My Kingdom Come book 1: The Saints We See
Chapter 6: Loyalty

661 standard years after the signing of the Alliance treaty

As soon as the word ‘begin’ left Korish’s mouth, Hathu quickly stepped in towards his larger opponent. He wrapped his arm around Tanahsa’s waist, hooked his ankle around his outside leg and jerked his foot out from under him while simultaneously pulling his upper body backwards. Tanahsa slammed to the mat on his back.

Hathu quickly straddled the boy’s hips, jerked his head to the side and instead of setting his tusks against the base of his throat, he touched one of his poisonous upper fangs to Tanahsa’s jugular. Tanahsa stiffened under him.

“Hathu.” Korish said in a warning voice.

Hathu moved his mouth to Tanahsa’s ear. “If you ever bother my nephew Armis again, I’ll gut you. Understand?”

“I understand.” Tanahsa growled.

“Good.” Hathu spat on the floor, got up, and stalked back to his place on the perimeter of the room with the other students.

“That was an excellent takedown. Good work Hathu.” Korish gestured for Tanahsa to get up and take his place as well.

Korish looked around the room for a moment. “I’m sure you’re all excited for the games this year. The votes for your team captains have been counted up. The winners will be informed today and will be assigned their fields. Tomorrow they will pick their teams.”

The students around Hathu cheered. Hathu kept his face impassive, but inside he was filled with excitement. He looked forward to playing the game all year. It was the one thing that made his life bearable.

“Alright. Class is dismissed. Hathu, I want you to stay a moment after class.”

Hathu’s jaw tightened. He sat leaning against the wall while the other students grabbed their belongings and left the room.

Tanahsa came over his bag slung over his shoulder, and crouched in front of Hathu. “If you think I’m going to let your nephew bully the younger students just because you threatened me, you’re sadly mistaken.”

Hathu looked at Tanahsa emotionlessly for a moment. “You’d better work on your defense, then.” He let his gaze slide past Tanahsa and pretended he no longer existed.

Tanahsa nodded. “Alright then.” He got up and left the class.

Korish stood quietly in the center of the room. As the last student left the room he turned his gaze towards Hathu and and stared at him for a moment.

Hathu waited.

“Did you finish reading the book I lent you?”

“Almost.”

“What do you think of it?”

Hathu tilted his head. “I think that Chakna understood the enemy quite well. If the general had listened to him, the army might have lost that battle, but they would have won the war.”

Korish raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t finished the book yet? What chapter are you on?”

“Chapter nineteen, sir.”

“Have you talked to anyone about the book or read anything about it?”

“No, sir.”

The corner of Korish’s mouth pulled up slightly. “Well, I guess that explains why whatever team you play on always does well in the game.”

There was another moment of silence while Korish just stared at Hathu.

Hathu stared at the wall past Korish and waited.

“You won the student election for team leader.” sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ FindNøvᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Hathu blinked. “I did?”

Korish nodded.

Hathu couldn’t help the smile that stretched his mouth. Team leaders were usually seventeen. Sometimes a sixteen standard year old team leader would be elected, but to win the student election at fifteen? As far as he knew that had never happened before.

“You also won the teacher election for team leader.”

Hathu’s heart stopped for a moment. “What?”

“You’re a team leader this year, Hathu. The youngest we’ve ever had in the colony school. Congratulations.”

Hathu took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves. “Thank you, sir.”

Korish nodded. “The other team leaders will meet us here soon and you’ll draw first for your field assignment.”

Hathu swallowed. “Sir…can I pick blue team?”

Korish frowned. “You want blue team?”

Hathu nodded.

“Well. We’ll ask the other team leaders when they arrive. If they all agree you can have it.”

* * *

Hathu walked down to Deetha’s, his hands shaking with excitement.

The other team leaders had agreed to his request. He was leader of blue team. He was already running through student names in his head, deciding on who were must haves for his team, on how he would set up his defense and offense depending on who he was able to get.

Hathu had played on the same team with each of the other team leaders at some point over the last few years. He needed to write down everything he could think of about how they played.

