Stones of Fraine (Legacy of Fraine Book 1)

by Amy Morris

  “I just need a few minutes, thanks for waking me.” This vision has shaken me to my core, I’ve never been through one like that. I pray it was just a nightmare and realize it’s time to stop sulking.

  Within a few minutes my foul mood lifts, my self-pity vanishes. The four of us are now engaged in conversations about the trip for a while before Talia tells training stories to Goss and me, much to the chagrin of Angel. Our good humor lasts the rest of the evening and into the next day, which is a vast improvement on how this all started. By the next morning, my mood is lighter and I’ve learned a great deal about Talia.

  Her upbringing was comfortable as the daughter of the royal horse trainer. Raised by just her father after her mother passed from illness when she was two. From this she has refined horse skills according to Angel and humorous stories of royal riding failures that she shares with us.

  As much as the landscape drastically changes the farther into Paireen we venture the more my mind adjusts to the new life that lies ahead. What is my mother like, what will our reunion be like? Every question I can think of floods my mind as we make our way through the vast Hest Desert. We are only two days away from Shete when we stop for what should be our last night in the barren desert.

  Goss and Talia are swapping barbs at each other while we finish dinner when Angel takes a seat next to me. “How are you holding up?”

  “Good, I think all things considered, just getting nervous about meeting her.” There’s no need to say my mother’s name, especially since Angel and I have already had this conversation a few times. “I’ll be fine, just more anxious now.”

  “I’ve noticed you staring with a blank look on your face a few times these past two days. Are you sure you’re ok?”

  Oh, that. Sometimes I wish those visions didn’t happen, but they’re increasing now it seems. “Yeah, I’m good. Just deep in thought, I suppose,” I pray he doesn’t see through my lie.

  “Listen, Goss mentioned it earlier that you have been seeing things recently. Care to explain it better, or should I get the rest of the story from her?”

  I look over to where she and Talia are cleaning up dinner and sigh. “Ok, I’m not crazy, I promise. For as long as I can remember, I just sometimes tune out and see things that don’t exist.”

  “Like water in a desert,” he gestures to our current surroundings.

  I laugh a little, “No, not that. It’s like the world around me changes to some mystical place where odd creatures from old stories exist. Almost as though I’m walking among them… It’s hard to explain, really.”

  “Ok, so you see unicorns?”

  “And dragons, but it’s not just stories come to life in my head, it feels like more than that Angel.”

  “Alright, you see imaginary animals, we can work with that,” he chuckles softly. “I mean no harm, Abby. I just don’t get it, that’s all. So you see things, I wouldn’t dwell on it much.”

  Well, I normally don’t but it’s happening more now. Telling him that seems foolish, so I don’t. The girls return to the group and we ponder what lies ahead before pulling out our bedrolls to turn in for the night. As the fire dies, I stare into the center of it thinking about a large blue and green dragon breathing fire the color of the dying embers, I’ve seen it multiple times in my visions now. I remind myself that it’s nothing more than a wild imagination before I let my eyes close from fatigue.

  Talia sounds an alarm that jolts me from sleep as they throw Goss in my direction. “Stay together, the both of you,” as Talia fends off an assailant with her sword. None of us heard the group of men approach in the darkness, they move too quietly over the sand.

  We shuffle towards the cart parked within twenty feet of our campfire, but we’re both pinned to the ground by something before we can reach it. It rips my shift enough that the green glow from the locket is visible to anyone nearby. Whoever has my arms pinned behind me lets out a call to his cohorts, “Got her. He was right. She’s wearing the locket.” I’m pulled to my feet by another unknown force and shoved against the cart’s side.

  “What is going on?” Goss yells from beside me. I’m able to see her trying to struggle as she too is unceremoniously hoisted to her feet.

  “Shut her up now Grom or I will,” my attacker calls. “But don’t be too rough, she’s probably the sister that needs returned in one piece.” The first thought through my mind is to do what I can to protect her, the second is that Therin is behind this ambush.

