Lesser Prince (Guardians of Gaeland Book 1)

by Jamie McFarlane

  Tig watched the interaction. It was clear that Lyka was trying to be antagonistic and it was possible Gela would take the bait. There was something in the conversation that had been left out, he could feel it.

  Lyka answered, “Just curious. I figured he’d come crawling back eventually.”

  The words hit Tig like a truck. First he had to replay his arrogant cousin’s words back in his mind, not believing that anyone could be that hurtful, especially not family. Tig pushed back from the table abruptly and stood. His eyes filled with anger, “He wouldn't be here if he were conscious. Clearly he would rather be anywhere else!” Tig’s eyes caught a flicker of pain in Gelasius’ eyes and immediately regretted his words.

  Lyka chuckled in a light hearted way, “Oh, sit down. I’m only joking.” Tig did as instructed, but didn’t believe for a moment that the despicable man was joking.

  “Lyka, you go too far,” Gela said.

  “I am sorry, mother. I find it is good to make light of bad things, it tempers the mood.” Before Gela could respond, he continued. “Oh, by the way, I have some friends coming in to town and they will be staying with us through the weekend. I know Friday is your big event. Would you mind if I brought them along? I promise that I will behave.”

  Larissa reentered the room announcing, “Tack will be along in a moment with your lunch. Of course you must come Friday night! Gela and I will be showing off the horses. It will be a fabulous night! Entertainment is at five and dinner at six.”

  Gela’s face showed a hint of annoyance, this time directed toward her sister. Tig imagined the answer might have been different if Gela had been given a chance to answer.

  “Great, it’s settled then. There will be five of us in total.” Lyka rose from the table and started for the door.

  “What about lunch?” Larissa called after him. The retreating prince didn’t bother to respond as he pushed through the doors that led out of the room.

  “That was your cousin, Lyka.” Gela summarized. “I am sorry he behaved so rudely.”

  “No, please. I’m sorry, Aunt Gela, I didn’t mean what I said.” Tig stared at her, trying to will away his hasty words.

  Wryly Gela chuckled. “My dear Tig, your words did not wound. Lyka has always loved causing strife. From the moment he walked through the door he was no doubt considering how he might rile you.” Gela reached over the table and gently held Tig’s hand. “We are desperately happy to have you finally in our family. I, for one, won’t let Lyka ruin that.”

  “What did I miss?” Larissa asked innocently.

  Gela answered her sister kindly, “Nothing of consequence dear, don’t worry.” Tig heard the reassurance and felt that at least a part of it was directed at him.

  Larissa’s eyes brightened again, her thoughts shifting to other things, “Oh, Tig! Friday Night! We have a huge party here at the castle. You have to come! It will be tons of fun! And how did those clothes fit? I didn’t have much to work with, but I'm really good at that kind of thing. We will have to get you something nice to wear for Friday, there will be a lot of people coming. I think I heard from Tick, or was it Tack? I don’t know. Well anyway, I heard that some of Laux’s crew had taken another truck out to your house to pick up your goats and make nice with the sheriff. I think they will be back tomorrow night.”

  Tig wondered if he were really required to be present for the conversation. It seemed that Larissa, once wound up, could continue rolling like this for quite a while. “Heh, okay, hold on a sec.” Tig looked back at the excited woman, curious if she would just start up again.

  She giggled, smiling at Tig, waiting for him to answer.

  “Uh … er … well … hmm, the clothing fits perfectly and that’s great about our goats. What else? Oh, yeah. Friday sounds okay. Is it possible to get my clothes from Iowa? I didn’t have a chance to pack while we were there.”

  Larissa struggled with her response, “We'll see how that goes. So let's talk about the agenda for today ..."

  Gela excused herself, not wanting to be sucked into 'the agenda.' Larissa didn't notice or even slow down, "I see you are nicely cleaned up. We need run to town and do some shopping. A person can't have too much clothing. We can do that at the Faire. While we are there, I’ll show you around. It’s such an awesome place. I’ll introduce you to everyone. I can also show you some who should be avoided. Have you ever ridden a horse? It's really the best way to get around. Then we should head over to the infirmary and check on Laux. It’s crazy how you healed him. Have you done that before? This is going to be really great. Someday, I would like to have kids of my own, but I don't yet. You are just like the little brother I never had."