He walked three doors down from Deetha’s before he realized that he had passed her house. He went back and knocked on the door. Gierna his five standard year old niece opened the door.

“Hello, Hathu,” she left the door open and walked back into the house.

Hathu went inside and shut the door behind him. He heard the murmur of men’s voices coming from the dining room, which was on the other side of the kitchen. He paused for a moment, wondering if he would be unwelcome. Tannis did not like him.

Hathu heard his father’s voice. “It’s agreed then, we’ll move on the prison two weeks from today. The wolf and his men will take the older students directly from school and Nivan will move the families. All three groups will meet on the beach. Everyone will go out to the ship together from there. We’ll be well on our way to our new home before the emperor’s army even suspects what happened here. Then we’ll start preparing for stage two.”

Deetha came to the doorway of the kitchen and froze, her eyes on Hathu. She held a finger up to her lips and disappeared back into the kitchen.

Hathu stood there uncertainly for a moment, wondering what he should do.

Deetha reappeared carrying the garbage bin from her kitchen. She walked towards the front door, snagging Hathu’s arm on the way. They silently went out the front door together.

Hathu shut the door behind them and took the bin from Deetha. They began walking towards the large bin that the community emptied their trash into.

“What are you doing here Hathu? Armis was supposed to tell you not to come over today. Father is having a meeting.”

“I’m sorry. I was kept after school. I didn’t see Armis.”

Deetha glanced at him with concern. “Was there trouble?”

“No.” Hathu glanced at Deetha. There were lines of worry around her mouth. “I got picked as a team leader for the game.”

Deetha stopped walking and turned to face him. She smiled softly and gently chucked him under the chin with her finger. “Youngest ever team leader. I’m proud of you Hathu.”

Hathu grinned, blushing a little. “Thanks Deetha. I’m sorry about coming over today. When I walked in I heard voices coming from the dining room and I realized there must have been a meeting today. I’ll be more careful next time.”

Deetha looked searchingly into Hathu’s eyes. “You didn’t hear anything?”

Hathu frowned and shook his head. “No. Why? Father isn’t planning to use Gemma in the next hunt, is he?” He allowed that very real worry to fill his mind. Gemma was getting older and every time another hunt came around, Hathu was afraid that his father would find a younger, more desirable slave when he went to buy slaves from the second hand slave market.

Deetha smiled, her face relaxing. “No, nothing like that.” She resumed walking towards the community trash bin.

“What is it then?”

Deetha sighed. “You know I can’t tell you Hathu. If you would just participate in the hunts, father would let you into the meetings and you could know everything that was going on.”

Hathu scowled. “You know how I feel about the hunts, Deetha. I don’t want to be part of father’s cult. In two years I’ll be old enough to go to school somewhere else. I’ll leave this hell behind and live my own life.”

They had reached the community trash bin. Hathu emptied Deetha’s trash into it.

Deetha took hold of Hathu’s arm. “Hathu…I really shouldn’t say anything, but…” she looked away, then looked back at him. She leaned a little closer. “Father will never let you leave. He couldn’t bear the shame of a son turning his back on his philosophy. Just do what you have to do to survive.”

Hathu patted her hand softly where it clutched at his wrist. “I know Deetha. He’s told me that he’ll kill me if I try to leave. I’m not afraid to fight him or any of his minions.”

Deetha’s hand tightened on his wrist. “Hathu?”

“Yes?”

“I…I know you’re very clever when it comes to the game, but…a fight with father wouldn’t be like that.”

“I know Deetha. I’ve seen him sparring with the others. I’ve seen him hunt. But I would rather die like a slave than stay here and become him.”

Tears began to water up in Deetha’s eyes. She blinked them away and leaned closer. “Hathu, remember the leafhopper. Don’t jump into the hunter’s hands. Be wise about what battles you choose to fight.”

Hathu frowned slightly and nodded. “I will Deetha, thank you.”

Deetha took her garbage bin back from him. “You probably wont be around much after today, with all the planning and training and engagements you’ll be having for the next month or so?”

Hathu nodded.

