The Iron Rose: Volume 1

“Really, Zhi. I can make it back to the tower on my own,”Gudomlaysaid on a heavy sigh. “Besides. Stars aren’t allowed on the stripe’s side without clearance.” She glanced sideways at him, watching the moonlight reflect off his hair. He really was handsome. She smiled small, thinking herself lucky to have him walking her home. Even if she was trying to chase him off. Despite liking his attention, she felt bad for bothering him.

“I’m the leading tech student. I always have clearance,” he argued with a speculative glance at their surroundings. There had been a drop in the D.S.’s appearance which made him more worried than relaxed. And that Britta was concerned aboutGudomlay’ssafety only heightened his concern further. He shut his eyes and sighed with a downward glance at her. “How is your combat training going?” He asked, starting to cave in. He couldn’t sense anything that warranted his suspicion. And he was tired from computer lights and then running afterGudomlayhow he did.

She glanced at him and gave him a wry grin. “Well enough, I guess. Don’t worry.” She waved at him to shake off the inquiry. “Look, I can see the tower.” She pointed at it, and he glanced where she did. She was right, it was close.

He sighed with a nod and then took her wrist. She looked up at him as his callused fingers pressed into the soft skin of her arm and turn it over. She looked down then as he placed a small coin like token with a button in its center in her palm. “If anything happens, push the button and throw the coin at your target.”

“What is it?” She asked, studying the thing after he’d let go of her. It looked like a penny but a little bigger, and the metal was lighter like tin. There were tally marks turned in different directions on it too, but she didn’t know what they meant.

“A meteor,” he said with a glance at it. She raised an eyebrow at him and nodded. Meteors were like grenades, only less lethal and flashier. “It will both ward off your attacker and signal to me. I’ll come help, all right?” He asked, now leaning towards her to look at her face.

She lifted her head and blinked in surprise when she realized how close he was. She nodded, a little blank-faced at his being so earnest. She smiled then. “Thanks, Zhi.” She tucked it away and gave him a wave before starting across the grounds. As she went, her feet shuffled with a light sound through the grass while she crossed into the starlit lawn.

He sighed, agitated and not moving from his spot. He watched her, deciding that he’d hang out there until he could sense her presence behind the tower’s door. He shut his eyes and put a hand over his eyes. Caring about someone like this...it was exhausting. He smiled pensively to himself and looked after her again, hoping there was nothing to worry about at all.

She looked back at him and waved. Though he returned the gesture he didn’t move. She turned away, pressing her lips together. His carefulness was making her tense. She tapped her fingers over her chest, feeling the bone under her shirt as she gave wary glances around. She almost regretted having to turn out of Zhi’s sight to get to the tower. That he couldn’t see her made it harder for him to know if she made it in all right.

She shut her eyes, took a great breath, and pushed it out loudly. There was no one there. Not only was Zhi a techy, but she knew that he had the ability to sense other people’s presence. His talent at such was like no one else at the school too. She’d heard it was part of his family’s training and had nothing to do with the school’s curriculum. Though, thinking about it, it seemed a reliable skill she now wished she had. It seemed there were many who did internally. In fact, those she could think of were mostly stripes. She started to ponder, trying to think of who she knew. Someone that had the inherit ability to sense others when she realized that she herself had some level of it.

How else could she tell when Kunagi was hovering over her when she was trying to sleep. But. He was close during those times. She frowned, wondering if she could figure out how to stretch that out. If she could feel the energy of others that were further away than a few inches, it would be useful.

And then she sensed it, that static heat that came off another person when they came into your space. She gasped and slid forward, whirling around to lift her arms. She crossed them over her head as the first person she sensed failed to grab her. But he wasn’t the one she was blocking. Now out of his reach, she watched as the second man jumped to throw a downward punch at her. She grit her teeth, her arms ready. And then his fist buckled against her guard. But as he leapt back, a third came out of the shadows to grab her from behind. When his arms flew around her, she gasped.

She screamed in her throat with frustration. And then, gritting her teeth, she kicked up her feet. She used the second man’s face to run herself up and flip over her captor’s head. His hold on her grew awkward. But he didn’t let her go so she was kneeling on his shoulders and bowed over his head with her face in his chest. But her arms were free. He hadn’t pinned those down! So, she lengthened her hands so they were flat like blades and threw them against the sides of his neck. He gave a choking sound and released her so she flew her head upright. And then she shifted herself so her legs wrapped around his neck, and with a shout, she jabbed him in the eye.

