A Kingdom Fallen E-Book

Timothy Bond

• Herausgeber: myOstrich Press
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

In this continuation of the epic fantasy series–The Triadine Saga–Peter is desperately in love with the beautiful Lady Olivia. After rescuing her from the Goblins and the Brotherhood of Khall, he is hopeful that she will return his love, though she believes she owes her salvation to another man.Alexandra has been captured by the Gaerwitch, a Wiccan Sorceress who can be either friend or foe. She  was instrumental in assisting Princess Rozlynn in Prophecy’s Queen,  which ultimately led to the birth of the twins and the death of Alexandra’s mother.The separate armies of the Pulat, Al-Ashal and the Dark Wizard grow stronger every day, as the world grows closer to another Great War pitting good versus evil for domination of the world.The great Dragon Lord Barak wields expanding power over thousands of disciples who wish only to return to a time when the Dragon Lords ruled the world.As the armies of men come together in the inevitable battle for power between the Kingdom of  Aren and the Free Cities, who will prevail? Will the Children of The Prophecy get the chance to fulfill their destiny, or will evil destroy light and plunge the world into a thousand years of darkness?

Leseprobe

A Kingdom Fallen

The Triadine Saga, Book 3

Timothy Bond

Edited byKelly Hartigan

Cover DesignerJeanine Henning

Copyright © 2017 by Timothy Bond

All rights reserved.

First Edition

December 2017

A Kingdom Fallen is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Created with Vellum

Contents

Foreword

We Appreciate Your Support

Dedication

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60

Chapter 61

Chapter 62

Chapter 63

Chapter 64

Chapter 65

Chapter 66

Chapter 67

Chapter 68

Chapter 69

Chapter 70

Chapter 71

Chapter 72

Chapter 73

The End

Also by Timothy Bond

About the Author

Foreword

In this continuation of the epic fantasy series–The Triadine Saga–Peter is desperately in love with the beautiful Lady Olivia. After rescuing her from the Goblins and the Brotherhood of Khall, he is hopeful that she will return his love, though she believes she owes her salvation to another man.

Alexandra has been captured by the Gaerwitch, a Wiccan Sorceress who can be either friend or foe. She was instrumental in assisting Princess Rozlynn in Prophecy’s Queen, which ultimately led to the birth of the twins and the death of Alexandra’s mother.

The separate armies of the Pulat, Al-Ashal and the Dark Wizard grow stronger every day, as the world grows closer to another Great War pitting good versus evil for domination of the world.

The great Dragon Lord Barak wields expanding power over thousands of disciples who wish only to return to a time when the Dragon Lords ruled the world.

As the armies of men come together in the inevitable battle for power between the Kingdom of Aren and the Free Cities, who will prevail?

Will the Children of The Prophecy get the chance to fulfill their destiny, or will evil destroy light and plunge the world into a thousand years of darkness?

We Appreciate Your Support

This book has been self-published by the author. There is no publishing house providing advances, and therefore, the author’s only support is coming directly from you, the reader. Your purchase is critical to the success of this novel and the ability of the author to continue offering you these stories for your reading pleasure.

Thank you for purchasing A Kingdom Fallen. 

If you enjoy my books, please take the time to return to your online book retailer and leave a positive review. Reviews are what drive sales and allow me to continue to bring you these stories.

CONTENT PIRACY

Have you downloaded or considered downloading one of my books from a pirate website? If so, please tell me why and let me know what I can do differently to get you to purchase my work instead.

If you steal or pirate this book, it is not simply a moral or financial issue. Purchased books may receive updates with editing fixes, new content, enhancements and, of course, your consideration of the work I have produced.

Your support lets me pay the artists who work on the covers and advertising artwork, the narrators and musicians who perform for the audio book and the book trailer, the editors who help make sure the content flows smoothly and there are no serious grammar or copy errors, and, of course, puts food on my table and allows me to support my family.

Thank you for your serious consideration.

Timothy

Dedication

I have heard from so many of you describing how much you love the stories of Peter and Alexandra, that I’m driven to continue to bring them to you.

I often tell people that I travel to the Aren, and when I return I write all about it. The process of bringing these stories to you is exactly that. The Kingdom of Aren is my escape, and sharing the twin’s stories with you is a way for me to share my escape with you.

