by H. N. Klett
Kyra poked her head out from the great hall, her bright red hair like a beacon down the otherwise plain hallway, and caught Hailey staring blankly down the hall, lost in thought.
“There you are! Come on!” She waved over to her.
Hailey had exiled herself enough. There was much to be done, but it could wait. She entered the great hall, surrounded by friends at a feast. They all cheered.
In that moment, Hailey realized she had finally found her room full of treasure in the smiling faces of her comrades in arms, pirate and merchant alike. They welcomed her with open arms and full plates, and she was glad to join them.
They sat her at the head of the table and the captain raised a gold chalice for a toast and placed a hand on Hailey’s shoulder.
“To the Pirate Queen!” he roared, and the crowd roared back the same.
Hailey looked up at the towering figure of Captain Zordebran and said, “I thought pirates chose their leaders.”
He laughed and replied, “We just did.”
They all drank deeply of the sweet wine, not sure if they would have a chance to celebrate tomorrow. With her aunt the Queen still out there, anything could happen. Their fight against the Crown wasn’t over. They were still outmanned, outgunned, and about to be on the run, but on this day, they had won. Tonight, as they all celebrated together, they could forget their sorrows for just a little while and have a little hope for tomorrow, and that in itself was a treasure they could all enjoy.
CODA—
The Capitol City of Davos
“What do you mean I’m not allowed to see her? I have every right! I’m the Bishop of the Church!” Jacob Graver bowled his way past the guards, threw open the great steel doors to the Queen’s formal chambers, and charged in. The guards quickly followed him, hands pulling at their swords.
The Veiled Queen was sitting on a raised throne, casually reviewing the Book of the Ancients as Graver stormed his way closer to the dais.
“What’s the meaning of this? Why was I barred from seeing you?”
He stopped just short of the stairs leading to her throne. The guards were almost on him; they had struggled to keep up with his long-legged strides. Their swords were raised, ready to fight.
The Queen looked up. Seeing the commotion, she raised a hand casually to the two knights and waved them off. They stopped, sheathed their swords, and stomped out of the chamber with a look of disappointment. The steel doors shut behind them with a loud bang.
Once they were alone, Rhiannon set aside the book and regarded the tall, angry man who stood below her.
“Why would I want to see you?” she spat.
Her words reverberated around the empty chamber. She leaned forward, looking at the bishop, who stood there shocked and disarmed by her tone. He could feel that under her veil, her cold, dark eyes were looking down at him with rage.
She began to tick things off with her fingers. “You lost me the girl, the book, the treasure, and not to mention one of my prized ships and my most prized ports in the west! The very one you were sent to oversee! Now it is in full rebellion, and the ships that were blockading it either defected or fled. All western commerce has stopped.
“These pirates now have the means to not only defy me, but can disable one of my greatest weapons against rebellion. They may actually have enough resources to come after us and win. All because you couldn’t do as I asked!”
Jacob’s indignant rage fell from his face and a look of fear gripped him. He began to lean back a little, as if physically whipped by her words.
She smiled at him frostily. “So with those little things in mind, explain to me again why I should see you.”
It was the most the Queen had said to him in weeks. They had been stranded together for several days out on the ocean with no hope of rescue. They had watched the two closest Crown ships be annihilated by lightning bolts coming from the golden spire. It was only by luck that they were picked up when they were, especially since they were so far from the shipping lanes. A whaler had come across them and picked them up. She hadn’t said a word to him the entire way, as they had to endure the stench of rending fat the whole two-and-a-half-week journey back to the capital city of Davos.
He twitched slightly and winced. She had a point and it hurt. His shoulders fell forward in supplication. He wanted nothing more than to be back in her good graces.
“I’d like the chance to make it up to you. Let me go after the girl…” he said nervously.
“No.” She raised her hand, dismissing the notion, and sat back.
“But, Rhiannon…”
The Queen’s eyes quickly flitted to the doors, checking to see that they were closed. She then leaned forward and pulled up her veil. She was frowning at Graver.
