The Enemies

Red Birds

Rhea

I still smell of medicine and herbs and limp as I walk. Freshly out of the hospital. The cool breeze feels nice. Rockwell's sore face, obscuring the view by a horrific pink shirt and illicit green linen cargo pants, is not. Will is one of the people I can work with. He is entirely immune to my good looks and my bad temper. One of the few who can spend time with me without counting seconds to leave or naming our future kids. He is intelligence and often has access to a lot of useful information. Since Joolls and I are cardinals, he is allowed to share this information with us. 

'Do we understand each other?' Rockwell finally asks.

I chew on my lip. My father wants to see me, and our conversation will be very entertaining. He does not agree with what I have done, but he was well aware of the reasons. Undoubtedly I will hear what he thinks of my insubordination and where it can land me.

The chirping of cardinals forms a melody with a quiet whisper of the wind and rustling of the leaves. The parks in Stolnter are small, not like the ones in Moneree. The one we are in is larger than the rest, greener and has a little pond. Rockwell sits on the bench, and I am on the grass in front of him.

'Yes.'

'I am not questioning your decisions. I am questioning your sanity, Flint.'

He is still discontent with my actions. No matter how hard the punishment will be, Rockwell will be affected too. A lesson for me to learn – my recklessness influences other people too. No matter how hard I try to pretend this is only my life on the line – it is not. I am more significant than that, and I must be smarter.

I touch the dandelions absent mindedly, my eyes still on the cardinals.

'Did you know the population of cardinals dropped during the Great War despite the fact Karm was not affected like Drell and most of our land remained intact?'

The sun peeks through the clouds, and I squint my eyes. The magnificent little thing is sitting on the hackmatack next to the bench, little red bird with black facemask, proud and mighty.

'Yes, they even made a study about that some time ago.'

Rockwell nods but turns to see the bird.

'Don't worry, it won't happen again,' I smile at him reassuringly. 'It was imprudent to jeopardize children's lives without any reason. Hold on for just a little longer, and you will be free of me. I will step down when this is over.'

'I thought you asked to be accepted yourself. This is a great honor, you know.'

'Yes, a great honor.'

I snort.

What is so honorable to spend all your childhood alone in the forbidden land, afraid, desperate to survive? I feel a pang of guilt. Being a cardinal is being a part of history, hidden, protecting your country from enemies, always watching, and ready to fight for the right cause. The secret group created specifically to guard Karm, to make sure its citizens never become slaves to the brutes like Drellians. Fascinating, how important you feel when you look at it from this perspective. You become part of something greater, more significant and influential, completely disregarding, what you suffered to become one. I am part of the group, not just Rhea.

I also feel the ancient calling – it runs in my family from my farther's side. He is a cardinal, my grandfather was a cardinal, my grate grandmother was a cardinal. I know for a fact that my ancestors participated in the final, fatal operation against Drellians in the Great War. Unfortunately, we know little about it, but I am proud of my roots. Well, the ones I know about.

'Cardinals managed to save our country in the Great War. It is only because of them we are who we are now, with our land safe. Who knows, maybe you will be the one to do it this time.'

Rockwell smirks interrupting my train of thought.

'As if I have all it takes?'

The group derives its name from the similarly-named bird. There are many redbirds in Karm, and the story says the name comes from the notion they are everywhere. This is the purpose of the agents – to be everywhere, know everything when it comes to Karm's defense. Each member is quite unique, and only the top-level officers know how many active cardinals there are and what role each member has. They showed their efficiency time and time again, especially during the Great War. Many lost their lives at that period. They did unimaginable and bit the last fatal attack from Drell. There was no hope, and it was only because of the cardinals we managed to live the day.

There were three other countries on the continent between Karm and Drell. The history books say there was no choice but to sacrifice them to survive, the bombs fell on their territories and wiped clean the surface of the land, killing everyone by the blasts. Two of those countries sided with Karm. I cannot help but wonder how hard it must have been for the cardinals to make such a decision – to kill thousands of people, betray their trust, to protect Karm. Was it even a choice? Would I be strong enough to do such a horrible thing? Will it always be us against the world? Is it moral?

Is there any other way?

'Not sure about you but I hope there won't be another war like that. I thought Drellians were ordered to demilitarize,' I scowl, still processing the whole notion of sacrificing another nation for the sake of ours.

'Yes, and as of today, we have no data that they have any weapon of mass destruction, but we can never be sure. There is only so much we can do.'

My communicator vibrates inside my pocket. When I see the name, I straighten. Well, it is about time. This reminds me.

'Thank you for going forward with the operation.'

'I hope you know what you are doing, Flint.'

'Do you think there is hope for us to leave in peace someday? I was saved by a Drellian soldier. Confident they are all evil, but he speared my life without asking anything of me. I was taught for them to be our enemies, but even amongst them, there are still good people.'

Rockwell gives me such a probing look, I feel as if I am being scanned, with my insides checked and reevaluated. The soldier did not shoot me when he discovered us in the house, Oden Candred did. I also failed to mention that he came back with food and medicine, tended to my wounds, and helped the children. His actions challenge the entire ground I am standing on. Major of a Drellian marksmanship team shows the possibility that Drellians are humans. And there are decent and kind people in their midst.

'I think you are not telling me something.'

'I am not,' I stand up and wipe my butt with my palm. 'But even if you tell anyone that you suspect something, I will not tell the rest of the story. I don't trust people, not you not anyone. So yes, I don't tell you a lot of things and those I do tell are the ones that are crucial for you to know.'

No 'goodbye' to Will today. People annoy me. At this moment Will is one of them. Rockwell is a brilliant man, very talented, and capable. I will never attempt to come toe to toe with him. But despite his precious qualities, he lacks one. He is not frightened like me. I am a bottle of terror and rage. And he is not filled with any. Rockwell has no idea how it is to live with pain and all-consuming fear all your life, deal with them for so long that the brain is not afraid of death anymore, welcoming it as a happy ending to my dull existence.

And if death seems like a happy ending, what couldpossibly scare you in this life?