You are my transport into this world of fantasy, of good versus evil, light versus darkness, and the amazing characters that make up this story.

It is for you that I continue to write, and I hope you continue to enjoy these stories as much as I enjoy bringing them to you!

Introduction

The Triadine Saga is a work of fiction; however, it has been translated from the Elvish annals known as the Menta Renjunkai Paklanta. These chronicles were recorded over several centuries, first by the Elves of the Aren in the city of Archaille before The Breaking and then later in the hidden Elven city of Alpenvail. At the end of the Second Age, the writings were recovered from the mountain city, and they were completed in the city of Paladian on the Fireheart Sea by the Elves of the Dresda. Some of the slant is therefore toward the Elves as victims or heroes when in fact they may have played a lesser role than contained within.

Scholars also disagree with the translation of Menta Renjunkai, with opinions varying as to whether it refers to the time just before The Breaking or from a period of time even earlier in history. In this writer's opinion, it refers to both, and its original historical reference was to the time before the rise of humans, when Elves and Dwarves lived in proximity to one another, each serving a different purpose to the benefit of both.

I must apologize in advance for some of the translations in this saga, as many of the words from the original Elvish do not have equivalents in English, and approximations had to be made for the storyline to make sense. In particular distances, time and days of the week have been converted to modern units in many places in order for the reader to make sense of the story.

Your indulgence of these small adjustments is appreciated.

I hope you enjoy the story.

Timothy

Chapter 1

"I'm sorry about Finn." Peter stepped close to Beorn who was looking pensively back into the canyon where the Goblins were holed up in their caverns. "He was an odd little fellow, but we would not have found Lady Olivia without him."

"He saved my life," the Dwarf replied without looking at Peter. "He didn't have to do that."

"He was clearly your friend."

"I did not know him long. He said he helped my father in a time of great need, but he refused to tell me why."

"Yet he came along and helped you." Peter was still trying to figure out the little Elfling.

"He led me to you"—Beorn still stared up the canyon—"and he was helping me to find the Elshandar. He should not have died like that—crushed to death by an Ogre."

"No one should have to die like that," Peter agreed. "The sword you were looking for, what did you call it? The Elfendar? A sword of your ancestors?"

"Elshandar," Beorn corrected. "It is a sacred sword to my people—that and more."

Peter was about to ask Beorn to explain when Brandon and Olivia appeared from the trail to the campsite.

"Karoel says we must leave at once." Brandon spoke first. "Before first light."

"He doesn't know why the Goblins didn't chase us last night," Olivia added. "He's worried that they, or possibly something worse, will come after us with the dawn."

"There has been no activity in the canyon since my watch started," Beorn answered flatly.

"Either way," Brandon asserted, "it's past time to go. We need to get Olivia back to her father."

The four companions returned to the small campsite deep in the rocks and found Karoel and Jon already loading the horses.

"No breakfast, sorry, My Lady," the woodsman apologized.

"We will be in Lands End by midday, Karoel," Olivia stated with just a hint of excitement in her voice. "My father will put out a banquet for you."

Karoel dipped his head slightly and handed Peter the reins to his horse. "Cinch your saddle, Peter. It's not on all the way."

Brandon also retrieved his mount, and before Peter realized what had happened, he had Olivia up behind him. The woodsman and Jon were both mounted. Beorn stood ready, pack on his back but afoot.

"Are you not riding, Beorn?" Lady Olivia asked politely.

"I prefer to run, My Lady," the Dwarf answered quietly. "I'm not that comfortable on a horse."

Peter climbed into the saddle and led the way down from the hidden campsite. Though the group originally led their horses up the narrow trail, riding down proved no challenge to the well-trained mounts.

The snow was falling harder now as the small group approached Lands End. Olivia was riding behind Brandon, both arms tight around his middle and wrapped in Peter's blanket from the night before.

Ring-ring, ring-ring. Ring-ring, ring-ring.

"Does anyone else hear bells or is that just in my head?" Jon asked.

"Heard them for a while now, but they are getting louder," Peter replied. "Any idea what they mean?"

"They usually announce a celebration; a wedding, a visit from the king, or something special in the city," Olivia answered.