He cursed under his breath, grabbing at her hands as his partners hurried to pull her off him. She growled at them, flailing and twisting to cause them trouble. She wished she’d been paying better attention during her tutelage with Albert! Were these the D.S. students?

“Shut her up!” One of them hissed. “If we’re caught by the others we’ll get expelled!”

“Then hurry up!” The man she’d clawed at growled as she was thrown to the ground. She landed with a thud and winced as the wind was knocked out of her. Coughing, she glared up at him and the bloody marks on his face.

“All right!” She shouted in a wheeze. “You got me. It’s not like it was ever going to be hard,” she grumbled, frustrated with herself. “You guys must’ve not been aiming for a very high grade.”

He scoffed and squat to gaze at her. Grabbing her face in his hand, he brought it close to his. “No. Just a prettied up stripe posing as a star,” he drawled. He pushed her down then and straddled her.

It didn’t take another breath for it to occur to her what he meant. It wasn’t a secret that she was an orphan and being supported by the state. Nor did it bother her for people to know that she’d been raised by a stripe. “Get off!” She screamed, now bucking under him as one of the others grabbed her feet and the last her arms.

“Hurry up!” The black haired of them hissed as he dug in a bag.

“Shut it,” the one on her growled. He planted his hands on either side of her head and grinned down at her. She stared back up at him, wide-eyed. “She gave me more trouble than I thought she would. So I’m going to take my time.” He wiped the blood from his face, a flash in his gaze as he grinned. “Now where’s the acid?” He asked his friend, waving a hand at him impatiently. Then he looked back at Gudomlay and smirked. “We’re going to screw up that flawless face of yours so the department will have no choice but to demote you. If they’ll keep you on campus at all,” he scoffed.

Gudomlay’seyes grew even wider. He was serious. She opened her mouth, taking a breath to scream when he suddenly went flying off her.She gawked and then looked up. Zhi couldn’t have known she was in trouble. There was no way. So who...

“D.S. stars don’t belong on Black Eel stripe grounds,” Bard drawled, his face tense with fury. His boots seemed to crunch loudly on the grass underfoot as he lifted the hammer he held to rest on his shoulder. “I can barely tolerate our own. So why don’t you piss off?” He took his hammer then and swung it as if he were playing a mean game of croquet at the one near her feet.

Unlike his friend, he was prepared and dodged the attack. And then he took out a gun and, with a simple pull of the trigger, shot at Bard. Gudomlay took a breath to scream but stopped. Bard was calm. And as a fourth-year stripe who knew a secret about their world, he simply stretched out his arm. This was a fact no star was ever going to learn from his professors, and one Bard had perfected.

He reached out his hand, and without a sign of having done anything, caught the bullet in his fingers. The gunman grit his teeth and took a step back. And then Bard threw the bullet away and started to advance.Gudomlaystared in awe. But when she felt the D.S. holding her wrist move to get on top of her, she flipped over. Now on her stomach, his hands were twisted. And then she slid her knees under her and pulled as she stood up. He came forward so he was now the one on his stomach, and she kicked him in the head at his black hair.

He let out a rippling roar of pain and held it. Angry, she went to do it again when a familiar pair of arms wrapped around her from behind. This time, he was using one to pin her arms down as he took out a gun like his friend now fighting Bard.

WhenGudomlaysaw, she screamed but too late. This bullet, whatever it was, was faster, more technical. And it ripped through Bard’s side like a hungry fang. He grunted for the pain of it but didn’t appear to be deterred at all. The D.S. holding her cursed and shot at him again, but as Bard had before, he caught the bullet and threw it to the side.

That’s when the D.S. students started hissing at one another. Bard grit his teeth andGudomlayheld her breath. Were they--communicating?

Something then shot out the black-haired D.S.’s sleeve.Gudomlayscreamed when she saw the light and knew that it was some kind of taser. Bard bore his teeth as it dug into him, and he fell to his knees.Gudomlaystruggled against the one that held her, her eyes now blinded by tears. While Bard was still recovering, the two started beating on him. He was good and durable but not invincible. For some reason--she’d always thought that he was.