  “Remind me to kill your brother myself the next time I see him, Gossimer.” Talia spits blood from her broken lip as two men half carry her to join us. She’s put up a good fight from what I can see of her current condition. “I guessed they might send groups after us, I’m glad to see its not elite guards at least.” The slap that follows her comment makes even my ears ring from the force. “It would be you, Grom,” she snarls back, staring defiantly at him.

  “Ah Talia, how good it is to see you again. No need to be rude. We are only one of two groups sent after you to finish the. Now where is Angel?” My heart lightens at the fact that it seems he got away in the scuffle. Grom’s face is now easier to see due to the lantern he holds between them. The deep scar from his ear to the middle of his forehead is intimidating along with his colossal frame that towers over us. This is not someone I would want to encounter in a dark alley. “Where is he, Talia?” he asks again with another slap.

  “He died from his wounds three days ago. We buried him in a shallow grave before we reached the desert.”

  Grom turns to the five men behind him, “Count the bed rolls and check their supplies to see if what she says is true.”

  Within minutes our feet and hands are bound along with our mouths gagged. One of the crew returns to where Grom watches over us, “Three bed rolls and from what meager supplies they have it could easily be just two of them, sir.”

  Nodding his response, he turns his attention back to us, “we’ll finish our night here, start back in the morning. You take the first shift watching these three.” And with that, he strides to the fire and starts in on our meager food supplies.

  After watching the group of eight men devour our food and rummage through whatever else they can find they seem to settle in for the night. The guard watching us is more interested in his flask than us, which I’m content with.

  A half hour or more passes by as I try to figure out what they’ll do with me. I’m still alive but for how long, King Alex wants my head and is going to great lengths to get it, it seems. From what I’ve been able to overhear, this group was stationed at the mayor’s manor waiting for us to arrive, but they didn’t make it in time to stop us from running.

  A small noise keeps interrupting the thoughts of my eventual execution and the hope of a reunion with my mother. Where the hell is Angel? Maybe he’s forming a plan of attack, but my fear is now that he’ll be too late. How can he take on eight men, including Grom? And what is that noise? It keeps stopping and starting every few minutes. No one in the camp seems to notice it though.

  My gaze turns to Goss on my left, I’ve been trying to comfort her since our capture, but to no avail after they shoved the fabric in our mouths. Bouncing a little, I try to catch her attention as she stares forward in a daze. I almost jump straight into the air when a hand shaking my shoulder on the other side gets my attention. Talia looks at me shaking her head telling me to stay quiet as she waves her free hands before shoving them back behind her quickly. “I’m headed to relieve myself, but if any of you three care to join me, just say the word,” the guard watching us chuckles as he stumbles off.

  Talia shoots an unfriendly hand gesture at his back as he strolls away toward a dune. I can’t help but laugh through my gag but quiet back down quickly.

  A sharp object stabs at my wrist causing me to yelp, “Sorry about that princess, it’s not so easy to see in the dark.” Angel, my hero where have you been I want to yell but decide playing it cool probably is the better call right now. “Almost there, you’
re the last one.” Within moments the tension around my wrists is no more, “Here use it on the rope binding your feet.” I feel the icy blade come to rest in my palm and quickly assault the aforementioned rope.

  What I really want to do is slit Groms’ throat with the small knife, but am happy enough sawing away at the thick ropes for the time being. “What about the guard watching us, he’s bound to be back any second?” Goss whispers.

  “He won’t be guarding anyone again is all I’ll say, now come on.” Angel helps Goss and I stand silently as Talia sneaks to the front of the cart. I’m not sure how much of a head start we can get since this group probably has horses waiting just out of earshot.

  “How do we get away? They’ll catch us before we get far,” still trying to get the feeling back in my feet after the time spent bound.

  “Don’t worry about that,” Talia announces, holding up a large jug she has wrenched from under the cart's bench. “This should take care of most of them. Glad I brought it now, huh Angel?”