Ring-ring, ring-ring. Ring-ring, ring-ring. The bells continued as the group closed in on their destination.

The gates of the outer city were standing open, with no guards on the palisades. People were streaming both in and out of the city. There was surely something out of the ordinary going on here, and everyone seemed to be talking about it.

"Stay back here a minute, My Lady," Karoel instructed Olivia. Brandon pulled up his horse. Beorn stopped as well, while Peter and Jon accompanied Karoel to the gate.

"What's all the fuss about?" Peter asked a teamster, as he held off his wagon to allow a group on foot to enter the city.

"You don't hear them bells, boy? You deef or sump'n?"

"I hear them, sir," Peter answered politely though maybe a little more curt than he wished. "I just don't know what they mean."

"Them's the death-bells. The old man has finally died."

"The old man?" Karoel's horse was nose to nose with Peter's now.

"Why, the old duke o'course. You folks ain't too smart now, is you. Who else would get them death-bells rang for so long?"

"Duke Haren was very ill." Peter turned to the woodsman and by way of explanation added, "I met him here on Messenger Corps business not long ago."

Karoel's face held no emotion. The woodsman had served the duke earlier in life. "He was a good man" was all he said.

"Maybe." The teamster spat out a mouthful of tobacco juice. "He ain't been much lately to no one 'round here—his daughter neither. She be off to marry the king, they say, an' weren't here to be with him at the end. It seems them priests are running things now anyways. Makes no matter to me, so long as I gets paid to drive these mules."

Before they could ask him any more questions, he cracked the reins, and the wagon lunged toward the gate.

"Olivia," Peter said, turning back to the daughter of the duke.

"Wait," Karoel instructed. "We need to understand what's going on."

"Her father is dead." Peter looked incredulous. "She needs to know."

"Don't be rash, Peter. We will tell her, but what that teamster said about the priests bothers me. If the red-robed priests are here in force and in some position of authority, that cannot be good. With the death of the duke, Minister Carson will be holding the city together while Olivia is recalled from Solenta. She is the duchess now, after all."

Jon had been silent through all of this, quietly sitting his horse. "I'll go into the city and check in at the garrison," he offered. "I can find out exactly who is in command. I'm still assigned to the Fox Hunters. We have been resupplied from here in the past. The garrison commander will know what's going on."

"Good idea," Karoel agreed. "Take Peter with you. Now that he's been cleared of the charges on Peerson's death, he can help you dig up information."

"I can stay with the Lady—" Peter started.

"No, Brandon will stay," the woodsman insisted. "You two need to check in with the garrison commander. Jon, you can tell him you are here to resupply. Peter, you will need to get a new uniform. You can't very well be a Messenger Corps corporal in those fisherman's clothes. I have an idea, but it will require both of you in uniform."

"Piers," Jon offered.

"What?" Karoel looked puzzled.

"Piers Lakeman," the big man replied. "It's not Peter. It's Piers."

"Of course. I'll get rooms at an inn called the Ocean View, up against the western wall of the city. It's in the outer city, just before the second gate. The innkeeper there is a friend of mine. Come when you have a better idea of what's going on here."

The boys rode on through the gate, while Karoel returned to join the rest of the group, feeling quite uneasy at what might face them in the city.

Chapter 2

As morning slowly dawned, Wizard Rendil was still deep in conversation with the changeling Ingk. Neither of them realized that their little talk had lasted through the night. Aphis was the first to notice the black of night was slowly transforming into the gray of morning.

"We should probably be on our way, Wizard Rendil." The Elf interrupted the changeling as he was describing the lands of his home in the north.

"We what?" Rendil looked a little puzzled. Aphis had not spoken in several hours, and he was deep into matters of Wiccan magic with the changeling. Rendil had long been fascinated by the ancient forms, and Ingk was a direct creation of those forms. Ancient magic had transformed him into this mysterious creature centuries ago. The little boy before him could change into a giant moor cat at will. The wizard was dying to understand the nature of this particular branch of his art.

"We have a mission," Aphis said softly. "The young man, remember?"

"Of course, I do." Rendil took a deep draw on his pipe, though the tobacco had long gone cold.

"You seek the boy-half of my friend Alex? The one named Peter? Alex thought he would be joining her in Archaille as well." Ingk addressed Aphis.