Sucking in air through her teeth, she swung her head back and hit the D.S. holding her. She heard a crack and knew she’d successfully broken his nose. Then she spun around as he grabbed at it and threw her leg to kick him. He caught it though, and in a moment, had her on her back again. She cried, her chin trembling as he pressed himself against her.

“Bard!” She screamed. “Bard get up! Run!” She twisted toward him, tilting her head back to see him. He had gotten up and was fighting, doing an impressive job despite his injuries. He cracked his fist over one’s head so he slumped to the ground. But he was having trouble with the other who now had a knife.

Gudomlaydove her hand into her pocket. She was struggling to grab the meteor she put there with her attacker pinning her down. He was trying to grab his bag just too far to reach and that had her in a desperate panic. When she finally grabbed it, she paused. Should she throw it toward Bard and his D.S. or shove it between her and her D.S.? How strong was this thing?

Not able to bear the thought of hurting Bard any more than she had, she held up the meteor between her and her attacker’s face. He paused when he saw what she held and glanced up to meet her eyes.

“You wouldn’t,” he growled. “You’re afraid of pain. That’s why you won’t train. Setting that thing off will put both of us out. You wouldn’t--”

She started laughing then and he shut up, surprised by her cackling. “That’s right. None of my friends could guess it, but leave it to my enemy to know my pitiful weakness. Guess what.” She ground her teeth, her eyes turning hateful as she glared up at him. “If my fear leads to something like this than I rather suffer than let someone else feel it for me!” She pressed the button on the coin, tossed it up, and curled under her D.S. while throwing her hands over her head.

There was a great flash of light. A loud rumbling followed, and the ground shook with vibration while fire exploded overhead. Her D.S. shouted,towering over her and covering his head. She pushed him off and started toward Bard who, like his D.S., had been knocked off his feet by the blast. She grabbed his arms and tried pulling him up, but he’d been hurt too bad.

Panic vibrated through her when she saw the dirt and blood. This was her fault. The guilt that came over her to see someone like this on her behalf made her scream. This was… This was exactly what a star’s and stripe’s fate was. Except… Did a star ever feel this anguish she was now experiencing? This absolutely dreadful guilt at knowing someone had been badly wounded in their effort to keep her safe?

The D.S. men had come after her because they knew she couldn’t fight back! She remembered what Albert had told her. What she had said. Stripes. They weren’t bodyguards--they were people. She knew this better now than ever. And that made her scream again as she numbly watched all three D.S. students come to their feet.

They breathed heavily, all glowering at her. She swallowed, and letting Bard go, stood over him, her arms spread out. They started coming towards her, all looking angry and ready to hurt her. She swallowed, angry at herself more than she could put into words. The D.S. was right. This whole time. She’d acted like a weakling because she didn’t want the others to be too hard on her, to hurt her even on accident.

She’d been living in a fantasy world! To think she could manipulate her enemies the way she did her fellow students who cared about her. She felt so stupid!

“You little bitch!” They all came at her together. She ground her teeth, resolved. She wouldn’t let them hurt Bard anymore. They got closer, their guns and knives out. But then she was grabbed from behind, spun around, and thrown further back as someone dashed past her.

She watched Bard face that person. He squatted with his hands cradled together and then vaulted that person up into the air over his head. She watched him flip into the sky, taking out two katana so their blades flashed pale in the moonlight. While he was still in the air, Bard grabbed his hammer. And with a shout, he spun it around so the D.S.’s were forced to stumble back.

Where they’d just been, the new arrival landed. His legs were in an unmistakable fighting stance. His body was crouched forward, and his honey colored eyes lifted to glare at the outsiders.

One of the D.S. students cursed and took a step back. “No way. Zhi Feng...”

Zhi straightened, both his katana held in an upward position along the backs of his arms. “Leave. Now.” His eyes scanned each face and he hissed. “Michi Hayashi, AdamAarse, and GunneAarse,” he drawled.

“How does he know who we are?” The one Bard had been fighting hand to hand shouted.

“Shut up, Adam!” The one who, now thatGudomlaywasn’t in the middle of fighting them, looked most like Adam and had been her most aggressive attacker. “Just because he has a couple of swords doesn’t make him any better than this stupid hammer slinger! Michi!” He shouted, thrusting his arm toward Zhi. “Get him!”

