Guardians

What is your purpose?

This is my ongoing scifi / fantasy / crime fiction serial. New chapter every week.

The Triverse is
Mid-Earth, an alternate 1980s London
Max-Earth, a vision of the 26th century
Palinor, where magic is real

Previously: Bruglia is under attack by insurgent group the Owkehu. As the city guard scrambles to defend the city, Captain Rexen monitors the battle from the garrison HQ…

The Garrison. Bruglia.
3208. Brightsun.

Messenger spirits arced across the skies above Bruglia, spiralling this way and that to avoid interception, blue and orange and purple creatures the size of birds, flitting between buildings and across rooftops to reach their destinations. In the sun-bleached day they could be hard to see, pale against the bright, cloudless sky and the rocky structures; come night, they would be a light display worthy of any festival.

This was no festival; it was war. Captain Rexen of the city guard roared his orders, charging about the garrison's central chamber, speaking with the receivers as they translated and relayed the messages. Reports were pouring in from the outer districts of the city, of a rebel force having emerged from the canyons, taking the city protection by surprise and driving across the bridges. There was fighting in the outskirts on the south side of the city, and with each report the size of the attacking force swelled: hundreds, then thousands of enemy combatants. The scouts had seen nothing, there had been no advance warning. It was an intelligence failure on a colossal scale.

Recriminations could come later. His responsibility was to muster an opposing force, to defend the city and push back the insurgent wave. He had expected this for months, as one city state after another had fallen under the spell of the terrorist network. And it was a network: a sudden coalescing of a hundred different groups from across the continent, united in their desire to do harm. Everything was coming unstuck. An attack on Bruglia was their boldest move yet, and they'd bypassed many of the city states on the way. There had been no word from the Peak, which suggested they had left the mountain settlement untouched.

Bruglia was impregnable, despite the surprise attack. No matter the size of the attacking force, Bruglia had more. The city guard alone was better trained, better equipped. There was no finer collection of martial wielders on the continent. Factor in the presence of Mid-Earth troops stationed near the portal and university, complete with their mechanised war machines, and the fight would soon be over. It could be a decisive defeat for the rebels; perhaps even the battle that would end their alliance.

And yet.

Rexen put distracting thoughts from his mind and focused on the immediate crisis. The war table was being reconfigured to display the latest information from the front, the visualists working hard to keep it up-to-date. Bruglia was represented in three dimensions from above, and in miniature scale. A red mass to the south was breaking against the blue of the city guard. What had been a rapid incursion was already slowing, and would soon be repelled from the city.

"Have we sent a messenger to the neighbouring city states?" He looked for his chief sender, who ran back into the chamber from a well-illuminated outer room.

"Yes, Captain. Birds are away."

"Good," he bellowed. Guards moved about the room, looking to their own messages and information, relaying orders to individual squads. "If the Peak's forces come at them from the south, we'll have them squeezed from both sides. There'll be no escape."

As with all wars, it was as much about information as it was boots on the ground and weapons in hand. Perhaps more so. And Rexen had many files in his office on the floor above. Files and files.

Jyna approached, her cloak pulled tightly around her face, as always. "My observers bring word, Captain," she said, moving close so as to not need to raise her voice against the noise of the room. "Krystyan and Lykasra of the Owkehu have been sighted. Princess Daryla Baltine is among them."

All the ringleaders, then. They were clearly confident in their chances of victory. Unless there was something else at play, something that Bruglia's analysts hadn't reckoned with - it wouldn't be the first time that day, after all.

"Defence of the city is our priority," Rexen said. "Protection of civilians. Remember: vengeance is a natural consequence of us doing our jobs properly; it's not the mission."

She planted her hands on the war table, knocking a corner of the visualisation out of sync. "If we cut off the head, the Owkehu will be done. Finished."

"There's any number of charismatic leaders waiting to step up," Rexen snapped, knowing full well that Jyna wanted her own personal reckoning. "They'd probably thank us. And we'd turn them into martyrs if we killed them. Their forces we can handle. The leaders require some sensitivity. They must be apprehended, taken into custody. It has to be done right."