"Archaille?" questioned Aphis.

"The ancient name of what your people now call Kalystra, from before The Breaking. Ingk, just how old are you? Never mind." Rendil dismissed his own question with a wave of his hand. "What do you know of Peter?" The wizard was angry with himself for not asking this earlier. Of course, Ingk would have sensed the presence of Peter in these woods, having spent so much time with his sister.

"He has traveled beyond where I can go," Ingk replied sadly. "Into the lands where time has no meaning and distance has no measure."

"You mean the Wizard Ways? He's gone into the Wizard Ways?" Rendil was puzzled.

"I know not the Wizard Ways of which you speak, Rendil. Peter has gone below ground into a world where I cannot go in any form."

"Must be the Ways," Rendil replied, suddenly standing.

"Can we find him there?" Aphis rose as well, having recently traveled with Rendil in these ancient passages.

"Not likely," Rendil answered. He collected his things and only now realized it had lightly snowed in the night.

"Where did you lose him, Ingk?" Rendil asked. "Where did he enter the ground?"

"It was across the river and above the great lake, in the side of a mountain."

"How did he enter the Ways? Was there anyone with him?" Rendil knew of no others in this land who could navigate the ancient Wizard Ways.

"He had his horse, and there was another already in the mountainside when the storm came."

"The mountainside? You mean through the door—a stone door."

"No, there was no door, only a cave. The storm was very bad. Not a natural storm, but a storm of evil magic. The side of the mountain collapsed and buried Peter and his horse inside the cave. The one there, the one with magic like Helene, was already inside. He would not have let harm come to Alex's brother-half."

Rendil was more confused than ever. "With magic like Helene, the Wiccan sorceress? There was a sorceress with him?"

"No, not exactly like that. The one in the ground, not like Helene exactly, but ancient too. I can't really explain."

"This was across the river, above the lake, in the mountains above Lake Estonan? Where exactly?" Rendil was getting frustrated with the changeling, and it showed in his voice.

Ingk stood and shrugged off the blanket that had wrapped his small body through the night. The air shimmered around him as he took the form of the giant black moor cat. His eyes shone briefly in the dim firelight before he leapt over the remaining flame and vanished from sight, even before his paws struck the ground.

"Ingk, I'm sorry. Come back!" The wizard was frantic to find out more about Peter.

"He has already gone quite far, Wizard Rendil," Aphis informed the wizard, sensing the ancient magic. "He cannot possibly hear you."

Rendil made the form of a tracking rune in the air in front of him and spoke the words of activation. The rune flared and died before his eyes. He tried a second time with the same results.

"It seems the young changeling cannot be tracked with normal magic." He spoke the words aloud, but he was clearly not talking to Aphis. "I cannot believe I did not ask him about Peter through the entire night!"

"It was still interesting hearing him talk about how he met Alexandra, healed her, and led her to my people." Aphis did not realize the wizard was not speaking to her. "She would have probably been captured by those soldiers and taken away, or worse, if Ingk had not found her and cared for her."

"What? Oh, yes, of course, I'm pleased as well." Rendil rolled up his blanket and prepared his pack for travel.

"We will still go to this hunting lodge as planned? The lodge of Harmon Englot?"

"Yes, we will go see Harmon. The monks saw Peter with Harmon, and they were headed to the lodge. Something must have happened there or perhaps along the way. Harmon will know something. Come."

Without waiting to see if Aphis followed or not, Rendil started off toward the hunting lodge. Harmon was one person he thought should have been able to keep Peter safe and hidden until he could be brought to Kalystra. He would have a stern word with Harmon, for sure.

"Peter is not with the friend of the wizard." Aphis was scrying Queen Lilliene through the Elf Stone. The queen was alone in the chamber she shared with King Theinial in the Elven city of Kalystra.

"And where would he be?" she questioned her servant.

"We do not yet know, Your Majesty. It will be another day and night before we reach the hunting lodge. All we know is he went north and then entered the ground through a mountainside."

"Through a mountainside?" the queen asked incredulously.

"That is what we learned, My Queen." Aphis was not ready to talk about the changeling. For some reason, she felt the need to keep his existence a secret, even from her queen.

