"Lord Jack doesn't look too happy."
Sophie chuckled, "No, he's not."
"Why? What happened?"
"He brought reinforcements through the south gate, but the battle was over before he got a chance to fight. He's trying to make the best of it."
"If only more of us had that problem. How are things going here?"
"We do what we can to make the injured comfortable until the healers can use their magic," she explained.
"You are a remarkable woman," he said. "The princess is lucky to have you."
"I'll be happy when this is over, and we can get back to some semblance of normal."
"So shall we all," Gerald agreed. "Where did you say the princess was?"
She pointed to the north end of the hall. "Over there," she repeated.
"Thank you," he said, making his way toward Anna, who sat at a table littered with papers and books.
"What's that you have there?" he asked.
Anna looked up from where she was examining a book. "It's Henry's journal. It seems he kept detailed accounts. I would never have expected it."
"I see you've marked some pages," he said, noting pieces of paper poking out.
"Yes, there's all sorts of things in here."
"Such as?" asked Gerald.
"Listen to this," said Anna, searching through her bookmarks. "It was written some years ago."
"I must admit that I knew Father had something special in mind for me when I hit my 16th birthday, but the revelation that he was behind the Black Hand was quite astounding. By creating the terror of the Black Hand, he said, he could justify his increase in power and gain more control over his nobles. Now, I find that I have been placed in command of these rogues, the better to advance our agenda, whatever that might be."
"So your father engineered the whole idea of the Black Hand?" asked Gerald.
"I'll remind you he's not my father," said Anna.
"You know what I mean."
"Wait, there's more. I think Henry started to have doubts. Listen to this."
"Father is using the Black Hand rather effectively, but I fear that his attacks on my sister are misplaced. While she is expendable, should one of the attacks succeed in killing her it would do irreparable harm to the notion that we are untouchable. Father will not listen so I shall have to find someone to protect her, a knight of renown who will safeguard her with his life."
"And so, in his own way, he did just that," said Gerald. "After all, he sent Beverly to protect you."
Anna shuddered involuntarily. "Think how things would have turned out if you hadn't shown up at Uxley all those years ago. I would be dead and the kingdom in the grip of a Death Mage."
"Your brother wasn't all bad," he reminded her. "He still had enough humanity in him to try and protect you."
"Agreed," she replied, "and I can't help but feel for him, despite the actions he took."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Listen to this," she said, "it's his last entry."
"I fear I no longer have any influence over Penelope. She has revealed her true nature, and I have damned the throne. Even my dear sister Margaret has succumbed to her influence. I now await the death I deserve at the hands of the Dark Queen."
"Your sister?" he asked.
"We haven't found her," said Anna, "and now I fear she is in the grip of Penelope."
"A terrible fate, to be sure."
"How's Albreda?" asked the princess, changing the subject.
"She's doing well," said Gerald. "Aubrey tells me she'll make a full recovery. The baron is looking after her. We've put her in one of the guest rooms here in the Palace."
"And the others?" she asked.
"We lost Sir Rodney in the fighting, and our troops took a beating, but the capital is secure. I doubt the cities to the south will hold out for long."
"No indeed," she responded. "We've already received word that Shrewesdale has recognized my claim to the throne."
"What of Valmar?" he asked. "Any word of him?"
"No," said Anna, "but things got chaotic once we entered the city. I suspect he's given us the slip."
The door behind Anna opened, revealing Dame Beverly and a man wearing expensive looking robes accompanying her. "Your Highness," she said in greeting, "this is Holy Father Angelis, the Bishop-Supreme of Saxnor."
"Your Holiness," said Anna, dipping her head slightly. "What brings you here?"
"I bring you the greetings of the church, Your Highness. The Gods have seen fit to bless you with a victory this day."
"It was not the Gods," said Anna, "but the men and women who gave their lives this day that determined the fate of the crown."
Epilogue
Autumn 962 MC
Margaret walked through the darkened corridor, shivering as shadows cast by the torches danced around her.
"It has been a long road, child, but we are almost there," said Penelope, halting at a great wooden door. She knocked, paused a moment, and then knocked again, letting the sound reverberate down the hall.
"Enter," came a voice from within.
The Dark Queen opened the door, revealing the room beyond; a circular chamber, with steps leading upward in all directions, reminding Margaret of the stadium seating in Shrewesdale. There were seven seats arranged about the centre, only one of them empty.
Penelope advanced to the middle of the circle and stopped, looking around at those assembled. Margaret watched from the doorway as the six that sat there looked with interest at the woman who now stood in judgement.
"You have failed us, Kythelia," said one of them, a bearded man. "You promised us Merceria and have delivered us nothing but failure."
"Failure?" said Penelope in response. "I have brought you no such thing. Have I not neutralized the military might of two kingdoms? Merceria and Weldwyn now lie in a weakened state, ripe for the plucking."
"You wished a seat on this council," said a dark-haired woman, "and yet you try to claim victory when it is clearly a defeat."
"I promised you I would lay the groundwork for the coming storm," Penelope retorted. "I have done just that. When our forces launch their attack, it will be against a weakened enemy."
"Is this true?" asked the woman, glancing at another council member.
"It is true that both kingdoms are diminished," a fair-haired Elven maid responded. "It will take them many years to rebuild their strength."
