by LJ Rivers
“Hey, Goblin,” Rowan shouted.
The two Goblins turned their heads to glare at him.
“I meant the one with the frown.” He snickered. “Sorry, that would be the both of you. The one not doing anything.”
Wadyan wobbled up to Rowan, somewhat disgruntled. The two of them exchanged a few words before Wadyan took the rudder. The Sorcerer quickly closed the distance between us and came to a crouch in front of me.
“Right, so we got off to a rather terrible start, but I’m here, am I not?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Sure. But there are more of us than of you. How do I know you won’t try to take me back to Auberon when the opportunity presents itself?” No point in using sugar when salt worked just as well.
“We have much to talk about, Princess. And we will. For now, though, we need to plan how we’re going to take your throne back.”
“Take it back?” I snorted. “Are you insane?”
He cocked his head to the side. “You have to fight him.”
“I have, and I lost. He’s much stronger than I am, and his forces are immense. How do you propose I would go about reclaiming the throne?” I waved my hand at the other passengers. “You think the eight of us can just storm the castle and take it from him? No! I won’t do it!”
He rocked on his heels, regarding me under those thick bangs. “You’ll need an army.”
Brendan locked his arms more tightly around me, resting his chin on my shoulder. “He does have a point. We could fight him. I mean, we were already gearing up for a battle.”
“One we lost before we had time to wipe the tears from our eyes.” I almost yelled the words.
“It’s not lost,” Charlie said, giving Rowan a sheepish smile. “Sure, today was a bummer, but we’re all here, right?”
“For now,” I muttered.
Rowan retreated to sit next to Charlie and Jen, his eyes still on me. “I know people in Nidra who would help our cause. Not everyone in Mynydd is loyal to the Sorcerer King. There are good people there, and they will follow the true queen. You. I’d stake my life on it.”
“I’m nobody’s queen.” I decided to ask one of the million questions tumbling in my head. “Did you try to shoot me with an arrow? That day when the Darniog Ad-Dalu attacked.”
He smirked. The sodding tosser actually smirked.
“Nah. I got knocked out for a bit. Managed to take out a few of the Dalu archers first, though. Sorry I missed one, but you seemed to know how to handle yourself well enough.” His hand slid down Charlie’s arm before he laced his fingers with hers. “Woke up just in time, too. Good thing I learned how to travel through shadows, or I would have been caught.”
“Yeah, about that,” Charlie muttered, glancing up at him. “Don’t you think it’s time you told her about your past?”
He stiffened for a moment, as if terrified of the implications. What was going on?
“I guess now would be as good a time as any.” He raked a hand through his hair, fixing me with those deep blue eyes.
“Go on then.” I waved my hand at him. “I mean, it’s not like we’re going anywhere for a while.”
Not until we can get back to the portal.
“Right. I’ll have to start at the beginning.”
Charlie smiled at him, and he kissed her hair gently, then took a deep breath.
“I was born in Nidra village, twenty-two winters ago. It was during the final years of the Nadredd’s siege on Avalon, and there was still light in the sky. My mother, a Sorceress by the name of Rosaly, worked as a maid for the lord of Nidra. We didn’t have much, but the lord was kind to her. I used to help out around the property, and the lord appreciated the extra effort I made, so he allowed me to ride the horses and train with his soldiers. I suppose he was the closest to a father I could come.” Rowan sighed, wetting his lips. “After watching me practise my bow and arrow on several occasions, he approached me. He was so impressed with what I could do that he promised me a place with his archers when I grew up. I was meant to start my service with them, but then the war began. I was fifteen, and old enough to fight. Like so many others, I went to war under King Auberon’s banner. My mother tried to talk me out of it, but it wasn’t exactly a choice.
“Besides, I wanted the chance to prove myself. Auberon took notice of me, like my lord had done, and he gave me the title of Master of Archery. The first year went by, and I felt like I had the world in my hands. Then the light fell, and Gwyn Fanon descended into darkness. It changed people. The war turned more violent, more bloody, and I started to have doubts about our cause. Somehow, in the midst of it all, I managed to meet a girl, a Fae no less. It was clearly frowned upon, as Morgana wasn’t the only one who denied such unions at that time. Bellion the Satyr was at large, and the king turned a blind eye to his madness. When Bellion discovered my relationship with Sunya, he took her from me. He killed her entire family and took Sunya to the Dewmas mines. I don’t believe she survived below ground for long.”
Charlie put her arm around him, stroking his hair gently, and I had the sudden urge to hug him myself. He tapped her on the nose lightly, prompting Charlie to quirk her lips up, although her brows had dipped down at the sides, and she couldn’t conceal her compassion for the man next to her.
Rowan looked at me again, and it was as if no one else mattered, as if this next part of the story was meant solely for my ears. “The attack on Isolden was the last battle I joined—unwillingly, I might add—before I got word that my mother had fallen ill. My commander at the time gave me permission to go and see her. Said I’d earned it for my many good years of service.” He cringed, his lips trembling slightly. “I came back to Nidra as the ultimate battle of Avalen was set into motion. My mother, bless her essence, was on her deathbed. No one knew exactly how it had happened, but the Goblin herbkeeper of Nidra had treated her after the lord’s healers couldn’t fix what was wrong, and he confided in me that he believed someone had poisoned her. Who or why was unclear to me, but the Goblin had managed to keep her alive long enough to see me. He told me that the essence of Nimue had to have been watching over her, because the poison should have killed her sooner.”