“Well, I wish you good luck Hathu. I’m…sorry you were born here, you deserve a better life.” She cupped his cheek softly. “I’m rooting for you, little leafhopper.”

Hathu smiled and kissed Deetha on the cheek. “I’m glad I was born here. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have had you for a sister.”

* * *

Hathu let himself into the house and went directly upstairs to his room. He shut the door behind himself and stood there with his back against it, staring out the window, over the field where he used to play leafhopper. The field that every slave hunt started from.

He took a deep breath and walked over to his desk. He sat down and pulled a paper notebook out of the drawer. It was a gift from Deetha, an oddity she had picked up for him when she had gone on a vacation trip with Tannis last year. He flipped through it, his eyes catching glimpses of his handwritten notes on game strategy, plans for the next game, and notes on fellow student weaknesses and strengths regarding the game. He paused at a page that summarized the suggestions he had planned to give his team leader that year, he flipped the page and ran his finger down the notes he’d made there. Notes he wouldn’t share with his team leader, notes he’d made dreaming of the future when he would have the chance to be a team leader himself. He sighed and flipped to the next blank page in the book. Everything was different now. He would have to start from scratch.

* * *

Hathu stood in front of his newly picked team, his hands clasped behind his back. He scanned the students wondering if he was doing the right thing. “This year, the games are going to be different. Blue team is going to win every point.”

A surprised murmur broke out among the blue team members.

“I picked each one of you on purpose, because I know you have what it takes to fill the role I have planned for each of you.” He looked directly at Tanahsa when he said that. Tanahsa stared defiantly back. Tanahsa had been Hathu’s first pick. Most of the rest of his picks were not particularly fast or big.

“We are going to be doing some serious training. I am going to teach you everything I know about playing the game. We are going to be the best team this school has ever seen. We are going to go down in legend.” The eyes of every member of blue team were glued to Hathu. Some were skeptical, most looked excited.

“Most teams today are going to write their names down on a list and go home. Not us. Today is the beginning of turning forty five mediocre individuals into one spectacular team that can do anything. Everyone stand in a circle around the edge of the room.”

Blue team shuffled and shifted so that they were standing around the rim of the room. Korish, who was observing the planning session was left outside the circle.

“I want everyone to put an arm around the Ir’Klahn next to them.” Hathu demonstrated, wrapping an arm around the two younger students on each side of him.

There was a murmur of discomfort around the room, but everyone complied.

“Look around.” Hathu commanded. “These are the warriors you are going to be relying on for the next month. They will protect your back, they will run their hearts out, they will die for glory, for the team, for you. There’s not one unimportant Ir’Klahn here. Well will all win together, or lose together.

“We are each going to say our name and we are each going to pledge our loyalty to blue team. I’ll go first. I’m Hathu, I pledge my loyalty to each of you.” He let his eyes move across the faces of each member of his team. “I will do everything in my power to prepare you for the upcoming game. I will give everything I have to win.”

There was complete silence in the room.

Hathu looked around the circle again, then down at the student next to him. “Now you go.”

The boy swallowed nervously. “I’m Bava. I pledge my loyalty to you. I promise to work hard and learn and to give everything I have to help blue team to win.”

Hathu gave a nod, “we accept your pledge, Bava. Welcome to blue team.” He turned his gaze to the next student.

“I’m Parinka. I pledge my loyalty to the members of blue team. I will work as hard as I can to help us win.”

“We accept your pledge, Parinka, welcome to blue team.” Hathu looked at the next student. Tanahsa.

Tanahsa stared at Hathu for a long moment. “What we talked about yesterday in class…”

“This has nothing to do with an arrogant little prick who thinks that pushing around smaller students makes him tough.” Hathu answered. “Notice, he isn’t here. This is about blue team. I picked you because you know how to stand for something bigger than your own comfort. Was I wrong?”

Tanahsa raised his chin slightly. “No.” He broke his gaze away from Hathu and looked around the circle. “I pledge my loyalty to blue team. I will stand by you, I will protect you, I will give everything I have to ensure we win.” His eyes came back to Hathu.

“We accept your pledge, Tanahsa. Welcome to blue team.”

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