"And what of Norland?" asked another.
"Malkar assures us things are proceeding as planned," said the bearded man.
"You see?" said Penelope. "The plans are progressing well."
The first man leaned forward to emphasize his words, "You had the crown of Merceria in your grasp, and you lost it."
"I lost nothing," retorted the Dark Queen. "Henry wasn't as malleable as his father and had to be removed. In his place, I have obtained a far more valuable resource."
"The secret of the gates?" asked the dark-haired woman.
"The lost ravings of a long-dead race," Penelope replied. "No, something of much more value to us."
"Which is?" the woman pressed.
"With your permission," said Penelope, "I will show you." There were nods of agreement throughout the room, and Penelope turned to face the doorway, "Come, girl, none here will harm you."
Margaret stepped forward, her legs shaking, her breathing ragged.
"This woman holds a power that will determine the fate of the four kingdoms. With my help, she will unleash that power and a true Death Mage shall rule the lands. May I present Princess Margaret, a Necromancer in training and the true heir to the crown of Merceria."
"Very impressive," said the bearded man.
"Yes," agreed the dark-haired woman, "it has been decades since we have seen a new member of our order."
"I can feel her inner power," commented the Elven maid.
The woman looked around at her fellow council members, each nodding their assent. "Well done," she said at last, "you have trul
y brought us a most precious gift." She pointed at the empty seat, "Now, take your rightful seat on the Shadow Council and tell us your plans."
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An enemy commander. A skilled tactician. Only one can be victorious.
The Norland raiders are at it again. When the Baron of Bodden splits their defensive forces, Sergeant Gerald Matheson thinks that today is a day like any other, but then something is different. At the last moment, Gerald recognizes the warning signs, but they are outnumbered, outmaneuvered, and out of luck. How can they win this unbeatable battle?
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If you like intense battle scenes and unexpected plot twists, then you will love Paul J Bennett's tale of a soldier who thinks outside the box.
Dedication
To my brother, Ian Bennett, International Man of Leisure, whose insights helped me get this series rolling.
A few words from Paul
Fate of the Crown brings an end to the first part of the Heir to the Crown series. The Kingdom of Merceria is safe for now, and the darkness has been vanquished or at least kicked out of the realm.
Anna, Gerald and the others will face new challenges, ones that might not necessarily be solved by armies and warfare. Revi still needs to find the tower of Andronicus, and there are many more secrets waiting to be revealed.
The next book in the series, Burden of the Crown, continues the tale. Merceria is at peace, at least in theory, but old loyalties remain, and though the presence of the shadow has been removed, new players will arise seeking power and influence and someone will face the fight of their life, but not on the battlefield. All the while, events to the north will bring the kingdom inexorably closer to war.
I should like to thank my wife, Carol, for her excellent work as editor, as well as her suggestions and ideas. I could not have written any of these books without you.
In addition, I would once again like to thank Christie Kramburger, for her work on the cover, Amanda Bennett and Stephanie Sandrock for their support and enthusiasm, along with Brad Aitken, Jeff Parker and Stephen Brown for bringing some of these characters to life.
Thank you, also, to my Beta readers who provided excellent feedback and allowed me to enrich the storyline. Rachel Deibler, Tim James, Stuart Rae, Don Hinkey, Mark Dawson, Phyllis Simpson, Mark Tracy, and Paul Castellano, you all rock!
Lastly, I must thank you, the reader, for the wonderful reviews and encouragement I have received for this series.
I look forward to entertaining you with further tales of Merceria and the people that inhabit the land.
About the Author
Paul Bennett emerged into this world in Maidstone, Kent, England at the beginning of the 60’s, then immigrated to Southwestern Ontario with his family six years later. In his teen years, Paul discovered military models, leading him to serve in the Canadian Armed Forces. Around the same time, he was introduced to role-playing games in the form of Dungeons & Dragons (D & D). What attracted him to this new hobby was the creativity it required; the need to create realms, worlds and adventures that pull the gamers into his stories.
In his 30’s, Paul started to dabble in creating his own role-playing system, using the Peninsular War in Portugal as his backdrop. His regular gaming group were willing victims, er, participants in helping to play test the new system. A few years later he took his role-playing system and added additional settings; including Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, World War II, and the all-important Fantasy Realm.
The beginnings of Servant to the Crown originated three years ago when he began a new fantasy campaign. For the world of Merceria, he ran his adventures like a TV show; with seasons that each had twelve episodes, and an overarching plot. After the campaign ended, he was inspired to sit down to write his first novel. He knew all the characters, what they had to accomplish, what needed to happen to move the plot along. 124,000 words later, Servant of the Crown was written!
Paul has mapped out a whole series of books in the land of Merceria and is looking forward to sharing them all with his readers over the next few years.
Keep up to date with him on your favourite social media sites:
Copyright © 2019 Paul J Bennett
Cover Illustration Copyright © 2019 Christie Kramberger
Portrait Copyright © 2019 Amaleigh Photography
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the author.
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First Edition: May 2019
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ePub ISBN: 978-1-989315-04-0
Mobi ISBN: 978-1-989315-05-7
iBooks ISBN: 978-1-989315-03-3
Smashwords ISBN: 978-1-989315-06-4
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This book is a work of fiction. Any similarity to any person, living or dead is entirely coincidental.
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