A tear trickled down his face, and I wrapped my arms around my knees. Bits and pieces were beginning to click into place in my mind, though I didn’t have the complete puzzle yet.
“So, now I’ll tell you the rest of the story, which I haven’t even told Carolina,” Rowan continued.
Charlie looked at him in confusion, and we both waited for Rowan to complete his tale.
“I went to my mother’s bed and sat by her side until the end. Before she went, however, she confided in me something that would change me forever. Something I sometimes wish I never knew, and sometimes wish I had known from the beginning. Not that I know if it would have made a difference. She took my hand and begged for my forgiveness, begged for me to understand why she had kept this terrible truth from me all those years. You see, she never told me who my father was, and for years I thought the lord of Nidra was my father. He was married, so I understood why we never spoke of it. The truth was so much worse.
“The year before my birth, the lord held a celebration for his firstborn son. He was so proud. He and his wife had tried to have a child for many years, and when it finally happened, he wanted to shout it from the mountaintops. All the nobles were invited, and the lord even went as far as inviting royalty. That night, my mother met my father. She told me how handsome he was and how he had swept her off her feet, only to leave her the next day, never to return. That was approximately nine months before I came along.” He exhaled sharply. “You see, my father was a prince.”
My heart nearly pummelled out of my chest. I wrenched myself free from Brendan’s arms and crawled over to Rowan. Cupping my hands around his cheeks, I studied his face. Properly this time. The slight dip of his nose, his high cheekbones and handsome features. And those eyes! I knew I had recognised them from somewhere, but I hadn’t allowed my mind to consi
der it. Now, the truth was staring me in the face, and I couldn’t look away.
Rowan gave me a crooked smile and shrugged. “So, what do you say? To use a term Carolina has taught me—want to go kick our father’s arse?”
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Book 10: Lady of Avalon Part 2
Chapter One
I stared at the inky water ahead, cupping my elbows and burying my feet in the sand. The dark morning weighed on me more than it ever had since I first stepped into this other world and learned about the Fall of Light.
Next to me, Rowan leaned back on his elbows. The rest of our group had left us alone and gone to Halwyn’s home. While I was grateful that they’d given us this time to talk, I had no idea what to say to the man who had just dropped a bombshell on me. It was hard to wrap my head around the story he had told on the boat coming to Crochan Island. While I sat here, however, contemplating our blood relations, Auberon sat on Morgana’s throne—my throne. It was only a matter of time before he sent someone after me, and I didn’t much care to be here when that happened. Given what I now knew, however, I couldn’t just leave and ignore the fact that I had a brother. A half-brother, but still. Growing up as an only child, I had always wished for a sibling. Charlie and Jen had filled that void in my life, but finding a brother now, in this realm, was mind-boggling. Where did we even start?
“I miss the sun,” I murmured.
He exhaled heavily. “I have missed it every day for the past seven years. It doesn’t get any easier, but we adapt.”
I wrung my hands, biting down on my words. “I’m sorry.”
“About what?”
Everything. “That I couldn’t do more. I’m not the queen my people need.”
“You know,” Rowan said, kicking up a cloud of sand as he stretched, “I always wanted a sister. A brother would have been nice, too, of course, but I always imagined it would feel good to have a sister. Someone I could protect and teach. I suppose you’re too old for me to lecture you on stuff, but I’m glad to have found you.”
I glanced at him. His dark hair obscured his eyes, yet his piercing gaze caught my attention. He looked so much like our father, now that I knew who I was looking at.
“I always wanted a sibling, too,” I admitted. “You have to understand, though, that you kind of threw me a curveball here.”
“I’m not sure what that means, but I think I get the gist of it.” He smirked. “Getting to know Carolina has taught me that you lot have some funny expressions.”
I hugged my knees and shuddered at the dark predawn. It wouldn’t be long before my father’s men tracked me down, and I had to get my friends out of here. But what of him?
“Would you come back with us?”
“Back?” He sat up and angled his head towards me.
“To the Land of Eternal Sand—to Earth. There are plenty of bad guys and injustice to fight there, too.” I gave him my best attempt at a smile, which quickly faded again.
He bit his lip and raised his chin in thought. Did I sometimes do that?
“No, I don’t think I would,” he said eventually. “Though I appreciate that you asked.”
I let out a heavy breath.
“Then again,” he continued, “I don’t see why I would have to. You’re staying here, are you not?”
I clasped my hands, my knuckles whitening. “I can’t. Don’t you get it? We lost. If my friends and I stay here, we’ll be in constant danger. I can’t keep risking their lives, and my father—our father—will never stop searching for me. I’m not sure what it is he wants, but I’m convinced that he’s after more than just the throne. He already has his seat of power.”