“Do not forget your place, Bishop Graver,” she hissed at him. “You may only address me by my personal name in my bedchambers. Do not presume to be so familiar with me. Have I made myself clear?”
Graver’s face fell and he looked to the floor. “Yes, Your Highness. Please forgive me.”
Seeing that she had wounded the man, her long-time ally and lover, she stood and stepped down to him and stood at his side, embracing his shoulder.
“Jacob, you have to understand, this is how things are. You knew this from the start. I couldn’t have gotten as far as I have without you and your help.” She rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. He turned to her and looked into her eyes. “My plan is so close to completion, and it’s all because of you. You helped me with the King. Your work in establishing the new order has been magnificent, but now I need you to do something else for me.”
“I want to go after the girl,” he said flatly.
The Queen sighed.
“The book and the girl are someone else’s concern now.”
“Whose?” he said through gritted teeth.
“A knight’s,” she said sternly. “Not a bishop. You are far too valuable to me to put into the field of battle like that again. I have something far more important for you to do. I need you to help quell the unrest in the western colonies. Use your Church contacts to dispel any rumors about a possible rebellion.”
She waited until he nodded his assent before she continued. “Good. Once you’ve finished with that, go to Vregora and supervise our efforts to recover the orb. We might not even need the book to reach our goals.”
She took his face in her hands. “Did you hear me? You want to make it up to me? Find me that orb.”
“And once we have it?” he asked.
The Queen gave him an evil grin.
“They all die.”
TO BE CONTINUED
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Acknowledgments: The real heroes
I truly stand on the shoulders of giants, here. You have no idea how many people helped me get this book out and the adventure started. My thanks to you all.
First off, I truly owe a debt of gratitude to my wife, Lynn. She encouraged me to take the leap of faith and really empowered me to do what I’ve always wanted to do. She has been and always will be my first and best reader. To my daughter, Hope, thank you for being a wonderful daughter and putting up with me s
pending hours at a time glued to the computer writing you a story. To my parents, thank you so much for your guidance and love.
This book had many great hands on deck getting this ship off the ground. I want to thank my fabulous editor Crystal Watanabe for all of her hard work, great advice, and putting up with my computer glitches along the way. I couldn’t have worked with a better editor! Jay Artale for taking the time to help with the layout of this book, M. Wayne Miller for his incredible artwork, and Sharon Shepard, my indispensable critique partner and voice of reason throughout this whole thing. I also have to be sure and thank my small pirate army of beta readers whose input really helped to shape this book and make it the great adventure it is! Hailey, Robin, Matt, and Mark Keller, Beth Shepard, Matt Osbourne, Sophie and Caroline Strain, Sharyl Villier, Edward Fields, Fred and Susan Chappell, K.M. Weiland, Jenna Moreci, Kim Chance, Beth Rigsbee, Darlene and Jose Adams, Jon, Jennifer, Malcolm, Anna, Doug, and Leslie Black as well as the entire Downtown Fitness on Elm family.
Finally, thank you for taking the time to read this book! I hope you enjoyed it just as much as I did writing it and I hope you look for more of my works on the shelves!
All the best,
H.N. Klett
About the Author
H.N.Klett is a writer, podcast producer, warrior poet and (possibly) a madman, who hails from Raleigh, North Carolina. A natural story teller, H.N. has been writing and telling tales since he was a little boy, inundating teachers, professors, and anyone who would listen with his poetry, plays, short stories and novels. He uses life experiences of creating and breaking things to weave stories of intrigue, fantasy, science fiction, and humor.
He has been described as a maniac armed with a pen and has created a swath of destruction in his wake. In the process of creating this book for your enjoyment, he successfully broke an unbreakable computer, shattered a shatterproof case, and annihilated several other machines much to the chagrin of his friends and loved ones. He is kept in Greensboro, North Carolina for your safety.
You can (safely) visit him at:
hnklett.com