“Princess, I received word from ya overseas messengers. Ya father, Lord Protector and Overlord of Somria, the incomparable Yalcin Rex has sent his love and respects. He offers his compliments on na superb execution of ya plan.”
Llory nodded, but her face clouded. She had indeed successfully instigated a war upon her homeland—a war that the Lord’s Lands could not possibly win, once they realized that her father would indeed support the Commander-General of the North Province. However, the girl eluded her; without her, seizing complete control of the Spire, and thereafter the Lord’s Lands, would be far more difficult and messy. A quick, clean operation would ensure her father’s favour, and guarantee that she would become the ruler of this, Somria’s new province.
“This humble servant begs na right ta serve noble lady, if she would allow it,” the huge Collector said.
Llory nodded assent, and held out her right foot. “These feet na tired from ma journeys. Rub them for me, would ya?”
Tirraen Kuhn smiled and bowed, gathering her foot in his massive hands and beginning to rub.
As he pressed deeply into the sole of her foot, Llory sighed. If only she had better judged the girl from the outset. There had been no doubt of her power, those many years ago, and Llory did not feel that she had played her hand poorly. Keeping the find to herself was a necessity; allowing the girl to develop on her own had been equally important, since she could not have hidden her away in the Spire for a decade. Twisting the reeve to his foul deed—that had been correct as well, the best catalyst to separate the girl from her family. It had been a perfect plan; as predicted, the girl, as strong of heart as she had earlier judged, had killed the man who raped her, so that Llory only needed to show up and free her from prison, taking her under her wing.
Except the girl had struck far faster than she had foreseen, and had fled the Lower Valley. Possessed of unlikely survival skills, she had eluded Llory’s attempts to capture her, and then—who would have guessed that the fool Welgray would stumble upon her? Or that Wissa, her loyal servant Wissa whom she had raised from a babe, would later turn on Drast?
No, she had played it all out perfectly; only random developments had deviated her plan. Well enough—she still had things in hand. She had six girls who would give her control of the Spire, then eliminate Wissa from the picture, as well as Arad Sherzi if he proved an obstacle.
And, of course her most important piece in the game. “Tirraen Kuhn, ya visited na Lower Valley as I commanded?”
“I did, ma Princess,” he murmured in reply, his hands massaging first her calf muscles, then her lower legs. “All as ya directed.”
She closed her eyes, breathing deeply and allowing her tired body to relax as the Collector did his work.
First the girl, then the Spire.
Then, the Lord’s Lands. She would have to rename it.
END BOOK ONE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Daniel J. Rothery was born in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Growing up alongside a forest on the shores of the pristine Okanagan Lake, he had amply opportunity to wander in, and wonder at, nature's abundant mystery. As a child he built forts, swam through reed forests, biked over rolling hills, created movies on his father's silent film camera, and wrote stories on an ancient manual Brother typewriter. Later, adventure, travel, and sport pulled him away from the electric typewriter he had upgraded to, and his writings were forgotten for two decades.
In the ensuing years he visited many lands, including living for extended periods in both Asia and Europe. In addition to a myriad of lesser employments, he followed paths as SCUBA diving instructor, martial arts instructor, real estate developer, and singer/songwriter (search for Dan Rothery and you'll find lots of recordings and crappy videos). On the side, he found time for plenty of off-road jeep escapades, D&D gaming (an effective outlet for his storytelling), enduro racing, mountain biking, triathlons, and more. He also learned to speak multiple languages, though only enough to get himself in trouble in some.
When his damaged, aching body complained loudly enough, he decided that there would be time to sit back down and let loose the torrent that had been building up within his creative mind. His experiences in the music industry had set his mind firmly against the perils of marketing his own creations. Fortunately in 2017 he married the most amazing woman in the world, and Ting has a knack for marketing, so we have her to thank for this book.
Dan remains active by engaging in yoga, martial arts (somewhat more gently than in past years), and cycling.
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