  “You have no idea babe,” the smile on Angel’s face intrigues me. “Are the horses untied?”

  “Do I look like an amateur,” she grins back.

  They hoist Goss and me on two separate horses while Angel clambers on behind me. Talia joins Goss swiftly before grabbing the jar off the cart. “Goss you ready for a show?” but before there can be an answer they take off towards our camp. Circling the fire once, Talia hurls the jar into it and gallops back with Goss clinging to the horse’s neck. “I love this part,” she yells as they fly past us.

  Angel flips the reigns and we take off after them but don’t make it far before a loud explosion comes from behind us. They pull both horses to a stop and the four of us turn to see the blazing inferno that now engulfs the camp. The few screams that I hear make my stomach turn, even if it those of our captors. A body covered in flames staggers out of the melee and collapses, I turn staring ahead unable to watch anymore. “Let’s go,” Angel calls, and with that the four of us head south once more.

  Long after dawn breaks, we stop to stretch our legs and consume what’s left of the rations Angel could find in the cart before we fled. My mind wanders as I sit in the shade of our horse that won’t last for much longer. As the sun bears down on us harder we remount, talking about last night doesn’t last long since the explosion doesn’t seem to sit well with Goss either. So we revert to throwing barbs at one another or telling stories of our pasts to pass the time.

  The heat of the day proves too much for the horses and us; so frequent stops become the norm throughout the afternoon. But without water for the horses, Talia is unsure how much longer they can last. While preparing to remount the horses I see a shadow drifting across the dunes towards us. My eyes turn to the sky and I believe they are playing tricks on me. A dragon is soaring above us. Shaking my head to clear my vision again, I still see it. Great time for a vision Abby, it’s not like you’re in the middle of a desert. Snap out of it, I tell myself.

  “Do you guys see it?” I ask, pointing at the sky.

  “I see the sun, not a cloud in the sky,” Talia responds.

  “It’s a dragon. I’ve seen it before in my visions.”

  “Abby, you’ve had too much sun, there’s nothing there.” Angel comments coming to stand beside me.

  “I swear I see it, its flying that way and circling,” I’m adamant in this and take off running in its direction spooking the horses.

  Goss chases after me now, “Abby, wait up. You’re seeing things, there’s no dragon.”

  But I see it, and this is no vision. I can tell because I feel when my visions start, this doesn’t have that feeling at all. It’s real to me, I keep running towards the dragon as it swoops back towards me before heading back to the location it’s concentrated on. “It’s trying to show me something,” I call to them, not knowing whether they can still hear me.

  The closer I get, the more I can see of the enormous creature, the same one from my visions with the blue and green scales. There is no menacing look in its eyes, they’re almost calling to me to follow.

  At the top of the next dune I come to stop dead in my tracks, the dragons gone. It disappeared like a ripple right in front of me and I crumple to the ground, feeling as though I’m losing my mind staring up at the empty sky. Maybe Angel was right, I’ve been in the sun too long and now I’m hallucinating. Before I have the time to wallow in self-pity any longer, I see the oasis that stretches out before me. Nestled between sand dunes is a small lake with green vegetation surrounding it.

  “Now that’s what we need,” Angel huffs, trying to catch his breath.

  “Too bad we lost the horses to Abby’s freak out. They needed this as well to keep going,” Talia quips.

  Bringing up the rear, then walking right past us, Goss heads straight for the water. With no hesitation, she wades in. “Gods, this feels great,” she shouts before fully submerging herself. Talia strides past us next and heads straight to where Goss is floating.

  “After you,” Angel gestures, that’s all it takes for me to sprint over to join them. “If you want any to drink, there’s a spring over here,” he yells from a few feet farther down shore from us.

  Drinking our fill then resting under the shade of a large bush, we contemplate finding something to eat. Along with shelter for the night when a man appears from behind the foliage.

