Chapter 3

Introducing Aisha

“Aisha!” Jade bellowed.

From the glimpse of that pair of skinny leg and familiar beige mid-calf boots, she could easily tell it was her friend, Aisha. Cheeky giggling sound came out from the huge grotesque mask, which shook intensely along with her body.

“Where did you get that ugly thing?” Jade asked crossly, unimpressed with her new toy. Aisha had a habit of collecting random weird stuff that Jade would not consider beautiful nor interesting to have in one’s possession.

“How could you call my new collection ugly?” Aisha retorted with disagreement. She took down the mask and gave it a tentative look. “I got it from an acquaintance of mine. He’s got lots of cool stuff. He gave me a discount for this one. Say… I think this mask is the coolest one I have so far.”

Aisha was Jade’s best friend since childhood, they were neighbours. Her real name was Farrawahaisha Thammecarlie, but the long and complexity of her name predisposed her friends to call her Aisha instead. She was as tall as Jade, five foot six, a ubiquitous height for a woman. However, she had smaller frame, gracefully slim and supple. Probably that was the reason that made her looks good in everything she wears. Aisha always had her waist-length, jet-black silky hair tied up in a ponytail. Once in a while she would let it down, usually special occasions like dates or dinners. Aisha was twenty-three, same age as Gerome, and was serving in the military school as one of their medical officers at the moment. Aisha was a bright student with brilliant intellectual test results. Velvet has their own fundamental requirements for doctors, and Aisha happened to be one of the first-rated qualified students.

“What are you doing here so early? I thought you have your last archery practice today?” Aisha asked, stuffing the mask into her capacious rucksack that looked big enough for a week’s groceries.

“Well I decided to skip it. I thought I would like to be home earlier for dinner, you know. Both Judah and Gerome are toiling hard for the tournament. No one knows what time they’ll be coming home,” Jade explained.

“Right. They’re sure working hard for their upcoming big day, and I’m really looking forward to it. I hope we win this year.”

Jane’s shoulders slouched and gave out a quiet sigh. “Bless them. They have been working so hard. I hardly see them at home. Mom is complaining already.”

“Boys. You know the game means everything to them. Meet you outside.” Aisha tripped off with.

The school stable was at least five or six times larger than any normal stable, so it was going to take Jade a while to find Cider. It was ludicrous, but Jade got lost once in the stable looking for Cider.

“There you are, Cider. I’ll get you out of this stinky place,” Jade said, and Cider came forward eagerly.

Jade unlocked the gate with her fingerprint and led him outside. The nauseous smell of animals started to make her feel sick, the stable was not well-ventilated today, or simply someone isn’t doing his job properly.

Before Jade closes the stable door, she checked on the timetable routine of the caretakers just to have her surmise confirmed. Donny Imma. Right again, Jade wondered how he managed to stay afloat without getting fired after so many years of being irresponsible and indolent. The corpulent caretaker had a fatal problem of lassitude, never seemed to get over his fatigue. A sudden eardrums-splitting loud staccato sound of coughing turns hawking sent Jade into a state of shock. She turned and looked. It seemed that Donny Imma was resting among the hays just by the doors.

“Urgh…” Jade was infuriated that she closed the stable door behind her with a loud bang on purpose, with the intention of waking him up.

It felt so much better outside without the ghastly odour, although it was crispy cold. Aisha was already outside with her Mymmur waiting for Jade.

“Race you home?” Aisha winked. “Rouge (Aisha’s pet Mymmur) is in a mood for a good race, aren’t you?”

Rouge seemed happy to see Cider. He was a red female Mymmur with lovely fur.

Jade mounted on Cider. “Sure. We will win, Cider!” Jade said. Cider gave a short run down the field and took off to the sky.

“Hey! That’s cheating. Wait for me!” Aisha shrieked.

The Onyx Family

“I can smell the mushroom soup from here!” Jade sang. Her mood immediately lightened up by the smell of her mother’s home cooked soup wafted from the dining area.