"So they can have their day in court? Spout their usual lies?"

He moved her hands away. "If that's what it takes to stop the fighting."

A messenger ran up and passed a scroll to Rexen. It was magically sealed, awaiting his signature, so he pressed his thumb into the imprint. The seal broke and he unfurled the message. "New orders," he said, scanning the text.

"From the Chancellor?"

"From the very top," Rexen said, feeling his blood cooling in his veins as he read the instructions. He tightened his jaw, stared at the mark of Baltine's house and the university insignia.

Set the lower city aflame.

It was a simple enough order, easily executed. He could send instructions out to the guard overlooks that connected the outskirts to the main city, the bridges spanning the chasms between the many mesas of Bruglia. Excellent elementalists were already on site and could create a multi-point conflagration that would envelop the lower city. The city's physologists would fan the flames with artificial air currents.

Frankly, it was a miracle it didn't happen more often after closing time.

The orders from the Chancellor's office did not include an evacuation. There would be no escape for the Bruglian citizens currently trapped there. Baltine wanted the incursion stopped, no matter the cost.

It was one shitty order too many.

"Come with me," he said, grabbing Jyna by her good arm. She tried to object, but his stare closed her mouth, and physically there was no possibility of resisting his grip. "My office, now." He stormed up the short flight of steps, dragging her with him, and slammed the office door shut behind them.

"Captain?"

He threw the scroll down onto this desk, then pointed a finger. She picked it up and her eyes widened as she read it.

"What do you think, Jyna?"

She was nodding, as if trying to convince herself. "This would cut them off, prevent any of the ground-bound attackers from reaching the rest of the city. We'd only have to deal with the flyers." She looked up at him, eyes glinting in the lamplight from beneath her hood.

"What is our purpose?"

"Captain?"

"What is our purpose? The city guard. What is it we do?"

She paused for thought. The pause was worrying; she should know the answer without hesitation. "Apprehend criminals. Prevent lawlessness."

"No!" He banged his fist against the wall, then pointed at her accusingly. "The clue is in the name. We guard the city. That is our purpose."

"Yes, but-"

"What is the point of protecting the city if, in doing so, we destroy it?"

"It's the lower city," Jyna said. "If it saves the rest of Bruglia-"

He kicked at the heavy wooden desk, pain arcing up his calf. The desk didn't budge. "I will not issue an order to murder Bruglian citizens." He snatched the scroll from her. "These instructions are immoral."

"If they breach the city centre, if they come here, do you think they'll treat us so compassionately? The Owkehu rape and murder. They will swarm through Bruglia and there will be nothing left. The lower city's sacrifice may save everyone else."

"Is your mind clear on this, Jyna?"

"My mind?" She pulled down her hood, one side of her face evidently paralysed as she spoke. "I was there, Captain. I was there at Tupu. They slaughtered everyone, my entire squad. Dann, Ainlee, Tolsa, Konyu, Sergeant Wolfe. Princess Daryla tried to kill me. They're all murderers."

"And us? What are we, Jyna?"

"We have to follow orders. This comes from Chancellor Baltine."

She was hiding behind authority. Something he'd done too many times in his life. "Five years ago you disobeyed orders and helped Lola Styles escape the city. Princess Daryla, too."

Jyna grimaced and looked away. "That was a mistake. And you were complicit."

Rexen smiled. "I was. And I suspect we are still to discover the full consequences of our actions." He put a hand to a tall drawer in his desk. "Orders are malleable, Jyna." Pulling open the drawer, a pile of scrolls burst out, some falling to the floor.

"What is this?"

"Orders I've chosen to ignore. Political conveniences. Off the books executions. Asset seizures. Blackmail."

"You've disobeyed orders?" Even half-frozen in place as it was, Jyna's face betrayed her shock.

"Not all of them," Rexen said, pulling a handful of papers from the drawer. "Only the ones I could get away with, or could make it look like one thing happened when something else entirely took place."

