Reshner's Royal Ranger

by Julie C. Gilbert

  Anotech Chronicles Book 1:

  Reshner’s Royal Ranger

  By Julie C. Gilbert

  Copyright © 2018 Julie C. Gilbert.

  All rights reserved.

  Aletheia Pyralis Publishers

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  Acknowledgements:

  Special thanks to:

  Alex McGilvery

  Lucas Dalenberg, Chewie,

  J. LaRocco, Timothy Sparvero,

  Kristin Condon, Jenny Shin, and Alan Pinck

  for awesome suggestions and test driving the story

  Table of Contents:

  Acknowledgements:

  Cast of Characters:

  Chapter 1: Restler-Tarpon Alliance

  Chapter 2: Death Defied and Accepted

  Chapter 3: Unsettling News

  Chapter 4: New Masters, New Trial

  Chapter 5: A New Maledek

  Chapter 6: The Prince’s Plan and the Assassin

  Chapter 7: Kireshana Intrigue

  Chapter 8: So Close, So Far

  Chapter 9: Reckless Pace

  Chapter 10: Trouble Follows

  Chapter 11: Unexpected Help

  Chapter 12: Healers

  Chapter 13: Adern’s Strength

  Chapter 14: Zareb and Covin

  Chapter 15: Wild Flight

  Chapter 16: Dreams

  Chapter 17: Majesty and History

  Chapter 18: Korver Attack

  Chapter 19: Graveground

  Chapter 20: Great Storm

  Chapter 21: Healing

  Chapter 22: Shadow of Mount Palean

  Chapter 23: Cries for Help

  Chapter 24: Amrita Tears

  Chapter 25: Master and Healer

  Chapter 26: Every Prince Needs a Princess

  Chapter 27: Coridian Assassins

  Chapter 28: Shattered Peace

  Chapter 29: Roads to Meritab

  Chapter 30: Promise

  Chapter 31: Crown Prince

  Chapter 32: A Visit to Rammon

  Chapter 33: Setting a Trap

  Chapter 34: Springing a Trap

  Chapter 35: Beauty and Strength

  Chapter 36: Leverage

  Chapter 37: Revelations

  Chapter 38: Proposals

  Chapter 39: Strange Allies

  Chapter 40: Consequences

  Chapter 41: The Illusion of Peace

  Chapter 42: The Weeping Princess

  Chapter 43: The Fall of House Deleur

  Chapter 44: Tides of Change

  Chapter 45: Caught, Chasm, Chaos, Queen

  Appendix I: Annotated Glossary: Expanded Cast of Important Characters

  Appendix II: Kalastan Language

  Thank You:

  Cast of Characters:

  ROYALS:

  King Teorn Minstel – ruler of Reshner

  Prince Taytron Minstel – Crown Prince of Reshner

  Prince Terosh Minstel – Second Prince of Reshner

  Lady Mavis Altran – mother of Lord Kezem, King Teorn’s sister

  Lord Kezem Altran – third son of Lady Mavis

  Rangers:

  Reia Antellio – Prince Terosh’s Kireshana guardian

  Kiata Wellum – Nareth Talis Ranger, Reia’s sister

  Todd Wellum – Nareth Talis Ranger, Kiata’s husband

  Master Niklos McGreven – substitute father for Reia and Kiata

  Lucas Telon – Ranger master, Kezem’s undercover RT agent

  Hiram Alikron – Ranger master, Ashatan Council member, RT agent

  Restler-Tarpon Alliance:

  Gareth Restler – eldest son of Arista, Merisia’s husband

  Merisia Restler – daughter of Vera and Tyko, Gareth’s wife

  Alden Tarpon – son of Vera and Tyko

  Talyon Keldor – RT agent, Ariman’s son, Merisia’s friend

  Ariman Keldor – RT agent, Taly’s father

  Other:

  Anotechs – Dark Machines, God Machines, microscopic machines

  Maledek – part played by Kezem and Dalonos

  Dalonos – Dr. Atien Belcross remade by anotechs

  Kolknir – mercenary, former Ranger master

  Chapter 1:

  Restler-Tarpon Alliance

  IDELA (JANUARY) 1, 1538

  Temple of the Moon Gods, City of Korch

  Talyon Keldor tugged at the robes engulfing his lean body.

