’s court, the structure of the Parliament and government. Although she felt she did not need the knowledge firsthand, as her charge would be the king himself, it was required learning.
    Tiva loved learning about the second most respected position on the planet: The Legionnaires, the army of Abennelp. A proud and loyal group of soldiers, they protected the provinces and the outskirts of the capital city. Tiva made friends with many of the legionnaires. Knowing she would soon be a guardian, the King’s Army showed her nothing but respect. Though mostly a peacekeeping army as of recent cycles, the legionnaires had also seen their share of battles.
    One that stuck in her mind had happened a hundred cycles ago, when off-worlders came to Abennelp. The planet, still young and growing, had very little weaponry to defend itself against other space races. Aliens crashed on the cold tundra of the upper hemisphere after trying to make contact with Degort. The technology of the times did not afford her people the chance to communicate with them, and when the king sent his