"You could be arrested for this," she said, then the realisation hit her. "I should arrest you for this!"

He spread the papers out across the desk. "We all know this city runs on favour and corruption and who you know. It always has. What we do is put some polish on it, a veneer of civility. We make it possible for most people to live their lives in peace. But this--" he swept a hand over the scattered orders. "This is Baltine as king. Baltine wanting to rule over more than merely Bruglia. The man's ambition is limitless. He wants the continent, he wants an empire stretching around Palinor. He'd bend the entire triverse to his will if he could."

Jyna covered her face with one hand, still holding the latest order. "But you're the Captain of the Guard. I'm a city guard. We take our orders from the Chancellor and the university. You're talking about treason. We rule with the fist and the iron gate, that's what we've always done. Can you really say that everyone in the prisons deserves to be there?"

"We're not a soft people like the Earthers. We do justice differently, run our cities in our own way. Guilty means guilty, and we throw away the key.” He snatched the scroll from her. “That’s not the same as this."

"The Owkehu are here. We can decapitate them, end them once and for all."

Perhaps she was too far gone. But he had to keep pushing. "I will not burn half the city for that man. The Owkehu are not worth the lives of hundreds of Bruglian citizens."

"And what if they slaughter half the city?"

Rexen took a breath. She had good sources, he knew, had doubled down on spymaster after what had happened in Tupu. Jyna didn't fight, but she had her ear to the ground. As did he, which meant he knew she was lying - to him, or to herself.

"All the information we have received so far suggests that the Owkehu are not targeting civilians. They are taking out military and city guard targets precisely, then moving on. You know this, Jyna."

"They took my arm! They took my face! You want me to welcome them with open arms?"

He shook his head. "We can defend ourselves, of course. But our priority is the city and its people."

Fury simmered behind her eyes. "I could arrest you now."

"You could."

"Then why are you telling me? You could have simply ignored the order."

Rexen smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "You're too clever for that. But a line must be drawn. And not in flame." He shoved the papers back into the drawer and slammed it shut. "Besides, I was hoping you'd come round to my way of thinking."

She grimaced. "Why? All I've wanted for the last four years is to track them down and wipe them out."

He should never have sent them to retrieve Simova - too late, Rexen had identified that warrant as another fabricated story. He didn't know what Simova had done, or had known, but it wasn't what had been written on his wanted poster.

"You've disobeyed orders before," he said, moving back towards the door, "I thought you might again."

"It was a mistake. A moment of weakness."

He raised an eyebrow. "Was it?" Opening the door, the noise of the war room rushing back in, he paused for a moment. "What you do next is up to you. If you want to arrest me, do so. If not - we have work to do."

---

References

A fair few mentions in this one:

• The Owkehu, led by Krystyan and Lykasra, have shown up many times now. They were first properly introduced in ‘A Distant Rebellion’ (August 2023). Not so distant now, eh, Baltine? lol

• The entire Simova storyline, and what happened to Jyna in Tupu, was told in ‘The Professor’ (October 2024).

• Rexen was first introduced in ‘The escapists’ (January 2023).

• We were introduced to Jyna in ‘Rubbish’ (August 2023).

Meanwhile.

One of this week’s highlights was attending the showcase event for the ‘Lit from the Inside’ programme here in Norwich. This is a year-long opportunity for people aged 14-17 to get to know the literature sector. They get to go to talks and workshops, visit festivals, and generally find out how the industry slots together.

Last year I led a workshop with the group about world building and publishing online. Seeing the put together their own literature event, complete with readings and guests, was a real pleasure. In particular, seeing some of them read their work in public for the first time. It’s a terrifying thing to do, but the first time is always the hardest.

I don’t think I read anything of mine out loud to other people until I was about 20 and at university. My hands were shaking and I was nervous¹ to the point of barely functioning as a human being. That sort of thing doesn’t bother me these days, and it’s exciting to see this group getting a head start on all that.