  Stupid weddings. Stupid formal robes.

  “Do you realize the importance of this alliance, Taly?” inquired his father. Ariman Keldor appeared at ease in the black uniform of a Restler-Tarpon Alliance sub-general. The uniforms were as new as the sub-generals now running the Tarpon and Restler family businesses.

  Taly wasn’t sure what to think. Knowing his father would elaborate later, he shook his head, stared up into the cavernous ceiling above, and tried to imagine being alone with the giant murals of mythical battles. To pass the time, he counted the wooden beams crisscrossing the ceiling.

  Soft music rose from the sidron organ, yanking Taly’s attention down from the rafters. The crowd jammed into Korch’s biggest temple stood and turned as one. Craning his neck, Taly saw two young women standing in the back. He recognized the blonde in the dark green dress as Merisia, daughter of Vera and Tyko Tarpon, and assumed the other woman was Nera, daughter of Arista and the late Tobias Restler.

  Taly watched the procession creep forward. A dozen children surrounded each woman, clutching the trains of their dresses. Slowly the two parties split. Merisia and her followers went left while Nera and her followers veered right. Their measured steps matched the music. Despite Merisia’s neutral expression, Taly sensed her unease.

  If they moved faster, this ordeal would be over sooner.

  Willing the women to move faster gave him a headache. Rubbing his temple, Taly silently counted people to ease the boredom. Arranging marriages around business interests seemed wrong. He flushed as he thought of the huge crush he’d once had on Merisia. Thankfully, the one thousand people crammed into the Temple of the Moon Gods had eyes only for the large vidscreen displaying the ceremony. Merisia Tarpon surrendered her last name to marry Gareth Restler, and Nera Restler did likewise to marry Brook Tarpon.

  “Why did Nera give up her last name?” Taly asked, once they waited outside for the hovs to carry them to the reception on the Kevloth Plains. According to tradition both families ought to bear the more prominent name by the end.

  “Equality must be maintained,” the elder Keldor replied.

  “If the Tarpons and Restlers are equals now, what changes for us?” Taly swiped sweat from his brow.

  His father chuckled and shook his head.

  “This union has two enemies calling a truce to face a common threat. As for us, we’re RT Alliance agents. Time will tell if that title will lead to glory or gallows, so to speak.”

  Taly retreated into his thoughts. The hovs arrived, and he climbed in after his parents. He knew the common threat was the king’s soldiers and the Rangers. He cared nothing for the king or his soldiers, but he owed his life to a Ranger. Kiata had removed viper poison from Taly’s body, despite the beating his father had given her for destroying some firfe spice. Were the roles reversed, Taly didn’t know if he could bring himself to save an enemy’s child. He was saved from making a
decision on the hypothetical situation by their arrival at the reception.

  The sight of dozens of tables filled with more food than Taly had eaten during his lifetime, cheered him. Every six tables presented the same dishes. Taly wondered how long it had taken the cooks to prepare such a feast. Half a table held rielberry, appola, cran, and bonnelberry pastries. He imagined the melting sugar, but a look from his mother made him eye the rest of the spread. One table held things hauled from the sea. Taly chose a few crunchy scerims and the giant legs of some poor sea creature before moving on. At the meat table he piled his plate high with tretling steaks, codrel legs, rabbit chunks in wheat gravy, and stewed ferbel.

  Focusing on his food, Taly tuned out the speeches praising the RT Alliance. He even forgot his uncomfortable robes until sweat and fine food caused them to stick to him. Wishing to return to a shaded place, Taly started dozing.

  Merisia appeared next to him.

  Taly flinched.

  “Great Riden! Where did you come from?” he cried.

  “Manners, Taly,” his mother admonished. “Merisia, you look lovely. That necklace matches your eyes perfectly.”