  At some point Tig's head was full and he could absorb no more. Larissa was filled with energy and apparently had no outlet other than Tig. It was nice to have the attention of such an energetic person, but he could already see she had the potential to be exhausting.

  After stopping in to check on his father, Larissa led him outside the castle on the eastern edge, just below the solarium where they had eaten. She explained that the weather had turned colder since his arrival and grabbed a couple of leather jackets as they passed through a storage room filled with all manner of outdoor gear. While gloves didn't seem that necessary to Tig, Larissa insisted, handing him a new pair of deer skin gloves that were remarkably soft.

  Tig followed Larissa over a rock path embedded in a beautifully manicured lawn. She nearly pulled him off his feet as she impatiently made her way to the barn. "So you never did answer me, do you know how to ride?"

  Tig murmured, "Not really." Tig loved animals and hoped his answer wouldn't dissuade his newly found aunt from letting him try.

  Larissa laughed at Tig's weak answer, "It is really pretty easy, and if you are going to be a prince around here, you’d best learn now."

  Tig's elation over Larissa's answer was short lived as they approached the stalls and he saw the intimidating creatures. Larissa, however, must not have noticed his hesitancy as she walked right up to the first stall, threw the bolt and slid the door completely open. The horse stamped the ground and threw its head up and down a few times, finally nuzzling Larissa’s hand. It was a beautiful horse, mostly white with a sprinkling of reddish brown throughout. Its mane and tail were snow white and brushed to a glossy shine. The horse seemed to love Larissa's attention and stood still as she gently caressed its face and stroked its neck.

  "Ah, there you are my little man," she cooed. "Tig, this is my buddy Cayenne. He comes from a long line of Arabians we have here at Helicon. He’ll be your riding buddy." Larissa patiently coaxed Tig to come forward. Cayenne was the largest animal he’d ever been this close to. Its eyes were huge and Tig felt they had a wild look to them, not that he had anything to compare them to. As he approached, Cayenne shifted its weight back and forth, clearly nervous.

  Larissa continued instructing, "Cayenne is excited to meet you! What a sweetheart! You need to let him know you are a friend, so talk nice to him and keep your movements slow and where he can easily see them. Rub his neck for a while so you can get to know each other."

  Cayenne's skin was soft, almost slick if he rubbed it in the right direction and the heat emanating from his neck was considerable. While Tig stood there talking quietly to Cayenne, Larissa walked off to greet each of the remaining six horses. Tig's fear dissipated as he addressed Cayenne and felt a growing connection.

  Larissa clipped a lead to Cayenne’s halter and tied him loosely to one of the center supports. She then led Tig over to the tack closet and handed him item after item, arranging them on Tig like a Christmas tree. Finally satisfied, she led him back to the stall of a very striking dark chocolate brown and white horse. The horse's face was a mixture of the two colors, as if someone had taken a few swipes at the horse with a can of white spray paint. The horse gave no sign of giving way as the pair approached, making a loud disapproving snort in Tig's direction.

  "Now Thunder, you behave!" Larissa spoke in a forceful, chidi
ng voice. "If you let him, this one will run the show. He is a champion Appaloosa and he knows it. He can tell that you're nervous and he is trying to let you know who’s boss. You are such a naughty boy!" Tig wasn't sure if that last part was for him or Thunder. Her voice sounded like she was reprimanding an unruly six year old.

  Larissa pulled one item after another off of Tig and soon had Thunder and Cayenne both ready to go.

  Getting onto the horse turned out to be more problematic than Tig had imagined. Having never ridden, Tig had a difficult time with the concept of pulling himself up in a fluid motion, fearing that he would either overshoot or that he might somehow injure Cayenne. After a few attempts, he finally got the right amount of force, pulling himself into the comfortable saddle.

  Larissa spent a few minutes leading Cayenne and Tig around so that horse and rider could become more familiar with each other. She then handed the reins up to Tig, providing some final instructions on how he could communicate direction and speed.

