Beckoning Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #1)(31)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

The first stop on my tour was the market. It was open-air, which surprised me, considering how cold it was outside, but the few people we saw wore heavy cloaks and didn’t seem bothered by the weather. I noticed that many of the stalls were empty, and Henry explained that with the poor harvests of the last few years, food was not as plentiful as it used to be. Henry stopped in front of a vendor, handed over a few coins, and picked up a fruit roughly the same size and shape of a coconut, but bright green. Henry hit the fruit against the table, and it split open. He handed me a piece of the fleshy fruit from the inside. I hesitated before trying it; the edible portion was also green. After watching Henry devour several large pieces, I tentatively put a small piece in my mouth.

“Wow, this is incredible!” The fruit was sweet and tart at the same time, and like nothing I had ever tried. My breakfast hadn’t been out of the ordinary, so it surprised me to be eating something so different.

“I’m glad you like it. It’s called a jade fruit, in case you want more.” Henry looked pleased and handed me another piece. “They were really rare for a while but, with you back, I’m sure there will be plenty.” I looked away; it was so strange to be held responsible for the harvests.

While we ate, Henry led me past a few craftsmen. One in particular caught my attention because among the products he was selling was an exact copy of the dollhouse I had as a little girl. I remembered that it had once belonged to my mom, but of course I never imagined it had been made by someone in another world.

Our next stop was in front of seven industrial-sized buildings. “What are these?” The buildings appeared newer than the other structures and appeared somewhat out of place.

“It’s the Barracks. It’s where all of the soldiers that make up the Bravado live. The Guardians live there, too, but we will be moving into a new building after the ceremony. The Gerard will move into the castle.”

“The Bravado?” I chose to ignore the part about the Gerard, still not really understanding what it meant.

“Sorry, I forgot that you are so unfamiliar with Energo. The Bravado is the name of our elite military unit that Blake created.”

“Oh, but why are there so many?” I couldn’t imagine needing enough soldiers to fill up those huge barracks.

“Bellgard is the capital, so it is the central military base. Energo has always been strong, and under Blake we were able to defeat all of the nations around us. But without an Essence, it has been difficult to defend even our borders, so we needed large numbers of soldiers. We did not understand why Blake was building up the weaponry so much, but now we know it was because he could tell a new Essence was coming of age.” He smiled shyly.

“But why must all the nations be at war?” I asked, knowing that I sounded naïve. I had taken enough history to understand that war was an inevitable part of life.

“Everyone wants what we have—control over the Source. That is why we need to make sure you stay protected; others will want to capture you to gain control.” I could tell that he was proud to be tasked with my protection.

I shuddered involuntarily at the thought of being captured by anyone. He must have noticed. “Don’t worry, Charlotte; we would never let that happen. We have been chosen as your Guard for a reason,” he said, flexing his arm to show off his muscles while laughing. As different as this was from my home, boys still seemed the same.

As Henry showed me around, I realized that I was having fun. He was really easy to talk to. During our walk, we talked about our families. Henry was the youngest of five boys, and he was excited to brag to them about how he was the only one to be a Guardian. Clearly, Blake had not exaggerated the significance of the position. It just seemed so strange that all of these men were tasked with protecting me. I was already sick of being babied by my family; I didn’t like the feel of this.

We moved into a more residential area of Bellgard. We moved past smaller homes, more like cottages, and I watched children running around playing games, while a few animals roamed the streets. I assumed this was the less affluent area of town, and Henry hurried us through it. We walked further out from the city center, and I saw several larger homes, each spaced a good distance apart from the others. When we came to one of the largest of the stone structures, Henry proudly pointed it out as his family’s home. I had been unaware that he was from Bellgard.

I asked him what it had been like growing up there. I was becoming more and more curious about Bellgard and my family.

“I do not have anything to compare it to, but it was a nice enough childhood,” Henry said after considering my question for a minute. “I had my lessons and played with my brothers mostly. I never imagined I would end up a Guardian.” Henry grinned when he mentioned being a Guardian. I hardly knew him, but I was glad that he was on my Guard. I had a feeling we would eventually become friends.

I decided to go ahead and ask him what I really wanted to know. “Obviously you never met my mom, but did you know anything about my family?”

“Of course I did. The Winthrops are our royal family, and even years later, people still talked about the disappearance of the Essence. When your mom left, everything changed, and people gave up hope. I cannot begin to tell you how important it is to Energo that you have been found.”

I thought about asking more questions, but I wasn’t sure if Henry was the right one to ask. I suddenly missed Monty; he was the one who could give me the answers I needed.

Henry led me back to the castle, where he said goodbye and took off in the other direction. A member of the Bravado who didn’t introduce himself showed me back to my room. Finding myself alone with nothing to do, I remembered that I had my iPod with me. I lay down on the bed, put on my headphones, and tried to zone out. I decided to listen to the new playlist Liam had made for me, and I tried to concentrate on the lyrics so I could relax. It worked.

Before I knew it, Tara was helping me into a dress that seemed even fancier than the one I had worn the night before. It was dark blue with long sleeves and a fitted bodice; it fit perfectly. I couldn’t have gotten a better fit if I had it tailored; my mom must have been exactly the same measurements when she was my age. “I think you should wear it down,” Tara said, as she straightened my hair with her fingers.

“Really? I never wear it down.” I was still embarrassed by the attention. I was never going to get used to someone waiting on me; it felt so alien.

“Why not?”