"When you know more, contact me at once." The queen cut off the conversation and walked quickly from her rooms. The throne room was not far, and she entered briskly, shooing away those attendants lingering around the king. When they were alone, she finally spoke.

"Young Peter is not in the region, as I informed you earlier." She spoke to the king in that I told you so voice that a wife often used with her husband, even when he was a king.

"I thought perhaps your ability to sense the location of the young man was simply failing you or that he had lost his pendant the way that Alexandra once lost hers. Or maybe he had figured out how to shield you, the way your niece is shielding you now." The king was not kind in the way he spoke to his wife.

"I can still tell where he is when he is close," she snapped back. "But he left some time ago as I said. Aphis informs me he entered the ground through a mountainside in the north, but nothing more."

"Curious." Theinial was studying one of the ancient books from the Royal Elven Library. "Did you know that dragon eggs can still be hatched even after being left alone for centuries?"

"What?" Lilliene was taken off her guard. "Dragon eggs?"

"Yes, dragon eggs. Centuries ago, one of our dragon riders discovered an egg long abandoned by its mother deep in the caverns above the Dragon’s Teeth. He successfully hatched and raised the dragon. It was bound more closely to him than any other rider. The magic of the dragon is said to have flowed in his veins and even passed to his descendants as a result."

"What is that nonsense?" the queen retorted.

"I was reading the histories, searching for how we lost our ability to wield magic, and found this reference to one of the last of our kind to be considered a real mage. His name was Leander, and he was killed in the Great War."

"I remember the stories." Lilliene was sitting cross-legged now on a pillow in front of the king, listening intently to the Elf who stole her heart so many years ago. This was the scholar she so rarely encountered anymore. "There were only a few dragon riders among the elves," she went on, "as the dragons sided with the Dark Wizard Khollaran. We had griffins on our side in the war but only a few dragons. All of the dragons turned on their riders and killed them during The Breaking."

"All but one," Theinial corrected. "Leander's great dragon, a red female named Ignis. Together they fought valiantly until the very end—when the Dragon Lord Barak dove on them out of the sun and broke her back. Both dragon and rider fell to their deaths in the Fireheart Sea. It is written here that Ignis and Barak were lovers before Barak turned the dragons to join the wizard. Dragon lovers—I never really thought of them like that before."

Lilliene was silent as Theinial turned several more pages in the ancient text. "Did you know that my servant Aphis is a descendant of Leander?" she offered at last.

The king did not look up from his book but answered quietly. "Too bad the fable of dragon magic being infused into Leander is not true. We would benefit from having some Elven mages in the war to come."

The queen had never told her husband that Aphis had the ability to sense magic. Perhaps there was some spark of the ancient magic in her servant after all. This would need to be explored, but quietly.

"I'm sorry, Rendil, the boy took off, and we were not able to stop him." Harmon was sitting comfortably in an oversized chair, a mug of ale in one hand and a chicken leg in the other.

"How could a sixteen-year-old boy escape and you not be able to stop him?" Rendil was still standing, the snow melting off his boots and forming puddles on the floor. He and Aphis had only just entered the hunting lodge and had not yet removed their outer garments.

Harmon Englot's hunting lodge was located in the foothills of the West Lumin Mountains above Hilldale. The snow was generally quite deep by this time of year, so they were pretty much guaranteed isolation.

"Get your boots off, and get out of those snow-covered clothes. We have Susan's chicken and soup left over from the evening meal, and there is ale and wine. You are not going anywhere else tonight, so you might as well settle in. Young Mikey can tell you how Peter got away, but first let us get you both fed."

"Thank you, sir." Aphis was already removing her outerwear and slipped out of her Elven boots.

"Nice to have one of the woodland folks among us." Harmon was polite to the little Elf, though he was surprised to see her with the wizard. "We don't see many of your folk up this way, and of course, we stay well clear of your secret city."

Aphis raised her eyebrows. "You know of my city, Master Englot?"

"Those of us who know of the Elves of Lake Estonan and Alpenvail cannot freely walk into your city; however, we know of its existence, and we know enough to stay clear."