“Well I figure since those boys are not coming home for dinner, I might as well make all your favourites,” Mrs. Onyx said cheerfully as she came out from the kitchen with some cutleries in her hands.

“Thanks mom. Let me help you with that,” Jade said, offered to help setting up the table.

It was always a nice feeling to have family dinner together, especially when Rhu, Jade’s father was not on duty. He could be away for couple of weeks, even months sometimes. A perennial custom of a typical commander plus workaholic, the family would have to get used of his abrupt absence and presence.

Marteena Onyx, also known as Mrs. Onyx, was an elementary school science teacher. She devoted herself to become a full time mother after giving birth to Judah, fulfilling her roles as housewife and a mother. The Onyx had never hired a maid or a nanny, because Marteena was an expert in cooking, cleaning, caring and coordinating. Nothing was too hard for her to handle. She was a supermom who could whip up a meal in ten minutes. The phase of breast feeding, changing nappies, driving and picking up kids from school had long dissolved. Now Marteena occupied herself with reading, gardening, and more gardening.

“What about my favourite?” Rhu walked into the dining hall with a scimitar in his hand. His face was all red, soused with sweat, palpably had just finished doing some swashbuckling with his new, shiny scimitar.

“Oh please, Rhu. That thing doesn’t belong here,” Marteena said displeasingly.

“Yes, yes. I’ll put it away before the kids find it,” Rhu said, and pulled a wry face. He walked away, presumably to put his weapon back in the case.

Marteena gets uptight every time when Rhu forgets to put his weapons back to where they belong. Once Judah managed to somehow get a grasp of Rhu’s sword when he was tall enough to reach the side table, and that made Marteena jumped out of her skin. So that turned into a repetitious reproach every time Rhu repeats his mistake, literally for years.

Commander Rhu Onyx was man of integrity, an outstanding talented fighter who was capable of using many weapons skillfully. He had led many wars into victories, and consolidated the defense system of the fortified cities. He was a potent man who earned his venerations through devotion and achievements. People showed great respect for Commander Onyx whenever they see him or his family. Jade never understood why people made such a great deal about her father until she got older and learned about the wars and conflicts they had over the years. Every details and war strategies were recorded in the Velvet’s history and armed conflicts. Her father’s name was also recorded and became part of the history itself.

Jade and her two brothers loved it when their father returned from the military camp. He would convene the children to his study room, have them seated on the bean bags. Then he would start telling them stories of how they’d fought in the combat, and how they’d outsmarted their enemies in such animatic, delineate details. If he failed to finish the story (usually due to Marteena’s calling for bedtime), he would end the story with his customary to be continued, and they would continue the series of war drama the next day. The children were marveled, mesmerized by the engrossing stories. They even had a Q & A session that, dispersing logical and non-logical questions for Rhu. Marteena protested by stating that Rhu tells too much bright sides of the stories, which could intrigue the kids and cause them to join the army.

In which, her prophesy turned out to be true.

She almost fainted, twice, when both Judah and Gerome told her that they were being accepted to study at the Green Sand Military School.

Marteena preferred her children to get into some less hazardous careers like teacher, lawyer, architect… but to her disappointment, all of them desired to work for Velvet Military. All, including her last hope and only daughter. Rhu must be doing a legit job in planting seeds in them.

Marteena implored and pleaded, did everything she could to persuade Jade to not join the military, at least not the battlefield part. After all, she is the only girl in the house, and Marteena would like to see her daughter in a safer zone. But Jade could be very obstinate with things that she wants at times, and it broke her mother’s heart when she got accepted by the Green Sand Military School too. It was impossible not to be accepted since both Judah and Jade inherited their father’s surpassing strength that qualified them to be fighting armies (again, not everyone was born with that kind of strength). But Jade considered herself kind enough to make her mother happy, by taking a course that would eventually have herself ended up working in a building instead of battlefield.