  7

  “Good to see you made it this far, especially with the trials you’ve already encountered. Now come with me for something to eat before you continue your journey.” The man standing before us wears a white robe and his sun worn face seems gentle. “Come now and I will tell you why you are here Abigail Thorm.” He uses a cane to walk back the way he must have of come through the dense foliage. I look from each of my friends to other before deciding against my better judgement to follow him.

  Turning back before entering the lush barricade, I see my companions standing, giving them a “might as well” shrug of my shoulders. And with that, I enter a tunnel concealed by the bush we used for shade just moments ago. The narrow trail seems to be constructed of solid rock. We must be in a cave, I surmise. About fifty feet ahead, I see a faint glow surround the man. So light does exist at the end of this tunnel I decide and snort, hoping the stranger didn’t hear it. Coming out of the passage I enter a large room, the rest of my group catches up to me just inside.

  “Where are we?” I ask the man, “And who are you?”

  Instead of answering, he directs us to a wooden table with an assortment of food spread across it. “Sit and eat while I tell you my tale and what’s becoming of yours.” I don’t trust him really, but my stomach betrays me. I decide to at least sit and have a drink of something. The sweet red wine tickles my throat going down, then dribbles down my chin in an unladylike manner.

  “Well, the wine doesn’t seem poisoned at least,” trying to encourage my friends to join me. This man seems to compel me somehow, I’m not sure if we should run or not at this point. “I think we should hear him out,” I announce before taking a bite of what is probably not a chicken leg but tastes the same.

  “Fine, but if we die here, we’re even for what my brother did Abby.” Goss takes the seat next to me and fills her own plate from the assortment available.

  Talia and Angel with their military training are more hesitant but comply after a few minutes of watching us gorge ourselves.

  After a few bites and sips of his drink, Angel clears his throat from across the table. “Alright hermit, we’ve done what you asked, now tell us what you know. Let’s start with who you are and what you’re doing living alone in a cave in the desert.”

  “My name is Kermit…” but he’s interrupted by Talia belching a laugh with a full mouth.

  “Seriously, you’re Kermit the hermit…” she laughs after swallowing her mouthful of food. He raises a hand towards her, I see a blue spark collide with her shoulder. “Ouch, what was that? How did you do that?”

  Kermit takes a seat on the sto
ol at the head of the table and gives her a pointed look. “I tired of that joke over two hundred years ago, young lady. As for what it was, the simple answer is magic and for how I did that. Well, that’s a much more complicated answer.”

  “You have magic?” Goss asks.

  “Over two hundred years,” I remark at the same time.

  “Now is not the time for questions, the answers you want about me will reveal themselves at a later time. The information you need now involves what’s coming shortly. What you are, Abby.” I stare at him while he sips from his glass, dumbfounded I just sit on my chair and stare like an idiot. “You do not yet know what you are, you are like me. From your last birthday your aging will slow, you will outlive your friends by generations. But that is only if you survive the quest set before you, I might add.”

  “What quest?” Angel asks for me.

  “You already possess the Asp locket. I can see the faint green glow of it under your shirt. But to fulfill the prophecy you must collect the other five.”

  “Prophecy?” What prophecy, no one’s ever mentioned a prophecy or quest to me. But then again, it’s been a guarded secret that I’m a princess, so to believe what he’s saying right now doesn’t seem too much of a leap of faith.

  “Over five hundred years ago, King Edmond stole the Stones of Fraine from the royal palace in Shyne. He had the large amulet they rested in for centuries broken apart, turning each back into an individual stone. One of which rests around your neck.” Kermit’s gaze finally leaves mine as he reaches for my hand. “I can feel the power in you grow just as I can feel mine fading.”

  Releasing my hand from his, “Am I stealing your power?”

  “No, not to worry my dear, my time is probably yet half over. In a few hundred years you will feel the drain yourself.”

  “So these stones, what’s so important about them? Why did King Edmond steal them? There’s nothing on Fraine except dying plants, I thought?” Angel looks my way with wariness in his eyes. I don’t blame him for his concern after everything we’ve been through.