Did I mention that they’re all very talented, clever and interesting people? Whenever I do a workshop with teenagers I come away feeling optimistic about the future.

Fancy some extra reading? This is one of the best things I’ve read on the challenges of publishing fiction online:

[Essay]: "Fiction on Substack"

While Ricardo’s article is focusing on Substack, I can’t help but think that his insights apply to publishing fiction generally, whether online or in bookshops: we’re always struggling to compete for attention with our more direct non-fiction comrades. It really got me questioning the conventions of fiction titling, and how obtuse we tend to get. What is the purpose of a fiction title? To contribute to the artistic merits of the piece, or to get people in the door so that they’ll actually read the thing?

Maybe Friends had the right idea with its episode titles.

Except for Mulholland Drive, which I did not get on with at all, this ‘Top 100 Movies’ list is a very satisfying and broad blend of genres:

The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century

If you were born in the early-80s,

Alec Meer

’s newsletter is a nostalgia drip directly into your veins. In particular, his origin story almost word-for-word matches my own:

T Is For Transformers

Simon Furman is coming to NorCon later in the year. I might ask if he’d be up for an interview chat about writing serial fiction…

Author notes

I slightly tweaked my writing process this week. In part thanks to the support of paid subscribers to this newsletter, and after many months of saving up, I invested in a Remarkable tablet. It’s a stripped-back digital notebook that is probably the most luxurious thing I’ve ever bought.

My reasoning (with myself, primarily) was that I spend an absurd amount of time each week writing this newsletter, both the non-fic and the fic. I have notebooks floating around the house all over the place. I’d like to do more sketching. And, of course, I’m a very digital sort of person. The Remarkable blends an analogue sensibility with my digital proclivity.

So far, so good. It’s a delight to use. Crucially, and this was part of its appeal, it can’t actually do very much. By which I mean you can’t browse the internet or install random apps. There’s no alt-tabbing here to go check another tab. I wrote this week’s chapter on it, before transferring back into Scrivener, and it was a lovely experience. At some point I’m sure I’ll stop feeling guilty about the purchase.

I talked about digital vs analogue with

T K Hall

April of last year, if you’re interested:

Anyway, today’s chapter. The finale of Triverse is all about consequences. Here we have Jyna, a dedicated city guard who took a risk and helped Lola (and Daryla), only to have it massively backfire on her. She’s permanently marked by that experience (my thinking here is that Daryla triggered a mini-stroke which has left Jyna partially paralysed down one side).

Then we have Captain Rexen, who is hard as nails and takes no prisoners. But he’s not a brainless cog in the machine. Even he’s questioning what’s going on. And this comes down a central quirk of democracy (Bruglia obviously is not a democracy, but bear with), which is the over-reliance on having the right person in the right post at the right time.

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History addressed this in Destroyer of Worlds, a documentary podcast about the early days of the nuclear age. You can listen to it here. Carlin makes the point that nuclear war was avoided in the 1960s in no small part thanks to the particular combination of leaders we had at the time, in the USA and Russia. I was listening to the News Agents yesterday, and

Lewis Goodall

was noting how the specific judge they ended up with in a super-injunction case was a bit of a hero — and how differently it could have gone if it had been someone else. Here’s the episode:

It’s a conundrum, how much of history (and right now) is determined by particular combinations of personalities. Luck, in other words. A rolling of the dice.

Anyway! My point is that Rexen is a loyal Bruglian, but he’s not a thug. He thinks for himself. As we’re seeing here, that’s clearly going to be a significant factor in the conflict. Rexen’s looking the other way already had a big impact, of course, in enabling Lola to escape from Bruglia in the first place.

This is quite a talky chapter. I hope it worked for you. I did have some fun imagining how magic would impact upon communications during a battle. I’m imagining the messenger spells criss-crossing the city like lasers in an anime:

Right, I’ll sign off there for this week. Have lovely weekends.

---

If you’re looking for more to read this summer, check out this giveaway:

1. vomit on my sweater, mom’s spaghetti etc