“No way, Gunne! Don’t be stupid. The big one was hard enough with the three of us. But that’s Zhi Feng. He conquered the sword man’s regional championships when he was eight! And he became the nationwide conquest conqueror when he was fourteen. He’s the most talented katana user in the world and the deadliest for being a Feng. They fight to kill when they’re not in the ring. I’m not doing it!” He was trembling, his pitch getting high as he backed away. “The Fengs don’t mess around. Besides, stars are allowed to kill. I’m out of here!” He turned around then and ran.

The brothers growled after him and then pivoted to face Zhi and Bard. “That’s right,” Gunne drawled, glaring at Bard. “Stars are allowed to kill.” He pulled a sheathed sword from his back and flipped it around his hand. “So say your prayers. As for you,” he glowered at Zhi. “Just because you can do fancy things with a sword doesn’t make you any better than Death Stalker!”

“Bard,” Zhi said in a low voice. Bard, his jaw tight and lips thin, glanced sideways at him. “As secret head of the student body. As Master Black Eel Technician and privileged key holder of the academy star’s rights. I release all bounds placed upon you by stripe law to contract with you. For this one battle, we act as an official star and stripe partnership. In accordance to three two dash zero four of the academy’s sacred oath. The oath to protect its students from all threats who seek to cause bodily harm. Are you in agreeance with this proposal?” Zhi asked, his tone more official thanGudomlayhad ever heard it.

“I hate you punk ass privileged stars,” Bard growled, swinging his hammer up to rest in both his hands. “But I accept.”

As he said it, a circle of light ripped through the grass around him and Zhi. On them, identical streams of light marked them and their gazes suddenly turned deadly.

“What’s going on?” Adam growled. He ground his teeth as he gave a wary glance at his brother. He was now sweating and blinking the blood from his eyes as he watched.

“A star and stripe have made a partnership. But you wouldn’t know anything about that for being neither a stripe nor privileged star.” Zhi stared at them with no emotion in his cold gaze. “Though temporary...” He pointed one of his katana tips at Gunne. “It gives Bard here unquestionable rights to use his full power. All in order to destroy you for dare harming a Black Eel star.”

And then, with a great and terrible roar like that of a vicious lion, Bard vaulted forward.Gudomlaygasped and stared. It was as if he were propelled by rockets! He threw up his hammer so it caught under Gunne and threw him into the air. Adam shouted, his eyes wide. He looked at Zhi then, who was already flying toward him. Adam took out a similar blade to his brother’s in preparation. But before Zhi ever had the chance of swinging his swords, Bard came and threw the end of his hammer into Adam’s back.

The student gasped, the wind knocking out of him as his head threw back. There was a vicious cracking sound, and he fell on his face. Wheezing as his brother came hurling back toward the ground, tears streamed out his eyes and blood dribbled out his mouth.

Zhi, giving up the idea of having any action at all, simply watched as Bard abandoned his hammer. He caught Gunne with a punch to his face that also produced a terrible and venomous sounding snap. The force of it threw Gunne into a tree where he slammed against it like a rag doll and then dropped.

“No need to point out that you just made my entrance completely anti-climactic.” Zhi, one katana resting on his shoulder and the other pointed down, tilted his head. “I knew you stripes were stronger than most stars but...” He glanced at Bard, looking a little surprised. “Given your injuries, I expected you to hold back.”

Bard glared down at him, gripping his side. “What are you talking about? I did hold back.” He glowered at the two students and spat. “Just because you gave me permission to kill them doesn’t mean I’ll follow exactly how you like,” he said stubbornly. “And don’t pretend you didn’t want them dead,” he drawled. “People who look calm and unconcerned on the outside. They’re the ones who are hiding their feelings the most selfishly.” He glanced where he’d thrown Gudomlay. She was getting up and no doubt about to make a break for it. He lowered his gaze and shut his eyes. “You’re in love with her too,” he said quietly.

Zhi glanced at him, his eyes wide. He looked at Gudomlay then, and to Bard’s surprise, she came rushing at him.

“You stupid, big, idiot!” She threw her fists at him, hitting him weakly before grabbing his arm. “Zhi, help me!” She cried.

And that’s when Bard realized how much blood he’d lost and collapsed.