  What could go wrong? Tig thought to himself wryly.

  Larissa brought Thunder up next to Tig and Cayenne, "We’re going down to the Faire and see about some clothing, especially for Friday night. Follow me and don't worry. We can take it slow."

  They walked along a trail that led into the trees. Tig's instincts told him they were roughly paralleling the road he and Naminee had driven when first arriving at the castle. Sure enough, after a few minutes they broke free from the forest and saw the massive entrance gate ahead. It was open and flanked by guards dressed in the normal green shirt that Tig had come to associate with workers at Helicon. The guards waved to Larissa who greeted them warmly. Without stopping, they continued on.

  "If we were to follow the road we would eventually run into the Faire, as you probably saw when you came in last night. But on horseback, we can take a much more direct route through the forest," Larissa explained cheerfully.

  Once clear of the gate, Tig saw a sign next to a wide path leading back into the forest. Larissa picked up the pace to a slow trot and Tig thought his brains would bounce out of his head. Fortunately, Larissa caught his discomfort and provided further instruction on how to ride successfully in a western saddle - whatever that might be. Her advice, however, helped considerably and Tig started moving more comfortably with the horse's movements, synchronizing instead of fighting.

  It took twenty minutes to make it to the small village that Larissa referred to as the Faire. It was just as colorful as it had been the previous evening, but now Tig could really appreciate the sounds and smells of the happy little town. Their first stop was the barn. Larissa jumped down easily and turned Thunder over to an attendant. Tig struggled to dismount, leaving his foot in the stirrup just a little too long. His other foot could not quite make contact with the ground, causing his entire body to swing underneath Cayenne. Unfortunately, Tig's foot popped free about halfway through the maneuver, landing him flat on his back under the horse. He blushed as observers turned away quickly to hide their smiles.

  "Oh, silly, you're going to have to work on that, we can't have you on the ground all of the time." Larissa reached down and helped Tig back to his feet.

  Tig's legs felt like someone had been pulling them at odd angles away from his body. It was strange, but while he was on the horse he hadn't felt it at all. Now that he was trying to stand, joints and muscles that he hadn't previously been aware of were complaining, threatening to send him back to the ground. He wobbled for a moment before straightening up.

  Larissa led Tig through town, clearly on a mission, but her local celebrity prevented any sort of reasonable progress. Tig wondered if there was anyone in the small town who didn't know her and want to spend a few minutes chatting. Instead of being frustrated by the attention, Larissa graciously greeted each person in turn, taking time to introduce Tig.

  Throughout the afternoon, Larissa played a peculiar game of dress up with Tig. Each shop they visited, she insisted that Tig try on this and that, as she clucked about size, color and style with the various proprietors. Oddly, Larissa didn't seem to actually make any decisions, talk price or arrange payment. Tig was relieved when they left each store without a single package. He had grown up without money and knew that he and Chey would never be able to afford all of the clothes he’d tried on, especially now that Chey was ill.

  "Larissa?" Tig started.

  "Yes, hon. What is it?" Larissa sounded distracted, pawing her way through a stack of jeans.

  "It's very nice of you to bring me here, it has been great fun, but Dad and I can't afford new clothes." Tig wasn't embarrassed by the fact. He’d long ago learned that he and Chey lived on less money than everyone else. He also didn't want to offend his aunt, who was enjoying her day out shopping.

  "Hmm. Oh dear, don't you worry about that. You wouldn't stop your aunt from having her day on the town, would you?"

  Tig considered her words. Chey had taught him to be polite but also to reject charity; it was a conflicting moment for the youth. He finally decided that arguing with Larissa would probably be unsuccessful and decided to let it go, at least for now.

  As afternoon turned to early evening they found themselves at a table at one of the many local eateries. They were both exhausted and grateful for the warm fire and cool soft drinks. As Larissa shopped, Tig had been wrestling with Lyka’s nasty insinuations earlier at lunch. Why had Chey left such a wonderful place with great people like Gelasius and Larissa?

  "Hey, Larissa, why did Dad leave? I mean, I know he would have eventually told me, but now that he's hurt, I think I need to know."

