by Amanda Young
The doors to library opened. A page looked around anxiously, clearly uncomfortable to be there. He looked at every mage nervously. Most regarded him with a mixture of annoyance at being interrupted in their research and disinterest in his presence. His eyes settled on her. She felt the quill fall out of her hand. He walked briskly to her table, and stopped. “Lynnalin Moesaius?” She nodded. “You are hereby summoned by the Queen. Report immediately to the palace.” He didn’t wait for a response.
She sat in stunned silence for several seconds after the man left. Why would the Queen want to see her? Whatever the reason, it was not a good idea to keep her waiting. She stood and looked at the table. There was no time to put up everything. Grabbing her notes, she ran from the library. She caught up with the page as he exited the academy. They walked without speaking to the palace. She was shown to a lavishly decorated sitting room. Long black velvet curtains hung from the windows. Strips of midnight blue fabric, trimmed in silver, draped over and around the curtain rods. Candles lined every shelf and table. A fireplace raged across the room, making it uncomfortably warm. She contemplated sitting on one of the ornate sofas or chairs, but she was too anxious to sit. Walking over to the far wall, she busied herself looking at the many books displayed there. Some were history, of Suriax and the continent. There were a few fiction novels, mostly folklore related. The majority of the books were practical in nature. Topics ranged from architecture to botany to magic. A person could spend years, lifetimes learning all these subjects.
“So, you are the mage I’ve heard so much about.”
Lynnalin jumped and saw Queen Maerishka standing in the open doorway. “You’ve heard of me?” Lynnalin asked in shock.
“Yes, my new head of military strategy, Zanden Fiereskai, recommended you. I need a mage to accompany a small team to investigate some activity in the southern plains. Have you ever ridden a marenpaie?”
“Not really,” she answered honestly.
The queen nodded. Although the hounds were often used with the military or in long distance travel, few regular citizens had much practice riding them. “I currently have Zanden developing some new battle techniques. The team will leave in one month. Take that time to familiarize yourself with the hounds.”
“Yes, your Majesty.”
“You may go.”
Lynnalin rushed back to the academy. One month. There was much to do.
* * *
“You don’t have to go.”
“I do,” Kern said, picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. “I’m not cut out for palace life. I always wanted to travel, to see the continent. I think I’ll finally do that.”
Mirerien nodded and gave him a heartfelt hug. “We will miss you, brother. Please remember, you will always have a home here.”
“Thank you.”
“Here,” Eirae handed Kern a dark blue cloak. It was well made and appeared very durable, but not fancy enough to draw unwanted attention on his travels. “We had it commissioned for you. It is laced with several spells that should help you on your journeys. While you wear it, should you require any healing, minor injuries will automatically begin to heal. Also, should it be lost or stolen, it will return to you on the following day.”
“That’s incredible.” Kern couldn’t believe the generosity of such a gift. He held the fabric delicately in his hands.
“We thought you could use something to keep warm, since you burned your other coats.” Mirerien grinned.
Kern couldn’t help grinning back. It was fitting that his jackets, symbols of his old life and service to Venerith, were now useless piles of ash and fabric. “You know, my jacket and shirt burned, but that scarf our mother made didn’t burn.”
“Mother used to put fire protection spells on all our clothing,” Pielere explained. “It was one way she showed her displeasure at father’s worship of Venerith. That in mind, we had a fire protection spell placed on this cloak, as well.”
“This is too much.” Kern was overwhelmed. He was no stranger to magical items, but this was more than he ever though himself worthy of.
“That’s not all.” Pielere grinned. “If you put the hood up and whisper ‘home,’ it will teleport you here.”
Kern didn’t know what to say. Instead, he gave each of his brothers a warm handshake and gave Mirerien another hug. That just left one more thing to do. Going to his uncle’s quarters, he smiled at the sight of children running around, playing and laughing. His uncle looked a hundred years younger, now. Around his neck, he wore the scarf. Kern smiled. He almost hated to interrupt, but Frex caught sight of him and came over. “You are leaving, then?”
“Yes, for now. I’ll be back often to visit. I just need to get out of here for a while and figure out where to go from here. But I want you to use that ring I gave you to call me if you need anything. I’ll be back in a flash.” He held up his cloak to accentuate his promise. They hugged warmly. Kern could see Frex was sad to see him go, but after hours of discussing it, he knew he understood and supported his decision.
“Where will you go?” Frex asked. It was the one thing they hadn’t discussed, mainly because Kern didn’t have an answer.
“Don’t know, yet.”
“Have you considered the mountains?” Thomas leaned against the doorway, his arm around Marcy. They smiled.
“That is where we are headed.” Marcy looked lovingly up at Thomas.
Kern felt a reflexive stab of jealousy, but it was quickly gone as he looked at the happy faces of his two best friends. “Sure,” he put his arms around them, leading them outside. “The mountains sound good.”
# # #
Author’s Note:
“Suriax” is the first of many stories from the world of Ondar. Also coming soon is A.D. McLain’s next book in her Spirit of the Wolf Series. Be on the lookout for “Wolf of the Future.”
About the Authors
Amanda Young (a.k.a. A.D. McLain) is a writer of Paranormal Romance (specifically werewolf romances) and Fantasy.
Having completed her first story at the age of twelve, Amanda knew at an early age that writing was her passion. She attended South Jones High School in Ellisville, MS and graduated from the University of New Orleans in 2003 with a degree in English.
She currently resides in Louisiana, where she is married to her soulmate, Raymond. They married in a magical, Renaissance themed wedding ceremony in 2006 and had their first child in May 2008. They welcomed their second son in 2011.
Raymond Young Jr. was born in New Orleans, LA. He lived in St. Bernard Parish, East of New Orleans for over 20 years before moving to Covington, LA in 2005 following Hurricane Katrina. Ray graduated from the University of New Orleans in January 2006 with a degree in Geology, but he has also been an artist for most of his life. You can see his art at www.goblinjester.webs.com
Ray can be contacted at [email protected]
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