“Which is why you have to stay and fight.” My brother nudged my shoulder. “The people don’t want Auberon to rule. Not the majority of them, anyway. They want someone like you. Not just in Avalon, but all over Gwyn Fanon, people are chanting your name. Besides, your claim is twice that of Auberon’s. You are both a Merlin and a Morgana.”
I nudged him back. “You’re a Merlin, too. Why don’t you try to take the throne?”
He chortled. “I’m not what you would call monarch material, my sister.”
Sister. How strange.
“I’m a soldier.” His tone was firm and decisive. “That is what I have spent my life training to become. Besides, I wouldn’t want to rule a people who did not believe in me. I’d rather support the true queen.” He turned to face me, got on his knees, and placed his palms firmly in the sand. “I would lay my bow at your feet if you would only claim what is rightfully yours.” The sincerity in his voice was all but tangible. I believed him, but that didn’t make my decision any easier.
“I would have to wage war on Avalon, as this is where Auberon has taken the throne. I don’t want to be responsible for all the lives lost because of it. On top of that, I would need an army. Do you see one around here? I can’t very well ask the Goblins to fight, and I’m no warlord.”
“I have a few ideas.” He gave me a lopsided smile and chuckled. The sound was warm and familiar, reminding me of a time when I had held my father’s arm and thought him to be something he was not.
“Does Auberon know?” I angled away from him.
“About me?”
I nodded.
“I’m not sure. He’s never said as much, and I haven’t told him. If he does, he has no interest in acknowledging me as his son, or he would have done so already. The only reason he’s kept me close is because I’m skilled at what I do, and because he remembers me from Y Noson Hir.”
I grabbed his arm. “What did you say?”
“He remembers me.”
“No, I meant that phrase. Y Noson Hir. I’ve heard that before. Like, a thousand times.”
“You have?”
“Ma used to sing this ancient song—she sang lots of old songs, to be honest—but a couple of them were about Avalon and life here. I never knew Ma’s original tongue, but now that I’m here, I have learned that it comes from the ancient Wallish. The line I’m thinking of goes: Un diwrnod byddaf yn deffro o'r noson hir.”
Rowan’s jaw dropped. “That’s almost perfect Wallish,” he said. “It sounds like One morning I will arise from the long night. Or it could be One day. It’s what we call the war after the Fall of Light. Y Noson Hir—The Long Night.”
“She told me it was a song passed down the line all the way from the first Magicals on Earth.”
“If you ever doubted where your roots are, Ruby …”
“Don’t worry. I have always known. She made sure I never forgot.”
He dipped his chin. “She sounds like my ma. I used to love her stories of the ancient world. I think she wanted me to be a lorekeeper.” He chuckled. “No chance. I’m too good at killing.”
“Not a skill I would usually favour, but I get how it might have come in handy in the streets of Nidra.”
“It does. And Auberon respects me for it. As his son, however, I’m just a regular Sorcerer with a couple of unusual powers, born from a servant mother. I’m not special, and he would never treat me as such.” He gazed into my eyes. “When he speaks of you, it is with awe and respect. To the great annoyance of Commander Gemma, I must add.” He laughed then, loud and heartily, and it was such a joyous sound that my heart lurched.
“Gemma?” I asked, as if I didn’t already know that insane fox far better than I cared to admit.
“She has this disturbing obsession with him. I think he revels in her attention, but she annoys him as well. He regards her as a child more than a woman, and he will never love her the way she wants him to. Whenever he speaks of you, on the other hand, it’s as if you can see the hairs on her hide bristle. She hates you. More
than that, though, she believes you make him soft.”
I snorted. “Soft? Auberon?”
“I know. It’s just that in her eyes, you’re his weak spot, and she would gladly see you give up and go back to where you came from.”
“Or kill me,” I muttered.
“Or that.” He scooted a little closer, canting his head to the side. “She does have a point. Not about eliminating you, but about you being his weakness. Auberon loves you, as I’m sure you must know, but while he is intrigued by the powers you possess, part of him fears them. If there is one thing Auberon values, however, it’s power. And you’ve got that in abundance. I think he’s afraid you’re even more powerful than he is, and if you were anyone but his daughter, you would have been dead a long time ago.”
I slid my fingers through the sand, recalling how I had sat on a beach in Perllanafal only a few months ago, much like I did now. Only then, Auberon had sat next to me. “I used to think there was good in him.” My voice broke, and my words were merely a whisper.
“There is.” He grabbed a fistful of sand and let the tiny grains spill through his fingers. “It’s just buried deep. He truly believes he’s the rightful ruler of Gwyn Fanon, and that he alone will be its saviour.”
“Well, maybe he will be?” I knew I was grasping. “He has the throne, so maybe he’ll truly be a king for the people. There is no need to shed any more blood.”
Rowan grimaced. “You don’t believe that.”
“No, I guess not.” Forcing myself to look away from him, I stared at the horizon. The surface of the water lay like an iron blanket, smooth and still, as if waiting in silence for the storm. “So, how was it? I mean, these past couple of months, working alongside him.”
My brother raked a hand through his thick hair. “As long as we did as we were told, whatever methods we used were of no concern to him. He does like to boast, going on and on about how he alone will save Gwyn Fanon. Still, his commanders are mostly free to run things as they see fit.”