The Elven city was warded with strong magic—spells from before The Breaking—and was impossible to approach without an Elven guide. Humans would be turned in circles without understanding why. In this way, the Elves lived in virtual isolation. The magical city of Alpenvail was now buried under deep snow in the perpetual winter of the high mountains. Its protective magic was undone with the theft of the Earlach Stone.

"It would be wise not to share your knowledge of my city with my king." Aphis spoke with no humor in her voice. "He does not suffer uninvited visitors."

"No worries, young lady." Harmon was smiling widely at the diminutive Elf. "We have no plans to drop in on the king of the Elves."

After finishing a bowl of soup, two large chunks of bread, three mugs of ale, and several pieces of chicken, Rendil was finally ready to hear the tale of Peter and how this sixteen-year-old boy escaped two of the most competent hunters and trackers he had ever known.

"When the messenger from Randolf, this boy Drake, showed up with the monk Basil from the abbey, that started the whole thing going south." Harmon was well into the story now, and everyone else pitched in the small details that made it complete.

"Randolf?" Rendil was surprised to hear this name. "What in the world did Lord Randolf have to say that was so important?"

"Randolf sent Drake to warn that a renegade mercenary named Hardon had kidnapped the Lady Olivia." Karoel's cousin Michael jumped in to add this part. "He also took the king's bastard son Brandon and some mercenary captain. He was holding them hostage in the northern mountains."

"How is it that you and your family are here, Michael?" Rendil was trying to put all the pieces together.

"We were caught up in all of this when I was trying to smuggle Peter out of Alnen, after he and his friends escaped from the dragon—"

"Escaped from the dragon?" Rendil was on his feet now. "There are no dragons left in the world!"

"I know," Michael agreed, "but those three saw one, and it was trying to burn them out of the old keep where the river falls off into the rift."

"Save that one for later." Rendil dropped into a chair and refilled his mug with ale. "How did Peter escape from here?"

"It was the demon moor cat!" Mikey burst out from the far end of the table. Mikey was Michael's oldest son and could hold it in no longer.

"We have met the moor cat," Rendil said, nodding.

"You have?" The young boy's eyes were open wide. "So the demon moor cat didn't eat you?"

"The moor cat is no demon, but that too is a story for another day. Tell me, how did the moor cat help Peter get away?"

"When Peter took a horse and raced off down the trail to rescue the Lady Olivia." Mikey could not talk fast enough to get the story out. "The demon cat stopped us from following. It spooked the horses and blocked the trail. Every time someone went outside, it forced them back in."

"It's true, Rendil." Harmon was nodding in agreement. "I took several shots at it with both bow and crossbow, and none touched it. The demon would appear and disappear at will. The horses would not stand for a saddle, and when we attempted to follow on foot, the demon was right there to stop us. Finally, we gave up, and honestly, none of us has tried to go beyond the perimeter of the lodge since."

"It is safe to go out." Rendil sighed. "The cat is not here any longer. It achieved its goal, and that was to allow Peter to leave. Though it did not exactly know why he needed the help, it gave help when Peter was in need."

"You have more to tell us, Wizard," Michael said, filling his own ale mug. "This was the same giant cat that helped us rescue Peter from the King's Elite after he was captured at Tibouli. Of that I'm certain."

"Sounds like we all have more to tell," Rendil admitted.

Aphis silently curled up in the corner of the room, listening intently. She would relay all of this to the queen when she was able to use the scrying stone to reach out to her again. For now, she would just listen.

Chapter 3

"Your Grace, there is a messenger from Northcastle." Minister Milkwatt only approached part way up the dais. The king was in one of his moods today.

"What does he want?" King Leondis Tarbane barked at his First Minister.

"He has a message from Lands End, Your Grace."

"You said that already, you twit! What's the message?"

"I did not inquire, Majesty. After the last time, you told me not to ask about your messages but to just bring you the—"

"Bring the damn messenger in then, and be quick about it!"

Leondis Tarbane was not a good king, nor a kind king, and was not loved by his subjects. He was nothing like old King Adon, his father. Adon moved the capital from its traditional location at Northcastle on the peninsula at Lands End to the more southerly location in Solenta. He did that in part to take advantage of the natural hot springs here. These kept winter at bay in the near magical castle gardens, as well as heated the castle itself. Even though it was snowing outside, Leondis was dressed in thin summer silks, and his bulk was bulging out on all .