  Taly’s attention stayed on his friend. Her face glistened with sweat, but her discomfort seemed unrelated to the heat. Despite the three-and-a-half-year age gap, Merisia had always been easy to read. Taly supposed the fear he saw might be natural on her wedding day, but the frustration surprised him. He couldn’t fathom what she needed to ask him either. They had barely spoken in over two years.

  “I’m getting dessert,” Taly announced, standing up and tripping over Merisia’s dress.

  She chuckled as she caught his arm.

  “I’ll go, too.” Merisia’s purple eyes with their silver flecks spoke of a personal message.

  Her laughter improved Taly’s mood.

  “What is it you wanted to ask me?” he wondered, once they’d stepped away a few paces.

  Merisia giggled like the carefree girl she’d once been. The giggle morphed into a woman’s laugh, full of mirth and bitterness.

  “Ah, Taly, you’re good for me, very good.” She stopped walking and placed a hand on Taly’s left arm. “That’s why I talked to my husband and your father about you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I need you,” Merisia confessed. “I can’t leave everything and everyone I’ve ever known to become some stranger’s wife! I need something familiar, someone familiar. Come with me, Taly, please come!”

  Her desperation shocked Taly almost as much as the request. He opened and closed his mouth twice before remembering how to speak.

  “Why me? What can I do?”

  “You’ll still be a terman, but you’ll answer to my husband and have the authority of an avidman.” Merisia’s voice assumed a quiet vibrancy as she explained. “I need you, Taly, need you.”

  Taly’s eyes widened. Avidmen were only two steps below sub-general. Visions of wealth and power filled his head.

  “Say you’ll come, Taly, say it,” Merisia insisted.

  He nodded, felt Merisia squeeze his arm, and found himself alone. Taly stumbled to the dessert table and filled a plate with fruits and cakes. Then, he sought out a quiet corner and devoured the food as he thought. He hadn’t given Merisia his word, but he had no reason to turn her down. Accepting would mean moving to Meritab or wherever Merisia and her husband moved.

  The prospect thrilled him. At fifteen, Taly would soon be a man. A good position within the Restler-Tarpon Alliance would be a nice start toward living up to his grandfather’s legacy.

  If a fraction of the rumors were true, Niktrod Keldor was a man to be reckoned with. Though his parents wouldn’t confirm much, Taly believed his grandfather still lived and fought to free the planet from House Minstel.

  Did Grandfather really kill the queen?

  Taly couldn’t reconcile the memory of the man who pulled mintas drops out of Taly’s ears with a man who could poison someone. As the confusion threatened to spiral into despair, Taly wrenched his thoughts back to Merisia’s offer. He had worked for his father for several years, but the chance to fully join the RT Alliance was intriguing.

  Chapter 2:

  Death Defied and Accepted

  IDELA (JANUARY) 4, 1538

  Three days after the formation of the RT Alliance

  Dark Man’s Bluff, Glass Coast near Idonia

  Dr. Atien Belcross had once been a respected inventor and scientist. He sucked in painful breaths of icy air. Hunching his shoulders, he tried to shield the bundle in his arms.

  “I’m sorry, little one. I cannot let you live.”

  The infant princess gurgled at him and drooled.

  Wiping her mouth so spit wouldn’t freeze to her face, Belcross cursed the gesture’s futility.

  Coward. Traitor. Kidnapper. Murderer.

  Each title brought tears to his eyes. He wished they would block his vision. At least then he would be spared the child’s trusting gaze. His thoughts churned even as his arms stiffened with the cold. The brutal sea wind twisted his cloak around his legs.

  Birds screeched and flew frantically around him. Despite the activity, he stood still and envisioned tossing Elia into the South Asrien Sea then jumping in after her.

  A half-step forward drained the nerve he’d gathered. The move brought him close enough to peer down. Waves crashed against the rocks below. Salty spray leapt up and smacked him. Belcross shielded the baby with his cloak but turned his head to face it, welcoming the pain.

  “It must be this way,” Belcross whispered.