  "Oh, Tig, I don't think I am the best person to talk to you about this. I was so young when all of that happened. It was horrible, I missed him so terribly."

  Tig could see her eyes becoming misty. "I'm sorry, Aunt Lari. I just need to know. I would like to figure out now, just how angry dad is going to be when he finds out I brought him back."

  "Tig, he will not blame you. Remember, he called Gelasius to tell her about the evil he was tracking. He knew he might need help and he was right." Larissa sounded very convincing.

  “Thanks,” Tig said. He wasn't completely reassured, but felt better.

  Larissa's face brightened and she jumped up, planting a kiss on Tig's forehead. "Great. Let's go; I need your help tomorrow and Friday to get ready for the big event. We have lots of people coming. I think a few kids your age will even be there."

  Tig thought about it for a moment. He wasn't overly excited about the prospect of meeting other kids. He’d always been a loner, never really accepted in any social circles at school. He would, however, be glad to help his aunt prepare for her event. The ride back to the castle was beautiful. Tig's elven sight lit up the forest in the rich hues he’d come to associate with evening and allowed him to observe the antics of a surprising number of forest creatures along the way.

  Construction

  Oregon

  Finias, Gregor and Kestra arrived at the airstrip in a new black Lincoln town car. Kestra was at the wheel and the brothers sat in the back, arguing.

  “Fin, you’re running through the last of our money as if it grows on trees. I know you aren’t interested in the details, but that is how we’re paying for the mortgage on Blackhall Manor. We’re nearly broke and you’re spending money on cars and trips. It’s got to stop.” Gregor’s voice was panicked.

  “Gregor, this is an old tune. I’ve heard your concerns and understand them. You fail to grasp the bigger picture! Leave it alone.”

  “How can I grasp the bigger picture if you won’t share it with me?” Gregor asked.

  “We’ve arrived,” Kestra announced. The town car pulled onto the tarmac and glided to a stop beside a small white jet. While the airstrip mostly catered to the recreational flyer, it was substantial enough to welcome corporate jet traffic.

  “Locate the crone and meet us on board,” Finias directed as he pushed open the door and stepped out of the vehicle.

  Kestra guided the automo
bile into an open hangar, parking the austere vehicle out of the way of normal airplane operation. She tossed a backpack over her shoulder and stepped outside.

  From the forest, on the edge of the private airport, the crone watched Kestra exit the hangar. She had already anticipated Kestra’s assignment, but refused to make things easy for the elf. The crone cautiously moved to intercept, but kept herself well hidden.

  She was surprised when ten yards away, Kestra slowed and shifted into a defensive stance, small blades visible in both hands. The young woman’s instincts were admirable. She was good, but still no match for the crone’s experience and skill in a real fight. It was interesting that Kestra had detected her presence at all. She’d need to keep her eye on this one.

  “You are more than meets the eye, elf.” The witch’s voice was not nearly as raspy as Kestra remembered.

  “Finias is ready to depart. Follow me,” Kestra said.

  The crone didn’t move. “You have no idea what’s going on around you. You don’t even know who you are and yet you’ve given yourself to the Blackhalls out of ignorance.”

  “I've given myself to no one and there’s no value in this conversation.”

  “Very well, lead on …”

  They joined the others on the jet and the group fell silent. The plane landed just three hours later.

  Lyka Parnassus met the plane in a green Humvee bearing the crest of The House of Parnassus. “You’re right on time. The workmen have mostly finished and I think you’ll be impressed,” he said.

  “Nicely done, let’s head straight there,” Finias Blackhall said.

  He addressed the old woman, “Crone, go to Helicon and validate that both the young princes are still there. Once you’ve done so, meet us at The Crux.” Without a word, the crone departed in a swirl of smoke.

  Lyka pressed the Humvee’s accelerator scant seconds after the last door slammed shut. They sped along the small mountain road, well over the posted speed limit. After forty minutes he slowed, pulling into a drive which wasn’t much more than two rutted tire tracks that the forest was trying to reclaim. On either side of the entrance were stone columns. They were chipped and uneven at the top and huge chunks rested on the ground at their base. Weather and time had taken a great toll on the once grand sentinels.