  The baby gazed up at him, one fist jammed into her mouth while the other hand clutched at nothing. Turning his back on the sea, Belcross offered the infant a finger. She grasped the finger and tugged. Her delicate touch sent a longing pain through Belcross, making him tremble. He forced his gaze away from Elia’s blue eyes, choosing to turn again and glare down at the sharp rocks below.

  He considered the events that brought him to this moment. Brilliant work had earned him a commission from Prince Taytron. He’d loved discovering new things with his protégé until she fell in love with the prince. Belcross had feigned happiness even as each new development tore him to pieces. He’d even witnessed their wedding, proving he could refuse her nothing. The event drove him to Maledek.

  I did not go to betray, but it is better this way.

  Truthfully, the betrayals never seemed harmful. Maledek had assured him of her safety. He stood on the cliff holding her child, a child that should also have been his. Having lost count of the betrayals, Belcross tried to reconcile his motives for killing Elia. Other paths would only lead to more pain. The child would be brilliant but a slave of circumstances. It would be kinder to end her life before she became everybody’s hostage.

  Belcross barely felt the blow that made him drop the baby and tumble headfirst from the cliff.

  A melodious, childlike voice awakened him sometime later. Hours could have passed, but seconds is more likely. Everything hurt.

  Do you wish to live? The coldly female voice was tinged with impatience. You are broken but useful.

  He laughed, choked, and moaned. Pain impeded thought, but he knew he should be dead. A wave tossed his body against the cliff. He landed hard and slid onto the shallow shore behind a rock, another wave doused him. He sputtered and coughed up salt water.

  Yes, I want to live! Who are you? Am I dead?

  Stop asking stupid questions. All will be explained in time. Sleep, heal, rest.

  IDELA (JANUARY) 4, 1538

  Same Day

  Maledek’s Private Retreat, City of Idonia

  Deanna Koffrin Minstel, wife of Prince Taytron, awoke in Maledek’s dungeon and wept with pain and worry. The stone wall dug into her back, and her heart ached almost as much as her arm. She sat on the hard ground clutching her shattered wrist to her chest and trying not to shiver. Tears filled her mouth with the gritty, bitter taste of salt, dirt, and despair.

  She thought back to the Fortune’s Glory Inn
in Azhel and the last moment she thought life might be all right. But her former mentor had betrayed her again.

  I was a fool to believe you, Atien.

  Sighing, Deanna recalled the long hov ride to the mines and agreeing to wait for Atien to retrieve Elia. An hour of waiting convinced her of his deception, but the trap had already been sprung. She had retreated deeper into the mines, leading Maledek and his minions on a merry chase. If the Airborne Toxin Emitter had worked properly, they would have both died. Deanna shuddered at how swiftly Maledek had seized her good arm and fled the small chamber. She owed him her life, but he’d done her no favors.

  Her failure to kill Maledek in the Nedis Crystal Mines meant she would soon die and many others would follow. Her death would hurt Taytron and leave her baby girl defenseless. Deanna scoffed at the defense she’d provided thus far. The movement hurt her arm. Her temple throbbed to the beat of Elia’s name. Deanna wanted to die but needed to live long enough to know her daughter’s fate.

  Why can’t things be different for you, Elia? Your daddy’s a prince.

  The door crashed open, and the new noise assaulted Deanna’s head. Two of Maledek’s men lifted her off the floor, heedless of her pain. They held her firmly, both restraining and supporting her as Maledek entered holding a bundle of blankets.

  Deanna’s heart leapt and sank, elated to see her daughter but crushed to know Maledek had captured her. Anger soon outweighed relief, warming Deanna and driving off some of the pain.

  “Let’s try this again.” Lord Kezem Altran sounded different without his mask. He wore fine silk robes tastefully crisscrossed with tarphan, a durable cloth that could dissipate kerlak beams. “Welcome to Idonia, Princess.”

  Recognition that Lord Kezem was Maledek blasted through the haze of pain.

  “You! You—” Deanna’s tongue tripped over the thousand foul things she ought to call him. Pain still forgotten, she strained against her captors. The movement sent new pains zipping up and down her arm. She glanced at the ugly, swollen mass that was once her right hand and wrist.